Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2022

Denali

Gender Unisex · 72% girls Rank 2025 #2,338 Trend ↑ Rising 17%
Rank 2025
#2,338
among girls · ↓232 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
109
named Denali · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 20,606
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2022
135 babies
All-time total
2,479
#5,069 all-time among girls
First recorded
1977
in Social Security records

Denali popularity over time

2,479 babies have been named Denali since 1977, 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
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s 5 – 5 1 – #9,980
1980s 26 – 26 3 +420% #5,908
1990s 177 30 207 21 +696% #3,733
2000s 496 253 749 75 +262% #2,863
2010s 592 208 800 80 +7% #2,280
2020s (to 2025) 499 193 692 115 +44% #2,053

Where Denali is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 80 0.05 outside top 500
2027 81 0.05 outside top 500
2028 83 0.05 outside top 500
2029 84 0.05 outside top 500
2030 85 0.05 outside top 500

Where Denali is most popular

Girls named Denali per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.053 per 1,000. Strongest in Texas, Washington, and Missouri.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Denali 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Texas 60 0.075 +41%
Washington 6 0.042 -21%
Missouri 5 0.041 -21%
California 34 0.040 -23%
Georgia 7 0.031 -42%
Florida 12 0.028 -47%
North Carolina 6 0.026 -50%
Ohio 6 0.025 -52%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -60%
New York 6 0.015 -71%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Denali

Denali is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,338 in 2025 with 78 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1977, 2,479 American babies have been named Denali, about 72% girls and 28% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2022, when 135 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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

How old are people named Denali?

The median living Denali is about 12 years old; half are between 5 and 20. An estimated 2,500 people named Denali are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

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

Denali 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 78 #2,338 31 #3,596
2024 91 #2,106 24 #4,347
2023 77 #2,358 42 #2,962
2022 94 #2,053 41 #3,016
2021 88 #2,135 40 #3,031
2020 71 #2,447 15 #5,777
2019 67 #2,607 28 #3,823
2018 80 #2,280 19 #4,973
2017 66 #2,639 21 #4,636
2016 63 #2,746 25 #4,124
2015 63 #2,785 29 #3,713
2014 56 #3,015 20 #4,741
2013 62 #2,777 11 #7,149
2012 48 #3,382 22 #4,427
2011 45 #3,509 13 #6,327
2010 42 #3,700 20 #4,714
2009 54 #3,131 15 #5,874
2008 55 #3,088 22 #4,434
2007 43 #3,732 26 #3,925
2006 57 #2,993 31 #3,401
2005 51 #3,093 41 #2,673
2004 56 #2,863 31 #3,174
2003 46 #3,196 33 #2,942
2002 50 #2,946 29 #3,125
2001 44 #3,155 17 #4,532
2000 40 #3,347 8 #7,613
1995 21 #4,718 6 #8,054
1990 7 #10,500 – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Denali?

The median living Denali is about 12 years old. Half of all living Denalis are between 5 and 20 years old.

How many people named Denali are alive today?

An estimated 2,500 people named Denali are alive in the United States, based on 2,479 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Denali in 2025?

Denali ranked #2,338 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 78 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Denali?

2,479 babies have been named Denali in the United States since 1977, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Denali most popular?

Denali peaked in 2022, when 135 newborns received the name.

Is Denali a boy or girl name?

Denali is used for both: about 72% of babies named Denali have been girls and 28% boys.

Is the name Denali rising or falling?

Denali is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Denali become more popular?

Denali is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 85 girls named Denali in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Denali

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

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