Dalon
Of English origin, a name meaning "from the valley town".
Name Census estimates that about 748 living Americans carry the first name Dalon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dalon today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dalon births was 1996 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dalon. 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
748
~ 1 in 458,228 Americans
Peak year
1996
39 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,083
Tracked since 1960
Census
Dalon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 648 people with the first name Dalon, which placed it at #17,157 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#17,157
National first-name rank
People counted
648
648 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
59.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dalon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dalon is Black at 59.1%. The next largest groups are White (25.9%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Dalon described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Dalon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.1% · 383
- White25.9% · 168
- Two or more races6.9% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
Popularity
Dalon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dalon from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 234 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dalon 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 Dalon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dalons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Michigan recorded the most babies named Dalon, while Michigan, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dalon
The name Dalon has its origins in the ancient Celtic languages spoken across parts of Europe and the British Isles. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "dalan," which means "meadow" or "field." The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions with strong Celtic cultural influences.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dalon can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, an Irish chronicle dating back to the 12th century. Here, the name appears in reference to a local chieftain from County Cork, Ireland. This historical record suggests that the name was in use among the Gaelic nobility and ruling classes.
In the 14th century, a Dalon ap Rhys was mentioned in the Chronicles of the Princes, a medieval Welsh manuscript that documented the lives and deeds of the princes of Gwynedd. This Dalon was a notable figure in Welsh history, serving as a trusted advisor to several princes during a time of political turmoil.
During the Renaissance period, the name Dalon found its way into literature and the arts. One notable bearer of the name was Dalon de Villiers, a French poet and playwright born in 1542. His works, though not widely celebrated today, were popular among the literary circles of his time.
In the 17th century, a Dalon Fitzpatrick was a prominent member of the Irish Catholic Confederation, a movement that sought to defend the rights of Irish Catholics during the tumultuous years of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Fitzpatrick played a significant role in the negotiations with the English Parliament.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Dalon Wilkins was a British explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in the Pacific region. Born in 1812, Wilkins led several expeditions to remote islands and documented numerous previously unknown plant and animal species.
Throughout its long history, the name Dalon has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including warriors, poets, politicians, and explorers. While its popularity may have waxed and waned over the centuries, the name remains a testament to the enduring legacy of Celtic culture and its influence on the naming traditions of Europe.
People
Dalon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dalon 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
Dalon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dalon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 748 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dalon 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 458,228 US residents.
Is Dalon a common name?
We classify Dalon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 767 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dalon most popular?
The single biggest year for Dalon was 1996, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dalon is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dalon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 648 people with the name Dalon, or 0.21 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,157 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Dalon in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Dalon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dalon leans strongly male. 620 people counted with this name were male (94.5%), compared with 36 female bearers (5.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Dalon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dalon is Black at 59.1%. The next largest groups are White (25.9%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Dalon most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Dalon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.1% (383 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Dalon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dalon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dalon 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 Dalon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dalon 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 Dalon 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.
How many people share the name Dalon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.