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Detlev

Quick answerThe given name 'Detlev' means "people's heir" or "descendant of the people," derived from the Old High German elements *diot* ("people") and *erbo* ("heir").

Low German · Boy · 2 syllables

D
Top 1,000

Popularity & facts

Relative popularity index, 2010–2025
GenderBoy
US Rank#573
TrendVintage
Peak year2002
Syllables2
OriginLow German
LanguageLow German
CultureLow German, German
Letters6
Numerology5 Chaldean 9
Global rank#573

Popularity over time

Popularity index
Hover the line to see any year. 100 = most popular.

Historical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data

About the name Detlev

The given name 'Detlev' means "people's heir" or "descendant of the people," derived from the Old High German elements *diot* ("people") and *erbo* ("heir").

Cross-referenced with Behind the Name. AI-assisted, community-reviewable. Suggest an improvement.

Etymology

The given name 'Detlev' means "people's heir" or "descendant of the people," derived from the Old High German elements *diot* ("people") and *erbo* ("heir"). It is used primarily in German and Scandinavian cultures, notably in Denmark and Germany, with historical prominence in medieval nobility and later associated with the German poet Detlev von Liliencron.

Detlev currently ranks #573 in the United States as a boy's name. It reached its peak popularity around 2002.

Variants & nicknames

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