Deontray
A masculine name of uncertain meaning and origin.
Name Census estimates that about 338 living Americans carry the first name Deontray. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Deontray today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deontray births was 1994 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deontray. 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
338
~ 1 in 1,014,066 Americans
Peak year
1994
24 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2018 SSA rank
#9,035
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Deontray: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deontray from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 174 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
Deontray 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 Deontray during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deontrays live
Origin
Meaning and history of Deontray
The name Deontray has its origins in the African-American community, emerging in the late 20th century as a creative blend of popular name elements. The first part, "Deon," likely derives from the Greek name "Deon," meaning "obligated" or "duty-bound." The latter part, "tray," may have been inspired by the Latinate suffix "-tray," suggesting a connection to nobility or leadership.
While no definitive historical references to this specific name exist, its components carry symbolic weight. The "Deon" element evokes a sense of moral obligation, potentially alluding to the civil rights struggles and aspirations for equality within the African-American community. The "-tray" suffix, on the other hand, may represent a desire for empowerment and elevated societal standing.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Deontray date back to the late 1970s and early 1980s, coinciding with the growing trend of creating unique names within the African-American community. Some notable individuals bearing the name Deontray include:
1. Deontray Wilder, an American professional boxer born in 1985, known for his powerful punching and holding multiple heavyweight titles.
2. Deontray Grimes, an American football player born in 1996, who currently plays as a defensive back for the New England Patriots in the NFL.
3. Deontray Smith, an American rapper and songwriter from Louisiana, known by his stage name "D-Tray," who gained popularity in the early 2000s with his unique blend of hip-hop and Southern rap styles.
4. Deontray Johnson, an American actor and model born in 1988, best known for his roles in independent films and television shows in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
5. Deontray Williams, an American entrepreneur and motivational speaker from Chicago, who founded a successful mentorship program aimed at empowering underprivileged youth in the early 2010s.
These individuals, while not necessarily historically significant figures, represent the diverse range of pursuits and accomplishments associated with the name Deontray within the African-American community in recent decades.
People
Deontray + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deontray 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
Deontray: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deontray?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 338 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deontray 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 1,014,066 US residents.
Is Deontray a common name?
We classify Deontray as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 346 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deontray most popular?
The single biggest year for Deontray was 1994, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deontray is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Deontray a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deontray 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.
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.