Darl
Masculine
Darl is given to both — 1,819 boys and 63 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
The most famous Darl in American writing is the brother who sees too much. In Faulkner's novel about a family carrying a coffin across a flooded county, he is the one who knows things he has no way of knowing, narrates most of the book, and is committed to an asylum by his own family for it.
How old is the name Darl?
Darl first appears in US birth records in 1911 — 114 years ago. The typical Darl alive today was born around 1944, making them about 81 years old. About 800 people named Darl are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Darl most popular?
Darl peaked in 1931, reaching #983 nationally. See the whole 1931 chart.
Where it comes from
From Darrell to Darl
The story of Darl
It is unusually short for a name that normally runs to two syllables. Darrell, Daryl and Darryl all have a second beat and this does not, which puts it in a small class of names that have been clipped to a single closed syllable — Del, Verl, Merl, Murl — almost all of them appearing in American records in the same decades and the same regions. Whether that reflects a habit of speech or a habit of clerks writing quickly is not recoverable, but the pattern is consistent enough to be a pattern rather than a series of accidents.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The likeliest parent is a Norman locative surname whose own sense is a place rather than a quality. Whether this short form descends from it or was formed independently cannot be shown.
How the name formed
- Darrell
- Darl
Pronouncing Darl
DARL
One syllable. Nothing about the spelling is ambiguous and nobody meeting it hesitates over how to say it.
Nicknames for Darl
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1911
- Most boys named
- 192846 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #983reached in 1931
- Change vs 1992
- 0.0%5 in 1999, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Darls among us
people named Darl are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Darl sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- One syllable, four letters, and never needs repeating.
- It is genuinely rare with one strong literary association.
- The spelling and the sound agree completely.
- The spelling is recorded for a few girls, but nearly every child with it is a boy.
- No meaning can be given with confidence.
- The generation that used it is now elderly.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Darl to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Darl? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Darl
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Darls are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Darl are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Darl in 2025?
- Darl is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Darl with classmates?
- Darl will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More D names
The most-given names starting with D, all years combined.
David#35 · Daniel#22 · Donald#690 · Dennis#707 · Douglas#807 · Dylan#41 · Danny#628 · Dale#1409
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Darl? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Darl and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle