Derek

See Derekh for the unrelated Hebrew term for "way, path".
Derek, Derrek, Derick, Derrick
Gender Male
Origin
Word/Name short form of Diderik
Meaning see Theoderic
Other names
Related names Dirk, Dierk; Diderik, Dietrich etc.

Derek is a male name. It is the English language short form of Dederik, the Low German form of the name Theoderic. Theoderic is an old Germanic name with an original meaning of "people-ruler".

Common variants of the name are Derrek, Derick and Derrick, more rarely also Deryck. The Dutch language short form of the same Low German / Low Franconian name is Dirk (popularised by the actor Dirk Bogarde) and the Low German Di(e)rk (Dierk Hoff).

Contents

History

Further information: Theoderic

The English form of the name arises in the 15th century, via import from the Low Countries. The native English (Anglo-Saxon) form of the name was Deoric or Deodric, from Old English Þēodrīc, but this name had fallen out of use in the medieval period. During the Late Middle Ages, there was intense contact between the territories adajcient to the North Sea, in particular due to the activities of the Hanseatic League. As a result, there was a lot of cross-pollination between Low German, Dutch English Danish and Norwegian. The given name Derk is found in records of the Low Countires from the early 14th century, and in the spelling Derck becomes rather common in name lists compiled in the Habsburg Netherlands during the early 16th century.[1] An early bearer of the name Derek was lord of Keppel, Gelderland, in the early 14th century. A Derek van Keppel, lord of Verwoelde, died in 1495 and was succeeded by his eldest son, also called Derek van Keppel. A later Derek van Keppel died in 1646, succeeded by Asewolt van Keppel , the father of Arnold van Keppel, who in 1688 was created Earl of Albemarle in the Peerage of England.[2]

Given name

Acting, presenting

Athletics (track and field)

Baseball

Basketball

Boxing and wrestling

Business

Car racing

Cricket

Entertainment

Football (American and Canadian)

Football (soccer)

Football (other rules)

Music

Other sports

Painting, sculpture, fashion

Politics

Science, education and academic

Sports on ice

Writing

Miscellaneous

Variant spellings

Derrek

Derrick

Derick

see also Special:Prefixindex/Derick

Deryck

Use as a surname

Unlike the forms Dietrich and Dieter, Derek has not traditionally been used as a surname. It was however, used as a pseudonym, and adopted as legal surname, by American actor John Derek (1926–1998), who was born Derek Delevan Harris, and via him by his daughter Sean Catherine Derek (born 1953) and his wife Bo Derek (born 1956).

Fictional characters

References

  1. ^ see Gerhard Dumbar, Het kerkelyk en wereltlyk Deventer (1752) for an edition of name lists of Deventer. See also Ubbo Emmius, De agro Frisiae inter Amasum et Lavicom Syntagma (1646) for an edition of late medieval name lists from Frisia.
  2. ^ Arthur Collins, The peerage of England (1779).[1]

See also

External links