The Danube shares its name with several European rivers

The Danube takes its name from the Latin Danubius, derived from an Indo-European root designating a current or a river. This same origin is found in the names of numerous European waterways such as the Dniester, the Dnieper, or even the Don in Russia. In German, the current term Donau has been used since 1763 to designate this river whose ancient name was Istros for the poet Hesiod.