Dessa
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- DES-a
- US rank, 2025
- #6,837 for girls
Dessa is a girls' name. In 2025 it ranked 6,837th for girls in the US (16 babies).
What does Dessa mean?
Probably a short form of Odessa or similar names
Dessa Rose is the heroine of Sherley Anne Williams's 1986 novel of the same name.
Is Dessa a girl's or a boy's name?
Dessa is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 16 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Dessa in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 6,837th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 16 about 1 in 100,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 30% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 16 girls in the US were named Dessa, making it the 6,837th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,846th. Its busiest year was 2001, with 31 girls.
2025 had more girls named Dessa than any year since 2020.
Half of all the girls named Dessa in the US since 1880 were born between 1921 and 1996. It was already well used in 1880, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Dessa in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | #6,837 |
| 2024 | 15 | #7,247 |
| 2023 | 8 | #11,164 |
| 2022 | 11 | #9,050 |
| 2021 | 5 | #15,246 |
| 2020 | 20 | #5,846 |
| 2019 | 22 | #5,608 |
| 2018 | 14 | #7,758 |
| 2017 | 18 | #6,527 |
| 2016 | 19 | #6,398 |
| 2015 | 20 | #6,234 |
| 2014 | 15 | #7,633 |
| 2013 | 19 | #6,459 |
| 2012 | 19 | #6,573 |
| 2011 | 17 | #7,115 |
| 2010 | 12 | #9,227 |
| 2009 | 12 | #9,375 |
| 2008 | 17 | #7,404 |
| 2007 | 24 | #5,706 |
| 2006 | 16 | #7,480 |
| 2005 | 21 | #5,795 |
| 2004 | 14 | #7,823 |
| 2003 | 17 | #6,571 |
| 2002 | 13 | #7,810 |
| 2001 | 31 | #4,021 |
| 2000 | 18 | #5,932 |
| 1999 | 8 | #10,338 |
| 1998 | 10 | #8,579 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 11 | #7,569 |
| 1995 | 7 | #10,509 |
| 1994 | 13 | #6,666 |
| 1993 | 18 | #5,200 |
| 1992 | 8 | #9,483 |
| 1991 | 9 | #8,580 |
| 1990 | 17 | #5,281 |
| 1989 | 12 | #6,525 |
| 1988 | 16 | #5,060 |
| 1987 | 11 | #6,330 |
| 1986 | 7 | #8,518 |
| 1985 | 11 | #6,029 |
| 1984 | 13 | #5,221 |
| 1983 | 19 | #3,948 |
| 1982 | 19 | #4,024 |
| 1981 | 7 | #8,126 |
| 1980 | 17 | #4,326 |
| 1979 | 15 | #4,625 |
| 1978 | 19 | #3,777 |
| 1977 | 8 | #6,890 |
| 1976 | 11 | #5,213 |
| 1975 | 12 | #4,852 |
| 1974 | 16 | #3,862 |
| 1973 | 7 | #6,664 |
| 1972 | 7 | #6,556 |
| 1971 | 9 | #5,541 |
| 1970 | 14 | #4,037 |
| 1969 | 12 | #4,197 |
| 1968 | 12 | #3,999 |
| 1967 | 10 | #4,299 |
| 1966 | 13 | #3,557 |
| 1965 | 12 | #3,732 |
| 1964 | 13 | #3,691 |
| 1963 | 13 | #3,634 |
| 1962 | 9 | #4,532 |
| 1961 | 13 | #3,607 |
| 1960 | 12 | #3,687 |
| 1959 | 12 | #3,618 |
| 1958 | 9 | #4,192 |
| 1957 | 11 | #3,695 |
| 1956 | 18 | #2,724 |
| 1955 | 11 | #3,570 |
| 1954 | 12 | #3,324 |
| 1953 | 10 | #3,686 |
| 1952 | 18 | #2,501 |
| 1951 | 12 | #3,105 |
| 1950 | 12 | #3,051 |
| 1949 | 9 | #3,611 |
| 1948 | 17 | #2,415 |
| 1947 | 12 | #3,060 |
| 1946 | 11 | #3,033 |
| 1945 | 9 | #3,131 |
| 1944 | 5 | #4,572 |
| 1943 | 8 | #3,492 |
| 1942 | 7 | #3,736 |
| 1941 | 9 | #3,028 |
| 1940 | 7 | #3,501 |
| 1939 | 10 | #2,734 |
| 1938 | 10 | #2,729 |
| 1937 | 13 | #2,317 |
| 1936 | 9 | #2,855 |
| 1935 | 9 | #2,924 |
| 1934 | 12 | #2,423 |
| 1933 | 5 | #4,216 |
| 1932 | 23 | #1,597 |
| 1931 | 11 | #2,579 |
| 1930 | 9 | #3,053 |
| 1929 | 15 | #2,190 |
| 1928 | 8 | #3,434 |
| 1927 | 17 | #2,168 |
| 1926 | 11 | #2,871 |
| 1925 | 14 | #2,488 |
| 1924 | 14 | #2,513 |
| 1923 | 18 | #2,091 |
| 1922 | 22 | #1,836 |
| 1921 | 21 | #1,927 |
| 1920 | 16 | #2,263 |
| 1919 | 13 | #2,515 |
| 1918 | 17 | #2,101 |
| 1917 | 17 | #1,995 |
| 1916 | 20 | #1,739 |
| 1915 | 18 | #1,799 |
| 1914 | 13 | #1,896 |
| 1913 | 22 | #1,176 |
| 1912 | 9 | #1,980 |
| 1911 | 6 | #2,191 |
| 1910 | 17 | #1,069 |
| 1909 | 7 | #1,763 |
| 1908 | 11 | #1,261 |
| 1907 | 7 | #1,638 |
| 1906 | 8 | #1,416 |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 12 | #1,050 |
| 1903 | 7 | #1,440 |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 11 | #1,007 |
| 1900 | 16 | #941 |
| 1899 | 17 | #791 |
| 1898 | 12 | #1,009 |
| 1897 | 14 | #867 |
| 1896 | 10 | #1,047 |
| 1895 | 11 | #986 |
| 1894 | 10 | #998 |
| 1893 | 7 | #1,175 |
| 1892 | 9 | #1,017 |
| 1891 | 8 | #1,006 |
| 1890 | 0 | – |
| 1889 | 17 | #620 |
| 1888 | 13 | #724 |
| 1887 | 7 | #937 |
| 1886 | 10 | #731 |
| 1885 | 9 | #745 |
| 1884 | 6 | #930 |
| 1883 | 10 | #615 |
| 1882 | 8 | #678 |
| 1881 | 7 | #679 |
| 1880 | 12 | #492 |
Names like Dessa
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Della, Ada, Cora, Anna, Clara, Lena, Eva, Nora, Stella, Emma, Ella, Flora
Names related to Dessa
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, “Dessa: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/dessa, updated 20 October 2026.