Unisex name · since 1880

Dempsey

4,249 babies named Dempsey in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#1,994 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,991 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,249
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Yes -- Dempsey is the #2991 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 4,249 recorded since 1880.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dempsey has been recorded 4,249 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #2991 nationally and more common than 79% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #1,994 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,991 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 4,249 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dempsey ranks #1,994 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,991 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,249 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#1,994 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,991 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,249
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%78.5%
Dempsey vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Dempsey's 4,249 recorded births place it above 95.61% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

25 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

25 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.

How Dempsey compares

4,249 Top 14% higher than 86% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Dempsey's all-time total is 12x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Dempsey Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 4,249 369 358,536
Peak-year births 108 34 22,252

Dempsey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Dempsey's full recorded timeline at 1957, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1886, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 108 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Dempsey popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1921)
108
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
050100150 188019061924194219601978199620142025 41

Dempsey popularity over time - girls

550 total births recorded since 1920 (Dempsey as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 550 births
01020304050 19201993200020092013201720212025 44

Dempsey by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (704 births, 17% of the file).

1920s was Dempsey's strongest decade.

704 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.

Dempsey births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 704 births (17% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Dempsey 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 Dempsey's total volume

Dempsey vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10%12% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -122, 2.6%-69, 9.7%-29, 8.6%-144, 3.2%-117, 3.8%-144, 2.7%-146, 2.3%-59, 4.3%-32, 6.3%-56, 4.3%-50, 5.1%-146, 1.8%-27, 7%-49, 5.6%-91, 7.4%Dempsey-146, 2.5%Dempsey
Dempsey vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Dempsey by state

Where Dempsey concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Dempsey
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
191 4.5%
#2 Texas
116 2.7%
#3 California
111 2.6%
#4 West Virginia
101 2.4%
#5 Alabama
95 2.2%
#6 Louisiana
53 1.2%
#7 Oklahoma
51 1.2%
#8 Kentucky
43 1.0%
North Carolina share of Dempsey's total US births 4.5%
Even split

191 of 4,249 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.

Dempsey appears in 25 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Dempsey? ▼
4,249 babies have been named Dempsey since 1880. All-time, it sits at #1,994 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #2,991 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1921 with 108 births.
Where does Dempsey sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dempsey ranks #1,994 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,991 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Dempsey most popular? ▼
Dempsey was most popular in the 1920s decade with 704 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Dempsey most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dempsey are North Carolina (191 births), Texas (116 births), California (111 births).
Is Dempsey a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Dempsey is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 4,249 births, and as a girl's name it has 550 births.
How long has the name Dempsey been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Dempsey since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Dempsey? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Demetrius, Demarcus, Demario, Demond, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Dempsey's data

  • Dempsey's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (704 total births) through the 2020s (318) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • North Carolina records the most Dempseys (191 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Dempsey

Nearby Names Like Dempsey

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dempsey

Demetrius Boy
#1227 36,064 births
Demarcus Boy
#2172 13,618 births
Demario Boy
#3690 6,364 births
Demond Boy
#4291 5,857 births
Demarco Boy
#5073 5,562 births

Compare Dempsey side by side: Dempsey vs Demetrius Dempsey vs Demarcus Dempsey vs Demario

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Dempsey

Kenzai #2990
79 births · Peak 2025
Shelby #2992
16,449 births · Peak 1991
Tulsen #2989
86 births · Peak 2025
Tilden #2993
1,345 births · Peak 2025
Kassian #2988
266 births · Peak 2023
Shannon #2994
52,379 births · Peak 1972
Diyan #2987
228 births · Peak 2025
Hanson #2995
1,839 births · Peak 2018

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Dempsey: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1880–2025 (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 Dempsey 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.