The first name Darius
A boy’s name.
Pronounced /ˈdæɹi.əs/ 3 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Borrowed from Latin Dārīus, from Ancient Greek Δᾱρεῖος (Dāreîos), from Old Persian 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎢𐏁 (Dārayauš), shortened form of 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 (Dārayavaʰuš); see there for more.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 81 boys were named Darius, making it the 478th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2019, with 172 births (#283).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Darius with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Darius at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 322 boys born in the United States were named Darius, the 788th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1994, when 2,184 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Darius in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Darius in Dutch, French, Latin, Romanian and Turkish too.
Famous people named Darius
24 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Darius MilhaudFrench composer (1892–1974)
- Darius VassellEnglish association football player (born 1980)
- Darius GarlandAmerican basketball player (born 2000)
- Darius the MedeBiblical character (Book of Daniel), ancient king, born -700
- Darius MorrisAmerican basketball player (1991–2024)
- Darius MilesAmerican basketball player (born 1981)
- Darius BazleyAmerican basketball player (born 2000)
- Darius RuckerAmerican singer-songwriter, born 1966
- Darius McCraryActor, born 1976
- Darius Johnson-OdomAmerican basketball player (born 1989)
- Darius MillerAmerican basketball player (born 1990)
- Darius AdamsAmerican basketball player (born 1989)
Questions
- What does the name Darius mean?
- Borrowed from Latin Dārīus, from Ancient Greek Δᾱρεῖος (Dāreîos), from Old Persian 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎢𐏁 (Dārayauš), shortened form of 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 (Dārayavaʰuš); see there for more.
- How popular is the name Darius?
- In 2025, 81 boys born in England and Wales were named Darius, ranking 478th. Its peak was 2019, with 172 births.
- Is Darius a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 99% of the 54,278 US babies named Darius since 1880 were boys.
- When was Darius most popular?
- 1994 in the United States, when 2,184 babies were named Darius, its highest rank at 155th.
- How do you pronounce Darius?
- Darius is /ˈdæɹi.əs/, 3 syllables.
- Is Darius also a surname?
- Yes. Darius is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.