hermeline's Personal Name List

Variant of Zoran.

Name of a Cornish village derived from the local saint, St Senara. In current use.

It is most probable that it is the feminine form of the name Yvain. Though, it is commonly thought of as a combination of Yvonne and Elaine.

The name is most popularly recognized as the name of the fallen star in Neil Gaiman's novella 'Stardust'.

Medieval Cornish variant of Jowan.

Variant of Yorick.

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

Anglicized form of Iorwerth.

Variant of Esther.

Xandrie is the name of a fiction character, played by Adelaide Clemens, in a 2010 Australian film called "Wasted on the Young."

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

Middle English form of the Old English name Wigburg.

Old English form of Winwaloe, Gunwalloe or Guenole. A Breton name which means “he who is fair”.

Saint Winnold was a 6th century Cornish saint. He was the son of a prince and a holy woman called Gwen who is supposed to have had three breasts as a sign of God’s favour (almost certainly a confusion with some local pagan deity).

His family fled to Brittany to avoid the Saxons, and this is where he grew up. He founded an abbey, and his Rule was the standard one for monks until Saint Benedict.

His feast day is the 3rd of March. According to English weather folklore, this day of the year is supposed to be especially windy, as seen in this piece of verse:

“First comes David
Next comes Chad
Then comes Winnold, roaring like mad”.

(St David’s Day is the first day of March and St Chad’s Day is the second day).

From Latin Winifreda, possibly from a Welsh name Gwenfrewi (maybe influenced by the Old English masculine name Winfred). Saint Winifred was a 7th-century Welsh martyr, probably legendary. According to the story, she was decapitated by a prince after she spurned his advances. Where her head fell there arose a healing spring, which has been a pilgrimage site since medieval times. Her story was recorded in the 12th century by Robert of Shrewsbury, and she has been historically more widely venerated in England than in Wales. The name has been used in England since at least the 16th century.

Transferred use of the surname Windell.

Windell Dwain Middlebrooks, Jr. (1979–2015) was an American actor and singer.

Possibly a feminine diminutive form and masculine diminutive of Wilson.

From the Old English name Wilmǣr, likely via a surname [1] that was derived from it. In some cases it might be regarded as a masculine form of Wilma.

Transferred use of the surname Willox.

From an English surname that was derived from Will, a diminutive of William.

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

Medieval diminutive of William.

Means "desiring peace" from Old English willa "will, desire" and friþ "peace". Saint Wilfrid was a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon bishop. The name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest, but it was revived in the 19th century.

From an English surname that was originally derived from the nickname Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English. This name was borne by Wilbur Wright (1867-1912), one half of the Wright brothers, who together invented the first successful airplane. Wright was named after the Methodist minister Wilbur Fisk (1792-1839). A famous fictional bearer is the main character (a pig) in the children's novel Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.

"Sister goddess" of Embeth and Borbeth and one of "The Three Bethen" or "Three Virgins", a group of allegedly pre-Christian goddesses who later became "unofficial" saints.

Their cult is somewhat of a mystery: having been known since the Middle Ages, it is only regionally distributed, mainly in Bavaria, Baden, South Tyrol, Alsace (above all Strasbourg) and the Rhineland. If there had ever been antique records of this Triple Goddess cult, those have been lost. The oldest authentic records of Wilbeth date back to the 14th century, when she was quickly linked to Embeth whose veneration had been attested since the 12th century.
Either way, their cult became fairly popular when the "girls" got appointed companions of Saint Ursula in the 15th century.

The origins and meanings of their names have been lost to time. Since the Romantic period, there have been speculations that their names might be corruptions of some not yet identified Ancient Germanic names - a theory which in recent times is being taken more and more seriously. Research on it is being done.

Means "bright will", derived from the Old German elements willo "will, desire" and beraht "bright".

Variant of Wilburn.

Derived from the Old English elements wig "war, battle" and helm "helmet, protection".

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

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.

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

From a Scottish and English surname that was derived from Norman French waleis meaning "foreigner, Celt, Welshman" (of Germanic origin). It was first used as a given name in honour of William Wallace, a Scottish hero who led the fight against the English in the 13th century.

A form of Walaram. This was the name of two rulers of the medieval county of Ligny-en-Barrois, in present-day Lorraine, France.

Place name from Old English: “wooded valley”.

Most famous as the name of Walden Pond in Massachusetts where philosopher Henry David Thoreau wrote his book “Walden”.

Used as a male name by J.K. Rowling in the "Harry Potter" books.

A Knight of the Round Table.

Derived from viorea, the Romanian word for the alpine squill flower (species Scilla bifolia) or the sweet violet flower (species Viola odorata). It is derived from Latin viola "violet".

Short form of Genevieva.

Meaning unknown, possibly a derivative of the Old German element walt meaning "power, authority".

Means "valuable" in Esperanto.

Transferred use of the surname Valera in honour of Irish statesman Éamon De Valera, who was born in New York to a Spanish father and an Irish mother.

An ancient British name which means "little wolf". Most well known in the Arthurian legends of Geoffrey Monmouth, where Sir Ulfin plays a role in Merlin's plot for King Arthur to be born.

A byname meaning “Viking”.

From the Old Norse name Þórsteinn, which meant "Thor's stone" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with steinn "stone".

Variant of Torcall.

Short form of Christopher.

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

Old Swedish form of Þórvaldr (see Torvald).

Diminutive of Theresia.

English form of Theophanes. A known bearer of this name was saint Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894).

Transferred use of the surname Thayer.

From the Roman family name Terentius, which is of unknown meaning. Famous bearers include Publius Terentius Afer, a Roman playwright, and Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman scholar. It was also borne by several early saints. The name was used in Ireland as an Anglicized form of Toirdhealbhach, but it was not found as an English name until the late 19th century. It attained only a moderate level of popularity in the 20th century, though it has been common as an African-American name especially since the 1970s.

