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Home › Baby Names Directory › Dempsy

Dempsy

♂ Boy

Pronounced DEMP-see /ˈdɛmp.si/Low

Meaning: Dempsy is a trimmed spelling of Dempsey, an Anglicized Irish surname from O Diomasaigh, meaning 'descendant of the proud one.' Like many Irish surnames it crossed into use as a given name in early-twentieth-century America.Low

In 30 seconds: Dempsy is an early-1900s American boy's name from the Irish surname Dempsey ('proud one'). It peaked around 1919 and is said DEMP-see.
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Origin LowIrish, English
MeaningDempsy is a trimmed spelling of Dempsey, an Anglicized Irish surname from O Diomasaigh, meaning 'descendant of the proud one.' Like many Irish surnames it crossed into use as a given name in early-twentieth-century America.
U.S. rank (1945)#2810 ↗ Rising
1945 U.S. births7 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1919
Total births (all-time)≈ 119

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 191919161945

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Dempsy is a variant of Dempsey, an Irish surname from O Diomasaigh, 'descendant of the proud one.' It was adopted as a first name in the United States early in the twentieth century.

It was never common, given to only about fifteen boys a year around its 1919 peak - the year Jack Dempsey became heavyweight champion - and it faded by mid-century. A boy named Dempsy then belongs to a great-grandparent generation.

Did you know? The name's small peak around 1919 lines up neatly with boxer Jack Dempsey's rise to the world heavyweight title that very year, when his surname was suddenly everywhere.
Overall data confidence 40%
References - Dempsy — Variant of Dempsey; Irish O Diomasaigh 'proud'; 1919 peak aligns with boxer Jack Dempsey; plain-Latin only.

Variations

DempseyDempsieDemseyDempsy

Nicknames

Demp

Famous Bearers

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If you like Dempsy…

Dempsey— the standard spelling of the same surname
Delaney— another Irish surname used as a first name
Casey— a like Irish surname-name of the era
Finnegan— a related Irish surname turned given name

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Dempsy mean?

It is a variant of Dempsey, an Irish surname from O Diomasaigh, meaning 'descendant of the proud one.'

How do you pronounce Dempsy?

It is said DEMP-see /ˈdɛmp.si/ - two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Dempsy a boy or girl name?

Dempsy is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Dempsy?

It was always rare, given to only about fifteen boys a year even at its peak around the late nineteen-tens.

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