Traugott m German (Rare)Derived from German
trau "trust" and
Gott "God". This name was created in the 17th century.
Travis m EnglishFrom the English surname
Travis (a variant of
Travers). It was used in America in honour of William Travis (1809-1836), the commander of the Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo.
Trent m EnglishFrom an English surname that originally denoted someone who lived by the River
Trent. A famous bearer is the American musician Trent Reznor (1965-).
... [more] Trenton m EnglishFrom the name of a New Jersey city established in the 17th century by William Trent. It means "
Trent's town".
Trevelyan m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a Cornish place name meaning
"homestead on the hill".
Trevor m Welsh, EnglishFrom a Welsh surname, originally taken from the name of towns in Wales meaning
"big village", derived from Middle Welsh
tref "village" and
maur "large". As a given name it became popular in the United Kingdom in the middle of the 20th century, then caught on in the United States in the 1960s.
Trey m EnglishFrom an English nickname meaning
"three".
Trinidad f & m SpanishMeans
"trinity" in Spanish, referring to the Holy Trinity. An island in the West Indies bears this name.
Tristan m English, French, Arthurian CycleProbably from the Celtic name
Drustan, a diminutive of
Drust, which occurs as
Drystan in a few Welsh sources. As
Tristan, it first appears in 12th-century French tales, probably altered by association with Old French
triste "sad". According to the tales Tristan was sent to Ireland by his uncle King Mark of Cornwall in order to fetch
Iseult, who was to be the king's bride. On the way back, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. Later versions of the tale make Tristan one of King
Arthur's knights. His tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since then.
Troy m EnglishOriginally from a surname that denoted a person from the city of Troyes in France. It is now more likely used in reference to the ancient city of Troy that was besieged by the Greeks in
Homer's
Iliad. The city's name, from Greek
Τροία (Troia), is said to derive from its mythical founder
Τρώς (Tros), but is more likely of Luwian or Hittite origin. This name was popularized in the 1960s by the actor Troy Donahue (1936-2001), who took his stage name from that of the ancient city.
Truman m EnglishFrom a surname that meant
"trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972). It was also borne by American writer Truman Capote (1924-1984).
Trym m Norse Mythology, NorwegianFrom Old Norse
Þrymr meaning
"noise, uproar". In Norse mythology he was a king of the giants who stole Mjölnir,
Thor's hammer. Trym demanded that he wed the beautiful
Freya in exchange for it, so Thor disguised himself in a wedding dress and killed the giant.
Tryphon m Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
τρυφή (tryphe) meaning
"softness, delicacy". Saint Tryphon, a gooseherder from Syria, was martyred in the 3rd century.
Tsubasa m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
翼 (tsubasa) meaning "wing", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.
Tuba f Arabic, TurkishFrom the name of a type of tree that is believed to grow in heaven in Islamic tradition. It means "blessedness" in Arabic.
Tucker m English (Modern)From an occupational surname for a cloth fuller, derived from Old English
tucian meaning "offend, torment". A fuller was a person who cleaned and thickened raw cloth by pounding it.
Tudor 1 m WelshAnglicized form of the medieval Welsh name
Tudur, possibly from a hypothetical Celtic name *
Toutorīxs meaning "ruler of the people" (cognate with
Theodoric). As a surname it was borne by five monarchs of England beginning with Henry VII in the 15th century. These monarchs were descended from Owain ap Maredudd ap Tudur, a Welsh nobleman.
Tullio m ItalianItalian form of the Roman family name
Tullius, derived from the praenomen
Tullus, which is of unknown meaning. A famous bearer was Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman orator and author.
Tuor m LiteratureMeans
"strength vigour" in the fictional language Sindarin. In the
Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Tuor was the mortal man who came to the hidden city of Gondolin to warn of its imminent doom. When Gondolin was attacked and destroyed he escaped with his wife
Idril and son Eärendil, and sailed into the west.
Turin m LiteratureMeans
"victory mood" in the fictional language Sindarin. In the
Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Turin was a cursed hero, the slayer of the dragon Glaurung. He was also called Turambar, Mormegil, and other names. This is also the Anglicized name of the city of Torino in Italy.
Tybalt m LiteratureThe name of a cousin of
Juliet killed by
Romeo in William Shakespeare's drama
Romeo and Juliet (1596). The character earlier appears as Tebaldo, an Italian form of
Theobald, in Luigi Da Porto's novella
Giulietta e Romeo (1524), one of Shakespeare's sources. Shakespeare was also inspired by the character of Tybalt the Cat (from
Thibault the French form of
Theobald) in medieval fables of Reynard the Fox (evidenced by
Mercutio calling Tybalt the "prince of cats").
