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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201973peak #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——
1927——
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 1973

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #78 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 307 boysAKMaine: #51 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 194 boysMEVermont: #44 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 149 boysVTNew Hampshire: #41 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 139 boysNHWashington: #59 for boys · 80 births · 1 in 268 boysWAIdaho: #96 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 457 boysIDMontana: #88 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 360 boysMTNorth Dakota: #76 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 296 boysNDMinnesota: #58 for boys · 113 births · 1 in 226 boysMNIllinois: #68 for boys · 205 births · 1 in 381 boysILWisconsin: #69 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 350 boysWIMichigan: #52 for boys · 281 births · 1 in 234 boysMINew York: #72 for boys · 260 births · 1 in 440 boysNYMassachusetts: #35 for boys · 276 births · 1 in 128 boysMARhode Island: #33 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 122 boysRIOregon: #69 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 333 boysORNevada: #118 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 552 boysNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Derek, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #80 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 338 boysSDIowa: #66 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 308 boysIAIndiana: #66 for boys · 118 births · 1 in 337 boysINOhio: #77 for boys · 157 births · 1 in 491 boysOHPennsylvania: #67 for boys · 178 births · 1 in 416 boysPANew Jersey: #94 for boys · 74 births · 1 in 584 boysNJConnecticut: #64 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 364 boysCTCalifornia: #85 for boys · 333 births · 1 in 433 boysCAUtah: #63 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 283 boysUTColorado: #54 for boys · 73 births · 1 in 248 boysCONebraska: #76 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 400 boysNEMissouri: #69 for boys · 89 births · 1 in 371 boysMOKentucky: #99 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 573 boysKYWest Virginia: #114 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 767 boysWVVirginia: #66 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 359 boysVAMaryland: #73 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 414 boysMDDelaware: #65 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 337 boysDEArizona: #138 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 637 boysAZNew Mexico: #127 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 550 boysNMKansas: #69 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 337 boysKSArkansas: #131 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 653 boysARTennessee: #94 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 467 boysTNNorth Carolina: #91 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 469 boysNCSouth Carolina: #150 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 761 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #61 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 253 boysDCOklahoma: #78 for boys · 54 births · 1 in 336 boysOKLouisiana: #83 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 367 boysLAMississippi: #100 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 452 boysMSAlabama: #105 for boys · 55 births · 1 in 484 boysALGeorgia: #102 for boys · 82 births · 1 in 477 boysGAHawaii: #55 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 217 boysHITexas: #135 for boys · 166 births · 1 in 631 boysTXFlorida: #70 for boys · 136 births · 1 in 364 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Rhode Island#33 · 1 in 122
  2. Massachusetts#35 · 1 in 128
  3. New Hampshire#41 · 1 in 139
  4. Vermont#44 · 1 in 149
  5. Maine#51 · 1 in 194

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Rhode Island#33461 in 122
Massachusetts#352761 in 128
New Hampshire#41351 in 139
Vermont#44181 in 149
Maine#51361 in 194
Michigan#522811 in 234
Colorado#54731 in 248
Hawaii#55271 in 217
Minnesota#581131 in 226
Washington#59801 in 268
District of Columbia#61331 in 253
Utah#63451 in 283
Connecticut#64461 in 364
Delaware#65101 in 337
Indiana#661181 in 337
Iowa#66591 in 308
Virginia#66881 in 359
Pennsylvania#671781 in 416
Illinois#682051 in 381
Kansas#69411 in 337
Missouri#69891 in 371
Oregon#69431 in 333
Wisconsin#69841 in 350
Florida#701361 in 364
New York#722601 in 440
Maryland#73521 in 414
Nebraska#76261 in 400
North Dakota#76151 in 296
Ohio#771571 in 491
Alaska#7881 in 307
Oklahoma#78541 in 336
South Dakota#80131 in 338
Louisiana#83811 in 367
California#853331 in 433
Montana#88131 in 360
North Carolina#91841 in 469
New Jersey#94741 in 584
Tennessee#94671 in 467
Idaho#96131 in 457
Kentucky#99451 in 573
Mississippi#100421 in 452
Georgia#102821 in 477
Alabama#105551 in 484
West Virginia#114171 in 767
Nevada#11861 in 552
New Mexico#127161 in 550
Arkansas#131231 in 653
Texas#1351661 in 631
Arizona#138271 in 637
South Carolina#150281 in 761
Wyoming———

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 1973

girls
#3,233
20 births · 1 in 72,910 girls
boys
#69
3,919 births · 1 in 398 boys

Top girls' names in 1973

  1. #1Jennifer62,448
  2. #2Amy26,962
  3. #3Michelle26,935
  4. #4Kimberly23,531
  5. #5Lisa22,677
  6. #6Melissa22,479
  7. #7Angela20,898
  8. #8Heather19,347
  9. #9Stephanie17,263
  10. #10Rebecca14,868
  11. #3,233Derek20

Top boys' names in 1973

  1. #1Michael67,797
  2. #2Christopher48,313
  3. #3Jason46,683
  4. #4James42,836
  5. #5David41,082
  6. #6John39,165
  7. #7Robert38,698
  8. #8Brian35,686
  9. #9William28,018
  10. #10Matthew24,531
  11. #69Derek3,919
More about 1973

girls

1,458,209 girls got a published name in 1973; 1 in 72,910 of them was named Derek, which outranked 67.0% of the 9,810 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Derek
  1. #3,122Wanita21
  2. #3,122Xiomara21
  3. #3,122Yvonna21
  4. #3,233Derek20
  5. #3,233Abbe20
  6. #3,233Alayna20
  7. #3,233Alejandrina20
  8. #3,342Adrain19
  9. #3,342Albert19
  10. #3,342Aleida19

Tied with 108 names at #3,233; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1972
Risers
  1. ↑ 4,091Cicely#4,793 → #702
  2. ↑ 2,295Aubrey#3,177 → #882
  3. ↑ 1,847Nyree#2,680 → #833
  4. ↑ 1,533Danyell#2,523 → #990
  5. ↑ 1,496Vonetta#2,311 → #815
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,814Camisha#815 → #2,629
  2. ↓ 470Andra#904 → #1,374
  3. ↓ 416Cherilyn#823 → #1,239
  4. ↓ 284Keena#848 → #1,132
  5. ↓ 281Nicolle#734 → #1,015

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

boys

1,558,576 boys got a published name in 1973; 1 in 398 of them was named Derek, which outranked 98.8% of the 5,877 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Derek
  1. #66Samuel4,267
  2. #67Juan4,087
  3. #68Rodney4,059
  4. #69Derek3,919
  5. #70Jamie3,913
  6. #71Phillip3,861
  7. #72Marcus3,714
Biggest movers since 1972
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,348Vashon#3,152 → #804
  2. ↑ 1,405Jory#2,158 → #753
  3. ↑ 348Pernell#1,262 → #914
  4. ↑ 345Enoch#1,307 → #962
  5. ↑ 273Tarik#1,177 → #904
Fallers
  1. ↓ 669Jabbar#917 → #1,586
  2. ↓ 361Wes#993 → #1,354
  3. ↓ 326Paris#797 → #1,123
  4. ↓ 284Christophe#984 → #1,268
  5. ↓ 272Bennett#851 → #1,123

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

See the top 100 for 1973 →