Gudbrand m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Guðbrandr meaning
"god's sword", derived from the elements
guð "god" and
brandr "fire, torch, sword".
Guiscard m Medieval FrenchNorman French form of the Norman name
Wischard, from Old Norse
vizkr "wise" and the Old French pejorative suffix
-ard (from Old Frankish
hard "hard, firm, brave, hardy"). This was the byname of Robert Guiscard, an 11th-century Norman conqueror of Sicily.
Gwynedd f & m WelshFrom the name of the kingdom of Gwynedd, which was located in northern Wales from the 5th century. It is now the name of a Welsh county. The name may be related to Old Irish
Féni meaning "Irish people", itself possibly related to the Celtic root *
wēnā meaning "band of warriors".
Hadad m Semitic MythologyDerived from a Semitic root meaning
"thunder". Hadad was a Western Semitic (Levantine) god of thunder and storms, often called
Ba'al. He was imported to Mesopotamia by the Amorites, where he was known as
Adad to the Assyrians and Babylonians.
Halvard m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Hallvarðr, which meant
"rock guardian" from
hallr "rock" combined with
vǫrðr "guard, guardian".
Harold m EnglishFrom the Old English name
Hereweald, derived from the elements
here "army" and
weald "powerful, mighty". The Old Norse cognate
Haraldr was also common among Scandinavian settlers in England. This was the name of five kings of Norway and three kings of Denmark. It was also borne by two kings of England, both of whom were from mixed Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon backgrounds, including Harold II who lost the Battle of Hastings (and was killed in it), which led to the Norman Conquest. After the conquest the name died out, but it was eventually revived in the 19th century.
Haywood m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"fenced wood" in Old English.
Heard m Anglo-SaxonShort form of various Old English names containing the element
heard meaning
"hard, firm, brave, hardy".
Hereward m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
here "army" and
weard "guard". This was the name of an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon leader who rebelled against Norman rule.
Herod m BiblicalFrom the Greek name
Ἡρῴδης (Herodes), which probably means
"song of the hero" from
ἥρως (heros) meaning "hero, warrior" combined with
ᾠδή (ode) meaning "song, ode". This was the name of several rulers of Judea during the period when it was part of the Roman Empire. This includes two who appear in the New Testament: Herod the Great, the king who ordered the slaughter of the children, and his son Herod Antipas, who had
John the Baptist beheaded.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Hughard m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hugu "mind, thought, spirit" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy".
Ichabod m BiblicalMeans
"no glory" in Hebrew, from the roots
אִי (ʾi) meaning "not" and
כָּבַד (kavaḏ) meaning "to be glorious". In the Old Testament this is the grandson of
Eli and the son of
Phinehas. He was named this because his mother despaired that "the glory has departed from Israel" (
1 Samuel 4:21).
... [more] Illtyd m WelshFrom Old Welsh
Eltut, derived from the intensive prefix
el- combined with
tut "people, country". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh saint who founded the abbey of Llanilltud in Glamorgan.
Imad m ArabicMeans
"support, pillar" in Arabic, a derivative of
عمد (ʿamada) meaning "to support".
Jad m ArabicMeans
"serious" in Arabic. This name is most common in Lebanon.
Jamshid m Persian, Uzbek, Persian MythologyModern Persian form of Avestan
𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀⸱𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬀 (Yima Xshaēta), which meant
"shining Jam". This was the name of a mythological king of Persia who ruled during a golden age. He is known as either
Jamshid or
Jam, where
Jamshid is a combination of his original name and an honorific.
Jared m English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יָרֶד (Yareḏ) or
יֶרֶד (Yereḏ) meaning
"descent". This is the name of a close descendant of
Adam in the Old Testament. It has been used as an English name since the Protestant Reformation, and it was popularized in the 1960s by the character Jarrod Barkley on the television series
The Big Valley.
Jawad m ArabicMeans
"generous" in Arabic, a derivative of
جاد (jāda) meaning "to be excellent, to be generous".
