Derrien
A masculine name of Celtic origin meaning "from the oak tree".
Name Census estimates that about 180 living Americans carry the first name Derrien. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Derrien today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Derrien births was 2010 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Derrien. 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
180
~ 1 in 1,904,191 Americans
Peak year
2010
16 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2015 SSA rank
#11,010
Tracked since 1989
Census
Derrien in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 197 people with the first name Derrien, which placed it at #38,754 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
#38,754
National first-name rank
People counted
197
197 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
73.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Derrien
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Derrien is Black at 73.1%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Derrien 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 Derrien at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.1% · 144
- White9.6% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 14
- Two or more races6.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 3
Popularity
Derrien: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Derrien from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 78 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Derrien remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Derrien 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 Derrien 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 Derrien
The name Derrien is believed to have originated from the Welsh language, where it was derived from the elements "der" meaning "oak" and "rien" meaning "king" or "ruler." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were associated with oak trees or forestry in some way, or perhaps those who held positions of authority or leadership within their communities.
In its earliest recorded usage, the name appears in ancient Welsh texts and manuscripts dating back to the 6th century CE. During this time, Wales was populated by various Celtic tribes and kingdoms, and the name Derrien may have been used by members of the ruling classes or those with connections to the oak tree, which held significant cultural and symbolic importance in Celtic mythology.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Derrien was Derrien ap Rhys, a Welsh nobleman and landowner who lived in the late 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the region of Dyfed, which is now part of southwestern Wales, and is mentioned in several contemporary records and chronicles.
Another notable individual with the name Derrien was Derrien Gwynedd, a 14th-century Welsh bard and poet. He was renowned for his skillful use of the Welsh language and his compositions, which often celebrated the natural beauty of Wales and the exploits of its historical figures.
In the 15th century, a man named Derrien ap Gruffydd was a respected scholar and linguist who played a significant role in the preservation and promotion of the Welsh language. He worked tirelessly to compile dictionaries and grammar guides, ensuring that the rich linguistic heritage of Wales was passed down to future generations.
Moving forward in time, the name Derrien appeared in various literary works and historical accounts throughout the centuries. For example, in the 17th century, a character named Derrien was featured in a popular Welsh play, "The Tragedy of Prince Llywelyn," which dramatized the life of a medieval Welsh prince.
Another notable figure with the name Derrien was Derrien Jones, a Welsh artist and painter who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is best known for his vivid landscapes and portraits, which captured the essence of Welsh rural life and the rugged beauty of the country's natural scenery.
While the name Derrien has its roots in the Welsh language and culture, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly in areas with strong Celtic influences or connections. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the rich tapestry of Welsh history and tradition.
People
Derrien + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Derrien 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
Derrien: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Derrien?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 180 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Derrien 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 1,904,191 US residents.
Is Derrien a common name?
We classify Derrien as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 183 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Derrien most popular?
The single biggest year for Derrien was 2010, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Derrien is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Derrien in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 197 people with the name Derrien, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,754 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 Derrien 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 Derrien?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Derrien leans strongly male. 178 people counted with this name were male (89.4%), compared with 21 female bearers (10.6%). 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 Derrien?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Derrien is Black at 73.1%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Derrien most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Derrien in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (144 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 Derrien in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Derrien a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Derrien 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.
Is Derrien still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Derrien 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 Derrien 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 Derrien?
Find out how many Americans are named Derrien on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.