Central American Names

Milton m English, Spanish (Latin American)
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "mill town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was John Milton (1608-1674), the poet who wrote Paradise Lost.

Minerva f Roman Mythology, English, Spanish
Possibly derived from Latin mens meaning "intellect", but more likely of Etruscan origin. Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, approximately equivalent to the Greek goddess Athena. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since after the Renaissance.

Mireia f Catalan, Spanish
Catalan form of Mirèio (see Mireille).

Mireya f Spanish
Variant of Mireia.

Míriam f Spanish
Spanish form of Miriam.

Mirta f Spanish, Italian, Croatian
Spanish, Italian and Croatian cognate of Myrtle.

Miryam f Hebrew, Spanish, Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Miriam, as well as a Spanish variant.

Misericordia f Spanish
Means "compassion, mercy" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin miser "poor, wretched" and cor "heart". It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, La Virgen de la Misericordia, meaning "The Virgin of Compassion".

Modesta f Spanish, Late Roman
Feminine form of Modestus.

Modesto m Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Modestus.

Moisés m Spanish, Portuguese, Biblical Spanish, Biblical Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Moses.

Moncho m Spanish
Diminutive of Ramón.

Mónica f Spanish, Portuguese (European)
Spanish and European Portuguese form of Monica.

Morena f Italian, Spanish
Feminine form of Moreno.

Moreno m Italian, Spanish
Derived from Italian moro or Spanish moreno meaning "dark-skinned".

Nacho m Spanish
Diminutive of Ignacio.

Nacio m Spanish (Rare)
Short form of Ignacio.

Nadia 1 f French, Italian, Spanish, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian
Variant of Nadya 1 used in Western Europe, as well as an alternate transcription of the Slavic name. It began to be used in France in the 19th century. The name received a boost in popularity from the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci (1961-).

Nando m Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Short form of Fernando or Ferdinando.

Narcisa f Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian (Rare)
Feminine form of Narcissus.

Narciso m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Narcissus. This is also the word for the narcissus flower in those languages.

Natalia f Polish, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Greek, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Late Roman
Latinate form of Natalia (see Natalie).

Natalio m Spanish
Masculine form of Natalia.

Natanael m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Nathanael.

Nataniel m Spanish (Rare), Portuguese (Rare)
Variant of Natanael.

Natividad f Spanish
Means "nativity" in Spanish, commemorating the birth of either Jesus or the Virgin Mary.

Nayara f Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Naiara.

Nazaret f & m Spanish, Armenian
From Nazareth, the town in Galilee where Jesus lived. This name is primarily feminine in Spanish and primarily masculine in Armenian.

Nazario m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Nazarius.

Neizan m Spanish (Modern)
Spanish form of Nathan, reflecting the English pronunciation.

Nélida f Literature, Spanish
Created by French author Marie d'Agoult for her semi-autobiographical novel Nélida (1846), written under the name Daniel Stern. It was probably an anagram of her pen name Daniel.

Nelson m English, Spanish
From an English surname meaning "son of Neil". It was originally given in honour of the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). His most famous battle was the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he destroyed a combined French and Spanish fleet, but was himself killed. Another notable bearer was the South African statesman Nelson Mandela (1918-2013). Mandela's birth name was Rolihlahla; as a child he was given the English name Nelson by a teacher.

Nemesia f Spanish
Spanish feminine form of Nemesius.

Nemesio m Spanish
Spanish form of Nemesius.

Nerea f Basque, Spanish
Possibly from Basque nere, a dialectal variant of nire meaning "mine". Alternatively, it could be a feminine form of Nereus. This name arose in Basque-speaking regions of Spain in the first half of the 20th century, though it is now popular throughout the country.

Nereida f Spanish
Derived from Greek Νηρηΐδες (Nereides) meaning "nymphs, sea sprites", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god Nereus, who supposedly fathered them.

Nereo m Italian, Spanish (Latin American)
Italian and Spanish form of Nereus.

Néstor m Spanish
Spanish form of Nestor.

Nicanor m Ancient Greek (Latinized), Biblical, Biblical Latin, Spanish
From the Greek name Νικάνωρ (Nikanor), which was derived from νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man". This name was borne by several notable officers from ancient Macedon. It is also mentioned in the New Testament as belonging to one of the original seven deacons of the church, considered a saint.

