Arnulf m German, GermanicGermanic name derived from the elements
arn meaning "eagle" and
wolf meaning "wolf". This name was borne by a few early saints, notably a 7th-century Frankish bishop of Metz. It was also the name of a 9th-century Holy Roman emperor.
Arsenios m Ancient GreekMeans
"virile" in Greek. Saint Arsenius was a 5th-century deacon who was tutor to the two sons of the Roman emperor Theodosius. The two sons, Arcadius and Honorius, divided the empire into eastern and western halves upon their father's death.
Arsinoe f Ancient GreekMeans
"raising of the mind", from Greek
ἄρσις (arsis) "raising" and
νόος (noos) "mind, thought". This name was borne by Egyptian queens from the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Artabazos m Old Persian (Hellenized)Greek form of the Old Persian name *
Artavazda meaning
"persevering through truth", a calque of Avestan
𐬀𐬴𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬀𐬵 (Ashauuazdah). This was the name of two Achaemenid Persian satraps of Hellespontine Phrygia.
Artaxerxes m Old Persian (Hellenized), Biblical, HistoryGreek form of the Old Persian name
𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠 (Artaxšaça) meaning
"reign through truth", derived from
𐎠𐎼𐎫 (arta) meaning "truth" and
𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶 (xšaçam) meaning "reign, kingdom". This was the name of several Achaemenid Persian rulers. It was also borne by the founder of the Sasanian Empire, usually known by the Middle Persian form
Ardashir.
Artemidoros m Ancient GreekMeans
"gift of Artemis" from the name of the goddess
Artemis combined with Greek
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a Greek author of the 2nd century who wrote about the interpretation of dreams.
Artemios m Ancient GreekDerived from the name of the Greek goddess
Artemis. This was the name of a 4th-century general in the Roman army who is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church.
Artemis f Greek Mythology, GreekMeaning unknown, possibly related either to Greek
ἀρτεμής (artemes) meaning
"safe" or
ἄρταμος (artamos) meaning
"a butcher". Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon and hunting, the twin of
Apollo and the daughter of
Zeus and
Leto. She was known as
Diana to the Romans.
Artemisia f Ancient GreekFeminine form of
Artemisios. This was the name of the 4th-century BC builder of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. She built it in memory of her husband, the Carian prince Mausolus.
Arthit m ThaiMeans
"sun" in Thai, derived from the name of the Hindu god
Aditya.
Artur m Portuguese, Galician, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German, Estonian, Swedish, Albanian, ArmenianForm of
Arthur in several languages.
Arwyn m WelshFrom the Welsh intensifying prefix
ar- and
gwyn meaning
"white, blessed".
Arya 1 m & f Persian, Hindi, MalayalamFrom an old Indo-Iranian root meaning "Aryan, noble". In India, this is a transcription of both the masculine form
आर्य and the feminine form
आर्या. In Iran it is only a masculine name.
Arzhang m Persian, Persian MythologyMeaning uncertain, possibly from Old Persian meaning
"message of truth". This is the name of a holy book in Manichaeism, written by
Mani. It is also the name of a character in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Åsa f SwedishShort form of Old Norse feminine names beginning with the element
áss "god".
Asal f PersianMeans
"honey" in Persian (of Arabic origin).
Asaph m BiblicalMeans
"collector" in Hebrew. This name belongs to several minor characters in the Old Testament.
Ascelin m GermanicDerived from a diminutive of the Old German element
asc meaning
"ash tree" (Proto-Germanic *
askaz).
Åse f Norwegian, Swedish, DanishNorwegian form of
Åsa, as well as a Swedish and Danish variant. It was used by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen in his play
Peer Gynt (1867), where it belongs to the mother of the title character.
Asger m DanishFrom the Old Norse name
Ásgeirr, derived from the elements
áss meaning "god" and
geirr meaning "spear". It is a cognate of
Ansgar.
Ash m & f EnglishShort form of
Ashley. It can also come directly from the English word denoting either the tree or the residue of fire.
Asherah f Semitic MythologyPerhaps derived from Semitic roots meaning
"she who walks in the sea". This was the name of a Semitic mother goddess. She was worshipped by the Israelites before the advent of monotheism.
Ashley f & m EnglishFrom 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.
