Diego

Diego is a Spanish given name. The Latin form is Didacus, the Catalan form Dídac and the Portuguese form Diogo.

Diego

Gender	male
Other names
Related names	Diogo, Tiago

Etymology

The name originates in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, and is attested from the 8th century AD in the forms Didacus and Didaco. It is probably of pre-Roman origin, although neither a Basque nor a Celtic derivation is obvious. It is unattested in ancient sources. Derivation from the attested Greek name Diadochus is unlikely.[1]

The name has come to be seen erroneously as an equivalent of James,[1] from Santiago (Sant-Iago) re-analysed as San-Tiago > San Diego.

Slur

"Diego" as a generic name or term for a Spaniard is documented from around 1615, and "Dago" is used as such still in the 19th century. By the early 20th century, the term "dago" became an ethnic slur chiefly for Italian Americans, besides also for anyone of Spanish or Portuguese descent.[2]

Patronymic

The patronymic for Diego is Díaz in Castillian (used for example by Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid) and Dias in Portuguese. Like many patronymics, these have become common surnames in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions. The form Diéguez is much less common; Diegues can be found in Portuguese-speaking countries. de Diego and Diego can also be found as surnames.

See also

• List of people with given name Diego
• Saint Diego (disambiguation)
• Tiago (disambiguation)

References

1. Lidia Becker, Hispano-romanisches Namenbuch: Untersuchung der Personennamen vorrömischer, griechischer und lateinisch-romanischer Etymologie auf der Iberischen Halbinsel im Mittelalter (6.–12. Jahrhundert) (De Gruyter, 2009), pp. 385–392.
2. González, Félix Rodríguez (1996). Spanish Loanwords in the English Language: A Tendency Towards Hegemony Reversal. Walter de Gruyter. p. 115. ISBN 9783110148459. Retrieved 15 February 2013.