Boys' name · since 1957
Darek
1,561 babies named Darek in U.S. Social Security records since 1957, with the highest year being 1973. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3,837 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,980 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,561
- born since 1957
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Darek is the #3980 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 1,561 recorded since 1957.
Darek has 1,561 recorded births among boys since 1957, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3980 as of the latest data, more common than 71% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1957 to 2025.
- #3,837 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,980 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,561 born since 1957
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Darek ranks #3,837 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,980 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,561 born since 1957, peaking in the 1980s.
- #3,837 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,980 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,561
- born since 1957
- 1980s
- peak decade
Darek's 1,561 recorded births place it above 91.55% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
6 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Darek compares
1,561 Top 25% higher than 75% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Darek's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Darek | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,561 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 53 | 34 | 22,252 |
Darek's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Darek's full recorded timeline at 1993, 47% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 53% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1957, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1973 peak of 53 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Darek popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1957–2025
- Peak year (1973)
- 53
- Annual births at peak, across 69 years of records
Darek by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (325 births, 21% of the file).
1980s was Darek's strongest decade.
325 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Darek births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 6
1950s
6 births
- 1960s 107
1960s
107 births
- 1970s
1970s
292 births
- 1980s
1980s
325 births
- 1990s
1990s
311 births
- 2000s
2000s
196 births
- 2010s
2010s
154 births
- 2020s
2020s
170 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 325 births (21% of all-time use).
How Darek compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Darek's total volume
Darek by state
Where Darek concentrates geographically, total births since 1957
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 51 | 3.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 35 | 2.2% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 18 | 1.2% |
| #4 | New York | | 18 | 1.2% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 17 | 1.1% |
| #6 | Florida | | 5 | 0.3% |
51 of 1,561 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 6 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Darek's data
- Darek's usage has stayed within range of its 1980s decade-level peak (325 total births) through the 2020s (170) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Dareks (51 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Darek
Nearby Names Like Darek
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Darek
Compare Darek side by side: Darek vs Darrell Darek vs Darren Darek vs Darryl
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Darek
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Darek: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1973)
Similar record span (~68 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1957–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Darek draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.