The baby name Detlef is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdɛt.lɛf/ (DET-lef).
Detlef is German in Origin.
The baby name Detlef is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdɛt.lɛf/ (DET-lef).
Detlef is German in Origin.
Detlef is a North German and Low German given name built from the early Germanic root for “people” (OHG diot-, Modern German diet-/det-, from Proto-Germanic theudo) plus the element -leif/-lef, cognate with Old Norse leifr “heir, descendant.” The composite sense is “people’s heir” or “heir of the folk,” and it is related by elements to names such as Dietrich (same first root) and Leif (same second root).
The name is attested from the medieval Hanseatic sphere and Schleswig-Holstein and persisted in northern naming traditions, later spreading across Germany. It saw a revival in the 19th century and peaked in mid-20th-century Germany; today it feels somewhat dated but remains recognizable. Common variants include Detlev (very frequent), Dethlef (archaic), Dietlef/Dietlev, Ditlev, and the Scandinavian forms Ditlev and Ditlef. Nicknames include Dete. Surnames like Dethlefs or Dethleff derive from the same personal name.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Boys | 0 | #106 | 5,696 | 5,697 |
| GR | 0 | #135 | 1 | 3,911 | |
| LT | Boys | 0 | #150 | 2 | 2,166 |
| DK | 0 | #206 | 1 | 5,198 | |
| France | Boys | 1950 | #215 | 4 | 823 |
| LU | Boys | 0 | #219 | 2 | 4,970 |
| BG | Boys | 0 | #220 | 1 | 3,850 |
| Germany | 0 | #239 | 224 | 2,542 | |
| NA | Boys | 0 | #249 | 5 | 6,830 |
| PT | 0 | #250 | 1 | 4,161 | |
| TW | Boys | 0 | #256 | 1 | 7,111 |
| HR | Boys | 0 | #259 | 1 | 3,997 |
| GR | Boys | 0 | #272 | 2 | 6,912 |
| CZ | Boys | 0 | #303 | 3 | 6,530 |
| DK | Boys | 0 | #328 | 5 | 7,401 |
| CN | Boys | 0 | #330 | 2 | 9,639 |
| PL | Boys | 0 | #340 | 1 | 6,459 |
| PT | Boys | 0 | #381 | 1 | 7,951 |
| Austria | Boys | 0 | #395 | 48 | 2,180 |
| PH | Boys | 0 | #408 | 1 | 11,440 |
| ZA | 0 | #474 | 1 | 14,421 | |
| GT | Boys | 0 | #499 | 1 | 7,625 |
| PA | Boys | 0 | #505 | 1 | 9,305 |
| CR | Boys | 0 | #510 | 1 | 10,188 |
| HK | Boys | 0 | #556 | 2 | 12,905 |
| IR | Boys | 0 | #565 | 1 | 10,162 |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #738 | 2 | 17,960 |
| KW | Boys | 0 | #805 | 2 | 18,755 |
| Germany | Girls | 0 | #820 | 19 | 4,949 |
| NL | Boys | 0 | #885 | 67 | 5,873 |
| Spain | Boys | 0 | #906 | 25 | 5,610 |
| OM | Boys | 0 | #918 | 1 | 17,948 |
| EG | Boys | 0 | #924 | 2 | 15,035 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #1,031 | 3 | 16,355 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,182 | 1 | 25,439 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,265 | 8 | 25,619 |
| IT | Boys | 0 | #1,452 | 20 | 10,046 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,690 | 2 | 28,008 |
Detlef is popular in 32 countries — most recent births per country:
Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!