Names with "place" in Meaning

Abilene f Various (Rare)
From a place name mentioned briefly in the New Testament. It is probably from Hebrew אָבֵל (ʾavel) meaning "meadow, grassy area". It has occasionally been used as a given name in modern times.

Aeron m & f Welsh
From the name of the Welsh river Aeron, itself probably derived from the hypothetical Celtic goddess Agrona. Alternatively, the name could be taken from Welsh aeron meaning "berries".

Aeronwy f Welsh (Rare)
Extended form of Aeron.

África f Spanish
Spanish form of Africa 1. It is usually taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de África, the patron saint of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.

Àfrica f Catalan
Catalan form of Africa 1.

Africa 1 f African American (Rare)
From the name of the continent, which is of Latin origin, possibly from the Afri people who lived near Carthage in North Africa. This rare name is used most often by African-American parents.

Africanus m Ancient Roman
Roman cognomen derived from the place name Africa, which in Roman times referred only to North Africa. This was the agnomen of the 3rd-century BC Roman general Scipio Africanus, who was honoured with it after his victory over Carthage in the Second Punic War. His descendants used it as a cognomen.

Aholibamah f Biblical
Means "tent of the high place" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is one of the wives of Esau, possibly the same as Judith.

Aifric f Irish
From Old Irish Affraic, possibly from Afraicc, the Old Irish name of the continent of Africa (see Africa 1). Alternatively, it could be from *Aithbrecc, an unattested earlier form of Aithbhreac. This was the name of two abbesses of Kildare in the 8th and 9th centuries. It was also borne by a 12th-century daughter of the king of the Isle of Mann who married the Anglo-Norman knight John de Courcy.

Ainhoa f Basque
From the name of a town in southwestern France where there is a famous image of the Virgin Mary.

Ainsley f & m Scottish, English (Modern)
From an English surname that was from a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English anne "alone, solitary" or ansetl "hermitage" and leah "woodland, clearing".... [more]

Alma 1 f English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Albanian, Slovene, Croatian
This name became popular after the Battle of Alma (1854), which took place near the River Alma in Crimea and ended in a victory for Britain and France. However, the name was in rare use before the battle; it was probably inspired by Latin almus "nourishing". It also coincides with the Spanish word meaning "the soul".

America f English
In the English-speaking world, this name is usually given in reference to the United States of America (see Amerigo). It came into use as an American name in the 19th century.

Anup m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam
From Sanskrit अनूप (anūpa) meaning "watery, place near the water, lagoon".

Aram 3 m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew
From Hebrew אַרְמוֹן (ʾarmon) meaning "fortress, elevated place". This is the name of a few characters in the Old Testament, including a son of Shem who was the ancestor of the Arameans.

Aran 3 m & f Catalan
From the name of a mountainous region in the north of Catalonia where the Occitan language is spoken, originally derived from Basque haran meaning "valley".

Ararat m Armenian
From the name of a mountain in eastern Turkey (formerly part of Armenia), the place where Noah's Ark came to rest according to the Old Testament.

Arman 2 m Armenian
Variant of Armen.

Armen m Armenian
Derived from the name of the country of Armenia (which is in fact named Հայաստան (Hayastan) in Armenian).

Armine f Armenian
Feminine form of Armen.

Ashley f & m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from place names meaning "ash tree clearing", from a combination of Old English æsc and leah. Until the 1960s it was more commonly given to boys in the United States, but it is now most often used on girls. It reached its height of popularity in America in 1987, but it did not become the highest ranked name until 1991, being overshadowed by the likewise-popular Jessica until then. In the United Kingdom it is still more common as a masculine name.

Ashton m & f English (Modern)
From an English surname, itself derived from a place name meaning "ash tree town" in Old English. This was a rare masculine name until the 1980s, when it gradually began becoming more common for both genders. Inspired by the female character Ashton Main from the 1985 miniseries North and South, parents in America gave it more frequently to girls than boys from 1986 to 1997. Since then it has been overwhelmingly masculine once again, perhaps due in part to the fame of the actor Ashton Kutcher (1978-).

Ashur m Semitic Mythology
From the name of the city of Ashur, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, which is of unknown meaning. Ashur was the patron deity of the city and the chief god of Assyria.

Asia 1 f English (Modern), Italian (Modern)
From the name of the continent, which is perhaps derived from Akkadian asu, meaning "east".

Aston m & f English (Rare)
From a surname that was originally derived from either a place name meaning "east town" in Old English or from the given name Æðelstan.

Astoria f English (Rare)
Feminine form of Astor. This is also the name of several American towns, after the businessman John Jacob Astor.

Atticus m Literature, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Ἀττικός (Attikos) meaning "from Attica", referring to the region surrounding Athens in Greece. This name was borne by a few notable Greeks from the Roman period (or Romans of Greek background). The author Harper Lee used the name in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) for an Alabama lawyer who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman.

Audley m English
From a surname that was taken from a place name meaning "Ealdgyð's clearing" in Old English.

Avalon f English (Rare)
From the name of the island paradise to which King Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh afal meaning "apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.

Avonlea f English (Rare)
Created by L. M. Montgomery as the setting for her novel Anne of Green Gables (1908). She may have based the name on the Arthurian island of Avalon, though it also resembles the river name Avon and leah "woodland, clearing".

Babylas m Late Greek, French (Rare)
Derived from the name of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon. Saint Babylas was a 3rd-century patriarch of Antioch who was martyred during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius.

Barclay m English (Rare)
From a Scottish and English surname that was derived from the English place name Berkeley, itself from Old English beorc "birch" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Begoña f Spanish, Basque
From a title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Begoña, meaning "Our Lady of Begoña", the patron saint of Biscay, Spain. Begoña is a district and basilica in the city of Bilbao.

Belén f Spanish
Spanish form of Bethlehem, the name of the town in Judah where King David and Jesus were born. The town's name is from Hebrew בֵּית־לֶחֶם (Beṯ-leḥem) meaning "house of bread".

Bentley m English
From a surname that was from a place name, itself derived from Old English beonet "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing". Various towns in England bear this name.

