DEEPAKmIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, NepaliVariant transcription of
DIPAK.
DEFORESTmEnglishFrom a French surname meaning "from the forest". It was originally given in honour of American author John Deforest (1826-1906).
DEIMOSmGreek MythologyMeans "terror" in Greek. This was one of the sons of the Greek god
Ares. Also, a moon of Mars bears this name.
DELAIAHmBiblicalMeans "
YAHWEH has drawn up" in Hebrew. This is the name of several Old Testament characters.
DELANOmEnglishFrom a surname, recorded as
de la Noye in French, indicating that the bearer was from a place called La Noue (ultimately Gaulish meaning "wetland, swamp"). It has been used in honour of American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), whose middle name came from his mother's maiden name.
DELBERTmEnglishShort form of
ADELBERT. As an American name it was first used in the New York area by people of Dutch ancestry.
DELLm & fEnglishFrom an English surname which originally denoted a person who lived in a dell or valley.
DELMARmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from Norman French
de la mare meaning "from the pond".
DELWYNmWelshMeans "pretty and white" from the Welsh element
del "pretty" combined with
gwyn "fair, white, blessed".
DEMETRIUSmAncient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Δημητριος (Demetrios), which was derived from the name of the Greek goddess
DEMETER (1). Kings of Macedon and the Seleucid kingdom have had this name. This was also the name of several early saints including a Saint Demetrius who was martyred in the 4th century.
DEMOSTHENESmAncient GreekMeans "vigour of the people" from Greek
δημος (demos) "the people" and
σθενος (sthenos) "vigour, strength". This was the name of both an Athenian general of the 5th century and an Athenian orator of the 4th century.
DENEBmAstronomyDerived from Arabic
ذنب (dhanab) meaning "tail". This is the name of a star in the constellation Cygnus.
DENHOLMmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was originally taken from a place name meaning "valley island" in Old English.
DENISmFrench, Russian, English, German, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Romanian, CroatianFrom
Denys or
Denis, the medieval French forms of
DIONYSIUS. Saint Denis was a 3rd-century missionary to Gaul and the first bishop of Paris. He was martyred by decapitation, after which legend says he picked up his own severed head and walked for a distance while preaching a sermon. He is credited with converting the Gauls to Christianity and is considered the patron saint of France.
... [more] DENTONmEnglishFrom a surname, originally from a place name, which meant "valley town" in Old English.
DENVERmEnglishFrom an English surname which was from a place name meaning "Dane ford" in Old English. This is the name of the capital city of Colorado, which was named for the politician James W. Denver (1817-1892).
DENZELmEnglish (Modern)Possibly a variant of
DENZIL. This spelling of the name was popularized by American actor Denzel Washington (1954-), who was named after his father.
DENZILmEnglishFrom a surname which originally denoted a person from the manor of Denzell in Cornwall. This given name was borne by several members of the noble Holles family starting in the 16th century, notably the statesman Denzil Holles (1599-1680). They were named for John Denzel, an ancestor whose home was Denzell.
DEREKmEnglishFrom the older English name
Dederick, which was in origin a Low German form of
THEODORIC. It was imported to England from the Low Countries in the 15th century.
DERVİŞmTurkishFrom a Turkish word, which exists in English as
dervish, for a Sufi ascetic. It is ultimately from Avestan
drigu meaning "needy, poor".
DERYAf & mTurkishMeans "sea, ocean" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
DESIDERATUSmLate RomanDerived from Latin
desideratum meaning "desired". This was the name of a 6th-century French saint.
DESIDERIUSmLate RomanDerived from Latin
desiderium "longing, desire". It was the name of several early saints. It was also borne in the 8th century by the last king of the Lombard Kingdom.
DESMONDmEnglish, IrishFrom an Irish surname which was derived from
Deasmhumhain meaning "South Munster", originally indicating a person who came from that region in Ireland.
DEVEREUXmEnglish (Rare)From an English surname, of Norman French origin, meaning "from Evreux". Evreux is a town in France.
DEVONm & fEnglishVariant of
DEVIN. It may also be partly inspired by the name of the county of Devon in England, which got its name from the Dumnonii, a Celtic tribe.
