Submitted Names Starting with D

gender
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Draginja f Serbian
Variant of Dragana.
Dragmáll m Old Norse
From Old Norse dragmáll meaning "drawling".
Dragojlo m Vlach
Derived from Vlach drag meaning "dear person". It can also be the Vlach form of Dragoljub.
Dragomil m Slovene
Derived from the Slavic element dragu "dear, precious" combined with miru "peace" or "world".
Dragomila f Slovene
Feminine form of Dragomil.
Dragon m English
Ancient Greek δράκων, Latin draco "dragon; snake".
Dragonel m Arthurian Cycle, Literature
Dragonel the Cruel is a malevolent knight who abducted the lady Rohais from the knight Arguisiaus of Carhaix, wounding Arguisiaus in the process. Dragonel intended to force Rohais into marriage, but Perceval encountered him, defeated him, and sent him to Arthur’s court.
Dragotina f Slovene
Feminine form of Dragotin.
Dragpa m & f Tibetan
Means "reputed" in Tibetan.
Dragun m Serbian
Serbian name for the date-plum tree (Diospyros lotus).
Drăguța f Romanian (Rare)
Derived from Romanian drăguță, the feminine form of the adjective drăguț, "cute, precious".
Draho m Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak form of Drago or short form of names beginning with Draho, such as Drahomír and Drahoslav.
Drahomil m Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak form of Dragomil.
Drahomila f Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak feminine form of Drahomil (cf. Dragomil, Dragomila).
Drahoš m Slovak
Diminutive of Drahoslav and Drahomír, not used as a given name in its own right.
Drahuška f Czech
Diminutive form of Drahoslava.
Draik m English
Variant of Drake.
Drajat m Javanese
Means "degree, rank, power" in Javanese, ultimately from Arabic درجة (daraja).
Drakul m Popular Culture (Modern)
Variant of Dracula. From the epithet of Vlad II Dracul, father of Vlad the Impaler, which meant either "dragon" (alluding to his membership in the noble Order of the Dragon) or "the devil" from Romanian drac "devil".
Drakula m Literature
Form of Dracula used in Azerbaijan, Basque Country, Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.
Drakulo m Esperanto
Esperanto form of Dracula.
Dramane m Western African
Short form of Abd al-Rahman used in parts of western Africa.
Dranafile f Albanian (Rare, Archaic)
Albanian cognate of Triantafyllia. Bearer Dranafile "Drane" Bernai was the mother of the 20th-century Albanian-born nun and missionary Mother Teresa.
Drande f Albanian
Variant of Drane.
Drandofile f Albanian (Archaic)
Variant of Dranafile and older form of Trëndafile.
Drane f Albanian
Originally a short form of Drandofile and Dranafile, used as a given name in its own right.
Drangue m Albanian Mythology
Drangue is a semi-human winged divine figure in Albanian mythology and folklore, associated with weather and storms.
Dranlyug m Sanskrit
Hindu male first name. (𝘥𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘯) means "retention" and "sustainer" (𝘺𝘶𝘨) means "era". can be described as 'incarnation' {अवतार} "sustainer of the era". {विष्णु} reminding
Dranlyugna m Hinduism
Guardian of the Age /dvaparayuga/
Dranreb m Filipino
Reverse spelling of Bernard.
Drápastúfr m Old Norse
Old Norse byname meaning "bad poet".
Draper m English (American)
Used after the character Don Draper of Mad Men.
Drasco m Polabian
Drasco (fl. 795 – 810) was the Prince (knyaz) of the Obotrite confederation from 795 until his death in 810.
Drąsius m Lithuanian
Derived from either the Lithuanian noun drąsa meaning "courage, bravery" or the Lithuanian adjective drąsus meaning "brave, courageous, bold".
Drastamat m Armenian
Means "straight-forward, no way out" in Armenian.
Drąsutė f Lithuanian
Diminutive of the rare name Drąsė, since this name contains the feminine diminutive suffix -utė. In other words, you could say that this name is the feminine equivalent of Drąsutis.
Drąsutis m Lithuanian
Diminutive of Drąsius, since this name contains the masculine diminutive suffix -utis.
