Hilarius m Ancient RomanRoman name derived from Latin
hilaris meaning
"cheerful". Alternatively, it could be derived from the Greek name
Ἱλαρός (Hilaros) also meaning "cheerful" (the Greek word
ἱλαρός was the source of the Latin word
hilaris). Saint Hilarius was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Poitiers. This was also the name of a 5th-century pope.
Hilary f & m EnglishMedieval English form of
Hilarius or
Hilaria. During the Middle Ages it was primarily a masculine name. It was revived in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century as a predominantly feminine name. In America, this name and the variant
Hillary seemed to drop in popularity after Hillary Clinton (1947-) became the first lady in 1993. Famous bearers include American actresses Hilary Swank (1974-) and Hilary Duff (1987-).
Hilda f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Spanish, Hungarian, Anglo-Saxon (Latinized), GermanicOriginally a short form of names containing the Old Frankish element
hildi, Old High German
hilt, Old English
hild meaning
"battle" (Proto-Germanic *
hildiz). The short form was used for both Old English and continental Germanic names. Saint Hilda (or Hild) of Whitby was a 7th-century English saint and abbess. The name became rare in England during the later Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century.
Hildebert m German (Rare)Means
"bright battle" from the Old German elements
hilt "battle" and
beraht "bright". This name was borne by four early Frankish kings, usually called
Childebert.
Hildebrand m German (Archaic), GermanicMeans
"battle sword", derived from the Old German element
hilt "battle" combined with
brant "fire, torch, sword". This was the name of the hero of an 8th-century poem written in Old High German.
Hildegard f German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hilt "battle" and
gart "enclosure, yard". This was the name of the second wife of
Charlemagne (8th century). Also, Saint Hildegard was a 12th-century mystic from Bingen in Germany who was famous for her writings and poetry and also for her prophetic visions.
Hilderic m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hilt "battle" and
rih "ruler, king". Hilderic was a 6th-century king of the Vandals. This name was also borne by three early Merovingian Frankish kings, though their name is usually spelled as
Childeric.
Hildred f & m EnglishPossibly from the Old English masculine name
Hildræd, which was composed of the elements
hild "battle" and
ræd "counsel, advice". This name was revived in the late 19th century, probably because of its similarity to the popular names
Hilda and
Mildred.
Hilla f FinnishShort form of names beginning with
Hil. It also means "cloudberry" in Finnish.
Hillary f EnglishVariant of
Hilary. A famous bearer of the surname was Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), the first man to climb Mount Everest. It is borne by the American politician Hillary Rodham Clinton (1947-). The name dropped in popularity in 1993 after she became the first lady as the wife of Bill Clinton.
Hillel m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical HebrewDerived from Hebrew
הָלַל (halal) meaning
"praise". This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament as the father of the judge Abdon. It was also borne by the 1st-century BC Jewish scholar Hillel the Elder.
Hilperic m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
helfa "help" and
rih "ruler, king". This name was borne by two Burgundian kings and two Frankish kings (usually called
Chilperic).
Hiltrud f GermanMeans
"strength in battle", derived from the Old German elements
hilt "battle" and
drud "strength".
Hina f JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (hi) meaning "light, sun" or
日 (hi) meaning "sun, day" combined with
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Hinata f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
日向 (hinata) meaning "sunny place",
陽向 (hinata) meaning "toward the sun", or a non-standard reading of
向日葵 (himawari) meaning "sunflower". Other kanji compounds are also possible. Because of the irregular readings, this name is often written using the hiragana writing system.
Hind f ArabicPossibly means
"group of camels" in Arabic. Hind bint Abi Umayyah, also known as Umm Salama, was one of the wives of the Prophet
Muhammad. This is also the Arabic name for the country of India.
Hira 2 f TurkishFrom Arabic
حراء (Ḥirāʾ), which according to tradition was the name of the cave where the Prophet
Muhammad received his first revelation.
Hirah m BiblicalMeans
"splendour" in Hebrew. This is the name of a companion of
Judah in the Old Testament.
Hiraku m JapaneseFrom Japanese
拓 (hiraku) meaning "expand, open, support". Other kanji can also form this name.
Hiram m Biblical, EnglishFrom Phoenician
𐤇𐤓𐤌 (Ḥirom) meaning
"exalted brother". This was the name of a king of Tyre according to the Old Testament. He may have reigned in the 10th century BC. As an English given name,
Hiram came into use after the Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century the Puritans brought it to America, where it gained some currency.
