Derica
Feminine given name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 636 living Americans carry the first name Derica. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Derica today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Derica births was 1997 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Derica. 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
636
~ 1 in 538,922 Americans
Peak year
1997
32 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,842
Tracked since 1971
Census
Derica in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 553 people with the first name Derica, which placed it at #19,251 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
#19,251
National first-name rank
People counted
553
553 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
70.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Derica
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Derica is Black at 70.7%. The next largest groups are White (14.8%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Derica 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 Derica at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American70.7% · 391
- White14.8% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 29
- Two or more races4.3% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 5
Popularity
Derica: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Derica from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 245 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Derica 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 Derica during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dericas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Georgia, Louisiana, Florida recorded the most babies named Derica, while Texas, Florida, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Derica
The name Derica is believed to have its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, with roots dating back to the 5th century AD. The name is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "derih," which means "strong" or "mighty." In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled as "Dericha" or "Dericho."
During the Middle Ages, the name Derica gained popularity across various regions of Europe, particularly in areas where Germanic tribes had settled. It was commonly found in regions such as modern-day Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland. The name was often associated with strength, bravery, and resilience, qualities that were highly valued in those times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Derica can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and legal documents from the 8th to the 13th centuries. In this collection, there are records of individuals bearing the name Derica, indicating its usage during that period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Derica. One of the earliest recorded figures was Derica of Metz, a Frankish nobleman who lived in the 7th century and played a significant role in the court of King Dagobert I. Another prominent figure was Derica the Scribe, a monk who lived in the 9th century and is renowned for his calligraphic works and illuminated manuscripts.
In the late medieval period, Derica von Wittelsbach (1362-1431) was a German noblewoman and a member of the influential Wittelsbach family. She was known for her charitable works and her support for religious institutions.
During the Renaissance, Derica Contarini (1510-1585) was a Venetian diplomat and scholar who served as an ambassador for the Republic of Venice to various European courts. He was highly regarded for his diplomatic skills and his contributions to the intellectual life of the time.
In more recent centuries, Derica Hartmann (1832-1917) was a German botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research in South America and made significant contributions to the study of plant species in the region.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Derica, showcasing its enduring presence and the diverse backgrounds of those who have carried this name.
People
Derica + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Derica 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
Derica: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Derica?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 636 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Derica 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 538,922 US residents.
Is Derica a common name?
We classify Derica as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 658 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Derica most popular?
The single biggest year for Derica was 1997, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Derica is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Derica in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 553 people with the name Derica, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,251 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 Derica 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 Derica?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Derica leans strongly female. 548 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 10 male bearers (1.8%). 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 Derica?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Derica is Black at 70.7%. The next largest groups are White (14.8%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Derica most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Derica in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.7% (391 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 Derica in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Derica a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Derica in the SSA data are female. 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 Derica still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Derica 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 Derica 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 Derica?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.