Del

Where Del comes from

The dictionaries list Del as a given name — a diminutive of the male given name Derek — but don't trace where it came from. The record below is what the SSA data shows.

Along the way
  1. 1909
    First appearance
    #1,440 among boys, 5 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1923
    Mostly boys from here
    Until now more girls than boys got the name; from this year it's the other way round, and has stayed that way.
  3. 1934
    Del Close born
    actor, writer, teacher
  4. 1937
    Del Harris born
    American basketball coach
  5. 1958
    Peak, #644
    143 babies named Del — more than any year before or since.
  6. 1971
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #1,043.
In the dictionary
  • A diminutive of the male given name Derek.
Namesakes
  • Del Harris · American basketball coach, born 1937
  • Del Close · actor, writer, teacher, 1934–1999
  • Del the Funky Homosapien · American rapper, born 1972
  • Del Reeves · American singer, 1932–2007
  • Del Monroe · American actor, 1932–2009

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.