Names Categorized "ends in -er"

Abner m English, Biblical, Biblical Latin
From the Hebrew name אַבְנֵר (ʾAvner) meaning "my father is a light", derived from אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and נֵר (ner) meaning "lamp, light". In the Old Testament, Abner was a cousin of Saul and the commander of his army. After he killed Asahel he was himself slain by Asahel's brother Joab.... [more]

Adler m English (Modern)
From a German surname meaning "eagle".

Alexander m English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Slovak, Biblical, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant "defending men" from Greek ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, help" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek mythology this was another name of the hero Paris, and it also belongs to several characters in the New Testament. However, the most famous bearer was Alexander the Great, king of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, use of his name spread throughout Europe.... [more]

Amber f English, Dutch
From the English word amber that denotes either the gemstone, which is formed from fossil resin, or the orange-yellow colour. The word ultimately derives from Arabic عنبر (ʿanbar) meaning "ambergris". It began to be used as a given name in the late 19th century, but it only became popular after the release of Kathleen Winsor's novel Forever Amber (1944).

Archer m English
From an English surname meaning "bowman, archer", of Old French origin. Although already slowly growing in popularity, this name accelerated its rise after the premiere of the American television series Archer in 2009.

Asher m Hebrew, English, Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Means "happy, blessed" in Hebrew, derived from אָשַׁר (ʾashar) meaning "to be happy, to be blessed". Asher in the Old Testament is a son of Jacob by Leah's handmaid Zilpah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The meaning of his name is explained in Genesis 30:13.

Baxter m English
From an occupational surname that meant "(female) baker", from Old English bæcere and a feminine agent suffix.

Booker m English
From an English occupational surname meaning "maker of books". A famous bearer was Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an African-American leader.

Buster m English
Originally a nickname denoting a person who broke things, from the word bust, a dialectal variant of burst. A famous bearer was the silent movie star Buster Keaton (1895-1966).

Chandler m & f English
From an occupational surname that meant "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately from Latin candela via Old French. It surged in popularity after the 1994 debut of the American sitcom Friends, featuring a character by this name.

Clover f English (Modern)
From the English word for the wild flower, ultimately deriving from Old English clafre.

Demeter 1 f Greek Mythology
Possibly means "earth mother", derived from Greek δᾶ (da) meaning "earth" and μήτηρ (meter) meaning "mother". In Greek mythology Demeter was the goddess of agriculture, the daughter of Cronus, the sister of Zeus, and the mother of Persephone. She was an important figure in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites performed at Eleusis near Athens.

Denver m & f English
From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "Dane ford" in Old English. This is the name of the capital city of Colorado, which was named for the politician James W. Denver (1817-1892).

Dexter m English
From an occupational surname meaning "one who dyes" in Old English. It also coincides with the Latin word dexter meaning "right-handed, skilled".

Didier m French
French form of Desiderio.

Ebenezer m Literature, English
From the name of a monument erected by Samuel in the Old Testament, from Hebrew אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר (ʾEven Haʿazer) meaning "stone of help". Charles Dickens used it for the miserly character Ebenezer Scrooge in his novel A Christmas Carol (1843). Currently the name is most common in parts of English-influenced Africa, such as Ghana.

Elmer m English
From a surname that was derived from the Old English name Æðelmær. In the United States it is sometimes given in honour of brothers Jonathan (1745-1817) and Ebenezer Elmer (1752-1843), who were active in early American politics.

Ember f English (Modern)
From the English word ember, ultimately from Old English æmerge.

Esther f English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
From the Hebrew name אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah.... [more]

Fletcher m English
From a surname meaning "maker of arrows" in Middle English, ultimately from Old French flechier.

Flower f English (Rare)
Simply from the English word flower for the blossoming plant. It is derived (via Old French) from Latin flos.

Fulcher m Germanic
Old German form of Volker.

Ginger f English
From the English word ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a diminutive of Virginia, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.

Greer f & m English (Rare)
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the given name Gregor.

Grover m English
From an English surname derived from Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), who popularized the name in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The name is now associated with a muppet character from the children's television program Sesame Street.

