Damien
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- DAY-mee-en
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #731 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #352 for boys
Damien is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “to tame”. In 2025 it ranked 731st for boys in the UK (53 babies) and 352nd for boys in the US (935 babies).
What does Damien mean?
Greek: French form of Damian
“to tame”
St Damien of Molokai, a Belgian priest, devoted his life to people with leprosy in Hawaii.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Damien a girl's or a boy's name?
Damien is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 53 boys in the UK and 935 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Damien in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 731st among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 53 about 1 in 5,700 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 2% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 53 boys in the UK were named Damien, making it the 731st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 760th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 135 boys.
Half of all the boys named Damien in the UK since 1996 were born between 2003 and 2014. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 224 boys in the UK were given Damien or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #246, up from #731 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 745th in England and Wales and 441st in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1984 (#97).
Damien in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 53 | #731 |
| 2024 | 50 | #757 |
| 2023 | 70 | #592 |
| 2022 | 60 | #662 |
| 2021 | 55 | #716 |
| 2020 | 47 | #760 |
| 2019 | 70 | #594 |
| 2018 | 52 | #728 |
| 2017 | 57 | #687 |
| 2016 | 60 | #660 |
| 2015 | 81 | #535 |
| 2014 | 93 | #483 |
| 2013 | 77 | #534 |
| 2012 | 100 | #443 |
| 2011 | 92 | #459 |
| 2010 | 116 | #389 |
| 2009 | 116 | #380 |
| 2008 | 133 | #334 |
| 2007 | 135 | #317 |
| 2006 | 122 | #316 |
| 2005 | 105 | #335 |
| 2004 | 119 | #296 |
| 2003 | 119 | #291 |
| 2002 | 82 | #351 |
| 2001 | 81 | #359 |
| 2000 | 80 | #361 |
| 1999 | 106 | #298 |
| 1998 | 92 | #311 |
| 1997 | 106 | #291 |
| 1996 | 97 | #296 |
How popular is Damien in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 352nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 935 about 1 in 1,800 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 23% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 935 boys in the US were named Damien, making it the 352nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 277th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 2,265 boys. It first appears in the records in 1936.
It has been given to fewer boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer boys named Damien than any year since 1997.
Half of all the boys named Damien in the US since 1880 were born between 1991 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 4,271 boys in the US were given Damien or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #88, up from #352 for this spelling alone.
Damien in the US, year by year
| Year | 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 | 1,619 | #226 |
| 2012 | 1,667 | #218 |
| 2011 | 1,835 | #198 |
| 2010 | 1,937 | #192 |
| 2009 | 2,014 | #188 |
| 2008 | 2,111 | #189 |
| 2007 | 2,265 | #182 |
| 2006 | 1,993 | #195 |
| 2005 | 1,939 | #200 |
| 2004 | 1,957 | #196 |
| 2003 | 1,890 | #197 |
| 2002 | 1,652 | #212 |
| 2001 | 1,402 | #241 |
| 2000 | 1,303 | #258 |
| 1999 | 1,119 | #268 |
| 1998 | 950 | #300 |
| 1997 | 907 | #301 |
| 1996 | 840 | #314 |
| 1995 | 954 | #285 |
| 1994 | 976 | #280 |
| 1993 | 904 | #304 |
| 1992 | 865 | #308 |
| 1991 | 812 | #316 |
| 1990 | 746 | #332 |
| 1989 | 774 | #309 |
| 1988 | 658 | #327 |
| 1987 | 580 | #344 |
| 1986 | 645 | #314 |
| 1985 | 687 | #296 |
| 1984 | 708 | #288 |
| 1983 | 790 | #262 |
| 1982 | 951 | #242 |
| 1981 | 1,037 | #228 |
| 1980 | 1,338 | #182 |
| 1979 | 1,321 | #183 |
| 1978 | 1,507 | #161 |
| 1977 | 833 | #246 |
| 1976 | 663 | #284 |
| 1975 | 542 | #326 |
| 1974 | 659 | #284 |
| 1973 | 355 | #417 |
| 1972 | 274 | #473 |
| 1971 | 148 | #681 |
| 1970 | 124 | #737 |
| 1969 | 93 | #799 |
| 1968 | 85 | #805 |
| 1967 | 51 | #1,018 |
| 1966 | 35 | #1,281 |
| 1965 | 43 | #1,144 |
| 1964 | 45 | #1,146 |
| 1963 | 35 | #1,317 |
| 1962 | 42 | #1,203 |
| 1961 | 38 | #1,278 |
| 1960 | 37 | #1,294 |
| 1959 | 28 | #1,500 |
| 1958 | 32 | #1,369 |
| 1957 | 26 | #1,546 |
| 1956 | 15 | #2,090 |
| 1955 | 18 | #1,844 |
| 1954 | 16 | #1,955 |
| 1953 | 12 | #2,286 |
| 1952 | 21 | #1,664 |
| 1951 | 17 | #1,837 |
| 1950 | 10 | #2,437 |
| 1949 | 15 | #1,940 |
| 1948 | 11 | #2,325 |
| 1947 | 11 | #2,355 |
| 1946 | 7 | #2,918 |
| 1945 | 5 | #3,337 |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 8 | #2,731 |
| 1942 | 7 | #2,939 |
| 1941 | 9 | #2,491 |
| 1940 | 13 | #1,983 |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 6 | #3,174 |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 6 | #3,146 |
Names like Damien
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Jason, Benjamin, Dylan, Christopher, Luke, Alexander, Nicholas, Cameron, Ryan, Nathan, Joshua, Dominic
Other spellings of Damien
Damian, Damion, Dameon, Daymian, Daymien, Daemian, Damein, Dameion
Names related to Damien
More Greek names
Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe, Iris, Maisie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Damien: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/damien, updated 20 October 2026.