Dax is a short, punchy name taken from the French town of Dax in Gascony, and it is sometimes read as a shortened form of Daxton or as a "leader" name coined from the Latin dux. Actor Dax Shepard made it familiar to American audiences in the 2000s, and it fits the style of Jax, Max and Knox. Dax ranked number 1435 in 2000, entered the US top 1000 in 2007, peaked at number 413 in 2019 and ranks number 692 in 2025.