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Darth is a title reserved for those who hold the status of Sith Lord or Dark Lord of the Sith.
Unlike Lord or Lady, those who choose the prefix Darth are required to take a Sith name.
Theoretical Origins
Many Sith Lords chose to add "Darth" to their name, so much so that the word is considered synonymous with the dark side of the Force in some circles. But the origins of the word are uncertain. It is often thought that "Darth" is merely a contraction of the title "Dark Lord of the Sith," but there are theories that suggest an even deeper interpretation.
The possibility of Rakatan origin
Because the first recorded Sith to use the title were Darth Revan and Darth Malak, the fact that they derived much of their power from the Star Forge, a creation of the long-extinct Rakata, has led some historians to suggest that "Darth" is actually a corruption of the Rakatan word Daritha, meaning "emperor." Others note another Rakatan connection: the words for "triumph" or "conquest" in Rakatan is darr, and the word for "death" is tah, leading to the theory that "Darth" is derived from darr tah and therefore means "triumph over death" or "immortal." Given the obsession of the Sith with discovering the means to live forever, this idea, on the surface, is not entirely without merit. But others point out that the true meaning of darr tah is "conquest through death," meaning the conquest of one's enemies.
Ultimately, the flaw in such theories involving a Rakatan origin is that, even if they are accurate, they cannot spring specifically from Revan or Malak's own connection to the Star Forge. A decade prior to their emergence as Sith Lords (3964 BBY), the title "Darth" was already well known by the Jedi in connection to the Sith, which is why Padawan Zayne Carrick could call Jarael "Darth Sunshine." There is still the possibility that one of the Rakata theories could be correct, since the ancient Sith homeworld of Korriban had once been occupied by the Rakata (circa 28,000 BBY), which is one way either the Daritha or darr tah term could have entered the ancient Sith language. But even if the Rakatan connection proves to have some validity, numerous other cultures make similar claims to the etymology of the title, so for the present, there is no definitive answer as to what the term "Darth" means.
Some have speculated that the style of armor worn by Darth Andeddu suggests that the title may date back as far as the days of the Old Sith Empire (6,900 BBY to 5,000 BBY). However, very little has been verified about the life of Darth Andeddu, and his dates of birth and death are, as yet, unknown. As such any assertion about the history of the Darth title based on presumptions about Andeddu's use of the title must be considered baseless speculation.
Usage of the term
The earliest verified use of the title was by the master and apprentice duo of Darth Revan and Darth Malak, after the Mandalorian War and during the Jedi Civil War. It is worth noting that Revan and Malak used the title along with their given names, and did not adopt new names along with the title as many subsequent Sith Lords would do. Darth Traya was the first known Sith Lord to take an alias after her fall and rechristenment.
File:Darth.jpgSix famous Sith Lords bearing the Darth title.
Later Sith Lords of the Jedi Civil War era also used the title Darth, as did the founding Sith Lord of the Light and Darkness War, Darth Ruin, though there were few later Sith bearing the title until the rise of Darth Rivan and Darth Bane. It is possible that the title remained in use for the interim period, and that a lineage of Darths existed during the Draggulch Period, though it is also possible that Rivan and Bane revived the use of the title themselves after a long period of dormancy. In either case, since Bane was the only survivor of the Sith Order after the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, he was largely able to reshape the Sith in his own image, instituting such reforms as the Rule of Two, and most (possibly all) of the Sith of his lineage adopted the Darth title as he did, generally coupling it with a new Sith name (e.g. Sidious, Tyranus, Vader), which appears to have been chosen for the apprentice by the master at the time the apprentice swore allegiance to the Sith.