Derri
A variant spelling of Derry, sometimes used as an English feminine name.
Name Census estimates that about 43 living Americans carry the first name Derri. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Derri today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Derri births was 1958 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Derri. 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 Derri with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Derri. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
43
~ 1 in 7,971,031 Americans
Peak year
1958
9 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
2016 SSA rank
#16,922
Tracked since 1953
Census
Derri in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 140 people with the first name Derri, which placed it at #47,034 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
#47,034
National first-name rank
People counted
140
140 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
53.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Derri
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Derri is White at 53.6%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Derri 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 Derri at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.6% · 75
- Black or African American35.0% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 11
- Two or more races2.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Popularity
Derri: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Derri from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 45 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Derri 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 Derri 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 Derri
The name Derri has its origins in the ancient Celtic language of Gaelic, which was spoken by the Gaels, a group of Celtic nations that inhabited parts of western Europe, particularly Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. The name is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "doire," meaning "oak grove" or "oak forest."
In ancient Celtic culture, oak trees held great significance and were considered sacred. They were revered for their strength, longevity, and association with the druids, who were the learned class and spiritual leaders of the Celtic people. The name Derri may have been given to individuals born or living in areas with abundant oak groves or forests, symbolizing a connection to nature and the ancient Celtic traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Derri can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1136, a man named Derri O'Conchobhair is mentioned as the Bishop of Ardagh, a diocese in County Longford, Ireland. This historical record suggests that the name was in use among the Irish nobility and clergy during the 12th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Derri. In the 15th century, Derri O'Mulconry was a renowned Irish poet and historian known for his work in preserving the genealogies and traditions of various Irish clans. He lived during the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
Another prominent figure was Derri O'Dugan, a 14th-century Irish poet and historian who compiled the "Leabhar Muimhneach" (The Book of Munster), a valuable historical account of the Irish province of Munster. His work contributed significantly to the preservation of Irish history and culture.
In the 13th century, Derri O'Daly was a respected Irish scholar and poet who was part of the renowned O'Daly family of Conmaicne, known for their literary and historical contributions. He lived during a period of cultural renaissance in Ireland.
The name Derri also appears in ancient Welsh literature. In the 12th century, a Welsh poet named Derri Llwyd composed several poems that were included in the famous "Black Book of Carmarthen," one of the earliest surviving manuscripts of Welsh poetry.
Lastly, in the 16th century, Derri O'Higgin was an Irish physician and poet who was renowned for his medical expertise and his contributions to Irish literature. He was a member of the esteemed O'Higgin family, known for their scholarly and artistic achievements.
These historical figures demonstrate the enduring presence of the name Derri across various regions and time periods, reflecting its deep roots in Celtic culture and its association with literary, scholarly, and artistic pursuits.
People
Derri + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Derri 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
Derri: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Derri?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 43 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Derri 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 7,971,031 US residents.
Is Derri a common name?
We classify Derri as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 56 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Derri most popular?
The single biggest year for Derri was 1958, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Derri is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Derri in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 140 people with the name Derri, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,034 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 Derri 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 Derri?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Derri leans strongly female. 115 people counted with this name were female (82.7%), compared with 24 male bearers (17.3%). 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 Derri?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Derri is White at 53.6%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Derri most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Derri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.6% (75 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 Derri in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Derri a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Derri 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 Derri still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Derri 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 Derri 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 Derri?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.