Girls' name · since 1880

Dessa

Dessa has 1,817 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2001 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#5,015 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#6,842 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
1,817
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade

Yes -- Dessa is the #6842 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 1,817 recorded since 1880.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dessa has been recorded 1,817 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #6842 nationally and more common than 60% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. 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.

  • #5,015 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #6,842 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 1,817 born since 1880
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dessa ranks #5,015 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,842 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,817 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.

#5,015 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#6,842 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
1,817
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%60.4%
Dessa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Dessa's 1,817 recorded births place it above 93.06% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

3 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by Alabama.

How Dessa compares

1,817 Top 24% higher than 76% of 17,297 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

Dessa's all-time total is 5x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Dessa Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 1,817 376 567,345
Peak-year births 31 21 19,840

Dessa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Dessa splits its recorded history at 1954: 54% of all births land in the more recent half, 46% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1933 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2001 peak of 31 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Dessa popularity over time

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2001)
31
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
010203040 188018991919193719551973199120102025 16

Dessa by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (183 births, 10% of the file).

2000s was Dessa's strongest decade.

183 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 10% of all-time use.

Dessa births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 183 births (10% of all-time use).

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

How Dessa 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 Dessa's total volume

Dessa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 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 -39, 5%-132, 2.1%-143, 3.5%-116, 4.1%-81, 2.6%-111, 3.6%-67, 8.8%-63, 5.2%-25, 7.3%-44, 5.7%-136, 2.1%-129, 1.9%-59, 5.2%-72, 12.5%-43, 10.3%Dessa-146, 1.7%Dessa
Dessa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Dessa by state

Where Dessa concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 3 states by recorded births for the name Dessa
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Alabama
8 0.4%
#2 California
7 0.4%
#3 Texas
5 0.3%
Alabama share of Dessa's total US births 0.4%
Even split

8 of 1,817 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Dessa? ▼
Dessa has been given to 1,817 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #5,015 of 72,339 among girls' names (total births, highest first). Among girls in 2025, it is #6,842 of 17,297. 31 babies were born in 2001, its single highest year.
Where does Dessa sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dessa ranks #5,015 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,842 of 17,297 among girls' 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 Dessa most popular? ▼
Dessa was most popular in the 2000s decade with 183 total births. The single peak year was 2001.
Where is Dessa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dessa are Alabama (8 births), California (7 births), Texas (5 births).
How long has the name Dessa been used? ▼
Dessa has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Dessa? ▼
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 Dessa's data

  • Dessa's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (183 total births) through the 2020s (75) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • Alabama records the most Dessas (8 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Alabama names

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

Keep exploring Dessa

Nearby Names Like Dessa

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

Destiny Girl
#635 151,763 births
Desiree Girl
#1429 83,563 births
Destinee Girl
#3042 16,800 births
Desirae Girl
#2698 13,160 births
Dessie Girl
#11932 11,414 births

Compare Dessa side by side: Dessa vs Destiny Dessa vs Desiree Dessa vs Destinee

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Dessa

Adda #6841
987 births · Peak 1888
Nana #6843
2,530 births · Peak 2000
Zelma #6840
16,824 births · Peak 1919
Jonnie #6844
5,880 births · Peak 1947
Blanche #6839
87,425 births · Peak 1917
Zita #6845
2,977 births · Peak 1922
Bessie #6838
170,140 births · Peak 1916
Jeannie #6846
36,115 births · Peak 1957

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Dessa: 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 Dessa 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.