Achaemenes m Old Persian (Latinized)Latin form of
Ἀχαιμένης (Achaimenes), the Greek form of the Old Persian name
𐏃𐎧𐎠𐎶𐎴𐎡𐏁 (Haxamaniš), derived from Old Iranian *
haxa "friend, companion, ally" and *
manah "mind, intellect, thought". This was the name of the founder of the Achaemenid dynasty (7th century BC).
Ælfwine m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ælf "elf" and
wine "friend". This name was not commonly used after the Norman Conquest.
Æðelwine m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
æðele "noble" and
wine "friend". This was the name of a few Anglo-Saxon saints, including a 7th-century bishop of Lindsey. The name became rare after the Norman Conquest.
Alboin m GermanicFrom the Old German elements
alb "elf" and
wini "friend". It is a cognate of
Ælfwine. This was the name of a 6th-century king of the Lombards who began the Lombard conquest of Italy.
Alvin m English, SwedishFrom a medieval form of any of the Old English names
Ælfwine,
Æðelwine or
Ealdwine. It was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the Old English names. As a Scandinavian name it is derived from
Alfvin, an Old Norse cognate of
Ælfwine.
Amyas m English (Rare)Meaning unknown, perhaps a derivative of
Amis. Alternatively, it may come from a surname that originally indicated that the bearer was from the city of Amiens in France. Edmund Spenser used this name for a minor character in his epic poem
The Faerie Queene (1590).
Anis m ArabicMeans
"friendly, friend" in Arabic, from the root
أنس (ʾanisa) meaning "to be friendly".
Astrophel m LiteratureProbably intended to mean "star lover", from Greek
ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star" and
φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend". This name was first used by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney in his collection of sonnets
Astrophel and Stella.
Audowin m GermanicDerived from Old Frankish
aud or Old High German
ot meaning "wealth, fortune" combined with
wini meaning "friend". This is a cognate of
Edwin.
Baldwin m English, GermanicMeans
"bold friend", derived from the Old German elements
bald "bold, brave" and
wini "friend". In the Middle Ages this was a popular name in Flanders and among the Normans, who brought it to Britain. It was borne by one of the leaders of the First Crusade, an 11th-century nobleman from Flanders. After the crusaders conquered Jerusalem, he was crowned as the king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Benigno m Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Rare)Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name
Benignus, which meant
"kind, friendly". This was the name of several saints including a 5th-century disciple of Saint
Patrick who later became the archbishop of Armagh.
Buddy m EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"friend". It probably originated as a nursery form of the word
brother.
Chewbacca m Popular CultureThe name of a Wookiee (a tall shaggy alien) in the
Star Wars series of movies, beginning in 1977. Creator George Lucas invented the name by experimenting with different combinations of sounds. It is explained in a later companion book that the name means
"honoured friend" in the Wookiee language.
Cuthbert m English (Rare)Derived from the Old English elements
cuþ "known, familiar" and
beorht "bright". Saint Cuthbert was a 6th-century hermit who became the bishop of Lindisfarne, an island off the coast of England. He was known as performer of healing miracles. Because of the saint, this name remained in use in England even after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the Protestant Reformation, but it was (briefly) revived in the 19th century.
Dakota m & f English (Modern)From the name of the Native American people of the northern Mississippi Valley, or from the two American states that were named for them: North and South Dakota (until 1889 unified as the Dakota Territory). The tribal name means
"allies, friends" in the Dakota language.
... [more] Darwin m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Deorwine. The surname was borne by the British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the man who first proposed the theory of natural selection and subsequently revolutionized biology.
Edwin m English, DutchMeans
"rich friend", from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wine "friend". This was the name of a 7th-century Northumbrian king, regarded as a saint. After the Norman Conquest the name was not popular, but it was eventually revived in the 19th century. A notable bearer was the astronaut Edwin Aldrin (1930-), also known as
Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon.
Emre m TurkishMeans
"friend, brother" in Turkish. This name was borne by the 13th-century Turkish poet Yunus Emre.
Epicurus m Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Ἐπίκουρος (Epikouros), derived from a word meaning
"helper, ally". Epicurus was a 3rd-century BC Greek philosopher who founded the school of philosophy called Epicureanism.
Erwin m German, Dutch, Polish, GermanicDerived from the Old German name
Hariwini, composed of the elements
heri "army" and
wini "friend". It may have merged somewhat with the name
Eberwin. A notable bearer was Erwin Schrödinger (1887-1961), an Austrian physicist who made contributions to quantum theory.
Faunus m Roman MythologyPossibly means
"to befriend" from Latin. Faunus was a Roman god of fertility, forests, and agriculture.
Fearchar m Scottish GaelicScottish Gaelic form of the Old Irish name
Ferchar, from
fer "man" and
carae "friend". This was the name of early kings of Dál Riata (sometimes as
Ferchar).
Germanus m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen meaning
"brother" in Latin. This was the name of several early saints.
Glædwine m Anglo-SaxonOld English name derived from the elements
glæd "bright, cheerful, glad" and
wine "friend". This name was not actually recorded in the Old English era, though it is attested starting in the 11th century.
Godwine m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"friend of god", derived from Old English
god combined with
wine "friend". This was the name of the powerful 11th-century Earl of Wessex, the father of King Harold II of England.
Koda m English (Modern)At least in part inspired by the name of a character from the animated movie
Brother Bear (2003). The moviemakers apparently took it from Lakota or Dakota
koda meaning
"friend, companion".
Lailoken m HistoryFrom medieval Latin
Laloecen, possibly related to Welsh
llallo meaning
"brother, friend". This name appears in medieval tales about Saint
Kentigern, borne by a prophetic madman at the court of
Rhydderch Hael. He may form a basis for
Myrddin, who is addressed as
llallogan by his sister
Gwenddydd in the
Red Book of Hergest.
Leofwine m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"dear friend", derived from the Old English elements
leof "dear, beloved" and
wine "friend". This was the name of an 8th-century English saint, also known as
Lebuin, who did missionary work in Frisia.
Leutwin m GermanicOld German name derived from the elements
liut "people" and
wini "friend". Saint Leutwin (or Leudwinus) was an 8th-century bishop of Trier.
Maldwyn m WelshFrom
Maldwyn, another name for the old Welsh county of Montgomeryshire. It is so called from
Trefaldwyn, the Welsh name for the county town of Montgomery, misinterpreting it as if meaning "town of Maldwyn". In fact it means "town of
Baldwin" (in Welsh both
m and
b mutate to
f).
Marvin m English, German, DutchFrom an English surname that was derived from the Welsh given name
Merfyn or the Old English name
Mærwine. As an American given name, it steadily rose in popularity through the beginnings of the 20th century and peaked in the early 1930s (closely mirroring the similar-sounding but unrelated name
Melvin). A famous bearer was the American musician Marvin Gaye (1939-1984).
Mehr m & f Persian, Persian MythologyModern Persian form of
Mithra. As a Persian vocabulary word it means
"friendship, love, kindness". It is also the name of the seventh month of the Persian calendar. All of these derive from the same source: the Indo-Iranian root *
mitra meaning "oath, covenant, agreement".
Mehrab m Persian, Persian MythologyFrom Persian
مهر (mehr) meaning "sun" or "friendship" and
آب (āb) meaning "water". This is the name of the king of Kabul in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
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.
Mithra m Persian MythologyFrom Avestan
𐬨𐬌𐬚𐬭𐬀 (mithra) meaning
"oath, covenant, agreement", derived from an Indo-Iranian root *
mitra meaning "that which binds". According Zoroastrian mythology Mithra was a god of light and friendship, the son of the supreme god
Ahura Mazda. Worship of him eventually spread outside of Persia to the Roman Empire, where it was known as Mithraism.
Mitra 1 m & f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"friend" in Sanskrit, a cognate of
Mithra. This is the name of a Vedic god (
मित्र) who is associated with friendship and contracts and is frequently paired with the god
Varuna. The feminine form
मित्रा (spelled with a final long vowel) is also transcribed as
Mitra.
Nadim m Arabic, UrduMeans
"drinking companion" in Arabic, derived from
ندم (nadima) meaning "to drink together".
Naji m ArabicMeans
"intimate friend" in Arabic, a derivative of
نجا (najā) meaning "to save, to entrust, to confide in". This can also be another way of transcribing the name
ناجي (see
Naaji).
Ortwin m German, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
ort "point" and
wini "friend". This is the name of
Gudrun's brother in the medieval German epic
Kudrun.
Oscar m English, Irish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, French, Irish MythologyPossibly means
"deer friend", derived from Old Irish
oss "deer" and
carae "friend". Alternatively, it may derive from the Old English name
Osgar or its Old Norse cognate
Ásgeirr, which may have been brought to Ireland by Viking invaders and settlers. In Irish legend Oscar was the son of the poet
Oisín and the grandson of the hero
Fionn mac Cumhaill.
... [more] Oswin m English (Rare)From the Old English elements
os "god" and
wine "friend". Saint Oswin was a 7th-century king of Northumbria. After the Norman Conquest this name was used less, and it died out after the 14th century. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.
Pamphilos m Ancient GreekMeans
"friend of all" from Greek
πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and
φίλος (philos) meaning "friend". This was the name of a 4th-century saint from Caesarea in the Roman province of Syria Palaestina.
Panfilo m ItalianItalian form of
Pamphilos. The Italian author Boccaccio used this name in his work
The Decameron (1350).
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] Reuel m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"friend of God" in Hebrew, from
רֵעַ (reaʿ) meaning "friend" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is another name for
Jethro. The fantasy author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a famous bearer.
Selwyn m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from an Old English given name, which was formed of the elements
sele "manor" and
wine "friend".
Tomomi f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
智 (tomo) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or
朋 (tomo) meaning "friend" combined with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or
実 (mi) meaning "fruit, good result, truth". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Veikko m FinnishFrom a colloquial form of the Finnish word
veli meaning
"brother".
Winfred m EnglishMeans
"friend of peace" from the Old English elements
wine "friend" and
friþ "peace". This was the birth name of the 8th-century missionary Saint
Boniface. It became rare after the Norman Conquest, though it was revived in the 19th century.
Zhandos m KazakhFrom Kazakh
жан (zhan) meaning "soul" and
дос (dos) meaning "friend" (both words of Persian origin).