Dario
Dario was the 760th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 339 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 639th with 439 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 156 places. More babies were named Dario in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning holding firm the good (Persian Darius) · Old Persian, Latin, Italian
Say it DAR-ee-oh /ˈdɑrioʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #760 boys, up 59 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 339boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024439 babies
- Total since 1880
- 11,945babies recorded
What does the name Dario mean?
Dario is the Italian form, and Darío the Spanish form, of Darius, the name of several Persian kings. Wiktionary traces it through Latin Darius and Greek Dareios to Old Persian Dārayavahuš, which it explains as a verb meaning to hold or keep plus vahu, good: roughly "he who holds firm the good." Wiktionary notes that several Persian kings of the 6th to 4th centuries BC bore the name. Dario has been used in the US since 1909.
Dārayavahuš (Old Persian, “Darius”)dārayatiy (Old Persian, “to hold”)*vahu (Old Persian, “good”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary only; the Old Persian analysis is standard but reconstructed.
Related names: Darius, Darío, Dariusz.
See also: Persian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dario' (Italian section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Darius' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry '𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁' (Old Persian section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Dario popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #760 | 339 |
| 2020 | #819 | 281 |
| 2010 | #946 | 212 |
| 2000 | #806 | 200 |
| 1990 | #783 | 168 |
| 1980 | #770 | 130 |
| 1970 | #920 | 76 |
| 1960 | #1,140 | 47 |
| 1950 | #1,371 | 28 |
| 1940 | #1,375 | 24 |
| 1930 | #1,569 | 22 |
| 1920 | #1,657 | 22 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Dario, counting every spelling?
Dario is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #741 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #760 for Dario on its own. Together these spellings went to 339 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dario | 339 | #760 | 1,982 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Dario?
339 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dario (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Dario born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 25 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dario.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dario?
About 10,800 people born in the US named Dario are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 8 and 36. That makes Dario mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Dario by state
How common Dario was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nevada (2.5×), California (2.4×), Arizona (2.3×), Texas (2.1×), Colorado (1.8×). In 24 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dario: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dario, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dario · Sibling names for Dario
Questions about the name Dario
What does Dario mean?
Dario means “holding firm the good (Persian Darius)” (Old Persian, Latin, Italian origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Dario?
Dario was the 760th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 339 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 639th with 439 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 156 places. More babies were named Dario in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Dario a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Dario in the US.
Where is Dario most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dario was most common in Nevada (0.58 per 1,000 boys), followed by California and Arizona.