Tycho m History, DutchLatinized form of
Tyge. This name was used by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), who was born as
Tyge.
Tychon m Greek Mythology, Ancient GreekFrom Greek
τύχη (tyche) meaning
"chance, luck, fortune", a derivative of
τυγχάνω (tynchano) meaning "hit the mark, succeed". This was the name of a minor deity associated with
Priapus in Greek mythology. It was also borne by a 5th-century saint from Cyprus.
Tyge m Danish (Rare)Danish form of
Tóki, an Old Norse diminutive of names containing the element
Þórr, from the name of the Norse god
Thor. This was the native name of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).
Tyler m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"tiler of roofs", derived from Old English
tigele "tile". The surname was borne by American president John Tyler (1790-1862).
Tyr m Norse MythologyFrom
Týr, the Old Norse form of the name of the Germanic god *
Tīwaz, related to Indo-European *
Dyēws (see
Zeus). In Norse mythology he was a god associated with war and justice, by some accounts a son of
Odin. While the gods bound the great wolf
Fenrir, Tyr placated the beast by placing his right hand in its mouth. After the binding was successful, Fenrir bit off Tyr's hand. At the time of the end of the world, Ragnarök, it is foretold that Tyr will slay and be slain by the giant hound Garm.
Tyrese m African American (Modern)Invented name, an elaboration of the initial sound in names such as
Tyrone,
Tyrell and
Tyree. It jumped in popularity after the American singer and actor Tyrese Gibson (1978-) released his debut album in 1998.
Tyrone m English, African AmericanFrom the name of a county in Northern Ireland, which is derived from Irish Gaelic
Tir Eoghain meaning "land of
Eoghan". This name was popularized by American actor Tyrone Power (1914-1958), who was named after his great-grandfather, an Irish actor.
Tyson m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally a nickname for a quarrelsome person, from Old French
tison meaning
"firebrand". A famous bearer of the surname is boxer Mike Tyson (1966-). This was a rare given name in America before 1960, but it increased in popularity through the 1960s and 70s, maybe because of its similarities with names such as
Tyler and
Tyrone.
Uaithne m Medieval IrishPossibly from Old Irish
úaine meaning
"green". Alternatively, it may come from the name of the Irish tribe the Uaithni.
Ulrich m German, GermanicFrom the Old German name
Odalric, derived from the element
uodil "heritage" combined with
rih "ruler, king". This was the name of two German saints. Another famous bearer was Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), also known as Huldrych, the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland.
Ultán m Irish, Old IrishMeans
"of Ulster" in Irish. Ulster is a region in the north of Ireland. This name was borne by two 7th-century Irish saints.
Ulysses m Roman Mythology, EnglishLatin form of
Odysseus. It was borne by Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), the commander of the Union forces during the American Civil War, who went on to become an American president. Irish author James Joyce used it as the title of his book
Ulysses (1922), which loosely parallels
Homer's epic the
Odyssey.
Uma f Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, HindiMeans
"flax" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess
Parvati. In Hindu texts it is said to derive from the Sanskrit exclamation
उ मा (u mā) meaning "O do not (practice austerities)!", which was addressed to Parvati by her mother.
Umar m Arabic, Urdu, Uzbek, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Indonesian, HausaMeans
"flourishing, living long" in Arabic, related to Arabic
عمر (ʿumr) meaning "life". Umar was a companion and strong supporter of the Prophet
Muhammad who became the second caliph of the Muslims. He is considered to be one of the great founders of the Muslim state. The name was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Persia, Umar Khayyam.
Umid m UzbekMeans
"hope" in Uzbek, ultimately from Persian
امید (omīd).
Ümit m TurkishMeans
"hope" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian
امید (omīd).
Unathi m & f XhosaMeans
"he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix
u- meaning "he, she" and
nathi meaning "with us".
Uno m Swedish, EstonianMeaning uncertain. It is possibly from the Old Norse name
Uni. It could also come from Latin
unus "one".
Urd f Norse MythologyFrom Old Norse
Urðr meaning
"fate". In Norse mythology Urd was one of the three Norns, or goddesses of destiny. She was responsible for the past.
