Darius

Meaning: Its source is Dareios, a Greek name meaning "He who holds on well to his possessions."

Languages: This boy's name is used in Hebrew and English.

Nicknames: Derry

Feminine Forms: Daria and Darice

Non-English Forms: Dario and Dariusz

Source Forms: Dareios

Popularity: The name Darius ranked 236th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 606th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name first made its appearance on state popularity lists before 1993, but is becoming less commonly used. In some cases, it has fallen off the lists altogether.

Narrative: This was the Greek version of the name of a number of Persian kings. One of these was defeated by the Greeks at the battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. Another, his great-grandson, lost his empire to Alexander the Great 160 years later.

The Old Persian origin of this name is darayava(h)us and means ''he who upholds the good.''

Arts and Music

Darius Milhaud (born 1892, died 1974)
French composer.
- Composed Le Boeuf sur le Toit (see list of Composers of the 20th Century)

Leadership

Darius the Great
King of Persia, 522-486 B.C. Known for his grand construction projects.
- His invading army was soundly defeated by the Greeks at the battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. (see list of Miscellaneous Political Leaders)

Miscellaneous

Darius
This was the name of two Biblical kings, one in Persia and one in Babylon.
- These kings appear in the books of Ezra and Daniel (see list of Biblical Names from the Old Testament)