Diesel
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- DEE-zul
- Origin
- English
- US rank, 2025
- #2,332 for boys
Diesel is a boys' name of English origin. In 2025 it ranked 2,332nd for boys in the US (59 babies).
What does Diesel mean?
English: English word from the surname of engineer Rudolf Diesel
The word comes from Rudolf Diesel, the German engineer who invented the diesel engine in the 1890s.
Is Diesel a girl's or a boy's name?
Diesel is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 59 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Diesel in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2006, with 41 boys.
Half of all the boys named Diesel in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2011, the years shaded on the chart below.
Diesel in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5 | #3,502 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 7 | #2,823 |
| 2017 | 6 | #3,191 |
| 2016 | 5 | #3,655 |
| 2015 | 4 | #4,086 |
| 2014 | 6 | #3,125 |
| 2013 | 6 | #3,096 |
| 2012 | 15 | #1,692 |
| 2011 | 14 | #1,697 |
| 2010 | 19 | #1,385 |
| 2009 | 15 | #1,582 |
| 2008 | 12 | #1,810 |
| 2007 | 21 | #1,205 |
| 2006 | 41 | #729 |
| 2005 | 22 | #1,063 |
| 2004 | 13 | #1,417 |
| 2003 | 18 | #1,081 |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 1 | #4,138 |
| 2000 | 4 | #2,612 |
| 1999 | 5 | #2,184 |
How popular is Diesel in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,332nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 59 about 1 in 29,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 39% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 59 boys in the US were named Diesel, making it the 2,332nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,872nd. Its busiest year was 2014, with 156 boys. It first appears in the records in 2001.
Half of all the boys named Diesel in the US since 1880 were born between 2010 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Diesel in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 59 | #2,332 |
| 2024 | 38 | #3,159 |
| 2023 | 61 | #2,289 |
| 2022 | 54 | #2,516 |
| 2021 | 80 | #1,902 |
| 2020 | 79 | #1,872 |
| 2019 | 86 | #1,790 |
| 2018 | 96 | #1,663 |
| 2017 | 119 | #1,439 |
| 2016 | 135 | #1,326 |
| 2015 | 141 | #1,271 |
| 2014 | 156 | #1,186 |
| 2013 | 135 | #1,285 |
| 2012 | 134 | #1,295 |
| 2011 | 123 | #1,364 |
| 2010 | 108 | #1,503 |
| 2009 | 119 | #1,413 |
| 2008 | 90 | #1,692 |
| 2007 | 79 | #1,830 |
| 2006 | 65 | #2,036 |
| 2005 | 43 | #2,563 |
| 2004 | 30 | #3,213 |
| 2003 | 27 | #3,361 |
| 2002 | 25 | #3,445 |
| 2001 | 10 | #6,438 |
Names like Diesel
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Luca, Cooper, Axel, Hudson, Mason, Archer, Jaxon, Marley, Carter, Rio, Oakley, Alfie
Names related to Diesel
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Ruby, Hallie, Hazel, Harrison, River, Ellie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Diesel: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/diesel, updated 20 October 2026.