Deren
Of Turkish origin, meaning "valley" or "stream".
Name Census estimates that about 229 living Americans carry the first name Deren. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Deren today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deren births was 2004 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deren. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Deren with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
229
~ 1 in 1,496,744 Americans
Peak year
2004
13 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,663
Tracked since 1966
Census
Deren in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 405 people with the first name Deren, which placed it at #23,978 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
#23,978
National first-name rank
People counted
405
405 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
49.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deren
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deren is White at 49.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.3%) and Hispanic (16.3%). 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 Deren 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 Deren at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.6% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.3% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino16.3% · 66
- Black or African American10.1% · 41
- Two or more races4.0% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 3
Popularity
Deren: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deren from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Deren 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 Deren 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 Deren
The name Deren is believed to have its origins in the ancient Turkic languages spoken across Central Asia and parts of Eastern Europe. It is thought to be derived from the Proto-Turkic root "der," which carried meanings related to strength, power, and resilience.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deren can be found in the Orkhon inscriptions, a remarkable collection of ancient Turkic runic texts carved into stone monuments in present-day Mongolia during the 8th century AD. These inscriptions, which detail the exploits and achievements of the Göktürk Empire, include references to individuals bearing names similar to Deren.
In the subsequent centuries, the name Deren continued to be used among various Turkic-speaking communities, particularly in regions that are now part of modern-day Turkey, Central Asia, and parts of the Caucasus. It was not uncommon for historical figures, warriors, and leaders to bear this name, as it carried connotations of strength and resilience that were highly valued in many of these cultures.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Deren was Deren Bey, a prominent military commander and statesman who served under the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in the 15th century. Deren Bey played a crucial role in the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, which marked the end of the Byzantine Empire and the beginning of the Ottoman Empire's rise as a major power in the region.
Another individual of historical significance with the name Deren was Deren Han, a Crimean Tatar ruler who reigned over the Crimean Khanate in the late 16th century. Deren Han is remembered for his efforts to maintain the Khanate's independence and navigate the complex political landscape of the time, which involved interactions with the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Tsardom, and various other powers.
In more recent times, the name Deren has been carried by notable figures such as Deren İbrahim Güçlü, a Turkish writer and journalist who lived from 1888 to 1973. Güçlü was known for his contributions to Turkish literature and his work as a prominent advocate for women's rights and social reform in the early 20th century.
Another individual worth mentioning is Deren Eryiğit, a Turkish film director and screenwriter born in 1949. Eryiğit has received numerous awards and accolades for his work in Turkish cinema, particularly for his portrayal of social and cultural themes in his films.
While the name Deren may not be among the most common given names today, its rich history and cultural significance continue to resonate across various regions and communities. Its enduring presence serves as a testament to the lasting influence of ancient Turkic cultures and the enduring appeal of names that evoke strength, resilience, and a connection to one's heritage.
People
Deren + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deren 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
Deren: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deren?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 229 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deren 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 1,496,744 US residents.
Is Deren a common name?
We classify Deren as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 236 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deren most popular?
The single biggest year for Deren was 2004, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deren is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Deren in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 405 people with the name Deren, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,978 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 Deren 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 Deren?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Deren leans strongly male. 361 people counted with this name were male (89.8%), compared with 41 female bearers (10.2%). 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 Deren?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Deren is White at 49.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.3%) and Hispanic (16.3%). 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 Deren most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Deren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.6% (201 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 Deren in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Deren a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deren 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 Deren still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Deren 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 Deren 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 Americans are named Deren?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.