# Drake (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/drake/  
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 | German |
| Meaning | “male duck”, “dragon.”, “dragon” |
| Pronunciation | /dɹeɪk/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 36,875 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 36,792 / 83 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 341, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

* As an English surname, from both senses of the noun drake meaning "male duck" and "dragon." * As a German surname, from Low German drake (“dragon”), related to the above. * As a Dutch surname, Americanized/West Flemish variant of Draak, also related to the above.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 7 | 10,896 |
| 1995 | 6 | 12,203 |
| 1996 | 6 | 12,283 |
| 1997 | 8 | 10,056 |
| 1998 | 6 | 12,907 |
| 1999 | 6 | 13,146 |
| 2000 | 6 | 13,656 |
| 2001 | 6 | 14,034 |
| 2003 | 7 | 12,790 |
| 2004 | 6 | 14,664 |
| 2005 | 6 | 15,023 |
| 2010 | 8 | 12,615 |
| 2020 | 5 | 15,760 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,607 | 222 |
| 2012 | 1,547 | 230 |
| 2013 | 1,217 | 284 |
| 2014 | 943 | 349 |
| 2015 | 782 | 397 |
| 2016 | 696 | 444 |
| 2017 | 649 | 468 |
| 2018 | 687 | 440 |
| 2019 | 488 | 571 |
| 2020 | 527 | 535 |
| 2021 | 496 | 568 |
| 2022 | 442 | 630 |
| 2023 | 398 | 681 |
| 2024 | 416 | 659 |
| 2025 | 299 | 827 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 36 | 831 |
| 2012 | 49 | 682 |
| 2013 | 35 | 850 |
| 2014 | 33 | 889 |
| 2015 | 24 | 1,121 |
| 2016 | 16 | 1,570 |
| 2017 | 14 | 1,703 |
| 2018 | 12 | 1,875 |
| 2019 | 15 | 1,587 |
| 2020 | 3 | 4,608 |
| 2021 | 10 | 2,125 |
| 2022 | 7 | 2,755 |
| 2023 | 5 | 3,523 |
| 2024 | 4 | 4,270 |
| 2025 | 5 | 3,684 |

## People named Drake

- Drake, Canadian-American rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor (born 1986)
- Drake Bell, American actor (born 1986)
- Drake Callender, American soccer player
- Drake Hogestyn, American actor (1953–2024)
- Drake Batherson, American-born Canadian professional ice hockey player
- Drake Maye, American football player (born 2002)
- Drake Doremus, director; writer
- Drake Younger, American professional wrestler and referee
- Drake Diener, American basketball player (born 1981)
- Drake Powell, American basketball player (born 2005)
- Drake London, American football player (born 2001)
- Max Thieriot, American actor

## 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.