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Desi

#4,577 in 2025UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Diminutive of Desmond

Desi has been given to 3,395 babies in the U.S. since 1948. In 2025 it ranked #4,577 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 1970, with 68 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 69% boys, 31% girls all-time.

Babies named Desi, 2025

1 in 151,000

Desi over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
02040608018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Desi over time

In 2025, Desi went to 61% girls and 39% boys.

19482025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Desi: meaning, origin, and history

Diminutive of Desmond

Deeper origin not confirmed in the cited records

What Desi means

Desi is a diminutive of Desmond.

Meaning behind the documented name family

The name developed through Desi → Desmond. The family’s meaning is “south Munster”, recorded in the naming reference for Desmond.

Related names and everyday forms

Related names include Desmond.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 2,347 boys were recorded with the name Desi between 1948 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 68 in 1970; its best national rank was #984 in 1970.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #3,508 in 2020 to #4,577 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #5,799 in 2015 to #4,577 in 2025.

In the United States, 1,048 girls were recorded with the name Desi between 1949 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 42 in 2022; its best national rank was #2,066 in 1959.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #4,190 in 2020 to #4,095 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #6,524 in 2015 to #4,095 in 2025.

Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution

Meaning, origin, and language notes draw on the references below.

American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling. Counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.

How common is Desi?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 151,000
22 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 77,600
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#4,577
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
104,451 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Desi sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 104,451 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Desi. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Desis were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Desi was born before 1980 — so the typical Desi is around 45 today.

Median birth year
1980
About 45 years old
Biggest decade
1970s
22.9% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
25.5%
Spread across generations
Recorded since 1950
2,342
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

1970s — 22.9% of all recorded uses (537).

Is Desi rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
−1,404
Places dropped
Rank vs 5 years ago
−1,069
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
+1,222
Places climbed
Births vs 10 years ago
1.47×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
32.4%
Peak was 1970 (68)
Years since peak
55
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Volatile
29.8% average annual change
Best rank ever
#984
1970

Spellings of Desi

Desi is not the most common spelling — Levi is, with 25.0% against Desi's 0.27%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Desi is used — boys

Across 1910–2025, Desi was most concentrated in Alabama — about 1 in 100,000 boys, against 1 in 163,102 across all states with data. It was least common in Virginia (1 in —).

01 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Alabama1 in 100,000
  2. 2California1 in 100,000
  3. 3Florida1 in 100,000
  4. 4New Mexico1 in 100,000
  5. 5Texas1 in 100,000
  6. 6Georgia1 in —
  7. 7Illinois1 in —
  8. 8Louisiana1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Desi has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Where Desi is used — girls

Across 1910–2025, Desi was most concentrated in California — about 1 in 100,000 girls, against 1 in 250,387 across all states with data. It was least common in Texas (1 in —).

01 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in 100,000
  2. 2Texas1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Desi has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Desi around the world

Where Desi ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • South Australia
    1969–1969
    #510
    in 1969

Popularity data from Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Notable people named Desi

People whose public names include Desi, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Desi in other languages

Cross-language forms and variants of Desi. Linked forms have their own page here.

Désirée

Variant forms from Wikidata (CC0). Most are used mainly outside the United States; U.S. birth records statistics cover US usage only.

Desi by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#4,577
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 1,069
Best rank ever
#984
1970
Peak year
1970
68 that year
First recorded
1948
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
2,347
Count in 2025
22

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#4,095
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 95
Best rank ever
#2,066
1959
Peak year
2022
42 that year
First recorded
1949
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
1,048
Count in 2025
35

Names similar to Desi

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

DeshonDeseanDeshunDesmonDestinKwesiDeshaunDestynDestryDesminDesaiDeshawnDesireDestonDestanDessieDeshanDestinyDesiahDesiderioDesmondDeshaeDeshayDesman

Names with a curve like Desi

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Desi, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

BrionDarbyShanDemetriosLamonteJebAnthoneyTorrenceAnibalYancyShedrickTino

Sibling names for Desi

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Desi

Top names of 1970, Desi's peak yearThe 1970s in fullOther names that peaked in 1970Boys' names starting with D