Head to head · Boys' names
Devin vs Drew
#548 vs #553 in 2025
Devin is a whisker ahead (#548 vs #553 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Devin is stepping back from its peak, Drew is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Drew has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Devin leads 4 measures of 6; Drew leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Devin —, Drew #682 — Drew higher
- 1890s: Devin —, Drew #1009 — Drew higher
- 1900s: Devin —, Drew #1081 — Drew higher
- 1910s: Devin —, Drew #1318 — Drew higher
- 1920s: Devin —, Drew #1547 — Drew higher
- 1930s: Devin —, Drew #1252 — Drew higher
- 1940s: Devin #2469, Drew #666 — Drew higher
- 1950s: Devin #1456, Drew #421 — Drew higher
- 1960s: Devin #505, Drew #376 — Drew higher
- 1970s: Devin #310, Drew #392 — Devin higher
- 1980s: Devin #151, Drew #183 — Devin higher
- 1990s: Devin #70, Drew #172 — Devin higher
- 2000s: Devin #89, Drew #220 — Devin higher
- 2010s: Devin #251, Drew #363 — Devin higher
- 2020s: Devin #453, Drew #532 — Devin higher
Drew stood higher in 9 of 15 decades; Devin has held the lead since the 1970s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Devin | Drew |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #682 |
| 1890s | — | #1009 |
| 1900s | — | #1081 |
| 1910s | — | #1318 |
| 1920s | — | #1547 |
| 1930s | — | #1252 |
| 1940s | #2469 | #666 |
| 1950s | #1456 | #421 |
| 1960s | #505 | #376 |
| 1970s | #310 | #392 |
| 1980s | #151 | #183 |
| 1990s | #70 | #172 |
| 2000s | #89 | #220 |
| 2010s | #251 | #363 |
| 2020s | #453 | #532 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Devin
either "descendant of Damhán/Dubhán" (Irish) or "diviner, seer" (Old French)
Two serious lines compete. The Irish reading traces Devin to the surnames Ó Damháin or Ó Dubháin — Damhán is a diminutive of damh, "stag, ox", and Dubhán comes from dubh, "black, dark". The other line points to Old French devin, "diviner, soothsayer", from Latin divinus, which also produced the surname Devine. Both are genuinely documented; neither has pushed the other out.
Damhán → Ó Damháin → Devine → Devin
How it traveled
Devin belongs to the large family of Irish surnames that crossed to America and were later handed back out as first names, a habit that gave English Kelly, Ryan, Casey and dozens more. In Ireland the name sits alongside Devine and Davin as anglicizations of Ó Damháin and Ó Dubháin, spellings that were never fully standardized on either side of the Atlantic.
Drew
man, from the Greek for "man"
Drew carries the meaning of Andrew, from Greek Andreas, built on andr-, "man". The English surname Drew has a separate and less certain history, tied to the Norman personal name Drogo.
Andreas → Andrew → Drew
How it traveled
Drew began as a clipped form of Andrew, the English version of Greek Andreas — the name the Greek New Testament gives to one of the fishermen among the twelve apostles, which is why it spread across Christian Europe in dozens of shapes. Medieval English speakers habitually trimmed the front off long names, and Andrew gave up its first syllable the way Nicholas gave up its last.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Devin
DEV-in
Stress on the first syllable; the second often softens to DEV-uhn in American speech, which is one reason the Devin and Devon spellings blur together.
- Dev — The standard short form, informal but usable at any age; also a given name in its own right in Indian naming, so it is widely recognized on its own.
- Devy — Affectionate, mostly family and childhood use.
- D — Initial-only nickname, common on teams and among friends rather than at home.
Drew
DROO
One syllable, rhyming with "true". The same in American and British English, and easy for speakers of most other languages to approximate.
- Dru — A spelling variant used informally, and also given as a name on its own; indistinguishable from Drew when spoken.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Devin if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsDevin is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itDevin runs 2 syllables, Drew 1
- plenty of nickname options3 recorded short forms — Dev, Devy and D
- a newer arrivalDevin entered the US charts in 1947
Choose Drew if you want…
- a name with fewer syllablesDrew is 1 syllable to Devin's 2
- a name that stays wholeone recorded short form for Drew (Dru)
- a long American recordDrew was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 40% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 73% for Devin
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Devin
Strengths
- Short, front-stressed and phonetic — most English speakers say it correctly on first sight, even if they then ask which spelling.
- Has one clear, established short form, Dev, which also stands alone as a name elsewhere in the world.
- Unbroken use on American records across many decades, so it reads as a familiar name rather than a new invention.
To consider
- The Devin / Devon / Devyn / Devan question will follow the child forever. Expect to spell it on forms, and expect mail addressed to the other version.
- Most people named Devin in the US are adults rather than children right now, so the name currently reads as a grown-up's name more than a toddler's. That tends to even out as a generation moves on.
- Devin is also given to girls in smaller numbers, more often in the Devyn and Devon spellings. It is unlikely to cause confusion for a boy, but a girl named Devin may be assumed male on paper.
Drew
Strengths
- One syllable and four letters, spelled the way an ordinary English word is spelled — rarely misheard, almost never misspelled once heard.
- Works as a full legal name or as the short form of Andrew, so a child can grow into either without paperwork.
- Recorded continuously in American births across every shift in naming fashion, so it reads as neither new nor dated.
To consider
- It leans to boys without settling there, so a girl named Drew will occasionally be read as male on forms, rosters and email before anyone meets her. Most families find this a small, manageable friction rather than a problem.
- There is no shorter form and no obvious affectionate variant — Drew is already the nickname. Some parents choose Andrew on the certificate to keep a longer option in reserve.
- It is also the past tense of "draw", which means autocorrect and casual readers occasionally treat it as a verb. In speech this never comes up.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Devin
73%chance Devin feels dated by 2040
Devin is coming down from a big peak (#58 in 1995). This is the stretch of the cycle where a name starts to sound like the decade it ruled.
Drew
40%chance Drew feels dated by 2040
Drew sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Devin and Drew in full.
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Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Names that belong entirely to the 1990s
- Names ending in -in
- Borrowed from the girls: names boys are taking back
- Names with nowhere to shorten
- all guides
Where Devin and Drew each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Devin or Drew — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Devin or Drew?
- Devin, in 2025: Devin ranked #548 with 548 babies; Drew ranked #553 with 541 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Devin or Drew?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Devin moved down 166 places; Drew moved down 22 places.
- Which is the older name, Devin or Drew?
- Devin entered the US charts in 1947; Drew was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Drew is the older name.
- How many people are named Devin and Drew?
- About 152,000 people named Devin are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 73,500 people named Drew are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Devins or Drews in the classroom?
- Devin will almost certainly be the only one in school. Drew will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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