Darren vs David
Darren and Davidcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New Zealand · Boys
In 1982, Darren was ranked #83 and David #5 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 1989, Darren was ranked #85 and David #10 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Darren was ranked #676 and David #45 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Darren was ranked #1108 and David #64 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Darren was ranked #535 and David #71 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Darren was ranked #404 and David #104 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Darren and David over time
Darren and David appear together in 5 published lists, across 161 years of shared records. David held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Darren in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
David reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Darren in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Darren and David averaged 38.7 places apart, ending at #85 and #10.
- Longest-running competitions
Darren and David were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 30 years, from 1960 to 1989, ending at #85 and #10.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Darren #123 in 1996, David #32 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys60 shared years, 1966–2025
Darren held the stronger position in 0 of those years, David in 60.
Highest recorded here: Darren #18 in 1988, David #1 in 1985.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Darren #676, David #45.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys30 shared years, 1960–1989
Darren held the stronger position in 0 of those years, David in 30.
Highest recorded here: Darren #10 in 1966, David #1 in 1961.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1989: Darren #85, David #10.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Darren held the stronger position in 0 of those years, David in 29.
Highest recorded here: Darren #123 in 1996, David #32 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Darren #1108, David #64.
Northern Ireland · Boys24 shared years, 1997–2024
Darren held the stronger position in 0 of those years, David in 24.
Highest recorded here: Darren #52 in 1997, David #9 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Darren #404, David #104.
New Zealand · Boys18 shared years, 1964–1982
Darren held the stronger position in 0 of those years, David in 18.
Highest recorded here: Darren #13 in 1965, David #1 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1982: Darren #83, David #5.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Darren | David |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Exact meaning uncertain — may derive from a rare Irish surname, or be a variant of Darrell. Popularized in the late 1950s by actor Darren McGavin and in the 1960s by the character Darrin Stephens from Bewitched. | Commonly interpreted as 'beloved', with a possible secondary sense of 'uncle' for the root. |
| Origin | Uncertain (possibly Irish surname, or a variant of Darrell) | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdæɹ.ən/ | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #676 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Darren is recorded with a Uncertain (possibly Irish surname, or a variant of Darrell) origin, while David is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin.
- Darren and David both have 2 syllables.
- Darren's recorded meaning differs from David's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Darren
Popularity journey
First recorded1960
First recorded at #83 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1960 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1960–1989
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1966 (recorded 1960–1989).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #676 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
David
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #167 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2018
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1961 (recorded 1952–2018).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #88 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys