Darryle
Variant spelling of the English name Darryl, of disputed origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 1,217 living Americans carry the first name Darryle. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Darryle today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darryle births was 1961 (75 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darryle. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 281,639 Americans
Peak year
1961
75 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
2016 SSA rank
#11,033
Tracked since 1936
Census
Darryle in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 881 people with the first name Darryle, which placed it at #13,631 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#13,631
National first-name rank
People counted
881
881 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
63.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darryle
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darryle is Black at 63.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Darryle described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Darryle at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.1% · 556
- White26.6% · 234
- Two or more races4.8% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 10
Popularity
Darryle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darryle from the 1930s through to the 2010s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 576 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darryle by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Darryle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Darryles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Darryle, while Florida, Alabama, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Darryle
The given name Darryle has its origins in the Welsh language and culture, with roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Welsh word "derw," which means "oak tree." The name likely evolved as a nod to the revered oak tree in Celtic mythology, symbolizing strength, endurance, and protection.
In ancient Welsh texts and folklore, the oak tree was closely associated with druidic rituals and was considered sacred. This connection may have influenced the emergence of Darryle as a personal name, bestowing a sense of resilience and wisdom upon those who bore it.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Darryle can be traced back to the 12th century, where it was primarily used in Wales and the surrounding regions. One notable historical figure bearing this name was Darryle ap Rhys (c. 1170-1221), a Welsh nobleman and military commander who played a prominent role in the conflicts between the Welsh princes and the English monarchy.
Another significant figure was Darryle Goch (c. 1300-1370), a renowned Welsh archer and warrior who fought alongside Owain Glyndŵr in the Welsh Revolt against English rule in the early 15th century. His bravery and skill with the longbow earned him a place in Welsh folklore and cultural memory.
In the realm of literature, the name Darryle was immortalized in the poetic works of Dafydd ap Gwilym (c. 1315-1370), considered one of the greatest Welsh poets of the Middle Ages. His lyrical verses often celebrated the beauty of nature and the Welsh landscape, potentially drawing inspiration from the symbolism of the oak tree.
Moving forward in time, Darryle Parry (1573-1633) was a prominent Welsh scholar and clergyman who served as the Bishop of St. Asaph in the early 17th century. His contributions to the religious and intellectual life of Wales during this period were significant.
Lastly, Darryle Jones (1670-1742) was a Welsh Quaker minister and writer known for his influential works on religious tolerance and pacifism. His writings played a role in shaping the principles of the Quaker movement and promoting peaceful coexistence among different faiths and communities.
People
Darryle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darryle as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Darryle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darryle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,217 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darryle going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 281,639 US residents.
Is Darryle a common name?
We classify Darryle as "Rare". It ranks above 91.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,431 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darryle most popular?
The single biggest year for Darryle was 1961, when 75 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darryle is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Darryle in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 881 people with the name Darryle, or 0.29 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,631 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Darryle in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Darryle?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Darryle leans strongly male. 842 people counted with this name were male (96.0%), compared with 35 female bearers (4.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Darryle?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darryle is Black at 63.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Darryle most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Darryle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.1% (556 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Darryle in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Darryle a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Darryle in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Darryle still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Darryle in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Darryle can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Darryle?
See how many Americans are named Darryle on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.