Dale
#14,942 for girls in 2025, 5 births · #1,409 for boys in 2025, 129 births
Given to boys 92.7% of the time
Showing
- Peak · boys
- 1958 · 8,502 births
- Debut · boys
- 6 births
- In top 100 · boys
- 49 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 278,156since 1881
Dale over time
girlsboys
Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #14,942 | 5 | #1,409 | 129 |
| 2024 | — | #1,308 | 149 | |
| 2023 | #15,194 | 5 | #1,408 | 130 |
| 2022 | — | #1,551 | 115 | |
| 2021 | #10,292 | 9 | #1,407 | 130 |
| 2020 | — | #1,353 | 131 | |
| 2019 | — | #1,468 | 118 | |
| 2018 | #15,682 | 5 | #1,385 | 127 |
| 2017 | #15,902 | 5 | #1,219 | 150 |
| 2016 | #11,781 | 8 | #1,124 | 173 |
| 2015 | — | #1,096 | 177 | |
| 2014 | #16,513 | 5 | #1,070 | 181 |
| 2013 | #9,612 | 11 | #1,229 | 146 |
| 2012 | — | #1,115 | 165 | |
| 2011 | — | #1,108 | 166 | |
| 2010 | #16,992 | 5 | #1,019 | 190 |
| 2009 | — | #920 | 225 | |
| 2008 | #10,807 | 10 | #836 | 261 |
| 2007 | #12,676 | 8 | #772 | 284 |
| 2006 | #13,606 | 7 | #735 | 290 |
| 2005 | #10,128 | 10 | #662 | 323 |
| 2004 | #10,690 | 9 | #607 | 353 |
| 2003 | #7,580 | 14 | #550 | 408 |
| 2002 | #7,816 | 13 | #496 | 466 |
| 2001 | #5,174 | 22 | #410 | 612 |
| 2000 | #8,027 | 12 | #536 | 407 |
| 1999 | #8,805 | 10 | #495 | 442 |
| 1998 | #4,796 | 22 | #466 | 483 |
| 1997 | #5,417 | 18 | #446 | 503 |
| 1996 | #4,883 | 20 | #412 | 555 |
| 1995 | #4,099 | 25 | #401 | 570 |
| 1994 | #2,877 | 41 | #365 | 650 |
| 1993 | #3,776 | 28 | #370 | 641 |
| 1992 | #3,091 | 37 | #341 | 703 |
| 1991 | #3,817 | 27 | #330 | 759 |
| 1990 | #3,022 | 37 | #285 | 907 |
| 1989 | #3,165 | 33 | #288 | 855 |
| 1988 | #3,165 | 31 | #267 | 883 |
| 1987 | #2,612 | 38 | #248 | 931 |
| 1986 | #2,344 | 43 | #237 | 980 |
| 1985 | #2,398 | 41 | #219 | 1,093 |
| 1984 | #2,227 | 44 | #220 | 1,032 |
| 1983 | #1,993 | 51 | #212 | 1,096 |
| 1982 | #1,991 | 52 | #215 | 1,132 |
| 1981 | #2,119 | 48 | #197 | 1,248 |
| 1980 | #1,936 | 55 | #198 | 1,237 |
| 1979 | #2,147 | 46 | #188 | 1,274 |
| 1978 | #1,669 | 63 | #176 | 1,323 |
| 1977 | #1,976 | 49 | #176 | 1,360 |
| 1976 | #1,373 | 78 | #161 | 1,480 |
| 1975 | #1,604 | 61 | #159 | 1,528 |
| 1974 | #1,438 | 70 | #145 | 1,688 |
| 1973 | #1,339 | 75 | #141 | 1,802 |
| 1972 | #1,133 | 97 | #131 | 2,062 |
| 1971 | #919 | 141 | #125 | 2,545 |
| 1970 | #813 | 170 | #110 | 3,003 |
| 1969 | #739 | 188 | #96 | 3,154 |
| 1968 | #826 | 151 | #91 | 3,257 |
| 1967 | #761 | 167 | #89 | 3,537 |
| 1966 | #648 | 220 | #85 | 3,985 |
| 1965 | #602 | 258 | #83 | 4,397 |
| 1964 | #556 | 317 | #72 | 5,158 |
| 1963 | #510 | 367 | #69 | 5,700 |
| 1962 | #497 | 379 | #62 | 6,365 |
| 1961 | #462 | 448 | #58 | 7,193 |
| 1960 | #418 | 534 | #54 | 7,677 |
| 1959 | #411 | 529 | #49 | 8,343 |
| 1958 | #381 | 585 | #46 | 8,502 |
| 1957 | #353 | 665 | #50 | 7,866 |
| 1956 | #308 | 834 | #50 | 7,720 |
| 1955 | #271 | 1,001 | #52 | 7,182 |
| 1954 | #247 | 1,095 | #50 | 7,439 |
| 1953 | #250 | 1,053 | #48 | 7,350 |
| 1952 | #236 | 1,108 | #46 | 7,417 |
| 1951 | #250 | 927 | #49 | 6,963 |
| 1950 | #263 | 844 | #49 | 6,785 |
| 1949 | #257 | 875 | #54 | 6,229 |
| 1948 | #258 | 855 | #56 | 6,091 |
| 1947 | #267 | 817 | #63 | 5,936 |
| 1946 | #287 | 662 | #62 | 5,024 |
| 1945 | #309 | 487 | #61 | 3,957 |
| 1944 | #330 | 432 | #61 | 3,990 |
| 1943 | #335 | 445 | #59 | 4,235 |
| 1942 | #357 | 386 | #63 | 3,863 |
| 1941 | #378 | 324 | #59 | 3,791 |
| 1940 | #382 | 303 | #57 | 3,699 |
| 1939 | #401 | 280 | #59 | 3,531 |
| 1938 | #466 | 209 | #56 | 3,690 |
| 1937 | #485 | 182 | #59 | 3,340 |
| 1936 | #457 | 196 | #59 | 3,393 |
| 1935 | #519 | 153 | #61 | 3,274 |
| 1934 | #617 | 115 | #62 | 3,241 |
| 1933 | #826 | 65 | #65 | 2,925 |
| 1932 | #734 | 84 | #61 | 3,140 |
| 1931 | #777 | 75 | #62 | 3,008 |
| 1930 | #699 | 97 | #64 | 2,994 |
| 1929 | #855 | 69 | #73 | 2,664 |
| 1928 | #773 | 86 | #75 | 2,640 |
| 1927 | #766 | 89 | #81 | 2,503 |
| 1926 | #824 | 79 | #84 | 2,398 |
| 1925 | #806 | 84 | #86 | 2,302 |
| 1924 | #747 | 98 | #84 | 2,396 |
| 1923 | #786 | 86 | #90 | 2,172 |
| 1922 | #939 | 62 | #89 | 2,041 |
| 1921 | #862 | 73 | #93 | 1,956 |
| 1920 | #903 | 65 | #105 | 1,680 |
| 1919 | #823 | 73 | #112 | 1,428 |
| 1918 | #843 | 73 | #111 | 1,491 |
| 1917 | #916 | 57 | #120 | 1,248 |
| 1916 | #893 | 57 | #121 | 1,161 |
| 1915 | #900 | 53 | #125 | 1,081 |
| 1914 | #1,034 | 33 | #142 | 691 |
| 1913 | #1,020 | 28 | #155 | 472 |
| 1912 | #846 | 35 | #159 | 371 |
| 1911 | #838 | 26 | #203 | 150 |
| 1910 | #877 | 24 | #205 | 125 |
| 1909 | #1,152 | 13 | #207 | 102 |
| 1908 | #970 | 17 | #203 | 100 |
| 1907 | #1,289 | 10 | #242 | 73 |
| 1906 | #1,321 | 9 | #240 | 66 |
| 1905 | #1,162 | 11 | #241 | 65 |
| 1904 | #1,050 | 12 | #260 | 53 |
| 1903 | #1,440 | 7 | #248 | 56 |
| 1902 | #936 | 14 | #226 | 63 |
| 1901 | #1,136 | 9 | #272 | 40 |
| 1900 | #941 | 16 | #281 | 54 |
| 1899 | #1,034 | 10 | #266 | 41 |
| 1898 | #1,379 | 7 | #288 | 40 |
| 1897 | #1,037 | 10 | #288 | 39 |
| 1896 | #1,292 | 7 | #312 | 36 |
| 1895 | #986 | 11 | #368 | 26 |
| 1894 | #998 | 10 | #336 | 28 |
| 1893 | #1,175 | 7 | #435 | 18 |
| 1892 | #1,085 | 8 | #404 | 22 |
| 1891 | #1,332 | 5 | #427 | 17 |
| 1890 | #1,338 | 5 | #511 | 14 |
| 1889 | — | #415 | 19 | |
