SaveroftheFranks's Personal Name List

From the Greek Ζέφυρος (Zephyros) meaning "west wind". Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind.

French feminine form of Yvon. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.

Medieval French form of Ivo 1. This was the name of two French saints: an 11th-century bishop of Chartres and a 13th-century parish priest and lawyer, also known as Ivo of Kermartin, the patron saint of Brittany.

Possibly an altered form of Jörg. Shakespeare used this name for a deceased court jester in his play Hamlet (1600).

Russian diminutive of Yaroslav.

Alternate transcription of Arabic يعقوب (see Yaqub).

Short form of Alexander. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).

From the Old English name Wigstan, composed of the elements wig "battle" and stan "stone". This was the name of a 9th-century Anglo-Saxon saint. It became rare after the Norman Conquest, and in modern times it is chiefly known as the first name of the British poet W. H. Auden (1907-1973).

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

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

From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.

Derived from the Old German element wolf meaning "wolf" combined with hram meaning "raven". Saint Wolfram (or Wulfram) was a 7th-century archbishop of Sens. This name was also borne by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the author of Parzival.

Derived from the Old German elements wolf meaning "wolf" and gang meaning "path, way". Saint Wolfgang was a 10th-century bishop of Regensburg. Two other famous bearers of this name were Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and German novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).

Variant of Wolf, influenced by the spelling of the surname (which is also derived from the animal).

From an English surname that was derived from the Old English given name Wynnstan. A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II. This name was also borne by the fictional Winston Smith, the protagonist in George Orwell's 1949 novel 1984.

From an English surname that was derived from the Old German given name Willihard (or the Old English cognate Wilheard).

Feminine form of William.

German cognate of William. This was the name of two German emperors. It was also the middle name of several philosophers from Germany: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), who was also a notable mathematician. Another famous bearer was the physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (1845-1923).

From a surname that was derived from various English place names: towns named Willey or the River Wylye.

German cognate of Wayland.

From a surname that was a variant of Wesley.

From an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself meaning "west meadow" from Old English west "west" and leah "woodland, clearing". It has been sometimes given in honour of John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of Methodism.

Variant of Wayland. This name was popularized by country music singer Waylon Jennings (1937-2002), who was originally named Wayland [1].

From Old English Weland, probably derived from the Germanic root *wīlą meaning "craft, cunning". In Germanic legend Weland (called Vǫlundr in Old Norse) was a master smith and craftsman. He was captured and hamstrung by King Niðhad, but took revenge by killing the king's sons.

From the Old German elements walt "power, authority" and mari "famous", also used as a translation of the Slavic cognate Vladimir.

Polish diminutive of Waldemar.

Derived from the Old German element folk "people" combined with heri "army".

Originally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element volděti (South Slavic vladati) meaning "to rule, to control".

From the Old Slavic name *Voldiměrŭ, derived from the elements volděti meaning "to rule" and měrŭ meaning "great, famous". The second element has also been associated with mirŭ meaning "peace, world".

This was the name of a 9th-century ruler of Bulgaria. It was also borne by an 11th-century grand prince of Kyiv, Vladimir the Great, who is venerated as a saint because of his efforts to Christianize his realm. Other notable bearers include the revolutionary and first leader of the Soviet state Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924), the Russian author Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), and the Russian president and prime minister Vladimir Putin (1952-).

Georgian form of Vladimir.

Old short form of Vladislav and other names beginning with the Slavic element volděti (Church Slavic vladati) meaning "to rule, to control". This name was borne by several princes of Wallachia (in Romania) including the 15th-century Vlad III Dracula, who was Bram Stoker's inspiration for the name of his vampire Count Dracula.

From the Old Norse name Végarðr, derived from the elements vé "holy" and garðr "enclosure, yard".

From a Welsh surname that was derived from bychan (mutated to fychan) meaning "little".

From the Finnish name for a type of berry bush.

Means "wolf" in Old Norse.

Scandinavian form of Waldemar, also used as a translation of the Slavic cognate Vladimir. This was the name of four kings of Denmark and a king of Sweden. It was introduced to Scandinavia by the 12th-century Danish king Valdemar I who was named after his mother's grandfather: Vladimir II, a grand prince of Kievan Rus.

The meaning of the first element of this name is uncertain, as there are several possibilities for its etymology. First, it is important to know that the element is either vai- or vain-. In the case of the former, that means that the element is either derived from the old Lithuanian verb vajoti meaning "to chase, to pursue" or from the old Lithuanian noun vajys meaning "messenger, courier". But if the element is actually vain-, then it is derived from either the old Lithuanian noun vaina meaning "cause, reason" as well as "fault" or from the old Lithuanian noun vainas meaning "warrior, soldier, fighter".

With that said, the second element of this name is derived from the Lithuanian noun noras meaning "wish, desire", which is ultimately derived from the Lithuanian verb norėti meaning "to wish, to want, to desire".

From the name of a county in Northern Ireland, which is derived from Irish Gaelic Tir Eoghain meaning "land of Eoghan". This name was popularized by American actor Tyrone Power (1914-1958), who was named after his great-grandfather, an Irish actor.

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-).

The name of a cousin of Juliet killed by Romeo in William Shakespeare's drama Romeo and Juliet (1596). The character earlier appears as Tebaldo, an Italian form of Theobald, in Luigi Da Porto's novella Giulietta e Romeo (1524), one of Shakespeare's sources. Shakespeare was also inspired by the character of Tybalt the Cat (from Thibault the French form of Theobald) in medieval fables of Reynard the Fox (evidenced by Mercutio calling Tybalt the "prince of cats").

Norwegian form of the Old Norse name Þórunn, from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with unnr "wave" or unna "to love".

Anglicized form of Torcall.

From the Old Norse name Þórleifr, derived from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with leif "inheritance, legacy".

From the Old Norse name Þórketill meaning "Thor's cauldron" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with ketill "cauldron".

Modern Scandinavian form of Þórir.

Means "palm tree" in Hebrew.

From an English surname meaning "fox", derived from Middle English todde. As a given name it was rare before 1930. It peaked in popularity in most parts of the English-speaking world in the 1960s or 70s, but it has since declined.

Possibly related to Georgian სინათლე (sinatle) meaning "light". The name was devised by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for his 12th-century epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin, in which Tinatin is the ruler of Arabia and the lover of Avtandil.

Variant of Tyra.

From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "thorn clearing" in Old English.

Modern form of Þóra.

Variant of Till. Saint Thillo was a 7th-century man of Saxony who was kidnapped and brought to Flanders by raiders. After his release he became a priest and did missionary work in France.

Latinized form of Theopistos. This was the name of two saints, one of which was a son of saint Eustace (died in 118 AD).

Short form of Theodore, Theobald and other names that begin with Theo.

Anglicized form of Tadhg. This name is also used as a slang term for an Irish Catholic.

Anglicized form of a Thàmhais, vocative case of Tàmhas. Alternatively it could be taken from the Scottish surname McTavish, Anglicized form of Mac Tàmhais, meaning "son of Tàmhas".

Anglicized form of Tasgall.

Means "shining brow", derived from Welsh tal "brow, head" and iesin "shining, radiant". This was the name of a semi-legendary 6th-century Welsh poet and bard, supposedly the author of the collection of poems the Book of Taliesin. He appears briefly in the Welsh legend Culhwch and Olwen and the Second Branch of the Mabinogi. He is the central character in the Tale of Taliesin, a medieval legend recorded in the 16th century, which tells how Ceridwen's servant Gwion Bach was reborn to her as Taliesin; how he becomes the bard for Elffin; and how Taliesin defends Elffin from the machinations of the king Maelgwn Gwynedd.

From the medieval Danish byname Taki, derived from Old Norse taka meaning "to take, to capture".

Short form of Synnøve.