Nico m Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, Portuguese
Short form of Nicholas (or sometimes Nicodemus).

Nicodemo m Italian, Spanish (Rare), Portuguese (Rare)
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Nicodemus.

Nicol 2 f Spanish (Latin American), Czech
Spanish and Czech form of Nicole.

Nicolás m Spanish
Spanish form of Nicholas.

Nicolasa f Spanish
Spanish feminine form of Nicholas.

Nicte f Mayan (Hispanicized)
From Yucatec Maya nikte' meaning "flower" or specifically "plumeria flower". It is derived from Classic Maya nich "flower" and te' "tree".

Nidia f Spanish
Variant of Nydia.

Nieve f Spanish (Rare)
Variant of Nieves.

Nieves f Spanish
Means "snows" in Spanish, derived from the title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de las Nieves meaning "Our Lady of the Snows".

Nilda f Spanish, Portuguese
Short form of Brunilda.

Nilo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Neilos (and also of the Nile River).

Ninfa f Spanish, Italian
Spanish and Italian form of Nympha.

Noa 1 f Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Biblical
Modern Hebrew form of Noah 2, the daughter of Zelophehad in the Bible. It is also the form used in several other languages, as well as the spelling used in some English versions of the Old Testament.

Noé m French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Biblical French, Biblical Spanish, Biblical Portuguese
French, Spanish, Portuguese and Hungarian form of Noah 1.

Noelia f Spanish
Spanish feminine form of Noël.

Noemí f Spanish
Spanish form of Naomi 1.

Nohemi f Spanish
Spanish variant form of Naomi 1.

Nora 1 f English, Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish
Short form of Honora or Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen used it for a character in his play A Doll's House (1879).

Norberto m Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Norbert.

Nubia f Spanish (Latin American)
From the name of the ancient region and kingdom in Africa, south of Egypt. It possibly derives from the Egyptian word nbw meaning "gold".

Nuria f Spanish
Spanish form of Núria.

Nydia f English (Rare), Spanish, Literature
Used by British author Edward Bulwer-Lytton for a blind flower-seller in his novel The Last Days of Pompeii (1834). He perhaps based it on Latin nidus "nest".

Obdulia f Spanish
Meaning unknown. This was the name of a saint from Toledo, Spain. The details of her life are unknown.

Octavia f English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Octavius. Octavia was the wife of Mark Antony and the sister of the Roman emperor Augustus. In 19th-century England it was sometimes given to the eighth-born child.

Octavio m Spanish
Spanish form of Octavius.

Odalis f & m Spanish (Latin American)
Possibly an elaboration of Odilia used in Latin America. In most countries it is a feminine name, but in the Dominican Republic it is commonly masculine.

Odalys f Spanish (Latin American)
Variant of Odalis.

Ofelia f Spanish, Italian
Spanish and Italian form of Ophelia.

Olalla f Galician, Spanish
Galician variant of Eulalia.

Olaya f Asturian, Spanish
Asturian form of Eulalia.

Olegario m Spanish
From Olegarius, the Latinized form of a Germanic name, possibly Aldegar or a metathesized form of Odalgar. This was the name of a 12th-century saint, a bishop of Barcelona.

Olga f Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovene, Serbian, Bulgarian, Greek
Russian form of the Old Norse name Helga. The 10th-century Saint Olga was the wife of Igor I, the ruler of Kievan Rus (a state based around the city of Kyiv). Like her husband she was probably a Varangian, who were Norse people who settled in Eastern Europe beginning in the 9th century. Following Igor's death she ruled as regent for her son Svyatoslav for 18 years. After she was baptized in Constantinople she attempted to convert her subjects to Christianity, though this goal was only achieved by her grandson Vladimir.

Olimpia f Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Polish (Rare), Hungarian (Rare)
Form of Olympias in several languages.

Olinda f Literature, Portuguese, Spanish (Latin American)
The name of a princess of Norway in the medieval Spanish tale of the knight Amadis of Gaul. It is perhaps related to Greek ὀλύνθη (olynthe) meaning "wild fig tree" (similar to Olindo). Olinda is also the name of a Brazilian city.

