This is a list of names in which the length is 4.
Desi m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Desmond,
Desiree and other names beginning with a similar sound. In the case of musician and actor Desi Arnaz (1917-1986) it was a diminutive of
Desiderio.
Dewi 1 m WelshPossibly from
Dewydd, an Old Welsh form of
David. Saint Dewi, the patron saint of Wales, was a 6th-century bishop of Mynyw. A later Welsh form of David was
Dafydd, which was more common in the medieval period. Dewi was revived in the 19th century.
Dick 1 m EnglishMedieval diminutive of
Richard. The change in the initial consonant is said to have been caused by the way the trilled Norman
R was pronounced by the English.
Dido f Roman Mythology, Greek MythologyMeaning unknown, probably of Phoenician origin. Dido, also called
Elissa, was the queen of Carthage in
Virgil's
Aeneid. She threw herself upon a funeral pyre after Aeneas left her. Virgil based the story on earlier Greco-Roman accounts.
Diệu f & m VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
妙 (diệu) meaning
"mysterious, subtle, exquisite".
Dike f Greek MythologyMeans
"justice, custom, order" in Greek. In Greek mythology Dike was the goddess of justice, one of the
Ὥραι (Horai).
Dina 1 f Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Latvian, Russian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Greek, Biblical LatinForm of
Dinah in several languages, as well as the form in the Hebrew, Greek and Latin Old Testament.
Dion m Ancient Greek, EnglishDerived from the Greek element
Διός (Dios) meaning "of
Zeus". This was the name of a 4th-century BC tyrant of Syracuse. It has been used as an American given name since the middle of the 20th century.
Dior f & m English (Modern)From a French surname, possibly from
doré meaning
"golden". As a given name it has been inspired by the French luxury fashion house Dior, founded by the designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).
Dirk m Dutch, Low German, German, EnglishDutch and Low German short form of
Diederik. This name was borne by several counts of Frisia and Holland, beginning in the 10th century. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by actor Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999), who had some Dutch ancestry. This is also the Scots word for a type of dagger.
Dong m ChineseFrom Chinese
东 (dōng) meaning "east",
栋 (dòng) meaning "pillar, beam", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Dora f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, English, German, DutchShort form of
Dorothy,
Theodora or
Isidora.
Dove f EnglishFrom the English word for the variety of bird, seen as a symbol of peace.
Dror m HebrewMeans
"freedom" or
"sparrow" in Hebrew.
Duff m English (Rare)From a Scottish or Irish surname, derived from Anglicized spellings of Gaelic
dubh meaning
"dark".
Duke m EnglishFrom the noble title
duke, which was originally derived from Latin
dux "leader".
Duri f & m KoreanMeans
"two" in Korean (Gyeongsang dialect).
Duuk m Dutch (Modern)Probably a Dutch form of the English word
duke, which was originally derived from Latin
dux "leader". The equivalent Dutch word is
hertog.
Earl m EnglishFrom the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English
eorl "nobleman, warrior". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Ebba 2 f English (Rare)From the Old English name
Æbbe, meaning unknown, perhaps a contracted form of a longer name. Saint Ebba was a 7th-century daughter of King Æthelfrith of Bernicia and the founder of monasteries in Scotland. Another saint named Ebba was a 9th-century abbess and martyr who mutilated her own face so that she would not be raped by the invading Danes.
Eber m Biblical, Biblical GreekMeans
"region beyond" in Hebrew, derived from the root
עָבַר (ʿavar) meaning "to pass over, to cross". In the Old Testament he is a descendant of
Shem said to be the ancestor of the Hebrews.
Ebru f TurkishMeans
"paper marbling" in Turkish. Paper marbling is the art of creating colourful patterns on paper.
Echo f Greek MythologyFrom the Greek word
ἠχώ (echo) meaning
"echo, reflected sound", related to
ἠχή (eche) meaning "sound". In Greek mythology Echo was a nymph given a speech impediment by
Hera, so that she could only repeat what others said. She fell in love with
Narcissus, but her love was not returned, and she pined away until nothing remained of her except her voice.
Edda 2 f Icelandic, Old NorsePossibly from Old Norse meaning
"great-grandmother". This was the name of two 13th-century Icelandic literary works: the
Poetic Edda and the
Prose Edda. This is also the name of a character in the
Poetic Edda, though it is unclear if her name is connected to the name of the collection.
Edel f IrishIn Ireland this name is given in honour of the Irish missionary Edel Quinn (1907-1944). She was named after the edelweiss flower (species Leontopodium alpinum), which is derived from German
edel "noble" and
weiß "white".
Eden f & m Hebrew, English (Modern), French (Modern)From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן (ʿeḏen) meaning "pleasure, delight", or perhaps derived from Sumerian
𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
Edin m BosnianMeaning uncertain, possibly related to Arabic
دين (dīn) meaning
"religion".
Edna f English, Hebrew, BiblicalMeans
"pleasure" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָדַן (ʿaḏan) meaning "to delight". This name appears in the Old Testament Apocrypha, for instance in the Book of Tobit belonging to the wife of
Raguel. It was borne by the American poet Edna Dean Proctor (1829-1923). It did not become popular until the second half of the 19th century, after it was used for the heroine in the successful 1866 novel
St. Elmo by Augusta Jane Evans. It peaked around the turn of the century and has declined steadily since then, falling off the American top 1000 list in 1992.
Edom m Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom Hebrew
אָדֹם (ʾaḏom) meaning
"red". According to the Old Testament,
Esau, who is described as having red skin, was given this name because he traded his birthright for a helping of red broth. The bible goes on to tell that Esau was the founder of the ancient nation of Edom, located to the south of the kingdom of Judah.
Eero m Finnish, EstonianFinnish and Estonian form of
Eric. A famous bearer was the architect Eero Saarinen (1910-1961).
Egil m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Egill, a diminutive of names that began with the element
agi "awe, fear". This was the name of a semi-legendary 10th-century Viking, described in the Icelandic
Egill's Saga.
Eglė f LithuanianMeans
"spruce tree" in Lithuanian. In a Lithuanian folktale Eglė is a young woman who marries a grass snake. At the end of the tale she turns herself into a spruce.
Egon m GermanFrom the Old German name
Egino, derived from the element
agin meaning
"edge, blade" (from Proto-Germanic *
agjō). Saint Egino was a 12th-century abbot from Augsburg.
Ehud m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical HebrewMeaning unknown, possibly related to Hebrew
אָחַד (ʾaḥaḏ) meaning
"to unite" or
הוֹד (hoḏ) meaning
"glory". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the biblical judges. He killed Eglon, the king of Moab, and freed the city of Jericho from Moabite rule.
Eija f FinnishPossibly from the Finnish happy exclamation
eijaa.
Eiji m JapaneseFrom Japanese
英 (ei) meaning "excellent, fine" or
栄 (ei) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper" combined with
二 (ji) meaning "two" or
治 (ji) meaning "govern, administer". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Eike m & f Low German, GermanOriginally a short form of
Ekkehard and other names beginning with the Old High German element
ekka, Old Saxon
eggia meaning
"edge, blade". This name was borne by Eike of Repgow, who compiled the law book the
Sachsenspiegel in the 13th century.
Eiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
栄 (ei) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper" or
英 (ei) meaning "excellent, fine" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Eila f FinnishMeaning uncertain, possibly a variant of
Aila or a rare Norwegian diminutive of
Elin. It was used by the Finnish author Väinö Kataja for a character in his novel
Tuskaa (1907), and it became fairly popular in Finland in the first half of the 20th century.
Eira 1 f WelshMeans
"snow" in Welsh. This is a recently created name.
Elah m BiblicalMeans
"terebinth tree" in Hebrew. This was the name of the fourth king of Israel, as told in the Old Testament. He was murdered by
Zimri, who succeeded him.
Elam m Biblical, Biblical HebrewPossibly means either
"hidden" or
"eternity" in Hebrew. This is the name of several characters in the Old Testament, including a son of
Shem who was the ancestor of the Elamite peoples.
Elea f EnglishShort form of
Eleanor. This was also the name of an ancient Italian town (modern Velia) that is well known for being the home of the philosopher Parmenides and his student Zeno of Elea, who was famous for his paradoxes.
Elen f Welsh, Armenian, CzechWelsh and modern Armenian form of
Helen, as well as a Czech variant form. This was the name of a 4th-century Welsh saint, traditionally said to be the wife of the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus. According to the Welsh legend
The Dream of Macsen Wledig (
Macsen Wledig being the Welsh form of
Magnus Maximus), she convinced her husband to build the roads in Wales.
