Names Categorized "history"

Vukašin m Serbian
Derived from Serbian vuk meaning "wolf". This was the name of a 14th-century Serbian ruler.

Wallis m & f English (Rare)
From a surname that was a variant of Wallace. Wallis Simpson (1895-1986) was the divorced woman whom Edward VIII married, which forced him to abdicate the British throne.

Wenceslaus m History
English form of Václav, via the Latinized form Venceslaus.

Wickaninnish m Nuu-chah-nulth (Anglicized)
Possibly means "having no one in front of him in the canoe" in Nuu-chah-nulth. This was the name of a chief of the Clayoquot in the late 18th century, at the time of European contact.

Willa f English
Feminine form of William.

Winefride f History (Ecclesiastical)
Variant of Winifred.

Winifreda f History (Ecclesiastical)
Latin form of Winifred.

Wright m English
From an occupational surname meaning "craftsman", ultimately from Old English wyrhta. Famous bearers of the surname were the Wright brothers (Wilbur 1867-1912 and Orville 1871-1948), the inventors of the first successful airplane, and Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), an American architect.

Wulfrun f Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements wulf "wolf" and run "secret lore, rune". This was the name of a 10th-century English noblewoman who founded the city of Wolverhampton.

Wulfruna f History
Form of Wulfrun sometimes used in reference to the 10th-century noblewoman.

Wyatt m English
From an English surname that was derived from the medieval given name Wyard or Wyot, from the Old English name Wigheard. Wyatt Earp (1848-1929) was an American lawman and gunfighter involved in the famous shootout at the OK Corral.

Xanthippe f Ancient Greek
Feminine form of Xanthippos. This was the name of the wife of Socrates. Because of her supposedly argumentative nature, the name has been adopted (in the modern era) as a word for a scolding, ill-tempered woman.

Xanthippos m Ancient Greek
From the Greek elements ξανθός (xanthos) meaning "yellow" and ἵππος (hippos) meaning "horse". This was the name of a 5th-century BC Athenian general.

Xenophon m Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreign, strange" and φωνή (phone) meaning "voice". This was the name of a 4th-century BC Greek military commander and historian. This name was also borne by a 5th-century saint from Constantinople.

Xerxes m Old Persian (Hellenized), History
Greek form of the Old Persian name 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 (Xšayarša), which meant "ruler over heroes". This was the name of a 5th-century BC king of Persia, the son of Darius the Great. He attempted an invasion of Greece, which ended unsuccessfully at the battle of Salamis.

Yamato m Japanese
From Yamato, an ancient name for Japan. It can also refer to the Yamato period in Japanese history, which lasted into the 8th century. The individual kanji are 大 meaning "great" and 和 meaning "harmony".

Zabel f Armenian
Armenian form of Isabel. A 13th-century ruling queen of Cilician Armenia bore this name.

Zedong m & f Chinese
From Chinese 泽 (zé) meaning "moist, grace, brilliance" combined with 东 (dōng) meaning "east", as well as other character combinations. A notable bearer was the founder of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong (1893-1976).

Zenobia f Ancient Greek
Means "life of Zeus", derived from Greek Ζηνός (Zenos) meaning "of Zeus" and βίος (bios) meaning "life". This was the name of the queen of the Palmyrene Empire, which broke away from Rome in the 3rd-century and began expanding into Roman territory. She was eventually defeated by the emperor Aurelian. Her Greek name was used as an approximation of her native Aramaic name.