Unisex · #3,917 in 2026

Dusty

Dusty is a given name and possibly a nickname. It may refer to:Dusty Blake, American baseball coach Dusty Bonner, American former football quarterback Dusty Button, American ballet dancer Dusty Deevers, American politician and pastor Dusty Drake, American country singer Dusty Dvoracek, American football player Dusty Good, American soccer player and captain for the United States Virgin Islands…

  • English
Current Rank
#3,917
Peak Rank
#316 (1981)
Total Babies
11K
5-Yr Trend
-5%
👧 Girl peak #583 (4K total)
👦 Boy peak #316 (11K total)
👦As Boy Name
1927
First Year
2026
Last Year
1981
Peak Year
#316
Peak Rank
11K
Total Count
88
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
1944
First Year
2026
Last Year
1980
Peak Year
#583
Peak Rank
4K
Total Count
83
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Dusty

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Dusty is a given name and possibly a nickname. It may refer to:Dusty Blake, American baseball coach Dusty Bonner, American former football quarterback Dusty Button, American ballet dancer Dusty Deevers, American politician and pastor Dusty Drake, American country singer Dusty Dvoracek, American football player Dusty Good, American soccer player and captain for the United States Virgin Islands…

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Dusty

As a girl name

The earliest SSA record of Dusty as a girl name dates back to 1944, when 5 babies received it. 1980 was its biggest year on record, with 289 newborns named Dusty — #631 in the national rankings. About 39% of every Dusty on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Dusty ranks #6,548 for girls with 17 births, rising sharply (+20% over the past five years). All told, over 4K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

The earliest SSA record of Dusty as a boy name dates back to 1927, when 5 babies received it. 1981 was its biggest year on record, with 601 newborns named Dusty — #316 in the national rankings. About 37% of every Dusty on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Dusty ranks #3,917 for boys with 28 births, gradually falling (-5%). All told, over 11K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1920s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Dusty

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Dusty. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Dusty

Phonetically similar names — useful when Dusty is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Dusti
  • Disty
  • Dostie
  • Desta
  • Desto
  • Disto
  • Dust
  • Testy
  • Duster
  • Testee
  • Dusts
  • Testi

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dusty

What does the name Dusty mean?
Dusty is a given name and possibly a nickname. It may refer to:Dusty Blake, American baseball coach Dusty Bonner, American former football quarterback Dusty Button, American ballet dancer Dusty Deevers, American politician and pastor Dusty Drake, American country singer Dusty Dvoracek, American football player Dusty Good, American soccer player and captain for the United States Virgin Islands…
What is the origin of the name Dusty?
Dusty has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Dusty in 2026?
In 2026, Dusty ranks #3,917 among boys' names in the U.S., with 28 babies given the name that year.
When was Dusty most popular?
Dusty reached its peak popularity in 1981, ranking #316 that year with 601 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Dusty most popular?
Dusty has historically been most popular in Wyoming, Oklahoma, South Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Dusty.
Is Dusty a unisex name?
Yes — Dusty is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 30% of Dustys assigned female and 70% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Dusty?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Dusty include Jeffry, Camron, Braylen. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Dusty?
Common variants and related forms of Dusty include Dustin. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Dusty

Dusty is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1927 and has accumulated 11K births in the dataset. Dusty's peak popularity came in 1981 when it ranked #316. Use the chart and map above to compare Dusty's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.