Boy nameCurrently #1,306 in the USSteady
Dale
DAYL//deɪl//
1 syllablePeak year: 19584 lettersStarts with D
Meaning & origin
Valley
Dale comes from the English word for a valley, an old topographic surname turned given name. Short and plain, it was especially common in the mid-20th century.
Dale's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Dale |
|---|---|
| 1881 | 6 |
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 11 |
| 1884 | 10 |
| 1885 | 25 |
| 1886 | 17 |
| 1887 | 18 |
| 1888 | 21 |
| 1889 | 19 |
| 1890 | 19 |
| 1891 | 22 |
| 1892 | 30 |
| 1893 | 25 |
| 1894 | 38 |
| 1895 | 37 |
| 1896 | 43 |
| 1897 | 49 |
| 1898 | 47 |
| 1899 | 51 |
| 1900 | 70 |
| 1901 | 49 |
| 1902 | 77 |
| 1903 | 63 |
| 1904 | 65 |
| 1905 | 76 |
| 1906 | 75 |
| 1907 | 83 |
| 1908 | 117 |
| 1909 | 115 |
| 1910 | 149 |
| 1911 | 176 |
| 1912 | 406 |
| 1913 | 500 |
| 1914 | 724 |
| 1915 | 1,134 |
| 1916 | 1,218 |
| 1917 | 1,305 |
| 1918 | 1,564 |
| 1919 | 1,501 |
| 1920 | 1,745 |
| 1921 | 2,029 |
| 1922 | 2,103 |
| 1923 | 2,258 |
| 1924 | 2,494 |
| 1925 | 2,386 |
| 1926 | 2,477 |
| 1927 | 2,592 |
| 1928 | 2,726 |
| 1929 | 2,733 |
| 1930 | 3,091 |
| 1931 | 3,083 |
| 1932 | 3,224 |
| 1933 | 2,990 |
| 1934 | 3,356 |
| 1935 | 3,426 |
| 1936 | 3,590 |
| 1937 | 3,522 |
| 1938 | 3,899 |
| 1939 | 3,811 |
| 1940 | 4,002 |
| 1941 | 4,114 |
| 1942 | 4,250 |
| 1943 | 4,679 |
| 1944 | 4,422 |
| 1945 | 4,444 |
| 1946 | 5,686 |
| 1947 | 6,753 |
| 1948 | 6,944 |
| 1949 | 7,104 |
| 1950 | 7,631 |
| 1951 | 7,891 |
| 1952 | 8,523 |
| 1953 | 8,402 |
| 1954 | 8,534 |
| 1955 | 8,183 |
| 1956 | 8,554 |
| 1957 | 8,530 |
| 1958 | 9,088 |
| 1959 | 8,872 |
| 1960 | 8,209 |
| 1961 | 7,640 |
| 1962 | 6,746 |
| 1963 | 6,062 |
| 1964 | 5,478 |
| 1965 | 4,655 |
| 1966 | 4,205 |
| 1967 | 3,703 |
| 1968 | 3,408 |
| 1969 | 3,343 |
| 1970 | 3,173 |
| 1971 | 2,687 |
| 1972 | 2,159 |
| 1973 | 1,876 |
| 1974 | 1,758 |
| 1975 | 1,589 |
| 1976 | 1,558 |
| 1977 | 1,409 |
| 1978 | 1,387 |
| 1979 | 1,320 |
| 1980 | 1,292 |
| 1981 | 1,296 |
| 1982 | 1,184 |
| 1983 | 1,147 |
| 1984 | 1,075 |
| 1985 | 1,134 |
| 1986 | 1,023 |
| 1987 | 969 |
| 1988 | 914 |
| 1989 | 888 |
| 1990 | 944 |
| 1991 | 786 |
| 1992 | 740 |
| 1993 | 669 |
| 1994 | 691 |
| 1995 | 595 |
| 1996 | 575 |
| 1997 | 521 |
| 1998 | 505 |
| 1999 | 452 |
| 2000 | 419 |
| 2001 | 634 |
| 2002 | 479 |
| 2003 | 422 |
| 2004 | 362 |
| 2005 | 333 |
| 2006 | 296 |
| 2007 | 292 |
| 2008 | 271 |
| 2009 | 225 |
| 2010 | 195 |
| 2011 | 166 |
| 2012 | 165 |
| 2013 | 157 |
| 2014 | 186 |
| 2015 | 177 |
| 2016 | 181 |
| 2017 | 155 |
| 2018 | 132 |
| 2019 | 118 |
| 2020 | 131 |
| 2021 | 139 |
| 2022 | 114 |
| 2023 | 134 |
| 2024 | 149 |
Dale through the decades
- Dale peaked in 1958, when 9,088 babies were named Dale in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Dale has fallen 37% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Dale currently ranks #1,306 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Dale
Variants & spellings
Dael