Browse Names

Abla f Arabic
Means "full-figured" in Arabic. The 7th-century Arab poet Antara dedicated much of his poetry to a woman named Abla.

Aelita f Literature, Russian, Latvian
Created by Russian author Aleksey Tolstoy for his science fiction novel Aelita (1923), where it belongs to a Martian princess. In the book, the name is said to mean "starlight seen for the last time" in the Martian language.

Aeneas m Roman Mythology
Latin form of the Greek name Αἰνείας (Aineias), derived from Greek αἴνη (aine) meaning "praise". In Greek legend he was a son of Aphrodite and was one of the chief heroes who defended Troy from the Greeks. The Roman poet Virgil continued his story in the Aeneid, in which Aeneas travels to Italy and founds the Roman state.

Aeschylus m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
From the Greek name Αἰσχύλος (Aischylos), derived from αἶσχος (aischos) meaning "shame". This was the name of a 5th-century BC Athenian playwright, known for his tragedies.

Agatha f English, German, Dutch, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀγαθή (Agathe), derived from Greek ἀγαθός (agathos) meaning "good". Saint Agatha was a 3rd-century martyr from Sicily who was tortured and killed after spurning the advances of a Roman official. The saint was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). The mystery writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a famous modern bearer of this name.

Aigerim f Kazakh
From Kazakh ай (ay) meaning "moon" and керім (kerim) meaning "wonderful, amazing". It was created by the 19th-century Kazakh poet Abai Qunanbaiuly as a nickname for his wife Shukiman.

Aija f Latvian
Of uncertain meaning, possibly related to Latvian aijāt meaning "to rock, to lull". It was used by the Latvian writer Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš for the title character of his novel Aija (1911).

Aitana f Spanish
From the name of a mountain range in Valencia, eastern Spain. The Spanish poet Rafael Alberti used it for his daughter in 1941.

Aithbhreac f Medieval Scottish
Older form of Oighrig. This name was borne by the 15th-century Scottish poet Aithbhreac Inghean Coirceadal.

Aivars m Latvian
Latvian form of Ivar. The Latvian author Vilis Lācis used it for a character in his novel Uz Jauno Krastu (1952).

Albena f Bulgarian
Created by Bulgarian writer Yordan Yovkov for the heroine in his drama Albena (1930). He may have based it on ablen, the name of a type of peony (a flowering plant).

Albert m English, German, French, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Russian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Romanian, Hungarian, Albanian, Germanic
From the Germanic name Adalbert meaning "noble and bright", composed of the elements adal "noble" and beraht "bright". This name was common among medieval German royalty. The Normans introduced it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Æþelbeorht. Though it became rare in England by the 17th century, it was repopularized in the 19th century by the German-born Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.... [more]

Alcaeus m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀλκαῖος (Alkaios) meaning "strong", derived from ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength, prowess". This was the name of a 7th-century BC lyric poet from the island of Lesbos.

Alcestis f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Ἄλκηστις (Alkestis), derived from ἀλκηστής (alkestes) meaning "brave, valiant", a derivative of ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength, prowess". In Greek mythology she was the wife of King Admetus. She offered to die in place of her husband, though she was eventually rescued from the underworld by Herakles. This story was told by the Greek playwright Euripides in his 5th-century BC tragedy Alcestis.

Aldous m English (Rare)
Probably a diminutive of names beginning with the Old English element eald "old". It has been in use as an English given name since the Middle Ages, mainly in East Anglia. The British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was a famous bearer of this name.

Aleksandr m Russian, Armenian, Ukrainian
Russian and Armenian form of Alexander. This name was borne by the Russian writer Aleksandr Pushkin (1799-1837).

Alexander m English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Slovak, Biblical, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant "defending men" from Greek ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, help" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek mythology this was another name of the hero Paris, and it also belongs to several characters in the New Testament. However, the most famous bearer was Alexander the Great, king of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, use of his name spread throughout Europe.... [more]

Alexandre m French, Portuguese, Galician, Catalan
Form of Alexander in several languages. This name was borne by the French author Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), who wrote The Three Musketeers.

Alexis m & f French, English, Greek, Spanish, Ancient Greek
From the Greek name Ἄλεξις (Alexis) meaning "helper" or "defender", derived from Greek ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, to help". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek comic poet, and also of several saints. It is used somewhat interchangeably with the related name Ἀλέξιος or Alexius, borne by five Byzantine emperors.... [more]

Alfred m English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Polish, Dutch, Albanian
Means "elf counsel", derived from the Old English name Ælfræd, composed of the elements ælf "elf" and ræd "counsel, advice". Alfred the Great was a 9th-century king of Wessex who fought unceasingly against the Danes living in northeastern England. He was also a scholar, and he translated many Latin books into Old English. His fame helped to ensure the usage of this name even after the Norman Conquest, when most Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. It became rare by the end of the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 18th century.... [more]

Algernon m English
Originally a Norman French nickname, derived from aux gernons "having a moustache", which was applied to William de Percy, a companion of William the Conqueror. It was first used a given name in the 15th century (for a descendant of William de Percy). This name was borne by a character (a mouse) in the short story Flowers for Algernon (1958) and novel of the same title (1966) by the American author Daniel Keyes.

Alisher m Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik
From the given name Ali 1 combined with Persian شیر (shīr) meaning "lion". It was borne by the Timurid poet Ali-Shir Nava'i (1441-1501), who wrote in the Chagatai Turkic language.

Allan m English, Scottish, Danish, Swedish, Estonian
Variant of Alan. The American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) got his middle name from the surname of the parents who adopted him.

Allen m English
Variant of Alan, or from a surname that was derived from this same name. A famous bearer of this name was Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), an American beat poet. Another is the American film director and actor Woody Allen (1935-), who took the stage name Allen from his real first name.

Amanda f English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Latvian, Late Roman
In part this is a feminine form of Amandus. However, it was not used during the Middle Ages. In the 17th century it was recreated by authors and poets who based it directly on Latin amanda meaning "lovable, worthy of love". Notably, the playwright Colley Cibber used it for a character in his play Love's Last Shift (1696). It came into regular use during the 19th century.

Amane f Basque
From Basque ama "mother". It was coined by the Basque writer Sabino Arana as the equivalent of the rare Spanish devotional name Maternidad.

Amelia f English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Medieval French
Variant of Amalia, though it is sometimes confused with Emilia, which has a different origin. The name became popular in England after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century — it was borne by daughters of both George II and George III. The author Henry Fielding used it for the title character in his novel Amelia (1751). Another famous bearer was Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), the first woman to make a solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean.... [more]

Aminta m & f Literature, Spanish (Latin American)
Form of Amyntas used by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso for his play Aminta (1573). In the play Aminta is a shepherd who falls in love with a nymph.... [more]

Amiran m Georgian, Literature
Variant of Amirani. This is the name of the central character in the medieval Georgian romance Amiran-Darejaniani by Moses of Khoni. The author was inspired by the mythical Amirani and the stories surrounding him, and loosely based his tale on them.

Amos m English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew
From Hebrew עָמַס (ʿamas) meaning "load, burden". Amos is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Amos, which speaks against greed, corruption and oppression of the poor. Written about the 8th century BC, it is among the oldest of the prophetic books. As an English name, Amos has been used since the Protestant Reformation, and was popular among the Puritans.

Anaïs f French
Meaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of Anne 1 or Agnès. It was used in Jean-Henri Guy's opera Anacréon chez Polycrate (1798), where it is borne by the daughter (otherwise unnamed in history) of the 6th-century BC tyrant Polycrates of Samos. Guy could have adapted it from a classical name such as Anaitis or Athénaïs.... [more]

Anastasius m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀναστάσιος (Anastasios), which meant "resurrection" from Greek ἀνάστασις (anastasis) (composed of the elements ἀνά (ana) meaning "up" and στάσις (stasis) meaning "standing"). This was the name of numerous early saints and martyrs, including a 7th-century monk and writer from Alexandria who is especially venerated in the Eastern Church.

Aneirin m Old Welsh, Welsh
Old Welsh name, possibly from the Latin name Honorius. This was the name of a 6th-century Brythonic poet, also known as Neirin or Aneurin, who is said to be the author of the poem Y Gododdin.

Anne 1 f French, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, German, Dutch, Basque
French form of Anna. It was imported to England in the 13th century, but it did not become popular until three centuries later. The spelling variant Ann was also commonly found from this period, and is still used to this day.... [more]

Ansaldo m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of a Germanic name composed of the elements ansi "god" and walt "power, authority" (a cognate of Oswald).

Antoine m French, African American
French form of Antonius (see Anthony). A famous bearer was the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), the author of The Little Prince.

