Derek

Last seen for girls in 2011 at #16,764 · #284 for boys in 2025, 1,191 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1980 · 7,240 births
Debut · boys
6 births
In top 100 · boys
26 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
239,060
since 1924

Derek over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201968peak #50, 1980boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#2841,191
2024—#2581,357
2023—#2731,240
2022—#2971,156
2021—#3021,095
2020—#3091,063
2019—#3041,115
2018—#2561,409
2017—#2391,546
2016—#2261,716
2015—#2111,885
2014—#2051,881
2013—#2051,875
2012—#1822,116
2011#16,7645#1812,142
2010#14,9596#1702,293
2009—#1682,309
2008—#1592,488
2007—#1422,854
2006—#1592,647
2005#10,12810#1722,420
2004#16,0995#1572,545
2003#12,4087#1492,754
2002—#1392,787
2001#13,5216#1323,007
2000#10,7458#1213,214
1999—#1133,190
1998#8,58410#1103,410
1997#9,0179#1063,672
1996#7,57411#1013,920
1995#6,64113#834,452
1994#5,98415#775,081
1993#7,49811#675,762
1992#5,48417#626,293
1991#5,18118#596,893
1990#5,06018#548,083
1989#2,93137#548,365
1988#2,09355#538,073
1987#1,96257#548,253
1986#2,72435#576,900
1985#2,39841#566,661
1984#2,34041#526,972
1983#1,99351#516,986
1982#2,25044#506,992
1981#2,34242#536,481
1980#1,93655#507,240
1979#3,14726#724,200
1978#3,51221#753,800
1977#3,36622#843,441
1976#3,54019#843,168
1975#4,14115#833,186
1974#3,21221#743,636
1973#3,23320#693,919
1972#3,54317#674,146
1971#2,73626#634,667
1970#3,87215#774,147
1969#4,19812#1092,925
1968#4,00012#1222,460
1967#4,6259#1232,447
1966#5,8096#1412,111
1965#4,8318#1671,801
1964#6,0096#1721,589
1963#4,8968#1771,636
1962#5,2937#1881,600
1961—#2051,405
1960—#2471,047
1959#5,0317#254984
1958—#256917
1957—#283677
1956#5,9525#299614
1955—#330501
1954—#363393
1953—#373338
1952—#364341
1951—#408278
1950—#471202
1949—#641113
1948—#86263
1947—#88961
1946—#98047
1945—#99541
1944—#94946
1943—#71481
1942—#1,22832
1941—#1,63318
1940—#1,20831
1939—#1,39023
1938—#1,52120
1937—#2,4799
1936—#1,20530
1935—#2,24611
1934—#2,39310
1933—#2,21411
1932—#2,19112
1931—#1,84316
1930—#2,17813
1929—#3,5596
1928——
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1926——
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1924—#3,8676
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First appearance
1924

The first year at least five boys were named Derek! It came in at #3,867, and was given to 6 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1925–1928, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

Where Derek is popular in 1968

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Derek, so not publishedAKMaine: #136 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 964 boysMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Derek, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: #103 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 759 boysNHWashington: #85 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 391 boysWAIdaho: #129 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 595 boysIDMontana: #165 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 830 boysMTNorth Dakota: #123 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 616 boysNDMinnesota: #142 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 1,066 boysMNIllinois: #123 for boys · 129 births · 1 in 708 boysILWisconsin: #141 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 1,144 boysWIMichigan: #99 for boys · 122 births · 1 in 625 boysMINew York: #120 for boys · 180 births · 1 in 821 boysNYMassachusetts: #86 for boys · 64 births · 1 in 712 boysMARhode Island: #75 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 547 boysRIOregon: #59 for boys · 54 births · 1 in 277 boysORNevada: #87 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 373 boysNVWyoming: #85 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 366 boysWYSouth Dakota: #131 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 605 boysSDIowa: #145 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 1,025 boysIAIndiana: #126 for boys · 54 births · 1 in 813 boysINOhio: #144 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 1,026 boysOHPennsylvania: #129 for boys · 89 births · 1 in 1,018 boysPANew Jersey: #110 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 786 boysNJConnecticut: #124 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 976 boysCTCalifornia: #80 for boys · 372 births · 1 in 449 boysCAUtah: #75 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 290 boysUTColorado: #103 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 509 boysCONebraska: #129 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 852 boysNEMissouri: #126 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 761 boysMOKentucky: #139 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 904 boysKYWest Virginia: #229 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 2,289 boysWVVirginia: #126 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 759 boysVAMaryland: #127 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 792 boysMDDelaware: #102 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 604 boysDEArizona: #143 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 689 boysAZNew Mexico: #260 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 1,467 boysNMKansas: #98 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 469 boysKSArkansas: #158 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 829 boysARTennessee: #139 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 795 boysTNNorth Carolina: #118 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 639 boysNCSouth Carolina: #176 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 1,065 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #65 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 320 boysDCOklahoma: #120 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 654 boysOKLouisiana: #99 for boys · 80 births · 1 in 430 boysLAMississippi: #173 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 876 boysMSAlabama: #119 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 630 boysALGeorgia: #133 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 706 boysGAHawaii: #51 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 202 boysHITexas: #165 for boys · 129 births · 1 in 794 boysTXFlorida: #108 for boys · 90 births · 1 in 527 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Hawaii#51 · 1 in 202
  2. Oregon#59 · 1 in 277
  3. District of Columbia#65 · 1 in 320
  4. Utah#75 · 1 in 290
  5. Rhode Island#75 · 1 in 547

