Darren

Actor Darren McGavin was one influence for use of the name Darren.
Pronunciation	/dærən/
Gender	Male
Other names
Nickname(s)	Daz, Dazza
Related names	Darin, Darrin, Darrell, Darragh, Dáire

Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "oak tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from the Gaelic surname meaning "great", but is also linked to a Welsh mountain named Moel Darren.^[1] It is also believed to be a variant of Darrell, which originated from the French surname D'Airelle, meaning "of Airelle". The common spelling of Darren is found in the Welsh language, meaning "edge": Black Darren and Red Darren are found on the eastern side of the Hatterrall Ridge, west of Long Town. In New Zealand, the Darran Mountains are in the south of the country.

The name increased in use for boys after American author Zane Grey used the name Daren Lane for the hero of his 1922 novel The Beast; a number of American parents used the full name of the character, Daren Lane, as first and middle names for their sons. While the name is also in use as a surname, Grey might have coined the name for his character.^[2] Later, the name and its spelling variants increased in use in the 1960s and early 1970s due to various media influences including the popularity of actor Darren McGavin, actor and musician Bobby Darin, and the fictional character Darrin Stephens on the American television series Bewitched.^[3][4] Darren has several spelling variations including Daren, Darin, Daryn, Darrin, Darran and Darryn.

In the United Kingdom, its popularity peaked during the 1970s but declined sharply afterwards. In England and Wales, it first appeared in the early 1960s, ranking 66th in 1964, and had leapt to 15th by 1974, but fell to 33rd by 1984 and last appeared in the top 100 in 1994, when it ranked 100th.^[5]