Percival m Arthurian Cycle, EnglishCreated by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for his poem
Perceval, the Story of the Grail. Chrétien may have derived the name from Old French
perce val "pierce the valley", or he may have based it loosely on the Welsh name
Peredur. In the poem Perceval is a boy from Wales who hopes to become a knight under King
Arthur. Setting out to prove himself, he eventually comes to the castle of the Fisher King and is given a glimpse of the Grail.
Percy m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the name of a Norman town
Perci, which was itself perhaps derived from a Gaulish given name that was Latinized as
Persius. The surname was borne by a noble English family, and it first used as a given name in their honour. A famous bearer was Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), an English romantic poet whose works include
Adonais and
Ozymandias. This name can also be used as a short form of
Percival.
Petra f German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, EnglishFeminine form of
Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.
Petronius m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was possibly derived from Latin
petro, petronis meaning
"yokel".
Petunia f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, derived ultimately from a Tupi (South American) word.
Peyton f & m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally a place name meaning
"Pæga's town". This was a rare masculine name until the 1990s. In 1992 it was used for a female character in the movie
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and, despite the fact that it was borne by the villain, the name began to rise in popularity for girls as well as boys.
... [more] Phil m EnglishShort form of
Philip and various other names beginning with
Phil, often a Greek element meaning "friend, dear, beloved".
Philomena f English, German, Ancient Greek (Latinized)From Greek
Φιλουμένη (Philoumene) meaning
"to be loved", an inflection of
φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love". This was the name of an obscure early saint and martyr. The name came to public attention in 1802 after a tomb seemingly marked with the name
Filumena was found in Rome, supposedly belonging to another martyr named Philomena. This may have in fact been a representation of the Greek word
φιλουμένη, not a name.
Phoenix m & f English (Modern)From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek
φοῖνιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".
Photine f Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
φῶς (phos) meaning
"light" (genitive
φωτός (photos)). This is the name traditionally given to the Samaritan woman
Jesus met at the well (see
John 4:7). She is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Church.
Phrixus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Φρίξος (Phrixos) meaning
"thrilling, causing shivers", derived from
φρίξ (phrix) meaning "ripple, shiver". In Greek myth Phrixus was the son of Athamus and Nephele. He was to be sacrificed to
Zeus, but he escaped with his sister Helle on the back of the ram with the Golden Fleece.
Phượng f VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
鳳 (phượng) meaning
"phoenix". This refers to the mythological creature known as the Chinese phoenix or the Fenghuang.
Phuong f & m KhmerMeans
"garland, bouquet (of flowers)" in Khmer.
Pier m Italian, DutchItalian and Dutch variant form of
Peter. In Italian, this form is often used in combination with another name.
Piero m ItalianItalian form of
Peter. Piero della Francesca was an Italian Renaissance painter.
Piet m DutchShort form of
Pieter. Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was a Dutch abstract painter.
Pietro m ItalianItalian form of
Peter. Pietro was the given name of the Renaissance painter known as Perugino.
Pika 2 f SloveneMeans
"dot" in Slovene. This is the Slovene name for
Pippi Longstocking, Pika Nogavička.
Pikachu m Popular CultureFrom Japanese
ピカチュウ (Pikachuu), derived from the onomatopoeic words
ピカピカ (pikapika), a sparkly sound, and
チュウチュウ (chuuchuu), a mouse sound. This is the name of a Pokémon, a yellow rodent-like creature who can summon electricity, from a series of video games starting 1996. This is technically the name of the species, though it is used as a given name for the creature in some contexts.
Pilar f SpanishMeans
"pillar" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
María del Pilar, meaning "Mary of the Pillar". According to legend, when Saint
James the Greater was in Saragossa in Spain, the Virgin Mary appeared on a pillar.
Ping m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
平 (píng) meaning "level, even, peaceful". Other characters can also form this name.
Piran m CornishPossibly derived from
Ciarán. This was the name of a 5th-century Irish monk who founded a monastery in Cornwall. He is the patron saint of Cornwall.
Pius m Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"pious, dutiful". This was the name of twelve popes.
Placido m ItalianItalian form of the Late Latin name
Placidus meaning
"quiet, calm". Saint Placidus was a 6th-century Italian saint, a disciple of Saint Benedict.
Plato m Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Πλάτων (Platon), which was derived from Greek
πλατύς (platys) meaning
"broad-shouldered". Plato was one of the most important of the Greek philosophers. He was a pupil of
Socrates and a teacher of
Aristotle. He constructed the theory of Forms and wrote several works, including the
Republic.
Polymnia f Greek MythologyMeans
"abounding in song", derived from Greek
πολύς (polys) meaning "much" and
ὕμνος (hymnos) meaning "song, hymn". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of dance and sacred songs, one of the nine Muses.
