Browse Names - Behind the Name

Aiolos m Greek Mythology
Means "quick-moving, nimble" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek god of the winds.

Arethusa f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀρέθουσα (Arethousa) meaning "quick water", which is possibly derived from ἄρδω (ardo) meaning "water" and θοός (thoos) meaning "quick, nimble". This was the name of a nymph in Greek mythology who was transformed into a fountain.

Hector m English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Arthurian Cycle
Latinized form of Greek Ἕκτωρ (Hektor), which was derived from ἕκτωρ (hektor) meaning "holding fast", ultimately from ἔχω (echo) meaning "to hold, to possess". In Greek legend Hector was one of the Trojan champions who fought against the Greeks. After he killed Achilles' friend Patroclus in battle, he was himself brutally slain by Achilles, who proceeded to tie his dead body to a chariot and drag it about. This name also appears in Arthurian legends where it belongs to King Arthur's foster father.... [more]

Ji-Min f & m Korean
From Sino-Korean 志 (ji) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or 智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" combined with 旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable", 敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or 珉 (min) meaning "jade, stone resembling jade". Other hanja character combinations are possible.

Min 1 m & f Chinese, Korean
From 敏 (mǐn) meaning "quick, clever, sharp", 民 (mín) meaning "people, citizens", or other Chinese/Sino-Korean characters that are pronounced similarly.

Min-Ji f Korean
From Sino-Korean 敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" combined with 智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or 知 (ji) meaning "know, perceive, comprehend". Other hanja combinations are possible.

Min-Jun m Korean
From Sino-Korean 敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or 旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable" combined with 俊 (jun) meaning "talented, handsome". Other hanja combinations are possible.

Min-Seo f & m Korean
From Sino-Korean 民 (min) meaning "people, citizens" or 敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" combined with 徐 (seo) meaning "slowly, calmly, composed, dignified" or 序 (seo) meaning "series, sequence". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.

Mutasim m Arabic
Means "holding fast, adhering to" in Arabic.

Mwangi m Kikuyu
Means "rapid expansion" in Kikuyu. Kikuyu males were traditionally organized into age sets or generations. The Mwangi generation started around the beginning of the 20th century and lasted for about 30 years.

Nobutoshi m Japanese
From Japanese 信 (nobu) meaning "trust" and 敏 (toshi) meaning "quick, clever, sharp". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Seong-Min m Korean
From Sino-Korean 成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or 性 (seong) meaning "nature, character, sex" combined with 敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or 旻 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp". Many other hanja character combinations are possible.

Shun 2 f & m Japanese
From Japanese 駿 (shun) meaning "fast", 俊 (shun) meaning "talented", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.

Toshiko f Japanese
From Japanese 敏 (toshi) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji characters can also form this name.

Toshirō m Japanese
From Japanese 俊 (toshi) meaning "talented, handsome" or 敏 (toshi) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" combined with 郎 (rō) meaning "son". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.

Xun m & f Chinese
From Chinese 勋 (xūn) meaning "meritorious deed, rank" or 迅 (xùn) meaning "fast, sudden", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.

Usage	clear
Language	clear
Place	clear

Initial	clear
Start	clear
End	clear
Substring	clear
Pattern	clear help?
the letters in the pattern are compared to the letters in the name * is a wildcard that matches zero or more letters example: oo matches names which contain oo _ is a wildcard that matches exactly one letter example: __z matches names which have two letters and then z

Meaning	clear help?
	expand search to include grammatical forms
	expand search to include close synonyms
	expand search to include subclasses
	expand search to related names
separate search terms with spaces search for an exact phrase by surrounding it with double quotes this field understands simple boolean logic force a term to be included by preceding it with a + sign force a term to be excluded by preceding it with a - sign expand search to include grammatical forms: attempt to include grammatical forms of the meanings example: speak includes spoke expand search to include close synonyms: attempt to include synonyms of the meanings example: brave includes courageous expand search to include search narrower synonyms: attempt to include subclasses of the meanings example: reptile includes turtle expand search to related names: allow related names to inherit the meaning of the main form
Description	clear help?
	ignore name meanings
the description is the meaning and history write-up for the name separate search terms with spaces search for an exact phrase by surrounding it with double quotes example: "lord of the rings" matches names from the novel 'The Lord of the Rings' this field understands simple boolean logic force a term to be included by preceding it with a + sign force a term to be excluded by preceding it with a - sign example: +greek +(legend myth) -zeus matches Greek names of myths or legends not about Zeus ignore name meanings: keywords from the name meanings are ignored

Pronunciation	clear help?
	case sensitive
see the pronunciation key for a guide on how to write the sounds sounds can only be searched in names that have been assigned pronunciations * is a wildcard that will match zero or more letters in the pronunciation example: lee matches names which end with the sound lee* _ is a wildcard that will match exactly one letter in the pronunciation example: __z matches names which have two letters and then a z (s) matches exactly one syllable in the pronunciation example: (s)(s)ra matches names which have two syllables and then the sound rah (c) matches a consonant (k) matches a consonant or consonant cluster (v) matches a vowel (p) matches a plosive or stop consonant (f) matches a fricative consonant (n) matches a nasal consonant case sensitive: check this if you wish distinguish between unstressed lowercase sounds and stressed uppercase sounds
Syllables	clear help?
syllables can only be counted in names that have been assigned pronunciations names without pronunciations are excluded from results

Related name	clear
Relationship	clear help?
	expand search to ancestral names
the "relationship" is how the name relates to its parent name example: searching for diminutive matches Betsy because it is a diminutive of its parent Elizabeth selecting *(all core forms)* excludes peripheral forms such as diminutives, short forms, and combinations expand search to ancestral names: relationships between names further up the family tree are included

Impression	clear help?
name impressions are based on the ratings left by the behindthename.com community
Impression	clear help?
name impressions are based on the ratings left by the behindthename.com community
Impression	clear help?
name impressions are based on the ratings left by the behindthename.com community

List	clear
Year	clear
Rank	clear

Country	clear
Month	clear
Day	clear

Sort	clear
Display	clear