Partholón m Irish MythologyProbably from the Biblical Latin name
Bartholomeus (see
Bartholomew). According to the 11th-century Irish history the
Book of Invasions, he was the leader of the first group of settlers to arrive on Ireland after the biblical flood, though they soon all died of disease. Earlier, he briefly appears in the form
Partholomus in the 9th-century
History of the Britons, written in Latin.
Parvin f & m Persian, Urdu, HindiMeans
"the Pleiades" in Persian. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus. This name is typically feminine in Iran, but unisex in India.
Pascal m French, German, DutchFrom the Late Latin name
Paschalis, which meant
"relating to Easter" from Latin
Pascha "Easter", which was in turn from Hebrew
פֶּסַח (pesaḥ) meaning "Passover". Passover is the ancient Hebrew holiday celebrating the liberation from Egypt. Because it coincided closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the same Latin word was used for both. The name Pascal can also function as a surname, as in the case of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French philosopher, mathematician and inventor.
Pat m & f EnglishShort form of
Patrick or
Patricia. A famous bearer of this name was Pat Garrett (1850-1908), the sheriff who shot Billy the Kid.
Patrick m Irish, English, French, German, Danish, Norwegian, SwedishFrom the Latin name
Patricius, which meant
"nobleman". This name was adopted in the 5th-century by Saint Patrick, whose birth name was Sucat. He was a Romanized Briton who was captured and enslaved in his youth by Irish raiders. After six years of servitude he escaped home, but he eventually became a bishop and went back to Ireland as a missionary. He is traditionally credited with Christianizing the island, and is regarded as Ireland's patron saint. He is called
Pádraig in Irish.
... [more] Patrocinio f & m SpanishMeans
"patronage, sponsorship" in Spanish, taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
La Virgen del Patrocinio, meaning "The Virgin of Patronage".
Patton m English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from a diminutive of
Patrick. A notable bearer of the surname was the American World War II general George S. Patton (1885-1945), who played an important part in the allied offensive in France.
Pau m Catalan, OccitanCatalan and Occitan form of
Paul. It also coincides with the Catalan word for
"peace".
Paul m English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Romanian, BiblicalFrom the Roman family name
Paulus, which meant
"small" or
"humble" in Latin. Paul was an important leader of the early Christian church. According to Acts in the New Testament, he was a Jewish Roman citizen who converted to Christianity after the resurrected
Jesus appeared to him. After this he travelled the eastern Mediterranean as a missionary. His original Hebrew name was
Saul. Many of the epistles in the New Testament were authored by him.
... [more] Paulino m Spanish, PortugueseSpanish and Portuguese form of the Roman family name
Paulinus, which was itself derived from
Paulus (see
Paul). Saint Paulinus of Nola was a 5th-century nobleman from Gaul who gave up his wealthy lifestyle and became bishop of Nola. He was also noted for his poetry. Another saint by this name was a 7th-century missionary to England who became the first bishop of York.
Pausanias m Ancient GreekFrom the Greek word
παυσανίας (pausanias) meaning
"reliever of sorrow", itself from
παῦσις (pausis) meaning "stopping" and
ἀνία (ania) meaning "grief, sorrow". Notable bearers include the kings Pausanias of Sparta (5th century BC) and Pausanias of Macedon (4th century BC), as well as a 2nd-century geographer.
Pavana m HinduismMeans
"purification, wind, air" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Vayu.
Paxton m English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"Pœcc's town".
Pœcc is an Old English given name of unknown meaning.
Pedro m Spanish, PortugueseSpanish and Portuguese form of
Peter. This was the name of the only two emperors of Brazil, reigning between 1822 and 1889.
Peer m Danish, NorwegianVariant of
Per. The Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen used this name for the main character in his play
Peer Gynt (1867).
Pegasus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Πήγασος (Pegasos), possibly either from
πηγός (pegos) meaning
"strong" or
πηγαῖος (pegaios) meaning
"from a water spring". In Greek mythology Pegasus was the winged horse that sprang from the blood of Medusa after she was killed by
Perseus. There is a constellation in the northern sky named after the horse.
Pelagius m Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Πελάγιος (Pelagios), which was derived from
πέλαγος (pelagos) meaning
"the sea". This was the name of several saints and two popes. It was also borne by a 4th-century British theologian whose teachings were eventually declared heretical.
Pelayo m SpanishSpanish form of
Pelagius. This was the name of the founder of the kingdom of Asturias in the 8th century.
Peleus m Greek MythologyProbably derived from Greek
πηλός (pelos) meaning
"clay". In Greek mythology Peleus was a king of Phthia. With his wife the sea nymph
Thetis he was the father of the hero
Achilles.
Pelias m Greek MythologyPerhaps derived from Greek
πέλεια (peleia) meaning
"rock pigeon". In Greek mythology, Pelias was the king of Iolcus who sent
Jason on the quest for the Golden Fleece.
Pelleas m Arthurian CyclePossibly from the Greek name
Peleus. In Arthurian legend this is the name of a knight in love with Arcade or Ettarde. He first appears in the Old French
Post-Vulgate Cycle in the 13th century, later in Thomas Malory's
Le Morte d'Arthur (15th century) and Alfred Tennyson's
Idylls of the King (1859).
