Dietrich

Dietrich is a German given name derived from the Old High German elements theud, meaning people or folk, and rīhhi, meaning power or ruler, making the full sense something like ruler of the people. It is the German form of the widespread Germanic name that appears in English as Derek and Theodoric, in Dutch as Dirk, and in Scandinavian languages as Torrek or Tyrrik. The name was borne by the legendary Gothic king Theodoric the Great, who became the hero Dietrich von Bern in medieval German heroic poetry. The twentieth-century German singer and actress Marlene Dietrich, born Maria Magdalene Dietrich, brought the name international recognition.