Hirohito m JapaneseFrom Japanese
裕 (hiro) meaning "abundant" and
人 (hito) meaning "person" or
仁 (hito) meaning "compassionate". Hirohito (1901-1989), name written
裕仁, was the emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989. Different combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Hiroki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (hiro) meaning "big, great" and
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness" or
樹 (ki) meaning "tree". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Hiroko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
寛 (hiro) meaning "tolerant, generous",
裕 (hiro) meaning "abundant" or
浩 (hiro) meaning "prosperous" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Hiroshi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
寛 (hiroshi) meaning "tolerant, generous",
浩 (hiroshi) meaning "prosperous", or other kanji and kanji combinations that are read the same way.
Hiroto m JapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (hiro) meaning "big, great" or
博 (hiro) meaning "command, esteem" combined with
人 (to) meaning "person",
翔 (to) meaning "soar, glide" or
斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation. Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Hirsh m YiddishMeans
"deer" in Yiddish, from Old High German
hiruz. This was a vernacular form of the Hebrew name
Tzvi. The deer is particularly associated with the tribe of
Naphtali (see
Genesis 49:21).
Hisako f JapaneseFrom Japanese
久 (hisa) meaning "long time, long time ago" or
寿 (hisa) meaning "long life, lifespan" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Hisham m Arabic, MalayMeans
"generous" in Arabic, ultimately from
هشم (hashama) meaning "to crush". The meaning derives from the traditional Arab act of crushing bread into crumbs in order to share it. This was the name of an 8th-century caliph of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain.
Hitomi f JapaneseFrom Japanese
瞳 (hitomi) meaning "pupil of the eye". It can also come from
史 (hito) meaning "history" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful", as well as other kanji combinations. This name is often written with the hiragana writing system.
Hjördis f SwedishSwedish form of the Old Norse name
Hjǫrdís meaning
"sword goddess", derived from the elements
hjǫrr "sword" and
dís "goddess".
Hla m & f BurmeseMeans
"pretty, favourable" in Burmese.
Hodel f Yiddish (Rare)Diminutive of
Hode. This is the name of Tevye's second daughter in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on late 19th-century stories by Sholem Aleichem.
Hoder m Norse MythologyFrom Old Norse
Hǫðr, derived from
hǫð meaning
"battle". In Norse mythology he was a blind god, tricked by
Loki into killing his brother
Balder.
Hodesh f BiblicalMeans
"new moon, month" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, this is the wife of Shaharaim.
Hodiah f & m BiblicalMeans
"majesty of Yahweh" in Hebrew, from
הוֹד (hoḏ) meaning "majesty, splendour" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is (probably) the name of a wife of
Ezra in the Old Testament. It is also borne by a few male biblical characters.
Hoebaer m LimburgishLimburgish form of
Hubert. Its spelling has been influenced by the French pronunciation of Hubert.
Hoel m Breton, Arthurian CycleBreton form of
Hywel. This was the name of two dukes of Brittany. According to the chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth, it was borne by a ruler of Brittany who was an ally of King
Arthur.
Hoglah f BiblicalMeans
"partridge" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the daughters of
Zelophehad.
Hokolesqua m ShawneeMeans
"cornstalk" in Shawnee. This was the name of an 18th-century Shawnee chief.
Hōkūlani f HawaiianMeans
"heavenly star" from Hawaiian
hōkū "star" and
lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Holden m English (Modern)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"deep valley" in Old English. This is the name of the main character in J. D. Salinger's novel
The Catcher in the Rye (1951), Holden Caulfield.
Hollis m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Middle English
holis "holly trees". It was originally given to a person who lived near a group of those trees.
Holly f EnglishFrom the English word for the holly tree, ultimately derived from Old English
holen. Holly Golightly is the main character in the novella
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) by Truman Capote.
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.
Honey f English (Rare)Simply from the English word
honey, ultimately from Old English
hunig. This was originally a nickname for a sweet person.
Hong m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
虹 (hóng) meaning "rainbow",
弘 (hóng) meaning "enlarge, expand, great" (which is usually only masculine) or
鸿 (hóng) meaning "wild swan, great, vast" (also usually only masculine). Other characters can also form this name.
Honoka f JapaneseFrom Japanese
和 (hono) meaning "harmony" (using an obscure nanori reading) and
花 (ka) meaning "flower", as well as other combinations of kanji that have the same pronunciation. Very often it is written using the hiragana writing system.
Honoratus m Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"esteemed, distinguished". This was the name of at least seven saints, including a 5th-century archbishop of Arles and a 6th-century bishop of Amiens who is the patron saint of bakers.
Honoria f Late RomanFeminine form of
Honorius. This name was borne by the sister of the Western Roman emperor Valentinian III. After her brother had her engaged to a man she did not like, she wrote to
Attila the Hun asking for help. Attila interpreted this as a marriage proposal and subsequently invaded.
