Dawnte
An English name variant of the uncommon masculine name Donté.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Dawnte. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 54.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Dawnte today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dawnte births was 1997 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dawnte. 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 Dawnte. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1997
6 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2009 SSA rank
#12,464
Tracked since 1997
Gender
Gender distribution for Dawnte
Dawnte is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 11 total registrations, 5 (45.5%) were male and 6 (54.5%) were female.
Dawnte as a male name
- Ranked #12,912 in 2009
- 5 male births in 2009
- Peak: 2009 (5 births)
Dawnte as a female name
- Ranked #12,464 in 1997
- 6 female births in 1997
- Peak: 1997 (6 births)
Popularity
Dawnte: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dawnte from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dawnte 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 Dawnte during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dawnte
The name Dawnte is a relatively modern variation of the name Dante, which has its origins in the Italian language and culture. It is derived from the Latin word "durante," meaning "enduring" or "lasting." The name gained widespread recognition and popularity due to the renowned Italian poet Dante Alighieri, born in 1265 in Florence, Italy.
Dante Alighieri is considered one of the greatest poets of all time and is best known for his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy. This epic poem, written in the early 14th century, is a seminal work of Italian literature and has had a profound impact on Western culture and thought. Dante's name has since become synonymous with literary genius and has been adopted and adapted in various forms across different cultures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dawnte can be found in the late 16th century, when it appeared in English parish records. However, it was not until the 20th century that the name gained more widespread use, particularly in the United States.
Over the years, several notable individuals have borne the name Dawnte. One of the most prominent was Dawnte Culpepper, an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1999 to 2009. Born in 1977, Culpepper had a successful career with teams such as the Minnesota Vikings and the Oakland Raiders.
Another famous Dawnte was Dawnte Rogers, an American professional basketball player born in 1977. Rogers played in the NBA for several teams, including the Boston Celtics and the New Jersey Nets, during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In the realm of literature, Dawnte Ayers was an American author and poet born in 1945. He is best known for his works exploring themes of race, identity, and social justice, including his critically acclaimed poetry collection "Whirlwind: A Redbird Book."
The name Dawnte has also been associated with notable figures in the world of music. Dawnte Squire, born in 1972, is an American hip-hop producer and songwriter who has worked with numerous high-profile artists, including Kanye West and Jay-Z.
Finally, Dawnte Riddick, born in 1988, is an American professional boxer who has competed in the welterweight and light middleweight divisions. He has won several titles and has been recognized for his skill and dedication to the sport.
While the name Dawnte may not have a long and illustrious history like its predecessor Dante, it has gained a unique identity and has been embraced by individuals from various walks of life, each leaving their mark in their respective fields.
People
Dawnte + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dawnte 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
Dawnte: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dawnte?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dawnte 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Dawnte a common name?
We classify Dawnte as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dawnte most popular?
The single biggest year for Dawnte was 1997, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dawnte is about 23 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 Dawnte in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dawnte a female name?
Yes, 54.5% of people registered as Dawnte 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.
Is Dawnte still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dawnte 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 Dawnte 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 many people are named Dawnte?
Want to know how many Americans are named Dawnte? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.