Detric
An anglicized form of the German name Dietrich, meaning "powerful ruler."
Name Census estimates that about 412 living Americans carry the first name Detric. It is a predominantly male name (98.8% of registrations). The average person named Detric today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Detric births was 1977 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Detric. 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
412
~ 1 in 831,928 Americans
Peak year
1977
20 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2018 SSA rank
#7,004
Tracked since 1964
Gender
Gender distribution for Detric
Detric leans heavily male at 98.8% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Detric as a male name
- Ranked #11,109 in 2018
- 6 male births in 2018
- Peak: 1977 (20 births)
Detric as a female name
- Ranked #7,004 in 1964
- 5 female births in 1964
- Peak: 1964 (5 births)
Popularity
Detric: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Detric from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 131 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Detric 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 Detric during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Detrics live
Origin
Meaning and history of Detric
The name Detric has its roots in the Germanic languages, originating from the Old Norse word "dettr," which means "diminutive" or "small." It is believed to have been formed as a diminutive of a longer name, possibly derived from names like Dietrich or Theodoric, which were popular among the ancient Germanic tribes.
The earliest recorded use of the name Detric can be traced back to the 8th century, when it appeared in various medieval manuscripts and records from the Frankish Empire and the Germanic regions of Europe. During this time period, the name was often spelled as "Deitric" or "Dettric," reflecting the linguistic evolution of the Germanic languages.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Detric was a Frankish nobleman who lived in the late 8th century. He was a member of the court of Charlemagne, the renowned Frankish king and the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. This association with the Carolingian dynasty may have contributed to the name's popularity among the nobility and upper classes of medieval Europe.
In the 11th century, a Benedictine monk named Detric of Reichenau was known for his scholarly works and his contributions to the field of music theory. He was a prominent figure in the monastic community of Reichenau Abbey, located in present-day Germany, and his writings on musical notation and theory were influential in the development of Western music.
During the 12th century, a Danish nobleman named Detric of Bülow was a prominent figure in the court of King Valdemar I of Denmark. He played a significant role in the conquest of the island of Rügen and the subjugation of the Slavic tribes in the region, which helped establish Danish control over the Baltic Sea.
In the 14th century, a German artist named Detric Bauden was renowned for his intricate wood carvings and sculptures, which adorned many churches and cathedrals in the regions of modern-day Germany and Austria. His works were heavily influenced by the Gothic style and featured intricate religious imagery and ornate architectural details.
Another notable figure with the name Detric was a 16th-century Italian humanist scholar named Detric Piscina. He was a professor of rhetoric and philosophy at the University of Padua and was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts and his commentaries on the works of Aristotle and Cicero.
While the name Detric may have fallen out of widespread use in recent times, its historical significance and connection to the Germanic cultures of medieval Europe make it a unique and intriguing name with a rich heritage.
People
Detric + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Detric 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
Detric: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Detric?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 412 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Detric 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 831,928 US residents.
Is Detric a common name?
We classify Detric as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 431 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Detric most popular?
The single biggest year for Detric was 1977, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Detric is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Detric a male name?
Yes, 98.8% of people registered as Detric 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.