Benton m English
From a surname that was derived from a place name, composed of Old English beonet "bent grass" and tun "enclosure".

Berlin f & m Various
From the name of the city in Germany, which is of uncertain meaning.

Betânia f Portuguese (Brazilian)
Portuguese form of Bethany.

Betania f Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish form of Bethany.

Bethânia f Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare)
Portuguese variant form of Bethany.

Bethania f Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish variant form of Bethany.

Bethany f English
From the name of a biblical town, Βηθανία (Bethania) in Greek, which is probably of Aramaic or Hebrew origin, possibly meaning "house of affliction" or "house of figs". In the New Testament the town of Bethany is the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. It has been in use as a rare given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, in honour of Mary of Bethany. In America it became moderately common after the 1950s.

Bethel f English
From an Old Testament place name meaning "house of God" in Hebrew. This was a town north of Jerusalem, where Jacob saw his vision of the stairway. It is occasionally used as a given name.

Beverly f & m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from the name of a Yorkshire city, itself from Old English beofor "beaver" and (possibly) licc "stream". It came into use as a masculine given name in the 19th century, then became common as an American feminine name after the publication of George Barr McCutcheon's 1904 novel Beverly of Graustark. It was most popular in the 1930s, and has since greatly declined in use.

Boone m English
From an English surname that was either derived from Old French bon meaning "good" or from the name of the town of Bohon, France.

Borja m Spanish
From a Spanish surname, used as a given name in honour of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Borja (1510-1572). The surname, also spelled Borgia, is derived from the name of a Spanish town, ultimately from Arabic برْج (burj) meaning "tower".

Boston m English
From the American city of Boston in Massachusetts, itself named after a town in Lincolnshire, England. The town's name is said to mean "Botwulf's stone".

Bradley m English
From an English surname that originally came from a place name meaning "broad clearing" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the World War II American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).

Briley f English (Modern)
Modern name, probably based on the sounds found in other names such as Bryson and Riley. It also coincides with the surname Briley.

Bristol f English (Modern)
From the name of the city in southwestern England that means "the site of the bridge".

Britannia f English (Rare)
From the Latin name of the island of Britain, in occasional use as an English given name since the 18th century. This is also the name of the Roman female personification of Britain pictured on some British coins.

Brittania f English (Rare)
Variant of Britannia.

Brittany f English
From the name of the region of Brittany in the northwest of France, called in French Bretagne. It was named for the Britons who settled there after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the invasions of the Anglo-Saxons.... [more]

Brodie m English (Modern)
Variant of Brody.

Brody m English
From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It probably means "ditch, mire" in Gaelic.

Brooklyn f & m English (Modern)
From the name of a borough of New York City, originally named after the Dutch town of Breukelen, itself meaning either "broken land" (from Dutch breuk) or "marsh land" (from Dutch broek). It can also be viewed as a combination of Brook and the popular name suffix lyn. It is considered a feminine name in the United States, but is more common as a masculine name in the United Kingdom.

Burton m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "fortified town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was Richard Burton (1821-1890), an explorer of Africa and Asia.

Byron m English
From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "place of the cow sheds" in Old English. This was the surname of the romantic poet Lord Byron (1788-1824), the writer of Don Juan and many other works.

Cairo m English (Modern)
From the name of the city in Egypt, called القاهرة (al-Qāhira) in Arabic, meaning "the victorious".

Capri f English (Modern)
From the name of the picturesque Italian island of Capri. It is likely from Greek κάπρος (kapros) meaning "wild boar", though it could also be of Etruscan origin or from Latin capri meaning "goats".

Carlisle m & f English (Rare)
From a surname that was derived from the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.

Carlyle m English
Variant of Carlisle.

Carme 1 f Galician, Catalan
Galician and Catalan form of Carmel.

Carmel f & m English, Jewish
From the title of the Virgin Mary Our Lady of Mount Carmel. כַּרְמֶל (Karmel) (meaning "garden" in Hebrew) is a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the site of several early Christian monasteries. As an English given name, it has mainly been used by Catholics. As a Jewish name it is unisex.

Carmela f Italian, Spanish, Galician
Italian, Spanish and Galician form of Carmel.

Carmelo m Spanish, Italian
Spanish and Italian masculine form of Carmel.

Carmo m & f Portuguese
Portuguese form of Carmel.

Cason m English (Modern)
From the English surname Cason. It enjoyed a modest level of use in the United States in the early 21st century, due to its similarity to other popular names such as Mason and Jason.

Cavan m English
Either from the name of the Irish county, which is derived from Irish cabhán "hollow", or else from the Irish surname Cavan.

Ceyhun m Turkish, Azerbaijani
From Arabic جيحون (Jayḥūn), from Hebrew גִּיחוֹן (Giḥon), which in the Old Testament is a river originating in the Garden of Eden. The river's name itself is derived from Hebrew גִּיחַ (giyaḥ) meaning "to burst forth". In Islamic tradition it is identified with the Amu Darya, a river in central Asia.

Chadwick m English
From a surname that was derived from the name of towns in England, meaning "settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.

Chelsea f English
From the name of a district in London, originally derived from Old English and meaning "landing place for chalk or limestone". It has been in general use as an English given name since the 1970s.

Chester m English
From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who came from Chester, an old Roman settlement in Britain. The name of the settlement came from Latin castrum "camp, fortress".

China f English (Modern)
From the name of the Asian country, ultimately derived from Qin, the name of a dynasty that ruled there in the 3rd century BC.

Chinonso m & f Igbo
Means "God is nearby" in Igbo.

Clinton m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from towns named Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". A famous bearer of the surname is former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).

Colby m English
From an English surname, originally from various place names, derived from the Old Norse byname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "farm, settlement". As a given name, its popularity spiked in the United States and Canada in 2001 when Colby Donaldson (1974-) appeared on the reality television show Survivor.

Colton m English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "Cola's town". It started being used as a given name in the 1980s. Likely in some cases it was viewed as an elaborated or full form of Cole or Colt.

Corinthia f Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Κορινθία (Korinthia) meaning "woman from Corinth", an ancient Greek city-state. This is the real name of Corrie in William Faulkner's novel The Reivers (1962).