Either a variant of Silvanus or directly from the Latin word silva meaning "wood, forest".

Variant of Silas, as well as the form found in the Polish New Testament.

Medieval English form of Sveinn. Sweyn Forkbeard 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was king of Denmark from 986 to 1014. In 1013, shortly before his death, he became the first Danish king of England after a long effort.

Derived from the Old German elements swan "swan" and hilt "battle". Swanhild (or Swanachild) was the second wife of the Frankish ruler Charles Martel in the 8th century.

Derived from Russian свет (svet) meaning "light, world". It was popularized by the poem Svetlana (1813) by the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. It is sometimes used as a translation of Photine.

From the Old Norse name Sverrir meaning "wild, swinging, spinning".

Swedish short form of Svantepolk.

Short form of Svanhildur.

Scandinavian form of the Old English name Sunngifu, which meant "sun gift" from the Old English elements sunne "sun" and giefu "gift". This was the name of a legendary English saint who was shipwrecked in Norway and killed by the inhabitants.

From Sanskrit सु (su) meaning "good, very" combined with नील (nīla) meaning "dark blue".

From a Scottish occupational surname originally belonging to a person who was a steward. It is ultimately derived from Old English stig "house" and weard "guard". As a given name, it arose in 19th-century Scotland in honour of the Stuart royal family, which produced several kings and queens of Scotland and Britain between the 14th and 18th centuries.

Modern Norwegian form of Stígandr.

From a surname that was a variant Stuart.

From a Scots surname that was derived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning. The name can also be given in reference to the English word sterling meaning "excellent". In this case, the word derives from sterling silver, which was so named because of the emblem that some Norman coins bore, from Old English meaning "little star".

German and Dutch form of Stephen.

Anglicized form of Somhairle.

English form of Søren.

Means "radiant, bright" in Irish. It has been in use since late medieval times [2]. It is sometimes Anglicized as Sarah (in Ireland) and Clara (in Scotland).

Low German and North Frisian diminutive of Sören.

Tammena explain the name as a derivation from the Low German word sönke meaning "little boy, sonny".

Known bearers of this name include the German equestrian and Olympic medalist Sönke Sönksen (b. 1938) and the German film director and producer Sönke Wortmann (b. 1959).

The letter ö is short in North Frisian pronunciation, but long in East Frisian and Low German of Lower Saxony.

Anglicized form of the Old Norse name Sumarliði meaning "summer traveller". This was the name of a 12th-century Norse-Gaelic king of Mann and the Scottish Isles.

Means "snow goddess", derived from the Old Norse elements snær "snow" and dís "goddess".

Variant of Schuyler, based on the pronunciation of the surname but respelled as if it was a blend of the English word sky with names such as Tyler. It was rare before 1980, and first gained popularity as a name for boys. It is now more common for girls, though it is more evenly unisex than the mostly feminine variant Skylar.

From the Old Norse name Sigríðr, which was derived from the elements sigr "victory" and fríðr "beautiful, beloved".

Modern Scandinavian form of Signý.

From the English word meaning "orange-red". It is ultimately from the name of the city of Siena in Italy, because of the colour of the clay there.

Derived from the Old German elements sigu "victory" and mari "famous".

Feminine form of Sidonius. This name was in use in the Middle Ages, when it became associated with the word sindon (of Greek origin) meaning "linen", a reference to the Shroud of Turin.

Anglicized form of Seonag or Seònaid. Though unconnected, this is also the name of an ethnic group who live in the south of Africa, mainly Zimbabwe.

Probably an Anglicized form of Gaelic sìoltaich meaning "sower, propagator". It has occasionally been used in the Douglas family since the 17th century, after David Hume of Godscroft claimed it was the name of the 7th-century founder of the clan [1].

From an Old Testament place name possibly meaning "tranquil" in Hebrew. It is also used prophetically in the Old Testament to refer to a person, often understood to be the Messiah (see Genesis 49:10). This may in fact be a mistranslation.

This name was brought to public attention after actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave it to their daughter in 2006.

Used by Scottish author Arthur Conan Doyle for his character Sherlock Holmes, who was a detective in Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887. The character's name was from an English surname meaning "shear lock", originally referring to a person with closely cut hair.

Anglicized form of Sìne. This name was popularized outside of Scotland in the 1980s by the singer Sheena Easton (1959-).

Variant of Shane.

From Yiddish שיין (shein) meaning "beautiful".

Anglicized form of Séaghdha, sometimes used as a feminine name.

Anglicized form of Siobhán. In some cases it might be considered a combination of the phonetic element sha and Yvonne.

Anglicized form of Seán. This is the more common spelling in the United Kingdom and Australia, while Shawn is preferred in the United States and Canada (though it got a boost in America after the singer Shaun Cassidy released his debut album in 1976).

From an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew שָׁרוֹן (Sharon) meaning "plain", referring to a fertile plain on the central west coast of Israel. This is also the name of a flowering plant in the Bible, the rose of Sharon, a term now used to refer to several different species of flowers.

It has been in use as a feminine given name in the English-speaking world since the 1920s, possibly inspired by the heroine in the serial novel The Skyrocket (1925) by Adela Rogers St. Johns [1]. As a Hebrew name it is unisex.

From the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish sen "old, ancient" [1]. As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.

Anglicized form of Séamus.

Spanish and Galician form of Serapion.

Variant of Celina or Selena. As an English name, it first came into use in the 17th century.

From an English and Scottish surname that referred to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic. It is derived from Latin Scoti meaning "Gael, Gaelic speaker", with the ultimate origin uncertain.

From an English surname that was derived from the name of the Germanic tribe the Saxons, ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife". This name can also be given in direct reference to the tribe.

From the Old German element sahso meaning "a Saxon". The Saxons were a Germanic tribe, their name ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife". Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642) was the wife of the Dutch painter Rembrandt.

Russian and Ukrainian diminutive of Aleksandr or Aleksandra.

Means "freedom" in Irish Gaelic. It was first used as a given name in the 20th century.

Short form of Susanna. It can also be derived from Swedish sann meaning "true".

From the English word sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.

From Old Norse Sága, possibly meaning "seeing one", derived from sjá "to see". This is the name of a Norse goddess, possibly connected to Frigg. As a Swedish and Icelandic name, it is also derived from the unrelated word saga "story, fairy tale, saga".

Diminutive of Sarah.

From an English occupational surname derived from Old English ridere meaning "mounted warrior" or "messenger". It has grown in popularity in the 2000s because it starts with the same sound found in other popular names like Ryan and Riley.

Form of Yeruslan used by Aleksandr Pushkin in his poem Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), which was loosely based on Russian and Tatar folktales of Yeruslan Lazarevich.

Derived from Old Norse rún meaning "secret lore, rune".

From an English surname that was derived from the medieval given name Royse, a variant of Rose.

Anglicized form of Ruadh. A notable bearer was the Scottish outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy (1671-1734). It is often associated with French roi "king".

Anglicized form of the Irish name Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).

Meaning unknown, possibly from Iranian roots *rautas "river" and *taxma "strong". Rostam was a warrior hero in Persian legend. The 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi recorded his tale in the Shahnameh.

From a Scottish and English surname that originally indicated a person from a place called Ross (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), derived from Gaelic ros meaning "promontory, headland". A famous bearer of the surname was James Clark Ross (1800-1862), an Antarctic explorer.

Anglicized form of Ruaidhrí. Typically a masculine name, it gained some popularity for girls in the United States after it was used on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007), in this case as a nickname for Lorelai. Despite this, the name has grown more common for boys in America, especially after 2011, perhaps due to Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy (1989-).

From an English surname that was derived from the name of various Norman towns, themselves from the given name Romilius.

Short form of Roeland or Roelof.

From an English surname, originally derived from a place name, which meant "Hroda's island" in Old English (where Hroda is an Old English given name meaning "fame"). It was first used as a given name in honour of the British admiral Lord Rodney (1719-1792).

