BlairBear's Personal Name List

Means "you are the Nile" in Amharic.

Means "giving off light, shining" in Amharic.

Means "my father is king" in Hebrew, derived from the roots אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and מֶלֶךְ (meleḵ) meaning "king". This is the name of several characters in the Old Testament including a king of Gerar who takes Abraham's wife Sarah, but is forced by God to give her back.

Means "born into royalty" in Yoruba.

Means "my father is dew" in Hebrew, from the roots אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and טַל (ṭal) meaning "dew". She is the fifth wife of David in the Old Testament.

From the Hebrew name אַבְשָׁלוֹם (ʾAvshalom) meaning "father is peace", derived from אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". In the Old Testament he is a son of King David. He avenged his sister Tamar by arranging the murder of her rapist, their half-brother Amnon. He later led a revolt against his father. While fleeing on the back of a mule he got his head caught in a tree and was killed by Joab.

Means "grieving" in Italian, from the title of the Virgin Mary, Maria Addolorata. It is most common in southern Italy. It is the equivalent of Spanish Dolores.

Means "the crown meets joy" in Yoruba.

Means "the crown has returned home" in Yoruba.

Means "the crown becomes joy" in Yoruba.

Means "the crown has ascended the mountain" in Yoruba.

Italian, Portuguese and Spanish form of Adhelm, also used to refer to the English saint Ealdhelm.

Means "the crown returns from over the sea" in Yoruba.

Means "fair, honest, just" in Arabic, from the root عدل (ʿadala) meaning "to act justly". This name was borne by several sultans of Bijapur.

Means "flock of God" in Hebrew, from עֵדֶר (ʿeḏer) meaning "flock, herd" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is the name of a man who married Saul's daughter Merab.

Feminine form of Afif.

Means "tree branches" in Arabic, the plural form of فنن (fanan) [1]. It is given in reference to verse 55:48 in the Quran.

Derived from the poetic Greek word ἀγήνωρ (agenor) meaning "very manly, heroic", a derivative of ἄγαν (agan) "very much" and ἀνήρ (aner) "man". This is the name of multiple characters in Greek mythology, including a king of the Phoenician city of Tyre. He was a son of Poseidon and Libya and the father of Europa, Cadmus and several other children.

Possibly a Romance language form of Arabic الأغلب (al-ʾAghlab), a 9th-century emir of Ifriqiya in North Africa [1], which is derived from أغلب (ʾaghlab) meaning "predominant, supreme". This is the name of a Saracen king in medieval French tales of Charlemagne and his knights.

Probably a variant of Agolant, used for the invading Saracen king in the Orlando poems (1495 and 1532) by Boiardo and Ariosto.

Perhaps derived from the old Celtic root *agro- meaning "battle, slaughter". This is possibly the name of a Brythonic goddess for whom the River Ayr in Scotland and River Aeron in Wales were named.

Means "most handsome, most beautiful" in Arabic (a superlative form of Hasan).

From Persian آهو (āhū) meaning "deer, gazelle".

Walloon diminutive of Adelaide.

Probably a variant of Heimirich. Aimeric (or Aimery) was the name of several viscounts of Narbonne between the 11th and 13th centuries. It was also borne by the first king of Cyprus (12th century), originally from Poitou, France.

Derived from the Old German elements heisti "loud, violent" and wolf "wolf". This was the name of an 8th-century king of the Lombards.

Derived from Basque ainuria or aiuria meaning "howl".

Finnish form of Axel.

From the Gothic name *Alareiks meaning "ruler of all", derived from the element alls "all" combined with reiks "ruler, king". This was the name of a king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in the 5th century.

Italian and French form of Alcides.

Middle English form of Ealdgyð.

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.

Italian form of Alphaeus.

Means "elf spear" from Old English ælf "elf" and gar "spear". This Old English name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest, being absorbed by similar-sounding names and Norman and Scandinavian cognates. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.

Means "cheerful, lively" in Italian. It was borne by a short-lived illegitimate daughter of Lord Byron (1817-1822).

