Derith
A feminine name of obscure origin and uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Derith. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Derith today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Derith births was 1923 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Derith. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Derith is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Deriths were born before 1962.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Derith. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1923
5 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1947 SSA rank
#5,498
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Derith: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Derith from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Derith remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Derith 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 Derith 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 Derith
The name Derith is of uncertain origin, but it is believed to have roots in ancient Mesopotamian culture, dating back to around 3000 BCE. Some scholars suggest that it may be derived from the Sumerian word "der," meaning "to shine" or "to be radiant," and the suffix "-ith," which was commonly used in personal names of that era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Derith can be found in a cuneiform tablet from the city of Ur, which mentions a high priestess named Derith-Inanna, who served in the temple of the goddess Inanna around 2500 BCE. This suggests that the name may have held religious significance and was associated with divine worship in ancient Mesopotamia.
In the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known literary works from Mesopotamia, there is a character named Derith-Ellil, who is described as a wise and respected elder of the city of Uruk. This reference, dating back to approximately 2100 BCE, provides evidence that the name was in use among the Sumerian and Akkadian peoples of that region.
Another notable figure bearing the name Derith was a Babylonian astronomer and mathematician who lived around 500 BCE. Known as Derith of Babylon, he is credited with making significant contributions to the study of the heavens and the development of early astronomical calculations.
In the Byzantine Empire, a renowned scholar and philosopher named Derith of Constantinople lived during the 6th century CE. He wrote extensively on topics such as metaphysics, logic, and ethics, and his works were highly regarded in the intellectual circles of his time.
During the medieval period, a notable figure named Derith al-Andalusi was a renowned poet and scholar from the Iberian Peninsula. Born in Córdoba in 1020 CE, he was renowned for his mastery of Arabic literature and his contribution to the golden age of Islamic culture in Al-Andalus.
While the name Derith may have fallen out of widespread use in more recent centuries, its ancient roots and historical connections to various cultures and disciplines make it a unique and intriguing name with a rich tapestry of meaning and significance.
People
Derith + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Derith 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
Derith: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Derith?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Derith 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Derith a common name?
We classify Derith as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Derith most popular?
The single biggest year for Derith was 1923, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Derith is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Derith in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Derith a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Derith 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 Derith still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Derith 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 Derith 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Derith as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.