Dahlon
A masculine given name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Dahlon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dahlon today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dahlon births was 2007 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dahlon. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dahlon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2007
5 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2007 SSA rank
#12,739
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Dahlon: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Dahlon by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dahlon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Dahlon
The name Dahlon is believed to have its origins in the ancient Semitic languages of the Middle East. It is thought to be derived from the Aramaic word "dahla," which means "a leader" or "a guide." The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 5th century BCE, where it appears in several Aramaic inscriptions found in the regions of modern-day Syria and Iraq.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Dahlon was a prominent merchant from the city of Palmyra, located in present-day Syria. This Dahlon lived during the 2nd century CE and is mentioned in several historical accounts for his successful trading ventures across the Silk Road.
In the 7th century CE, the name gained prominence in the Arabian Peninsula with the rise of Islam. Dahlon ibn Abi Lahab was a contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad and is mentioned in several Islamic texts as a fierce opponent of the early Muslim community in Mecca.
During the medieval period, the name Dahlon was found among various communities in the Middle East, including Arabs, Persians, and Kurds. One notable figure was Dahlon al-Baghdadi, a renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century CE.
In the 14th century, a Kurdish prince named Dahlon ibn Husayn ruled over a principality in what is now northern Iraq. He is remembered for his patronage of the arts and sciences, as well as his military campaigns against neighboring rulers.
Another notable figure with the name Dahlon was a 16th-century Ottoman admiral and cartographer, Dahlon Reis. He is credited with creating some of the earliest accurate maps of the Mediterranean region and played a crucial role in the Ottoman naval campaigns against European powers.
Throughout history, the name Dahlon has been associated with leadership, guidance, and wisdom, reflecting its origins in the ancient Semitic languages. While its popularity has waxed and waned across different regions and time periods, it remains a significant name with deep historical and cultural roots in the Middle East.
People
Dahlon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dahlon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dahlon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dahlon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dahlon going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Dahlon a common name?
We classify Dahlon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dahlon most popular?
The single biggest year for Dahlon was 2007, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dahlon is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dahlon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dahlon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dahlon in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dahlon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dahlon in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dahlon can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Dahlon?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.