boy's name
Dexter
DEK-stər
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 51,195
the United States
#692
2025 births
Dexter is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "right-handed" or "skilful." It is also an English occupational surname for a dyer — and unusually, the dyer sense was originally female.
- Dexter is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2012, when 842 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,523 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Dexter over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Dexter is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 75 |
| 1890s | 65 |
| 1900s | 98 |
| 1910s | 529 |
| 1920s | 923 |
| 1930s | 820 |
| 1940s | 1,462 |
| 1950s | 3,507 |
| 1960s | 4,939 |
| 1970s | 3,895 |
| 1980s | 4,317 |
| 1990s | 3,862 |
| 2000s | 2,576 |
| 2010s | 7,155 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,577 |
What Dexter means
Dexter means right-handed, and by extension dextrous, skilful or favorable. The Romans treated the right side as auspicious, which is why the word carries approval and its opposite, sinister, does not.
Where Dexter comes from
Dexter has two roots that reached the same spelling. The Latin dexter means right-handed, skilful or favorable, and gives dexterity; Roman augury treated omens on the right as good and those on the left as sinister, which is how that word acquired its meaning. Separately, the Old English dēagestre was an occupational term for a dyer, and the -stre ending was specifically feminine, so a dexter was originally a woman who dyed cloth — like webster for a weaver and brewster for a brewer. Both senses produced the surname.
Dexter in use
Our data shows Dexter stable, peaking in 2012, at 154 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1880. Its British use has held up despite the 2006 television series about a serial killer — an association that would sink most names, and one our data shows had no measurable effect.
How popular is Dexter?
In 2025, Dexter was given to 346 babies in England and Wales, ranking #154 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Dexter is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Dexter
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Dexter also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Dexter over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Dexter
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Sibling names for Dexter
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Dexter — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Dexter
What does the name Dexter mean?
Dexter means "right-handed" or skilful, from the Latin — and separately "dyer," from the Old English dēagestre.
Is Dexter related to the word sinister?
As its opposite. Roman augury treated omens on the right as favorable and those on the left as sinister.
Was a dexter originally female?
In the dyer sense, yes — the Old English -stre ending was feminine, as in webster and brewster.
How popular is the name Dexter?
In 2025, Dexter was given to 346 babies in England and Wales, ranking #154 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Dexter a girl's or a boy's name?
Dexter is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Dexter?
Dexter has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Dexter?
Dexter is usually shortened to Dex.
Is Dexter a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Dexter currently ranks #154 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.