The baby name Desmond sounds gentlemanly and a little old school, but has plenty of potential in the twenty-first century.
Thanks to Holey for suggesting today’s Baby Name of the Day.
THE MEANING OF DESMOND
The baby name Desmond means “from south Munster.” As in Munster, Ireland, formerly a kingdom of its own, now a province. The original is something like Deas-Mhumhan or Ó Deasmhumhnaigh. Munster, in turn, most likely received its name from an early king or possibly a goddess.
So Desmond is a place name, but one with history to spare.
It started out as a surname for families from the area, and has since spread far beyond. It’s been used as a given name since at least the early twentieth century.
DESMOND and MOLLY
One place you might hear the baby name Desmond?
1968’s reggae-influenced Beatles’ hit “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” recounts the the story of Desmond and Molly Jones. They meet in the marketplace, build a home sweet home, have a couple of kids and live happy ever after.
While not as well known as “Hey Jude” or “Dear Prudence,” it’s another high-profile name related to the legendary musicians.
DESMOND DEKKER
A second musical influence might be Desmond Dekker, one of the first Jamaican recording artists to gain attention outside of his native country.
While he’d be eclipsed by Bob Marley, Dekker remained influential throughout his career. Some speculate that the Beatles chose the name Desmond in his honor.
DESMOND TUTU
No question there’s one figure who transformed the baby name Desmond from obscure surname name to heroic choice.
The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, eventually the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town in South Africa, played a central role in ending apartheid. A human rights activist, Tutu was born in 1931 and ordained as a priest in 1960.
His work as a human rights activist began shortly thereafter.
In 1984, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.
The Archbishop retired in 2010, though he continued to speak out about injustice until his death in 2021.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME DESMOND?
The baby name Desmond benefited from the Beatles song.
Desmond occasionally cracked the US Top 1000 from 1904 on and charted every year after 1958. But by 1972, the combined weight of the song and the social activist combined to make the baby name Desmond a Top 500 choice.
The baby name Desmond peaked at #265 in 1992.
As of 2023, the name has fallen to #401 – not particularly popular, but known.
POLISHED, SUBTLE CHOICE FOR A SON
Desmond Hume appeared as a character on the smash ABC hit Lost. The name is used for a character in Suikoden, a Japanese anime, as well as a prince in Disney’s animated series Sofia the First.
Sparky nickname Des or Dez is a bonus.
Overall, the baby name Desmond feels polished, with a subtle strength that makes it a compelling choice for a child born in 2025.
What do you think of the baby name Desmond?
First published on September 9, 2008, this post was revised on August 17, 2024.
Ahh it does my heart a world of good to hear such words.
Our son will be born in around 1 month and we plan to name him Desmond, after Desmond Dekker, like Fink did. Two other famous Desmonds are South African cleric and activist Desmond Tutu and Desmond Hume, a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost. I liked the name from the beginning, but still spent hours and hours on baby name websites, but always returned back to Desmond.
Ahh Desmond I’ve always harboured a sneaking adoration of Desmond. Although I can’t put my finger on why, perhaps it’s his clunky old fashioned sound because Lord knows I’m a real sucker for that! Isn’t he lovely though? (sigh) 🙂
Norma Desmond – that’s a nice addition to the list! Thanks, Holey.
Fink, how nice to hear that Desmond is wearing well on a real boy. Interesting how our children find their own names, isn’t it? I knew a Zachariah called Z with a similar story – it just *was* his name.
My ex-wife and I named our son Desmond primarily after Desmond Dekker, but also because it’s a strong name that isn’t goofy. He is now 5 and I couldn’t imagine his name being anything else. However the original plan was to call him Dez, but he’s been called “D” for his whole life and it’s really stuck. Desmond is extremely rare where we live, in fact I had never met one in person until the odd chance I met one of his preschool friends fathers who was named, yeah, Desmond.
You really unearthed a lot of interesting information! I’d like to add one more Desmond to the list: Norma Desmond, the former film star in Sunset Boulevard.
That reminds me – Jaime Presley has a Dezi James – named after Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y De Acha III himself. (Nice find, Lola – what a name!) Apparently, Jaime’s fiance is Cuban, so they felt it was doubly appropriate.
Hmmm … all this talk of -mond/-mund as current makes me think I need to reconsider … let’s make Raymond NotD on October 14.
Now, as for Sigmund and the Sea Monsters? That’s something I haven’t thought about in ages! I’m putting it in my Netflix queue.
DH, Desi Arnaz was born ‘Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y De Acha III’ According to IMDb.com. I knew Desiderio, but had to look up the whole name. Does anyone know how common thirds are in Cuban families? How cool that you know a little Ray! Ray is awesome!
I like Desmond too. There’s something solid about this name (I guess the “mond” part) yet fun and lively too (the “dez” sound perhaps). I’d be more inclined to use Desi or Dezi as a nickname . . . which makes me wonder if the Cuban Desi Arnez’ name has any connection to this. Would be interesting to see how a Cuban ended up with this Irish name.
I also agree with Lola that Edmund is starting to crop up more and more and I’m proud to say that my 13 months old son has a playmate named Raymond, not named for a grandparent or anything, just because the parents liked it. Baby Ray is a pretty darn cute nursery name, no?
I like Desmond! Not enough to use hm myself but I still thoroughly like him. But then, Jack Nicholson has a Raymond (& a Lorraine!), I know several people online with Edmund on their lists for a potential boy (thanks to Narnia, perhaps?) and while Sigmnd’s not my cup of tuna (I still recall “Sigmund & the Sea Monsters” from my Sid & Marty Kroft-filled childhood), none of them seem that outrageous of a choice to me. Of course, my top pick is still Cosmo, for my Great Grandad, so that previous opinion should be taken with at least a smidgen of salt!
Back to Desmond. He’s zippy, rather snappy and sleek. Des/Dez is cool, and makes Desmond as a whole rather an intriguing choice. I don’t think I’d complain much after meeting one. I actually think I’d say somethig along the lines of “Desmond? How lovely!” A definite stand out of a name! 😀