Uriah m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
אוּרִיָה (ʾUriya) meaning
"Yahweh is my light", from the roots
אוּר (ʾur) meaning "light, flame" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of a Hittite warrior in King
David's army, the first husband of
Bathsheba. David desired Bathsheba so he placed Uriah in the forefront of battle so he would be killed.
Urien m Arthurian CycleFrom the Old Welsh name
Urbgen, possibly from the Celtic root *
orbo- "heir" and the suffix
gen "born of". This was the name of a 6th-century king of Rheged. Passing into Arthurian tales, he became the king of Gore, the husband of
Morgan le Fay, and the father of
Owain.
Urijah m BiblicalForm of
Uriah used in some English versions of the Old Testament (for a character in the Book of Jeremiah).
Urs m German (Swiss)German form of the Latin name
Ursus, which meant
"bear". Saint Ursus was a 3rd-century soldier in the Theban Legion who was martyred with Saint Victor. He is the patron saint of Solothurn in Switzerland.
Ursa f Late RomanFeminine form of
Ursus. This is the name of two constellations in the northern sky: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
Ursula f English, Swedish, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Late RomanMeans
"little bear", derived from a diminutive form of the Latin word
ursa "she-bear". Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.
Uther m Welsh Mythology, Arthurian CycleFrom the Welsh name
Uthyr, derived from Welsh
uthr meaning
"terrible". In Arthurian legend Uther was the father of King
Arthur. He appears in some early Welsh texts, but is chiefly known from the 12th-century chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth.
Uzziah m BiblicalMeans
"my power is Yahweh" in Hebrew, from the roots
עֹז (ʿoz) meaning "strength, power" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of several Old Testament characters including a king of Judah.
Uzziel m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"my power is God" in Hebrew, from the roots
עֹז (ʿoz) meaning "strength, power" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.
Václav m Czech, SlovakContracted form of an older Czech name
Veceslav, derived from the Slavic elements
vęťĭjĭ "more, greater" and
slava "glory". Saint Václav (known as
Wenceslas or
Wenceslaus in English) was a 10th-century Duke of Bohemia murdered by his brother. He is the patron saint of the Czech Republic. This was also the name of several Bohemian kings.
Vadim m RussianMeaning uncertain. It is used as a Russian form of the saintly name
Bademus. Alternatively it may be derived from Slavic
vaditi "to accuse, to argue" or from an Old Norse source. According to legend, this was the name of a legendary leader of the Ilmen Slavs who fought against the Varangians.
Väinämöinen m Finnish MythologyDerived 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.
Valdemar m Danish, Swedish, FinnishScandinavian form of
Waldemar, also used as a translation of the Slavic cognate
Vladimir. This was the name of four kings of Denmark and a king of Sweden. It was introduced to Scandinavia by the 12th-century Danish king Valdemar I who was named after his mother's grandfather: Vladimir II, a grand prince of Kievan Rus.
Valdis m LatvianShort form of
Voldemārs and other Latvian names containing the Baltic/Germanic element
vald "rule".
Valerian m Russian, Georgian, Romanian, HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Valerianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name
Valerius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Roman emperor (Publius Licinius Valerianus) who was captured by the Persians. Several saints have also borne this name, including a 2nd-century martyr of Lyons.
Valerius m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was derived from Latin
valere "to be strong". This was the name of several early saints.
Valkyrie f Various (Rare)Means
"chooser of the slain", derived from Old Norse
valr "the slain" and
kyrja "chooser". In Norse myth the Valkyries were maidens who led heroes killed in battle to Valhalla.
Văn m VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
文 (văn) meaning
"literature, culture, writing". This is a common middle name for Vietnamese boys.
Vance m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old English
fenn meaning
"marsh, fen".
Vardan m ArmenianDerived from Armenian
վարդ (vard) meaning
"rose", ultimately from an Iranian language.
Varius m Ancient RomanRoman family name meaning
"versatile" in Latin. Varius Rufus was a Roman epic poet of the 1st century BC.
Vasco m Portuguese, Spanish, ItalianFrom the medieval Spanish name
Velasco, which possibly meant
"crow" in Basque. A famous bearer was the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524), the first person to sail from Europe around Africa to India.
Vasu m Hinduism, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, HindiMeans
"excellent, good, wealthy, bright" in Sanskrit. This is a name for the Hindu gods, in particular the eight elemental deities who are attendants of
Indra. It is also borne by several other characters in Hindu legend.
Vaughan m Welsh, EnglishFrom a Welsh surname that was derived from
bychan (mutated to
fychan) meaning
"little".
