boy's name
Darius
duh-RY-us
- Origin Persian
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 62,124
the United States
#788
2025 births
Darius means holding firm the good, and we know that because the king said so — the Behistun inscription has Darius the Great explain his own name and reign in three languages, carved on a cliff face.
- Darius is a name of Persian origin.
- Peaked in 1994, when 2,200 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 10,296 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Darius over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 22 |
| 1890s | 10 |
| 1910s | 128 |
| 1920s | 178 |
| 1930s | 170 |
| 1940s | 252 |
| 1950s | 587 |
| 1960s | 1,356 |
| 1970s | 3,178 |
| 1980s | 7,269 |
| 1990s | 19,770 |
| 2000s | 12,472 |
| 2010s | 6,548 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,338 |
What Darius means
Darius means one who holds firm the good. The Old Persian compound joins a verb meaning to hold or possess to a word for good, so it describes maintaining rather than acquiring.
Where Darius comes from
Darius is the Greek rendering of the Old Persian Dārayavauš — dāraya, to hold or possess, joined to vahu, good. Darius the Great ruled the Achaemenid empire from 522 BC and left the Behistun inscription, cut into a cliff in three languages, which became the key to deciphering cuneiform much as the Rosetta Stone did for hieroglyphs. Three Persian kings carried the name, and Daniel's Darius the Mede is a separate figure.
Darius in use
Darius peaked in the United States in 1994, when 2,200 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 331st in Ireland on 12 births, 445th in Scotland on 7, 479th in England and Wales on 81, 555th in France on 80 and 788th in the United States on 322, across 62,124 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Darius?
In 2025, Darius was given to 322 babies in the United States, ranking #788 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Darius is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Darius
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Darius also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Darius over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Darius in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Darius
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Darius — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Darius
What does the name Darius mean?
Holding firm the good — the Old Persian dāraya, to hold, with vahu, good.
What is the Behistun inscription?
Darius's own account, cut into a cliff in three languages. It cracked cuneiform.
How many kings were called Darius?
Three Achaemenid kings. Daniel's Darius the Mede is a separate figure.
Where is Darius used?
Five of our six markets, most strongly in Ireland at 331st.
How popular is the name Darius?
In 2025, Darius was given to 322 babies in the United States, ranking #788 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Darius a girl's or a boy's name?
Darius is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Darius?
Darius has 3 syllables.
When was Darius most popular?
Darius peaked in 1994, when 2,200 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Darius a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Darius currently ranks #331 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.