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

Popularity of Derek by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Derek is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 100% of people named Derek being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 1,238 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Derek.

The history of the first name Derek

The name Derek derives from the Germanic elements "deer", meaning beast or brave, and "ric", meaning ruler or power. It originated as a personal name among the Anglo-Saxon people in England during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 7th centuries AD.

One of the earliest known references to the name Derek appears in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landowners in England compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Derric" in this text.

Derek was a relatively common name among the English nobility throughout the Middle Ages. One notable bearer of the name was Derek of Yorkshire, a 12th-century landowner and knight who fought in the Crusades. Another was Derek de Lacy, a 13th-century English nobleman and military commander during the reign of King John.

In the 15th century, the name Derek appeared in Scottish records, likely due to the influence of Anglo-Norman settlers in the region. One of the earliest Scottish references is to Derek Stewart, a 15th-century nobleman and ancestor of the later Stewart monarchs.

The name saw a resurgence in popularity during the Victorian era in the 19th century. Famous individuals named Derek from this period include Derek Parfit (1842-1925), a British philosopher and writer, and Derek Jacobi (1819-1892), a renowned English stage actor.

Other notable people named Derek throughout history include Derek Walcott (1930-2017), a Nobel Prize-winning Caribbean poet and playwright; Derek Jarman (1942-1994), an influential English filmmaker and artist; Derek Trucks (born 1979), an American guitarist and founder of the Derek Trucks Band; and Derek Jeter (born 1974), a former professional baseball player and shortstop for the New York Yankees.

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 Derek was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!