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Darek

Quick answerDarek is a Polish diminutive of the name Dariusz, which derives from the Old Persian name Dārayava(h)uš, meaning "possessor of goodness" or "upholding the good." It is primarily used in Polish and other Slavic cultures, with historical ties to the Persian king Darius the Great, though in a Christian context it is…

Polish · Boy · 2 syllables

D
Top 5,000

Popularity & facts

Relative popularity index, 2010–2025
GenderBoy
US Rank#3,970
TrendRising ↑
Peak year1973
Syllables2
OriginPolish
LanguagePolish
CulturePolish
ReligionChristianity
Letters5
Numerology3 Chaldean 5
Global rank#588

Popularity over time

Popularity index
Hover the line to see any year. 100 = most popular.

Historical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data

About the name Darek

Darek is a Polish diminutive of the name Dariusz, which derives from the Old Persian name Dārayava(h)uš, meaning "possessor of goodness" or "upholding the good." It is primarily used in Polish and other Slavic cultures, with historical ties to the Persian king Darius the Great, though in a Christian context it is often associated with the Polish saint Darek (a variant of Darius).

Cross-referenced with Behind the Name. AI-assisted, community-reviewable. Suggest an improvement.

Etymology

Darek is a Polish diminutive of the name Dariusz, which derives from the Old Persian name Dārayava(h)uš, meaning "possessor of goodness" or "upholding the good." It is primarily used in Polish and other Slavic cultures, with historical ties to the Persian king Darius the Great, though in a Christian context it is often associated with the Polish saint Darek (a variant of Darius).

Darek currently ranks #3,970 in the United States as a boy's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1973.

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Variants & nicknames

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Sibling name ideas

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Phonetic match, not just spelling
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"Derk is a Dutch and Frisian diminutive of Dirk, which derives from the Germanic name Theodoric, meaning "people's ruler" (from…"

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"Darcie is a feminine given name derived from the French surname D'Arcy, which comes from the Old French "d'Arcy" meaning…"

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Dirkje
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"The given name 'Dirkje' is a diminutive form of Dirk, meaning 'ruler of the people' or 'leader', and its linguistic…"

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Dirk
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"Dirk is a Germanic name derived from the element "diet" (people) combined with "ric" (ruler), meaning "ruler of the people"…"

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Dariusz
Boy Polish

"Dariusz is the Polish form of Darius, derived from the Persian name Dārayavahuš, meaning "wealthy" or "possessor of good" from…"

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Darius
Unisex Latin

"Darius derives from the Persian name Dārayavahush, meaning "wealthy" or "possessor of good," composed of elements meaning "to possess" and…"

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Daris
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"Daris is derived from the Persian name Darius, which comes from the Old Persian *dārayavahush*, meaning "wealthy" or "possessor of…"

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Didrik
Boy Norwegian

"Didrik is a Scandinavian form of Dietrich, derived from the Germanic elements "theud" (people) and "ric" (ruler), meaning "ruler of…"

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Derick
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Dhiraj
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"The name 'Dhiraj' means "patience" or "fortitude" in Sanskrit, derived from the root *dhṛ* (to hold or bear)."

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