Deshawna
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the French word "désir" meaning desire or wish.
Name Census estimates that about 619 living Americans carry the first name Deshawna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Deshawna today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deshawna births was 1998 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deshawna. 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.
People living today
619
~ 1 in 553,723 Americans
Peak year
1998
28 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2016 SSA rank
#14,807
Tracked since 1969
Census
Deshawna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 540 people with the first name Deshawna, which placed it at #19,526 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
#19,526
National first-name rank
People counted
540
540 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
78.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deshawna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deshawna is Black at 78.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Deshawna 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 Deshawna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.1% · 422
- White11.1% · 60
- Two or more races5.7% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Popularity
Deshawna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deshawna from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 230 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Deshawna 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 Deshawna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deshawnas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Maryland, New York recorded the most babies named Deshawna, while Virginia, New York, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Deshawna
The name Deshawna is a relatively modern invention, believed to have originated in the United States in the late 20th century. It does not stem from any particular language or cultural tradition, but rather appears to be a combination of elements from different sources.
One possible root of the name is the French word "désirer," meaning "to desire" or "to wish for." This could suggest that Deshawna was intended to convey a sense of longing or aspiration. Another potential influence is the Hebrew name "Shawna," which means "beautiful" or "delightful." The prefix "De-" may have been added for aesthetic reasons or to create a unique variation on the existing name.
As a relatively new name, there are no known historical references or appearances in ancient texts or religious scriptures. The earliest recorded instances of the name Deshawna likely date back to the 1970s or 1980s, though specific examples are difficult to pinpoint due to the lack of comprehensive records for such a recent name.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Deshawna is Deshawna McGee, an American singer and songwriter born in 1989. While not a household name, she has released several albums and contributed to various musical projects.
Another individual with the name is Deshawna Bunion, an American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the San Antonio Stars and the Washington Mystics from 2008 to 2013.
Deshawna Bryant is an American actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films, including roles in the series "Anger Management" and the movie "Alpha Dog."
Deshawna Bryant is also the name of an American author and motivational speaker who has written several books on personal growth and self-empowerment.
Deshawna Jackson is an American entrepreneur and business consultant who has been recognized for her work in promoting diversity and inclusion in the corporate world.
While the name Deshawna is relatively uncommon, it has gained some popularity in recent decades, particularly in the United States. However, due to its modern origins, there is limited historical information or notable figures associated with this name beyond the examples provided.
People
Deshawna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deshawna 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
Deshawna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deshawna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 619 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deshawna 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 553,723 US residents.
Is Deshawna a common name?
We classify Deshawna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 646 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deshawna most popular?
The single biggest year for Deshawna was 1998, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deshawna is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Deshawna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 540 people with the name Deshawna, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,526 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 Deshawna 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 Deshawna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Deshawna appears almost entirely female. Of the 533 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Deshawna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deshawna is Black at 78.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Deshawna most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Deshawna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (422 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 Deshawna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Deshawna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deshawna 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 Deshawna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Deshawna 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 Deshawna 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 Americans are named Deshawna?
You can see how many Americans are named Deshawna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.