Oliva f Late Roman, Spanish, Italian
Late Latin name meaning "olive". This was the name of a 2nd-century saint from Brescia.

Oliverio m Spanish
Spanish form of Oliver.

Olivia f English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
This name was used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy Twelfth Night (1602). This was a rare name in Shakespeare's time that may have been based on Oliva or Oliver, or directly on the Latin word oliva meaning "olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman wooed by Duke Orsino. Instead she falls in love with his messenger Cesario, who is actually Viola in disguise.... [more]

Olvido f Spanish
Means "oblivion, forgetting" in Spanish, taken from the title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora del Olvido, Triunfo y Misericordias meaning "Our Lady of Oblivion, Triumph and Mercies". It commemorates an 1831 vision of Mary by the Spanish nun Sor Patrocinio.

Omar 1 m Arabic, Bosnian, Kazakh, Malay, English, Spanish, Italian
Alternate transcription of Arabic عمر (see Umar). This is the usual English spelling of the name of the 12th-century poet Umar Khayyam. In his honour it has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world, notably for the American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).

Onofre m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Onuphrius.

Orfeo m Italian, Spanish (Rare)
Italian and Spanish form of Orpheus.

Oriana f Italian, Spanish
Possibly derived from Latin aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish oro or French or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight Amadis.

Orlando m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Carolingian Cycle
Italian form of Roland, as used in the epic poems Orlando Innamorato (1483) by Matteo Maria Boiardo and the continuation Orlando Furioso (1532) by Ludovico Ariosto. In the poems, Orlando is a knight in Charlemagne's army who battles against the invading Saracens. A character in Shakespeare's play As You Like It (1599) also bears this name, as does a city in Florida.

Orquídea f Spanish, Portuguese
Means "orchid" in Spanish and Portuguese, from Latin orchis, Greek ὄρχις (orchis).

Óscar m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Oscar.

Osvaldo m Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Oswald.

Oswaldo m Portuguese, Spanish
Variant of Osvaldo.

Otilia f Romanian, Spanish
Romanian and Spanish form of Odilia.

Ovidia f Ancient Roman, Spanish (Rare), Romanian (Rare)
Feminine form of Ovidius (see Ovid).

Ovidio m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Ovidius (see Ovid).

Pablo m Spanish
Spanish form of Paulus (see Paul). Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) were famous bearers of this name.

Paca f Spanish
Diminutive of Francisca.

Pacífica f Spanish (Rare)
Spanish feminine form of the Late Latin name Pacificus meaning "peacemaker".

Paco m Spanish
Diminutive of Francisco.

Palmira f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Feminine form of Palmiro.

Paloma f Spanish
Means "dove, pigeon" in Spanish.

Pancho m Spanish
Spanish diminutive of Francisco. This name was borne by Pancho Villa (1878-1923), a Mexican bandit and revolutionary.

Pánfilo m Spanish
Spanish form of Pamphilos.

Paquita f Spanish
Diminutive of Francisca.

Paquito m Spanish
Diminutive of Francisco.

Pascual m Spanish
Spanish form of Pascal.

Pascuala f Spanish
Spanish feminine form of Pascal.

Pastor m Spanish, Late Roman
From a Late Latin name meaning "shepherd". This was the name of at least three saints.

Pastora f Spanish
Feminine form of Pastor.

Pati f Spanish, Polish
Diminutive of Patricia or Patrycja.

Patricia f English, Spanish, German, French, Dutch, Late Roman
Feminine form of Patricius (see Patrick). In medieval England this spelling appears in Latin documents, but this form was probably not used as the actual name until the 18th century, in Scotland.

Patricio m Spanish
Spanish form of Patricius (see Patrick).

Patrocinia f Spanish (Latin American)
Strictly feminine variant of Patrocinio.

Patrocinio f & m Spanish
Means "patronage, sponsorship" in Spanish, taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, La Virgen del Patrocinio, meaning "The Virgin of Patronage".

Paula f German, English, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Croatian, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Paulus (see Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman saint who was a companion of Saint Jerome.

