Destiny
Destiny was the 635th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 458 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 22nd; the most babies were born in 2000 (9,850). Over the last ten years it has moved down 449 places. More babies were named Destiny in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning destiny, fate · English, Latin
Say it DES-tih-nee /ˈdɛstəni/
- Rank in 2025
- #635 girls, down 288 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 458girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20009,850 babies
- Total since 1880
- 152,289babies recorded
What does the name Destiny mean?
Destiny is the English word for fate, used as a girl's name since the 1970s, as Wiktionary notes. The word came through Old French destinee from Latin destinare, "to determine, make firm". It was among the virtue-and-concept names that became popular in the US in the 1990s and 2000s; the singer Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus.
destinee (Old French, “destiny”)dēstināre (Latin, “to determine, make firm”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Destinee, Destini.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Destiny', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'destiny', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Destiny
The usual nicknames for Destiny are Desi. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Destiny in the last five years, 5 were named Desi, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desi · also for Desiree | Modern | #4,096 | 179 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Destinys go by each one.
Destiny popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 526 since 1975.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #635 | 458 |
| 2020 | #347 | 891 |
| 2010 | #71 | 3,737 |
| 2000 | #24 | 9,850 |
| 1990 | #202 | 1,408 |
| 1980 | #478 | 440 |
| 1970 | #2,173 | 37 |
| 1960 | #4,534 | 9 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Destiny, counting every spelling?
Destiny is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #551 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #635 for Destiny on its own. Together these spellings went to 545 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destiny | 458 | #635 | 3,408 |
| Destinee | 54 | #3,040 | 375 |
| Destini | 21 | #5,772 | 170 |
| Destiney | 12 | #8,496 | 65 |
| Destinie | — | — | 27 |
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 Destiny?
458 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Destiny (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Destiny 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 18 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Destiny.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Destiny?
About 149,700 people born in the US named Destiny are alive today, with a median age of 24; half are between 19 and 29. That makes Destiny mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Destiny by state
How common Destiny was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nevada (2.3×), Mississippi (2.1×), New Mexico (2.1×), California (1.6×), Florida (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Kansas, Oregon, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Destiny: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Destiny, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Destiny · Sibling names for Destiny
Questions about the name Destiny
What does Destiny mean?
Destiny means “destiny, fate” (English, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Destiny?
Destiny was the 635th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 458 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 22nd; the most babies were born in 2000 (9,850). Over the last ten years it has moved down 449 places. More babies were named Destiny in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Destiny a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Destiny in the US.
Where is Destiny most popular?
In 2021–2025, Destiny was most common in Nevada (0.95 per 1,000 girls), followed by District of Columbia and Mississippi.