From the name of the French city La Rochelle, meaning "little rock". It first became commonly used as a given name in America in the 1930s, probably due to the fame of actress Rochelle Hudson (1914-1972) and because of the similarity to the name Rachel.

Feminine variant of Robin.

Originally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element hraban meaning "raven".

Modern form of the Old Norse name Hróðvaldr or Hróaldr, composed of the elements hróðr "praise, fame" and valdr "ruler". This name was borne by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) and the British children's author Roald Dahl (1916-1990), who was born to Norwegian parents.

From a surname that comes from two distinct sources. As an Irish surname it is a variant of Reilly. As an English surname it is derived from a place name meaning "rye clearing" in Old English.

Before 1980, this was an uncommon masculine name in America. During the 1980s and 90s this name steadily increased in popularity for both boys and girls, and from 2003 onwards it has been more common for girls in the United States. Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, it has remained largely masculine.

From 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.

Probably 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) [1]. 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.

Probably derived from an unattested Celtic name *Rīgantonā meaning "great queen" (Celtic *rīganī "queen" and the divine or augmentative suffix -on). It is speculated that Rigantona was an old Celtic goddess, perhaps associated with fertility and horses like the Gaulish Epona. As Rhiannon, she appears in Welsh legend in the Mabinogi [1] as a beautiful magical woman who rides a white horse. She was betrothed against her will to Gwawl, but cunningly broke off that engagement and married Pwyll instead. Their son was Pryderi.

As an English name, it became popular due to the Fleetwood Mac song Rhiannon (1976), especially in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Meaning 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.

French form of Reynard. Because of the medieval character Reynard the Fox, renard became a French word meaning "fox".

English form of Rémy, occasionally used as a feminine name.

Meaning 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.

Anglicized form of Rhys. It is also used as a feminine name, popularized by the American actress Reese Witherspoon (1976-).

From 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.

Scandinavian, Finnish and Estonian form of Erasmus.

From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series Charmed, which debuted in 1998 [1].

Polish and Belarusian form of Peter.

Medieval form of Peter. This is the name of the main character in the 14th-century poem Piers Plowman [1] by William Langland.

Latinized form of the Greek name Φοίβη (Phoibe), which meant "bright, pure" from Greek φοῖβος (phoibos). In Greek mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess Artemis. The name appears in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae.

In England, it began to be used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately common in the 19th century. It began to rise in popularity again in the late 1980s, probably helped along by characters on the American television shows Friends (1994-2004) and Charmed (1998-2006). It is currently much more common in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand than the United States.

A moon of Saturn bears this name, in honour of the Titan.

Dutch, Swedish and Hungarian form of Petronilla.

Medieval English form of Petronilla.

Contracted form of Petronel.

Danish and Norwegian short form of Petronilla.

Swedish short form of Petronilla.

Variant of Parnel.

Contracted form of Petronel. In the later Middle Ages it became a slang term for a promiscuous woman, and the name subsequently fell out of use.

From a Scots surname, originally from the name of a town near Glasgow, maybe ultimately derived from Latin basilica "church". This is also a word (derived from the name of that same town) for a type of pattern commonly found on fabrics.

From an English surname meaning "servant, page" in Middle English. It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".

As a given name for girls, it received some public attention from a character in the 1958 novel Parrish and the 1961 movie adaptation [1]. It experienced a larger surge in popularity in the 1980s, probably due to the character Paige Matheson from the American soap opera Knots Landing.

Anglicized form of Owain.

From the Old English elements os "god" and wine "friend". Saint Oswin was a 7th-century king of Northumbria. After the Norman Conquest this name was used less, and it died out after the 14th century. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.

Ukrainian form of Eustathius.

From the Old English elements os "god" and mund "protection". During the Anglo-Saxon period a Norse cognate Ásmundr was also used in England, and another version was imported by the Normans. Saint Osmund was an 11th-century Norman nobleman who became an English bishop. Though it eventually became rare, it was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the given name.

Derived from the Old English elements os "god" and beorn "warrior, man". During the Anglo-Saxon period there was also a Norse cognate Ásbjǫrn used in England, and after the Norman Conquest the Norman cognate Osbern was introduced. It was occasionally revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the given name.

From a Norman nickname derived from a diminutive of Norman French ors "bear", ultimately from Latin ursus. American actor and director Orson Welles (1915-1985) was a famous bearer of this name.

Anglicized form of Órlaith.

Anglicized form of Úna, as well as a Finnish form.

Russian form of the Old Norse name Helgi (see Helge). The Varangians brought this name from Scandinavia to Eastern Europe: it was borne by a 9th-century Varangian ruler who conquered Kyiv and made it the capital of the state of Kievan Rus.

Variant of Auberon. Oberon and Titania are the king and queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). A moon of Uranus bears this name in his honour.

Derived from Latin novus meaning "new". It was first used as a name in the 19th century.

From an old Germanic byname meaning "northman", referring to a Scandinavians. The Normans were Vikings who settled on the coast of France, in the region that became known as Normandy. In England the name Norman or Normant was used before the Norman Conquest, first as a nickname for Scandinavian settlers and later as a given name. After the Conquest it became more common, but died out around the 14th century. It was revived in the 19th century, perhaps in part due to a character by this name in C. M. Yonge's 1856 novel The Daisy Chain [2]. Famous bearers include the American painter Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) and the American author Norman Mailer (1923-2007).

Danish form of Nicholas. A famous bearer was Niels Bohr (1885-1962), a Danish physicist who investigated the structure of atoms.

Anglicized form of Niamh.

Anglicized form of Naomhán.

From the Irish name Niall, which is of disputed origin, possibly connected to the old Celtic root *nītu- "fury, passion" or the (possibly related) Old Irish word nia "hero" [1][2]. A derivation from Old Irish nél "cloud" has also been suggested. This was the name of a few early Irish kings, notably Niall of the Nine Hostages, a semi-legendary high king of the 4th or 5th century.

In the early Middle Ages the name was adopted by Norse raiders and settlers in Ireland in the form Njáll. The Norse transmitted it to England and Scotland, as well as bringing it back to Scandinavia. It was also in use among the Normans, who were of Scandinavian origin. A famous bearer of this name was American astronaut Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), the first person to walk on the moon.

Means "my struggle, my strife" in Hebrew, a derivative of פָּתַל (paṯal) meaning "to twist, to struggle, to wrestle". In the Old Testament he is a son of Jacob by Rachel's servant Bilhah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Possibly derived from Old Norse nanþ meaning "daring, brave". In Norse mythology she was a goddess who died of grief when her husband Balder was killed.

Derived from Greek μύρον (myron) meaning "sweet oil, perfume". Myron was the name of a 5th-century BC Greek sculptor. Saints bearing this name include a 3rd-century bishop of Crete and a 4th-century martyr from Cyzicus who was killed by a mob. These saints are more widely revered in the Eastern Church, and the name has generally been more common among Eastern Christians. As an English name, it has been used since the 19th century.

Anglicized form of Muirchertach.

Anglicized form of Murchadh.

From a surname, which is either Scottish or Irish in origin (see Murray 1 and Murray 2).

From a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Murchadha, itself derived from the given name Murchadh. As a given name, it has been borne by female characters on the American television series Murphy Brown (1988-1998) and the movie Interstellar (2014).

Anglicized form of Muireadhach.

Anglicized form of Murchadh.

Danish and Norwegian form of Martin.

From the Old Welsh masculine name Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh mor "sea" and cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).

Modern form of Morgen, which was used by Geoffrey of Monmouth [1] in the 12th century for the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, who was unnamed in earlier stories. Geoffrey probably did not derive it from the Welsh masculine name Morgan, which would have been spelled Morcant in his time. It is likely from Old Welsh mor "sea" and the suffix gen "born of" [2].

