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Damascus as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Damascus

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The baby name Damascus is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /dəˈmæskəs/ (duh-MASS-kuss).

Gender: Male
Syllables: 3.0
Pronunciation: /dəˈmæskəs/ (duh-MASS-kuss)

What is the meaning of the name Damascus ?

The baby name Damascus is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /dəˈmæskəs/ (duh-MASS-kuss).

Damascus is in Origin.

Damascus is a place-derived given name taken from the ancient city, among the world’s oldest continuously inhabited. The toponym is attested in Akkadian as Dimashqa, in Aramaic as Dammeseq/Dimashq, in Biblical Hebrew as Dammesek (also Darmesek), in Greek as Damaskos, and in Latin as Damascus; modern Arabic is Dimashq. Its ultimate meaning is debated: many scholars connect it to a Northwest Semitic root denoting "well-watered/abundant," referencing the Barada River oasis, while others consider a pre-Semitic substrate origin.

As a personal name, Damascus appears sporadically in English from the 18th–19th centuries amid fashion for place names, and remains rare and masculine-leaning today. International variants include Damasco (Italian/Spanish/Portuguese), Damas (French) and Damaskos (Greek); adjectival offshoots like Damascene and Damask endure in English. Biblical prominence (e.g., Paul’s road to Damascus) and late antique chronicles lend it historical gravitas with an old-world aura.

Damascus has the following similar or variant Names

Damascus – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
JO Girls 0 #339 1 7,570
QA Girls 0 #343 1 15,378
GH Boys 0 #359 3 8,138
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
SD Boys 0 #465 2 10,523
ZA 0 #474 1 14,421
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
AE Girls 0 #597 1 20,968
SY 0 #687 42 11,684
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
KW Boys 0 #806 1 18,755
United States Boys 2024 #887 6 7,044
OM Boys 0 #918 1 17,948
EG Boys 0 #923 3 15,035
NG Boys 0 #994 8 16,906
EG Girls 0 #1,006 4 14,742
SA Girls 0 #1,014 1 25,931
MX Boys 0 #1,033 1 16,355
MY Girls 0 #1,072 1 24,821
AE Boys 0 #1,141 3 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,177 6 25,439
DZ 0 #1,234 1 20,130
TR 0 #1,250 5 19,440
ZA Boys 0 #1,269 4 25,619
SA Boys 0 #1,688 4 28,008

Damascus is popular in 21 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
AE
BW
DK
DZ

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People also ask about Damascus

Damascus is predominantly a boy's name, used for boys.
Damascus is a 3 syllable name, pronounced /dəˈmæskəs/ (duh-MASS-kuss).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Dimashq (Arabic), Damaskos (Greek), Damasco (Italian/Spanish/Portuguese), Damascene and Damask.
Across languages, Damascus has these equivalents: Damasus (Latinized form), Dimashq (Arabic form), Damasco (Romance-language form).
Somewhat — Damascus ranked #887 in United States in 2024, placing it just outside the most common names.
Damascus's popularity is declining. It moved from #881 in 2015 to #887 in 2024 in United States.