Paulina f Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Swedish, Lithuanian, English, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Paulinus (see Paulino).

Paulino m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of the Roman family name Paulinus, which was itself derived from Paulus (see Paul). Saint Paulinus of Nola was a 5th-century nobleman from Gaul who gave up his wealthy lifestyle and became bishop of Nola. He was also noted for his poetry. Another saint by this name was a 7th-century missionary to England who became the first bishop of York.

Paz 1 f Spanish
Means "peace" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de la Paz, meaning "Our Lady of Peace".

Pedro m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Peter. This was the name of the only two emperors of Brazil, reigning between 1822 and 1889.

Pelayo m Spanish
Spanish form of Pelagius. This was the name of the founder of the kingdom of Asturias in the 8th century.

Penélope f Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Penelope.

Pepe m Spanish
Spanish diminutive of José.

Pepita f Spanish
Spanish feminine diminutive of Joseph.

Pepito m Spanish
Spanish diminutive of Joseph.

Perla f Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish cognate of Pearl.

Perlita f Spanish
Diminutive of Perla.

Perpetua f Spanish, Late Roman
Derived from Latin perpetuus meaning "continuous". This was the name of a 3rd-century saint martyred with another woman named Felicity.

Petra f German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, English
Feminine form of Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.

Petrona f Spanish
Possibly a feminine form of Petronius.

Petronila f Spanish
Spanish form of Petronilla.

Pía f Spanish
Spanish feminine form of Pius.

Piedad f Spanish
Means "mercy, piety" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin pietas.

Pilar f Spanish
Means "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.

Pili 1 f Spanish
Diminutive of Pilar.

Pío m Spanish
Spanish form of Pius.

Plácida f Spanish (Rare)
Spanish feminine form of Placidus (see Placido).

Plácido m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Placidus (see Placido).

Plinio m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Plinius (see Pliny).

Poncio m Spanish (Rare)
Spanish form of Pontius.

Porfirio m Spanish, Italian (Rare)
Derived from the Greek name Πορφύριος (Porphyrios), which was derived from the word πορφύρα (porphyra) meaning "purple dye". This was the name of several early saints.

Presentación f Spanish
Means "presentation, appearance" in Spanish. This name commemorates the tale of the presentation of the young Virgin Mary at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Primitiva f Spanish, Late Roman
Feminine form of Primitivus. Saint Primitiva was an early martyr from Rome.

Primitivo m Spanish
Spanish form of Primitivus.

Priscila f Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese and Spanish form of Priscilla.

Próspero m Spanish (Rare)
Spanish form of Prosper.

Prudencia f Spanish
Spanish feminine form of Prudentius.

Prudencio m Spanish
Spanish form of Prudentius.

Pura f Spanish
From Spanish pura meaning "pure", also used as a diminutive of Purificación.

Purificación f Spanish
Means "purification" in Spanish. This name is given in reference to the ritual purification of the Virgin Mary after her childbirth.

Quintín m Spanish
Spanish form of Quintinus (see Quentin).

Quique m Spanish
Diminutive of Enrique.

Quirino m Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Italian, Portuguese and Spanish form of Quirinus.

Quiteria f Spanish (Rare), Late Roman
Meaning uncertain, possibly a form of Kythereia. Saint Quiteria was a semi-legendary 2nd-century Iberian martyr.

Rafa m Spanish
Spanish short form of Rafael.

Rafael m Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Hebrew
Form of Raphael in various languages. A famous bearer is the Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (1986-).

Rafaela f Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Raphael.

Raimunda f Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Raymond.

Raimundo m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Raymond.

Rainerio m Spanish (Rare)
Spanish form of Rayner.

Ramiro m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Ramirus, earlier Ranimirus, a Latinized form of a Visigothic name derived from the Gothic element rana "wedge" or perhaps ragin "law, decree, assessment, responsibility" combined with mers "famous". Saint Ramirus was a 6th-century prior of the Saint Claudius Monastery in León. He and several others were executed by the Arian Visigoths, who opposed orthodox Christianity. This name was subsequently borne by kings of León, Asturias and Aragon.

Ramón m Spanish
Spanish form of Raymond.

Ramona f Spanish, Romanian, English
Feminine form of Ramón. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel Ramona (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.

