Diesel
Diesel is a boy's name of Germanic origin.
Meaning
Ruler of the people (via Dietrich); also associated with the diesel engine.
Origin and history
Diesel is derived from the German surname, which originated as a diminutive of the given name Dietrich, meaning 'ruler of the people'. It gained modern vocabulary recognition through Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine. In the United States, it is used as a modern, rugged word-name for boys.
Popularity in the United States
2,092 babies in the United States have been named Diesel since 1880. It ranks #2821 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #1557.
States where it is most popular
- TX (25.7 %)
- CA (20.4 %)
- UT (9.7 %)
- OH (5.8 %)
- MO (5 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 0 |
| 1890-1900 | 0 |
| 1900-1910 | 0 |
| 1910-1920 | 0 |
| 1920-1930 | 0 |
| 1930-1940 | 0 |
| 1940-1950 | 0 |
| 1950-1960 | 0 |
| 1960-1970 | 0 |
| 1970-1980 | 0 |
| 1980-1990 | 0 |
| 1990-2000 | 0 |
| 2000-2010 | 488 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,233 |
| 2020-2029 | 371 |
Fun facts
- Before becoming a word for an engine, Diesel was a German family name derived as a short form of Matthias or Dietrich.
- The term enters global vocabulary from inventor Rudolf Diesel, who patented the compression-ignition engine in the 1890s.