Phobos m Greek MythologyMeans
"fear, panic" in Greek. This was one of the sons of
Ares in Greek mythology. Also, one of the moons of Mars bears this name.
Phocas m Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Φωκᾶς (Phokas), which meant
"seal (animal)" from Greek
φώκη (phoke). This was the name of an early saint and martyr from Asia Minor. Sentenced to death for being a Christian, he is said to have given his killers lodging and then dug his own grave before he was executed.
Phoenix m & f English (Modern)From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek
φοῖνιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".
Phrixus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Φρίξος (Phrixos) meaning
"thrilling, causing shivers", derived from
φρίξ (phrix) meaning "ripple, shiver". In Greek myth Phrixus was the son of Athamus and Nephele. He was to be sacrificed to
Zeus, but he escaped with his sister Helle on the back of the ram with the Golden Fleece.
Phượng f VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
鳳 (phượng) meaning
"phoenix". This refers to the mythological creature known as the Chinese phoenix or the Fenghuang.
Pierce m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the given name
Piers. In America this name slowly started to grow in popularity in 1982 when actor Pierce Brosnan (1953-) began starring on the television series
Remington Steele.
Piero m ItalianItalian form of
Peter. Piero della Francesca was an Italian Renaissance painter.
Pierre m French, SwedishFrench form of
Peter. This name has been consistently popular in France since the 13th century, but fell out of the top 100 names in 2017. It was borne by the philosopher and theologian Pierre Abélard (1079-1142), the scholar Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749-1827), the impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), and Pierre Curie (1859-1906), a physicist who discovered radioactivity with his wife Marie.
Piet m DutchShort form of
Pieter. Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was a Dutch abstract painter.
Pieter m DutchDutch form of
Peter. This name was borne by the Flemish painter Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c. 1525-1569).
Pietro m ItalianItalian form of
Peter. Pietro was the given name of the Renaissance painter known as Perugino.
Pilar f SpanishMeans
"pillar" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
María del Pilar, meaning "Mary of the Pillar". According to legend, when Saint
James the Greater was in Saragossa in Spain, the Virgin Mary appeared on a pillar.
Pinocchio m LiteratureMeans
"pine eye" from Italian
pino and
occhio. It was created by the Italian author Carlo Collodi for his novel
The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883), about a boy made out of wood whose nose grows longer every time he lies. The story was later adapted into a 1940 Disney movie.
Piran m CornishPossibly derived from
Ciarán. This was the name of a 5th-century Irish monk who founded a monastery in Cornwall. He is the patron saint of Cornwall.
Pistis f Greek MythologyMeans
"trust, faith" in Greek. In Greek mythology Pistis was the personification of trust.
Pitikwahanapiwiyin m Cree (Anglicized)From Cree
ᐲᐦᑐᑲᐦᐊᓇᐱᐏᔨᐣ (Pîhtokahanapiwiyin) meaning
"sits at the buffalo pound", derived from
ᐲᐦᑐᑲᐦᐋᐣ (pîhtokahân) "buffalo pound, buffalo corral" and
ᐊᐱᐤ (apiw) "sit". This was the name of a Plains Cree chief, also known as Poundmaker (1842-1886).
Pius m Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"pious, dutiful". This was the name of twelve popes.
Pollux m Roman MythologyRoman form of Greek
Πολυδεύκης (Polydeukes) meaning
"very sweet", from Greek
πολύς (polys) meaning "much" and
δευκής (deukes) meaning "sweet". In mythology he was the twin brother of
Castor and a son of
Zeus. The constellation Gemini, which represents the two brothers, contains a star by this name.
Pompey m HistoryModern form of the Roman family name
Pompeius, which was probably derived from a Sabellic word meaning
"five". A notable bearer was the 1st-century BC Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey the Great. Initially an ally of Julius Caesar, he later fought against him in the Roman civil war of 49-45 BC.
Pontius m Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, BiblicalRoman family name. The family had Samnite roots so the name probably originated from the Oscan language, likely meaning
"fifth" (a cognate of Latin
Quintus). Alternatively, it could be derived from the name of the ancient province of
Pontus in Asia Minor, itself probably from Greek
πόντος (pontos) meaning
"sea". A notable bearer of this name was Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea who appears in the New Testament.
Popeye m Popular CultureCreated by Elzie Crisler Segar in 1929 for a sailor character in his comic strip
Thimble Theatre, later renamed
Popeye. He presumably based it on the English words
pop and
eye.
Porcius m Ancient RomanRoman family name meaning
"pig", derived from Latin
porcus. Famous members of the family include the Roman statesmen Cato the Elder (Marcus Porcius Cato) and his great-grandson Cato the Younger (Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis).
Porter m EnglishFrom an occupational English surname meaning
"doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French
porte "door", from Latin
porta.
Poseidon m Greek MythologyPossibly derived from Greek
πόσις (posis) meaning "husband, lord" and
δᾶ (da) meaning "earth". The name first appears in Mycenaean Greek inscriptions as
po-se-da-o. In Greek mythology Poseidon was the unruly god of the sea and earthquakes, the brother of
Zeus. He was often depicted carrying a trident and riding in a chariot drawn by white horses.
Potsʉnakwahipʉ m ComancheMeans
"male bison back" in Comanche, derived from
potsʉ "male bison" and
kwahi "back (body part)". This name was borne by a 19th-century war chief of the Penateka Comanche, also called Buffalo Hump.
Prabhakara m SanskritMeans
"light maker", derived from Sanskrit
प्रभा (prabhā) meaning "light" and
कर (kara) meaning "maker". In Hindu scripture this term is used to refer to the sun and the moon. A notable bearer of this name was a 6th-century scholar from Kerala.
Pradeep m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, NepaliAlternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi
प्रदीप, Bengali
প্রদিপ, Malayalam
പ്രദീപ്, Kannada
ಪ್ರದೀಪ್, Telugu
ప్రదీప్, Tamil
பிரதீப் or Nepali
प्रदिप (see
Pradip).
Prasad m Telugu, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Odia, Bengali, NepaliFrom Sanskrit
प्रसाद (prasāda) meaning
"brightness, clearness, graciousness, offering". This is a word referring to an offering of food made to a deity.
Preston m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"priest town" (Old English
preost and
tun).
Price m EnglishFrom a Welsh surname that was derived from
ap Rhys meaning
"son of Rhys".
Pridon m GeorgianGeorgian form of
Fereydoun. It appears in the 12th-century Georgian epic poem
The Knight in the Panther's Skin, in which Pridon (fully Nuradin-Pridon) is a friend of
Avtandil and
Tariel.
Primitivus m Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"first formed". Saint Primitivus was a 3rd-century Spanish martyr.
Primo m ItalianItalian form of the Late Latin name
Primus, which meant
"first". This was the name of three early saints, each of whom was martyred.
Prochorus m Biblical, Biblical LatinLatinized form of the Greek name
Πρόχορος (Prochoros) meaning
"leader of the dance". Saint Prochorus was one of the original seven deacons of the church, as told in Acts in the New Testament.
Prokopios m Greek, Late GreekDerived from Greek
προκοπή (prokope) meaning
"progress, advance". Saint Prokopios was an early Christian martyr who was beheaded in Palestine during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian.
Prometheus m Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
προμήθεια (prometheia) meaning
"foresight, forethought". In Greek myth he was the Titan who gave the knowledge of fire to mankind. For doing this he was punished by
Zeus, who had him chained to a rock and caused an eagle to feast daily on his liver, which regenerated itself each night.
Herakles eventually freed him.
Prospero m ItalianItalian form of
Prosper. This is the name of the main character, a shipwrecked magician, in
The Tempest (1611) by William Shakespeare.
Proteus m Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
πρῶτος (protos) meaning
"first". In Greek mythology this was the name of a prophetic god of the sea. Shakespeare later utilized it for a character in his play
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
Ptolemy m HistoryFrom the Greek name
Πτολεμαῖος (Ptolemaios), derived from Greek
πολεμήϊος (polemeios) meaning
"aggressive, warlike". Ptolemy was the name of several Greco-Egyptian rulers of Egypt, all descendants of Ptolemy I Soter, one of the generals of Alexander the Great. This was also the name of a 2nd-century Greek astronomer.
