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Derek

boy name
Origin
Germanic
Syllables
2
Peak era
1980s/1990s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Derek and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

ruler of the people

Famously borne by Derek Walcott, Nobel laureate poet from Saint Lucia. Famously borne by Derek Jeter.

The story

Derek is Theodoric worn down by Low German and Dutch tongues, ruler of the people underneath, and it owns one of the great generational curves in our records: about 5,300 in the 1950s, then 19,100, 38,500, and 73,400 in the 1980s, an entire cohort's name. The settle has been just as orderly: 50,900, 27,100, 18,000, and 7,100 so far this decade. The record states this plainly and without drama, because this is what a generational name does: the 1980s Dereks are today's fathers, and their sons are named Jax and Bodhi. All-time it counts about 239,000 boys against 900 girls. A shortstop wore it into Cooperstown's forecourt through the settle years. Names like this do not vanish; they wait two generations and come back as vintage. The ledger is patient.

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Derek's name family

One shared root links 4 names in English.

Shared root: the English branch of Germanic Theodoric "ruler of the people", arriving from the Low Countries in the Middle Ages

The family

DerekEnglish

More branches

DerrickEnglish · variantDereckEnglish · variantDerickEnglish · variant

How popular is Derek around the world?

In the United States, 7,102 babies were named Derek between 2020 and 2025. In Mexico City, there were 174 registrations of Derek in 2022.

Derek is on the official records of the United States, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Chile, Canada, Ireland, South Australia, Spain, Scotland, France, England and Wales, Brazil and Austria.

Derek crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record and of a Spanish-speaking one. The full list: English and Spanish

United States

1 in 3,100

In the United States, 7,102 babies were named Derek between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 1980s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Derek peaked in the 1980s and the 1990s in nearly equal measure. Derek went to 1,885 US babies in 2015 and 1,191 in 2025, 63% of the earlier figure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Mexico City City

1 in 680

In Mexico City, there were 174 registrations of Derek in 2022.

2000peak 20152022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (10 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Argentina

1 in 880

In Argentina, 753 newborns were given the name Derek in 2024.

2012peak 2024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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Puerto Rico

1 in 1,800

In Puerto Rico, 10 babies were named Derek in 2025, and 2,746 have carried the name since 1998.

1998peak 20092025

share of that year’s births on record

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

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Chile

1 in 2,400

In Chile, 75 boys were registered as Derek in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 2020

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

See the full list for Chile →

Canada

1 in 5,500

In Canada, 66 boys named Derek were born in 2024, the 466th most common name among boys that year.

peak 19912024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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Ireland

1 in 6,800

In Ireland, 8 boys named Derek were born in 2025, the 432nd most common name among boys that year.

peak 19702025

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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South Australia

1 in 9,200 · 2017

In South Australia, 2 boys were registered as Derek in 2017.

1944peak 19712017

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

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Spain

1 in 14,000

In Spain, 3,141 residents are named Derek, the 597th most common name among men, with a mean age of 14.8 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Scotland

1 in 15,000

In Scotland, 3 boys named Derek were registered in 2024, the 727th most common name among boys that year.

peak 19762024

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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France

1 in 32,000

In France, about 20 boys named Derek were born in 2025, ranked 1,666th among boys that year.

1950peak 2023

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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England and Wales

1 in 39,000

In England and Wales, 15 boys named Derek were born in 2025, ranked 1,705th among boys that year.

peak 19962025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

See the full list for England and Wales →

Brazil

1 in 67,000

At the 2022 census, 3,045 people in Brazil were named Derek, ranked 3,852nd, with a median age of 6.
Among people named Derek living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.

1980speak 2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 1,058 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Austria

1 in 76,000

In Austria, 1 boy named Derek was born in 2025, ranked 1,842nd among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Montevideo City

last on record 2010

Derek is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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New Zealand

last on record 2004

Derek is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

peak 19302025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

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Poland

last on record 2014

Derek is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

See the full list for Poland →

Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

How the spellings raced

Across these spellings, Derek led in the group’s busiest decade, the 1980s. So far in the 2020s, Derek leads.

How the spellings racedUS births by decade for Derek, Derrick, Dereck, DerickDerek: 0, 0, 0, 12, 155, 533, 5257, 19089, 38512, 73381, 50878, 27061, 17989, 7102Derrick: 0, 0, 11, 12, 57, 333, 6209, 21382, 33212, 36668, 24059, 13556, 8559, 2286Dereck: 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 5, 196, 539, 779, 1551, 1146, 1165, 1361, 1554Derick: 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 29, 369, 1621, 3267, 4985, 3864, 2922, 1960, 7931890s2020s
Derek 7,102Derrick 2,286Dereck 1,554Derick 793

Decade totals from US Social Security birth registrations. Every line uses the same scale. The 2020s covers 2020–2025.

When you meet Derek

Most people given the name Derek in the United States were born between 1970 and 1999. The Derek you meet today is most often in his 30s or 40s.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Derek

Gerardo Armando Guillermo Orlando Enrique Lance

Keep exploring

Chinese American baby names · Names of poets and writers · Names of sports stars · Climbers and fallers

The Derek deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Derek truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Derek fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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