Des
Des is a masculine given name, mostly a short form (hypocorism) of Desmond. People named Des include:
- English
Meaning & Origin of Des
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Des is a masculine given name, mostly a short form (hypocorism) of Desmond. People named Des include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Des
As a girl name
Des first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1955, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1955: 5 births, good for #5,828 nationwide. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1955 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 5 Dess have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Des as a boy name dates back to 1957, when 5 babies received it. 1971 was its biggest year on record, with 6 newborns named Des — #4,375 in the national rankings. The 1970s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 55% of all recorded Dess. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1971 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 11 Dess have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Des
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Des. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Des
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Des Buckingham , English football manager
- Des Corcoran , (1928–2004), Australian politician
- Des Dillon (disambiguation) , several people
- Des Hasler (born 1961), Australian rugby league player-coach
- Desmond Des Kelly (born 1965), British journalist
- Desmond Des Lynam (born 1942), British television presenter
- Desmond Des Lyttle (born 1971), English footballer
- Des McLean , Scottish stand-up comedian, actor and presenter
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Des
Phonetically similar names — useful when Des 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 Des
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How popular is Des in 2026?
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Is Des a unisex name?
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About the name Des
Des is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1957 and has accumulated 11 births in the dataset. Des's peak popularity came in 1971 when it ranked #4,375. Use the chart and map above to compare Des's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1971 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.