Honorine f FrenchFrench form of
Honorina, a feminine form of the Roman name
Honorinus, a derivative of
Honorius. Saint Honorina was a 4th-century martyr from the Normandy region in France.
Honorius m Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"honour, esteem, dignity". This was the name of an emperor of the Western Roman Empire. It was also borne by a few early saints and four popes.
Honour f & m English (Rare)From the English word
honour, which is of Latin origin. This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century. It can also be viewed as a form of
Honoria or
Honorata, which are ultimately derived from the same source.
Hope f EnglishFrom the English word
hope, ultimately from Old English
hopian. This name was first used by the Puritans in the 17th century.
Horace m English, FrenchEnglish 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.
Horatio m EnglishVariant of
Horatius. Shakespeare used it for a character in his tragedy
Hamlet (1600). It was borne by the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), famous for his defeat of Napoleon's forces in the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he was himself killed. Since his time the name has been occasionally used in his honour.
Horatius m Ancient RomanRoman 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.
Horea m RomanianFrom Romanian
horă, a type of circle dance. This was the nickname of Vasile Ursu Nicola (1731-1785), a leader of a peasant rebellion in Romania. He was eventually captured, tortured and executed.
Horsa m Anglo-Saxon MythologyFrom Old English or Old Saxon
hors meaning
"horse". According to medieval chronicles, Horsa and his brother
Hengist were the leaders of the first Saxon settlers to arrive in Britain. Horsa was said to have died in battle with the Britons. He is first mentioned in the 8th-century writings of the English historian Bede.
Horst m GermanMeans
"wood, thicket" in Low German. Alternatively, it may derive from
Horsa. This name was popular in the first half of the 20th century but has since become uncommon. It is now a German slang word for an unintelligent person.
Horus m Egyptian Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of
Ὧρος (Horos), the Greek form of Egyptian
ḥrw (reconstructed as
Heru and other forms) possibly from
ḥr "above, over" or
ḥrj "distant". In Egyptian mythology Horus was a god of the sky and light, often depicted as a man with the head of a falcon. In some versions of the mythology he was the son of
Osiris and
Isis, and avenged his father's murder by killing his uncle
Seth.
Horymír m CzechPossibly from the Slavic elements
gora (Czech
hora) meaning "mountain" and
mirŭ meaning "peace, world". According to a Czech legend, Horymír was a man sentenced to death but saved by his horse.
Hosanna f BiblicalFrom the Aramaic religious expression
הושע נא (Hoshaʿ na) meaning
"deliver us" in Hebrew. In the New Testament this is exclaimed by those around
Jesus when he first enters Jerusalem.
Hosea m BiblicalVariant 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.
Hoshea m Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hosheaʿ) meaning
"salvation", from the root
יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save". In the Old Testament at
Numbers 13:16,
Moses gives the spy Hoshea the new name
Yehoshuaʿ (see
Joshua), which has a related origin. This name was also borne by an 8th-century BC king of Israel, who was the last ruler of that state before it was conquered by Assyria.
Hoshi f JapaneseFrom Japanese
星 (hoshi) meaning "star" or other kanji with the same pronunciation.
Hoshiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
星 (hoshi) meaning "star" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Houston m EnglishFrom a Scottish surname meaning "
Hugh's town". The original Houston is in Scotland near Glasgow, but this is also the name of a city in Texas, named after the Texas president Sam Houston (1793-1863).
Howard m EnglishFrom an English surname that can derive from several different sources: the Anglo-Norman given name
Huard, which was from the Germanic name
Hughard; the Anglo-Scandinavian given name
Haward, from the Old Norse name
Hávarðr; or the Middle English term
ewehirde meaning "ewe herder". This is the surname of a British noble family, members of which have held the title Duke of Norfolk from the 15th century to the present. A famous bearer of the given name was the American industrialist Howard Hughes (1905-1976).
Hoyt m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Middle English
hoit "stick", originally a nickname for a thin person.
Hrachya m ArmenianMeans
"eyes of fire", from Old Armenian
հուր (hur) meaning "fire" and
աչք (achk) meaning "eyes, sight". This name was mentioned by the 5th-century Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi as belonging to an early Armenian king.
Hranislav m SerbianDerived from the Slavic element
xorniti (Serbo-Croatian
hraniti) meaning "to feed, to protect" combined with
slava meaning "glory".
Hróarr m Old NorseOld Norse name, derived from the element
hróðr "praise, fame" combined with either
geirr "spear" (making it a relation of
Hróðgeirr),
herr "army, warrior" or
varr "aware, cautious". This is the name of a legendary Danish king, the same one who is featured in the Anglo-Saxon poem
Beowulf with the name
Hroðgar.
