Deja
A French word meaning "already" or "experienced before".
Name Census estimates that about 15,895 living Americans carry the first name Deja. It is a predominantly female name (99.5% of registrations). The average person named Deja today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deja births was 1996 (1,647 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deja. 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
- • Although Deja is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 86 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
16K
~ 1 in 21,564 Americans
Peak year
1996
1,647 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2004 SSA rank
#2,850
Tracked since 1962
Gender
Gender distribution for Deja
Out of the 16,301 babies given the name Deja since 1880, 99.5% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Deja as a male name
- Ranked #11,766 in 2004
- 5 male births in 2004
- Peak: 1995 (13 births)
Deja as a female name
- Ranked #2,850 in 2024
- 58 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1996 (1,638 births)
Popularity
Deja: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deja from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 8,319 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Deja 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 Deja during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dejas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 42 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Deja, while West Virginia, Nebraska, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 337 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Deja
The name Deja is a modern French name that has become popular in recent decades. It is believed to have originated from the French phrase "déjà vu," which means "already seen." The phrase itself entered the French language in the 19th century, but the use of Deja as a given name did not become widespread until the late 20th century.
While the name Deja does not have a long historical lineage, it has been used by a few notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deja was Deja Thoris, a fictional character from the Barsoom series of science fiction novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which were published in the early 20th century. Deja Thoris was a Martian princess and the love interest of the protagonist, John Carter.
Another notable individual named Deja was Deja Vega, an American singer and actress who was born in 1974. She is best known for her role as Maria in the musical drama series "Cane" and for her work in various Broadway productions.
In the world of sports, Deja Frease (born 1989) is an American former basketball player who played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes and had a brief professional career in the WNBA.
Deja Skye (born 1983) is an American model and adult film actress who has appeared in numerous adult films and men's magazines throughout her career.
Lastly, Deja Shelton (born 1998) is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE, where she performs under the ring name Naomi.
While the name Deja is a relatively modern invention, it has gained popularity in recent years and has been adopted by individuals from various backgrounds and cultures. Despite its lack of a deep historical lineage, it has certainly made its mark in popular culture and will likely continue to be used as a given name in the years to come.
People
Deja + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deja 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
Deja: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deja?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15,895 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deja 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 1 in 21,564 US residents.
Is Deja a common name?
We classify Deja as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16,301 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deja most popular?
The single biggest year for Deja was 1996, when 1,647 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deja is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Deja a female name?
Yes, 99.5% of people registered as Deja in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.