Girl · #2,773 in 2026

Deja

Deja or Déja or Dejah is a feminine given name sometimes given in reference to the French word déjà, meaning before. Spelling variants such as Daja and Dajah and elaborations such as Dejanae and Dejanelle, also with multiple spelling variants, are also in use. Déjà vu is a French term referring to the feeling that one has seen events before.

Current Rank
#2,773
Peak Rank
#182 (1996)
Total Babies
16K
5-Yr Trend
-23%
1962
First Year
2026
Last Year
1996
Peak Year
#182
Peak Rank
16K
Total Count
57
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Deja

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

Deja or Déja or Dejah is a feminine given name sometimes given in reference to the French word déjà, meaning before. Spelling variants such as Daja and Dajah and elaborations such as Dejanae and Dejanelle, also with multiple spelling variants, are also in use. Déjà vu is a French term referring to the feeling that one has seen events before.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Deja

Deja first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1962, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1996, when 1,638 Dejas were born — ranking #182 that year. As of 2026, Deja ranks #2,773 for baby girls with 61 births, falling sharply (-23%). In total, more than 16K Dejas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

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

Notable people named Deja

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Déja J Bowens , British actress and singer
  • Deja Foxx (born 2000), American reproductive rights activist, political strategist, and blogger
  • Deja Kelly (born 2001), American college basketball player
  • Deja Perkins , American urban ecologist
  • Deja Trimble (born 1991), American rapper, singer, and songwriter known professionally as Dej Loaf
  • Deja Young (born 1996), American Paralympic athlete
  • Dejah Mulipola (born 1998), American professional softball catcher

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Deja

Phonetically similar names — useful when Deja 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 Deja

What does the name Deja mean?
Deja or Déja or Dejah is a feminine given name sometimes given in reference to the French word déjà, meaning before. Spelling variants such as Daja and Dajah and elaborations such as Dejanae and Dejanelle, also with multiple spelling variants, are also in use. Déjà vu is a French term referring to the feeling that one has seen events before.
How popular is Deja in 2026?
In 2026, Deja ranks #2,773 among girls' names in the U.S., with 61 babies given the name that year.
When was Deja most popular?
Deja reached its peak popularity in 1996, ranking #182 that year with 1,638 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Deja most popular?
Deja has historically been most popular in District of Columbia, Delaware, Louisiana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Deja.
Is Deja a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Deja is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Deja?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Deja include Fanny, Johnnie, Lia. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Deja

Deja is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1962 and has accumulated 16K births in the dataset. Deja's peak popularity came in 1996 when it ranked #182. Use the chart and map above to compare Deja'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.