Gunter m German
Variant of Gunther.

Harper f & m English
From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who played or made harps (Old English hearpe). A notable bearer was the American author Harper Lee (1926-2016), who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. It rapidly gained popularity in the 2000s and 2010s, entering the American top ten for girls in 2015.

Heather f English
From the English word heather for the variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers, which commonly grow in rocky areas. It is derived from Middle English hather. It was first used as a given name in the late 19th century, though it did not become popular until the last half of the 20th century.

Heiner m German
Diminutive of Heinrich.

Hester f English, Dutch, Biblical Latin
Latin form of Esther. Like Esther, it has been used in England since the Protestant Reformation. Nathaniel Hawthorne used it for the heroine of his novel The Scarlet Letter (1850), Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman forced to wear a red letter A on her chest after giving birth to a child out of wedlock.

Homer m English, Ancient Greek (Anglicized)
From the Greek name Ὅμηρος (Homeros), derived from ὅμηρος (homeros) meaning "hostage, pledge". Homer was the Greek epic poet who wrote the Iliad, about the Trojan War, and the Odyssey, about Odysseus's journey home after the war. There is some debate about when he lived, or if he was even a real person, though most scholars place him in the 8th century BC. In the modern era, Homer has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world (chiefly in America) since the 18th century. This name is borne by the oafish cartoon father on the television series The Simpsons.

Hunter m & f English
From an English occupational surname for a hunter, derived from Old English hunta. A famous bearer was the eccentric American journalist Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005).

Inger f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Originally a variant of Ingrid or Ingegerd.

Iver m Norwegian
Norwegian variant of Ivar.

Jagger m English (Modern)
From an English surname meaning "carter, peddler". It is used as a given name in honour of the British musician Mick Jagger (1943-), the lead vocalist of the Rolling Stones.

Jasper m English, Dutch, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
From Latin Gaspar, perhaps from the Biblical Hebrew word גִּזְבָּר (gizbar) meaning "treasurer", derived from Old Persian ganzabarah. This name was traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who were said to have visited the newborn Jesus. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since the Middle Ages. The name can also be given in reference to the English word for the gemstone.

Jennifer f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish
From a Cornish form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar (see Guinevere). This name has only been common outside of Cornwall since the beginning of the 20th century, after it was featured in George Bernard Shaw's play The Doctor's Dilemma (1906). It barely ranked in the United until the late 1930s, when it began steadily growing in popularity, accelerating into the early 1970s. It was the most popular name for girls in America between 1970 and 1984, though it was not as common in the United Kingdom.... [more]

Juniper f English (Modern)
From the English word for the type of tree, derived ultimately from Latin iuniperus.

Kiefer m English (Modern)
From a German surname meaning either "pine tree" or "barrel maker".

Kimber f English (Modern)
Short form of Kimberly.

Lavender f English (Rare)
From the English word for the aromatic flower or the pale purple colour.

Lester m English
From an English surname that was derived from the name of the city of Leicester, originally denoting a person who was from that place. The city's name is derived from the river name Ligore combined with Latin castra "camp".

Luther m English
From a German surname, itself derived from the Old German given name Leuthar. The surname was borne by Martin Luther (1483-1546), a monk and theologian who started the Protestant Reformation by nailing his famous 95 theses to a church door. It has since been used as a given name in his honour, especially among Protestants. A notable bearer from the modern era was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).

Maider f Basque
From the name of the goddess Mari 3 combined with Basque eder meaning "beautiful".

Mortimer m English
From an English surname that was derived from the name of a town in Normandy, itself meaning "dead water, still water" in Old French.

Napier m English (Rare)
From an English and Scots surname meaning "linen keeper" in Middle English, from Old French nappe "table cloth".

Neer m Limburgish
Short form of Reneer.

Nicander m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Nikandros.

October f English (Rare)
From the name of the tenth month. It is derived from Latin octo meaning "eight", because it was originally the eighth month of the Roman year.

