Girl · Greek (English short form) · International
Demi
DemiSay it DEM-ee (also duh-MEE)
- Meaning today
- Half, earth mother
- Original meaning
- "short form of Demetria, "of Demeter", the Greek harvest goddess" Online Etymology Dictionary, s.v. Demeter
- Say it
- DEM-ee (also duh-MEE)
Demi
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Demi meaning
Demi is an international girl's name of Greek origin (English short form).
Meaning today
Half, earth mother
Original Greek (English short form) meaning
"short form of Demetria, "of Demeter", the Greek harvest goddess"
Source: Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), s.v. Demeter · entry Demeter · See the entry · checked 27 Oct 2026
Demi is usually a short form of Demetria, the feminine of Demetrius, a Greek name that the Online Etymology Dictionary explains as "of Demeter", the goddess of the harvest and growing grain. Demeter's own name is usually read as ending in māter, "mother"; the first part is uncertain, and the popular reading "earth mother" is doubted by the Greek lexicographers. Name lists also give "half", from French demi, but that is a different word that happens to look the same. The actress Demi Moore, born Demetria Guynes, made the short form famous. It is said DEM-ee, or duh-MEE in Demi Moore's case.
References: Online Etymology Dictionary, Demeter · Britannica, Demi Moore
Famous namesakes
- Demi Moore, American actress
Popularity abroad
- #381 United States, girls 2025 (up 71 from 452 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #634 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.