Darius
Greek at root, from a name meaning "possessing goodness". Barely used in Poland: fewer than 400 people carry it, all of them men, though last year brought a few more newborns than in years past.
Darius Pronunciation
Darius is pronounced DAHR-yoos (/ˈdarjus/).
What Darius means
Where Darius comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Darius entered Greek as Dareios, the shape Greek speakers gave to the Old Persian royal name Dārayavahush. Two parts sit inside it, one meaning to hold or possess and one meaning good, and that is where the short reading comes from: possessing goodness. The oldest famous bearer is Darius the Great, the Persian king who took the throne in 522 BC.
In its English spelling the name settled comfortably across the English-speaking world, worn today by the American singer Darius Rucker. Polish keeps a fuller set. Dariusz is the official form on documents, Darek the name friends actually use, and Daria the feminine counterpart a sister might carry.
Dariusz came to Poland late and surged through the 1970s and 1980s. Its imieniny falls on 19 December. Picture a school register from those years, three or four boys answering to Darek before the teacher reaches the Ds. The full name on the form still reads possessing goodness.
How many people are named Darius
1 in 59131 men in Poland is named Darius. 361 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #1575 among male names.
Darius's popularity over time
4 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #1029 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2021.
Darius as a middle name
Darius is a first name for 361 men in Poland and a middle name for another 128, a 74/26 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 619th, between Avraham (128) and Deniz (126).
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#617 Ragnar130
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#618 Avraham128
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#619 Darius128
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#620 Deniz126
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#621 Cornelis125