DANTE m ItalianMedieval short form of
DURANTE. The most notable bearer of this name was Dante Alighieri, the 13th-century Italian poet who wrote the 'Divine Comedy'.
DAR f & m HebrewMeans "mother-of-pearl, nacre" in Hebrew.
DARA (1) m IrishFrom the Irish
Mac Dara, which means "oak tree". This was the name of a 6th-century saint from Connemara. It is also used as an Anglicized form of
DÁIRE.
DARA (2) f & m KhmerMeans "star" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit.
DARBY m & f EnglishFrom an English surname, which was derived from the name of the town of
Derby, meaning "deer town" in Old Norse.
DARCY f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Norman French
d'Arcy, originally denoting one who came from Arcy in France. This was the surname of a character in Jane Austen's novel 'Pride and Prejudice' (1813).
DARDAN m AlbanianFrom the name of the Dardani, an Illyrian tribe who lived on the Balkan Peninsula. Their name may derive from an Illyrian word meaning "pear". They were unrelated to the ancient people who were also called the Dardans who lived near Troy.
DARIN m EnglishVariant of
DARREN. This was the adopted surname of the singer Bobby Darin (1936-1973), who was born Robert Cassotto and chose his stage name from a street sign.
DARIUS m English, Lithuanian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical LatinRoman form of
Δαρειος (Dareios), which was the Greek form of the Persian name
Dārayavahush, which was composed of the elements
dâraya "to possess" and
vahu "good". Three ancient kings of Persia bore this name, including Darius the Great who expanded the Achaemenid Empire to its greatest extent. His forces invaded Greece but were defeated in the Battle of Marathon.
... [more] DARNELL m EnglishFrom a surname, possibly derived from Old French
darnel, a type of grass. Alternatively it may be derived from Old English
derne "hidden" and
halh "nook".
DARRELL m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Norman French
d'Airelle, originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France.
DARREN m EnglishThe meaning of this name is not known for certain. It could be from a rare Irish surname or it could be an altered form of
DARRELL. It was first brought to public attention in the late 1950s by the American actor Darren McGavin (1922-2006). It was further popularized in the 1960s by the character Darrin Stephens from the television show 'Bewitched'.
D'ARTAGNAN m LiteratureMeans "from Artagnan" in French, Artagnan being a town in southwest France. This was the name of a character in the novel 'The Three Musketeers' (1884) by Alexandre Dumas. In the novel D'Artagnan is an aspiring musketeer who first duels with the three title characters and then becomes their friend.
DARWIN m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Deorwine, which meant "dear friend". The surname was borne by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the man who first proposed the theory of natural selection and subsequently revolutionized biology.
DASHIELL m English (Rare)In the case of American author Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), it is an Anglicized form of his mother's surname
De Chiel, which is of unknown meaning.
DATHAN m BiblicalPossibly means "fountain" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the conspirators against
Moses.
DAUMANTAS m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
daug "much" and
mantus "intelligent". This name was borne by a 13th-century Lithuanian ruler of Pskov who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
DAVID m English, Hebrew, French, Scottish, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
דָּוִד (Dawid), which was derived from Hebrew
דּוֹד (dod) meaning "beloved" or "uncle". David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of
Goliath, a giant Philistine. According to the New Testament,
Jesus was descended from him.
... [more] DAVIS m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the given name
DAVID. A famous bearer of the surname was Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), the only president of the Confederate States of America.
DAWSON m EnglishFrom a surname meaning "son of
DAVID". This name was popularized in the late 1990s by the television drama 'Dawson's Creek'.
DAX m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived either from the town of Dax in France or else from the Old English given name
Dæcca (of unknown meaning).
DAYTON m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name, which possibly meant either "dairy town" or "ditch town" in Old English.
DAZHDBOG m Slavic MythologyPossibly means "the giving god" in Slavic. He was a Slavic god of the sun and light, a son of Svarog. In some myths he is the ancestor of the Russian people.
DEACON m English (Modern)Either from the occupational surname
Deacon or directly from the vocabulary word
deacon, which refer to a cleric in the Christian church (ultimately from Greek
διακονος (diakonos) meaning "servant").
DEBDAS m BengaliBengali form of
DEVADAS. This is the name of a 1917 novel by the Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.
DECEBAL m RomanianMeans "powerful, brave" in Dacian. This was the name adopted by Diurpaneus, a 1st-century king of Dacia. For many years he successfully resisted Roman expansion into his territory but was finally defeated by the forces of Emperor Trajan in 106.
DECLAN m IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Deaglán, which is of unknown meaning. Saint Declan was a 5th-century missionary to Ireland.
DEE f & m EnglishShort form of names beginning with
D. It may also be given in reference to the
Dee River in Scotland.
