Dharius
A masculine name derived from the Sanskrit word "dharitri", meaning "the earth".
Name Census estimates that about 108 living Americans carry the first name Dharius. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dharius today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dharius births was 2022 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dharius. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
108
~ 1 in 3,173,651 Americans
Peak year
2022
12 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,909
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Dharius: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dharius from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 65 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Dharius remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dharius by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dharius during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dharius
The name Dharius has its roots in the ancient Persian language, dating back to the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, which existed from around 550 BCE to 330 BCE. It is derived from the Old Persian word "dārā," which means "possessor" or "wealthy." The name was popular among the ruling class and nobility of ancient Persia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dharius can be found in the Behistun Inscription, a significant historical document from the reign of Darius the Great (550-486 BCE), one of the most influential rulers of the Achaemenid Empire. The inscription, carved into a rock face in present-day Iran, details the accomplishments and lineage of Darius the Great, who was known as Dārayavauš in Old Persian.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Dharius. One of the most famous was Darius I (550-486 BCE), the third king of the Achaemenid Empire and the founder of the Persian capital of Persepolis. His reign was marked by significant military campaigns and administrative reforms that strengthened the empire's governance.
Another prominent Dharius was Darius II (423-404 BCE), the ninth king of the Achaemenid Empire, who ruled during a period of relative stability and prosperity. He is known for his efforts to maintain the empire's territorial integrity and for his support of the arts and culture.
In the realm of religion, the name Dharius appears in the Zoroastrian scriptures, particularly in the Avesta, which contains the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster. One of the central figures in the Avesta is Dārā, a character associated with righteous kingship and the embodiment of divine wisdom.
Beyond the ancient Persian context, the name Dharius has also been used in other cultures and regions. For instance, in the Indian subcontinent, the name Dharius or variants like Darius have been found among various communities, reflecting the influence of Persian culture and language in the region.
Other notable individuals with the name Dharius include Darius Milhaud (1892-1974), a French composer and teacher who was a member of the influential Les Six group of composers, and Darius Arya (1705-1779), an Armenian philosopher, theologian, and mathematician who made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics.
While the name Dharius has its origins in ancient Persia, it has transcended its geographical and cultural boundaries, becoming a name recognized and used across various parts of the world throughout history.
People
Dharius + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dharius as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dharius: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dharius?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 108 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dharius going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,173,651 US residents.
Is Dharius a common name?
We classify Dharius as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 109 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dharius most popular?
The single biggest year for Dharius was 2022, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dharius is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dharius in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dharius a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dharius in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dharius still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dharius in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dharius can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Dharius?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.