Modern Names

These names are used in a modern context.
gender
usage
Genesis f English (Modern)
Means "birth, origin" in Greek. This is the name of the first book of the Old Testament in the Bible. It tells of the creation of the world, the expulsion of Adam and Eve, Noah and the great flood, and the three patriarchs.
Gianna f Italian, Greek, English (Modern)
Italian short form of Giovanna and a Modern Greek variant of Ioanna.... [more]
Gibson m English (Modern)
From an English surname meaning "son of Gib".
Giselle f French, English (Modern)
Derived from the Old German element gisal meaning "hostage, pledge" (Proto-Germanic *gīslaz). This name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for a child given as a pledge to a foreign court. This was the name of both a sister and daughter of Charlemagne. It was also borne by a daughter of the French king Charles III who married the Norman leader Rollo in the 10th century. Another notable bearer was the 11th-century Gisela of Swabia, wife of the Holy Roman emperor Conrad II.... [more]
Gracelyn f English (Modern)
Elaboration of Grace using the popular name suffix lyn.
Gracelynn f English (Modern)
Elaboration of Grace using the popular name suffix lyn.
Grayson m English (Modern)
From an English surname meaning "son of the steward", derived from Middle English greyve "steward". It became common towards the end of the 20th century because of its similarity to popular names like Jason, Mason and Graham.
Grey m & f English (Modern)
Variant of Gray.
Gunner m English (Modern)
English variant of Gunnar, influenced by the vocabulary word gunner.
Hailey f English (Modern)
Variant of Hayley. This is currently the most common spelling in the United States, surpassing Haley in 2001 and attaining a high rank of 19th in 2010.
Haley f English (Modern)
Variant of Hayley. This spelling gained some popularity in the United States in 1977, possibly due to the author Alex Haley, whose book Roots was adapted into a popular miniseries that year. This was the most common American spelling from then to 2001, when it was eclipsed by Hailey.
Halle 2 f English (Modern)
In the case of American actress Halle Berry (1966-), it is from the name of a department store in Cleveland where she was born (the store was founded by brothers bearing the German surname Halle, a cognate of Hall).
Halo f English (Modern)
From the English word halo meaning "luminous disc or ring", derived from Greek ἅλως (halos). Haloes often appear in religious art above the heads of holy people.
Hayley f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally derived from the name of an English town (meaning "hay clearing" from Old English heg "hay" and leah "clearing"). It was brought to public attention as a given name, especially in the United Kingdom, by the British child actress Hayley Mills (1946-).... [more]
Heaven f English (Modern)
From the English vocabulary word meaning "paradise". It is derived via Middle English hevene from Old English heofon "sky".
Heavenly f English (Modern)
From the English word meaning "of the heavens, celestial, divine".
Hendrix m English (Modern)
From a Dutch surname that was derived from the given name Hendrik. A famous bearer of the surname was the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).
Hiranur f Turkish (Modern)
From Arabic حراء (Ḥirāʾ), the name of the cave where the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation, combined with نور (nūr) meaning "light".
Holden m English (Modern)
From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "deep valley" in Old English. This is the name of the main character in J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), Holden Caulfield.
Huxley m English (Modern)
From an English surname that was derived from the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer of the surname was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).
Iasmim f Portuguese (Brazilian, Modern)
Portuguese (mainly Brazilian) variant of Yasmin.
Iesha f African American (Modern)
Variant of Aisha. It was popularized by the song Iesha (1991) by Another Bad Creation.
Iglė f Lithuanian (Modern)
From the name of a small lake (also called Ygla) in southwestern Lithuania. It was popularized after 2016 by the singer Iglė Bernotaitytė (1999-).
Ilary f Italian (Modern)
Italian form of Hilary.
India f English, Spanish (Modern)
From the name of the country, which is itself derived from the name of the Indus River. The river's name is ultimately from Sanskrit सिन्धु (Sindhu) meaning "body of trembling water, river". India Wilkes is a character in the novel Gone with the Wind (1936) by Margaret Mitchell.
