Derek

Derek is a masculine given name. It is the English language short form of Diederik, the Low Franconian form of the name Theodoric. Theodoric is an old Germanic name with an original meaning of "people-ruler".

For other uses, see Derek (disambiguation).
Derek, Derrek, Derick, Derrick, Licrick
Pronunciation/ˈdɛrɪk/
GenderMale
Origin
Word/nameshort form of Diederik
Meaningsee Theodoric
Other names
Related namesDiederik, Dierk, Dieter, Dietrich, Dirk, Terry, Theodoric, Thierry, Tudor, Tudur

Common variants of the name are Derrek, Derick, Dereck, Derrick, and Deric. Low German and Dutch short forms of Diederik are Dik, Dirck, and Dirk.

History
Further information: Theodoric

The English form of the name arises in the 15th century, via import from the Low Countries. The native English (Anglo-Saxon) form of the name was Deoric or Deodric, from Old English Þēodrīc, but this name had fallen out of use in the medieval period. During the Late Middle Ages, there was intense contact between the territories adjacent to the North Sea, in particular due to the activities of the Hanseatic League. As a result, there was a lot of cross-pollination between Low German, Dutch, English, Danish and Norwegian. The given name Derk is found in records of the Low Countries from the early 14th century, and in the spelling Derck becomes rather common in name lists compiled in the Habsburg Netherlands during the early 16th century.[1] An early bearer of the name Derek was lord of Keppel, Gelderland, in the early 14th century. A Derek van Keppel, lord of Verwoelde, died in 1495 and was succeeded by his eldest son, also called Derek van Keppel. A later Derek van Keppel died in 1646, succeeded by Asewolt van Keppel, the father of Arnold van Keppel, who in 1688 was created Earl of Albemarle in the Peerage of England.[2]

Given name

Arts and entertainment

Sports

Business

Politics

Science, education and academics
  • Derek Abbott (born 1960), physicist and electronic engineer
  • Derek Barton (1918–1998), British physical chemist and Nobel Prize laureate
  • Derek Bickerton (1926–2018), linguist and academic
  • Derek Birley (1926–2002), academic and educator
  • Derek Blake, academic and research scientist
  • Derek Bok (born 1930), American lawyer and educator
  • Derek Briggs (born 1950), Irish paleontologist
  • Derek Denny-Brown (1901–1981), British neurologist
  • Derek Hirst (born 1948), English historian of early-modern Britain
  • Derek Hockridge (1934–2013), British translator, lecturer and expert in French society and culture
  • Derek Hopwood (1933–2020), British academic and author
  • Derek Long (born 1925), former professor of structural chemistry at the University of Bradford, working in the field of Raman spectroscopy
  • Derek McCormack, New Zealand biochemist and academic
  • Derek Wragge Morley (1920–1969) independent science consultant and journalist noted for study of ants
  • Derek Parfit (1942–2017), British philosopher and academic
  • Derek J. de Solla Price (1922–1983), information scientist and science historian
  • Derek Ratcliffe (1929–2005), British nature conservationist
  • Derek Roe (1937–2014), British paleolithic archeologist and academic
  • Derek Summerfield, controversial psychiatrist and writer
  • Derek Taunt (1917–2004), British mathematician and codebreaker
  • Derek van der Kooy (born 1952), scientist and academic working in stem cell research

Writing

Miscellaneous
  • Derek Bentley (1933–1953), Englishman hanged for murder and subsequently pardoned
  • Derek Chauvin (born 1976), American police officer involved in the killing of George Floyd
  • Derek Anthony Seagrim (1903–1943), English soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Derek Watson (priest) (born 1938), British retired churchman, former Dean of Salisbury in the Church of England
  • Derek Wood (c. 1964–1988), one of two British soldiers killed in the 1988 Corporals killings incident

Spelling variants

Derrek

Derrick

Derick

Deryck

Fictional characters

Popularity

Since 1940, the peak of the popularity of the name Derek in the United States was in the 1980s.

Popularity ranks of "Derek" in the USA since 1943
Columns are years within decade.
0123456789
2010s 170181182
2000s 121132139149156172159142159168
1990s 545962677783101106110114
1980s 50535051525657545354
1970s 77636769748384827572
1960s 247205187177172166141123122109
1950s 470407363378362331300283256254
1940s 714953^956891862641

Rank 1 is the most popular, rank 2 is the next most popular, and so forth.

^ Rank > 1000

Source: Social Security Administration.[3]

5
10
15
20
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010

See also

References
  1. see Gerhard Dumbar, Het kerkelyk en wereltlyk Deventer (1752) for an edition of name lists of Deventer. See also Ubbo Emmius, De agro Frisiae inter Amasum et Lavicom Syntagma (1646) for an edition of late medieval name lists from Frisia.
  2. Arthur Collins, The peerage of England (1779)
  3. "Popular Baby Names". Social Security Administration.
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