Dequez
An uncommon masculine name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Dequez. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dequez today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dequez births was 2002 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dequez. 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 Dequez. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2002
6 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2004 SSA rank
#11,798
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Dequez: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Dequez 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 Dequez during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Dequez
The given name Dequez has its origins in the ancient Phoenician language, which was spoken in the region of modern-day Lebanon, Syria, and parts of the Mediterranean coast. The name is believed to have emerged around the 8th century BCE, derived from the Phoenician word "daqa," which means "to strike" or "to pierce."
In the early centuries of the Common Era, the name Dequez appeared in several ancient Aramaic texts and inscriptions found in the region of the Levant. These inscriptions suggest that the name was associated with warriors, hunters, or craftsmen who worked with metal and stone.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Dequez was a Phoenician metalsmith who lived in the city of Tyre during the 5th century BCE. His name was recorded on a bronze plaque discovered in an archaeological excavation of the ancient city.
In the 3rd century CE, a Christian martyr named Dequez was mentioned in the writings of the Church Father, Eusebius of Caesarea. According to the account, Dequez was a Roman soldier who was executed for his faith during the Decian persecution in the year 250 CE.
During the Middle Ages, the name Dequez appeared in various chronicles and records from the Byzantine Empire. One notable figure was Dequez of Constantinople, a scholar and philosopher who lived in the 9th century CE and authored several treatises on logic and metaphysics.
In the 12th century, a Spanish nobleman named Dequez de Castilla was recorded as a participant in the Reconquista, the Christian conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. He was known for his bravery in battle and was granted lands in the region of Andalusia.
Another historical figure who bore the name Dequez was a 16th-century Italian artist and sculptor from Florence. Dequez Bianchi was renowned for his intricate marble carvings and was commissioned to create several works for the Medici family.
During the 17th century, a French explorer and cartographer named Dequez Laborde played a significant role in mapping the interior regions of North America. His detailed maps and journals were instrumental in the exploration and colonization efforts of New France.
People
Dequez + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dequez 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
Dequez: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dequez?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dequez 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Dequez a common name?
We classify Dequez as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dequez most popular?
The single biggest year for Dequez was 2002, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dequez is about 23 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 Dequez in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dequez a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dequez 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 Dequez still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dequez 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 Dequez 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 Dequez?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.