Theodoric is an old Germanic name with an original meaning of "people-ruler" or "lead the people".
[citation needed] Common variants of the name are Derrek, Derik, Deryck (included here), as well as [[Derek The English form of the name arises in the 15th century, via import from the Low Countries.
During the Late Middle Ages, there was intense contact between the territories adjacent to the North Sea, in particular due to the activities of the Hanseatic League.
As a result, there was a lot of cross-pollination between Low German, Dutch, English, Danish and Norwegian.
The given name Derk is found in records of the Low Countries from the early 14th century, and in the spelling Derck becomes rather common in name lists compiled in the Habsburg Netherlands during the early 16th century.