Dawson is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Dawson means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Dawson across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Dawson has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Dawson is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “son of David”. A patronymic surname derived from Daw, a form of David.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 54,199 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,276 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 147 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 161 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 169 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Dawson per year, United States (1885 to 2025). United States peaked in 1999 (2,834/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2015 (86/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2020 (21/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2023 (19/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2025 (17/yr).
Dawson has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1999, when it ranked #256 nationally (given to 2,850 babies that year).
Tyson · Dawsyn · Dasani · Dyson · Dasean · Tayson · Dayson · Dawsen
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →