Darby (name)
Darby is an English locational surname and has since become a given name. Its prefix derives from the Old Norse djúr ("deer"), and the suffix -býr ("farm"/"settlement"). The oldest recorded use as a surname dates to the period of 1160–1182 in Lincolnshire. Darby was a common pre-1800 alternative spelling of Derby, a city in England.[1]
In Ireland, Darby is an diminutive of the Gaelic name Ó Diarmada, which means "descendant of Diarmaid".[2]
Notable people with the name or its variants include:
Surname
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɑːrbi/ [3] DAR-bee |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Meaning | "deer" "farm"/"settlement" |
| Region of origin | English |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | D'Arby, d'Arby, D'arby, Derby |
Darby
- Abiah Darby (1716–1794), English minister
- Abraham Darby I (1678–1717), British ironmaster and pioneer of coke-fired smelting
- Abraham Darby II (1711–1763), British ironmaster, son of Abraham I
- Abraham Darby III (1750–1791), British ironmaster, builder of the world's first iron bridge
- Abraham Darby IV (1804–1878), British ironmaster
- Adrian Darby (born 1937), British environmentalist
- Al Darby (born 1954), American football player
- Alden Darby (born 1992), Canadian football defensive back
- Angie Darby (born 1987), Australian modern pentathlete
- Anthony Darby (born 1972), Australian footballer
- Arthur Darby (1876–1960), British rugby union player
- Brandon Darby (born 1976), American conservative blogger and activist
- Brent Darby (1981–2011), American basketball player
- Brett Darby (born 1983), English footballer
- Byron Darby (born 1960), American football defensive end
- Chad Darby (born 1981), American musician
- Chris Darby (born 1950s), New Zealand politician in Auckland
- Christopher Darby Griffith (1804–1885), British Member of parliament for Devizes
- Chuck Darby (born 1975), American football player
- Craig Darby (born 1972), American ice hockey center
- Dick Darby (1919–1993), British Bishop of Sherwood
- Douglas Darby (1910–1985), Australian politician
- Drew Darby (born 1947), politician in Texas
- Duane Darby (born 1973), English footballer
- Edward Darby (1888–?), British World War I flying ace
- Frank Darby (born 1997), American football player
- George Darby (1720–1790), Anglo-Irish vice-admiral in the British Royal Navy
- George Darby (baseball) (1869–1937), American baseball player
- George Darby (politician) (1798–1877), British politician
- Harry Darby (1895–1987), United States Senator
- J. N. Darby, a pen-name of American juvenile fiction writer Christine N. Govan (1897–1985)
- J. N. Darby, a pen-name of American author and naturalist Mary Q. Steele (1922–1992)
- John Darby (NASCAR official), American NASCAR Cup Series race director
- John Fletcher Darby (1803–1882), United States Congressman
- John M. Darby (1804–1877), American botanist and academic
- John Nelson Darby, British theologian, leader of the Plymouth Brethren, founder of the Darbyites and translator of the Darby Bible
- Joseph Darby, American military policeman and whistleblower
- Julian Darby (born 1967), English footballer
- Kim Darby (born 1947), American actress
- Mary Darby, maiden name of British poet Mary Robinson
- Matthew Darby (born 1967), British conservationist and publisher
- Newman Darby (1928–2016), American inventor
- Rhys Darby (born 1974), New Zealand comedian and actor
- Richard Darby, American attorney and judge; appointed Associate Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court in April 2018
- Séamus Darby (born 1950), Irish Gaelic footballer
- Siegen Thomas Darby (1966-),American musician, and songwriter
- Shawn Darby (1966-) American Professional motorcycle builder and designer
- Sir Henry D'Esterre Darby (1750–1823), Anglo-Irish admiral in the British Royal Navy
- Stephen Darby (born 1989), English footballer
- Steve Darby (born 1955), English football coach and pundit
- Thomas Darby, inventor of the Darby Steam-Digger
- Tom Darby, half of the country music duo Darby and Tarlton
- Will Darby, American politician
- William Darby (priest) (died 1791), Anglican Archdeacon in Ireland in the late nineteenth century
- William J. Darby (1913–2001), American physician and nutrition scientist
- William Orlando Darby (1911–1945), U.S. Army officer, commander of Darby's Rangers
D'Arby
- Josie d'Arby (born 1972), British actress
- Terence Trent D'Arby (born 1962), American singer-songwriter
Given name
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɑːrbi/ [3] DAR-bee |
|---|---|
| Gender | unisex |
- Darby Allin (born 1997), American wrestler
- Darby Bailey, American actress, musician, songwriter, writer/producer, and businesswoman
- Darby Bergin (1826–1896), Ontario physician and political figure
- Darby Berkhout (born 1966), Canadian rower
- Darby Brown (1929–1988), Australian boxer of the 1940s and '50s
- Darby Camp (born 2007), American actress
- Darby Conley (born 1970), American cartoonist creator of Get Fuzzy
- Darby Cottle (born 1961), American softball player
- Darby Cowgill (born 2011), Programmer
- Darby Crash (1958–1980), American musician, from the band The Germs
- Darby Dougherty, American actress in the film Gummo
- Darby Dunn, American journalist and reporter
- Darby Field (1610–1649), British, first European to climb Mount Washington in New Hampshire
- Darby Gould (born 1965), American vocalist
- Darby Hendrickson (born 1972), American hockey player and coach
- Darby Hinton (born 1957), American actor and filmmaker
- Darby Jones (1910–1986), American actor
- Darby Lloyd Rains (born 1948), American adult film performer
- Darby Loudon (1897–1963), New Zealand-born rugby union player
- Darby Lux II (1737–1795), American businessman, militiaman in the American Revolution
- Darby McCarthy (1944–2020), Australian jockey
- Darby McDevitt (born 1975), American game developer and writer
- Darby Mills, Canadian rock vocalist
- Darby Nelson (1940 –2022), American writer and politician
- Darby O'Brien (1863–1893), American baseball player
- Darby Penney (1952–2021), American writer, activist
- Darby Riordan (1888–1936), Australian politician
- Darby Slick (born 1944), American guitarist and songwriter
- Darby Stanchfield (born 1971), American film and television actress
- Darby W. Betts (1912–1998), American Episcopal priest
- Darby Walker (born 1974), Canadian ice hockey player
Fictional characters
- Ernest Darby, on the television series Sons of Anarchy
- Daniel J. D'Arby, from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga series
- Darby O'Gill, in the writings of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh
- Darby Carter, on the television series Love Life as portrayed by Anna Kendrick
- Darby Shaw, in the film The Pelican Brief played by Julia Roberts
- Darby, a character who replaced Christopher Robin in the animated television show, My Friends Tigger and Pooh
See also
References
- ^ "Surname: Darby". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "Irish Names and Surnames: Diarmaid". libraryireland.com. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ a b Jones, Daniel; Gimson, Alfred C. (1977) [1917]. Everyman's English Pronunciation Dictionary. Everyman's Reference Library (14 ed.). London: J. M. Dent & Sons. ISBN 0-460-03029-9.