Darren
Say it: DARR-en/ˈdæɹən/
Boy6 letters2 syllables
#676
in Ireland (2025)
#642 with spellings combined
4
babies in 2025
#18
best rank (1988)
10,418
babies since 1966
Down 465
10-year rank change
Darren through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | #642 |
| 2024 | 14 | #279 |
| 2023 | 13 | #308 |
| 2022 | 17 | #266 |
| 2021 | 14 | #300 |
| 2020 | 17 | #262 |
| 2019 | 15 | #287 |
| 2018 | 21 | #242 |
| 2017 | 23 | #234 |
| 2016 | 27 | #209 |
| 2015 | 34 | #177 |
| 2014 | 38 | #168 |
| 2013 | 48 | #131 |
| 2012 | 41 | #163 |
| 2011 | 47 | #149 |
| 2010 | 59 | #128 |
| 2009 | 54 | #132 |
| 2008 | 53 | #137 |
| 2007 | 53 | #122 |
| 2006 | 71 | #88 |
| 2005 | 76 | #83 |
| 2004 | 87 | #76 |
| 2003 | 80 | #76 |
| 2002 | 87 | #72 |
| 2001 | 110 | #62 |
| 2000 | 133 | #52 |
| 1999 | 142 | #47 |
| 1998 | 139 | #47 |
| 1997 | 254 | #35 |
| 1996 | 267 | #31 |
| 1995 | 275 | #29 |
| 1994 | 280 | #28 |
| 1993 | 316 | #23 |
| 1992 | 316 | #23 |
| 1991 | 383 | #20 |
| 1990 | 374 | #20 |
| 1989 | 350 | #20 |
| 1988 | 425 | #18 |
| 1987 | 397 | #19 |
| 1986 | 357 | #27 |
| 1985 | 342 | #29 |
| 1984 | 351 | #27 |
| 1983 | 362 | #29 |
| 1982 | 334 | #33 |
| 1981 | 307 | #36 |
| 1980 | 372 | #26 |
| 1979 | 283 | #35 |
| 1978 | 285 | #31 |
| 1977 | 294 | #34 |
| 1976 | 271 | #36 |
| 1975 | 267 | #35 |
| 1974 | 309 | #31 |
| 1973 | 292 | #32 |
| 1972 | 276 | #32 |
| 1971 | 265 | #35 |
| 1970 | 208 | #40 |
| 1969 | 63 | #88 |
| 1968 | 10 | #170 |
| 1967 | 10 | #169 |
| 1966 | 6 | #199 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Darren mean?
Uncertain
Uncertain; a twentieth-century name, possibly from an Irish surname or linked with Dara.
Say it right
DARRen
The story of Darren
Nobody is quite sure where Darren comes from. It seems to be a twentieth-century name. Some link it to a rare Irish surname, others to Dara or Darragh, which are tied to the word for oak, and others to a Welsh place name. None of these is proven.
What pushed it into fashion is clearer. A character called Darrin in the American television comedy Bewitched, first shown in the 1960s, made the sound familiar on both sides of the Atlantic.
In Ireland it first reached the CSO list in 1966 and rose fast. It was in the top 100 through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and its peak came in 1988, with 425 babies and a rank of number 18 in 1988. It has become rare since, with just 4 boys named Darren in 2025. In Northern Ireland its best rank was number 52 in 1997.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Darren (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Darren
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Darren | 4 | 10,418 |
In Northern Ireland
#344 in 2025 with 4 babies. Best rank #52 (1997); 459 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.