Denim
Feminine · “cloth of Nîmes”
Denim is given to both — 1,122 girls and 2,721 boys since 1880. See Denim as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Denim is a place name in disguise — serge de Nîmes, the cloth of Nîmes, worn down by English speakers into a single word.
How old is the name Denim?
Denim first appears in US birth records in 1988 — 37 years ago. The typical Denim is a kid of about 7 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,100 people named Denim are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Denim most popular?
Denim peaked in 2025, reaching #1911 nationally. Today it ranks #1911, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2025 chart.
Where it comes from
From serge de Nîmes to Denim
The story of Denim
Nîmes wove a durable twill that English buyers called serge de Nîmes and then denim; Genoa's version gave English 'jeans'. Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patented riveted work trousers in 1873. Material word-names rose in American naming from the 2010s, and Denim appears in the registers for both sexes in current use.
Meaning
cloth of Nîmes
From the French serge de Nîmes, a twill woven in the southern French city. English contracted the phrase to denim. Jean, the other word for the cloth, comes from Genoa by the same process — Gênes in French. Both etymologies are documented.
How the name formed
- serge de Nîmes
- denim
- Denim
Related forms: Nîmes · Jean
Pronouncing Denim
DEN-im
Two syllables, stress on the first. It is a homophone of the ordinary English noun.
Nicknames for Denim
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1988
- Most girls named
- 2025101 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1911reached in 2025
- Change vs 2024
- +13.5%101 in 2025, from 89
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Denim in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Nîmes in French — related form
- Jean in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Louisiana, Georgia.
Denims among us
people named Denim are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 15,914 born in 2025 was named Denim
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Denim
- #1911
- Denim on the 2025 chart
- #803
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Denim went to 101 girls in 2025, but Denym is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 157, which makes it the 803rd most-given girls’ name of the year — 1,108 places above the chart.
- Denim101
- Denym56
About 1 girl in 10,237 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 15,914 for Denim itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Sascha test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Denim's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Sascha climbed just as high around 1988, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Sascha's path sketches the road Denim is walking now.
Denim is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Denim is headed
Denim should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Denim beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Denim in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The hidden French city in the word is a first-rate piece of etymology.
- That 'jeans' hides Genoa by the same process is an even better one.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- It is an ordinary English noun for a fabric.
- It is thoroughly unisex and very new as a given name.
- The clothing association is total.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Denim to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Denim? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Denim
Feminine · #1911 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Denims are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Denim are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Denim?
- Denim is the most-used spelling in US records — 101 of the 157 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Denym.
- How popular is the name Denim in 2025?
- Denim ranks #1911 among US girl names in 2025, with 101 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Denim?
- About 1 in every 15,914 US girls born in 2025 was named Denim — 101 in all.
- Will my child share the name Denim with classmates?
- Denim will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Denim
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Susie#1911 · Wesley#1911 · Carlee#1911 · Sahana#1911 · Chosen#1911 · Philomena#1911 · Valkyrie#1911 · Jazzlyn#1911
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Denim? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Denim and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle