Drizzt
A fantasy name from Dungeons & Dragons novels, meaning "hunter" in Drow language.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Drizzt. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Drizzt today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Drizzt births was 2016 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Drizzt. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Drizzt. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2016
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2016 SSA rank
#12,728
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Drizzt: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Drizzt 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 Drizzt during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Drizzt
The name Drizzt is a fictional name created by the author R.A. Salvatore for his popular Forgotten Realms novel series. It does not have a real-world origin or history. The name is believed to have been invented by Salvatore for the character Drizzt Do'Urden, a drow (dark elf) ranger who first appeared in the novel "The Crystal Shard" in 1988.
While the name itself is not derived from any specific language or culture, it may have been inspired by various linguistic elements. The initial "dr" sound is reminiscent of words from Germanic languages like "dream" or "druid," while the "zzt" ending has a harsher, more alien quality that could evoke the harsh and guttural sounds of certain fantasy or constructed languages.
As a fictional name, Drizzt does not have any recorded historical references or appearances in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. Its existence is limited to the realm of fantasy literature and the Forgotten Realms campaign setting created by Wizards of the Coast for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.
The earliest recorded use of the name Drizzt is in Salvatore's 1988 novel "The Crystal Shard," where it was given to the iconic drow ranger protagonist, Drizzt Do'Urden. Since then, Drizzt has become one of the most recognizable and beloved characters in the Forgotten Realms universe, appearing in over 30 novels and numerous game products.
While Drizzt is a fictional character, his popularity has led to the name being adopted by some fans as a personal name or online handle. However, due to its fictional origins, there are no historically significant individuals named Drizzt prior to the creation of the character in the late 20th century.
People
Drizzt + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Drizzt 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
Drizzt: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Drizzt?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Drizzt 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Drizzt a common name?
We classify Drizzt as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Drizzt most popular?
The single biggest year for Drizzt was 2016, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Drizzt is about 10 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 Drizzt in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Drizzt a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Drizzt 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 Drizzt still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Drizzt 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 Drizzt 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 many people have the name Drizzt?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Drizzt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.