and 14th centuries. The name did not appear in England before the Norman Conquest, but it was a common medieval surname in the variant forms Davy, Davit and Deakin. Short forms are Dave, Davy, Davie, and in Wales Dafydd becomes Dai or Taffy, the latter being an English nickname for a Welshman.
Davida, Davina f.
These Scottish female forms of DAVID are found from the 17th century, but were not much used until the 20th century, when they started to become more popular. They are sometimes shortened to Vida and Vina, and Davita and Davinia are also found.
Davie, Davy see David
Dawn f.
This name came into use in the late 19th century. Aurora, the name of the Greek goddess of dawn, had been in vogue slightly earlier and the English translation was probably a literary invention.
Dean m.
A surname, meaning ‘valley’, adopted as a first name. It seems to have become popular in the United States first, but has been widely used in the UK since the 1960s. Deana or Dena is a feminine.
DeAndre m.
One of the names that was highly fashionable among Afro-American families throughout the 1980s. The prefix ‘De-’ was regularly attached to other names, leading to new forms such as DeAngelo, DeJuan, DeMarco or DeMarcus, DeMario, DeShawn and DeWayne. For the meanings of these names, look under the entries for the names which follow the ‘De-’ prefix.
Deanna, Deanne see Diana
Dearbhail see Dervla
Deb see Dev
Debdan see Devdan
Deborah f.
A Hebrew name meaning ‘bee’, and the name of a prophetess and poet in the Old Testament. It was first used by Puritans in the 17th century. Debbie or Debby is a common abbreviation which is sometimes used independently. Debra is a modern spelling of the name.
Declan m.
The name of an early Irish saint associated with Ardmore. It has recently been popular with Irish parents.
Dee f. and m.
This is usually a nickname, given to anyone with a name beginning with the letter ‘D’, but is occasionally found as a given name. Compounds such as Deedee also occur.
Deepak m., Deepika f.
An Indian name from the Sanskrit meaning ‘little lamp’. It is one of the descriptive names applied to Kama, god of love. The spelling Dipak is also used for boys.
Deiniol see Daniel
Deirbhaile see Dervla
Deirdre f.
The Irish name of a character in Irish and Scottish legend, possibly meaning ‘raging’ or ‘sorrowful’. The name became popular after the late 19th-century Celtic revival, and is now enjoying another major revival in Ireland. It often takes the form Deidra in the USA.
Deja f.
This new name is something of a mystery. It has been linked to the French word déjà, ‘already’, as in déjà vu, but this seems unlikely. A more likely source is the character of Dejah Thoris, the beautiful princess in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom novels. Spellings include Dejah, Dasha and Dasia.
DeJuan see DeAndre
Del, Dell see Delbert, Derek
Delbert m.
This name has been in use since at least the beginning of the 20th century. It is probably formed on the pattern of several surnames such as Delroy (‘of the king’) and Delmar, (‘of the sea’) which are also used as first names, keeping the ‘Del-’ part and adding ‘-bert’ from the many Germanic names which end in this suffix. The short forms Del or Dell are also used as first names, and can be pet forms of DEREK.
Delia f.
This name is derived from Delos, the legendary birthplace of the Greek moon goddess Artemis (see DIANA) and a name sometimes given to her. It was popular with pastoral poets in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Delilah f.
This is the name borne by the well-known biblical character who betrayed Samson to the Philistines. It derives from a Hebrew name meaning ‘coquette’ or ‘flirt’. It was also the title of a song popularised by Tom Jones, but this failed to persuade many parents to make use of it.
Della f.
Originally a short form of ADELA, this is now well established as a name in its own right.
Delmar, Delroy see Delbert
DeMarco, DeMarcus, DeMario see DeAndre
Demelza f.
A place name, meaning ‘the hill-fort of Maeldaf’, used as a first name in Cornwall. It became more widely known through its use in the Poldark books and TV series.
Demetrius m.
This is an ancient Greek name which means ‘follower’ or ‘devotee of Demeter’, the Greek pagan goddess of corn and agriculture whose name in turn means ‘earth mother’. It was the name of a highly successful general who died in 286 BC. In the form Demetrios, it is the name of a Greek saint and as Demitrus it is found in the Bible. Dimitri or Dmitri is the form the name takes in Russia, where it has been long established. Demetra, which can be shortened to Demi, as in the actress Demi Moore, is the commonest form for girls. Demetrius was a name little used by English speakers until fairly recently, when it became popular in the United States among Afro-American families because it began with the fashionable ‘De-’ prefix (see DEANDRE).
Den see Denis
Dena see Dean
Denholm m.
A place name, meaning ‘island valley’, used as a first name. The similar Denham, ‘home in a valley’, is also used.
Denis m., Denise f.
A development of the name of Dionysos, the Greek god of wine and revelry. Denis or Dennis is the French form and the name of the patron saint of France. It occurs in England from the 12th century on. In Ireland it has long been used as a substitute for the Irish Donnchadh (see DUNCAN). Den and Denny are short forms. Denise, the female form, is also from French. Dion or Deon, (m.) and Dionne (f.) can either come from Dionysos or be a separate name from the same root, connected with the word for ‘a god’, while Dione can be thought of either as a variant of Dionne, or as the name of another character from Greek mythology whose name means ‘divine queen’. These are growing in popularity (see also DWIGHT).
Denzil m.
In the form Denzell, this is an old Cornish surname derived from a place-name.
Deo see Dev
Deodan see Devdan
Deon see Denis
Derek,
