Dermot
An Irish masculine given name derived from the Gaelic Diarmaid meaning "free from envy".
Name Census estimates that about 420 living Americans carry the first name Dermot. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dermot today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dermot births was 1969 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dermot. 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
420
~ 1 in 816,082 Americans
Peak year
1969
16 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2022 SSA rank
#9,186
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Dermot: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dermot from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 105 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dermot 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 Dermot during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dermots live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dermot
The name Dermot is a given name of Irish origin, derived from the Old Irish name Diarmaid. It is believed to have been composed of the elements "diar" meaning "free" and "mait" meaning "patience" or "lover". The name can be translated to mean "freeman" or "free revered one".
In Irish mythology, Diarmaid Ua Duibhne was a legendary warrior and member of the Fianna, the elite military force of ancient Irish folklore. He features prominently in the epic narrative known as the Fenian Cycle, which includes tales of the exploits of Finn MacCool and his band of warriors.
The earliest recorded use of the name Dermot dates back to the 12th century, when it was borne by Diarmait Mac Murchada, the King of Leinster from 1126 to 1171. His conflict with the High King of Ireland, Ruaidri Ua Conchobair, ultimately led to the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169.
Another notable figure in history with the name Dermot was Dermot O'Hurley (1519-1584), an Irish Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cashel who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I for refusing to acknowledge her as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
In the 18th century, Dermot O'Leary (1736-1814) was an Irish author and political writer who published works on the history and antiquities of Ireland.
Dermot Morgan (1952-1998) was a popular Irish comedian and actor best known for his portrayal of Father Ted Crilly in the sitcom "Father Ted".
Dermot Mulroney (born 1963) is an American actor who has appeared in films such as "My Best Friend's Wedding", "The Family Stone", and "August: Osage County".
Notable bearers
Famous people named Dermot
People
Dermot + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dermot 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
Dermot: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dermot?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 420 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dermot 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 816,082 US residents.
Is Dermot a common name?
We classify Dermot as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 482 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dermot most popular?
The single biggest year for Dermot was 1969, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dermot is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dermot a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dermot 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.
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.