DEWI (1)mWelshFrom
Dewydd, an old Welsh form of
DAVID. Saint Dewi, the patron saint of Wales, was a 6th-century Welsh bishop.
DEXTERmEnglishFrom an occupational surname meaning "one who dyes" in Old English. It also coincides with the Latin word
dexter meaning "right-handed, skilled".
DIARMAIDmIrish, Irish MythologyPerhaps means "without envy" in Irish. In Irish mythology this was the name of a warrior who became the lover of
Gráinne. It was also the name of several ancient Irish kings.
DICK (1)mEnglishMedieval diminutive of
RICHARD. The change in the initial consonant is said to have been caused by the way the trilled Norman
R was pronounced by the English.
DIEDEmDutchShort form of
DIEDERIK and other names beginning with the same element, originally from Germanic
theud meaning "people".
DIEGOmSpanishPossibly a shortened form of
SANTIAGO. In medieval records
Diego was Latinized as
Didacus, and it has been suggested that it in fact derives from Greek
διδαχη (didache) "teaching". Saint Didacus (or Diego) was a 15th-century Franciscan brother based in Alcalá, Spain. Other famous bearers of this name include Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (1886-1957) and Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona (1960-).
DIETERmGermanMeans "warrior of the people", derived from the Germanic elements
theud "people" and
hari "army".
DIEUWEmFrisianFrisian short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
diet, originally
theud meaning "people".
DIGBYmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was derived from the name of an English town, itself derived from a combination of Old English
dic "dyke, ditch" and Old Norse
byr "farm, town".
DIGGORYmEnglish (Rare)Probably an Anglicized form of
Degaré. Sir Degaré was the subject of a medieval poem set in Brittany. The name may mean "lost one" from French
égaré.
DIKLAHm & fHebrew, Biblical, Biblical HebrewPossibly means "palm grove" in Hebrew or Aramaic. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Joktan. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name.
DILBERTmPopular CultureMeaning unknown. The second element is probably intended to be from Germanic
beraht "bright". This is the title character in a comic strip by Scott Adams.
DILIPAmHinduismMeans "protector of Delhi" from Sanskrit
दिल्ली (see
DELHI) combined with
प (pa) meaning "protecting". This is the name of several kings in Hindu texts.
DILLONmEnglishVariant of
DYLAN based on the spelling of the surname
Dillon, which has an unrelated origin.
DILWYNmWelshMeans "genuine and white" from the Welsh element
dilys "genuine" combined with
gwyn "white, fair, blessed".
DINESHmIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, NepaliModern form of
DINESHA.
DINESHAmHinduismMeans "day lord" from Sanskrit
दिन (dina) meaning "day" and
ईश (isha) meaning "lord". In Hindu texts this is used as a name of the sun.
DIOCLETIANmHistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Diocletianus, a derivative of
DIOKLES. This was the name of a Roman emperor of the 3rd and 4th centuries. He is remembered for persecuting Christians, but he also reformed and stabilized the crumbling Empire.
DIOGOmPortuguesePortuguese form of
DIEGO. This name was borne by the 15th-century Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão.
DIOMEDESmGreek MythologyDerived from Greek
Διος (Dios) meaning "of
ZEUS" and
μηδομαι (medomai) meaning "to think, to plan". In Greek legend Diomedes was one of the greatest heroes who fought against the Trojans. With
Odysseus he entered Troy and stole the Palladium. After the Trojan War he founded the cities of Brindisi and Arpi in Italy.
DIONmAncient Greek, EnglishShort form of
DIONYSIOS and other Greek names beginning with the Greek element
Διος (Dios) meaning "of
ZEUS". This was the name of a 4th-century BC tyrant of Syracuse. It has been used as an American given name since the middle of the 20th century.
DIONYSIOSmGreek, Ancient GreekGreek personal name derived from the name of the Greek god
DIONYSOS. Famous bearers include two early tyrants of Syracuse and a 1st-century BC Greek rhetorician.
