Denali
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- deh-NAH-lee
- Origin
- Native American
- US rank, 2025
- #2,326 for girls
Unisex
Denali is a name of Native American origin, meaning “the high one”. In 2025 it ranked 2,326th for girls in the US (78 babies).
What does Denali mean?
Native American: Koyukon Athabaskan name of Alaska's highest mountain
“the high one”
Denali is the Koyukon name for North America's highest peak, in Alaska, and also names the surrounding national park.
Is Denali a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Denali has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 78 girls and 31 boys in the US.
How popular is Denali in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,326among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 78about 1 in 21,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 13% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 78 girls in the US were named Denali, making it the 2,326th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,441st. Its busiest year was 2022, with 94 girls. It first appears in the records in 1977. 31 boys were also named Denali in 2025 (3,582nd for boys).
Half of all the girls named Denali in the US since 1880 were born between 2005 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 83 girls in the US were given Denali or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,925, up from #2,326 for this spelling alone.
- Denali 78
- Denaly 5
In 2025, 72% of the babies named Denali in the US were girls.
Denali in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 78 | #2,326 |
| 2024 | 91 | #2,099 |
| 2023 | 77 | #2,352 |
| 2022 | 94 | #2,048 |
| 2021 | 88 | #2,131 |
| 2020 | 71 | #2,441 |
| 2019 | 67 | #2,593 |
| 2018 | 80 | #2,275 |
| 2017 | 66 | #2,635 |
| 2016 | 63 | #2,739 |
| 2015 | 63 | #2,773 |
| 2014 | 56 | #3,003 |
| 2013 | 62 | #2,768 |
| 2012 | 48 | #3,363 |
| 2011 | 45 | #3,495 |
| 2010 | 42 | #3,688 |
| 2009 | 54 | #3,125 |
| 2008 | 55 | #3,083 |
| 2007 | 43 | #3,720 |
| 2006 | 57 | #2,977 |
| 2005 | 51 | #3,077 |
| 2004 | 56 | #2,847 |
| 2003 | 46 | #3,183 |
| 2002 | 50 | #2,931 |
| 2001 | 44 | #3,138 |
| 2000 | 40 | #3,329 |
| 1999 | 17 | #5,890 |
| 1998 | 19 | #5,359 |
| 1997 | 30 | #3,713 |
| 1996 | 18 | #5,275 |
| 1995 | 21 | #4,672 |
| 1994 | 23 | #4,371 |
| 1993 | 16 | #5,667 |
| 1992 | 20 | #4,842 |
| 1991 | 6 | #11,501 |
| 1990 | 7 | #10,187 |
| 1989 | 14 | #5,830 |
| 1988 | 6 | #10,381 |
| 1987 | 6 | #9,820 |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 5 | #9,650 |
Names like Denali
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Teagan Kennedy Nayeli Mckenna Cassidy Brynlee Brooklyn Brynn Rowan Devyn Kiara Delaney
Other spellings of Denali
Names related to Denali
More Native American names
Dakota Tallulah Winona Kenai Cree Xochitl Xitlali Citlali Alaska Talulah Sequoia Tennessee Dakoda Lakota Wynonna Dakotah
Sources
Figures from 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, “Denali: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/denali, updated 20 October 2026.