Anton m German, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, Croatian, Romanian, Estonian, Finnish, Georgian, English
Form of Antonius (see Anthony) used in various languages. A notable bearer was the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov (1860-1904).

Antonin m French
French form of Antoninus. This name was borne by the French playwright Antonin Artaud (1896-1948).

Anush f Armenian
Means "sweet" in Armenian. This was the name of an 1890 novel by the Armenia writer Hovhannes Tumanyan. It was adapted into an opera in 1912 by Armen Tigranian.

Aphra f Various (Rare)
Meaning uncertain; possibly a variant of Afra 1, or possibly a variant of Aphrah, a biblical place name meaning "dust". This name was borne by the English writer Aphra Behn (1640-1689).

Apollinaire m French (Rare)
French form of Apollinaris. It was adopted as a surname by the Polish-French poet Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918), who based it on his Polish middle name Apolinary.

Apollonios m Ancient Greek
From an ancient Greek personal name that was derived from the name of the Greek god Apollo. It was borne by a Greek poet of the 3rd century BC. Several saints have also had this name.

Aristophanes m Ancient Greek
Derived from the Greek elements ἄριστος (aristos) meaning "best" and φανής (phanes) meaning "appearing". This was the name of a 5th-century BC Athenian playwright.

Arja f Finnish
Variant of Irja. The Finnish poet Eino Leino used it in his poem Arja and Selinä (1916), though belonging to a male character.

Armida f Italian, Spanish (Latin American)
Probably created by the 16th-century Italian poet Torquato Tasso for his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1580). In the poem Armida is a beautiful enchantress who bewitches many of the crusaders.

Arnold m English, German, Dutch, Polish, Germanic
From a Germanic name meaning "eagle power", derived from the elements arn "eagle" and walt "power, authority". The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Earnweald. It died out as an English name after the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century.... [more]

Artemidoros m Ancient Greek
Means "gift of Artemis" from the name of the goddess Artemis combined with Greek δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a Greek author of the 2nd century who wrote about the interpretation of dreams.

Arthur m English, French, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
The meaning of this name is unknown. It could be derived from the Celtic elements *artos "bear" (Old Welsh arth) combined with *wiros "man" (Old Welsh gur) or *rīxs "king" (Old Welsh ri). Alternatively it could be related to an obscure Roman family name Artorius.... [more]

Arya 2 f Literature
Created by author George R. R. Martin for a popular character in his series A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019). In the story Arya is the second daughter of Ned Stark, the lord of Winterfell.

Åse f Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
Norwegian form of Åsa, as well as a Swedish and Danish variant. It was used by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen in his play Peer Gynt (1867), where it belongs to the mother of the title character.

Aslan m Turkish, Kazakh, Azerbaijani, Chechen, Ossetian, Circassian, Literature
From Turkic arslan meaning "lion". This was a byname or title borne by several medieval Turkic rulers, including the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan (a byname meaning "brave lion") who drove the Byzantines from Anatolia in the 11th century. The author C. S. Lewis later used the name Aslan for the main protagonist (a lion) in his Chronicles of Narnia series of books, first appearing in 1950.

Astrid f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, French, English
Modern Scandinavian form of Ástríðr. This name was borne by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), the author of Pippi Longstocking. It was also borne by a Swedish princess (1905-1935) who became the queen of Belgium as the wife of Leopold III.

Astrophel m Literature
Probably intended to mean "star lover", from Greek ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star" and φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend". This name was first used by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney in his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella.

Atticus m Literature, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Ἀττικός (Attikos) meaning "from Attica", referring to the region surrounding Athens in Greece. This name was borne by a few notable Greeks from the Roman period (or Romans of Greek background). The author Harper Lee used the name in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) for an Alabama lawyer who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman.

Augustine 1 m English
From the Roman name Augustinus, itself derived from the Roman name Augustus. Saint Augustine of Hippo was a 5th-century Christian theologian and author from North Africa. For his contributions to Christian philosophy he is known as a Doctor of the Church. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world. It became popular in England in the Middle Ages partly because of a second saint by this name, Augustine of Canterbury, a 6th-century Italian monk sent to England to convert the Anglo-Saxons.

Aurelius m Ancient Roman
Roman family name that was derived from Latin aureus meaning "golden, gilded". Marcus Aurelius was a 2nd-century Roman emperor and philosophical writer. This was also the name of several early saints.

Ava 3 f German, Germanic
Originally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element awi, of unknown meaning. This was the name of a 9th-century Frankish saint. It was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Melk, Austria.

Avtandil m Georgian, Literature
Created by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for his 12th-century epic The Knight in the Panther's Skin. Rustaveli based it on Persian آفتاب (āftāb) meaning "sunshine" and دل (del) meaning "heart". In the poem Avtandil is a knight who is sent by Tinatin to search for the mysterious knight of the title.

Ayla 3 f Literature, English (Modern)
Created for the novel Clan of the Cave Bear (1980) by author Jean M. Auel. In the novel Ayla is an orphaned Cro-Magnon girl adopted by Neanderthals. Ayla is the Neanderthal pronunciation of her real name, which is not given.... [more]

Ayn f Various (Rare)
This name was assumed by Ayn Rand (1905-1982), originally named Alice Rosenbaum, a Russian-American writer and philosopher. She apparently based it on a Finnish name she had heard, but never seen written.

Bai m & f Chinese
From Chinese 白 (bái) meaning "white, pure", 百 (bǎi) meaning "one hundred, many" or 柏 (bǎi) meaning "cypress tree, cedar" (which is usually only masculine). Other Chinese characters can form this name as well. This name was borne in the 8th century by the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, whose given was 白.

Bambi f English
Derived from Italian bambina meaning "young girl". The American novelist Marjorie Benton Cooke used it in her novel Bambi (1914). This was also the name of a male deer in a cartoon by Walt Disney, which was based on a 1923 novel by Swiss author Felix Salten.

Baqi m Arabic
Means "eternal" in Arabic. This was the pen name of a 16th-century Turkish poet.

Beatrice f Italian, English, Swedish, Romanian
Italian form of Beatrix. Beatrice Portinari (1266-1290) was the woman who was loved by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. She serves as Dante's guide through paradise in his epic poem the Divine Comedy (1321). This is also the name of a character in Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing (1599), in which Beatrice and Benedick are fooled into confessing their love for one another.

Beatrix f German, Hungarian, Dutch, English, Late Roman
Probably from Viatrix, a feminine form of the Late Latin name Viator meaning "voyager, traveller". It was a common name amongst early Christians, and the spelling was altered by association with Latin beatus "blessed, happy". Viatrix or Beatrix was a 4th-century saint who was strangled to death during the persecutions of Diocletian.... [more]

Bella f English
Short form of Isabella and other names ending in bella. It is also associated with the Italian word bella meaning "beautiful". It was used by the American author Stephenie Meyer for the main character in her popular Twilight series of novels, first released 2005, later adapted into a series of movies beginning 2008.

Ben 1 m English, German, Dutch
Short form of Benjamin, Benedict and other names beginning with Ben. A notable bearer was Ben Jonson (1572-1637), an English poet and playwright.

Benvenuto m Italian
Means "welcome" in Italian. A famous bearer was the Italian Renaissance sculptor and writer Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571).

Benvolio m Literature
Means "good will" in Italian. This name appears in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet (1596) belonging to a friend of Romeo. The character had been created earlier by the Italian writer Matteo Bandello, whose story Giulietta e Romeo (1554) was one of Shakespeare's sources.

Bernard m English, French, Dutch, Polish, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Germanic
Derived from the Old German element bern "bear" combined with hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Beornheard. This was the name of several saints, including Saint Bernard of Menthon who built hospices in the Swiss Alps in the 10th century, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century theologian and Doctor of the Church. Other famous bearers include the Irish playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and the British World War II field marshal Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976).

Berthold m German
Means "bright power" from the Old German element beraht "bright" combined with walt "power, authority".

Blake m & f English
From an English surname that was derived from Old English blæc "black" or blac "pale". A famous bearer of the surname was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827). It was originally a mainly masculine name but in 2007 actress Blake Lively (1987-) began starring in the television series Gossip Girl, after which time it increased in popularity for girls.

Boris m Bulgarian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, German, French
From a Bulgar Turkic name, also recorded as Bogoris, perhaps meaning "short" or "wolf" or "snow leopard". It was borne by the 9th-century Boris I of Bulgaria, who converted his realm to Christianity and is thus regarded as a saint in the Orthodox Church. To the north in Kievan Rus it was the name of another saint, a son of Vladimir the Great who was murdered with his brother Gleb in the 11th century. His mother may have been Bulgarian.... [more]

Bram m English, Dutch
Short form of Abraham. This name was borne by Bram Stoker (1847-1912), the Irish author who wrote Dracula.

