AgolantmCarolingian Cycle Possibly a Romance language form of Arabic الأغلب (al-ʾAghlab), a 9th-century emir of Ifriqiya in North Africa, which is derived from أغلب (ʾaghlab) meaning "predominant, supreme". This is the name of a Saracen king in medieval French tales of Charlemagne and his knights.
AgramantemCarolingian Cycle Probably a variant of Agolant, used for the invading Saracen king in the Orlando poems (1495 and 1532) by Boiardo and Ariosto.
AidafArabic, Bosnian, Albanian, Literature Variant of Ayda. This name was used in Verdi's opera Aida (1871), where it belongs to an Ethiopian princess held captive in Egypt.
AimericmGermanic Probably a variant of Heimirich. Aimeric (or Aimery) was the name of several viscounts of Narbonne between the 11th and 13th centuries. It was also borne by the first king of Cyprus (12th century), originally from Poitou, France.
Alaia 2fEnglish (Modern) Probably a variant of Alayah. It is likely also influenced by the fashion brand Alaïa, named for the Tunisian-French designer Azzedine Alaïa (1935-2017). His surname in Arabic is عليّة (ʿAlayya), meaning "lofty".
AlanifEnglish (Modern) Possibly a variant of Alana, or possibly from Hawaiian ʻalani meaning "orange (tree or fruit)".
AlayafEnglish (Modern) Variant of Alayah. It coincides with a Buddhist term (meaning "dwelling" in Sanskrit), which refers to the eighth level of human consciousness.
AldegundfGermanic Germanic name, derived from the elements alt "old" and gunda "war". Alternatively, it could be a metathesized form of Adalgund. Saint Aldegund (or Aldegundis or Adelgundis) was a 7th-century Frankish abbess at Maubeuge.
AletafEnglish Possibly a variant of Alethea. This was the name of the wife of the title character in the comic strip Prince Valiant, which first appeared in 1937.
AlexandriafEnglish Feminine form of Alexander. Alexander the Great founded several cities by this name (or renamed them) as he extended his empire eastward. The most notable of these is Alexandria in Egypt, founded by Alexander in 331 BC.
AlinefFrench, Portuguese (Brazilian), English Medieval short form of Adeline. As an English name, in modern times it has sometimes been regarded as a variant of Eileen. This was the name of a popular 1965 song by the French singer Christophe.
AllanmEnglish, Scottish, Danish, Swedish, Estonian Variant of Alan. The American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) got his middle name from the surname of the parents who adopted him.
AllenmEnglish Variant of Alan, or from a surname that was derived from this same name. A famous bearer of this name was Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), an American beat poet. Another is the American film director and actor Woody Allen (1935-), who took the stage name Allen from his real first name.
Allisonf & mEnglish From the middle of the 20th century this has primarily been used as a variant of the feminine name Alison 1. However, prior to that it was used as an uncommon masculine name, derived from the English and Scottish surname Allison.
AlyssafEnglish Variant of Alicia. The spelling has probably been influenced by that of the alyssum flower, the name of which is derived from Greek ἀ (a), a negative prefix, combined with λύσσα (lyssa) meaning "madness, rabies", since it was believed to cure madness.
AmadismLiterature Probably an Old Spanish form of Amadeus. In a medieval tale Amadis of Gaul was a heroic knight-errant and the lover of Oriana. The earliest extant version of the story, Amadís de Gaula, was written by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo in 1508.
AmyasmEnglish (Rare) Meaning unknown, perhaps a derivative of Amis. Alternatively, it may come from a surname that originally indicated that the bearer was from the city of Amiens in France. Edmund Spenser used this name for a minor character in his epic poem The Faerie Queene (1590).
AnnabelfEnglish, Dutch Variant of Amabel, with the spelling altered as if it were a combination of Anna and French belle "beautiful". This name appears to have arisen in Scotland in the Middle Ages.
AnsgarmGerman, Norwegian, Swedish, Germanic Derived from the Old German elements ansi "god" and ger "spear". Saint Ansgar was a 9th-century Frankish missionary who tried to convert the Danes and Norwegians.
AnthonymEnglish English form of the Roman family name Antonius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. The most notable member of the Roman family was the general Marcus Antonius (called Mark Antony in English), who for a period in the 1st century BC ruled the Roman Empire jointly with Augustus. When their relationship turned sour, he and his mistress Cleopatra were attacked and forced to commit suicide, as related in Shakespeare's tragedy Antony and Cleopatra (1606).... [more]
ArabellafEnglish Medieval Scottish name, probably a variant of Annabel. It has long been associated with Latin orabilis meaning "invokable, yielding to prayer", and the name was often recorded in forms resembling this.... [more]
ArlenefEnglish, Filipino Variant of Arline. Since the onset of the 20th century, this is the most common spelling of this name.
ArmelmBreton, French Breton and French form of the Old Welsh name Arthmail, which was composed of the elements arth "bear" and mael "prince, chieftain". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh saint who founded abbeys in Brittany.
AshtorethfBiblical, Semitic Mythology From עַשְׁתֹרֶת (ʿAshṯoreṯ), the Hebrew form of the name of a Phoenician goddess of love, war and fertility. Her name is cognate to that of the East Semitic goddess Ishtar.
Audra 2fEnglish Variant 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.
Ava 1fEnglish Variant of Eve. A famous bearer was the American actress Ava Gardner (1922-1990). This name became very popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 21st century, entering the top ten for girls in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It began to rise sharply after 1997, possibly inspired by the actress Heather Locklear and musician Richie Sambora when they used it for their baby daughter that year.
AzaharafSpanish Variant of Azahar. It can also be given in reference to the ruined Moorish city of Medina Azahara in Córdoba, which derives from the related Arabic root زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".
BalthazarmJudeo-Christian-Islamic Legend Variant of Belshazzar. Balthazar is the name traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who visited the newborn Jesus. He was said to have come from Arabia. This name was utilized by Shakespeare for minor characters in The Comedy of Errors (1594) and The Merchant of Venice (1596).
BeavismPopular Culture Variant of Bevis. This name was used in the animated television program Beavis and Butthead.
BeetlejuicemPopular Culture Variant of Betelgeuse used for the title character of the movie Beetlejuice (1988), about an obnoxious ghost who is commissioned to scare a family out of their new house. The character's name is spelled Betelgeuse in the credits, though in other media it appears as Beetlejuice.
BellerophonmGreek Mythology From Βελλεροφόντης (Bellerophontes), possibly from Greek βέλος (belos) meaning "dart" and the suffix φόντης (phontes) meaning "slayer of". Alternatively the first element might come from a defeated foe named Belleros, who is otherwise unattested. In Greek legend Bellerophon or Bellerophontes was a hero who tamed Pegasus and killed the monstrous Chimera. He was killed by Zeus when he attempted to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus.
BrunhildfGerman, Germanic Mythology, Germanic Derived from the Old German elements brunna "armour, protection" and hilt "battle". It is cognate with the Old Norse name Brynhildr (from the elements brynja and hildr). In Norse legend Brynhildr was the queen of the valkyries who was rescued by the hero Sigurd. In the medieval German saga the Nibelungenlied she was a queen of Iceland and the wife of Gunther. Both of these characters were probably inspired by the eventful life of the 6th-century Frankish queen Brunhilda (of Visigothic birth).... [more]
BryanmEnglish Variant of Brian, based on the usual spelling of the surname that is derived from the name.