Explore the Family Name Derek

The meaning of Derek

1. Polish: unexplained. 2. Dutch (also De Rek): variant of Flemish Derick or Derck. 3. English: variant of Derrick.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Derek in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Derek saw a considerable decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 68,782, but by 2010, it had fallen to a rank of 85,659, indicating a decrease in popularity of over 24%. The count of individuals with this surname also fell from 267 in 2000 to 218 in 2010, a drop of around 18%. Furthermore, the proportion per 100,000 people dropped by 30%, from 0.1 in 2000 to 0.07 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#68,782	#85,659	-24.54%
Count	267	218	-18.35%
Proportion per 100k	0.1	0.07	-30%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Derek

When considering the ethnic identity connected with the surname Derek, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, some notable shifts occurred between 2000 and 2010. Individuals identifying as white made up the majority of Derek surname holders in both years, though their percentage decreased slightly from 86.14% in 2000 to 81.65% in 2010. The number of Hispanic Derek surname holders increased by 22.57%, rising from 4.12% in 2000 to 5.05% in 2010. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Black decreased modestly from 7.12% to 6.88%. Interestingly, there was a new category in 2010 that hadn't been present in 2000: individuals identifying with two or more races, who made up 3.21% of Derek surname holders in 2010. No individuals with the surname Derek identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	86.14%	81.65%	-5.21%
Black	7.12%	6.88%	-3.37%
Hispanic	4.12%	5.05%	22.57%
Two or More Races	0%	3.21%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%