Breda 2 f Slovene
Meaning unknown. It was used by the Slovene author Ivan Pregelj for the title character in his novel Mlada Breda (1913).

Buttercup f Literature
From the English word for the yellow flower (genus Ranunculus). Author William Goldman used it for Princess Buttercup in his book The Princess Bride (1973) and the subsequent film adaptation (1987).

Byron m English
From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "place of the cow sheds" in Old English. This was the surname of the romantic poet Lord Byron (1788-1824), the writer of Don Juan and many other works.

Bysshe m English (Rare)
From an English surname, a variant of the surname Bush, which originally indicated a person who lived near a bush. This was the middle name of the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822).

Cadfael m Welsh (Rare)
From Old Welsh Catmail meaning "battle prince", from cat "battle" and mael "prince". This was apparently the birth name of Saint Cadoc. It was used by the British author Ellis Peters for the main character in her books The Cadfael Chronicles, first released in 1977.

Caedmon m History (Ecclesiastical)
Meaning unknown, though the first element is likely connected to Brythonic kad meaning "battle". Saint Caedmon was a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon poet who supposedly received his poetic inspiration from a dream. Our only knowledge of him is through the 8th-century writings of the historian Bede.

Calafia f Literature
Probably invented by the 16th-century Spanish writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, who likely based it on califa, the Spanish form of Arabic خليفة (khalīfa), an Islamic title meaning "successor" (see Khalifa). In Montalvo's novel The Adventures of Esplandián it is borne by the queen of the island of California (the inspiration for the name of the American and Mexican states).

Candide m & f French (Rare), Literature
French form of Candidus or Candida. The French philosopher and author Voltaire used this name for the main character (a male) in his satire Candide (1759). In French candide also means "naive", which is descriptive of the book's protagonist.

Caradog m Welsh, Arthurian Cycle
From the Old Welsh name Caratauc, a Welsh form of Caratācos. This is the name of several figures in Welsh history and legend, including an 8th-century king of Gwynedd, a 12th-century saint, and a son of Brân the Blessed. In Arthurian romance Caradog is a Knight of the Round Table. He first appears in Welsh poems, with his story expanded by French authors such as Chrétien de Troyes.

Caratacus m Brythonic (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Brythonic name *Caratācos meaning "loved", derived from the old Celtic root *karu "to love". According to Roman writers, this was the name of a 1st-century British chieftain who rebelled against Roman rule.

Carroll m Irish
Anglicized form of Cearbhall. A famous bearer of the surname was Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a British author known for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Caspian m Literature
Used by author C. S. Lewis for a character in his Chronicles of Narnia series, first appearing in 1950. Prince Caspian first appears in the fourth book, where he is the rightful king of Narnia driven into exile by his evil uncle Miraz. Lewis probably based the name on the Caspian Sea, which was named for the city of Qazvin, which was itself named for the ancient Cas tribe.

Cato 1 m Ancient Roman
Roman cognomen meaning "wise" in Latin. This name was bestowed upon Cato the Elder (Marcus Porcius Cato), a 2nd-century BC Roman statesman, author and censor, and was subsequently inherited by his descendants, including his great-grandson Cato the Younger (Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis), a politician and philosopher who opposed Julius Caesar.

Charlotte f French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
French feminine diminutive of Charles. It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. It was the name of a German-born 18th-century queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Another notable bearer was Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), the eldest of the three Brontë sisters and the author of Jane Eyre and Villette. A famous fictional bearer is the spider in the children's novel Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.... [more]

Chrétien m French (Archaic)
Medieval French form of Christian. A famous bearer of this name was the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, known for his Arthurian romances.

Christian m English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From the medieval Latin name Christianus meaning "a Christian" (see Christos 1 for further etymology). In England it has been in use since the Middle Ages, during which time it was used by both males and females, but it did not become common until the 17th century. In Denmark the name has been borne by ten kings since the 15th century.... [more]

Christine f French, English, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Dutch
French form of Christina, as well as a variant in other languages. It was used by the French author Gaston Leroux for the heroine, Christine Daaé, in his novel The Phantom of the Opera (1910).... [more]

Christopher m English
From the Late Greek name Χριστόφορος (Christophoros) meaning "bearing Christ", derived from Χριστός (Christos) combined with φέρω (phero) meaning "to bear, to carry". Early Christians used it as a metaphorical name, expressing that they carried Christ in their hearts. In the Middle Ages, literal interpretations of the name's etymology led to legends about a Saint Christopher who carried the young Jesus across a river. He has come to be regarded as the patron saint of travellers.... [more]

Cicero m Ancient Roman
Roman cognomen derived from Latin cicer meaning "chickpea". Marcus Tullius Cicero (now known simply as Cicero) was a statesman, orator and author of the 1st century BC. He was a political enemy of Mark Antony, who eventually had him executed.

Cinderella f Literature
Means "little ashes", in part from the French name Cendrillon. This is the main character in the folktale Cinderella about a maltreated young woman who eventually marries a prince. This old story is best known in the English-speaking world from the French author Charles Perrault's 1697 version. She has other names in other languages, usually with the meaning "ashes", such as German Aschenputtel and Italian Cenerentola.

Colette f French
Short form of Nicolette. Saint Colette was a 15th-century French nun who gave her money to the poor. This was also the pen name of the French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954).

Conan m Irish
Means "little wolf" or "little hound" from Irish cú "wolf, hound" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early saints, including a 7th-century bishop of the Isle of Man. It appears in Irish legend as a companion Fionn mac Cumhaill. A famous bearer of it as a middle name was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. It is also the name of the hero of the Conan the Barbarian series of books, comics and movies, debuting 1932.

Coraline f Literature, French
Created by the French composer Adolphe Adam for one of the main characters in his opera Le Toréador (1849). He probably based it on the name Coralie. It was also used by the author Neil Gaiman for the young heroine in his novel Coraline (2002). Gaiman has stated that in this case the name began as a typo of Caroline.

Corinna f German, Italian, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Κόριννα (Korinna), which was derived from κόρη (kore) meaning "maiden". This was the name of a Greek lyric poet of the 5th century BC. The Roman poet Ovid used it for the main female character in his book Amores. In the modern era it has been in use since the 17th century, when Robert Herrick used it in his poem Corinna's going a-Maying.

Corinne f French, English
French form of Corinna. The French-Swiss author Madame de Staël used it for her novel Corinne (1807).

Criseida f Literature
Form of Chryseis used by the Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio in his 14th-century poem Il Filostrato. In the poem she is a woman of Troy, daughter of Calchas, who leaves her Trojan lover Troilus for the Greek hero Diomedes. The story was taken up by Chaucer (using the form Criseyde) and Shakespeare (using the form Cressida).

Criseyde f Literature
Form of Criseida used by the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer in his 14th-century epic poem Troilus and Criseyde.

Csilla f Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian csillag meaning "star". This name was created by the Hungarian author András Dugonics for an 1803 novel and later used and popularized by the poet Mihály Vörösmarty.

Csongor m Hungarian
Possibly from a Turkic root meaning "falcon". The Hungarian poet and dramatist Mihály Vörösmarty used it in his play Csongor és Tünde (1830).

Cthulhu m Literature
Created by author H. P. Lovecraft for a gigantic, horrible, octopus-like god, first introduced in the short story The Call of Cthulhu (1926). Lovecraft may have based the name on the word chthonic meaning "under the earth, subterranean", a derivative of Greek χθών (chthon) meaning "earth, ground, soil".

Cyrene f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Κυρήνη (Kyrene), the name of a Hellenic city in ancient Libya, itself probably named for a nearby spring Κύρη (Kyre). It has been associated with κῦρος (kyros) meaning "power, authority". In Greek mythology this is the name of a Thessalian princess loved by Apollo. He took her to Libya, where he founded the city in her honour and installed her as queen.

Daenerys f Literature
Created by author George R. R. Martin for a character in his series A Song of Ice and Fire, first published 1996, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019). An explanation for the meaning of her name is not provided, though it is presumably intended to be of Valyrian origin. In the series Daenerys Targaryen is a queen of the Dothraki and a claimant to the throne of Westeros.

Dafydd m Welsh
Welsh form of David. This name was borne by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, a 13th-century Welsh ruler, and Dafydd ap Gwilym, a 14th-century poet.

Daisy f English
Simply from the English word for the white flower, ultimately derived from Old English dægeseage meaning "day eye". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.... [more]

Daiva f Lithuanian
Created by the Lithuanian writer Vydūnas, who possibly derived it from a Sanskrit word meaning "destiny".

Dalma f Hungarian
Created by the Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty for a male character in his epic poem Zalán Futása (1825). It was used by later writers such as Mór Jókai for female characters.

