Browse Names

This is a list of names in which the gender is masculine; and the categories include rivers.
gender
usage
​
Achelous m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀχελώιος (Acheloios), which is of unknown meaning, possibly of Semitic origin. This was the name of a Greek god of water and rivers, in particular the Achelous River in western Greece. He fought with (and was defeated by) Herakles for the hand of Deianeira.
Aeron m & f Welsh
From the name of the Welsh river Aeron, itself probably derived from the hypothetical Celtic goddess Agrona. Alternatively, the name could be taken from Welsh aeron meaning "berries".
Ahti m Finnish, Estonian, Finnish Mythology
Meaning unknown. This is the name of the Finnish god of the ocean, rivers and fishing.
Aled m Welsh
From the name of a Welsh river, of uncertain meaning.
Alexander m English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Slovak, Biblical, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant "defending men" from Greek ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, help" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek mythology this was another name of the hero Paris, and it also belongs to several characters in the New Testament. However, the most famous bearer was Alexander the Great, king of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, use of his name spread throughout Europe.... [more]
Alton m English
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "town at the source of the river" in Old English.
Alun m Welsh
Welsh form of Alan. It is also the name of two rivers in Wales.
Alwyn m Welsh
From the name of the River Alwen in northern Wales (a tributary of the River Dee).
Beckett m English (Modern)
From an English surname that could be derived from various sources, including from Middle English bec meaning "beak" or bekke meaning "stream, brook".
Ceri f & m Welsh
Meaning uncertain. It could come from the name of the Ceri River in Ceredigion, Wales; it could be a short form of Ceridwen; it could be derived from Welsh caru meaning "to love".
Ceyhun m Turkish, Azerbaijani
From Arabic جيحون (Jayḥūn), from Hebrew גִּיחוֹן (Giḥon), which in the Old Testament is a river originating in the Garden of Eden. The river's name itself is derived from Hebrew גִּיחַ (giyaḥ) meaning "to burst forth". In Islamic tradition it is identified with the Amu Darya, a river in central Asia.
Cledwyn m Welsh
Possibly derived from Welsh caled "rough, hard" and gwyn "white, blessed". This is the name of a small river (Cledwen) in Conwy, Wales.
Clinton m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from towns named Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". A famous bearer of the surname is former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).
Clyde m English
From the name of the River Clyde in Scotland, from Cumbric Clud, which is of uncertain origin. It became a common given name in America in the middle of the 19th century, perhaps in honour of Colin Campbell (1792-1863) who was given the title Baron Clyde in 1858.
Colwyn m Welsh
From the name of a bay and seaside town in Conwy, Wales.
Conway m English
From a Welsh surname that was derived from the name of the River Conwy, which possibly means "foremost water" in Welsh.
Dee f & m English
Short form of names beginning with D. It may also be given in reference to the Dee River in Scotland.
Douglas m Scottish, English
From a Scottish surname that was from the name of a town in Lanarkshire, itself named after a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water. It means "dark river", derived from Gaelic dubh "dark" and glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to glas "grey, green"). This was a Scottish Lowland clan, the leaders of which were powerful earls in the medieval period. The Gaelic form is Dùghlas or Dùbhghlas. It has been used as a given name since the 16th century.
Dubhshláine m Old Irish
Derived from Old Irish dub "dark, black" and either slán "challenge, defiance" or Sláine, the Irish name of the River Slaney.
Fırat m Turkish
From the Turkish name of the Euphrates River, which was derived (via Persian and Arabic) from Elamite or Sumerian.
Fraser m Scottish, English (Rare)
From a Scottish surname, originally Norman French de Fresel, possibly from a lost place name in France.
Ganga f & m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Telugu
From Sanskrit गङ्गा (Gaṅgā), the name of the Ganges River, derived from गम् (gam) meaning "to go". In Hindu tradition this is a personification of the river, typically depicted as a fair-skinned goddess riding a sea creature. As a given name, it is used by males as well.
Guadalupe f & m Spanish
From a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, meaning "Our Lady of Guadalupe". Guadalupe is a Spanish place name, the site of a famous convent, derived from Arabic وادي (wādī) meaning "valley, river" possibly combined with Latin lupus meaning "wolf". In the 16th century Our Lady of Guadalupe supposedly appeared in a vision to a native Mexican man, and she is now regarded as a patron saint of the Americas.
Hà f & m Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 河 (hà) meaning "river".
Hudson m English
From an English surname meaning "son of Hudde". A famous bearer of the surname was the English explorer Henry Hudson (1570-1611).
Jiang m & f Chinese
From Chinese 江 (jiāng) meaning "river, Yangtze", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Jordan m & f English, French, Macedonian, Serbian
From the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is יַרְדֵן (Yarḏen), and it is derived from יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend, flow down". In the New Testament John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Latin name Jordanes, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.... [more]
Kelvin m English
From the name of a Scottish river, perhaps meaning "narrow water". As a title it was borne by the Irish-Scottish physicist William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907), who acquired his title from the river.
Kendall m & f English
From an English surname that comes from the name of the city of Kendale in northwestern England meaning "valley on the river Kent". Originally mostly masculine, the name received a boost in popularity for girls in 1993 when the devious character Kendall Hart began appearing on the American soap opera All My Children.
Leith m & f English (Rare)
From a surname, originally from the name of a Scottish town (now a district of Edinburgh), which is derived from Gaelic lìte "wet, damp". It is also the name of the river that flows though Edinburgh.
Les m English
Short form of Leslie or Lester.
Lester m English
From an English surname that was derived from the name of the city of Leicester, originally denoting a person who was from that place. The city's name is derived from the river name Ligore combined with Latin castra "camp".
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.
Milford m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from various place names all meaning "ford by a mill" in Old English.
Monroe m & f English
From a Scottish surname meaning "from the mouth of the Roe". The Roe is a river in Northern Ireland. Two famous bearers of the surname were American president James Monroe (1758-1831) and American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).... [more]
Neilos m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Greek name of the Nile River, possibly of Semitic origin meaning "river". In Greek mythology he was the god of the Nile, the son of Okeanos and Tethys.... [more]
Nilo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Neilos (and also of the Nile River).
Okeanos m Greek Mythology
From the name of the river or body of water thought by the ancient Greeks to surround the Earth. In Greek mythology Okeanos was the Titan who personified this body of water.
Raeburn m English (Rare)
From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "stream where deer drink" (from Scots rae "roe deer" and burn "stream"). A famous bearer of the surname was Scottish portrait painter Henry Raeburn (1756-1823).
Rio 1 m & f Various
Means "river" in Spanish or Portuguese. A city in Brazil bears this name. Its full name is Rio de Janeiro, which means "river of January", so named because the first explorers came to the harbour in January and mistakenly thought it was a river mouth.
River m & f English (Modern)
From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".
Rostam m Persian, Persian Mythology
Meaning unknown, possibly from Iranian roots *rautas "river" and *taxma "strong". Rostam was a warrior hero in Persian legend. The 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi recorded his tale in the Shahnameh.
Rustam m Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik, Indonesian
Form of Rostam in various languages.
Seong-Su m Korean
From Sino-Korean 成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or 聖 (seong) meaning "holy, sacred" combined with 洙 (su), which refers to a river in China. Many other hanja character combinations are possible.
Shannon f & m English
From the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish sen "old, ancient". As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.
Shenandoah m Oneida (Anglicized)
Variant of Skenandoa, or from the name of the Shenandoah River (names that may or may not be connected). The traditional American folk song Oh Shenandoah may refer to the Oneida chief Skenandoa or to the river; it is unclear.
Skenandoa m Oneida (Anglicized)
Possibly from Oneida oskanutú meaning "deer". This was the name of an 18th-century Oneida chief. According to some sources the Shenandoah River in Virginia was named after him, though the river seems to have borne this name from before his birth. It is possible that he was named after the river, or that the similarity in spellings is a coincidence.
Sung-Soo m Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 성수 (see Seong-Su).
Tiberiu m Romanian
Romanian form of Tiberius.
Tiberius m Ancient Roman
Roman praenomen, or given name, meaning "of the Tiber" in Latin. The Tiber is the river that runs through Rome. Tiberius was the second Roman emperor, the stepson of Emperor Augustus. He was born Tiberius Claudius Nero, but was renamed Tiberius Julius Caesar after he was designated as the heir of Augustus.
Trent m English
From an English surname that originally denoted someone who lived by the River Trent. A famous bearer is the American musician Trent Reznor (1965-).... [more]
Tyberiy m Ukrainian (Rare)
Ukrainian form of Tiberius.
Väinämöinen m Finnish Mythology
Derived from Finnish väinä meaning "wide and slow-flowing river". In Finnish mythology Väinämöinen was a wise old magician, the son of the primal goddess Ilmatar. He is the hero of the Finnish epic the Kalevala.
Zaire m African American (Modern)
From the name of a country in Africa from 1971 to 1997, now called the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is said to be derived from Kikongo nzadi o nzere meaning "river swallowing rivers", referring to the Congo River.