Darth/Legends

Darth is the title given to a Sith Lord and used preceding his chosen Sith name. The earliest records point to Darth Revan as the first user, and possibly creator, of this title, though he had not yet adopted the practise of taking an alias with it. Not all Sith have used this title, but since Darth Bane's institution of the Rule of Two, it has been common practice.

Darths through history

 * Darth Andeddu
 * Darth Bandon
 * Darth Bane
 * Darth Malak
 * Darth Maul
 * Darth Nihilus
 * Darth Plagueis
 * Darth Revan
 * Darth Rivan
 * Darth Sidious
 * Darth Sion
 * Darth Traya
 * Darth Tyranus
 * Darth Vader

Behind the scenes
Darth is often thought to be a combination of letters from the title Dark Lord of the Sith, but there is no basis in Star Wars canon for this. Darth may also be a portmanteau of dark and death.

As a result of the popularity of Star Wars, the term Darth has entered the popular lexicon as a term for evil. Most references are still associated with the Star Wars universe.

Contrary to popular belief, the word Darth is neither a Dutch nor a German word meaning dark (donker and dunkel, respectively). However, George Lucas did intend for viewers to subconsciously relate the word to this concept. In fact, many of the Imperial villains in Star Wars have Dutch-sounding names. More specifically, packaging on Dutch figurines of Darth Vader name him Dark Father. Darth Vader, the first Sith introduced in the Original trilogy, could be roughly translated as Dark Father (Vader is, in fact, the Dutch word for father), which defines his character (note that in French, for instance, Darth Vader is plainly named Dark Vador).