shelbytism's Personal Name List

From an English surname that was derived from Welsh llyn meaning "lake". Before the start of the 20th century it was primarily used for boys, but it has since come to be more common for girls. In some cases it may be thought of as a short form of Linda or names that end in lyn or line.

Derived from Latin lux meaning "light".

From a nickname given to a lucky person. It is also sometimes used as a diminutive of Luke. A famous bearer was the Italian-American gangster "Lucky" Luciano (1897-1962).

Means "it is wide" in Xhosa and Zulu, from the phrase uthando lubanzi "love is wide".

Short form of Louise or Louis. Famous bearers include the baseball player Lou Gehrig (1903-1941) and the musician Lou Reed (1942-2013).

Either a short form of Laurence 1 (masculine) or a variant of Lauren (feminine).

From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Ayrshire meaning "little hollow" (from Gaelic lag "hollow, pit" combined with a diminutive suffix). This name started slowly rising on the American popularity charts in the mid-1970s, perhaps partly inspired by the movie Logan's Run (1976). The comic book character Wolverine, alias Logan, was also introduced around the same time.

The name has been very common throughout the English-speaking world since end of the 20th century. In the United States it reached a high point in 2017, when it ranked as the fifth most popular name for boys.

Variant of Lindsay.

From Chinese 林 (lín) meaning "forest" or 琳 (lín) meaning "fine jade, gem". Other characters can also form this name.

Combination of the names Li 1 and Ling.

From the English word light meaning "Electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range visible to the human eye (about 400–750 nanometers); visible light".

From Middle English light, liht, leoht, from Old English lēoht, from Proto-West Germanic *leuht, from Proto-Germanic *leuhtą, from Proto-Indo-European *lewktom, from the root *lewk- (“light”).

It's also transferred from the surname Light.

As a given name, it's most common in Nigeria and several African countries.

From Chinese 莲 (lián) meaning "lotus, water lily", 濂 (lián) meaning "waterfall", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.

Short form of Alexander.

Means "light" in Tswana.

Means "love" in Sotho.

Diminutive of Leonard, sometimes a feminine form.

Transferred use of the surname Lemon.

From a surname, originally from the name of a Scottish town (now a district of Edinburgh), which is derived from Gaelic lìte "wet, damp". It is also the name of the river that flows though Edinburgh.

Means "heavenly flowers" or "royal child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".

From a surname that was derived from Old English leah meaning "clearing". The surname belonged to Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), commander of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In his honour, it has been used as a given name in the American South. It is common as a middle name.

Variant of Lane.

From the English word lake, for the inland body of water. It is ultimately derived from Latin lacus.

Means "limpid, clear" in Burmese.

Variant of Lacy. This is currently the most popular spelling of this name.

Short form of Kristian, Kristoffer and other names beginning with Kris.

Variant of Cody.

Means "beautiful" in Lingala.

Derived from Sanskrit किरण (kiraṇa), which can mean "dust" or "thread" or "sunbeam".

From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "king's wood" in Old English. This name may have received a minor boost in popularity after the release of the 2007 movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, featuring the character Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Derived from kimi meaning "search/look for, seek out" and ora meaning "life."

Means "the homeland" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and one "sand, homeland".

Kembo Na Yawé ; Glory of God

Short form of Kelly.

Means "the path" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and ala "path".

From the Sanskrit word कर्म (karma) meaning "action, deed, fate".

Means "answer" in Sotho and Tswana.

From Sanskrit कान्त (kānta) meaning "desired, beautiful". The feminine form has a long final vowel, while in the masculine form it is short.

Variant (typically feminine) of Cameron.

Means "chameleon" in Malagasy. (See Tana and Kamora).

Transferred use of the surname Kamani.

Means "rising sea," from kai meaning "sea, sea water" and ea meaning "to rise, go up, raise."

Means "sea" in Hawaiian.

From Japanese 楓 (kaede) meaning "maple" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.

From the name of the month, which was originally named for Julius Caesar.

Diminutive of Julia or Julian.

From the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is יַרְדֵן (Yarḏen), and it is derived from יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend, flow down". In the New Testament John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Latin name Jordanes, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.

This name died out after the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. In America and other countries it became fairly popular in the second half of the 20th century. A famous bearer of the surname is former basketball star Michael Jordan (1963-).

From a Frankish masculine name, variously written as Gaudelenus, Gautselin, Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element *gautaz, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats, combined with a Latin diminutive suffix. The Normans brought this name to England in the form Goscelin or Joscelin, and it was common until the 14th century. It was revived in the 20th century primarily as a feminine name, perhaps an adaptation of the surname Jocelyn (a medieval derivative of the given name). In France this is a masculine name only.

Short form of Jesse or Jessica.

Derived from Sanskrit जय (jaya) meaning "victory". In Sanskrit this is a transcription of both the feminine form जया (long final vowel) and the masculine form जय (short final vowel), both of which are used as names or epithets for several characters in Hindu texts. As a modern personal name, this transcription is both feminine and masculine in southern India, but typically only feminine in the north.

Short form of names beginning with the sound J, such as James or Jason. It was originally used in America in honour of founding father John Jay (1749-1825), whose surname was derived from the jaybird.

Originally a Lowland Scots diminutive of James. Since the late 19th century it has also been used as a feminine form.

An invented name, using the popular den suffix sound found in such names as Braden, Hayden and Aidan. This name first became common in America in the 1990s when similar-sounding names were increasing in popularity. The spelling Jayden has been more popular since 2003. It is sometimes considered a variant of the biblical name Jadon.

Diminutive of Jack or Jacqueline. A notable bearer was baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.

Diminutive of Isidore, Isabel, Israel and other names beginning with a similar sound.

From the English word indigo for the purplish-blue dye or the colour. It is ultimately derived from Greek Ἰνδικόν (Indikon) meaning "Indic, from India".

Means "carrying rice" in Japanese, from 稲 (ina) meaning "rice" and 荷 (ri) meaning "carry". This is the name of a Japanese divinity associated with prosperity, rice and foxes, represented as both female and male.

Means "faith" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic إيمان (ʾīmān).

From Sino-Korean 賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able" or other characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.

From an English occupational surname for a hunter, derived from Old English hunta. A famous bearer was the eccentric American journalist Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005).

From Chinese 欢 (huān) meaning "happy, pleased", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

From an English surname that was derived from place names meaning either "hay valley" or "hay hill", derived from Old English heg "hay" and denu "valley" or dun "hill". Its popularity at the end of the 20th century was due to the sound it shared with other trendy names of the time, such as Braden and Aidan.

From an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing". An American name for boys since the 19th century, it began to be used for girls after a character with the name began appearing on the soap opera Guiding Light in 1987.

Transferred use of the surname Halen.

From an English surname meaning "grey", originally given to a person who had grey hair or clothing.

From the Latin name Florentius or the feminine form Florentia, which were derived from florens "prosperous, flourishing". Florentius was borne by many early Christian saints, and it was occasionally used in their honour through the Middle Ages. In modern times it is mostly feminine.

This name can also be given in reference to the city in Italy, as in the case of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), who was born there to British parents. She was a nurse in military hospitals during the Crimean War and is usually considered the founder of modern nursing.

Means "flower" in Italian. It can also be considered an Italian form of the Latin names Flora and Florus.

Transferred use of the surname Eyre.

From the English name for the world's highest mountain, itself named after the British surveyor George Everest (1790-1866).

From Sino-Korean 恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" or 銀 (eun) meaning "silver, money", as well as other hanja characters that are pronounced in the same way. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.

Variant of Esmé.

Means "jewel, treasure" in Mongolian.

From the English word envy, itself ultimately from Latin invidia, of the same meaning.

Means "person with a story, storied person" in Yoruba.

Norman French form of Emmerich. The Normans introduced it to England, and though it was never popular, it survived until the end of the Middle Ages. As a modern given name, now typically feminine, it is likely inspired by the surname Emery, which was itself derived from the medieval given name. It can also be given in reference to the hard black substance called emery.

Transferred use of the surname Embry. It was used by Stephenie Meyer for a character in her 'Twilight' series of books.

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

From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew עֵדֶן (ʿeḏen) meaning "pleasure, delight" [1], or perhaps derived from Sumerian 𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people, Adam and Eve, lived before they were expelled.

Means "eleventh born child" in Akan.

Means "diamond" in Tibetan.

Variant of Devin.

Possibly from the Welsh word deryn, a variant of aderyn meaning "bird".

Short form of names beginning with D. It may also be given in reference to the Dee River in Scotland.

Derived from the Latin word decem, meaning "ten". December is the twelfth month on the Gregorian calendar. This name is used regularly in America, mostly on females.

Combination of Da and Ya.

