Dachi

This name is best known for being the name of king Dachi of Iberia (6th century AD). He was of Iranian descent, for he belonged to the Chosroid dynasty. His paternal grandfather was king Mihrdat V of Iberia and his maternal grandfather was king Hormizd III of the Sasanian Empire.

Dachi was also known under the names დარჩი (Darchi) and დარჩილ (Darchil), which are rather reminiscent of Archil. This is probably not a coincidence, as his paternal great-grandfather was king Archil of Iberia (5th century AD). Also compare Achi, which is a short form of Archil.

The meaning of the name Dachi is uncertain, but there are at least three theories about its etymology. The first is that the name comes from Dartsihr, the Middle (or Sassanid) Persian form of the old Iranian name Daraqatsivra meaning "tribe" as well as "head, master, owner". The Middle Persian form would have been georgianized to Darchil, of which Dachi may possibly have been a short form (in the same way that Achi is a short form of Archil).

The second theory also connects Dachi to the Middle Persian name Dartsihr, but derives the latter name from Middle Persian darbtsihr meaning "descended from Darius".

The third and final theory is that Dachi is derived from Georgian დარჩი (darchi), which is a simplified version of the Georgian verb დარჩენა (darchena) meaning "to stay, to remain". However, one has to ask oneself how likely it is that a 6th-century Chosroid king would bear a name of which the etymology is entirely and genuinely Georgian. Especially when the other members of the Chosroid dynasty (from the same era) all bore names of Iranian origin. Why would king Dachi be the exception to the rule?

Lastly, a known real-life bearer of this name is the Georgian soccer player Dachi Tsnobiladze (b. 1994).