How Many People Are Named Dale?
An estimated 184,095 people in the United States have the first name Dale. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #297 overall. It is predominantly male (92.7%). The average bearer is 65 years old, and Dale peaked in popularity in 1958 with 9,088 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Dale as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Dale paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Dale has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
184,095
About 1 in 1,862 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
92.7% confidence
Average Age
65
years old
Peak Year
1958
9,088 births
Total Registered
299,900
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Dale
Dale is predominantly male (92.7%), though 21,882 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Dale as a male name
Ranked #1,306 in 2024
149 male births in 2024
Peak: 1958 (8,503 births)
Dale as a female name
Ranked #15,719 in 2023
5 female births in 2023
Peak: 1952 (1,108 births)
Dale: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Dale span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 84,208 babies were registered. Dale has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Dale by Decade
How has Dale tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 134 | 121 | 13 | |
| 1890s | 361 | 281 | 80 | |
| 1900s | 790 | 672 | 118 | |
| 1910s | 8,677 | 8,218 | 459 | |
| 1920s | 23,543 | 22,752 | 791 | |
| 1930s | 33,992 | 32,536 | 1,456 | |
| 1940s | 52,398 | 46,812 | 5,586 | |
| 1950s | 84,208 | 75,567 | 8,641 | |
| 1960s | 53,449 | 50,420 | 3,029 | |
| 1970s | 18,916 | 18,066 | 850 | |
| 1980s | 10,922 | 10,486 | 436 | |
| 1990s | 6,478 | 6,213 | 265 | |
| 2000s | 3,733 | 3,628 | 105 | |
| 2010s | 1,632 | 1,593 | 39 | |
| 2020s | 667 | 653 | 14 | |
Dale by State
Birth registrations for Dale span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Ohio, Michigan, California. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Rhode Island. On average, about 5,724 Dales were registered per state.
Dale + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Dale as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Dale
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Dale: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dale?
We estimate approximately 184,095 people named Dale are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,862 Americans share this first name.
Is Dale a common name?
Dale is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 299,900 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Dale most popular?
Dale reached peak popularity in 1958, when 9,088 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Dale is approximately 65 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Dale a male name?
Dale is predominantly male. 92.7% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Dale Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Dale Smith, Dale Johnson, Dale Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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