Dae-Jung m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
大 (dae) meaning "big, great, vast, large, high" combined with
中 (jung) meaning "middle". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well. A notable bearer was South Korean president Kim Dae-jung (1924-2009).
Dagfinn m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Dagfinnr, which was composed of the elements
dagr "day" and
finnr "Sámi, person from Finland".
Dagwood m Popular CultureCreated in 1930 by cartoonist Chic Young for the character Dagwood Bumstead in the long-running comic strip
Blondie.
Dainius m LithuanianMeans
"poet, singer" in Lithuanian, a derivative of
daina "song".
Daisuke m JapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (dai) meaning "big, great" and
輔 (suke) meaning "help". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Darnell m English, African AmericanFrom an English surname that was derived from Old French
darnel, a type of grass. In some cases the surname may be from a place name, itself derived from Old English
derne "hidden" and
halh "nook".
Darrell m English, African AmericanFrom an English surname that was derived from Norman French
d'Airelle, originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France. As a given name it was moderately popular from the 1930s to the 1970s, but it dropped off the American top 1000 rankings in 2018.
Dayaram m HindiMeans
"compassion of Rama", from Sanskrit
दया (dayā) meaning "compassion" combined with the name of the god
Rama 1.
Dazhbog m Slavic MythologyMeans
"the giving god" from Old Slavic
dati "to give" and
bogŭ "god". Dazhbog was a Slavic god of the sun and light, a son of
Svarog. In some myths he is the ancestor of the Rus people.
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.
Delaiah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh has drawn up" in Hebrew, from
דָּלָה (dala) meaning "to draw up, to hang" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of several Old Testament characters.
Delbert m EnglishShort form of
Adelbert. As an American name it was first used in the New York area by people of Dutch ancestry.
Delshad m & f Persian (Rare)Means
"happy heart, cheerful" in Persian, from
دل (del) meaning "heart" and
شاد (shād) meaning "happy".
Denholm m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally taken from a place name meaning
"valley island" in Old English.
Desmond m English, IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Deasmhumhain meaning "south Munster", referring to the region of Desmond in southern Ireland, formerly a kingdom. It can also come from the related surname (an Anglicized form of
Ó Deasmhumhnaigh), which indicated a person who came from that region. A famous bearer is the South African archbishop and activist Desmond Tutu (1931-2021).
Devante m African American (Modern)Combination of the phonetic elements
da,
von and
tay. DeVanté Swing (1969-), stage name of Donald DeGrate Jr., was a singer with the group Jodeci. His name dramatically rose in popularity in the early 1990s when the group released their first successful songs, though it soon began to recede again.
... [more] Dewayne m EnglishVariant of
Duane, with the spelling altered due to the influence of
Wayne. It can be spelled
Dewayne or with a capitalized third letter as
DeWayne.
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.
Dilbert m Popular CultureMeaning unknown. The ending is probably intended to mimic the common Germanic name element
bert meaning "bright" (Old High German
beraht). This is the title character in a comic strip by Scott Adams.
Dinesha m HinduismMeans
"day lord" from Sanskrit
दिन (dina) meaning "day" and
ईश (īśa) meaning "lord". In Hindu texts this is used as a name of the sun.
Dmitriy m RussianRussian form of
Demetrius. This name was borne by several medieval princes of Moscow and Vladimir. Another famous bearer was Dmitriy Mendeleyev (or Mendeleev; 1834-1907), the Russian chemist who devised the periodic table.
Doğukan m TurkishFrom Turkish
doğu "east" combined with either
kan "blood" or
han "khan, leader".
Do-Hyeon m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
度 (do) meaning "size, extent, limit" and
賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able", as well as many other hanja character combinations.
Domagoj m CroatianDerived from the Slavic elements
domŭ "home" and
gojiti "grow, heal, foster, nurture". This name was borne by a 9th-century duke of Croatia.
Dominic m EnglishFrom 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 has historically seen more use among Catholics.
Domnius m Late RomanLatin name that was a derivative of
Domnus. Saint Domnius was a bishop of Split in Croatia who was martyred during the persecutions of
Diocletian in the early 4th century.
Donovan m EnglishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Donndubháin, itself derived from the given name
Donndubán. This name is borne by the Scottish folk musician Donovan Leitch (1946-), known simply as Donovan.
Douglas m Scottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname that was from the name of a town in Lanarkshire, itself named after a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water. It means
"dark river", derived from Gaelic
dubh "dark" and
glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to
glas "grey, green"). This was a Scottish Lowland clan, the leaders of which were powerful earls in the medieval period. The Gaelic form is
Dùghlas or
Dùbhghlas. It has been used as a given name since the 16th century.
Dracula m History, LiteratureMeans "son of Dracul" in Romanian, with
Dracul being derived from Romanian
drac "dragon". It was a nickname of the 15th-century Wallachian prince Vlad III, called the Impaler, whose father was Vlad II Dracul. However, the name Dracula is now most known from the 1897 novel of the same name by Bram Stoker, which features the Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula, who was probably inspired in part by the historical Wallachian prince.
Dragiša m SerbianOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
dorgŭ (South Slavic
drag) meaning
"precious".
Drupada m HinduismMeans
"wooden pillar" or
"firm footed" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata this is the name of a king of Panchala, the father of
Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna.
Drustan m PictishDiminutive of
Drust. This name was borne by a 7th-century Irish saint who was active among the Picts in Scotland.
Dunstan m English (Rare), Anglo-SaxonFrom the Old English elements
dunn "dark" and
stan "stone". This name was borne by a 10th-century saint, the archbishop of Canterbury. It was occasionally used in the Middle Ages, though it died out after the 16th century. It was revived by the Tractarian movement in the 19th century.
Durante m ItalianItalian form of the Late Latin name
Durans, which meant
"enduring".
Durward m EnglishFrom an occupational surname meaning
"door guard" in Middle English.