Given name & surname
Dee
“woman of sorrow; refers to the Virgin Mary”
In English use, Dee is a diminutive of Dolores. One Spanish interpretation is “woman of sorrow; refers to the Virgin Mary.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Dee is a diminutive of Dolores. One Spanish interpretation is “woman of sorrow; refers to the Virgin Mary.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Dee is a variant of Danae. An origin associated with Danae is Greek. In English use, Dee is a diminutive of Dolores. An origin associated with Dolores is Spanish.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Dee is a variant of Danae. The history of Danae gives this family its wider story. In mythological stories, Danae is associated with the mother of Perseus. Dee is a variant of Diane. The history of Diane gives this family its wider story. In mythological stories, Diane is associated with the goddess of the moon and the hunt.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Dee through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 23,099
- 7,269 boys · 15,830 girls
- Most popular year
- 1961
- 704 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −81%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 100% boys.
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2022. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 20,339 as a first name in 2020; 7,009 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Dee’s family of names
In English usage, Dee is a diminutive of Dolores. Dee has a related form in Diane. Dee has a related form in Danae.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Dee has relatives in 4 languages.
5 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Dee
- Dee Bradley BakerAmerican voice actor (born 1962)
- Dee WallaceAmerican actressborn 1948
- Dee BrownAmerican writer and historian (1908–2002)
- Dee HsuTaiwanese host, actress, and singerborn 1978
- Dee PalmerBritish musician1937–2026
- Dee ReesAmerican film director, screenwriterborn 1977
- Dee BrownAmerican basketball player (born 1984)
- Dee BrownAmerican basketball player (born 1968)
- Dee Strange-GordonAmerican baseball playerborn 1988
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dee, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Greg
“watchful” · “one who is vigilant; watch-”
>99% boys
Deane
“from the valley; a church official”
>99% boys
Donnie
“ruler of the world” · “a brown-haired chief”
99% boys · 1% girls
Matt
“gift of God” · “a gift from God”
>99% boys
Dian
Dian is a feminine given name from Javanese. It is used in Indonesian.
>99% boys
Lynus
>99% boys
Sridhar
“bearing or possessing the goddess Lakshmi”
>99% boys
Dion
“of the sacred spring” · “an honest man”
95% boys · 5% girls