Pelles m Arthurian CyclePossibly from the Welsh name
Beli. In the 13th-century
Lancelot-Grail Cycle of Arthurian romance this was the name of the Fisher King, the son of
Pellehan. He was also the father of
Elaine and grandfather of
Galahad.
Pellinore m Arthurian CyclePossibly from Welsh
Beli Mawr meaning
"Beli the Great". In Arthurian romance this was the name of a king of Listenois, a son of
Pellehan who pursued the elusive Questing Beast and later joined
Arthur's court. He first appears in the 13th-century
Lancelot-Grail Cycle.
Pepin m GermanicFrankish name of unknown meaning. It possibly means
"awe-inspiring" from the Germanic word *
bibēną "to tremble". This was the name of three majordomos of Austrasia including Pepin III the Short, who became the first Carolingian king of the Franks. He was the father of
Charlemagne.
Pepper f & m English (Modern)From the English word for the spice, which is prepared from the dried berries of the pepper plant. The word is derived from Latin
piper, ultimately from an Indo-Aryan source. In popular culture, Pepper is the nickname of Virginia Potts from the
Iron Man series of comic books and movies, created 1963.
Percival m Arthurian Cycle, EnglishCreated by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for his poem
Perceval, the Story of the Grail. Chrétien may have derived the name from Old French
perce val "pierce the valley", or he may have based it loosely on the Welsh name
Peredur. In the poem Perceval is a boy from Wales who hopes to become a knight under King
Arthur. Setting out to prove himself, he eventually comes to the castle of the Fisher King and is given a glimpse of the Grail.
Percy m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the name of a Norman town
Perci, which was itself perhaps derived from a Gaulish given name that was Latinized as
Persius. The surname was borne by a noble English family, and it first used as a given name in their honour. A famous bearer was Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), an English romantic poet whose works include
Adonais and
Ozymandias. This name can also be used as a short form of
Percival.
Peredur m Welsh Mythology, Arthurian CycleMeaning uncertain. It possibly means
"hard spears" from Welsh
peri "spears" and
dur "hard, steel". In early Welsh poetry and histories, the brothers Peredur and Gwrgi were chieftains in Cumbria who defeated
Gwenddoleu at the Battle of Arfderydd. This name was later used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth in the Latin form
Peredurus for an early (fictitious) king of Britain. Entering into Arthurian romance, Peredur is an aspiring knight in the 14th-century Welsh tale
Peredur son of Efrawg (an adaptation or parallel of Chrétien de Troyes' hero
Percival).
Peregrine m English (Rare)From the Late Latin name
Peregrinus, which meant
"traveller". This was the name of several early saints.
Perez m BiblicalMeans
"breach, burst forth" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the twin brother of
Zerah.
Pericles m Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Περικλῆς (Perikles), which was derived from Greek
περί (peri) meaning "around, exceedingly" and
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 5th-century BC Athenian statesman and general. It is also the name of the central character in the play
Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1608) written (or co-written) by William Shakespeare.
Përparim m AlbanianDerived from Albanian
përparim meaning
"progress, advancement".
Perry m EnglishFrom a surname that is either English or Welsh in origin. It can be derived from Middle English
perrie meaning "pear tree", or else from Welsh
ap Herry, meaning "son of
Herry". A famous bearer of the surname was Matthew Perry (1794-1858), the American naval officer who opened Japan to the West.
Perseus m Greek MythologyPossibly derived from Greek
πέρθω (pertho) meaning
"to destroy". In Greek mythology Perseus was a hero who was said to have founded the ancient city of Mycenae. He was the son of
Zeus and
Danaë. Mother and child were exiled by Danaë's father Acrisius, and Perseus was raised on the island of Seriphos. The king of the island compelled Perseus to kill the Gorgon
Medusa, who was so ugly that anyone who gazed upon her was turned to stone. After obtaining winged sandals and other tools from the gods, he succeeded in his task by looking at Medusa in the reflection of his shield and slaying her in her sleep. On his return he defeated a sea monster in order to save
Andromeda, who became his wife.
Perun m Slavic MythologyFrom Old Slavic
perunŭ meaning
"thunder". In Slavic mythology Perun was the god of lightning and the sky, sometimes considered to be the supreme god. Oak trees were sacred to him.
Peter m English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovene, Slovak, BiblicalDerived from Greek
Πέτρος (Petros) meaning
"stone". This is a translation used in most versions of the New Testament of the name
Cephas, meaning "stone" in Aramaic, which was given to the apostle
Simon by
Jesus (compare
Matthew 16:18 and
John 1:42). Simon Peter was the most prominent of the apostles during Jesus' ministry and is often considered the first pope.
... [more] Petrarch m HistoryAnglicized form of the surname of Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374), an Italian Renaissance poet and scholar. His surname was a patronym, originally
Petracco, from a diminutive of the name of his father
Pietro.
Petronius m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was possibly derived from Latin
petro, petronis meaning
"yokel".
