Unisex · #13,483 in 2026

Dee

Dee is a name with a single cultural origin: English.

  • English
Current Rank
#13,483
Peak Rank
#387 (1961)
Total Babies
16K
5-Yr Trend
Stable
👧 Girl peak #387 (16K total)
👦 Boy peak #531 (7K total)
👧As Girl Name
1880
First Year
2012
Last Year
1961
Peak Year
#387
Peak Rank
16K
Total Count
124
Years Active
👦As Boy Name
1880
First Year
2022
Last Year
1919
Peak Year
#531
Peak Rank
7K
Total Count
140
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Dee

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Dee is a name with a single cultural origin: English.

Origin data from Behind the Name .

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Dee

As a girl name

The earliest SSA record of Dee as a girl name dates back to 1880, when 6 babies received it. 1961 was its biggest year on record, with 623 newborns named Dee — #387 in the national rankings. The 1960s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 30% of all recorded Dees. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2012 (7 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 16K Dees have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

As a boy name

American parents first put Dee on the record books as a boy name in 1880, with 20 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1919, when 125 Dees were born — ranking #531 that year. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2022 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 7K Dees have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Dee

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Dee. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Dee

Phonetically similar names — useful when Dee is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dee

What does the name Dee mean?
Dee is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
What is the origin of the name Dee?
Dee has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Dee in 2026?
In 2026, Dee ranks #13,483 among girls' names in the U.S., with 7 babies given the name that year.
When was Dee most popular?
Dee reached its peak popularity in 1961, ranking #387 that year with 623 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Dee most popular?
Dee has historically been most popular in Idaho, Utah, Oklahoma. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Dee.
Is Dee a unisex name?
Yes — Dee is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 69% of Dees assigned female and 31% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Dee?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Dee include Mellie, Ocie, Johnna. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Dee?
Common variants and related forms of Dee include Dodie, Dolly, Dora, Doretta, Dorothea, Dorothy. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Dee

Dee is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 16K births in the dataset. Dee's peak popularity came in 1961 when it ranked #387. Use the chart and map above to compare Dee's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.