Derek
Top 1000
About Derek
Derek started out as a sophisticated Brit, but the name became so common over the last decades of the twentieth century that it lost much of its English accent, along with its stylish edge. Derek was a Top 100 name in the U.S. for 25 years, from 1970 to 1995, after which it began to decline.
Now, however, Derek (and Dereck) are back on the block, and have been rising since 2022. Derek was the most popular spelling in 2024, when it ranked at #258, while fast rising Dereck sat at #664 and Derrick appeared at #817. Collectively, the names were given to 2072 babies, making it feel like a Top 200 choice, ranking alongside Charlie, Felix, Maxwell, and Barrett.
As a name, Derek was introduced into Britain during the Middle Ages by immigrant Flemish weavers, likely in its longer form, Dederick. Dederick was a Low German form of Theodoric, giving the name the meaning "the people's ruler".
The revival of Derek as a baby name is currently happening in Spain and the US, whereas in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand, it may still be considered dated.
Pronounced DER-ik.
As of October 2026, Derek ranked #284 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #50 in 1982, Nameberry popularity #368.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #205 | 1,881 | 979.2 |
| 2015 | #211 | 1,883 | 982.4 |
| 2016 | #226 | 1,715 | 903.7 |
| 2017 | #239 | 1,546 | 835.2 |
| 2018 | #256 | 1,408 | 775.3 |
| 2019 | #305 | 1,115 | 621.4 |
| 2020 | #309 | 1,063 | 615.8 |
| 2021 | #303 | 1,094 | 625.3 |
| 2022 | #297 | 1,155 | 661.5 |
| 2023 | #271 | 1,240 | 724.9 |
| 2024 | #258 | 1,355 | 786.5 |
| 2025 | #284 | 1,191 | 697.3 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Derek.
- Jared
- Sean
- Trevor
- Keith
- Jeremy
- Justin
- Kyle
- Kevin
- Alan
- Brandon
- Bryan
- Brian
- Travis
- Brendan
- Scott
- Carlos
- Kenneth
- Steven
- Troy
- Bradley
Derek on lists
Famous Dereks
- Derek Sanderson Jeter
American baseball player
- Derek Chauvin
former American police officer charged with the murder of unarmed Black man George Floyd
- Derek Hough
American dancer, actor and singer
- Derek Anthony Klena
American actor and singer
- Derek George Jacobi
English actor
- Derek Harold Richard Barton
English chemist; winner of the Nobel Prize
- Derek Alton Walcott
Saint Lucian poet and playwright
- Derek Lamar Fisher
American basketball player and coach
- Derek Dallas Carr
American NFL player
- Derek Matthew Anderson
American NFL football player
- Derek Hardman
American NFL football player
- Derek Steven Hagan
American NFL football player
- Derek Newton
American NFL football player
- Derek Sinclair Cox
American NFL football player
- Derek Landri
American NFL football player
- Derek Christopher Lowe
American baseball player
- Derek Keith Barbosa aka Chino XL
American rapper
- Derek Taylor
English journalist and press officer for The Beatles
- Derek Daly
Irish racing driver
- Derek Rae
Scottish football commentator
- Derek Walsh Webb
American singer,songwriter of band Caedmon's Call
- Derek Thompson
Northern Irish actor
- Derek Roland Clark
English MEP
- Derek Vaughan
Welsh MEP
- Derek Alexander Muller
Australian/Canadian vlogger, focusing on science
- Temuera Derek Morrison
New Zealand actor
- Derek Krahn
social media personality 'BigCatDerek'
Derek in pop culture
- Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd
character on TV's "Grey's Anatomy"
- Derek Bailey Shepherd
son of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd on the show "Grey's Anatomy"
- Derek Venturi
main character on TV's "Life With Derek"
- Derek Hale
character on TV's "Teen Wolf"
- Derek Morgan
character on TV's "Criminal Minds"
- Derek Clifford Simmons
character in video game "Resident Evil 6"
- Derek Reese
character on TV's "The Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
- Derek Noakes
main character on British TV series "Derek"
- Derek Vinyard
character in film "American History X"
- Derek Malloy
character on TV's "The Client List"
- Derek Sommers
Peyton Sawyer Scott's half brother on "One Tree Hill"
- Prince Derek
Princess Odette's love interest in "The Swan Princess"
- Derek
character in "Barney's Backyard Gang"
- Derek "Nursey" Nurse
character in webcomic "Check Please!"
- Derek Arden
character in anime "Black Butler"