Ælfric m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ælf "elf" and
ric "ruler, king" (making it a cognate of
Alberich). This was the name of a 10th-century archbishop of Canterbury, sometimes considered a saint.
Æðelric m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
æðele "noble" and
ric "ruler, king". This was the name of several early Anglo-Saxon kings.
Aisultan m KazakhDerived from Kazakh
ай (ay) meaning "moon" and
сұлтан (sultan) meaning "sultan, king" (of Arabic origin).
Alaric m Gothic (Anglicized)From the Gothic name *
Alareiks meaning
"ruler of all", derived from the element
alls "all" combined with
reiks "ruler, king". This was the name of a king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in the 5th century.
Alberich m Germanic, Germanic MythologyDerived from the Old German elements
alb "elf" and
rih "ruler, king". It was borne by two Lombard dukes of Spoleto in the 10th century. It was also the name of a 12th-century French saint who helped found the Cistercian Order.
... [more] Alikhan m KazakhCombination of the name
Ali 1 and the Turkic title
khan meaning "ruler, leader".
Amalric m Gothic (Anglicized)From the Visigothic name *
Amalareiks, derived from the Gothic element
amals meaning "unceasing, vigorous, brave", also referring to the royal dynasty of the Amali, combined with
reiks meaning "ruler, king". This was the name of a 6th-century king of the Visigoths, as well as two 12th-century rulers of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Anish m Hindi, MarathiMeans
"supreme, paramount, without a ruler", from the Sanskrit negative prefix
अ (a) and
ईश (isha) meaning "ruler, lord".
Ayhan m & f TurkishDerived from Turkish
ay meaning "moon" and
han meaning "khan, ruler, leader".
Baldric m English (Archaic)Derived from the Old German elements
bald "bold, brave" and
rih "ruler, king". It was borne by a 7th-century Frankish saint, the founder of the monastery of Montfaucon. The Normans introduced this name to Britain, and it was common in the Middle Ages.
Batuhan m TurkishCombination of
Batu and Turkish
han meaning "khan, ruler, leader", referring to the 13th-century Mongol ruler Batu Khan.
Brijesha m HinduismMeans
"ruler of Brij" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna, Brij being a region associated with him.
Cadwaladr m WelshFrom Old Welsh
Catgualatr (also recorded in many other spellings) meaning
"leader of the battle", from
cat "battle" and
gwaladr "leader". This was the name of a 7th-century king of Gwynedd. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth he was the last king of all of the Britons. This name was also borne by a 7th-century Welsh saint.
Dinesha m HinduismMeans
"day lord" from Sanskrit
दिन (dina) meaning "day" and
ईश (isha) meaning "lord". In Hindu texts this is used as a name of the sun.
Donald m Scottish, EnglishFrom the Scottish Gaelic name
Dòmhnall meaning
"ruler of the world", composed of the Old Irish elements
domun "world" and
fal "rule". This was the name of two 9th-century kings of the Scots and Picts. It has traditionally been very popular in Scotland, and during the 20th century it became common in the rest of the English-speaking world. This is the name of one of Walt Disney's most popular cartoon characters, Donald Duck, introduced 1931. It was also borne by Australian cricket player Donald Bradman (1908-2001) and former American president Donald Trump (1946-).
Edric m English (Rare)From the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
ric "ruler, king". After the Norman Conquest this Old English name was not commonly used. It has occasionally been revived in modern times.
Emirhan m TurkishDerived from Turkish
emir meaning "amir, prince" and
han meaning "khan, ruler, leader".
Erhan m TurkishFrom Turkish
er meaning "man, hero, brave" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
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] Ermenrich m GermanicFrom the Gothic name *
Airmanareiks, from the elements
airmans "great, immense" and
reiks "ruler, king". Ermenrich (also often called Ermanaric) was a 4th-century Gothic king.
Euric m Gothic (Anglicized)From the Gothic name *
Aiwareiks, derived from
aiws "eternity, age" and
reiks "ruler, king". This was the name of a 5th-century king of the Visigoths.
