unisex name
Desi
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 3,395
Desi is a unisex name with 2 syllables. It is given to both girls and boys — about 31% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 57 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Peaked in 1970, when 80 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 58,167 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1948.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Desi over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1940s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 10 |
| 1950s | 441 |
| 1960s | 432 |
| 1970s | 643 |
| 1980s | 366 |
| 1990s | 337 |
| 2000s | 345 |
| 2010s | 434 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 387 |
How popular is Desi?
In 2025, Desi was given to 57 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
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 Desi
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Desi also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Desi over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Desi
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Desi — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Desi
How popular is the name Desi?
In 2025, Desi was given to 57 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Desi a girl's or a boy's name?
Desi is used for both girls and boys. About 31% of recorded births with this name are girls.
How many syllables are in Desi?
Desi has 2 syllables.
When was Desi most popular?
Desi peaked in 1970, when 80 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Desi a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Desi currently ranks #4,155 in the United States. After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.