Desire is a girl name with a rare feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Desire means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Desire across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Desire has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Desire is a girl name of French origin meaning “desired, longed for”. A variant of Desiree, from Latin desideratus.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 5,468 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 170 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Desire per year, United States (1915 to 2025). United States peaked in 2008 (164/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2018 (18/yr).
Desire is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2008, when it ranked #2,526 nationally (given to 168 babies that year).
Desiree · Desirae · Desirea · Desiray · Deseree · Desarae · Deserie · Desaray
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