Derek

“Ruler of the people” — Germanic origin

Boy's name · #284 in the US (2025) · 80s

Derek has appeared in US records since 1924 — best rank #50 (1980) · 239,060 babies named Derek all-time · 1 in 1,400 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 620 boys in Puerto Rico (2025) · about 1 in 2,400 boys in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 3,000 boys in Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 39 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Dereks

Derek Walcott — Saint Lucian–Trinidadian poet and playwright (1930–2017)
Derek Barton — English organic chemist (1918–1998)
Derek Jacobi — English actor (born 1938)
Derek Boateng — Ghanaian footballer
Derek Jeter — American former professional baseball player, author, bussinessman and baseball broadcasters

Among 1,957 notable people named Derek:

Athletes appear 1.98× more often than among typical names — e.g. Derek Boateng, Ghanaian footballer.

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