From an English surname that was derived from Norman French d'Arcy, originally denoting one who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. This is the surname of a character, Fitzwilliam Darcy, in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).

From a surname that could either be of Old English origin meaning "valley house" or of Scottish Gaelic origin meaning "meadow dwelling". A city in Texas bears this name, probably in honour of American Vice President George M. Dallas (1792-1864).

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-).

From the English word meaning "greenish blue, cyan", ultimately derived from Greek κύανος (kyanos).

From the English word for the purplish-red color. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, Kermes vermilio, but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red colors that are between red and rose.

The word came from Late Middle English cremesyn, which came from obsolete French cramoisin or Old Spanish cremesin, which by itself came from Arabic قِرْمِز‎ (qirmiz), ultimately from Persian کرمست‎ (kirmist), which came from Middle Persian; related to Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš. Cognate with Sanskrit कृमिज (kṛmija).

According to the USA Social Security Administration, 70 girls and 44 boys were named Crimson in 2016. Also in 2012, 59 girls and 32 boys in the USA were named Crimsion.

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

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

Short form of Cleopatra, Cleon or Cleopas.

French masculine and feminine form of Claudius. In France the masculine name has been common since the Middle Ages due to the 7th-century Saint Claude of Besançon. It was imported to Britain in the 16th century by the aristocratic Hamilton family, who had French connections. A famous bearer of this name was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).

Means "sky" in French. It is not used as a given name in France itself.

From the word referring to the pupa of a butterfly or moth or the cocoon where the pupa is enclosed inside, derived via Latin from Ancient Greek χρυσαλλίς (khrusallís), from χρυσός (khrusós) meaning "gold."

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic villain bears this name.

Means "God exists" in Igbo, derived from Chi 2, referring to God, and dị meaning "is". It is also a short form of Igbo names beginning with Chidi.

Diminutive or feminine form of Charles. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). It is also borne by Charlie Brown, the main character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz.

From Chinese 超 (chāo) meaning "surpass, leap over" (which is usually only masculine), 潮 (cháo) meaning "tide, flow, damp", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Means "moon" in Sanskrit, derived from चन्द (cand) meaning "to shine". This is a transcription of both the masculine form चण्ड (the god of the moon personified) as well as the feminine form चण्डा (spelled with a long final vowel).

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.

Meaning uncertain. It could come from the name of the Ceri River in Ceredigion, Wales; it could be a short form of Ceridwen; it could be derived from Welsh caru meaning "to love".

Means "holly" in Welsh. It appears briefly in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen [1], belonging to a son of Caw, but was not typically used as a given name until the 20th century.

Italian feminine and masculine form of Caelestis. It is also the Portuguese, Spanish and English feminine form.

From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Caiside), which is derived from the byname Caiside. Very rare as a given name before the 1970s, it established itself in the 80s and then surged in popularity during the 90s.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Cathasaigh, a patronymic derived from the given name Cathassach. This name can be given in honour of Casey Jones (1863-1900), a train engineer who sacrificed his life to save his passengers. In his case, Casey was a nickname acquired because he was raised in the town of Cayce, Kentucky.

Variant of Carey. A famous bearer was the British-American actor Cary Grant (1904-1986).

French feminine and masculine form of Camilla. It is also used in the English-speaking world, where it is generally only feminine.

Variant of Calix.

From the English word calico referring to something having a pattern of red and contrasting areas, specially the tri-coloured cat, resembling the color of calico cloth, a kind of rough cloth often printed with a bright pattern. Derived from Calicut, an Anglicized form of Kozhikode (from Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട് (kōḻikkōṭ), koyil "palace" combined with kota "fort, fortified palace"), the name of a city in southwestern India from where the cloth was originally exported.

A noted bearer is John Rackham (1682 – 1720), commonly known as Calico Jack, an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and in Cuba during the early 18th century, his nickname derived from the calico clothing he wore.

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

While nowadays generally considered a phonetic spelling of Katie or a diminutive of Cadence, Cady was originally derived from a surname which was either a variant of Cade or an Anglicized form of Ó Ceadaigh ("descendant of Céadach"), with Ceadach being a byname derived from Irish ceadach "talkative".

A known bearer of the surname was the American feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902). It was also used for the central character in the film 'Mean Girls' (2004).

From native Korean 별 (byeol) meaning "star."

Means "hill, mound" in Welsh. In Wales it is almost always a masculine name, though elsewhere in the English-speaking world it can be unisex (see Brynn).

Bronze is a yellowish-brown alloy of copper with up to one-third tin. It is a modern first name. In the US, 5 girls and 9 boys were given this first name in 2018.

From the English word for the thorny plant.

Variant of Bree or a diminutive of any name containing the element -bri-, such as Brian, Briana, Gabriella, etc.

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.

A variant of Bo 1, probably influenced by the word "bow" which is used to shoot with arrows or by the word "bowtie", or a diminutive of Rainbow.

From a surname meaning "cheerful" in Old English.

From an English surname that was derived from Old English blæc "black" or blac "pale". A famous bearer of the surname was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827). It was originally a mainly masculine name but in 2007 actress Blake Lively (1987-) began starring in the television series Gossip Girl, after which time it increased in popularity for girls.

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

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

From the English word referring to the small fruit. It is ultimately derived from Old English berie. This name has only been in use since the 20th century.

From a surname of English, German or Scandinavian origins, all derived from related words meaning "stream". As a feminine name, in some cases it is a short form of Rebecca. A noted bearer is the American rock musician Beck Hansen (1970-), born Bek David Campbell, who goes by the stage name Beck.

Variant of Bailynn.

From an English surname derived from Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", originally denoting one who was a bailiff.

Already an uncommon masculine name, it slowly grew in popularity for American girls beginning in 1978 after the start of the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, which featured a character with this name. Though it remained more common as a feminine name, it got a boost for boys in 1994 from another television character on the drama Party of Five. In the United Kingdom and Australia it has always been more popular for boys.

From the English word that means "sky blue". It is ultimately (via Old French, Latin and Arabic) from Persian لاجورد (lājvard) meaning "azure, lapis lazuli".

Hebrew form of Azariah (masculine), as well as a feminine variant in the English-speaking world.

Means "they are increasing" in Zulu, Xhosa and Ndebele.

Modern Hebrew form of Abijah.

From an English surname that was itself derived from the Norman French form of the given names Alberich or Alfred.

As a given name, it was used on the American sitcom Murphy Brown (1988-1998) for both the mother and son of the main character. By 1998 it was more popular as a name for girls in the United States, perhaps further inspired by a character from the movie Jerry Maguire (1996).

From Japanese 明日 (asu) meaning "tomorrow" and 香 (ka) meaning "fragrance", or from 飛 (asu) meaning "to fly" and 鳥 (ka) meaning "bird". Other kanji combinations can be possible as well.

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

From the name of an African people who reside in southern Ghana. It possibly means "warlike" in the Twi language.

Short form of Ashley. It can also come directly from the English word denoting either the tree or the residue of fire.

From the English word arrow, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European *h₂érkʷo- "bow, arrow".

Means "love" in Maori.

From an Italian surname meaning "son of Ermanno". It has been used as a given name due to the fashion company Armani, which was founded by the clothing designer Giorgio Armani (1934-).

Variant of Erin or Aaron.

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

Diminutive of Andrew or sometimes Andrea 2. American pop artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was a famous bearer of this name.

Means "fourth born child" in Akan.

From the middle of the 20th century this has primarily been used as a variant of the feminine name Alison 1. However, prior to that it was used as an uncommon masculine name, derived from the English and Scottish surname Allison.

From the Greek name Ἄλεξις (Alexis) meaning "helper" or "defender", derived from Greek ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, to help". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek comic poet, and also of several saints. It is used somewhat interchangeably with the related name Ἀλέξιος or Alexius, borne by five Byzantine emperors.

In the English-speaking world this name is more commonly given to girls. This is due to the American actress Alexis Smith (1921-1993), who began appearing in movies in the early 1940s. It got a boost in popularity in the 1980s from a character on the soap opera Dynasty.

Short form of Alexander, Alexandra and other names beginning with Alex.

From Japanese 昭 (akira) meaning "bright", 明 (akira) meaning "bright" or 亮 (akira) meaning "clear". Other kanji with the same pronunciation can also form this name. A famous bearer was the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), given name written 明.

Hawaiian form of Adele or Asher.

Derived either from causative prefix aka- and iti meaning "little, small" or from aka meaning "sin, fault" and iti meaning "little, small."

From an English surname that was from a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English anne "alone, solitary" or ansetl "hermitage" and leah "woodland, clearing".

In America, this name received a boost of popularity in 2000 when a character bearing it began appearing on the television series The West Wing.

Means "woods, timber" in Cherokee.

Variant of Hadley.

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