# Derek (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/derek/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɛɹɪk/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Del |
| Variant spellings | Derick, Derrick, Deryck, Deric, Dereck, Derique, Darek, Darrick, Darick, Darriq, Deriq, Derreck, Derrek, Derrik |
| US babies named this | 239,969 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 239,060 / 909 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 582, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed in the Middle Ages from a Middle Low German variant of Theodoric, and revived in the 19th century.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 18 | 5,236 |
| 1992 | 17 | 5,545 |
| 1993 | 11 | 7,642 |
| 1994 | 15 | 6,069 |
| 1995 | 13 | 6,746 |
| 1996 | 11 | 7,728 |
| 1997 | 9 | 9,228 |
| 1998 | 10 | 8,765 |
| 2000 | 8 | 11,005 |
| 2001 | 6 | 13,997 |
| 2003 | 7 | 12,759 |
| 2004 | 5 | 16,812 |
| 2005 | 10 | 10,333 |
| 2010 | 6 | 15,476 |
| 2011 | 5 | 17,483 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,142 | 181 |
| 2012 | 2,116 | 182 |
| 2013 | 1,875 | 205 |
| 2014 | 1,881 | 205 |
| 2015 | 1,885 | 211 |
| 2016 | 1,716 | 226 |
| 2017 | 1,546 | 239 |
| 2018 | 1,409 | 256 |
| 2019 | 1,115 | 305 |
| 2020 | 1,063 | 309 |
| 2021 | 1,095 | 302 |
| 2022 | 1,156 | 297 |
| 2023 | 1,240 | 273 |
| 2024 | 1,357 | 258 |
| 2025 | 1,191 | 284 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 22 | 1,158 |
| 2012 | 25 | 1,086 |
| 2013 | 17 | 1,404 |
| 2014 | 23 | 1,144 |
| 2015 | 15 | 1,586 |
| 2016 | 16 | 1,570 |
| 2017 | 22 | 1,210 |
| 2018 | 16 | 1,533 |
| 2019 | 14 | 1,655 |
| 2020 | 14 | 1,635 |
| 2021 | 19 | 1,329 |
| 2022 | 23 | 1,179 |
| 2023 | 18 | 1,407 |
| 2024 | 26 | 1,108 |
| 2025 | 15 | 1,705 |

## In other languages

- Catalan: Teodoric
- Chinese: 德里克, 德瑞克
- Czech: Dětřich
- Dutch: Diederik, Diedrich, Dirk
- Esperanto: Teodoriko
- Estonian: Tiidrik, Tiit
- Finnish: Tiiri, Didrik
- French: Thierry
- German: Dietrich, Dirk
- Greek: Θεοδώριχος, Ντέρεκ
- Hungarian: Detre
- Icelandic: Diðrik, Þiðrik
- Italian: Teodorico
- Japanese: デレク
- Latin: Theodoricus
- Latvian: Didzis
- Norwegian: Didrik
- Polish: Teodoryk
- Portuguese: Teodorico
- Romanian: Teodoric

## People named Derek

- Derek Barton, English organic chemist (1918–1998)
- Derek Jacobi, English actor (born 1938)
- Derek Jeter, American former professional baseball player, author, bussinessman and baseball broadcaste
- Derek Parfit, British philosopher (1942–2017)
- Derek Chauvin, European American former police officer who murdered George Floyd
- Derek Jarman, British film director and artist (1942-1994)
- Derek Luke, American actor
- Derek Drouin, Canadian high jumper
- Derek Cornelius, Canadian soccer player
- Derek Fisher, American basketball player and coach
- Derek Warwick, British racecar driver
- Derek Sherinian, American keyboardist (born 1966)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.