Darth/Legends

In the fictional Star Wars universe, Darth precedes the title of a Sith Lord. Contrary to popular belief, the word "Darth" is neither a Dutch nor German word meaning "dark" (donker and dunkel, respectively), however George Lucas did indeed 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 Star Wars trilogy of movies, 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).

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".

Sith Lords who have held the title include Darth Revan, Darth Malak, Darth Bandon, Darth Nihilus, Darth Traya, Darth Sion, Darth Andeddu, Darth Rivan, Darth Bane, Darth Plagueis, Darth Sidious, Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus, and Darth Vader.

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