Drake
Drake was the 827th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 299 babies. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked 196th with 1,877 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 430 places. More babies were named Drake in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning dragon; or male duck (English surname) · English, Old English, Latin
Say it DRAYK /dreɪk/
- Rank in 2025
- #827 boys, down 292 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 299boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20101,877 babies
- Total since 1880
- 36,875babies recorded
What does the name Drake mean?
Drake is an English surname that Wiktionary derives from a nickname, Old English draca or Old Norse draki, dragon. The American Heritage Dictionary traces this drake through Old English draca to Latin draco, dragon. A separate English word drake means a male duck, and Wiktionary says that sense also lies behind some Drake surnames. The Elizabethan seaman Sir Francis Drake is a famous bearer. As a boys' name Drake has been used in the US since the 1910s.
draca (Old English, “dragon”)dracō (Latin, “dragon”)
How sure is this? Probable. Two possible senses of the nickname ('dragon' or 'male duck').
Related names: Draco, Drago.
See also: English names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Drake' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'drake' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., biographical entry 'Drake, Sir Francis', HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Drake popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 83 since 1994.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #827 | 299 |
| 2020 | #535 | 527 |
| 2010 | #196 | 1,877 |
| 2000 | #261 | 1,270 |
| 1990 | #539 | 341 |
| 1980 | #1,382 | 47 |
| 1970 | #1,057 | 60 |
| 1960 | #1,049 | 54 |
| 1950 | #1,171 | 38 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | #4,145 | 5 |
| 1920 | #3,942 | 6 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Drake, counting every spelling?
Drake has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #807 for boys in 2025, against #827 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Drake?
299 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Drake (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Drake born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Drake.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Drake?
About 35,800 people born in the US named Drake are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 14 and 27. That makes Drake mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Drake by state
How common Drake was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arkansas (5.1×), Louisiana (4.2×), Iowa (4.0×), Oklahoma (3.7×), Mississippi (3.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Oregon, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Drake: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Drake, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Drake · Sibling names for Drake
Questions about the name Drake
What does Drake mean?
Drake means “dragon; or male duck (English surname)” (English, Old English, Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Drake?
Drake was the 827th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 299 babies. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked 196th with 1,877 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 430 places. More babies were named Drake in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Drake a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Drake in the US.
Where is Drake most popular?
In 2021–2025, Drake was most common in Arkansas (1.20 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and Iowa.