boy's name
Dimitri
di-MEE-tree
- Origin Russian
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 50,154
France
#684
2025 births
Dimitri means devoted to Demeter, the grain goddess, so the name is agricultural before it is anything else — she is the harvest, and her daughter's abduction is the myth explaining winter. France ranks it 684th, its strongest market.
- Dimitri is a name of Russian origin.
- Peaked in France in 1989, when 1,870 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 9,825 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1914.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Dimitri over time
Births per decade in France, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 20 |
| 1920s | 75 |
| 1930s | 90 |
| 1940s | 75 |
| 1950s | 80 |
| 1960s | 355 |
| 1970s | 4,485 |
| 1980s | 12,360 |
| 1990s | 12,905 |
| 2000s | 5,770 |
| 2010s | 2,115 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 465 |
What Dimitri means
Dimitri means belonging to Demeter. The Greek goddess presided over grain and the harvest, so the name dedicates its bearer to cultivation rather than to war or wisdom.
Where Dimitri comes from
Dimitri is the Russian and French form of the Greek Demetrios, of Demeter — the goddess of grain and the harvest. Her own name is generally read as earth mother, though the first element is disputed. The abduction of her daughter Persephone and Demeter's grief is the Greek explanation of winter, and the Eleusinian Mysteries were built around it. Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki made the name a Christian one across the Orthodox world.
Dimitri in use
Dimitri peaked in France in 1989, when 1,870 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 684th in France on 60 births, 1104th in the United States on 195 and 3053rd in England and Wales on 7, across 50,154 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. The American series peaks separately in 1992 on 408 births.
How popular is Dimitri?
In 2025, Dimitri was given to 60 babies in France, ranking #684 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Dimitri is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Dimitri
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Dimitri also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Dimitri over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Dimitri
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Dimitri 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 Dimitri
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Dimitri — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Dimitri
What does the name Dimitri mean?
Devoted to Demeter, the Greek goddess of grain and the harvest.
What does Demeter mean?
Generally read as earth mother, though the first element is disputed.
Why does the myth explain winter?
Demeter's grief at Persephone's abduction stops the earth growing until she returns.
How popular is Dimitri?
684th in France, its strongest market, and 1104th in the United States.
Is Dimitri a girl's or a boy's name?
Dimitri is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Dimitri?
Dimitri has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Dimitri?
Dimitri is usually shortened to Mitya.
Is Dimitri a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Dimitri currently ranks #684 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.