Dale

Meaning: Dweller in a valley
Origin: English (Middle English) — Transferred from an English surname; dale means valley

Boy's name · #1410 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Dale is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1952, when it ranked #46. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 278,000 boys since 1881, ranked #1410 today.

Across the states

See where Dale is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 15 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Dale ranks in other countries and regions.

#2,616 in Canada (2024).

Famous Dales

Dale Carnegie — American writer and lecturer (1888–1955)
Dale T. Mortensen — American economist (1939–2014)
Dale Robertson — American actor (1923–2013)
Dale Earnhardt — American racing driver (1951–2001)
Dale Gardner — American astronaut (1948–2014)

In stories & tradition

Dale Cooper — Twin Peaks (TV series)
Dale Horvath — The Walking Dead (TV series)
Dale Gribble — King of the Hill (TV series)

What Dales become

Among 1,030 notable people named Dale:

Sports figures appear 1.96× more often than among typical names — e.g. Dale Earnhardt, American racing driver (1951–2001).

Similar names: Dael · Truman · Danny · Lyle · Milton · Terrell

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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