Contribute your knowledge to the name Dexter

Comments and insights on the name Dexter

I just had a baby boy 10 days ago and have called him Dexter. I've had a lot of mixed reactions to the name, probably because I didn't go for a traditional irish name or name him after his daddy! However family members who were at me my whole pregnancy to change the name have actually come round to it now and all admit it really suits my son. The nurses in the hospital even said how uncommon it was. I'm not really bothered by anyone's opinion on the name. My partner and I love it and think it's a very strong name. He came up with it and I loved the name straight away. And to be a little traditional and because it's our first son I've given him dad's forename as his middle name!

Personal experiences with the name Dexter

I really liked the name Dexter after reading Emily Giffin's book, Something Borrowed. But then I started watching the TV show Dexter and now I think people will associate that name with a serial killer. It's such a nice name but I'm afraid of it carrying that association.

The first Dexter I've ever known was a female black and white cat, I was young, so I thought Dexter was a females name until I started seeing males with it. I may think Dexter would look good on a female, but no way in getting people mad and unisex the name. It is in my favorites as a males name.

Wanna bet? Diane Keaton named her daughter Dexter! Dexter Dean. I think the name stinks on a girl!

My father and older brothers names are Dexter. I think that it is a very strong name.

Dexter the Dog.

Nicknames for Dexter

Dex, Dexie, Decky

Meanings and history of the name Dexter

Dexter means right handed, dexterous, favorable, and the right side of a family crest/shield (as opposed to sinister).
Dexter is also an English surname. It can refer to someone from the town of Exeter (d'Exeter) or a dyer of cloth.

Famous real-life people named Dexter

Dexter Jackson - American football player
Dexter Davis - American football player
Dexter McCluster - American football player
Dexter Gordon - American saxophonist
Dexter Fletcher - English actor/director
Dexter Fowler - All-Star MLB Centerfielder
Dexter Henry Lorcan MacManus (b. 2006), son of Canadian jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall and English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer Elvis Costello
Dexter Lloyd Henson (b. 2009), son of Welsh singer-songwriter, actress, television presenter, and political activist Charlotte Church

Dexter in song, story & screen

Dexter, the boy genius hero of the American animated children's television show Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter Morgan, the anti-hero of a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay and an American television series adaptation. Dexter Morgan is a serial killer who only kills other murderers.
Dexter is one of the hamsters in the Ham-Ham Gang in the anime "Hamtaro"
C.K. Dexter Haven, the name of the character Cary Grant played in The Philadelphia Story
Dexter Thaler, character in the book Something Borrowed, by Emily Giffin