Draugluin m Literature
A fictional character created by J.R.R. Tolkien, Draugluin was the first werewolf to be bred by Morgoth during the First Age of Middle-earth.... [more]
Drauma f Icelandic (Modern, Rare)
Directly taken from Old Norse draumr meaning "dream".
Draumey f Icelandic (Modern, Rare)
Combination of Old Norse draumr "dream" and ey "island; flat land along a coast" (which is also often related to the Old Norse name element auja "(gift of) luck; fortune").
Draupnir m Old Norse, Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Means "goldsmith". Draupnir is the name of both a dwarf and Odin's golden arm ring, which he laid on Baldr's funeral pyre to show that Hel was the legitimate ruler of the Underworld... [more]
Drax m Popular Culture
This was the name given to Drax a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Dray m & f English
Variant of Dre.
Drayden m English (American, Modern)
Invented name using the sounds present in Brayden.
Drayhim m Arabic
Meaning: ?
Draymond m African American (Modern, Rare)
Possibly an invented name blending Dre with Raymond. Also compare Daymond.
Drayson m English (Rare)
Combination of Dray and the popular suffix -son.
Drayton m English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname Drayton.
Dráža f Czech
Diminutive of Drahoslava.
Dražana f Croatian
A female form of Dražen.
Dražena f Croatian, Serbian
A female form of Dražen.
Dražimir m Croatian
Croatian (variant) form of Dragomir.
Dražislav m Croatian
Croatian (variant) form of Dragoslav.
Dré m Dutch, Flemish, Limburgish
Short form of André.... [more]
Drea m Romansh
Short form of Andrea 1.
Dreama f English
Feminized form of Dream or variant of Drema... [more]
Dreamer f & m English (Rare)
From the English word dreamer meaning "one who dreams; idler, daydreamer".
Dreamius m African American (Rare)
Combination of the word dream with the popular suffix ius.
Dred m English (American), Afro-American (Slavery-era)
Short form of (feminine) Etheldred. Dred Scott (c. 1799-1858) was an African American slave who unsuccessfully sued for his and his family's freedom before the Supreme Court of the United States in the landmark case Dred Scott v. Sandford... [more]
Dredan m Unknown
Variant of Drayden.
Dree f & m English, American
Dree Hemingway is Mariel Hemingway's daughter. (Born Dree Crisman.)
Drees m Limburgish
Short from of Andrees.
Dreeske m Limburgish
Limburgish diminutive form of Drees.
Dreisel f Jewish, Yiddish
Yiddish form of Drusilla.
Drejče m Slovene
Diminutive form of Andrej.
Dréke m Dutch, Limburgish
Dutch and Limburgish diminutive form of Dré.
Dreki m Icelandic (Modern, Rare)
From Old Norse dreki meaning "dragon".
Drella m & f Popular Culture
A nickname for Andy Warhol used by his friends, a combination of Dracula and Cinderella.
Drema f English
Either a variant of Dreama, or from the Slavic surname derived from Proto-Slavic *drěmati "to sleep, nap, doze".
Dren m Serbian, Croatian
From дрен/dren meaning European Cornel (Cornus mas) (type of dogwood). ... [more]
Drena f Croatian
Feminine form of Dren.
Drender m Filipino
the name originated in Philippines which is a given name to a boy. ... [more]
Dreng m Danish (Archaic), Literature
Derived from the Old Norse name Drængr meaning "young man, lad" or "bold man". It coincides with the modern Danish word dreng meaning "boy"... [more]
Drengr m Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Variant of Drængr. This is the name of one of Karl and Snør's sons in Norse mythology.
Drengur m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Drængr.
Drenig m Breton
Diminutive of Aodren via the diminutive Aodrenig.
Drenislav m Croatian (Rare)
From Slavic dren meaning ''European Cornel'' (type of dogwood) and slava meaning ''glory''.
Drenka f Croatian, Serbian
Feminine form of Dren.
Drennan m & f Irish (Anglicized)
Transferred from the surname "Drennan".
Drenushë f Kosovar
Derived from Albanian drenushë "doe, hind".
Dreo m Esperanto
Short form of Andreo and Esperanto form of Drew.