Jihad m ArabicMeans
"battle, holy war" in Arabic, a derivative of the root
جهد (jahada) meaning "to struggle, to strive".
Junayd m ArabicMeans
"small army", derived from Arabic
جند (jund) meaning "army, soldiers".
Khodadad m PersianMeans
"God given" from Persian
خدا (khodā) meaning "god, lord" and
داد (dād) meaning "gave".
Khordad f & m Persian MythologyModern Persian form of
Haurvatat. From the Middle Persian era, this deity was often considered masculine. The third month of the Iranian calendar is named for her.
Lanford m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"long ford" in Old English.
Legend m English (Modern)From the English word, referring to a story about the past (or by extension, a heroic character in such a story), ultimately from Latin
legere "to read".
Leland m EnglishFrom a surname, originally from an English place name, which meant
"fallow land" in Old English. A famous bearer was the politician, businessman and Stanford University founder Leland Stanford (1824-1893).
Leonard m English, Dutch, German, Polish, Romanian, GermanicMeans
"brave lion", derived from the Old German elements
lewo "lion" (of Latin origin) and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish saint from Noblac who is the patron of prisoners and horses. The Normans brought this name to England, where it was used steadily through the Middle Ages, becoming even more common in the 20th century.
Leonhard m GermanGerman form of
Leonard. A famous bearer was the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), who made many important contributions to calculus, number theory, geometry and theoretical physics.
Leopold m German, Dutch, English, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, PolishDerived from the Old German elements
liut "people" and
bald "bold, brave". The spelling was altered due to association with Latin
leo "lion". This name was common among German royalty, first with the Babenbergs and then the Habsburgs. Saint Leopold was a 12th-century Babenberg margrave of Austria, who is now considered the patron of that country. It was also borne by two Habsburg Holy Roman emperors, as well as three kings of Belgium. Since the 19th century this name has been occasionally used in England, originally in honour of Queen Victoria's uncle, a king of Belgium, after whom she named one of her sons. It was later used by James Joyce for the main character, Leopold Bloom, in his novel
Ulysses (1922).
Linford m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally taken from place names meaning either "flax ford" or "linden tree ford" in Old English.
Linwood m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"stream forest" in Old English.
Lloyd m EnglishFrom a Welsh surname that was derived from
llwyd meaning
"grey". The composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948-) is a famous bearer of this name.
Lludd m Welsh MythologyProbably a variant of
Nudd altered due to alliterative assimilation with his byname
Llaw Ereint meaning "silver hand". Lludd Llaw Ereint is named as the father of
Creiddylad in
Culhwch and Olwen. He also appears in the Welsh tale
Lludd and Llefelys as the king of Britain, the son of
Beli Mawr.
Maitland m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was from a Norman French place name possibly meaning
"inhospitable".
Majid m Arabic, Persian, UrduMeans
"glorious, magnificent" in Arabic, from the root
مجد (majada) meaning "to be glorious". This transcription represents two related yet distinct Arabic names:
مجيد, in which the second vowel is long, and
ماجد, in which the first vowel is long.
Manfred m German, Dutch, Polish, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
man "man" and
fridu "peace". It was borne by a 13th-century king of Sicily. Another notable bearer was Manfred von Richthofen (1892-1918), the World War I pilot known as the Red Baron. This is also the name of the main character in Lord Byron's drama
Manfred (1817).
Maqsud m Arabic, UrduMeans
"intention, aim" in Arabic, a derivative of
قصد (qaṣada) meaning "to intend, to aim, to seek".
Medad m Biblical, Biblical HebrewPossibly means
"that which is beloved" in Hebrew, a derivative of
יָדִיד (yaḏiḏ) meaning "beloved". In the Old Testament Medad is one of the elders (along with
Eldad) who prophesies in the camp of the Israelites after the flight from Egypt.
Meginhard m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
megin "power, strength" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of a 12th-century saint, a bishop of Livonia.