| 1888 | #1,136 | 6 | #505 | 15 |
| 1887 | #937 | 7 | #544 | 11 |
| 1886 | — | #431 | 17 | |
| 1885 | — | #344 | 25 | |
| 1884 | — | #613 | 10 | |
| 1883 | — | #556 | 11 | |
| 1882 | — | #754 | 7 | |
| 1881 | — | #781 | 6 | |
| 1880 | — | — | ||
First appearance
1881
The first year at least five boys were named Dale! It came in at #781, and was given to 6 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1881–1882, when fewer than 8 boys a year got the name.
Where Dale is popular in 1981
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
Top states · boys
- Alaska#96 · 1 in 446
- Nebraska#103 · 1 in 617
- Wisconsin#104 · 1 in 753
- Delaware#112 · 1 in 633
- Maryland#113 · 1 in 733
Best ever in a state: #11 in Idaho, 1927.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | #96 | 9 | 1 in 446 |
| Nebraska | #103 | 20 | 1 in 617 |
| Wisconsin | #104 | 46 | 1 in 753 |
| Delaware | #112 | 6 | 1 in 633 |
| Maryland | #113 | 33 | 1 in 733 |
| Maine | #115 | 10 | 1 in 703 |
| Michigan | #115 | 80 | 1 in 820 |
| Ohio | #129 | 82 | 1 in 983 |
| Minnesota | #130 | 30 | 1 in 1,095 |
| New Hampshire | #134 | 5 | 1 in 1,229 |
| Montana | #135 | 7 | 1 in 830 |
| Pennsylvania | #141 | 65 | 1 in 1,191 |
| Washington | #142 | 33 | 1 in 963 |
| Indiana | #145 | 35 | 1 in 1,146 |
| North Dakota | #146 | 6 | 1 in 980 |
| Kansas | #147 | 19 | 1 in 956 |
| South Dakota | #149 | 6 | 1 in 904 |
| Missouri | #153 | 32 | 1 in 1,144 |
| Utah | #162 | 18 | 1 in 1,056 |
| Colorado | #164 | 22 | 1 in 1,083 |
| Virginia | #164 | 32 | 1 in 1,080 |
| Oklahoma | #170 | 22 | 1 in 1,071 |
| Oregon | #170 | 16 | 1 in 1,254 |
| West Virginia | #175 | 8 | 1 in 1,616 |
| Kentucky | #177 | 18 | 1 in 1,502 |
| Nevada | #187 | 5 | 1 in 1,134 |
| Florida | #190 | 53 | 1 in 1,188 |
| District of Columbia | #192 | 8 | 1 in 994 |
| Iowa | #194 | 12 | 1 in 1,818 |
| Louisiana | #200 | 33 | 1 in 1,111 |
| Illinois | #205 | 60 | 1 in 1,411 |
| Hawaii | #208 | 7 | 1 in 975 |
| New York | #211 | 76 | 1 in 1,494 |
| Massachusetts | #213 | 14 | 1 in 2,554 |
| Connecticut | #219 | 9 | 1 in 1,981 |
| Idaho | #221 | 5 | 1 in 1,635 |
| New Jersey | #231 | 22 | 1 in 1,930 |
| North Carolina | #234 | 21 | 1 in 1,802 |
| Mississippi | #244 | 12 | 1 in 1,604 |
| Arizona | #256 | 14 | 1 in 1,655 |
| Texas | #263 | 83 | 1 in 1,659 |
| South Carolina | #267 | 11 | 1 in 1,919 |
| Arkansas | #268 | 7 | 1 in 2,183 |
| New Mexico | #293 | 6 | 1 in 1,859 |
| Alabama | #310 | 10 | 1 in 2,633 |
| California | #311 | 83 | 1 in 2,420 |
| Tennessee | #313 | 10 | 1 in 3,238 |
| Georgia | #314 | 16 | 1 in 2,516 |
