Derrick
A masculine name derived from a surname meaning "ruler of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 136,483 living Americans carry the first name Derrick. It is a predominantly male name (99.3% of registrations). The average person named Derrick today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Derrick births was 1980 (4,171 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Derrick. 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
- • Although Derrick is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 997 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
136K
~ 1 in 2,511 Americans
Peak year
1980
4,171 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#818
Tracked since 1917
Gender
Gender distribution for Derrick
Out of the 146,052 babies given the name Derrick since 1880, 99.3% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Derrick as a male name
- Ranked #818 in 2024
- 305 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1980 (4,135 births)
Derrick as a female name
- Ranked #13,377 in 2005
- 7 female births in 2005
- Peak: 1974 (42 births)
Popularity
Derrick: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Derrick from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 36,674 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Derrick 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 Derrick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Derricks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Texas, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Derrick, while Vermont, New Hampshire, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 2,806 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Derrick
The name Derrick has its origins in the Old German language, where it was derived from the word "Theodoric," which itself is composed of two roots - "theud" meaning "people" and "ric" meaning "ruler." This name was popular among the Germanic tribes during the Middle Ages and was often associated with nobility and leadership.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Derrick can be found in the historical figure Theodoric the Great, who was the king of the Ostrogoths and ruled over a significant portion of the Roman Empire from 475 to 526 AD. His reign was marked by relative peace and prosperity, and he is remembered for his efforts to reconcile the Gothic and Roman cultures.
In the 12th century, the name Derrick appeared in the form of "Theodericus" in the writings of the English historian William of Malmesbury. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time as it was adapted to different cultures and languages.
As the name spread across Europe, it took on various forms, such as "Diederik" in Dutch, "Diederich" in German, and "Diederik" in Scandinavian languages. One notable bearer of the name was the Dutch philosopher and mathematician Diederik Raven (1559-1638), who made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and physics.
In England, the name Derrick gained popularity during the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Sir Derrick Molyneux (1599-1632), an English politician and courtier who served as a Member of Parliament and held various positions at the court of King Charles I.
Another prominent figure was Derrick Carleton (1610-1660), an English prelate who served as the Bishop of Chichester and was known for his support of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He was a skilled orator and wrote several theological works.
In more recent times, the name Derrick has been associated with notable individuals such as Derrick Brooks (born 1973), an American football player who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, and Derrick Rose (born 1988), an American professional basketball player who was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2011.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Derrick
People
Derrick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Derrick 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
Derrick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Derrick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 136,483 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Derrick 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 2,511 US residents.
Is Derrick a common name?
We classify Derrick as "Common". It ranks above 99.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 146,052 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Derrick most popular?
The single biggest year for Derrick was 1980, when 4,171 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Derrick is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Derrick a male name?
Yes, 99.3% of people registered as Derrick 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.