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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201969peak #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——
1925——
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 1969

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Derek, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 boys named Derek, so not publishedMEVermont: #79 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 409 boysVTNew Hampshire: #110 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 807 boysNHWashington: #65 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 313 boysWAIdaho: #116 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 504 boysIDMontana: #111 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 496 boysMTNorth Dakota: #129 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 714 boysNDMinnesota: #126 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 874 boysMNIllinois: #108 for boys · 145 births · 1 in 635 boysILWisconsin: #112 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 736 boysWIMichigan: #81 for boys · 156 births · 1 in 501 boysMINew York: #105 for boys · 224 births · 1 in 675 boysNYMassachusetts: #47 for boys · 158 births · 1 in 291 boysMARhode Island: #101 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 812 boysRIOregon: #67 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 297 boysORNevada: #113 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 508 boysNVWyoming: #116 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 460 boysWYSouth Dakota: #123 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 605 boysSDIowa: #112 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 629 boysIAIndiana: #96 for boys · 75 births · 1 in 601 boysINOhio: #143 for boys · 94 births · 1 in 981 boysOHPennsylvania: #135 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 1,029 boysPANew Jersey: #114 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 794 boysNJConnecticut: #98 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 686 boysCTCalifornia: #83 for boys · 380 births · 1 in 457 boysCAUtah: #94 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 409 boysUTColorado: #74 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 350 boysCONebraska: #104 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 574 boysNEMissouri: #110 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 642 boysMOKentucky: #137 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 835 boysKYWest Virginia: #139 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 906 boysWVVirginia: #120 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 696 boysVAMaryland: #113 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 676 boysMDDelaware: #100 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 545 boysDEArizona: #110 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 500 boysAZNew Mexico: #159 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 714 boysNMKansas: #102 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 498 boysKSArkansas: #137 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 663 boysARTennessee: #104 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 577 boysTNNorth Carolina: #96 for boys · 85 births · 1 in 517 boysNCSouth Carolina: #148 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 781 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #66 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 332 boysDCOklahoma: #102 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 472 boysOKLouisiana: #120 for boys · 63 births · 1 in 542 boysLAMississippi: #175 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 909 boysMSAlabama: #112 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 556 boysALGeorgia: #111 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 528 boysGAHawaii: #50 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 183 boysHITexas: #148 for boys · 160 births · 1 in 682 boysTXFlorida: #115 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 571 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Massachusetts#47 · 1 in 291
  2. Hawaii#50 · 1 in 183
  3. Washington#65 · 1 in 313
  4. District of Columbia#66 · 1 in 332
  5. Oregon#67 · 1 in 297

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#471581 in 291
Hawaii#50351 in 183
Washington#65881 in 313
District of Columbia#66361 in 332
Oregon#67531 in 297
Colorado#74531 in 350
Vermont#7981 in 409
Michigan#811561 in 501
California#833801 in 457
Utah#94271 in 409
Indiana#96751 in 601
North Carolina#96851 in 517
Connecticut#98331 in 686
Delaware#10081 in 545
Rhode Island#10191 in 812
Kansas#102331 in 498
Oklahoma#102411 in 472
Nebraska#104201 in 574
Tennessee#104591 in 577
New York#1052241 in 675
Illinois#1081451 in 635
Arizona#110311 in 500
Missouri#110601 in 642
New Hampshire#11071 in 807
Georgia#111811 in 528
Montana#111101 in 496
Alabama#112531 in 556
Iowa#112361 in 629
Wisconsin#112481 in 736
Maryland#113421 in 676
Nevada#11371 in 508
New Jersey#114681 in 794
Florida#115881 in 571
Idaho#116111 in 504
Wyoming#11651 in 460
Louisiana#120631 in 542
Virginia#120531 in 696
South Dakota#12381 in 605
Minnesota#126361 in 874
North Dakota#12971 in 714
Pennsylvania#135881 in 1,029
Arkansas#137231 in 663
Kentucky#137331 in 835
West Virginia#139151 in 906
Ohio#143941 in 981
South Carolina#148291 in 781
Texas#1481601 in 682
New Mexico#159131 in 714
Mississippi#175231 in 909
Alaska———
Maine———

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 1969

girls
#4,198
12 births · 1 in 140,585 girls
boys
#109
2,925 births · 1 in 611 boys

Top girls' names in 1969

  1. #1Lisa45,028
  2. #2Michelle34,319
  3. #3Jennifer33,705
  4. #4Kimberly33,077
  5. #5Melissa23,018
  6. #6Amy21,464
  7. #7Angela21,060
  8. #8Mary19,850
  9. #9Tammy19,053
  10. #10Laura17,922
  11. #4,198Derek12

Top boys' names in 1969

  1. #1Michael85,162
  2. #2David63,672
  3. #3James59,886
  4. #4John58,732
  5. #5Robert58,300
  6. #6William37,607
  7. #7Christopher35,672
  8. #8Mark33,388
  9. #9Brian31,669
  10. #10Richard31,085
  11. #109Derek2,925
More about 1969

girls

1,687,016 girls got a published name in 1969; 1 in 140,585 of them was named Derek, which outranked 51.8% of the 8,708 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Derek
  1. #3,958Yadira13
  2. #3,958Yasmine13
  3. #3,958Ylonda13
  4. #4,198Derek12
  5. #4,198Alayna12
  6. #4,198Albertha12
  7. #4,198Allyn12
  8. #4,418Adelle11
  9. #4,418Adraine11
  10. #4,418Adrien11

Tied with 219 names at #4,198; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1968
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,462Shani#2,126 → #664
  2. ↑ 1,203Julissa#2,164 → #961
  3. ↑ 1,133Chelsea#1,834 → #701
  4. ↑ 667Latasha#1,519 → #852
  5. ↑ 549Britt#1,519 → #970
Fallers
  1. ↓ 455Tamiko#552 → #1,007
  2. ↓ 345Alesia#697 → #1,042
  3. ↓ 324Vickey#966 → #1,290
  4. ↓ 308Bettina#746 → #1,054
  5. ↓ 293Cammie#846 → #1,139

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

boys

1,788,174 boys got a published name in 1969; 1 in 611 of them was named Derek, which outranked 97.8% of the 5,043 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 27.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Derek
  1. #106Jeff2,973
  2. #107Derrick2,936
  3. #108Albert2,934
  4. #109Derek2,925
  5. #110Carlos2,891
  6. #111Allen2,885
  7. #112Mike2,870
Biggest movers since 1968
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,735Dedric#2,735 → #1,000
  2. ↑ 780Jameson#1,731 → #951
  3. ↑ 589Torrey#1,393 → #804
  4. ↑ 549Jamison#1,258 → #709
  5. ↑ 534Jemal#1,083 → #549
Fallers
  1. ↓ 449Artis#877 → #1,326
  2. ↓ 410Kennedy#986 → #1,396
  3. ↓ 408Alfie#968 → #1,376
  4. ↓ 360Micky#861 → #1,221
  5. ↓ 356Montgomery#946 → #1,302

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

See the top 100 for 1969 →