Boys' name · since 1900
Darrel
29,769 babies named Darrel in U.S. Social Security records since 1900, with the highest year being 1960. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #682 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,412 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,769
- born since 1900
- 1950s
- peak decade
Darrel currently ranks #5412 among boys' names in America, with 29,769 babies recorded since 1900.
Social Security Administration records show Darrel recorded 29,769 times among boys since 1900, holding rank #5412 nationally today, ahead of 61% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1900 to 2025.
- #682 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #5,412 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 29,769 born since 1900
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Darrel ranks #682 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,412 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 29,769 born since 1900, peaking in the 1950s.
- #682 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,412 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,769
- born since 1900
- 1950s
- peak decade
Darrel's 29,769 recorded births place it above 98.5% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Darrel compares
29,769 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Darrel's all-time total is 81x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Darrel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 29,769 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 659 | 34 | 22,252 |
Darrel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Darrel splits its recorded history at 1964: 32% of all births land in the more recent half, 68% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1901 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1960 peak of 659 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Darrel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1900–2025
- Peak year (1960)
- 659
- Annual births at peak, across 126 years of records
Darrel popularity over time - girls
123 total births recorded since 1929 (Darrel as girls' name)
Darrel by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (6,035 births, 20% of the file).
1950s was Darrel's strongest decade.
6,035 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Darrel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 63
1900s
63 births
- 1910s 612
1910s
612 births
- 1920s 1,898
1920s
1,898 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,734 births
- 1940s
1940s
5,275 births
- 1950s
1950s
6,035 births
- 1960s
1960s
5,499 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,658 births
- 1980s 1,862
1980s
1,862 births
- 1990s 1,136
1990s
1,136 births
- 2000s 538
2000s
538 births
- 2010s 328
2010s
328 births
- 2020s 131
2020s
131 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 6,035 births (20% of all-time use).
How Darrel 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 Darrel's total volume
Darrel by state
Where Darrel concentrates geographically, total births since 1900
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,291 | 7.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,463 | 4.9% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 1,353 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 1,247 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Minnesota | | 1,198 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Kansas | | 1,179 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Missouri | | 1,146 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 1,028 | 3.5% |
2,291 of 29,769 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Darrel appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Darrel? ▼
Where does Darrel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Darrel most popular? ▼
Where is Darrel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Darrel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Darrel? ▼
What to do with Darrel's data
- Darrel's decade-level peak was the 1950s (6,035 total births); usage has since declined to 131 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Darrels (2,291 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 Darrel
Nearby Names Like Darrel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Darrel
Compare Darrel side by side: Darrel vs Darrell Darrel vs Darren Darrel vs Darryl
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Darrel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Darrel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1960)
Similar record span (~125 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, 1900–2025 (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 Darrel 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.