Raquel f Spanish, Portuguese, English
Spanish and Portuguese form of Rachel.

Raúl m Spanish
Spanish form of Radulf (see Ralph).

Rayén f Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish form of Rayen.

Raymundo m Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Spanish and Portuguese variant form of Raymond.

Rebeca f Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian
Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian form of Rebecca.

Regina f English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late Roman
Means "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.

Regla f Spanish
Means "rule" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Regla, meaning "Our Lady of the Rule". This name is especially common in Cuba.

Régulo m Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Spanish and Portuguese form of Regulus.

Reina 1 f Spanish
Means "queen" in Spanish.

Reinaldo m Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese and Spanish form of Reynold.

Remedios f Spanish
Means "remedies" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, meaning "Our Lady of the Remedies".

Remigio m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Remigius (see Rémy).

Renata f Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Polish, Czech, Lithuanian, Croatian, Slovene, Romanian, Late Roman
Feminine form of Renatus.

Renato m Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Croatian
Italian, Portuguese and Spanish form of Renatus.

René m French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Slovak, Czech
French form of Renatus. Famous bearers include the French mathematician and rationalist philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) and the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte (1898-1967).

Renzo m Italian, Spanish (Latin American)
Short form of Lorenzo.

Resurrección f Spanish
Means "resurrection" in Spanish, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus.

Rey m Spanish
Short form of Reynaldo. It is also a Spanish word meaning "king".

Reyes f & m Spanish
Means "kings" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, La Virgen de los Reyes, meaning "The Virgin of the Kings". According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to King Ferdinand III of Castile and told him his armies would defeat those of the Moors in Seville.

Reyna f Spanish
Variant of Reina 1.

Reynaldo m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Reynold.

Ricarda f German, Spanish, Portuguese
German, Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Richard.

Ricardo m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Richard.

Rico m Spanish, Italian
Short form of Ricardo, Enrico and other names ending in rico.

Rita f Italian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese, Latvian, Lithuanian
Short form of Margherita and other names ending in rita. Saint Rita (born Margherita Lotti) was a 15th-century nun from Cascia, Italy. Another famous bearer was the American actress Rita Hayworth (1918-1987).

Roberta f English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Feminine form of Robert.

Robertina f Spanish, Italian (Rare)
Feminine diminutive of Roberto.

Roberto m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Robert. Saint Roberto Bellarmine was a 16th-century cardinal who is regarded as a Doctor of the Church. Another famous bearer was Roberto de Nobili (1577-1656), a Jesuit missionary to India.

Rocío f Spanish
Means "dew" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary María del Rocío meaning "Mary of the Dew".

Rodolfito m Spanish (Rare)
Spanish diminutive of Rodolfo.

Rodolfo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Rudolf. This is the name of the hero in Puccini's opera La Bohème (1896).

Rodrigo m Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Galician
Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Galician form of Roderick, via the Latinized Gothic form Rudericus. A notable bearer was Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, also known as El Cid, an 11th-century Spanish military commander.

Rogelio m Spanish
Spanish form of the Late Latin name Rogellus or Rogelius. This was probably related to the Germanic name Hrodger (see Roger), perhaps a remnant of a Visigothic cognate. It has also been suggested that it could be derived from a diminutive of the Latin name Rogatus. Saint Rogellus was a 9th-century martyr from Córdoba.

Rolando m Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Roland.

Roldán m Spanish
Spanish form of Roland.

Román m Spanish, Hungarian
Spanish and Hungarian form of Romanus (see Roman).

Romualdo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Romuald.

Rómulo m Spanish, Portuguese (European)
Spanish and European Portuguese form of Romulus.

Roque m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Rocco.

Rosa 1 f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, German, English
Generally this can be considered to be from Latin rosa meaning "rose", though originally it may have come from the unrelated Germanic name Roza 2. This was the name of a 13th-century saint from Viterbo in Italy. In the English-speaking world it was first used in the 19th century. Famous bearers include the Polish-German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) and the American civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005).

Rosalía f Spanish, Galician
Spanish and Galician form of Rosalia.

Rosalina f Portuguese, Spanish
Latinate form of Rosaline.

