Dezire
Of French origin, meaning "desire" or "longing".
Name Census estimates that about 938 living Americans carry the first name Dezire. It is a predominantly female name (98.0% of registrations). The average person named Dezire today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dezire births was 2011 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dezire. 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
938
~ 1 in 365,410 Americans
Peak year
2011
53 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,649
Tracked since 1989
Gender
Gender distribution for Dezire
Dezire leans heavily female at 98.0% of total registrations, but 19 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Dezire as a male name
- Ranked #12,737 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (7 births)
Dezire as a female name
- Ranked #5,649 in 2024
- 22 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (53 births)
Popularity
Dezire: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dezire from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 349 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Dezire remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dezire 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 Dezire during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dezires live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Ohio, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Dezire, while Texas, North Carolina, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dezire
The name Dezire is a unique and intriguing moniker that boasts a fascinating history. Its origins can be traced back to the Latin language, where it is derived from the word "desiderare," which means "to desire" or "to long for." This linguistic root highlights the name's connotation of passion, yearning, and aspiration.
In the early centuries of the Common Era, the name Dezire emerged as a variant spelling of the more common Latin name Desiderius. This name held great significance in the ancient Roman world, where it was often bestowed upon individuals who were deeply desired or longed for by their parents or families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dezire can be found in the writings of the renowned Roman historian Tacitus. In his annals, Tacitus mentions a Roman soldier named Dezire who fought valiantly during the Batavian revolt against the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD.
As the centuries passed, the name Dezire gained a foothold in various European cultures, particularly in regions influenced by Latin and Romance languages. In medieval France, for example, there are records of a noblewoman named Dezire de Montfort, who lived during the 12th century and was renowned for her philanthropic efforts.
During the Renaissance period, the name Dezire experienced a resurgence in popularity, often associated with the ideals of humanism and the pursuit of knowledge. One notable figure from this era was Dezire Erasmus, a Dutch Renaissance scholar and Catholic priest who lived from 1466 to 1536 and made significant contributions to the study of classical literature and theology.
In the realm of art and literature, the name Dezire has been immortalized by several prominent figures. One such example is the French poet and dramatist Dezire Baudelaire, who lived from 1821 to 1867 and is renowned for his works that explored themes of beauty, decadence, and the human condition.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the name Dezire was Dezire de la Reve, a 17th-century French explorer and adventurer who embarked on daring expeditions to the Americas and documented his travels in vivid detail.
As time progressed, the name Dezire continued to be embraced across various cultures and regions, with each iteration adding its unique flavor and significance to the name's rich tapestry.
People
Dezire + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dezire 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
Dezire: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dezire?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 938 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dezire 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 365,410 US residents.
Is Dezire a common name?
We classify Dezire as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 950 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dezire most popular?
The single biggest year for Dezire was 2011, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dezire is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dezire a female name?
Yes, 98.0% of people registered as Dezire 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.