Dirk

← Back to The High and Late Middle Ages

Boy · Germanic

Dirk

Say it: DIRK

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Dutch short form of Diederik, from Germanic theud 'people' and ric 'ruler'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

A name of the counts of Holland and steady in Dutch use.

Its wave through time

A fashion of the 1950s

In the United States

10,864 babies given this name since 1918
At its height in 1954, about 1 in 4,700 boys
25 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

The family of the name

French	Thierry
German	Dietrich

Famous bearers

Dirk III, Count of Holland

Names worth a look

HansBoyShort form of Johannes, from Hebrew Yohanan 'Yahweh is gracious'.Middle Ages · peak 1885 · forgotten

LambertBoyFrom Germanic land 'land' and berht 'bright'.Early Medieval · peak 1881 · forgotten

GuidoBoyFrom a Germanic name built on wid 'wood' or wit 'wide'; which element is meant is uncertain.Middle Ages · peak 1914 · forgotten

KoenBoyShort form of Koenraad, from Germanic kuoni 'bold' and rad 'counsel'.Middle Ages · peak 2008

GerritBoyDutch form of Gerard, from Germanic ger 'spear' and hard 'brave, hardy'.Middle Ages · peak 1881

WillemBoyFrom Germanic wil 'will, desire' and helm 'helmet, protection'.Middle Ages · peak 2003

DerekBoyAn English form of Low German Diederik (Theodoric), from Gothic þiuda 'people' and reiks 'ruler'.Renaissance · peak 1987

DerrickBoyA spelling of Derek, from Low German and Dutch forms of Theodoric, Gothic þiuda 'people' and reiks 'ruler'.Renaissance · peak 1980

Where this comes from

Royal and noble genealogies
Parish baptism registers
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.