Fun Facts About the Name Derrell
- More than 5 thousand babies named Derrell: U.S. records list 5,880 babies given the name Derrell from 1880 through 2025. Even 16 girls received the name Derrell - about 1 girl for every 367 boys.
What Does the Name Derrell Mean?
Derrell is an English spelling variant of Darrell, a name that comes from the Norman French surname d'Airel. That surname was locative, identifying its bearer as a person from Airel, a village in the Manche region of Normandy, France. The literal sense of the name is therefore "from Airel." What the place name Airel itself meant is not known with certainty; it appears to contain an older personal name, possibly Gaulish or Germanic, but the elements have not been securely identified.
A separate explanation is sometimes offered, deriving Darrell from the Old English dēorling, "darling" or "beloved one." That derivation is generally treated as folk etymology. It does not match the Norman French form of the surname, and it is best kept distinct from the name's documented origin.
Derrell Name History & Origins
The name came to England with the Norman Conquest. The surname d'Airel, later written Darrell and Darrel, appears in medieval English records and remained in use as a family name for centuries. As with many English surnames, it began to be used as a first name in the 1800s, when surname-names became common in Britain and the United States.
Derrell is one of several given-name spellings that grew out of that surname, alongside Darrell, Darell, Darryl, and Daryl. The e in the first syllable reflects the common American pronunciation, in which that vowel is reduced rather than pronounced as a full "air" sound. Derrell is used chiefly in the United States.
How Popular is the Name Derrell?
Derrell recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1987. Its best rank was #780 in 1958.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | #6,833 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #6,588 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #5,447 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,422 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #10,111 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #6,623 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #8,470 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #7,213 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #5,515 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #5,006 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #4,260 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2017 | #4,637 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #4,124 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2015 | #4,582 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2014 | #3,816 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2013 | #3,011 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 2012 | #2,606 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 2011 | #3,322 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2010 | #2,884 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2009 | #2,414 | 53 | 0.0027% |
| 2008 | #3,120 | 37 | 0.0018% |
| 2007 | #2,771 | 43 | 0.0021% |
| 2006 | #2,796 | 41 | 0.0020% |
| 2005 | #2,249 | 53 | 0.0027% |
| 2004 | #2,501 | 44 | 0.0022% |
| 2003 | #2,800 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2002 | #2,517 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 2001 | #2,317 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 2000 | #2,177 | 46 | 0.0023% |
| 1999 | #1,972 | 49 | 0.0026% |
| 1998 | #1,648 | 63 | 0.0033% |
| 1997 | #1,912 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1996 | #1,658 | 58 | 0.0031% |
| 1995 | #1,629 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 1994 | #1,157 | 97 | 0.0050% |
| 1993 | #1,210 | 87 | 0.0044% |
| 1992 | #1,281 | 78 | 0.0039% |
| 1991 | #1,017 | 112 | 0.0055% |
| 1990 | #901 | 131 | 0.0064% |
| 1989 | #893 | 128 | 0.0064% |
| 1988 | #820 | 133 | 0.0069% |
| 1987 | #795 | 136 | 0.0073% |
| 1986 | #854 | 113 | 0.0061% |
| 1985 | #878 | 107 | 0.0058% |
| 1984 | #1,014 | 77 | 0.0043% |
| 1983 | #958 | 85 | 0.0047% |
| 1982 | #935 | 92 | 0.0051% |
| 1981 | #1,045 | 76 | 0.0042% |
| 1980 | #1,082 | 70 | 0.0039% |
| 1979 | #920 | 91 | 0.0053% |
| 1978 | #991 | 76 | 0.0046% |
| 1977 | #1,105 | 62 | 0.0038% |
| 1976 | #1,031 | 65 | 0.0041% |
| 1975 | #1,022 | 65 | 0.0042% |
| 1974 | #1,153 | 51 | 0.0032% |
| 1973 | #966 | 70 | 0.0045% |
| 1972 | #1,016 | 63 | 0.0039% |
| 1971 | #1,027 | 63 | 0.0036% |
| 1970 | #983 | 68 | 0.0037% |
| 1969 | #857 | 80 | 0.0045% |
| 1968 | #913 | 63 | 0.0036% |
| 1967 | #997 | 53 | 0.0030% |
| 1966 | #845 | 74 | 0.0041% |
| 1965 | #931 | 63 | 0.0034% |
| 1964 | #842 | 82 | 0.0041% |
| 1963 | #857 | 77 | 0.0038% |
| 1962 | #903 | 71 | 0.0034% |
| 1961 | #885 | 75 | 0.0035% |
| 1960 | #894 | 72 | 0.0034% |
| 1959 | #929 | 68 | 0.0032% |
| 1958 | #780 | 92 | 0.0043% |
| 1957 | #808 | 87 | 0.0040% |
| 1956 | #991 | 57 | 0.0027% |
| 1955 | #803 | 83 | 0.0040% |
| 1954 | #835 | 75 | 0.0037% |
| 1953 | #826 | 76 | 0.0039% |
| 1952 | #828 | 72 | 0.0037% |
| 1951 | #904 | 61 | 0.0032% |
| 1950 | #1,011 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 1949 | #927 | 56 | 0.0032% |
| 1948 | #911 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 1947 | #1,054 | 47 | 0.0026% |
| 1946 | #954 | 49 | 0.0030% |
| 1945 | #974 | 43 | 0.0032% |
| 1944 | #898 | 50 | 0.0037% |
| 1943 | #934 | 51 | 0.0036% |
| 1942 | #974 | 47 | 0.0034% |
| 1941 | #942 | 46 | 0.0037% |
| 1940 | #897 | 50 | 0.0043% |
| 1939 | #861 | 51 | 0.0046% |
| 1938 | #861 | 52 | 0.0047% |
| 1937 | #972 | 42 | 0.0039% |
| 1936 | #977 | 41 | 0.0040% |
| 1935 | #926 | 47 | 0.0045% |
| 1934 | #989 | 42 | 0.0041% |
| 1933 | #928 | 46 | 0.0046% |
| 1932 | #1,009 | 43 | 0.0041% |
| 1931 | #1,290 | 29 | 0.0028% |
| 1930 | #1,573 | 22 | 0.0020% |
| 1929 | #1,346 | 28 | 0.0026% |
| 1928 | #1,776 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1927 | #1,657 | 22 | 0.0020% |
| 1926 | #2,094 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1925 | #1,640 | 22 | 0.0020% |
| 1924 | #1,686 | 22 | 0.0019% |
| 1923 | #1,771 | 20 | 0.0018% |
| 1922 | #1,907 | 18 | 0.0017% |
| 1921 | #1,845 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1920 | #2,246 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1919 | #4,311 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #2,286 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1917 | #2,007 | 15 | 0.0016% |
| 1916 | #2,769 | 9 | 0.0010% |
| 1915 | #2,676 | 9 | 0.0011% |
| 1912 | #2,637 | 5 | 0.0012% |
| 1909 | #1,509 | 5 | 0.0030% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Derrell Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are strong in material matters, determined and stubborn. You have good business ability. You are a good worker, steady and practical, a builder who takes responsibility well. These qualities may bring you a position of authority and power. You are a doer, down-to-earth, serious-minded, reliable, and self-disciplined; have good power of concentration. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Derrell's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Derrell's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.