Dale

“Dweller in a valley (dale); transferred from an English surname” — English (Middle English) origin

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

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.

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

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 · Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
Dale Horvath — The Walking Dead
Dale Gribble — King of the Hill

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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