Given name & surname
Des
“a man from 'South : Munster”·“one who is desired”·“one who is desired; hoped for”
In English use, Des is a short form of Desmond. One interpretation is “a man from 'South : Munster.” Des is a variant of Desiree. One French interpretation is “one who is desired.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Des is a short form of Desmond. One interpretation is “a man from 'South : Munster.” Des is a variant of Desiree. One French interpretation is “one who is desired.” Des is a variant of Desiderio. One Latin interpretation is “one who is desired; hoped for.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Des is a variant of Desiree. An origin associated with Desiree is French. Des is a variant of Desiderio. An origin associated with Desiderio is Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Des is a short form of Desmond.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1955. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Des through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 16
- 11 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 1971
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 1971. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 586 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Des’s family of names
In English usage, Des is a short form of Desmond. Des has a related form in Desiree. Des has a related form in Desiderio.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Des
- Des WalkerEnglish association football player (born 1965)
- Des BrowneBritish politician (born 1952)
- Des AbbottAustralian male field hockey playerborn 1986
- Des KochAmerican discus thrower1932–1991
- Des BremnerScottish footballer (born 1952)
- Des O'ConnorBritish singer, entertainer, presenter (1932–2020)
- Des MooreCatholic bishop in Papua New Guinea1926–2020
- Des Lyttlefootballer, football manager (born 1971)
- Des BuckinghamEnglish association football player and managerborn 1985
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Des, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Desi
“one who is desired; hoped for” · “one who is desired”
45% boys · 55% girls
Torrence
“from the little hills”
89% boys · 11% girls
Lanier
“one who works with wool”
57% boys · 43% girls
Happy
“a joyful woman” · “filled with joy”
45% boys · 55% girls
Parrish
“woman of the church” · “man of the church”
71% boys · 29% girls
Kris
“a follower of Christ” · “follower of Christ”
83% boys · 17% girls
Dusty
“a brave fighter; from a dusty place”
71% boys · 29% girls
Torrance
“from the little hills”
70% boys · 30% girls