Derryl
Anglicized spelling of Old French name "Derile" with uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 726 living Americans carry the first name Derryl. It is a predominantly male name (98.4% of registrations). The average person named Derryl today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Derryl births was 1962 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Derryl. 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
726
~ 1 in 472,113 Americans
Peak year
1962
44 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2008 SSA rank
#4,802
Tracked since 1934
Census
Derryl in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 696 people with the first name Derryl, which placed it at #16,263 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
#16,263
National first-name rank
People counted
696
696 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
47.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Derryl
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Derryl is White at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Derryl 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 Derryl at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.7% · 332
- Black or African American42.2% · 294
- Two or more races3.0% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 12
Gender
Gender distribution for Derryl
Derryl leans heavily male at 98.4% of total registrations, but 15 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Derryl as a male name
- Ranked #11,413 in 2008
- 6 male births in 2008
- Peak: 1962 (44 births)
Derryl as a female name
- Ranked #4,802 in 1949
- 6 female births in 1949
- Peak: 1947 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Derryl leans strongly male. 642 people counted with this name were male (92.5%), compared with 52 female bearers (7.5%).
Popularity
Derryl: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Derryl from the 1930s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 290 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
Derryl 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 Derryl during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Derryls live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Illinois, Texas recorded the most babies named Derryl, while Texas, Illinois, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Derryl
The name Derryl is a relatively modern name, originating from a blend of the more traditional names Derrick and Terrell. It first emerged in English-speaking countries, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, in the mid-20th century.
The name Derryl does not have a direct etymological connection to any specific language or culture. Instead, it was likely created as a unique combination of sounds, drawing inspiration from the existing names Derrick and Terrell. Derrick is derived from the Germanic name Theoderic, which means "people ruler," while Terrell has its roots in the Old French name Terri, meaning "to cultivate land."
There are no known ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records that specifically mention the name Derryl. Its relatively recent origin means that it does not have a long history or associations with notable figures from earlier eras.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Derryl is Derryl Cousins, an American professional basketball player born in 1956. He played in the NBA for teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and the Kansas City Kings during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Another notable person with the name Derryl is Derryl Gainer, an American football player born in 1959. He played as a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams and the San Diego Chargers in the NFL during the 1980s.
Derryl Parke, born in 1964, is an American writer and poet known for his work exploring themes of identity, race, and queer culture. He has published several collections of poetry, including "Awaye Assions" and "A Sphinxian Forpsalmedic."
Derryl Yeager, born in 1956, is a former professional baseball player from the United States. He played as a catcher in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for teams like the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers in the 1980s.
Derryl Elliston, born in 1964, is a Canadian artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public art installations. Some of his notable works include "Shattered Vessel" in Vancouver and "Synapse" in Toronto.
While the name Derryl has been used by various individuals throughout the latter half of the 20th century, it has not achieved widespread popularity or recognition as a common given name. Its unique blend of sounds and relatively modern origins contribute to its distinctive character.
People
Derryl + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Derryl 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
Derryl: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Derryl?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 726 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Derryl 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 472,113 US residents.
Is Derryl a common name?
We classify Derryl as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 916 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Derryl most popular?
The single biggest year for Derryl was 1962, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Derryl is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Derryl in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 696 people with the name Derryl, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,263 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 Derryl 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 Derryl?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Derryl leans strongly male. 642 people counted with this name were male (92.5%), compared with 52 female bearers (7.5%). 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 Derryl?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Derryl is White at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Derryl most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Derryl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.7% (332 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 Derryl in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Derryl a male name?
Yes, 98.4% of people registered as Derryl 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 Derryl still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Derryl 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 Derryl 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 common is the name Derryl?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.