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At a Glance: Name: Dash – Meaning: surname for someone who lived near an ash tree – Origin: English (Anglo-Norman + Old English surname) – Gender: Neutral – Pronunciation: DASH
Dash sits at #967 for babies born in 2024, a clean, modern name that works for any gender. Many people assume it's tied to quick movement or is short for Dashiell, but that's not the documented origin — the sourced etymology traces Dash to a surname for someone who lived near an ash tree, with roots in Anglo-Norman and Old English. It's pronounced simply as DASH (/ˈdæʃ/).
Meaning & Origin of Dash
Meaning: Surname for someone who lived near an ash tree.
Origin: English (Anglo-Norman + Old English surname).
A common claim: Dash is widely thought to mean 'to move quickly' or evoke a burst of speed, and is often assumed to be short for Dashiell. Actually: Dash's only known origin is as a rare surname for someone who lived near an ash tree. The 'quick movement' meaning comes from the everyday word 'dash,' not the name's root.
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Dash
Phonetic: DASH IPA: /ˈdæʃ/
Popularity of Dash
Dash peaked at #741 in 2017 with 322 babies given the name, and has since eased to #967 in 2024 with 232 — a gradual decline over SSA records spanning 1984 to 2024.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1984–2024.
Make Dash Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Dash, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Dash mean?
Surname for someone who lived near an ash tree. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dash)
How do you pronounce Dash?
Dash is pronounced DASH (IPA: /ˈdæʃ/).
Is Dash a popular name right now?
Dash peaked at #741 in 2017 and is ranked #967 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1984–2024.)
📊 How popular is Dash? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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