Derrol
Anglicized variant of the Irish name Darrell, meaning "wanderer" or "rover".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Derrol. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Derrol today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Derrol births was 1918 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Derrol. 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 Derrol is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Derrols were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Derrol. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1918
6 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1954 SSA rank
#3,959
Tracked since 1918
Census
Derrol in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 112 people with the first name Derrol, which placed it at #51,666 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
#51,666
National first-name rank
People counted
112
112 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
50.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Derrol
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Derrol is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (42.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Derrol 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 Derrol at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.0% · 56
- Black or African American42.0% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Popularity
Derrol: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Derrol from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Derrol remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Derrol 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 Derrol 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 Derrol
The name Derrol is believed to have originated from the ancient Germanic language. It is a variant spelling of the name Derrell, which is derived from the Old English word "deor," meaning "deer." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially associated with hunting or a connection to nature.
In the early medieval period, the name Derrol was primarily used in regions like England and other parts of the British Isles. Historical records indicate that the name was relatively uncommon but not unheard of during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Derrol can be found in the Domesday Book, a historical manuscript compiled in 1086 under the order of William the Conqueror. The book recorded a person named Derrol living in Suffolk, England.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Derrol. One of the earliest examples is Derrol the Smith, a skilled blacksmith who lived in the 12th century and was renowned for his intricate metalwork in the city of York, England.
In the 16th century, Derrol Hathaway, an English merchant and explorer, gained recognition for his travels to the New World and his accounts of the indigenous cultures he encountered. He was born in 1532 and died in 1598.
During the 18th century, Derrol Whitfield, a British military officer, made a name for himself in the American Revolutionary War, serving under General George Washington. He was born in 1745 and died in 1813.
In the 19th century, Derrol Ainsworth, an English poet and literary critic, gained recognition for his insightful analysis of romantic poetry. He was born in 1819 and died in 1892.
Another notable figure was Derrol Huntington, an American architect and designer who lived from 1857 to 1934. He was known for his innovative and stylish buildings, many of which can still be seen in major cities across the United States.
While the name Derrol has never been extremely popular, it has maintained a modest presence throughout history, carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions. Its origins and meaning have contributed to its enduring legacy as a unique and intriguing name choice.
People
Derrol + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Derrol 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
Derrol: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Derrol?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Derrol 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Derrol a common name?
We classify Derrol as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Derrol most popular?
The single biggest year for Derrol was 1918, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Derrol is about 83 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Derrol in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 112 people with the name Derrol, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #51,666 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 Derrol 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 Derrol?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Derrol appears almost entirely male. Of the 117 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Derrol?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Derrol is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (42.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Derrol most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Derrol in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (56 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 Derrol in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Derrol a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Derrol 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 Derrol still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Derrol 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 Derrol 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 share the name Derrol?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.