Courtney f & m English
From an aristocratic English surname that was derived either from the French place name Courtenay (originally a derivative of the personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short") or else from a Norman nickname meaning "short nose".... [more]

Crawford m English
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "crow ford" in Old English.

Culhwch m Arthurian Cycle, Welsh Mythology
Means "hiding place of the pig" in Welsh. In the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen he was the lover of Olwen, the daughter of the giant Yspaddaden. Before the giant would allow Culhwch to marry his daughter, he insisted that Culhwch complete a series of extremely difficult tasks. Culhwch managed to complete the tasks with the help of his cousin King Arthur, and he returned to marry Olwen and kill the giant.

Cullen m English
From a surname, either Cullen 1 or Cullen 2. It jumped a little in popularity as a given name after Stephenie Meyer's novel Twilight (2005), featuring a vampire named Edward Cullen, was adapted into a movie in 2008.

Dallas m & f English
From a surname that could either be of Old English origin meaning "valley house" or of Scottish Gaelic origin meaning "meadow dwelling". A city in Texas bears this name, probably in honour of American Vice President George M. Dallas (1792-1864).

Darby m & f English
From an English surname, which was derived from the name of the town of Derby, itself from Old Norse djúr "animal" and býr "farm, settlement".

Dayton m English
From an English surname that was derived from places named Deighton, meaning "ditch town" in Old English. Dayton is also the name of a city in Ohio. As a given name, it gained a bit of popularity in the 1990s, probably because it shares a similar sound with names such as Peyton and Clayton.

Deasún m Irish
Irish shortened form of Deasmhumhain (see Desmond).

Dee f & m English
Short form of names beginning with D. It may also be given in reference to the Dee River in Scotland.

Delphia f English
Possibly from the name of the Greek city of Delphi, the site of an oracle of Apollo, which is possibly related to Greek δελφύς (delphys) meaning "womb". It was used in the play The Prophetess (1647), in which it belongs to the title prophetess.

Delphina f Late Roman
Feminine form of the Latin name Delphinus, which meant "of Delphi". Delphi was a city in ancient Greece, the name of which is possibly related to Greek δελφύς (delphys) meaning "womb". The Blessed Delphina was a 14th-century Provençal nun.

Derby m & f English (Rare)
From an English surname that was a variant of Darby.

Desmond m English, Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Deasmhumhain meaning "south Munster", referring to the region of Desmond in southern Ireland, formerly a kingdom. It can also come from the related surname (an Anglicized form of Ó Deasmhumhnaigh), which indicated a person who came from that region. A famous bearer is the South African archbishop and activist Desmond Tutu (1931-2021).

Devon m & f English
Variant of Devin. It may also be partly inspired by the name of the county of Devon in England, which got its name from the Dumnonii, a Celtic tribe.

Douglas m Scottish, English
From a Scottish surname that was from the name of a town in Lanarkshire, itself named after a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water. It means "dark river", derived from Gaelic dubh "dark" and glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to glas "grey, green"). This was a Scottish Lowland clan, the leaders of which were powerful earls in the medieval period. The Gaelic form is Dùghlas or Dùbhghlas. It has been used as a given name since the 16th century.

Douglass m English
Variant of Douglas.

Dùbhghlas m Scottish Gaelic
Gaelic form of Douglas.

Dudley m English
From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.

Ebenezer m Literature, English
From the name of a monument erected by Samuel in the Old Testament, from Hebrew אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר (ʾEven Haʿazer) meaning "stone of help". Charles Dickens used it for the miserly character Ebenezer Scrooge in his novel A Christmas Carol (1843). Currently the name is most common in parts of English-influenced Africa, such as Ghana.

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.

Ege m Turkish
From Turkish Ege, the name for the Aegean Sea.

Egypt f & m English (Modern)
From the name of the North African country, which derives from Greek Αἴγυπτος (Aigyptos), itself probably from Egyptian ḥwt-kꜣ-ptḥ meaning "the house of the soul of Ptah", the name of the temple to the god Ptah in Memphis.

Éireann f Irish (Rare)
From Éireann, the genitive case of Irish Gaelic Éire, meaning "Ireland". It is commonly Anglicized as Erin.

Elysia f Various
From Elysium, the name of the realm of the dead in Greek and Roman mythology.

Endel m Estonian
Masculine form of Endla.

Endla f Estonian
From the name of an Estonian lake, which often appears in folk poetry. The lake's name is ultimately derived from the medieval personal name Ent or Endo.

Engel m & f Germanic, German (Rare)
Originally this may have been a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element angil, referring to the Germanic tribe known in English as the Angles. However, from early times it has been strongly associated with the Old German word engil meaning "angel" (of Latin and Greek origin).

Engelbert m German, Germanic
Old German name composed of either the element angil, from the name of the Germanic tribe of the Angles, or engil meaning "angel" combined with beraht meaning "bright". Saint Engelbert was a 13th-century archbishop of Cologne murdered by assassins.

Engilram m Germanic
Old German form of Ingram.

Enki m Sumerian Mythology
From 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.

Enkidu m Sumerian Mythology, Semitic Mythology
Probably means "lord of the good place", from Sumerian 𒂗 (en) meaning "lord", 𒆠 (ki) meaning "place" and 𒄭 (du) meaning "good". This was the name of a wild man who became a companion of the Sumerian hero Gilgamesh, notably appearing in the Akkadian poem the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Ephrath f Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Means "fruitful place" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name is borne by one of the wives of Caleb. Also in the Bible, it is the name of the place where Rachel was buried.

Ereshkigal f Sumerian Mythology
Means "lady of the great earth", from Sumerian 𒊩𒌆 (ereš) meaning "lady, queen" combined with 𒆠 (ki) meaning "earth" and 𒃲 (gal) meaning "great, big". In Sumerian mythology she was the goddess of death and the underworld.

Ériu f Irish Mythology
From 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.

Estíbaliz f Spanish
From a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Estíbaliz, meaning "Our Lady of Estíbaliz". Estíbaliz is a sanctuary in Álava, Spain. It may be derived from Latin aestivalis "pertaining to the summer", a derivative of aestas "summer". Folk etymology connects it to Basque ezti "honey" and balitz "as if it were".