Derived from the Welsh elements teg "beautiful, pretty" and gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the 19th century [1].

Danish variant of Torben.

Variant of Tamsin.

Means "practice, habituation, accustoming" in Arabic, from the root مَرَّنَ (marrana) meaning "to practise, to exercise".

Anglicized form of Suibhne. In fiction, this name is borne by the murderous barber Sweeney Todd, first appearing in the British serial The String of Pearls: A Romance (1846-1847).

From the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".

Diminutive of Sullivan and other names with a similar sound.

From a surname that was from a place name meaning "landing-place ford" in Old English.

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

Welsh form of George.

Transferred use of the surname Sidwell.

Means "people of the precious stone" or "cave dweller" in Arawak, spoken in Cuba.

It is an ethnic name as the Ciboney, or Siboney, were a Taíno people of Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic).

As given name is probably after Siboney a 1929 song written by Ernesto Lecuona, inspired by the village Siboney near Santiago de Cuba.

Younger form of Siadhail.

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

Variant of Shandi.

Scottish Gaelic form of Scáthach.

From a Norman surname that originally belonged to a person coming from the French town of Saint Maur (which means "Saint Maurus").

From a Late Latin name that was derived from Latin serenus meaning "clear, tranquil, serene". This name was borne by an obscure early saint. Edmund Spenser also used it in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590). A famous bearer from the modern era is tennis player Serena Williams (1981-).

Means "star" in Welsh. This is a recently created Welsh name.

Meaning uncertain. In some cases it is given in honour of the Brazilian racecar driver Ayrton Senna (1960-1994). It could also be inspired by the senna plant.

Yiddish form of Alexander.

From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "willow farm" in Old Norse.

Diminutive of Scott, also used as a feminine form.

From an English surname meaning "sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Very rare as an American given name before 1980, it increased in popularity in the 1980s and 90s. It got a boost in 2004 after the debut of the television series Lost, which featured a character by this name.

Diminutive of Alexander.

Dutch, Estonian, Danish and Norwegian short form of Alexander.

Diminutive of Sarah, often used independently.

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

Derived from the Old English elements sæ "sea" and mund "protection". Cognate to Old Norse Sæmundr and Icelandic Sæmundur.

English, Romanian, Basque, French and Polish form of Sabinus. Sabin of Bulgaria was the ruler of Bulgaria from 765 to 766.

Short form of Isabella.

Possibly a variant of the German surname Riker, a derivative of Low German rike "rich". As a modern English name, it has become popular because it shares the same trendy sounds found in other names such as Ryan and Ryder.

Variant of Roly.

From a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning "horse spring".

French diminutive of Rose.

Italian diminutive of Rosa 1.

Combination of Rosa 1 and the common name suffix bel, inspired by Latin bella "beautiful". This name was created in the 18th century.

Breton and Anglicized form of Rónán.

From the Old German elements hruod meaning "fame" and lant meaning "land", though some theories hold that the second element was originally nand meaning "brave" [1].

Roland was an 8th-century military commander, serving under Charlemagne, who was killed by the Basques at the Battle of Roncevaux. His name was recorded in Latin as Hruodlandus. His tale was greatly embellished in the 11th-century French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which he is a nephew of Charlemagne killed after being ambushed by the Saracens. The Normans introduced the name to England.

Diminutive of Róis or the Irish word rós meaning "rose" (of Latin origin). It appears in the 17th-century song Róisín Dubh.

Possibly a modern Australian form of Adriana and short for Adrienna.

Derived from the Welsh elements rhos "rose" (cf. Rhosyn) and gwen "white, pure, holy, fair".

From the Old Welsh name Rotri, derived from rod "wheel" and ri "king". This name was borne by several medieval Welsh rulers, including Rhodri the Great, a 9th-century king of Gwynedd.

Possibly a variant of Rita, the spelling perhaps influenced by that of Rhea or Greek ῥήτωρ (rhetor) "public speaker, orator". This name was borne by American journalist and suffragist Rheta Dorr (1868-1948). It was brought to public attention by the 1933 murder of a 23-year-old Chicago woman named Rheta Wynekoop.

Elaboration of Regan, influenced by Regina.

Diminutive of Raymond and similar names.

Variant of Rawlins or a transferred use of the surname Rawlin.

From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god Odin.

Scandinavian, Finnish and Estonian form of Erasmus.

From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning either "red clearing" or "roe deer clearing" in Old English. A city in North Carolina bears this name, after the English courtier, poet and explorer Walter Raleigh (1552-1618).

German form of Rayner.

Variant of Guinevere.

Variant of Quincy.

Transferred use of the surname Quigley.

Diminutive of Queen.

Anglicization of Kwasi.

From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "priest clearing" (Old English preost and leah). This surname was borne by musician Elvis Presley (1935-1977).

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

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

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

Meaning unknown, created in the 20th century. The name is borne by the British singer Petula Clark (1932-), whose name was invented by her father.

Diminutive of Penelope. It can also be given in reference to the copper coin (a British pound or an American dollar are worth 100 of them), derived from Old English penning.

French feminine form of Paulinus (see Paulino).

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

Norman cognate of Ásbjǫrn and Osbeorn.

The twin sister of King Meriadoc of Wales.

Orwen’s father, King Caradoc, was murdered by her uncle, Griffin, who then targeted the children for assassination. They were saved by Ivor and Morwen, their foster parents, and taken to hiding in the forest of Fleventan.

In time, Meriadoc was taken to Arthur’s court and Orwen was kidnapped by King Urien of Scotland, whom she later married.

Anglicized variant of Órlaith.

Anglicized form of Órlaith.

