I went to college with a girl whose name is
Desmond Renee, and it doesn't seem out of place or manly.
When I mentioned
Desmond to my cousin, she said she thought it was girly, especially with the nn
Dezi.. (She knows the same girl I do, though...)
As for the NNs Dez, Des,
Dezi od Desi....they somewhat remind me of the NNs for
Desiree...
Also, you have to admit that
Desmond has a very "soft" sound to it. I think it's a very pretty name, and that adjective alone lends itself to the feminine side of things.
I love the name; I just want to assess all aspects of it, including potential playground teasing if others think of it as "girly".