Dana 2 m & f English
From a surname that is of unknown origin. It was originally given in honour of American lawyer Richard Henry Dana Jr. (1815-1882), the author of the memoir Two Years Before the Mast.

Daniel m English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Finnish, Estonian, Armenian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Greek
From the Hebrew name דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge", from the roots דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.... [more]

Dante m Italian
Medieval short form of Durante. The most notable bearer of this name was Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), the Italian poet who wrote the Divine Comedy.

Dashiell m English (Rare)
In the case of American author Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) it was from his mother's surname, which was possibly an Anglicized form of French de Chiel, of unknown meaning.

Debdas m Bengali
Bengali form of Devadas. This is the name of a 1917 novel by the Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Deforest m English
From a French surname meaning "from the forest". It was originally given in honour of American author John Deforest (1826-1906).

Deirbhile f Irish
Means "daughter of a poet" from Old Irish der "daughter" and fili "poet" (genitive filed). This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint, also called Dervla.

Dorinda f English, Galician
Combination of Dora and the name suffix inda. It was apparently coined by the English writers John Dryden and William D'Avenant for their play The Enchanted Island (1667). In the play, a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest, Dorinda is the sister of Miranda.

Dorothy f English
Usual English form of Dorothea. It has been in use since the 16th century. The author L. Frank Baum used it for the central character, Dorothy Gale, in his fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and several of its sequels.

Doyle m English
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Dubhghaill, itself derived from the given name Dubhghall. A famous bearer of the surname was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.

Dylan m Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
From the Welsh prefix dy meaning "to, toward" and llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, Dylan was a son of Arianrhod and the twin brother of Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Immediately after he was baptized he took to the sea, where he could swim as well as a fish. He was slain accidentally by his uncle Gofannon. According to some theories the character might be rooted in an earlier and otherwise unattested Celtic god of the sea.... [more]

Edgar m English, French, Portuguese, German
Derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and gar "spear". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, Edgar the Peaceful. The name did not survive long after the Norman Conquest, but it was revived in the 18th century, in part due to a character by this name in Walter Scott's novel The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), which tells of the tragic love between Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton. Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).

Edmund m English, German, Polish
Means "rich protection", from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and mund "protection". This was the name of two Anglo-Saxon kings of England. It was also borne by two saints, including a 9th-century king of East Anglia who, according to tradition, was shot to death with arrows after refusing to divide his Christian kingdom with an invading pagan Danish leader. This Old English name remained in use after the Norman Conquest (even being used by King Henry III for one of his sons), though it became less common after the 15th century.... [more]

Edna f English, Hebrew, Biblical
Means "pleasure" in Hebrew, a derivative of עָדַן (ʿaḏan) meaning "to delight". This name appears in the Old Testament Apocrypha, for instance in the Book of Tobit belonging to the wife of Raguel. It was borne by the American poet Edna Dean Proctor (1829-1923). It did not become popular until the second half of the 19th century, after it was used for the heroine in the successful 1866 novel St. Elmo by Augusta Jane Evans. It peaked around the turn of the century and has declined steadily since then, falling off the American top 1000 list in 1992.

Edurne f Basque
Means "snow" in Basque, from edur, a variant of elur "snow". It is an equivalent of Nieves, proposed by the writer Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque saints names.

Edward m English, Polish
Means "rich guard", derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and weard "guard". This was the name of several Anglo-Saxon kings, the last being Saint Edward the Confessor shortly before the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. He was known as a just ruler, and because of his popularity his name remained in use after the conquest when most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. The 13th-century Plantagenet king Henry III named his son and successor after the saint, and seven subsequent kings of England were also named Edward.... [more]

Eeyore m Literature
Created by the children's author A. A. Milne for a pessimistic stuffed donkey in his Winnie-the-Pooh books (starting 1926). His name is an onomatopoeic representation of the braying sound (hee-haw) made by a donkey.

Egilhard m Germanic
Old German name derived from the elements agil "edge, blade" and hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". Usually called Eilhart, this was a medieval German poet who wrote an early version of the Tristan and Iseult tale.

Eila f Finnish
Meaning uncertain, possibly a variant of Aila or a rare Norwegian diminutive of Elin. It was used by the Finnish author Väinö Kataja for a character in his novel Tuskaa (1907), and it became fairly popular in Finland in the first half of the 20th century.

Eline f Norwegian, Dutch, Danish
Norwegian and Dutch variant form of Helen. This is the name of the title character in the novel Eline Vere (1889) by the Dutch writer Louis Couperus.

Eliot m English
From a surname that was a variant of Elliott. A famous bearer of the surname was T. S. Eliot (1888-1965), an Anglo-American poet and dramatist, the writer of The Waste Land. As a given name, it was borne by the American mob-buster Eliot Ness (1903-1957).

Elisabeth f German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin
German and Dutch form of Elizabeth. It is also a variant English form, reflecting the spelling used in the Authorized Version of the New Testament.

Elmira 1 f Literature
Possibly a shortened form of Edelmira. It appears in the play Tartuffe (1664) by the French playwright Molière (often spelled in the French style Elmire).

Emerson m & f English
From an English surname meaning "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.

Émile m French
French form of Aemilius (see Emil). This name was borne by the author Émile Zola (1840-1902) and the sociologist Émile Durkheim (1858-1917).

Emily f English
English feminine form of Aemilius (see Emil). In the English-speaking world it was not common until after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century; the princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was commonly known as Emily in English, even though Amelia is an unrelated name.... [more]

Emre m Turkish
Means "friend, brother" in Turkish. This name was borne by the 13th-century Turkish poet Yunus Emre.

Enheduanna f Sumerian
From Sumerian En-hedu-anna, derived from 𒂗 (en) meaning "lady, high priestess" combined with 𒃶𒌌 (hedu) meaning "ornament" and the god's name An 2. This was the Sumerian title of a 23rd-century BC priestess and poet, identified as a daughter of Sargon of Akkad. Presumably she had an Akkadian birth name, but it is unrecorded. She is regarded as one of the earliest known poets.

Enikő f Hungarian
Created by the Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty in the 19th century. He based it on the name of the legendary mother of the Hungarian people, Enéh, of Turkic origin meaning "young hind" (modern Hungarian ünő).

Ennio m Italian
Italian form of the Roman family name Ennius, which is of unknown meaning. Quintus Ennius was an early Roman poet.

Enoch m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
From the Hebrew name חֲנוֹך (Ḥanoḵ) meaning "dedicated". In Genesis in the Old Testament this is the name of the son of Cain. It is also the name of a son of Jared and the father of Methuselah, who was the supposed author of the apocryphal Books of Enoch.

Erich m German
German form of Eric. The German novelist Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) was the author of All Quiet on the Western Front.

Ernest m English, French, Catalan, Polish, Slovak, Slovene
Derived from Old High German ernust meaning "serious, earnest". It was introduced to England by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century, though it did not become common until the following century. The American author and adventurer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was a famous bearer of the name. It was also used by Oscar Wilde for a character in his comedy The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

Etelka f Hungarian
Feminine form of Etele created by the Hungarian writer András Dugonics for the main character in his novel Etelka (1788).

Ethan m English, French, Biblical, Biblical Latin
From the Hebrew name אֵיתָן (ʾEṯan) meaning "solid, enduring, firm". In the Old Testament this name is borne by a few minor characters, including the wise man Ethan the Ezrahite, supposedly the author of Psalm 89.... [more]

Eugene m English
English form of Eugenius, the Latin form of the Greek name Εὐγένιος (Eugenios), which was derived from the Greek word εὐγενής (eugenes) meaning "well born". It is composed of the elements εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and γενής (genes) meaning "born". This was the name of several saints and four popes.... [more]

Euripides m Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek Εὔριπος (Euripos), referring to the strait between Euboea and Boeotia, combined with the patronymic suffix ἴδης (ides). This was the name of a 5th-century BC Greek tragic poet.

Evangelista m & f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Means "evangelist, preacher" in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, derived from Latin, ultimately from Greek εὐάγγελος (euangelos) meaning "bringing good news". It is often used in honour of the Four Evangelists (the authors of the gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). It is traditionally masculine, though occasionally given to girls. A famous bearer was the Italian physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647), who invented the barometer.

Evelina f English, Italian, Swedish, Lithuanian, Greek, Russian, Bulgarian
Latinate form of Aveline. It was revived by the author Fanny Burney for the heroine of her first novel Evelina (1778). It is often regarded as a variant of the related name Evelyn or an elaboration of Eve.

Ewald m German, Dutch, Germanic
From an Old German name that was composed of the elements ewa "law, custom" and walt "power, authority". This name was borne by two 7th-century saints from Northumbria who were martyred in Saxony.

