Boys' name · peaked in 2018
Desmond name popularity since 1925
39,878 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Desmond (0.6% girls, 99.4% boys). Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Desmond is about 25 years old in 2026. Desmond peaked in 2018 as the #324 name for boys, and it ranked #376 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 39,878
- Named Desmond, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #376
- for boys in 2025 (839 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.4% boys
- 233 girls · 39,645 boys
- Most popular in
- Louisiana
- 2.13× its national share
Peak year is the year Desmond made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Desmond births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1992. Measured as a share of all babies, Desmond peaked in 2018.
- Fastest rise: Between 1969 and 1974, Desmond became 2.7× more common, from 1 in 13,500 baby boys to 1 in 5,020.
- Steepest fall: Between 1978 and 1983, its share of baby boys fell by 38%, from 1 in 3,110 to 1 in 5,050.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Desmond's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Desmond.
Decade by decade
Babies named Desmond in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 172 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 238 | #1,396 |
| 1940s | 0 | 247 | #1,388 |
| 1950s | 0 | 492 | #952 |
| 1960s | 0 | 1,180 | #666 |
| 1970s | 33 | 3,066 | #519 |
| 1980s | 68 | 5,400 | #301 |
| 1990s | 106 | 7,858 | #361 |
| 2000s | 21 | 6,316 | #472 |
| 2010s | 5 | 9,460 | #351 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 5,216 | #376 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
30.2% of babies named Desmond from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Desmond is most popular
The index compares Desmond's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Desmond.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 2.13× | 1,411 |
| South Carolina | 1.97× | 1,019 |
| Mississippi | 1.91× | 854 |
| Georgia | 1.90× | 1,941 |
| Maryland | 1.66× | 938 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Desmond and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Desmond (this page) | 39,645 | 2018 |
| Dezmond | 3,632 | 2013 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Desmond's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Desmond.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Desmond (2018).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data