Despina
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "lady" or "mistress".
Name Census estimates that about 1,112 living Americans carry the first name Despina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Despina today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Despina births was 1976 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Despina. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 308,232 Americans
Peak year
1976
36 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,983
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Despina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Despina from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 242 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Despina 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 Despina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Despinas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Despina, while Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 92 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Despina
The name Despina is derived from the Greek language and has its roots in ancient Greek mythology and culture. It is a feminine name that is believed to have originated from the Greek word "despoina," which means "lady" or "mistress."
In Greek mythology, Despoina was a goddess worshiped in the region of Arcadia, an area located in the central Peloponnese region of ancient Greece. She was associated with fertility, nature, and the underworld, and was sometimes depicted as a young maiden or as a mature woman holding a dove and a dolphin.
The earliest recorded use of the name Despina can be traced back to ancient Greek texts and inscriptions. It was a relatively common name among Greek women during the classical period, particularly in the regions where the cult of Despoina was prevalent.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Despina was a Byzantine princess who lived in the 11th century. She was the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanos III Argyros and was married to the future Emperor Michael IV the Paphlagonian.
Another historical figure with the name Despina was a Greek noble woman who lived in the 15th century. She was the wife of the Despot of Epirus, Leonardo III Tocco, and played a significant role in the political affairs of the region during that time.
In the 16th century, a Greek noblewoman named Despina Hatun was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Ottoman Empire.
In the 18th century, Despina Achmet was a Greek woman who became a famous singer and performer in the Ottoman court. She was renowned for her beautiful voice and her performances of traditional Greek and Turkish music.
During the 19th century, Despina Evanghelides was a Greek author and educator who wrote several books and articles on the education of women in Greece. She was a pioneer in promoting women's rights and education during that time.
While the name Despina has its origins in ancient Greek culture and mythology, it has been adopted and used by various communities around the world, particularly in Greece and other regions with significant Greek populations.
People
Despina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Despina 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
Despina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Despina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,112 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Despina 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 308,232 US residents.
Is Despina a common name?
We classify Despina as "Rare". It ranks above 90.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,517 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Despina most popular?
The single biggest year for Despina was 1976, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Despina is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Despina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Despina 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.