Browse Names - Behind the Name

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Adelaide f English, Italian, Portuguese
Means "nobleness, nobility", from the French form of the Germanic name Adalheidis, which was composed of adal "noble" and the suffix heit "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great.... [more]

Ai 2 f Chinese
From Chinese 爱 (ài) meaning "love, affection", 蔼 (ǎi) meaning "friendly, lush", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Amika f Esperanto
Means "friendly" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin amicus "friend".

Anis m Arabic
Means "friendly, friend" in Arabic.

Benigno m Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Rare)
Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name Benignus, which meant "kind, friendly". This was the name of several saints including a 5th-century disciple of Saint Patrick who later became the archbishop of Armagh.

Elisedd m Old Welsh
Derived from Welsh elus meaning "kind, benevolent". This was the name of two kings of Powys in Wales.

Elvira f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Hungarian, Russian
Spanish form of a Visigothic name, recorded from the 10th century in forms such as Geloyra or Giluira. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly composed of the Gothic element gails "happy" or gails "spear" combined with wers "friendly, agreeable, true". The name was borne by members of the royal families of León and Castille. This is also the name of a character in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni (1787).

Ji-Min f & m Korean
From Sino-Korean 志 (ji) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or 智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" combined with 旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable", 敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or 珉 (min) meaning "jade, stone resembling jade". Other hanja character combinations are possible.

Koios m Greek Mythology
Possibly derived from Greek κοῖος (koios), also spelled ποῖος (poios), a questioning word meaning approximately "of what kind?". This was the name of a Titan god of intelligence in Greek mythology.

Latif m Arabic, Urdu
Means "gentle, kind" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition اللطيف (al-Latif) is one of the 99 names of Allah.

Lutfi m Arabic, Indonesian
Means "kind, gentle" in Arabic.

Mehriban f Azerbaijani
Means "kind, gracious" in Azerbaijani, from Persian مهربان (mehraban).

Min 1 m & f Chinese, Korean
From 敏 (mǐn) meaning "quick, clever, sharp", 民 (mín) meaning "people, citizens", or other Chinese/Sino-Korean characters that are pronounced similarly.

Min-Jun m & f Korean
From Sino-Korean 敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or 旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable" combined with 俊 (jun) meaning "talented, handsome". Other hanja combinations are possible.

Min-Su m & f Korean
From Sino-Korean 民 (min) meaning "people, citizens" or 旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable" combined with 秀 (su) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" or 洙 (su), which refers to a river in China. Other hanja combinations are possible.

Priyanka f Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali
From Sanskrit प्रियंकर (priyankara) meaning "agreeable, amiable".

Rahim m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Pashto
Means "kind, compassionate" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition الرحيم (al-Rahim) is one of the 99 names of Allah.

Rose f English, French
Originally a Norman French form of the Germanic name Hrodohaidis meaning "famous type", composed of the elements hruod "fame" and heit "kind, sort, type". The Normans introduced it to England in the forms Roese and Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower rose (derived from Latin rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.

Shiva 1 m Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit शिव (shiva) meaning "benign, kind, auspicious". Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction and restoration, the husband of the mother goddess Parvati. His aspect is usually terrifying, but it can also be gentle.

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