Dustin comes from an English surname that probably goes back to the Old Norse Thorsteinn and means "Thor's stone", after the Norse god of thunder. Actor Dustin Hoffman made it a popular American first name in the 1970s, and the character Dustin in Stranger Things has introduced it to a new generation. Dustin ranked number 148 in the United States in 2000 and has slid steadily since, ranking number 729 in 2025.