Disney
A coined name inspired by the French surname Disney, referring to a fantasy world of animation and imagination.
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the first name Disney. It is a predominantly female name (96.9% of registrations). The average person named Disney today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Disney births was 2009 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Disney. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Disney with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
159
~ 1 in 2,155,688 Americans
Peak year
2009
12 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
1993 SSA rank
#9,126
Tracked since 1989
Census
Disney in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 356 people with the first name Disney, which placed it at #26,232 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
#26,232
National first-name rank
People counted
356
356 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
48.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Disney
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Disney is Hispanic at 48.0%. The next largest groups are White (22.2%) and Black (15.2%). 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 Disney 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 Disney at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino48.0% · 171
- White22.2% · 79
- Black or African American15.2% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.3% · 33
- Two or more races3.9% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Disney
Disney leans heavily female at 96.9% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Disney as a male name
- Ranked #9,126 in 1993
- 5 male births in 1993
- Peak: 1993 (5 births)
Disney as a female name
- Ranked #13,895 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (12 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Disney on both sides of the split. Of the 357 people counted with this name, 88 were male (24.6%) and 269 were female (75.4%).
Popularity
Disney: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Disney from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 51 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Disney remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Disney 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 Disney during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Disney
The name Disney is believed to have originated from the Old English word "disneo," which means "island of prayer." It first appeared in written records around the 9th century CE, referring to a small island off the coast of present-day Cornwall, England. This island was home to a small monastery and was known for its peaceful and spiritual atmosphere.
In the 11th century, the name Disney began to be used as a surname for individuals who either lived on or had some connection to the island. Over time, it evolved into a given name, particularly among families with ties to the region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Disney was a monk named Disney of Glastonbury, who lived in the late 12th century. He was known for his writings on monastic life and his contributions to the Glastonbury Abbey.
In the 16th century, a man named Disney Robartes was a prominent figure in the English court of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as a diplomat and was known for his skill in negotiating treaties and resolving conflicts.
During the 17th century, a woman named Disney Shelton gained recognition as a poet and playwright. Her works often explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
In the 19th century, Disney Hawkins was a renowned explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively throughout Africa and Asia. His detailed accounts and illustrations of the flora and fauna he encountered made significant contributions to the field of natural history.
Another notable figure with the name Disney was Disney Leith, a Scottish engineer and inventor who lived in the late 19th century. He is credited with developing several groundbreaking innovations in steam engine technology.
While the name Disney has its roots in ancient England, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and regions around the world over the centuries. Its association with spirituality, exploration, and creativity has endured, making it a unique and intriguing name with a rich historical tapestry.
People
Disney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Disney 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
Disney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Disney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 159 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Disney 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 2,155,688 US residents.
Is Disney a common name?
We classify Disney as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 162 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Disney most popular?
The single biggest year for Disney was 2009, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Disney is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Disney in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 356 people with the name Disney, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,232 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 Disney 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 Disney?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Disney on both sides of the split. Of the 357 people counted with this name, 88 were male (24.6%) and 269 were female (75.4%). 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 Disney?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Disney is Hispanic at 48.0%. The next largest groups are White (22.2%) and Black (15.2%). 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 Disney most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Disney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (171 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 Disney in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Disney a female name?
Yes, 96.9% of people registered as Disney 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 Disney still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Disney 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 Disney 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 Disney?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.