Andrew m English, BiblicalEnglish form of the Greek name
Ἀνδρέας (Andreas), which was derived from
ἀνδρεῖος (andreios) meaning
"manly, masculine", a derivative of
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man". In the New Testament the apostle Andrew, the first disciple to join
Jesus, is the brother of
Simon Peter. According to tradition, he later preached in the Black Sea region, with some legends saying he was crucified on an X-shaped cross.
Andrew, being a Greek name, was probably only a nickname or a translation of his real Hebrew name, which is not known.
... [more] Andromeda f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός) combined with one of the related words
μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of, to provide for, to think on" or
μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek mythology Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess rescued from sacrifice by the hero
Perseus. A constellation in the northern sky is named for her. This is also the name of a nearby galaxy, given because it resides (from our point of view) within the constellation.
Andy m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Andrew or sometimes
Andrea 2. American pop artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was a famous bearer of this name.
Aneirin m Old Welsh, WelshOld Welsh name, possibly from the Latin name
Honorius. This was the name of a 6th-century Brythonic poet, also known as Neirin or Aneurin, who is said to be the author of the poem
Y Gododdin.
Anfisa f RussianRussian form of the Greek name
Ἀνθοῦσα (Anthousa), which was derived from Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning
"flower". This was the name of a 9th-century Byzantine saint.
Ange m & f FrenchFrench masculine and feminine form of
Angelus (see
Angel).
Angel m & f English, Bulgarian, MacedonianFrom the medieval Latin masculine name
Angelus, which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.
Angela f English, Italian, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Slovak, Russian, Macedonian, Greek, Late RomanFeminine form of
Angelus (see
Angel). As an English name, it came into use in the 18th century. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).
Ángeles f SpanishMeans
"angels", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles, meaning "Our Lady the Queen of the Angels".
Angelina f Italian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, ArmenianLatinate diminutive of
Angela. A famous bearer is American actress Angelina Jolie (1975-).
Angerona f Roman MythologyPossibly from Latin
angor "strangulation, torment" or
angustus "narrow, constricted". Angerona was the Roman goddess of the winter solstice, death, and silence.
Angharad f Welsh, Old Welsh (Modernized), Welsh MythologyFrom an Old Welsh name recorded in various forms such as
Acgarat and
Ancarat. It means
"much loved", from the intensive prefix
an- combined with a mutated form of
caru "to love". In the medieval Welsh romance
Peredur son of Efrawg, Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of the knight
Peredur.
Angie f EnglishDiminutive of
Angela and other names beginning with
Ang. The 1973 Rolling Stones song
Angie caused this name to jump in popularity.
Angra Mainyu m Persian MythologyMeans
"evil spirit", from Avestan
𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀 (angra) meaning "evil, destructive" and
𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 (mainiiu) meaning "spirit, mind". In Zoroastrianism Angra Mainyu was the god of darkness, death and destruction, the enemy of
Ahura Mazda.
Angrboða f Norse MythologyMeans
"she who brings grief" in Old Norse, derived from
angr "grief" and
boða "to forebode, to proclaim". According to Norse mythology Angrboða was a giantess (jǫtunn) and the mother of three of
Loki's children:
Fenrir,
Jörmungandr and
Hel.
Angustias f SpanishMeans
"anguishes", taken from a Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de las Angustias, meaning "Our Lady of Anguishes". She is the patron saint of Granada, Spain.
Anh m & f VietnameseOften from Sino-Vietnamese
英 (anh) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". This name is frequently combined with a middle name to create a compound name; the meaning of
Anh can change depending on the Sino-Vietnamese characters underlying the compound.
Ani 2 f ArmenianFrom the name of an old Armenian city, of unknown meaning. Now in eastern Turkey, in the 10th and 11th centuries it was the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, though it was later abandoned and is now only ruins.
Aniello m ItalianFrom Italian
agnello meaning
"lamb", ultimately from a diminutive of Latin
agnus.
Anil m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, NepaliDerived from Sanskrit
अनिल (anila) meaning
"air, wind".
Anima 1 f HindiMeans
"minuteness" from Sanskrit
अणिमन (aṇiman). In yoga texts, this is the name of the ability to make oneself infinitely small so to be invisible.
Anima 2 f English (Rare)Means
"soul, spirit" in Latin. In Jungian psychology the anima is an individual's true inner self, or soul.
Animikii m Ojibwe, New World MythologyMeans
"thunder, thunderer" in Ojibwe. In Anishinaabe mythology this is the name of the thunderbird, an immense flying creature that makes thunder with its flapping wings.
Anis m ArabicMeans
"friendly, friend" in Arabic, from the root
أنس (ʾanisa) meaning "to be friendly".
Anish m Hindi, MarathiMeans
"supreme, paramount, without a ruler", from the Sanskrit negative prefix
अ (a) and
ईश (īśa) meaning "ruler, lord".
Anisha f HindiMeans
"nightless, sleepless" in Sanskrit.
Anissa f EnglishThis name was first brought to public attention in 1966 by the child actress Anissa Jones (1958-1976). In her case it was a transcription of the Arabic name
أنيسة (see
Anisa), given to honour her Lebanese heritage. Other parents who have since used this name may view it simply as an elaboration of
Anna using the popular name suffix
issa.
Anita 1 f Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Slovene, English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Latvian, HungarianSpanish, Portuguese, Croatian and Slovene diminutive of
Ana.
Anjana f & m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Malayalam, Tamil, HinduismMeans
"kohl, collyrium" in Sanskrit, referring to a black powder traditionally used as an eyeliner. This is a transcription from Sanskrit of both the feminine form
अञ्जना (long final vowel) and the masculine form
अञ्जन (short final vowel). The feminine form appears in the Hindu epic the
Ramayana belonging to the mother of
Hanuman. The modern masculine form is
Anjan.
