boys' name ★ peaked 1998

Dalton

Meaning valley Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #448 Trend → Stable

From Old English dæl (“valley”) + tun (“settlement”).

Rank 2025
#448
among boys · ↓15 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
705
named Dalton · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,444
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1998
4,590 babies
All-time total
86,142
#346 all-time among boys
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Dalton popularity over time

86,142 babies have been named Dalton since 1881, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 25 25 3 – #717
1890s – 63 63 6 +152% #571
1900s – 109 109 11 +73% #617
1910s 5 778 783 78 +618% #517
1920s 15 1,469 1,484 148 +90% #453
1930s 5 1,421 1,426 143 -4% #446
1940s – 1,252 1,252 125 -12% #493
1950s – 1,015 1,015 102 -19% #641
1960s – 831 831 83 -18% #752
1970s – 691 691 69 -17% #838
1980s 16 1,573 1,589 159 +130% #473
1990s 188 35,981 36,169 3,617 +2176% #85
2000s 135 26,178 26,313 2,631 -27% #91
2010s 42 10,533 10,575 1,058 -60% #260
2020s (to 2025) 26 3,791 3,817 636 -40% #433

Where Dalton is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 698 0.41 #449
2027 696 0.41 #451
2028 695 0.41 #451
2029 694 0.41 #452
2030 693 0.41 #453

Where Dalton is most popular

Boys named Dalton per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.365 per 1,000. Strongest in Alaska, West Virginia, and Mississippi.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Dalton born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alaska 14 1.18 +222%
West Virginia 34 1.04 +185%
Mississippi 57 1.00 +175%
Maine 18 0.928 +154%
Kentucky 75 0.747 +105%
Alabama 79 0.723 +98%
New Hampshire 15 0.676 +85%
Arkansas 41 0.648 +77%
North Carolina 164 0.642 +76%
Louisiana 64 0.626 +71%
South Carolina 63 0.610 +67%
Oregon 46 0.606 +66%
Tennessee 106 0.587 +61%
Pennsylvania 154 0.580 +59%
Michigan 115 0.562 +54%
Indiana 88 0.549 +50%
Maryland 64 0.537 +47%
Delaware 8 0.528 +45%
Missouri 73 0.527 +44%
Georgia 130 0.513 +41%
Kansas 35 0.510 +40%
Virginia 94 0.495 +36%
Ohio 128 0.483 +32%
Colorado 58 0.449 +23%
Utah 42 0.440 +21%
Nevada 24 0.421 +15%
Minnesota 51 0.416 +14%
Iowa 28 0.406 +11%
Wisconsin 46 0.388 +6%
Arizona 63 0.385 +5%
Washington 62 0.379 ≈ national
Florida 174 0.367 ≈ national
Massachusetts 49 0.356 ≈ national
Idaho 14 0.342 -6%
Oklahoma 29 0.328 -10%
New Jersey 59 0.293 -20%
Texas 253 0.287 -21%
Connecticut 19 0.281 -23%
New York 118 0.273 -25%
Illinois 65 0.254 -30%
California 175 0.191 -48%
Nebraska 5 0.115 -68%
District of Columbia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Dalton

Dalton is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #448 in 2025 with 699 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 86,142 American babies have been named Dalton. Its peak came in 1998, when 4,590 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Dalton stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Dalton?

The median living Dalton is about 25 years old; half are between 19 and 30. An estimated 80 thousand people named Dalton are alive in the United States today.

median 25 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Dalton year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 6 #13,608 699 #448
2024 6 #13,880 732 #433
2023 – – 582 #513
2022 – – 574 #516
2021 6 #13,890 566 #519
2020 8 #11,329 638 #464
2019 5 #16,106 686 #445
2018 5 #16,259 799 #397
2017 – – 893 #371
2016 7 #13,238 1,050 #328
2015 – – 1,050 #328
2014 7 #13,413 1,118 #312
2013 6 #15,067 1,106 #310
2012 7 #13,833 1,232 #285
2011 – – 1,267 #276
2010 5 #17,643 1,332 #260
2009 11 #10,140 1,476 #239
2008 7 #14,195 1,736 #218
2007 13 #9,141 1,836 #212
2006 12 #9,429 1,939 #200
2005 – – 2,256 #180
2004 32 #4,308 2,454 #167
2003 8 #11,555 2,857 #143
2002 13 #7,934 3,284 #117
2001 14 #7,409 3,895 #98
2000 25 #4,685 4,445 #91
1995 28 #3,798 4,191 #87
1990 5 #13,448 1,571 #193
1985 – – 129 #782
1980 – – 74 #1,049
1975 – – 48 #1,233
1970 – – 90 #849
1965 – – 54 #1,004
1960 – – 91 #799
1955 – – 102 #723
1950 – – 99 #687
1945 – – 104 #597
1940 – – 128 #511
1935 5 #4,343 157 #453
1930 – – 143 #498
1925 – – 177 #453
1920 – – 143 #509
1915 – – 93 #593
1910 – – 22 #627
1905 – – 11 #751
1900 – – 16 #631
1895 – – 11 #649
1890 – – 5 #1,036
1885 – – 8 #717
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Dalton

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Dalton Trumbo Dalton Trumbo American screenwriter (1905–1976) Contemporary
  2. 2 Dalton Vigh Dalton Vigh Brazilian actor (born 1964) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Dalton, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Dalton?

The median living Dalton is about 25 years old. Half of all living Daltons are between 19 and 30 years old.

How many people named Dalton are alive today?

An estimated 80 thousand people named Dalton are alive in the United States, based on 86,142 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Dalton mean?

From Old English dæl (“valley”) + tun (“settlement”).

How popular is the name Dalton in 2025?

Dalton ranked #448 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 699 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Dalton?

86,142 babies have been named Dalton in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Dalton most popular?

Dalton peaked in 1998, when 4,590 newborns received the name.

Is Dalton a boy or girl name?

Dalton is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Dalton rising or falling?

Dalton is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Dalton become more popular?

Dalton looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 693 boys named Dalton in 2030, ranking around #453. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Dalton?

Well-known people named Dalton include Dalton Trumbo (writer), Dalton Vigh (actor).

Names like Dalton

Names that sound and feel close to Dalton: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Dalton with similar names → More names starting with D →