Dawson
Girl name · #2269 in 2025 · Uniqueness 67/100
Dawson is currently the #2269 girl name in the United States — 81 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #2685, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 22,222 girls born in 2025 was named Dawson.
The 27-year story
Dawson first appears in the Social Security records in 1998, when 20 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2023, with 100 babies and a rank of #1965. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Dawson per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Dawson against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Dawson in class?
Dawson scores 67 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. Rare names trade instant recognition for memorability; Dawson sits firmly on that end of the spectrum.
Where Dawson is most common
State-level data for Dawson is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Dawson
Statistically, parents drawn to Dawson tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Lawson, Hudson, Layton, Anderson, and Dillon.
LawsonHudsonLaytonAndersonDillonEllisonDaylinDailyn
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Dawson | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 81 | #2256 |
| 2024 | 90 | #2118 |
| 2023 | 100 | #1965 |
| 2022 | 94 | #2048 |
| 2021 | 99 | #1971 |
| 2020 | 73 | #2394 |
| 2019 | 82 | #2231 |
| 2018 | 98 | #1997 |
| 2017 | 64 | #2689 |
| 2016 | 82 | #2308 |
| 2015 | 66 | #2685 |
| 2014 | 44 | #3549 |
| 2013 | 32 | #4422 |
| 2012 | 32 | #4486 |
| 2011 | 24 | #5543 |
| 2010 | 23 | #5771 |
| 2009 | 27 | #5226 |
| 2008 | 24 | #5750 |
| 2007 | 20 | #6552 |
| 2006 | 26 | #5233 |
| 2005 | 19 | #6245 |
| 2004 | 25 | #5062 |
| 2003 | 27 | #4668 |
| 2002 | 32 | #3978 |
| 2001 | 24 | #4834 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Dawson a popular girl name?
Dawson ranked #2269 among girls in 2025 with 81 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2685.
When was the name Dawson most popular?
Dawson peaked in 2023, when 100 American girls received the name (ranked #1965 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Dawson?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 22,222 newborn American girls was named Dawson. It scores 67/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.