Ashoka m SanskritMeans
"without sorrow" in Sanskrit, from
अ (a) meaning "not" and
शोका (śokā) meaning "sorrow, grief". This name was borne by Ashoka (or Aśoka) the Great, a 3rd-century BC emperor of the Maurya Empire in northern India.
Ashtad f Persian MythologyModern Persian form of Avestan
𐬀𐬭𐬱𐬙𐬁𐬙 (Arshtāt) meaning
"justice, honesty, rightness", derived from
𐬀𐬴𐬀 (asha) meaning "truth, order". This was the name of a Yazata (a holy being) in Zoroastrianism.
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 MythologyFrom 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.
Ashurbanipal m Ancient Assyrian (Anglicized)From Akkadian
Ashur-bani-apli meaning
"Ashur is creator of a son". This was the name of one of the final kings of the Assyrian Empire, reigning late in the 7th century BC. He appears in the Old Testament under the name
Asnappar.
Asif m Arabic, UrduPossibly derived from the Hebrew name
Asaph. In the Quran
27:40 an unnamed person magically transports the Queen of Sheba's throne to Solomon's court. According to some Islamic traditions, the person's name was Asif (or Asaf) and he was Solomon's vizier.
Ask m Norse MythologyDerived from Old Norse
askr "ash tree". In Norse mythology Ask and his wife
Embla were the first humans created by the gods.
Aslaug f NorwegianDerived from the Old Norse elements
áss meaning "god" and
laug possibly meaning "vowed, promised, bound in oath".
Åsne f NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Ásný, derived from the elements
áss "god" and
nýr "new".
Asse m FrisianOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the elements
asc meaning
"ash tree" or
ansi meaning
"god".
Assunta f ItalianMeans
"taken up, received, assumed" in Italian, referring to the assumption of the Virgin
Mary into heaven.
Astaroth m LiteratureFrom
Ashtaroth, the plural form of
Ashtoreth used in the Bible to refer to Phoenician idols. This spelling was used in late medieval demonology texts to refer to a type of (masculine) demon.
Asterion m Greek MythologyMeans
"of the stars", derived from Greek
ἀστήρ (aster) "star". This is the name of several figures in Greek mythology, including a river god.
Asterix m Popular CultureThe name of a Gaulish hero (
Astérix in the original French) in a comic book series of the same name, debuting 1959. His name is a pun based on French
astérisque meaning
"asterisk, little star" but appearing to end with the Gaulish element
rix meaning "king" (seen for example in the historical figure
Vercingetorix). All male Gauls in the series have humorous names ending with
-ix.
Asterope f Greek MythologyMeans
"lightning, flash of light" in Greek. This is the name of several characters from Greek mythology, including a naiad who died fleeing Aesacus.
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.
Astraea f Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek
Ἀστραία (Astraia), derived from Greek
ἀστήρ (aster) meaning
"star". Astraea was a Greek goddess of justice and innocence. After wickedness took root in the world she left the earth and became the constellation Virgo.
Astrid f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, French, EnglishModern Scandinavian form of
Ástríðr. This name was borne by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), the author of
Pippi Longstocking. It was also borne by a Swedish princess (1905-1935) who became the queen of Belgium as the wife of Leopold III.
Astrophel m LiteratureProbably intended to mean "star lover", from Greek
ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star" and
φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend". This name was first used by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney in his collection of sonnets
Astrophel and Stella.
Asunción f SpanishMeans
"assumption" in Spanish. This name is given in reference to the assumption of the Virgin
Mary into heaven.
Atajan m TurkmenFrom Turkmen
ata meaning "father, ancestor" combined with the suffix
jan meaning "dear, darling" (of Persian origin).
Atalanta f Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Ἀταλάντη (Atalante) meaning
"equal in weight", derived from
ἀτάλαντος (atalantos), a word related to
τάλαντον (talanton) meaning "a scale, a balance". In Greek legend she was a fast-footed maiden who refused to marry anyone who could not beat her in a race. She was eventually defeated by Hippomenes, who dropped three golden apples during the race causing her to stop to pick them up.
Athaliah f & m BiblicalPossibly means
"Yahweh is exalted" in Hebrew, from
עֲתַל (ʿaṯal) possibly meaning "exalted" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is both a feminine and masculine name. It was borne by the daughter of
Ahab and
Jezebel, who later came to rule Judah as a queen.
