Derek
Boy nameDerek has been given to 239,969 babies in the U.S. since 1924. It peaked in 1989 and currently ranks #284 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈdɛɹɪk/
Borrowed in the Middle Ages from a Middle Low German variant of Theodoric, and revived in the 19th century.
Origin: Germanic languages
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
239,969
Peak year
1989 (8,402 babies)
Rank in 2025
#284 for boys
First recorded
1924
10-year trend
▼ -37%
Gender split
0% girls / 100% boys
Famous people named Derek
Derek Walcott
Saint Lucian–Trinidadian poet and playwright (1930–2017)
Derek Barton
English organic chemist (1918–1998)
Derek Jacobi
English actor (born 1938)
Derek Boateng
Ghanaian footballer
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Derek.
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