Europa f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Εὐρώπη (Europe), which meant "wide face" from εὐρύς (eurys) meaning "wide" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". In Greek mythology Europa was a Phoenician princess who was abducted and taken to Crete by Zeus in the guise of a bull. She became the first queen of Crete, and later fathered Minos by Zeus. The continent of Europe said to be named for her, though it is more likely her name is from that of the continent. This is also the name of a moon of Jupiter.

Everest m & f English (Modern)
From the English name for the world's highest mountain, itself named after the British surveyor George Everest (1790-1866).

Ewart m English (Rare)
From an English and Scottish surname that was either based on a Norman form of Edward, or else derived from a place name of unknown meaning.

Fátima f Portuguese, Spanish
From the name of a town in Portugal, which was derived from the Arabic feminine name Fatima, apparently after a Moorish princess who converted to Christianity during the Reconquista. The town became an important Christian pilgrimage center after 1917 when three local children reported witnessing repeated apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

Fırat m Turkish
From the Turkish name of the Euphrates River, which was derived (via Persian and Arabic) from Elamite or Sumerian.

Firenze f Various (Rare)
From the name of an Italian city, commonly called Florence in English.

Flemming m Danish
From a medieval Norse nickname meaning "from Flanders".

France 1 f French
From the name of the country, sometimes considered a feminine form of Frank or short form of Françoise, both of which are ultimately related to the name of the country.

Francis m & f English, French
English form of the Late Latin name Franciscus meaning "Frenchman", ultimately from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were named for a type of spear that they used (Proto-Germanic *frankô). This name was borne by the 13th-century Saint Francis of Assisi, who was originally named Giovanni but was given the nickname Francesco by his father, an admirer of the French. Francis went on to renounce his father's wealth and devote his life to the poor, founding the Franciscan order of friars. Later in his life he apparently received the stigmata.... [more]

Frankenstein m Popular Culture
From the surname Frankenstein, used by Mary Shelley in her 1818 novel of the same name for the scientist Victor Frankenstein. The monster that Frankenstein created, which has no name in the novel, is sometimes called Frankenstein in modern speech, as if it were his given name.

Fulton m English
From a surname that was derived from the name of the town of Foulden in Norfolk, itself meaning "bird hill" in Old English.

Galaad m Arthurian Cycle
French form of Galahad.

Galileo m Italian (Rare)
Medieval Italian name derived from Latin galilaeus meaning "Galilean, from Galilee". Galilee is a region in northern Israel, mentioned in the New Testament as the site of several of Jesus's miracles. It is derived from the Hebrew root גָּלִיל (galil) meaning "district, roll".... [more]

Ganga f & m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Telugu
From Sanskrit गङ्गा (Gaṅgā), the name of the Ganges River, derived from गम् (gam) meaning "to go". In Hindu tradition this is a personification of the river, typically depicted as a fair-skinned goddess riding a sea creature. As a given name, it is used by males as well.

Germanicus m Ancient Roman
Roman name derived from Germania, traditionally the area north of the Roman Empire inhabited by early Germanic tribes. This was the agnomen of the Roman general Decimus Claudius Drusus, given posthumously because of his victories in Germania in the 1st century BC. It was also given to his young son, Germanicus Julius Caesar, later a successful general in his own right, who is known to history as simply Germanicus.

Gethsemane f Various (Rare)
From a biblical place name, the garden where Jesus was arrested, located on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. It is derived from Γεθσημανί (Gethsemani), the Greek form of an Aramaic name meaning "oil vat". It is very rarely used as a given name.

Gilead m Biblical
From an Old Testament place name meaning "heap of witness" in Hebrew. This is a mountainous region east of the Jordan River. Besides being a place name, it is also borne by people in the Bible.

Giordano m Italian
Italian form of Jordan. A notable bearer was the cosmologist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600), who was burned at the stake by the Inquisition.

Golzar m & f Persian
Derived from Persian گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose" and the suffix زار (zār) meaning "place abounding in, field, garden".

Graeme m Scottish, English
From a surname that was a variant of Graham. This particular spelling for the given name has been most common in Scotland, New Zealand and Australia.

Graham m Scottish, English
From a Scottish surname, originally derived from the English place name Grantham, which probably meant "gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by the Norman baron William de Graham. A famous bearer of the surname was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-Canadian-American inventor who devised the telephone. A famous bearer of the given name was the British author Graham Greene (1904-1991).... [more]

Grahame m Scottish, English
From a surname that was a variant of Graham.

Granville m English
From an English surname that was derived from a Norman place name Grainville.

Grenville m English (Rare)
From a surname that was a variant of Granville.

Guadalupe f & m Spanish
From a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, meaning "Our Lady of Guadalupe". Guadalupe is a Spanish place name, the site of a famous convent, derived from Arabic وادي (wādī) meaning "valley, river" possibly combined with Latin lupus meaning "wolf". In the 16th century Our Lady of Guadalupe supposedly appeared in a vision to a native Mexican man, and she is now regarded as a patron saint of the Americas.

Gwynedd f & m Welsh
From the name of the kingdom of Gwynedd, which was located in northern Wales from the 5th century. It is now the name of a Welsh county. The name may be related to Old Irish Féni meaning "Irish people", itself possibly related to the Celtic root *wēnā meaning "band of warriors".

Hamilton m English
From a Scottish and English surname that was derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". The surname was originally taken from the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists). A famous bearer of the surname was Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), a founding father of the United States who was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr.

Harel m Hebrew
Means "altar, mountain of God" in Hebrew. In the Hebrew Bible this word is applied to the altar in the temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 43:15).

Harley m & f English
From an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing". An American name for boys since the 19th century, it began to be used for girls after a character with the name began appearing on the soap opera Guiding Light in 1987.

Hayley f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally derived from the name of an English town (meaning "hay clearing" from Old English heg "hay" and leah "clearing"). It was brought to public attention as a given name, especially in the United Kingdom, by the British child actress Hayley Mills (1946-).... [more]

Hekla f Icelandic
From the name of an active Icelandic volcano, derived from Old Norse hekla meaning "cloak".

