Unisex name · since 1914
De
681 babies named De in U.S. Social Security records since 1914, with the highest year being 1992. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6,560 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 681
- born since 1914
- 1990s
- peak decade
De is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 681 have been recorded since 1914.
Social Security Administration records show De recorded 681 times among boys since 1914, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1914 to 2011.
- #6,560 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 681 born since 1914
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, De ranks #6,560 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 681 born since 1914, peaking in the 1990s.
- #6,560 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 681
- born since 1914
- 1990s
- peak decade
De's 681 recorded births place it above 85.56% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
10 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
De's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
De splits its recorded history at 1983: 79% of all births land in the more recent half, 21% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1914 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1992 peak of 46 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
De popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–2011
- Peak year (1992)
- 46
- Annual births at peak, across 98 years of records
No longer in the modern top-1000, last recorded 2011.
681 total births across 98 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1992 with 46 births in a single year.
De popularity over time - girls
641 total births recorded since 1918 (De as girls' name)
Unisex use is substantial
The girls' variant of De accounts for 48% of total recorded use across both genders.
De by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (341 births, 50% of the file).
1990s was De's strongest decade.
341 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 50% of all-time use.
De births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 29
1910s
29 births
- 1920s 19
1920s
19 births
- 1930s 11
1930s
11 births
- 1940s 5
1940s
5 births
- 1950s 6
1950s
6 births
- 1960s 15
1960s
15 births
- 1970s 36
1970s
36 births
- 1980s 77
1980s
77 births
- 1990s
1990s
341 births
- 2000s 135
2000s
135 births
- 2010s 7
2010s
7 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 341 births (50% of all-time use).
De decade highlights
- Peak decade 341 births
- Runner-up 135 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
How De compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to De's total volume
De by state
Where De concentrates geographically, total births since 1914
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 96 | 14.1% |
| #2 | District of Columbia | | 30 | 4.4% |
| #3 | Virginia | | 25 | 3.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 22 | 3.2% |
| #5 | Arizona | | 16 | 2.3% |
| #6 | South Carolina | | 15 | 2.2% |
| #7 | Wisconsin | | 15 | 2.2% |
| #8 | California | | 13 | 1.9% |
96 of 681 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 10 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- New York 14.1% of nationwide
- District of Columbia 4.4% of nationwide
- Virginia 3.7% of nationwide
- Pennsylvania 3.2% of nationwide
- Arizona 2.3% of nationwide
Recorded in 10 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
New York accounts for 14.1% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
De appears in 10 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name De? ▼
Where does De sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was De most popular? ▼
Where is De most popular? ▼
Is De a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name De been used? ▼
What names are similar to De? ▼
What to do with De's data
- De's decade-level peak was the 1990s (341 total births); usage has since declined to 7 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Des (96 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring De
Nearby Names Like De
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to De
Compare De side by side: De vs Dennis De vs Derek De vs Dean
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for De: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1992)
Similar record span (~97 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1914–2011 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for De draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Published by
NameAlmanac
Independent public-data reference that compiles, verifies, and contextualizes official datasets. We do not accept compensation from entities we cover, and every dataset cites its originating public source.