Comments (Meaning / History Only)
Though the name may have originated from the Germanic `Theodoric`, some parents may have chosen it due to the Hebrew word `Derek`, which means "way, road, journey, manner" (e.g. "the way in which he walked", or "this stone marks the way to Rome").
Source: http://biblehub.com/hebrew/1870.htm
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Source: http://biblehub.com/hebrew/1870.htm
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I have always considered this explanation to be awkward. Why clip Theodoric (or Theodoricus) to Derek as opposed to Theo. Which was a more common name throughout the Middle Ages. Or even Ted. Sure the syllabication is Teh-OD-erick, but it's like going around your backside to scratch your head. My alternative etymology (unpublished, unsubstantiated, and unrecognized) is that the Arabic name Tariq is the most natural candidate. Remember the Crusades, the spread of Islam through North Africa and into Spain and France prior to the First Crusade, and the historic association between the Low Countries and Spain. Given the slipperiness of pronouncing TH / T / D by people of different languages, the essential non-difference between a Q, a KH, a Germanic CH. Voila, Tariq = Derrick. Otherwise you're left wondering how a 16th century name ties back through history to a Gothic chief of the late Roman era.
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Derek means "gifted ruler".
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Many Dereks don't live up to the true meaning of their name.