Desiree
Desiree was the 1429th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 151 babies. Its best year was 1983, when it ranked 94th with 2,915 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 623 places. More babies were named Desiree in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning "desired" · French, Latin
Say it DEZ-ih-ray /ˈdɛzəˌreɪ/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,429 girls, down 368 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 151girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19832,915 babies
- Total since 1880
- 83,761babies recorded
What does the name Desiree mean?
Desiree is the English spelling, without accents, of the French name Désirée, the feminine of Désiré, meaning "desired" or "longed for". It goes back to Latin desideratus/desiderata, "desired", from desiderare, "to long for". Wikipedia notes that an earlier Latin form, Desideria (feminine of Desiderius), was in use by the 9th century, and that the Puritans used Desire as a virtue name. Desiree entered English use in the 20th century and is given in the US with several spellings.
désirée (French, “desired (feminine past participle of désirer)”)desiderare (Latin, “to long for, desire”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Pronunciation: Usually said DEZ-ih-ray in the US; the French is day-zee-RAY.
Related names: Désirée, Desirae, Desire, Desirée.
See also: French names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Desiree', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Désirée (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Desiree
The usual nicknames for Desiree are Desi. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Desiree in the last five years, 18 were named Desi, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desi · also for Destiny | Traditional | #4,096 | 179 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Desirees go by each one.
Desiree popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 198 since 1965.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,429 | 151 |
| 2020 | #1,061 | 234 |
| 2010 | #472 | 641 |
| 2000 | #181 | 1,790 |
| 1990 | #125 | 2,575 |
| 1980 | #156 | 1,785 |
| 1970 | #333 | 788 |
| 1960 | #420 | 532 |
| 1950 | #1,769 | 29 |
| 1940 | #2,607 | 11 |
| 1930 | #4,149 | 6 |
| 1920 | #4,517 | 6 |
| 1910 | #2,504 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Desiree, counting every spelling?
Desiree is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,288 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,429 for Desiree on its own. Together these spellings went to 160 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desiree | 151 | #1,429 | 1,020 |
| Deziree | 9 | #10,309 | 51 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Desiree?
151 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Desiree (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Desiree born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 56 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Desiree.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Desiree?
About 80,000 people born in the US named Desiree are alive today, with a median age of 36; half are between 28 and 45. That makes Desiree mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Desiree by state
How common Desiree was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (1.9×), Texas (1.5×). In 29 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Desiree: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Desiree, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Desiree · Sibling names for Desiree
Questions about the name Desiree
What does Desiree mean?
Desiree means “"desired"” (French, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Desiree?
Desiree was the 1429th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 151 babies. Its best year was 1983, when it ranked 94th with 2,915 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 623 places. More babies were named Desiree in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Desiree a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Desiree in the US.
Where is Desiree most popular?
In 2021–2025, Desiree was most common in California (0.24 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and North Carolina.