Total births
5,336
Girls' name · since 1955
Desire
Desire has 5,336 recorded births since 1955 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2008 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2187
- among girls today
- 5,336
- born since 1955
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Desire is the #2187 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 5,336 recorded since 1955.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Desire has been recorded 5,336 times among girls since 1955, currently ranked #2187 nationally and more common than 88% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1955 to 2025.
- #2187 among girls today
- 5,336 born since 1955
- 1990s peak decade
- 88% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Desire is currently the #2187 girls' name in America, more common than 88% of girls - 5,336 born since 1955, peaking in the 1990s.
- #2187
- among girls today
- 5,336
- born since 1955
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other girls
Desire vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2187
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 88% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Desire was born in this single decade.
2008
Single peak year
164 babies were named Desire in 2008 - its busiest year on record.
How Desire compares
5,336 Top 13% higher than 87% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Desire's all-time total is 14x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Desire | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,336 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 164 | 48 | 19,840 |
Desire's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Desire's full recorded timeline at 1991, 75% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 25% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1957, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2008 peak of 164 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Desire at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2008
Current rank
#2,187
Active since
1955
Desire popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1955–2025
- Peak year (2008)
- 164
- Annual births at peak, across 71 years of records
Desire popularity over time - boys
132 total births recorded since 1915 (Desire as boys' name)
Desire by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Desire's strongest decade.
1,334 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Desire births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 36
1950s
36 births
- 1960s 114
1960s
114 births
- 1970s 273
1970s
273 births
- 1980s
1980s
794 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,334 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,332 births
- 2010s
2010s
914 births
- 2020s
2020s
539 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 1,334 births (25% of all-time use).
How Desire compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Desire's total volume
Desire vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Desire by state
Where Desire concentrates geographically, total births since 1955
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 705 | 13.2% |
| #2 | New York | | 487 | 9.1% |
| #3 | Texas | | 384 | 7.2% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 267 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Florida | | 260 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 190 | 3.6% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 94 | 1.8% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 81 | 1.5% |
California share of Desire's total US births 13.2%
Even split
705 of 5,336 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 26 reporting states.
Desire appears in 26 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Desire? ▼
Since 1955, Social Security records show 5,336 babies named Desire. Today it holds rank #2187 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2008, with 164 births.
When was Desire most popular? ▼
Desire was most popular in the 1990s decade with 1,334 total births. The single peak year was 2008.
Where is Desire most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Desire are California (705 births), New York (487 births), Texas (384 births).
How long has the name Desire been used? ▼
Records for Desire go back to 1955, giving 71 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Desire? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Destiny, Desiree, Destinee, Desirae, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Desire's data
- Desire's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (1,334 total births) through the 2020s (539) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Desires (705 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Desire
Nearby Names Like Desire
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Desire
Destiny Girl
#481 151,763 births
Desiree Girl
#1137 83,563 births
Destinee Girl
#2574 16,800 births
Desirae Girl
#2868 13,160 births
Dessie Girl
#12161 11,414 births
Compare Desire side by side: Desire vs Destiny Desire vs Desiree Desire vs Destinee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Desire
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1955–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Desire: #2187 Girls' Name - 5,336 Births, Peak 2008." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/desire. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Desire 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 June 2026.