# Desmond (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/desmond/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɛzmənd/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Des, Dez, Dezzy |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 40,264 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 40,031 / 233 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 321, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Irish Ó Deasmhumhnaigh.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6 | 11,783 |
| 1991 | 11 | 7,547 |
| 1992 | 11 | 7,660 |
| 1993 | 12 | 7,145 |
| 1994 | 11 | 7,753 |
| 1995 | 9 | 8,963 |
| 1996 | 12 | 7,263 |
| 1997 | 16 | 5,953 |
| 1998 | 8 | 10,370 |
| 1999 | 10 | 8,966 |
| 2000 | 5 | 15,704 |
| 2002 | 5 | 16,128 |
| 2003 | 6 | 14,357 |
| 2007 | 5 | 18,380 |
| 2013 | 5 | 17,246 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 843 | 355 |
| 2012 | 924 | 339 |
| 2013 | 984 | 329 |
| 2014 | 1,035 | 330 |
| 2015 | 962 | 351 |
| 2016 | 894 | 371 |
| 2017 | 1,047 | 327 |
| 2018 | 1,030 | 324 |
| 2019 | 863 | 369 |
| 2020 | 862 | 361 |
| 2021 | 920 | 354 |
| 2022 | 907 | 363 |
| 2023 | 797 | 399 |
| 2024 | 891 | 368 |
| 2025 | 839 | 376 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 10 | 2,039 |
| 2012 | 9 | 2,270 |
| 2013 | 14 | 1,617 |
| 2014 | 13 | 1,721 |
| 2015 | 9 | 2,319 |
| 2016 | 8 | 2,556 |
| 2017 | 13 | 1,812 |
| 2018 | 11 | 1,991 |
| 2019 | 6 | 3,013 |
| 2020 | 12 | 1,825 |
| 2021 | 11 | 1,984 |
| 2022 | 12 | 1,879 |
| 2023 | 9 | 2,325 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1,951 |
| 2025 | 21 | 1,307 |

## People named Desmond

- Desmond Doss, American solder, pacifist, and combat medic; recipient of the Purple Heart medal, recipien
- Desmond Llewelyn, British actor (1914-1999)
- Desmond Harrington, American actor (born 1976)
- Desmond Connell, Catholic cardinal (1926-2017)
- Desmond Bane, American basketball player (born 1998)
- Desmond Mason, American basketball player (born 1977)
- Desmond Armstrong, American soccer player
- Desmond Bagley, British writer (1923-1983)
- Desmond Piper, Australian field hockey player
- Desmond Chiam, Australian actor
- Brian Desmond Hurst, Belfast-born film director (1895-1986)
- Desmond Howard, American football player (born 1970)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.