How Many People Are Named Dawson?
An estimated 50,071 people in the United States have the first name Dawson. It is predominantly male (97.5%). The average bearer is 16 years old, and Dawson peaked in popularity in 1999 with 2,834 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Dawson 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 Dawson paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Dawson is overwhelmingly male, 1,316 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Dawson is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 16, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
50,071
About 1 in 6,845 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
97.5% confidence
Average Age
16
years old
Peak Year
1999
2,834 births
Total Registered
51,610
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Dawson
Dawson is predominantly male (97.5%), though 1,316 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Dawson as a male name
Ranked #139 in 2024
2,576 male births in 2024
Peak: 1999 (2,802 births)
Dawson as a female name
Ranked #2,109 in 2024
90 female births in 2024
Peak: 2023 (100 births)
Dawson: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Dawson span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 17,129 babies were registered. While Dawson is less common than at its peak in the 2000s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Dawson by Decade
How has Dawson 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.
Dawson by State
Birth registrations for Dawson span all 50 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina. The lowest are in Rhode Island, Vermont, Delaware. On average, about 956 Dawsons were registered per state.
Dawson + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Dawson as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Dawson
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Dawson: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dawson?
We estimate approximately 50,071 people named Dawson 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 6,845 Americans share this first name.
Is Dawson a common name?
Dawson is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.1% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 51,610 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Dawson most popular?
Dawson reached peak popularity in 1999, when 2,834 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Dawson is approximately 16 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Dawson a male name?
Dawson is predominantly male. 97.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Dawson Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Dawson Smith, Dawson Johnson, Dawson 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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