Boys' name · since 1909

Derrell

Derrell has 5,864 recorded births since 1909 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1987 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#1,613 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#8,273 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
5,864
born since 1909
1980s
peak decade

5,864 babies have been named Derrell since 1909, making it today's #8273 boys' name.

Derrell has 5,864 recorded births among boys since 1909, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8273 as of the latest data, more common than 41% 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 1909 to 2025.

  • #1,613 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #8,273 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 5,864 born since 1909
  • 1980s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Derrell ranks #1,613 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,273 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 5,864 born since 1909, peaking in the 1980s.

#1,613 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#8,273 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
5,864
born since 1909
1980s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%40.6%
Derrell vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Derrell's 5,864 recorded births place it above 96.45% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

21 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

21 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Derrell compares

5,864 Top 12% higher than 88% 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

Derrell's all-time total is 16x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Derrell Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 5,864 369 358,536
Peak-year births 136 34 22,252

Derrell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Derrell's SSA record in two at 1969 and the more recent half accounts for 57% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 43%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1909, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1987 peak of 136, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Derrell popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1909–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1987)
136
Annual births at peak, across 117 years of records
050100150 190919281943195819731988200320182025 9

Derrell popularity over time - girls

16 total births recorded since 1956 (Derrell as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 16 births
4.555.566.5 195619601963 5

Derrell by decade

1980s is the heaviest window (1,017 births, 17% of the file).

1980s was Derrell's strongest decade.

1,017 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.

Derrell births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1980s at 1,017 births (17% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Derrell 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 Derrell's total volume

Derrell vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 3.2%-62, 3.3%-63, 7.1%-79, 3.3%-114, 8.2%-109, 6%-58, 13.4%-53, 6.6%-31, 9.3%-41, 6.3%-146, 2.6%-52, 9.9%-111, 7.8%-146, 2.6%-144, 2.7%Derrell-117, 2.3%Derrell
Derrell vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Derrell by state

Where Derrell concentrates geographically, total births since 1909

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Derrell
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
592 10.1%
#2 Georgia
326 5.6%
#3 California
292 5.0%
#4 Illinois
202 3.4%
#5 Florida
182 3.1%
#6 Maryland
129 2.2%
#7 New York
107 1.8%
#8 Alabama
95 1.6%
Texas share of Derrell's total US births 10.1%
Even split

592 of 5,864 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 21 reporting states.

Derrell appears in 21 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Derrell?
Derrell has been given to 5,864 babies in the U.S. since 1909, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #1,613 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #8,273 of 13,930. 136 babies were born in 1987, its single highest year.
Where does Derrell sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Derrell ranks #1,613 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,273 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Derrell most popular?
Derrell was most popular in the 1980s decade with 1,017 total births. The single peak year was 1987.
Where is Derrell most popular?
The top states for the name Derrell are Texas (592 births), Georgia (326 births), California (292 births).
How long has the name Derrell been used?
The SSA has tracked Derrell since 1909 -- 117 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Derrell?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Derek, Derrick, Derick, Dereck, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Derrell's data

  • Derrell's decade-level peak was the 1980s (1,017 total births); usage has since declined to 65 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Texas records the most Derrells (592 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Derrell

Nearby Names Like Derrell

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Derrell

Names with a similar popularity rank to Derrell

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Derrell: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1909–2025 (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 Derrell 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.