SaveroftheFranks's Personal Name List
Zsombor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: ZHOM-bor
Possibly of Turkic origin meaning "bison, wisent".
Zsinett
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Zoltán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian, Slovak
Pronounced: ZOL-tan(Hungarian) ZAWL-tan(Slovak)
Possibly related to the Turkish title sultan meaning "king, sultan". This was the name of a 10th-century ruler of Hungary, also known as Zsolt.
Zilpa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Hebrew [1], Biblical Spanish, Biblical French, Biblical Italian, Biblical Dutch
Other Scripts: זִלְפָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Biblical Hebrew form of
Zilpah, as well as the form in several other languages.
Zerina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bosnian
Zedekiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: צִדְקִיָּהוּ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: zehd-ə-KIE-ə(English)
Zarina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik, Urdu, Malay
Other Scripts: Зарина(Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik) زرینہ(Urdu)
From Persian
زرین (zarīn) meaning
"golden". According to the 5th-century BC Greek historian Ctesias, this was the name of a Scythian queen.
Zander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ZAN-dər
Zabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Զաբել(Armenian)
Pronounced: zah-BEHL(Eastern Armenian) zah-PEHL(Western Armenian)
Armenian form of
Isabel. A 13th-century ruling queen of Cilician Armenia bore this name.
Yuzuki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 柚希, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆずき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-ZOO-KYEE
From Japanese
柚 (yuzu) meaning "grapefruit, pomelo, citrus fruit" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
Yuriy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Юрий(Russian) Юрій(Ukrainian) Юрый(Belarusian)
Pronounced: YOO-ryee(Russian, Ukrainian) YOO-riy(Belarusian)
Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of
George. This name was borne by Yuriy Dolgorukiy, a 12th-century grand prince of Kyiv. The Soviet cosmonaut Yuriy (or Yuri) Gagarin (1934-1968), the first man to travel to space, was another famous bearer of this name.
Yuri 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Юрий(Russian) Юрій(Ukrainian) Юрый(Belarusian)
Pronounced: YOO-ryee(Russian)
Alternate transcription of Russian
Юрий, Ukrainian
Юрій or Belarusian
Юрый (see
Yuriy).
Yuhanna
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: يوحنّا(Arabic)
Pronounced: yoo-HAN-na
Arabic form of Greek
Ioannes (see
John).
Yeshak
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical), Coptic
Form of
Isaac borne by a Coptic martyr saint.
Yegor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Егор(Russian)
Pronounced: yi-GOR, i-GOR
Yaraklas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic
Other Scripts: Ⲓⲉⲣⲁⲕⲗⲁⲥ(Coptic)
Coptic form of
Heraklas. Saint Heraclas (born Yaraklas) was a 3rd century pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
Yakup
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Yakim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Яким(Russian)
Pronounced: yu-KYEEM
Xeni
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ξένη(Greek)
Pronounced: KSEH-nee
Modern Greek transcription of
Xene.
Xanthia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Modern elaborated form of
Xanthe.
Xanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ξάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KSAN-TEH(Classical Greek)
Derived from Greek
ξανθός (xanthos) meaning
"yellow, blond, fair-haired". This was the name of a few minor figures in Greek
mythology.
Wulmar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish, History (Ecclesiastical)
A Benedictine abbott born near Boulogne, Picardy, France, he was actually married but was separated from his wife and entered the Benedictines as a lay brother at Haumont, in Hainault. He was eventually ordained and was the founder of the rnonastery of Samer near Boulogne, which he served as abbot. The abbey was named Saint-Vulmaire in his honor.
Winter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIN-tər
From the English word for the season, derived from Old English winter.
Wendelin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: VEHN-deh-leen(German)
Old
diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element
wentil (see
Wendel).
Saint Wendelin was a 6th-century hermit of Trier in Germany.
Wendel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Dutch (Rare), German (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Pronounced: VEHN-dəl(Dutch, German)
Old short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
wentil meaning
"a Vandal". The Vandals were a Germanic tribe who invaded Spain and North Africa in the 5th century. Their tribal name, which may mean "wanderer", has often been confused with that of the Wends, a Slavic people living between the Elbe and the Oder.
This is another name for Saint Wendelin.
Waldebert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Germanic name composed of the elements
walt "power, authority" and
beraht "bright". This was the name of a 7th-century Frankish
saint from Luxeuil (called
Valbert or
Gaubert in French).
Wace
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norman
Norman form of
Wazo. This name was borne by a 12th-century Norman poet from the island of Jersey.
Vlasis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Βλάσης(Greek)
Virgo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: WEER-go(Latin) VUR-go(English)
Means "maiden, virgin" in Latin. This is the name of a constellation and the sixth sign of the zodiac.
Villum
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish
Villem
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Vilhelmi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish (Rare)
Pronounced: VEEL-hehl-mee
Vilhelm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish
Pronounced: VIL-helm(Swedish) VEEL-helm(Finnish)
Scandinavian and Finnish form of
William.
Viktor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Greek
Other Scripts: Виктор(Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian, Macedonian) Віктор(Ukrainian) Βίκτωρ(Greek)
Pronounced: VIK-to(German) VEEK-tor(Hungarian) VIK-tor(Czech) VEEK-tawr(Slovak) VYEEK-tər(Russian)
Form of
Victor used in various languages.
Venla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: VEHN-lah
Finnish feminine form of
Wendel.
Vendela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: VEHN-deh-la
Swedish feminine form of
Wendel.
Vendel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: VEHN-dehl
Veiko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Vega 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
The name of a star in the constellation Lyra. Its name is from Arabic
الواقع (al-Wāqiʿ) meaning "the swooping (eagle)".
Vane
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic
Other Scripts: ⲃⲁⲛⲉ, فانا
Derived from Demotic bne, itself from Proto-Semitic *ban- meaning "son".
Valto
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: VAHL-to
Finnish short form of
Valdemar and other names containing
vald.
Valter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Swedish, Slovene, Croatian, Estonian
Pronounced: VAL-tehr(Italian, Swedish)
Form of
Walter used in several languages.
Valbona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
From Valbona (or Valbonë), the name of a mountain valley and river in northern Albania.
Valbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare), History (Ecclesiastical)
Usire
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic
Ursmar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic, Frankish, History (Ecclesiastical), Dutch (Rare), Flemish (Rare), German (Rare)
Derived from Latin
ursus meaning "bear" combined with Germanic
mari meaning "famous".
A notable bearer of this name was the Frankish saint Ursmar of Lobbes (644-713).
Urmas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Pronounced: OOR-mahs
Possibly from the dialectal Estonian word urm meaning "frost" or "catkin".
Uno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Estonian
Meaning uncertain. It is possibly from the Old Norse name
Uni. It could also come from Latin
unus "one".
Uhtræd
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements
uhta "pre-dawn" and
ræd "counsel".
Ubirajara
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Tupi
Pronounced: oo-bee-ra-ZHA-ru(Portuguese)
Means "lord of the spear" in Tupi, from ybyra "wood, stick, spear" and îara "lord, master". This is the name of an 1874 novel by José de Alencar.
Topaz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TO-paz
From the English word for the yellow precious stone, the traditional birthstone of November, ultimately derived from Greek
τόπαζος (topazos).
Toivo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: TOI-vo(Finnish)
Means "hope" in Finnish.
Timo 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: TEE-mo(Finnish, German, Dutch)
Finnish, Estonian, German and Dutch short form of
Timotheus (see
Timothy).
Tiidrik
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian (Archaic)
Theudebod
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic
Derived from the Germanic element þeud "people" combined with Gothic biutan "to offer" or Old High German boto "bid, offer."
Theudebert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic, History
Means "bright people", derived from the Germanic element þeud "people" combined with Old High German beraht "bright." Theudebert I was a 6th-century Merovingian king, grandson of Clovis I through his father Theuderic I.
Teutonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
From the name for the land of the Teutons. The Teutons (Latin: Teutones, Teutoni) were a Germanic tribe or Celtic people. According to a map by Ptolemy, they originally lived in Jutland. Rather than relating directly to this tribe, the broad term, Teutonic peoples or Teuton in particular, is used now to identify members of a people speaking languages of the Germanic branch of the language family generally, and especially, of people speaking German.
Teutomatos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Celtic
The first element of this name is derived from Celtic
teuta or
touta "people, tribe" (see also
Theudebert). The second element is derived from
mat(i) "good, kind" or
matu "bear."
Teutobod
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic (?), Old Celtic (?)
This was the name of a king of the Teutones who lived in 2nd-century BC Europe. The historical tribe the Teutones (or Teutoni) are generally classified as Germanic, though some ancient writers called them Celts. This name may be a variant of
Theudebod, the first element presumably derived from Gaulish
teuta or
touta "people, tribe" (a cognate of *
þeudō). It has also been suggested that the second element could be from Celtic
boduus or
boduo(s) "crow".
Teutates
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Celtic Mythology, Popular Culture
Derived from Proto-Celtic
teutā- meaning "people" or "tribe", likely inferring he was a protector of a people or tribe.
In Celtic mythology he was a god worshipped in ancient Gaul and Britain. Today, he is best known under the name Toutatis, through the Gaulish oath/catchphrase 'By Toutatis!', invented for the Asterix comics by Goscinny and Uderzo. The spelling Toutatis, however, is authentic and attested by about ten ancient inscriptions. Teutates was one of three Celtic gods mentioned by the Roman poet Lucan in the 1st century AD. Some scholars attest he was a cognate of Mercury, while others say that each tribe had its own toutatis.
Teuta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Other Scripts: Τεύτα(Ancient Greek)
Possibly from an Illyrian word or title meaning
"queen, lady of the people". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Illyrian queen. After the death of her husband
Agron, she ruled as the regent for his young son Pinnes.
Taurus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: TOW-roos(Latin) TAW-rəs(English)
Means "bull" in Latin. This is the name of a constellation and the second sign of the zodiac.
Tauno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: TOW-no(Finnish)
Means "peaceful, modest" in Karelian Finnish.
Tarmo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian, Finnish
Pronounced: TAHR-mo(Finnish)
Means "vigour, energy, drive" in Estonian and Finnish.
Tanel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Taimo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
From Estonian taim meaning "plant".
Taesis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Egyptian (Hellenized)
Other Scripts: 𓏏𓄿𓊨𓏏(Hieroglyphs) Θαήσις, Ταησις(Ancient Greek)
From Egyptian
tꜣ-Ꜣs.t meaning "she of Isis" or "belonging to Isis", derived from
tꜣ "the aforementioned; the; she of" combined with the name of the goddess
Isis.
Tadeu
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese
Tabassum
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: تبسّم(Arabic)
Pronounced: ta-BAS-soom
Means "smiling" in Arabic.
