Damase
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "to tame, subdue or conquer".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Damase. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Damase today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Damase births was 1915 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Damase. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Damase. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1915
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1915 SSA rank
#3,954
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Damase: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Damase by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Damase during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Damase
The given name Damase originates from the Greek language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "damazō," which means "to tame" or "to subdue." The name is closely related to the Greek name "Damasius," which shares a similar root.
In ancient Greek mythology, Damase was the name of a nymph who was associated with the god Dionysus, the deity of wine and revelry. This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with the cultivation of grapes and the production of wine in ancient Greek society.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Damase can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Plutarch, who lived in the 1st century AD. Plutarch mentioned a man named Damase in his work "Parallel Lives," which chronicled the biographies of famous Greek and Roman figures.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Damase. One of the most prominent was Pope Damasus I (305-384 AD), who served as the Bishop of Rome from 366 to 384 AD. He is credited with commissioning the first Latin version of the Bible, known as the Vulgate, which was translated by St. Jerome.
Another famous bearer of the name was Damase de Lux (1676-1725), a French Benedictine monk and historian who wrote extensively on the history of the Catholic Church and the lives of saints. His most notable work was the "Acta Sanctorum," a comprehensive collection of biographies of Christian saints.
In the realm of literature, Damase Hinard (1786-1866) was a French poet and translator who gained recognition for his translations of ancient Greek and Latin works, including those of Homer and Virgil.
Damase Potvin (1825-1908) was a Canadian poet, playwright, and literary critic who played a significant role in the development of French-Canadian literature in the 19th century. His works celebrated the French-Canadian identity and culture.
Lastly, Damase Cousinery (1790-1865) was a French architect and archaeologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek architecture. He is best known for his influential work, "Voyage dans la Macédoine," which documented and illustrated the architectural remains of ancient Macedonia.
People
Damase + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Damase as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Damase: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Damase?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Damase going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Damase a common name?
We classify Damase as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Damase most popular?
The single biggest year for Damase was 1915, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Damase is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Damase in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Damase a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Damase in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Damase still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Damase in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Damase can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Damase?
You can see how many Americans are named Damase on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.