Meaning: Its source is Dareios, a Greek name meaning "He who holds on well to his possessions."

This name is often spelled with accents: in Spanish -- Darío; and in Italian -- Dàrio.

Languages: This boy's name is used in Italian and Spanish.

Source Forms: Dareios

Popularity: The name Dario ranked 844th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 976th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Narrative: This was the Greek version of the name of a number of Persian kings. One of these was defeated by the Greeks at the battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. Another, his great-grandson, lost his empire to Alexander the Great 160 years later.

The Old Persian origin of this name is darayava(h)us and means ''he who upholds the good.''