Dion
Feminine · “of Zeus”
Dion is given to both — 1,250 girls and 18,914 boys since 1880. See Dion as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Dion is the shortest name in the Dionysius family, and it belonged first to a man who tried to turn a tyrant into a philosopher. Plato went to Sicily three times at Dion's urging to educate the ruler of Syracuse; it did not work, and Dion was assassinated. Twenty-three centuries later a singer from the Bronx used the same three letters and put it into American naming for good.
How old is the name Dion?
Dion first appears in US birth records in 1935 — 90 years ago. The typical Dion alive today was born around 1977, making them about 48 years old. About 1,200 people named Dion are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Dion most popular?
Dion peaked in 1970, reaching #1719 nationally. Today it ranks #13208, 11,489 places below that high. See the whole 1970 chart.
Where it comes from
From Dion to Dion
The story of Dion
The historical Dion was Plato's friend and a relative of the tyrants of Syracuse, and the whole episode is one of philosophy's more instructive failures. The name stayed in Greek use, passed into French, and reached American records in the twentieth century. What made it widely used here was music: a singer who recorded under the single name Dion had a run of very large hits, and the record shows the name rising steeply in exactly those years. It is also, quite separately, one of the most recognizable surnames in French Canada, which reinforces it without being related.
Meaningscholars disagree
of Zeus, or of Dionysus
Greek built a great many names on the stem of Zeus, and Dion is one of them — belonging to Zeus, in the plainest form. It is also the standing short form of Dionysios, which honors Dionysus rather than his father. Both readings are correct in Greek, and the name has been used as both for two and a half thousand years.
How the name formed
- Dion
- Dionysios
- Dion
Related forms: Dion · Dion · Dione
Pronouncing Dion
DEE-on
Two syllables, stress on the first, in American use. French says dee-OHN with the weight at the back and a nasal ending, which is how the Canadian surname is said. Both are heard in the United States.
Nicknames for Dion
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
- 1935
- Most girls named
- 197146 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1719reached in 1970
- Change vs 2022
- −57.1%6 in 2025, from 14
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.
Dion in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Dion in Greek — same name
- Dion in French — same name
- Dione in Italian — related form
Dions among us
people named Dion are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 267,878 born in 2025 was named Dion
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Ailie test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Dion's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Ailie climbed just as high around 1912, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Ailie's path sketches the road Dion is walking now.
Dion sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Dion beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Dion in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Four letters, two syllables, and readable on sight by anyone.
- It has a documented classical figure behind it and a memorable failure attached to him.
- It is short enough to need no shortening and long enough not to sound clipped.
- It works for a child of either sex in the record, though nearly all are boys.
- The stress placement differs between the American and the French sayings.
- It is a very well-known surname in Canada and in music, which colors introductions.
- Deon, Dionne and Deion all sit close by and will be written instead.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Dion 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 Dion? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Dion
Feminine · #13208 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Dions are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,200 people named Dion are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Dion in 2025?
- Dion ranks #13208 among US girl names in 2025, with 6 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Dion?
- About 1 in every 267,878 US girls born in 2025 was named Dion — 6 in all.
- Will my child share the name Dion with classmates?
- Dion will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Dion
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
John#13208 · Vinnie#13208 · Margery#13208 · Jossie#13208 · Tressa#13208 · Erie#13208 · Bernadine#13208 · Jack#13208
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Dion? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Dion 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