Fun Facts About the Name Drake
- More than 36 thousand babies named Drake: U.S. records list 36,871 babies given the name Drake from 1880 through 2025. Even 83 girls received the name Drake - about 1 girl for every 443 boys.
What Does the Name Drake Mean?
Drake is an English name. As a given name it comes from the English surname Drake, which has two established explanations. One is a nickname from the Middle English word drake, meaning male duck. The other is from the Old English personal name Draca or the Old English word draca, meaning dragon. That word came from Latin draco and ultimately from Greek drakōn. The male-duck word is found in Middle English, but its deeper origin is uncertain; some connect it with the dragon word, while others treat it as a separate Germanic formation. The given name inherits these senses from the surname rather than having a distinct origin of its own.
Drake Name History & Origins
The surname Drake is found in medieval England, where surnames often came from bynames. Such a byname could come from the Middle English word for a male duck, or from the Old English personal name Draca, meaning dragon. The word drake itself had both senses in Middle English: the male duck and the archaic or literary dragon. The surname later spread to Ireland and to North America. Sir Francis Drake, the Elizabethan navigator, is the best-known historical bearer of the surname. As a given name, Drake is a transferred use of the surname, a common pattern for English surnames. It is used as a given name in the United States and elsewhere in the English-speaking world.
How Popular is the Name Drake?
Drake recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2010. Its best rank was #196 in 2010.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | #15,752 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #12,614 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #15,022 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #14,663 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #12,789 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #14,033 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #13,656 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #13,146 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #12,905 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #10,056 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #12,283 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #12,203 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #10,896 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #827 | 299 | 0.0175% |
| 2024 | #661 | 414 | 0.0241% |
| 2023 | #681 | 397 | 0.0232% |
| 2022 | #630 | 442 | 0.0253% |
| 2021 | #568 | 496 | 0.0284% |
| 2020 | #535 | 527 | 0.0305% |
| 2019 | #571 | 488 | 0.0272% |
| 2018 | #440 | 686 | 0.0378% |
| 2017 | #468 | 649 | 0.0351% |
| 2016 | #444 | 696 | 0.0367% |
| 2015 | #397 | 782 | 0.0408% |
| 2014 | #349 | 943 | 0.0491% |
| 2013 | #284 | 1,217 | 0.0643% |
| 2012 | #230 | 1,547 | 0.0816% |
| 2011 | #222 | 1,607 | 0.0846% |
| 2010 | #196 | 1,877 | 0.0978% |
| 2009 | #230 | 1,587 | 0.0800% |
| 2008 | #232 | 1,590 | 0.0779% |
| 2007 | #239 | 1,524 | 0.0734% |
| 2006 | #242 | 1,410 | 0.0686% |
| 2005 | #247 | 1,338 | 0.0670% |
| 2004 | #262 | 1,268 | 0.0639% |
| 2003 | #273 | 1,130 | 0.0572% |
| 2002 | #267 | 1,169 | 0.0602% |
| 2001 | #263 | 1,245 | 0.0641% |
| 2000 | #261 | 1,270 | 0.0647% |
| 1999 | #282 | 1,049 | 0.0546% |
| 1998 | #270 | 1,057 | 0.0553% |
| 1997 | #286 | 974 | 0.0517% |
| 1996 | #307 | 867 | 0.0458% |
| 1995 | #326 | 795 | 0.0418% |
| 1994 | #340 | 725 | 0.0375% |
| 1993 | #349 | 682 | 0.0348% |
| 1992 | #425 | 526 | 0.0263% |
| 1991 | #480 | 424 | 0.0210% |
| 1990 | #539 | 341 | 0.0166% |
| 1989 | #593 | 272 | 0.0136% |
| 1988 | #626 | 228 | 0.0119% |
| 1987 | #786 | 138 | 0.0074% |
| 1986 | #823 | 122 | 0.0066% |
| 1985 | #892 | 103 | 0.0056% |
| 1984 | #1,118 | 66 | 0.0037% |
| 1983 | #972 | 82 | 0.0046% |
| 1982 | #1,265 | 54 | 0.0030% |
| 1981 | #1,126 | 66 | 0.0037% |
| 1980 | #1,383 | 47 | 0.0026% |
| 1979 | #1,443 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 1978 | #1,982 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1977 | #1,755 | 30 | 0.0018% |
| 1976 | #1,843 | 27 | 0.0017% |
| 1975 | #2,471 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1974 | #1,298 | 43 | 0.0027% |
| 1973 | #1,359 | 38 | 0.0024% |
| 1972 | #1,265 | 43 | 0.0027% |
| 1971 | #1,313 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1970 | #1,057 | 60 | 0.0032% |
| 1969 | #1,052 | 54 | 0.0030% |
| 1968 | #1,008 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 1967 | #1,047 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 1966 | #996 | 54 | 0.0030% |
| 1965 | #876 | 70 | 0.0038% |
| 1964 | #976 | 61 | 0.0031% |
| 1963 | #1,095 | 49 | 0.0024% |
| 1962 | #939 | 65 | 0.0031% |
| 1961 | #870 | 77 | 0.0036% |
| 1960 | #1,050 | 54 | 0.0025% |
| 1959 | #1,122 | 48 | 0.0022% |
| 1958 | #1,082 | 50 | 0.0024% |
| 1957 | #1,223 | 41 | 0.0019% |
| 1956 | #1,158 | 43 | 0.0020% |
| 1955 | #1,225 | 38 | 0.0018% |
| 1954 | #1,277 | 35 | 0.0017% |
| 1953 | #1,385 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 1952 | #1,158 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 1951 | #1,247 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 1950 | #1,171 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1949 | #1,282 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1948 | #1,111 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 1947 | #1,323 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1946 | #1,335 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1945 | #2,160 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1944 | #2,015 | 13 | 0.0010% |
| 1943 | #1,935 | 15 | 0.0011% |
| 1942 | #2,181 | 12 | 0.0009% |
| 1941 | #2,530 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1936 | #2,957 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1930 | #4,145 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1929 | #4,121 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #3,942 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1918 | #4,339 | 5 | 0.0005% |
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.
Explore More Lists with Name Drake
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with D
Short Boy Names That Start with D
How the Name Drake 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 are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Drake's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Drake's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.