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Desire as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Desire

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The baby name Desire is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /dɪˈzaɪər/ (də-ZY-er).

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Pronunciation: /dɪˈzaɪər/ (də-ZY-er)

What is the meaning of the name Desire ?

The baby name Desire is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /dɪˈzaɪər/ (də-ZY-er).

Desire is in Origin.

Desire is an English word name rooted in Old French désir and ultimately Latin desiderium/desiderare, meaning “longing,” “wish,” or “that which is desired.” In name use it conveys the sense of a longed‑for or beloved child; the closely related French participial forms Désiré (masculine) and Désirée (feminine) literally mean “desired.”

As a given name in English, Desire appears in 17th‑century Puritan New England among abstract‑virtue choices and has remained uncommon, generally feminine but technically unisex. International variants and cognates include Désiré/Désirée, Desiree (widely used in English and Spanish), Desiré (Spanish), Desirae (modern American), Italian Desiderio/Desideria, and the Latin Desiderius (source of French Didier). Short forms Des and Desi are occasionally used. In contemporary naming, Desire itself is rare, while Desiree/Désirée achieved broader recognition in the 20th century, helped by literature and popular culture, yet the core meaning of cherished longing remains constant across forms.

Desire has the following similar or variant Names

Desire – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
BI Boys 0 #9 42 917
BI 0 #10 3 425
BF Boys 0 #23 4 439
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
NA 0 #29 5 2,537
CM 0 #50 7 2,592
AO 0 #76 2 2,729
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
CM Boys 0 #133 1,001 12,054
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
BW Girls 0 #147 5 4,216
BW Boys 0 #149 6 4,685
PR Girls 0 #162 6 3,171
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
AE 0 #187 1 10,220
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
NA Girls 0 #194 31 7,146
LT Girls 0 #200 1 1,904
LU Boys 0 #220 1 4,970
NA Boys 0 #226 10 6,830
GH 0 #244 5 5,396
AO Boys 0 #246 4 5,568
MU Boys 0 #252 107 8,477
EC Girls 0 #255 4 3,650
NG 0 #266 7 5,926
Canada Girls 2023 #274 6 2,824
JM Girls 0 #278 1 7,507
SG 0 #282 1 11,010
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
AL Boys 0 #303 1 5,122
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
GH Boys 0 #320 26 8,138
PE 0 #326 4 6,350
DK Girls 0 #327 3 7,429
CN Boys 0 #329 3 9,639
DK Boys 0 #331 2 7,401
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
GT 0 #334 5 5,948
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
QA Girls 0 #337 7 15,378
JO Girls 0 #339 1 7,570
PL Boys 0 #340 1 6,459
MY 0 #353 2 12,352
MU Girls 0 #354 9 8,539
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
NL 0 #380 12 2,481
OM Girls 0 #383 14 15,987
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
ZA 0 #395 53 14,421
CM Girls 0 #402 141 11,671
BO 0 #406 3 6,868
PH Boys 0 #407 2 11,440
PH Girls 0 #425 5 13,098
Spain 0 #432 21 2,326
CL 0 #434 1 6,867
PA Girls 0 #454 28 9,861
SD Boys 0 #460 7 10,523
PT Girls 0 #470 2 7,952
Spain Girls 0 #482 662 5,561
GT Girls 0 #496 10 7,500
CR Boys 0 #506 5 10,188
CR Girls 0 #519 14 11,342
RU Girls 0 #522 2 11,913
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
UY Girls 0 #529 8 6,731
NG Girls 0 #533 276 15,093
AE Girls 0 #543 11 20,968
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
PS Girls 0 #546 2 10,981
ZA Girls 0 #553 809 25,928
KW Girls 0 #554 8 19,177
LY 0 #554 6 12,703
AR Girls 0 #571 29 8,289
BH 0 #585 3 17,937
BO Girls 0 #591 21 9,488
BD Boys 0 #605 1 10,045
IL Boys 0 #625 1 10,983
SG Girls 0 #629 4 18,916
IL Girls 0 #643 3 11,648
HK Girls 0 #649 2 16,104
IT Girls 0 #649 1,198 9,415
IN Girls 0 #654 1 13,121
LB 0 #685 6 13,263
CL Boys 0 #692 9 13,390
IT 0 #693 22 4,183
Finland Girls 2026 #723 16 3,895
SG Boys 0 #737 3 17,960
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
SY 0 #767 1 11,684
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
ZA Boys 0 #785 432 25,619
NG Boys 0 #788 164 16,906
NL Girls 0 #802 154 5,933
KW Boys 0 #805 2 18,755
TN 0 #816 14 13,765
Germany Girls 0 #818 21 4,949
CL Girls 0 #829 23 14,098
United States Girls 2024 #831 86 8,487
PE Girls 0 #853 91 14,861
United States Boys 2024 #880 13 7,044
OM Boys 0 #916 3 17,948
SA Girls 0 #916 20 25,931
EG Boys 0 #919 7 15,035
NL Boys 0 #937 15 5,873
CO Girls 0 #974 105 16,140
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
MY Girls 0 #985 10 24,821
BR Girls 0 #987 6 12,708
IN Boys 0 #992 10 16,750
EG Girls 0 #1,009 1 14,742
MX Boys 0 #1,031 3 16,355
MA 0 #1,103 26 20,986
MX Girls 0 #1,115 69 17,781
AE Boys 0 #1,135 9 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,175 8 25,439
TR 0 #1,191 21 19,440
DZ 0 #1,227 8 20,130
IT Boys 0 #1,411 61 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,689 3 28,008

Desire is popular in 74 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
Canada
AE
AL
AO

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People also ask about Desire

Desire is predominantly a girl's name.
Desire is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /dɪˈzaɪər/ (də-ZY-er).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Désirée, Desiree, Desirae, Desiray and Desi.
Across languages, Desire has these equivalents: Désirée (French), Desiderio (Spanish/Italian, m.), Desideria (Spanish/Italian, f.), Desiderius/Desiderata (Latin).
Yes — Desire ranked #274 in Canada in 2023, and appears in official birth registries across 3 countries.
Desire ranks highest in Canada (#274 in 2023).
Desire's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #860 in 2014 to #831 in 2024 in United States.