boy's name
Dale
DAYL (English)
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 305,539
Dale is a name from the Old English word for a valley, and like Craig and Heather it is a plain landscape noun rather than a compound. It peaked in 1958 and charts in three markets.
- Dale is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1958, when 9,087 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 24,741 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Dale Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 134 |
| 1890s | 361 |
| 1900s | 790 |
| 1910s | 8,677 |
| 1920s | 23,543 |
| 1930s | 33,992 |
| 1940s | 52,401 |
| 1950s | 84,208 |
| 1960s | 53,452 |
| 1970s | 18,915 |
| 1980s | 10,923 |
| 1990s | 6,478 |
| 2000s | 3,734 |
| 2010s | 1,632 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 803 |
What Dale Means
Dale means a valley, particularly a broad open one. It is the ordinary Old English word, still current in northern English dialect and in place names such as the Yorkshire Dales.
Where Dale Comes From
Dale is the Old English dæl, a valley, related to the Norse dalr and to the German Tal — the word behind Neanderthal, the Neander valley, and by a longer route behind dollar, from Joachimsthaler, a coin minted in Joachim's valley. It survives as an ordinary noun in northern England, where the Yorkshire Dales carry it, and became a surname for someone living in one. Its use as a given name is American and twentieth-century, part of the same landscape-noun group as Craig, Heather, Brooke and Glen.
Dale in Use
Dale peaked in the United States in 1958, when 9,087 babies were registered, and is falling. It now charts in three markets — 1,409th in the United States on 134 births, 2,619th in Canada and 3,021st in England and Wales — across 305,539 lifetime births. About 7 percent of recorded births are female, a small share that belongs mostly to the middle of the twentieth century.
How Popular Is Dale?
In 2025, Dale was given to 134 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Dale Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Dale
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Dale Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Dale over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Dale
- English DAYL /deɪl/
Dale in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Dale
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Dale — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Dale
What does the name Dale mean?
A valley — the Old English dæl, still current in the Yorkshire Dales.
Is Dale related to the German Tal?
Yes, and through it to Neanderthal, the Neander valley, and even to dollar, from a coin minted in Joachim's valley.
Is Dale a girls' name?
About 7 percent of recorded births are female, mostly from the middle of the twentieth century.
How popular is Dale?
1,409th in the United States, down from a 1958 peak of 9,087 births.
How many syllables are in Dale?
Dale has 1 syllable.
Is Dale a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Dale currently ranks #1,409 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.