Name Awesome

Darby

#2,564 in 2025UnisexGirls' nameBoys' name

Deer + settlement

Darby has been given to 11,278 babies in the U.S. since 1936. In 2025 it ranked #2,564 of 17,293 girls’ names in use. Its peak year was 1995, with 491 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 74% girls, 26% boys all-time.

Babies named Darby, 2025

1 in 48,800

Darby over time, 1880–2025

GirlsBoys
020040060018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Darby over time

In 2025, Darby went to 84% girls and 16% boys.

19132025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Darby: meaning, origin, and history

Deer + settlement

surname transfer

What Darby means

Darby means “deer + settlement”, associated with djúr and býr.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From the English place name Derby, from Old Norse djúr (“deer”) + býr (“settlement”).

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Darby (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Darby is used in English. Its origins include surname transfer.

Darby comes through Old Norse djúr.

Darby is recorded as a surname transferred into given-name use.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Darby is pronounced /ˈdɑːbi/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 8,338 girls were recorded with the name Darby between 1936 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 491 in 1995; its best national rank was #499 in 1995.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #2,200 in 2020 to #2,564 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #1,863 in 2015 to #2,564 in 2025.

In the United States, 2,940 boys were recorded with the name Darby between 1913 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 130 in 1970; its best national rank was #721 in 1970.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #5,073 in 2020 to #6,536 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #3,900 in 2015 to #6,536 in 2025.

How common is Darby?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 48,800
68 of 3,315,165 births
Among girls only
1 in 23,600
<0.01% of girls
Rank, 2025
#2,564
of 17,293 girls’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
33,794 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Darby sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Olivia (13,544)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 5001%

Put another way: gather 33,794 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Darby. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Darbys were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Darby was born before 1998 — so the typical Darby is around 27 today.

Median birth year
1998
About 27 years old
Biggest decade
1990s
31.2% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
39.5%
Spread across generations
Recorded since 1950
8,149
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

1990s — 31.2% of all recorded uses (2,599).

Is Darby rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+567
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
−364
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
−701
Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago
0.62×
Fewer babies than then
Share of its own peak
13.8%
Peak was 1995 (491)
Years since peak
30
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Shifting
14.4% average annual change
Best rank ever
#499
1995

Spellings of Darby

Darby is not the most common spelling — Mary is, with 88.9% against Darby's 0.18%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Darby is used — girls

Across 2016–2025, Darby was most concentrated in Alabama — about 1 in 10,000 girls, against 1 in 30,305 across all states with data. It was least common in Virginia (1 in 100,000).

110 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Alabama1 in 10,000
  2. 2Kentucky1 in 12,500
  3. 3Ohio1 in 14,286
  4. 4Tennessee1 in 14,286
  5. 5Mississippi1 in 16,667
  6. 6Georgia1 in 25,000
  7. 7Kansas1 in 25,000
  8. 8Texas1 in 25,000

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Where Darby is used — boys

Across 1910–2025, Darby was most concentrated in California — about 1 in 100,000 boys, against 1 in 285,832 across all states with data. It was least common in Washington (1 in —).

01 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in 100,000
  2. 2Indiana1 in 100,000
  3. 3Minnesota1 in 100,000
  4. 4Florida1 in —
  5. 5Georgia1 in —
  6. 6Iowa1 in —
  7. 7Illinois1 in —
  8. 8Kentucky1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Darby has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Darby around the world

Where Darby ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1996–2025
    #3,035
    in 2025
  • Scotland
    1999–2025
    #780
    in 2025
  • Canada
    1991–2024
    #3,457
    in 2024
  • South Australia
    1995–2013
    #818
    in 2013

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS, NRS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Notable people named Darby

People whose public names include Darby, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Darby by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#2,564
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 364
Best rank ever
#499
1995
Peak year
1995
491 that year
First recorded
1936
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
8,338
Count in 2025
68

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#6,536
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 1,463
Best rank ever
#721
1970
Peak year
1970
130 that year
First recorded
1913
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
2,940
Count in 2025
13

Names similar to Darby

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

DariaDarciDarcyDarianDarcieDaraDarleenDarlaDaryaDarylKirbyDarahDarceyDarlynDarianaDarlinDarinaDariDarlineDarynDariahDarienDarlingDariel

Names with a curve like Darby

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Darby, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

YasmeenMireyaCydneyEssenceMicaelaDestiniTyraShaeCarliSarinaTiannaKeely

Sibling names for Darby

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Darby

Top names of 1995, Darby's peak yearThe 1990s in fullOther names that peaked in 1995Girls' names starting with D