Pontius m Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, BiblicalRoman family name. The family had Samnite roots so the name probably originated from the Oscan language, likely meaning
"fifth" (a cognate of Latin
Quintus). Alternatively, it could be derived from the name of the ancient province of
Pontus in Asia Minor, itself probably from Greek
πόντος (pontos) meaning
"sea". A notable bearer of this name was Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea who appears in the New Testament.
Pontus 1 m SwedishPossibly a form of
Pontius. It was brought to Sweden by the French general Pontus De la Gardie, who served under the Swedish king John III.
Porcius m Ancient RomanRoman family name meaning
"pig", derived from Latin
porcus. Famous members of the family include the Roman statesmen Cato the Elder (Marcus Porcius Cato) and his great-grandson Cato the Younger (Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis).
Porsche f English (Modern)From the name of the German car company, which was founded by Ferdinand Porsche (1875-1951).
Portia f EnglishVariant of
Porcia, the feminine form of the Roman family name
Porcius, used by William Shakespeare for the heroine of his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596). In the play Portia is a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to defend
Antonio in court. It is also the name of a moon of Uranus, after the Shakespearean character.
Preston m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"priest town" (Old English
preost and
tun).
Price m EnglishFrom a Welsh surname that was derived from
ap Rhys meaning
"son of Rhys".
Primo m ItalianItalian form of the Late Latin name
Primus, which meant
"first". This was the name of three early saints, each of whom was martyred.
Primula f English (Rare), Italian (Rare)From the name of a genus of several species of flowers, including the primrose. It is derived from the Latin word
primulus meaning "very first".
Prince m EnglishFrom the English word
prince, a royal title, which comes ultimately from Latin
princeps. This name was borne by the American musician Prince Rogers Nelson (1958-2016), who is known simply as Prince.
Promise f & m English (African)From the English word
promise, from Latin
promissum. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Psyche f Greek MythologyMeans
"the soul", derived from Greek
ψύχω (psycho) meaning "to breathe". The Greeks thought that the breath was the soul. In Greek mythology Psyche was a beautiful maiden who was beloved by Eros (or Cupid in Roman mythology). She is the subject of Keats's poem
Ode to Psyche (1819).
Ptah m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
ptḥ meaning
"opener, creator". Ptah was an Egyptian god associated with creation and the arts.
Ptolemy m HistoryFrom the Greek name
Πτολεμαῖος (Ptolemaios), derived from Greek
πολεμήϊος (polemeios) meaning
"aggressive, warlike". Ptolemy was the name of several Greco-Egyptian rulers of Egypt, all descendants of Ptolemy I Soter, one of the generals of Alexander the Great. This was also the name of a 2nd-century Greek astronomer.
Pua f & m HawaiianMeans
"flower, offspring" in Hawaiian.
Puah f BiblicalMeaning uncertain. According to the Old Testament, Puah and
Shiphrah were midwives who refused Pharaoh's orders to kill any Hebrew boys they delivered.
Puja f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, NepaliFrom Sanskrit
पूजा (pūjā) meaning
"honour, worship". This is the name of a Hindu ritual of reverence.
Pumay m Semitic MythologyMeaning unknown. This was the name of a relatively obscure Phoenician deity, possibly of Cypriot origin.
Purdie m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from the Norman French expression
pur die "by God". It was perhaps originally a nickname for a person who used the oath frequently.
Pygmalion m Phoenician (Hellenized), Greek MythologyProbably a Greek form of the Phoenician name
𐤐𐤌𐤉𐤉𐤕𐤍 (Pumayyaton) meaning
"Pumay has given", from the name of the god
Pumay combined with
𐤉𐤕𐤍 (yaton) meaning "to give". This was the name of a 9th-century BC Phoenician king of Tyre. The name is also known from a Greek legend related by Ovid in his poem
Metamorphoses, where Pygmalion is a Cypriot sculptor who falls in love with his sculpture of a woman. The sculpture is eventually brought to life by the goddess
Aphrodite.
Pyotr m RussianRussian form of
Peter. A famous bearer was the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).
Pythios m Greek MythologyFrom the Greek place name
Πυθώ (Pytho), an older name of the city of Delphi, which was probably derived from Greek
πύθω (pytho) meaning "to rot". This was an epithet of
Apollo.
Qadir m Arabic, UrduMeans
"capable, powerful, mighty" in Arabic, from the root
قدر (qadara) meaning "to have power, to be able". This transcription represents two related yet distinct Arabic names:
قادر, in which the first vowel is long, and
قدير, in which the second vowel is long. In Islamic tradition
القادر (al-Qādir) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Qasim m Arabic, UrduMeans
"one who divides goods among people" in Arabic, derived from
قسم (qasama) meaning "to divide, to distribute". This was the name of a son of the Prophet
Muhammad who died while young.
