Total births
11,414
Girls' name · since 1880
Dessie
Dessie has 11,414 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #12161
- among girls today
- 11,414
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other girls
Dessie currently ranks #12161 among girls' names in America, with 11,414 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dessie has been recorded 11,414 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #12161 nationally and more common than 31% of girls, 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.
- #12161 among girls today
- 11,414 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 31% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Dessie is currently the #12161 girls' name in America, more common than 31% of girls - 11,414 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #12161
- among girls today
- 11,414
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other girls
Dessie vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#12161
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 31% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Dessie was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
308 babies were named Dessie in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Dessie compares
11,414 Top 8% higher than 92% 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
Dessie's all-time total is 30x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dessie | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 11,414 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 308 | 48 | 19,840 |
Dessie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Dessie's full recorded timeline at 1952, 13% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 87% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1984, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 308 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Dessie at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#12,161
Active since
1880
Dessie popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 308
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Dessie popularity over time - boys
317 total births recorded since 1891 (Dessie as boys' name)
Dessie by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Dessie's strongest decade.
2,378 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Dessie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 540
1880s
540 births
- 1890s
1890s
1,039 births
- 1900s
1900s
1,276 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,327 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,378 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,369 births
- 1940s 865
1940s
865 births
- 1950s 589
1950s
589 births
- 1960s 344
1960s
344 births
- 1970s 200
1970s
200 births
- 1980s 167
1980s
167 births
- 1990s 109
1990s
109 births
- 2000s 92
2000s
92 births
- 2010s 78
2010s
78 births
- 2020s 41
2020s
41 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,378 births (21% of all-time use).
How Dessie 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 Dessie's total volume
Dessie vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Dessie by state
Where Dessie concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 787 | 6.9% |
| #2 | Mississippi | | 722 | 6.3% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 546 | 4.8% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 540 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Kentucky | | 494 | 4.3% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 453 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 450 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Oklahoma | | 386 | 3.4% |
Texas share of Dessie's total US births 6.9%
Even split
787 of 11,414 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 22 reporting states.
Dessie appears in 22 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dessie? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 11,414 babies named Dessie. Today it holds rank #12161 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 308 births.
When was Dessie most popular? ▼
Dessie was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,378 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Dessie most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dessie are Texas (787 births), Mississippi (722 births), Georgia (546 births).
How long has the name Dessie been used? ▼
Records for Dessie go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Dessie? ▼
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 Dessie's data
- Dessie's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,378 total births); usage has since declined to 41 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Dessies (787 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Dessie
Nearby Names Like Dessie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dessie
Destiny Girl
#481 151,763 births
Desiree Girl
#1137 83,563 births
Destinee Girl
#2574 16,800 births
Desirae Girl
#2868 13,160 births
Destini Girl
#3844 7,857 births
Compare Dessie side by side: Dessie vs Destiny Dessie vs Desiree Dessie vs Destinee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dessie
Zeari #12160
13 births · Peak 2024
Catharine #12162
12,994 births · Peak 1915
Yohaly #12159
8 births · Peak 2024
George #12163
9,963 births · Peak 1927
Winshaida #12158
8 births · Peak 2024
Retta #12164
3,399 births · Peak 1922
Vexahlia #12157
13 births · Peak 2024
Letitia #12165
11,408 births · Peak 1964
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Dessie: #12161 Girls' Name - 11,414 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/dessie. 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 Dessie 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.