Daria (given name)


Daria or Darya is a feminine version of the Greek name Darius. The name is derived from the Persian royal name Darayavahush, which comes from a combination of the Old Persian words daraya, meaning "possess" or "maintain" and vahu, meaning "well, good."
Saint Daria of Rome is a venerated martyr of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, which contributed to widespread adoption of the name.

Usage

In 18th-century Russia, about 4% of women had the name Daria. By the late 19th century, the name came to be seen as rustic and became associated with traditional peasant women. In the Soviet period, the name entirely went out of fashion and by 1960 almost totally disappeared. However, subsequently the popularity rebounded and increased during the late 20th century and into the 21st, so that by 2006 it was the 3rd most popular name for girls born in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. In some regions of Russia it was even the 2nd most popular name. In Romania, in 2014, Daria was the 8th most popular name for baby girls.
The common Russian diminutive form of this name is Dasha. The English form "Dolly" was used as a nickname for Darya in Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina."
In Ukraine, Dasha is also used as a diminutive form, but there are multiple other forms that are used for the name Daria in Ukraine, amongst others: Odarka, Daryna, Darusia, Darochka.

Spelling variants

People

Middle name

*

Fictional characters