Directly taken from the archaic word meaning "prayer", which is derived from Anglo-Norman oreison and ultimately from Latin oro (via Latin oratio) "to beg; to beseech".

As a given name, it has found occasional usage from the 19th century onwards. One known bearer is Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924), who wrote books on positive thinking.

Means "little deer", derived from Old Irish oss "deer, stag" combined with a diminutive suffix. In Irish legend Oisín was a warrior hero and a poet, the son of Fionn mac Cumhaill and the narrator in many of his tales.

Variant of Otis.

Transferred use of the surname Norville. The character Shaggy, of Scooby-Doo fame, bears this name.

From an English surname, either Norris 1 or Norris 2.

Elaborated form of Nora 1.

Diminutive of Ione or Nora 1.

English form of Noël or Noëlle (rarely). It was fairly popular in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand in the middle of the 20th century. It is occasionally written with a diaeresis, like in French. A famous bearer is British musician Noel Gallagher (1967-).

Malory’s first British Lady of the Lake, introduced and disposed of before Nimue’s appearance.

Form of Nimue. Nimueh appeared as an evil sorceress in the series Merlin.

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.

A knight in the service of Lord Golagros, Arthur’s opponent in the Middle Scots tale of Golagros and Gawain.

George Murrell Smith Jr. is an American politician and the 61st Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Irish form of Maurice.

Means "born of the sea" in Irish. In Irish legend this was the name of a woman (originally named Lí Ban) who was transformed into a mermaid. After 300 years she was brought to shore, baptized, and transformed back into a woman.

Means "bright sea", derived from Old Irish muir "sea" and gel "bright".

Variant of Morwenna.

Variant form of Morfudd.

Anglicized form of Muireann.

Anglicized form of Muirne used by James Macpherson in his poem Fingal (1761), in which it is borne by the mother of the hero Fingal.

In the Arthurian legend, this name belongs to the brother or uncle of Isolde.

Derived from Cornish morgelyn "sea holly".

Tristan’s granddaughter.

She was the daughter of King Kalegras of England and Queen Lilja.

Molanna is the nymph who helps Faunus spy on Diana in the Cantos of Mutability.

Short form of Araminta.

Probably originally a diminutive of Matthew via Matthias, this name has since become the regular Manx form of Matthew.

Although the exact origin and meaning of this name are unknown, many modern-day academics believe this name to be the (possibly Anglicized) Cornish form of Morien.

Its variant Merryn was the name of a Cornish saint.

In the English-speaking world, all forms have been occasionally used from the 19th century onwards.

Diminutive of names beginning with Mel.

Son of Caw, one of twenty brothers, and one of Arthur’s warriors.

Possibly means "the drunken one", derived from Welsh medd "mead" and the suffix -ai. Alternatively, medrus meaning "skilful, capable" has been suggested as a possible relation. Mederei Badellfawr was the name of one of a triad of Amazons of the Island of Britain in the Arthurian Cycle.

Of uncertain origin and meaning. One - debatable - theory connects this name with the Vulgar Latin term margella.
Either way, from the early 1600s onwards, when every given name "had to" be associated with a Catholic saint, up to its disappearance in the late 1700s, Margilia and its variant Margilie were used as quasi-equivalents of Marguerite (due to phonetic similarities to Margarit, one of the Breton variants of this name).

The author Marden Fitzpatrick Nichols is a famous bearer of this name.

Diminutive of Marcia.

Possibly from the name of a resort town in southern Spain, which likely derives from Arabic مربلة (Marbal·la) and resembles Spanish mar bella "beautiful sea" (also compare Mar). As an English name, this might be a contracted form of Mariabella.

From an English surname that originally referred to a person who came from the French city of Le Mans.

Irish diminutive of Mary.

Means "welcome" in Tahitian. It gained popularity in France during the 1980s.

Altered form of Maelgwn.

Created by author George R. R. Martin for a character in his series "A Song of Ice and Fire". In the series, Maegor Targaryen is the third Targaryen monarch and one of the most tyrannical rulers of Westeros.

Transferred use of the surname Macklin.

Transferred from the surname "Mackey". A short version for any name starting with Mac-.

Medieval Scottish form of Lughlagh. Lulach mac Gille Coemgáin ( before 1033 – 17 March 1058) was King of Scots between 15 August 1057 and 17 March 1058.

Created by the author R. D. Blackmore for the title character in his novel Lorna Doone (1869), set in southern England, which describes the dangerous love between John Ridd and Lorna Doone. Blackmore may have based the name on the Scottish place name Lorne or on the title Marquis of Lorne (see Lorne).

Diminutive of Lachlan.

Variant of Livith.

Transferred use of the surname Lillis.

Lillis was Bing Crosby's middle name. (He was born Harold Lillis Crosby.)

Short form of Eulalia.

Probably derived from the name of the island St. Kilda.

Note that there wasn't any saint named Kilda. The name of the island is derived from corrupted information used by cartographers.

From the name of the bird of prey, ultimately derived from Old French crecelle "rattle", which refers to the sound of its cry.

From a rare (Americanized) Manx surname, a variant of the Irish surname Mac Diarmada, itself derived from the given name Diarmaid. This was the name of a son of Theodore Roosevelt born in 1889. He was named after a relative of his mother, Robert Kermit. The name is now associated with Kermit the Frog, a Muppet created by puppeteer Jim Henson in 1955.

Derived from Cornish kensa "first". This is a modern Cornish name.

From a surname that was derived from the Old English given names Cyneweard or Cyneheard.

Anglicized form of the Irish given name Ceallach or the surname derived from it Ó Ceallaigh. As a surname, it has been borne by actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).

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

Possibly from a German surname, itself derived from Middle Low German kel "swampy area". This name began to be used in the United States in the early 1980s after the American football player Kellen Winslow (1957-) began his professional career.

