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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201994peak #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
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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 1994

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #68 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 251 boysAKMaine: #48 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 156 boysMEVermont: #68 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 218 boysVTNew Hampshire: #53 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 192 boysNHWashington: #58 for boys · 134 births · 1 in 252 boysWAIdaho: #69 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 249 boysIDMontana: #58 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 203 boysMTNorth Dakota: #49 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 158 boysNDMinnesota: #41 for boys · 182 births · 1 in 160 boysMNIllinois: #82 for boys · 215 births · 1 in 393 boysILWisconsin: #46 for boys · 143 births · 1 in 211 boysWIMichigan: #56 for boys · 262 births · 1 in 238 boysMINew York: #92 for boys · 227 births · 1 in 554 boysNYMassachusetts: #49 for boys · 209 births · 1 in 185 boysMARhode Island: #60 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 205 boysRIOregon: #74 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 314 boysORNevada: #104 for boys · 24 births · 1 in 399 boysNVWyoming: #67 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 208 boysWYSouth Dakota: #48 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 169 boysSDIowa: #60 for boys · 78 births · 1 in 217 boysIAIndiana: #71 for boys · 134 births · 1 in 281 boysINOhio: #58 for boys · 309 births · 1 in 238 boysOHPennsylvania: #59 for boys · 284 births · 1 in 258 boysPANew Jersey: #97 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 574 boysNJConnecticut: #97 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 494 boysCTCalifornia: #112 for boys · 559 births · 1 in 477 boysCAUtah: #74 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 260 boysUTColorado: #66 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 261 boysCONebraska: #45 for boys · 64 births · 1 in 156 boysNEMissouri: #66 for boys · 137 births · 1 in 253 boysMOKentucky: #79 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 350 boysKYWest Virginia: #57 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 205 boysWVVirginia: #82 for boys · 100 births · 1 in 410 boysVAMaryland: #90 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 449 boysMDDelaware: #61 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 260 boysDEArizona: #84 for boys · 94 births · 1 in 340 boysAZNew Mexico: #80 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 310 boysNMKansas: #48 for boys · 82 births · 1 in 189 boysKSArkansas: #78 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 347 boysARTennessee: #85 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 393 boysTNNorth Carolina: #95 for boys · 87 births · 1 in 514 boysNCSouth Carolina: #133 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 713 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #86 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 350 boysDCOklahoma: #64 for boys · 76 births · 1 in 254 boysOKLouisiana: #84 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 401 boysLAMississippi: #102 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 474 boysMSAlabama: #129 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 662 boysALGeorgia: #153 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 829 boysGAHawaii: #91 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 375 boysHITexas: #127 for boys · 272 births · 1 in 563 boysTXFlorida: #87 for boys · 194 births · 1 in 440 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Minnesota#41 · 1 in 160
  2. Nebraska#45 · 1 in 156
  3. Wisconsin#46 · 1 in 211
  4. Maine#48 · 1 in 156
  5. South Dakota#48 · 1 in 169

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Minnesota#411821 in 160
Nebraska#45641 in 156
Wisconsin#461431 in 211
Kansas#48821 in 189
Maine#48401 in 156
South Dakota#48261 in 169
Massachusetts#492091 in 185
North Dakota#49251 in 158
New Hampshire#53341 in 192
Michigan#562621 in 238
West Virginia#57481 in 205
Montana#58211 in 203
Ohio#583091 in 238
Washington#581341 in 252
Pennsylvania#592841 in 258
Iowa#60781 in 217
Rhode Island#60291 in 205
Delaware#61161 in 260
Oklahoma#64761 in 254
Colorado#66931 in 261
Missouri#661371 in 253
Wyoming#67101 in 208
Alaska#68151 in 251
Vermont#68131 in 218
Idaho#69281 in 249
Indiana#711341 in 281
Oregon#74611 in 314
Utah#74671 in 260
Arkansas#78401 in 347
Kentucky#79671 in 350
New Mexico#80361 in 310
Illinois#822151 in 393
Virginia#821001 in 410
Arizona#84941 in 340
Louisiana#84701 in 401
Tennessee#85881 in 393
District of Columbia#86181 in 350
Florida#871941 in 440
Maryland#90671 in 449
Hawaii#91171 in 375
New York#922271 in 554
North Carolina#95871 in 514
Connecticut#97401 in 494
New Jersey#97881 in 574
Mississippi#102331 in 474
Nevada#104241 in 399
California#1125591 in 477
Texas#1272721 in 563
Alabama#129381 in 662
South Carolina#133291 in 713
Georgia#153581 in 829

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 1994

girls
#5,984
15 births · 1 in 119,050 girls
boys
#77
5,081 births · 1 in 380 boys

Top girls' names in 1994

  1. #1Jessica32,122
  2. #2Ashley30,281
  3. #3Emily24,154
  4. #4Samantha22,824
  5. #5Sarah22,299
  6. #6Taylor20,734
  7. #7Brittany18,900
  8. #8Amanda18,718
  9. #9Elizabeth16,786
  10. #10Megan16,580
  11. #5,984Derek15

Top boys' names in 1994

  1. #1Michael44,477
  2. #2Christopher34,807
  3. #3Matthew33,654
  4. #4Joshua31,374
  5. #5Tyler30,482
  6. #6Brandon29,492
  7. #7Jacob29,417
  8. #8Daniel28,065
  9. #9Nicholas27,770
  10. #10Andrew26,019
  11. #77Derek5,081
More about 1994

girls

1,785,753 girls got a published name in 1994; 1 in 119,050 of them was named Derek, which outranked 62.0% of the 15,759 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 12.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Derek
  1. #5,713Yudith16
  2. #5,713Zandria16
  3. #5,713Zelda16
  4. #5,984Derek15
  5. #5,984Aaliah15
  6. #5,984Aaliyha15
  7. #5,984Abeer15
  8. #6,319Abegail14
  9. #6,319Adaline14
  10. #6,319Adelia14

Tied with 334 names at #5,984; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1993
Risers
  1. ↑ 4,523Nohely#5,419 → #896
  2. ↑ 4,322Aaliyah#4,524 → #202
  3. ↑ 2,306Zana#3,108 → #802
  4. ↑ 1,711Aliyah#2,068 → #357
  5. ↑ 1,430Zhane#2,012 → #582
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,015Coraima#875 → #1,890
  2. ↓ 799Kalene#929 → #1,728
  3. ↓ 656Deyanira#938 → #1,594
  4. ↓ 577Crysta#968 → #1,545
  5. ↓ 562Hilary#647 → #1,209

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

boys

1,932,031 boys got a published name in 1994; 1 in 380 of them was named Derek, which outranked 99.2% of the 10,245 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Derek
  1. #74Ian5,267
  2. #75Marcus5,258
  3. #76Gregory5,137
  4. #77Derek5,081
  5. #78Nathaniel5,029
  6. #79Jesus4,916
  7. #80Scott4,915
Biggest movers since 1993
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,574Tyrin#2,509 → #935
  2. ↑ 714River#1,638 → #924
  3. ↑ 472Bryton#1,460 → #988
  4. ↑ 463Kahlil#1,444 → #981
  5. ↑ 446Jayden#1,295 → #849
Fallers
  1. ↓ 551Garth#965 → #1,516
  2. ↓ 364Jordy#828 → #1,192
  3. ↓ 342Montel#889 → #1,231
  4. ↓ 289Darrel#889 → #1,178
  5. ↓ 245Deante#859 → #1,104

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

See the top 100 for 1994 →