Dustin
Dustin was the 729th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 365 babies. Its best year was 1984, when it ranked 41st; the most babies were born in 1985 (10,439). Over the last ten years it has moved down 226 places. More babies were named Dustin in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning probably from Norse Thorsteinn, 'Thor's stone' · Old Norse, English
Say it DUS-tin /ˈdʌstɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #729 boys, down 76 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 365boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 198510,439 babies
- Total since 1880
- 209,721babies recorded
What does the name Dustin mean?
Dustin is probably from the Old Norse name Þorsteinn, Thor's stone, according to Wiktionary, which explains Þorsteinn as Þórr, the god Thor, plus steinn, stone. Wiktionary marks the derivation as probable, and the steps between the Norse name and the modern American first name are not documented in our sources. Dustin has been used for boys in the US since the 1910s and was most common in the mid-1980s; it is very rarely given to girls.
Þórr (Old Norse, “Thor”)steinn (Old Norse, “stone”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary says 'probably'; the intermediate surname forms are not documented in our sources.
Related names: Thurston, Torsten, Dusty.
See also: Scandinavian names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dustin' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Þorsteinn' (Old Norse section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- 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 Dustin
The usual nicknames for Dustin are Dusty. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Dustin in the last five years, 8 were named Dusty, against 5 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dusty | Traditional | #3,532 | 168 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Dustins go by each one.
Dustin popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,380 since 1968.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #729 | 365 |
| 2020 | #653 | 404 |
| 2010 | #353 | 869 |
| 2000 | #148 | 2,621 |
| 1990 | #50 | 8,457 |
| 1980 | #44 | 8,416 |
| 1970 | #202 | 1,285 |
| 1960 | #1,060 | 53 |
| 1950 | #1,625 | 21 |
| 1940 | #1,924 | 14 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #3,286 | 8 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Dustin, counting every spelling?
Dustin is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #689 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #729 for Dustin on its own. Together these spellings went to 385 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dustin | 365 | #729 | 2,028 |
| Dustyn | 20 | #4,901 | 77 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Dustin?
365 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dustin (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Dustin 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 23 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dustin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dustin?
About 196,900 people born in the US named Dustin are alive today, with a median age of 39; half are between 32 and 44. That makes Dustin mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Dustin by state
How common Dustin was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (3.0×), Mississippi (2.6×), Idaho (2.4×), Kentucky (1.9×), Arkansas (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Iowa, Maryland, Wisconsin.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dustin: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dustin, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dustin · Sibling names for Dustin
Questions about the name Dustin
What does Dustin mean?
Dustin means “probably from Norse Thorsteinn, 'Thor's stone'” (Old Norse, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Dustin?
Dustin was the 729th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 365 babies. Its best year was 1984, when it ranked 41st; the most babies were born in 1985 (10,439). Over the last ten years it has moved down 226 places. More babies were named Dustin in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Dustin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Dustin in the US.
Where is Dustin most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dustin was most common in Montana (0.74 per 1,000 boys), followed by West Virginia and Mississippi.