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
Derrell's 5,864 recorded births place it above 96.45% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
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
- Peak year (1987)
- 136
- Annual births at peak, across 117 years of records
Currently ranks #8273 among boys.
5,864 total births across 117 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1987 with 136 births in a single year.
Derrell popularity over time - girls
16 total births recorded since 1956 (Derrell as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Derrell accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
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
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 56
1910s
56 births
- 1920s 199
1920s
199 births
- 1930s
1930s
415 births
- 1940s
1940s
496 births
- 1950s
1950s
719 births
- 1960s
1960s
710 births
- 1970s
1970s
674 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,017 births
- 1990s
1990s
779 births
- 2000s
2000s
434 births
- 2010s 295
2010s
295 births
- 2020s 65
2020s
65 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 1,017 births (17% of all-time use).
Derrell decade highlights
- Peak decade 1,017 births
- Runner-up 779 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
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 by state
Where Derrell concentrates geographically, total births since 1909
| 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% |
592 of 5,864 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 21 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- Texas 10.1% of nationwide
- Georgia 5.6% of nationwide
- California 5.0% of nationwide
- Illinois 3.4% of nationwide
- Florida 3.1% of nationwide
Recorded in 21 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
Texas accounts for 10.1% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Derrell appears in 21 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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
Compare Derrell side by side: Derrell vs Derek Derrell vs Derrick Derrell vs Derick
Related Names
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.
Similar peak year (~1987)
Similar record span (~116 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, 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.
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