Transferred use of the surname Kearney.

Breton form of Corentin.

Medieval Breton form of Ithel.

Meaning uncertain. It might perhaps be a masculinization of Jolanda, or a combination of a name starting with Jo- (such as Johan) with a name that contains the Germanic element lant meaning "land" (such as Roeland).

Either a variant of Jolene, or a combination Jo and Elaine. It could also be derived from the French name Marjolaine.

Of uncertain origin and meaning. Theories include a feminine form of Gismund (compare Jesmonda) and a variant of Jessamine via now obsolete variants like Jessema and Jessima.

Anglicized form of Iseabail.

Variant of Islay, typically used as a feminine name. It also coincides with the Spanish word isla meaning "island".

Possibly derived from the Old English intensive prefix in- and geld "payment, tribute" (from geldą). This was the name of a legendary prince of the Heathobards who appears in Anglo-Saxon tales, including the 8th-century epic poem Beowulf.

Indrid Cold is the name of a being originating in North American folklore, whose appearance usually coincides with sightings of UFOs or other cryptids.

Masculine form of "Idena".

From an English surname that was derived from the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer of the surname was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).

Variant of Hugo.

Modern Anglicized form of Hrêðe or Hrêða (See Rheda).

Variant of Honoria. It was brought to England and Ireland by the Normans.

Diminutive of Hubert.

Transferred use of the surname Hindley.

Transferred use of the surname Hildreth. It was borne by American muralist, mosaicist and Art Deco artist Hildreth Meière (1892-1961). See also Hildred.

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

Scots form of Henry.

Medieval English form of Eloise.

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

Variant of Hanora influenced by Hannah.

Means "white snow" from the Welsh element gwyn meaning "white, blessed" combined with eira meaning "snow". This is a recently created Welsh name.

Means "white, blessed" in Welsh. In Welsh legend Gwyn was a king of the Otherworld and the leader of the Wild Hunt. He appears in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, where he is one of the many who help Culhwch hunt the monstrous boar Trwyth. The story also tells of his rivalry with Gwythyr for the beautiful Creiddylad.

Welsh variant of Gwilym.

A Cornish form of Guinevere.

Variant of Gwendolen.

Variant of Gawain. Gwaine is a character on the BBC television series 'Merlin', meant to represent the Gawain of Arthurian legend.

Diminutive of Gui. See also Guiot.

The good and kind King of Wales in Renaut’s Le Bel Inconnu.

His daughter, Esmeree the Blonde, inherited his kingdom and married Gawain’s son, Guinglain.

From the Norman French form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar meaning "white phantom", ultimately from the old Celtic roots *windos meaning "white" (modern Welsh gwen) and *sēbros meaning "phantom, magical being" [1]. In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir Lancelot.

The Cornish form of this name, Jennifer, has become popular in the English-speaking world.

Guilla (or Willa) of Provence or Burgundy (873-924) was an early medieval Frankish queen consort in the Rhone valley.

French and Guernésiais form of Warin (compare Guarin).

Gallicized form of Breton Gwenole, which was derived from Breton uuin, uuen, Middle Welsh guin, gwynn, guen meaning "sacred, pure, blessed; white" and Old Breton uual meaning "valor". This was the name of a legendary Breton saint who was inspired to found an abbey by a dream he had of Saint Patrick.

Variant of Gwendolen, used by Walter Scott in his poem The Bridal of Triermain (1813) for a queen who became the mother of Gyneth by King Arthur.

From an English surname derived from Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), who popularized the name in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The name is now associated with a muppet character from the children's television program Sesame Street.

The daughter of a pagan chieftain in 4th century Ireland. She converted to Christianity when she was aged about 12 and dedicated her life to Christ. When she reached the age to marry, her father wanted her to wed one of the noblest and wealthiest chiefs in Ireland. She ran away, but was brought back and imprisoned. She escaped through a miracle, took a ship to France, and landed on the coast of Gaul-Belgium where the Roman Emperor Valentinian I protected the Christians. She settled deep in the forest of Thiérache in Dorunum (now La Capelle), where she spent her days in prayer, meditation, and penance.
Her father sent soldiers to find her and bring her back, alive or dead. They followed her traces and eventually found her in the forest. They tried to persuade her to return to her country where a lavish wedding awaited her. Unable to convince her, they cut off her head, hid her mutilated body under a heap of dirt, and then returned to Ireland. After several years a chapel was erected over her grave, which became the nucleus of the town of La Capelle. The relics were thought to have miraculous properties and were moved several times in the years that followed, with different portions held in different places.

Transferred use of the surname Greeley.

Gower means "pure" from Welsh origin.

Variant of Godefroy.

Simply from the English word glory, ultimately from Latin gloria.

Possibly derived from an Old English name meaning "wise friend", from Old English glēaw "prudent, wise" and wine "friend".

Presumably a feminine form of Glendower.

Possibly a masculine form of Gladys.

Gilton Ribiero is a Brazilian football defender.

Derived from Manx guilley "servant; boy, lad" and the given name More with the intended meaning of "servant of the Virgin Mary" (since the names of saints were considered too holy for everyday use, they were usually prefixed until the 17th century).

Sardinian form of Cecilia, originally derived from a contraction of this name.

From the Late Latin name Aegidius, which is derived from Greek αἰγίδιον (aigidion) meaning "young goat". Saint Giles was an 8th-century miracle worker who came to southern France from Greece. He is regarded as the patron saint of the crippled. In Old French the name Aegidius became Gidie and then Gilles, at which point it was imported to England. Another famous bearer was the 13th-century philosopher and theologian Giles of Rome (Egidio in Italian).

Variant of Gilroy.

Derived from Gothic gild "sacrifice" combined with rîcja "powerful, strong, mighty." The second element is also closely related to Celtic rîg or rix and Gothic reiks, which all mean "king, ruler."

