Dawson

Meaning: Beloved
Origin: Variant of David (from Hebrew)

Boy's name · #143 in the US (2025) · 2020s wave

96% boys · 4% girls — Dawson is also given to girls: 81 in 2025, about 1 in 25 in recent years. Dawson →

Popularity over time

Dawson reached its best rank, #136, in 1999 and ranked #143 in 2025. In a single year its births jumped from about 210 in 1997 to 1,900 in 1998 — the year Dawson's Creek premiered.

Across the states

See where Dawson is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 48 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Dawson ranks in other countries and regions.

#129 in N. Ireland (2025) · #248 in Scotland (2025) · #441 in Ireland (2025) · #479 in England & Wales (2025) · #2,341 in France (2025) · #127 in Canada (2024).

Famous Dawsons

Dawson Mercer — Canadian ice hockey player
Dawson Turner — English banker, botanist and antiquary (1775–1858)
Dawson Knox — American football player (born 1996)
Dawson Walker — Scottish footballer (1916–1973)
Dawson Mathis — American politician (1940–2017)

In stories & tradition

Dawson Leery — Dawson's Creek (TV series)

What Dawsons become

Among 60 notable people named Dawson:

Sports figures appear 2.09× more often than among typical names — e.g. Dawson Mercer, Canadian ice hockey player.

Similar names: David · Jude · Damian · Jonah · Greyson · Gideon

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

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