When it comes to biblical boy names that start with the letter D, there's one name that never seems to fall out favor. We are talking about the classic biblical boy name David, of course. Given that every generation has had their fair share of Davids, there's a good chance your family, too, has a bunch of men answering to the name David. In fact, this might be the exact reason you landed on this page: there's a David in your family you'd like to honor with your baby boy's name, but you don't want to call him David, so you're looking for another biblical name that starts with D.
Or, maybe your named your first son David and are now looking for a matching name for his soon-to-arrive little brother.
Whatever the reason you ended up here, you'll find a list of biblical boy names that start with D below. Some of the names come from the Old Testament, while other trace their roots to the New Testament. The names are listed roughly in the order of descending popularity, with the most popular biblical D-names like David and Daniel appearing on top and the more unusual and unique options holding the bottom spots.
First up is Daniel, the perfect brother name for David. Like David, Daniel is a classic name that always feels relevant. It's also a member of the stylish group of biblical boy names that end in -el, which is probably part of the reason it's currently ranking so high on the popularity charts. And of course, its biblical credentials are impeccable, with Daniel being one of the major prophets. Those who find name meanings important can also rejoice, as scholars generally agree that Daniel means "God is judge", "God is my judge", or "God has judged" (The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, 1971).
If David is not off-limits because there's already a David in your family, you're in luck! Borne in the Bible by the courageous shepherd-turned-king, David makes for a rock-solid biblical choice that transcends not only trends but also linguistic borders. A boy called David would feel right at home everywhere from Spain and France to Germany and Scandinavia, though in most countries the pronunciation would be closer to dah-VEED than to the English pronunciation DAY-vid.
Strong and kingly, Darius is a name that commands attention. It's the name of several ancient Persian rulers, and it also appears several times as a king's name in the Old Testament. There's been some debate over the exact meaning of Darius, but current evidence seems to point to a meaning derived from the Old Persian words for "hold" and "good", and Encyclopædia Iranica suggests the meaning of Darius should be given as "holding firm the good".
If you have a penchant for names that end in -ius but feel like Darius isn't The One, here's another possibility you might consider. It's worth noting though that as far as its biblical credentials go, Demetrius is a bit of a mixed bag. One the one hand, the Gospel of John mentions a well-respected Christian called Demetrius, who would undoubtedly make a worthy namesake. But then there's the other Demetrius, the Ephesian silversmith who caused Paul a great deal of trouble.
If Daniel feels too long, there's no reason you couldn't just go with the short form Dan and still honor the Old Testament prophet. But there's also another reason Dan deserves a spot on this list: it's a biblical name in its own right, belonging to the fifth of twelve sons born to the patriarch Jacob. All of Jacob's sons shaped the history of Israel, as each became the founding father of one of the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 49).
If you're considering this name for your son, it's more likely that you're into gaming than Bible studies. But Darkon does appear in the Bible, too, though he's only mentioned in passing as one of King Solomon's servants whose descendants returned from the Babylonian exile.
Dedan is a scriptural name in more ways than one, appearing in the Old Testament as both a biblical place name and a personal name. The place was an oasis as well as a nation or kingdom, and the Dedanites were identified as a trading people (Ezekiel 27). As a personal name, Dedan belongs to two different biblical characters, the first one being a son of Raamah (Genesis 10:7) and the second one being a son of Jokshan and a grandson of Abraham (Genesis 25:3).
This boy's name comes from the New Testament, where it belongs to one of the apostle Paul's co-workers. Mentioned in three different Pauline epistles, he was undoubtedly an important player in the early Christian movement. So far so good. But during Paul's second imprisonment Demas abandoned the apostle and his ministry, and left town (2 Timothy 4:10). It has been suggested that the Greek word used in the original version implies that Demas had not only left Paul but had left him "in the lurch"; that is, Demas abandoned Paul when he needed him most.
All we know about the biblical Deuel is that he was the father of Eliasaph, a leader of the tribe of Gad. So if you're looking for a D-name with a notable biblical namesake, Deuel fails. But there's another reason why Deuel might still appeal to parents with a religious bent, and that is its spiritually sound meaning: "knowledge Of God" or "invocation Of God", depending on the source.
Apparently, this Greek name is too much for the average American parent, but if you're a Christian baby namer with a taste for the unusual and unique, Dionysius might be perfect: it comes from the New Testament, where it belongs to Dionysius the Areopagite, one of Paul's converts. Today, he is venerated as a saint by multiple denominations, including Roman Catholic, so if you and your family are Catholic, Dionysius could be doubly great.
This D-beginning name doesn't feel particularly Christian, but it does appear in the Bible as the name of one of the sons of Seir the Horite. Other than his place in the Horite genealogy, not much is known about this Old Testament figure.