Diego

A Spanish given name with disputed origins, linked to both Tiago and Didacus.

via Wikipedia: Diego (footballer, born 1985) · see source

Diego is a Spanish masculine given name. The Portuguese equivalent is Diogo. The onomastics of Diego is disputed, with two major origin hypotheses: Tiago and Didacus.

Quick Facts

Full name: Diego Ribas da Cunha
Born: 28 February 1985
Birthplace: Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Height: 1.73 m / 5 ft 8 in
Position: Attacking midfielder

Lore & Background

The name has several patronymic derivations. Diego has long been interpreted as a variant of Tiago, an abbreviation of Santiago. In the later 20th century, the traditional identification of Diego = Jacobo came to be seen as untenable. The name Didacus, while unattested in antiquity, predates the earliest record of the form Diego. The oldest record for Didacus dates to 747. The form Diego is first recorded in the late 11th century. Its original derivation from Didacus is uncertain, among other things because the shift from -ía- to -ié- is unexplained.

Reader's Guide

The patronym for Diego is Díaz in Castilian Spanish and Dias in Portuguese. The form Diéguez is much less common; Diegues can be found in Lusophone countries. Diego and de Diego can also be found as surnames. 'Diego' as a metonym for a Spaniard is documented from around 1615. The term 'Dago' as a generic name for Spaniards is recorded in the 19th century and may possibly be a derivation from Diego.

Did You Know?

The city of San Diego was named for the flagship of Sebastián Vizcaíno (1602), which was itself named for Didacus of Alcalá (d. 1463).
The name Diego Gonzalez is given to a character in the Cantar de mio Cid, a 12th-century poem.