Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Dante

Dante is a contracted form of the Italian name Durante which means ‘steadfast, enduring’ from the Latin "durus" meaning ‘hard, firm’. The name Dante was most famously borne by Dante Alighieri, the 13th century poet who gave the world one of the greatest pieces of literature in the Middle Ages, “La Grande Commedia” or in English, The Divine Comedy. This masterpiece is divided into three parts (the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso) and tells of Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. Or more simply, it’s an allegory of the soul’s journey toward God. Dante himself wrote that the Comedy was a passage from “the human to the divine, from time to the eternal, from Florence to a people just and sane.” (Dante had been exiled to Rome from his home in Florence, but after the success of his epic poem throughout Italy, he was readily invited back). From an English-speaking perspective, the use of the name Dante was also influenced by the 19th century pre-Raphaelite poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rosetti (the son of an exiled Italian who lived in England).

All About the Baby Name – Dante

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME DANTE

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME DANTE

Dante has been in use in America since 1910. The name saw low levels of popularity back in the first half of the 20th century, perhaps too exotic for the average palate. Regardless, the name started to show upwards momentum by the 1960s and gradually climbed its way onto the Top 200 list by 1997. Since the turn of the 21st century, Dante has declined slightly but it’s still going strong for such an off-beat choice. Dante is the quintessential literary name. It’s like naming your kid Shakespeare, Homer or Virgil. But it also has that rare crossover feature – one that wears well on both poets and athletes alike. Dante does have a ‘steadfast’ and ‘enduring’ quality like the name’s etymology. It’s classic and timeless, yet also striking and unique. And the Italian origin just adds that much more zest.

Quick Facts

ON DANTE

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Italian

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

289

PRONUNCIATION:

DAHN-tay

SIMPLE MEANING:

Steadfast, enduring

Characteristics

OF DANTE

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Dante

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME DANTE

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Dante

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME DANTE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Dante


Popular Songs

ON DANTE

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Dante


Famous People

NAMED DANTE

Durante "Dante" degli Alighieri (poet/author)
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (English poet and artist)
Dante Bonfim Costa Santos (German soccer player)
Dante Basco (actor)
Dante Bichette (baseball player)
Dante Lavelli (football player)
Dante Hall (football player)
Dante Hughes (football player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED DANTE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Dante

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME DANTE

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Dante