Dexter
Dexter was the 693rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 393 babies. Its best year was 1968, when it ranked 262nd; the most babies were born in 2012 (842). Over the last ten years it has moved down 280 places. More babies were named Dexter in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning dyer; also Latin 'right-handed' · English, Latin
Say it DEK-ster /ˈdɛkstər/
- Rank in 2025
- #693 boys, down 135 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 393boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2012842 babies
- Total since 1880
- 36,800babies recorded
What does the name Dexter mean?
Dexter is an English occupational surname. Wiktionary says it is a variant of Dyster, a name for a woman who dyed cloth, and partly also from Latin dexter, right or right-handed, a Latin word that the American Heritage Dictionary also records in English. So the surname means "dyer," while the Latin word suggests skill. As a boys' name Dexter has been used in the US since 1880.
dyster (Middle English, “female dyer”)dexter (Latin, “right, on the right”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary gives the occupational sense as primary and the Latin word as a partial source.
Related names: Dex, Dyster.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dexter' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'dexter' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Dexter
The usual nicknames for Dexter are Dex.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dex | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Dexters go by each one.
Dexter popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 218 since 1905.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #693 | 393 |
| 2020 | #558 | 503 |
| 2010 | #452 | 593 |
| 2000 | #755 | 223 |
| 1990 | #378 | 612 |
| 1980 | #530 | 263 |
| 1970 | #295 | 698 |
| 1960 | #379 | 434 |
| 1950 | #481 | 193 |
| 1940 | #568 | 109 |
| 1930 | #656 | 89 |
| 1920 | #680 | 88 |
| 1910 | #944 | 12 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | #827 | 7 |
| 1880 | #842 | 6 |
How popular is Dexter, counting every spelling?
Dexter has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #681 for boys in 2025, against #693 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Dexter?
393 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dexter (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Dexter born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 21 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dexter.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dexter?
About 30,500 people born in the US named Dexter are alive today, with a median age of 35; half are between 14 and 56. That makes Dexter mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Dexter by state
How common Dexter was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Oregon (2.3×), Iowa (2.2×), Michigan (2.1×), Indiana (2.1×), Wisconsin (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Nevada, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dexter: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dexter, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dexter · Sibling names for Dexter
Questions about the name Dexter
What does Dexter mean?
Dexter means “dyer; also Latin 'right-handed'” (English, Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Dexter?
Dexter was the 693rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 393 babies. Its best year was 1968, when it ranked 262nd; the most babies were born in 2012 (842). Over the last ten years it has moved down 280 places. More babies were named Dexter in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Dexter a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Dexter in the US.
Where is Dexter most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dexter was most common in Oregon (0.55 per 1,000 boys), followed by Iowa and Michigan.