From an English surname meaning "Gumarich's mountain" in Norman French. A notable bearer of this surname was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.

Short form of Wilhelmina and other names ending in mina. This was the name of a character in the novel Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker.

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".

A notable bearer was the American musician Miles Davis (1926-1991). In Scotland this name was historically used to Anglicize Maoilios.

From the Old English name Mildþryð meaning "gentle strength", derived from the elements milde "gentle" and þryþ "strength". Saint Mildred was a 7th-century abbess, the daughter of the Kentish princess Saint Ermenburga. After the Norman Conquest this name became rare, but it was revived in the 19th century.

From the Welsh name Maredudd or Meredydd, from Old Welsh forms such as Margetud, possibly from mawredd "greatness, magnificence" combined with iudd "lord". The Welsh forms of this name were well used through the Middle Ages. Since the mid-1920s it has been used more often for girls than for boys in English-speaking countries, though it is still a masculine name in Wales. A famous bearer of this name as surname was the English novelist and poet George Meredith (1828-1909).

Swedish form of Melchior.

Means "angel" in Turkish, ultimately of Arabic origin.

Welsh diminutive of Margaret. In the English-speaking world outside of Wales it has only been regularly used since the middle of the 20th century.

From an English surname that was derived from the Old German given name Meginhard.

From a Scottish surname meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name Magnus, combined with Old English wille "well, stream". A famous bearer of the surname was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.

As a given name it has increased in popularity starting from the 1980s, likely because it is viewed as a full form of Max [1].

From the name of the type of bird, also called the song thrush, derived from Old French mauvis, of uncertain origin. It was first used as a given name by the British author Marie Corelli, who used it for a character in her novel The Sorrows of Satan (1895).

Possibly a diminutive of Marina. This name was brought to public attention by Alfred Hitchcock's movie Marnie (1964), itself based on a 1961 novel by Winston Graham.

Medieval French diminutive of Marie.

From a French surname that was derived from Marion 1. This was the real name of American actor John Wayne (1907-1979), who was born Marion Robert Morrison.

Combination of Mary and the common name suffix lyn. It was very rare before the start of the 20th century. It was popularized in part by the American stage star Marilyn Miller (1898-1936), who was born Mary Ellen Reynolds and took her stage name from a combination of her birth name and her mother's middle name Lynn. It became popular in the United States during the 1920s, reaching a high point ranked 13th in 1936. Famous bearers include American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962; real name Norma Jeane Mortenson) and American opera singer Marilyn Horne (1934-).

French short form of Margaret.

Danish short form of the Old German name Helmold. This name was used by the Austrian author Rainer Maria Rilke for the title character in his novel The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (1910).

Feminine form of Malcolm.

Means "raspberry" in several Slavic languages.

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Máel Coluim, which means "disciple of Saint Columba". This was the name of four kings of Scotland starting in the 10th century, including Malcolm III, who became king after killing Macbeth, the usurper who had defeated his father Duncan. The character Malcolm in Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth (1606) is loosely based on him. Another famous bearer was Malcolm X (1925-1965), an American civil rights leader.

Variant of Maisie.

Late Latin name meaning "great". It was borne by a 7th-century saint who was a missionary in Germany. It became popular in Scandinavia after the time of the 11th-century Norwegian king Magnus I, who was said to have been named after Charlemagne, or Carolus Magnus in Latin (however there was also a Norse name Magni). The name was borne by six subsequent kings of Norway as well as three kings of Sweden. It was imported to Scotland and Ireland during the Middle Ages.

Medieval short form of Magnus, brought to Britain by Scandinavian settlers.

Form of Lynet used by Alfred Tennyson in his 1872 poem Gareth and Lynette [1]. According to Tennyson, Gareth and Lynette were eventually married. In modern times it is also regarded as a diminutive of Lynn.

From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "linden tree hill" in Old English. A famous bearer was American president Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).

From an English surname that was derived from Norman French l'isle meaning "island".

From a German surname, itself derived from the Old German given name Leuthar. The surname was borne by Martin Luther (1483-1546), a monk and theologian who started the Protestant Reformation by nailing his famous 95 theses to a church door. It has since been used as a given name in his honour, especially among Protestants. A notable bearer from the modern era was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).

From Armenian լուսին (lusin) meaning "moon".

Means "favour of the people" from the Slavic elements ľudŭ "people" and milŭ "gracious, dear". Saint Ludmila was a 10th-century duchess of Bohemia, the grandmother of Saint Václav. She was murdered on the orders of her daughter-in-law Drahomíra.

As a Russian name, this is an alternate transcription of Людмила (usually rendered Lyudmila).

English form of Lucretia, used by William Shakespeare in the poem The Rape of Lucrece (1594), about the legendary Roman maiden Lucretia.

From an English surname that was derived from a Norman French nickname, from lou "wolf" and a diminutive suffix. The surname was borne by American poet and satirist James Russell Lowell (1819-1891).

From the title Marquis of Lorne, which was based on the Scottish place name Lorne, itself possibly derived from the name of the legendary king of Dál Riata, Loarn mac Eirc. This was the title of the first Governor General of Canada, where it has since been most frequently used as a given name. A famous bearer was the Canadian actor Lorne Greene (1915-1987).

From German Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.

In the English-speaking world this name has been occasionally given since the early 20th century. It started rising in America after the variant Lorelai was used for the main character (and her daughter, nicknamed Rory) on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007).

Derived from the Old Norse name Hlíf meaning "protection". Its use has been influenced by the modern Scandinavian word liv meaning "life".

From the Greek name Λίνος (Linos) meaning "flax". In Greek legend he was the son of the god Apollo, who accidentally killed him in a contest. Another son of Apollo by this name was the music teacher of Herakles. The name was also borne by the second pope, serving after Saint Peter in the 1st century. In modern times this was the name of a character in Charles Schulz's comic strip Peanuts.

From an English surname that was originally from the name of an English city, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". This name is usually given in honour of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.

Derived from Akkadian lilitu meaning "of the night". This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish tradition she was Adam's first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by Eve because she would not submit to him. The offspring of Adam (or Samael) and Lilith were the evil spirits of the world.

German diminutive of Elisabeth.

German form of Leobwin.

From Hebrew לִוְיָתָן (Liwyaṯan), derived from לִוְיָה (liwya) meaning "garland, wreath" [1]. This is the name of an enormous sea monster mentioned in the Old Testament.

From an English surname that was derived from the name of the city of Leicester, originally denoting a person who was from that place. The city's name is derived from the river name Ligore combined with Latin castra "camp".

Shortened form of a Norman personal name, either Leodstan or Leofstan. The involved name elements are LEOD "people", LEOF "love", and STAN "stone".

From a Scottish surname that was derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In America it was more common as a feminine name after the 1940s.

From the French nickname le roi meaning "the king". It has been common as an English given name since the 19th century. Since 1920 in the United States it has been mainly used by African Americans [1].

German and Estonian form of Léontine and Leontina.

Feminine form of Leontius.

Medieval Anglicization of Llywelyn which has been documented from the 13th century onwards. (Cf. Leolin.) It was borne by Welsh politician Sir Leoline Jenkins (1625-1685). In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'Christabel' (1797-1801) this name belongs to Christabel's father, Sir Leoline, Baron of Langdale Hall.

Due to similar-looking names like Leontine and Caroline, it has also been used as a feminine name from at least the mid-1800s onwards.

Anglicized form of Llywelyn influenced by Latin leo "lion".

From a surname, originally from an English place name, which meant "fallow land" in Old English. A famous bearer was the politician, businessman and Stanford University founder Leland Stanford (1824-1893).

From the Old Norse name Leifr meaning "descendant, heir". Leif Eriksson was a Norse explorer who reached North America in the early 11th century. He was the son of Erik the Red.