Ezekiel m Biblical, English
From the Hebrew name יְחֶזְקֵאל (Yeḥezqel) meaning "God will strengthen", from the roots חָזַק (ḥazaq) meaning "to strengthen" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Ezekiel is a major prophet of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Ezekiel. He lived in Jerusalem until the Babylonian conquest and captivity of Israel, at which time he was taken to Babylon. The Book of Ezekiel describes his vivid symbolic visions that predict the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. As an English given name, Ezekiel has been used since the Protestant Reformation.

Ezra m English, Hebrew, Biblical
Means "help" in Hebrew. Ezra is a prophet of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a famous bearer.

Farid m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Bengali
Means "unique, precious" in Arabic, derived from فرد (farada) meaning "to be unique, to be alone". This was the name of a 13th-century Persian poet.

Farley m English (Rare)
From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "fern clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer of this name was Canadian author Farley Mowat (1921-2014).

Faroald m Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements fara "journey" and walt "power, authority". This name was borne by the first Duke of Spoleto, a 6th-century Lombard.

Faust m Literature
From a German surname that was derived from the Latin name Faustus. This is the name of a character in German legends about a man who makes a pact with the devil, via his representative Mephistopheles. He is believed to be based on the character of Dr. Johann Faust (1480-1540). His story was adapted by writers such as Christopher Marlowe and Goethe.

Federico m Spanish, Italian
Spanish and Italian form of Frederick. Spanish poet Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) and Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (1920-1993) are famous bearers of this name.

Ferdowsi m History
From the Persian byname فردوسی (Ferdōsī) meaning "paradisiacal, heavenly", derived from Arabic فردوس (firdaws), itself of Iranian origin. Ferdowsi was a 10th-century poet and historian, the author of the epic Shahnameh, which tells the history of Persia.

Fiammetta f Italian
Diminutive of Fiamma. This is the name of a character appearing in several works by the 14th-century Italian author Boccaccio. She was probably based on the Neapolitan noblewoman Maria d'Aquino.

Figaro m Literature
Created by playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais for the central character in his plays The Barber of Seville (1775), The Marriage of Figaro (1784) and The Guilty Mother (1792). Beaumarchais may have based the character's name on the French phrase fils Caron meaning "son of Caron", which was his own nickname and would have been pronounced in a similar way. In modern French the word figaro has acquired the meaning "barber", reflecting the character's profession.

Fingal m Literature
Means "white stranger", derived from the Old Irish elements finn "white, blessed" and gall "foreigner, stranger". This was the name of the hero in the Scottish author James Macpherson's 1761 poem Fingal, which he claimed to have based on early Gaelic legends about Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Finnick m Literature
Created by author Suzanne Collins for a character in the second book of The Hunger Games series, published 2009, later appearing in the 2013 movie adaptation. She may have derived it from the slang word finicky meaning "demanding, fussy".

Fiona f Scottish, English
Feminine form of Fionn. This name was (first?) used by the Scottish poet James Macpherson in his poem Fingal (1761), in which it is spelled as Fióna.

Flannery f English (Rare)
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Flannghaile, derived from the given name Flannghal meaning "red valour". A famous bearer was American author Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964).

France 2 m Slovene
Slovene form of Francis. This name was borne by the Slovene poet France Prešeren (1800-1849).

Francesco m Italian
Italian form of Franciscus (see Francis). Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374) was an Italian Renaissance poet, usually known in English as Petrarch.

François m French
French form of Franciscus (see Francis). François Villon (1431-1463) was a French lyric poet. This was also the name of two kings of France.

Frank m English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, French
From an Old German name that referred to a member of the Germanic tribe, the Franks. The Franks settled in the regions now called France, Belgium and the Netherlands in the 3rd and 4th century. They possibly derived their tribal name from a type of spear that they used, from Proto-Germanic *frankô. From medieval times, the various forms of this name have been commonly conflated with the various forms of Francis. In modern times it is sometimes used as a short form of Francis or Franklin.... [more]

Franz m German
German form of Franciscus (see Francis). This name was borne by the Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828), the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt (1811-1886) and the Austrian-Czech author Franz Kafka (1883-1924), whose works include The Trial and The Castle. It was also the name of rulers of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire.

Frederic m Catalan, Occitan
Catalan and Occitan form of Frederik. A notable bearer was the French/Occitan writer Frederic Mistral (1830-1914), whose name was written Frédéric in French.

Friedhold m German (Rare)
Means "peaceful power", derived from the Old German elements fridu "peace" and walt "power, authority".

Fu m & f Chinese
From Chinese 富 (fù) meaning "abundant, rich, wealthy", 芙 (fú) meaning "hibiscus, lotus" or 甫 (fǔ) meaning "begin, man, father", in addition to other characters with a similar pronunciation. A famous bearer was the 8th-century Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, whose given name was 甫.

Fyodor m Russian
Russian form of Theodore. It was borne by three tsars of Russia. Another notable bearer was Fyodor Dostoyevsky (or Dostoevsky; 1821-1881), the Russian author of such works as Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.

Gaizka m Basque
Means "saviour" in Basque. This name was proposed as an equivalent of Salvador by the Basque writer Sabino Arana in 1910.

Galaktion m Late Greek, Georgian
Probably a derivative of Greek γάλα (gala) meaning "milk" (genitive γάλακτος). This was the name of a 3rd-century saint (also called Galation) who was martyred in Emesa, Syria. It was also borne by the Georgian poet Galaktion Tabidze (1892-1959).

Gandalf m Norse Mythology, Literature
Means "wand elf" in Old Norse, from the elements gandr "wand, staff, magic, monster" and alfr "elf". This name belongs to a dwarf (Gandálfr) in the Völuspá, a 13th-century Scandinavian manuscript that forms part of the Poetic Edda. The author J. R. R. Tolkien borrowed the name for a wizard in his novels The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954).

Gemma f Italian, Catalan, English (British), Dutch
Medieval Italian nickname meaning "gem, precious stone". It was borne by the wife of the 13th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri.

Geoffrey m English, French
From a Norman French form of a Frankish name. The second element is Old German fridu "peace", while the first element could be *gautaz "Geat" (a North Germanic tribe), gawi "territory" or walah "foreigner". It is possible that two or more names merged into a single form. In the later Middle Ages Geoffrey was further confused with the distinct name Godfrey.... [more]

George m English, Romanian, Indian (Christian)
From the Greek name Γεώργιος (Georgios), which was derived from the Greek word γεωργός (georgos) meaning "farmer, earthworker", itself derived from the elements γῆ (ge) meaning "earth" and ἔργον (ergon) meaning "work". Saint George was a 3rd-century Roman soldier from Cappadocia who was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian. Later legends describe his defeat of a dragon, with which he was often depicted in medieval art.... [more]

Gerald m English, German, Dutch
From a Germanic name meaning "power of the spear", from the elements ger meaning "spear" and walt meaning "power, authority". The Normans brought it to Britain. Though it died out in England during the Middle Ages, it remained common in Ireland. It was revived in the English-speaking world in 19th century.... [more]

Geraldine f English
Feminine form of Gerald. This name was created by the poet Henry Howard for use in a 1537 sonnet praising Lady Elizabeth FitzGerald, whom he terms The Geraldine.

Geralt m Literature
Variant of Gerald used by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski for the main character in The Witcher book series (starting 1990). The series was adapted into a popular video game in 2007.

Gertrude f English, French, German
Means "spear of strength", derived from the Old German elements ger "spear" and drud "strength". Saint Gertrude the Great was a 13th-century nun and mystic writer from Thuringia. It was probably introduced to England by settlers from the Low Countries in the 15th century. Shakespeare used the name in his play Hamlet (1600) for the mother of Hamlet. Another famous bearer was the American writer Gertrude Stein (1874-1946).

Giovanni m Italian
Italian form of Iohannes (see John). This name has been very common in Italy since the late Middle Ages, as with other equivalents of John in Europe. The Renaissance writer Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375), the painter Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516) and the painter and sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) were famous bearers of the name.

Glinda f Literature
Created by author L. Frank Baum for his character Glinda the Good Witch, a kind sorceress in his Oz series of books beginning in 1900. It is not known what inspired the name.

Goran m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Bulgarian
Derived from South Slavic gora meaning "mountain". It was popularized by the Croatian poet Ivan Goran Kovačić (1913-1943), who got his middle name because of the mountain town where he was born.

Gordan m Serbian, Croatian
Derived from South Slavic gord meaning "proud". This name and the feminine form Gordana were popularized by the publication of Croatian author Marija Jurić Zagorka's novel Gordana (1935).

Gore m English (Rare)
From an English surname meaning "triangular" (from Old English gara), originally referring to someone who lived on a triangular piece of land. A famous bearer was American writer Gore Vidal (1925-2012).

