Dessie
Irish pet form of Desmond, which comes from Deas-Mhumhan, a regional name meaning south Munster; in American records it also stands in for Odessa.
Dessie in 2025
Dessie was given to 7 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 20,514th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 473,620 babies born.
The history of Dessie
Dessie reached its highest point in 1918, when 315 babies were given the name, ranking 691st that year. Its best-ever ranking was 385th, in 1890.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 11,731 babies have been named Dessie. Half of them were born before 1922, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Dessie by decade
| Decade | Babies named Dessie | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 540 | 412 |
| 1890s | 1,045 | 385 |
| 1900s | 1,289 | 418 |
| 1910s | 2,379 | 474 |
| 1920s | 2,474 | 721 |
| 1930s | 1,435 | 880 |
| 1940s | 899 | 1,252 |
| 1950s | 622 | 1,800 |
| 1960s | 351 | 2,474 |
| 1970s | 205 | 3,886 |
| 1980s | 167 | 4,953 |
| 1990s | 114 | 9,030 |
| 2000s | 92 | 13,406 |
| 2010s | 78 | 15,032 |
| 2020s | 41 | 15,472 |
Where Dessie is heading
Dessie has fallen 42% over the past decade, from 12 babies in 2015 to 7 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1918 peak — Dessie is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Dessie
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Dessie.