Symphronios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Probably derived from Greek σύμφρων (symphron) meaning "of one mind, brotherly; favouring, propitious" or συμφρονέω (symphroneo) "to agree, think with, be in harmony; notice, understand", both derived from σῠν- (syn-) meaning "with, together" and φρήν (phren) "mind, heart, emotions".
Symphony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SIM-fə-nee
Simply from the English word, ultimately deriving from Greek
σύμφωνος (symphonos) meaning "concordant in sound".
Sven
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: SVEHN(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch)
From the Old Norse byname Sveinn meaning "boy". This was the name of kings of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Suada
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bosnian, Albanian
Bosnian and Albanian feminine form of
Suad.
Straton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Στράτων(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
στρατός (stratos) meaning
"army". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek philosopher.
Storm
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Dutch (Modern), Danish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern)
Pronounced: STAWRM(English, Dutch)
From the vocabulary word, ultimately from Old English or Old Dutch storm, or in the case of the Scandinavian name, from Old Norse stormr. It is unisex as an English name, but typically masculine elsewhere.
Sten
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Estonian
Derived from the Old Norse name Steinn meaning "stone".
Soini
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SOI-nee
Siward
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Sivert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish
Pronounced: SEE-vat(Swedish)
Norwegian and Swedish form of
Sievert.
Sirius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: SIR-ee-əs(English)
The name of a bright star in the constellation Canis Major, derived via Latin from Greek
σείριος (seirios) meaning
"burning".
Sievert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Low German (Rare)
Sidhom
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic
The meaning of this name is still unknown to me at this time. A bearer of this name was Sidhom Bishay, a 19th-century Coptic saint.
Servaas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: sehr-VAS
Dutch form of the Late Latin name
Servatius, derived from
servatus "saved, redeemed". This was the name of a 4th-century
saint who helped spread Christianity to the Low Countries.
Séphora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SEH-FAW-RA
Senne
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: SEH-nə
Scorpius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: SKAWR-pi-əs(English)
From a Latin variant of
Scorpio. This is the name of a zodiacal constellation said to have the shape of a scorpion. According to Greek and Roman legend it was the monster that was sent to kill
Orion.
Scholastique
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Pronounced: SKAW-LAS-TEEK
French form of
Scholastica. It is more common in French-speaking Africa than France.
Scholasticus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Masculine form of
Scholastica. This name was borne by an 8th-century exarch of Ravenna.
Scholastica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
From a Late Latin name that was derived from
scholasticus meaning
"rhetorician, orator".
Saint Scholastica was a 6th-century Benedictine abbess, the sister of Saint Benedict of Nursia.
Samet
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Samed
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Samat
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Bashkir, Tatar
Other Scripts: Самат(Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Bashkir, Tatar)
Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Bashkir and Tatar form of
Samad.
Samad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: صمد(Arabic)
Pronounced: SA-mad
Means "eternal" in Arabic.
Rudolf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Dutch, Russian, Armenian
Other Scripts: Рудольф(Russian) Ռուդոլֆ(Armenian)
Pronounced: ROO-dawlf(German, Slovak) ROO-dolf(Czech, Hungarian) RUY-dawlf(Dutch)
From the Germanic name
Hrodulf, which was derived from the elements
hruod meaning "fame" and
wolf meaning "wolf". It was borne by three kings of Burgundy and a king of West Francia, as well as several Habsburg rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria. Anthony Hope used this name for the hero in his popular novel
The Prisoner of Zenda (1894).
Rosemary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROZ-mə-ree, ROZ-mehr-ee
Combination of
Rose and
Mary. This name can also be given in reference to the herb, which gets its name from Latin
ros marinus meaning "dew of the sea". It came into use as a given name in the 19th century.
Romein
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: ro-MAYN
Dutch form of
Romanus (see
Roman).
Roman
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, Slovene, Croatian, Estonian, German, English
Other Scripts: Роман(Russian, Ukrainian)
Pronounced: ru-MAN(Russian) RAW-man(Polish, Slovak) RO-man(Czech, German) RO-mən(English)
From the Late Latin name
Romanus meaning
"Roman". This name was borne by several early
saints including a 7th-century bishop of Rouen, as well as medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia.
Rojina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: روژینا(Persian)
Pronounced: ro-ji-naah
Similar to
Rojin, the name’s meaning can be “light” (the more metaphorical meaning), “daylight”, “glimmering”, “shining”, or all of those combined. The ‘J’ in the name is pronounced the way it is in Jacques.
Rogier
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: ro-GHEER
Dutch form of
Roger (via Old French).
Roelof
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: ROO-lawf
Rodolf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: RO-dawlf(German)
Rochus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Rare), Dutch (Rare), Germanic (Latinized)
Pronounced: RAW-khuws(German) RAW-khuys(Dutch)
Latinized form of
Rocco, used in occasionally German and Dutch.
Robin
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Swedish, Czech
Pronounced: RAHB-in(American English) RAWB-in(British English) RAW-BEHN(French) RAW-bin(Dutch) RO-bin(Czech)
Medieval English
diminutive of
Robert, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.
Risto
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian, Macedonian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Ристо(Macedonian, Serbian)
Pronounced: REES-to(Finnish)
Finnish, Estonian, Macedonian and Serbian short form of
Christopher.
Rigel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: RIE-jəl(English)
Derived from Arabic
الرجل (al-Rijl) meaning
"foot". This is the name of the star that forms the left foot of the constellation Orion.
Rex
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: REHKS
From Latin rex meaning "king". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Rembrandt
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: REHM-brahnt
From a Germanic name that was composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
brant "fire, torch, sword". This name belonged to the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669).
Reinier
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: ray-NEER
Reiner
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: RIE-nu(German)
Reine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: REHN
Means "queen" in French, ultimately from Latin regina.
Rein
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian, Dutch, Estonian
Pronounced: RAYN(Frisian, Dutch)
Originally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
regin meaning
"advice, counsel, decision" (Proto-Germanic *
raginą).
Reigo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Regulus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Astronomy
Pronounced: REH-goo-loos(Latin)
Roman
cognomen meaning
"prince, little king", a
diminutive of Latin
rex "king". This was the cognomen of several 3rd-century BC consuls from the gens Atilia. It was also the name of several early
saints. A star in the constellation Leo bears this name as well.
Régulo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Pronounced: REH-ghoo-lo(Spanish)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Regulus.
Regine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Norwegian
Pronounced: reh-GEE-nə(German)
German and Norwegian form of
Regina.
Rayner
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Pronounced: RAY-nər
From the Germanic name
Raginheri, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
heri "army".
Saint Rainerius was a 12th-century hermit from Pisa. The
Normans brought this name to England where it came into general use, though it was rare by the end of the Middle Ages.
Rajendra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, Nepali
Other Scripts: राजेन्द्र(Hindi, Nepali, Sanskrit) राजेंद्र(Marathi) રાજેન્દ્ર(Gujarati) రాజేంద్ర(Telugu)
Means
"lord of kings", derived from Sanskrit
राज (rāja) meaning "king" combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "lord". This was the name of two 11th-century rulers of the Chola Empire in southern India.
Raivo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Meaning uncertain. It is possibly a
diminutive of
Raimond or it could be related to the Old Estonian word
raivo meaning
"fury, rage".
Ragnar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Estonian
Pronounced: RAHNG-nahr(Swedish) RAK-nar(Icelandic)
Modern Scandinavian form of
Ragnarr.
Radboud
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: RAHT-bowt
Derived from the Old German elements
rat meaning "counsel, advice" and
bot meaning "command, order". This was the name of a 7th-century king of the Frisians.
Quinten
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: KWIN-tən(English)
Pythios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Πύθιος(Ancient Greek)
From the Greek place name
Πυθώ (Pytho), an older name of the city of Delphi, which was probably derived from Greek
πύθω (pytho) meaning "to rot". This was an epithet of
Apollo.
Pythagoras
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Πυθαγόρας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PUY-TA-GO-RAS(Classical Greek) pi-THAG-ər-əs(English)
Derived from
Pythios, a name of
Apollo, combined with Greek
ἀγορά (agora) meaning "assembly, marketplace". This was the name of a 6th-century BC Greek philosopher and mathematician from Samos. He was the founder of a school of philosophy whose members believed that numbers described the universe.
Publius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: POO-blee-oos(Latin) PUWB-lee-əs(English)
Roman
praenomen, or given name, meaning
"public" in Latin. This was among the more common of the Roman praenomina, being borne by (among others) the emperor Hadrian and the poet Virgil.
Publio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Galician, Italian, Spanish
Galician, Italian and Spanish form of
Publius.
Prokhor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Прохор(Russian)
Pronounced: PRO-khər
Pollux
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: POL-looks(Latin) PAHL-əks(English)
Roman form of Greek
Πολυδεύκης (Polydeukes) meaning
"very sweet", from Greek
πολύς (polys) meaning "much" and
δευκής (deukes) meaning "sweet". In
mythology he was the twin brother of
Castor and a son of
Zeus. The constellation Gemini, which represents the two brothers, contains a star by this name.
Pleun
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: PLUUN
Pishoy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic
Other Scripts: ⲡⲓϣⲱⲓ(Coptic) ⲡϣⲁⲓ(Akhmimic) ⲡϣⲟⲓ(Sahidic) ابشاي(Arabic)
From Egyptian pꜣ-šꜣj meaning "the fate", derived from pꜣ "the aforementioned; the; he of" combined with šꜣ "to put in order, establish, decree". This name was borne by a Coptic saint from the 5th century AD.
Pigol
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic
The meaning of this name is still unknown to me at this time. This name was borne by a Coptic saint from the 5th century AD.
Phyllis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Φυλλίς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: FIL-is(English)
Means
"foliage" in Greek. In Greek
mythology this was the name of a woman who killed herself out of love for Demophon and was subsequently transformed into an almond tree. It began to be used as a given name in England in the 16th century, though it was often confused with
Felicia.
Photine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Φωτίνη(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
φῶς (phos) meaning
"light" (genitive
φωτός (photos)). This is the name traditionally given to the Samaritan woman
Jesus met at the well (see
John 4:7). She is venerated as a
saint by the Eastern Church.
Philologos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Greek, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Φιλόλογος(Ancient Greek)
Derived from the Greek adjective φιλόλογος
(philologos) meaning "fond of words, talkative". It consists of the Greek noun φίλος
(philos) meaning "friend, lover" combined with the Greek noun λόγος
(logos) meaning "word, speech" as well as "reason, consideration, computation".
Philolaos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Φιλόλαος(Ancient Greek)
Means "friend of the people", derived from Greek φιλος (philos) "friend, lover" combined with Greek λαος (laos) "the people."
Philibert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: FEE-LEE-BEHR(French)
Early variant of
Filibert altered by association with Greek
φίλος (philos) meaning "friend, lover". A famous bearer was Philibert de l'Orme (1510-1570), a French Renaissance architect.
Philbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare)
Philadelphia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: fil-ə-DEHL-fee-ə
From the name of a city in Asia Minor mentioned in Revelation in the
New Testament. The name of the city meant "brotherly love" from Greek
φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love" and
ἀδελφός (adelphos) meaning "brother". It is also the name of a city in the United States.
Petronio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Galician, Venetian
Italian, Venetian and Galician form of
Petronius.
Petephre
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic
Other Scripts: ⲡⲉⲧⲉⲫⲣⲏ(Coptic) بادبرا(Arabic) Πετεφρή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: pə-təp-REH
Percival
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle, English
Pronounced: PUR-si-vəl(English)
Created by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for his poem
Perceval, the Story of the Grail. Chrétien may have derived the name from Old French
perce val "pierce the valley", or he may have based it loosely on the Welsh name
Peredur [1]. In the poem Perceval is a boy from Wales who hopes to become a knight under King
Arthur. Setting out to prove himself, he eventually comes to the castle of the Fisher King and is given a glimpse of the Grail.
Perceval
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Old French form of
Percival used by Chrétien de Troyes.
Pennouti
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic (Bohairic)
Other Scripts: ⲡⲉⲛⲛⲟⲩϯ(Coptic)
Means "our God" in Coptic. The name ultimately derives from Egyptian pen "our" combined with Egyptian nuti "God".
Paxton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PAK-stən
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "Pœcc's town". Pœcc is an Old English given name of unknown meaning.
Patapios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic (Hellenized)
Other Scripts: Πατάπιος(Ancient Greek)
Hellenized form of
Patape. Saint Patapios of Egypt was an early Christian desert hermit and thaumaturge. He is venerated by Orthodox Church on December 8th.
Patape
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic
Other Scripts: ⲡⲁⲧⲁⲡⲏ(Coptic)
From Egyptian
pꜣ-dj-ḥp meaning "given by
Apis" or "given by
Hapi", derived from
pꜣ "the; he of" combined with
dj "given" and the name of either
Apis, the sacred bull, or
Hapi, god of the Nile river's annual flooding.
Pashonti
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Coptic
Other Scripts: ⲡⲁϣⲟⲛⲧⲉ(Sahidic) ⲡⲓϣⲉⲛϯ(Bohairic) بشندي(Arabic)
Pronounced: pa-SHON-tə
Means "one of the acacia tree", derived from the masculine possessive prefix ⲡⲁ- (pa-) combined with ϣⲟⲛϯ (šonti) "acacia, thorn tree".
Pascal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, German, Dutch
Pronounced: PAS-KAL(French) pas-KAL(German) pahs-KAHL(Dutch)
From the Late Latin name
Paschalis, which meant
"relating to Easter" from Latin
Pascha "Easter", which was in turn from Hebrew
פֶּסַח (pesaḥ) meaning "Passover"
[1]. Passover is the ancient Hebrew holiday celebrating the liberation from Egypt. Because it coincided closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the same Latin word was used for both. The name Pascal can also function as a surname, as in the case of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French philosopher, mathematician and inventor.
Parzival
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Form of
Percival used by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach.
Pambo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek, Coptic
Other Scripts: ⲡⲁⲙⲃⲱ(Coptic) ⲡⲁⲛⲃⲱ(Sahidic) Παμβώ(Ancient Greek) بموا(Arabic)
Means "the one of Ombos", derived from the possessive masculine prefix ⲡⲁ- (pa-) combined with Ombos, the name of several cities in ancient Egypt. Saint Pambo of Nitria was a 4th-century hermit, disciple of St. Anthony. He is venerated by both Catholic and Orthodox Churches on 18 July.
Otwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Rare)
Otávio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese (Brazilian)
Östen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish
Orrin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Orion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὠρίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AW-REE-AWN(Classical Greek) o-RIE-ən(English)
Meaning uncertain, but possibly related to Greek
ὅριον (horion) meaning
"boundary, limit". Alternatively it may be derived from Akkadian
Uru-anna meaning
"light of the heavens". This is the name of a constellation, which gets its name from a legendary Greek hunter who was killed by a scorpion sent by the earth goddess
Gaia.
Oran
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: O-rən(English)
Olev
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Odin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology, English (Modern)
Pronounced: O-din(English)
Anglicized form of Old Norse
Óðinn, which was derived from
óðr meaning
"inspiration, rage, frenzy". It ultimately developed from Proto-Germanic *
Wōdanaz. The name appears as
Woden in Anglo-Saxon sources (for example, as the founder of several royal lineages in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) and in forms such as
Wuotan,
Wotan or
Wodan in continental Europe, though he is best known from Norse sources.
In Norse mythology Odin is the highest of the gods, presiding over war, wisdom and death. He is the husband of Frigg and resides in Valhalla, where warriors go after they are slain. He is usually depicted as a one-eyed older man, carrying two ravens on his shoulders who inform him of all the events of the world. At the time of Ragnarök, the final battle, it is told that he will be killed fighting the great wolf Fenrir.
Odd
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse
oddr meaning
"point of a sword".
Octave
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AWK-TAV
Océane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AW-SEH-AN
Derived from French océan meaning "ocean".
Ocean
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: O-shən
Simply from the English word
ocean for a large body of water. It is ultimately derived from Greek
Ὠκεανός (Okeanos), the name of the body of water thought to surround the Earth.
Norbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Dutch, French, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: NAWR-behrt(German, Polish, Slovak) NAWR-bərt(English, Dutch) NAWR-BEHR(French) NOR-behrt(Hungarian)
Derived from the Old German elements
nord meaning "north" and
beraht meaning "bright". This was the name of an 11th-century German
saint who made many reforms within the Church.
Nikolay
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Николай(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: nyi-ku-LIE(Russian)
Russian and Bulgarian form of
Nicholas. A notable bearer was the Russian-Ukrainian novelist Nikolay Gogol (1809-1852).
Nicol 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English, Scottish
Medieval English and Scottish form of
Nicholas. This was the middle name of a character in the novel
Rob Roy (1817) by Walter Scott.
Nero 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: NEH-ro(Latin) NIR-o(English)
Roman
cognomen, which was probably of Sabine origin meaning
"strong, vigorous". It was used by a prominent branch of the gens Claudia starting from the 3rd century BC. It was borne most famously by a Roman emperor of the 1st century, remembered as a tyrant. His birth name was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, but after he was adopted as the heir of
Claudius his name became Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus.
Nermin
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Bosnian, Turkish, Arabic (Egyptian)
Other Scripts: نرمين(Arabic)
From Persian
نرم (narm) meaning
"soft, gentle". It is typically masculine in Bosnian, and feminine in Turkish and Arabic.
Nardwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish, Medieval German
Pronounced: NAHRD-ween
Naftali
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: נַףְתָלִי(Hebrew)
Myrddin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology, Welsh
Original Welsh form of
Merlin. It is probably ultimately from the name of the Romano-British settlement
Moridunum, derived from Celtic *
mori "sea" and *
dūnom "rampart, hill fort". Prefixed with Welsh
caer "fort", this town has been called Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen in English) from medieval times. It is thought that
Caerfyrddin may have mistakenly been interpreted as meaning "fort of Myrddin", as if
Myrddin were a personal name instead of a later development of
Moridunum [1].
Myrddin appears in early Welsh poems, as a prophet who lives in the Caledonian Forest after being driven insane witnessing the slaughter of his king Gwenddoleu and his forces at the Battle of Arfderydd. His character seems to be based on the North Brythonic figure Lailoken, and perhaps also the Irish figure Suibhne. Geoffrey of Monmouth adapted him into Merlin in the 12th century.
Mustafa
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Turkish, Bosnian, Urdu, Kazakh, Indonesian, Malay
Other Scripts: مصطفى(Arabic) مصطفی(Urdu) Мұстафа(Kazakh)
Pronounced: MOOS-ta-fa(Arabic) moos-ta-FA(Turkish)
Means
"chosen" in Arabic, derived from
اصطفا (iṣṭafā) meaning "to choose". This is an epithet of the Prophet
Muhammad. It was borne by four Ottoman sultans. Another famous bearer was Mustafa Kemal (1881-1938), also known as Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.
Moustaphe
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Western African
Mostafa
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian, Bengali, Arabic
Other Scripts: مصطفی(Persian) মোস্তফা(Bengali) مصطفى(Arabic)
Pronounced: mos-ta-FAW(Persian) MOOS-ta-fa(Arabic)
Persian and Bengali form of
Mustafa, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription.
Moisey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Моисей(Russian)
Pronounced: mə-i-SYAY
Moira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, English
Pronounced: MOI-rə(English)
Anglicized form of
Máire. It also coincides with Greek
Μοῖρα (Moira) meaning "fate, destiny", the singular of
Μοῖραι, the Greek name for the Fates. They were the three female personifications of destiny in Greek
mythology.
Misha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Миша(Russian)
Pronounced: MYEE-shə
Mischa
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Dutch, German
Pronounced: MEE-sha
Dutch and German form of
Misha. It is occasionally used as a feminine name in Dutch.
Merwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch (Rare), Dutch (Antillean, Rare), Dutch (Surinamese, Rare)
Mervyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: MUR-vin(English)
Welsh variant of
Merfyn, as well as the usual Anglicized form.
Mervin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-vin
Meroveus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish (Latinized)
Merlyn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-lin
Variant of
Merlin, sometimes used as a feminine form. It has perhaps been influenced by the Welsh word
merlyn meaning "pony".
Merlin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle, English
Pronounced: MUR-lin(English)
Form of the Welsh name
Myrddin used by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 12th-century chronicle. Writing in Latin, he likely chose the form
Merlinus over
Merdinus in order to prevent associations with French
merde "excrement".
Geoffrey based parts of Merlin's character on Myrddin Wyllt, a legendary madman and prophet who lived in the Caledonian Forest. Other parts of his life were based on that of the historical 5th-century Romano-British military leader Ambrosius Aurelianus (also known as Emrys Wledig). In Geoffrey's version of the tales and later embellishments Merlin is a magician and counselor for King Arthur.
Merdocay
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Jewish, Medieval Spanish
Medieval Judeo-Spanish form of
Mordecai.
Menno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MEH-no
Melvin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Swedish
Pronounced: MEHL-vin(English)
From a Scots surname that was a variant of
Melville. This name has been used in America since the 19th century. It became popular in the early 20th century and reached a peak in the late 1920s, but has steadily declined since then (closely mirroring the similar-sounding but unrelated names
Marvin and
Alvin).
Melville
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-vil
From a Scots surname that was originally from a Norman French place name Malleville meaning "bad town". A famous bearer of the surname was the American author Herman Melville (1819-1891), who wrote several novels including Moby-Dick.
