Desmond
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- DEZ-mond
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,372 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #376 for boys
Vintage revival
Desmond is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “man from south Munster”. In 2025 it ranked 1,372nd for boys in the UK (21 babies) and 376th for boys in the US (839 babies).
What does Desmond mean?
Irish: from the Irish surname for a man from Deasmhumhain, south Munster
“man from south Munster”
Desmond was a medieval lordship in south Munster, ruled by the Fitzgerald Earls of Desmond.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Desmond a girl's or a boy's name?
Desmond is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 21 boys in the UK and 839 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Desmond in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,372among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 21about 1 in 14,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 33% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 21 boys in the UK were named Desmond, making it the 1,372nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,829th. Its busiest year was 2009, with 22 boys.
2025 had more boys named Desmond than any year since 2009.
Half of all the boys named Desmond in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2018. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,306th in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1924 (#65) and 1934 (#88).
Desmond in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 21 | #1,372 |
| 2024 | 12 | #2,009 |
| 2023 | 11 | #2,155 |
| 2022 | 13 | #1,886 |
| 2021 | 11 | #2,100 |
| 2020 | 13 | #1,829 |
| 2019 | 6 | #3,184 |
| 2018 | 14 | #1,803 |
| 2017 | 15 | #1,738 |
| 2016 | 9 | #2,468 |
| 2015 | 13 | #1,888 |
| 2014 | 15 | #1,650 |
| 2013 | 14 | #1,715 |
| 2012 | 12 | #1,956 |
| 2011 | 10 | #2,158 |
| 2010 | 15 | #1,654 |
| 2009 | 22 | #1,214 |
| 2008 | 13 | #1,696 |
| 2007 | 15 | #1,540 |
| 2006 | 12 | #1,640 |
| 2005 | 10 | #1,814 |
| 2004 | 11 | #1,583 |
| 2003 | 8 | #1,880 |
| 2002 | 8 | #1,728 |
| 2001 | 14 | #1,149 |
| 2000 | 8 | #1,637 |
| 1999 | 11 | #1,267 |
| 1998 | 8 | #1,569 |
| 1997 | 15 | #1,025 |
| 1996 | 7 | #1,652 |
How popular is Desmond in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #376among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 839about 1 in 2,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 8% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 839 boys in the US were named Desmond, making it the 376th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 361st. Its busiest year was 1992, with 1,069 boys. It first appears in the records in 1904.
Half of all the boys named Desmond in the US since 1880 were born between 1988 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 911 boys in the US were given Desmond or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #374, up from #376 for this spelling alone.
- Desmond 839
- Dezmond 72
Desmond in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 839 | #376 |
| 2024 | 891 | #368 |
