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Boy · Germanic, through Dutch
Derek
Say it: DAIR-ik
Meaning
An English form of Low German Diederik (Theodoric), from Gothic þiuda 'people' and reiks 'ruler'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Rare in England after the 15th century, it revived strongly in Britain in the 1930s to 1950s and in the US soon after.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1980s
In the United States
- 233,926 babies given this name since 1924
- At its height in 1987, about 1 in 226 boys
- 1,051 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Derrick, Derick, Deric
| German | Dietrich |
|---|---|
| Dutch | Dirk |
| Italian | Teodorico |
Famous bearers
- Derek Jeter, American baseball player
- Derek Walcott, Saint Lucian poet
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.