Desmond

Irish

"one from south Munster"

Desmond Origin and Meaning

The name Desmond is a boy's name meaning "one from south Munster".

Desmond is a sophisticated and debonair name, with noble ties to 1984 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Bishop Desmond Tutu, and with some great nicknames: Des/Dez, Desi/Dezi.

Another notable Desmond is British zoologist and anthropologist Desmond Morris, author of The Naked Ape and other popular books.

The character Desmond David Hume on Lost was named in tribute to philosopher David Hume, and the name also appears on Oz. Desmond Harrington plays Detective Joseph Quinn on Dexter. Desmond Miles is the protagonist in video game series Assassin's Creed.

And we can't forget all the references to Desmond in the Beatles song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"—possibly used in tribute to reggae singer Desmond Dekker.

Desmond Rank in US Top 1000

# 401 in the US

Desmond Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 263 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Desmond

• 401 US 2023
• 263 Nameberry 2025
• 238 Future 2028

20 Names Similar to Desmond

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Desmond.

• Conrad
• Samson
• Roland
• Reuben
• Solomon
• Abel
• Seamus
• Duncan
• Abram
• Byron
• Lionel
• Malcolm
• Amos
• Edwin
• Quentin
• Lawrence
• Phineas
• Quincy
• Henrik
• Thaddeus

Famous People Named Desmond

• Desmond Lamont Bishop American NFL football player
• Desmond J. Bryant American NFL football player
• Desmond Dekker (born Desmond Adolphus Dacres) Jamaican musician
• Desmond Harrington American actor
• Desmond Leo Haynes Barbadian cricketer
• Desmond Kevin Howard American NFL football player
• Desmond Llewelyn Welsh actor
• Desmond "Des" McAnuff American theater director
• Desmond John Morris English zoologist and author
• Desmond Bernard "Des" O'Connor English comedian and singer
• Desmond Mpilo Tutu South African bishop and activist
• Desmond Thomas Doss American WWII Medal of Honor recipient; subject of film "Hacksaw Ridge"

The name Desmond in Pop Culture

• Desmond David Hume character on TV's "Lost"
• Desmond Miles main character in video game "Assassin's Creed"
• Desmond Jones character from the Beatles Song "Ob,La,Di, Ob,La,Da"
• Norma Desmond character in film "Sunset Boulevard"
• Desmond Poppy character in the film “Nativity!”
• Uncle Desmond character from the film 'About Time'
• Desmond Twite alter ego of Abednego Twite in Joan Aiken's Wolves Chronicles books
• Desmond the moon bear character from the ASDF movies
• Desmond Sycamore character in the "Professor Layton" video game series