Given name & surname · also Gaelic
Darren
“a great man”·“a gift from God”
Darren is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a great man” and “a gift from God”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a great man” and “a gift from God”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is English, although the derivation remains uncertain.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1936. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Darren through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 104,506
- 103,937 boys · 569 girls
- Most popular year
- 1965
- 5,963 babies
- 2025
- 187
- #1,135 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −41%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 187 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,135 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 41.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 5,938 in 1965. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (23). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 87,892 as a first name in 2020; 164 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Darren’s family of names
In English usage, Darren has a nickname in DAZZA. Darren has a feminine form in Darrene. In English usage, Darren has a related form in Darin.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 27
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Darren
- IShowSpeedAmerican influencer, musician and online streamer (born 2005)
- Darren AronofskyAmerican filmmaker (born 1969)
- Darren FletcherScottish association football player (born 1984)
- Darren CrissAmerican actor and singerborn 1987
- Darren BentEnglish association football playerborn 1984
- Darren HayesAustralian pop singerborn 1972
- Darren RandolphIrish association football playerborn 1987
- William RegalBritish professional wrestlerborn 1968
- Darren AndertonEnglish footballer (born 1972)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Darren, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Darvin
“a beloved friend”
>99% boys
Darwin
“a beloved friend”
99% boys · 1% girls
Dale
“from the small valley” · “from the valley”
97% boys · 3% girls
Dan
“he judged”
97% boys · 3% girls
Darrel
“one who is dearly loved”
>99% boys
Daryl
“one who is greatly loved”
99% boys · 1% girls
Darek
“the ruler of the tribe”
>99% boys
Glenn
“from the valley between the hills” · “from the secluded narrow valley”
>99% boys