Scandinavian form of Laurence 1.

Variant of Larisa. It has been commonly used as an English given name only since the 20th century, as a borrowing from Russian. In 1991 this name was given to one of the moons of Neptune, in honour of the mythological character.

From the Germanic name Lanzo, originally a short form of names that began with the Old Frankish or Old Saxon element land, Old High German lant meaning "land" (Proto-Germanic *landą). During the Middle Ages it became associated with Old French lance meaning "spear, lance". A famous bearer is American cyclist Lance Armstrong (1971-).

From a French and English surname, originally from a place name in Normandy, which was derived from Old French la mare meaning "the pool". In the second half of the 20th century this name has been well-used in the African-American community, probably because of its popular phonetic components la and mar.

Scottish Gaelic form of Lochlainn.

Anglicized form of Lachlann, the Scottish Gaelic form of Lochlainn. In the English-speaking world, this name was especially popular in Australia towards the end of the 20th century.

Variant of Curtis.

German contracted form of Conrad. A famous bearer was the American musician Kurt Cobain (1967-1994).

Swedish variant of Christer.

Danish variant of Christian.

Contracted form of Korneliy. Also compare Corné, which this name could be considered to be a cognate of.

A well-known bearer of this name was the Russian children's poet Korney Chukovsky (1882-1969).

Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian form of Cornelius.

German contracted form of Conrad.

German, Scandinavian, Polish and Slovene form of Conrad.

Archaic Polish form of Conrad.

Short form of Koenraad.

German and Polish form of Clemens (see Clement). Prince Klemens Metternich (1773-1859) was an Austrian chancellor who guided the Austrian Empire to victory in the Napoleonic Wars.

From an English and Scottish surname meaning "church" from Old Norse kirkja, ultimately from Greek κυριακόν (kyriakon). A famous bearer was American actor Kirk Douglas (1916-2020), whose birth name was Issur Danielovitch.

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.

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.

Anglicized form of Cillian, also used in France.

Anglicized form of Ciarán.

Anglicized form of Ciarán.

Variant of Cian.

Variant of Keziah.

Short form of Mackenzie.

Anglicized form of both Coinneach and Cináed. This name was borne by the Scottish king Kenneth (Cináed) mac Alpin, who united the Scots and Picts in the 9th century. It was popularized outside of Scotland by Walter Scott, who used it for the hero in his 1825 novel The Talisman [1]. A famous bearer was the British novelist Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932), who wrote The Wind in the Willows.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Cinnéidigh, itself derived from the given name Cennétig. The name has sometimes been given in honour of assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963). It was popularized as a name for girls by Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (1972-), known simply as Kennedy, the host of the television program Alternative Nation on MTV from 1992 to 1997.

From a surname that has several different origins. It could be from the Old English given names Cyneric "royal power" or Cenric "bold power", or from the Welsh name Cynwrig "chief hero". It can also be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Eanraig meaning "son of Henry".

As an American given name, it got a boost in popularity in 2012 after the rapper Kendrick Lamar (1987-) released his debut album.

From an English surname that is derived from town names in Lincolnshire. It may mean "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce" in combination with eg "island".

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).

As a given name it was mostly masculine before 1940, but it rose in popularity as a name for girls during the 40s and 50s, probably due both to Grace Kelly (who married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956) and a female character on the 1957 television series Bachelor Father [1]. By the end of the 1970s it was on the decline.

From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from the name of a place in East Lothian, itself possibly derived from the Celtic root *kayto- meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century, becoming fairly common throughout the English-speaking world in the 20th century.

Anglicized form of Cianán.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Caoimh, derived from the given name or byname Caomh.

Medieval Estonian short form of Jakob, now used as a given name in its own right.

Low German form of Christian.

English variant of Caleb.

Meaning uncertain, possibly a Frisian diminutive of Gerhard, Nicolaas, Cornelis or Gaius [1]. 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.

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.

Modern French form of Jehanne, an Old French feminine form of Iohannes (see John). This has been the most reliably popular French name for girls since the 13th century. Joan of Arc is known as Jeanne d'Arc in France.

Medieval variant of Jack. It is also sometimes used as a short form of Jacob.

Diminutive of Iza.

From the Old Norse name Ívarr, which was probably derived from the elements ýr "yew tree, bow" and herr "army, warrior". During the Middle Ages it was brought to Britain by Scandinavian settlers and invaders, and it was adopted in Ireland (Irish Íomhar), Scotland (Scottish Gaelic Iomhar) and Wales (Welsh Ifor).

Means "spark" in South Slavic.

Arabic, Indonesian and Malay form of Alexander.

German form of Ermengard.

Anglicized form of Aonghas.

Short form of Scandinavian and German names beginning with the element ing, which refers to the Germanic god Ing. In Sweden and Norway this is primarily a masculine name, elsewhere it is usually feminine.

Estonian form of Heinrich (see Henry).

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".

Means "ardent lord" from Old Welsh iudd "lord" combined with ris "ardent, enthusiastic". This name was borne by Idris the Giant, a 7th-century king of Meirionnydd.

Medieval English vernacular form of Idonea.

From the Old German elements hun "bear cub" and fridu "peace". The Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Hunfrith, and it was regularly used through the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the American actor Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957), who starred in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca.

Anglicized form of Hywel.

From an English surname that was derived from Middle English holis "holly trees". It was originally given to a person who lived near a group of those trees.

Derived from the Old German elements hilt "battle" and gart "enclosure, yard". This was the name of the second wife of Charlemagne (8th century). Also, Saint Hildegard was a 12th-century mystic from Bingen in Germany who was famous for her writings and poetry and also for her prophetic visions.

Latin form of Esther. Like Esther, it has been used in England since the Protestant Reformation. Nathaniel Hawthorne used it for the heroine of his novel The Scarlet Letter (1850), Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman forced to wear a red letter A on her chest after giving birth to a child out of wedlock.

Yiddish diminutive of Hirsh. As a non-Jewish American name (somewhat common around the end of the 19th century), it was likely inspired by the German surname Herschel, borne for instance by the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822).

Means "army man", derived from the Old German elements heri "army" and man "person, man". It was introduced to England by the Normans, died out, and was revived in the English-speaking world in the 19th century. It was borne by an 18th-century Russian missionary to Alaska who is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church, though in his case the name is an alternate transcription of German. Another famous bearer was the American writer Herman Melville (1819-1891), the author of Moby-Dick.

Polish form of Heinrich (see Henry).

French feminine diminutive of Henri.

Means "stallion" in Old English or Old Saxon. According to medieval histories (recorded by Bede in the 8th century), Hengist and his brother Horsa were the leaders of the first Saxon settlers in Britain. Hengist established a kingdom in Kent in the 5th century.

Scots form of Henry.

Dutch and Estonian cognate of Heinrich (see Henry).

Finnish variant of Helga.

From the Old Norse name Helgi, derived from heilagr meaning "holy, blessed".

Feminine form of Helge.

From the English word hazel for the tree or the light brown colour, derived ultimately from Old English hæsel. It was coined as a given name in the 19th century and quickly became popular, reaching the 18th place for girls in the United States by 1897. It fell out of fashion in the second half of the 20th century, but has since recovered.

From the Breton given name Haerviu, which meant "battle worthy", from haer "battle" and viu "worthy". This was the name of a 6th-century Breton hermit who is the patron saint of the blind. Settlers from Brittany introduced it to England after the Norman Conquest. During the later Middle Ages it became rare, but it was revived in the 19th century.

From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who played or made harps (Old English hearpe). A notable bearer was the American author Harper Lee (1926-2016), who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. It rapidly gained popularity in the 2000s and 2010s, entering the American top ten for girls in 2015.

Means "lion" in Arabic, a derivative of حمز (ḥamuza) meaning "strong, sturdy". This was the name of an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad who was killed in battle.

