Will m EnglishShort form of
William and other names beginning with
Will. A famous bearer is American actor Will Smith (1968-), whose full name is Willard.
Willard m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the Old German given name
Willihard (or the Old English cognate
Wilheard).
Willehad m GermanicOld German or Old English name derived from the elements
willo "will, desire" and
hadu "battle, combat". This was the name of an 8th-century Northumbrian saint active in Frisia and Saxony.
Willem m DutchDutch form of
William. Willem the Silent, Prince of Orange, was the leader of the Dutch revolt against Spain that brought about the independence of the Netherlands. He is considered the founder of the Dutch royal family. In English he is commonly called William of Orange.
William m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Willehelm meaning
"will helmet", composed of the elements
willo "will, desire" and
helm "helmet, protection". An early saint by this name was the 8th-century William of Gellone, a cousin of
Charlemagne who became a monk. The name was common among the Normans, and it became extremely popular in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England in the 11th century. From then until the modern era it has been among the most common of English names (with
John,
Thomas and
Robert).
... [more] Williamina f ScottishFeminine form of
William. A famous bearer of this name was Williamina Fleming (1857-1911), a Scottish astronomer.
Willibald m German, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
willo "will, desire" and
bald "bold, brave". Saint Willibald was an 8th-century bishop of Eichstätt, Bavaria.
Willie m & f EnglishMasculine or feminine diminutive of
William. Notable bearers include the retired American baseball player Willie Mays (1931-) and the musician Willie Nelson (1933-).
Willoughby m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"willow town" in Old English.
Wilt m EnglishShort form of
Wilton. This name was borne by basketball player Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999).
Wilton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the names of several English towns. The town names mean variously "willow town", "well town" or "town on the River Wylye" in Old English. The river name is itself of Celtic origin, possibly meaning "tricky".
Wiltrud f GermanDerived from the Old German elements
willo "will, desire" and
drud "strength". This name was borne by a 10th-century German saint from Bergen.
Win m & f BurmeseMeans
"bright, radiant, brilliant" in Burmese.
Windsor m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was from a place name meaning
"riverbank with a windlass" in Old English (a windlass is a lifting apparatus). This has been the surname of the royal family of the United Kingdom since 1917.
Winfield m EnglishFrom a surname that originated from various English place names, themselves derived from Old English
winn "meadow, pasture" and
feld "field".
Winfred m EnglishMeans
"friend of peace" from the Old English elements
wine "friend" and
friþ "peace". This was the birth name of the 8th-century missionary Saint
Boniface. It became rare after the Norman Conquest, though it was revived in the 19th century.
Winifred f English, WelshFrom Latin
Winifreda, possibly from a Welsh name
Gwenfrewi (maybe influenced by the Old English masculine name
Winfred). Saint Winifred was a 7th-century Welsh martyr, probably legendary. According to the story, she was decapitated by a prince after she spurned his advances. Where her head fell there arose a healing spring, which has been a pilgrimage site since medieval times. Her story was recorded in the 12th century by Robert of Shrewsbury, and she has been historically more widely venerated in England than in Wales. The name has been used in England since at least the 16th century.
Winnie f EnglishDiminutive of
Winifred. Winnie-the-Pooh, a stuffed bear in children's books by A. A. Milne, was named after a real bear named
Winnipeg who lived at the London Zoo.
Winona f English, SiouxMeans
"firstborn daughter" in Dakota or Lakota. According to folklore, this was the name of a daughter of a Dakota chief (possibly
Wapasha III) who leapt from a cliff to her death rather than marry a man she hated. Numerous places in the United States have been named after her. The actress Winona Ryder (1971-) was named after the city in Minnesota where she was born.
Winslow m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning
"hill belonging to Wine". A famous bearer of this name was American painter Winslow Homer (1836-1910).
Winston m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Wynnstan. A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II. This name was also borne by the fictional Winston Smith, the protagonist in George Orwell's 1949 novel
1984.
Winton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"enclosure belonging to Wine" in Old English.
Wisam m ArabicMeans
"badge, medal" in Arabic, derived from the root
وسم (wasama) meaning "to mark, to distinguish".
Wisteria f English (Rare)From the name of the flowering plant, which was named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar.
Wobbe m FrisianOriginally a Frisian short form of
Waldebert (and other names starting with the Old German element
walt meaning "power, authority" and a second element beginning with
b).
Wojciech m PolishDerived from the Slavic elements
vojĭ "warrior, soldier" and
utěxa "solace, comfort, joy". Saint Wojciech (also known by the Czech form of his name
Vojtěch or his adopted name
Adalbert) was a Bohemian missionary to Hungary, Poland and Prussia, where he was martyred in the 10th century.
Wolfe m English (Rare)Variant of
Wolf, influenced by the spelling of the surname (which is also derived from the animal).