Indie f English (Modern)
Possibly a diminutive of India or Indiana, but also likely inspired by the term indie, short for independent, which is typically used to refer to media produced outside of the mainstream.
Indigo f & m English (Modern)
From the English word indigo for the purplish-blue dye or the colour. It is ultimately derived from Greek Ἰνδικόν (Indikon) meaning "Indic, from India".
Ireland f English (Modern)
From the name of the European island country, derived from Irish Gaelic Éire, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.
Iridián f Spanish (Mexican, Modern)
Means "related to Iris or rainbows", ultimately from Greek ἶρις (genitive ἴριδος). It briefly entered the American top 1000 list in 1995, likely due to a Mexican singer named Iridián.
Isabeau f Medieval French, French (Rare), Dutch (Modern)
Medieval French variant of Isabel. A famous bearer of this name was Isabeau of Bavaria (1385-1422), wife of the French king Charles VI.
Izan m Spanish (Modern)
Spanish form of Ethan, reflecting the English pronunciation.
Jabari m African American (Modern)
Means "almighty, powerful" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic جبّار (jabbār). It started to be used by African-American parents after it was featured in a 1973 nation-wide newspaper article about African baby names.
Jacey f & m English (Modern)
An invented name, using the popular phonetic element jay and the same sound found in names such as Casey and Macy.
Jaden m & f English (Modern)
An invented name, using the popular den suffix sound found in such names as Braden, Hayden and Aidan. This name first became common in America in the 1990s when similar-sounding names were increasing in popularity. The spelling Jayden has been more popular since 2003. It is sometimes considered a variant of the biblical name Jadon.
Jadyn f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Jaden.
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.
Jai 2 m English (Modern)
Variant of Jay 1. In some cases it is pronounced to rhyme with names such as Kai or Ty.
Jaiden m & f English (Modern)
Variant of Jaden.
Jalen m African American (Modern)
An invented name. In America it was popularized in the 1990s by basketball player Jalen Rose (1973-), whose name was a combination of those of his father James and maternal uncle Leonard.
Jaliyah f African American (Modern)
An invented name, based on the sound of Aaliyah.
Jamari m African American (Modern)
Elaborated form of Jamar, sharing a sound with names such as Amari and Kamari.
Jamir m African American (Modern)
Variant of Jamar, probably influenced by names such as Jamil.
Janae f English (Modern)
Elaborated form of Jane.
Janessa f English (Modern)
Elaborated form of Jane, influenced by Vanessa.
Janiyah f African American (Modern)
An invented name, blending the popular phonetic prefix ja with names like Shania and Aaliyah.
Jaquan m African American (Modern)
Combination of the phonetic elements ja and quan. It can be spelled JaQuan or Jaquan.
Jaron 2 m English (Modern), African American (Modern)
Invented name, probably based on the sounds of names such as Jared and Darren.
Jase m English (Modern)
Variant of Jace and a short form of Jason.
Jaslene f English (Modern)
Combination of the popular phonetic elements jaz and lene. It was brought to some public attention in 2007 by Puerto Rican-born model Jaslene Gonzalez (1986-), the eighth winner of the reality television series America's Next Top Model.
Javion m African American (Modern)
Invented name, using the sounds found in names such as Javon and Davion.
Javon m African American (Modern)
Combination of the phonetic elements ja or jay and von.
Javonte m African American (Modern)
Combination of the phonetic elements ja, von and tay.
Jax m English (Modern)
Short form of Jackson. It appeared in the video game Mortal Kombat II in 1993. It first registered as a given name in the United States in 1995 (when it was used only five times) but steadily grew in popularity for two decades, probably inspired by similar names like Max and Dax and helped by a character of this name on the American television series Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014).
Jaxton m English (Modern)
Elaboration of Jax influenced by similar-sounding names such as Paxton and Braxton.
Jaycee f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Jacey.
Jayden m & f English (Modern)
Variant of Jaden. This spelling continued to rapidly rise in popularity in the United States past 2003, unlike Jaden, which stalled. It peaked at the fourth rank for boys in 2010, showing tremendous growth over only two decades. It has since declined.