Mehmed m Ottoman Turkish, BosnianOlder form of
Mehmet, as well as the Bosnian form. This was the name of six sultans of the Ottoman Empire, including Mehmed II the conqueror of Constantinople.
Mehrdad m PersianFrom Persian
مهر (mehr) meaning "sun" or "friendship" and
داد (dād) meaning "given". Since
مهر is also the Modern Persian form of
Mithra, this name can also function as a modern form of
Mithridates.
Meinrad m German, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
megin "power, strength" and
rat "counsel, advice". Saint Meinrad was a 9th-century hermit who founded the Benedictine abbey at Einsiedeln in Switzerland.
Milford m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from various place names all meaning
"ford by a mill" in Old English.
Millard m EnglishFrom an occupational English surname meaning
"guardian of the mill" in Old English.
Mirsad m BosnianMeaning unknown, possibly derived from Arabic meaning
"watchtower" or Persian meaning
"ambush".
Mordred m Welsh Mythology, Arthurian CycleFrom Welsh
Medraut, possibly from Latin
moderatus meaning
"controlled, moderated". In Arthurian legend Mordred was the illegitimate son (in some versions nephew) of King
Arthur. Mordred first appears briefly (as
Medraut) in the 10th-century
Annales Cambriae, but he was not portrayed as a traitor until the chronicles of the 12th-century Geoffrey of Monmouth. While Arthur is away he seduces his wife
Guinevere and declares himself king. This prompts the battle of Camlann, which leads to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur.
Muhammad m Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Bengali, Tajik, Uzbek, Indonesian, Malay, AvarMeans
"praised, commendable" in Arabic, derived from the root
حمد (ḥamida) meaning "to praise". This was the name of the prophet who founded the Islamic religion in the 7th century. According to Islamic belief, at age 40 Muhammad was visited by the angel
Gabriel, who provided him with the first verses of the Quran. Approximately 20 years later he conquered Mecca, the city of his birth, and his followers controlled most of the Arabian Peninsula at the time of his death in 632.
... [more] Musad m ArabicMeans
"lucky" in Arabic, from the root
سعد (saʿida) meaning "to be happy, to be lucky".
Mu'tamid m Arabic (Rare)Means
"relying on, leaning on" in Arabic. Al-Mu'tamid was a 9th-century Abbasid caliph. This was also the name of an 11th-century Abbadid ruler of Seville, who was a patron of the arts and a poet.
Ned m EnglishDiminutive of
Edward or
Edmund. It has been used since the 14th century, and may have had root in the medieval affectionate phrase
mine Ed, which was later reinterpreted as
my Ned.
Nenad m Serbian, CroatianMeans
"unexpected" in Serbian and Croatian. In the Serbian folk song
Predrag and Nenad this is the name of
Predrag's brother.
Nimrod m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeaning unknown, possibly of Akkadian origin or possibly meaning
"rebel" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Nimrod is a renowned hunter, the great-grandson of
Noah. He was the founder of Babylon.
... [more] Norwood m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally taken from a place name meaning
"north wood" in Old English.
Nudd m Welsh MythologyWelsh cognate of
Nuada. This is the name of a figure in Welsh legend, appearing in early poetry and in
Culhwch and Olwen as the father of
Gwyn.
Obrad m SerbianPossibly derived from Serbian
obradovati meaning
"to make happy".
Oddmund m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse elements
oddr "point of a sword" and
mundr "protection". This name was coined in the 19th century.
Ormond m English (Rare)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Ruaidh, derived from the given name
Ruadh.
Osmond m English (Rare)From the Old English elements
os "god" and
mund "protection". During the Anglo-Saxon period a Norse cognate
Ásmundr was also used in England, and another version was imported by the Normans. Saint Osmund was an 11th-century Norman nobleman who became an English bishop. Though it eventually became rare, it was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the given name.
Oswald m English, GermanDerived from the Old English elements
os "god" and
weald "powerful, mighty". Saint Oswald was a king of Northumbria who introduced Christianity to northeastern England in the 7th century before being killed in battle. There was also an Old Norse cognate
Ásvaldr in use in England, being borne by the 10th-century Saint Oswald of Worcester, who was of Danish ancestry. Though the name had died out by the end of the Middle Ages, it was revived in the 19th century.
