Darby first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Darby has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Darby

From an English place name, possibly meaning "deer town".

Popularity of Darby by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Darby is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 81% of people named Darby being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 74 female babies and 20 male babies born with the name Darby.

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 20 74
2022 13 68
2021 22 94
2020 18 82
2019 20 89
2018 31 89
2017 22 123
2016 17 120
2015 27 110
2014 29 106
2013 32 119
2012 40 118
2011 37 136
2010 46 152
2009 23 136
2008 37 161
2007 42 189
2006 37 156
2005 25 197
2004 25 188
2003 46 215
2002 35 235
2001 36 217
2000 40 254
1999 36 298
1998 39 330
1997 36 401
1996 33 431
1995 48 491
1994 35 321
1993 32 126
1992 42 74
1991 32 59
1990 33 68
1989 35 72
1988 31 69
1987 28 51
1986 26 50
1985 27 84
1984 26 64
1983 30 67
1982 25 65
1981 33 95
1980 20 49
1979 36 55
1978 57 55
1977 45 50
1976 55 54
1975 50 43
1974 73 71

The history of the first name Darby

Darby is an English given name with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Norse word "deor" which means "deer" and the Old English word "by" meaning a village or town. The name likely originated as a surname referring to someone who lived near a deer park or was involved in hunting deer.

In its earliest recorded use as a first name, Darby appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of a survey of land ownership and wealth in parts of medieval England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Darby de Isny, a Norman nobleman mentioned in 12th century records.

The name Darby has connections to religious history as well. Saint Darby was a 7th century Irish monk and missionary who helped spread Christianity in parts of modern-day France and Belgium. His feast day is celebrated on April 11th by some Christian denominations.

Notable individuals named Darby throughout history include Darby Field (c.1610-c.1649), an English-born American settler who is credited with leading the first organized migration from Massachusetts to the Connecticut River Valley in 1639. John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) was an influential Anglo-Irish evangelist and one of the founders of the Plymouth Brethren movement.

Other famous bearers of the name include Darby Crash (1958-1980), the American punk rock singer and songwriter whose real name was Jan Paul Beahm. William John Darby (1801-1854) was a British civil engineer who designed and constructed the first major iron bridge in India, now known as the Darby Bridge.

American football player Darby Moore (1965-2022) played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1990s. Darby Stanchfield (born 1971) is an American actress best known for her role as Abby Whelan on the television series Scandal.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Darby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Darby, please contact us.

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"Darby first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 14, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/darby-meaning-and-history/.

"Darby first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/darby-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 14 October, 2024

Darby first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/darby-meaning-and-history/.

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