Dale
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- DAYL
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,021 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,409 for boys
Dale is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “valley”. In 2025 it ranked 3,021st for boys in the UK (7 babies) and 1,409th for boys in the US (129 babies).
What does Dale mean?
English: English surname, from Old English dael
“valley”
From a surname for someone who lived in a valley, the same word as in the Yorkshire Dales.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Dale a girl's or a boy's name?
Dale is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 7 boys in the UK and 5 girls and 129 boys in the US.
How popular is Dale in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,021among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 7about 1 in 43,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 55% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 7 boys in the UK were named Dale, making it the 3,021st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,829th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 463 boys.
Half of all the boys named Dale in the UK since 1996 were born between 1997 and 2006. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,938th in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1984 (#76) and 1994 (#63).
Dale in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #3,021 |
| 2024 | 8 | #2,750 |
| 2023 | 5 | #3,712 |
| 2022 | 9 | #2,457 |
| 2021 | 10 | #2,257 |
| 2020 | 13 | #1,829 |
| 2019 | 13 | #1,858 |
| 2018 | 18 | #1,486 |
| 2017 | 18 | #1,490 |
| 2016 | 25 | #1,195 |
| 2015 | 38 | #891 |
| 2014 | 22 | #1,260 |
| 2013 | 27 | #1,088 |
| 2012 | 24 | #1,199 |
| 2011 | 41 | #819 |
| 2010 | 55 | #650 |
| 2009 | 73 | #526 |
| 2008 | 67 | #559 |
| 2007 | 57 | #597 |
| 2006 | 50 | #631 |
| 2005 | 54 | #552 |
| 2004 | 75 | #411 |
| 2003 | 77 | #385 |
| 2002 | 75 | #374 |
| 2001 | 92 | #332 |
| 2000 | 100 | #304 |
| 1999 | 142 | #234 |
| 1998 | 190 | #193 |
| 1997 | 304 | #145 |
| 1996 | 463 | #112 |
How popular is Dale in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,409among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 129about 1 in 13,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 9% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 129 boys in the US were named Dale, making it the 1,409th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,353rd. Its busiest year was 1958, with 8,502 boys. It first appears in the records in 1881. 5 girls were also named Dale in 2025 (14,937th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Dale in the US since 1880 were born between 1941 and 1963, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 27% of the babies named Dale in the US in 1892, and 4% in 2025.
Dale in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 129 | #1,409 |
| 2024 | 149 | #1,308 |
| 2023 | 130 | #1,408 |
| 2022 | 115 | #1,551 |
| 2021 | 130 | #1,407 |
| 2020 | 131 | #1,353 |
| 2019 | 118 | #1,468 |
| 2018 | 127 | #1,385 |
| 2017 | 150 | #1,219 |
| 2016 | 173 | #1,124 |
| 2015 | 177 | #1,096 |
| 2014 | 181 | #1,070 |
| 2013 | 146 | #1,229 |
| 2012 | 165 | #1,115 |
| 2011 | 166 | #1,108 |