Hinata f & m Japanese
From Japanese 日向 (hinata) meaning "sunny place", 陽向 (hinata) meaning "toward the sun", or a non-standard reading of 向日葵 (himawari) meaning "sunflower". Other kanji compounds are also possible. Because of the irregular readings, this name is often written using the hiragana writing system.

Hira 2 f Turkish
From Arabic حراء (Ḥirāʾ), which according to tradition was the name of the cave where the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation.

Houston m English
From 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).

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).

India f English, Spanish (Modern)
From the name of the country, which is itself derived from the name of the Indus River. The river's name is ultimately from Sanskrit सिन्धु (Sindhu) meaning "body of trembling water, river". India Wilkes is a character in the novel Gone with the Wind (1936) by Margaret Mitchell.

Indiana f & m English
From 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.

Indika m Sinhalese
Means "Indian, person from India" in Sinhala.

Iona 1 f English, Scottish
From the name of the island off Scotland where Saint Columba founded a monastery. The name of the island is Old Norse in origin, and apparently derives simply from ey meaning "island".

Iordanus m Late Roman
Latin form of Jordan.

Ireland f English (Modern)
From the name of the European island country, derived from Irish Gaelic Éire, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.

Irvin m English
From a surname that is a variant of either Irving or Irwin.

Irvine m English, Scottish
From a surname that was a variant of Irving.

Irving m English, Jewish
From 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.

Islay f & m Scottish
From the name of the island of Islay, which lies off of the west coast of Scotland.

Islwyn m Welsh
From the name of a mountain in Wales that means "below the forest" from Welsh is "below" and llwyn "forest, grove".

Italia f Italian
From the Italian name of the country of Italy, Italia (see Italus).

Italus m Roman Mythology
Means "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").

Ivah f English (Rare)
Possibly from the name of the city of Ivah in the Old Testament.

Izaskun f Basque
From the name of a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary near Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, Spain. It possibly means "broom bush above the valley" in Basque.

Jericho m English (Modern)
From the name of a city in Israel that is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain, but it may be related to the Hebrew word יָרֵחַ (yareaḥ) meaning "moon", or otherwise to the Hebrew word רֵיחַ (reyaḥ) meaning "fragrance".

Jordà m Catalan
Catalan form of Jordan.

Jordaan m Dutch (Rare)
Dutch form of Jordan.

Jordán m Spanish
Spanish form of Jordan.

Jordan m & f English, French, Macedonian, Serbian
From the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is יַרְדֵן (Yarḏen), and it is derived from יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend, flow down". In the New Testament John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Latin name Jordanes, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.... [more]

Jordanes m Late Roman
The name of a 6th-century Roman author of Gothic background, who wrote a history of the Goths. His name is probably derived from that of the Jordan River. However, some theories suggest that it could contain a trace of the Germanic root *erþō meaning "earth" (Gothic airþa, Old Norse jǫrð).

Jordão m Portuguese (Rare)
Portuguese form of Jordan.

Jourdain m French (Archaic)
Traditional French form of Jordan.

Kailash m Hindi, Marathi
From the name of a mountain in the Himalayas that is believed to be the paradise of the Hindu god Shiva. It is probably derived from Sanskrit केलास (kelāsa) meaning "crystal".

Kamaria f Comorian
From Arabic qamar meaning "moon", also the root of the name of the island country of the Comoros.

Kənan m Azerbaijani
From the Azerbaijani name for the ancient region of Canaan.

Kashi f Hindi
From the name of a holy city in India, famous for its many temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Its name is derived from Sanskrit काशि (kāśi) meaning "shining".

Kasi f Telugu, Tamil
Southern Indian form of Kashi.

Keila f Portuguese (Brazilian), English (Modern)
Variant of Kayla. It could also be inspired by the name of the town of Keilah from the Old Testament.

Kena'an m Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Canaan.

Kenan 2 m Turkish
From the Turkish name for the ancient region of Canaan.

Kendal m & f English (Modern)
From a surname that was a variant of Kendall.

Kendall m & f English
From an English surname that comes from the name of the city of Kendale in northwestern England meaning "valley on the river Kent". Originally mostly masculine, the name received a boost in popularity for girls in 1993 when the devious character Kendall Hart began appearing on the American soap opera All My Children.

Kenya f English, African American
From the name of the African country. The country is named for Mount Kenya, which in the Kikuyu language is called Kĩrĩnyaga meaning "the one having stripes". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 1960s.

Kerry m & f English
From the name of the Irish county, called Ciarraí in Irish Gaelic, which means "Ciar's people".

Kimberley f English
Variant of Kimberly.

Kimberly f English
From the name of the city of Kimberley in South Africa, which was named after Lord Kimberley (1826-1902). The city came to prominence in the late 19th century during the Boer War. Kimberly has been used as a given name since the mid-20th century, eventually becoming very popular as a feminine name.

Kineret f Hebrew
From the name of a large lake in northern Israel, usually called the Sea of Galilee in English. Its name is derived from Hebrew כִּנּוֹר (kinnor) meaning "harp" because of its shape.

Kingsley m & f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "king's wood" in Old English. This name may have received a minor boost in popularity after the release of the 2007 movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, featuring the character Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Kingston m English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "king's town" in Old English. This name rose significantly on the popularity charts after musicians Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale used it for their son born 2006.

Kobe 2 m Various
From the name of the city in Japan. The parents of basketball player Kobe Bryant (1978-2020) chose this name after seeing Kobe beef (which is from the Japanese city) on a menu.

Kynaston m English (Rare)
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "Cynefrið's town" in Old English.

Lacey f & m English
Variant of Lacy. This is currently the most popular spelling of this name.

Lacy f & m English
From a surname that was derived from Lassy, the name of a town in Normandy. The name of the town was Gaulish in origin, perhaps deriving from a personal name that was Latinized as Lascius. Formerly more common for boys in America, this name began to grow in popularity for girls in 1975.

Lamar m English, African American
From a French and English surname, originally from a place name in Normandy, which was derived from Old French la mare meaning "the pool". In the second half of the 20th century this name has been well-used in the African-American community, probably because of its popular phonetic components la and mar.