Means "diamond" in Armenian, ultimately from Persian الماس (almās).

Meaning uncertain, possibly a masculine form of Almira 1.

Derived from Arabic المدينة (al-mudayna) meaning "the citadel", a diminutive form of the word مدينة (madīna) meaning "city". According to legend, it was in a building by this name that a concealed statue of the Virgin Mary was discovered during the Reconquista in Madrid. The Virgin of Almudena, that is Mary, is the patron saint of Madrid.

Medieval Occitan form of Louis.

Means "high grace", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, meaning "Our Lady of High Grace". She is considered the patron saint of the Dominican Republic, and it is there that this name is most often used.

Means "the flyer" in Arabic. This is the name of a star in the constellation Aquila.

From the Old Norse name Alfarr, formed of the elements alfr "elf" and herr "army, warrior".

Venetian form of Louis.

Diminutive of Aleksey.

Medieval feminine form of Amabilis.

Means "protector" in Tamazight [1].

Italian form of Amatus.

Late Latin name meaning "lover (of God)". Saint Amator was a 5th-century bishop of Auxerre.

Means "cheetah" in Tamazight [1].

Portuguese and Spanish form of Hamilcar.

Means "protection, shelter, refuge" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora del Amparo, meaning "Our Lady of Refuge".

Italian form of Ampelius, the Latin form of the Greek name Ἀμπέλιος (Ampelios), which was derived from ἄμπελος (ampelos) meaning "vine". Saint Ampelius was a 7th-century bishop of Milan.

From Kazakh and Kyrgyz анар (anar) meaning "pomegranate", a word ultimately derived from Persian.

From the Greek Ἀνατόλιος (Anatolios), derived from ἀνατολή (anatole) meaning "sunrise". Saint Anatolius was a 3rd-century philosopher from Alexandria.

From the Old Norse name Arnþórr, derived from the element ǫrn "eagle" combined with the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor).

Elaborated form of Andréa (mainly Brazilian).

Combination of Anne 1 and Grete.

Walloon form of Anselm.

Derived from the Old German elements ansi "god" and helm "helmet, protection". This name was brought to England in the late 11th century by Saint Anselm, who was born in northern Italy. He was archbishop of Canterbury and a Doctor of the Church.

Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Anthelm.

From the Old German element anto meaning "zeal" combined with helm meaning "helmet, protection". Saint Anthelm was a 12th-century bishop of Belley in France.

Means "altar of the sky" from Latin ara "altar" and coeli "sky". This is an epithet of the Virgin Mary in her role as the patron saint of Lucena, Spain.

From the name of a place near the Spanish town of Oñati where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its name is derived from Basque arantza "thornbush".

Probably derived from Greek ἀρδάλιον (ardalion) meaning "water pot". This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr from Asia Minor.

Diminutive of Arkadiusz.

From an ancient Greek name meaning "of Arcadia". Arcadia was a region in Greece, its name deriving from ἄρκτος (arktos) meaning "bear". This was the name of a 3rd-century saint and martyr.

Transferred use of the surname Arliss.

Meaning uncertain. It was perhaps inspired by the fictional place name Arlo Hill from the poem The Faerie Queene (1590) by Edmund Spenser. Spenser probably got Arlo by altering the real Irish place name Aherlow, meaning "between two highlands".

French and Catalan form of Herman.

Breton and French form of the Old Welsh name Arthmail, which was composed of the elements arth "bear" and mael "prince, chieftain". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh saint who founded abbeys in Brittany.

Feminine form of Armel.

Catalan form of Arnold.

Icelandic variant form of Andor 1.

Armenian form of *Artavazda (see Artabazos). This name was borne by three kings of Armenia, ruling between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD.

Greek form of the Old Persian name 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠 (Artaxšaça) meaning "reign through truth", derived from 𐎠𐎼𐎫 (arta) meaning "truth" and 𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶 (xšaçam) meaning "reign, kingdom" [1]. This was the name of several Achaemenid Persian rulers. It was also borne by the founder of the Sasanian Empire, usually known by the Middle Persian form Ardashir.

