Browse Names - Behind the Name

Aanakwad m & f Ojibwe
Means "cloud" in Ojibwe.

Achlys f Greek Mythology
Means "mist, darkness" in Greek. According to a poem by Hesiod, she was one of the figures portrayed on the shield of Herakles. She is described as a wraithlike woman personifying death and sorrow.

Anan 2 m Biblical, Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew
Means "cloud" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned very briefly in the Old Testament.

Anani m Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Means "my cloud" in Hebrew, a possessive form of עָנָן (ʿanan) meaning "cloud". This name is mentioned in the Old Testament as belonging to a descendant of King David.

Bulut m Turkish
Means "cloud" in Turkish.

Caeso m Ancient Roman
Roman praenomen, or given name, that was probably derived from Latin caesius meaning "blue-grey". This praenomen was only used by a few families.

Drogo m English (Archaic)
Norman name, possibly derived from Gothic dragan meaning "to carry, to pull" or Old Saxon drog meaning "ghost, illusion". Alternatively, it could be related to the Slavic element dorgŭ meaning "precious, dear". The Normans introduced this name to England.

Floyd m English
Variant of Lloyd.

Gláucio m Portuguese
Portuguese form of the Roman cognomen Glaucia, which was derived from Latin glaucus "bluish grey", ultimately from Greek.

Glaucus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Γλαῦκος (Glaukos), a name meaning "bluish grey". This was the name of a Greek sea god, as well as other characters in Greek legend.

Gray m & f English (Rare)
From an English surname meaning "grey", originally given to a person who had grey hair or clothing.

Grayson m English (Modern)
From an English surname meaning "son of the steward", derived from Middle English greyve "steward". It became common towards the end of the 20th century because of its similarity to popular names like Jason, Mason and Graham.

Griselda f English, Spanish, Literature
Possibly derived from the Old German elements gris "grey" and hilt "battle". It is not attested as a Germanic name. This was the name of a patient wife in medieval folklore, adapted into tales by Boccaccio (in The Decameron) and Chaucer (in The Canterbury Tales).

Hodei m Basque
Means "cloud" in Basque.

Kasumi f Japanese
From Japanese 霞 (kasumi) meaning "mist". It can also come from 花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" combined with 澄 (sumi) meaning "clear, pure". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Lan 1 f & m Chinese, Vietnamese
From Chinese 兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant" (which is usually only feminine) or 岚 (lán) meaning "mountain mist". Other Chinese characters can form this name as well. As a Vietnamese name, it is derived from Sino-Vietnamese 蘭 meaning "orchid".

Líadan f Irish (Rare)
Possibly from Old Irish líath meaning "grey". According to an Irish tale this was the name of a poet who became a nun, but then missed her lover Cuirithir so much that she died of grief. The name was also borne by a 5th-century saint, the mother of Saint Ciarán the Elder.

Lloyd m English
From a Welsh surname that was derived from llwyd meaning "grey". The composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948-) is a famous bearer of this name.

Mahpiya m & f Sioux
From Dakota or Lakota maȟpíya meaning "cloud, sky". This is the first part of the names of the Dakota chief Mahpiya Wicasta (1780-1863), known as Cloud Man, and the Lakota chiefs Mahpiya Luta (1822-1909), known as Red Cloud, and Mahpiya Iyapato (1838-1905), known as Touch the Clouds.

Mega f & m Indonesian
Means "cloud" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit मेघ (megha).

Meghanada m Hinduism
Means "cloud roar, thunder" from Sanskrit मेघ (megha) meaning "cloud" and नाद (nāda) meaning "sound, roar". This is the name of a powerful son of the demon king Ravana in the Hindu epic the Ramayana, where he is also called Indrajit.

Miglė f Lithuanian
Derived from Lithuanian migla meaning "mist".

Napoleon m History, English
From the old Italian name Napoleone, used most notably by the French emperor Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821), who was born on Corsica. The etymology is uncertain, but it is possibly derived from Old German Nibelungen meaning "sons of mist", a name used in Germanic legend to refer to the keepers of a hoard of treasure, often identified with the Burgundians. Alternatively, it could be connected to the name of the Italian city of Napoli (Naples).

Neil m Irish, Scottish, English
From the Irish name Niall, which is of disputed origin, possibly connected to the old Celtic root *nītu- "fury, passion" or the (possibly related) Old Irish word nia "hero". A derivation from Old Irish nél "cloud" has also been suggested. This was the name of a few early Irish kings, notably Niall of the Nine Hostages, a semi-legendary high king of the 4th or 5th century.... [more]

Nephele f Greek Mythology
From Greek νέφος (nephos) meaning "cloud". In Greek legend Nephele was created from a cloud by Zeus, who shaped the cloud to look like Hera in order to trick Ixion, a mortal who desired her. Nephele was the mother of the centaurs by Ixion, and was also the mother of Phrixus and Helle by Athamus.

Noelani f Hawaiian
Means "heavenly mist" from Hawaiian noe "mist" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".

Pilvi f Finnish, Estonian
Means "cloud" in Finnish and Estonian.

Terhi f Finnish
Short form of Terhenetär, which was derived from Finnish terhen meaning "mist". In the Finnish epic the Kalevala Terhenetär is a sprite associated with mist and forests.

Vân f & m Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 雲 (vân) meaning "cloud".

Wen m & f Chinese
From Chinese 文 (wén) meaning "literature, culture, writing", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation. A famous bearer was the 2nd-century BC Emperor Wen of Han (posthumous name).

Xia m & f Chinese
From Chinese 夏 (xià) meaning "summer, great, grand", 霞 (xiá) meaning "rosy clouds", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Yawen f Chinese
From Chinese 雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with 雯 (wén) meaning "cloud patterns". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.

Yun f & m Chinese
From Chinese 云 (yún) meaning "cloud" or 允 (yǔn) meaning "allow, consent", as well as other Chinese characters that are pronounced in a similar way.

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