Darrell
Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and motorsports broadcaster.[1] Born in Owensboro, Kentucky, he began racing go-karts as a child and transitioned to stock cars in his teens before entering NASCAR's top series in 1972.[2] Over a 29-year driving career spanning 1972 to 2000, Waltrip secured three NASCAR Cup Series championships in 1981, 1982, and 1985, primarily driving for team owner Junior Johnson.[3] His 84 victories tie him with Bobby Allison for fourth on the all-time wins list, while his 59 pole positions rank fifth overall.[2] Notable highlights include his 1989 Daytona 500 triumph after 17 prior attempts, achieved through strategic fuel mileage, and multiple successes at short tracks like Bristol Motor Speedway, where he holds the record with 12 wins.[4] Post-retirement, Waltrip transitioned to broadcasting, serving as a lead analyst for Fox Sports' NASCAR coverage from 2001 to 2019, leveraging his on-track experience for insightful commentary.[5] He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012, recognizing his contributions as both driver and ambassador for the sport.[2]Etymology and origins
Linguistic derivation and historical roots
The surname Darrell derives from the Norman French phrase d'Airelle, a habitational designation incorporating the preposition de ("from") and referring to the locality of Airelle (also recorded as Airel) in the Calvados or La Manche departments of Normandy, France.[6][7] This form emerged following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, when Norman settlers anglicized locational surnames to denote geographic origins, with the fused d' evolving into the English spelling Darrell by the medieval period.[8][9] Historically, the Darrell family traces its roots to Norman nobility who accompanied William the Conqueror, establishing estates in Buckinghamshire and other English counties as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, where early variants like de Arel appear in land grants.[8] The name's persistence as both surname and, later, given name reflects broader patterns of post-Conquest onomastic adoption, where French topographic elements were retained amid linguistic assimilation into Middle English, without deeper semantic shifts beyond the original place-based identifier.[6] Claims linking Darrell to Old English terms for "dear" or "beloved" lack primary attestation and appear to stem from conflation with unrelated names like Daryl, which some modern sources erroneously propagate despite contradicting archival evidence.[7]Usage and demographics
As a given name
Darrell serves primarily as a masculine given name in English-speaking countries, with predominant usage in the United States and, to a lesser extent, the United Kingdom.[10][11] It transitioned from an English surname to a first name, gaining traction as a given name in the early 20th century.[7] While overwhelmingly associated with males, it has seen occasional female usage, such as in the case of actress Daryl Hannah, though this remains rare.[12][13] In the United States, Darrell ranked among the top 100 male names during its peak popularity in the mid-20th century, entering the top 100 lists frequently from the 1930s through the 1960s.[13] For instance, in the 1960s decade, it placed 96th with 38,024 boys named Darrell according to Social Security Administration data.[14] By 2021, its ranking had declined to 1,395th for boys, with only 130 newborns receiving the name.[15] An estimated 216,693 Americans currently bear the name, reflecting its established but waning presence.[16] Demographically, among U.S. individuals named Darrell, approximately 79.1% identify as White, 15.5% as Black, 2.2% as Hispanic, and 1.0% as Asian or Pacific Islander, based on census-derived statistics.[16] The name's usage aligns with mid-century American cultural trends favoring sturdy, surname-derived boys' names, though its decline correlates with broader shifts toward more unique or international options in recent decades.[13] Variants such as Darrel and Daryl appear in records but do not alter Darrell's core masculine profile.[17]As a surname
Darrell is an English surname of Norman origin, functioning as a habitational name incorporating the fused preposition d(e) ("from") with Airelle (in Calvados, France) or Airel (in La Manche, Normandy), referring to someone originating from those locations.[6][8] The name entered England following the Norman Conquest of 1066, with the Darrell family establishing itself as an ancient and noble lineage in Buckinghamshire, where early records document their presence among landholders.[8] Historically, the surname has been associated with English counties including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Somerset, with records appearing in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920; the highest concentration of Darrell families in the UK occurred in 1891.[18][19] In modern distribution, approximately 78% of bearers reside in the Americas, predominantly North America (75%), reflecting patterns of Anglo-American migration.[20] In the United States, the 2010 Census recorded 1,797 individuals with the surname Darrell, indicating relative rarity; racial demographics among U.S. bearers show 67.5% identifying as White, 25.4% as Black, 1.9% as Hispanic origin, and smaller proportions as Asian or Pacific Islander and other categories.[21][22] Genealogical databases contain over 726,000 historical records linked to the name, spanning birth, death, immigration, and census data.[6]Popularity trends and cultural associations
In the United States, the given name Darrell rose steadily in popularity from the early 20th century, entering the top 200 names by the 1930s and achieving peak usage in the mid-20th century. Social Security Administration (SSA) records indicate it ranked 95th in the 1950s with 37,258 male births and 96th in the 1960s with 38,024 male births, reflecting its status as a common choice for boys during the post-World War II baby boom era.[23][14] By the 1970s, it held at rank 137 with an incidence of 0.117% of male births, but usage began a consistent decline thereafter, dropping to rank 194 (0.068%) in the 1980s, 343 (0.037%) in the 1990s, 579 (0.019%) in the 2000s, 864 (0.013%) in the 2010s, and 1427 (0.007%) in the 2020s.[24] In 2021, only 130 boys received the name, ranking it 1395th overall.[15] This trajectory mirrors broader shifts away from traditional, surname-derived names toward more unique or modern options in recent generations.[25]| Decade | Rank | Incidence (% of male births) |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 137 | 0.117 |
| 1980s | 194 | 0.068 |
| 1990s | 343 | 0.037 |
| 2000s | 579 | 0.019 |
| 2010s | 864 | 0.013 |
| 2020s | 1427 | 0.007 |