Vayu m HinduismMeans
"air, wind" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Vedic Hindu god of the air and wind. In the
Ramayana he is the father of
Hanuman, while in the
Mahabharata he is the father of
Bhima.
Veasna m & f KhmerMeans
"fate, destiny" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit
वासना (vāsanā) meaning "imagination, impression".
Vega 2 f AstronomyThe name of a star in the constellation Lyra. Its name is from Arabic
الواقع (al-Wāqiʿ) meaning "the swooping (eagle)".
Veikko m FinnishFrom a colloquial form of the Finnish word
veli meaning
"brother".
Velda f EnglishMeaning unknown, possibly a derivative of the Old German element
walt meaning
"power, authority".
Velma f EnglishProbably a variant of
Wilma, the spelling with an
e perhaps due to the influence of
Selma 1. This name has been in use since the 19th century.
Venka f EsperantoMeans
"victorious", from Esperanto
venki "to conquer", ultimately from Latin
vincere.
Venkata m Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, MalayalamFrom the name of a sacred hill in Andhra Pradesh in southern India. It is the home of the Venkateswara Temple, a pilgrimage site for Hindus.
Vercingetorix m GaulishMeans
"king over warriors" from Gaulish
wer "on, over" combined with
kingeto "marching men, warriors" and
rix "king". This name was borne by a 1st-century BC chieftain of the Gaulish tribe the Arverni. He led the resistance against Julius Caesar's attempts to conquer Gaul, but he was eventually defeated, brought to Rome, and executed.
Vered f HebrewMeans
"rose" in Hebrew, originally a borrowing from an Iranian language.
Vernon m EnglishFrom a Norman surname, which was from a French place name, ultimately derived from the Gaulish word
vern meaning
"alder".
Verona f VariousFrom the name of the city in Italy, which is itself of unknown meaning.
Veronica f English, Italian, Romanian, Late RomanLatin alteration of
Berenice, the spelling influenced by the ecclesiastical Latin phrase
vera icon meaning
"true image". This was the name of a legendary saint who wiped
Jesus' face with a towel and then found his image imprinted upon it. Due to popular stories about her, the name was occasionally used in the Christian world in the Middle Ages. It was borne by the Italian saint and mystic Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727). As an English name, it was not common until the 19th century, when it was imported from France and Scotland.
Vespasian m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Vespasianus, derived either from Latin
vesper meaning
"west" or
"evening" or
vespa meaning
"wasp". This was the name of a 1st-century Roman emperor, Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the founder of the Flavian dynasty.
Vesper m & f Roman Mythology, Dutch (Modern)Latin cognate of
Hesperos. This name was used by the British author Ian Fleming for a female character, a love interest of James Bond, in his novel
Casino Royale (1953). She also appears in the film adaptations of 1967 and 2006.
Vesta f Roman MythologyProbably a Roman cognate of
Hestia. Vesta was the Roman goddess of the hearth. A continuous fire, tended by the Vestal Virgins, was burned in the Temple of Vesta in Rome.
Victor m English, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Late RomanRoman name meaning
"victor, conqueror" in Latin. It was common among early Christians, and was borne by several early saints and three popes. It was rare as an English name during the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the French writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885), who authored
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and
Les Misérables.
Vidar m Norwegian, Swedish, Norse MythologyFrom Old Norse
Víðarr, which was possibly derived from
víðr "wide" and
herr "army, warrior". In Norse mythology Víðarr was the son of
Odin and
Grid. At the time of the end of the world, Ragnarök, it is said he will avenge his father's death by slaying the wolf
Fenrir.
Vijaya m & f Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, HindiMeans
"victory" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
विजय and the feminine form
विजया, both of which occur as names or epithets in Hindu scripture. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 6th-century BC king of Sri Lanka.
... [more] Viking m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Víkingr meaning
"viking, raider", ultimately from
vík "cove, inlet".
Vikrama m HinduismMeans
"stride, pace" or
"valour" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Vishnu. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 1st-century BC king (full name Vikramaditya) of Ujjain in India.
Viktor m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, GreekForm of
Victor used in various languages.
Vinal m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"vine hall" in Middle English.
Vincent m English, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, SlovakFrom the Roman name
Vincentius, which was derived from Latin
vincere meaning
"to conquer". This name was popular among early Christians, and it was borne by many saints. As an English name,
Vincent has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 19th century. Famous bearers include the French priest Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).