Dexter is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Dexter means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Dexter across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Dexter has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Dexter is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “right-handed, skilled”. From an occupational surname meaning dyer, also Latin for right.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 36,800 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 11,546 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 314 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 72 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 113 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 Dexter per year, England & Wales (1996 to 2025). England & Wales peaked in 2013 (1,019/yr) · United States peaked in 2012 (842/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2012 (36/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2014 (16/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2014 (9/yr).
Dexter has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2012, when it ranked #733 nationally (given to 1,851 babies that year).
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