Nadab m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekMeans
"generous" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Aaron in the Old Testament. He was consumed by flames and killed when he offered unauthorized fire to God. It was also the name of the second king of Israel.
Naenia f Roman MythologyMeans
"incantation, dirge" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of funerals.
Nagendra m Hinduism, Kannada, TeluguMeans
"lord of snakes" from Sanskrit
नाग (naga) meaning "snake" (also "elephant") combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "lord". This is another name for Vasuki, the king of snakes, in Hindu mythology.
Nahum m BiblicalMeans
"comforter" in Hebrew, from the root
נָחַם (nacham). Nahum is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. He authored the Book of Nahum in which the downfall of Nineveh is foretold.
Nan f EnglishOriginally a diminutive of
Ann. It may have originated with the affectionate phrase
mine Ann, which was later reinterpreted as
my Nan. It is now also used as a short form of
Nancy.
Nancy f EnglishPreviously a medieval diminutive of
Annis, though since the 18th century it has been a diminutive of
Ann. It is now usually regarded as an independent name. During the 20th century it became very popular in the United States. A city in the Lorraine region of France bears this name, though it derives from a different source.
Nándor m HungarianOriginally this was a Hungarian word referring to a Bulgarian people that lived along the Danube. Since the 19th century it has been used as a Hungarian short form of
Ferdinand.
Naoise m Irish, Irish MythologyMeaning unknown, presumably of Irish origin. In Irish legend he was the young man who fled to Scotland with
Deirdre, who was due to marry
Conchobar the king of Ulster. Conchobar eventually succeeded in capturing Deirdre and killing Naoise, which caused Deirdre to die of grief.
Naomh f IrishMeans
"holy" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.
Naomhán m IrishMeans
"little saint", derived from Irish
naomh "saint" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Naomi 1 f English, Hebrew, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
נָעֳמִי (Na'omi) meaning
"pleasantness". In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of
Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be
Mara because of her misfortune (see
Ruth 1:20).
... [more] Naphtali m BiblicalMeans
"my struggle, my strife" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is a son of
Jacob by
Rachel's servant
Bilhah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Naram-Sin m AkkadianMeans
"beloved of Sin", from Akkadian
narāmu and the god's name
Sin. This was the name of a 23rd-century BC ruler of the Akkadian Empire, the grandson of
Sargon.
Narcisse m & f FrenchFrench masculine and feminine form of
Narcissus. This is also the French word for the narcissus flower.
Narine f ArmenianProbably from Persian
نار (nar) meaning
"pomegranate", considered a sacred fruit in Armenian culture. Alternately, it could be derived from Arabic
نار (nar) meaning
"fire".
Narmer m Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
nꜥr-mr meaning
"fierce catfish", derived from
nꜥr "catfish" and
mr "fierce, painful". Narmer was an Egyptian ruler who is considered the first pharaoh, uniting Upper and Lower Egypt around the 31st century BC. He is probably the same person as
Menes, with Narmer being his Horus name.
Narses m Middle Persian (Hellenized)Hellenized form of the Middle Persian name
𐭭𐭥𐭮𐭧𐭩 (Narseh), which was derived from Avestan
Nairyosangha. This name was borne by a 3rd-century ruler of the Persian Sasanian Empire. It was also borne by a Byzantine general of Armenian and Parthian descent who helped restore Italy to the Roman Empire during the reign of Justinian I in the 6th century.
Nash m English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from the Middle English phrase
atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer of the surname was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).
... [more] Natalia f Polish, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Greek, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Late RomanLatinate form of
Natalia (see
Natalie).
Natalie f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, NorwegianFrom the Late Latin name
Natalia, which meant
"Christmas Day" from Latin
natale domini. This was the name of the wife of the 4th-century martyr Saint Adrian of Nicomedia. She is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church, and the name has traditionally been more common among Eastern Christians than those in the West. It was popularized in America by actress Natalie Wood (1938-1981), who was born to Russian immigrants.
Natasha f Russian, Belarusian, EnglishRussian diminutive of
Natalya. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel
War and Peace (1865). It has been used in the English-speaking world only since the 20th century.
Nathaniel m English, BiblicalVariant of
Nathanael. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. This has been the most popular spelling, even though the spelling
Nathanael is found in most versions of the New Testament. The American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of
The Scarlet Letter, was a famous bearer of this name.
Naz f TurkishMeans
"coy" in Turkish, of Persian origin.
Nazaret f & m Spanish, ArmenianFrom Nazareth, the town in Galilee where
Jesus lived. This name is primarily feminine in Spanish and primarily masculine in Armenian.
Nazarius m Late RomanLatin 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.
Nazerke f KazakhDerived from Persian
ناز (naz) meaning "delight, comfort" and Kazakh
ерке (erke) meaning "naughty, spoiled, darling".
Nazzareno m ItalianItalian 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.
Neasa f Irish, Irish MythologyFrom Old Irish
Ness, meaning uncertain. In Irish legend she was the mother of
Conchobar. She installed her son as king of Ulster by convincing
Fergus mac Róich (her husband and Conchobar's stepfather) to give up his throne to the boy for a year and then helping him rule so astutely that the Ulstermen demanded that he remain as king. According to some versions of the legend she was originally named
Assa "gentle", but was renamed
Ní-assa "not gentle" after she sought to avenge the murders of her foster fathers.
Nebuchadnezzar m Babylonian (Anglicized), BiblicalFrom
נְבוּכַדְנֶאצֲּר (Nevukhadnetzzar), the Hebrew form of the Akkadian name
Nabu-kudurri-usur meaning "Nabu protect my eldest son", derived from the god's name
Nabu combined with
kudurru meaning "eldest son" and an imperative form of
naṣāru meaning "to protect". This name was borne by a 12th-century BC king of the Babylonian Empire. It was also borne by a 6th-century BC king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He captured Jerusalem, and ultimately destroyed the city's temple and deported many of its citizens, as told in the Old Testament.
Nechtan m Irish Mythology, Old IrishIrish name of uncertain meaning, possibly from a Celtic root meaning
"damp" (cognate with
Neptune). In Irish mythology Nechtan was the husband of
Boann, the goddess of the River Boyne. He is sometimes identified with
Nuada. This name was borne by the 5th-century Saint Nectan of Hartland in Devon, who was supposedly born in Ireland. It was also the name of several kings of the Picts (described mostly from Gaelic sources, this may represent a Pictish cognate).
Ned m EnglishDiminutive of
Edward or
Edmund. It has been used since the 14th century, and may have had root in the medieval affectionate phrase
mine Ed, which was later reinterpreted as
my Ned.
Neely m & f English (Rare)From a Scottish surname, an Anglicized and reduced form of Gaelic
Mac an Fhilidh (or
McNeilly) meaning
"son of the poet".
Neferkare m Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
nfr-kꜣ-rꜥ meaning
"the soul of Ra is beautiful", from
nfr "beautiful, good" combined with
kꜣ "soul" combined with the name of the god
Ra. This name was borne by several Egyptian pharaohs.
Nefertari f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
nfrt-jrj meaning
"the most beautiful". This was the name of an Egyptian queen of the New Kingdom (13th century BC), the favourite wife of
Ramesses II.
Nefertiti f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
nfrt-jjtj meaning
"the beautiful one has come". Nefertiti was a powerful Egyptian queen of the New Kingdom (14th century BC), the principal wife of
Akhenaton, the pharaoh that briefly imposed a monotheistic religion centered around the sun god
Aton.
Neferuptah f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
nfrw-ptḥ meaning
"beauty of Ptah", from
nfrw "beauty, perfection" combined with the name of the god
Ptah. This was the name of a sister of the pharaoh
Neferusobek.
Neferusobek f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
nfrw-sbk meaning
"beauty of Sobek", derived from
nfrw "beauty, perfection" combined with the name of the god
Sobek. This is the name of the earliest known female pharaoh of Egypt, ruling in the 12th dynasty (19th century BC). Her name is typically found with the hieroglyphs in reverse order, as
Sobekneferu, though it is assumed this was only done to place the god's name first in writing.
Nehemiah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh comforts" in Hebrew, derived from
נָחַם (nacham) meaning "to comfort" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. According to the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament he was a leader of the Jews who was responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity.
Neil m Irish, Scottish, EnglishFrom 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] Neith f Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)Greek form of Egyptian
nt, possibly from
nt "water" or
nrw "fear, dread". This was the name of an early Egyptian goddess of weaving, hunting and war. Her character may have some correspondences with the goddesses
Tanith,
Anat or
Athena.
Nélida f Literature, SpanishCreated by French author Marie d'Agoult for her semi-autobiographical novel
Nélida (1846), written under the name Daniel Stern. It was probably an anagram of her pen name
Daniel.
Nell f EnglishMedieval diminutive of names beginning with
El, such as
Eleanor,
Ellen 1 or
Helen. It may have arisen from the medieval affectionate phrase
mine El, which was later reinterpreted as
my Nel.
