DINARA f Kazakh, Tatar, KyrgyzMeaning uncertain, perhaps from Arabic
دينار (dinar), a currency used in several Muslim countries, ultimately derived from Latin
denarius. Alternatively it may be a derivative of
دين (din) meaning "religion".
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
Διός (Dios) meaning "of
ZEUS" and
μήδομαι (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
Διός (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.
DIONE (1) f Greek MythologyFrom Greek
Διός (Dios) meaning
"of ZEUS". By extension, it means
"goddess". This was the name of an obscure Greek goddess who, according to some legends, was the mother of
Aphrodite.
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
Διός (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.
DITTE f DanishDanish diminutive of
EDITH,
DOROTHEA or names containing
dit. It was popularized by Martin Andersen Nexø's novel
Ditte, Child of Man (1921) and the film adaptation (1946).
DIXIE f EnglishFrom the term that refers to the southern United States, used by Daniel D. Emmett in his song
Dixie in 1859. The term may be derived from French
dix "ten", which was printed on ten-dollar bills issued from a New Orleans bank.
DIYAR m & f KurdishMeans
"apparent, visible, clear" in Kurdish.
DMITRIY m RussianRussian form of
DEMETRIUS. Dmitriy Mendeleev (1834-1907) was the Russian chemist who devised the periodic table.
DOIREANN f Irish, Irish MythologyMeans
"sullen, tempestuous" in Irish. This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including a daughter of Bodb Derg who poisoned
Fionn mac Cumhail.
DOLLY f EnglishDiminutive of
DOROTHY.
Doll and
Dolly were used from the 16th century, and the common English word
doll (for the plaything) is derived from them. In modern times this name is also sometimes used as a diminutive of
DOLORES.
DOLORES f Spanish, EnglishMeans
"sorrows", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary María de los Dolores, meaning "Mary of Sorrows". It has been used in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in America during the 1920s and 30s.
DOMENICO m ItalianItalian form of
DOMINIC. Domenico Veneziano was a Renaissance painter who lived in Florence.
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 is primarily used by Catholics.
DOMITIAN m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Domitianus, itself derived from the family name
DOMITIUS. This was the name of a 1st-century Roman emperor, Titus Flavius Domitianus.
DOMITILLA f Italian, Ancient RomanFeminine diminutive of the Roman family name
DOMITIUS. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Vespasian and the mother of emperors Titus and Domitian.
DOMITIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was probably derived from Latin
domitus meaning
"having been tamed".
DOMNA f Late Roman, GreekFeminine form of
DOMNUS. Saint Domna of Nicomedia was martyred during the persecutions of the early 4th century. However, in the case of Julia Domna, the Syrian wife of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, it seems her name was actually of Semitic origin.
DOMNINUS m Late RomanLatin name that was a derivative of
DOMNUS. This name was borne by several early saints, including the 4th-century martyr Domninus of Fidenza.
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.
DOMNUS m Late RomanFrom Vulgar Latin
domnus, from Latin
dominus meaning
"lord, master". This name was borne by the 6th-century saint Domnus of Vienne (also called Domninus).
DONALD m Scottish, EnglishFrom the Gaelic name
Domhnall meaning
"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).
DONATELLO m ItalianDiminutive of
DONATO. The Renaissance sculptor Donato di Niccolo di Bette Bardi was better known as Donatello.
DONATO m Italian, 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.
DONG m ChineseFrom Chinese
东 (dōng) meaning "east",
栋 (dòng) meaning "pillar, beam", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
DONG-GEUN m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
東 (dong) meaning "east" and
根 (geun) meaning "root, foundation", as well as other hanja character combinations.
DONNA f EnglishFrom Italian
donna meaning
"lady". It is also used as a feminine form of
DONALD.
DONNDUBHÁN m Ancient IrishComposed of the Irish element
donn "brown" combined with
dubh "dark" and a diminutive suffix.
DOR m & f HebrewMeans
"generation" in Hebrew.
DORAN m IrishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from
Ó Deoráin meaning
"descendant of Deoradhán". The name
Deoradhán means "exile, wanderer" in Gaelic.
DOREEN f EnglishCombination of
DORA and the name suffix
een. The name was (first?) used by novelist Edna Lyall in her novel
Doreen (1894).
DORIAN m English, 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.
DORINDA f EnglishCombination of
DORA and the name suffix
inda. It was apparently coined by the English writers John Dryden and William D'Avenant for their play
The Enchanted Island (1667). In the play, a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's
The Tempest, Dorinda is the sister of Miranda.
DORIS f English, German, Croatian, Ancient Greek, Greek MythologyFrom the Greek name
Δωρίς (Doris), which meant
"Dorian woman". The Dorians were a Greek tribe who occupied the Peloponnese starting in the 12th century BC. In Greek mythology Doris was a sea nymph, one of the many children of Oceanus and Tethys. It began to be used as an English name in the 19th century. A famous bearer is the American actress Doris Day (1924-2019).
DOROTHEA f German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, English, Late GreekFeminine form of the Late Greek name
Δωρόθεος (Dorotheos), which meant
"gift of God" from Greek
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift" and
θεός (theos) meaning "god". The name
Theodore is composed of the same elements in reverse order. Dorothea was the name of two early saints, notably the 4th-century martyr Dorothea of Caesarea. It was also borne by the 14th-century Saint Dorothea of Montau, who was the patron saint of Prussia.
DOROTHY f EnglishUsual English form of
DOROTHEA. It has been in use since the 16th century. The author L. Frank Baum used it for the central character in his fantasy novel
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and several of its sequels.
DOUGAL m Scottish, IrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Dubhghall, which meant
"dark stranger" from
dubh "dark" and
gall "stranger".
DOUGLAS m Scottish, 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.
DOVE f EnglishFrom the English word for the variety of bird, seen as a symbol of peace.
DOYLE m IrishFrom an Irish surname that 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-YUN m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
道 (do) meaning "path, road, way" and
允 (yun) meaning "allow, consent", as well as other hanja character combinations.
DRACO m Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Δράκων (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.
DRAGIŠA m SerbianDiminutive of Slavic names beginning with the element
dragu meaning
"precious".
DRAGOLJUB m Serbian, CroatianFrom the Slavic elements
dragu meaning "precious" and
lyuby meaning
"love". This is also the Serbo-Croatian word for the flowering plant nasturtium (species Tropaeolum majus).
DRAGOȘ m RomanianOriginally a short form of Slavic names beginning with the element
dragu meaning
"precious", such as
DRAGOMIR. This was the name of a 14th-century ruler of Moldavia.
DRAKE m EnglishFrom an English surname derived from the Old Norse byname
Draki or the Old English byname
Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek
δράκων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent". This name coincides with the unrelated English word
drake meaning "male duck".
DRAUPADI f HinduismMeans
"daughter of DRUPADA" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata this is the name of the daughter of King Drupada. She married all of the Pandavas, the five sons of Pandu.
DRAŽA m SerbianDiminutive of Slavic names beginning with the element
dragu meaning
"precious".
DRISCOLL m English (Rare), IrishFrom an Irish surname that was an Anglicized form of
Ó Eidirsceóil meaning
"descendant of the messenger".
DROGO m English (Archaic)Norman name, possibly derived from Gothic
dragen meaning
"to carry" or Saxon
drog meaning
"ghost". Alternatively, it could be from the Slavic element
dragu meaning
"precious, dear". The Normans introduced this name to England.
DROR m HebrewMeans
"freedom" or
"sparrow" in Hebrew.
DRUMMOND m English (Rare)From a Scottish surname that was derived from various place names, themselves derived from Gaelic
druim meaning
"ridge".
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.