Given name & surname
Darius
“a kingly man; one who is wealthy”
Darius is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “a kingly man; one who is wealthy.”
Original GreekΔαρείος
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “a kingly man; one who is wealthy.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In English usage, Darius developed from 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎢𐏁.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Darius through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 54,278
- 54,006 boys · 272 girls
- Most popular year
- 1994
- 2,200 babies
- 2025
- 322
- #788 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −30%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 322 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 788 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 30.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,184 in 1994. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (37). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 40,835 as a first name in 2020; 977 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Darius’s family of names
In English usage, Darius has a feminine form in Daria. In French usage, Darius has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Dario. Darius has a related form in Dario.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Darius has relatives in 10 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
11 related names in 10 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Dariovariant · Italian
- Darriusvariant
- Derriusvariant
- Dariousvariant
- Derriousvariant
- Dariasvariant
- Dariusslikely variant
- Dáriovariant · Portuguese
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 18
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Darius
- Darius IIIlast king of the Achaemenid Empire (r. 336–330 BC)379 BC–329 BC
- Darius IIThe ninth Achaemenid emperor (423–404 BC)474 BC–403 BC
- Darius MilhaudFrench composer (1892–1974)
- Darius SongailaLithuanian basketball player (born 1978)
- Darius VassellEnglish association football player (born 1980)
- Darius GarlandAmerican basketball player (born 2000)
- Darius KasparaitisLithuanian ice hockey player (born 1972)
- Darius the Medebiblical character (Book of Daniel), ancient king700 BC
- Darius OlaruRomanian association football playerborn 1998
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Darius, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Nathanael
“God has given”
>99% boys
Eliud
“my God is majestic”
>99% boys
Didymus
“twin”
95% boys · 5% girls
Porcius
“belonging to swine”
>99% boys
Titius
Titius is a surname. It is used in Latin.
>99% boys
Archippus
“first horse” · “ruler of horses”
>99% boys
Achaicus
“man of anguish”
>99% boys
Agabus
“grasshopper”
>99% boys