Dalton
An English surname taken from several northern place names that join Old English dael, meaning valley, with tun, meaning farmstead or settlement.
Dalton in 2025
Dalton was given to 705 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 896th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 4,703 babies born.
The history of Dalton
Dalton reached its highest point in 1998, when 4,590 babies were given the name, ranking 156th that year.
Across the 145 years of records since 1881, 86,142 babies have been named Dalton. Half of them were born before 1999, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Dalton by decade
| Decade | Babies named Dalton | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 25 | 1,459 |
| 1890s | 63 | 1,399 |
| 1900s | 109 | 1,534 |
| 1910s | 783 | 1,100 |
| 1920s | 1,484 | 974 |
| 1930s | 1,426 | 927 |
| 1940s | 1,252 | 1,058 |
| 1950s | 1,015 | 1,411 |
| 1960s | 831 | 1,749 |
| 1970s | 691 | 1,973 |
| 1980s | 1,589 | 1,033 |
| 1990s | 36,169 | 156 |
| 2000s | 26,313 | 163 |
| 2010s | 10,575 | 496 |
| 2020s | 3,817 | 860 |
Where Dalton is heading
Dalton has fallen 33% over the past decade, from 1,050 babies in 2015 to 705 in 2025.
Names like Dalton
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Dalton.