Anglicized form of a Sheumais, the vocative case of Seumas.

Derived from the Old German element hag meaning "enclosure" (Proto-Germanic *hagô). In the medieval German saga the Nibelungenlied he is the cunning half-brother of Gunther. He killed the hero Siegfried by luring him onto a hunting expedition and then stabbing him with a javelin in his one vulnerable spot.

Danish and Norwegian form of Gyða (see Gytha).

Probably a variant of Gwynedd. It has been common in Wales since the 19th century, perhaps after the Welsh novelist Gwyneth Vaughan (1852-1910), whose real name was Ann Harriet Hughes. A modern famous bearer is the American actress Gwyneth Paltrow (1972-).

Probably means "born of trees" from Old Welsh guid "trees" and the suffix gen "born of". In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi [1], Gwydion is the nephew of King Math of Gwynedd, and like him a powerful magician. In an elaborate plot to give his brother a chance to rape his uncle's footbearer, he arranged a war between Gwynedd and the neighbouring kingdom of Dyfed. Gwydion himself killed King Pryderi of Dyfed at the end of the war. In punishment for the rape, Math transformed Gwydion and his brother into different animals over the course of three years. Gwydion was the uncle of Lleu Llaw Gyffes, whom he fostered. Math and Gwydion fashioned Lleu a wife, Blodeuwedd, out of flowers and they later aided him after her betrayal. Gwydion also appears in older Welsh poetry such as the Book of Taliesin.

Variant of Gwendolen. This is the usual spelling in the United States.

Derived from the Welsh elements gwen meaning "white, blessed" and da meaning "good". This name was created in the 19th century.

Derived from the Old German elements gomo meaning "man" and rih meaning "ruler, king".

From the Old Norse name Guðrún meaning "god's secret lore", derived from the elements guð "god" and rún "secret lore, rune". In Norse legend Gudrun was the wife of Sigurd. After his death she married Atli, but when he murdered her brothers, she killed her sons by him, fed him their hearts, and then slew him. Her story appears in Norse literature such as the Eddas and the Völsungasaga. She is called Kriemhild in German versions of the tale. This is also an unrelated character in the medieval German epic Kudrun.

Anglicized form of Gruffudd.

From the Germanic name Gautwin, derived from the elements *gautaz "Geat" (a North Germanic tribe) and wini "friend".

Means "complete" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of both a grandson of Noah and the unfaithful wife of the prophet Hosea.

Ancient Germanic cognate of Godwine. In English-speaking countries, the use of Godwin as a given name is these days often inspired by the English patronymic surname Godwin, which was derived from the aforementioned Anglo-Saxon personal name Godwine.

A known bearer of this given name was the Austrian-Hungarian (but of Polish descent) flying ace Godwin von Brumowski (1889-1936).

Probably an elaboration of the Welsh word glân "pure, clean, holy" or glyn "valley". This name was created in the late 19th century.

From a Scottish surname that was derived from Gaelic gleann "valley". It was borne by the American actor Glenn Ford (1916-2006), whose birth name was Gwyllyn. A famous bearer of the surname was American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016). The name peaked in popularity in 1962 when he became the first American to orbit the earth.

Though this name is borne by the American actress Glenn Close (1947-), it has never caught on as a feminine name.

Variant of Gladwin.

From a Norman French form of a Frankish name. The second element is Old German fridu "peace", while the first element could be *gautaz "Geat" (a North Germanic tribe), gawi "territory" or walah "foreigner". It is possible that two or more names merged into a single form. In the later Middle Ages Geoffrey was further confused with the distinct name Godfrey.

The Normans introduced this name to England where it became common among the nobility. Famous medieval literary bearers include the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth and the 14th-century poet Geoffrey Chaucer, writer of The Canterbury Tales. By the end of the Middle Ages it had become uncommon, but it was revived in the 20th century, often in the spelling Jeffrey.

Meaning uncertain, from the Latin form Gualguainus used in the 12th-century chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth (appearing also as Walganus, Gwalguanus and other spellings in different copies of the text), where he is one of the knights who serve his uncle King Arthur. He can be identified with the earlier Welsh hero Gwalchmai, and it is possible that the name derives from Gwalchmai or a misreading of it.

Gawain was a popular hero in medieval tales such as those by Chrétien de Troyes, where his name appears in the French form Gauvain or Gauvains. He is the main character of the 14th-century anonymous poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which he accepts a potentially fatal challenge from the mysterious Green Knight.

Medieval form of Gawain. Though it died out in England, it was reintroduced from Scotland in the 20th century.

Diminutive of Frid or Frido, which are both a short form of masculine names that contain the Germanic element frid or fridu meaning "peace", such as Friedrich and Gottfried. Also compare Friedl and names that contain the High German diminutive suffix -lin, such as Landolin and Wendelin.

The best known bearer of this name is probably the 6th-century missionary and saint Fridolin of Säckingen (died around 538 AD). However, it is important to note that the saint is believed to have been born in Ireland, which means that in his case, his name is either a germanification of his original Irish name, or a legitimate Germanic name (with the etymology that was just described above) that was bestowed upon him by the Alamanns, the local Germanic tribe that he worked amongst in Säckingen.

Other bearers of the name include the German painter Fridolin Leiber (1853-1912), the Swiss politician Fridolin Anderwert (1828-1880) and the German palaeontologist and geologist Fridolin von Sandberger (1826-1898).

From Old Norse Freyja meaning "lady". This is the name of a goddess associated with love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology. She claims half of the heroes who are slain in battle and brings them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother Freyr and father Njord, she is one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess Frigg.

This is not the usual spelling in any of the Scandinavian languages (in Sweden and Denmark it is Freja and in Norway it is Frøja) but it is the common spelling of the goddess's name in English. In the 2000s it became popular in Britain.

Danish and Swedish form of Freyr.

Anglicized form of Llywelyn used by Shakespeare for a Welsh captain in his history play 'Henry V' (1599).

Diminutive of Felicity. In some cases it can be a nickname from the English word flick.

Feminine form of Fionn. This name was (first?) used by the Scottish poet James Macpherson in his poem Fingal (1761), in which it is spelled as Fióna.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Fionnagáin, itself derived from the given name Fionnagán, a diminutive of Fionn. This is the surname of a relatively minor character in James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake (1939), the title of which was based on a 19th-century Irish ballad called Finnegan's Wake.

Old Irish form of Fionn, as well as the usual Anglicized spelling (with the Irish hero's name Anglicized as Finn McCool). As a surname it is borne by Huckleberry Finn, a character in Mark Twain's novels.

Anglicized form of Fionnlagh. This spelling is more common in Scotland, though in England and Wales the variant Finley has been more popular since 2007.

Anglicized form of Fionnlagh.

Originally a Frisian short form of Ferdinand (and other names starting with the Old German element fridu "peace" and a second element beginning with n [1]).

In part from the English word fay meaning "fairy", derived from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles in the name of Morgan le Fay. In some cases it may be used as a short form of Faith. It has been used as a feminine given name since the 19th century.

As a rarer (but older) masculine name it is probably derived from a surname: see Fay 1 or Fay 2.

Anglicized form of Eòghann.

Dutch and Swedish form of Everard.

Latinized form of Eoforhild. This was the name of a 7th-century English saint.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Everard.

Anglicized form of Ifan, a Welsh form of John.

From Greek Εὐάδνη (Euadne), from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" possibly combined with Cretan Greek ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". This name was borne by several characters in Greek legend, including the wife of Capaneus. After Capaneus was killed by a lightning bolt sent from Zeus she committed suicide by throwing herself onto his burning body.

Derived from the Old English masculine name Æðelwine. When many Old English names were revived in the 19th century, it saw use as a feminine name, probably due to its similarity to the popular name Ethel. A famous bearer was Canadian poet Ethelwyn Wetherald (1857-1940).

