Male name
Derek
582 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 7.
Origin
Borrowed in the Middle Ages from a Middle Low German variant of Theodoric, and revived in the 19th century.From Wiktionary, entry “Derek”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Do you know a Derek?
Send them the page about their name.
How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 40 births. 582 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. It is still given: 101 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1989: 8,402 births. 239,969 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. At its peak, it ranked 50th among boys' names in 1980. It really came into use around 1936. It is still given: 6,039 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1976: 355 births. 8,119 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. At its peak, it ranked 22nd among boys' names in 1972. It is still given: 37 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 3,940 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Quebec | 3,191 | 1980–2025 | 48th in 2011 |
| France | 580 | 1900–2025 | — |
| Switzerland | 271* | 1915–2025 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution.
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
7
reflection, inner life, seeking
4 + 5 + 9 + 5 + 2 = 25 → 7
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
1
initiative, independence, beginnings
5 + 5 = 10 → 1
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
6
responsibility, harmony, commitment to others
4 + 9 + 2 = 15 → 6
- Digits missing from the name
- 1, 3, 6, 7, 8
- Most frequent digit
- 5 · freedom, change, movement
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.