Why do Sith Lords all go by ‘Darth?’

In the Star Wars universe, there will never be a more menacing group than the Sith. Evil to their core, Sith carry out their dark bidding without remorse in an attempt to bring a violent end to the Jedi Order. So far so good. 

They love the dark side, and it shows. Whether it be their incredibly morose attitudes, extremely one-toned fashion sense, or glaring yellow-red eyes, it’s hard to mistake a Sith Lord. If anything else, their respective titles give them away without fail, given that they all go by “Darth.” It sounds imposing in practice, but why do the Sith use that title in the first place? And what does it mean?

Technically it has multiple meanings, the most obvious of them being an abbreviation of the larger term “Dark Lord of the Sith.” Take the DAR in Dark, and the TH in Sith, mash them together, and there you have it: Darth. Pretty cool, but not exactly a lore-heavy justification. Here’s a quick lesson in Star Wars history and linguistics for anyone more interested in a meaningful explanation than a simple mashup.

Darth could be a shortening of the Rakatan word “Daritha,” which means emperor. It also might be born from a set of different Rakatan words, “darr” and “tah,” which mean conquest and death, respectively. So, Darth could potentially mean “conquest over death,” which is pretty heavy duty stuff. 

At this point you may be asking yourself, “Who are the Rakatan?” The simple answer is that they were an ancient group of amphibious humanoids that first adopted the dark side of the Force and eventually died out due to its corruption. How many times have we heard that old story? Leave it to amphibious humanoids to ruin the party. 

Regardless, the title is used as a status symbol to signify their power and place amongst the Sith Order. Here is the label’s meaning according to The Sith Lord Kas’im:

“The Darth title was more than just a symbol of power; it was a claim of supremacy. It was used by those Dark Lords who have sought to enforce their will on the other Masters. It was a challenge — a warning to bow down or be destroyed.”

Any way you slice it, “Darth” is downright dastardly, but it’s a fitting moniker for those in a galaxy far, far away looking to wreak some serious havoc. Let’s just be thankful that the Jedi will always be there to save the day, even if “Sith Lords have more fun.”