Goronwy m Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Variant of Gronw. This form appears in the Book of Taliesin. It was borne by the Welsh poet Goronwy Owen (1723-1769).

Gottfried m German
German form of Godfrey. This name was borne by the 13th-century German poet Gottfried von Strassburg and the German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), one of the inventors of calculus.

Graham m Scottish, English
From a Scottish surname, originally derived from the English place name Grantham, which probably meant "gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by the Norman baron William de Graham. A famous bearer of the surname was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-Canadian-American inventor who devised the telephone. A famous bearer of the given name was the British author Graham Greene (1904-1991).... [more]

Grażyna f Polish
From Lithuanian graži meaning "beautiful". This name was created by Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz for his poem Grażyna (1823).

Grimwald m Germanic
From the Old German elements grimo "mask" and walt "power, authority".

Grinch m Popular Culture
Possibly from French grincheux meaning "grumpy". This is the name of a grumpy green character created by the American author Dr. Seuss for his children's book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957). His name is almost always preceded by the definite article the.

Guido m Italian, German
Latinized form of Wido. Notable bearers include the music theorist Guido d'Arezzo (c. 991-1033), poet Guido Cavalcanti (c. 1250-1300), and Baroque painter Guido Reni (1575-1642).

Guinevere f Arthurian Cycle
From the Norman French form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar meaning "white phantom", ultimately from the old Celtic roots *windos meaning "white" (modern Welsh gwen) and *sēbros meaning "phantom, magical being". In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir Lancelot.... [more]

Gundega f Latvian
Means "buttercup (flower)" in Latvian. This name was used by the Latvian playwright Anna Brigadere in her play Princese Gundega un Karalis Brusubārda (1923).

Gyöngyvér f Hungarian
Means "sister of pearl", from Hungarian gyöngy "pearl" and testvér "sibling". This name was created by the Hungarian poet János Arany for a character in his poem The Death of King Buda (1864).

Habakkuk m Biblical
From the Hebrew name חֲבַקּוּק (Ḥavaqquq), probably derived from the root חָבַק (ḥavaq) meaning "embrace". In the Old Testament this is one of the twelve minor prophets, the author of the Book of Habakkuk.

Haggai m Biblical
Means "festive" in Hebrew, from the root חָגַג (ḥaḡaḡ) meaning "to hold a festival, to celebrate". This is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. He was the author of the Book of Haggai, which urges the exiles returning from Babylonia to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.

Hajna f Hungarian
Shortened form of Hajnal. The Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty used it in his epic poem Zalán Futása (1825).

Haley f English (Modern)
Variant of Hayley. This spelling gained some popularity in the United States in 1977, possibly due to the author Alex Haley, whose book Roots was adapted into a popular miniseries that year. This was the most common American spelling from then to 2001, when it was eclipsed by Hailey.

Hans m German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
German short form of Johannes, now used independently. This name has been very common in German-speaking areas of Europe since the late Middle Ages. From an early period it was transmitted to the Low Countries and Scandinavia. Two famous bearers were Hans Holbein (1497-1543), a German portrait painter, and Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), a Danish writer of fairy tales.

Harper f & m English
From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who played or made harps (Old English hearpe). A notable bearer was the American author Harper Lee (1926-2016), who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. It rapidly gained popularity in the 2000s and 2010s, entering the American top ten for girls in 2015.

Harriet f English
English form of Henriette, and thus a feminine form of Harry. It was first used in the 17th century, becoming very common in the English-speaking world by the 18th century. Famous bearers include the Americans Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913).

Harsha m Kannada, Telugu, Sanskrit
Means "happiness" in Sanskrit. Harsha (or Harṣa, also called Harshavardhana) was a 7th-century emperor of northern India. He was also noted as an author.

Hassan m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Malay, Dhivehi
Most commonly this is a variant of the Arabic name حسن, which is typically transcribed Hasan.... [more]

Hedda f Norwegian, Swedish
Diminutive of Hedvig. This is the name of the heroine of the play Hedda Gabler (1890) by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen.

Heddwyn m Welsh
Derived from Welsh hedd "peace" and gwyn "white, blessed". This name has been given in honour of the poet Ellis Humphrey Evans (1887-1917), who used Hedd Wyn as his bardic name.

Heidi f German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, English
German diminutive of Adelheid. This is the name of the title character in the children's novel Heidi (1880) by the Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The name began to be used in the English-speaking world shortly after the 1937 release of the movie adaptation, which starred Shirley Temple.

Helen f English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
English form of the Greek Ἑλένη (Helene), probably from Greek ἑλένη (helene) meaning "torch" or "corposant", or possibly related to σελήνη (selene) meaning "moon". In Greek mythology Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose kidnapping by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War. The name was also borne by the 4th-century Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, who supposedly found the True Cross during a trip to Jerusalem.... [more]

Helmold m Germanic
Old German name derived from the elements helm "helmet" and walt "power, authority".

Helvius m Ancient Roman
Roman cognomen derived from either Latin helvus meaning "honey-yellow, blond" or from the name of the Helvii, a Celtic tribe who lived west of the Rhône river. Gaius Helvius Cinna was a Roman poet of the 1st century BC.

Henrik m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Low German, German, Hungarian, Slovene, Croatian, Armenian
Form of Heinrich (see Henry) in several languages. A famous bearer was the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906).

Hercule m French
French form of Hercules. It was used by the British writer Agatha Christie for the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, the protagonist in many of her mystery novels (debuting 1920).

Herla m Anglo-Saxon Mythology
Meaning uncertain, though connections to various Germanic words have been proposed. According to the 12th-century author Walter Map, who was likely expanding on older Germanic tales, Herla was a king of the Britons who became the leader of the Wild Hunt.

Herman m English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Slovene, Germanic
Means "army man", derived from the Old German elements heri "army" and man "person, man". It was introduced to England by the Normans, died out, and was revived in the English-speaking world in the 19th century. It was borne by an 18th-century Russian missionary to Alaska who is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church, though in his case the name is an alternate transcription of German. Another famous bearer was the American writer Herman Melville (1819-1891), the author of Moby-Dick.

Hermann m German
German form of Herman. A famous bearer was the German author Hermann Hesse (1877-1962).

Hermes m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek, Spanish
Probably from Greek ἕρμα (herma) meaning "cairn, pile of stones, boundary marker". Hermes was a Greek god associated with speed and good luck, who served as a messenger to Zeus and the other gods. He was also the patron of travellers, writers, athletes, merchants, thieves and orators.... [more]

Hesiod m Ancient Greek (Anglicized)
From the Greek name Ἡσίοδος (Hesiodos), which probably meant "to throw song" from ἵημι (hiemi) meaning "to throw, to speak" and ᾠδή (ode) meaning "song, ode". This was the name of an 8th-century BC Greek poet.

Homer m English, Ancient Greek (Anglicized)
From the Greek name Ὅμηρος (Homeros), derived from ὅμηρος (homeros) meaning "hostage, pledge". Homer was the Greek epic poet who wrote the Iliad, about the Trojan War, and the Odyssey, about Odysseus's journey home after the war. There is some debate about when he lived, or if he was even a real person, though most scholars place him in the 8th century BC. In the modern era, Homer has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world (chiefly in America) since the 18th century. This name is borne by the oafish cartoon father on the television series The Simpsons.

Honoré m French
French form of Honoratus or Honorius. A notable bearer was the French author Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850).

Horace m English, French
English and French form of Horatius, and the name by which the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus is commonly known those languages. In the modern era it has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, in honour of the poet.

Horatius m Ancient Roman
Roman family name that was possibly derived from Latin hora meaning "hour, time, season", though the name may actually be of Etruscan origin. A famous bearer was Quintus Horatius Flaccus, a Roman lyric poet of the 1st century BC who is better known as Horace in the English-speaking world.

Hosea m Biblical
Variant English form of Hoshea, though the name is spelled the same in the Hebrew text. Hosea is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Hosea. Written in the northern kingdom, it draws parallels between his relationship with his unfaithful wife and the relationship between God and his people.

Hozan m & f Kurdish
Means "poet, intellect" in Kurdish.

Huckleberry m Literature
From the name of the variety of shrubs (genus Vaccinium) or the berries that grow on them. It was used by author Mark Twain for the character of Huckleberry (Huck) Finn in his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).

Hugo m Spanish, Portuguese, English, Dutch, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Germanic
Old German form of Hugh. As a surname it has belonged to the French author Victor Hugo (1802-1885), the writer of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables.

Huxley m English (Modern)
From an English surname that was derived from the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer of the surname was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).