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
From the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Mélodie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MEH-LAW-DEE
Melle
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MEH-lə
Originally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
mahal meaning
"meeting, assembly, court" (Proto-Germanic *
maþlą).
Meint
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MAYNT
Meine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian, Dutch
Pronounced: MAY-nə(Dutch)
Originally a Frisian short form of names beginning with the Old German element
megin meaning
"power, strength" (Proto-Germanic *
mageną).
Meindert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MAYN-dərt
Meinard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: MAY-nahrt
Maurits
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MOW-rits
Maura 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: MAWR-ə(English)
Anglicized form of
Máire. It has also been associated with Irish
mór meaning "great". This was the name of an obscure 5th-century Irish martyr.
Mattis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, German
Pronounced: MA-tis(German)
Norwegian, Swedish and German variant of
Matthias.
Mats
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: MATS(Swedish)
Swedish and Norwegian short form of
Matthias.
Mathias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: MA-TYAS(French) ma-TEE-as(German)
Mateus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese
Pronounced: mu-TEWSH(European Portuguese) ma-TEWS(Brazilian Portuguese)
Marwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: MAR-vin(German) MAHR-vin(Dutch)
German and Dutch variant of
Marvin.
Marvin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: MAHR-vin(English, Dutch) MAR-vin(German)
From an English surname that was derived from the Welsh given name
Merfyn or the Old English name
Mærwine. As an American given name, it steadily rose in popularity through the beginnings of the 20th century and peaked in the early 1930s (closely mirroring the similar-sounding but unrelated name
Melvin). A famous bearer was the American musician Marvin Gaye (1939-1984).
Marten
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MAHR-tən
Dutch form of
Martinus (see
Martin).
Mart
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian, Dutch
Pronounced: MAHRT
Marnix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MAHR-niks
From a Dutch surname, derived from the name of a village in Savoy, France. It is given in honour of the Flemish and Dutch statesman Philips of Marnix (1540-1598), also a notable writer.
Marlowe
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAHR-lo
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "remnants of a lake" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English playwright Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).
Marloes
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: mahr-LOOS
Marlies
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: mahr-LEES(Dutch)
Markus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: MAR-kuws(German) MAR-kuys(Swedish) MAHR-koos(Finnish)
German, Scandinavian, Finnish and Estonian form of
Marcus (see
Mark).
Margus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Pronounced: MAWR-gus
Estonian form of
Marcus (see
Mark).
Marek
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish, Czech, Slovak, Estonian
Pronounced: MA-rehk(Polish, Czech, Slovak)
Polish, Czech and Slovak form of
Mark.
Marculus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
This given name is either a diminutive of
Marcus (as it contains the Latin masculine diminutive suffix
-ulus) or it is an independent name on its own, in which case it is derived from Latin
marculus meaning "small hammer".
This name was borne by the 4th-century Donatist bishop and martyr Marculus of Bagai (located in what was then Numidia, but is now Algeria). He is regarded as a saint by some, and his feast day is on the 25th or 29th of November.
Marculf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic
The first element of this name is derived from either Celtic
marca meaning "horse" (which is
marah in Old High German) or from Germanic
marka meaning "border." The second element comes from Gothic
vulfs meaning "wolf".
This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish missionary and saint, who is better known under the French names Marcou, Marcouf and Marcoul. He is said to have had the power of healing skin diseases (especially scrofula), which he later bestowed upon the Frankish king Childebert I (c. 496-558).
Marcule
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Marcoul
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French
Pronounced: MAR-KOOL(Old French)
Variant form of
Marcoulf, which is the original French form of
Marculf. Also compare the similar-looking name
Marcule.
This given name is no longer in use in France, but it still survives there as a patronymic surname (albeit barely, as the surname is extremely rare there nowadays).
Last but not least, Marcoul is one of the names by which the 6th-century Frankish missionary and saint Marculf is known in France.
Marcouf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French, French (Rare)
Pronounced: MAR-KOOF(Old French, French)
Variant form of
Marcoulf, which is the original French form of
Marculf. This given name is barely in use in France today, so it mostly survives there as a patronymic surname (albeit barely, as the surname is extremely rare there as well).
Last but not least, Marcouf is one of the names by which the 6th-century Frankish missionary and saint Marculf is known in France.
Marcou
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French, French, Walloon
Pronounced: MAR-KOO(Old French, French)
French diminutive of
Marc (as
-ou is a French masculine diminutive suffix) as well as a variant form of
Marcoulf (perhaps via
Marcoul), which is the original French form of
Marculf.
This given name has been in use since medieval times, which is evidenced by the fact that Marcou is also a patronymic surname in France.
Last but not least, Marcou is one of the names by which the 6th-century Frankish missionary and saint Marculf is known in France.
Marcel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Catalan, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German
Pronounced: MAR-SEHL(French) mər-SEHL(Catalan) mar-CHEHL(Romanian) MAR-tsehl(Polish, Czech, Slovak) mahr-SEHL(Dutch) mar-SEHL(German)
Form of
Marcellus used in several languages. Notable bearers include the French author Marcel Proust (1871-1922) and the French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).
Marc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Catalan, Welsh
Pronounced: MARK(French, Catalan)
French, Catalan and Welsh form of
Marcus (see
Mark). This name was borne by the Russian-French artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985).
Mads
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish
Pronounced: MAS
Madis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Mackey
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: MAH-KEE
Transferred from the surname "Mackey". A short version for any name starting with Mac-.
Macdha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Means "virile" or "manly" in Gaelic.
Lyra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: LIE-rə(English)
The name of the constellation in the northern sky containing the star Vega. It is said to be shaped after the lyre of Orpheus. This is the name of the main character in the His Dark Materials series of books by Philip Pullman (beginning 1995).
Ludolf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Rare), Germanic [1]
Pronounced: LOO-dawlf(German)
From the Old German name
Hludolf, which was composed of the elements
hlut meaning "famous, loud" and
wolf meaning "wolf".
Saint Ludolf (or Ludolph) was a 13th-century bishop of Ratzeburg.
Ludo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Flemish
Pronounced: LUY-do
Llŷr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Means
"the sea" in Welsh. According to the
Mabinogi he was the father of
Brân,
Branwen and
Manawydan. His name is
cognate with Irish
Ler, and it is typically assumed that Llŷr may have originally been regarded as a god of the sea. He might also be the basis for the legendary King
Leir of the Britons.
Lir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Pronounced: LEER(English)
Possibly from the patronymic
Manannán mac Lir, in which case
Lir is the genitive case of the name
Ler. The medieval Irish legend the
Children of Lir tells how Lir of the Tuatha Dé Danann had his children transformed into swans by his third wife
Aoife. The legendary characters Lir and Ler seem to be distinct.
Lilian
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, French, Romanian
Pronounced: LIL-ee-ən(English) LEE-LYAHN(French)
English variant of
Lillian, as well as a French and Romanian masculine form.
Liana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, English, Georgian
Other Scripts: ლიანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: LYA-na(Italian)
Short form of
Juliana,
Liliana and other names that end in
liana. This is also the word for a type of vine that grows in jungles.
Leodegarius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish (Latinized)
Latinized form of
Leutgar. This was borne by a 7th-century martyr and bishop of Autun, also known as
Léger.
Léger
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare), Haitian Creole
French form of
Leutgar. Saint Léger, Bishop of Autun was a 7th-century Frankish martyr.
Leanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: lee-AN-ə
Probably this was originally a variant of
Liana. It is now often considered a combination of
Lee and
Anna [1].
Lauri
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: LOW-ree(Finnish)
Finnish and Estonian form of
Laurentius (see
Laurence 1).
Landolin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, German
This name is a pet form of names beginning with the Germanic element "land-", such as
Landfrid and
Landolf.
Lailoken
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
From medieval Latin
Laloecen, possibly related to Welsh
llallo meaning
"brother, friend". This name appears in medieval tales about
Saint Kentigern, borne by a prophetic madman at the court of
Rhydderch Hael. He may form a basis for
Myrddin, who is addressed as
llallogan by his sister
Gwenddydd in the
Red Book of Hergest.
Labhrás
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: LUW-ras
Kristo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Albanian, Estonian
Short form of
Kristofor (Albanian) or
Kristjan (Estonian).
Saint Kristo the Gardiner (also called
Christos) was an Albanian martyred in Constantinople in 1748.
Kristo
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Georgian
Other Scripts: ქრისტო(Georgian)
Kohen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KO-ən
Klaos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Limburgish
Pronounced: KLAWS
Kerman
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: kehr-MAN
Kastor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Κάστωρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KAS-TAWR(Classical Greek)
Kaspar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Estonian
Pronounced: KAS-par(German)
German and Estonian form of
Jasper.
Karel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, Czech, Slovene
Pronounced: KA-rəl(Dutch, Slovene) KA-rehl(Czech)
Dutch, Czech and Slovene form of
Charles.
Kanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 栞菜, 環那, etc.(Japanese Kanji) かんな(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KAN-NA
From Japanese
栞 (kan) meaning "bookmark" and
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Kalevi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: KAH-leh-vee(Finnish)
Kaleva
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: KAH-leh-vah(Finnish)
From the name of the mythological ancestor of the Finns, which is of unknown meaning. The name of the Finnish epic the Kalevala means "the land of Kaleva".
Kalev 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Estonian form of
Kaleva. This is the name of a character (the father of Kalevipoeg) in the Estonian epic poem
Kalevipoeg.
Kalev 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: כָּלֵב(Ancient Hebrew)
Julian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Polish, German
Pronounced: JOO-lee-ən(English) JOOL-yən(English) YOO-lyan(Polish) YOO-lee-an(German)
From the Roman name
Iulianus, which was derived from
Julius. This was the name of the last pagan Roman emperor, Julian the Apostate (4th century). It was also borne by several early
saints, including the legendary Saint Julian the Hospitaller. This name has been used in England since the Middle Ages, at which time it was also a feminine name (from
Juliana, eventually becoming
Gillian).
Juhana
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: YOO-hah-nah
Finnish form of
Iohannes (see
John).
Jone 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Fijian, Norwegian
Fijian form of
John, as well as a Norwegian variant form.
John
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Biblical
Pronounced: JAHN(American English) JAWN(British English, Dutch) YAWN(Swedish, Norwegian)
English form of
Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name
Ἰωάννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name
יוֹחָנָן (Yoḥanan). It means
"Yahweh is gracious", from the roots
יוֹ (yo) referring to the Hebrew God and
חָנַן (ḥanan) meaning "to be gracious". The Hebrew form occurs in the
Old Testament (spelled
Johanan or
Jehohanan in the English version), but this name owes its popularity to two
New Testament characters, both highly revered
saints. The first is John the Baptist, a Jewish ascetic who is considered the forerunner of
Jesus. He baptized Jesus and was later executed by
Herod Antipas. The second is the apostle John, who is traditionally regarded as the author of the fourth gospel and Revelation. With the apostles
Peter and
James (John's brother), he was part of the inner circle of Jesus.
