Dalene
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a French surname.
Name Census estimates that about 1,097 living Americans carry the first name Dalene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dalene today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dalene births was 1961 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dalene. 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.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 312,447 Americans
Peak year
1961
60 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2003 SSA rank
#10,639
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Dalene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dalene from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 433 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dalene 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 Dalene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dalenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. California, Iowa, Kansas recorded the most babies named Dalene, while Washington, Texas, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dalene
The name Dalene originated from the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Germanic peoples who inhabited Scandinavia and parts of northern Europe during the Viking Age (around the 8th to 11th centuries). It is derived from the Old Norse word "dalr," which means "valley" or "dale."
In its earliest recorded use, Dalene was a surname or a place name used to identify individuals who lived in or came from a particular valley or dale. As a given name, it emerged later on, likely as a way to honor one's ancestral homeland or to indicate a connection to a specific geographic region.
While the name Dalene does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is rooted in the Norse mythology and folklore that celebrated the natural landscapes and geographical features of the regions inhabited by the Vikings.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Dalene was Dalene Ivarsdotter, a Norwegian woman who lived in the 13th century. She was a landowner and is mentioned in historical records related to property disputes in the region of Trøndelag, Norway.
In the 16th century, Dalene Jönsdotter was a prominent figure in Sweden. Born around 1520, she was a wealthy landowner and is noted for her involvement in various legal disputes over land rights and inheritance.
Dalene Kirstine Jacobsdatter (1658-1731) was a Danish woman who lived during the Renaissance period. She was a member of the nobility and is recorded as having owned several estates in the Danish countryside.
Dalene Wilhelmine Bille (1781-1860) was a Danish noblewoman and landowner who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She was known for her philanthropic efforts and contributions to various charitable causes.
In the 20th century, Dalene Matthee (1938-2005) was a South African writer and novelist. She is best known for her novels set in the Knysna region of South Africa, which explored themes of nature, conservation, and the history of the area's indigenous peoples.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Dalene
People
Dalene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dalene 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
Dalene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dalene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,097 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dalene 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 312,447 US residents.
Is Dalene a common name?
We classify Dalene as "Rare". It ranks above 90.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,575 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dalene most popular?
The single biggest year for Dalene was 1961, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dalene is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dalene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dalene in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.