Ovid m HistoryFrom the Roman family name
Ovidius, which was possibly derived from Latin
ovis "a sheep". Alternatively, it could have a Sabellic origin. Publius Ovidius Naso, better known as Ovid, was a 1st-century BC Roman poet who is best known as the author of the
Metamorphoses. He was sent into exile on the coast of the Black Sea by Emperor Augustus for no apparent reason.
Øyvind m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Eyvindr, which was derived from
ey meaning "island" or "good fortune" and
vindr possibly meaning "victor".
Pharamond m HistoryVariant of
Faramund. This form was used by Shakespeare in his historical play
Henry V (1599), referring to the Frankish king.
Prasad m Telugu, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Odia, Bengali, NepaliFrom Sanskrit
प्रसाद (prasāda) meaning
"brightness, clearness, graciousness, offering". This is a word referring to an offering of food made to a deity.
Ra'd m ArabicMeans
"thunder" in Arabic. This is the name of the 13th chapter of the Quran (surah ar-Rad).
Radboud m Dutch (Rare)Derived from the Old German elements
rat meaning "counsel, advice" and
bot meaning "command, order". This was the name of a 7th-century king of the Frisians.
Ramprasad m Bengali, Hindi, MarathiMeans
"clearness of Rama" from the name of the Hindu deity
Rama 1 combined with Sanskrit
प्रसाद (prasāda) meaning "clearness, brightness". This name was borne by the Bengali poet Ramprasad Sen (c. 1723-1781).
Rand m EnglishShort form of
Randolf and other names beginning with
Rand. As a surname (also derived from Randolf), it was borne as a pen name by the Russian-American author Ayn Rand (1905-1982).
Ravid m & f HebrewMeans
"ornament, necklace" in Hebrew.
Raymond m English, FrenchFrom the Germanic name
Raginmund, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
munt "protection". The Normans introduced this name to England in the form
Reimund. It was borne by several medieval (mostly Spanish) saints, including Saint Raymond Nonnatus, the patron of midwives and expectant mothers, and Saint Raymond of Peñafort, the patron of canonists.
Red m EnglishFrom the English word for the colour, ultimately derived from Old English
read. This is typically a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
Reed m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old English
read meaning
"red", originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. Unconnected, this is also the English word for tall grass-like plants that grow in marshes.
Renard m French (Rare)French form of
Reynard. Because of the medieval character Reynard the Fox,
renard became a French word meaning "fox".
Renaud m French, Carolingian CycleFrench form of
Reynold. This name was used in medieval French literature for the hero Renaud de Montauban, a young man who flees with his three brothers from the court of
Charlemagne after killing the king's nephew. Charlemagne pardons the brothers on the condition that they enter the Crusades. A loose version of the character also appears in medieval Italian extensions of the tales, in the Italian form
Rinaldo.
Reynard m English (Rare)From the Germanic name
Raginhard, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". The Normans brought it to England in the form
Reinard, though it never became very common there. In medieval fables the name was borne by the sly hero Reynard the Fox (with the result that
renard has become a French word meaning "fox").
Reynold m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Raginald, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
walt "power, authority". The Normans (who used forms like
Reinald or
Reinold) brought the name to Britain, where it reinforced rare Old English and Norse cognates already in existence. It was common during the Middle Ages, but became more rare after the 15th century.
Richard m English, French, German, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, GermanicMeans
"brave ruler", derived from the Old German elements
rih "ruler, king" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of three early dukes of Normandy. The Normans introduced it to England when they invaded in the 11th century, and it has been very common there since that time. It was borne by three kings of England including the 12th-century Richard I the Lionheart, one of the leaders of the Third Crusade.
... [more] Ricmod f & m GermanicDerived from the Old German element
rih "ruler, king" combined with
muot "mind, spirit".