Meaning and background
The story behind Darius
Darius has a layered history: the Latin form follows Greek Dareios and an older Persian name built from elements associated with possessing and goodness. Ancient Persian kings provide a historical association, but the literal name should not be translated simply as king. English reference readings differ in their stress and vowels, which is worth settling before everyone in a household begins using it. Its longer shape may appeal to an owner who enjoys a formal personal name rather than a direct animal or food word.
- Origin
- Latin form of Greek Dareios, ultimately from an Old Persian name meaning possessing goodness. Source
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Everyday moments“Darius, come here!”
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About Darius
Recorded as a dog’s name
Darius appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/dɚaɪəs/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the second syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/dɚaɪəs/ · primary stress on syllable 2D ER0 AY1 AH0 S
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.