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Home › Baby Names Directory › Desire

Desire

♀ Girl

Pronounced dih-ZYER /dɪ.ˈzaɪɹ/Medium

Meaning: To long for; to wish for; to desireMedium

In 30 seconds: Desire is an English word name meaning to long or wish for something.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningTo long for; to wish for; to desire
U.S. rank (2024)#2194 ↘ Falling
2024 U.S. births86 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2008
Total births (all-time)≈ 5,253

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 200819552024

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

Desire takes the English word for longing and uses it directly as a name. It sits among the emotion and virtue names, putting its meaning openly on display. The French masculine form Désiré, meaning desired or longed-for, shares the same root.

That French version appears on bearers such as the footballer Désiré Doué and the Olympian Désiré Mérchez, showing how the same idea of being wished-for crosses languages.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Desire is 'to long for; to wish for; to desire', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.
Overall data confidence 70%
Behind the Name - Desire — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Désiré Doué (2005-present)
    French professional footballer for Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team.
  • ★Désiré Mérchez (1882-1968)
    French swimmer and water polo player who competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics.

If you like Desire…

Adore— shares the -re ending
Lenore— another English name
Kulture— a fellow English choice
Nature— another English name
Dana— another English name

Explore names like Desire

By themeenglish

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Desire mean?

Desire is usually explained as meaning 'to long for; to wish for; to desire' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Desire?

It's commonly said dih-ZYER /dɪ.ˈzaɪɹ/.

Is Desire a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Desire is used as a girl name.

How popular is Desire?

In 2024, Desire ranked #2194 in the U.S. for girls, with 86 births recorded.

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