Dai is a Welsh masculine given name, a diminutive form of

Dafydd Dafydd is a Welsh masculine given name, related to David, and more rarely a surname. People so named include: Given name Medieval era :''Ordered chronologically'' * Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd (c. 1145-1203), Prince of Gwynedd * Dafydd ap Gruffydd (123 ...

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, as well as a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *

Dai Buell Dai Buell (December 11, 1892 – July 9, 1939) was an American pianist and teacher. In 1921 she gave the first piano concerts heard by radio audiences and in 1931, gave the first concert on TV. Early life Dai Buell was born in Fort Wayne, I ...

(died 1939), American pianist and teacher * Dai Davies (footballer, born 1880) * Dai Davies (footballer, born 1948) *

Dai Davies (politician) David Clifford Davies (born 26 November 1959), commonly known as Dai Davies, is a Welsh politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Blaenau Gwent constituency in South Wales from 2006 to 2010, representing the Blaenau Gwent People's ...

David Duckham David John Duckham MBE (28 June 1946 – 9 January 2023) was an English rugby union player. He played 36 games for England (scoring 10 tries), in three tests on the 1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand and for Barbarians F.C. in their 1973 ...

, English international rugby union player, also known as ''Dai Duckham'' *

Dai Greene David "Dai" Greene (born 11 April 1986) is a British hurdler who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles, competing internationally for both Wales and Great Britain. In a 'golden' sixteen-month period between 2010 and 2011, Greene dominated the e ...

, a British hurdler *, Japanese classical composer *

Dai Henwood Dafydd Morgan "Dai" Henwood (born 7 February 1978) is a New Zealand comedian. He is best known for his hosting of several television shows found on Three but also performs stand-up comedy. Life and career Henwood was born in 1978 to father R ...

, New Zealand comedian *, Japanese voice actor *

Dai Nagao Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as DAI, alluding to the fact that ...

, Japanese composer, musician and producer *, Japanese basketball coach *, Japanese screenwriter and musician *

Dai Vernon Dai Vernon (pronounced alternatively as "DIE" or as "DAY" as in David; June 11, 1894 – August 21, 1992), a.k.a. The Professor, was a Canadian magician. His sleight of hand technique and knowledge, particularly with card tricks and close- ...

, a Canadian magician * Dai Ward, Wales international footballer *

Dai Young David "Dai" Young (born 26 July 1967) is a Welsh rugby union coach and former rugby union and rugby league footballer. He was recently Director of Rugby at Premiership Rugby club Wasps but departed the club after initially stepping down from f ...

, Wales international rugby union player

Fictional characters

*Dai, the title character in the manga series '' Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai'' *Dai Blackthorn, a character from the role-playing game

GURPS The ''Generic Universal RolePlaying System'', or ''GURPS'', is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting. It was created by Steve Jackson Games and first published in 1986 at a time when most such systems w ...

*Dai Bread, a bigamist character in

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

' 1954 Radio play

Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, ''Under Milk Wood'' directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of ...

. *Mrs Dai Bread One, Dai Bread's first wife. *Mrs Dai Bread Two, Dai Bread's second wife. *Dai Dickins, character in the ''Discworld'' novel '' Night Watch'', and martyr of the Glorious Revolution Twenty-Fifth of May *Dai Greatcoat, a character from David Jones' ''

In Parenthesis ''In Parenthesis'' is an epic poem of the First World War by David Jones first published in England in 1937. Although Jones had been known solely as an engraver and painter prior to its publication, the poem won the Hawthornden Prize and the admi ...

'' *, a fictional character from the anime series ''

Super Doll Licca-chan is a Japanese anime television series which ran on TV Tokyo in 1998–1999. Kodansha also serialized a manga based on the anime series in its monthly manga magazine ''Nakayoshi''. The story follows an ordinary elementary school girl named Li ...

'' *Dai Station, a character from the Welsh animation series ''

Ivor the Engine ''Ivor the Engine'' is a British cutout animation television series created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms company. It follows the adventures of a small green steam locomotive who lives in the "top left-hand corner of Wales" a ...

'' *Dai Bando, a minor character in Richard Llewellyn's novel ''

How Green Was My Valley ''How Green Was My Valley'' is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, narrated by Huw Morgan, the main character, about his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed that he based the book on his own persona ...

'', played by Rhys Williams in the

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

film of the same name {{given name Japanese masculine given names Welsh masculine given names