Dru
Feminine
Dru is given to both — 1,866 girls and 2,788 boys since 1880. See Dru as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Dru is a short form with two quite different parents: Drusilla, a Roman family name, and Drew, which is Andrew clipped. It was in real American use in the middle of the twentieth century.
How old is the name Dru?
Dru first appears in US birth records in 1943 — 82 years ago. The typical Dru alive today was born around 1995, making them about 30 years old. About 1,700 people named Dru are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Dru most popular?
Dru peaked in 1954, reaching #1377 nationally. Today it ranks #3577, 2,200 places below that high. See the whole 1954 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Dru
Ours, offered as ours. Drusilla appears in the book of Acts and belonged to a Herodian princess, and English took it up after the Reformation with the rest of the classical stock. By the twentieth century it had become old-fashioned and its short form was what survived. Dru sits alongside Jo, Bobbie and Toni — mid-century American women's names clipped from long ones or borrowed from men's, and part of a real moment in how women were named.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Drusilla comes from the Roman family name Drusus, whose own origin is not settled — an ancient anecdote derives it from a Gaulish chieftain's name, which is doubtful. Drew is a clipping of Andrew, from Greek andros, a man. Neither is confirmed for the modern short form.
Pronouncing Dru
DROO
One syllable, rhyming with true. Dru, Drew and Drue are said identically.
Nicknames for Dru
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
- 1943
- Most girls named
- 195453 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1377reached in 1954
- Change vs 2023
- −10.6%42 in 2025, from 47
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.
Dru in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Drew in English — related form
- Drusilla in Latin — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Louisiana, Missouri.
Drus among us
people named Dru are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 38,268 born in 2025 was named Dru
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 Italia test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Dru's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Italia climbed just as high around 1917, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Italia's path sketches the road Dru is walking now.
Dru 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 Dru is headed
Dru should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
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.
Dru beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Dru in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Three letters and one syllable — as short as a name gets.
- Drusilla stands behind it as a fuller formal option.
- Read correctly on sight by every English speaker.
- Drew is far more common and strongly read as a boys' name.
- It reads as a nickname to most people, which may matter on a formal document.
- It is strongly associated with one mid-century American generation.
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Dru
Feminine · #3577 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Drus are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,700 people named Dru are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Dru in 2025?
- Dru ranks #3577 among US girl names in 2025, with 42 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Dru?
- About 1 in every 38,268 US girls born in 2025 was named Dru — 42 in all.
- Will my child share the name Dru with classmates?
- Dru will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Dru
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Delphine#3577 · Evelyne#3577 · Ellanor#3577 · Gwenevere#3577 · Lian#3577 · Katya#3577 · Kolby#3577 · Cherry#3577
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Dru? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Dru 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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