Fun Facts About the Name Dash
- More than 4 thousand babies named Dash: U.S. records list 4,370 babies given the name Dash from 1880 through 2025. Even 81 girls received the name Dash - about 1 girl for every 53 boys.
What Does the Name Dash Mean?
Dash is an English word name, taken from the noun and verb dash. Its established senses are "a sudden quick run or rush," "a small amount" (as in a dash of salt), and "a stroke or mark," including the punctuation mark.
The word is recorded in Middle English as dasshen, meaning "to strike or knock." Its deeper origin is uncertain: it is commonly described as imitative of a blow or a rush, and a link to a Scandinavian verb such as Danish daske, "to slap or pat," has been proposed but not settled.
Using the word itself as a personal name is a modern English practice, so Dash carries the word's literal senses rather than a separate etymological meaning. It is not related to the similar-sounding given name Dashiell.
Dash Name History & Origins
In English, dash first appears in the 1300s with the sense "to strike or knock." The meanings now most familiar - a rush or quick run, a small quantity, a written stroke, and a mark of punctuation - developed afterward, and the word also came to describe spirited, showy behavior, as in the phrase "to cut a dash."
Dash also occurs as an English surname, but its derivation is not securely established; name dictionaries have suggested both a nickname drawn from the word and a topographic or place-based source. In eastern India, especially Odisha, Dash is a common surname, an anglicized spelling of Das, from Sanskrit dāsa, "servant" or "devotee." That surname tradition is distinct from the English word and is not the source of the English given name.
As a first name, Dash appears in English-speaking countries mainly from the late twentieth century onward, alongside other short word names and surnames turned into given names. It is sometimes used as a nickname for Dashiell, a surname-derived name of separate and uncertain origin; the two are not etymologically connected. A well-known recent fictional bearer is Dash Parr in the 2004 animated film The Incredibles, but a modern character's name is a separate matter from the name's earlier history.
How Popular is the Name Dash?
Dash recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2017. Its best rank was #741 in 2017.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #15,876 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #12,502 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #10,463 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #11,621 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #10,773 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #16,480 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #8,512 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #8,113 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #17,209 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #15,298 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,056 | 207 | 0.0121% |
| 2024 | #967 | 232 | 0.0135% |
| 2023 | #893 | 260 | 0.0152% |
| 2022 | #825 | 301 | 0.0173% |
| 2021 | #790 | 311 | 0.0178% |
| 2020 | #797 | 291 | 0.0169% |
| 2019 | #750 | 318 | 0.0177% |
| 2018 | #784 | 292 | 0.0161% |
| 2017 | #741 | 322 | 0.0174% |
| 2016 | #777 | 307 | 0.0162% |
| 2015 | #769 | 310 | 0.0162% |
| 2014 | #939 | 224 | 0.0117% |
| 2013 | #1,146 | 158 | 0.0084% |
| 2012 | #1,218 | 146 | 0.0077% |
| 2011 | #1,272 | 135 | 0.0071% |
| 2010 | #1,372 | 123 | 0.0064% |
| 2009 | #1,828 | 81 | 0.0041% |
| 2008 | #1,953 | 73 | 0.0036% |
| 2007 | #2,540 | 49 | 0.0024% |
| 2006 | #2,590 | 46 | 0.0022% |
| 2005 | #2,970 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2004 | #9,158 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #8,018 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #9,634 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #7,693 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #7,593 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #7,305 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,689 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #8,157 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1988 | #5,899 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #5,734 | 6 | 0.0003% |
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 Dash 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 are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Dash's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Dash's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.