Hroðgar m Anglo-SaxonFrom Old English
hroð "fame, glory" and
gar "spear", making it a cognate of
Hrodger (see
Roger). The name became unused after the Normans introduced the continental form. In the Old English poem
Beowulf this is the name of the Danish king.
Hruodnand m GermanicFrom the Old German elements
hruod meaning "fame" and
nand meaning "brave". According to some theories, this was the original form of
Roland.
Hua f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
华 (huá) meaning "splendid, illustrious, Chinese" or
花 (huā) meaning "flower, blossom" (which is usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters can form this name as well.
Huan f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
欢 (huān) meaning "happy, pleased", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Huang m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
煌 (huáng) meaning "bright, shining, luminous" (which is usually only masculine) or
凰 (huáng) meaning "phoenix" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.
Huangdi m Chinese MythologyFrom Chinese
黄 (huáng) meaning "yellow" and
帝 (dì) meaning "god, emperor". This is the Chinese name for the Yellow Emperor, a mythical ruler and deity who is said to have reigned in the 3rd millennium BC. He is regarded as the ancestor of the Chinese people.
Huanglong m Chinese MythologyFrom Chinese
黄 (huáng) meaning "yellow" and
龙 (lóng) meaning "dragon". This is the Chinese name for the Yellow Dragon, who is considered the animal form of the mythical Yellow Emperor
Huangdi.
Hubert m English, German, Dutch, French, Polish, Czech, GermanicMeans
"bright heart", derived from the Old German elements
hugu "mind, thought, spirit" and
beraht "bright". Saint Hubert was an 8th-century bishop of Maastricht who is considered the patron saint of hunters. The Normans brought the name to England, where it replaced an Old English cognate
Hygebeorht. It died out during the Middle Ages but was revived in the 19th century.
Huckleberry m LiteratureFrom 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).
Huda f ArabicMeans
"right guidance" in Arabic, from the root
هدى (hadā) meaning "to lead the right way, to guide".
Hudson m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of Hudde". A famous bearer of the surname was the English explorer Henry Hudson (1570-1611).
Huệ f VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
慧 (huệ) meaning
"bright, intelligent" or
蕙 (huệ) meaning
"tuberose (flower)".
Hugh m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Hugo, derived from Old Frankish
hugi or Old High German
hugu meaning
"mind, thought, spirit" (Proto-Germanic *
hugiz). It was common among Frankish and French nobility, being borne by Hugh Capet, a 10th-century king of France who founded the Capetian dynasty. The Normans brought the name to England and it became common there, even more so after the time of the 12th-century bishop Saint Hugh of Lincoln, who was known for his charity. This was also the name of kings of Cyprus and the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. The name is used in Ireland and Scotland as the Anglicized form of
Aodh and
Ùisdean.
Hughard m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hugu "mind, thought, spirit" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy".
Hugo m Spanish, Portuguese, English, Dutch, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, GermanicOld 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.
Hui f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
慧 (huì) meaning "intelligent, wise" (which is usually only feminine),
辉 (huī) meaning "brightness", besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Huitzilopochtli m Aztec and Toltec MythologyMeans
"left side of the hummingbird" or
"southern hummingbird" in Nahuatl, derived from
huitzilin "hummingbird" and
ōpōchtli "left, south". In Aztec mythology he was the god of the sun and war. He was a patron deity of the city of Tenochtitlan (at the site of modern Mexico City).
Hulda 1 f Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Norse MythologyDerived from Old Norse
hulda meaning
"hiding, secrecy". This was the name of a sorceress in Norse mythology. As a modern name, it can also derive from archaic Swedish
huld meaning "gracious, sweet, lovable".
Huldah f BiblicalMeans
"weasel, mole" in Hebrew. This name appears in the Old Testament belonging to a prophetess.
Hulderic m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hold "favourable, gracious, graceful, loyal" and
rih "ruler, king".
Humbert m French, German (Rare), English (Rare), GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hun "bear cub" and
beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it has always been uncommon there. It was the name of a 7th-century Frankish saint who founded Maroilles Abbey. It was also borne by two kings of Italy (called
Umberto in Italian), who ruled in the 19th and 20th centuries. A notable fictional bearer is Humbert Humbert from Vladimir Nabokov's novel
Lolita (1955).
Humphrey m EnglishFrom the Old German elements
hun "bear cub" and
fridu "peace". The Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Hunfrith, and it was regularly used through the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the American actor Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957), who starred in
The Maltese Falcon and
Casablanca.
Hunahpu m Mayan MythologyPossibly means
"one blowgunner", from Classic Maya
jun "one" and
puw "blowgun" (with the agentive prefix
aj-). Hunahpu and his twin brother
Xbalanque are the central characters of the
Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the K'iche' Maya.