Germanic · Boy name
Derek
“ruler of the people”
About the name Derek
Derek is a Germanic name meaning ‘ruler of the people’. It is derived from the Germanic name Theodoric, meaning ‘ruler of the people’, through Dutch and Low German forms such as Diederik and Dirk, and it came into English in the fifteenth century. Theodoric the Great was the Ostrogothic king who ruled Italy in the early sixth century. Derek Jacobi is a renowned British actor known for I, Claudius, and the poet Derek Walcott won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- Meaning
- ruler of the people
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Boy
- Pronunciation
- DER-ik(2 syl.)
Middle names for Derek
- Derek James
- Derek Michael
- Derek Alexander
- Derek Lee
- Derek Thomas
Questions about Derek
- What does Derek mean?
- Derek is a Germanic name meaning "ruler of the people".
- How do you pronounce Derek?
- Derek is pronounced DER-ik, with emphasis on the first syllable.
- What are variants of Derek?
- Variants of Derek include Derrek.
More names like this: Germanic baby names