Hideki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
秀 (hide) meaning "excellent, outstanding" or
英 (hide) meaning "excellent, fine" combined with
樹 (ki) meaning "tree". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Hideyoshi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
秀 (hide) meaning "excellent, outstanding" combined with
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable" or
吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck". Other kanji combinations are possible. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Hideyoshi
秀吉 being his given name) was a 16th-century daimyo who unified Japan and attempted to conquer Korea. He also banned the ownership of weapons by the peasantry, and banished Christian missionaries.
Hikmat m & f ArabicMeans
"wisdom" in Arabic, related to the root
حكم (ḥakama) meaning "to pass judgement, to decide".
Hilda f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Spanish, Hungarian, Anglo-Saxon (Latinized), GermanicOriginally a short form of names containing the Old Frankish element
hildi, Old High German
hilt, Old English
hild meaning
"battle" (Proto-Germanic *
hildiz). The short form was used for both Old English and continental Germanic names. Saint Hilda (or Hild) of Whitby was a 7th-century English saint and abbess. The name became rare in England during the later Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century.
Hildebert m German (Rare)Means
"bright battle" from the Old German elements
hilt "battle" and
beraht "bright". This name was borne by four early Frankish kings, usually called
Childebert.
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.
Hildegard f German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hilt "battle" and
gart "enclosure, yard". This was the name of the second wife of
Charlemagne (8th century). Also, Saint Hildegard was a 12th-century mystic from Bingen in Germany who was famous for her writings and poetry and also for her prophetic visions.
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.
Hiltrud f GermanMeans
"strength in battle", derived from the Old German elements
hilt "battle" and
drud "strength".
Hiram m Biblical, EnglishFrom Phoenician
𐤇𐤓𐤌 (Ḥirom) meaning
"exalted brother". This was the name of a king of Tyre according to the Old Testament. He may have reigned in the 10th century BC. As an English given name,
Hiram came into use after the Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century the Puritans brought it to America, where it gained some currency.
Hirohito m JapaneseFrom Japanese
裕 (hiro) meaning "abundant" and
人 (hito) meaning "person" or
仁 (hito) meaning "compassionate". Hirohito (1901-1989), name written
裕仁, was the emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989. Different combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Hiroki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (hiro) meaning "big, great" and
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness" or
樹 (ki) meaning "tree". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Hiroshi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
寛 (hiroshi) meaning "tolerant, generous",
浩 (hiroshi) meaning "prosperous", or other kanji and kanji combinations that are read the same way.
Hiroto m JapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (hiro) meaning "big, great" or
博 (hiro) meaning "command, esteem" combined with
人 (to) meaning "person",
翔 (to) meaning "soar, glide" or
斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation. Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Hirsh m YiddishMeans
"deer" in Yiddish, from Old High German
hiruz. This was a vernacular form of the Hebrew name
Tzvi. The deer is particularly associated with the tribe of
Naphtali (see
Genesis 49:21).
Hisham m Arabic, MalayMeans
"generous" in Arabic, ultimately from
هشم (hashama) meaning "to crush". The meaning derives from the traditional Arab act of crushing bread into crumbs in order to share it. This was the name of an 8th-century caliph of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain.
Hjördis f SwedishSwedish form of the Old Norse name
Hjǫrdís meaning
"sword goddess", derived from the elements
hjǫrr "sword" and
dís "goddess".
Hodel f Yiddish (Rare)Diminutive of
Hode. This is the name of Tevye's second daughter in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on late 19th-century stories by Sholem Aleichem.
Hodiah f & m BiblicalMeans
"majesty of Yahweh" in Hebrew, from
הוֹד (hoḏ) meaning "majesty, splendour" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is (probably) the name of a wife of
Ezra in the Old Testament. It is also borne by a few male biblical characters.
Hokolesqua m ShawneeMeans
"cornstalk" in Shawnee. This was the name of an 18th-century Shawnee chief.
Holden m English (Modern)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"deep valley" in Old English. This is the name of the main character in J. D. Salinger's novel
The Catcher in the Rye (1951), Holden Caulfield.
Hollis m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Middle English
holis "holly trees". It was originally given to a person who lived near a group of those trees.
Homer m English, Ancient Greek (Anglicized)From the Greek name
Ὅμηρος (Homeros), derived from
ὅμηρος (homeros) meaning
"hostage, pledge". Homer was the Greek epic poet who wrote the
Iliad, about the Trojan War, and the
Odyssey, about
Odysseus's journey home after the war. There is some debate about when he lived, or if he was even a real person, though most scholars place him in the 8th century BC. In the modern era,
Homer has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world (chiefly in America) since the 18th century. This name is borne by the oafish cartoon father on the television series
The Simpsons.
Hong m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
虹 (hóng) meaning "rainbow",
弘 (hóng) meaning "enlarge, expand, great" (which is usually only masculine) or
鸿 (hóng) meaning "wild swan, great, vast" (also usually only masculine). Other characters can also form this name.
Honorine f FrenchFrench form of
Honorina, a feminine form of the Roman name
Honorinus, a derivative of
Honorius. Saint Honorina was a 4th-century martyr from the Normandy region in France.
Horace m English, FrenchEnglish and French form of
Horatius, and the name by which the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus is commonly known those languages. In the modern era it has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, in honour of the poet.
Horatio m EnglishVariant of
Horatius. Shakespeare used it for a character in his tragedy
Hamlet (1600). It was borne by the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), famous for his defeat of Napoleon's forces in the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he was himself killed. Since his time the name has been occasionally used in his honour.
Horatius m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was possibly derived from Latin
hora meaning
"hour, time, season", though the name may actually be of Etruscan origin. A famous bearer was Quintus Horatius Flaccus, a Roman lyric poet of the 1st century BC who is better known as Horace in the English-speaking world.
Horea m RomanianFrom Romanian
horă, a type of circle dance. This was the nickname of Vasile Ursu Nicola (1731-1785), a leader of a peasant rebellion in Romania. He was eventually captured, tortured and executed.
Horsa m Anglo-Saxon MythologyFrom Old English or Old Saxon
hors meaning
"horse". According to medieval chronicles, Horsa and his brother
Hengist were the leaders of the first Saxon settlers to arrive in Britain. Horsa was said to have died in battle with the Britons. He is first mentioned in the 8th-century writings of the English historian Bede.
Horst m GermanMeans
"wood, thicket" in Low German. Alternatively, it may derive from
Horsa. This name was popular in the first half of the 20th century but has since become uncommon. It is now a German slang word for an unintelligent person.
Horus m Egyptian Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of
Ὧρος (Horos), the Greek form of Egyptian
ḥrw (reconstructed as
Heru and other forms) possibly from
ḥr "above, over" or
ḥrj "distant". In Egyptian mythology Horus was a god of the sky and light, often depicted as a man with the head of a falcon. In some versions of the mythology he was the son of
Osiris and
Isis, and avenged his father's murder by killing his uncle
Seth.
Hosea m BiblicalVariant English form of
Hoshea, though the name is spelled the same in the Hebrew text. Hosea is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Hosea. Written in the northern kingdom, it draws parallels between his relationship with his unfaithful wife and the relationship between God and his people.
Houston m EnglishFrom a Scottish surname meaning "
Hugh's town". The original Houston is in Scotland near Glasgow, but this is also the name of a city in Texas, named after the Texas president Sam Houston (1793-1863).
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).
Hoyt m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Middle English
hoit "stick", originally a nickname for a thin person.
Hróarr m Old NorseOld Norse name, derived from the element
hróðr "praise, fame" combined with either
geirr "spear" (making it a relation of
Hróðgeirr),
herr "army, warrior" or
varr "aware, cautious". This is the name of a legendary Danish king, the same one who is featured in the Anglo-Saxon poem
Beowulf with the name
Hroðgar.
Hroðgar m Anglo-SaxonFrom Old English
hroð "fame, glory" and
gar "spear", making it a cognate of
Hrodger (see
Roger). The name became unused after the Normans introduced the continental form. In the Old English poem
Beowulf this is the name of the Danish king.
Huang m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
煌 (huáng) meaning "bright, shining, luminous" (which is usually only masculine) or
凰 (huáng) meaning "phoenix" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.
Huanglong m Chinese MythologyFrom Chinese
黄 (huáng) meaning "yellow" and
龙 (lóng) meaning "dragon". This is the Chinese name for the Yellow Dragon, who is considered the animal form of the mythical Yellow Emperor
Huangdi.
Hubert m English, German, Dutch, French, Polish, Czech, GermanicMeans
"bright heart", derived from the Old German elements
hugu "mind, thought, spirit" and
beraht "bright". Saint Hubert was an 8th-century bishop of Maastricht who is considered the patron saint of hunters. The Normans brought the name to England, where it replaced an Old English cognate
Hygebeorht. It died out during the Middle Ages but was revived in the 19th century.
Hudson m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of Hudde". A famous bearer of the surname was the English explorer Henry Hudson (1570-1611).
Hugh m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Hugo, derived from Old Frankish
hugi or Old High German
hugu meaning
"mind, thought, spirit" (Proto-Germanic *
hugiz). It was common among Frankish and French nobility, being borne by Hugh Capet, a 10th-century king of France who founded the Capetian dynasty. The Normans brought the name to England and it became common there, even more so after the time of the 12th-century bishop Saint Hugh of Lincoln, who was known for his charity. This was also the name of kings of Cyprus and the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. The name is used in Ireland and Scotland as the Anglicized form of
Aodh and
Ùisdean.
Hughard m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hugu "mind, thought, spirit" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy".
Hugo m Spanish, Portuguese, English, Dutch, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, GermanicOld German form of
Hugh. As a surname it has belonged to the French author Victor Hugo (1802-1885), the writer of
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and
Les Misérables.
Huitzilopochtli m Aztec and Toltec MythologyMeans
"left side of the hummingbird" or
"southern hummingbird" in Nahuatl, derived from
huitzilin "hummingbird" and
ōpōchtli "left, south". In Aztec mythology he was the god of the sun and war. He was a patron deity of the city of Tenochtitlan (at the site of modern Mexico City).
Hulda 1 f Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Norse MythologyDerived from Old Norse
hulda meaning
"hiding, secrecy". This was the name of a sorceress in Norse mythology. As a modern name, it can also derive from archaic Swedish
huld meaning "gracious, sweet, lovable".
Huldah f BiblicalMeans
"weasel, mole" in Hebrew. This name appears in the Old Testament belonging to a prophetess.
Humbert m French, German (Rare), English (Rare), GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hun "bear cub" and
beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it has always been uncommon there. It was the name of a 7th-century Frankish saint who founded Maroilles Abbey. It was also borne by two kings of Italy (called
Umberto in Italian), who ruled in the 19th and 20th centuries. A notable fictional bearer is Humbert Humbert from Vladimir Nabokov's novel
Lolita (1955).
Humphrey m EnglishFrom the Old German elements
hun "bear cub" and
fridu "peace". The Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Hunfrith, and it was regularly used through the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the American actor Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957), who starred in
The Maltese Falcon and
Casablanca.
Hunor m HungarianDerived from the ethnic term
Hun, which refers to the nomadic people from Central Asia who expanded into Europe in the 4th century. The word
Hun is from Latin
Hunnus, which is possibly of Turkic origin. According to medieval Hungarian legend, the brothers Hunor and Magor were the ancestors of the Huns and the Magyars (Hungarians) respectively.
Hunter m & f EnglishFrom an English occupational surname for a hunter, derived from Old English
hunta. A famous bearer was the eccentric American journalist Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005).
Husam m ArabicMeans
"sword" in Arabic, a derivative of the verb
حسم (ḥasama) meaning "to sever, to finish, to decide".
Husayn m ArabicDiminutive of
Hasan. Husayn ibn Ali (also commonly transliterated
Hussein) was the son of
Ali and the grandson of the Prophet
Muhammad. His older brother was named
Hasan. The massacre of Husayn and his family was a major event in the split between Shia and Sunni Muslims, which continues to this day. In more recent times this was the name of a king of Jordan (1935-1999).
Huxley m English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English
leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be
hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer of the surname was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).
Hwan m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
煥 (hwan) meaning "shining, brilliant, lustrous" or other characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character.
Hyeon-Jeong f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able" or
炫 (hyeon) meaning "shine, glitter" combined with
廷 (jeong) meaning "courtyard" or
貞 (jeong) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
Hypatia f Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
ὕπατος (hypatos) meaning
"highest, supreme". Hypatia of Alexandria was a 5th-century philosopher and mathematician, daughter of the mathematician Theon.
Hyperion m Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
ὑπέρ (hyper) meaning
"over". In Greek myth this was the name of a Titan who presided over the sun and light. By
Theia he was the father of the sun god
Helios, the moon goddess
Selene, and the dawn goddess
Eos.
Hyrum m English (Rare)Variant of
Hiram. This name was borne by Hyrum Smith (1800-1844), an early leader within the Mormon Church.
Hywel m WelshFrom Old Welsh
Higuel meaning
"eminent, prominent" (literally
"well-seen"). This was the name of a few Welsh kings, including the 10th-century Hywel the Good who was known for establishing laws.
Iago m Welsh, Galician, PortugueseWelsh and Galician form of
Iacobus (see
James). This was the name of two early Welsh kings of Gwynedd. It is also the name of the villain in Shakespeare's tragedy
Othello (1603).
Ian m Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
Iain, itself from Latin
Iohannes (see
John). It became popular in the United Kingdom outside of Scotland in the first half of the 20th century, but did not begin catching on in America until the 1960s.
Ibragim m Chechen, Ossetian, KyrgyzChechen, Ossetian and Kyrgyz form of
Ibrahim. This is also a Russian form, used to Russify native versions of the name in countries that were once part of the Soviet Union.
Ibrahim m Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, Pashto, Urdu, Kazakh, Tatar, Bashkir, Avar, Bosnian, Dhivehi, Albanian, Hausa, SwahiliArabic form of
Abraham, also used in several other languages. This form appears in the Quran.
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] Idris 1 m Arabic, Malay, IndonesianPossibly means
"interpreter, teacher" in Arabic, related to the root
درس (darasa) meaning "to study, to learn". According to the Quran this was the name of an ancient prophet. He is traditionally equated with the Hebrew prophet
Enoch.
Idris 2 m WelshMeans
"ardent lord" from Old Welsh
iudd "lord" combined with
ris "ardent, enthusiastic". This name was borne by Idris the Giant, a 7th-century king of Meirionnydd.
Ieuan m WelshMedieval Welsh form of
Iohannes (see
John), revived in the 19th century.
Ifan m WelshModern form of
Ieuan, a medieval Welsh form of
Iohannes (see
John).
Ifunanya f IgboMeans
"love" in Igbo (literally "to see in one's eye").
Ige f & m YorubaMeans
"born feet first" in Yoruba.
Ignatius m Late RomanFrom the Roman family name
Egnatius, meaning unknown, of Etruscan origin. The spelling was later altered to resemble Latin
ignis "fire". This was the name of several saints, including the third bishop of Antioch who was thrown to wild beasts by Emperor Trajan, and by Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits, whose real birth name was in fact
Íñigo.
Igone f BasqueMeans
"ascension" in Basque. It is an equivalent of
Ascensión coined by the Basque writer Sabino Arana in 1910.
Igor m Russian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Slovak, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, BasqueRussian form of the Old Norse name
Yngvarr (see
Ingvar). The Varangians brought it with them when they began settling in Eastern Europe in the 9th century. It was borne by two grand princes of Kyiv, notably Igor I the son of
Rurik and the husband of Saint
Olga. Other famous bearers include Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), a Russian composer known for
The Rite of Spring, and Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972), the Russian-American designer of the first successful helicopter.
Ike m EnglishDiminutive of
Isaac. This was the nickname of the American president Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), based on the initial sound of his surname.
Iker m BasqueMeans
"visitation" in Basque. It is an equivalent of the Spanish name
Visitación, coined by Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque saints names.
Ilargi f BasqueMeans
"moon" in Basque, a compound of
hil "month" and
argi "light".
Ildefonso m SpanishSpanish form of the Visigothic name *
Hildifuns, which meant
"battle ready", derived from the Gothic elements
hilds "battle" and
funs "ready". This was the name of a 7th-century saint, an archbishop of Toledo.
İlker m TurkishMeans
"first man" in Turkish, derived from
ilk "first" and
er "man, hero, brave".
Imad m ArabicMeans
"support, pillar" in Arabic, a derivative of
عمد (ʿamada) meaning "to support".
Imhotep m Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
jj-m-ḥtp meaning
"he comes in peace". This was the name of a 27th-century BC architect, priest, physician and chief minister to the pharaoh
Djoser. Imhotep apparently designed the step pyramid at Saqqara, near Memphis.
Indiana f & m EnglishFrom the name of the American state, which means "land of the Indians". This is the name of the hero in the
Indiana Jones series of movies, starring Harrison Ford.
Indra m Hinduism, Hindi, Nepali, IndonesianMeans
"possessing drops of rain" from Sanskrit
इन्दु (indu) meaning "a drop" and
र (ra) meaning "acquiring, possessing". Indra is the name of the ancient Hindu warrior god of the sky and rain, frequently depicted riding the elephant Airavata. He is the chief god in the
Rigveda.
Ing m Germanic MythologyFrom the Germanic *
Ingwaz, possibly meaning
"ancestor". This was the name of an obscure Germanic fertility god who was considered the ancestor of the tribe the Ingaevones. It is possible he was an earlier incarnation of the god
Freyr.
Ingeborg f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, GermanFrom the Old Norse name
Ingibjǫrg, which was derived from the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with
bjǫrg meaning "help, save, rescue". This name was borne by a Danish princess who married Philip II of France in the 12th century.
Ingegerd f SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Ingigerðr, which was derived from the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with
garðr meaning "enclosure, yard".
Ingemar m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Ingimárr, derived from the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with
mærr "famous".
Ingmar m SwedishVariant of
Ingemar. This name was borne by the Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007).
Ingomar m German (Rare), GermanicFrom the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with Old German
mari "famous", making it a cognate of
Ingemar. Ingomar (or Inguiomer) was a 1st-century leader of the Cherusci, a Germanic tribe.
Ingram m Germanic, English (Rare)Germanic name composed of either the element
angil, from the name of the Germanic tribe of the Angles, or
engil meaning "angel" combined with
hram meaning "raven". This name was brought to England by the Normans, though it died out after the medieval era. These days it is usually inspired by the surname that was derived from the medieval name.
Ingrid f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, German, DutchFrom the Old Norse name
Ingríðr meaning
"Ing is beautiful", derived from the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with
fríðr "beautiful, beloved". A famous bearer was the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982).
Íñigo m SpanishMedieval Spanish form of
Eneko. This was the birth name of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who changed it in honour of Saint Ignatius of Antioch. As such, this name is sometimes regarded as a form of
Ignatius.
Inigo m English (Rare)English form of
Íñigo. It became well-known in Britain due to the English architect Inigo Jones (1573-1652). He was named after his father, a Catholic who was named for Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
Iorwerth m Welsh, Old WelshMeans
"worthy lord" from Old Welsh
ior "lord" and
gwerth "value, worth". This name was used by medieval Welsh royalty, including the prince Iorwerth Goch of Powys, who is mentioned in the tale the
Dream of Rhonabwy. It has sometimes been Anglicized as
Edward.
Iphigeneia f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
ἴφιος (iphios) meaning "strong, stout" and
γενής (genes) meaning "born". In Greek myth Iphigenia was the daughter of King
Agamemnon. When her father offended
Artemis it was divined that the only way to appease the goddess was to sacrifice Iphigenia. Just as Agamemnon was about to sacrifice his daughter she was magically transported to the city of Taurus.
... [more] Iqra f UrduFrom Arabic
اقْرأ (iqraʾ) meaning
"read, recite, confess". This is another name of the 96th chapter of the Quran.
Iracema f TupiMeans
"honey lips" in Tupi, from
yra "honey" and
tembe "lips". This is the name of an 1865 novel by José de Alencar, about the relationship between a Tupi woman and a Portuguese man during the early colonial period. Alencar may have constructed the name so that it would be an anagram of
America.
Irma f German, English, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Spanish, Italian, Georgian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Slovene, GermanicGerman short form of names beginning with the Old German element
irmin meaning
"whole, great" (Proto-Germanic *
ermunaz). It is thus related to
Emma. It began to be regularly used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century.
Irving m English, JewishFrom a Scottish surname that was derived from the town of Irvine in North Ayrshire, itself named for the River Irvine, which is derived from Brythonic elements meaning
"green water". Historically this name has been relatively common among Jews, who have used it as an American-sounding form of Hebrew names beginning with
I such as
Isaac,
Israel and
Isaiah. A famous bearer was the Russian-American songwriter and lyricist Irving Berlin (1888-1989), whose birth name was Israel Beilin.
Isaac m English, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
יִצְחָק (Yitsḥaq) meaning
"he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from
צָחַק (tsaḥaq) meaning "to laugh". The Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that
Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife
Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see
Genesis 17:17), and later Sarah laughed when overhearing the same prophecy (see
Genesis 18:12). When Isaac was a boy, God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, though an angel prevented the act at the last moment. Isaac went on to become the father of
Esau and
Jacob with his wife
Rebecca.
... [more] Isagani m TagalogPossibly from Tagalog
masaganang ani meaning
"bountiful harvest". This is the name of a character in the novel
El Filibusterismo (1891) by José Rizal.
Isaiah m English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (Yeshaʿyahu) meaning
"Yahweh is salvation", from the roots
יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. Isaiah is one of the four major prophets of the Old Testament, supposedly the author of the Book of Isaiah. He was from Jerusalem and probably lived in the 8th century BC, at a time when Assyria threatened the Kingdom of Judah. As an English Christian name,
Isaiah was first used after the Protestant Reformation.
Isamu m JapaneseFrom Japanese
勇 (isamu) meaning "brave" or other kanji having the same pronunciation.
Ishmael m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יִשְׁמָעֵאל (Yishmaʿel) meaning
"God will hear", from the roots
שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of
Abraham. He is the traditional ancestor of the Arab people. Also in the Old Testament, it is borne by a man who assassinates
Gedaliah the governor of Judah. The author Herman Melville later used this name for the narrator in his novel
Moby-Dick (1851).
Ishtar f Semitic MythologyFrom the Semitic root
ʿṯtr, which possibly relates to the Evening Star. Ishtar was an Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian goddess who presided over love, war and fertility. She was cognate with the Canaanite and Phoenician
Ashtoreth, and she was also identified with the Sumerian goddess
Inanna. Her name in Akkadian cuneiform
𒀭𒈹 was the same as the Sumerian cuneiform for Inanna.
Ismail m Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, Urdu, Bengali, Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Chechen, Avar, Albanian, DhivehiArabic form of
Ishmael, also used in several other languages. According to the Quran and Islamic tradition Ismail was a prophet and the founder of the Arab people.
Isra f ArabicMeans
"nocturnal journey" in Arabic, derived from
سرى (sarā) meaning "to travel by night". According to Islamic tradition, the
Isra was a miraculous journey undertaken by the Prophet
Muhammad.
Issachar m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekPossibly means
"man of hire" or
"there is reward", from Hebrew
שָׁכַר (shaḵar) meaning "hire, wage, reward". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the twelve sons of
Jacob (by
Leah) and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. A justification for the name's meaning is given in
Genesis 30:18.
István m HungarianHungarian form of
Stephen. This was the name of the first king of Hungary. Ruling in the 11th century, he encouraged the spread of Christianity among his subjects and is considered the patron saint of Hungary.
Italus m Roman MythologyMeans
"of Italy" in Latin. In Roman legend Italus was the father of
Romulus and
Remus, the founders of Rome. He supposedly gave his name to the region known as Italia or Italy (in fact the region may have gotten its name from Oscan
Víteliú meaning "land of bulls").
Iðunn f Norse Mythology, Old Norse, IcelandicProbably derived from the Old Norse prefix
ið- "again, repeated" and
unna "to love". In Norse mythology Iðunn was the goddess of spring and immortality whose responsibility it was to guard the gods' apples of youth.