Given name & surname
Diesel
“having great strength”
Diesel is used as a given name and a surname. One American interpretation is “having great strength.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One American interpretation is “having great strength.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2001. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Diesel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,092
- 2,092 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 156 babies
- 2025
- 59
- #2,335 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −43%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 59 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,335 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 43.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 156 in 2014. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,596 as a first name in 2020; 522 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.
Diesel’s family of names
Diesel has a related form in Deisel. Diesel has a related form in Deizel. Diesel has a related form in Dezsel.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Diesel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Dyson
“one who is high-spirited; fiery”
>99% boys
Damani
“of a bright tomorrow”
78% boys · 22% girls
Daelan
“from the roadside land”
>99% boys
Dash
“a charming man; one who is fast”
98% boys · 2% girls
Marshawn
“an outgoing young man”
>99% boys
Danger
“one who takes great risks”
>99% boys
Deuce
“a gambling man”
>99% boys
Rocket
“one who is fast”
89% boys · 11% girls