Elif f TurkishTurkish form of
Alif, the name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet,
ا. It also means
"slender", from the Turkish phrase
elif gibi, literally "shaped like elif".
Ella 1 f EnglishNorman name, originally a short form of Germanic names containing the element
alles meaning
"other" (Proto-Germanic *
aljaz). It was introduced to England by the Normans and used until the 14th century, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the American singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996).
Elle f English (Modern)Diminutive of
Eleanor and other names beginning with
El. This name can also be given in reference to the French pronoun
elle meaning "she".
... [more] Elli 3 f Norse MythologyMeans
"old age" in Old Norse. In the
Prose Edda this is the name of an old woman (old age personified) who wrestles with and defeats the god
Thor.
Elmo m Italian, English, Finnish, EstonianOriginally a short form of names ending with the Old German element
helm meaning
"helmet, protection", such as
Guglielmo or
Anselmo. It is also a derivative of
Erasmus, via the old Italian short form
Ermo. Saint Elmo, also known as Saint Erasmus, was a 4th-century martyr who is the patron of sailors. Saint Elmo's fire is said to be a sign of his protection.
... [more] Elof m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Eileifr, which was derived from the elements
ei "ever, always" and
leif "inheritance, legacy".
Elon m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"oak tree" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament this was the name of one of the ruling judges of the Israelites. A notable modern bearer is the entrepreneur Elon Musk (1971-), who was born in South Africa and also holds Canadian and American citizenship (he is not Jewish).
Elsa f German, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Finnish, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, EnglishShort form of
Elisabeth, typically used independently. In medieval German tales Elsa von Brabant was the lover of the hero
Lohengrin. Her story was expanded by Richard Wagner for his opera
Lohengrin (1850). The name had a little spike in popularity after the 2013 release of the animated Disney movie
Frozen, which featured a magical princess by this name.
Emel f TurkishMeans
"desire" in Turkish, ultimately of Arabic origin, making this name a relative of
Amal.
Emer f Irish MythologyMeaning unknown. In Irish legend she was the wife of
Cúchulainn. She was said to possess the six gifts of womanhood: beauty, voice, speech, needlework, wisdom and chastity.
Emil m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Romanian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Hungarian, Icelandic, EnglishFrom the Roman family name
Aemilius, which was derived from Latin
aemulus meaning
"rival".
Emma f English, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Latvian, Dutch, German, Hungarian, GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element
irmin meaning
"whole" or
"great" (Proto-Germanic *
ermunaz). It was introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, who was the wife both of King Ethelred II (and by him the mother of Edward the Confessor) and later of King Canute. It was also borne by an 11th-century Austrian saint, who is sometimes called
Hemma.
... [more] Emre m TurkishMeans
"friend, brother" in Turkish. This name was borne by the 13th-century Turkish poet Yunus Emre.
Enid f Welsh, English, Arthurian CycleProbably derived from Welsh
enaid meaning
"soul, spirit, life". In Arthurian tales she first appears in the 12th-century French poem
Erec and Enide by Chrétien de Troyes, where she is the wife of Erec. In later adaptations she is typically the wife of
Geraint. The name became more commonly used after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian poem
Enid in 1859, and it was fairly popular in Britain in the first half of the 20th century.
Enki m Sumerian MythologyFrom Sumerian
𒂗 (en) meaning "lord" and
𒆠 (ki) meaning "earth, ground" (though maybe originally from
𒆳 (kur) meaning "underworld, mountain"). Enki, called
Ea by the Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians, was the Sumerian god of water and wisdom and the keeper of the Me, the divine laws.
Énna m Old IrishPossibly from Old Irish
én meaning
"bird". This was the name of several Irish kings and heroes. It was also borne by a 6th-century saint who built the monastery of Killeany on Aran.
Enzo m Italian, FrenchThe meaning of this name is uncertain. In some cases it seems to be an old Italian form of
Heinz, though in other cases it could be a variant of the Germanic name
Anzo. In modern times it is also used as a short form of names ending in
enzo, such as
Vincenzo or
Lorenzo.
