Derek
A Low German short form of Theodoric, “ruler of the people,” which reached England through Dutch trade.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Derek first shows up in the national records in 1924. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1970 to 1995. Its biggest year was 1989, when 8,365 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 54 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1980, at No. 50. In 2025 it ranked No. 284 for boys. All told, 239,969 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Derrick (146,344), Derick (19,810), Dereck (8,296), Derik (5,508), Deric (4,744), Derrek (3,047) (total births since 1880)
Explore Derek interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 12 | No. 3559 |
| 1930s | 155 | No. 1205 |
| 1940s | 533 | No. 641 |
| 1950s | 5,245 | No. 254 |
| 1960s | 19,021 | No. 109 |
| 1970s | 38,310 | No. 63 |
| 1980s | 72,923 | No. 50 |
| 1990s | 50,756 | No. 54 |
| 2000s | 27,025 | No. 121 |
| 2010s | 17,978 | No. 170 |
| 2020s | 7,102 | No. 258 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
🍼 Enjoying this? Buy my baby a diaper
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.