Idalia f Germanic (Latinized), Greek Mythology, Polish (Rare)
Probably from a Germanic name derived from the element idal, an extended form of id possibly meaning "work, labour". Unrelated, this was also an epithet of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, given because the city of Idalion on Cyprus was a center of her cult.... [more]

Igone f Basque
Means "ascension" in Basque. It is an equivalent of Ascensión coined by the Basque writer Sabino Arana in 1910.

Iqbal m Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Indonesian, Malay
Means "fortunate" in Arabic. Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) was a poet, philosopher, and scholar from Pakistan.

Isaac m English, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin
From the Hebrew name יִצְחָק (Yitsḥaq) meaning "he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from צָחַק (tsaḥaq) meaning "to laugh". The Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see Genesis 17:17), and later Sarah laughed when overhearing the same prophecy (see Genesis 18:12). When Isaac was a boy, God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, though an angel prevented the act at the last moment. Isaac went on to become the father of Esau and Jacob with his wife Rebecca.... [more]

Isaiah m English, Biblical
From the Hebrew name יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (Yeshaʿyahu) meaning "Yahweh is salvation", from the roots יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. Isaiah is one of the four major prophets of the Old Testament, supposedly the author of the Book of Isaiah. He was from Jerusalem and probably lived in the 8th century BC, at a time when Assyria threatened the Kingdom of Judah. As an English Christian name, Isaiah was first used after the Protestant Reformation.

Ishmael m Biblical
From the Hebrew name יִשְׁמָעֵאל (Yishmaʿel) meaning "God will hear", from the roots שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Abraham. He is the traditional ancestor of the Arab people. Also in the Old Testament, it is borne by a man who assassinates Gedaliah the governor of Judah. The author Herman Melville later used this name for the narrator in his novel Moby-Dick (1851).

Ivalu f Greenlandic
Means "sinew, tendon, thread" in Greenlandic. It was used by the Danish explorer and author Peter Freuchen for the heroine of his novel Ivalu, the Eskimo Wife (1930).

Ivan m Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, English, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian
Newer form of the Old Church Slavic name Іѡаннъ (Ioannŭ), which was derived from Greek Ioannes (see John). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.

Jack m English
Derived from Jackin (earlier Jankin), a medieval diminutive of John. There could be some early influence from the unrelated French name Jacques. It is often regarded as an independent name. During the Middle Ages it was very common, and it became a slang word meaning "man", as seen in the terms jack-o'-lantern, jack-in-the-box, lumberjack and so on. It was frequently used in fairy tales and nursery rhymes, such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and Jill, Little Jack Horner, and Jack Sprat.... [more]

Jacob m English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Jewish, Biblical
From the Latin Iacob, which was from the Greek Ἰακώβ (Iakob), which was from the Hebrew name יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿaqov). In the Old Testament Jacob (later called Israel) is the son of Isaac and Rebecca and the father of the twelve founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. He was born holding his twin brother Esau's heel, and his name is explained as meaning "holder of the heel" or "supplanter", because he twice deprived his brother of his rights as the firstborn son (see Genesis 27:36). Other theories claim that it is in fact derived from a hypothetical name like יַעֲקֹבְאֵל (Yaʿaqovʾel) meaning "may God protect".... [more]

Jadis f Literature
Used by the author C. S. Lewis as the proper name of the White Witch, the antagonist in his novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950). He may have based it on French jadis meaning "long ago, of old" or Persian جادو (jādū) meaning "magic, witch".

Jalal ad-Din m Arabic
Means "greatness of the faith" from Arabic جلال (jalāl) meaning "greatness, splendour" and دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith". Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, commonly called just Rumi, was a 13th-century Persian poet.

James m English, Biblical
English form of the Late Latin name Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form Iacobus, from the Hebrew name Yaʿaqov (see Jacob). This was the name of two apostles in the New Testament. The first was Saint James the Greater, the apostle John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of Jesus.... [more]

Jayadeva m Sanskrit
Means "divine victory" from Sanskrit जय (jaya) meaning "victory" and देव (deva) meaning "god". This was the name of a 12th-century Indian poet.

Jefferson m English
From an English surname meaning "son of Jeffrey". It is usually given in honour of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third president of the United States and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

Jefimija f Serbian
Serbian form of Euphemia. This name was adopted by a 14th-century Serbian poet (born Jelena Mrnjavčević).

Jeremiah m English, Biblical
From the Hebrew name יִרְמְיָהוּ (Yirmeyahu) meaning "Yahweh will exalt", from the roots רוּם (rum) meaning "to exalt" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Lamentations (supposedly). He lived to see the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in the 6th century BC.... [more]

Joel m English, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Biblical
From the Hebrew name יוֹאֵל (Yoʾel) meaning "Yahweh is God", from the elements יוֹ (yo) and אֵל (ʾel), both referring to the Hebrew God. Joel is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Joel, which describes a plague of locusts. In England, it was first used as a Christian name after the Protestant Reformation.

Johann m German
German form of Iohannes (see John). Famous bearers include German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), German novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), and Austrian composers Johann Strauss the Elder (1804-1849) and his son Johann Strauss the Younger (1825-1899).

John m English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Biblical
English form of Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name Ἰωάννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yoḥanan). It means "Yahweh is gracious", from the roots יוֹ (yo) referring to the Hebrew God and חָנַן (ḥanan) meaning "to be gracious". The Hebrew form occurs in the Old Testament (spelled Johanan or Jehohanan in the English version), but this name owes its popularity to two New Testament characters, both highly revered saints. The first is John the Baptist, a Jewish ascetic who is considered the forerunner of Jesus. He baptized Jesus and was later executed by Herod Antipas. The second is the apostle John, who is traditionally regarded as the author of the fourth gospel and Revelation. With the apostles Peter and James (John's brother), he was part of the inner circle of Jesus.... [more]

Jolánka f Hungarian (Rare)
Created by the Hungarian writer András Dugonics for the main character in his novel Jólánka, Etelkának Leánya (1803). He may have based it on Hungarian jóleán meaning "good girl" or possibly on the name Yolanda.

Jolyon m English (Rare)
Medieval form of Julian. The author John Galsworthy used it for a character in his Forsyte Saga novels (published between 1906 and 1922).

Jordanes m Late Roman
The name of a 6th-century Roman author of Gothic background, who wrote a history of the Goths. His name is probably derived from that of the Jordan River. However, some theories suggest that it could contain a trace of the Germanic root *erþō meaning "earth" (Gothic airþa, Old Norse jǫrð).

Jorge m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of George. A famous bearer was the Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986).

Joseph m English, French, German, Biblical
From Ioseph, the Latin form of Greek Ἰωσήφ (Ioseph), which was from the Hebrew name יוֹסֵף (Yosef) meaning "he will add", from the root יָסַף (yasaf) meaning "to add, to increase". In the Old Testament Joseph is the eleventh son of Jacob and the first with his wife Rachel. Because he was the favourite of his father, his older brothers sent him to Egypt and told their father that he had died. In Egypt, Joseph became an advisor to the pharaoh, and was eventually reconciled with his brothers when they came to Egypt during a famine. This name also occurs in the New Testament, belonging to Saint Joseph the husband of Mary, and to Joseph of Arimathea.... [more]

Judas m Biblical
From Ἰούδας (Ioudas), the Greek form of Judah. This is the name of several characters in the New Testament including the infamous Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus to the Jewish authorities in exchange for money. This spelling also appears in most English translations of the Books of Maccabees.

Jude 1 m English, Biblical
Variant of Judas. It is used in many English versions of the New Testament to denote the second apostle named Judas, in order to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. He was supposedly the author of the Epistle of Jude. In the English-speaking world, Jude has occasionally been used as a given name since the time of the Protestant Reformation.

Jules 1 m French
French form of Julius. A notable bearer of this name was the French novelist Jules Verne (1828-1905), author of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and other works of science fiction.

Juliana f Dutch, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Iulianus (see Julian). This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr from Nicomedia, and also of the Blessed Juliana of Norwich, also called Julian, a 14th-century mystic and author. The name was also borne by a 20th-century queen of the Netherlands. In England, this form has been in use since the 18th century, alongside the older form Gillian.

Kalidasa m Sanskrit
Means "servant of Kali" from the name of the Hindu goddess Kali 1 combined with Sanskrit दास (dāsa) meaning "servant". Kalidasa (or Kālidāsa) was a 4th-century Indian poet and dramatist, the author of the Abhijnanashakuntalam and other works.

Kari 2 m Finnish
Form of Macarius (see Macario) used by the Finnish author Juhani Aho in his novel Panu (1897).

Kashyapa m Hinduism
Means "turtle, tortoise" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of one of the Saptarshis, or seven sages. He appears often in Hindu scripture, and is believed to be the author of several hymns in the Rigveda. According to the Puranas he was the husband of the goddess Aditi and the father by her of some of the gods.