DIONYSOSmGreek MythologyFrom Greek
Διος (Dios) meaning "of
ZEUS" combined with
NYSA, the name of the region where young Dionysos was said to have been raised. In Greek mythology Dionysos was the god of wine, revelry, fertility and dance. He was the son of
Zeus and
Semele.
DIPAKmIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, NepaliModern form of
DIPAKA.
DIPAKAmHinduismMeans "inflaming, exciting" in Sanskrit. This is another name of
Kama, the Hindu god of love.
DIRKmDutch, German, EnglishShort form of
DIEDERIK. The name was popularized in the English-speaking world by actor Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999), who had some Dutch ancestry. This is also the Scots word for a type of dagger.
DMITRIYmRussianRussian form of
DEMETRIUS. Dmitriy Mendeleev (1834-1907) was the Russian chemist who devised the periodic table.
DOMINICmEnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Dominicus meaning "of the Lord". This name was traditionally given to a child born on Sunday. Several saints have borne this name, including the 13th-century founder of the Dominican order of friars. It was in this saint's honour that the name was first used in England, starting around the 13th century. It is primarily used by Catholics.
DOMITIANmHistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Domitianus, itself derived from the family name
DOMITIUS. This was the name of a 1st-century Roman emperor, Titus Flavius Domitianus.
DOMITIUSmAncient RomanRoman family name which was probably derived from Latin
domitus meaning "having been tamed".
DONALDmScottish, EnglishFrom the Gaelic name
Domhnall which means "ruler of the world", composed of the old Celtic elements
dumno "world" and
val "rule". This was the name of two 9th-century kings of the Scots and Picts. It has traditionally been very popular in Scotland, and during the 20th century it became common in the rest of the English-speaking world. This is the name of one of Walt Disney's most popular cartoon characters, Donald Duck. It was also borne by Australian cricket player Donald Bradman (1908-2001).
DONATELLOmItalianDiminutive of
DONATO. The Renaissance sculptor Donato di Niccolo di Bette Bardi was better known as Donatello.
DONATOmItalian, Spanish, PortugueseFrom the Late Latin name
Donatus meaning "given". Several early saints had this name. The name was also borne by two Renaissance masters: the sculptor Donato di Niccolo di Bette Bardi (also known as Donatello), and the architect Donato Bramante.
DONGmChineseFrom Chinese
东 (dōng) meaning "east",
栋 (dòng) meaning "pillar, beam", or other characters which are pronounced similarly.
DONG-GEUNmKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
東 (dong) meaning "east" and
根 (geun) meaning "root, foundation", as well as other hanja character combinations.
DONNDUBHÁNmAncient IrishComposed of the Gaelic element
donn "brown" combined with
dubh "dark" and a diminutive suffix.
DORANmIrishFrom an Irish surname which was derived from
Ó Deoráin meaning "descendant of Deoradhán". The name
Deoradhán means "exile, wanderer" in Gaelic.
DORIANmEnglish, FrenchThe name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians, or from the surname
DORAN.
DOUGALmScottish, IrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Dubhghall, which meant "dark stranger" from
dubh "dark" and
gall "stranger".
DOUGLASmScottish, EnglishAnglicized form of the Scottish surname
Dubhghlas, meaning "dark river" from Gaelic
dubh "dark" and
glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to
glas "grey, green"). Douglas was originally a place name (for example, a tributary of the River Clyde), which then became a Scottish clan name borne by a powerful line of earls. It has been used as a given name since the 16th century.
DOYLEmIrishFrom an Irish surname which was derived from
Ó Dubhghaill meaning "descendant of Dubhghall" (see
DOUGAL). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.
DO-YUNmKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
道 (do) meaning "path, road, way" and
允 (yun) meaning "allow, consent", as well as other hanja character combinations.
DRACOmAncient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Δρακων (Drakon) which meant "dragon, serpent". This was the name of a 7th-century BC Athenian legislator. This is also the name of a constellation in the northern sky.
DRAGOȘmRomanianOriginally a short form of Slavic names beginning with the element
dragu "precious", such as
DRAGOMIR. This was the name of a 14th-century ruler of Moldavia.