Dresden f & m English, Popular Culture
From the name of the city in Germany, which is derived from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning "people of the riverside forest".
Drev m Breton
Short form of Andrev.
Drewann f English (American, Rare)
Combination of Drew and Ann, or a flip-flopped version of Andrew used as a feminine given name.
Drewet m Medieval English
Diminutive of Drew.
Drexel m English (American, Rare)
Transferred use of the surname Drexel.
Dreya f English (Rare)
Short form of Andrea 2.
Dreyfus m English
Transferred use of the surname Dreyfus.
Dreyze f Yiddish
Yiddish feminine name, probably derived from the German name Theresia. Alternatively it may be a Yiddish form of Slavic Derozha, Drozha.
Dri m & f English, Brazilian
Short form of any name containing -dri-, such as Adrian or Adriana.
Dria m Ligurian
Short form of Andria.
Dria f English (Rare)
Short form of Adriana.
Driada f Albanian (Rare)
Possibly from Albanian driadë "dryad".
Driadam m Arthurian Cycle
A cousin of Erec who was slain by Mordred, prompting a feud between Erec and Mordred.
Drian m Arthurian Cycle
Knight of the Round Table. Son of Pellinore (apparently his third in wedlock), brother of Perceval, Lamorat, Aglovale, Alain, and Tor le Fise Aries.... [more]
Driana f English (Rare), Brazilian (Rare)
Possibly a truncated from of Adriana.
Drica f Portuguese, Galician
Hypocoristic of Adriana.
Dricky f Afrikaans
Diminutive of Hendrika.
Drico m Portuguese
Diminutive of Frederico.
Driek m Dutch, Limburgish
Short form of Hendricus and Hendrikus, which is also used for bearers of related names.
Driesje f Dutch (Rare)
Feminine form of Dries.
Drífa f Old Norse, Icelandic, Norse Mythology
Old Norse name meaning "fall of snow, snowdrift". In Norse mythology, Drífa was a daughter of king Snær. She had two sisters, Mjǫll and Fǫnn and one brother, Þorri.
Drigo m Mordvin
Mordvin form of Gregory.
Drilego f Medieval Breton
Of uncertain origin and meaning. Current theories include a derivation from drich "aspect; face; appearance" and "possibly a variant of -lou, -leu "light"".
Drilon m Albanian
Derived from Drilon (Δρίλων), the Ancient Greek name of the river Drin.
Drilona f Albanian
Feminine form of Drilon.
Drin m Albanian
Derived from the name of the Drin, a river in Southern and Southeastern Europe with two distributaries one discharging into the Adriatic Sea and the other one into the Buna River. The river and its tributaries form the Gulf of Drin, an ocean basin that encompasses the northern Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast... [more]
Drina f Albanian
Feminine form of Drin.
Drina f Serbian (Rare)
The name of the river that flows between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose name is derived from the Latin name of the river (Latin: Drinus) which in turn is derived from Greek (Ancient Greek: Dreinos), used as a feminine name.
Drini m Albanian
Variant of Drin.
Drinian m Literature
The name of Prince Caspian's advisor and ship captain in CS Lewis' book The Dawn Treader.
Drinora f Albanian
It derives from the name of the river Drin in Albania; the name Drin derives from the greek "drynus", meaning "river".
Driope f Italian, Catalan
Italian and Catalan form of Dryope.
Drisana f English (Rare), Indian (Rare, Expatriate, ?)
Meaning uncertain, though popularly claimed to mean "daughter of the sun" in Sanskrit. Supposedly it occurs in Hindu mythology as a name (perhaps a title or epithet) of the Dānava demon Virochana (a son of Prahlāda and father of Bali)... [more]
Drishani f Hindi
Daughter of the sun
Drissa m Western African
Form of Idris 1 used in parts of western Africa.
Drite f Albanian
Derived from Albanian dritë "light".
Dritjon m Albanian (Rare)
Derived from Albanian dritë "light" and jonë "our".
Driton m Albanian
Variant of Dritan.
Drius m Arthurian Cycle
An Arthurian knight.
