Darko
Darko is a common South Slavic masculine given name. It is derived from the Slavic root dar 'gift'. Its oldest mention is from the 14th century, included in the Dečani chrysobulls (1330).
- Croatian
- Serbian
- Slovene
- Macedonian
Meaning & Origin of Darko
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Darko is a common South Slavic masculine given name. It is derived from the Slavic root dar 'gift'. Its oldest mention is from the 14th century, included in the Dečani chrysobulls (1330).
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Croatian
- Serbian
- Slovene
- Macedonian
The Story of Darko
Darko first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1987, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2017: 11 births, good for #7,093 nationwide. About 49% of every Darko on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. Darko last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 67 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Darko
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Darko. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Dado
Names that sound like Darko
Phonetically similar names — useful when Darko is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Darko
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About the name Darko
Darko is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1987 and has accumulated 67 births in the dataset. Darko's peak popularity came in 2017 when it ranked #7,093. Use the chart and map above to compare Darko's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2017 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.