Despina
From Greek, meaning "lady" or mistress of the house. In Poland it stays a genuine rarity: fewer than 40 women carry it, and almost no one has met one.
Despina Pronunciation
Despina is pronounced des-PEE-nah (/dɛsˈpina/).
What Despina means
Where Despina comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Despina comes from the Greek despoina, a word for the lady of the house, the mistress with real authority over a household. The Polish gloss keeps it plain: pani, pani domu. Its masculine partner is despotes, the master, which later drifted into the word despot. The feminine kept its dignity.
In Byzantium, despoina was a court title. The empress and the women of the imperial family were addressed by it. Greek Orthodox tradition used Despoina for the Virgin Mary as well, the Lady. So one name once held both an empress and a saint.
Astronomers borrowed it too. A small moon of Neptune is called Despina, named for a figure of Greek myth, a daughter of Poseidon. The name orbits far from any household now.
On a Polish class register, Despina stands out among the Zuzannas and Julias. Its Greek root still says one thing: pani domu.
How many people are named Despina
1 in 578047 women in Poland is named Despina. 39 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #6203 among female names.
Despina's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 girls were given the name in 2025. It has been stable for a decade.
Where Despina is most popular
Despina is most popular in Masovian, 510% above the national average (2 girls born 2019–2025).
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Masovian2 girls born+510%
Despina as a middle name
Despina is a first name for 39 women in Poland and a middle name for another 14, a 74/26 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 1977th, between Chantel (14) and Destiny (14).
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#1975 Cecilie14
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#1976 Chantel14
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#1977 Despina14
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#1978 Destiny14
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#1979 Dewi14