boy's name
Darryl
DA-ril
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 95,771
Northern Ireland
#471
2014 births
Darryl does not mean darling. It is a Norman place name from Airelle in Calvados, and the beloved reading comes from English speakers hearing dear in the first syllable, which was never there. It holds 94,999 lifetime births in our records.
- Darryl is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1961, when 5,178 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 48,049 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1913.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Darryl over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 47 |
| 1920s | 124 |
| 1930s | 1,586 |
| 1940s | 5,901 |
| 1950s | 15,315 |
| 1960s | 39,553 |
| 1970s | 8,483 |
| 1980s | 10,465 |
| 1990s | 6,651 |
| 2000s | 2,930 |
| 2010s | 1,794 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 570 |
What Darryl means
Darryl means from Airelle, a place in Normandy. It is a locational byname, so it records where a family came from and says nothing about the person carrying it.
Where Darryl comes from
Darryl descends from the Norman d'Airelle — of Airelle, a place in Calvados — brought to England after the Conquest and recorded as Darell and Dayrell. The darling gloss 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. Given-name use is nineteenth-century American, and the spelling divided across Darryl, Darrell, Darrel and Daryl.
Darryl in use
Darryl peaked in the United States in 1961, when 5,178 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 2117th in the United States on 69 births, across 95,771 lifetime births. Darrell, written up separately, holds substantially more volume across two markets.
How popular is Darryl?
In 2025, Darryl was given to 69 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Darryl 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 Darryl
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Darryl also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Darryl over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Darryl
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.
Darryl 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 Darryl
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Darryl — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Darryl
What does the name Darryl mean?
From Airelle, a place in Normandy — a locational byname.
Does Darryl mean darling?
No. That comes from the English ear finding dear in the first syllable, which was never there.
Which spelling is most common?
Darrell holds the most volume in our data, with Darryl, Darrel and Daryl dividing the rest.
How popular is Darryl?
2117th in the United States, down from a 1961 peak of 5,178 births.
Is Darryl a girl's or a boy's name?
Darryl is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Darryl?
Darryl has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Darryl?
Darryl is usually shortened to Daz.
Is Darryl a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Darryl currently ranks #2,117 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.