| Rhode Island | — | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Dale
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
- 101 spots since 2024 (#1,308 → #1,409)
- 56 spots since 2020 (#1,353 → #1,409)
- 313 spots since 2015 (#1,096 → #1,409)
- Biggest jump: 269 spots in 1885 (#613 → #344)
- Biggest drop: 113 spots in 1887 (#431 → #544)
Rise & fade · boys
77 yrs to peak
- Debuted 1881
- Peaked 1958 at #46 (8,502 births)
- Births halved by 1966, 8 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 49 yrs
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 49 yrs · run 1921–1969
- Top 1,000: 129 yrs · run 1881–2009
Share of babies · boys
1 in 250
- Highest: 1 in 250 boys born in 1958 were named Dale (0.40%)
- Latest: 1 in 13,241 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · boys
The 1950s
- 27.2% of all boys named Dale (75,567) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Never flipped
- The majority has never changed
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 121 | #344 (1885) | #549 |
| 1890s | 281 | #266 (1899) | #364 |
| 1900s | 672 | #203 (1908) | #242 |
| 1910s | 8,218 | #111 (1918) | #145 |
| 1920s | 22,752 | #73 (1929) | #86 |
| 1930s | 32,536 | #56 (1938) | #61 |
| 1940s | 46,815 | #54 (1949) | #60 |
| 1950s | 75,567 | #46 (1958) | #49 |
| 1960s | 50,423 | #54 (1960) | #76 |
| 1970s | 18,065 | #110 (1970) | #151 |
| 1980s | 10,487 | #197 (1981) | #230 |
| 1990s | 6,213 | #285 (1990) | #391 |
| 2000s | 3,629 | #410 (2001) | #652 |
| 2010s | 1,593 | #1,019 (2010) | #1,183 |
| 2020s | 784 | #1,308 (2024) | #1,406 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Dale in 1981
girls
#2,119
48 births · 1 in 34,751 girls
boys
#197
1,248 births · 1 in 1,435 boys
Top girls' names in 1981
Top boys' names in 1981
More about 1981
girls
1,668,060 girls got a published name in 1981; 1 in 34,751 of them was named Dale, which outranked 82.6% of the 12,198 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Ranked beside Dale
- #2,085Tiffiany49
- #2,085Treva49
- #2,085Yasmeen49
- #2,119Dale48
- #2,119Aliya48
- #2,119Amira48
- #2,119Annalee48
- #2,158Amparo47
- #2,158Candra47
- #2,158Carletta47
Tied with 38 names at #2,119; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Biggest movers since 1980
Risers
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,791,177 boys got a published name in 1981; 1 in 1,435 of them was named Dale, which outranked 97.3% of the 7,289 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
Ranked beside Dale
Biggest movers since 1980
Risers
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.