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Deryl
How to Pronounce Deryl
Pronounced DAIR-uhl /ˈdɛr.əl/Medium
Meaning: Deryl is a twentieth-century respelling of Darrell (also Daryl), a name that began as an English surname from the Norman-French d'Airelle, a place in Normandy. As a first name it carries the surname's heritage rather than a word-meaning; the Deryl spelling is a mid-century American simplification.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Deryl is a spelling variant of Darrell, a name that came from the English surname Darrell, itself from the Norman-French d'Airelle after a place in Normandy. Carried into first-name use in the surname-to-given-name tradition, it multiplied into Daryl, Darryl and Deryl during the twentieth century. The Deryl form rode the mid-century vogue for D-names and crested in the late 1950s.
Deryl was always the rarer spelling, borne by hundreds of boys in all rather than thousands, and it faded after the 1960s as the whole Darrell family cooled. A Deryl from the baby boom is now in his sixties. The name reads as a period piece and has not come back, though the base name Daryl still turns up occasionally.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Deryl mean?
Deryl is a respelling of Darrell, from an English surname rooted in the Norman-French d'Airelle; it carries a heritage-surname meaning rather than a single translated word.
How do you pronounce Deryl?
It's said DAIR-uhl /ˈdɛr.əl/ — two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Deryl a boy or girl name?
Deryl is used as a boy's name.
How popular is Deryl?
Deryl was an uncommon spelling that rode the fashion for Darrell names and crested in the late nineteen-fifties, then faded.