Driva f Swedish (Rare)
Swedish form of Drífa.
Driwethen m Medieval Breton
Derived from Old Breton drech "appearance" and (g)uethen "warrior; war".
Drocock m Medieval English
Diminutive of Drew.
Drocus m Germanic (Latinized)
Latinized form of Drogo.
Dröfn f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Drǫfn.
Drǫfn f Norse Mythology
Means "wave, billow" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology, Drǫfn was the daughter of Ægir and Rán. She was sometimes referred to as Bára, also meaning "wave, billow".
Drogomił m Polish
The first element of this name is derived from Polish drogi "precious, dear", which was ultimately derived from Slavic dorgu "precious, dear". The second element is derived from mil "gracious, dear".
Drogomir m Polish
Polish form of Dragomir.
Drogomira f Polish
Feminine form of Drogomir.
Drogomysł m Polish
The first element of this name is derived from Polish drogi "precious, dear", which was ultimately derived from Slavic dorgu "precious, dear". The second element is derived from Polish myśl "thought" (which is ultimately derived from Proto-Slavic mysliti "to think").
Drogoradz m Medieval Polish
Derived from the Slavic name elements drogo "dear; precious" and radz "to advise" and, in an older meaning, "to take care of someone or something".
Drogosław m Polish
Polish form of Dragoslav.
Drogosława f Polish
Feminine form of Drogosław.
Drokmi m & f Tibetan
Means "nomad" in Tibetan.
Drolma f Tibetan
Alternate transcription of Tibetan སྒྲོལ་མ (see Dolma).
Dromio m Theatre
This name belongs to two characters in William Shakespeare's play 'The Comedy of Errors' (1592): twin brothers Dromio of Ephesus and Dromio of Syracuse. It is possibly derived from Greek δρόμος (dromos) "a course, running, race", or a related word.
Drömma f Swedish (Modern, Rare)
From Swedish drömma "to dream".
Dronacharya m Hinduism
(drona) means "vessel" or "bucket" or "quiver". (acharya) means "teacher" in Sanskrit. Dronacharya means “A teacher who is filled with full of knowledge or whatever a good stuff.” he is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata
Dronma f Tibetan
Means "light, lamp", also an honorific title.
Droplaug f Old Norse, Icelandic
Old Norse name, in which the second element is laug possibly meaning "vowed, promised, bound in oath". The first element may be derived from Old Norse dropi meaning "drop".
Dropleyg f Faroese
Faroese modern form of Droplaug.
Drora f Hebrew
Feminine form of Dror.
Drós f Faroese
Derived from Old Norse drós meaning "woman".
Drosbo m Old Swedish
Old Swedish form of Drósbói.
Drósbói m Old Norse
Meaning uncertain. It could be a combination of Old Norse drós "woman" and búi "farmer, land-owner". The first element could also be derived from Old Norwegian dros "heavy, plump person"... [more]
Drosera f Greek Mythology
Derived from Greek δρόσος (drosos) meaning "dew, dewdrops". This was the name of a naiad in Greek myth.
Drosis f History (Ecclesiastical)
Variant of Drusa via the form Drosa. According to Orthodox Christian ecclesiastical traditions St. Drosis was the daughter of the Emperor Trajan (98-117 AD)... [more]
Drosma f Latvian
Derived from Latvian drosme "courage, bravery".
Drosme f Latvian (Rare)
Directly taken from Latvian drosme "courage, bravery".
Drosmis m Latvian
Masculine form of Drosma.
Droso f Greek (Rare, ?)
From the Greek word δρόσος (drosos) meaning "dew". This is a rather uncommon name, mostly heard in rural areas.
Drosos m Greek
Derived from Greek δρόσος (drosos), meaning "dew".
Drosoula f Greek
Diminutive of Droso.
Drossel m Popular Culture
German for "thrush" as in the bird. The name of a character in the anime adaption of Black Butler, Drossel Keinz.
Drostan m Pictish
Diminutive of Drust. This name was borne by a 7th-century Irish saint who was active among the Picts in Scotland.
Drótt f Icelandic (Rare), Old Norse
Possibly from Old Norse drótt which meant "household, a people" and "the host of the king's men, body-guard of a king".
