Abishai m BiblicalMeans
"my father is a gift" in Hebrew, from the roots
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and
שַׁי (shai) meaning "gift". In the Old Testament he is one of King
David's heroes.
Bai m & f ChineseFrom 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.
Carmi m BiblicalMeans
"vine" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Reuben in the Old Testament.
Eli 1 m English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewMeans
"ascension" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָלָה (ʿala) meaning "to ascend". In the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young
Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.
... [more] Guy 1 m English, FrenchOld French form of
Wido. The Normans introduced it to England, where it was common until the time of Guy Fawkes (1570-1606), a revolutionary who attempted to blow up the British parliament. The name was revived in the 19th century, due in part to characters in the novels
Guy Mannering (1815) by Walter Scott and
The Heir of Redclyffe (1854) by C. M. Yonge.
Haggai m BiblicalMeans
"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.
Hai m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
海 (hǎi) meaning "sea, ocean" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Ittai m BiblicalFrom a Hebrew name spelled variously
אִתַּי (ʾIttai) or
אִיתַי (ʾIṯai) meaning
"with me". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of King
David's mighty men.
July f & m English (Rare)From the name of the month, which was originally named for Julius Caesar.
Kai 1 m Frisian, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, EnglishMeaning uncertain, possibly a Frisian diminutive of
Gerhard,
Nicolaas,
Cornelis or
Gaius. It is borne by a boy captured by the Snow Queen in an 1844 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Spreading from Germany and Scandinavia, this name became popular in the English-speaking world and other places in Western Europe around the end of the 20th century.
Kai 4 m ChineseFrom Chinese
凯 (kǎi) meaning "triumph, victory, music of triumph", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Lehi m MormonFrom an Old Testament place name meaning
"jawbone" in Hebrew, so called because it was the site where the hero
Samson defeated 1,000 warriors using only the jawbone of a donkey as a weapon. It is also used in the Book of Mormon as the name of a prophet who travels out of Jerusalem and settles in the Americas.
Levi m Hebrew, English, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical LatinPossibly means
"joined, attached" in Hebrew. As told in the Old Testament, Levi was the third son of
Jacob and
Leah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, known as the Levites. This was the tribe that formed the priestly class of the Israelites. The brothers
Moses and
Aaron were members. This name also occurs in the New Testament, where it is borne by a son of
Alphaeus. He might be the same person as the apostle
Matthew.
... [more] Lughaidh m Irish MythologyFrom Old Irish
Lugaid, a combination of the name of the mythological figure
Lugh and Old Irish
dech "honour, better". This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including the king Lugaid mac Con.
Mahli m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
מַחְלִי (Maḥli), derived from
חָלָה (ḥala) meaning
"weak, sick". This is the name of two characters mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
Malachi m Hebrew, English, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
מַלְאָכִי (Malʾaḵi) meaning
"my messenger" or
"my angel", derived from a possessive form of
מַלְאָךְ (malʾaḵ) meaning "messenger, angel". This is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Malachi, which some claim foretells the coming of Christ. In England the name came into use after the Protestant Reformation.
Mekhi m African AmericanMeaning unknown, possibly an invented name. This name was popularized by the American actor Mekhi Phifer (1974-).
Mihai m RomanianRomanian form of
Michael. Mihai the Brave was a prince of Wallachia who united Romania in the early 17th century.
Mordecai m Biblical, HebrewMeans
"servant of Marduk" in Persian. In the Old Testament Mordecai is the cousin and foster father of
Esther. He thwarted a plot to kill the Persian king, though he made an enemy of the king's chief advisor
Haman.
Naphtali m BiblicalMeans
"my struggle, my strife" in Hebrew, a derivative of
פָּתַל (paṯal) meaning "to twist, to struggle, to wrestle". In the Old Testament he is a son of
Jacob by
Rachel's servant
Bilhah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Nephi m MormonMeaning unknown. This name is used in the Book of Mormon as the name of a prophet, the son of
Lehi and
Sariah. He was supposedly the founder of the Nephite people in the Americas.
Omri m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical HebrewPossibly means
"servant" in Hebrew (or a related Semitic language), from the root
עָמַר (ʿamar) meaning "to bind". This was the name of a 9th-century BC military commander who became king of Israel. He appears in the Old Testament, where he is denounced as being wicked.
Qusay m ArabicPossibly derived from Arabic
قصي (qaṣī) meaning
"distant". This was the name of an ancestor of the Prophet
Muhammad who was in charge of a temple in Mecca.
Ry m & f EnglishShort form of
Ryan and other names beginning with
Ry.
Sakchai m ThaiDerived from Thai
ศักดิ์ (sak) meaning "power, honour" and
ชัย (chai) meaning "victory".
Sky f & m English (Modern)Simply from the English word
sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse
ský "cloud".
Sly m EnglishShort form of
Sylvester. The actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-) is a well-known bearer of this nickname.
Somchai m ThaiDerived from Thai
สม (som) meaning "worthy" combined with
ชาย (chai) meaning "man" or
ชัย (chai) meaning "victory".
Tai m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
太 (tài) meaning "very, extreme" or other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Tye m EnglishFrom a surname meaning
"pasture" in Middle English.
Zimri m Biblical, Biblical HebrewProbably means
"my music" in Hebrew, a possessive form of
זִמְרָה (zimra) meaning "music, song". This was the name of a king of Israel according to the Old Testament. He ruled for only seven days, when he was succeeded by the commander of the army
Omri. Another Zimri in the Old Testament was the lover of the Midianite woman
Cozbi.