Oliver m English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Catalan, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Carolingian Cycle
From Old French Olivier, which was possibly derived from Latin oliva "olive tree". Alternatively there could be an underlying Germanic name, such as Old Norse Áleifr (see Olaf) or Frankish Alawar (see Álvaro), with the spelling altered by association with the Latin word. In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier is a friend and advisor to the hero Roland.... [more]

Olivier m French, Dutch, Carolingian Cycle
French and Dutch form of Oliver. This is also a French word meaning "olive tree".

Parker m & f English
From an English occupational surname that meant "keeper of the park".

Peder m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Scandinavian form of Peter.

Pepper f & m English (Modern)
From the English word for the spice, which is prepared from the dried berries of the pepper plant. The word is derived from Latin piper, ultimately from an Indo-Aryan source. In popular culture, Pepper is the nickname of Virginia Potts from the Iron Man series of comic books and movies, created 1963.

Peter m English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovene, Slovak, Biblical
Derived from Greek Πέτρος (Petros) meaning "stone". This is a translation used in most versions of the New Testament of the name Cephas, meaning "stone" in Aramaic, which was given to the apostle Simon by Jesus (compare Matthew 16:18 and John 1:42). Simon Peter was the most prominent of the apostles during Jesus' ministry and is often considered the first pope.... [more]

Pieter m Dutch
Dutch form of Peter. This name was borne by the Flemish painter Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c. 1525-1569).

Piper f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series Charmed, which debuted in 1998.

Rainer m German, Germanic
German form of Rayner.

River m & f English (Modern)
From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".

Roser f Catalan
Catalan (feminine) form of Rosario.

Schuyler m & f English
From a Dutch surname meaning "scholar". Dutch settlers brought the surname to America, where it was subsequently adopted as a given name in honour of the American general and senator Philip Schuyler (1733-1804).

Silver m & f English (Rare)
From the English word for the precious metal or the colour, ultimately derived from Old English seolfor.

Skyler m & f English (Modern)
Variant of Schuyler, based on the pronunciation of the surname but respelled as if it was a blend of the English word sky with names such as Tyler. It was rare before 1980, and first gained popularity as a name for boys. It is now more common for girls, though it is more evenly unisex than the mostly feminine variant Skylar.

Spencer m English
From an English surname that meant "dispenser of provisions", derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry". A famous bearer was American actor Spencer Tracy (1900-1967). It was also the surname of Princess Diana (1961-1997).

Summer f English
From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.

Sunder m Hindi, Tamil
Alternate transcription of Hindi सुन्दर or Tamil சுந்தர் (see Sundar).

Tanner m English
From an English surname meaning "one who tans hides".

Tayler f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Taylor.

Tucker m English (Modern)
From an occupational surname for a cloth fuller, derived from Old English tucian meaning "offend, torment". A fuller was a person who cleaned and thickened raw cloth by pounding it.

Turner m English
From an English surname for one who worked with a lathe, derived from Old English turnian "to turn", of Latin origin.

Tyler m English
From an English surname meaning "tiler of roofs", derived from Old English tigele "tile". The surname was borne by American president John Tyler (1790-1862).

Veer f Limburgish
Limburgish short form of Vera 1.

Vesper m & f Roman Mythology, Dutch (Modern)
Latin cognate of Hesperos. This name was used by the British author Ian Fleming for a female character, a love interest of James Bond, in his novel Casino Royale (1953). She also appears in the film adaptations of 1967 and 2006.

Walker m English
From an English surname that referred to the medieval occupational of a walker, also known as a fuller. Walkers would tread on wet, unprocessed wool in order to clean and thicken it. The word ultimately derives from Old English wealcan "to walk".

Webster m English
From an occupational surname meaning "weaver", derived from Old English webba.

Wynter f English (Modern)
Variant of Winter.

Xander m Dutch, English (Modern)
Short form of Alexander. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).

Xaver m German
German form of Xavier.

Yasser m Arabic, Persian
Alternate transcription of Arabic ياسر (see Yasir) or Persian یاسر (see Yaser).

Yénifer f Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish variant of Jennifer.

Zander m English (Modern)
Variant of Xander.