Derived from Manx guilley "servant; boy, lad" and the given name Andreays with the intended meaning of "servant of Saint Andrew" (since the names of saints were considered too holy for everyday use, they were usually prefixed until the 17th century).

Modern Gaelic form of Gelgéis.

Means "fair leg" from Welsh gar "leg" and gwen "white, fair, blessed". According to the Welsh Triads (Triad 57), this name belonged to one of Arthur's three mistresses. She was the daughter of Henin the Old.

Transferred use of the surname Garvin.

Variant of Garland.

Modern form of the Greek name Γαληνός (Galenos), which meant "calm" from Greek γαλήνη (galene). It was borne by a 2nd-century BC Greco-Roman physician who contributed to anatomy and medicine. In modern times the name is occasionally given in his honour.

Variant of Galderic.

This is the name of a character in Arthurian tales, a brother of Gawain (as well as Gareth, Mordred and Agravain), and the son of King Lot and either Belisent or Morgause. 'The earliest form of his name is so similar to the earliest form of Gareth (Gahariet) that the two brothers may have originally been the same character.' First mentioned by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, although scholars have suggested a derivation from the Welsh name Gweir, which belongs to a number of warriors in Welsh legends and can mean "hay", "collar", "circle", "loop" or "bend".

Transferred use of the surname Gable.

A duke and an ally or vassal of Gawaine’s wife, Orgeluse (Orguelleuse).

Short form of names ending in freda or fred, such as Winifred or Alfreda.

Variant of Florrie.

Diminutive of Florence or Flora.

French form of Floria.

Medieval English feminine form of Late Latin Floritia, derived from Flora. Compare Clarice and Lettice.

Variant of Fleta.

Means “red haired” in Irish.

Invented during the Gaelic revival, taken from Irish fírinne meaning "truth".

Derived from Old Irish finn "white, blessed". This was the name of several Irish saints, including the founders of monasteries at Clonard and Movilla (both 6th century).

Variant of Finegas.

Means "white stranger", derived from the Old Irish elements finn "white, blessed" and gall "foreigner, stranger". This was the name of the hero in the Scottish author James Macpherson's 1761 poem Fingal [1], which he claimed to have based on early Gaelic legends about Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Filimer was an early Gothic king, according to Jordanes. He was the son of Gadareiks and the fifth generation since Berig settled with his people in Gothiscandza. When the Gothic nation had multiplied Filimer decided to move his people to Scythia where they defeated the Sarmatians. They then named their new territory Oium, meaning "in the waterlands". This migration would have allegedly taken place about 2030 years before Jordanes wrote his "Origin of the Goths".

From Irish fiann meaning "band of warriors".

Diminutive of Ferdinand.

Means "man of vigour", derived from the Old Irish elements fer "man" and guss "vigour, strength, force". This was the name of several early rulers of Ireland and Dál Riata, as well as many characters from Irish legend. Notably it was borne by the hero Fergus mac Róich, who was tricked into giving up the kingship of Ulster to Conchobar. However, he remained loyal to the new king until Conchobar betrayed Deirdre and Naoise, at which point he defected to Connacht in anger. The name was also borne by an 8th-century saint, a missionary to Scotland.

This is the Old Irish form of the name, as well as the usual Anglicized form of Modern Irish Fearghas or Fearghus.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Fearghail, derived from the given name Fearghal.

French form of Faro. As an English name, it is probably from a French surname that was derived from the given name.

From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "fern clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer of this name was Canadian author Farley Mowat (1921-2014).

Means "little wolf", derived from Old Irish fáel "wolf" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an Irish saint who did missionary work in Scotland.

Old Irish form of Faolán.

A sorcerer who, with his brother Mabon, entered Wales and laid waste to the city of Snowdon, ruled by Queen Esmeree the Blonde, whom they turned into a snake. He was defeated in combat and was put to flight by Gawaine’s son Guinglain.

From Everardus, the Latinized form of Eberhard. The Normans introduced it to England, where it joined the Old English cognate Eoforheard. It has only been rarely used since the Middle Ages. Modern use of the name may be inspired by the surname Everard, itself derived from the medieval name.

In Arthurian tales, Evaine is the sister of Lancelot's mother Elaine, wife of King Bors of Gaul and mother of Sir Lionel and Sir Bors the Younger. Her character first appears in the Old French prose Lancelot of the Lake (c.1215–20), which was incorporated into the Vulgate Lancelot.

The name suffix -vain appears in this and other Arthurian names such as Yvain and Agravain.

Variant of Eudes (compare Odon). Saint Eudon of Le Puy was a monk and then abbot in the area of Le Puy, Aquitaine (in modern France).

Short form of names beginning with the Old English element æðele meaning "noble". It was coined in the 19th century, when many Old English names were revived. It was popularized by the novels The Newcomes (1855) by William Makepeace Thackeray and The Daisy Chain (1856) by C. M. Yonge. A famous bearer was American actress and singer Ethel Merman (1908-1984).

Variant of Esmee.

In Irish mythology Eremon (also known as Heremon) participated in the Milesian conquest of Ireland.

Eostre, or Ostara; Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility. Foundation of the name Easter.

Originally this may have been a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element angil, referring to the Germanic tribe known in English as the Angles. However, from early times it has been strongly associated with the Old German word engil meaning "angel" (of Latin and Greek origin).

Means "king, lord" in Welsh.

From Old French Emeline, a diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element amal meaning "unceasing, vigorous, brave". The Normans introduced this name to England.

Romanian form of Emmerich.

Latinate form of Eleanor.

