Diesel is a unisex given name of German origin, derived from the surname Dieseldorff, which itself comes from the Middle Low German words 'diesel', meaning 'people's assembly' and 'dorpe', meaning 'village'. The name gained popularity in English-speaking countries during the late 20th century, likely due to its association with the diesel engine invented by Rudolf Diesel. It is often used as a given name, but it can also be found as a surname.
The name Diesel experienced significant growth in popularity between 2001 and 2014, with the number of annual births peaking at 156 in 2014. However, since then, there has been a steady decline, with only 54 births recorded in 2022. Over the entire period from 2001 to 2023, a total of 1993 babies were named Diesel.