Derrick vs Samuel
Derrick and Samuelcompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Derrick was ranked #2088 and Samuel #60 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Derrick was ranked #676 and Samuel #76 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Derrick and Samuel over time
Derrick and Samuel appear together in 2 published lists, across 56 years of shared records. Samuel held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Derrick in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Derrick reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Samuel 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Derrick and Samuel changed places 6 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1964 and 2025, ending at #676 and #76.
- Longest-running competitions
Derrick and Samuel were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 32 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #676 and #76.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys32 shared years, 1964–2025
Derrick held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Samuel in 24.
Highest recorded here: Derrick #137 in 1975, Samuel #34 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Derrick #676, Samuel #76.
England and Wales · Boys24 shared years, 1996–2024
Derrick held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Samuel in 24.
Highest recorded here: Derrick #1257 in 1997, Samuel #6 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Derrick #2088, Samuel #60.
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 | Derrick | Samuel |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Traditionally rendered as 'name of God', though also popularly interpreted as 'God has heard' — sources differ on which root is emphasised. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈsæmjuːəl/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #676 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #38 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Samuel has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Samouel); Derrick does not have one recorded yet.
- Derrick and Samuel both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Samuel; Derrick doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Derrick
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #232 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #137 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1975 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #676 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Samuel
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #339 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 1998 (recorded 1967–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #38 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys