Old-Fashioned Boy Names That Start with D
Are you expecting a baby boy and looking an old-fashioned name that starts with the letter D? Whether your taste runs towards very old names harking back to the early decades of the 20th century (Dewitt, Delbert, Delmar) or you're more into vintage names with a mid-century vibe (Dale, Doug, Dwight), there's a perfect D-name for every parent.
We took a look through hundreds of pages of baby names and compiled this list of old-fashioned boys' names starting with D—now all you have to do is pick and choose which names you want to add to your own list.
- Dennis. (or Denis). Dennis was a firm fixture on the baby name charts in mid-twentieth-century America, but had completely lost its luster by the end of the century. The mischievous fictional character Dennis the Menace may have played a role in the name's decline.
- Douglas. A mid-century sensation. It would definitely take some guts to use this relic of a name in the modern world.
- Dale. Choose this gender-neutral mid-century moniker meaning "valley", and you'll be good even if your baby turns out not to be a boy.
- Don. In some countries, Don is used as a generic honorific similar to "Sir". But for most Americans, it's a nickname for grandpa Donald; though it has also been used as a given name in its own right.
- Dwight. A punchy mid-century name with presidential bona fides via Dwight D. Eisenhower.
- Dewey. An old surname of Welsh origin that caught on as a given name in the early 20th century and even cracked the Boys' Top 200 in the 1920s.
- Delmar. A surname and given name of Spanish origin, this retro name means "of the sea".
- Delbert. Time was, Delbert was a perfectly reasonable choice for a son. Is this antiquated name relic ever going to find favor again? We're doubtful.
- Doyle. An Irish surname—and an under-the-radar given name that peaked in popularity in the 1930s.
- Delmer. A variation of Delmar.
- Dewitt. Dewitt, which can also be stylized as DeWitt or De Witt, is an old Dutch last name, but it was also occasionally used as a given name in the 20th century.
- Dudley. This name definitely lacks modern cool, but it does score some cool points for being the given name of the late British comedian, composer and jazz musician Dudley Moore. A not-so-cool reference: the Harry Potter character Dudley Dursley.
- Dock. A dusty, musty name from yesteryear that we believe can be categorically declared out of style forever.
- Doug. A short form of Douglas.
