Deedee
A feminine diminutive form of Dianne or Diane, derived from the Roman goddess Diana.
Name Census estimates that about 2,838 living Americans carry the first name Deedee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Deedee today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deedee births was 1962 (193 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deedee. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Deedee with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.8K
~ 1 in 120,773 Americans
Peak year
1962
193 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
2011 SSA rank
#15,319
Tracked since 1935
Census
Deedee in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,923 people with the first name Deedee, which placed it at #5,734 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,734
National first-name rank
People counted
2.9K
2,923 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
63.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deedee
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deedee is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Hispanic (10.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Deedee described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Deedee at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 1,859
- Black or African American15.9% · 465
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 307
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.8% · 139
- Two or more races3.9% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 40
Popularity
Deedee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deedee from the 1930s through to the 2010s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 1,392 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Deedee by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Deedee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deedees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Deedee, while Mississippi, Minnesota, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 58 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Deedee
The name Deedee is thought to have originated as a diminutive or nickname form of the French feminine name Denise, which is derived from the Greek name Dionysia. The name Dionysia was derived from the Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine, vegetation, and fruitfulness. The name Deedee likely emerged as a shortened and affectionate form of Denise, much like the nicknames Dee or Deedy.
In ancient Greek mythology, Dionysus was one of the most significant deities, often associated with revelry, theater, and the cultivation of grapevines. The name Dionysia was used to honor the god during festivals and celebrations dedicated to him. As the name Denise spread throughout Europe, particularly in France, it became a popular choice for parents naming their daughters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deedee can be traced back to the 17th century, when it was used as a nickname or pet name for women named Denise. During this time, the use of diminutive forms of names was common, particularly among the upper classes and aristocracy.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Deedee. One such person was Deedee Warwick, an American singer and actress born in 1942. She was the sister of the renowned singer Dionne Warwick and had a successful career in her own right, performing in musicals and on television.
Another notable Deedee was Deedee Ramone, the bassist and songwriter for the influential punk rock band The Ramones. Born Douglas Glenn Colvin in 1952, he was a founding member of the band and played a crucial role in shaping their iconic sound.
In the world of literature, Deedee Truitt was an American poet and educator born in 1937. She was known for her poetic works that explored themes of identity, family, and the experiences of African American women.
Deedee Magno Hall, born in 1959, is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in various Broadway musicals, including Miss Saigon and The Lion King.
Finally, Deedee Myers, born in 1961, is an American political consultant and former White House Press Secretary during the Clinton administration. She played a significant role in shaping the administration's communications strategy and public relations efforts.
While the name Deedee may have originated as a nickname or diminutive form, it has become a distinct and recognizable name in its own right, with a rich history and notable individuals who have carried it throughout the centuries.
People
Deedee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deedee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Deedee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deedee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,838 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deedee going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 120,773 US residents.
Is Deedee a common name?
We classify Deedee as "Rare". It ranks above 95% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,478 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deedee most popular?
The single biggest year for Deedee was 1962, when 193 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deedee is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Deedee in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,923 people with the name Deedee, or 0.97 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,734 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Deedee in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Deedee?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Deedee leans strongly female. 2,866 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 60 male bearers (2.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Deedee?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deedee is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Hispanic (10.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Deedee most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Deedee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (1,859 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Deedee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Deedee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deedee in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Deedee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Deedee in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Deedee can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Deedee?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.