boy's name
Darrell
DA-rel
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 162,024
Northern Ireland
#236
1998 births
Darrell does not mean beloved. It is a Norman place name — from Airelle in Calvados — and the darling reading comes from people hearing dear in the first syllable, which was never there.
- Darrell is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1958, when 4,797 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 34,180 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1886.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Darrell over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 |
| 1890s | 64 |
| 1900s | 125 |
| 1910s | 1,649 |
| 1920s | 5,186 |
| 1930s | 11,229 |
| 1940s | 18,397 |
| 1950s | 37,455 |
| 1960s | 38,283 |
| 1970s | 20,289 |
| 1980s | 13,291 |
| 1990s | 7,587 |
| 2000s | 4,116 |
| 2010s | 2,541 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 735 |
What Darrell means
Darrell means from Airelle, a place in Normandy. It is a locational byname rather than a description, so it says where a family came from and nothing about the person.
Where Darrell comes from
Darrell is a Norman surname from d'Airelle — of Airelle, a place in Calvados — brought to England after the Conquest and recorded as Darell and Dayrell. The beloved or darling gloss that circulates widely is a folk reading produced by the English ear finding dear in the first syllable; the two words have no connection. The Darells held Littlecote in Wiltshire, and the given-name use is nineteenth-century American, part of the same surname fashion that lifted Franklin, Clifford and Vernon.
Darrell in use
Darrell peaked in the United States in 1958, when 4,797 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 1698th in the United States on 97 births, 6488th in England and Wales and 6599th in France, across 162,024 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1886.
How popular is Darrell?
In 2025, Darrell was given to 97 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Darrell is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Darrell
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Darrell also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Darrell over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Darrell
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Darrell in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Darrell
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Darrell — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Darrell
What does the name Darrell mean?
From Airelle, a place in Normandy — a locational byname.
Does Darrell mean beloved?
No. That comes from the English ear finding dear in the first syllable, which was never there.
Is it Darrell, Darryl or Daryl?
All three are used; Darrell is closest to the original surname spelling.
How popular is Darrell?
1698th in the United States, down from a 1958 peak of 4,771 births.
Is Darrell a girl's or a boy's name?
Darrell is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Darrell?
Darrell has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Darrell?
Darrell is usually shortened to Daz.
Is Darrell a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Darrell currently ranks #1,698 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.