BradleymEnglish From an English surname that originally came from a place name meaning "broad clearing" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the World War II American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).
CharlottefFrench, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch French feminine diminutive of Charles. It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. It was the name of a German-born 18th-century queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Another notable bearer was Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), the eldest of the three Brontë sisters and the author of Jane Eyre and Villette. A famous fictional bearer is the spider in the children's novel Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.... [more]
DaphnefGreek Mythology, English, Dutch Means "laurel" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was a nymph turned into a laurel tree by her father in order that she might escape the pursuit of Apollo. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the end of the 19th century.
DenzelmEnglish (Modern) Possibly a variant of Denzil. This spelling of the name was popularized by American actor Denzel Washington (1954-), who was named after his father.
DylanmWelsh, English, Welsh Mythology From the Welsh prefix dy meaning "to, toward" and llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, Dylan was a son of Arianrhod and the twin brother of Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Immediately after he was baptized he took to the sea, where he could swim as well as a fish. He was slain accidentally by his uncle Gofannon. According to some theories the character might be rooted in an earlier and otherwise unattested Celtic god of the sea.... [more]
GalateafGreek Mythology (Latinized) Latinized form of Greek Γαλάτεια (Galateia), probably derived from γάλα (gala) meaning "milk". This was the name of several characters in Greek mythology including a sea nymph who was the daughter of Doris and Nereus and the lover of Acis. According to some sources, this was also the name of the ivory statue carved by Pygmalion that came to life.
GideonmBiblical, Hebrew, English, Dutch From the Hebrew name גִּדְעוֹן (Giḏʿon) meaning "feller, hewer", derived from גָּדַע (gaḏaʿ) meaning "to cut, to hew". Gideon is a hero and judge of the Old Testament. He led the vastly outnumbered Israelites against the Midianites, defeated them, and killed their two kings. In the English-speaking world, Gideon has been used as a given name since the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the Puritans.
ImadmArabic Means "support, pillar" in Arabic, a derivative of عمد (ʿamada) meaning "to support".
Joan 1fEnglish Medieval English form of Johanne, an Old French form of Iohanna (see Joanna). This was the usual English feminine form of John in the Middle Ages, but it was surpassed in popularity by Jane in the 17th century. It again became quite popular in the first half of the 20th century, entering the top ten names for both the United States and the United Kingdom, though it has since faded.... [more]
JobmBiblical, Biblical French, Dutch From the Hebrew name אִיּוֹב (ʾIyyov), which means "persecuted, hated". In the Book of Job in the Old Testament he is a righteous man who is tested by God, enduring many tragedies and hardships while struggling to remain faithful.
JoelmEnglish, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Biblical From the Hebrew name יוֹאֵל (Yoʾel) meaning "Yahweh is God", from the elements יוֹ (yo) and אֵל (ʾel), both referring to the Hebrew God. Joel is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Joel, which describes a plague of locusts. In England, it was first used as a Christian name after the Protestant Reformation.
Jules 1mFrench French form of Julius. A notable bearer of this name was the French novelist Jules Verne (1828-1905), author of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and other works of science fiction.
Kai 1mFrisian, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English Meaning uncertain, possibly a Frisian diminutive of Gerhard, Nicolaas, Cornelis or Gaius. It is borne by a boy captured by the Snow Queen in an 1844 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Spreading from Germany and Scandinavia, this name became popular in the English-speaking world and other places in Western Europe around the end of the 20th century.
Kellym & fIrish, English Anglicized form of the Irish given name Ceallach or the surname derived from it Ó Ceallaigh. As a surname, it has been borne by actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).... [more]
KevinmEnglish, Irish, French (Modern), German (Modern), Dutch (Modern) Anglicized form of the Irish name Caoimhín meaning "beloved birth", derived from Old Irish Cóemgein, composed of cóem "dear, beloved, gentle" and gein "birth". Saint Caoimhín established a monastery in Glendalough, Ireland in the 6th century and is the patron saint of Dublin.... [more]
LisafEnglish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian Short form of Elizabeth (though often used independently) and its cognates in other languages. This is the name of the subject of one of the world's most famous paintings, the Mona Lisa, the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo by Leonardo da Vinci.... [more]
Lot 1mBiblical, Biblical Hebrew Means "covering, veil" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a nephew of Abraham. Before Sodom was destroyed by God, he was directed to flee the city without looking back. However, his wife looked back on the destruction and was turned into a pillar of salt.
