Derek vs Karol
Derek and Karolcompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2022, Derek was ranked #509 and Karol #572 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Derek was ranked #1108 and Karol #4270 among boys in England and Wales.
Derek and Karol over time
Derek and Karol appear together in 2 published lists, across 41 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Derek reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Karol 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Derek #31 in 1979, Karol #75 in 1979.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys21 shared years, 1997–2024
Derek held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Karol in 16.
Highest recorded here: Derek #809 in 1997, Karol #557 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Derek #1108, Karol #4270.
Republic of Ireland · Boys20 shared years, 1979–2022
Derek held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Karol in 9.
Highest recorded here: Derek #31 in 1979, Karol #75 in 1979.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Derek #509, Karol #572.
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 | Derek | Karol |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #432 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #4270 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Derek and Karol both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Derek
Popularity journey
First recorded1954
First recorded at #89 among boys in New Zealand in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #22 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1972 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #432 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Karol
Popularity journey
First recorded1968
First recorded at #544 among boys in Norway in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1979–2022
Highest recorded position: #75 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1979 (recorded 1979–2022).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #4270 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys