Browse Names

Akakios m Greek, Ancient Greek
From a Greek word meaning "innocent, not evil", derived from ἀ (a), a negative prefix, combined with κάκη (kake) meaning "evil". This was the name of three early saints, two of whom were martyred.

Basil 1 m English
From the Greek name Βασίλειος (Basileios), which was derived from βασιλεύς (basileus) meaning "king". Saint Basil the Great was a 4th-century bishop of Caesarea and one of the fathers of the early Christian church. Due to him, the name (in various spellings) has come into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors.

Bessarion m Late Greek
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Greek βῆσσα (bessa) meaning "wooded valley". This was the name of a 5th-century Egyptian hermit who was a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great. It was later adopted by the scholar Basilios Bessarion (1403-1472), a Greek born in Byzantine Anatolia who became a Roman Catholic bishop.

Charalambos m Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Χαράλαμπος (see Charalampos).

Desiderius m Late Roman
Derived from Latin desiderium meaning "longing, desire". It was the name of several early saints. It was also borne in the 8th century by the last king of the Lombard Kingdom.

Diogenes m Ancient Greek
Means "born of Zeus" from Greek Διός (Dios) meaning "of Zeus" and γενής (genes) meaning "born". This was the name of a Greek Cynic philosopher.

Ephraim m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
From the Hebrew name אֶפְרָיִם (ʾEfrayim) meaning "fruitful". In the Old Testament Ephraim is a son of Joseph and Asenath and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This name was also borne by two early saints: Ephraim or Ephrem the Syrian, a 4th-century theologian, and Ephraim of Antioch, a 6th-century patriarch of Antioch.

Fevzi m Turkish
Turkish form of Fawzi.

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.

Gundisalvus m Germanic (Latinized)
Old German (Latinized) form of Gonzalo.

Hilarion m Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek ἱλαρός (hilaros) meaning "cheerful". This was the name of a 4th-century saint, a disciple of Saint Anthony.

Honoratus m Late Roman
Late 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.

Ilarion m Bulgarian (Rare), Macedonian (Rare)
Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Hilarion.

Innokenty m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Иннокентий (see Innokentiy).

Josaphat m Biblical
Contracted form of Jehoshaphat used in some English versions of the New Testament.

Khwaja m Urdu
From the Persian title خواجه (khājeh) meaning "master, owner". It is more commonly a title than a given name.

Leontius m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Leontios.

Lucius m Ancient Roman, Biblical, English
Roman praenomen, or given name, which was derived from Latin lux "light". This was the most popular of the praenomina. Two Etruscan kings of early Rome had this name as well as several prominent later Romans, including Lucius Annaeus Seneca (known simply as Seneca), a statesman, philosopher, orator and tragedian. The name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament belonging to a Christian in Antioch. It was also borne by three popes, including the 3rd-century Saint Lucius. Despite this, the name was not regularly used in the Christian world until after the Renaissance.

Macarius m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latin form of Macario.

Mahavira m Sanskrit
Means "great hero" in Sanskrit, from महा (mahā) meaning "great" and वीर (vīra) meaning "hero, man". Mahavira (or Mahāvīra) was the 6th-century BC founder of Jainism.

Nicolas m French
French form of Nicholas.

Nilus m Greek Mythology (Latinized), Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Neilos.

Origen m History
From the Greek name Ὠριγένης (Origenes), which was possibly derived from the name of the Egyptian god Horus combined with γενής (genes) meaning "born". Origen was a 3rd-century theologian from Alexandria. Long after his death some of his writings were declared heretical, hence he is not regarded as a saint.

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.

Rabi'a f & m Arabic
Variant of Rabia.

Shiva 1 m Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit शिव (śiva) meaning "benign, kind, auspicious". Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction and restoration, the husband of the mother goddess Parvati. Though he does not appear in the Vedas, Shiva nevertheless incorporates elements of Vedic deities such as the storm god Rudra. He is often depicted with four arms and a third eye, and has both fierce and gentle aspects.... [more]

Siddhartha m Sanskrit, Buddhism, Bengali
Means "one who has accomplished a goal", derived from Sanskrit सिद्ध (siddha) meaning "accomplished" and अर्थ (artha) meaning "goal". Siddhartha Gautama was the real name of the Buddha.

Sophronius m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Σωφρόνιος (Sophronios), which was derived from Greek σώφρων (sophron) meaning "self-controlled, sensible". Saint Sophronius was a 7th-century patriarch of Jerusalem.

Tadej m Slovene
Slovene form of Thaddeus.

Theodosius m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Θεοδόσιος (Theodosios) meaning "giving to god", derived from θεός (theos) meaning "god" and δόσις (dosis) meaning "giving". Saint Theodosius of Palestine was a monk who founded a monastery near Bethlehem in the 5th century. This also was the name of emperors of the Eastern Roman and Byzantine Empires.

Valentin m French, Romanian, German, Czech, Russian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish
Form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1) in several languages.

Yahya m Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Indonesian, Malay
Arabic form of Yoḥanan (see John) appearing in the Quran, as well as the Turkish and Persian form. This name honours John the Baptist, a prophet in Islam.

Yaqub m Arabic
Arabic form of Yaʿaqov (see Jacob) appearing in the Quran.

Zachariah m English, Biblical
Variant of Zechariah. This spelling is used in the King James Version of the Old Testament to refer to one of the kings of Israel (called Zechariah in other versions).