Publius m Ancient RomanRoman praenomen, or given name, meaning
"public" in Latin. This was among the more common of the Roman praenomina, being borne by (among others) the emperor Hadrian and the poet Virgil.
Puck m & f Anglo-Saxon Mythology, DutchMeaning unknown, from Old English
puca. It could ultimately be of either Germanic or Celtic origin. In English legend this was the name of a mischievous spirit, also known as Robin Goodfellow. He appears in Shakespeare's play
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). It is used in the Netherlands as mainly a feminine name.
Pyotr m RussianRussian form of
Peter. A famous bearer was the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).
Pythagoras m Ancient GreekDerived from
Pythios, a name of
Apollo, combined with Greek
ἀγορά (agora) meaning "assembly, marketplace". This was the name of a 6th-century BC Greek philosopher and mathematician from Samos. He was the founder of a school of philosophy whose members believed that numbers described the universe.
Qadir m Arabic, UrduMeans
"capable, powerful, mighty" in Arabic, from the root
قدر (qadara) meaning "to have power, to be able". This transcription represents two related yet distinct Arabic names:
قادر, in which the first vowel is long, and
قدير, in which the second vowel is long. In Islamic tradition
القادر (al-Qādir) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Qasim m Arabic, UrduMeans
"one who divides goods among people" in Arabic, derived from
قسم (qasama) meaning "to divide, to distribute". This was the name of a son of the Prophet
Muhammad who died while young.
Qiang m ChineseFrom Chinese
强 (qiáng) meaning "strong, powerful, energetic", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Quanah m Comanche (Anglicized)From Comanche
kwana meaning
"fragrant, smelly". Quanah Parker (1845-1911) was a 19th-century chief of the Kwahadi Comanche.
Quentin m French, EnglishFrench form of the Roman name
Quintinus. It was borne by a 3rd-century saint, a missionary who was martyred in Gaul. The Normans introduced this name to England. In America it was brought to public attention by president Theodore Roosevelt's son Quentin Roosevelt (1897-1918), who was killed in World War I. A famous bearer is the American movie director Quentin Tarantino (1963-).
Quetzalcoatl m Aztec and Toltec MythologyMeans
"feathered snake" in Nahuatl, derived from
quetzalli "quetzal feather, precious thing" and
cōātl "snake". In Aztec and other Mesoamerican mythology he was the god of the sky, wind, and knowledge, also associated with the morning star. According to one legend he created the humans of this age using the bones of humans from the previous age and adding his own blood.
Quetzalli f NahuatlMeans
"feather (from the quetzal bird)" or
"precious thing" in Nahuatl.
Quinlan m & f English (Rare)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Caoindealbháin, itself from the given name
Caoindealbhán (Old Irish
Caíndelbán).
Quintilian m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Quintilianus, earlier
Quinctilianus, which was itself derived from the family name
Quinctilius. A notable bearer was the 1st-century rhetorician Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, simply known as Quintilian in English.
Quintus m Ancient RomanRoman praenomen, or given name, meaning
"fifth" in Latin. Originally, during the time of the early Roman Republic, it was spelled
Quinctus. This name was traditionally given to the fifth child, or possibly a child born in the fifth month. It was a common praenomen, being more popular than the other numeric Roman names. A notable bearer was the poet Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus).
Quirinus m Roman Mythology, Late RomanPossibly derived from the Sabine word
quiris meaning
"spear". Quirinus was a Sabine and Roman god, sometimes identified with
Romulus. He declined in importance after the early Republican era. The name was also borne by several early saints.
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.
Ra m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
rꜥ meaning
"sun" or
"day". Ra was an important Egyptian sun god originally worshipped in Heliopolis in Lower Egypt. He was usually depicted as a man with the head of a falcon crowned with a solar disc. In later times his attributes were often merged with those of other deities, such as
Amon,
Atum and
Horus.
Ra'd m ArabicMeans
"thunder" in Arabic. This is the name of the 13th chapter of the Quran (surah ar-Rad).