From the name of a monument erected by Samuel in the Old Testament, from Hebrew אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר (ʾEven Haʿazer) meaning "stone of help". Charles Dickens used it for the miserly character Ebenezer Scrooge in his novel A Christmas Carol (1843). Currently the name is most common in parts of English-influenced Africa, such as Ghana.

alternative spelling of Evie

Transferred use of the surname Eagan.

Cognate of Duran.

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

Variant of Tristan.

Transferred use of the surname Drexel.

Possibly an anglicized variant of Dovi. See also Dov.

Diminutive of Douglas.

Romanian, possibly a form of Dorian or a diminutive of Teodor.

Means "dark", from Irish and Scottish Gaelic (dorcha) meaning “dark, dusky, enigmatic”, from Old Irish (dorchae) "dark, gloomy, obscure". Compare to Feardorcha.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Deoradháin, from the byname Deoradhán, derived from Irish deoradh meaning "exile, wanderer" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Possibly a variant spelling of Thorald in Denmark, but elsewhere (especially in the anglophone world), this name is most likely a combination of a name that contains the Greek element δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift" (such as Dorus and Theodore) with a name that ends in -ald (such as Archibald, Gerald and Ronald).

Also compare the names Darold and Derald, which look similar and can be partially related in some cases.

A notable bearer of this name is the Dutch news presenter Dorald Megens.

Truncated form of Adolphus.

Meaning and origin uncertain with various opinions relating to English "dull" plus the suffix ard, Old English dol meaning "conceited or proud" and ard meaning "hard", the French "d'Illard", or a variation of similar English names like Tilliard or Tilyard. Whatever the origin, it is likely that the use as a first name is taken from either one of several places in the U.S. called Dillard, or the surname for which most were named. Dillard, Georgia is named after early settler John Dillard (1760-1842); Dillard University is named after educator James H. Dillard (1856-1940), and Dillard's department store is named after founder William T. Dillard (1914-2002). American rapper Flo Rida (1979-) was born Tramar Dillard.

Probably an Anglicized form of Degaré. Sir Degaré was the subject of a medieval poem set in Brittany. The name may mean "lost one" from French égaré.

Probably a variant of Dewi 1.

Variant of Devera.

Variant of Darwin.

Gallicized form of Derc'hen.

From an elaboration of Welsh del "pretty". This is a recently created name.

Variant of Delmas.

Possibly a short form of Adelma.

Combination of the given names Dell and Allan

Diminutive of Adela or Adelaide. A famous bearer was American actress and singer Della Reese (1931-2017).

Irish form of Declan.

From an English surname meaning "son of David". As a given name, it was popularized in the late 1990s by the central character on the television drama Dawson's Creek (1998-2003). In the United States the number of boys receiving the name increased tenfold between 1997 and 1999. It got another boost in 2014 after it was used for a main character in the movie The Best of Me.

Diminutive of David.

Unknown meaning.

Anglicized form of Dáirine.

Feminine variant of Darcy.

First known from Olympic gold medallist swimmer Danyon Loader of New Zealand. Now becoming more popular in New Zealand.

Of unknown origin and meaning. Possibly a variant of Daniel or Dane, or perhaps a diminutive of either with 'dan' plus the suffix 'non' to give it a Celtic or French sound.

It is also the name of a popular brand of yogurt established in the US in 1942. Dannon is a subsidiary of the French company Danone founded in 1919. The founder of the company, Isaac Carasso, named the company after his son Daniel Carasso, with Danon being his nickname.

From an English surname that was either a variant of the surname Dean or else an ethnic name referring to a person from Denmark.

Variant of Delvin.

Possibly derived from Dáire. This was the name of the daughter of the legendary Irish king Túathal Techtmar.

Feminine form of Cyril.

The name of two women in the 'Parzifal' by Wolfram von Eschenbach.

From a surname, either Cullen 1 or Cullen 2. It jumped a little in popularity as a given name after Stephenie Meyer's novel Twilight (2005), featuring a vampire named Edward Cullen, was adapted into a movie in 2008.

Probably from Old Irish camm meaning "bent, crooked" [1]. This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint.

Cornish form of Cybi. Saint Cuby was a 6th-century Cornish bishop, saint and, briefly, king, who worked largely in North Wales.

Name of a legendary giant in Cornish folklore; he appears in the fairy tale 'Jack the Giant Killer'. The name was also used for the main character, Cormoran Strike, in 'The Cuckoo's Calling' (2013) by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling).

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

Variant of Clarice.

Contracted form of Cynthia.

The name "Ciaron" is a variant of the Irish name "Ciarán," which is derived from the Gaelic word "ciar," meaning "black" or "dark," and the diminutive suffix "-án," which implies smallness or endearment. Therefore, "Ciarán" translates to "little dark one" or "little dark-haired one"

This name has been popular for over 1500 years and is associated with at least 26 saints, including notable figures such as Ciarán the Elder and Ciarán the Younger, who were among the Twelve Apostles of Ireland

The name is traditionally masculine and has various anglicized forms, including Kieran, Keiran, Keiron, and others.

It is also connected to Irish mythology and history, with links to the son of Fergus mac Róich, who gave his name to the Ciarraige tribe and County Kerry.

The name Ciaron, while less common, shares the same origins and meaning as Ciarán.

Presumably a variant of Griselda, influenced by names beginning with "Chris-", such as Christine.

From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who came from Chester, an old Roman settlement in Britain. The name of the settlement came from Latin castrum "camp, fortress".

Variant of Cassarah.

From an occupational surname that meant "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately from Latin candela via Old French. It surged in popularity after the 1994 debut of the American sitcom Friends, featuring a character by this name.

Derived from the Old English elements ceol "keel (of a ship)" and wulf "wolf".

Directly taken from Scottish Gaelic cèilidh, a traditional folk music and storytelling party.

Its modern usage as a name was certainly influenced by the popularity of the homophonous Kaylee and its variants. This spelling is hardly ever used in Scotland itself, where Kayleigh is the most common spelling.