From the Old Norse name Arnviðr, derived from the elements ǫrn "eagle" and viðr "tree".

Means "belonging to the goddess Neith" in Ancient Egyptian. In the Old Testament this is the name of Joseph's Egyptian wife. She was the mother of Manasseh and Ephraim.

Perhaps derived from Semitic roots meaning "she who walks in the sea". This was the name of a Semitic mother goddess. She was worshipped by the Israelites before the advent of monotheism.

From the name of the city of Ashur, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, which is of unknown meaning. Ashur was the patron deity of the city and the chief god of Assyria.

From the 1923 Russian novel Scarlet Sails by Alexander Grin, adapted into a 1961 Soviet movie. In the story, Assol is a young girl who is told by a prophetic old man that she will one day marry a prince. The meaning of the name is not uncertain, but it has been suggested that it was inspired by the Russian question а соль (a sol) meaning "and the salt?".

Means "taken up, received, assumed" in Italian, referring to the assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven.

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.

Feminine form of Aurelius.

From the name of the island paradise to which King Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh afal meaning "apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.

Possibly from the name of the prayer Ave Maria, in which Ave is Latin meaning "greetings, salutations". In Estonian it is also associated with the word ava meaning "open".

Derived from the Old German element awi, of unknown meaning. Rarely, this name may be given in honour of the 16th-century mystic Saint Teresa of Ávila, Ávila being the name of the town in Spain where she was born.

Probably a Latinized form of the Germanic name Aveza, which was derived from the element awi, of unknown meaning. The Normans introduced this name to England and it became moderately common during the Middle Ages, at which time it was associated with Latin avis "bird".

French form of April. A famous bearer is the Canadian musician Avril Lavigne (1984-).

Means "good luck" in Somali.

Means "orange blossom" in Spanish, ultimately from Arabic زهْرة (zahra) meaning "flower". It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora del Azahar, meaning "Our Lady of the Orange Blossom", because of the citrus trees that surround a church devoted to her near Murcia.

Means "fire" in Persian.

From the Hebrew name עֲזַרְיָה (ʿAzarya) meaning "Yahweh has helped", derived from עָזַר (ʿazar) meaning "help" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many Old Testament characters including of one of the three men the Babylonian king ordered cast into a fiery furnace. His Babylonian name was Abednego.

Possibly a Spanish variant of Asenath.

As an African name it means "powerful". As an English name, it is an alternate spelling of Azlan which is a variant of Aslan, a Turkish name meaning "lion". It is the name of the Lion in CS Lewis's book 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe'.

Modern Persian form of Avestan 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬚𐬭𐬀𐬖𐬥𐬀 (Vərəthraghna) meaning "victory over resistance". This was the name of a Zoroastrian god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with victory and war. It was also borne by several Sasanian emperors. It is also the Persian name for the planet Mars.

Variant of Belshazzar. Balthazar is the name traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who visited the newborn Jesus. He was said to have come from Arabia. This name was utilized by Shakespeare for minor characters in The Comedy of Errors (1594) and The Merchant of Venice (1596).

Caló form of John.

Polish diminutive of Bartłomiej or Bartosz.

Polish diminutive of Barbara.

From the Greek name Βασίλειος (Basileios), which was derived from βασιλεύς (basileus) meaning "king". Saint Basil the Great was a 4th-century bishop of Caesarea and one of the fathers of the early Christian church. Due to him, the name (in various spellings) has come into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors.

Means "brave, valiant" in Arabic.

Walloon and Picard form of Baptiste.

Modern Irish form of Berach.

Italian feminine form of Benedict.

Means "pearl" in Kyrgyz.

French feminine form of Bernard. Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879) was a young woman from Lourdes in France who claimed to have seen visions of the Virgin Mary. She was declared a saint in 1933.