Nelson m English, SpanishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of Neil". It was originally given in honour of the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). His most famous battle was the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he destroyed a combined French and Spanish fleet, but was himself killed. Another notable bearer was the South African statesman Nelson Mandela (1918-2013). Mandela's birth name was
Rolihlahla; as a child he was given the English name
Nelson by a teacher.
Nemesis f Greek MythologyMeans
"distribution of what is due, righteous anger" in Greek. In Greek mythology Nemesis was the personification of vengeance and justice.
Nena f EnglishVariant of
Nina 1, also coinciding with the Spanish word
nena meaning
"baby girl".
Nenad m Serbian, CroatianMeans
"unexpected" in Serbian and Croatian. In the Serbian folk song
Predrag and Nenad this is the name of
Predrag's brother.
Nennius m HistoryMeaning unknown, presumably a Latinized form of a Brythonic name (perhaps
Nynniaw). According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a British prince who fought against the invading forces of Julius Caesar. It was also borne by a 9th-century Welsh monk, traditionally credited with authoring the
History of the Britons.
Neonilla f Late Greek, Russian (Rare)From a Greek name derived from
νέος (neos) meaning
"new". This was the name of an Orthodox Christian saint, a 3rd-century Syrian woman martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Decius.
Nephele f Greek MythologyFrom 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.
Nephthys f Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)Greek form of Egyptian
nbt-ḥwt (reconstructed as
Nebet-Hut) meaning
"lady of the house", derived from
nbt "lady" and
ḥwt "house". This was the name of an Egyptian goddess associated with the air, death and mourning. She was wife of the desert god
Seth.
Neptune m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Neptunus, which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Indo-European root *
nebh- "wet, damp, clouds". Neptune was the god of the sea in Roman mythology, approximately equivalent to the Greek god
Poseidon. This is also the name of the eighth planet in the solar system.
Nerea f Basque, SpanishPossibly from Basque
nere, a dialectal variant of
nire meaning
"mine". Alternatively, it could be a feminine form of
Nereus. This name arose in Basque-speaking regions of Spain in the first half of the 20th century, though it is now popular throughout the country.
Nereida f SpanishDerived from Greek
Νηρηΐδες (Nereides) meaning
"nymphs, sea sprites", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god
Nereus, who supposedly fathered them.
Nereus m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekDerived from Greek
νηρός (neros) meaning
"water". In Greek myth this was the name of a god of the sea, the father of the Nereids. It is mentioned briefly in the New Testament, belonging to a Christian in Rome. This was also the name of a Roman saint of the 1st century, a member of the army, who was martyred with his companion Achilleus because they refused to execute Christians.
Nerina f ItalianProbably from Greek
Νηρηΐδες (see
Nereida). This name was used by Torquato Tasso for a character in his play
Aminta (1573), and subsequently by Giacomo Leopardi in his poem
Le Ricordanze (1829).
Nerissa f LiteratureCreated by Shakespeare for a character in his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596). He possibly took it from Greek
Νηρηΐς (Nereis) meaning "nymph, sea sprite", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god
Nereus, who supposedly fathered them.
Nero 1 m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen, which was probably of Sabine origin meaning
"strong, vigorous". It was used by a prominent branch of the gens Claudia starting from the 3rd century BC. It was borne most famously by a Roman emperor of the 1st century, remembered as a tyrant. His birth name was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, but after he was adopted as the heir of
Claudius his name became Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus.
Nero 2 m ItalianShort form of
Raniero. It also coincides with the Italian word
nero meaning
"black".
Nerses m ArmenianArmenian form of Middle Persian
Narseh (see
Narses). Saint Nerses was a 4th-century patriarch of the Armenian Church.
Nerthus f Germanic Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Germanic *
Nerþuz, which is also the root of the Old Norse god's name
Njǫrðr (see
Njord). Nerthus was a Germanic goddess of fertility as described by the Roman historian Tacitus in the 1st century.
Nerva m Ancient Roman, HistoryRoman cognomen derived from Latin
nervus "strength". This is the name by which the 1st-century Roman emperor Marcus Cocceius Nerva is commonly known.
Nestor m Greek Mythology, Russian, Portuguese, FrenchMeans
"returner, homecomer" in Greek, from
νέομαι (neomai) meaning "to return". In
Homer's
Iliad this was the name of the king of Pylos, famous for his great wisdom and longevity, who acted as a counselor to the Greek allies.
Nethaniah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh has given" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the father of
Ishmael (the assassin of Gedaliah), as well as other minor characters.