Dauphin Island, Alabama

Dauphin Island (French: Île du Dauphine), is an island town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, on a barrier island of the same name in the Gulf of Mexico. It was incorporated in 1988. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census, up from 1,238 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Mobile metropolitan area. The island (originally named Massacre Island) was renamed for the king Louis XIV's great-grandson and heir, the dauphin, the future king Louis XV. The name of the island is often mistaken as Dolphin Island; the word dauphin is French for 'dolphin', but historically the term was used as the title of the heir apparent to the French monarch.

The island is one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands, with the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay to the north. The island's eastern end helps define the mouth of Mobile Bay. The eastern, wider portion of the island is shaded by thick stands of pine trees and saw palmettos, but the narrow, western part of the island features scrub growth and few trees.

Dauphin Island is home to Fort Gaines, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, the Alabama Aquarium, the Jeremiah Denton Airport, boat ramps, a large public pier that sits on dry land, historic sites, several restaurants, new condominium developments, and numerous private homes. Beaches attract tourism, and fishing is a popular activity in the waters around the island. The island is connected to the mainland by the Gordon Persons Bridge.

Although the island has several bird sanctuaries, the main one is the 164-acre (66 ha) Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Because Dauphin Island is the first land encountered by many birds as they migrate north from South America, many species can be found resting there before continuing their journey.