This name was initially more common among Eastern Christians in the Byzantine Empire, but it flourished in Western Europe after the First Crusade. In England it became extremely popular, typically being the most common male name from the 13th to the 20th century (but sometimes outpaced by William). During the later Middle Ages it was given to approximately a fifth of all English boys. In the United States it was the most common name for boys until 1923.
The name (in various spellings) has been borne by 21 popes and eight Byzantine emperors, as well as rulers of England, France, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Russia and Hungary. It was also borne by the poet John Milton (1608-1674), philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), American founding father and president John Adams (1735-1826), and poet John Keats (1795-1821). Famous bearers of the 20th century include author John Steinbeck (1902-1968), assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), and musician John Lennon (1940-1980).
The forms Ian (Scottish), Sean (Irish) and Evan (Welsh) have also been frequently used in the English-speaking world, as has the medieval diminutive Jack.
Johan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: YOO-an(Swedish) YUW-hahn(Norwegian) YO-hahn(Dutch)
Scandinavian and Dutch form of
Iohannes (see
John). A famous bearer was the Dutch soccer player Johan Cruyff (1947-2016).
Jock
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish [1]
Pronounced: JAHK(English)
Scots form of
Jack. Among the English, this is a slang term for a Scotsman.
Jeroen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: yə-ROON
Dutch form of
Hieronymos (see
Jerome).
Jelle
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian, Dutch
Pronounced: YEH-lə(Dutch)
Originally a Frisian short form of names beginning with the Old German element
gelt meaning
"payment, tribute, compensation". It can also be a Dutch
diminutive of
Willem.
Jaques
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: JAY-kweez(English)
Variant of
Jacques used by Shakespeare for a character in his play
As You Like It (1599).
Janek
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian, Polish, Czech
Pronounced: YA-nehk(Polish, Czech)
James
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JAYMZ(English)
English form of the Late Latin name
Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form
Iacobus, from the Hebrew name
Yaʿaqov (see
Jacob). This was the name of two apostles in the
New Testament. The first was
Saint James the Greater, the apostle
John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of
Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of
Jesus.
This name has been used in England since the 13th century, though it became more common in Scotland where it was borne by several kings. In the 17th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. In American name statistics (recorded since 1880) this name has never been out of the top 20, making it arguably the era's most consistently popular name. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States from 1940 to 1952.
Famous bearers include the English explorer James Cook (1728-1779), the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819), and the Irish novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming in 1953.
Jakov
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Јаков(Serbian, Macedonian)
Serbian, Croatian and Macedonian form of
Jacob (or
James).
Jakob
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Slovene
Pronounced: YA-kawp(German, Icelandic, Dutch) YAH-kawp(Swedish, Norwegian) YAH-kob(Danish)
Form of
Jacob (or
James) used in several languages.
Jakes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: YA-kehs
Jacques
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHAK
Jackson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAK-sən
From an English surname meaning
"son of Jack". A famous bearer of the surname was American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845).
Jack
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAK
Derived from
Jackin (earlier
Jankin), a medieval
diminutive of
John [1]. There could be some early influence from the unrelated French name
Jacques [2]. It is often regarded as an independent name. During the Middle Ages it was very common, and it became a slang word meaning "man", as seen in the terms
jack-o'-lantern,
jack-in-the-box,
lumberjack and so on. It was frequently used in fairy tales and nursery rhymes, such as
Jack and the Beanstalk,
Jack and Jill,
Little Jack Horner, and
Jack Sprat.
American writers Jack London (1876-1916) and Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) were two famous bearers of this name. It is also borne by the actor Jack Nicholson (1937-) and the golfer Jack Nicklaus (1940-). Apart from Nicklaus, none of these famous bearers were given the name Jack at birth.
In the United Kingdom this form has been bestowed more frequently than John since the 1990s, being the most popular name for boys from 1996 to 2008.
Jachin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: יָכִין(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JAY-kin(English)
Means
"he establishes" in Hebrew, derived from
כּוּן (kun) meaning "to establish". This was the name of a son of
Simeon in the
Old Testament. It was also the name of one of the two pillars that stood outside Solomon's Temple,
Boaz being the other.
Ivar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian
Pronounced: EE-var(Swedish) EE-vahr(Norwegian)
Scandinavian form of
Ivor.
Isoard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish, Old High German
Derived from Old Saxon, Old High German
isarn "iron" and Old High German
wart "guard, ward".
Isbrand
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Isarn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French, Frankish
From Old Saxon, Old High German
isarn meaning "iron".
Inkeri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: EENG-keh-ree
Ingrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: ING-rid(Swedish) ING-ri(Norwegian) ING-grit(German) ING-greet(German) ING-ghrit(Dutch)
From the Old Norse name
Ingríðr meaning
"Ing is beautiful", derived from the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with
fríðr "beautiful, beloved". A famous bearer was the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982).
Ingerman
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish
Ingerman (c. 750-818), was a Frankish noble and Count of Hesbaye, son of Sigram of Hesbaye and grandson of Sigramnus of Hesbaye. Ingerman married Rotrude, of unknown parentage. Ingerman and Rotrude had one daughter, Ermengarde, who married into the Frankish royal family, the Carolingians, and was the first wife of King Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne.
Inger
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Inga
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Estonian, Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian, German, Polish, Russian, Old Norse [1][2], Germanic [3]
Other Scripts: Инга(Russian)
Pronounced: ING-ah(Swedish) ING-ga(German) EENG-ga(Polish) EEN-gə(Russian)
Strictly feminine form of
Inge.
Indra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Nepali, Indonesian
Other Scripts: इन्द्र(Sanskrit, Nepali) इन्द्र, इंद्र(Hindi)
Pronounced: IN-drə(English) EEN-dra(Indonesian)
Means
"possessing drops of rain" from Sanskrit
इन्दु (indu) meaning "a drop" and
र (ra) meaning "acquiring, possessing". Indra is the name of the ancient Hindu warrior god of the sky and rain, frequently depicted riding the elephant Airavata. He is the chief god in the
Rigveda.
Ilmarinen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: EEL-mah-ree-nehn(Finnish)
Derived from Finnish
ilma meaning
"air". Ilmarinen is an immortal smith in Finnish
mythology, the creator of the sky and the magic mill known as the Sampo. He is one of the main characters in the Finnish epic the
Kalevala.
Ilmari
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: EEL-mah-ree
Ilmar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Ilarion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian (Rare), Macedonian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Иларион(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Bulgarian and Macedonian form of
Hilarion.
Ilari
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: EE-lah-ree
Idunn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Norwegian
Norwegian variant form of
Iðunn.
Idun
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Swedish, Norwegian
Modern Scandinavian form of
Iðunn.
Idonea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Medieval English name, probably a Latinized form of
Iðunn. The spelling may have been influenced by Latin
idonea "suitable". It was common in England from the 12th century
[1].
Hyrum
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: HIE-rəm
Variant of
Hiram. This name was borne by Hyrum Smith (1800-1844), an early leader within the Mormon Church.
Hydra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὕδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HIE-drə(English)
Means
"water serpent" in Greek, related to
ὕδωρ (hydor) meaning "water". In Greek
myth this was the name of a many-headed Lernaean serpent slain by
Herakles. It is also the name of a northern constellation, as well as a moon of Pluto.
Hubert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, French, Polish, Czech, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: HYOO-bərt(English) HOO-behrt(German) HUY-bərt(Dutch) UY-BEHR(French) KHOO-behrt(Polish)
Means
"bright heart", derived from the Old German elements
hugu "mind, thought, spirit" and
beraht "bright".
Saint Hubert was an 8th-century bishop of Maastricht who is considered the patron saint of hunters. The
Normans brought the name to England, where it replaced an Old English
cognate Hygebeorht. It died out during the Middle Ages but was revived in the 19th century
[2].
Hiram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: חִירָם(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: HIE-rəm(English)
From Phoenician
𐤇𐤓𐤌 (Ḥirom) meaning
"exalted brother". This was the name of a king of Tyre according to the
Old Testament. He may have reigned in the 10th century BC. As an English given name,
Hiram came into use after the
Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century the
Puritans brought it to America, where it gained some currency.
Himerius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Himerius of Immertal (d. ca. 620 AD) was a monk, hermit, and missionary in the Swiss Jura.
Hilderic
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Derived from the Old German elements
hilt "battle" and
rih "ruler, king". Hilderic was a 6th-century king of the Vandals. This name was also borne by three early Merovingian Frankish kings, though their name is usually spelled as
Childeric.
Herta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: HEHR-ta
Herodias
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἡρῳδιάς, Ἡρωδιάς(Ancient Greek)
Feminine form of
Herod. This was the name of a member of the Herodian ruling family of Judea, a sister of Herod Agrippa and the wife of Herod Antipas. She appears in the
New Testament, where she contrives to have her husband Antipas imprison and execute John the Baptist.
Herodes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἡρῴδης, Ἡρώδης(Ancient Greek)
Latin form of
Herod, as well as the usual Biblical Greek transcription of
Ἡρῴδης: after the classical period, the
ι in the sequence
ωι (often written as a subscript like
ῳ) was not pronounced.
Hermanus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, Germanic (Latinized)
Pronounced: hehr-MA-nuys(Dutch)
Latinized form of
Herman. As a Dutch name, it is used on birth certificates, with the form
Herman typically used in daily life.
Hermanni
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: HEHR-mahn-nee
Herbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Czech, Swedish, French
Pronounced: HUR-bərt(English) HEHR-behrt(German) HEHR-bərt(Dutch) HAR-bat(Swedish) EHR-BEHR(French)
Derived from the Old German elements
heri "army" and
beraht "bright". It was borne by two Merovingian Frankish kings, usually called
Charibert. The
Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced an Old English
cognate Herebeorht. In the course of the Middle Ages it became rare, but it was revived in the 19th century.
This name was borne by a few medieval saints, including a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon priest and an 11th-century archbishop of Cologne.
Henryka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: khehn-RI-ka
Polish feminine form of
Heinrich (see
Henry).
Henrika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian, Swedish (Rare)
Pronounced: hehn-REE-kah(Swedish)
Lithuanian and Swedish feminine form of
Henrik.
Henriett
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: HEHN-ree-eht
Henk
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: HENGK
Hendrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: hehn-DREE-na
Hendrika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: hehn-DREE-ka
Heino
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: HIE-no(German) HAY-no(Finnish)
German form of
Haimo (see
Hamo).
Heiki
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian [1]
Pronounced: HAY-kee
Estonian form of
Heinrich (see
Henry).
Heaven
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HEHV-ən
From the English vocabulary word meaning "paradise". It is derived via Middle English hevene from Old English heofon "sky".
