Depp an haife shi ne a Owensboro, Kentucky, ƙarami daga cikin 'ya'ya huɗu na Betty Sue Palmer (née Wells), mai ba da sabis, da John Christopher Depp, injiniyan injiniya. Depp ya motsa sau da yawa a lokacin yaro. Shi da 'yan uwansa sun zauna a wurare daban-daban fiye da 20, daga bisani suka zauna a Miramar, Florida a shekarar 1970. Iyayen Depp sun saki a 1978 lokacin da yake 15. Mahaifiyarsa ta auri Robert Palmer, wanda Depp ya kira "wani wahayi".
Shekarar 1970