Jayla f English (Modern)
An invented name, using the phonetic elements jay and la, and sharing a sound with other popular names such as Kayla.
Jaylee f English (Modern)
An invented name, using the popular phonetic elements jay and lee, and sharing a sound with other popular names such as Kaylee and Bailey.
Jaylen m & f African American (Modern), English (Modern)
Variant of Jalen (masculine) or Jaylynn (feminine).
Jaylene f English (Modern)
An invented name, a combination of the popular phonetic elements jay and lene.
Jaylin m & f African American (Modern), English (Modern), Dutch (Modern)
Variant of Jalen (masculine) or Jaylynn (feminine).
Jaylinn f Dutch (Modern)
Variant of Jaylynn popular in the Netherlands.
Jaylynn f English (Modern)
An invented name, a combination of the popular phonetic elements jay and lyn.
Jazlyn f English (Modern)
Combination of the popular phonetic elements jaz and lyn.
Jelani m & f African American (Modern)
This name began to be used rarely in the United States in 1973 after it was featured in a nation-wide newspaper article about African baby names. It probably represents the Arabic name Jilani, given in honour of the Sufi scholar Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (the meaning quoted by the newspaper article ("mighty") coincides with the meaning of Qadir).... [more]
Jensen m English (Modern)
From a Danish surname meaning "son of Jens".
Jericho m English (Modern)
From the name of a city in Israel that is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain, but it may be related to the Hebrew word יָרֵחַ (yareaḥ) meaning "moon", or otherwise to the Hebrew word רֵיחַ (reyaḥ) meaning "fragrance".
Jesika f Czech (Modern)
Czech form of Jessica.
Jessika f German, Swedish, English (Modern)
German, Swedish and English variant of Jessica.
Jett m English (Modern)
From the English word jet, which denotes either a jet aircraft or an intense black colour (the words derive from different sources).
Jimi m English, Finnish (Modern)
Variant of Jimmy. A famous bearer was the rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).
Joi f English (Modern)
Variant of Joy.
Jordin f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Jordan.
Jordyn f English (Modern)
Feminine variant of Jordan.
Journey f English (Modern)
From the English word, derived via Old French from Latin diurnus "of the day".
Juna f German (Modern), Dutch (Modern)
Meaning uncertain, perhaps a variant of Junia or Juno.
Juniper f English (Modern)
From the English word for the type of tree, derived ultimately from Latin iuniperus.
Kacey f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Casey.
Kaleb m English (Modern)
English variant of Caleb.
Kal-El m Popular Culture, English (Modern)
Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938 as the birth name of the comic book hero Superman, who came from the distant planet Krypton. The original spelling Kal-L was changed to Kal-El in the 1940s. Some have theorized that El is inspired by the common Hebrew name element אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Although Siegel and Shuster were Jewish, there is no evidence that they had this connection in mind, and it seems possible they simply made it up. Superman's other name, Clark Kent, was given to him by his adoptive parents.... [more]
Kalisha f African American (Modern)
Combination of the name prefix ka and Lisha.
Kaliyah f African American (Modern)
An invented name, based on the sound of Aaliyah.
Kam m & f English (Modern)
Short form of Kameron.
Kamari m & f African American (Modern)
Combination of the sounds found in names such as Jamari, Amari and Kamaria.
Kamiyah f African American (Modern)
An invented name, blending the popular phonetic prefix ka and Maya 2.
Kamryn f & m English (Modern)
Variant (typically feminine) of Cameron.
Kane m English (Modern)
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Catháin, derived from the given name Cathán.
Kanye m African American (Modern)
Meaning uncertain. It could be from the name of a town in Botswana (of Tswana origin). Yoruba, Igbo, Xhosa and Fula meanings have also been suggested. It is borne by the American rapper Kanye West (1977-), and the name briefly appeared on the United States top 1000 list in 2004 when he released his debut album.
Karsyn f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Carson.
Karter m & f English (Modern)
Variant of Carter.
Kasandra f English (Modern), Polish
English variant and Polish form of Cassandra.
Kashton m English (Modern)
Probably a combination of Kash and the popular name suffix ton, inspired by names such as Ashton.