Laudine f Arthurian Cycle
Possibly a derivative of Lot 2 (or derived from the same place name). It was used by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for a character in his romance Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Also called the Lady of the Fountain, Laudine married Yvain after he killed her husband.

Layton m English
From a surname that was originally derived from the name of English towns meaning "town with a leek garden" in Old English. Like similar-sounding names such as Peyton and Dayton, this name began rising in popularity in the 1990s.

Lehi m Mormon
From an Old Testament place name meaning "jawbone" in Hebrew, so called because it was the site where the hero Samson defeated 1,000 warriors using only the jawbone of a donkey as a weapon. It is also used in the Book of Mormon as the name of a prophet who travels out of Jerusalem and settles in the Americas.

Leighton f & m English
Variant of Layton. It jumped in popularity as a feminine name after 2007, when actress Leighton Meester (1986-) began appearing on the television series Gossip Girl.

Leire f Basque, Spanish
Basque form and Spanish variant of Leyre.

Lennox m & f English (Modern)
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the name of a district in Scotland. The district, called Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly means "place of elms". This name steadily rose in popularity in the 2000s, at the same time as the similar-sounding (but unrelated) names Lennon and Knox.

Lenox m English (Rare)
From a surname that was a variant of Lennox.

Lesley f & m English
Variant of Leslie.

Leslie f & m English
From a Scottish surname that was derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In America it was more common as a feminine name after the 1940s.

Leyre f Spanish
From the name of a mountain in Navarre in northern Spain, the site of the old monastery of San Salvador of Leyre. It is from Basque Leire, possibly derived from Latin legionarius meaning "pertaining to a legion".

Leyton m English (Modern)
From a surname that was a variant of Layton.

Libya f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Λιβύη (Libye), the Greek name of the ancient region of Libya (North Africa). According to Greek legend Libya was the daughter of Epaphus, the king of Egypt.

Lincoln m English
From an English surname that was originally from the name of an English city, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". This name is usually given in honour of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.

Lindon m English (Rare)
From a surname that was a variant of Lyndon.

Lindsay f & m English
From an English and Scottish surname that was originally derived from the name of the eastern English region of Lindsey, which means "Lincoln island" in Old English. As a given name it was typically masculine until the 1960s (in Britain) and 70s (in America) when it became popular for girls, probably due to its similarity to Linda and because of American actress Lindsay Wagner (1949-).

Linton m English
From a surname that was originally from place names meaning either "flax town" or "linden tree town" in Old English.

Linwood m English
From an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning "stream forest" in Old English.

Loherangrin m Arthurian Cycle
Form of Lohengrin used by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach.

London f & m English (Modern)
From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain. As a surname it was borne by the American author Jack London (1876-1916).

Lorelei f Literature, English
From German Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.... [more]

Lorena 1 f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian form of Lorraine.

Loreto f & m Spanish, Italian
From the name of a town in Italy, originally called Lauretum in Latin, meaning "laurel grove". Supposedly in the 13th century the house of the Virgin Mary was miraculously carried by angels from Nazareth to the town. In Spain it is a feminine name, from the Marian title Nuestra Señora de Loreto, while in Italy it is mostly masculine.

Lorette f French
Variant of Laurette. This is also the usual French form of Loreto.

Lorna f English
Created by the author R. D. Blackmore for the title character in his novel Lorna Doone (1869), set in southern England, which describes the dangerous love between John Ridd and Lorna Doone. Blackmore may have based the name on the Scottish place name Lorne or on the title Marquis of Lorne (see Lorne).

Lorne m English
From the title Marquis of Lorne, which was based on the Scottish place name Lorne, itself possibly derived from the name of the legendary king of Dál Riata, Loarn mac Eirc. This was the title of the first Governor General of Canada, where it has since been most frequently used as a given name. A famous bearer was the Canadian actor Lorne Greene (1915-1987).

Lorraine f English
From the name of a region in eastern France, originally meaning "kingdom of Lothar". Lothar was a Frankish king, the great-grandson of Charlemagne, whose realm was in the part of France that is now called Lorraine, or in German Lothringen (from Latin Lothari regnum). As a given name, it has been used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century, perhaps due to its similar sound with Laura. It became popular after World War I when the region was in the news, as it was contested between Germany and France.

Lot 2 m Arthurian Cycle
From the name of the region of Lothian in southern Scotland, of unknown meaning. A king of Lothian by this name appears in early Latin and Welsh texts (as Leudonus and Lewdwn respectively). He was inserted into Arthurian legend by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, who makes him the father of Gawain.

Lourdes f Spanish, Portuguese
From the name of a French town. It became a popular center of pilgrimage after a young girl from the town had visions of the Virgin Mary in a nearby grotto.

Luján f Spanish (Latin American)
From a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Luján, meaning "Our Lady of Luján". This is the name of a city in Argentina near Buenos Aires. Our Lady of Luján is a 17th-century statue of Mary. Supposedly the horses transporting the statue further into Argentina refused to pull the cart past Luján, so a shrine was built at the spot. She is regarded as a patron saint of Argentina.

Lyndon m English
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "linden tree hill" in Old English. A famous bearer was American president Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).

Lynton m English (Rare)
Variant of Linton.

Lynwood m English
Variant of Linwood.

Macarena f Spanish
From the name of a barrio (district) in Seville, which got its name from a temple that may have been named for a person named Macarius (see Macario). The Virgin of Macarena, that is Mary, is widely venerated in Seville.

Macy f English
From an English surname that was from various towns called Massy in France. The towns themselves were originally derived from a Gallo-Roman personal name that was Latinized as Maccius. The name was brought to public attention in 1989 when the character Macy Alexander was introduced to the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. It is also notable as the name of a chain of American department stores founded by Rowland Hussey Macy in 1858.

Mədinə f Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Madina.

Madina f Tajik, Uzbek, Kazakh, Avar, Chechen
From the name of the city of Medina, Arabic المدينة (al-Madīna), which means "the city". The Saudi city is considered an Islamic holy site because the Prophet Muhammad was based there for a period.

