Drin
A name of Albanian origin meaning "sea" or "ocean".
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the first name Drin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Drin today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Drin births was 2020 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Drin. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Drin with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
125
~ 1 in 2,742,035 Americans
Peak year
2020
19 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,349
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Drin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Drin from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 76 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Drin 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 Drin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Drins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Drin
The name Drin is believed to have originated from the Albanian language, although its precise roots and meaning remain uncertain. It is thought to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly derived from an older Albanian word or phrase that has been lost to history.
One theory suggests that Drin could be linked to the Drin River, a major waterway that flows through Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. In this context, the name might have been associated with individuals who lived near or worked on the river.
Another hypothesis traces the name back to the ancient Illyrian tribes, who inhabited the Balkan region before the rise of the Roman Empire. Some linguists speculate that Drin may have evolved from an Illyrian word or name, though concrete evidence is scarce.
The earliest known historical figure bearing the name Drin is Drin Hoxha, an Albanian warrior who lived in the 15th century. Hoxha fought against the Ottoman Empire's invasion of Albania and is celebrated as a national hero.
In the 17th century, a prominent Albanian writer and scholar named Drin Bardhi made significant contributions to the preservation and development of the Albanian language. His works, including dictionaries and grammars, helped to standardize the written form of Albanian.
During the 19th century, Drin Prifti was a renowned Albanian teacher and advocate for education. He established several schools and worked tirelessly to promote literacy and intellectual development among his countrymen.
In the early 20th century, Drin Agolli was a notable Albanian poet and writer. His poetic works, often centered on themes of nationalism and resistance against foreign occupation, played a vital role in shaping the cultural identity of modern Albania.
Another prominent figure was Drin Mustafa, an Albanian politician and diplomat who served as the country's foreign minister in the 1920s. He played a crucial role in securing international recognition for Albania's independence and establishing diplomatic relations with other nations.
While the name Drin has roots in Albanian history and culture, it has also been adopted by individuals from other backgrounds, though perhaps less commonly. However, comprehensive records of its usage outside of Albania are limited, particularly in earlier centuries.
People
Drin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Drin 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
Drin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Drin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 125 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Drin 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 2,742,035 US residents.
Is Drin a common name?
We classify Drin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 126 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Drin most popular?
The single biggest year for Drin was 2020, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Drin is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Drin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Drin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Drin 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 Drin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Drin 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 Drin 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Drin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Drin at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.