Radboud m Dutch (Rare)Derived from the Old German elements
rat meaning "counsel, advice" and
bot meaning "command, order". This was the name of a 7th-century king of the Frisians.
Radcliff m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"red cliff" in Old English.
Rade m Serbian, CroatianShort form of
Milorad and other names containing the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". It is often used independently.
Radek m Czech, PolishOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". In Poland it is usually a diminutive of
Radosław.
Radim m CzechOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing".
Radko m Bulgarian, CzechOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing".
Radoš m SerbianDerived from the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing", originally a diminutive of names beginning with that element.
Radu m RomanianOld Romanian diminutive of Slavic names beginning with the element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". Radu Negru was the semi-legendary founder of Wallachia in the 13th century.
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).
Rafe m EnglishVariant of
Ralph. This form became common during the 17th century, reflecting the usual pronunciation.
Rafferty m EnglishFrom an Irish surname, itself derived from the given name
Rabhartach meaning "flood tide".
Ragnarr m Old NorseFrom the Old Norse elements
regin "advice, counsel" and
herr "army, warrior". It is a cognate of
Rayner. This name was borne by the legendary Viking hero Ragnar Lodbrok.
Rahab f BiblicalMeans
"spacious" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a woman of Jericho who helped the Israelites capture the city.
Raharjo m JavaneseFrom Javanese
raharja meaning
"prosperous, plentiful, abundant".
Rahul m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, TeluguModern form of
Rahula.
Raijin m Japanese MythologyFrom Japanese
雷 (rai) meaning "thunder" and
神 (jin) meaning "god, spirit". This is the name of the god (or gods) of thunder and storms in the mythology of Japan.
Raj m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"empire, royalty", from Sanskrit
राज्य (rājya).
Rajendra m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, NepaliMeans
"lord of kings", derived from Sanskrit
राज (rāja) meaning "king" combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "lord". This was the name of two 11th-century rulers of the Chola Empire in southern India.
Rajesh m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"ruler of kings" from Sanskrit
राज (rāja) meaning "king" and
ईश (īśa) meaning "lord, ruler".
Rajnish m HindiMeans
"lord of the night" from Sanskrit
रजनी (rajanī) meaning "night" and
ईश (īśa) meaning "lord, ruler". This is another name for the moon in Hindu texts.
Raleigh m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning either "red clearing" or "roe deer clearing" in Old English. A city in North Carolina bears this name, after the English courtier, poet and explorer Walter Raleigh (1552-1618).
Ralph m English, German, SwedishContracted form of the Old Norse name
Ráðúlfr (or its Norman form
Radulf). Scandinavian settlers introduced it to England before the Norman Conquest, though afterwards it was bolstered by Norman influence. In the Middle Ages it was variously spelled
Rauf,
Rafe or
Ralf reflecting the usual pronunciation. The
Ralph spelling became more common in the 18th century. A famous bearer of the name was Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American poet and author who wrote on transcendentalism.
Rama 1 m Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, MalayalamMeans
"pleasing, beautiful" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of an incarnation of the god
Vishnu. He is the hero of the
Ramayana, a Hindu epic, which tells of the abduction of his wife
Sita by the demon king
Ravana, and his efforts to recapture her.
... [more] Ramadan m ArabicFrom the name of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from Arabic
رمض (ramaḍ) meaning "parchedness, scorchedness". Muslims traditionally fast during this month.
Ramakrishna m Telugu, KannadaCombination of the names of the Hindu deities
Rama 1 and
Krishna. This name was borne by the Hindu religious teacher Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886).
Ramesses m Ancient Egyptian (Anglicized)From
Ῥαμέσσης (Rhamesses), the Greek form of Egyptian
rꜥ-ms-sw meaning
"born of Ra", composed of the name of the supreme god
Ra combined with the root
msj "be born". Ramesses was the name of eleven Egyptian pharaohs of the New Kingdom. The most important of these were Ramesses II the Great who campaigned against the Hittites and also built several great monuments (13th century BC), and Ramesses III who defended Egypt from the Libyans and Sea Peoples (12th century BC).