Malaysia f English (Modern)
From the name of the country in southeastern Asia, the home of the Malay people. Their ethnic name is of uncertain origin, though it is possibly from the name of a river, itself derived from Malay melaju or Javanese mlayu meaning "to run, to go fast".

Maldwyn m Welsh
From Maldwyn, another name for the old Welsh county of Montgomeryshire. It is so called from Trefaldwyn, the Welsh name for the county town of Montgomery, misinterpreting it as if meaning "town of Maldwyn". In fact it means "town of Baldwin" (in Welsh both m and b mutate to f).

Manannán m Irish Mythology
Probably from the name of the Isle of Man, itself possibly from the Celtic root *moniyo- meaning "mountain". In Irish mythology Manannán mac Lir was a god of the sea and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Manawydan m Welsh Mythology
Welsh cognate of Manannán. According to the Mabinogi he was a son of Llŷr, and the brother of Brân and Branwen. He participated in his brother's invasion of Ireland, and was one of only seven warriors to return. Afterwards he became a companion of Pryderi and married his widowed mother Rhiannon.

Marlowe f & m English (Modern)
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "remnants of a lake" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English playwright Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).

Maxwell m English
From a Scottish surname meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name Magnus, combined with Old English wille "well, stream". A famous bearer of the surname was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.... [more]

Maylis f French
From the name of a town in southern France, said to derive from Occitan mair "mother" and French lys "lily". It is also sometimes considered a combination of Marie and lys.

Medina f Kazakh, Bosnian
Kazakh and Bosnian form of Madina.

Medine f Turkish
Turkish form of Madina.

Meirion m Welsh
From the name of the Welsh county of Meirionnydd, formerly a part of the kingdom of Gwynedd. It is probably derived from the Roman name Marianus.

Mekan m Turkmen
Means "place, town, edge" in Turkmen, ultimately from Arabic مكان (makān) meaning "place, position".

Melville m English
From a Scots surname that was originally from a Norman French place name Malleville meaning "bad town". A famous bearer of the surname was the American author Herman Melville (1819-1891), who wrote several novels including Moby-Dick.

Melvin m English, Swedish
From a Scots surname that was a variant of Melville. This name has been used in America since the 19th century. It became popular in the early 20th century and reached a peak in the late 1920s, but has steadily declined since then (closely mirroring the similar-sounding but unrelated names Marvin and Alvin).

Memphis m & f English (Modern)
From the name of an important city of ancient Egypt, or the city in Tennessee that was named after it. It is derived from a Greek form of Egyptian mn-nfr meaning "enduring beauty".

Merida f Popular Culture
The name of the main character in the Disney/Pixar movie Brave (2012) about a medieval Scottish princess. The meaning of her name is unexplained, though it could be based on the Spanish city of Mérida, derived from Latin Emerita Augusta meaning "veterans of Augustus", so named because it was founded by the emperor Augustus as a colony for his veterans.

Milani f English (Modern)
From the name of the Italian city of Milan, as in the name of the American cosmetics company founded in 2002. It could also a variant of Melanie.

Montana f & m English (Modern)
From the name of the American state, which is derived from Latin montanus "mountainous".

Montgomery m English
From an English surname meaning "Gumarich's mountain" in Norman French. A notable bearer of this surname was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.

Moray m Scottish
From the name of the area of Moray in Scotland or the surname derived from it (see Moray).

Moriah f English (Modern)
From Hebrew מֹרִיָה (Moriya) possibly meaning "seen by Yahweh". This is a place name in the Old Testament, both the land where Abraham is to sacrifice Isaac and the mountain upon which Solomon builds the temple. They may be the same place. Since the 1980s it has occasionally been used as a feminine given name in America.

Murray m Scottish, English
From a surname, which is either Scottish or Irish in origin (see Murray 1 and Murray 2).

Myrddin m Welsh Mythology, Welsh
Original Welsh form of Merlin. It is probably ultimately from the name of the Romano-British settlement Moridunum, derived from Celtic *mori "sea" and *dūnom "rampart, hill fort". Prefixed with Welsh caer "fort", this town has been called Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen in English) from medieval times. It is thought that Caerfyrddin may have mistakenly been interpreted as meaning "fort of Myrddin", as if Myrddin were a personal name instead of a later development of Moridunum.... [more]

Nairobi f African American (Modern)
From the name of the capital city of Kenya, derived from Maasai enkare nyrobi meaning "cold water".

Nazaret f & m Spanish, Armenian
From Nazareth, the town in Galilee where Jesus lived. This name is primarily feminine in Spanish and primarily masculine in Armenian.

Nazarius m Late Roman
Latin name meaning "from Nazareth". Nazareth was the town in Galilee where Jesus lived. This name was borne by several early saints, including a man martyred with Celsus in Milan.

Nazzareno m Italian
Italian form of the Late Latin Nazarenus, which meant "from Nazareth, Nazarene". Nazareth was the town in Galilee where Jesus lived. According to the New Testament, the phrase Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum meaning "Jesus the Nazarene, king of the Jews", was inscribed on the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.

Neilos m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Greek name of the Nile River, possibly of Semitic origin meaning "river". In Greek mythology he was the god of the Nile, the son of Okeanos and Tethys.... [more]

Neville m English (British)
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "new town" in Norman French. As a given name it is chiefly British and Australian.

Nil m & f Catalan, Russian (Rare), Ukrainian (Rare), Belarusian (Rare), Turkish
Catalan, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Neilos (and the Nile River). This name was borne by a 15th-century Russian saint, Nil Sorsky. As a Turkish name it is feminine, and comes directly from the Turkish name for the river.

Ninos m Ancient Assyrian (Hellenized)
Probably from the name of the ancient city of Nineveh in Assyria. According to Greek historians this was the name of the husband of Semiramis and the founder of Nineveh. In actuality he does not correspond to any known Assyrian king, and is likely a composite character named after the city.

Núbia f Portuguese (Brazilian)
Portuguese form of Nubia.

Nubia f Spanish (Latin American)
From the name of the ancient region and kingdom in Africa, south of Egypt. It possibly derives from the Egyptian word nbw meaning "gold".

