Deshonna
A feminine name derived from French meaning "from a good place".
Name Census estimates that about 151 living Americans carry the first name Deshonna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Deshonna today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deshonna births was 1976 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deshonna. 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
151
~ 1 in 2,269,896 Americans
Peak year
1976
16 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2005 SSA rank
#13,379
Tracked since 1976
Census
Deshonna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 168 people with the first name Deshonna, which placed it at #42,627 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#42,627
National first-name rank
People counted
168
168 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deshonna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deshonna is Black at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Deshonna described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Deshonna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.1% · 153
- White3.6% · 6
- Two or more races3.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 3
Popularity
Deshonna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deshonna from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 55 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Deshonna remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Deshonna 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 Deshonna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deshonnas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Deshonna
The name Deshonna is a relatively modern invention, likely originating in the late 20th century. It appears to be a combination of the prefix "De-" and the name "Shonna," which itself is a variant spelling of the French name "Chonne." The prefix "De-" can be traced back to Latin origins, often used to indicate separation or origin.
While the precise origins of Deshonna are unclear, it is possible that the name was created as a unique blend of existing names and prefixes. The name does not seem to have any direct historical references or appearances in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, its components, such as "De-" and "Shonna," may have been inspired by or derived from various linguistic and cultural influences.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Deshonna are likely from the late 20th century, as it gained popularity as a given name for newborn babies. While not extensively documented, a few notable individuals throughout history have borne this name:
1. Deshonna Collier (born 1981), an American singer and songwriter known for her work in the gospel and contemporary Christian music genres.
2. Deshonna Mayfield (born 1990), an American professional basketball player who has played in the WNBA and overseas leagues.
3. Deshonna Tate (born 1995), an American track and field athlete specializing in hurdles and sprints.
4. Deshonna Prude (born 1987), an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA and overseas.
5. Deshonna Grier (born 1992), an American entrepreneur and business owner known for her work in the fashion and beauty industries.
It is important to note that while these individuals have achieved varying levels of recognition, the name Deshonna itself does not have a extensive historical legacy or deep cultural roots. Its relatively recent emergence and lack of widespread use make it challenging to trace a comprehensive lineage or uncover significant historical references beyond its apparent linguistic origins.
People
Deshonna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deshonna 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
Deshonna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deshonna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 151 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deshonna 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 2,269,896 US residents.
Is Deshonna a common name?
We classify Deshonna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 159 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deshonna most popular?
The single biggest year for Deshonna was 1976, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deshonna is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Deshonna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 168 people with the name Deshonna, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,627 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Deshonna in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Deshonna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Deshonna appears almost entirely female. Of the 167 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Deshonna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deshonna is Black at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Deshonna most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Deshonna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (153 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Deshonna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Deshonna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deshonna 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.
Is Deshonna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Deshonna 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 Deshonna 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.
How many people are named Deshonna?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.