Drott m Swedish (Rare)
From Old Swedish drōt(t)in meaning "lord, master".
Drover m English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname Drover. It was used in the 2008 movie 'Australia' by Baz Luhrmann. The character Drover was played by Hugh Jackman.
Dru m English
Variant of Drew.
Drua f Judeo-Anglo-Norman
Derived from Gaulish druto "strong, vigorous".
Druann f American (Rare)
Perhaps intended to be a feminine form of Andrew, produced by rearranging the syllables (i.e., An and drew; see Drew), with the spelling apparently influenced by that of Luann.
Druantia f Popular Culture, Celtic Mythology
Hypothetic old Celtic form of the name of a river in the south of France commonly known as the Durance, which is of unknown meaning. An Indo-European root meaning "to flow" has been suggested. According to Robert Graves in 'The White Goddess' (1948), it is derived from the Indo-European root *deru meaning "oak" (as are the words druid and dryad) and probably also belonged to a Gallic tree goddess, which he identifies as "Queen of the Druids" and "Mother of the Tree Calendar"... [more]
Druas m Arthurian Cycle, Literature
Lord of the Hill of Wretches. He slew every knight who adventured his way, but was eventually killed by Agravain. Druas’s brother, Sorneham of Newcastle, learned of the incident and, in revenge, he defeated and imprisoned Agravain.
Drucille f English (Rare)
Variant spelling of Drusille.
Dructbald m Old High German, Old Saxon, Medieval, Medieval French
Old Saxon druht, Old High German truht "troop, multitude, retinue" + Old High German bald "bold".
Dructbert m Old Saxon, Old High German, Medieval, Medieval French
Old Saxon*druht, Old High German truht "troop, multitude, retinue" + Old High German beraht, Old Saxon berht "bright" from Proto-Germanic berhtaz.
Druda f Judeo-Catalan (Rare, Archaic), Medieval Jewish
Of uncertain origin and meaning. One theory, however, suggests a coinage as a feminine form of the Catalan masculine name Trud.
Drudmund m Old High German, Medieval Italian
Derived from the Old High German elements drud "strength" and munt "hand, protection".
Drudo m Medieval Italian
Derived from Proto-Germanic þrūþ "strength" as well as a diminutive of various names beginning with this element.
Drudwen f Welsh (Modern)
Means "starling" in Welsh, presumably derived from the element drud "precious, dear, expensive" combined with gwen "fair, white, blessed". It was coined in the "latter 20th century".
Drue m & f English (Rare)
Variant of Drew.
Druella f English, Literature
Feminine version of the masculine abbreviated form of Andrew, Drew. It is also the name of Druella Black (née Rosier) –wife of Cygnus Black, mother of Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa Black - out of the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling.
Druian m Old Celtic, Old Norse
Old Norse form of an unknown Gaelic name, of uncertain origin and meaning.
Druid m Old Celtic
A priest, magician, or soothsayer in the ancient Celtic religion.
Druidain m Arthurian Cycle
A loathsome hunchbacked dwarf, to whom Gawaine gave the false lady Ydain after she tried to leave Gawaine for another knight. Druidain’s eventual possession of Ydain had been foretold by an oracle in the dwarf’s youth.
Druis m Arthurian Cycle
A priest and philosopher who counseled Arthur.
Drulias m Arthurian Cycle, Literature
Father of the dwarf Druidain.... [more]
Drum m English
Diminutive of Drummond.
Drumil m Indian
NAME OF A SAINT / SAGE IN VEDAS ( HOLY BOOKS ) IN INDIA
Druon m Picard
Derived from Gaulish druto "strong, vigorous".
Druon m Arthurian Cycle
Druon is a knight who fights with Blandamour, Paridell, and Claribell in Book 4, Canto 9 of "The Faerie Queene".
Drury m English
Transferred use of the surname Drury. Drury Lane is a famous street in London, home to the Theatre Royal, and well known as the nursery rhyme locale of The Muffin Man.
Drusiana f Ancient Roman, Italian (Rare, Archaic), Gnosticism
Feminine form of Drusianus. The tale of the resurrection of Drusiana features prominently in the Acts of John.