Peyton f & m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally a place name meaning
"Pæga's town". This was a rare masculine name until the 1990s. In 1992 it was used for a female character in the movie
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and, despite the fact that it was borne by the villain, the name began to rise in popularity for girls as well as boys.
... [more] Phaedrus m Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Φαῖδρος (Phaidros), which meant
"bright". This was the name of a 5th-century BC Greek philosopher, and also of a 1st-century Roman fabulist who was originally a slave from Thrace.
Pharamond m HistoryVariant of
Faramund. This form was used by Shakespeare in his historical play
Henry V (1599), referring to the Frankish king.
Phil m EnglishShort form of
Philip and various other names beginning with
Phil, often a Greek element meaning "friend, dear, beloved".
Philibert m French, GermanicEarly variant of
Filibert altered by association with Greek
φίλος (philos) meaning "friend, lover". A famous bearer was Philibert de l'Orme (1510-1570), a French Renaissance architect.
Philip m English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, BiblicalFrom the Greek name
Φίλιππος (Philippos) meaning
"friend of horses", composed of the elements
φίλος (philos) meaning "friend, lover" and
ἵππος (hippos) meaning "horse". This was the name of five kings of Macedon, including Philip II the father of Alexander the Great. The name appears in the New Testament belonging to two people who are regarded as saints. First, one of the twelve apostles, and second, an early figure in the Christian church known as Philip the Deacon.
... [more] Phinehas m BiblicalProbably means
"Nubian" from the Egyptian name
Panhsj, though some believe it means
"serpent's mouth" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Phinehas is a grandson of
Aaron who kills an Israelite because he is intimate with a Midianite woman, thus stopping a plague sent by God. Also in the Bible this is the son of
Eli, killed in battle with the Philistines.
Phineus m Greek MythologyMeaning uncertain, possibly from Greek
φίνις (phinis), a variant of
φήνη (phene) meaning
"vulture". According to Greek mythology this was the name of a king of Thrace visited by
Jason and the Argonauts.
Phobos m Greek MythologyMeans
"fear, panic" in Greek. This was one of the sons of
Ares in Greek mythology. Also, one of the moons of Mars bears this name.
Phocas m Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Φωκᾶς (Phokas), which meant
"seal (animal)" from Greek
φώκη (phoke). This was the name of an early saint and martyr from Asia Minor. Sentenced to death for being a Christian, he is said to have given his killers lodging and then dug his own grave before he was executed.
Phoenix m & f English (Modern)From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek
φοῖνιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".
Phrixus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Φρίξος (Phrixos) meaning
"thrilling, causing shivers", derived from
φρίξ (phrix) meaning "ripple, shiver". In Greek myth Phrixus was the son of Athamus and Nephele. He was to be sacrificed to
Zeus, but he escaped with his sister Helle on the back of the ram with the Golden Fleece.
Phúc m & f VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
福 (phúc) meaning
"happiness, good fortune, blessing".
Phuong f & m KhmerMeans
"garland, bouquet (of flowers)" in Khmer.
Pier m Italian, DutchItalian and Dutch variant form of
Peter. In Italian, this form is often used in combination with another name.
Pierce m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the given name
Piers. In America this name slowly started to grow in popularity in 1982 when actor Pierce Brosnan (1953-) began starring on the television series
Remington Steele.
Piero m ItalianItalian form of
Peter. Piero della Francesca was an Italian Renaissance painter.
Pierre m French, SwedishFrench form of
Peter. This name has been consistently popular in France since the 13th century, but fell out of the top 100 names in 2017. It was borne by the philosopher and theologian Pierre Abélard (1079-1142), the scholar Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749-1827), the impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), and Pierre Curie (1859-1906), a physicist who discovered radioactivity with his wife Marie.
Piet m DutchShort form of
Pieter. Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was a Dutch abstract painter.
Pieter m DutchDutch form of
Peter. This name was borne by the Flemish painter Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c. 1525-1569).
Pietro m ItalianItalian form of
Peter. Pietro was the given name of the Renaissance painter known as Perugino.
Pikachu m Popular CultureFrom Japanese
ピカチュウ (Pikachuu), derived from the onomatopoeic words
ピカピカ (pikapika), a sparkly sound, and
チュウチュウ (chuuchuu), a mouse sound. This is the name of a Pokémon, a yellow rodent-like creature who can summon electricity, from a series of video games starting 1996. This is technically the name of the species, though it is used as a given name for the creature in some contexts.
Ping m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
平 (píng) meaning "level, even, peaceful". Other characters can also form this name.
Pinocchio m LiteratureMeans
"pine eye" from Italian
pino and
occhio. It was created by the Italian author Carlo Collodi for his novel
The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883), about a boy made out of wood whose nose grows longer every time he lies. The story was later adapted into a 1940 Disney movie.
Pip m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Philip or
Philippa. This is the name of the main character in
Great Expectations (1860) by Charles Dickens.
Pippin 2 m LiteratureThe name of a hobbit in
The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien. His full given name is
Peregrin, a semi-translation into English of his true hobbit name
Razanur meaning
"traveller".
Piran m CornishPossibly derived from
Ciarán. This was the name of a 5th-century Irish monk who founded a monastery in Cornwall. He is the patron saint of Cornwall.