Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1961

Dee

Meaning A unisex given name, short for names beginning with D Gender Unisex · 69% girls Rank 2025 Below top lists

A unisex given name, short for names beginning with D.

Rank 2025
–
among girls
Babies in 2025
<5
named Dee
How common
–
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1961
704 babies
All-time total
23,099
#1,235 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Dee popularity over time

23,099 babies have been named Dee since 1880, 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
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 86 276 362 36 – #533
1890s 86 271 357 36 -1% #769
1900s 126 302 428 43 +20% #803
1910s 302 818 1,120 112 +162% #1,008
1920s 401 1,090 1,491 149 +33% #1,123
1930s 836 1,010 1,846 185 +24% #527
1940s 2,547 967 3,514 351 +90% #431
1950s 4,327 958 5,285 529 +50% #407
1960s 4,826 683 5,509 551 +4% #381
1970s 1,585 380 1,965 197 -64% #572
1980s 509 216 725 73 -63% #1,365
1990s 158 130 288 29 -60% #4,040
2000s 29 88 117 12 -59% #8,918
2010s 12 69 81 8 -31% #13,855
2020s (to 2025) – 11 11 2 -77% –

The story of Dee

Dee is not currently in use for newborns in the United States: fewer than five babies received the name in 2025. Its story lives in the historical record below.

Since 1880, 23,099 American babies have been named Dee, about 69% girls and 31% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1961, when 704 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Dee stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Dee?

The median living Dee is about 64 years old; half are between 57 and 72. An estimated 15 thousand people named Dee are alive in the United States today.

median 64 020406080100

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

Dee 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 – – – –
2024 – – – –
2023 – – – –
2022 – – 5 #12,788
2021 – – – –
2020 – – 6 #10,927
2019 – – 9 #8,363
2018 – – 6 #11,093
2017 – – – –
2016 – – 5 #12,647
2015 – – 6 #11,001
2014 – – 6 #11,054
2013 – – 13 #6,330
2012 7 #13,855 12 #6,714
2011 – – 7 #9,875
2010 5 #17,685 5 #12,708
2009 – – – –
2008 – – 7 #10,116
2007 – – 8 #9,099
2006 5 #17,829 12 #6,557
2005 – – 13 #5,948
2004 – – 6 #10,275
2003 – – 10 #6,843
2002 6 #14,043 10 #6,652
2001 11 #8,918 9 #7,051
2000 7 #12,113 13 #5,355
1995 17 #5,505 12 #4,863
1990 17 #5,347 16 #3,639
1985 31 #2,958 19 #2,622
1980 92 #1,365 30 #1,866
1975 122 #1,001 32 #1,598
1970 313 #572 47 #1,209
1965 474 #432 76 #844
1960 512 #433 102 #761
1955 462 #409 99 #733
1950 322 #448 86 #742
1945 255 #445 65 #763
1940 175 #519 99 #599
1935 66 #850 104 #568
1930 45 #1,104 88 #663
1925 41 #1,212 125 #550
1920 41 #1,193 97 #640
1915 41 #1,041 120 #507
1910 16 #1,126 35 #465
1905 9 #1,325 36 #338
1900 10 #1,248 35 #378
1895 12 #943 32 #326
1890 5 #1,380 19 #417
1885 8 #802 28 #319
1880 6 #768 20 #384

Famous people named Dee

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

  1. 1 Dee Wallace Dee Wallace American actress (born 1948) Contemporary
  2. 2 Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker American voice actor (born 1962) Contemporary
  3. 3 Dee Snider Dee Snider American heavy metal singer (born 1955) Contemporary
  4. 4 Dee Dee Warwick Dee Dee Warwick American soul singer (1942–2008) Contemporary
  5. 5 Dee Palmer Dee Palmer English composer, arranger, and musician (1937–2026) Contemporary
  6. 6 Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater American jazz singer (born 1950) Contemporary
  7. 7 Dee Brown Dee Brown American writer (1908–2002) Contemporary
  8. 8 Dee Rees Dee Rees American screenwriter and director (born 1977) Contemporary
  9. 9 Dee Dee Davis Dee Dee Davis American sitcom (2001–2006) b. 1996 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Dee?

The median living Dee is about 64 years old. Half of all living Dees are between 57 and 72 years old.

How many people named Dee are alive today?

An estimated 15 thousand people named Dee are alive in the United States, based on 23,099 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Dee mean?

A unisex given name, short for names beginning with D.

How popular is the name Dee in 2025?

Dee did not appear in the 2025 Social Security data, which means fewer than five babies received the name that year.

How many people are named Dee?

23,099 babies have been named Dee in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Dee most popular?

Dee peaked in 1961, when 704 newborns received the name.

Is Dee a boy or girl name?

Dee is used for both: about 69% of babies named Dee have been girls and 31% boys.

Is the name Dee rising or falling?

Dee has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Who are famous people named Dee?

Well-known people named Dee include Dee Wallace (actor), Dee Bradley Baker (actor), Dee Snider (singer).

Names like Dee

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

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