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

From the Roman name Caecilius. Though it was in use during the Middle Ages in England, it did not become common until the 19th century when it was given in honour of the noble Cecil family, who had been prominent since the 16th century. Their surname was derived from the Welsh given name Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name Sextilius, a derivative of Sextus.

Scottish form of Cathán. The name coincides with Scottish Gaelic cathan "barnacle goose".
Saint Cathan was a 6th-century Irish monk revered as a saint in parts of the Scottish Hebrides of whom very little is known. He appears in the Aberdeen Breviary, Walter Bower's Scotichronicon, and the Acta Sanctorum, and a number of placenames in western Scotland are associated with him.

Transferred use of the surname Caswell.

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).

Variant of Casimir, possibly orthographically influenced by Cashmere.

Transferred use of the surname Carrick.

Transferred use of the surname Carden.

From the name of a car model, made by Toyota, which derives from Japanese kanmuri meaning "crown" and may be an anagram of the English phrase my car. It could also be used as a diminutive of Camryn.

Camber, or Kamber, was the legendary first king of Cambria, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth in the first part of his influential 12th-century pseudohistory Historia Regum Britanniae. According to Geoffrey, Cambria, the classical name for Wales, was named for him.

Scottish Gaelic form of Columba.

From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Cathaláin, derived from the given name Cathalán.

Supposed to mean "little castle" from Irish caiseal meaning "castle" combined with the Irish diminutive of ín. It also coincides with the rare Irish word caislín meaning "chat" (a type of bird). This is a modern name, most likely invented by English speakers, with no (or hardly any) usage in Ireland or Northern Ireland.

Transferred use of the surname Caffrey.

Meaning ‘Fair Speech,’ or ‘Fine Speech’.

Gaelic byname meaning "barnacle goose". In Irish legend Cadhan was a hero who slayed a monster with the help of his hound.

Variant of Cadell. A famous namesake is Australian champion cyclist Cadel Evans.

Derived from Welsh brych meaning "speckled, freckled" combined with a diminutive suffix. Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary Welsh king, said to be Irish by birth, the founder of the kingdom of Brycheiniog in central Wales. He reputedly fathered dozens of children, many of whom are regarded as saints.

Likely derived from the Germanic element brunna "armour, protection" or brun "brown". This is the name of several characters in Arthurian tales, including the father of Sir Galehaut and the Knight of the Ill-Fitting Coat.

Dutch form of Bruno. It coincides with the Dutch word for "brown". This was also the name of the bear in medieval fables of Reynard the Fox.

Derived from either Old Breton brit "mind, spirit" or Old Breton Britto "Briton" and hael "generous; noble".

Feminine form of Brieg.

From an English surname that originally indicated a person who lived near or worked on a bridge.

Transferred use of the surname Breslin.

Possibly a variant of Brenda or a feminine form of Brennan.

Anglicized form of Bríd.

Transferred use of the surname Brawley. A known bearer of this name is American actor Brawley Nolte (b. 1986), the son of American actor Nick Nolte (b. 1941).

A character in "La damnation de Faust", a légende dramatique by the French composer Hector Berlioz.

Son of Iaen; brother of Sulyen, Teregud, Moren, Siawn, and Caradawg; and one of Arthur’s warriors from Caer Dathal.

He was related to Arthur through Uther.

Transferred use of the surname Bower. It was the middle name of John Bower "Bouse" Hutton (1877-1962), a Canadian ice hockey goaltender and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

From a Welsh surname, derived from ap Owain meaning "son of Owain".

Likely a variant of Beauden.

From Old English blæc meaning "black, dark" or blac meaning "pale" combined with Old English eg meaning "island" or hæg meaning "enclosure".

on of the Earl of Llychlyn and one of the Three Just Knights of Arthur’s Court. He was dedicated to preserving justice through “earthly Law”, in contrast to his fellow knights, who followed the Law of the Church and the Law of Arms.

He’s also said to have been among the Twenty-Four Knights of Arthur’s Court.

There may be a relation between this knight and Merlin’s foster-father Blaise.

Variant of Billfrith.

Elaboration of Bethel.

Transferred use of the surname Berrick which was originally taken from various locational names in Kent, Shropshire, Oxfordshire, Yorkshire and Norfolk.
The name itself is derived from Old English bere "barley" and wic "outlying farm".

French form of Berno.

Variant of Bencelin, a diminutive of Bando.

French form of Benno, this name refers to Saint Benno of Metz (927–940).

It can also be inspired by the Latin word bellis "daisy".

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

Diminutive of Margaret (compare English Peggy).

Means "troubled lady", from Old Irish bé "woman" and a second element, perhaps chuma, meaning "grief, sorrow, wound". In Irish legend she was a woman who 'dwelt in the Land of Promise and had an affair with Gaiar, a son of Manannán mac Lir, the sea-god. Because of this she was banished to the human world where she persuaded Conn of the Hundred Battles, the High King, to take her as his wife or concubine. She grew jealous of his son Art and tried to get him banished' (Peter Berresford Ellis, 1987).

Transferred use of the surname Barron.

Known bearers of Barron as a given name include the American business magnate Barron Hilton (b. 1927), his grandson Barron Hilton II (b. 1989) and Barron Trump (b. 2006), the youngest son of the American businessman and president Donald Trump (b. 1946).

English form of Barnabas, originally a medieval vernacular form.

Greek form of an Aramaic name. In Acts in the New Testament the byname Barnabas was given to a man named Joseph, a Jew from Cyprus who was a companion of Paul on his missionary journeys. The original Aramaic form is unattested, but it may be from בּר נביא (bar navi) meaning "son of the prophet", though in Acts 4:36 it is claimed that the name means "son of encouragement".

