How Many People Are Named Desmond?
An estimated 37,444 people in the United States have the first name Desmond. It is predominantly male (99.4%). The average bearer is 26 years old, and Desmond peaked in popularity in 1992 with 1,079 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Desmond as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Desmond paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Desmond is overwhelmingly male, 233 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
37,444
About 1 in 9,154 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.4% confidence
Average Age
26
years old
Peak Year
1992
1,079 births
Total Registered
39,419
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Desmond
Desmond is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 39,419 total births registered, 99.4% were male.
Desmond as a male name
Ranked #368 in 2024
888 male births in 2024
Peak: 1992 (1,068 births)
Desmond as a female name
Ranked #17,244 in 2013
5 female births in 2013
Peak: 1997 (16 births)
Desmond: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Desmond span from the 1900s to the 2020s, covering 13 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 9,464 babies were registered. While Desmond is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Desmond by Decade
How has Desmond tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Desmond by State
Birth registrations for Desmond span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Wyoming, Vermont, South Dakota. On average, about 701 Desmonds were registered per state.
Desmond + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Desmond as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Desmond
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Desmond: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Desmond?
We estimate approximately 37,444 people named Desmond are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 9,154 Americans share this first name.
Is Desmond a common name?
Desmond is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 39,419 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Desmond most popular?
Desmond reached peak popularity in 1992, when 1,079 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Desmond is approximately 26 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Desmond a male name?
Desmond is predominantly male. 99.4% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Desmond Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Desmond Smith, Desmond Johnson, Desmond Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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