Dejah
A feminine name of Persian origin meaning "Midday" or "Morning/Afternoon".
Name Census estimates that about 3,097 living Americans carry the first name Dejah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dejah today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dejah births was 1999 (341 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dejah. 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.
People living today
3.1K
~ 1 in 110,673 Americans
Peak year
1999
341 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
1998 SSA rank
#7,304
Tracked since 1973
Gender
Gender distribution for Dejah
Out of the 3,168 babies given the name Dejah since 1880, 99.8% 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.
Dejah as a male name
- Ranked #9,978 in 1998
- 5 male births in 1998
- Peak: 1998 (5 births)
Dejah as a female name
- Ranked #7,304 in 2024
- 15 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1999 (341 births)
Popularity
Dejah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dejah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 1,294 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
Dejah 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 Dejah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dejahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. California, Illinois, Texas recorded the most babies named Dejah, while Kentucky, Tennessee, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 72 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dejah
The given name Dejah is believed to have originated from the fictional novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the American author famous for creating the Barsoom series, which includes the popular John Carter of Mars stories. In these science fiction tales set on the planet Mars, Dejah Thoris is the princess of the Martian city-state of Helium and the love interest of the earthman John Carter.
Burroughs first introduced the character of Dejah Thoris in his 1912 novel A Princess of Mars, which served as the basis for the names Dejah and Thoris. While the name Thoris has roots in ancient Norse mythology, the etymology of Dejah is less clear, as it appears to be a fictional construct created by Burroughs himself.
Despite its fictional origins, the name Dejah has gained some popularity over the years, particularly among fans of Burroughs' Barsoom series. One notable person with the name Dejah is Dejah Monique Lanedress, an American model and actress born in 1991.
In the realm of literature, the character of Dejah Thoris from Burroughs' novels has become an iconic figure, inspiring numerous adaptations and tributes across various media. Lynn Collins portrayed Dejah Thoris in the 2012 film John Carter, while Traci Lords voiced the character in the 2009 animated movie Princess of Mars.
Beyond the world of fiction, the name Dejah has been used by a few individuals throughout history. Dejah Monique Raphael, an American singer and songwriter, was born in 1987. Dejah Amile Hall, an American artist and illustrator, was born in 1983.
While not a common name, Dejah has left its mark on popular culture, thanks to its association with Edgar Rice Burroughs' influential science fiction works. Its unique and exotic sound has captured the imagination of fans and artists alike, ensuring that this fictional name continues to be remembered and celebrated.
People
Dejah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dejah 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
Dejah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dejah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,097 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dejah 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 110,673 US residents.
Is Dejah a common name?
We classify Dejah as "Rare". It ranks above 95.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,168 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dejah most popular?
The single biggest year for Dejah was 1999, when 341 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dejah is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dejah a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Dejah 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.