Rosalinda f Spanish, Italian
Latinate form of Rosalind.

Rosalva f Spanish
Variant of Rosalba.

Rosa María f Spanish
Combination of Rosa 1 and María.

Rosana f Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese and Spanish form of Roxana.

Rosario f & m Spanish, Italian
Means "rosary", and is taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora del Rosario meaning "Our Lady of the Rosary". This name is feminine in Spanish and masculine in Italian.

Rosaura f Spanish
Means "golden rose", derived from Latin rosa "rose" and aurea "golden". This name was (first?) used by Pedro Calderón de la Barca for a character in his play Life Is a Dream (1635).

Rosenda f Spanish
Feminine form of Rosendo.

Rosendo m Spanish
Spanish form of the Visigothic name *Hroþisinþs, composed of the Gothic elements hroþs "fame" and sinþs "time". This was the name of a 10th-century Galician saint, also known as Rudesind.

Rosita f Spanish
Spanish diminutive of Rosa 1.

Roxana f English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latin form of Ῥωξάνη (Rhoxane), the Greek form of an Old Persian or Bactrian name, from Old Iranian *rauxšnā meaning "bright, shining". This was the name of Alexander the Great's first wife, a daughter of the Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes. In the modern era it came into use during the 17th century. In the English-speaking world it was popularized by Daniel Defoe, who used it in his novel Roxana (1724).

Rubén m Spanish
Spanish form of Reuben.

Rufina f Russian, Spanish, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Rufinus. Rufina and Secunda were sister saints who were martyred in Rome in the 3rd century.

Rufino m Spanish, Portuguese, Italian (Rare)
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Rufinus.

Ruperta f Spanish
Spanish feminine form of Rupert.

Ruperto m Spanish
Spanish form of Rupert.

Rut f Spanish, Icelandic, Swedish, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Form of Ruth 1 in several languages.

Ruth 1 f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical Latin
From the Hebrew name רוּת (Ruṯ), probably derived from the word רְעוּת (reʿuṯ) meaning "female friend". This is the name of the central character in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. She was a Moabite woman who accompanied her mother-in-law Naomi back to Bethlehem after Ruth's husband died. There she met and married Boaz. She was an ancestor of King David.... [more]

Ruy m Portuguese, Spanish
Medieval Portuguese and Spanish short form of Rodrigo. It is another name of the 11th-century Spanish military commander Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, also known as El Cid.

Sabas m Spanish
From the Greek name Σάββας (Sabbas), which was derived from Aramaic סַבָא (sava) meaning "old man, grandfather". Saints bearing this name include a 4th-century Gothic martyr, a 5th-century Cappadocian hermit, and a 12th-century archbishop of Serbia who is the patron saint of that country.

Sabina f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Swedish, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Sabinus, a Roman cognomen meaning "a Sabine" in Latin. The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy, their lands eventually taken over by the Romans after several wars. According to legend, the Romans abducted several Sabine women during a raid, and when the men came to rescue them, the women were able to make peace between the two groups. This name was borne by several early saints.

Sabino m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Sabinus (see Sabina).

Sabrina f English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Latinized form of Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque Comus (1634).... [more]

Sacnicte f Mayan (Hispanicized)
Means "white plumeria flower", from Yucatec Maya sak "white" and nikte' "plumeria flower".

Sacnite f Mayan (Hispanicized)
Variant of Sacnicte.

Sagrario f Spanish
Means "sanctuary, tabernacle" in Spanish, derived from Latin sacrarium. It is taken from an epithet of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora del Sagrario, and is associated with Toledo Cathedral.

Salomé f French, Spanish, Portuguese
French, Spanish and Portuguese form of Salome.

Salomón m Spanish, Biblical Spanish
Spanish form of Solomon.

Salud f Spanish
Spanish cognate of Salut.

Salvador m Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan
Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan form of the Late Latin name Salvator, which meant "saviour", referring to Jesus. A famous bearer of this name was the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).

Salvadora f Spanish
Feminine form of Salvador.

Samanta f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Latvian, Polish
Variant of Samantha used in several languages.

Samu m Hungarian, Finnish, Spanish
Hungarian, Finnish and Spanish diminutive of Samuel.