Athanagild m Gothic (Anglicized)From the Gothic name *
Aþanagild, derived from the elements
aþn meaning "year" combined with
gild meaning "payment, tribute, compensation". Athanagild was a 6th-century king of Visigothic Spain.
Athanaric m Gothic (Anglicized)From the Gothic name *
Aþanareiks, derived from the element
aþn meaning "year" combined with
reiks meaning "ruler, king". Athanaric was a 4th-century ruler of the Visigoths.
Athaulf m Gothic (Modernized)Contemporary spelling of the Gothic name *
Aþawulfs, derived from the elements
aþals "nobility" and
wulfs "wolf" (making it a cognate of
Adolf). Alternatively, the first element could be
atta "father". This was the name of a 5th-century king of the Visigoths.
Athena f Greek Mythology, EnglishMeaning unknown. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare and the patron goddess of the city of Athens in Greece. It is likely that her name is derived from that of the city, not vice versa. The earliest mention of her seems to be a 15th-century BC Mycenaean Greek inscription from Knossos on Crete.
... [more] Atlas m Greek MythologyPossibly means
"enduring" from Greek
τλάω (tlao) meaning "to endure". In Greek mythology he was a Titan punished by
Zeus by being forced to support the heavens on his shoulders.
Aton m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
jtn meaning
"solar disk". Aton was an Egyptian god of the sun, depicted as a solar disk with long rays extending downwards. The worship of Aton was especially extensive during the 14th-century BC reign of the pharaoh
Akhenaton, who proclaimed Aton was the only god.
Atropos f Greek MythologyMeans
"inevitable, inflexible" in Greek, derived from the negative prefix
ἀ (a) combined with
τρόπος (tropos) meaning "direction, manner, fashion". Atropos was one of the three Fates or
Μοῖραι (Moirai) in Greek mythology. When her sister Lachesis decided that a person's life was at an end, Atropos would choose the manner of death and cut the person's life thread.
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.
Attila m History, Hungarian, TurkishProbably means
"little father" from Gothic
atta "father" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 5th-century leader of the Huns, a nomadic people from Central Asia who had expanded into Eastern Europe by the 4th century.
Attila was likely the name given to him by his Gothic-speaking subjects in Eastern Europe; his real name may have been Avitohol.
Attilio m ItalianItalian form of the Roman family name
Atilius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. Marcus Atilius Regulus was a Roman consul and hero of the First Punic War.
Atum m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
jtm or
tmw, derived from
tm meaning
"completion, totality". This was the name of an Egyptian creator god. He was first prominently worshipped in Heliopolis during the Old Kingdom.
Auberon m Carolingian CycleFrom a diminutive form of
Auberi, an Old French form of
Alberich. It is the name of the fairy king in the 13th-century epic
Huon de Bordeaux.
Aubrey m & f EnglishFrom
Auberi, an Old French form of
Alberich brought to England by the Normans. It was common in the Middle Ages, and was revived in the 19th century. Since the mid-1970s it has more frequently been given to girls, due to Bread's 1972 song
Aubrey along with its similarity to the established feminine name
Audrey.
Audagar m GermanicDerived from the Old Frankish elements
aud meaning "wealth, fortune" and
gair meaning "spear". It is a cognate of
Edgar. This was the name of an 8th-century Frankish nobleman who was exiled by
Charlemagne. He forms the basis for the character known as
Ogier in later French tales.
Audie m & f EnglishIn the case of the famed American soldier Audie Murphy (1925-1971), it is of uncertain meaning. As a feminine name, it can be a diminutive of
Audrey.
Audley m EnglishFrom a surname that was taken from a place name meaning
"Ealdgyð's clearing" in Old English.
Audovera f GermanicDerived from Old Frankish
aud "wealth, fortune" combined with
war "true" or
war "aware, cautious". This was the name of the first wife of
Chilperic I of Neustria.
Audowin m GermanicDerived from Old Frankish
aud or Old High German
ot meaning "wealth, fortune" combined with
wini meaning "friend". This is a cognate of
Edwin.
Audra 2 f EnglishVariant of
Audrey, used since the 19th century. It jumped in popularity in the United States after the debut of the television series
The Big Valley (1965-1969), which featured the character Audra Barkley.