Qays m ArabicMeans
"measurement" in Arabic. This was the real name of Majnun, the lover of
Layla, in Nizami Ganjavi's 12th-century poem
Layla and Majnun.
Qiang m ChineseFrom Chinese
强 (qiáng) meaning "strong, powerful, energetic", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Qing f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green, young", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Qiu m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
秋 (qiū) meaning "autumn",
丘 (qiū) meaning "hill, mound", or other characters with a similar pronunciation. The given name of the philosopher
Confucius was
丘.
Quincy m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived (via the place name
Cuinchy) from the personal name
Quintus. A famous bearer was John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), sixth president of the United States, who was born in the town of Quincy, Massachusetts. Both the town and the president were named after his maternal great-grandfather John Quincy (1689-1767). Another notable bearer is the American musician Quincy Jones (1933-).
Qurban m Urdu, AzerbaijaniFrom Arabic
قربان (qurbān) meaning
"sacrifice, sacrificial animal". It is associated with the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, which features the ritual sacrifice of an animal.
Quỳnh f & m VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
瓊 (quỳnh) meaning
"deep red". This is also the Vietnamese name for a variety of flowering plant (genus Epiphyllum).
Ra m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
rꜥ meaning
"sun" or
"day". Ra was an important Egyptian sun god originally worshipped in Heliopolis in Lower Egypt. He was usually depicted as a man with the head of a falcon crowned with a solar disc. In later times his attributes were often merged with those of other deities, such as
Amon,
Atum and
Horus.
Rachel f English, Hebrew, French, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
רָחֵל (Raḥel) meaning
"ewe". In the Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of
Jacob. Her father
Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister
Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid
Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of
Joseph and
Benjamin.
... [more] Rade m Serbian, CroatianShort form of
Milorad and other names containing the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". It is often used independently.
Radek m Czech, PolishOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". In Poland it is usually a diminutive of
Radosław.
Rahmi m TurkishMeans
"merciful" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic.
Rainbow f English (Rare)From the English word for the arc of multicoloured light that can appear in a misty sky.
Raine f & m English (Rare)From a surname derived from the Old French nickname
reine meaning
"queen". A famous bearer was the British socialite Raine Spencer (1929-2016), the stepmother of Princess Diana. In modern times it is also considered a variant of
Rain 1.
Raj m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"empire, royalty", from Sanskrit
राज्य (rājya).
Ralph m English, German, SwedishContracted form of the Old Norse name
Ráðúlfr (or its Norman form
Radulf). Scandinavian settlers introduced it to England before the Norman Conquest, though afterwards it was bolstered by Norman influence. In the Middle Ages it was variously spelled
Rauf,
Rafe or
Ralf reflecting the usual pronunciation. The
Ralph spelling became more common in the 18th century. A famous bearer of the name was Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American poet and author who wrote on transcendentalism.
Ramsey m EnglishFrom an English and Scottish surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"garlic island" in Old English.
Ran f JapaneseFrom Japanese
蘭 (ran) meaning "orchid" or other kanji pronounced in the same way.
Rand m EnglishShort form of
Randolf and other names beginning with
Rand. As a surname (also derived from Randolf), it was borne as a pen name by the Russian-American author Ayn Rand (1905-1982).
Randolf m EnglishFrom the Old German elements
rant meaning "rim (of a shield)" and
wolf meaning "wolf". The Normans brought this name to England, where there existed already an Old Norse cognate
Randúlfr, which had been introduced by Scandinavian settlers.
Randolf became rare after the Middle Ages, though it was revived in the 18th century (usually in the spelling
Randolph).
Rapunzel f LiteratureFrom the name of an edible plant. It is borne by a long-haired young woman locked in a tower in an 1812 German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. An evil sorceress gave her the name after she was taken as a baby from her parents, who had stolen the rapunzel plant from the sorceress's garden. The Grimms adapted the story from earlier tales (which used various names for the heroine).
Rashn m Persian MythologyModern Persian form of Avestan
𐬭𐬀𐬱𐬥𐬎 (Rashnu) meaning
"just, straight". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a Yazata who judged the souls of the dead.
Rati f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"rest, repose, pleasure" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of love and pleasure, the wife of
Kama.
Ratko m Croatian, SerbianOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing".
Raven f & m EnglishFrom the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English
hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god
Odin.
Ravi m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Odia, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, NepaliMeans
"sun" in Sanskrit. Ravi is a Hindu god of the sun, sometimes equated with
Surya. A famous bearer was the musician Ravi Shankar (1920-2012).
Ravid m & f HebrewMeans
"ornament, necklace" in Hebrew.