Variant of Asbjørn.

Derived from the Old English elements est "grace" and mund "protection". This Old English name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest. It was occasionally revived in the 19th century.

Feminine form of Esmé.

Finnish form of Ásketill.

Modern Scandinavian form of Ásketill.

Derived from the Old German name Hariwini, composed of the elements heri "army" and wini "friend". It may have merged somewhat with the name Eberwin. A notable bearer was Erwin Schrödinger (1887-1961), an Austrian physicist who made contributions to quantum theory.

From the Old Norse byname Erlendr, which was derived from ørlendr meaning "foreigner".

Anglicized form of Éireann. It was initially used by people of Irish heritage in America, Canada and Australia. It was rare until the mid-1950s.

Derived from the Old German element era "honour, respect" combined with hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy" [1][2]. Saint Erhard was a 7th-century bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria.

From Turkish er meaning "man, hero, brave" and han, which is from the title khan meaning "leader".

Slovene form of Erasmus.

From an Irish surname that was derived from inis meaning "island".

Probably derived from Welsh enaid meaning "soul, spirit, life". In Arthurian tales she first appears in the 12th-century French poem Erec and Enide by Chrétien de Troyes, where she is the wife of Erec. In later adaptations she is typically the wife of Geraint. The name became more commonly used after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian poem Enid in 1859, and it was fairly popular in Britain in the first half of the 20th century.

Variant of Emery.

Possibly derived from Finno-Ugric eme meaning "mother". In Hungarian legend this was the name of the grandmother of Árpád, founder of the Hungarian state.

Variant of Elswith. It was borne by American romance novelist Elswyth Thane (1900-1984), original name Helen Ricker.

Middle English form of either of the Old English names Ælfric or Æðelric. Both were rarely used after the Norman Conquest.

Modern German form of Adelmar or Egilmar.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Elis, a medieval vernacular form of Elias. This name has also functioned as an Anglicized form of Welsh Elisedd.

From an English surname that was derived from a diminutive of the medieval name Elias.

Norman name, originally a short form of Germanic names containing the element alles meaning "other" (Proto-Germanic *aljaz). It was introduced to England by the Normans and used until the 14th century, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the American singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996).

From Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾElishevaʿ) meaning "my God is an oath", derived from the roots אֵל (ʾel) referring to the Hebrew God and שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist.

Among Christians, this name was originally more common in Eastern Europe. It was borne in the 12th century by Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a daughter of King Andrew II who used her wealth to help the poor. In medieval England it was occasionally used in honour of the saint, though the form Isabel (from Occitan and Spanish) was more common. It has been very popular in England since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. In American name statistics (as recorded since 1880) it has never ranked lower than 30, making it the most consistently popular name for girls in the United States.

Besides Elizabeth I, this name has been borne (in various spellings) by many other European royals, including a ruling empress of Russia in the 18th century. Famous modern bearers include the British queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).

Short form of Elizabeth.

German and Dutch form of Elizabeth. It is also a variant English form, reflecting the spelling used in the Authorized Version of the New Testament.

Swedish variant of Elias, as well as a medieval English form.

Dutch variant of names beginning with Eli, such as Elijah or Elisabeth.

Dutch variant of Adelbert.

From the Old Norse name Einarr, derived from the elements einn "one, alone" and herr "army, warrior". This name shares the same roots as einherjar, the word for the slain warriors in Valhalla.

From the Old German name Egino, derived from the element agin meaning "edge, blade" (from Proto-Germanic *agjō). Saint Egino was a 12th-century abbot from Augsburg.

Derived from the Old German elements agil "edge, blade" and mari "famous". Egilmar (or Elimar) was the name of two counts of Oldenburg in the 12th century.

From the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and ric "ruler, king". After the Norman Conquest this Old English name was not commonly used. It has occasionally been revived in modern times.

From the Old English name Eadgyð, derived from the elements ead "wealth, fortune" and guð "battle". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. It was also borne by the Anglo-Saxon wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. The name remained common after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.

From an Old German name, which was derived from the elements adal "noble" and gart "enclosure, yard".

Latinized form of Étaín. This was the name of an early Irish saint.

From the English word ebony for the black wood that comes from the ebony tree. It is ultimately from the Egyptian word hbnj. In America this name is most often used in the black community.

Short form of Ebenezer.

From the Welsh prefix dy meaning "to, toward" and llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi [1], 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.

Famous bearers include the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and the American musician Bob Dylan (1941-), real name Robert Zimmerman, who took his stage surname from the poet's given name. Due to those two bearers, use of the name has spread outside of Wales in the last half of the 20th century. It received a further boost in popularity in the 1990s due to a character on the television series Beverly Hills 90210.

From an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name Þórsteinn (see Torsten). The name was popularized by the actor Dustin Hoffman (1937-), who was apparently named after the earlier silent movie star Dustin Farnum (1874-1929) [1].

Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic name Donnchadh, derived from Old Irish donn "brown" and cath "battle". This was the name of two kings of Scotland, including the one who was featured in Shakespeare's play Macbeth (1606).

From an English surname derived from the Old Norse byname Draki or the Old English byname Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek δράκων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent". This name coincides with the unrelated English word drake meaning "male duck". A famous bearer is the Canadian actor and rapper Drake (1986-), who was born as Aubrey Drake Graham.

From a Scottish surname that was from the name of a town in Lanarkshire, itself named after a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water. It means "dark river", derived from Gaelic dubh "dark" and glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to glas "grey, green"). This was a Scottish Lowland clan, the leaders of which were powerful earls in the medieval period. The Gaelic form is Dùghlas or Dùbhghlas. It has been used as a given name since the 16th century.

The name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Donndubháin, itself derived from the given name Donndubán. This name is borne by the Scottish folk musician Donovan Leitch (1946-), known simply as Donovan.

Anglicized form of Donnchadh (see Duncan).

Anglicized form of Diarmaid.

From the older English name Dederick, which was in origin a Low German form of Theodoric. It was imported to England from the Low Countries in the 15th century.

From the Old Irish name Derdriu, meaning unknown, possibly derived from der meaning "daughter". This was the name of a tragic character in Irish legend who died of a broken heart after Conchobar, the king of Ulster, forced her to be his bride and killed her lover Naoise.

It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 20th century, influenced by two plays featuring the character: William Butler Yeats' Deirdre (1907) and J. M. Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows (1910).

Anglicized form of Irish Deaglán, Old Irish Declán, which is of unknown meaning. Saint Declan was a 5th-century missionary to the Déisi peoples of Ireland and the founder of the monastery at Ardmore.

In America, this name received boosts in popularity from main characters in the movies The Jackal (1997) and Leap Year (2010).

From a surname that was derived from the Old English given name Deorwine. The surname was borne by the British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the man who first proposed the theory of natural selection and subsequently revolutionized biology.

Anglicized form of Dáire or Darach.

Derived from the Slavic word darŭ meaning "gift". It is sometimes used as a diminutive of names beginning with Dar.

Transferred use of the surname Crowley.

From an aristocratic English surname that was derived either from the French place name Courtenay (originally a derivative of the personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short") or else from a Norman nickname meaning "short nose".

Originally more common as a name for boys in America, it became more popular for girls in the 1960s. It began rapidly increasing after 1973, possibly due to a character (played by Natalie Wood) in the television movie The Affair. It reached an apex in the United States ranked 17th in 1990, though it has quickly fallen away since then.

Dutch form of Cornelius.

Diminutive of Cornelis.

From an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name Kóri, of unknown meaning. This name became popular in the 1960s due to the character Corey Baker on the television series Julia [1].

Anglicized form of Conchobar (or the Modern Irish form Conchúr).

Variant of Conor, based on the usual spelling of the surname that is derived from the name. This is currently the most common way of spelling it in the English-speaking world, apart from Ireland.

