Derek Anderson
There are approximately 573 people named Derek Anderson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 598,175 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Derek with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Anderson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
573
1 in 598,175
Named Derek
227K
Alive today
Named Anderson
868K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 227K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1989
Average age: 37
Top Census group: White (71.2%)
Estimated bearers: 868K
Rarity: Very Common
Census rank: #15
Per 100K: 253.12
Top ancestry: White (72.6%)
First name trend
Derek: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Derek. The peak year was 1989 with 8,402 births. The average person named Derek today is 37 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Derek
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Derek, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 71.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Derek described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Derek at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White71.2% · 143,225
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 20,886
- Black or African American9.7% · 19,446
- Two or more races4.1% · 8,312
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 7,785
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,615
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Anderson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Anderson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 72.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Anderson described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Anderson at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White72.6% · 549,415
- Black or African American18.4% · 139,255
- Two or more races4.1% · 30,883
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 26,253
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 5,714
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 5,040
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Derek has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0661% of the US population, based on 226,565 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Derek right now.
The surname Anderson appears at a rate of 253.12 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.2531%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 573 people with the full name Derek Anderson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Derek
Related
Other people with the surname Anderson
FAQ
Derek Anderson: questions and answers
How many people are named Derek Anderson?
We estimate approximately 573 people in the United States share the full name Derek Anderson. That works out to about 1 in 598,175 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0661%) with the surname frequency (253.12 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Derek Anderson?
We classify Derek Anderson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 598,175 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Derek a male or female name?
Derek is predominantly male. Out of 238,769 total SSA registrations, 99.6% were male and 0.4% were female. See the full Derek profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many Americans are named Derek Anderson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.