From a Welsh surname that was derived from ap Evan meaning "son of Evan". As a given name, it is particularly common in New Zealand and Australia.

Catalan short form of Gabriel.

Means "wetting, moistening" in Arabic. This was the name of a companion of the Prophet Muhammad.

Derived from the South Slavic word бисер (biser) meaning "pearl" (ultimately of Arabic origin).

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

Diminutive of Bogdan or Slobodan.

From the Old Norse name Bóthildr, derived from bót "remedy" and hildr "battle".

Means "armour" in Old Norse.

Means "Candlemas" in Spanish, ultimately derived from Spanish candela "candle". This name is given in honour of the church festival of Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of Christ in the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary.

From the Italian phrase cara mia meaning "my beloved".

Means "charity" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, meaning "Our Lady of Charity". This is the name of the patron saint of Cuba, with a shrine located in the town of El Cobre.

Late Latin name derived from cara meaning "dear, beloved". This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr. It is also the name of a constellation in the southern sky, though in this case it means "keel" in Latin, referring to a part of Jason's ship the Argo.

From the title of the Virgin Mary Our Lady of Mount Carmel. כַּרְמֶל (Karmel) (meaning "garden" in Hebrew) is a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the site of several early Christian monasteries. As an English given name, it has mainly been used by Catholics. As a Jewish name it is unisex.

Diminutive of Carmo. It has been popularized in Portugal by the singer simply known as Carminho (1984-).

Dutch feminine form of Carolus.

English form of the Polish name Kazimierz, derived from the Slavic element kaziti "to destroy" combined with mirŭ "peace, world". Four kings of Poland have borne this name, including Casimir III the Great, who greatly strengthened the Polish state in the 14th century. It was also borne Saint Casimir, a 15th-century Polish prince and a patron saint of Poland and Lithuania. The name was imported into Western Europe via Germany, where it was borne by some royalty.

Latinized form of Greek Κάσσανδρος (Kassandros), the masculine form of Cassandra. This was the name of a 3rd-century BC king of Macedon.

Romanian masculine form of Katherine.

Spanish form of Zephyr.

Portuguese, Galician, Spanish and Italian form of Celsus.

Means "rock" in Aramaic. The apostle Simon was called Cephas by Jesus because he was to be the rock upon which the Christian church was to be built. In most versions of the New Testament Cephas is translated into Greek Πέτρος (Petros) (in English Peter).

French, Spanish and Portuguese form of Caesar. A famous bearer was the American labour organizer César Chávez (1927-1993).

Latinized form of Hariwald. This was the name of 1st-century Batavian chief mentioned by Tacitus.

Valencian diminutive of Joaquim.

Diminutive of Lucyin.

Feminine form of the Late Latin name Clarus, which meant "clear, bright, famous". The name Clarus was borne by a few early saints. The feminine form was popularized by the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi (called Chiara in Italian), a friend and follower of Saint Francis, who left her wealthy family to found the order of nuns known as the Poor Clares.

As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages, originally in the form Clare, though the Latinate spelling Clara overtook it in the 19th century and became very popular. It declined through most of the 20th century (being eclipsed by the French form Claire in English-speaking countries), though it has since recovered somewhat.

Italian form of Cloelia.

French feminine form of Clement. This is also the name of a variety of orange (fruit).

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

Derived from the Irish word cailín meaning "girl". It is not commonly used in Ireland itself, but has been used in America since the early 20th century.

Italian feminine diminutive of Columba. In traditional Italian pantomimes this is the name of a stock character, the female counterpart of Arlecchino (also called Harlequin). This is also the Italian word for the columbine flower.

From an English surname meaning "maker of cord" or "seller of cord" in Middle English.

French form of the Breton name Kaourintin, possibly from korventenn meaning "hurricane, storm". Alternatively, it could be connected to the Brythonic root *karid meaning "love" (modern Breton karout). This was the name of a 5th-century bishop of Quimper in Brittany.

French form of Quirinus.

Romanian form of Cosmas.

Derived from Romanian crin meaning "lily".