Means "little wolf" or "little hound" from Irish cú "wolf, hound" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early saints, including a 7th-century bishop of the Isle of Man. It appears in Irish legend as a companion Fionn mac Cumhaill. A famous bearer of it as a middle name was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. It is also the name of the hero of the Conan the Barbarian series of books, comics and movies, debuting 1932.

Medieval diminutive of Col, a short form of Nicholas. It is now regarded as an independent name.

From an English surname, itself originally derived from either a medieval short form of Nicholas or the byname Cola. A famous bearer was the songwriter Cole Porter (1891-1964), while a bearer of the surname was the musician Nat King Cole (1919-1965).

This name got more popular in the early 1980s, then got a boost in 1990 when it was used by the main character in the movie Days of Thunder.

From an English surname that was derived from a Norman form of the Old German name Colobert.

Contemporary spelling, via the Latinized form Clodovicus, of the Germanic name Hludwig (see Ludwig). Clovis was a Frankish king who united the Franks under his rule in the 5th century. The name was subsequently borne by two further Merovingian kings.

Short form of Cleopatra, Cleon or Cleopas.

From a surname that was originally derived from various English place names, all meaning "clay settlement" in Old English.

From an English surname that originally referred to a person who lived near or worked with clay. This name can also be a short form of Clayton.

From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Mac Fhlannchaidh), derived from the given name Flannchadh meaning "red warrior".

Combination of Cheryl and the popular name suffix lyn.

Feminine form of Charles using the popular Afrikaans name suffix ize. This name was popularized by South African actress Charlize Theron (1975-), who was named after her father Charles.

From a French surname that was derived from a place name meaning "stony". It was originally given in honour of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, the founder of the Visitation Order in the 17th century. It has become associated with French chant "song".

Invented by Walter Scott for a character in his novel Ivanhoe (1819). Apparently he based it on the actual name Cerdic, the name of the semi-legendary founder of the kingdom of Wessex in the 6th century. The meaning of Cerdic is uncertain, but it does not appear to be Old English in origin. It could be connected to the Brythonic name Caratācos. The name was also used by Frances Hodgson Burnett for the main character in her novel Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886).

Either from the name of the Irish county, which is derived from Irish cabhán "hollow", or else from the Irish surname Cavan.

Derived from Old Irish cath "battle" and fal "rule". This was the name of a 7th-century Irish saint. It was also borne by several Irish kings. It has sometimes been Anglicized as Charles.

Used by author C. S. Lewis for a character in his Chronicles of Narnia series, first appearing in 1950. Prince Caspian first appears in the fourth book, where he is the rightful king of Narnia driven into exile by his evil uncle Miraz. Lewis probably based the name on the Caspian Sea, which was named for the city of Qazvin, which was itself named for the ancient Cas tribe.

From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Ciardha, which is a patronymic derived from the given name Ciardha.

Derived from the French surname Cauvin, which was derived from chauve meaning "bald". The surname was borne by Jean Cauvin (1509-1564), a theologian from France who was one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. His surname was Latinized as Calvinus (based on Latin calvus "bald") and he is known as John Calvin in English. It has been used as a given name in his honour since the 19th century.

In modern times, this name is borne by American fashion designer Calvin Klein (1942-), as well as one of the main characters from Bill Watterson's comic strip Calvin and Hobbes (published from 1985 to 1995).

From the name of a type of orchid, ultimately meaning "beautiful flower", derived from Greek καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful" and ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower".

Anglicized form of Caolán (masculine) or a variant of Kaylyn (feminine).

Anglicized form of Cadwaladr.

Anglicized form of Cadwgan.

Sometimes explained as deriving from the Irish surname Caden, which is an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mac Cadáin, itself from the given name Cadán (of unknown meaning). In actuality, the popularity of this name in America beginning in the 1990s is due to its sound — it shares its fashionable den suffix sound with other trendy names like Hayden, Aidan and Braden.

From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "place of the cow sheds" in Old English. This was the surname of the romantic poet Lord Byron (1788-1824), the writer of Don Juan and many other works.

From an English surname that was derived from Old English burg meaning "fortress".

Variant of Brice.

From a Scottish surname, of Norman origin, which probably originally referred to the town of Brix in France. The surname was borne by Robert the Bruce, a Scottish hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland. It has been in use as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in the 1940s and 50s. Notable bearers include Chinese-American actor Bruce Lee (1940-1973), American musician Bruce Springsteen (1949-), and American actor Bruce Willis (1955-). It is also the real name of the comic book superheroes Batman (Bruce Wayne), created 1939, and the Hulk (Bruce Banner), created 1962.

From Brendanus, the Latinized form of the Old Irish name Bréanainn, which was derived from Old Welsh breenhin meaning "king, prince". Saint Brendan was a 6th-century Irish abbot who, according to legend, crossed the Atlantic and reached North America with 17 other monks.

Means "white raven" from Old Welsh bran "raven" and gwen "white, blessed". According to the Second Branch of the Mabinogi [1] she was the daughter of Llŷr. After she was mistreated by her husband Matholwch, the king of Ireland, she managed to get a message to her brother Brân, the king of Britain. Brân launched a costly invasion to rescue her, but she died of grief shortly after her return.

From an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name Brandr. This is also the name for a variety of wild geese.

Means "raven" in Irish. In Irish legend Bran mac Febail was a mariner who was involved in several adventures on his quest to find the Otherworld.

Alternate transcription of Arabic بطرس (see Butrus).

From an English surname that was either derived from Old French bon meaning "good" or from the name of the town of Bohon, France.

Means "pretty" from the Scottish word bonnie, which was itself derived from Middle French bon "good". It has been in use as an American given name since the 19th century, and it became especially popular after the movie Gone with the Wind (1939), in which it was the nickname of Scarlett's daughter.

Anglicized form of Bláthnat.

From the Roman name Blasius, which was derived from Latin blaesus meaning "lisping". Saint Blaise was a 4th-century Armenian martyr. A famous bearer was the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).

From a Scottish surname that was derived from Gaelic blàr meaning "plain, field, battlefield". In Scotland this name is typically masculine.

In the United States it became more common for girls in the early 1980s, shortly after the debut of the television sitcom The Facts of Life (1979-1988), which featured a character named Blair Warner. The name left the American top 1000 rankings two decades later, but was resurrected by another television character, this time Blair Waldorf from the series Gossip Girl (2007-2012).

From a Scottish surname that was derived from the Old Irish given name Bláán.

Scandinavian form of Bernard.

Catalan form of Berengar.

Old German name derived from the elements bern "bear" and ger "spear". This was the name of two medieval kings of Italy and a Holy Roman emperor.

Derived from Old English beorn meaning "man, hero, warrior". In some cases it could be an Anglicized form of the Old Norse name Bjǫrn.

This was used by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel The Hobbit (1937) Beorn is a shapeshifting woodsman who sometimes takes the form of a great black bear. He receives Gandalf, Bilbo and the thirteen Dwarves into his wooden house between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood and aids them in their quest to reclaim the Dwarves' kingdom.

From a surname that was from a place name, itself derived from Old English beonet "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing". Various towns in England bear this name.

Medieval form of Benedict. This was the more common spelling in England until the 18th century. Modern use of the name is probably also influenced by the common surname Bennett, itself a derivative of the medieval name.

From an English surname derived from Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".

Modern form of the Old English name Baeda, possibly related to Old English bed "prayer". Saint Bede, called the Venerable Bede, was an 8th-century historian, scholar and Doctor of the Church.

Anglicized form of Barra.

From a surname probably meaning "quarrelsome, deceptive" in Middle English, originally given to a quarrelsome person.

From a Scottish and English surname that was derived from the English place name Berkeley, itself from Old English beorc "birch" and leah "woodland, clearing".