Hauke
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian, German
Frisian short form of Old German given names containing the element
hugu meaning
"mind, thought, spirit".
Harriette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAR-ee-it, HEHR-ee-it
Harriet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAR-ee-it, HEHR-ee-it
English form of
Henriette, and thus a feminine form of
Harry. It was first used in the 17th century, becoming very common in the English-speaking world by the 18th century. Famous bearers include the Americans Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), the author of
Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913).
Harold
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAR-əld, HEHR-əld
From the Old English name
Hereweald, derived from the elements
here "army" and
weald "powerful, mighty". The Old Norse
cognate Haraldr was also common among Scandinavian settlers in England. This was the name of five kings of Norway and three kings of Denmark. It was also borne by two kings of England, both of whom were from mixed Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon backgrounds, including Harold II who lost the Battle of Hastings (and was killed in it), which led to the
Norman Conquest. After the conquest the name died out, but it was eventually revived in the 19th century.
Harm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: HAHRM
Harald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, German
Pronounced: HAH-rahl(Norwegian, Danish) HA-ralt(German)
Scandinavian and German
cognate of
Harold, from the Old Norse elements
herr and
valdr and the Old German elements
heri and
walt. This was the name of several kings of Norway and Denmark.
Hans
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: HANS(German) HAHNS(Dutch)
German short form of
Johannes, now used independently. This name has been very common in German-speaking areas of Europe since the late Middle Ages. From an early period it was transmitted to the Low Countries and Scandinavia. Two famous bearers were Hans Holbein (1497-1543), a German portrait painter, and Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), a Danish writer of fairy tales.
Hank
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HANGK
Originally a short form of
Hankin, which was a medieval
diminutive of
John. Since the 17th century in the United States this name has also been used as a diminutive of
Henry, probably under the influence of the Dutch diminutive
Henk. A famous bearer is the American former baseball player Hank Aaron (1934-2021).
Hamnet
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Diminutive of
Hamo. This was the name of a son of Shakespeare who died in childhood. His death may have provided the inspiration for his father's play
Hamlet.
Halle 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian (Rare)
From the Old Norse name
Halli, a
diminutive of names containing the element
hallr meaning "rock".
Halle 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HAL-ee
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).
Hall
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAWL
From a surname that was derived from Old English heall "manor, hall", originally belonging to a person who lived or worked in a manor.
Gundemar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic, History
Means "famous war", derived from Old High German gund "war" combined with Old High German mâri "famous." Gundemar I was a 7th-century king of the Visigoths in Hispania.
Gummarus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish (Latinized), Germanic (Latinized), History (Ecclesiastical), Dutch (Rare), Flemish (Rare)
Latinization of the Germanic name
Gummar, of which the first element is either
gumô meaning "man" or
gunda meaning "battle, war" (compare
Gundemar). In addition to these, one source also connects the first element to
got meaning "god" and
guot meaning "good". The second element of the name consists of
mari meaning "famous".
This name was notably borne by a Frankish saint from the 8th century AD. He lived near what is now the city of Lier in Flanders (Belgium) and is also the patron saint of that city.
Guarniero
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: gwar-NYEH-ro
Grendel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon Mythology
The name of monster from Old English heroic epic poem "Beowulf".
Godfried
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: GHAWT-freet
Gladwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: GLAD-win
From a surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Glædwine.
Giso
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish, German (Rare), Medieval English
Pronounced: GEE-zo(German)
Derived from Proto-Germanic *
gaisa, *
gaiza meaning "arrow". It is also used in modern German as a short form of names that begin with
Gis- such as
Gisbert. This was borne by Giso or Gisa of Lorraine (died 1088), a medieval bishop of Wells in England.
Gillespie
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish (Rare)
Gideon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, English, Dutch
Other Scripts: גִּדְעוֹן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: GID-ee-ən(English) GHEE-deh-awn(Dutch)
From the Hebrew name
גִּדְעוֹן (Giḏʿon) meaning
"feller, hewer", derived from
גָּדַע (gaḏaʿ) meaning "to cut, to hew"
[1]. Gideon is a hero and judge of the
Old Testament. He led the vastly outnumbered Israelites against the Midianites, defeated them, and killed their two kings. In the English-speaking world,
Gideon has been used as a given name since the
Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the
Puritans.
Gerulf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Derived from Old German
ger meaning "spear" and
wolf meaning "wolf". This was the name of an 8th-century
saint and martyr from Drongen, Belgium.
Gerrit
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, Frisian
Pronounced: GHEH-rit(Dutch)
Dutch and Frisian form of
Gerard.
Gerolt
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: GHEH-rawlt
Germanus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Roman
cognomen meaning
"brother" in Latin. This was the name of several early
saints.
Germanicus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Roman name derived from
Germania, traditionally the area north of the Roman Empire inhabited by early Germanic tribes. This was the
agnomen of the Roman general Decimus Claudius Drusus, given posthumously because of his victories in Germania in the 1st century BC. It was also given to his young son, Germanicus Julius Caesar, later a successful general in his own right, who is known to history as simply Germanicus.
German
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Герман(Russian)
Pronounced: GYEHR-mən
Germain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHEHR-MEHN
Gerlof
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: GHEHR-lawf
Gerlach
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Rare), Germanic [1]
Pronounced: GHEHR-lahkh(Dutch)
Derived from the Old German element
ger "spear" combined with (possibly)
lahhi "doctor, healer".
Saint Gerlach was a 12th-century Dutch soldier who became a hermit.
Gerben
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: GHEHR-bən
Derived from the Germanic elements
ger meaning "spear" and
bern meaning "bear".
Gerasimos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, Late Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Γεράσιμος(Greek)
Derived from Greek
γέρας (geras) meaning
"honour, gift".
Saint Gerasimus was a 5th-century hermit who lived near the Jordan River.
Gerasim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Герасим(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of
Gerasimos.
Geneviève
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHU-NU-VYEHV, ZHUN-VYEHV
From the medieval name
Genovefa, which is of uncertain origin. It could be derived from the Germanic elements *
kunją "clan, family, lineage" and *
wībą "wife, woman". Alternatively it could be of Gaulish origin, from the related Celtic element *
genos "kin, family" combined with a second element of unknown meaning. This name was borne by
Saint Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, who inspired the city to resist the Huns in the 5th century.
Genadi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Генади(Bulgarian) გენადი(Georgian)
Gemini
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Astronomy
Pronounced: GEH-mee-nee(Latin) JEHM-i-nie(English)
Means
"twins" in Latin. This is the name of the third sign of the zodiac. The two brightest stars in the constellation,
Castor and
Pollux, are named for the mythological twin sons of
Leda.
Ganizani
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Chewa
Pronounced: gah-nee-ZAH-nee
Means "think" in Chewa.
Ganix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: GA-neesh
Basque variant form of
John.
Fynn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Modern)
Fulko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish (Rare)
Frits
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: FRITS
Frederik
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: FREDH-rehg(Danish) FREH-də-rik(Dutch)
Danish and Dutch form of
Frederick. This was the name of nine kings of Denmark over the past 500 years, alternating each generation with the name Christian.
Frans
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
Pronounced: FRAHNS(Dutch, Finnish)
Dutch, Scandinavian and Finnish form of
Franciscus (see
Francis).
Fotis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Φώτης(Greek)
Fotini
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Φωτεινή(Greek)
Floris
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: FLO-ris
Dutch form of
Florentius (see
Florence).
Fitzhugh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American)
Transferred use of the surname
Fitzhugh.
Finn 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, German
Pronounced: FIN(Danish)
From the Old Norse name Finnr, which meant "Sámi, person from Finland".
Filiz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: fee-LEEZ
Means
"sprout, shoot" in Turkish (borrowed from Greek
φυλλίς (phyllis)).
Filip
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Romanian, Finnish
Other Scripts: Филип(Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: FEE-lip(Dutch) FI-lip(Czech) FEE-leep(Slovak, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Romanian, Finnish)
Form of
Philip in various languages.
Filiberto
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: fee-lee-BEHR-to
Filbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Eastern African
Possibly a form of
Philibert. It is particularly used in Tanzania due to track star Filbert Bayi (1953-), who set a world record running the 1500 meter in 1974.
Filadelfo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Fiacre
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare)
Ewout
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: EH-vowt
Ewald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: EH-valt(German) EH-vahlt(Dutch)
From an Old German name that was composed of the elements
ewa "law, custom" and
walt "power, authority". This name was borne by two 7th-century
saints from Northumbria who were martyred in Saxony.
Everwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English
Evander 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: ee-VAN-dər(English) ə-VAN-dər(English)
Etzel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic Mythology
Form of
Attila used in the medieval German saga the
Nibelungenlied. In the story Etzel is a fictional version of Attila the Hun.
Etele
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: EH-teh-leh
Probably a Hungarian form of
Etzel.
Ervin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian, Albanian, Croatian, Estonian
Pronounced: EHR-veen(Hungarian)
Hungarian, Albanian, Croatian and Estonian form of
Erwin.
Ernst
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Pronounced: EHRNST(German, Dutch) ANSD(Danish) EHRNSHT(Swedish)
German, Dutch and Scandinavian form of
Ernest.
Erik
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian, German, Dutch, English, Spanish
Pronounced: EH-rik(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, German, Dutch) EH-reek(Finnish, Slovak, Slovene, Hungarian, Spanish) EHR-ik(English)
Scandinavian form of
Eric. This was the name of kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. King Erik IX of Sweden (12th century) is the patron
saint of that country.
Enos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: אֱנוֹשׁ(Ancient Hebrew) Ἐνώς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EE-nahs(English)
Form of
Enosh used in some versions of the Bible (including the King James Version).
Endla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Estonian [1]
Pronounced: ENT-lah
From the name of an Estonian lake, which often appears in folk poetry. The lake's name is ultimately derived from the medieval personal name Ent or Endo.
Endel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian [1]
Pronounced: EHN-dehl
Emrys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EHM-ris
Welsh form of
Ambrose. Emrys Wledig (or Ambrosius Aurelianus) was a Romano-British military leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. Tales of his life were used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth to help shape the early character of
Merlin, whom he called Merlinus Ambrosius in Latin.
Emiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: eh-MEEL
Dutch form of
Aemilius (see
Emil).
Emerenz
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Upper German (Rare)
Emerens
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Elvar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Icelandic
Elspeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: EHLS-peth
Ellar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Anglicized form of
Ealar.
Elizaveta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Елизавета(Russian)
Pronounced: yi-lyi-zu-VYEH-tə, i-lyi-zu-VYEH-tə
Eldarion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Means "son of the Eldar" or "son of the Elves". In J.R.R. Tolkien's appendixes within 'The Return of the King', Eldarion is the son of Aragorn and Arwen. He succeeds Aragorn as 'High King' of the two realms his father reunited.
