Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2008

Desire

Meaning Spelling variant of Desiree Gender Girl · 2% boys Rank 2025 #2,244 Trend → Stable

Spelling variant of Desiree.

Rank 2025
#2,244
among girls · ↓61 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
95
named Desire · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 19,601
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2008
164 babies
All-time total
5,468
#2,463 all-time among girls
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Desire popularity over time

5,468 babies have been named Desire since 1915, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – 15 15 2 – –
1920s – 5 5 1 -67% –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s 36 – 36 4 – #3,477
1960s 114 – 114 11 +217% #3,370
1970s 273 – 273 27 +139% #1,944
1980s 794 – 794 79 +191% #1,295
1990s 1,334 – 1,334 133 +68% #1,176
2000s 1,332 5 1,337 134 0% #1,387
2010s 914 37 951 95 -29% #1,900
2020s (to 2025) 539 70 609 102 +7% #2,048

Where Desire 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 82 0.05 outside top 500
2027 82 0.05 outside top 500
2028 82 0.05 outside top 500
2029 81 0.05 outside top 500
2030 81 0.05 outside top 500

Where Desire is most popular

Girls named Desire per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.055 per 1,000. Strongest in Georgia, Ohio, and Illinois.

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 Desire 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
Georgia 35 0.154 +178%
Ohio 36 0.152 +174%
Illinois 34 0.149 +168%
Florida 37 0.086 +56%
North Carolina 17 0.075 +35%
New York 26 0.066 +19%
Alabama 5 0.053 ≈ national
Maryland 5 0.047 -15%
Missouri 5 0.041 -25%
Michigan 7 0.038 -31%
Indiana 5 0.036 -36%
Texas 26 0.032 -42%
Tennessee 5 0.032 -43%
California 22 0.026 -53%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -62%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Desire

Desire is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,244 in 2025 with 82 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 5,468 American babies have been named Desire. Its peak came in 2008, when 164 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 Desire stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Desire?

The median living Desire is about 24 years old; half are between 13 and 34. An estimated 5,400 people named Desire are alive in the United States today.

median 24 020406080100

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

Desire 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 82 #2,244 13 #6,546
2024 87 #2,183 13 #6,548
2023 92 #2,096 14 #6,290
2022 94 #2,054 9 #8,478
2021 94 #2,048 10 #7,739
2020 90 #2,054 11 #7,149
2019 84 #2,206 5 #12,627
2018 95 #2,050 7 #9,928
2017 104 #1,933 10 #7,711
2016 105 #1,913 9 #8,309
2015 70 #2,564 – –
2014 73 #2,479 – –
2013 86 #2,176 – –
2012 91 #2,105 – –
2011 105 #1,900 – –
2010 101 #1,980 6 #11,089
2009 145 #1,558 – –
2008 164 #1,439 – –
2007 126 #1,729 5 #12,829
2006 133 #1,608 – –
2005 129 #1,582 – –
2004 113 #1,717 – –
2003 119 #1,618 – –
2002 133 #1,434 – –
2001 137 #1,387 – –
2000 133 #1,398 – –
1995 145 #1,184 – –
1990 115 #1,374 – –
1985 90 #1,411 – –
1980 47 #2,162 – –
1975 26 #2,825 – –
1970 21 #3,138 – –
1965 10 #4,269 – –
1960 7 #5,304 – –
1955 6 #5,351 – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – 9 #2,678
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Desire?

The median living Desire is about 24 years old. Half of all living Desires are between 13 and 34 years old.

How many people named Desire are alive today?

An estimated 5,400 people named Desire are alive in the United States, based on 5,468 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Desire mean?

Spelling variant of Desiree.

How popular is the name Desire in 2025?

Desire ranked #2,244 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 82 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Desire?

5,468 babies have been named Desire in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Desire most popular?

Desire peaked in 2008, when 164 newborns received the name.

Is Desire a boy or girl name?

Desire is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Desire rising or falling?

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

Will Desire become more popular?

Desire looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 81 girls named Desire in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Desire

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

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