As an English name, Barnabas came into occasional use after the 12th century. It is now rare, though the variant Barnaby is still moderately common in Britain.

Transferred use of the surname Barlow.

Transferred use of the surname Barden.

German, Polish, Scandinavian and Catalan form of Augustus. This was the name of three Polish kings.

As an English name it can also derive from the month of August, which was named for the Roman emperor Augustus.

Medieval Breton form of Aodren which was revived in the 1970s. While this name was strictly masculine in medieval times, in modern times it is used on men and women alike.
In Breton legend, this name was borne by Saint Audren, a son of the legendary Breton king Salomon I.

Variant of Audrey, used since the 19th century. It jumped in popularity in the United States after the debut of the television series The Big Valley (1965-1969), which featured the character Audra Barkley.

Transferred use of the surname Auden, which is derived from the Germanic given name Aldwin (its Old English equivalent is Ealdwine). Also compare Alden, which is a surname-turned-given name that has the same etymological origins. The surname Auden was probably formed during the time of the Norman French occupation of England, as Germanic names containing -al- usually became -au- in Norman French. Examples of this are Auberon and Aubrey (both of which came from Alberich), but also the medieval French names Baudry (ultimately from Baldric) and Gaudry (ultimately from Walderic).

The use of Auden as a given name probably started in the 20th century, in honour of the famous English poet W. H. Auden (1907-1973). A known bearer of Auden as a given name is the American climate activist and businessman Auden Schendler (probably born sometime in the 1970s).

French variant of Albert.

From a diminutive form of Auberi, an Old French form of Alberich. It is the name of the fairy king in the 13th-century epic Huon de Bordeaux.

From the name of the flower, which is derived via Latin from Greek ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star".

Derived from the Old Welsh arth meaning “bear” and *uis meaning "knowledge".

The meaning of this name is unknown. It could be derived from the Celtic elements *artos "bear" (Old Welsh arth) combined with *wiros "man" (Old Welsh gur) or *rīxs "king" (Old Welsh ri). Alternatively it could be related to an obscure Roman family name Artorius.

Arthur is the name of the central character in Arthurian legend, a 6th-century king of the Britons who resisted Saxon invaders. He may or may not have been based on a real person. He first appears in Welsh poems and chronicles (perhaps briefly in the 7th-century poem Y Gododdin and more definitively and extensively in the 9th-century History of the Britons [1]). However, his character was not developed until the chronicles of the 12th-century Geoffrey of Monmouth [2]. His tales were later taken up and expanded by French and English writers.

The name came into general use in England in the Middle Ages due to the prevalence of Arthurian romances, and it enjoyed a surge of popularity in the 19th century. Famous bearers include German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), mystery author and Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), and science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008).

Variant of Arlen.

This name was used for a character in Gail Carson Levine's 1997 book "Ella Enchanted". The book won a Newbery Medal and a movie adaptation was released in 2004 starring Anne Hathaway.

From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, which were derived from a Celtic word meaning "high".

Variant of Archie.

Famous fictional Archy is the cockroach in Don Marquis' stories “archy and mehitabel” (1916).

Variant of Arabella.

In medieval German literature, Arabel is the name of a character from the epic poem Willehalm (13th century) written by the German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach (died around 1220). She is the daughter of king Terramer and the wife of king Tybalt, who is wooed and won and eventually taken to wife by the protagonist Willehalm.

In her case, the name might possibly be a reference to Arabia, as she and her family are all Saracens. This would also add more significance to the fact that she changed her name to Gyburc (see Gyburg) after converting to Christianity for Willehalm.

Possibly meaning "flower" and deriving from the Greek ἄνθος (anthos).

Medieval English variant of Honora.

From the English word for the herb, also called aniseed.

King of Scotland, first named by Geoffrey of Monmouth.

The numerous variations of his name may include Anguish of Ireland. Geoffrey tells us that he was the brother of Uriens and Lot, but the Vulgate Merlin calls him the son of King Caradoc and one of Arthur’s unnamed half-sisters (and therefore Arthur’s nephew). In a Welsh adaptation of Geoffrey, his counterpart is Arawn. His name suggests the common Scottish Angus, which belonged to an earl of Moray in the early twelfth century.

In Geoffrey’s version, Arthur restores him to his position as king of Scotland after the country was reclaimed from the Saxons. In later works, however, he is portrayed as an early enemy of Arthur. He was one of the kings who rebelled against Arthur’s ascension to the throne. Arthur defeated the confederation at the battle of Bedegraine, after which the Saxons invaded Scotland, and Angusel had to return to fortify his city of Caranges. Joined by Kings Urien and Nentres, he successfully fought off the invaders, led by King Oriel. Eventually, Angusel and the other rebelling kings reached a truce with Arthur and together crushed the Saxons at Clarence. He later joined Arthur’s wars against Rome, Galehaut, and Claudas.

Anglicized form of Aonghus.

Sindarin form of Angaráto. In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, Angrod is an Elf, the son of Finarfin and brother of Finrod, Aegnor, Orodreth and Galadriel.

Feminine form of Andor 1.

Transferred use of the surname Amory.

Transferred use of the surname Ames.

Meaning unknown, possibly a rhyming variant of Cambrie.

Variant of Alice.

Dutch form of Adalhard.

Variant of Alice.

Medieval variant of Aldous.

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.

Feminization of both Albericus and, in early medieval times, of Alfred.

Form of Albinus in several languages.

Latinization of Ailbhe.

Transferred use of the surname Airlie.

Given name of Saint Macartan

Diminutive of names beginning with Aer, coinciding with the English word aerie, "a bird of prey's nest".

Older form of Aafje.

Variant of Hadley.

From a German surname meaning "eagle".

Anglicized form of Adélie and medieval English short form of Adelicia.

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