Eldari
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Georgian
Other Scripts: ელდარი(Georgian)
Form of
Eldar with the Georgian nominative suffix -ი
(-i). It is only used in Georgian when the name is written stand-alone.
Eldar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Azerbaijani, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Georgian
Other Scripts: Элдар(Kyrgyz) Эльдар(Kazakh) ელდარ(Georgian)
From Turkic
el meaning "country, society" combined with the Persian suffix
دار (dār) meaning "possessor".
Egori
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Егор(Russian)
Pronounced: ye-GOR
Variant transcription of
Yegor.
Egor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Егор(Russian)
Pronounced: ye-GOR
Russian variant transcription of
Yegor.
Egbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: EHG-bərt(English) EKH-bərt(Dutch)
Means
"bright edge" from the Old English elements
ecg "edge, blade" and
beorht "bright". This was the name of kings of Kent and Wessex as well as two English
saints. The name was rarely used after the
Norman Conquest but was revived in the 19th century.
Edwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: EHD-win(English) EHT-vin(Dutch)
Means
"rich friend", from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wine "friend". This was the name of a 7th-century Northumbrian king, regarded as a
saint. After the
Norman Conquest the name was not popular, but it was eventually revived in the 19th century. A notable bearer was the astronaut Edwin Aldrin (1930-), also known as
Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon.
Edwick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ED-wik
Edvin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian
Pronounced: EHD-vin(Swedish) EHD-veen(Finnish, Hungarian)
Scandinavian, Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian form of
Edwin.
Ecbertus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon (Latinized)
Dutch
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DUCH
From a nickname given to Americans of German descent (though nowadays it refers to a person from the Netherlands). It is related to deutsch, the German word meaning "German".
Duke
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DOOK
From the noble title duke, which was originally derived from Latin dux "leader".
Dugald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Dougal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic name
Dubhghall meaning
"dark stranger", from Old Irish
dub "dark" and
gall "stranger". This name was borne by a few medieval Scottish chiefs.
Doruk
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: do-ROOK
Means "mountaintop" in Turkish.
Dirk
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, Low German, German, English
Pronounced: DIRK(Dutch, German) DURK(English)
Dutch and Low German short form of
Diederik. This name was borne by several counts of Frisia and Holland, beginning in the 10th century. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by actor Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999), who had some Dutch ancestry. This is also the Scots word for a type of dagger.
Diederik
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: DEE-də-rik
Delyth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
From an elaboration of Welsh
del "pretty". This is a recently created name.
Deidre
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEE-drə
Daley
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare), Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: DAY-lee(English) DEH-lee(Dutch)
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Dálaigh, itself derived from the given name
Dálach. Its recent popularity in the Netherlands can be attributed to the Dutch soccer player Daley Blind (1990-).
Dakota
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: də-KO-tə
From the name of the Native American people of the northern Mississippi Valley, or from the two American states that were named for them: North and South Dakota (until 1889 unified as the Dakota Territory). The tribal name means
"allies, friends" in the Dakota language.
It was rare as an American given name before 1975. In the mid-1980s it began growing in popularity for boys after a character by this name began appearing on the soap opera Ryan's Hope. It is now more common as a feminine name, probably due to the fame of the actress Dakota Fanning (1994-).
Criou
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French
Pronounced: KREE-OO(Old French)
Variant form of
Cariou, which is a short form of
Carioulf, itself a variant form of
Charioulf, which is the original French form of
Chariulf. Alternatively, this name is a short form of
Crioult, which is a variant form of the aforementioned Carioulf.
This is one of the names by which the obscure 6th-century Frankish saint Chariulf (often found written as Cariulf) is known in France. He was a disciple of the Frankish missionary and saint Marculf (better known under the French names Marcou, Marcouf and Marcoul), who died either on the same day as he did, or several days afterwards. As a result, they were buried together (along with an other disciple of Marculf's) in the same tomb in the abbey of Nanteuil, which was located in the diocese of Coutances in the Cotentin Peninsula of Normandy.
Cosmo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, English
Pronounced: KAWZ-mo(Italian) KAHZ-mo(English)
Italian variant of
Cosimo. It was introduced to Britain in the 18th century by the second Scottish Duke of Gordon, who named his son and successor after his friend Cosimo III de' Medici. On the American sitcom
Seinfeld (1989-1998) this was the seldom-used first name of Jerry's neighbour Kramer.
Constant
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Dutch (Rare), English (Rare)
Pronounced: KAWN-STAHN(French) KAWN-stahnt(Dutch) KAHN-stənt(English)
From the Late Latin name
Constans. It was also used by the
Puritans as a vocabulary name, from the English word
constant.
Cohen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KO-ən
From a common Jewish surname that was derived from Hebrew
כֹּהֵן (kohen) meaning
"priest". This surname was traditionally associated with the hereditary priests who claimed descent from the biblical
Aaron.
Chauncey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHAWN-see
From a Norman surname of unknown meaning. It was used as a given name in America in honour of Harvard president Charles Chauncey (1592-1672).
Chase
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHAYS
From an English surname meaning "chase, hunt" in Middle English, originally a nickname for a huntsman.
Chariulf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish
Frankish form of
Hariulf. Also compare the similar-looking names
Garulf and
Gerulf, which can easily get confused with this name and vice versa.
This name was borne by a 6th-century Frankish nobleman as well as by an obscure saint, who was one of the disciples of the Frankish missionary and saint Marculf (c. 490-558). The disciple in question is better known under the French names Cariulphe and Criou.
Chance
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHANS
Originally a
diminutive of
Chauncey. It is now usually given in reference to the English word
chance meaning "luck, fortune" (ultimately derived from Latin
cadens "falling").
Castor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κάστωρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KAS-tər(English)
From the Greek name
Κάστωρ (Kastor), possibly related to
κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning
"to excel, to shine" (pluperfect
κέκαστο). Alternatively it could be derived from the Greek word
κάστωρ (kastor) meaning
"beaver", though the legends about Castor do not mention beavers, which were foreign animals to the Greeks. In Greek
myth Castor was a son of
Zeus and the twin brother of
Pollux. The constellation Gemini, which represents the two brothers, contains a star by this name.
Casper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: KAHS-pər(Dutch) KAHS-pehr(Swedish) KAS-bu(Danish)
Dutch and Scandinavian form of
Jasper. This is the name of a friendly ghost in an American series of cartoons and comic books (beginning 1945).
Caroline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: KA-RAW-LEEN(French) KAR-ə-lien(English) KAR-ə-lin(English) ka-ro-LEE-nə(German, Dutch) ka-ro-LEEN(Dutch)
Cariulphe
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French
Pronounced: KA-REE-UYLF(Old French)
French form of
Cariulphus, which is the latinized form of both
Chariulf and its variant form
Cariulf.
This is one of the names by which the obscure 6th-century Frankish saint Chariulf (often found written as Cariulf) is known in France. He was a disciple of the Frankish missionary and saint Marculf (better known under the French names Marcou, Marcouf and Marcoul), who died either on the same day as he did, or several days afterwards. As a result, they were buried together (along with an other disciple of Marculf's) in the same tomb in the abbey of Nanteuil, which was located in the diocese of Coutances in the Cotentin Peninsula of Normandy.
Carel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: KA-rəl
Caelestis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Late Latin name meaning "of the sky, heavenly", a derivative of Latin caelum "heaven, sky".
Brecht
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: BREKHT
Short form of names containing
brecht, often derived from the Old German element
beraht meaning "bright".
Bram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: BRAM(English) BRAHM(Dutch)
Short form of
Abraham. This name was borne by Bram Stoker (1847-1912), the Irish author who wrote
Dracula.
Brádach
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Irish [1]
Pronounced: BRA-dəkh(Irish)
Irish byname, possibly derived from bradach meaning "thieving, roguish, spirited".
Boyne
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BOIN
Transferred use of the surname
Boyne.
Boyd
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BOID
From a Scottish surname that was possibly derived from the name of the island of Bute (Bód in Gaelic).
Boyce
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BOIS
From an English surname that was derived from Old French bois "wood".
Bowie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: BO-ee(English) BOO-ee(English)
From a Scottish surname, derived from Gaelic
buidhe meaning
"yellow". It has been used as a given name in honour of the British musician David Bowie (1947-2016), born David Robert Jones, who took his
stage name from the American pioneer James Bowie (1796-1836), though with a different pronunciation.
Boutros
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Coptic
Other Scripts: بطرس(Arabic)
Pronounced: BOOT-roos(Arabic)
Alternate transcription of Arabic
بطرس (see
Butrus).
Boso
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frankish
Germanic given name of uncertain meaning. Some sources state that it is a short form of Germanic given names that contain the element
boto meaning "bid, offer" (such as
Bodegisel - also compare
Bode), whilst others state that it is a short form of Germanic given names that contain the element
burg meaning "protection", such as
Burghard (see
Burchard). Also compare somewhat similar names, such as
Anso,
Gero and
Odo, all of which are short forms of Germanic given names that start with a certain element.
Other sources derive the name from Old High German bôsi meaning "evil", which ultimately comes from Proto-Germanic *bausuz meaning "bad" as well as "inflated, swollen" and "proud, arrogant" (compare the English verb to boast). One source has even linked the name to ancient Greek φόως (phoos) meaning "(to) the light (of day)", but that seems to be a bit of a stretch.
With that said, a known bearer of this name was the 6th-century Frankish duke Bodegisel (also found written as Bodogisel), who is said to have been known by the nicknames Boggis and Boso. Other bearers include the Frankish nobleman and king Boso of Provence (9th century AD) and the German bishop Boso of Merseburg (10th century AD).
Bors
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: BAWRZ(English)
From French
Bohort, probably from Old French
behort or
bohort meaning
"jousting" or
"jousting lance" [1][2]. First appearing in the 13th-century
Lancelot-Grail Cycle, Bors was one of Arthur's knights who quested for the Holy Grail. His father, the king of Gaunnes, was also named Bors.
Boro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Боро(Serbian)
Borko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Serbian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Борко(Serbian, Macedonian)
Booker
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BUWK-ər
From an English occupational surname meaning "maker of books". A famous bearer was Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an African-American leader.
Bono
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Judeo-Italian (Archaic), Medieval Jewish
Bonafilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Jewish, Judeo-Spanish (Archaic), Judeo-Provençal (Archaic), Judeo-Catalan (Archaic), Medieval Jewish
Derived from Latin bona, the feminine form of the adjective bonus, "good; kind; noble" and filia "daughter".
Due to its meaning, Bonafilia was used as an amuletic name.
Boaz
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Dutch, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: בֹּעַז(Hebrew)
Pronounced: BO-az(English) BO-ahz(Dutch)
Means
"swiftness" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of the man who marries
Ruth. This was also the name of one of the two pillars that stood outside Solomon's Temple (with
Jachin).