Wolfgang m German, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
wolf meaning "wolf" and
gang meaning "path, way". Saint Wolfgang was a 10th-century bishop of Regensburg. Two other famous bearers of this name were Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and German novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).
Wolfhard m GermanDerived from the Old German element
wolf meaning "wolf" combined with
hart meaning "hard, firm, brave, hardy".
Wolfram m GermanDerived from the Old German element
wolf meaning "wolf" combined with
hram meaning "raven". Saint Wolfram (or Wulfram) was a 7th-century archbishop of Sens. This name was also borne by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the author of
Parzival.
Woodrow m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"row of houses by a wood" in Old English. It was borne by the American president Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), who was given his mother's maiden name as his middle name (his first name was Thomas). During his candidacy and presidency (1912-1921) the name became popular, reaching the 44th rank in 1913, though it quickly declined after that.
Woody m EnglishEither a diminutive of names containing
wood such as
Woodrow, or else from a nickname derived from the English word
wood. Famous bearers include the folk singer Woodrow "Woody" Guthrie (1912-1967), the comedian and film director Heywood "Woody" Allen (1935-; born as Allan Stewart Konigsberg), and the actor Woodrow "Woody" Harrelson (1961-). It is also borne by the cartoon characters Woody Woodpecker (debuting 1940) and Woody from the
Toy Story movies (beginning 1995).
Wren f English (Modern)From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English
wrenna.
Wright m EnglishFrom an occupational surname meaning
"craftsman", ultimately from Old English
wyrhta. Famous bearers of the surname were the Wright brothers (Wilbur 1867-1912 and Orville 1871-1948), the inventors of the first successful airplane, and Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), an American architect.
Wu m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
武 (wǔ) meaning "military, martial" (which is generally only masculine) or
务 (wù) meaning "affairs, business", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly. This was the name of several Chinese rulers, including the 2nd-century BC emperor Wu of Han (a posthumous name, spelled
武) who expanded the empire and made Confucianism the state philosophy.
Wukong m LiteratureMeans
"awakened to emptiness", from Chinese
悟 (wù) meaning "enlightenment, awakening" and
空 (kōng) meaning "empty, hollow, sky". This is the name of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, in the 16th-century Chinese novel
Journey to the West.
Wulfila m Gothic (Hypothetical)Means
"little wolf", from a diminutive of the Gothic element
wulfs. This was the name of a 4th-century Gothic bishop and missionary. He translated the New Testament into Gothic.
Wulfnoð m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
wulf "wolf" and
noð "boldness, daring". This name became rare after the Norman Conquest.
Wulfrun f Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
wulf "wolf" and
run "secret lore, rune". This was the name of a 10th-century English noblewoman who founded the city of Wolverhampton.
Wyatt m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the medieval given name
Wyard or
Wyot, from the Old English name
Wigheard. Wyatt Earp (1848-1929) was an American lawman and gunfighter involved in the famous shootout at the OK Corral.
Wyn m WelshDerived from Welsh
gwyn meaning
"white, blessed".
Wystan m English (Rare)From the Old English name
Wigstan, composed of the elements
wig "battle" and
stan "stone". This was the name of a 9th-century Anglo-Saxon saint. It became rare after the Norman Conquest, and in modern times it is chiefly known as the first name of the British poet W. H. Auden (1907-1973).
Xander m Dutch, English (Modern)Short form of
Alexander. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character on the television series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
Xanthippe f Ancient GreekFeminine form of
Xanthippos. This was the name of the wife of
Socrates. Because of her supposedly argumentative nature, the name has been adopted (in the modern era) as a word for a scolding, ill-tempered woman.
Xavier m English, French, Portuguese, Catalan, SpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Etxeberria meaning
"the new house". This was the surname of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552) who was born in a village by this name. He was a missionary to India, Japan, China, and other areas in East Asia, and he is the patron saint of the Orient and missionaries. His surname has since been adopted as a given name in his honour, chiefly among Catholics.
Xbalanque m Mayan MythologyPossibly from Classic Maya
balam "jaguar" and
k'in "sun" or
kej "deer". In the
Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the K'iche' Maya, Xbalanque and his twin brother
Hunahpu avenge their father's death at the hands of the underworld gods.
Xena f Popular CultureProbably a variant of
Xenia. This was the name of the main character in the 1990s television series
Xena: Warrior Princess.
Xene f Late GreekVariant of
Xenia. This was occasionally adopted as a monastic name during the Byzantine era.
Xenia f Greek, Spanish, Ancient GreekMeans
"hospitality" in Greek, a derivative of
ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreigner, guest". This was the name of a 5th-century saint who is venerated in the Eastern Church.
