ninan.org

Dale

Boys' name · Mid-century

Living in the US
~179,300 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#1,409 among boys
Births in 2025
134 300,043 since 1880
Typical age
66 years, median

Dale popularity over time

Dale rank by birth year, 1881–2025Dale ranked #781 in 1881 and #1,409 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #46, in 1952.#100#1,000#1,409best #46 in 195218901920195019802010
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1881–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

Dale was used most in 1958, when 9,087 babies were given the name. It first clears the SSA reporting threshold in 1881. It has held a top-100 place in 49 separate years.

As of 2025 the name sits at #1,409, with 134 births that year. The ten-year change is -24%. Year on year the rank dropped by 101.

Babies named Dale per yearPeaks at 9,087 births in 1958.9,087 in 1958018901920195019802010
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named Dale?

About 179,300 people named Dale are alive in the United States today. SSA has recorded 300,043 births under the name since 1880. The split is about 15,500 women and 163,800 men.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average Dale?

Median age among living Dales: 66. Most living bearers were born in the 1950s. By the site’s era rules that makes Dale a mid-century name.

Your Dale

Ages of living people named DaleHalf of living Dales are older than 66 and half younger.median 66020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where Dale is most common

Dale is 1.9× as common in Ohio as it is nationally. Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania follow.

Where Dale is used more than average5 states use the name Dale more than the national average.Alaska: not over-representedAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: not over-representedVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: not over-representedMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: 1.7× the national rateWIMichigan: 1.8× the national rateMINew York: not over-representedNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: not over-representedWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: 1.9× the national rateOHPennsylvania: 1.6× the national ratePANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: not over-representedCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: 1.4× the national rateMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: not over-representedWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: not over-representedMDDelaware: not over-representedDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: not over-representedDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: not over-representedMSAlabama: not over-representedALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where Dale is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
Ohio 78 1.9×
Michigan 58 1.8×
Wisconsin 31 1.7×
Pennsylvania 67 1.6×
Missouri 31 1.4×

Dale in England and Wales

ONS recorded 7 births named Dale in 2025, ranking it #2,952. That is 30% lower than five years earlier.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name Dale comes from

English Wiktionary: given name from surnames.

Notable people named Dale

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
Dale Carnegie American writer and lecturer 1888–1955 98
Dale T. Mortensen American economist 1939–2014 48
Dale Earnhardt American racing driver 1951–2001 28
Dale Robertson American actor 1923–2013 28
Dale Gardner American astronaut 1948–2014 27
Dale Evans American actress, singer and writer 1912–2001 24
Dale Chihuly American glass sculptor 1941 24
Dale Crover American drummer 1967 23
Photo credits (7)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 176 in 1911 to 406 in 1912 — 2.3 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/dale.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).