Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Darryl

Darryl is a variant spelling of Darrell which finds its roots as a medieval English surname, borrowed from the Norman-French “d’Airelle” which indicated a person from Airelle, France (formally located in Calvados, Normandy). “Airelle” is the French word for “huckleberry”. The first recorded spelling of this surname appeared in the early 13th century rendered as “Darell”. Usage of Darrell as a first name dates back to the 19th century and was most popular in the 20th century (Darryl surfaced as an alternate spelling in the 1900s). It is no longer a heavily used name among English speakers today.

All About the Baby Name – Darryl

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME DARRYL

Romance is the hallmark of the Six personality. They exude nurturing, loving, and caring energy. Sixes are in love with the idea of love in its idealized form - and with their magnetic personalities, they easily draw people toward them. Like the number Two personality, they seek balance and harmony in their life and the world at large. They are conscientious and service-oriented, and a champion for the underdog. These personalities naturally attract money and are usually surrounded by lovely material objects - but their human relationships are always primary. They thrive in giving back to others rather than being motivated by their own desires. This is when they achieve great things. Sixes are natural teachers, ministers and counselors.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME DARRYL

Darryl first appeared on the American male naming charts in 1932 and saw pretty quick success during the rest of the 1930s. This was probably owed to Darryl F. Zanuck, one of Hollywood’s most visible studio heads (in 1933 he co-founded 20th Century Films). The name remained moderately popular throughout the 1940s and 50s before eventually gaining entrance onto the Top 100 list (1960-1966). Although the spelling of Darrell was generally more popular, Darryl showed solid usage, too (especially at the tail end of the baby-boomer generation). From the 1990s onward, however, Darryl has quickly gone out of style. The name has shown consistent backwards trajectory since 1985 even when baseball player Darryl Strawberry was at the height of his fame. Today the names Darrell and Darryl are barely on anyone’s radar.

Quick Facts

ON DARRYL

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

946

PRONUNCIATION:

DARE-əl

SIMPLE MEANING:

Huckleberry

Characteristics

OF DARRYL

Humanitarian

Community-minded

Family-oriented

Loving

Affectionate

Compassionate

Sensitive

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Darryl

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME DARRYL

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Darryl

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME DARRYL

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Darryl


Popular Songs

ON DARRYL

Darryl and Joe (Krush-Groove 3)
a song by Run-D.M.C.

Famous People

NAMED DARRYL

Darryl Strawberry (baseball player)
Darryl F. Zanuck (Hollywood studio executive)
Darryl McDaniels (musician with Run-D.M.C.)
Darryl Sittler (hockey player)
Darryl Worley (country musician)
Darryl Kile (baseball player)
Darryl Sutter (hockey player)
Darryl Dawkins (basketball player)
Daryl Hall (musician from Hall & Oates)
Daryl Hannah (actress)

Children of Famous People

NAMED DARRYL

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Darryl

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME DARRYL

Darryl F. Zanuck was one of the most prolific producers of the “Golden Age of Hollywood”, racking up three Academy Awards during his career for such classics as How Green Was My Valley (1941), Gentlemen’s Agreement (1947) and All About Eve (1950). After an early apprenticeship, he, along with others, founded in 1933 what eventually became Twentieth Century Fox. He well earned and deserved his reputation as one of the “suits” who not only looked at the bottom line, but apprised the artistic value of a film as well. Darryl Zanuck was also the father of the equally successful Academy Award winning producer, Richard Zanuck.