Kassandra f Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek, English (Modern)
Greek form of Cassandra, as well as a modern English variant.
Kaya 2 f English (Modern)
Possibly from the Scandinavian name Kaia, or simply an invented name based on the sounds found in other names such as Maya.
Kayce m & f English (Modern)
Variant of Casey or Case (depending on the pronunciation). It was popularized by the character Kayce Dutton (pronounced like Casey) from the television series Yellowstone (2018-).
Kaycee f English (Modern)
Feminine variant of Casey.
Kayden m & f English (Modern)
Variant of Caden.
Kaylan f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Caelan.
Kaylee f English (Modern)
Combination of the popular phonetic elements kay and lee. This name, in various spellings, steadily rose in popularity starting in the 1980s. This particular spelling peaked in America in 2009, ranked 26th, and has since declined.
Kayleen f English (Modern)
Combination of the popular phonetic elements kay and lene.
Kayleigh f English (Modern)
Variant of Kaylee. This particular spelling was popularized by a 1985 song by the British band Marillion.
Kaylen f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Caelan.
Kaylyn f English (Modern)
Combination of the popular phonetic elements kay and lyn.
Keane m English (Modern)
From an Irish surname, a variant of Kane.
Keano m Dutch (Modern)
Perhaps a variant of Keanu. It was popularized by a child (born 2004) on the Flemish reality show De Pfaffs (2002-2011).
Keaton m English (Modern)
From an English surname that was derived from a few different place names (see the surname Keaton).
Kehlani f English (Modern)
Variant of Kailani or Kalani. This spelling was popularized by the American singer Kehlani Parrish (1995-), who is known simply as Kehlani.
Keila f Portuguese (Brazilian), English (Modern)
Variant of Kayla. It could also be inspired by the name of the town of Keilah from the Old Testament.
Keira f English (Modern)
Variant of Ciara 1. This spelling was popularized by British actress Keira Knightley (1985-).
Kejsi f Albanian (Modern)
Albanian form of Casey.
Kellan m English (Modern)
Variant of Kellen. This particular spelling jumped in popularity after actor Kellan Lutz (1985-) appeared in the Twilight series of movies beginning 2008.
Kellen m English (Modern)
Possibly from a German surname, itself derived from Middle Low German kel "swampy area". This name began to be used in the United States in the early 1980s after the American football player Kellen Winslow (1957-) began his professional career.
Kelsea f English (Modern)
Variant of Kelsey, with the spelling influenced by Chelsea.
Kendal m & f English (Modern)
From a surname that was a variant of Kendall.
Kenzo m Japanese, French (Modern)
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 謙三 or 健三 or 賢三 (see Kenzō). Use of the name in France can probably be attributed to the fashion brand Kenzo, founded in 1970 by the Japanese-French designer Kenzō Takada (1939-2020).
Keshaun m African American (Modern)
Combination of the popular name prefix ke and Shaun.
Keshawn m African American (Modern)
Combination of the popular name prefix ke and Shawn.
Kévin m French (Modern)
French variant of Kevin.
Kevin m English, 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]
Kewin m Polish (Modern)
Polish form of Kevin.
Khloe f English (Modern)
Variant of Chloe. This particular variant was popularized by the television personality Khloé Kardashian (1984-) after she began appearing with her family on the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2007.
Kiara f English (Modern)
Variant of Ciara 1 or Chiara. This name was brought to public attention in 1988 after the singing duo Kiara released their song This Time. It was further popularized by a character in the animated movie The Lion King II (1998).
Kiefer m English (Modern)
From a German surname meaning either "pine tree" or "barrel maker".
Kierra f English (Modern)
Variant of Kiara influenced by the spelling of Sierra.
Kingsley m & f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "king's wood" in Old English. This name may have received a minor boost in popularity after the release of the 2007 movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, featuring the character Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Kingston m English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "king's town" in Old English. This name rose significantly on the popularity charts after musicians Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale used it for their son born 2006.
Kinley f English (Modern)
From a Scottish surname, an Anglicized form of Mac Fhionnlaigh, itself derived from the given name Fionnlagh.