Samuel m English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Jewish, Amharic, Biblical
From the Hebrew name שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemuʾel) meaning "name of God", from the roots שֵׁם (shem) meaning "name" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Other interpretations have the first root being שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear" leading to a meaning of "God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor David.... [more]

Sancha f Spanish (Rare), Portuguese (Rare)
Feminine form of Sancho.

Sancho m Spanish, Portuguese
Possibly a Spanish and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name Sanctius, which was derived from the word sanctus meaning "saintly, holy". Alternatively, Sancho and Sanctius may be derived from an older Iberian name. This was the name of a 9th-century saint who was martyred by the Moors at Córdoba. It was also borne by several Spanish and Portuguese kings. Miguel de Cervantes used it in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it belongs to the squire of Don Quixote.

Sandalio m Spanish
Spanish form of Sandalius, possibly a Latinized form of a Gothic name composed of the elements swinþs "strong" and wulfs "wolf". It also nearly coincides with Latin sandalium "sandal". This was the name of a 9th-century Spanish saint martyred by the Moors.

Sandra f Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, Romanian
Short form of Alessandra. It was introduced to the English-speaking world (where it is usually used independently of Alexandra) by author George Meredith, who used it for the heroine in his novel Emilia in England (1864) and the reissued version Sandra Belloni (1887). A famous bearer is the American actress Sandra Bullock (1964-).

Santana f & m Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian), English (Modern)
From a contraction of Santa Ana (referring to Saint Anna) or from a Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from any of the numerous places named for the saint. It can be given in honour of the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-), the founder of the band Santana. The name received a boost in popularity for American girls after the character Santana Andrade began appearing on the soap opera Santa Barbara in 1984.

Santi m Spanish, Italian
Short form of Santiago or a variant of Santo.

Santiago m Spanish, Portuguese
Means "Saint James", derived from Spanish santo "saint" combined with Yago, an old Spanish form of James, the patron saint of Spain. It is the name of the main character in the novella The Old Man and the Sea (1951) by Ernest Hemingway. This also is the name of the capital city of Chile, as well as several other cities in the Spanish-speaking world.

Santos m Spanish
Means "saints" in Spanish. It is used in reference to the Christian festival Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints' Day) celebrated on November 1.

Sara f Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Catalan, Galician, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian, Polish, English, Arabic, Persian, Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Latin
Form of Sarah used in various languages.

Sarai f Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Hebrew, Spanish
Means "my princess" in Hebrew, a possessive form of שָׂרָה (sara) meaning "lady, princess, noblewoman". In the Old Testament, this was Sarah's name before God changed it (see Genesis 17:15).

Saray f Spanish
Spanish variant of Sarai.

Sarita 1 f Spanish
Spanish diminutive of Sara.

Saturnina f Ancient Roman, Spanish
Feminine form of Saturninus. This was the name of a legendary saint who was supposedly martyred in northern France.

Saturnino m Spanish, Italian (Rare), Portuguese (Rare)
Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Saturninus.

Saúl m Spanish
Spanish form of Saul.

Sebastián m Spanish, Czech
Spanish and Czech form of Sebastianus (see Sebastian).

Sebastiana f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Sebastianus (see Sebastian).

Secundino m Spanish
Spanish form of Secundinus.

Segismundo m Spanish
Spanish form of Sigismund.

Segunda f Spanish
Spanish feminine form of Secundus.

Segundo m Spanish
Spanish form of Secundus.

Selena f Spanish, English, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Selene. This name was borne by popular Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla (1971-1995), who was known simply as Selena. Another famous bearer is the American actress and singer Selena Gomez (1992-).

Serafín m Spanish
Spanish form of Seraphinus (see Seraphina).

Serafina f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Seraphina.

Sergio m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Sergius.

Seve m Spanish
Spanish diminutive of Severiano or Severino.

Severiano m Spanish
Spanish form of the Roman cognomen Severianus, which was derived from Severus.

Severino m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Severinus.

Severo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Severus.

Sigfrido m Italian (Rare), Spanish (Rare)
Italian and Spanish form of Siegfried.

Silverio m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Silverius.

Silvestre m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Silvester.