... [more] Eric m English, Swedish, German, SpanishMeans
"ever ruler", from the Old Norse name
Eiríkr, derived from the elements
ei "ever, always" and
ríkr "ruler, king". A notable bearer was Eiríkr inn Rauda (Eric the Red in English), a 10th-century navigator and explorer who discovered Greenland. This was also the name of several early kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
... [more] Erik m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian, German, Dutch, English, SpanishScandinavian form of
Eric. This was the name of kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. King Erik IX of Sweden (12th century) is the patron saint of that country.
Erin f English, IrishAnglicized form of
Éireann. It was initially used by people of Irish heritage in America, Canada and Australia. It was rare until the mid-1950s.
Eris f Greek MythologyMeans
"strife, discord" in Greek. In Greek mythology Eris was the goddess of discord. She was the sister and companion of
Ares.
Ériu f Irish MythologyFrom the name of an Irish goddess, who according to legend gave her name to Ireland (which is called
Éire in Irish). In reality, the goddess probably got her name from that of the island, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.
Erma f EnglishVariant of
Irma. It began to be used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century, along with
Irma.
Eros m Greek MythologyMeans
"love" in Greek. In Greek mythology he was a young god, the son of
Aphrodite, who was armed with arrows that caused the victim to fall in love.
Esau m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom the Hebrew name
עֵשָׂו (ʿEsaw), which possibly meant
"hairy". In the Old Testament Esau is the elder of the twin sons of
Isaac and
Rebecca. Once when he was very hungry he sold his birthright to his twin
Jacob for a bowl of stew. Later Jacob disguised himself as Esau and received the elder son's blessing from the blind Isaac. Esau, also called
Edom, was the ancestor of the Edomites.
Eser f & m TurkishMeans
"product, achievement" in Turkish.
Esha f HindiMeans
"desire, wish" in Sanskrit.
Esmé f & m EnglishMeans
"esteemed" or
"loved" in Old French. It was first recorded in Scotland, being borne by the first Duke of Lennox in the 16th century. It is now more common as a feminine name.
Étan f Irish MythologyPossibly a variant of
Étaín. In Irish mythology she was the daughter of Dian Cécht, the god of healing.
Eter f GeorgianMeans
"ether, air" in Georgian. This name features in the opera
Abesalom and Eteri (1918), which was based on a medieval Georgian folktale.
Etna f VariousFrom the name of an active volcano on the island of Sicily, Italy.
Etta f EnglishShort form of
Henrietta and other names that end with
etta. A famous bearer was the American singer Etta James (1938-2012), who took her stage name from her real given name Jamesetta.
Eun-U m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" combined with
宇 (u) meaning "house, universe" or
祐 (u) meaning "divine intervention, protection". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
Ezer 1 m BiblicalFrom Hebrew
אָצַר (ʾatsar) meaning
"treasured". In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Seir the Horite. See also
Ezer 2.
Ezra m English, Hebrew, BiblicalMeans
"help" in Hebrew. Ezra is a prophet of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a famous bearer.
Fadl m ArabicMeans
"grace, generosity" in Arabic. This was a name of both a cousin of
Muhammad and a son of
Abbas (the son of the fourth caliph
Ali).
Fajr f ArabicMeans
"dawn, beginning" in Arabic. This is the name of a daily prayer that is recited in the morning by observant Muslims.
Fang f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
芳 (fāng) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Faro m GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names containing the element
fara meaning "journey" (Proto-Germanic *
farō). This was the name of a 7th-century Burgundian bishop of Meaux, France.
Fawn f EnglishFrom the English word
fawn for a young deer.
Fern f EnglishFrom the English word for the plant, ultimately from Old English
fearn. It has been used as a given name since the late 19th century.
Feyz m PersianMeans
"grace" in Persian, from Arabic
فئض (faʾiḍ) meaning
"abundance, plenty", a derivative of the root
فاض (fāḍa) meaning "to overflow, to flood".
Fido m & f PetFrom Latin
fidus meaning
"faithful". This a stereotypical name for dogs.
Fife m Scottish (Rare)From a Scottish place name that was formerly the name of a kingdom in Scotland. It is said to be named for a Pictish kingdom called Fib.
Fihr m ArabicMeans
"stone pestle" in Arabic. This was the name of an ancestor of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Fina f Italian, SpanishShort form of
Serafina. Saint Fina, also known as Saint Serafina, was a 13th-century girl from the town of San Gimignano in Italy.