Kavi m Hindi
From a title for a poet, meaning "wise man, sage, poet" in Sanskrit.

Kay 2 m Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
From the Welsh name Cai or Cei, possibly a form of the Roman name Gaius. Sir Kay was one of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He first appears in Welsh tales as a brave companion of Arthur. In later medieval tales, notably those by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, he is portrayed as an unrefined boor.

Khayyam m Arabic
Means "tent maker" in Arabic. This was the surname of the 12th-century Persian poet Umar Khayyam.

Kim 1 f & m English, Dutch, German
At the present it is usually considered a short form of Kimberly, but it in fact predates it as a given name. The author Rudyard Kipling used it for the title hero of his novel Kim (1901), though in this case it was short for Kimball. In her novel Show Boat (1926) Edna Ferber used it for a female character who was born on the Mississippi River and was named from the initials of the states Kentucky, Illinois and Mississippi. The name was popularized in America by the actresses Kim Hunter (1922-2002) and Kim Novak (1933-), both of whom assumed it as a stage name.

Kincső f Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian kincs meaning "treasure". This name was created by Hungarian author Mór Jókai in The Novel of the Next Century (1872).

Kinsey f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was derived from the given name Cynesige. This name is borne by Kinsey Millhone, the heroine in a series of mystery novels by author Sue Grafton, beginning in 1982.

Kleonike f Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory" and νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". This name was used by the Greek playwright Aristophanes for a character in his comedy Lysistrata.

Kordian m Polish
Coined by Polish writer Juliusz Słowacki for the title character of his drama Kordian (1833). Słowacki likely based the name on Latin cor "heart" (genitive cordis).

Kylie f English
This name arose in Australia, where it is said to mean "boomerang" in the Australian Aboriginal language Nyungar. An early bearer was the author Kylie Tennant (1912-1988). It was among the most popular names in Australia in the 1970s and early 80s. It can also be considered a feminine form of Kyle, or a combination of the popular sounds ky and lee, and it is likely in those capacities that it began to be used in America in the late 1970s. A famous bearer is the Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue (1968-).

Lalage f Literature
Derived from Greek λαλαγέω (lalageo) meaning "to babble, to prattle". The Roman poet Horace used this name in one of his odes.

Lalla f Literature
Derived from Persian لاله (lāleh) meaning "tulip". This was the name of the heroine of Thomas Moore's poem Lalla Rookh (1817). In the poem, Lalla, the daughter of the emperor of Delhi, listens to a poet sing four tales.

Lancelot m Arthurian Cycle
Possibly an Old French diminutive of Lanzo (see Lance). In Arthurian legend Lancelot was the bravest of the Knights of the Round Table. He became the lover of Arthur's wife Guinevere, ultimately causing the destruction of Arthur's kingdom. His earliest appearance is in the works of the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes: briefly in Erec and Enide and then as a main character in Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart.

Langston m English
From an English surname, itself from a place name, derived from Old English lang "long" and stan "stone". A famous bearer was the American author Langston Hughes (1901-1967).

Lassie f Literature
From a diminutive of the northern English word lass meaning "young girl", a word probably of Norse origin. This name was used by the author Eric Knight for a collie dog in his novel Lassie Come-Home (1940), later adapted into a popular film and television series.

Laudine f Arthurian Cycle
Possibly a derivative of Lot 2 (or derived from the same place name). It was used by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for a character in his romance Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Also called the Lady of the Fountain, Laudine married Yvain after he killed her husband.

Laura f English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, French, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Lithuanian, Latvian, Late Roman
Feminine form of the Late Latin name Laurus, which meant "laurel". This meaning was favourable, since in ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors' garlands. The name was borne by the 9th-century Spanish martyr Saint Laura, who was a nun thrown into a vat of molten lead by the Moors. It was also the name of the subject of poems by the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch.... [more]

Lawrence m English
Variant of Laurence 1. This spelling of the name is now more common than Laurence in the English-speaking world, probably because Lawrence is the usual spelling of the surname. The surname was borne by the author and poet D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930), as well as the revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935), who was known as Lawrence of Arabia.

Layla f Arabic, English
Means "night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.

Leida f Estonian
Meaning unknown. It was popularized by a character in Estonian writer Andres Saal's historical stories Vambola (1889) and Aita (1891). Saal associated it with Estonian leidma "to find".

Lestat m Literature
Name used by author Anne Rice for a character in her Vampire Chronicles series of novels, first released in 1976, where it belongs to the French vampire Lestat de Lioncourt. Rice possibly intended the name to appear derived from Old French or Occitan l'estat "state, status", though apparently her husband's name Stan was inspiration.

Lev 1 m Russian, Ukrainian
Means "lion" in Russian and Ukrainian, functioning as a vernacular form of Leo. This was the real Russian name of both author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) and revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1879-1940). This is also the name of the main character, Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin, in the novel The Idiot (1868) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Lewis m English
Medieval English form of Louis. A famous bearer was Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This was also the surname of C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), the author of the Chronicles of Narnia series.

Líadan f Irish (Rare)
Possibly from Old Irish líath meaning "grey". According to an Irish tale this was the name of a poet who became a nun, but then missed her lover Cuirithir so much that she died of grief. The name was also borne by a 5th-century saint, the mother of Saint Ciarán the Elder.

Libe f Basque
Basque form of Libya, suggested by the Basque writer Sabino Arana in 1910.

Lilit f Armenian
Armenian form of Lilith. This is the name of a 1921 poem by the Armenian poet Avetik Isahakyan, based on the myth of Lilith.

Lisbeth f German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
German and Scandinavian short form of Elisabeth. A notable fictional bearer is Lisbeth Salander from Swedish author Stieg Larsson's novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005) as well as its sequels and movie adaptations.

Lóegaire m Irish Mythology, Old Irish
Means "calf herder", derived from Old Irish lóeg "calf". In Irish legend Lóegaire Búadach was an Ulster warrior. He saved the life of the poet Áed, but died in the process. This was also the name of several Irish high kings.

Loherangrin m Arthurian Cycle
Form of Lohengrin used by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach.

London f & m English (Modern)
From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain. As a surname it was borne by the American author Jack London (1876-1916).

Loredana f Italian, Romanian
Used by the French author George Sand for a character in her novel Mattea (1833) and later by the Italian author Luciano Zuccoli in his novel L'amore de Loredana (1908). It was possibly based on the Venetian surname Loredan, which was derived from the place name Loreo.

Lorna f English
Created by the author R. D. Blackmore for the title character in his novel Lorna Doone (1869), set in southern England, which describes the dangerous love between John Ridd and Lorna Doone. Blackmore may have based the name on the Scottish place name Lorne or on the title Marquis of Lorne (see Lorne).

Louis m French, English, Dutch
French form of Ludovicus, the Latinized form of Ludwig. This was the name of 18 kings of France, starting with Louis I the son of Charlemagne. Others include Louis IX (Saint Louis) who led two crusades and Louis XIV (called the Sun King) who was the ruler of France during the height of its power, the builder of the Palace of Versailles, and the longest reigning monarch in the history of Europe. It was also borne by kings of Germany (as Ludwig), Hungary (as Lajos), and other places.... [more]

Louisa f English, German, Dutch
Latinate feminine form of Louis. A famous bearer was the American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), the author of Little Women.

Lowell m English
From an English surname that was derived from a Norman French nickname, from lou "wolf" and a diminutive suffix. The surname was borne by American poet and satirist James Russell Lowell (1819-1891).

Lucan m History
From the Roman cognomen Lucanus, which was derived from the name of the city of Luca in Tuscany (modern Lucca). Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, commonly called Lucan, was a 1st-century Roman poet.

Lucasta f Literature
This name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called Lucasta (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, whom he called lux casta "pure light".

Lucianus m Ancient Roman
Roman family name that was derived from the Roman praenomen Lucius. Lucianus (or Λουκιανός in his native Greek) of Samosata was a 2nd-century satirist and author. This name was also borne by a 3rd-century saint and martyr from Beauvais and a 4th-century saint and martyr from Antioch.

Lucretius m Ancient Roman
Masculine form of Lucretia. This name was borne by 1st-century BC Roman poet Titus Lucretius Carus.

Luke m English, Biblical
English form of Latin Lucas, from the Greek name Λουκᾶς (Loukas), probably a shortened form of Λουκανός (Loukanos) meaning "from Lucania", Lucania being a region in southern Italy. Luke was a doctor who travelled in the company of the apostle Paul. According to tradition, he was the author of the third gospel and Acts in the New Testament. He was probably of Greek ethnicity. He is considered a saint by many Christian denominations.... [more]