Darius (given name)

Darius is an English-rendered masculine given name of Persian origin, derived from the original name Dariush (Persian: داریوش).

Darius

Darius I of the Persian Empire
Pronunciation	/dəˈraɪəs, ˈdɛəriəs/ U.K. also: /ˈdɑːr-/
Gender	Male
Other gender
Feminine	Daria
Origin
Word/name	Persian
Derivation	Dariush (داریوش)
Meaning	Holding firm the good
Region of origin	Persia
Other names
Variant form(s)	Darius (surname)
Related names	Dara, Dario, Daris

Origin and meaning

The name's origins trace back to Old Persian: 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 [Dārayavauš], which is composed of 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹 (Dāraya-, lit. 'to hold') and 𐎺𐎢 (va(h)u-, lit. 'good'), meaning "holding firm the good" from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- (lit. 'to hold') and analogous to:

• Ancient Greek: Δᾱρειαῖος (Dareiaîos)
• Imperial Aramaic: 𐡃𐡓𐡉𐡄𐡅𐡔 (Dryhwš)
• Elamite: Da-ri-(y)a-ma-u-iš
• Akkadian: Da-(a-)ri-ia-(a-)muš

Shorter forms include:

• Old Persian: 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎢𐏁 (Dārayauš)
• Latin: Dārīus, Dārēus
• Armenian: Դարեհ (Dareh)
• Ancient Greek: Δαρεῖος (Dareîos)
• Imperial Aramaic: 𐡃𐡓𐡅𐡔 (Drwš, Drywš)
• Elamite: Da-ri-ya-(h)u-(ú-)iš
• Akkadian: Da-(a-)ri-muš
• Egyptian: Tr(w)š, Trjwš', Intr(w)š, Intrjwš
• Lycian: 𐊑𐊗𐊀𐊕𐊆𐊊𐊁𐊒𐊖 (Ñtarijeus-)

Notable people with the given name

Historical figures

• Darius I (the Great) (521–486 BCE), Persian king
• Darius II (423–404 BCE), Persian king
• Darius III (Codomannus) (336–330 BCE), Persian king
• Darius I of Media Atropatene (85-65 BCE), Persian prince
• Darius Painter, Italian vase painter
• Darius of Pontus, Persian monarch
• Darius the Magnificent (1615-1659), Mughal prince
• Darius the Mede, King of Babylon
• Darius (praetorian prefect), Praetorian prefect of the East in 436 to 437 CE

A

• Darius Acuff (born 2006), American basketball player
• Darius Adamczyk (born 1966), American businessman
• Darius Adams (born 1989), Bulgarian-American basketball player
• Darius Allen (born 1992), American football player
• Darius Anderson (born 1997), American football player
• Darius Aučyna (born 1989), Lithuanian long jumper

B

• Darius Baker (1845–1926), Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court
• Darius L. Bancroft (1819–??), American politician
• Darius Bazley (born 2000), American basketball player
• Darius Bea (1913–2001), American baseball player
• Darius Blandford (1843–1917), Canadian blacksmith
• Darius Botha (1955–2018), South African rugby union footballer
• Darius Boyd (born 1987), Australian rugby league footballer
• Darius Bradwell (born 1997), American football player
• Darius Florin Brăguși (born 1993), Romanian tennis player
• Darius Brooks (born 1963), American musician
• Darius Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
• Darius Brubeck (born 1947), American musician
• Darius Buia (born 1994), Romanian footballer
• Darius Butkus (born 1972), Lithuanian footballer
• Darius Butler (born 1986), American football player
• Darius Buzgure (born 1997), Romanian Poet & Artist

C

• Darius Charles (born 1987), English footballer
• Darius Ciraco (born 1996), Canadian football player
• Darius Clark (1798–1871), American physician and politician
• Darius Clemons (born 1960), American basketball player
• Darius Cobb (1834–1919), American painter
• Darius N. Couch (1822–1897), American soldier
• Darius Cox (born 1983), Bermudian footballer
• Darius Crosby (1768–1818), American politician
• Darius Crouter (1827–1910), Canadian minister
• Dárius Csillag (born 1995), Hungarian footballer

D

• Darius Campbell Danesh (1980-2022), Scottish pop star
• Darius Paul Dassault (1882–1969), French general
• Darius Days (born 1999), American basketball player
• Darius Defoe (born 1984), British basketball player
• Darius Degutis, Lithuanian diplomat
• Darius de Haas (born 1968), American actor
• Darius Dhlomo (1931–2015), South African footballer
• Darius Dimavičius (born 1968), Lithuanian basketball player
• Darius Draudvila (born 1983), Lithuanian decathlon athlete
• Darius D'Silva (born 1998), Emirati cricketer
• Darius D'Souza (born 1989), Indian-Canadian cricketer
• Darius Durham (born 1961), American football player

E

• Darius Elias (1972-2021), Canadian politician
• Darius Eubanks (born 1991), American football player

F

• Darius Fisher, British film producer
• Darius Fleming (born 1989), American football player

G

• Darius Garland (born 2000), American basketball player
• Darius Goff (1809–1891), American textile manufacturer
• Darius Grala (born 1964), Polish sports car racing driver
• Darius Gray (born 1945), American religious speaker
• Darius Grigalionis (born 1977), Lithuanian swimmer
• Darius Grosu (born 2002), Romanian footballer
• Derrius Guice (born 1997), American football player
• Darius Guppy (born 1964), Anglo–Iranian businessman
• Darius Gvildys (born 1970), Lithuanian footballer

H

• Darius Hadley (born 1973), American football player
• Darius Haili, Papua New Guinean rugby league footballer
• Darius Hamilton (born 1993), American football player
• Darius Hanks (born 1989), American football player
• Darius D. Hare (1843–1897), American soldier
• Darius Harper (born 1997), American football player
• Darius Harris (born 1996), American football player
• Darius Helton (1954–2006), American football player
• Darius Henderson (born 1981), English footballer
• Darrius Heyward-Bey (born 1987), American football player
• Darius Hill (born 1985), American football player
• Darius Hillary (born 1993), American football player
• Darius Hodge (born 1998), American football player
• Darius Holbert (born 1974), American musician
• Darius Holland (born 1973), American football player

I

• Darius Ishaku (born 1954), Nigerian architect

J

• Darius Jackson (born 1993), American football player
• Darius James (born 1954), American author and performance artist
• Darius Jennings (born 1992), American football player
• Darius S. Jhabvala (1936–1974), Indian-American journalist
• Darius Johnson (disambiguation), multiple people
• Darius Johnson-Odom (born 1989), American basketball player
• Darius Jokarzadeh (born 1993), Welsh weightlifter
• Darius Jones (disambiguation), multiple people

K

• Darius Kaiser (born 1961), Polish-German cyclist
• Darius Kaleb, American actor
• Darius Kampa (born 1977), German footballer
• Darius Kasparaitis (born 1972), Lithuanian–American ice hockey player
• Darius Kazemi (born 1983), American computer programmer
• Darius Khondji (born 1955), French-Iranian cinematographer
• Darius Kilgo (born 1991), American football player
• Darius Kinsey (1869–1945), American photographer
• Darius Knight (born 1990), English table tennis player
• Darius Koski (born 1971), American guitarist

L

• Darius Labanauskas (born 1971), Lithuanian darts player
• Darius Latham (born 1994), American football player
• Darius Shaquille Leonard (born 1995), American football player
• Darius Lewis (born 1999), American-Trinidadian footballer
• Darius Lukminas (born 1968), Lithuanian basketball player

M

• Darius Maciulevičius (born 1973), Lithuanian football midfielder
• Darius Madison (born 1994), American soccer player
• Darius Magdišauskas (born 1969), Lithuanian footballer
• Darius Makaria (born 1993), Romanian handballer
• Darius Marder (born 1973/74), American film director
• Darius Marshall (born 1989), American football player
• Darius Martin (born 1999), American professional wrestler
• Darius Maskoliūnas (born 1971), Lithuanian basketball player
• Darius Mažintas (born 1982), Lithuanian politician
• Darius Msagha Mbela, Kenyan politician
• Darius McCollum (born 1965), American bus driver
• Darius McCrary (born 1976), American actor
• Darius McGhee (born 1999), American basketball player
• Darius Mead (1787–1864), American politician
• Darius Mead (Michigan politician) (1798–1859), American politician
• Darius Miceika (born 1983), Lithuanian footballer
• Darius Miles (born 1981), American basketball player
• Darius Milhaud (1892–1974), French composer
• Darius Miller (born 1990), American basketball player
• Darius Miller (railroad president) (1859–1914), American railway executive
• Darius Ogden Mills (1825–1910), American banker and philanthropist
• Darius Juozas Mockus (born 1965), Lithuanian entrepreneur
• Darius Clark Monroe (born 1980), American writer
• Darius A. Monsef IV (born 1981), American entrepreneur
• Darius Moon (1851–1939), American architect
• Darius A. Moore (1833–1905), American merchant and politician
• Darius Morris (1991–2024), American basketball player
• Darius Muasau (born 2001), American football player
• Darius Mutamba (born 1991), Zimbabwean visual artist