Silvia f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, German, Dutch, English, Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Feminine form of Silvius. Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. This was also the name of a 6th-century saint, the mother of the pope Gregory the Great. It has been a common name in Italy since the Middle Ages. It was introduced to England by Shakespeare, who used it for a character in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594). It is now more commonly spelled Sylvia in the English-speaking world.

Silvina f Spanish, Portuguese, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Silvinus.

Silvino m Portuguese, Spanish, Italian (Rare)
Portuguese, Spanish and Italian form of Silvinus.

Silvio m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Silvius.

Simón m Spanish
Spanish form of Simon 1. This name was borne by the South American revolutionary Simón Bolívar (1783-1830).

Sira f Spanish, Italian (Rare)
Spanish and Italian feminine form of Syrus.

Siro m Italian, Spanish (Rare)
Italian and Spanish form of Syrus.

Sixta f Spanish
Spanish feminine form of Sixtus.

Sixto m Spanish
Spanish form of Sixtus.

Socorro f Spanish
Means "succour, help, relief" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary María del Socorro meaning "Mary of Perpetual Succour".

Sócrates m Spanish (Rare), Portuguese (Rare)
Spanish and Portuguese form of Socrates.

Sofi f Armenian, Swedish, Spanish
Armenian form of Sophie, as well as a Swedish and Spanish short form of Sofia.

Sofía f Spanish, Galician
Spanish and Galician form of Sophia.

Sol 1 f Spanish, Portuguese
Means "sun" in Spanish or Portuguese.

Soledad f Spanish
Means "solitude" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, María de la Soledad, meaning "Mary of Solitude".

Sonia f English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish
Variant of Sonya.

Sonsoles f Spanish
From a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Sonsoles, meaning "Our Lady of Sonsoles". Sonsoles is a sanctuary in the Spanish province of Ávila, which contains a famous statue of Mary.

Soraya f Persian, Spanish, French, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Persian form of Thurayya. It became popular in some parts of Europe because of the fame of Princess Soraya (1932-2001), wife of the last Shah of Iran, who became a European socialite.

Sosimo m Spanish (Rare)
Spanish form of Zosimus.

Susana f Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Susanna.

Susanita f Spanish (Rare)
Spanish diminutive of Susana.

Tácito m Portuguese (Rare), Spanish (Rare)
Portuguese and Spanish form of Tacitus.

Tadeo m Spanish
Spanish form of Thaddeus.

Tamara f Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Hungarian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, Georgian
Russian form of Tamar. Russian performers such as Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978), Tamara Drasin (1905-1943), Tamara Geva (1907-1997) and Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) introduced it to the English-speaking world. It rapidly grew in popularity in the United States starting in 1957. Another famous bearer was the Polish cubist painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980).

Tancredo m Portuguese (Rare), Spanish (Rare)
Portuguese and Spanish form of Tancred.

Tania f English, Italian, Spanish
Variant of Tanya.

Tatiana f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, French, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Greek, Georgian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of the Roman name Tatianus, a derivative of the Roman name Tatius. This was the name of a 3rd-century saint who was martyred in Rome under the emperor Alexander Severus. She was especially venerated in Orthodox Christianity, and the name has been common in Russia (as Татьяна) and Eastern Europe. It was not regularly used in the English-speaking world until the 1980s.

Tecla f Italian, Spanish (Rare)
Italian and Spanish form of Thekla.

Telesforo m Spanish
Spanish form of Telesphoros (see Télesphore).

Telmo m Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from a misdivision of Spanish Santelmo meaning "saint Elmo". This name is given in honour of Pedro González Telmo, a 13th-century Spanish priest.

Teo m & f Spanish, Italian, Croatian, Slovene, Georgian
Short form of Teodoro and other names that begin with Teo. In Georgian this is a feminine name, a short form of Teona.

Teobaldo m Spanish, Portuguese (Rare), Italian (Rare)
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Theobald.

Teodomiro m Spanish
Spanish form of Theodemir.

Teodora f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Swedish
Feminine form of Theodoros (see Theodore).

Teodoro m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Theodoros (see Theodore).

Teodosio m Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Theodosius.

Teódulo m Spanish (Rare)
Spanish form of Theodulus.