Dexter

Latin
"dyer, right-handed"

Dexter Origin and Meaning

The name Dexter is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "dyer, right-handed".

The jazzy, ultra-cool Dexter, like most names with an "x," has a lot of energy and dynamism.

Over the years, it's been attached to a number of diverse real and fictional personalities—C. K. Dexter Haven, the witty Cary Grant character in The Philadelphia Story; Dexter Green, the protagonist of the F. Scott Fitzgerald story "Winter Dreams"; great jazz tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon; the boy-genius protagonist of cartoon Dexter's Laboratory; and the most recent TV series Dexter based on the books by Jeff Lindsay, whose lead happens to be a genial but sociopathic serial killer.

Dexter was chosen by hip musical couple Diana Krall and Elvis Costello for one of their twin boys, and by singer Charlotte Church.

Dex is an equally appealing nickname, now sometimes used on its own.

# 700 in the US

Dexter Rank in US Top 1000

# 311 on Nameberry

Dexter Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Dexter Popularity

Famous People Named Dexter

  • Dexter Lamar Jackson
    American NFL football player.
  • Dexter Alexander Davis
    American NFL football player.
  • Dexter Marquise McCluster
    American NFL football player.
  • Dexter Anthony Carter
    American NFL player.
  • Dexter Keith McCleon
    American NFL player.
  • Dexter John Bean
    American NASCAR driver
  • Dexter Keith Gordon
    American saxophonist.
  • Bryan Kieth "Dexter" Holland
    lead singer of American band The Offspring.
  • Dexter Vines
    American comic book artist and inker.
  • Dexter Fletcher
    British actor.
  • Dexter Roberts
    American country music singer.
  • Dexter Horton
    founder of the first bank in Seattle.
  • Dexter Blackstock
    English football player.
  • Dexter Brown
    British painter.
  • Dexter Curtis
    American inventor and politician.
  • Dexter Scott King
    son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Dexter Henry Lorcan Costello (b. 2006)
    son of singers Elvis Costello and Diana Krall.
  • Dexter Lloyd Henson (b. 2009)
    son of singer Charlotte Church.

Dexter in Pop Culture

  • "Dexter's Laboratory
    " animated TV series and its main character.
  • Dexter Morgan
    a serial killer and main character on the TV show "Dexter".
  • C.K. Dexter Haven
    character in film The Philadelphia Story & High Society.
  • Dexter
    main character from David Nicholl's novel "One Day".
  • Dexter Jones
    character in Sarah Dessen's novel, This Lullaby.
  • Dexterous "Dexter" Charming
    son of King Charming on TV show "Ever After High".
  • Dexter Alvin "Dex" Dizznee
    character in "Keeper of the Lost Cities" by Shannon Messenger.
  • Dexter Hartman
    character on British soap "EastEnders".
  • Ramone "Ray" Dexter
    one half of gunshark duo Sinister Dexter featured in the British comics anthology 2000 AD.
  • Dexter
    now known as Dex,Starr, a member of the Red Lantern Corps in the DC Comics universe.
  • Dexter "Dex" Barrington
    a character in The Country Bears.
  • Dexter
    young version of the protagonist in the Space Ace video game.
  • Dexter Douglas
    the alter ego of the title character Freakazoid!
  • Dexter Charming
    character in "Ever After High".