N

• Darius Nggawa (1929–2008), Indonesian bishop

O

• Darius A. Ogden (1813–1889), American lawyer and politician
• Darius Olaru (born 1998), Romanian footballer
• Darius Osei (born 1996), English footballer

P

• Darius Paul (born 1994), American basketball player
• Darius Perkins (1964–2019), Australian actor
• Darius Perry (born 1999), American basketball player
• Darius Phillips (born 1996), American football player
• Darius Philon (born 1994), American football player
• Darius Powe (born 1994), American football player
• Darius Prince (born 1990), American football player

Q

• Darius Quimby (died 1791), American police officer

R

• Darius Rafat (born 1977), Canadian producer
• Darius Regelskis (born 1976), Lithuanian footballer
• Darius Rejali (born 1959), Iranian-American political scientist
• Darius Reynaud (born 1984), American football player
• Darius Reynolds (born 1989), American football player
• Darius Rice (born 1982), American basketball player
• Darius Rochebin (born 1966), Iranian-Swiss journalist
• Darius Rose (born 1985), Canadian actor and Drag Artist known as Jackie Cox
• Darius Roy (born 1998), American basketball player
• Darius Rucker (born 1966), American musician
• Darius Rush (born 2000), American football player
• Dárius Rusnák (born 1959), Slovak ice hockey player
• Darius Ruželė (born 1968), Lithuanian chess player

S

• Darius Saint-Robinson (born 1991), American football player
• Darius Sanajevas (born 1977), Lithuanian footballer
• Darius Sanders (born 1983), American football player
• Darius Scholtysik (born 1966), German footballer
• Darius Scott (born 1993), American singer-songwriter
• Darius Semaña (born 1973), Filipino guitarist
• Darius Sessions (1717–1809), British politician
• Darius Shu (born 1994), British cinematographer
• Darius Šilinskis (born 1984), Lithuanian basketball player
• Darius Sinathrya (born 1985), Swiss-Indonesian actor
• Darius Sirtautas (born 1970), Lithuanian basketball player
• Darius Škarnulis (born 1977), Lithuanian race walker
• Darius Slay (born 1991), American football player
• Darius Slayton (born 1997), American football player
• Darius S. Smith (1833–1913), American politician
• Darius Songaila (born 1978), Lithuanian basketball player
• Darius Stills (born 1998), American football player
• Darius Strolė (born 1974), Lithuanian cyclist

T

• Darius Talandis (born 1969), United States Marine, Veterans Service Officer in NY State
• Darius Taylor (born 1978), American basketball coach
• Darius Theus (born 1990), American basketball player
• Darius Thompson (born 1995), American basketball player

V

• Darius Vâlcov (born 1977), Romanian politician
• Darius Van Arman, American businessman
• Darius van Driel (born 1989), Dutch golfer
• Darius Vassell (born 1980), English footballer
• Darius Victor (born 1994), American football player
• Darius Vinnett (born 1984), American football player

W

• Darius Walker (born 1985), American football player
• Darius B. Warner (1832–1917), American army officer
• Darius Washington Jr. (born 1985), Macedonian-American basketball player
• Darius Watts (born 1981), American football player
• Darius White (born 1992), American football player
• Darius Williams (born 1998), American football player

Y

• Darius Young (1938–2021), American sharpshooter
• Darius Yuen (born 1969), Hong Kong banker

Z

• Darius Zagorskis (born 1969), Lithuanian chess Grandmaster
• Darius Žutautas (born 1978), Lithuanian footballer

Notable people with the surname

Further information: Darius (surname)

Fictional characters with the name

• Darius (Highlander), an Immortal from Highlander: The Series
• Darius, a character from Fullmetal Alchemist
• Darrius, a character from Mortal Kombat
• Darius, a character from Need for Speed: Carbon
• Darius, the Hand of Noxus, a playable champion character in the multiplayer online battle arena video game League of Legends
• Darius, a character from The Hunger Games
• Darius, the wolf character from the Patrick Carman books The Land of Elyon
• Darius Britt, the female main character from Safety Not Guaranteed
• Darius, main character from Party Hard (video game)
• Darius, character from the Assassin's Creed franchise
• Darius, character from the TV show Atlanta (TV series)
• Darius Bowman, the main protagonist from the TV series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous
• Darius Kincade, a character from The Hitman's Bodyguard
• Darius Silva Ganius, prime minister from the Mushoku Tensei
• Darius, character from The Owl House (TV series)

See also

• Darius (horse) (1951–1968), British Thoroughbred racehorse
• Derius, given name
• Dara, Darab, the New Persian forms of the word
• Daria (given name)
• Dario, given name
• Daris, given name