Total births
1,523
Girls' name · since 1914
Despina
1,523 babies named Despina in U.S. Social Security records since 1914, with the highest year being 1976. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6957
- among girls today
- 1,523
- born since 1914
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 61%
- more common than other girls
1,523 babies have been named Despina since 1914, making it today's #6957 girls' name.
Despina has 1,523 recorded births among girls since 1914, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #6957 as of the latest data, more common than 61% of girls, 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 1914 to 2025.
- #6957 among girls today
- 1,523 born since 1914
- 1970s peak decade
- 61% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Despina is currently the #6957 girls' name in America, more common than 61% of girls - 1,523 born since 1914, peaking in the 1970s.
- #6957
- among girls today
- 1,523
- born since 1914
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 61%
- more common than other girls
Despina vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#6957
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 61% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Despina was born in this single decade.
1976
Single peak year
36 babies were named Despina in 1976 - its busiest year on record.
How Despina compares
1,523 Top 25% higher than 75% 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
Despina's all-time total is 4x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Despina | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,523 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 36 | 48 | 19,840 |
Despina's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Despina's SSA record in two at 1971 and the more recent half accounts for 58% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 42%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1914, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1976 peak of 36, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Despina at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1976
Current rank
#6,957
Active since
1914
Despina popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–2025
- Peak year (1976)
- 36
- Annual births at peak, across 112 years of records
Despina by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Despina's strongest decade.
242 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Despina births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 44
1910s
44 births
- 1920s
1920s
136 births
- 1930s
1930s
108 births
- 1940s 69
1940s
69 births
- 1950s 84
1950s
84 births
- 1960s
1960s
178 births
- 1970s
1970s
242 births
- 1980s
1980s
196 births
- 1990s
1990s
151 births
- 2000s
2000s
136 births
- 2010s
2010s
114 births
- 2020s 65
2020s
65 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 242 births (16% of all-time use).
How Despina 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 Despina's total volume
Despina vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Despina by state
Where Despina concentrates geographically, total births since 1914
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 339 | 22.3% |
| #2 | New Jersey | | 18 | 1.2% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 5 | 0.3% |
New York share of Despina's total US births 22.3%
Even split
339 of 1,523 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Despina? ▼
Since 1914, Social Security records show 1,523 babies named Despina. Today it holds rank #6957 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1976, with 36 births.
When was Despina most popular? ▼
Despina was most popular in the 1970s decade with 242 total births. The single peak year was 1976.
Where is Despina most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Despina are New York (339 births), New Jersey (18 births), Massachusetts (6 births).
How long has the name Despina been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Despina since 1914 -- 112 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Despina? ▼
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 Despina's data
- Despina's decade-level peak was the 1970s (242 total births); usage has since declined to 65 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Despinas (339 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Despina
Nearby Names Like Despina
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Despina
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 Despina side by side: Despina vs Destiny Despina vs Desiree Despina vs Destinee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Despina
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1914–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Despina: #6957 Girls' Name - 1,523 Births, Peak 1976." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/despina. 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 Despina 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 July 2026.