| 2010 | 190 | #1,019 |
| 2009 | 225 | #920 |
| 2008 | 261 | #836 |
| 2007 | 284 | #772 |
| 2006 | 290 | #735 |
| 2005 | 323 | #662 |
| 2004 | 353 | #607 |
| 2003 | 408 | #550 |
| 2002 | 466 | #496 |
| 2001 | 612 | #410 |
| 2000 | 407 | #536 |
| 1999 | 442 | #495 |
| 1998 | 483 | #466 |
| 1997 | 503 | #446 |
| 1996 | 555 | #412 |
| 1995 | 570 | #401 |
| 1994 | 650 | #365 |
| 1993 | 641 | #370 |
| 1992 | 703 | #341 |
| 1991 | 759 | #330 |
| 1990 | 907 | #285 |
| 1989 | 855 | #288 |
| 1988 | 883 | #267 |
| 1987 | 931 | #248 |
| 1986 | 980 | #237 |
| 1985 | 1,093 | #219 |
| 1984 | 1,032 | #220 |
| 1983 | 1,096 | #212 |
| 1982 | 1,132 | #215 |
| 1981 | 1,248 | #197 |
| 1980 | 1,237 | #198 |
| 1979 | 1,274 | #188 |
| 1978 | 1,323 | #176 |
| 1977 | 1,360 | #176 |
| 1976 | 1,480 | #161 |
| 1975 | 1,528 | #159 |
| 1974 | 1,688 | #145 |
| 1973 | 1,802 | #141 |
| 1972 | 2,062 | #131 |
| 1971 | 2,545 | #125 |
| 1970 | 3,003 | #110 |
| 1969 | 3,154 | #96 |
| 1968 | 3,257 | #91 |
| 1967 | 3,537 | #89 |
| 1966 | 3,985 | #85 |
| 1965 | 4,397 | #83 |
| 1964 | 5,158 | #72 |
| 1963 | 5,700 | #69 |
| 1962 | 6,365 | #62 |
| 1961 | 7,193 | #58 |
| 1960 | 7,677 | #54 |
| 1959 | 8,343 | #49 |
| 1958 | 8,502 | #46 |
| 1957 | 7,866 | #50 |
| 1956 | 7,720 | #50 |
| 1955 | 7,182 | #52 |
| 1954 | 7,439 | #50 |
| 1953 | 7,350 | #48 |
| 1952 | 7,417 | #46 |
| 1951 | 6,963 | #49 |
| 1950 | 6,785 | #49 |
| 1949 | 6,229 | #54 |
| 1948 | 6,091 | #56 |
| 1947 | 5,936 | #63 |
| 1946 | 5,024 | #62 |
| 1945 | 3,957 | #61 |
| 1944 | 3,990 | #61 |
| 1943 | 4,235 | #59 |
| 1942 | 3,863 | #63 |
| 1941 | 3,791 | #59 |
| 1940 | 3,699 | #57 |
| 1939 | 3,531 | #59 |
| 1938 | 3,690 | #56 |
| 1937 | 3,340 | #59 |
| 1936 | 3,393 | #59 |
| 1935 | 3,274 | #61 |
| 1934 | 3,241 | #62 |
| 1933 | 2,925 | #65 |
| 1932 | 3,140 | #61 |
| 1931 | 3,008 | #62 |
| 1930 | 2,994 | #64 |
| 1929 | 2,664 | #73 |
| 1928 | 2,640 | #75 |
| 1927 | 2,503 | #81 |
| 1926 | 2,398 | #84 |
| 1925 | 2,302 | #86 |
| 1924 | 2,396 | #84 |
| 1923 | 2,172 | #90 |
| 1922 | 2,041 | #89 |
| 1921 | 1,956 | #93 |
| 1920 | 1,680 | #105 |
| 1919 | 1,428 | #112 |
| 1918 | 1,491 | #111 |
| 1917 | 1,248 | #120 |
| 1916 | 1,161 | #121 |
| 1915 | 1,081 | #125 |
| 1914 | 691 | #142 |
| 1913 | 472 | #155 |
| 1912 | 371 | #159 |
| 1911 | 150 | #203 |
| 1910 | 125 | #205 |
| 1909 | 102 | #207 |
| 1908 | 100 | #203 |
| 1907 | 73 | #242 |
| 1906 | 66 | #240 |
| 1905 | 65 | #241 |
| 1904 | 53 | #260 |
| 1903 | 56 | #248 |
| 1902 | 63 | #226 |
| 1901 | 40 | #272 |
| 1900 | 54 | #281 |
| 1899 | 41 | #266 |
| 1898 | 40 | #288 |
| 1897 | 39 | #288 |
| 1896 | 36 | #312 |
| 1895 | 26 | #368 |
| 1894 | 28 | #336 |
| 1893 | 18 | #435 |
| 1892 | 22 | #404 |
| 1891 | 17 | #427 |
| 1890 | 14 | #511 |
| 1889 | 19 | #415 |
| 1888 | 15 | #505 |
| 1887 | 11 | #544 |
| 1886 | 17 | #431 |
| 1885 | 25 | #344 |
| 1884 | 10 | #613 |
| 1883 | 11 | #556 |
| 1882 | 7 | #754 |
| 1881 | 6 | #780 |
Names like Dale
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
George James David Daniel Billy Jack Luke Thomas John Charles Michael Frankie
Names related to Dale
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Dale: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/dale, updated 20 October 2026.