Ray m EnglishShort form of
Raymond, often used as an independent name. It coincides with an English word meaning "beam of light". Science-fiction author Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) and musician Ray Charles (1930-2004) are two notable bearers of the name.
Raymond m English, FrenchFrom the Germanic name
Raginmund, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
munt "protection". The Normans introduced this name to England in the form
Reimund. It was borne by several medieval (mostly Spanish) saints, including Saint Raymond Nonnatus, the patron of midwives and expectant mothers, and Saint Raymond of Peñafort, the patron of canonists.
Red m EnglishFrom the English word for the colour, ultimately derived from Old English
read. It was originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
Regan f & m Literature, EnglishMeaning unknown. In the chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth it is the name of a treacherous daughter of King
Leir. Shakespeare adapted the story for his tragedy
King Lear (1606). In the modern era it has appeared in the horror movie
The Exorcist (1973) belonging to a girl possessed by the devil. This name can also be used as a variant of
Reagan.
Regina f English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late RomanMeans
"queen" in Latin (or Italian). It was in use as a Christian name from early times, and was borne by a 2nd-century saint. In England it was used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Virgin
Mary, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A city in Canada bears this name, in honour of Queen Victoria.
Régis m FrenchFrom a French surname meaning
"ruler" in Occitan. This name is often given in honour of Saint Jean-François Régis (1597-1640), a French Jesuit priest.
Rei f JapaneseFrom Japanese
鈴 (rei) meaning "bell",
麗 (rei) meaning "beautiful, lovely" or
玲 (rei) meaning "the tinkling of jade". This name can also be formed by other kanji with the same pronunciation.
Remao m LimburgishLimburgish form of
Raymond. Its spelling has been influenced by the French pronunciation of Raymond.
Remus m Roman Mythology, RomanianMeaning uncertain, possibly from Old Latin *
yemos meaning
"twin" with the initial consonant altered due to the influence of
Romulus. In Roman legend the twin brothers
Romulus and Remus were the founders of the city of Rome. Remus was later slain by his brother.
Rémy m FrenchFrench form of the Latin name
Remigius, which was derived from Latin
remigis "oarsman, rower". Saint Rémy was a 5th-century bishop who converted and baptized Clovis, king of the Franks.
Ren m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
蓮 (ren) meaning "lotus",
恋 (ren) meaning "romantic love", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Renaud m French, Carolingian CycleFrench form of
Reynold. This name was used in medieval French literature for the hero Renaud de Montauban, a young man who flees with his three brothers from the court of
Charlemagne after killing the king's nephew. Charlemagne pardons the brothers on the condition that they enter the Crusades. A loose version of the character also appears in medieval Italian extensions of the tales, in the Italian form
Rinaldo.
Reva f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"one that moves" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess
Rati.
Revaz m GeorgianPossibly of Persian origin meaning
"wealthy, successful".
Rex m EnglishFrom Latin
rex meaning
"king". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Reynold m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Raginald, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
walt "power, authority". The Normans (who used forms like
Reinald or
Reinold) brought the name to Britain, where it reinforced rare Old English and Norse cognates already in existence. It was common during the Middle Ages, but became more rare after the 15th century.
Rhea f Greek Mythology, Roman MythologyMeaning unknown, perhaps related to
ῥέω (rheo) meaning
"to flow" or
ἔρα (era) meaning
"ground". In Greek mythology Rhea was a Titan, the wife of
Cronus, and the mother of the Olympian gods
Zeus,
Poseidon,
Hades,
Hera,
Demeter and
Hestia. Also, in Roman mythology a woman named Rhea
Silvia was the mother of
Romulus and
Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.
Rhoda f Biblical, EnglishDerived from Greek
ῥόδον (rhodon) meaning
"rose". In the New Testament this name was borne by a maid in the house of Mary the mother of John Mark. As an English given name,
Rhoda came into use in the 17th century.
Rhona f ScottishPossibly derived from the name of either of the two Hebridean islands called
Rona, which means
"rough island" in Old Norse.
Rhonda f EnglishProbably a blend of the sounds of
Rhoda and
Linda, but maybe also influenced by the name of the Rhondda Valley in South Wales and/or the noted British feminist Margaret Mackworth, Viscountess Rhondda (1883-1956). This name has only been used since the beginning of the 20th century, at first rarely. It started becoming popular in the mid-1940s at the same time as the American actress Rhonda Fleming (1923-2020), born Marilyn Louis. It peaked in the United States in 1965 and thereafter declined.
Rhys m Welsh, EnglishFrom Old Welsh
Ris, probably meaning
"ardour, enthusiasm". Several Welsh rulers have borne this name, including the 12th-century Rhys ap Gruffydd who fought against the invading Normans.