Girl · #2,158 in 2026

Desire

Name: Popularity of the name Desire in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Desire, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affairs. They aim to change the world by representing how the world should be, unlike beliefs, which aim to represent how the world actually is.

Current Rank

#2,158

Peak Rank

#1,173 (2008)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-4%

1955

First Year

2026

Last Year

2008

Peak Year

#1173

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Desire

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

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

The Story of Desire

Desire first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1955, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2008, when 164 Desires were born — ranking #1,437 that year. As of 2026, Desire ranks #2,158 for baby girls with 88 births, holding steady (-4%). In total, more than 5K Desires have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Desire

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

Dizzier
Dessiner
Desires
Designer
Desired
Desir
Dozier
Desirer
Dessauer
Derrire
Disease
Design

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Desire

What does the name Desire mean?

How popular is Desire in 2026?

In 2026, Desire ranks #2,158 among girls' names in the U.S., with 88 babies given the name that year.

When was Desire most popular?

Desire reached its peak popularity in 2008, ranking #1,173 that year with 164 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Desire most popular?

Desire has historically been most popular in Mississippi, New Mexico, Puerto Rico. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Desire.

Is Desire a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Desire is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Desire?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Desire include Capitola, Candie, Aleshia. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Desire

Desire is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1955 and has accumulated 5K births in the dataset. Desire's peak popularity came in 2008 when it ranked #1,173. Use the chart and map above to compare Desire'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.