Drusiane f Gnosticism
French form of Drusiana.
Drusianus m Ancient Roman
Roman family name derived from Drusus.
Drustanus m Old Celtic (Latinized)
Latinized form of Drustan. It appears in a 6th-century tombstone inscription (“Drustanus lies here, the son of Cunomorus”) and many scholars have thought to identify Drustanus with the Tristan of Celtic legend... [more]
Drusticc f Pictish
6th century Pictish princess. Feminine variant of the name Drust. Older form or variant of the name Trista
Drutalos m Gaulish
Derived from Gaulish *deruos / derua "oak tree" and talu- "forehead; front; surface".
Druvis m Latvian
Derived from Latvian druva "cornfield".
Druward m Anglo-Norman
Possibly from Old French Droart, Drouart which is probably from the hypothetical Germanic name *Droghard, itself composed of the element drog of uncertain meaning (see Drogo) combined with hard "hard, firm, brave, strong".
Druzjan m Polish
Polish form of Drusianus.
Druzus m Polish
Polish form of Drusus (see Drusilla).
Drużyjan m Medieval Polish
Medieval Polish form of Druzjan.
Drużyjanna f Medieval Polish
Medieval Polish form of Druzjanna.
Druzylla f Polish
Polish form of Drusilla.
Drvaspa f Persian Mythology
The name of a Zoroastrian goddess whose name means "with solid horses". Her role in ancient religion is unknown.
Dryas m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek masculine name meaning "oak".
Dryden m English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname Dryden.... [more]
Dryhthelm m Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements dryht "troop, army" and helm "helmet, protection". This was the name of a monk associated with the monastery of Melrose known from the Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum of Bede.
Dryhtnoð m Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements dryht "troop, army" and noð "boldness, daring".
Dryhtweald m Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements dryht "troop, army" and weald "powerful, mighty" or "authority, leader".
Dryllina f Old Swedish (Rare)
Obscure Old Swedish name of unknown origin.
Dryope f Greek Mythology
Derived from Greek δρῦς (drys) meaning "tree, oak" combined with Greek οψ (ops) "voice" or Greek ωψ (ops) "face, eye". This name was borne by at least five characters in Greek mythology, the best known being the daughter of king Dryops of Oeta, who was turned into a black poplar tree by the god Apollo.
Dryops m Greek Mythology
This name is either derived from Greek δρύοψ (dryops) meaning "woodpecker", or it is a masculine form of Dryope. This name was borne by two characters in Greek mythology: one was king Dryops of Oeta, the other was a son of king Priam of Troy.
Drypetis f Old Persian (Hellenized)
Of uncertain etymology. Drypetis was the daughter of Stateira I and Darius III of Persia. She was married to Hephaestion and was rumored to have been killed by Roxana to remove potential rivals.
Drysen m English (Modern)
Variant of Dryson.
Držimir m Croatian
The first element of this name is derived from Serbo-Croatian držati "to hold", which is ultimately derived from Proto-Slavic dьržati "to hold". The second element is derived from Slavic mir "peace".
Držislav m Croatian
The first element of this name is derived from Serbo-Croatian držati "to hold", which is ultimately derived from Proto-Slavic dьržati "to hold". The second element is derived from Slavic slav "glory".
Dschamila f German
German transcription of Jamila.
Dshamilja f Literature
A German transcription of the name of the title heroine in Chinghiz Aitmatov's novella 'Jamila'.
Dshkhuhi f Armenian
From the Armenian դշխոյ (dshkoy) meaning "queen" and the feminine suffix ուհի (uhi).
Dsinara f Belarusian
Variant transliteration of Дзінара (see Dzinara).
Dsjanis m Belarusian
Variant transliteration of Дзяніс (see Dzyanis).
Dsmitry m Belarusian
Belarusian form of Dimitri
Dstrik f Armenian
Means "little girl" in Armenian.
Dszamila f Hungarian
Hungarian phonetic transcription of Jamila
Du m & f Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 攸 (du) meaning "distant, far".
Dụ m & f Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 諭 (dụ) meaning "instruct, tell, make known".