Boys' name · since 1924
Derek
239,060 babies named Derek in U.S. Social Security records since 1924, with the highest year being 1989. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #165 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #284 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 239,060
- born since 1924
- 1980s
- peak decade
Derek currently ranks #284 among boys' names in America, with 239,060 babies recorded since 1924.
Social Security Administration records show Derek recorded 239,060 times among boys since 1924, holding rank #284 nationally today, ahead of 98% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1924 to 2025.
- #165 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #284 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 239,060 born since 1924
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Derek ranks #165 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #284 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 239,060 born since 1924, peaking in the 1980s.
- #165 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #284 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 239,060
- born since 1924
- 1980s
- peak decade
Derek's 239,060 recorded births place it above 99.63% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Derek compares
239,060 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Derek's all-time total is 648x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Derek | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 239,060 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8,365 | 34 | 22,252 |
Derek's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Derek's SSA record in two at 1977 and the more recent half accounts for 78% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 22%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1924, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1989 peak of 8,365, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Derek popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1924–2025
- Peak year (1989)
- 8,365
- Annual births at peak, across 102 years of records
Derek popularity over time - girls
909 total births recorded since 1956 (Derek as girls' name)
Derek by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (72,923 births, 31% of the file).
1980s was Derek's strongest decade.
72,923 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Derek births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 12
1920s
12 births
- 1930s 155
1930s
155 births
- 1940s 533
1940s
533 births
- 1950s 5,245
1950s
5,245 births
- 1960s 19,021
1960s
19,021 births
- 1970s
1970s
38,310 births
- 1980s
1980s
72,923 births
- 1990s
1990s
50,756 births
- 2000s 27,025
2000s
27,025 births
- 2010s 17,978
2010s
17,978 births
- 2020s 7,102
2020s
7,102 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 72,923 births (31% of all-time use).
How Derek 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 Derek's total volume
Derek by state
Where Derek concentrates geographically, total births since 1924
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 26,723 | 11.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 15,448 | 6.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 15,380 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 11,025 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 10,595 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 10,412 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 9,852 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Florida | | 9,557 | 4.0% |
26,723 of 239,060 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Derek appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Derek? ▼
Where does Derek sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Derek most popular? ▼
Where is Derek most popular? ▼
How long has the name Derek been used? ▼
What names are similar to Derek? ▼
What to do with Derek's data
- Derek's decade-level peak was the 1980s (72,923 total births); usage has since declined to 7,102 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Dereks (26,723 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 Derek
Nearby Names Like Derek
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Derek
Compare Derek side by side: Derek vs Derrick Derek vs Derick Derek vs Dereck
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Derek
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Derek: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1989)
Similar record span (~101 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, 1924–2025 (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 Derek 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.