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Dale

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

Boy's name · #1409 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Dale has appeared in US records since 1881 — best rank #46 (1952) · 278,156 babies named Dale all-time · 1 in 13,000 boys born in 2025.

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 1,029 notable people named Dale:

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

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

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