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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201975peak #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 1975

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Derek, so not publishedAKMaine: #62 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 298 boysMEVermont: #91 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 450 boysVTNew Hampshire: #45 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 175 boysNHWashington: #79 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 407 boysWAIdaho: #122 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 616 boysIDMontana: #99 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 453 boysMTNorth Dakota: #61 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 238 boysNDMinnesota: #60 for boys · 104 births · 1 in 259 boysMNIllinois: #76 for boys · 188 births · 1 in 416 boysILWisconsin: #74 for boys · 76 births · 1 in 406 boysWIMichigan: #64 for boys · 194 births · 1 in 319 boysMINew York: #76 for boys · 233 births · 1 in 483 boysNYMassachusetts: #45 for boys · 158 births · 1 in 209 boysMARhode Island: #46 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 157 boysRIOregon: #73 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 334 boysORNevada: #51 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 210 boysNVWyoming: #104 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 494 boysWYSouth Dakota: #62 for boys · 19 births · 1 in 249 boysSDIowa: #87 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 467 boysIAIndiana: #75 for boys · 94 births · 1 in 417 boysINOhio: #91 for boys · 131 births · 1 in 585 boysOHPennsylvania: #84 for boys · 132 births · 1 in 543 boysPANew Jersey: #90 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 590 boysNJConnecticut: #72 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 429 boysCTCalifornia: #126 for boys · 248 births · 1 in 613 boysCAUtah: #78 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 380 boysUTColorado: #63 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 301 boysCONebraska: #89 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 467 boysNEMissouri: #75 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 406 boysMOKentucky: #94 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 542 boysKYWest Virginia: #101 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 651 boysWVVirginia: #89 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 497 boysVAMaryland: #83 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 471 boysMDDelaware: #98 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 551 boysDEArizona: #96 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 472 boysAZNew Mexico: #141 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 628 boysNMKansas: #56 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 249 boysKSArkansas: #123 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 647 boysARTennessee: #104 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 579 boysTNNorth Carolina: #115 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 619 boysNCSouth Carolina: #159 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 861 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #80 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 348 boysDCOklahoma: #95 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 434 boysOKLouisiana: #91 for boys · 72 births · 1 in 419 boysLAMississippi: #119 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 553 boysMSAlabama: #102 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 490 boysALGeorgia: #100 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 520 boysGAHawaii: #56 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 242 boysHITexas: #159 for boys · 144 births · 1 in 744 boysTXFlorida: #98 for boys · 89 births · 1 in 539 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. New Hampshire#45 · 1 in 175
  2. Massachusetts#45 · 1 in 209
  3. Rhode Island#46 · 1 in 157
  4. Nevada#51 · 1 in 210
  5. Hawaii#56 · 1 in 242

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Massachusetts#451581 in 209
New Hampshire#45281 in 175
Rhode Island#46311 in 157
Nevada#51161 in 210
Hawaii#56251 in 242
Kansas#56591 in 249
Minnesota#601041 in 259
North Dakota#61201 in 238
Maine#62221 in 298
South Dakota#62191 in 249
Colorado#63621 in 301
Michigan#641941 in 319
Connecticut#72381 in 429
Oregon#73471 in 334
Wisconsin#74761 in 406
Indiana#75941 in 417
Missouri#75811 in 406
Illinois#761881 in 416
New York#762331 in 483
Utah#78381 in 380
Washington#79571 in 407
District of Columbia#80221 in 348
Maryland#83441 in 471
Pennsylvania#841321 in 543
Iowa#87421 in 467
Nebraska#89231 in 467
Virginia#89621 in 497
New Jersey#90701 in 590
Louisiana#91721 in 419
Ohio#911311 in 585
Vermont#9161 in 450
Kentucky#94481 in 542
Oklahoma#95431 in 434
Arizona#96371 in 472
Delaware#9861 in 551
Florida#98891 in 539
Montana#99111 in 453
Georgia#100701 in 520
West Virginia#101201 in 651
Alabama#102521 in 490
Tennessee#104521 in 579
Wyoming#10451 in 494
North Carolina#115591 in 619
Mississippi#119331 in 553
Idaho#122111 in 616
Arkansas#123231 in 647
California#1262481 in 613
New Mexico#141141 in 628
South Carolina#159231 in 861
Texas#1591441 in 744
Alaska———

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 1975

girls
#4,141
15 births · 1 in 97,191 girls
boys
#83
3,186 births · 1 in 490 boys

Top girls' names in 1975

  1. #1Jennifer58,190
  2. #2Amy32,254
  3. #3Heather24,301
  4. #4Melissa24,168
  5. #5Angela23,361
  6. #6Michelle22,665
  7. #7Kimberly20,257
  8. #8Lisa18,139
  9. #9Stephanie15,775
  10. #10Nicole14,275
  11. #4,141Derek15

Top boys' names in 1975

  1. #1Michael68,418
  2. #2Jason52,159
  3. #3Christopher46,575
  4. #4James39,569
  5. #5David39,156
  6. #6Robert35,306
  7. #7John35,079
  8. #8Brian30,578
  9. #9Matthew28,527
  10. #10William25,561
  11. #83Derek3,186
More about 1975

girls

1,457,861 girls got a published name in 1975; 1 in 97,191 of them was named Derek, which outranked 61.0% of the 10,618 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Derek
  1. #3,950Yara16
  2. #3,950Yashika16
  3. #3,950Yazmin16
  4. #4,141Derek15
  5. #4,141Adelia15
  6. #4,141Alan15
  7. #4,141Alene15
  8. #4,370Abena14
  9. #4,370Adell14
  10. #4,370Aiysha14

Tied with 228 names at #4,141; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1974
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,732Pepper#2,683 → #951
  2. ↑ 1,666Mandie#2,396 → #730
  3. ↑ 1,140Tiana#1,772 → #632
  4. ↑ 779Lacy#1,486 → #707
  5. ↑ 719Lacey#1,284 → #565
Fallers
  1. ↓ 447Nia#672 → #1,119
  2. ↓ 429Alethea#716 → #1,145
  3. ↓ 404Cicely#608 → #1,012
  4. ↓ 307Elaina#994 → #1,301
  5. ↓ 303Cristin#938 → #1,241

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

boys

1,561,357 boys got a published name in 1975; 1 in 490 of them was named Derek, which outranked 98.7% of the 6,337 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 25.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Derek
  1. #80Tony3,322
  2. #81Nicholas3,319
  3. #82Russell3,232
  4. #83Derek3,186
  5. #84Billy3,113
  6. #85Philip3,011
  7. #86Johnny2,969
Biggest movers since 1974
Risers
  1. ↑ 722Benjiman#1,692 → #970
  2. ↑ 702Marques#1,520 → #818
  3. ↑ 645Glendon#1,409 → #764
  4. ↑ 502Benji#1,124 → #622
  5. ↑ 471Regan#1,409 → #938
Fallers
  1. ↓ 905Toma#882 → #1,787
  2. ↓ 830Vashon#923 → #1,753
  3. ↓ 352Bruno#993 → #1,345
  4. ↓ 327Hollis#953 → #1,280
  5. ↓ 303Domenico#977 → #1,280

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

See the top 100 for 1975 →