boys' name ★ peaked 1958

Darrell

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,691 Trend ↓ Falling 32%

Derived from d'Airel, name of a Norman family that came from a place called Airelle in Calvados.

Rank 2025
#1,691
among boys · ↓230 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
97
named Darrell · -22% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,609
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1958
4,797 babies
All-time total
160,952
#216 all-time among boys
First recorded
1886
in Social Security records

Darrell popularity over time

160,952 babies have been named Darrell since 1886, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 5 5 1 – #1,001
1890s – 64 64 6 +1180% #582
1900s – 125 125 13 +95% #488
1910s 7 1,642 1,649 165 +1219% #332
1920s 58 5,128 5,186 519 +214% #194
1930s 103 11,126 11,229 1,123 +117% #128
1940s 172 18,225 18,397 1,840 +64% #117
1950s 198 37,257 37,455 3,746 +104% #88
1960s 258 38,025 38,283 3,828 +2% #86
1970s 217 20,072 20,289 2,029 -47% #102
1980s 129 13,162 13,291 1,329 -34% #168
1990s 31 7,556 7,587 759 -43% #246
2000s 8 4,108 4,116 412 -46% #470
2010s 5 2,536 2,541 254 -38% #690
2020s (to 2025) – 735 735 123 -52% #1,255

Where Darrell is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 91 0.05 outside top 500
2027 86 0.05 outside top 500
2028 82 0.05 outside top 500
2029 79 0.05 outside top 500
2030 76 0.04 outside top 500

Where Darrell is most popular

Boys named Darrell per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.068 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, North Carolina, and Indiana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Darrell born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Louisiana 16 0.156 +130%
North Carolina 29 0.114 +67%
Indiana 16 0.100 +47%
Georgia 25 0.099 +45%
Michigan 17 0.083 +22%
Texas 68 0.077 +13%
Kansas 5 0.073 +7%
Ohio 18 0.068 ≈ national
Florida 31 0.065 ≈ national
South Carolina 6 0.058 -15%
Virginia 11 0.058 -15%
Missouri 8 0.058 -15%
Illinois 14 0.055 -20%
Maryland 6 0.050 -26%
Tennessee 8 0.044 -35%
Pennsylvania 11 0.041 -39%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -47%
New York 12 0.028 -59%
California 21 0.023 -66%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Darrell

Darrell is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,691 in 2025 with 97 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1886, 160,952 American babies have been named Darrell. Its peak came in 1958, when 4,797 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Darrell stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Darrell?

The median living Darrell is about 60 years old; half are between 47 and 68. An estimated 117 thousand people named Darrell are alive in the United States today.

median 60 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Darrell year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 97 #1,691
2024 – – 124 #1,461
2023 – – 110 #1,580
2022 – – 127 #1,433
2021 – – 130 #1,410
2020 – – 147 #1,255
2019 – – 170 #1,144
2018 – – 189 #1,067
2017 – – 240 #895
2016 – – 236 #911
2015 – – 226 #935
2014 – – 259 #856
2013 – – 286 #789
2012 – – 288 #786
2011 5 #17,440 338 #690
2010 – – 304 #747
2009 – – 317 #736
2008 – – 388 #634
2007 – – 416 #605
2006 – – 415 #592
2005 – – 405 #575
2004 – – 410 #559
2003 – – 400 #561
2002 – – 405 #547
2001 8 #11,267 453 #505
2000 – – 499 #470
1995 5 #13,949 628 #378
1990 9 #8,657 1,128 #246
1985 10 #6,564 1,324 #190
1980 12 #5,612 1,461 #168
1975 23 #3,072 1,672 #147
1970 36 #2,206 3,148 #102
1965 20 #2,757 3,888 #91
1960 17 #3,014 4,148 #104
1955 17 #2,747 3,902 #91
1950 21 #2,140 2,493 #116
1945 15 #2,256 1,522 #141
1940 16 #2,049 1,430 #131
1935 11 #2,610 1,153 #136
1930 6 #4,141 828 #173
1925 5 #5,138 523 #248
1920 – – 359 #298
1915 – – 231 #352
1910 – – 29 #526
1905 – – 11 #753
1900 – – 9 #919
1895 – – 5 #1,119
1890 – – 5 #1,038
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Darrell

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Darrell Issa Darrell Issa American politician (born 1953) Contemporary
  2. 2 Darrell Hammond Darrell Hammond American actor and comedian (born 1955) Contemporary
  3. 3 Darrell Armstrong Darrell Armstrong American basketball player (born 1968) Contemporary
  4. 4 Darrell Arthur Darrell Arthur American basketball player (born 1988) Contemporary
  5. 5 Darrell Pace American archer (born 1956) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Darrell, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Darrell?

The median living Darrell is about 60 years old. Half of all living Darrells are between 47 and 68 years old.

How many people named Darrell are alive today?

An estimated 117 thousand people named Darrell are alive in the United States, based on 160,952 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Darrell mean?

Derived from d'Airel, name of a Norman family that came from a place called Airelle in Calvados.

How popular is the name Darrell in 2025?

Darrell ranked #1,691 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 97 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Darrell?

160,952 babies have been named Darrell in the United States since 1886, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Darrell most popular?

Darrell peaked in 1958, when 4,797 newborns received the name.

Is Darrell a boy or girl name?

Darrell is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Darrell rising or falling?

Darrell is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Darrell become more popular?

Darrell is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 76 boys named Darrell in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Darrell?

Well-known people named Darrell include Darrell Issa (politician), Darrell Hammond (actor), Darrell Armstrong (basketball player).

Names like Darrell

Names that sound and feel close to Darrell: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Darrell with similar names → More names starting with D →