Unisex name · since 1957

Des

Since 1957, U.S. Social Security records show 11 babies named Des, peaking in 1971. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#33,389 of 45,481
all-time among boys
11
born since 1957
1970s
peak decade

11 boys have been named Des since 1957, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.

Des has 11 recorded births among boys since 1957, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1957 to 1971.

  • #33,389 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 11 born since 1957
  • 1970s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Des ranks #33,389 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 11 born since 1957, peaking in the 1970s.

#33,389 of 45,481
all-time among boys
11
born since 1957
1970s
peak decade
Rare archive record
All-time archive position

Des's 11 recorded births place it above 24.53% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Des's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Des splits its recorded history at 1971: 55% of all births land in the more recent half, 45% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1957 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1971 peak of 6 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Des popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1957–1971

Last recorded 1971
Peak year (1971)
6
Annual births at peak, across 15 years of records
4.555.566.5 19571971 6

Des popularity over time - girls

5 total births recorded since 1955 (Des as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 5 births
5 1955 5

Des by decade

1970s is the heaviest window (6 births, 55% of the file).

1970s was Des's strongest decade.

6 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 55% of all-time use.

Des births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1970s at 6 births (55% of all-time use).

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Des? ▼
Des has been given to 11 babies in the U.S. since 1957, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #33,389 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Its last appearance in the data was 1971. 6 babies were born in 1971, its single highest year.
Where does Des sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Des ranks #33,389 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Des most popular? ▼
Des was most popular in the 1970s decade with 6 total births. The single peak year was 1971.
Is Des a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Des is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 11 births, and as a girl's name it has 5 births.
How long has the name Des been used? ▼
Records for Des go back to 1957, giving 15 years of history through 1971.
What names are similar to Des? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Desmond, Deshawn, Destin, Deshaun, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Des

Nearby Names Like Des

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

Desmond Boy
#376 40,031 births
Deshawn Boy
#1664 16,074 births
Destin Boy
#1616 6,124 births
Deshaun Boy
#3479 5,718 births
Desean Boy
#4436 4,031 births

Compare Des side by side: Des vs Desmond Des vs Deshawn Des vs Destin

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Lone
11 births · Peak 1882
Meddie
11 births · Peak 1931
Goff
11 births · Peak 1920
Orphus
11 births · Peak 1914
Elzear
11 births · Peak 1920
Fairbanks
11 births · Peak 1904
Adele
11 births · Peak 1918
Erna
11 births · Peak 1921

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Des: 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, 1957–1971 (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 Des 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.