boys' name ★ peaked 1965

Darren

Meaning oak Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,135 Trend ↓ Falling 39%

Unknown. A twentieth-century invention, possibly from a rare Irish surname of obscure meaning, possibly from Dara or Daragh, meaning "oak".

Rank 2025
#1,135
among boys · ↓181 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
187
named Darren · -22% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,134
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1965
5,963 babies
All-time total
104,506
#308 all-time among boys
First recorded
1936
in Social Security records

Darren popularity over time

104,506 babies have been named Darren since 1936, 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
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – 13 13 1 – #2,940
1940s – 52 52 5 +300% #2,399
1950s 30 2,048 2,078 208 +3896% #213
1960s 209 35,038 35,247 3,525 +1596% #52
1970s 151 22,574 22,725 2,273 -36% #75
1980s 129 15,698 15,827 1,583 -30% #161
1990s 43 12,519 12,562 1,256 -21% #199
2000s – 8,920 8,920 892 -29% #298
2010s 7 5,490 5,497 550 -38% #407
2020s (to 2025) – 1,585 1,585 264 -52% #718

Where Darren 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 172 0.10 outside top 500
2027 161 0.09 outside top 500
2028 151 0.09 outside top 500
2029 144 0.08 outside top 500
2030 138 0.08 outside top 500

Where Darren is most popular

Boys named Darren per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.144 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and California.

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 Darren 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 33 0.323 +125%
Pennsylvania 61 0.230 +60%
California 200 0.219 +52%
New York 93 0.215 +50%
Virginia 35 0.184 +28%
Florida 82 0.173 +21%
Ohio 39 0.147 ≈ national
Michigan 30 0.146 ≈ national
Illinois 35 0.137 -5%
New Jersey 27 0.134 -7%
North Carolina 34 0.133 -7%
Kentucky 13 0.130 -10%
Washington 21 0.128 -11%
Texas 112 0.127 -11%
Georgia 31 0.122 -15%
South Carolina 11 0.106 -26%
Tennessee 19 0.105 -27%
Massachusetts 14 0.102 -29%
Arkansas 6 0.095 -34%
Missouri 13 0.094 -35%
Mississippi 5 0.088 -39%
Wisconsin 10 0.084 -41%
Maryland 10 0.084 -42%
Minnesota 8 0.065 -55%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -61%
Alabama 5 0.046 -68%
Colorado 5 0.039 -73%
Indiana 5 0.031 -78%
Arizona 5 0.031 -79%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Darren

Darren is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,135 in 2025 with 187 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1936, 104,506 American babies have been named Darren. Its peak came in 1965, when 5,963 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Darren stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Darren?

The median living Darren is about 49 years old; half are between 32 and 57. An estimated 96 thousand people named Darren are alive in the United States today.

median 49 020406080100

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

Darren 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 – – 187 #1,135
2024 – – 240 #954
2023 – – 224 #978
2022 – – 284 #853
2021 – – 305 #803
2020 – – 345 #718
2019 – – 374 #684
2018 – – 393 #653
2017 7 #13,042 463 #586
2016 – – 528 #548
2015 – – 527 #543
2014 – – 569 #494
2013 – – 593 #468
2012 – – 667 #423
2011 – – 681 #415
2010 – – 695 #407
2009 – – 765 #393
2008 – – 799 #384
2007 – – 876 #361
2006 – – 824 #361
2005 – – 864 #343
2004 – – 891 #337
2003 – – 977 #306
2002 – – 969 #302
2001 – – 948 #304
2000 – – 1,007 #298
1995 – – 1,290 #230
1990 7 #10,481 1,507 #199
1985 19 #4,165 1,701 #161
1980 11 #6,002 1,533 #163
1975 16 #3,985 2,032 #126
1970 33 #2,318 4,197 #75
1965 25 #2,419 5,938 #52
1960 15 #3,241 2,209 #156
1955 – – 34 #1,296
1950 – – 11 #2,345
1945 – – 9 #2,433
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Darren

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

  1. 1 Darren Aronofsky Darren Aronofsky American filmmaker (born 1969) Contemporary
  2. 2 Darren Fletcher Darren Fletcher Scottish footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  3. 3 Darren Criss Darren Criss American actor, singer, and songwriter b. 1987 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Darren McGavin Darren McGavin American actor (1922–2006) Contemporary
  5. 5 Darren Star Darren Star American television writer and producer (born 1961) Contemporary
  6. 6 Darren Bent Darren Bent English footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  7. 7 Darren Hayes Darren Hayes Australian musician and producer (born 1972) Contemporary
  8. 8 Darren Ferguson Darren Ferguson Scottish footballer and manager (born 1972) Contemporary
  9. 9 Darren Anderton Darren Anderton English footballer b. 1972 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Darren Clarke Darren Clarke Northern Irish professional golfer (born 1968) Contemporary
  11. 11 Darren Collison Darren Collison American basketball player (born 1987) Contemporary
  12. 12 Darren Lynn Bousman Darren Lynn Bousman American film director and screenwriter (born 1979) Contemporary
  13. 13 Darren O'Dea Irish footballer (born 1987) Contemporary
  14. 14 Darren Campbell Darren Campbell British sprinter and coach (born 1973) Contemporary
  15. 15 Darren Shan Darren Shan Irish novelist b. 1972 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Darren Young Darren Young American professional wrestler b. 11 · Antiquity
  17. 17 Darren Jackson Topics referred to by the same term b. 1966 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Darren Potter Darren Potter English footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  19. 19 Darren Sutherland Darren Sutherland Irish boxer 1982–2009 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Darren Mattocks Darren Mattocks Jamaican footballer (born 1990) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Darren?

The median living Darren is about 49 years old. Half of all living Darrens are between 32 and 57 years old.

How many people named Darren are alive today?

An estimated 96 thousand people named Darren are alive in the United States, based on 104,506 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Darren mean?

Unknown. A twentieth-century invention, possibly from a rare Irish surname of obscure meaning, possibly from Dara or Daragh, meaning "oak".

How popular is the name Darren in 2025?

Darren ranked #1,135 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 187 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Darren?

104,506 babies have been named Darren in the United States since 1936, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Darren most popular?

Darren peaked in 1965, when 5,963 newborns received the name.

Is Darren a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Darren rising or falling?

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

Will Darren become more popular?

Darren is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 138 boys named Darren 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 Darren?

Well-known people named Darren include Darren Aronofsky (film director), Darren Fletcher (soccer player), Darren Criss (actor).

Names like Darren

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

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