Boann
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Possibly from Old Irish
bó "cow" and
finn "white, blessed". In Irish
mythology this was the name of the goddess of the River Boyne, which is named for her. She was the wife of
Nechtan and the father of
Aonghus (by
Dagda).
Blaze
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BLAYZ
Modern variant of
Blaise influenced by the English word
blaze.
Blai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: BLIE
Catalan form of
Blasius (see
Blaise).
Beryl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHR-əl
From the English word for the clear or pale green precious stone, ultimately deriving from Sanskrit. As a given name, it first came into use in the 19th century.
Bernadeta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: behr-na-DEH-ta
Berendina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Berend
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: BEH-rənt
Bercharius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic (Latinized), Frankish (Latinized)
Latinized form of
Berchar. Used by a 7th century saint.
Bellatrix
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: bə-LAY-triks(English) BEHL-ə-triks(English)
Means "female warrior" in Latin. This is the name of the star that marks the left shoulder of the constellation Orion.
Bele
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Judeo-Anglo-Norman, Judeo-French
Derived from Old French bele, the feminine form of the adjective biau, bel "graceful, elegant, courteous; noble; handsome; beautiful".
Beau
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: BO
Means
"beautiful, handsome" in French. It has been used as a given name since the middle of the 20th century. In Margaret Mitchell's novel
Gone with the Wind (1936) this is the name of Ashley and Melanie's son.
Although this is a grammatically masculine adjective in French, it is given to girls as well as boys in Britain and the Netherlands. In America it is more exclusively masculine. It is not commonly used as a name in France itself.
Basseva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Judeo-Spanish, Judeo-French, Judeo-Anglo-Norman
Judeo-Spanish, Judeo-French and Judeo-Anglo-Norman form of
Batsheva.
Barend
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: BA-rənt
Azra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Turkish, Bosnian, Persian, Urdu
Other Scripts: عذراء(Arabic) عذرا(Persian, Urdu)
Pronounced: ‘adh-RA(Arabic)
Means "virgin, maiden" in Arabic.
Azalaïs
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Occitan
Attila
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History, Hungarian, Turkish
Pronounced: ə-TIL-ə(English) AW-teel-law(Hungarian)
Probably means
"little father" from Gothic
atta "father" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 5th-century leader of the Huns, a nomadic people from Central Asia who had expanded into Eastern Europe by the 4th century.
Attila was likely the name given to him by his Gothic-speaking subjects in Eastern Europe; his real name may have been Avitohol.
Atli
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Icelandic
Old Norse form of
Attila, used in the Norse
Völsungasaga to refer to a fictional version of Attila the Hun.
Atle
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
Atilla
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Atila
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Astore
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Derived from the Italian noun
astore meaning "goshawk", which effectively makes this name an Italian cognate of
Astor.
A known bearer of this name was the Italian trumpeter and composer Astore Pittana (1912-2010).
Asser
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Finnish, Judeo-Anglo-Norman, Judeo-Catalan
Pronounced: AHS-ser(Biblical Finnish)
Judeo-Catalan, Judeo-Anglo-Norman and Finnish form of
Asher.
Arvo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: AHR-vo(Finnish)
Means "value, worth" in Finnish and Estonian.
Arnout
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: AHR-nowt
Arminius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Germanic (Latinized)
Latinized form of a Germanic name, possibly derived from the element *
ermunaz meaning
"whole, universal". Other theories claim that it is related to
Herman, or that it is not Germanic at all. Arminius was a 1st-century chief of the Germanic tribe of the Cherusci. Raised in Rome as a hostage, he eventually became a citizen and joined the army. However, he turned against the Empire, leading the Germans in a surprise attack in the Teutoburg Forest and driving the Romans from Germania.
Armand
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Catalan
Pronounced: AR-MAHN(French) ər-MAN(Catalan)
French and Catalan form of
Herman.
Arjan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: AHR-yahn
Arista
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: ə-RIS-tə(English)
Means "ear of grain" in Latin. This is the name of a star, also known as Spica, in the constellation Virgo.
Aris 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Άρης(Greek)
Arioald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Lombardic (Latinized)
From
Arioaldus, a Latin form of
Hariwald. This was the name of a 7th-century king of the Lombards.
Ares
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄρης(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-REHS(Classical Greek) EHR-eez(English)
Perhaps from either Greek
ἀρή (are) meaning
"bane, ruin" or
ἄρσην (arsen) meaning
"male". The name first appears as
a-re in Mycenaean Greek writing. Ares was the bloodthirsty god of war in Greek
mythology, a son of
Zeus and
Hera.
Arcturus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Other Scripts: Ἀρκτοῦρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ahrk-TYUWR-əs(English) ark-TOO-roos(Latin)
From Ancient Greek
Ἀρκτοῦρος (Arktouros), the name of the fourth brightest star in the sky, part of the constellation Boötes. It means
"guardian of the bear", derived from
ἄρκτος (arktos) meaning "bear" and
οὖρος (ouros) meaning "guardian", referring to the star's position close to the constellations Ursa Minor and Ursa Major.
Archibald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: AHR-chi-bawld
Derived from the Germanic name
Ercanbald, composed of the elements
erkan meaning "pure, holy, genuine" and
bald meaning "bold, brave". The first element was altered due to the influence of Greek names beginning with the element
ἀρχός (archos) meaning "master". The
Normans brought this name to England. It first became common in Scotland in the Middle Ages (sometimes used to Anglicize the Gaelic name
Gilleasbuig, for unknown reasons).
Apolline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-PAW-LEEN
Apollinaire
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare)
French form of
Apollinaris. It was adopted as a surname by the Polish-French poet Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918), who based it on his Polish middle name Apolinary.
Aoife
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: EE-fyə(Irish)
From Old Irish
Aífe, derived from
oíph meaning
"beauty" (modern Irish
aoibh). This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including a woman at war with
Scáthach (her sister in some versions). She was defeated in single combat by the hero
Cúchulainn, who spared her life on the condition that she bear him a child (
Connla). Another legendary figure by this name appears in the
Children of Lir as the jealous third wife of
Lir.
This name is sometimes Anglicized as Eve or Eva.
Antares
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: an-TEHR-eez(English)
From Greek
Ἀντάρης (Antares), traditionally said to mean
"opposing Ares". This is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius.
Andrus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Andries
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: AHN-drees
Ambrose
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AM-broz
From the Late Latin name
Ambrosius, which was derived from the Greek name
Ἀμβρόσιος (Ambrosios) meaning
"immortal".
Saint Ambrose was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Milan, who is considered a Doctor of the Church. Due to the saint, the name came into general use in Christian Europe, though it was never particularly common in England.
Alyssa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ə-LIS-ə
Variant of
Alicia. The spelling has probably been influenced by that of the alyssum flower, the name of which is derived from Greek
ἀ (a), a negative prefix, combined with
λύσσα (lyssa) meaning "madness, rabies", since it was believed to cure madness.
Alwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AL-veen(German) AHL-vin(Dutch)
Alvin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Swedish
Pronounced: AL-vin(English)
From a medieval form of any of the Old English names
Ælfwine,
Æðelwine or
Ealdwine. It was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the Old English names. As a Scandinavian name it is derived from
Alfvin, an Old Norse
cognate of
Ælfwine.
Alvar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Estonian
From the Old Norse name
Alfarr, formed of the elements
alfr "elf" and
herr "army, warrior".
Aludra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Derived from Arabic
العذراء (al-ʿadhrāʾ) meaning
"the maiden". This is the name of a star in the constellation Canis Major.
Altair
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Pronounced: al-TEHR(English)
Means "the flyer" in Arabic. This is the name of a star in the constellation Aquila.
Altadonna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Judeo-Italian (Archaic), Medieval Jewish
Derived from Italian alta, the feminine form of the adjective alto, meaning "high; deep; big; towering; elevated" and, when used in a poetic context, "grand; sublime; noble" and donna "woman; lady".
Allard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: AH-lahrt
Allan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish, Danish, Swedish, Estonian
Pronounced: AL-ən(English)
Variant of
Alan. The American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) got his middle name from the surname of the parents who adopted him.
Alfons
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Catalan
Pronounced: AL-fawns(German) AHL-fawns(Dutch)
German, Dutch and Catalan form of
Alfonso.
Alexey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Алексей(Russian)
Pronounced: u-lyi-KSYAY
Alemande
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Judeo-French, Judeo-Anglo-Norman
Derived from Old French alemande, the feminine form of the adjective alemant "German". This name might originally have been given to someone of German ancestry or to someone whose ancestors came from the town of Allemagne in Normandy (present-day Fleury-sur-Orne).
Aleksy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: a-LEH-ksi
Aleksi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Bulgarian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Алекси(Bulgarian) ალექსი(Georgian)
Pronounced: AH-lehk-see(Finnish)
Finnish, Bulgarian and Georgian form of
Alexius.
Aleksey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Алексей(Russian)
Pronounced: u-lyi-KSYAY
Russian form of
Alexius. This name was borne by a 14th-century Metropolitan of Kiev who is regarded as a
saint in the Orthodox Church. It was also the name of a 17th-century tsar of Russia.
Aleksander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish, Slovene, Estonian, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: a-lehk-SAN-dehr(Polish)
Aleixo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese (Rare), Galician (Rare)
Pronounced: u-LIE-shoo(European Portuguese) a-LAY-shoo(Brazilian Portuguese) a-LAY-shuw(Galician)
Portuguese and Galician form of
Alexius.
Aldous
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AWL-dəs
Probably a
diminutive of names beginning with the Old English element
eald "old". It has been in use as an English given name since the Middle Ages, mainly in East Anglia
[1]. The British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was a famous bearer of this name.
Aldert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian, Dutch
Pronounced: AHL-dərt(Dutch)
Aksana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Belarusian
Other Scripts: Аксана(Belarusian)
Belarusian form of
Xenia.
Aivar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Ain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Possibly an Estonian short form of
Hendrik.
Aigar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian
Possibly from the Finnic root aika meaning "time" (Estonian aeg).
Ahti
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian, Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: AHH-tee(Finnish)
Meaning unknown. This is the name of the Finnish god of the ocean, rivers and fishing.
Agron
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Albanian
Other Scripts: Ἄγρων(Ancient Greek)
Probably of Illyrian origin, maybe related to Albanian
ag meaning
"dawn". Alternatively it might be connected to Greek
ἀγρός (agros) meaning
"field". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Illyrian king, the husband of
Teuta.
Adzia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: AH-jah
Adhara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: ə-DEHR-ə(English)
Derived from Arabic
عذارى (ʿadhārā) meaning
"maidens". This is the name of the second brightest star (after
Sirius) in the constellation Canis Major.
Abelone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish (Rare)
Aapeli
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: AH-peh-lee
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