Núria f Catalan, Portuguese
From a Catalan title of the Virgin Mary, Nostra Senyora de Núria, meaning "Our Lady of Nuria". Nuria is a sanctuary in Spain in which there is a shrine containing a famous statue of Mary.

Odessa f Various
From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of Odysseus.

Olympos m Ancient Greek
From a Greek personal name that was derived from the place name Olympos, the name of the mountain home of the Greek gods.

Orhan m Turkish
Derived from Turkish or, of uncertain meaning, possibly from a Turkic root meaning "place", and han meaning "khan, ruler, leader". This was the name of a 14th-century sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Orxan m Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Orhan.

Paris 2 f Various
From the name of the capital city of France, which got its name from the Gaulish tribe known as the Parisii. In America the popularity of this name spiked up and then down between 2003 and 2006, around the time that the television personality and socialite Paris Hilton (1981-) was at the height of her fame.

Parris m & f English (Rare)
From an English surname that originally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris (see Paris 2).

Payton f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Peyton.

Peyton f & m English
From an English surname, originally a place name meaning "Pæga's town". This was a rare masculine name until the 1990s. In 1992 it was used for a female character in the movie The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and, despite the fact that it was borne by the villain, the name began to rise in popularity for girls as well as boys.... [more]

Philadelphia f English (Rare)
From the name of a city in Asia Minor mentioned in Revelation in the New Testament. The name of the city meant "brotherly love" from Greek φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love" and ἀδελφός (adelphos) meaning "brother". It is also the name of a city in the United States.

Polonius m Literature
From Latin Polonia meaning "Poland". In Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet (1600) this is the name of the counsellor to Claudius and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. He is accidentally murdered by Hamlet.

Presley f & m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "priest clearing" (Old English preost and leah). This surname was borne by musician Elvis Presley (1935-1977).

Princeton m English (Modern)
From the name of the town or university in New Jersey. Established in the early 18th century, it is said to have been named for William III, the Prince of Orange.

Quincey m & f English (Rare)
Variant of Quincy.

Quincy m & f English
From an English surname that was derived (via the place name Cuinchy) from the personal name Quintus. A famous bearer was John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), sixth president of the United States, who was born in the town of Quincy, Massachusetts. Both the town and the president were named after his maternal great-grandfather John Quincy (1689-1767). Another notable bearer is the American musician Quincy Jones (1933-).

Ramsay m Scottish
From a surname that was a variant of Ramsey.

Ramsey m & f English
From an English and Scottish surname that was derived from a place name meaning "garlic island" in Old English.

Ravenna f English (Rare)
Either an elaboration of Raven, or else from the name of the city of Ravenna in Italy.

Riley m & f English
From a surname that comes from two distinct sources. As an Irish surname it is a variant of Reilly. As an English surname it is derived from a place name meaning "rye clearing" in Old English.... [more]

Roma 2 f Various
From the name of the Italian city, commonly called Rome in English.

Roman m Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, Slovene, Croatian, Estonian, German, English
From the Late Latin name Romanus meaning "Roman". This name was borne by several early saints including a 7th-century bishop of Rouen, as well as medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia.

Romeo m Italian, Romanian
Italian form of the Late Latin Romaeus or Late Greek Ρωμαῖος (Romaios), which meant "from Rome" or "Roman". Romeo is best known as the lover of Juliet in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet (1596). Shakespeare based his play on earlier Italian stories by Luigi Da Porto (1524) and Matteo Bandello (1554), which both featured characters named Giulietta and Romeo.

Romilly m & f English (British, Rare)
From an English surname that was derived from the name of various Norman towns, themselves from the given name Romilius.

Romulus m Roman Mythology, Romanian
From Roma, the Latin name of the city of Rome, combined with a diminutive suffix. In Roman legend Romulus and Remus were the twin sons of Rhea Silvia and the god Mars. Romulus killed his brother when they argued about where to found Rome. According to the tale he gave the city its name, though in reality it was likely the other way around.

Ross m Scottish, English
From a Scottish and English surname that originally indicated a person from a place called Ross (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), derived from Gaelic ros meaning "promontory, headland". A famous bearer of the surname was James Clark Ross (1800-1862), an Antarctic explorer.

Royston m English (British)
From a surname that was originally taken from an Old English place name meaning "town of Royse". The given name Royse was a medieval variant of Rose.

Salem 2 f & m English (Modern)
From the name of a biblical town, שָׁלֵם (Shalem) in Hebrew, meaning "complete, safe, peaceful". According to the Old Testament this was the town where Melchizedek was king. It is usually identified with Jerusalem. Many places are named after the biblical town, most in America, notably a city in Massachusetts where the infamous Salem witch trials occurred in 1692.

Samara f English (Modern), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Possibly derived from the name of the city of Samarra (in Iraq) or Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel Appointment in Samarra (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.... [more]

Sandford m English (Rare)
From a surname that was a variant of Sanford.

Sanford m English
From an English surname, originally from a place name, which meant "sand ford" in Old English.

Santana f & m Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian), English (Modern)
From a contraction of Santa Ana (referring to Saint Anna) or from a Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from any of the numerous places named for the saint. It can be given in honour of the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-), the founder of the band Santana. The name received a boost in popularity for American girls after the character Santana Andrade began appearing on the soap opera Santa Barbara in 1984.

Seela f Finnish
Possibly a Finnish form of Sela.

Sela f English (Rare)
From the name of a city, the capital of Edom, which appears in the Old Testament. It means "rock" in Hebrew.

Selby m & f English (Rare)
From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "willow farm" in Old Norse.

Seong-Jin m Korean
From Sino-Korean 成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or 星 (seong) meaning "star, planet" combined with 鎭 (jin) meaning "town, marketplace" or 震 (jin) meaning "shake, tremor, excite". Other hanja character combinations are also possible.

Sevan f & m Armenian
From the name of the largest lake in Armenia, which may be from the Urartian word suinia simply meaning "lake".

Seymour m English
From a Norman surname that originally belonged to a person coming from the French town of Saint Maur (which means "Saint Maurus").

Shannon f & m English
From the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish sen "old, ancient". As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.