Dyke
A Dutch name referring to an embankment or dike.
Name Census estimates that about 189 living Americans carry the first name Dyke. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dyke today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dyke births was 1956 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dyke. 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
- • The typical person named Dyke is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dykes were born before 1969.
People living today
189
~ 1 in 1,813,515 Americans
Peak year
1956
14 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1977 SSA rank
#6,124
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Dyke: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dyke from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 100 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
Dyke 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 Dyke 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 Dyke
The given name Dyke finds its roots in the Dutch language, originating as a topographic surname derived from the word "dijk," meaning "dike" or "embankment." It likely emerged in the medieval era, when surnames began to be adopted more widely across Europe, particularly in the Low Countries region.
In its earliest recorded usage, Dyke was a surname given to individuals who lived near or were associated with dikes or embankments, which were crucial for land reclamation and flood control in the low-lying areas of the Netherlands. Over time, some individuals adopted this surname as a given name, though its usage in this context has been relatively limited.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the given name Dyke was Dyke Willemszoon, a Dutch painter and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Another notable bearer of the name was Dyke van Houweningen, a Dutch naval officer and colonial governor who served in the Dutch East Indies in the 17th century.
In the English-speaking world, the name Dyke gained some limited recognition through individuals like Dyke Brodey, an American painter and illustrator active in the early 20th century. Additionally, Dyke Van Nally was a professional baseball player who played for various teams in the late 19th century.
It's worth noting that while the name Dyke has historical roots, its modern usage has been overshadowed by its derogatory connotation as a slur against lesbian women. This association has likely contributed to the name's relative rarity in contemporary times, especially in English-speaking countries.
People
Dyke + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dyke 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
Dyke: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dyke?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 189 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dyke 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 1,813,515 US residents.
Is Dyke a common name?
We classify Dyke as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 250 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dyke most popular?
The single biggest year for Dyke was 1956, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dyke is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dyke a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dyke 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.
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.