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(miy), 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.[1]

Daria
Daria is a popular name in Slavic countries. It gained popularity due to Saint Daria, seen here being martyred with Saint Chrysanthus.
Pronunciation/ˈdɑːriə/ DAH-ree-ə
GenderFemale
Name dayJuly 3
Origin
Word/nameOld Persian
MeaningWealthy, Feminine counterpart of Darius.
Region of originIran (Ancient Persia)
Other names
Nickname(s)Dasha, Dasia, Dolly, Dariśa
UsageIran, Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Poland
Related namesDara, Darinka, Darissa, Dariya, Daruška, Darya, Derya, Dar'ya, Tarja

Usage

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In 18th-century Russia, about 4% of women had the name Daria.[2] By the late 19th century, the name came to be seen as rustic and became associated with traditional peasant women.[3] In the Soviet period, the name entirely went out of fashion and by 1960 almost totally disappeared.[4] 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[5] (after Maria and Anastasia). In some regions of Russia it was even the 2nd most popular name.[6] In Romania, in 2014, Daria was the 8th most popular name for baby girls.[7]

The common Russian diminutive form of this name is Dasha (Даша). 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

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People

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Middle name

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Fictional characters

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Notes

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  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 70. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
  2. ^ Никонов, В.А. Женские имена в России в XVIII веке // Имя и общество. — М.: Наука, 1974.
  3. ^ Суперанская, А.В., Суслова, А.В. Так было — так стало // О русских именах. — 5-е изд., перераб.. — СПб.: Авалонъ, 2008.
  4. ^ Никонов, В.А. Личные имена у русских сегодня // Имя и общество. — М.: Наука, 1974.
  5. ^ "Статистика || Официальный портал Администрации Санкт-Петербурга". gov.spb.ru. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  6. ^ https://www.webcitation.org/61ABc1EAz?url=http://zags.khabkrai.ru/index.php?option=com_content
  7. ^ "TOP 10 cele mai populare nume la băieți și fete. Cum au ales românii, în 2014, numele copiilor". 11 January 2015.

References

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