boys' name ★ peaked 2007

Damien

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #352 Trend ↓ Falling 20%

A male given name from Ancient Greek, the French equivalent of Damian

Rank 2025
#352
among boys · ↓9 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
935
named Damien · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,827
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2007
2,265 babies
All-time total
65,018
#428 all-time among boys
First recorded
1936
in Social Security records

Damien popularity over time

65,018 babies have been named Damien since 1936, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – 12 12 1 – #3,228
1940s – 86 86 9 +617% #1,961
1950s – 195 195 20 +127% #1,377
1960s – 504 504 50 +158% #801
1970s 100 6,426 6,526 653 +1195% #161
1980s 86 8,168 8,254 825 +26% #182
1990s 29 9,073 9,102 910 +10% #268
2000s 41 18,526 18,567 1,857 +104% #182
2010s 5 15,261 15,266 1,527 -18% #192
2020s (to 2025) – 6,506 6,506 1,084 -29% #277

Where Damien is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 901 0.53 #363
2027 872 0.51 #368
2028 849 0.50 #375
2029 830 0.49 #381
2030 814 0.48 #391

Where Damien is most popular

Boys named Damien per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.612 per 1,000. Strongest in Alaska, Nevada, and New Mexico.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Damien born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alaska 18 1.51 +147%
Nevada 80 1.40 +129%
New Mexico 37 1.12 +83%
Oregon 78 1.03 +68%
Arizona 164 1.00 +64%
California 903 0.988 +61%
Idaho 38 0.929 +52%
Kentucky 89 0.887 +45%
Washington 136 0.831 +36%
Kansas 56 0.816 +33%
Oklahoma 71 0.803 +31%
Delaware 12 0.791 +29%
Hawaii 12 0.773 +26%
West Virginia 25 0.766 +25%
Connecticut 51 0.753 +23%
Mississippi 42 0.739 +21%
Colorado 92 0.713 +16%
Illinois 182 0.712 +16%
North Carolina 179 0.701 +14%
Michigan 141 0.688 +12%
South Carolina 71 0.687 +12%
Arkansas 43 0.679 +11%
Pennsylvania 180 0.678 +11%
Virginia 127 0.669 +9%
Nebraska 29 0.667 +9%
Ohio 174 0.657 +7%
Texas 570 0.647 +6%
North Dakota 11 0.644 +5%
Massachusetts 88 0.640 ≈ national
New York 274 0.633 ≈ national
New Jersey 126 0.626 ≈ national
Indiana 96 0.599 ≈ national
Utah 57 0.597 ≈ national
Missouri 80 0.577 -6%
Louisiana 59 0.577 -6%
Tennessee 104 0.576 -6%
Maryland 68 0.570 -7%
Florida 265 0.560 -9%
Iowa 38 0.551 -10%
Minnesota 67 0.546 -11%
Wisconsin 61 0.515 -16%
Georgia 124 0.489 -20%
Alabama 47 0.430 -30%
Rhode Island 5 0.307 -50%
District of Columbia – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
New Hampshire – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Damien

Damien is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #352 in 2025 with 935 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1936, 65,018 American babies have been named Damien. Its peak came in 2007, when 2,265 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Damien stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Damien?

The median living Damien is about 20 years old; half are between 12 and 34. An estimated 63 thousand people named Damien are alive in the United States today.

median 20 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Damien year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 935 #352
2024 – – 1,005 #343
2023 – – 1,013 #330
2022 – – 1,102 #305
2021 – – 1,235 #280
2020 – – 1,216 #277
2019 – – 1,246 #282
2018 – – 1,362 #264
2017 – – 1,355 #266
2016 – – 1,305 #278
2015 – – 1,426 #254
2014 – – 1,509 #249
2013 5 #17,182 1,619 #226
2012 – – 1,667 #218
2011 – – 1,835 #198
2010 – – 1,937 #192
2009 – – 2,014 #188
2008 7 #14,197 2,111 #189
2007 – – 2,265 #182
2006 6 #15,583 1,993 #195
2005 – – 1,939 #200
2004 11 #9,406 1,957 #196
2003 5 #16,354 1,890 #197
2002 6 #14,017 1,652 #212
2001 6 #13,934 1,402 #241
2000 – – 1,303 #258
1995 – – 954 #285
1990 – – 746 #332
1985 10 #6,560 687 #296
1980 13 #5,300 1,338 #182
1975 10 #5,619 542 #326
1970 5 #8,236 124 #739
1965 – – 43 #1,146
1960 – – 37 #1,302
1955 – – 18 #1,857
1950 – – 10 #2,468
1945 – – 5 #3,413
1940 – – 13 #2,007
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Damien

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Damien Chazelle Damien Chazelle American and French filmmaker (born 1985) Contemporary
  2. 2 Damien Hirst Damien Hirst British artist (born 1965) Contemporary
  3. 3 Damien Rice Damien Rice Irish singer-songwriter (born 1973) Contemporary
  4. 4 Damien Delaney Damien Delaney Irish former professional footballer b. 1981 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Damien Sandow Damien Sandow American professional wrestler (born 1982) Contemporary
  6. 6 Damien Johnson Damien Johnson Northern Irish footballer b. 1978 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Damien Plessis French footballer (born 1988) Contemporary
  8. 8 Damien Le Tallec Damien Le Tallec French footballer (born 1990) Contemporary
  9. 9 Damien Perquis Damien Perquis Footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  10. 10 Damien Magee British racing driver (born 1945) Contemporary
  11. 11 Damien Monier Damien Monier French road bicycle racer b. 1982 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Damien, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Damien?

The median living Damien is about 20 years old. Half of all living Damiens are between 12 and 34 years old.

How many people named Damien are alive today?

An estimated 63 thousand people named Damien are alive in the United States, based on 65,018 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Damien mean?

A male given name from Ancient Greek, the French equivalent of Damian

How popular is the name Damien in 2025?

Damien ranked #352 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 935 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Damien?

65,018 babies have been named Damien in the United States since 1936, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Damien most popular?

Damien peaked in 2007, when 2,265 newborns received the name.

Is Damien a boy or girl name?

Damien is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Damien rising or falling?

Damien is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Damien become more popular?

Damien is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 814 boys named Damien in 2030, which would rank around #391. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Damien?

Well-known people named Damien include Damien Chazelle (film director), Damien Hirst (artist), Damien Rice (singer).

Names like Damien

Names that sound and feel close to Damien: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Damien with similar names → More names starting with D →