From the Roman cognomen Crispinus, which was derived from the name Crispus. Saint Crispin was a 3rd-century Roman who was martyred with his twin brother Crispinian in Gaul. They are the patrons of shoemakers. They were popular saints in England during the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since that time.

Diminutive of Crocifissa.

From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "town with a small enclosed field" in Old English.

Means "royal fortress" from Old English cyne "royal" and burg "fortress". Saint Cyneburga, a daughter of a king of Mercia, was the founder of an abbey at Castor in the 7th century.

Derived from Old English cyne "royal" and ric "ruler, king".

Latinized form of Greek Κυρήνη (Kyrene), the name of a Hellenic city in ancient Libya, itself probably named for a nearby spring Κύρη (Kyre). It has been associated with κῦρος (kyros) meaning "power, authority". In Greek mythology this is the name of a Thessalian princess loved by Apollo. He took her to Libya, where he founded the city in her honour and installed her as queen.

Derived from the Slavic elements dalĭ "distance" and milŭ "gracious, dear".

Probably means "calf, heifer, girl" from Greek δάμαλις (damalis). In the New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by Saint Paul.

Possibly derived from the Slavic elements danŭ "given" and mirŭ "peace, world". Otherwise, it might be of Turkic or Russian origin (see Damir 2). It was popularized by a character from Marija Jurić Zagorka's novel Gordana (1935).

Meaning uncertain. It might be from a variant of Turkic temür meaning "iron" or from Arabic ضمير (ḍamīr) meaning "mind, heart, conscience". It could also be an acronym of the Russian phrase даёшь мировую революцию "bring on the world revolution".

Diminutive of Danail.

Means "sea, ocean" in Persian.

Meaning uncertain, possibly from an old Slavic exclamation expressing joy or sorrow. This was the name of a supposed Slavic war god. His name was the basis for the word davorije, a type of patriotic war song popular in the 19th century [1].

Variant of Davor.

Means "bundle, bunch (of flowers), bouquet" in Turkish.

Feminine form of Desideratus.

Derived from Latin desideratum meaning "desired". This was the name of a 6th-century French saint.

Derived from Slavic elements, possibly desiti "to find, to encounter" or desętĭ "ten", combined with mirŭ "peace, world".

Modern Greek form of Despoina.

Means "mistress, lady" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon. She was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites practiced at Eleusis near Athens.

German form of Theudemer.

Walloon form of Denis.

From Serbian диван (divan) or Macedonian дивен (diven) meaning "wonderful".

Walloon form of George.

Derived from the Slavic elements dobrŭ "good" and milŭ "gracious, dear".

Walloon form of Adolphine.

From the Late Latin name Donatus meaning "given". Several early saints had this name. The name was also borne by two Renaissance masters: the sculptor Donato di Niccolo di Bette Bardi (also known as Donatello), and the architect Donato Bramante.

Derived from the Slavic element dorgŭ (South Slavic drag) meaning "precious" combined with mirŭ meaning "peace, world".

Italian form of the Late Latin name Durans, which meant "enduring".

Means "pearl" in Uzbek (a word of Arabic origin).

Croatian and Serbian form of George.

Means "snow" in Basque, from edur, a variant of elur "snow". It is an equivalent of Nieves, proposed by the writer Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque saints names.

From the Latin byname Ephesius, which originally belonged to a person who was from the city of Ephesus in Ionia. This was the name of a saint martyred on Sardinia in the 4th century.

Spanish form of Ephraim (referring to Saint Ephrem the Syrian).

Latinized form of the Greek name Ἐλευθέριος (Eleutherios), which meant "free". This was the name of a 2nd-century pope, as well as several saints.

French form of Eligius.

Derived from Welsh eilun meaning "image, likeness, idol". This was the name of a legendary 5th-century Welsh saint, also known as Eiliwedd, one of the supposed daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog.

Italian form of Helvius.

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.

Diminutive of Enrica.

Italian form of Hermenegildo.

