Diesel
Masculine · “of the valley”
Diesel is named for Rudolf Diesel, who designed the engine and then vanished off a ship in the Channel in 1913.
How old is the name Diesel?
Diesel first appears in US birth records in 2001 — 24 years ago. The typical Diesel is a kid of about 11 — this name's wave is very recent. About 2,100 people named Diesel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Diesel most popular?
Diesel peaked in 2014, reaching #1186 nationally. Today it ranks #2332, 1,146 places below that high. See the whole 2014 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Diesel
Rudolf Diesel patented his engine in 1892, intending it to run on peanut oil and let small workshops compete with steam. He disappeared from a ferry in the English Channel in 1913 and his body was found floating days later. The name entered American given-name use recently and is in current use.
Meaning
of the valley; the engine
From Rudolf Diesel's surname, a German name generally from Matthias through a diminutive, or from a place element. The engine and the fuel are named for him. The eponym is documented; the surname's own origin is less certain.
Pronouncing Diesel
DEE-zul
Two syllables, stress on the first. German says DEE-zel with a crisper ending.
Nicknames for Diesel
Moderate
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
- 2001
- Most boys named
- 2014156 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1186reached in 2014
- Change vs 2024
- +55.3%59 in 2025, from 38
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.
Diesel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Diesel in German — same name
- Deisel in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Tennessee.
Diesels among us
people named Diesel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 28,950 born in 2025 was named Diesel
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Tron test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Diesel's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Tron climbed just as high around 1980, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Tron's path sketches the road Diesel is walking now.
Diesel 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 scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Diesel is headed
Diesel is easing off slowly — about 29% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Diesel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Diesel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That Diesel meant the engine to run on peanut oil is a first-rate fact.
- His disappearance at sea is a genuinely striking story.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- It is the ordinary English word for a fuel.
- A clothing brand and an actor are both strong associations.
- It is very new as a given name.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Diesel
Masculine · #2332 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Diesels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,100 people named Diesel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Diesel in 2025?
- Diesel ranks #2332 among US boy names in 2025, with 59 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Diesel?
- About 1 in every 28,950 US boys born in 2025 was named Diesel — 59 in all.
- Will my child share the name Diesel with classmates?
- Diesel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Diesel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rishaan#2332 · Harlen#2332 · Kobi#2332 · Keyon#2332 · Oak#2332 · Layth#2332 · Merlin#2332 · Skye#2332
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Diesel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Diesel and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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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
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