Ramiro m Spanish, PortugueseSpanish and Portuguese form of
Ramirus, earlier
Ranimirus, a Latinized form of a Visigothic name derived from the Gothic element
rana "wedge" or perhaps
ragin "law, decree, assessment, responsibility" combined with
mers "famous". Saint Ramirus was a 6th-century prior of the Saint Claudius Monastery in León. He and several others were executed by the Arian Visigoths, who opposed orthodox Christianity. This name was subsequently borne by kings of León, Asturias and Aragon.
Ramla f ArabicMeans
"sand" in Arabic. This was the name of one of the wives of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Ramona f Spanish, Romanian, EnglishFeminine form of
Ramón. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel
Ramona (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.
Ramsey m & f EnglishFrom an English and Scottish surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"garlic island" in Old English.
Randolf m EnglishFrom the Old German elements
rant meaning "rim (of a shield)" and
wolf meaning "wolf". The Normans brought this name to England, where there existed already an Old Norse cognate
Randúlfr, which had been introduced by Scandinavian settlers.
Randolf became rare after the Middle Ages, though it was revived in the 18th century (usually in the spelling
Randolph).
Rangi m Maori, Polynesian MythologyMeans
"sky" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian mythology Rangi or Ranginui was a god of the sky, husband of the earth goddess
Papa. They were locked in a crushing embrace but were eventually separated by their children, the other gods.
Ranjit m Hindi, Marathi, BengaliFrom Sanskrit
रञ्जित (rañjita) meaning
"coloured, pleased, delighted". A famous bearer was Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the founder of a Sikh kingdom that covered most of the Punjab and Kashmir.
Raphael m German, English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
רָפָאֵל (Rafaʾel) meaning
"God heals", from the roots
רָפָא (rafa) meaning "to heal" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In Hebrew tradition Raphael is the name of an archangel. He appears in the Book of Tobit, in which he disguises himself as a man named
Azarias and accompanies
Tobias on his journey to Media, aiding him along the way. In the end he cures Tobias's father
Tobit of his blindness. He is not mentioned in the New Testament, though tradition identifies him with the angel troubling the water in
John 5:4.
... [more] Rareș m RomanianMeaning uncertain, possibly from Romanian
rar meaning
"sparse, rare". This name was borne by Petru Rareș, a 16th-century ruler of Moldavia, whose second name was adopted from a nickname of his mother's husband.
Rati f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"rest, repose, pleasure" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of love and pleasure, the wife of
Kama.
Raven f & m EnglishFrom the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English
hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god
Odin.
Ravi m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Odia, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, NepaliMeans
"sun" in Sanskrit. Ravi is a Hindu god of the sun, sometimes equated with
Surya. A famous bearer was the musician Ravi Shankar (1920-2012).
Ray m EnglishShort form of
Raymond, often used as an independent name. It coincides with an English word meaning "beam of light". Science-fiction author Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) and musician Ray Charles (1930-2004) are two notable bearers of the name.
Raymond m English, FrenchFrom the Germanic name
Raginmund, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
munt "protection". The Normans introduced this name to England in the form
Reimund. It was borne by several medieval (mostly Spanish) saints, including Saint Raymond Nonnatus, the patron of midwives and expectant mothers, and Saint Raymond of Peñafort, the patron of canonists.
Rayner m English (Archaic)From the Germanic name
Raginheri, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
heri "army". Saint Rainerius was a 12th-century hermit from Pisa. The Normans brought this name to England where it came into general use, though it was rare by the end of the Middle Ages.
Răzvan m RomanianMeaning unknown, possibly related to the name
Radovan. Alternatively it may have been brought to Romania by the Romani people (note that Romanian and Romani are unrelated), perhaps ultimately from
Rizwan.
Reagan f & m English (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Riagáin, derived from the given name
Riagán. This surname was borne by American actor and president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
... [more] Red m EnglishFrom the English word for the colour, ultimately derived from Old English
read. This is typically a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
Reed m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old English
read meaning
"red", originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. Unconnected, this is also the English word for tall grass-like plants that grow in marshes.