Deems as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Deems

What is the meaning of the name Deems ?

The baby name Deems is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /diːmz/ ("deems").

Deems is English in Origin.

An English surname turned given name, Deems draws from Old English dēman “to judge” and the related noun dēma “judge,” source of the verb deem. The -s ending reflects a medieval genitive or patronymic, yielding the sense “son of the judge” or “one who judges.” It sits alongside related occupational surnames such as Deem, Deamer, and Deemer, and is conceptually linked to deemster, the historic title for a judge on the Isle of Man. Meaning: arbiter, decider, judge.

In the United States, Deems emerged as a rare given name in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, following the broader fashion for adopting surnames as first names. Visibility came through figures like composer-critic Deems Taylor (1885–1966) and NFL player Deems May (b. 1969). Usage remains uncommon today; it skews masculine but can read unisex. Short forms include Dee; variants/relatives include Deem, Deemer, and Deamer.

⚙ Deems is an extremely rare name. Across our dataset of national birth registries and international name records, Deems appears only 11 times in total — found in 6 countries. If you're considering it, you'd be giving your child a name almost nobody else has.