Fun Facts About the Name Dari
- 736 babies named Dari: U.S. records list 736 babies given the name Dari from 1880 through 2025. Even 45 boys received the name Dari - about 1 boy for every 15 girls.
What Does the Name Dari Mean?
Dari is most often a shortened form rather than a name with an ancient root of its own, so its meaning comes from the longer name it shortens. In English and in Slavic and Romance use it usually stands for Daria, the feminine form of Darius. Darius reached European languages through the Greek Dareios, from Old Persian Dārayavauš, commonly analyzed as dāraya-, "to hold, to possess," plus vahu-, "good." Taken literally, the name means "holding firm the good" or "possessing goodness."
Two other explanations are sometimes attached to the name and should be kept apart from that etymology. Slavic speakers connect names such as Darija with the common Slavic word dar, "gift," and Dari can be a short form of that name; the link to "gift" is a later association, not the historical source. In Persian, dari (دری) is the name of the variety of Persian spoken in Afghanistan, usually explained as "of the court," from dar, "court." That word is not the source of the personal name, though the two are easy to confuse.
Dari Name History & Origins
Because Darius is the name of Persian kings in the Bible - in Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther - and because a Roman martyr named Daria was venerated together with her husband Chrysanthus, the feminine name Daria entered Christian naming traditions across Europe. It became especially common in Russia as Darya, and in Polish, Romanian, Croatian, and Serbian, where everyday short forms such as Dari and Darija are used. Dari as a given name in English follows that pattern of diminutives.
The word dari in Persian has a separate history. It is recorded in medieval Arabic and Persian writing for the Persian of the eastern Islamic lands, associated with Khorasan and the region that is now Afghanistan, and it is generally understood as the "court" language, from dar. Afghanistan's official Persian is called Dari today. That usage is a language name and developed independently of the personal name Dari.
How Popular is the Name Dari?
Dari has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2021. Its best rank was #2,665 in 1960.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,490 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #6,673 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #7,002 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2022 | #5,679 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2021 | #4,266 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 2020 | #5,910 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2019 | #11,618 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #11,651 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #9,474 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #10,265 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #14,949 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #10,328 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #12,275 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #13,845 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #11,418 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #13,822 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #10,147 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2008 | #15,882 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #15,986 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #13,347 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #14,599 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #16,376 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #16,044 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #12,378 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #12,101 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #14,694 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #9,200 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #9,794 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #13,943 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #13,951 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #12,141 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #11,858 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #6,976 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1988 | #10,676 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #8,174 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #9,825 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #8,367 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #8,228 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #10,779 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #6,000 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #7,465 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #6,514 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1977 | #6,460 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1976 | #5,294 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1975 | #9,393 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #7,047 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #6,209 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #5,186 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #4,355 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1970 | #3,749 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1969 | #3,349 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1968 | #4,266 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1967 | #4,689 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #4,010 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1965 | #4,256 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1964 | #3,730 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1963 | #3,365 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1962 | #5,405 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #3,639 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1960 | #2,665 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 1959 | #4,356 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #3,258 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1957 | #3,179 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1956 | #4,933 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #4,829 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #4,037 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1953 | #5,844 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #3,768 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #3,504 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1946 | #3,466 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1945 | #4,689 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #11,200 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #10,901 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #9,918 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #11,102 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #8,223 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #12,440 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2005 | #10,387 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Dari Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are strong in material matters, determined and stubborn. You have good business ability. You are a good worker, steady and practical, a builder who takes responsibility well. These qualities may bring you a position of authority and power. You are a doer, down-to-earth, serious-minded, reliable, and self-disciplined; have good power of concentration. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Dari's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Dari's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.