DEEMER m English (Rare)From an English and Scottish surname meaning "judge", from Old English
demere.
DEEPAK m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, NepaliAlternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali
दीपक, Bengali
দীপক, Gujarati
દીપક, Gurmukhi
ਦੀਪਕ, Malayalam
ദീപക്, Kannada
ದೀಪಕ್, Tamil
தீபக் or Telugu
దీపక్ (see
DIPAK).
DEFOREST m EnglishFrom a French surname meaning "from the forest". It was originally given in honour of American author John Deforest (1826-1906).
DEIMOS m Greek MythologyMeans "terror" in Greek. This was one of the sons of the Greek god
Ares. Also, a moon of Mars bears this name.
DELAIAH m BiblicalMeans "
YAHWEH has drawn up" in Hebrew. This is the name of several Old Testament characters.
DELANO m EnglishFrom 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.
DELBERT m EnglishShort form of
ADELBERT. As an American name it was first used in the New York area by people of Dutch ancestry.
DELL m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that originally denoted a person who lived in a dell or valley.
DELMAR m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Norman French
de la mare meaning "from the pond".
DELWYN m WelshMeans "pretty and white" from the Welsh element
del "pretty" combined with
gwyn "fair, white, blessed".
DEMETRIUS m Ancient 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.
DEMOSTHENES m Ancient 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.
DENEB m AstronomyDerived from Arabic
ذنب (dhanab) meaning "tail". This is the name of a star in the constellation Cygnus.
DENHOLM m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally taken from a place name meaning "valley island" in Old English.
DENIS m French, 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] DENTON m EnglishFrom a surname, originally from a place name, which meant "valley town" in Old English.
DENVER m EnglishFrom an English surname that 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).
DENZEL m English (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.
DENZIL m EnglishFrom a surname that 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.
DEREK m EnglishFrom 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.
DERVİŞ m TurkishFrom a Turkish word, which exists in English as
dervish, for a Sufi ascetic. It is ultimately from Avestan
drigu meaning "needy, poor".
DERYA f & m TurkishMeans "sea, ocean" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
DESIDERATUS m Late RomanDerived from Latin
desideratum meaning "desired". This was the name of a 6th-century French saint.
DESIDERIUS m Late 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.
DESMOND m English, IrishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from
Deasmhumhain meaning "South Munster", originally indicating a person who came from that region in Ireland.
DEUSDEDIT m Late RomanLatin name meaning "God has given". This was the name of two popes (who are also known by the related name
Adeodatus).
DEVEREUX m English (Rare)From an English surname, of Norman French origin, meaning "from Evreux". Evreux is a town in France.
DEVON m & f EnglishVariant 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) m WelshFrom
Dewydd, an old Welsh form of
DAVID. Saint Dewi, the patron saint of Wales, was a 6th-century Welsh bishop.
DEXTER m EnglishFrom an occupational surname meaning "one who dyes" in Old English. It also coincides with the Latin word
dexter meaning "right-handed, skilled".
DIARMAID m Irish, 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) m EnglishMedieval 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.
DIEDE m & f DutchShort form of
DIEDERIK and other names beginning with the same element, originally from Germanic
theud meaning "people".
DIEGO m SpanishPossibly 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-).
DIETER m GermanMeans "warrior of the people", derived from the Germanic elements
theud "people" and
hari "army".
DIEUWE m FrisianFrisian short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
diet, originally
theud meaning "people".
DIGBY m English (Rare)From a surname that 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".
DIGGORY m English (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.
DIKLAH m & f Hebrew, 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.
DILBERT m Popular 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.
DILIPA m HinduismMeans "protector of Delhi" from Sanskrit
दिल्ली (see
DELHI) combined with
प (pa) meaning "protecting". This is the name of several kings in Hindu texts.
DILLON m EnglishVariant of
DYLAN based on the spelling of the surname
Dillon, which has an unrelated origin.
DILWYN m WelshMeans "genuine and white" from the Welsh element
dilys "genuine" combined with
gwyn "white, fair, blessed".
DINESH m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, NepaliModern form of
DINESHA.
DINESHA m HinduismMeans "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.
DIOCLETIAN m HistoryFrom 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.
DIOGO m PortuguesePortuguese form of
DIEGO. This name was borne by the 15th-century Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão.
DIOMEDES m Greek 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.
DION m Ancient 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.
DIONYSIOS m Greek, 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.
DIONYSOS m Greek 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.
DIPAK m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, NepaliModern form of
DIPAKA.
DIPAKA m HinduismMeans "inflaming, exciting" in Sanskrit. This is another name of
Kama, the Hindu god of love.
DIRK m Dutch, 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.