Kinsey f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was derived from the given name Cynesige. This name is borne by Kinsey Millhone, the heroine in a series of mystery novels by author Sue Grafton, beginning in 1982.
Kinsley f English (Modern)
From a surname that was derived from an English place name, itself meaning "clearing belonging to Cyne". The Old English given name Cyne is a short form of longer names beginning with cyne meaning "royal".... [more]
Koda m English (Modern)
At least in part inspired by the name of a character from the animated movie Brother Bear (2003). The moviemakers apparently took it from Lakota or Dakota koda meaning "friend, companion".
Kourtney f English (Modern)
Variant of Courtney. Like Courtney this name declined in popularity in the 1990s, but it was briefly revived after 2007 by the television personality Kourtney Kardashian (1979-) when she began appearing on the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Krystle f English (Modern)
Variant of Crystal. This particular spelling was popularized by the character Krystle Carrington from the American soap opera Dynasty (1981-1989).
Kylan m English (Modern)
Invented name based on the sounds found in other names such as Kyle and Rylan.
Kyler m English (Modern)
Probably a blend of the sounds of Kyle and Tyler. It also coincides with the surname Kyler, an Anglicized form of Dutch Cuyler.
Kyrie 1 m African American (Modern)
Invented name, based on the sounds found in names such as Tyree and Kyle. It was popularized as a masculine name by American basketball player Kyrie Irving (1992-).
Kyrie 2 f English (Modern)
From the name of a Christian prayer, also called the Kyrie eleison meaning "Lord, have mercy". It is ultimately from Greek κύριος (kyrios) meaning "lord".
Kyson m English (Modern)
An invented name, using the same sound found in names such as Bryson and Tyson.
Laci 2 f English (Modern)
Variant of Lacy. This name jumped in popularity in 2003 after the media coverage of the murder of Laci Peterson (1975-2002).
Lakendra f African American (Modern)
Combination of the popular prefix la with the name Kendra. It can be spelled LaKendra or Lakendra.
Laquan m African American (Modern)
Combination of the phonetic elements la and quan. It can be spelled LaQuan or Laquan.
Lashay f African American (Modern)
Combination of the popular phonetic elements la and shay.
Léane f French (Modern)
Possibly a combination of Léa and Anne 1.
LeBron m African American (Modern)
Probably an invented name, though it does coincide with the Spanish surname Lebrón, derived from liebre meaning "hare". This is the name of basketball player LeBron James (1984-).
Legacy f & m English (Modern)
From the English word, meaning "something inherited from a predecessor, heritage". It is derived from Old French legacie, itself from Latin legatum "bequest, legacy".
Legend m English (Modern)
From the English word, referring to a story about the past (or by extension, a heroic character in such a story), ultimately from Latin legere "to read".
Lennon m & f English (Modern)
From an Irish surname, derived from the Irish byname Leannán meaning "lover". The surname was borne by musician and Beatle member John Lennon (1940-1980), and it may be used as a given name in his honour. In America it is now more common as a feminine name, possibly inspired in part by the singer Lennon Stella (1999-), who began appearing on the television series Nashville in 2012.
Lennox m & f English (Modern)
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the name of a district in Scotland. The district, called Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly means "place of elms". This name steadily rose in popularity in the 2000s, at the same time as the similar-sounding (but unrelated) names Lennon and Knox.
Leyla f Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Persian, Arabic, English (Modern)
Variant of Leila, and the usual Turkish, Azerbaijani and Kurdish form.
Leyton m English (Modern)
From a surname that was a variant of Layton.
Liam m Irish, English, French (Modern), Dutch (Modern), German (Modern), Swedish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern)
Irish short form of William. It became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, and elsewhere in Europe and the Americas after that. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States beginning in 2017. Famous bearers include British actor Liam Neeson (1952-), British musician Liam Gallagher (1972-), and Australian actor Liam Hemsworth (1990-).
Lluvia f Spanish (Modern)
Means "rain" in Spanish.
Loane f French (Modern)
Feminine form of Elouan.