Xenophon m Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreign, strange" and
φωνή (phone) meaning "voice". This was the name of a 4th-century BC Greek military commander and historian. This name was also borne by a 5th-century saint from Constantinople.
Xerxes m Old Persian (Hellenized), HistoryGreek form of the Old Persian name
𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 (Xšayarša), which meant
"ruler over heroes". This was the name of a 5th-century BC king of Persia, the son of
Darius the Great. He attempted an invasion of Greece, which ended unsuccessfully at the battle of Salamis.
Xia m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
夏 (xià) meaning "summer, great, grand",
霞 (xiá) meaning "rosy clouds", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Xiadani f ZapotecMeaning uncertain, said to mean
"the flower that arrived" in Zapotec.
Xiang m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
翔 (xiáng) meaning "soar, glide",
祥 (xiáng) meaning "good luck, good omen",
香 (xiāng) meaning "fragrant" (which is usually only feminine) or
湘 (xiāng), which refers to the Xiang River in southern China. This name can also be formed from other characters.
Ximeno m Medieval SpanishMedieval Spanish or Basque name of uncertain meaning. It is possibly a form of
Simon 1, though it may in fact derive from Basque
seme meaning "son".
Xin m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
鑫 (xīn) meaning "wealthy, prosperous" or
新 (xīn) meaning "fresh, new", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Xinyi m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
欣 (xīn) meaning "happy, joyous, delighted" or
心 (xīn) meaning "heart, mind, soul" combined with
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Xiu f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Xiulan f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with
兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
Xiuying f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with
英 (yīng) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". Other character combinations are possible.
Xolotl m Aztec and Toltec MythologyMeaning uncertain, of Nahuatl origin, possibly meaning
"servant" or
"cornstalk". In Aztec mythology Xolotl was a monstrous dog-headed god who guided the dead to Mictlan. He was also associated with lightning, fire and the evening star. He was the twin brother of
Quetzalcoatl.
Xquenda f & m ZapotecFrom Zapotec
guenda "spirit, soul, essence" combined with the possessive prefix
x-.
Xue f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
雪 (xuě) meaning "snow" or
学 (xué) meaning "study, learning, school", besides other characters pronounced similarly.
Xun m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
勋 (xūn) meaning "meritorious deed, rank" or
迅 (xùn) meaning "fast, sudden", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Ya f ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Yaa f AkanMeans
"born on Thursday" in Akan.
Yaara f HebrewMeans
"honeycomb" and
"honeysuckle" in Hebrew.
Yadira f Spanish (Latin American), American (Hispanic)Meaning unknown, possibly derived from an Arabic name. It has been used in Mexico since at least the 1940s, perhaps inspired by the Colombian actress Yadira Jiménez (1928-?), who performed in Mexican films beginning in 1946.
Yaeko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
八 (ya) and
重 (e) meaning "multilayered" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji characters can also form this name.
Yago m SpanishSpanish form of
Iacobus (see
James). The form
Santiago refers more specifically to the New Testament apostles.
Yahui f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
惠 (huì) meaning "favour, benefit". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Yahweh m TheologyA name of the Hebrew God, represented in Hebrew by the Tetragrammaton ("four letters")
יהוה (Yod Heh Vav Heh), which was transliterated into Roman script as
Y H W H. Because it was considered blasphemous to utter the name of God, it was only written and never spoken, which resulted in the original pronunciation becoming lost. The name may have originally been derived from the Hebrew root
הָוָה (hawa) meaning
"to be, to exist, to become".
Yaiza f SpanishFrom the name of a town in the Canary Islands, Spain. It was used by the novelist Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa for the main character in his
Ocean trilogy of books (beginning 1984).
Yale m English (Rare)From a Welsh surname, which was itself derived from a place name meaning
"fertile upland" (from Welsh
ial).
Yaling f ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
玲 (líng) meaning "tinkling of jade". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
Yam m Semitic MythologyMeans
"sea" in Ugaritic. Yam was the Ugaritic god of the sea, also associated with chaos, storms and destruction. He was a son of the chief god
El.
Yama 1 m HinduismMeans
"twin" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu god of death. According to the Vedas he was the first mortal being, or in other words, the first person to die. This name is related to Persian
Jam.
Yamato m JapaneseFrom
Yamato, an ancient name for Japan. It can also refer to the Yamato period in Japanese history, which lasted into the 8th century. The individual kanji are
大 meaning "great" and
和 meaning "harmony".
Yami f HinduismMeans
"twin" in Sanskrit. According to the Vedas this was the name of the first woman, the twin sister of
Yama, later equated with the river goddess
Yamuna.
Yamuna f Hinduism, Tamil, TeluguFrom the name of an Indian river, a major tributary of the Ganges, derived from Sanskrit
यम (yama) meaning
"twin". As a Hindu goddess, she is a personification of the river.