How to say it
DAH · lia
ˈdɑl.jə
Feminine
Dahlia
Dahlia flower
What it means
English name of the showy garden flower, named for the 18th-century Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. Mexico's national flower. The 'Black Dahlia' nickname for the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short remains the name's most-discussed cultural anchor.
Dahlia is the English name of the showy garden flower, named in 1791 for Anders Dahl, an 18th-century Swedish botanist and student of Linnaeus. The plant is native to Mexico and Central America (Mexico declared it the national flower in 1963). As a given name Dahlia picked up in the late 19th-century US alongside other flower names. The 'Black Dahlia' nickname for Elizabeth Short (the unsolved 1947 Los Angeles murder victim) lingers as the strongest English-language cultural reference; James Ellroy's novel and the 2006 Brian De Palma film kept it in circulation. The English Dahlia has been climbing in the US since 2010. Common short: Dahl, rarely.
How to spell Dahlia
The standard spelling is Dahlia. Common variants include Dalia, Dalya, but Dahlia is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
peaked at #215 in 2025, currently #215 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed August 2026. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
The Black Dahlia (1947 Los Angeles murder of Elizabeth Short) is the unavoidable cultural weight; some families don't know the reference, others find it heavy.
Who's worn it
- Anders Dahl 18th-century Swedish botanist, namesake of the flower (Dahl as surname)
Spelling variants
- Dalia
- Dalya
Names with the same feeling
See Dahlia from another angle
By meaning
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Dahlia mean?
- English name of the showy garden flower, named for the 18th-century Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. Mexico's national flower. The 'Black Dahlia' nickname for the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short remains the name's most-discussed cultural anchor.
- What does Dahlia mean in Swedish?
- In Swedish, Dahlia means "Dahlia flower." Dahlia is the English name of the showy garden flower, named in 1791 for Anders Dahl, an 18th-century Swedish botanist and student of Linnaeus. The plant is native to Mexico and Central America (Mexico declared it the national flower in 1963). As a given name Dahlia picked up in the late 19th-century US alongside other flower names. The 'Black Dahlia' nickname for Elizabeth Short (the unsolved 1947 Los Angeles murder victim) lingers as the strongest English-language cultural reference; James Ellroy's novel and the 2006 Brian De Palma film kept it in circulation. The English Dahlia has been climbing in the US since 2010. Common short: Dahl, rarely.
- How do you pronounce Dahlia?
- Dahlia is pronounced ˈdɑl.jə. Say it as DAH-lia, with the stress on the "dah" syllable.
- How do you spell Dahlia?
- The standard spelling is Dahlia. Common spelling variants include Dalia, Dalya.
- Is Dahlia a boy or girl name?
- Dahlia is traditionally a feminine name.
- How popular is the name Dahlia?
- Dahlia ranked #215 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.