Derek
[ˈdɛrɪk]Meaning
english short form of Diederik, from the Germanic Theodoric, meaning "people-ruler"
Background Story
Derek is the English short form of Diederik, the Low Franconian form of the old Germanic name Theodoric, whose original meaning is "people-ruler" or "lead the people". It comes from the older English name Dederick, in origin a Low German form of Theodoric, and was imported to England from the Low Countries in the 15th century. Common variants are Derrek, Derik, Deryck, Derrick and Derick, and the name is used in Dutch, Estonian, French, Frisian, German, Germanic, Gothic, Medieval German, Norwegian, Old Germanic and Swedish.
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