Darius
Meaning of Darius
Bearing the stately cadence /ˈdeər-i-əs, ˈdɛər-i-əs/ in English and DAH-ree-oos in much of continental Europe, Darius is a venerable appellation whose roots sink into the Old Persian Darayavahush—“he who holds the good”—and travel, by way of Greek Dareios and august Latin Darius, into the present day. History first inscribed the name in golden capitals through the Achaemenid rulers—most luminously Darius I, whose empire stretched, like an imperial cloak, from the Nile to the Indus—so that the very sound of the name seems to reverberate with notions of wise administration and magnanimous strength. Early Christian martyrologies, meanwhile, embroidered the name with quiet courage, ensuring its survival through the shifting palimpsest of medieval Europe. In the modern United States, statistical annals reveal a gentle yet persistent arc: peaking near the 300th rank at the turn of the millennium and settling today around the mid-600s, Darius proves neither fragile nor ephemeral but rather resilient, much like an evergreen laurel in a changing civic garden. For parents seeking a sonorous union of regal gravitas and benevolent virtue, the name stands ready—poised, dignified, and ever suffused with the warm lustre of its ancient promise of “holding the good.”
Pronunciation
Polish
- Pronunced as DAH-ree-oos (/daˈrjuʂ/)
German
- Pronunced as DAH-ree-oos (/daːriʊs/)
British English
- Pronunced as DAIR-ee-uhs (/ˈdeəriəs/)
American English
- Pronunced as DAIR-ee-uhs (/ˈdɛəriəs/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Darius
| Darius the Great reigned as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 522 to 486 BCE, ruling it at its territorial peak. |
| Darius Shu is a British filmmaker acclaimed for his award-nominated works like His Hands and Always, Asifa, and he founded Silverprince Pictures. |
| Darius III was the last Achaemenid ruler of Persia, reigning from 336 BC until his death in 330 BC. |
| Darius Milhaud was a prolific French modernist composer who blended jazz and Brazilian influences with polytonality and mentored many renowned musicians. |
| Darius McCollum is an American known for repeatedly impersonating New York City transit workers due to his lifelong obsession with public transportation. |
| Darius LaVar Miles is a former American professional basketball player. |
| Darius Bazley is an American professional basketball player who was a five-star McDonald's All-American recruit. |
| Darius A. Monsef IV is an internet entrepreneur and philanthropist, best known as the founder of COLOURlovers and co-founder of All Hands Volunteers. |
| Darius Marshall is an American former football running back who played for the New Mexico Stars and college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd. |
| Darius McGhee is an American professional basketball player for JL Bourg, who won the ASUN Conference Player of the Year three times with the Liberty Flames. |
| Darius Songaila is a Lithuanian former basketball player who represented the national team as a power forward and center and now serves as head coach of BC Šiauliai. |
| Darius Walker - Darius A'Dunte Walker is a former NFL running back who played college football at Notre Dame and now works as a college football analyst. |
| Darius Slayton is a wide receiver for the New York Giants, having played college football at Auburn and been drafted by the team in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft. |
| Darius Orlando Watts is a former NFL wide receiver drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2004 draft. |
| Darius Anderson - Darius "Jet" Anderson is an American professional football running back who played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs. |