Ewald m German, Dutch, GermanicFrom an Old German name that was composed of the elements
ewa "law, custom" and
walt "power, authority". This name was borne by two 7th-century saints from Northumbria who were martyred in Saxony.
Frederick m EnglishEnglish form of an Old German name meaning
"peaceful ruler", derived from
fridu "peace" and
rih "ruler, king". This name has long been common in continental Germanic-speaking regions, being borne by rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, and Prussia. Notables among these rulers include the 12th-century Holy Roman emperor and crusader Frederick I Barbarossa, the 13th-century emperor and patron of the arts Frederick II, and the 18th-century Frederick II of Prussia, known as Frederick the Great.
... [more] Gaiseric m Vandalic (Latinized)From
Gaisericus, the Latin form of the Vandalic name *
Gaisarīx, derived from the Germanic elements *
gaizaz "spear" and *
rīks "ruler, king". This was the name of a 5th-century king of the Vandals, a Germanic tribe. He led his people through Hispania and established a kingdom in North Africa.
Ganesha m HinduismMeans
"lord of hordes" from Sanskrit
गण (gana) meaning "horde, multitude" and
ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler". This is the name of the Hindu god of wisdom and good luck, the son of
Shiva and
Parvati. He is often depicted as a stout man with the head of an elephant.
Gerald m English, German, DutchFrom a Germanic name meaning
"power of the spear", from the elements
ger meaning "spear" and
walt meaning "power, authority". The Normans brought it to Britain. Though it died out in England during the Middle Ages, it remained common in Ireland. It was revived in the English-speaking world in 19th century.
Girisha m HinduismMeans
"lord of the mountain" in Sanskrit. This is a name of the Hindu god
Shiva, given because of his abode in the Himalayan Mountains.
Godric m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"god's ruler", derived from Old English
god combined with
ric "ruler, king". This name died out a few centuries after the Norman Conquest.
Gökhan m TurkishFrom Turkish
gök meaning "sky" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
Gormlaith f Old IrishDerived from Old Irish
gorm "blue" or "illustrious" and
flaith "ruler, sovereign, princess". This was the name of several medieval Irish royals, including the wife of the 11th-century king
Brian Boru.
Haumea f Polynesian MythologyMeans
"red ruler", from Hawaiian
hau "ruler" and
mea "reddish brown". Haumea is the Hawaiian goddess of fertility and childbirth. A dwarf planet in the outer solar system was named for her in 2008.
Heidrich m GermanicDerived from the Old German element (possibly)
heida "heath, heather" combined with
rih "ruler, king".
Henry m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Heimirich meaning
"home ruler", composed of the elements
heim "home" and
rih "ruler". It was later commonly spelled
Heinrich, with the spelling altered due to the influence of other Germanic names like
Haganrich, in which the first element is
hag "enclosure".
... [more] Hilderic m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hilt "battle" and
rih "ruler, king". Hilderic was a 6th-century king of the Vandals. This name was also borne by three early Merovingian Frankish kings, though their name is usually spelled as
Childeric.
Hilperic m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
helfa "help" and
rih "ruler, king". This name was borne by two Burgundian kings and two Frankish kings (usually called
Chilperic).
Hulderic m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
hold "favourable, gracious, graceful, loyal" and
rih "ruler, king".
Idwal m WelshFrom the Old Welsh name
Iudgual derived from
iudd "lord" combined with
gual "ruler, leader".
Jun 1 m & f Chinese, KoreanFrom Chinese
君 (jūn) meaning "king, ruler",
俊 (jùn) meaning "talented, handsome" (which is usually only masculine) or
军 (jūn) meaning "army" (also usually only masculine). This is also a single-character Korean name, often from the hanja
俊 meaning "talented, handsome". This name can be formed by other characters besides those shown here.
Kağan m TurkishFrom a Turkish title meaning
"king, ruler", ultimately of Mongolian origin. The title is usually translated into English as
Khan.
Kentigern m History (Ecclesiastical)From a Brythonic name in which the second element is Celtic *
tigernos "lord, ruler". The first element may be *
kentus "first" or *
kū "dog, hound" (genitive *
kunos). This was the name of a 6th-century saint from the Kingdom of Strathclyde. He is the patron saint of Glasgow.
Khan m Urdu, PashtoFrom a title meaning
"king, ruler". Its origin is probably Mongolian, though the word has been transmitted into many other languages.
Khanpasha m ChechenDerived from the Turkic title
Khan meaning "ruler, leader" combined with the high Ottoman military rank
pasha.
Metehan m TurkishCombination of
Mete and Turkish
han meaning "khan, ruler, leader", referring to the 3rd-century BC Xiongnu ruler Modu Chanyu.
Mukesha m HinduismMeans
"ruler of Muka" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Shiva, given to him because he killed Muka, a demon in the form of a wild boar.
Nursultan m KazakhFrom Kazakh
нұр (nur) meaning "light" and
сұлтан (sultan) meaning "sultan, king" (both words of Arabic origin).
Oğuzhan m TurkishFrom
Oğuz, the name of an ancient Turkic people, combined with Turkish
han meaning "khan, ruler, leader".
Ọlọrun m Yoruba MythologyMeans
"ruler of heaven, owner of heaven" in Yoruba, derived from either
olú "chief, ruler" or the prefix
ọní "owner" combined with
ọ̀run "heaven, sky". Ọlọrun is a manifestation of the supreme god in traditional Yoruba religion. In some modern contexts this name is used to refer to the Christian or Islamic god.
Orhan m TurkishDerived 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.
Órlaith f Irish, Old IrishMeans
"golden ruler", from Old Irish
ór "gold" combined with
flaith "ruler, sovereign, princess". This name was borne by several medieval Irish royals, including a sister of the king
Brian Boru.
Rajesh m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"ruler of kings" from Sanskrit
राज (raja) meaning "king" and
ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler".
Rajnish m HindiMeans
"lord of the night" from Sanskrit
रजनि (rajani) meaning "night" and
ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler". This is another name for the moon in Hindu texts.
Régis m FrenchFrom a French surname meaning
"ruler" in Occitan. This name is often given in honour of Saint Jean-François Régis (1597-1640), a French Jesuit priest.
Reynold m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Raginald, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
walt "power, authority". The Normans (who used forms like
Reinald or
Reinold) brought the name to Britain, where it reinforced rare Old English and Norse cognates already in existence. It was common during the Middle Ages, but became more rare after the 15th century.
Richard m English, French, German, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, GermanicMeans
"brave ruler", derived from the Old German elements
rih "ruler, king" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of three early dukes of Normandy. The Normans introduced it to England when they invaded in the 11th century, and it has been very common there since that time. It was borne by three kings of England including the 12th-century Richard I the Lionheart, one of the leaders of the Third Crusade.
... [more] Richardis f Germanic (Latinized)Germanic name, possibly a feminine form of
Ricohard, though it is likely the second element is
gart "enclosure" (being more common as a second element in feminine names). This was the name of the 9th-century wife of the Frankish emperor Charles the Fat. She is regarded as a saint.
Ricmod f & m GermanicDerived from the Old German element
rih "ruler, king" combined with
muot "mind, spirit".
Roald m NorwegianModern form of the Old Norse name
Hróðvaldr or
Hróaldr, composed of the elements
hróðr "praise, fame" and
valdr "ruler". This name was borne by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) and the British children's author Roald Dahl (1916-1990), who was born to Norwegian parents.
