girl's name
Demi
DEM-ee
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 26,670
the United States
#380
2025 births
Demi is a girl's name usually explained as French for "half", from the Latin dimidius. It also stands as a short form of Demetria, from the Greek goddess Demeter, and those are two unrelated names sharing four letters.
- Demi is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 2020, when 914 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,088 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1964.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Demi over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 10 |
| 1970s | 7 |
| 1980s | 234 |
| 1990s | 2,956 |
| 2000s | 1,778 |
| 2010s | 5,083 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,853 |
What Demi means
Demi means half through the French prefix, and takes a different meaning entirely as a short form of Demetria — devoted to Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest.
Where Demi comes from
Demi has two lines. The French demi, half, comes from the Latin dimidius and is a prefix rather than a name — demitasse, demigod, demisemiquaver. Separately Demi shortens Demetria, feminine of Demetrius, meaning belonging to Demeter, the Greek goddess of grain and the harvest whose name may itself contain a word for earth. Demi Moore, who brought the name to general attention in the 1980s, was born Demetria. Our records show the name appearing from 1964 and rising sharply in the 1990s — the shape of a name following a person rather than a tradition.
Demi in use
Demi charts in five of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2020.
How popular is Demi?
In 2025, Demi was given to 811 babies in the United States, ranking #380 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Demi is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Demi
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Demi also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Demi over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Demi in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Demi
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Demi — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Demi
What does the name Demi mean?
Half, from the French demi. It is also a short form of Demetria, meaning belonging to the goddess Demeter.
Is Demi short for Demetria?
It can be — Demi Moore was born Demetria — but it also stands alone as the French word for half.
Is Demi a boy's or a girl's name?
It is given almost entirely to girls.
How popular is the name Demi?
In 2025, Demi was given to 811 babies in the United States, ranking #380 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Demi?
Demi has 2 syllables.
When was Demi most popular?
Demi peaked in 2020, when 914 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Demi a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Demi currently ranks #380 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.