Dale
An English surname for someone who lived in a valley.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Dale first shows up in the national records in 1881. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1921 to 1969. Its biggest year was 1958, when 8,502 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 46 nationally. The name has also seen real use for girls: 21,887 of the 300,043 Americans given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Dayle (3,320), Dal (628), Dail (604), Dael (582) (total births since 1880)
Explore Dale interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 121 | No. 344 |
| 1890s | 281 | No. 266 |
| 1900s | 672 | No. 203 |
| 1910s | 8,218 | No. 111 |
| 1920s | 22,752 | No. 73 |
| 1930s | 32,536 | No. 56 |
| 1940s | 46,815 | No. 54 |
| 1950s | 75,567 | No. 46 |
| 1960s | 50,423 | No. 54 |
| 1970s | 18,065 | No. 110 |
| 1980s | 10,487 | No. 197 |
| 1990s | 6,213 | No. 285 |
| 2000s | 3,629 | No. 410 |
| 2010s | 1,593 | No. 1019 |
| 2020s | 784 | No. 1308 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.