| 2023 | 797 | #399 |
| 2022 | 907 | #363 |
| 2021 | 920 | #354 |
| 2020 | 862 | #361 |
| 2019 | 863 | #369 |
| 2018 | 1,030 | #323 |
| 2017 | 1,047 | #327 |
| 2016 | 894 | #371 |
| 2015 | 962 | #351 |
| 2014 | 1,035 | #330 |
| 2013 | 984 | #329 |
| 2012 | 924 | #339 |
| 2011 | 843 | #355 |
| 2010 | 878 | #349 |
| 2009 | 789 | #383 |
| 2008 | 720 | #412 |
| 2007 | 676 | #425 |
| 2006 | 583 | #463 |
| 2005 | 530 | #472 |
| 2004 | 543 | #466 |
| 2003 | 556 | #454 |
| 2002 | 584 | #421 |
| 2001 | 636 | #397 |
| 2000 | 699 | #375 |
| 1999 | 742 | #351 |
| 1998 | 741 | #352 |
| 1997 | 885 | #308 |
| 1996 | 626 | #375 |
| 1995 | 667 | #361 |
| 1994 | 670 | #359 |
| 1993 | 752 | #336 |
| 1992 | 1,069 | #264 |
| 1991 | 835 | #308 |
| 1990 | 871 | #287 |
| 1989 | 759 | #315 |
| 1988 | 692 | #316 |
| 1987 | 594 | #339 |
| 1986 | 676 | #301 |
| 1985 | 677 | #301 |
| 1984 | 376 | #430 |
| 1983 | 355 | #441 |
| 1982 | 356 | #454 |
| 1981 | 387 | #423 |
| 1980 | 528 | #347 |
| 1979 | 443 | #383 |
| 1978 | 528 | #332 |
| 1977 | 370 | #407 |
| 1976 | 257 | #497 |
| 1975 | 240 | #518 |
| 1974 | 313 | #447 |
| 1973 | 279 | #467 |
| 1972 | 246 | #501 |
| 1971 | 225 | #534 |
| 1970 | 165 | #630 |
| 1969 | 132 | #687 |
| 1968 | 127 | #666 |
| 1967 | 148 | #615 |
| 1966 | 121 | #672 |
| 1965 | 124 | #665 |
| 1964 | 134 | #665 |
| 1963 | 117 | #723 |
| 1962 | 100 | #762 |
| 1961 | 92 | #792 |
| 1960 | 85 | #824 |
| 1959 | 60 | #992 |
| 1958 | 43 | #1,171 |
| 1957 | 49 | #1,089 |
| 1956 | 56 | #998 |
| 1955 | 62 | #948 |
| 1954 | 65 | #917 |
| 1953 | 44 | #1,101 |
| 1952 | 33 | #1,296 |
| 1951 | 43 | #1,096 |
| 1950 | 37 | #1,180 |
| 1949 | 26 | #1,433 |
| 1948 | 29 | #1,345 |
| 1947 | 36 | #1,212 |
| 1946 | 31 | #1,256 |
| 1945 | 23 | #1,377 |
| 1944 | 21 | #1,482 |
| 1943 | 23 | #1,460 |
| 1942 | 18 | #1,682 |
| 1941 | 25 | #1,333 |
| 1940 | 15 | #1,802 |
| 1939 | 21 | #1,458 |
| 1938 | 23 | #1,397 |
| 1937 | 23 | #1,403 |
| 1936 | 17 | #1,639 |
| 1935 | 24 | #1,390 |
| 1934 | 16 | #1,783 |
| 1933 | 22 | #1,456 |
| 1932 | 29 | #1,254 |
| 1931 | 34 | #1,170 |
| 1930 | 29 | #1,330 |
| 1929 | 28 | #1,339 |
| 1928 | 28 | #1,382 |
| 1927 | 33 | #1,267 |
| 1926 | 50 | #963 |
| 1925 | 33 | #1,246 |
| 1924 | 40 | #1,133 |
| 1923 | 52 | #954 |
| 1922 | 66 | #840 |
| 1921 | 30 | #1,360 |
| 1920 | 20 | #1,747 |
| 1919 | 15 | #2,062 |
| 1918 | 23 | #1,538 |
| 1917 | 22 | #1,528 |
| 1916 | 30 | #1,206 |
| 1915 | 19 | #1,599 |
| 1914 | 16 | #1,544 |
| 1913 | 17 | #1,256 |
| 1912 | 9 | #1,745 |
| 1911 | 5 | #1,739 |
| 1910 | 8 | #1,192 |
| 1909 | 0 | – |
| 1908 | 6 | #1,216 |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 8 | #874 |
Nicknames for Desmond
- Des
- Dez 7 boys in the US in 2025
Names like Desmond
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Cody Rory Rowan Casey Lucas Ryan Rian Dexter Dylan Brody Nolan Finn
Other spellings of Desmond
More Irish names
Oscar Maeve Aiden Quinn Orla Erin Ronan Connor Declan Kennedy Callan Lennon Cillian Kevin Kian Sloane
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, “Desmond: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/desmond, updated 20 October 2026.