Dexter
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name transferred from the surname. Variant of Dyster. Also partially from Latin dexter (“right (handed)”).
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Dexter (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Dexter has been falling over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2013. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1998 | – |
| 1999 | – |
| 2000 | – |
| 2001 | – |
| 2002 | – |
| 2003 | 15 |
| 2004 | 19 |
| 2005 | 30 |
| 2006 | 26 |
| 2007 | 29 |
| 2008 | 45 |
| 2009 | 64 |
| 2010 | 69 |
| 2011 | 42 |
| 2012 | 62 |
| 2013 | 78 |
| 2014 | 66 |
| 2015 | 47 |
| 2016 | 39 |
| 2017 | 29 |
| 2018 | 37 |
| 2019 | 28 |
| 2020 | 24 |
| 2021 | 21 |
| 2022 | 18 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Men and boys |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 28 |
| 2000 | 35 |
| 2001 | 45 |
| 2002 | 52 |
| 2003 | 68 |
| 2004 | 87 |
| 2005 | 114 |
| 2006 | 141 |
| 2007 | 169 |
| 2008 | 221 |
| 2009 | 290 |
| 2010 | 359 |
| 2011 | 401 |
| 2012 | 465 |
| 2013 | 543 |
| 2014 | 615 |
| 2015 | 661 |
| 2016 | 699 |
| 2017 | 729 |
| 2018 | 767 |
| 2019 | 788 |
| 2020 | 820 |
Dexter in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Dexter.Hi! My name is Dexter.
- Dexter ringde och sa att han blir lite sen.Dexter called and said he'll be a bit late.
- Jag ska fika med Dexter i eftermiddag.I'm having coffee with Dexter this afternoon.
- Dexters mamma är lärare.Dexter's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Dexters mamma is Dexter's mum.
More names
Questions about Dexter
How do you pronounce Dexter in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Dexter in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Dexter mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name transferred from the surname. Variant of Dyster. Also partially from Latin dexter (“right (handed)”).
How popular is Dexter in Sweden?
18 babies were named Dexter in 2022. In 2020, 820 people in Sweden had Dexter as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been falling lately and peaked in 2013 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.