Derek vs Elijah
How Derek and Elijah compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Derek (boys) vs Elijah (boys), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Derek | Elijah |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1989 — 8,365 boys | 2011 — 13,997 boys |
| Peak rank | #54 | #13 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #284 (1,191 births) | #7 (11,111 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 199,895 | 345,561 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 12,882 | 125,763 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Elijah reached 13,997 US births in 2011 — 5,632 more than Derek's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Derek births | Elijah births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Elijah | 0 | 4,818 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name list.
Derek — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | #174 | 20 |
| 2 | New Jersey | #185 | 479 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | #188 | 30 |
| 4 | New York | #192 | 996 |
| 5 | Florida | #202 | 986 |
Elijah — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | #3 | 1,358 |
| 2 | Louisiana | #3 | 2,113 |
| 3 | New Mexico | #4 | 821 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | #4 | 1,558 |
| 5 | Florida | #4 | 8,344 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →