Given name & surname · also Low German
Derek
“the ruler of the tribe”
Derek is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “the ruler of the tribe.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “the ruler of the tribe.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Low German.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1924. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Derek through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 239,969
- 239,060 boys · 909 girls
- Most popular year
- 1989
- 8,402 babies
- 2025
- 1,191
- #284 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,191 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 284 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 11.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 8,365 in 1989. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (173). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 201,259 as a first name in 2020; 243 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.
Derek’s family of names
Derek has an affectionate form in Del. Derek shares a linguistic root with Dirk. Derek has an alternative spelling in Derrick.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Derek has relatives in 31 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 27
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Dereckvariant
- Derrickvariant · English
- Derickvariant · English
- Derikvariant
- Dirkvariant · German, Dutch
- Dericvariant
- Deldiminutive · English
- Derrekvariant
Show 19 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 38
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Dietrichcognate · German
- Darekrelated form
- Thierrysee also · French
- Dericafeminine form
- Dickequivalent
- Dierkequivalent
- DiedrichDutch
- TeodorykPolish
Show 30 moreShow fewer
- ΘεοδώριχοςGreek
- Þeodriccognate · Old English
- Derinefeminine form
- TiriWalloon
- DidrikSwedish, Norwegian
- TeodoricoSpanish, Portuguese
- TeodorikSlovene, Serbo-Croatian
- ТеодорикSerbo-Croatian
- ДерекRussian
- TeodoricRomanian, Catalan
- DidzisLatvian
- TheodoricusLatin
- デレクJapanese
- ÞiðrikIcelandic
- DiðrikIcelandic
- DetreHungarian
- ΘευδέριχοςAncient Greek
- ΝτέρεκGreek
- TeodericoGalician
- TiiriFinnish
- TíðrikurFaroese
- TiitEstonian
- TiidrikEstonian
- TeodorikoEsperanto
- DiederikDutch
- DětřichCzech
- 德瑞克Mandarin
- 德里克Mandarin
- Tjarkcognate
- Diederickcognate
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Derek
- Derek WalcottSaint Lucian–Trinidadian poet and playwright (1930–2017)
- Derek BartonEnglish organic chemist (1918–1998)
- Derek JacobiEnglish actor (born 1938)
- Derek BoatengGhanaian footballerborn 1983
- Derek JeterAmerican former professional baseball player, author, bussinessman and baseball broadcastersborn 1974
- Derek ChauvinEuropean American former police officer who murdered George Floydborn 1976
- Derek ParfitBritish philosopher (1942–2017)
- Derek CorneliusCanadian soccer playerborn 1997
- Derek DrouinCanadian high jumperborn 1990
Characters named Derek: Derek Shepherd (the television show Grey's Anatomy), Derek Morgan (American television series Criminal Minds).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Derek, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Denzel
“from a place in Cornwall”
>99% boys
Devon
“from the beautiful farmland; of the divine”
86% boys · 14% girls
Dane
“a man from Denmark”
>99% boys
Demarcus
“the son of Marcus”
>99% boys
Deshawn
“God is gracious”
>99% boys
Dustin
“from the dusty area” · “a courageous warrior”
>99% boys
DeAndre
“a manly man”
>99% boys
Travis
“to cross over”
>99% boys