Anker m DanishFrom the Old Danish name
Ankarl, of uncertain meaning, possibly a combination of Old Norse
ǫrn "eagle" and
karl "man".
Ankhesenamun f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
ꜥnḫ-s-n-jmn meaning
"her life is of Amon", derived from
ꜥnḫ "life" combined with the name of the god
Amon. This was the name of a 14th-century BC queen of Egypt, the wife of
Tutankhamun.
Ann f English, ManxEnglish and Manx form of
Anne 1. In the English-speaking world, both this spelling and
Anne have been used since the late Middle Ages. Currently
Ann is less popular than
Anne (and both are less popular than their relatives
Anna and
Hannah).
Anna f English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Armenian, Icelandic, Faroese, Catalan, Occitan, Breton, Scottish Gaelic, Biblical, Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin, Old Church SlavicForm of
Hannah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the
Hannah spelling instead of
Anna. The name appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized
Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin
Mary.
... [more] Annabel f English, DutchVariant 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.
Annagül f TurkmenDerived from Turkmen
anna "Friday" and
gül "flower, rose".
Anne 1 f French, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, German, Dutch, BasqueFrench form of
Anna. It was imported to England in the 13th century, but it did not become popular until three centuries later. The spelling variant
Ann was also commonly found from this period, and is still used to this day.
... [more] Anne 2 m FrisianShort form of names beginning with the Old German element
arn meaning "eagle".
Annisa f IndonesianIndonesian feminine form of
Anis. It could also be inspired by the chapter an-Nisa in the Quran (see
Nisa).
Annunziata f ItalianMeans
"announced" in Italian, referring to the event in the New Testament in which the angel Gabriel tells the Virgin
Mary of the imminent birth of
Jesus.
Anona f EnglishMeaning unknown. It was possibly inspired by an American song by this name written by Vivian Grey in 1903 and recorded by musician Vess Ossman. The lyrics tell of a Native American woman named Anona from Arizona.
Ansa f FinnishDerived from Finnish
ansio "virtue" or
ansa "trap".
Ansar m Arabic, UrduMeans
"helpers" in Arabic, referring to those who helped the Prophet
Muhammad when he came to Medina.
Ansbert m GermanicComposed of the Old German elements
ansi "god" and
beraht "bright". It is a cognate of
Osbert. This name was borne by a 7th-century Frankish saint, a bishop of Rouen.
Ansel m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the given name
Anselm. A famous bearer was American photographer Ansel Adams (1902-1984).
Anselm m German, English (Rare), GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
ansi "god" and
helm "helmet, protection". This name was brought to England in the late 11th century by Saint Anselm, who was born in northern Italy. He was archbishop of Canterbury and a Doctor of the Church.
Anso m GermanicShort form of Germanic names beginning with the element
ansi meaning
"god" (Proto-Germanic *
ansuz).
Antares m AstronomyFrom Greek
Ἀντάρης (Antares), traditionally said to mean
"opposing Ares". This is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius.
Ante 2 m FrisianShort form of names beginning with the Old German element
anto "zeal".
Anthelm m GermanicFrom the Old German element
anto meaning "zeal" combined with
helm meaning "helmet, protection". Saint Anthelm was a 12th-century bishop of Belley in France.
Anthony m EnglishEnglish 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] Antigone f Greek Mythology, Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
γονή (gone) meaning "birth, offspring". In Greek legend Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. King Creon of Thebes declared that her slain brother Polynices was to remain unburied, a great dishonour. She disobeyed and gave him a proper burial, and for this she was sealed alive in a cave.
Antigonus m Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Ἀντίγονος (Antigonos), derived from
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
γόνος (gonos) meaning "offspring, race, stock". This was the name of one of Alexander the Great's generals. After Alexander died, he took control of most of Asia Minor.
Antiman m MapucheMeans
"condor of the sun" in Mapuche, from
antü "sun" and
mañku "condor".
Antinanco m MapucheMeans
"eagle of the sun" in Mapuche, from
antü "sun" and
ñamko "eagle, hawk, buzzard".
Antiochus m Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Ἀντίοχος (Antiochos), derived from Greek
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
ὀχή (oche) meaning "support". This was the name of several rulers of the Seleucid Empire. It was also borne by a 2nd-century Christian martyr, the patron saint of Sardinia.
Antiope f Greek MythologyDerived from the Greek elements
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". This was the name of several figures in Greek mythology, including a daughter of
Ares who was one of the queens of the Amazons. She was kidnapped and married by
Theseus.
Antipater m Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Ἀντίπατρος (Antipatros), which meant
"like the father" from Greek
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" (genitive
πατρός). This was the name of an officer of Alexander the Great who became the regent of Macedon during Alexander's absence.
Antoine m French, African AmericanFrench form of
Antonius (see
Anthony). A famous bearer was the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), the author of
The Little Prince.
Antoinette f FrenchFeminine diminutive of
Antoine. This name was borne by Marie Antoinette, the queen of France during the French Revolution. She was executed by guillotine.
Anton m German, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, Croatian, Romanian, Estonian, Finnish, Georgian, EnglishForm of
Antonius (see
Anthony) used in various languages. A notable bearer was the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov (1860-1904).
Antoni m Polish, CatalanPolish and Catalan form of
Antonius (see
Anthony). A notable bearer was the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926).
Antonia f Italian, Spanish, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Romanian, Greek, Croatian, Bulgarian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Antonius (see
Anthony).