MartinmEnglish, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Finnish From the Roman name Martinus, which was derived from Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god Mars. Saint Martin of Tours was a 4th-century bishop who is the patron saint of France. According to legend, he came across a cold beggar in the middle of winter so he ripped his cloak in two and gave half of it to the beggar. He was a favourite saint during the Middle Ages, and his name has become common throughout the Christian world.... [more]
MarvinmEnglish, German, Dutch From an English surname that was derived from the Welsh given name Merfyn or the Old English name Mærwine. As an American given name, it steadily rose in popularity through the beginnings of the 20th century and peaked in the early 1930s (closely mirroring the similar-sounding but unrelated name Melvin). A famous bearer was the American musician Marvin Gaye (1939-1984).
MatthewmEnglish, Biblical English form of Ματθαῖος (Matthaios), which is the New Testament Greek form of Mattithiah. Matthew, probably also called Levi, was one of the twelve apostles. He was a tax collector, and supposedly the author of the first gospel in the New Testament. He is considered a saint in many Christian traditions. The variant Matthias also occurs in the New Testament belonging to a separate apostle.... [more]
MilesmEnglish From the Germanic name Milo, introduced by the Normans to England in the form Miles. The meaning is not known for certain. It is possibly connected to the Slavic name element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear". From an early date it was associated with Latin miles meaning "soldier".... [more]
Naomi 1fEnglish, Hebrew, Biblical From the Hebrew name נָעֳמִי (Naʿomi) meaning "my pleasantness", a derivative of נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be Mara because of her misfortune (see Ruth 1:20).... [more]
NathanmEnglish, French, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek From the Hebrew name נָתָן (Naṯan) meaning "he gave". In the Old Testament this is the name of a prophet during the reign of King David. He chastised David for his adultery with Bathsheba and for the death of Uriah the Hittite. Later he championed Solomon as David's successor. This was also the name of a son of David and Bathsheba.... [more]
Noah 1mEnglish, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch (Modern), French (Modern), Biblical From the Hebrew name נֹחַ (Noaḥ) meaning "rest, repose", derived from the root נוּחַ (nuaḥ). According to the Old Testament, Noah was the builder of the Ark that allowed him, his family, and animals of each species to survive the Great Flood. After the flood he received the sign of the rainbow as a covenant from God. He was the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.... [more]
RickmEnglish Short form of Richard or names ending in rick. A notable fictional bearer is Rick Blaine, portrayed by Humphrey Bogart, from the movie Casablanca (1942).
RowenafEnglish Meaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements hroð "fame" and wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements ron "spear" and gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel Ivanhoe (1819).
SunitafHinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali Means "well conducted, wise", derived from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good" combined with नीत (nīta) meaning "conducted, led". In Hindu legend this is the name of the wife of King Anga of Bengal and the mother of Vena.
TyrafSwedish, English, African American From the Old Norse name Þýri, a variant of the Norse names Þórví or Þórveig. Use of the name in the English-speaking world (especially among African Americans) may be in part from the Swedish name, though it is probably also viewed as a feminine form of Tyrone or Tyree. A famous bearer is the American model and actress Tyra Banks (1973-).
ZoefEnglish, Italian, Spanish, German, Czech, Ancient Greek Means "life" in Greek. From early times it was adopted by Hellenized Jews as a translation of Eve. It was borne by two early Christian saints, one martyred under Emperor Hadrian, the other martyred under Diocletian. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by a ruling empress of the 11th century.... [more]