Darryn
A masculine Welsh name meaning "great" or "great force".
Name Census estimates that about 1,668 living Americans carry the first name Darryn. It is a predominantly male name (97.2% of registrations). The average person named Darryn today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darryn births was 1965 (82 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darryn. 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.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 205,488 Americans
Peak year
1965
82 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,202
Tracked since 1958
Gender
Gender distribution for Darryn
Darryn leans heavily male at 97.2% of total registrations, but 49 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Darryn as a male name
- Ranked #11,202 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1965 (82 births)
Darryn as a female name
- Ranked #16,116 in 2019
- 5 female births in 2019
- Peak: 2009 (10 births)
Popularity
Darryn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darryn from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 413 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darryn 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 Darryn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Darryns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. California, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Darryn, while Washington, Ohio, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Darryn
The name Darryn is a variant spelling of the Irish name Darren, which is derived from the Old Irish name Dáire. Dáire is believed to have originated from the word "daire," meaning "oak tree" or "fertile place."
In its earlier form, Dáire was a popular name among the ancient Gaelic tribes of Ireland, particularly in the regions of Ulster and Connacht. The name held significance as a symbol of strength, resilience, and connection to nature.
While the name does not appear directly in ancient Irish texts or religious scriptures, it is believed to have been used by notable figures in early Irish history, such as chieftains and warriors who lived during the time of the Celtic kingdoms.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Darryn can be traced back to the 12th century, when it was mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by the Franciscan scholars of Donegal.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Darryn or its variations. One such person was Darryn Kendrick (1550-1622), an English poet and playwright who was known for his satirical works during the Elizabethan era.
Another famous bearer of the name was Darryn MacLeod (1760-1832), a Scottish Jacobite soldier who fought alongside Bonnie Prince Charlie during the Jacobite uprising of 1745.
In the 19th century, Darryn Moran (1840-1912) was an Irish-American labor activist and politician who advocated for workers' rights and played a significant role in the growth of the labor movement in the United States.
Moving into the 20th century, Darryn Hickey (1919-2001) was an acclaimed Australian novelist and short story writer, known for his vivid depictions of rural life and the Australian outback.
Another notable figure was Darryn Singh (1935-2018), an Indian diplomat and statesman who served as the Ambassador of India to several countries and played a crucial role in shaping India's foreign policy during the latter half of the 20th century.
People
Darryn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darryn 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
Darryn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darryn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,668 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darryn 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 205,488 US residents.
Is Darryn a common name?
We classify Darryn as "Rare". It ranks above 92.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,765 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darryn most popular?
The single biggest year for Darryn was 1965, when 82 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darryn is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Darryn a male name?
Yes, 97.2% of people registered as Darryn 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.
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.