Darius

Darius steps out of antiquity with a ruler's bearing. The Greek rendering of Old Persian Dārayavauš, meaning he who holds firm the good, it belonged to three kings of the Achaemenid empire, including the Darius who built Persepolis. In Iceland it is an uncommon import, a name whose two syllables carry desert light and marble columns. In the United States it has held a modest, steady presence for decades, favored for its dignity and soft ending. Scholarly, poised, slightly exotic to Nordic ears and reassuringly classical to everyone else, Darius is a name built for long sentences.