Daryel
Of Persian origin signifying God's beloved or seer of God.
Name Census estimates that about 454 living Americans carry the first name Daryel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Daryel today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Daryel births was 1955 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Daryel. 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
454
~ 1 in 754,966 Americans
Peak year
1955
19 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,156
Tracked since 1926
Census
Daryel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 384 people with the first name Daryel, which placed it at #24,893 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#24,893
National first-name rank
People counted
384
384 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
39.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Daryel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Daryel is White at 39.6%. The next largest groups are Black (33.6%) and Hispanic (22.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Daryel described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Daryel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White39.6% · 152
- Black or African American33.6% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino22.9% · 88
- Two or more races3.4% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Daryel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Daryel from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 123 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Daryel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Daryel 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 Daryel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Daryels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Daryel
The name Daryel is believed to have originated from the Persian language, with its roots traced back to the ancient Persia region, now known as Iran. The name is a variation of the Arabic name Dara, which means "wealthy" or "prosperous." This name gained popularity during the Sassanid Empire, which ruled over Persia from the 3rd to 7th centuries AD.
In ancient Persian mythology, there are references to a mythical figure named Dara, who was known for his wisdom and courage. This figure was often depicted in Persian literature and folklore, contributing to the widespread use of the name Dara and its variants, such as Daryel.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Daryel can be found in the historical chronicles of the Sassanid Empire. Daryel was the name of a renowned military commander who served under the Sassanid king Khosrau I, also known as Anushirvan the Just, in the 6th century AD. This commander was praised for his strategic abilities and bravery on the battlefield.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Daryel. In the 12th century, Daryel Nakhchivani was a prominent Persian poet and writer from the city of Nakhchivan, located in modern-day Azerbaijan. His works were widely celebrated for their linguistic mastery and poetic expression.
During the 16th century, Daryel Ghazi was a legendary Uzbek warrior and military leader who played a crucial role in the expansion of the Shaybanid dynasty in Central Asia. His exploits and leadership skills were immortalized in many historical accounts and folklore tales.
In the realm of arts and literature, Daryel Dervish was a renowned Persian calligrapher and painter who lived during the 17th century. His intricate calligraphic works and exquisite miniature paintings were highly sought after by nobles and art connoisseurs of the time.
Another notable figure bearing the name Daryel was Daryel Khan, a powerful 18th-century Afghan ruler who established the Sadozai dynasty in Afghanistan. He was known for his military campaigns and efforts to unify the Afghan tribes under his leadership.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who carried the name Daryel, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields and contributing to the rich cultural heritage of the regions where they lived and ruled.
People
Daryel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Daryel 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
Daryel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Daryel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 454 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Daryel 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 754,966 US residents.
Is Daryel a common name?
We classify Daryel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 543 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Daryel most popular?
The single biggest year for Daryel was 1955, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Daryel is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Daryel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 384 people with the name Daryel, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,893 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Daryel in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Daryel?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Daryel leans strongly male. 360 people counted with this name were male (93.3%), compared with 26 female bearers (6.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Daryel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Daryel is White at 39.6%. The next largest groups are Black (33.6%) and Hispanic (22.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Daryel most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Daryel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 39.6% (152 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Daryel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Daryel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Daryel 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 Daryel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Daryel 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 Daryel 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.
How many people are called Daryel?
You can see how many people share the name Daryel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.