boy's name
Derek
DERR-ik
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 264,037
the United States
#284
2025 births
Derek is a boy's name from the Germanic Theodoric, meaning ruler of the people — and it is the same name as Terry and Thierry, three forms of one original that no longer resemble each other.
- Derek is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1989, when 8,402 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,784 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1924.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Derek over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1920s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 12 |
| 1930s | 155 |
| 1940s | 533 |
| 1950s | 5,257 |
| 1960s | 19,089 |
| 1970s | 38,512 |
| 1980s | 73,381 |
| 1990s | 50,878 |
| 2000s | 27,061 |
| 2010s | 17,989 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,102 |
What Derek means
Derek means ruler of the people. The Germanic joins a word for a people or tribe to one meaning ruler, so the name describes authority over a nation rather than over territory.
Where Derek comes from
Derek comes from the Low German Diederik, a form of Theodoric — theud, a people, joined to ric, ruler. Flemish weavers brought it to England in the fifteenth century, which is why it arrived so much later than most Germanic names and why its English life is comparatively short. The same original produced the French Thierry, the Norman-derived surname Terry, the Dutch Dirk and the German Dietrich, so four of the names on this site trace to one Gothic king. Theodoric the Great ruled Italy from 493 and had Boethius executed, which is why The Consolation of Philosophy was written in a cell.
Derek in use
Derek peaked in the United States in 1989, when 8,402 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 284th in the United States on 1,191 births, 445th in Ireland, 776th in Scotland, 1592nd in France and 1736th in England and Wales, across 264,037 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it only from 1924, so its measured life is entirely modern.
How popular is Derek?
In 2025, Derek was given to 1,191 babies in the United States, ranking #284 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Derek 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.
How Derek is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Dérek | Dérek is a rare spelling of Derek, written with an acute accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Derek
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Derek also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Derek over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Derek
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.
Derek 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 Derek
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Derek — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Derek
What does the name Derek mean?
Ruler of the people — the Germanic theud, a people, joined to ric, ruler.
Is Derek related to Terry?
Yes — Derek, Terry, Thierry, Dirk and Dietrich all descend from Theodoric.
How did Derek reach England?
With Flemish weavers in the fifteenth century, much later than most Germanic names.
How popular is Derek?
284th in the United States, down from a 1989 peak of 8,402 births.
Is Derek a girl's or a boy's name?
Derek is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Derek?
Derek has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Derek?
Derek is usually shortened to Dez.
Is Derek a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Derek currently ranks #284 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.