NameRealm
Darren

Darren: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“great”
Origin
Irish
Say it
DAIR-en · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

Usually treated as an Anglicized form related to Irish Darragh/Doireann or as a surname-derived given name; its history is mixed and not fully certain. 'Great' is a commonly cited interpretation when linked with Irish sources. The origin of this name is not settled among etymologists.

Irish namesEnglish namesModern names

How popular is Darren?

202472.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Darren in 2024238

2024 rank#953 boys

Peak year1965

Total US babies since 1880104,320

Darren is fading: recent use is about 48% of its level ten years before.

Names like Darren

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Darenuncertain · Unknown
  • Darringreat · English
  • Darinlittle great one · English
  • Darongift · Hebrew
  • Deronmodern variant of Darren or Daron · American (modern coinage)
  • Darrongreat · English
  • Liamresolute protector · Irish
  • Aidenlittle fire · Irish

Darren questions

What does the name Darren mean?

Darren means "great". It comes from Irish. Usually treated as an Anglicized form related to Irish Darragh/Doireann or as a surname-derived given name; its history is mixed and not fully certain. 'Great' is a commonly cited interpretation when linked with Irish sources.

Is Darren a boy or girl name?

Darren is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Darren?

238 US babies were named Darren in 2024. Its peak year was 1965.

How do you pronounce Darren?

Darren is usually pronounced DAIR-en.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.