Demya
Variant of the Russian masculine name Dmitry, derived from the Greek name Demetrius meaning "follower of Demeter", the goddess of fertility and agriculture.
Name Census estimates that about 758 living Americans carry the first name Demya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Demya today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Demya births was 2008 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Demya. 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
758
~ 1 in 452,183 Americans
Peak year
2008
59 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,777
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Demya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Demya from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 416 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Demya 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 Demya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Demyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Illinois, Tennessee, Texas recorded the most babies named Demya, while North Carolina, Mississippi, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Demya
The name Demya has its origins in the Russian language and culture, with its roots dating back to the medieval era. It is a diminutive form of the name Demyan, which is derived from the Greek name Damianos, meaning "to tame" or "subdued."
Demya was a popular name among the Slavic people, particularly in Russia and Ukraine, during the 11th to 15th centuries. The name is believed to have been influenced by the spread of Christianity in the region, as it shares a connection with several early Christian saints and martyrs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Demya can be found in the "Veliky Minei Chetii," a collection of hagiographies (biographies of saints) compiled in the 16th century by the Russian Orthodox Church. This text mentions a Saint Demya who lived in the 3rd century and was martyred for his Christian faith.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Demya was borne by several notable figures in Russian history. Demya Boretsky (1490-1542) was a renowned military leader who fought against the Tatar invasions and played a crucial role in defending the city of Moscow. Another notable bearer of the name was Demya Nikitin (1530-1598), a merchant and explorer who traveled extensively throughout Asia and documented his travels in a famous memoir.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Demya remained popular among the Russian nobility and aristocracy. One of the most prominent figures was Demya Shcherbatov (1625-1683), a military commander and statesman who served under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
In the 18th century, Demya Ovchinnikov (1705-1765) was a renowned Russian Orthodox priest and theologian who made significant contributions to the development of religious education in Russia.
Another notable bearer of the name was Demya Davidov (1811-1888), a celebrated Russian poet and writer who was known for his patriotic and romantic works.
While the name Demya has maintained a consistent presence throughout Russian history, it has also been used in other Slavic cultures, such as Ukraine and Belarus, where it has similar linguistic roots and cultural significance.
People
Demya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Demya 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
Demya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Demya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 758 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Demya 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 452,183 US residents.
Is Demya a common name?
We classify Demya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 767 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Demya most popular?
The single biggest year for Demya was 2008, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Demya is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Demya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Demya 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.