BabyNameScore

Dallas

DAL·əs, IPA /ˈdæləs/. · 2 syllables

Dallas is comfortably familiar.

91/100

Strong Practical Fit

Balanced across pronunciation, everyday use, lifetime fit and international use.

Name Profile

  1. Pronunciation & Spelling

    Effortless

    91/100

  2. Everyday Use

    Low risk

    95/100

  3. Growing Up

    Strong lifetime fit

    Works comfortably across child and adult settings.

    82/100

  4. International Use

    Broad international fit

    Works cleanly across the assessed languages and writing systems.

    85/100

NAME DETAILS

CLOSE SPELLINGS
Dallis
ORIGIN & HISTORY

About the name

No single confirmed literal meaning. Commonly cited candidate derivations include Old English elements meaning roughly 'valley house' and a Scottish Gaelic/Pictish origin (from the village of Dallas, Moray, first recorded in 1226 as 'Dolays Mychel') meaning roughly 'meadow dwelling.' These are competing theories rather than an established etymology, and the city of Dallas, Texas is officially credited by its own historical marker to a personal surname (U.S. Vice President George M. Dallas) rather than to a descriptive word meaning — though even that attribution is contested. The ultimate origin of 'Dallas' is genuinely disputed: it may derive from an Old English or Scottish Gaelic/Pictish place-name element meaning roughly 'valley/meadow dwelling,' or the Texas city (and thus the modern given name) may be named after U.S. Vice President George M. Dallas — but even that attribution is contested among historians, with rival candidates including other members of the Dallas family. No single theory is confirmed.

  1. The city of Dallas, Texas is popularly said to be named for U.S. Vice President George M. Dallas (1792-1864) per its own historical marker, but even this attribution is contested: some accounts instead credit his brother, Commodore Alexander James Dallas, or unrelated brothers Walter R. Dallas and James R. Dallas. A separate, competing theory (paralleling how Houston, Texas was named for Sam Houston, whose family came from Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland) links the surname to the Scottish village of Dallas in Moray, first recorded in 1226 as 'Dolays Mychel' and possibly of Pictish origin, combining an element meaning 'water haugh/meadow' with a second element possibly from Brittonic 'gwas' ('an abode'). No single source resolves which theory is correct.
POPULARITY

Dallas over time

United States
#238RANK

Rank #238 gives national context, not a classroom forecast.

Recognizable without feeling automatic. Ranked #238 in the U.S., 2025.

SourceU.S. Social Security Administration · 2025 release

Pronunciation & Forms

SAY IT

DAL·əs, IPA /ˈdæləs/.

STRESS ON THE FIRST SYLLABLE

CLOSE SPELLINGS
  • Dallis
PRACTICAL LIFE

How This Name Lives

AT SCHOOL & DAY TO DAY

Simple and easy for a child, fitting among other American place-names (Austin, Houston, Tyler) used as first names since the late 20th century.

INTO ADULTHOOD

Reads as modern, informal, and distinctly American/Texan for an adult; carries a 'strong' or 'rugged' connotation for some, though a minority find it unusual as a personal (rather than place) name.

Cultural Footprint

Used as a given name mainly as a transfer of the well-known Texas city name (itself of disputed origin) and, more distantly, the Scottish surname/place name. Reinforced in the late 20th century by the fame of the CBS prime-time soap opera 'Dallas' and the Dallas Cowboys NFL franchise, it sits alongside other American place-names (Austin, Houston, Cheyenne) used as given names.

TRACEABLE ORIGIN
  1. Dallas, Texasmajor U.S. city, popularly credited to U.S. Vice President George M. Dallas though the attribution is contested
  2. 'Dallas' (CBS, 1978-1991)long-running primetime soap opera
  3. Dallas CowboysNFL team

Community Impressions

Comes across as modern, informal, and strongly American/Texan, most immediately evoking the city or the 'Dallas' TV series rather than any settled etymological tradition.

How this name is commonly received · not used in the score

More about Dallas

FORMALITY

Functions as a complete given name in all registers; no standard shortened form is documented.

Names around it

AustinHoustonDakotaTyler
EDITORIAL SYNTHESIS

The Decision

Dallas is spelled without unusual letter patterns, and it holds up in everyday use. Surname-dependent compatibility remains unassessed until a surname is added.

STRENGTH

English speakers will most likely pronounce it correctly on the first try. Uses standard characters that systems widely handle cleanly.

BEST FIT

Everyday Use is the strongest-scoring part of this name — no obvious nickname traps, rhymes, or initial issues detected.

FULL-NAME CHECK

See how it works with a surname.

Dallas