Dairl
An uncommon masculine name, potentially of Scottish origin.
Name Census estimates that about 27 living Americans carry the first name Dairl. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dairl today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dairl births was 1943 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dairl. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Dairl is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dairls were born before 1958.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dairl. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
27
~ 1 in 12,694,605 Americans
Peak year
1943
7 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1954 SSA rank
#3,525
Tracked since 1934
Popularity
Dairl: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dairl from the 1930s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 24 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Dairl remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dairl by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dairl during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dairl
The name Dairl originates from an ancient Germanic word "dair," which means "deer." This word likely stemmed from the Proto-Indo-European root "*dher," meaning "to leap or run." The name was initially used in various Germanic tribes during the early medieval period, particularly among the Franks and Saxons.
In the 5th century, the name Dairl was mentioned in the Lex Salica, an ancient legal code compiled for the Salian Franks. The text referenced a Frankish warrior named Dairl, who was renowned for his agility and swiftness in battle, aptly reflecting the name's association with deer.
During the 8th century, the name gained popularity among the Anglo-Saxons in England. One of the earliest recorded examples is Dairl of Mercia, a nobleman who played a pivotal role in the unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms under King Egbert of Wessex in 829 AD.
In the 11th century, the name Dairl was documented in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentioned a landowner named Dairl of Hastings, who held significant properties in Sussex.
Notable historical figures with the name Dairl include:
1. Dairl the Fearless (c. 820-890), a Frankish warrior and chieftain who led his tribe in battles against the Vikings and Magyars.
2. Dairl of Gloucester (c. 1050-1120), an English nobleman and one of the barons who supported William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest.
3. Dairl the Scribe (c. 1200-1270), a renowned monk and calligrapher from Lindisfarne Priory, known for his exquisite illuminated manuscripts.
4. Dairl Hawkwood (c. 1320-1394), an English mercenary and condottiero who commanded the White Company, one of the most formidable mercenary armies in medieval Italy.
5. Dairl of Burgundy (c. 1450-1521), a French nobleman and military commander who distinguished himself during the Italian Wars under King Louis XII.
While the name Dairl fell out of widespread use after the Renaissance period, it remains a unique and historically significant name with deep roots in ancient Germanic and Anglo-Saxon cultures, reflecting the agility and strength associated with deer.
People
Dairl + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dairl as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dairl: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dairl?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 27 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dairl going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 12,694,605 US residents.
Is Dairl a common name?
We classify Dairl as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 50 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dairl most popular?
The single biggest year for Dairl was 1943, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dairl is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dairl in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dairl a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dairl in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dairl still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dairl in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dairl can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Dairl as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.