Fun Facts About the Name Dalen
- More than 1 thousand babies named Dalen: U.S. records list 1,987 babies given the name Dalen from 1880 through 2025. Even 16 girls received the name Dalen - about 1 girl for every 123 boys.
What Does the Name Dalen Mean?
Dalen is usually linked to the English name Dale, which comes from the Old English word dæl, "valley" (cognate with Old Norse dalr and the modern English word dale). On that reading the meaning is simply "valley." A separate and well-documented source of the form is the Scandinavian name Dalen, the definite form of Swedish and Norwegian dal, "valley," so that it literally means "the valley." Dutch van Dalen comes from the same Germanic root. Which of these is the ancestor of the given name is not documented, and the final -en also appears in unrelated names such as Galen, Alden, and Allen, which may have influenced its spelling rather than its meaning.
Dalen Name History & Origins
As a given name, Dalen is used mainly in the United States and other English-speaking countries, most often for boys. It belongs to a broad group of short English names that either come from surnames or were formed by adding a syllable to an older name, and its ending resembles that of Alden, Galen, and Allen.
The same form has an independent life in northern Europe. In Swedish and Norwegian, Dalen is the definite form of dal, "valley," so the word means "the valley"; it appears in place names such as Dalen in Telemark, Norway, and Dalen in Sweden, and families took it as a surname from such farms and villages. The Dutch surname van Dalen grew from dal in the same way. Whether the American given name descends from one of these surnames, from the English name Dale, or from a separate modern formation is not documented, so the name's origin remains uncertain.
How Popular is the Name Dalen?
Dalen has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2001. Its best rank was #1,316 in 2001.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #17,100 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #12,120 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #10,764 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,910 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2024 | #5,469 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #3,907 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2022 | #4,006 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2021 | #3,663 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2020 | #4,449 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2019 | #3,815 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2018 | #5,363 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #4,626 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #3,376 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2015 | #3,529 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2014 | #4,569 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2013 | #3,350 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2012 | #3,387 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2011 | #3,448 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2010 | #1,901 | 75 | 0.0039% |
| 2009 | #2,260 | 58 | 0.0029% |
| 2008 | #2,522 | 50 | 0.0025% |
| 2007 | #2,072 | 66 | 0.0032% |
| 2006 | #1,896 | 71 | 0.0035% |
| 2005 | #1,792 | 73 | 0.0037% |
| 2004 | #1,887 | 65 | 0.0033% |
| 2003 | #1,392 | 96 | 0.0049% |
| 2002 | #1,637 | 73 | 0.0038% |
| 2001 | #1,316 | 99 | 0.0051% |
| 2000 | #1,501 | 81 | 0.0041% |
| 1999 | #1,508 | 75 | 0.0039% |
| 1998 | #1,528 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 1997 | #1,708 | 57 | 0.0030% |
| 1996 | #2,049 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 1995 | #2,035 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 1994 | #2,313 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1993 | #2,463 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1992 | #2,475 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1991 | #2,846 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 1990 | #4,018 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1989 | #3,344 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1988 | #2,875 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1987 | #2,745 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1986 | #4,543 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #2,854 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1984 | #3,303 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1983 | #3,667 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #3,140 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1981 | #6,477 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #6,435 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #3,614 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #2,392 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1977 | #3,909 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #3,132 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1975 | #4,025 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #3,768 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #3,692 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #4,052 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #3,580 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #4,039 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #2,949 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #2,813 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #2,663 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1965 | #3,300 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #3,092 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #4,169 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1962 | #3,097 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #2,939 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #2,570 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1959 | #4,109 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #2,871 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #3,307 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #3,610 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,260 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #3,939 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1953 | #3,505 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #3,437 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #3,388 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1941 | #3,612 | 5 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Dalen Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are strong in material matters, determined and stubborn. You have good business ability. You are a good worker, steady and practical, a builder who takes responsibility well. These qualities may bring you a position of authority and power. You are a doer, down-to-earth, serious-minded, reliable, and self-disciplined; have good power of concentration. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Dalen's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Dalen's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.