Given name & surname

Drake

“resembling a dragon”

Drake is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “resembling a dragon.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

One English interpretation is “resembling a dragon.”

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is English.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Drake through the years

Babies since 1880
36,875
36,792 boys · 83 girls
Most popular year
2010
1,885 babies
2025
299
#827 for boys
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−33%
Easing
02505007501,000192019401960198020002025Highest share 2010175
Drake in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1918–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inIowa, Arkansas, Louisiana
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Iowa (18), Arkansas (11), Louisiana (16), Oklahoma (13), Mississippi (7).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 299 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 827 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 32.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,877 in 2010. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (23). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 31,584 as a first name in 2020; 59,055 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.

Drake’s family of names

Drake has a related form in Drago. Drake has a related form in Draco. Drake has a related form in Drayke.

Walk Drake’s family in the name graph

DrakeDracoDrakoDragoDraykeDraykDraykoDraycoDraikeDrakonDraekeDraekDraikDrakkeDraculDrayce

Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Similar names

If you love Drake, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

English · Biblical

Jake

“supplanter” · “heel grabber”

61FamiliarCooling

>99% boys

English

Chase

“a hunstman”

73CommonCooling

98% boys · 2% girls

English · Royal

Davis

“the son of David”

56FamiliarEasing

95% boys · 5% girls

English · Modern

Brayan

Brayan is a masculine given name from English. It is used in Spanish and Azerbaijani.

53UncommonSteady

>99% boys

English · Literary

Pierce

“as solid and strong as a rock”

60FamiliarSteady

96% boys · 4% girls

English

Anderson

“the son of Andrew”

66FamiliarSteady

91% boys · 9% girls

Gaelic · Royal

Kendrick

“a royal ruler” · “the champion”

59FamiliarEasing

99% boys · 1% girls

English

Reed

“a red-haired lady”

63FamiliarSteady

97% boys · 3% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Drake’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Drake

A sister for Drake