Derek

Derek is a male 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 the television series, see Derek (TV series). For the Hebrew term for "way", see Derekh (disambiguation). For the lifting device, see Derrick.
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
  • Derek Barber a.k.a. Baron Barber of Tewkesbury (1918–2017), British civil servant, agricultural expert and politician
  • Derek Beackon, English lorry driver and politician
  • Derek Bedson (1920–1989), Canadian civil servant
  • Derek Blackburn (1934–2017), Canadian politician
  • Derek Brownlee (born 1974), Scottish politician
  • Derek Bryan (1910–2003), British diplomat
  • Derek Burney (born 1939), Canadian businessman, diplomat and political strategist
  • Derek Clark (born 1933), British politician and science teacher
  • Derek Conway (born 1953), British politician
  • Derek Coombs (1937–2014), British politician and corporate executive
  • Derek Corrigan, Canadian politician
  • Derek Croxton, American history researcher and writer
  • Derek Denton (born 1924), Australian scientist
  • Derek Draper (born 1967), English former lobbyist involved in Cash for Access scandal in 1999, subsequently a psychotherapist
  • Derek Enright (1935–1995), British politician
  • Derek Ezra a.k.a. Baron Ezra (1919–2015) British politician and corporate executive
  • Derek Fatchett (1945–1999), British politician
  • Derek Fletcher (born 1951), Canadian politician born in England
  • Derek Foster (1937–2019), British politician
  • Derek Freeman (1916–2001), New Zealand anthropologist
  • Derek Gregory (born 1951), British geographer
  • Derek Hatton (born 1948), English politician, businessman and after-dinner speaker
  • Derek Holland (activist), British politician and writer who uses several pen-names: Harry Worthington, Rory O'Connor, D. Liam O'Huallachain, Derek O'Huallachain, and Deric O'Huallachain
  • Derek Humphry (born 1930), writer of the suicide handbook Final Exit and president of the Euthanasia Research & Guidance Organization
  • Derek Hussey (born 1948), Northern Irish politician
  • Derek Insley, Canadian politician
  • Derek Keppel (1863–1944), British nobleman, soldier and member of the royal household
  • Derek Laud (born 1964), English political lobbyist
  • Derek Lee (born 1948), Canadian lawyer and politician
  • Derek Lodge (1929–1996), English civil servant and statistician
  • Derek Mackay (born 1977), Scottish politician
  • Derek McDowell (born 1958), Irish politician
  • Derek Mooney (born 1962), Irish ministerial adviser and [(Fianna Fáil)] campaign manager
  • Derek Moore-Brabazon (1910–1974), a UK baron - 2nd Baron Brabazon of Tara
  • Derek Morris (born 1945), British academic formerly chairperson of the Competition Commission
  • Derek Nally (born 1936), policeman, campaigner and politician
  • Derek Oulton (1927–2016), lawyer and civil servant
  • Derek Page (1927–2005) a.k.a. Baron Whaddon, British politician
  • Derek Prag (1923–2010), British politician
  • Derek Quigley (born 1932), New Zealand politician
  • Derek Robinson a.k.a. Red Tobbo (1927–2017), British motor industry shop steward
  • Derek Schofield (born 1945), Chief Justice of Gibraltar
  • Derek Simpson (born 1944), British trade unionist
  • Derek Spencer (born 1936), British politician
  • Derek Taylor (born 1951), Caribbean politician
  • Derek Twigg (born 1959) English politician
  • Derek James Walding (1937–2007), Canadian politician, born in England
  • Derek Walker-Smith a.k.a. Baron Broxbourne (1910–1992), British politician
  • Derek Wall, British politician
  • Derek Watkins British docker shop steward member of the "Pentonville Five"
  • Derek Watson (retired 2002), British churchman
  • "Derek Wee", name used in a controversial blog by Wee Siew Kim (born 1960), Singaporean politician
  • Derek Wells (born 1946), Canadian politician and lawyer
  • Derek Worlock (1920–1996), British Roman Catholic bishop
  • Derek Wyatt (born 1949), British politician

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 Morley (1920–1969) independent science consultant and journalist noted for study of ants
  • Derek Parfit (1942–2017), British philosopher and academic
  • Derek 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
  • Derek Beaulieu (born 1973), Canadian poet, publisher and anthologist
  • Derek Benz (born 1971), American author of children's fantasy
  • Derek Hansen (born 1944), New Zealand/Australia fiction writer, born in England
  • Derek Jameson (1929–2012), British journalist
  • Derek Landy (born 1974), Irish author and screenwriter
  • Derek Mahon (born 1941), Irish poet
  • Derek Marlowe (1938–1996), English playwright, novelist and screenwriter
  • Derek McCormack (born 1969), Canadian fiction writer
  • Derek Parker (born 1932), British writer and broadcaster
  • Derek Raymond a.k.a. Robert Cook (1931–1994), English noir writer
  • Derek Robinson (born 1932), British military aviation novelist and pilot
  • Derek Tangye (1912–1996), English author
  • Derek Taylor (1932–1997), British journalist and press agent for The Beatles
  • Derek Turner (born 1964), Irish journalist
  • Derek Walcott (1930–2017), West Indian poet, playwright, writer and visual artist
  • Derek Wood (1930–2003), author of Jane's World Aircraft Recognition Handbook

Miscellaneous

Spelling variants

Derrek

Derrick

Derick

see also Special:Prefixindex/Derick

Deryck
Dereck
Derik

Use as a surname

Unlike the forms Dietrich and Dieter, Derek has not traditionally been used as a surname. It was however, used as a pseudonym (and adopted as legal surname in 1947) by American actor John Derek (1926–1998), who was born Derek Delevan Harris, and was borne by his fourth wife Bo Derek.

Fictional characters

Popularity

Since 1940, the name Derek was most popular in the 1980s in the United States.

Popularity of Derek" since 1940
RANKS0123456789
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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