Best ever in a state: #22 in South Dakota, 1987.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Hawaii#51291 in 202
Oregon#59541 in 277
District of Columbia#65371 in 320
Rhode Island#75131 in 547
Utah#75361 in 290
California#803721 in 449
Washington#85681 in 391
Wyoming#8561 in 366
Massachusetts#86641 in 712
Nevada#8791 in 373
Kansas#98331 in 469
Louisiana#99801 in 430
Michigan#991221 in 625
Delaware#10271 in 604
Colorado#103351 in 509
New Hampshire#10371 in 759
Florida#108901 in 527
New Jersey#110671 in 786
North Carolina#118681 in 639
Alabama#119461 in 630
New York#1201801 in 821
Oklahoma#120281 in 654
Illinois#1231291 in 708
North Dakota#12381 in 616
Connecticut#124231 in 976
Indiana#126541 in 813
Missouri#126481 in 761
Virginia#126481 in 759
Maryland#127351 in 792
Idaho#12991 in 595
Nebraska#129131 in 852
Pennsylvania#129891 in 1,018
South Dakota#13181 in 605
Georgia#133581 in 706
Maine#13681 in 964
Kentucky#139301 in 904
Tennessee#139411 in 795
Wisconsin#141311 in 1,144
Minnesota#142291 in 1,066
Arizona#143211 in 689
Ohio#144881 in 1,026
Iowa#145221 in 1,025
Arkansas#158181 in 829
Montana#16561 in 830
Texas#1651291 in 794
Mississippi#173231 in 876
South Carolina#176211 in 1,065
West Virginia#22961 in 2,289
New Mexico#26061 in 1,467
Alaska———
Vermont———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Derek
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 26 spots since 2024 (#258 → #284)
  • 25 spots since 2020 (#309 → #284)
  • 73 spots since 2015 (#211 → #284)
  • Biggest jump: 514 spots in 1943 (#1,228 → #714)
  • Biggest drop: 235 spots in 1944 (#714 → #949)
Rise & fade · boys
56 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1924
  • Peaked 1980 at #50 (7,240 births)
  • Births halved by 1998, 18 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 26 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 26 yrs · run 1970–1995
  • Top 1,000: 83 yrs · run 1943–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 226
  • Highest: 1 in 226 boys born in 1987 were named Derek (0.44%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,434 boys born in 2025 (0.07%)
  • Its best rank, #50 in 1980, was only 1 in 246 (0.41%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1980s
  • 30.5% of all boys named Derek (72,923) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1920s12#3,559 (1929)#3,713
1930s155#1,205 (1936)#1,966
1940s533#641 (1949)#1,010
1950s5,245#254 (1959)#340
1960s19,021#109 (1969)#165
1970s38,310#63 (1971)#75
1980s72,923#50 (1980)#53
1990s50,756#54 (1990)#83
2000s27,025#121 (2000)#150
2010s17,978#170 (2010)#218
2020s7,102#258 (2024)#287

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Derek in 1968

girls
#4,000
12 births · 1 in 136,699 girls
boys
#122
2,460 births · 1 in 706 boys

Top girls' names in 1968

  1. #1Lisa49,534
  2. #2Michelle33,223
  3. #3Kimberly31,906
  4. #4Jennifer26,853
  5. #5Melissa21,733
  6. #6Mary21,727
  7. #7Angela20,670
  8. #8Tammy20,058
  9. #9Karen19,560
  10. #10Susan19,503
  11. #4,000Derek12

Top boys' names in 1968

  1. #1Michael81,968
  2. #2David63,679
  3. #3John60,903
  4. #4James60,665
  5. #5Robert58,174
  6. #6William36,927
  7. #7Mark35,401
  8. #8Richard32,976
  9. #9Christopher31,468
  10. #10Brian29,922
  11. #122Derek2,460
More about 1968

girls

1,640,389 girls got a published name in 1968; 1 in 136,699 of them was named Derek, which outranked 51.2% of the 8,198 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Derek
  1. #3,789Yesenia13
  2. #3,789Ylonda13
  3. #3,789Yvetta13
  4. #4,000Derek12
  5. #4,000Abra12
  6. #4,000Aime12
  7. #4,000Albertine12
  8. #4,222Adelle11
  9. #4,222Adora11
  10. #4,222Alayne11

Tied with 221 names at #4,000; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1967
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,132Coretta#3,656 → #524
  2. ↑ 1,257Tamika#1,980 → #723
  3. ↑ 1,150Tamiko#1,702 → #552
  4. ↑ 607Chantel#1,348 → #741
  5. ↑ 490Chantal#1,441 → #951
Fallers
  1. ↓ 602Wende#857 → #1,459
  2. ↓ 545Zina#959 → #1,504
  3. ↓ 341Evonne#970 → #1,311
  4. ↓ 294Portia#902 → #1,196
  5. ↓ 285Mariann#973 → #1,258

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,737,974 boys got a published name in 1968; 1 in 706 of them was named Derek, which outranked 97.4% of the 4,746 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Derek
  1. #119Adam2,540
  2. #120Shane2,513
  3. #121Carlos2,497
  4. #122Derek2,460
  5. #123Kurt2,454
  6. #124Tommy2,369
  7. #125Erik2,368
Biggest movers since 1967
Risers
  1. ↑ 649Dustin#1,018 → #369
  2. ↑ 567Damion#1,411 → #844
  3. ↑ 490Korey#1,388 → #898
  4. ↑ 434Darby#1,364 → #930
  5. ↑ 393Jamal#1,181 → #788
Fallers
  1. ↓ 926Illya#968 → #1,894
  2. ↓ 357Maury#925 → #1,282
  3. ↓ 298Cedrick#885 → #1,183
  4. ↓ 290Dell#875 → #1,165
  5. ↓ 257Faron#843 → #1,100

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1968 →