Roderick m English, Scottish, WelshMeans
"famous ruler" from the Old German elements
hruod "fame" and
rih "ruler, king". This name was in use among the Visigoths; it was borne by their last king (Gothic form *
Hroþireiks, also known by the Spanish form
Rodrigo), who died fighting the Muslim invaders of Spain in the 8th century. It also had cognates in Old Norse and West Germanic, and Scandinavian settlers and Normans introduced it to England, though it died out after the Middle Ages. It was revived in the English-speaking world by Walter Scott's 1811 poem
The Vision of Don Roderick.
... [more] Satisha m HinduismMeans
"lord of Sati" from the name of the Hindu goddess
Sati combined with
ईश (isha) meaning "ruler". This is another name for the Hindu god
Shiva.
Serhan m TurkishDerived from Turkish
ser meaning "head, top" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
Sultan m & f Arabic, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Urdu, Bengali, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, AvarMeans
"ruler, king, sultan" in Arabic. In the Arab world this name is typically masculine, but Turkey it is given to both boys and girls.
Talulla f Irish (Rare)Anglicized form of the Old Irish name
Taileflaith,
Tuileflaith or
Tuilelaith, probably from
tuile "abundance" and
flaith "ruler, sovereign, princess". This was the name of an early saint, an abbess of Kildare.
Theodoric m Gothic (Anglicized)From the Gothic name *
Þiudareiks meaning
"ruler of the people", derived from the elements
þiuda "people" and
reiks "ruler, king". It was notably borne by Theodoric the Great, a 6th-century king of the Ostrogoths who eventually became the ruler of Italy. By Theodoric's time the Ostrogoths were partially Romanized and his name was regularly recorded as
Theodoricus. This was also the name of two earlier (5th century) Visigothic kings.
Torvald m Swedish, NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Þórvaldr, which meant
"Thor's ruler" from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor) combined with
valdr "ruler".
Túathal m Old IrishMeans
"ruler of the people", from Old Irish
túath "people, country" and
fal "rule". This was the name of a few Irish kings, including the legendary Túathal Techtmar.
Tudwal m Welsh (Rare)From the Old Welsh and Breton name
Tutgual, derived from
tut "people, country" and
gual "ruler, leader". This was the name of a 6th-century Breton saint.
Ulrich m German, GermanicFrom the Old German name
Odalric, derived from the element
uodil "heritage" combined with
rih "ruler, king". This was the name of two German saints. Another famous bearer was Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), also known as Huldrych, the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland.
Valéry m FrenchDerived from the Old German elements
walah "foreigner, Celt, Roman" and
rih "ruler, king". It has been frequently confused with the name
Valère. Saint Walaric (or Valery) was a 7th-century Frankish monk who founded an abbey near Leuconaus at the mouth of the Somme River.
Walburga f GermanMeans
"power of the fortress" from Old German
walt meaning "power, authority" and
burg meaning "fortress" (or perhaps from Old English cognates, though as an Old English name it is unattested). This was the name of an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon saint who did missionary work in Germany.
Waldebert m GermanicGermanic name composed of the elements
walt "power, authority" and
beraht "bright". This was the name of a 7th-century Frankish saint from Luxeuil (called
Valbert or
Gaubert in French).
Walter m English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Italian, GermanicFrom the Germanic name
Waltheri meaning
"power of the army", from the elements
walt "power, authority" and
heri "army". In medieval German tales (notably
Waltharius by Ekkehard of Saint Gall) Walter of Aquitaine is a heroic king of the Visigoths. The name was also borne by an 11th-century French saint, Walter of Pontoise. The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Wealdhere.
... [more] Waltraud f GermanFrom the Old German elements
walt "power, authority" and
drud "strength". This name was borne by a 7th-century Frankish saint who founded a convent near Mons, Belgium.
Xerxes m Old Persian (Hellenized), HistoryGreek form of the Old Persian name
𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 (Xšayarša), which meant
"ruler over heroes". This was the name of a 5th-century BC king of Persia, the son of
Darius the Great. He attempted an invasion of Greece, which ended unsuccessfully at the battle of Salamis.
Yijun m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" combined with
君 (jūn) meaning "king, ruler". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.