Derived from Hermetis, the Latin genitive form of Hermes, the name of the Greek messenger god.

Walloon form of Renelde.

Persian form of Alexander.

Spanish form of the Late Latin name Sperantia, which was derived from sperare "to hope".

From a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Estíbaliz, meaning "Our Lady of Estíbaliz". Estíbaliz is a sanctuary in Álava, Spain. It may be derived from Latin aestivalis "pertaining to the summer", a derivative of aestas "summer". Folk etymology connects it to Basque ezti "honey" and balitz "as if it were".

Derived from Greek εὔλαλος (eulalos) meaning "sweetly-speaking", itself from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and λαλέω (laleo) meaning "to talk". This was the name of an early 4th-century saint and martyr from Mérida in Spain. Another martyr by this name, living at the same time, is a patron saint of Barcelona. These two saints might be the same person.

Derived from the Old German elements fara "journey" and munt "protection". This was the name of a semi-legendary 5th-century king of the Franks.

Derived from Arabic فطم (faṭama) meaning "to abstain, to wean" [1]. Fatima was a daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and the wife of Ali, the fourth caliph. She is regarded as the exemplary Muslim woman, especially among Shias.

Alternate transcription of Arabic فائزة (see Faiza).

Possibly from Februa, a Roman purification festival that was held during the month of February (and which gave the month its name). The festival was derived from Latin februum meaning "purging, purification". This name was borne by Saint Febronia of Nisibis, a 4th-century martyr.

Romanian form of Felicianus (see Feliciano), as well as the usual English spelling of the saints' names.

Portuguese diminutive of Felipe.

Variant of Felicia. It could be an elaborated form of the Spanish adjective feliz meaning "happy" or also a diminutive of Felizitas.

Derived from the Late Latin name Ferrutius, a derivative of ferrum meaning "iron, sword". Saint Ferrutius was a 3rd-century martyr with his brother Ferreolus.

Means "festivity, celebration" in Albanian.

Means "flame" in Italian.

French masculine form of Florentius (see Florence).

Modern Greek form of Photine.

Walloon form of Pholien.

From the French name for a variety of flowering plant (genus Rubia; called madder in English), which is used to make red dye. This name was borne by the central character in the French film Les Enfants du Paradis (1945).

Meaning unknown, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This was the name of several medieval kings of Navarre and Leon.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Jasper, as well as the Latin form.

From a Germanic name meaning "power of the spear", from the elements ger meaning "spear" and walt meaning "power, authority". The Normans brought it to Britain. Though it died out in England during the Middle Ages, it remained common in Ireland. It was revived in the English-speaking world in 19th century.

There were a few medieval French and German saints bearing this name. It was also borne by an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon saint. In this case his name may represent an Old English cognate of the continental Germanic name.

Portuguese and Spanish form of Giles.

Possibly from Ambrogiotto, a diminutive of Ambrogio, or Angiolotto, a diminutive of Angiolo. This name was borne by Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337), an Italian painter and architect.

From Persian گوهر (gōhar) meaning "jewel, gemstone". This name is typically feminine in Iran and Armenia, but masculine in Pakistan.

Derived from South Slavic gora meaning "mountain". It was popularized by the Croatian poet Ivan Goran Kovačić (1913-1943), who got his middle name because of the mountain town where he was born.

Spanish and Italian form of Grimwald.

Spanish form of Walter.

Catalan form of William.

Possibly derived from Greek γύλιος (gylios), the name for a long-shaped pouch or knapsack that Greek soldiers used for carrying their food supplies.

A notable bearer of this name was the Greek military official Gylon of Cerameis (5th century BC), who was the maternal grandfather of the Greek statesman and orator Demosthenes.

From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "heather field" in Old English.

Means "halo around the moon" in Arabic. This was the name of a sister-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

From the Old Norse name Hallþórr, which meant "Thor's rock" from hallr "rock" combined with the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor).

Derived from Greek ἅλς (hals) meaning "sea, brine, salt" combined with one of the related words μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of, to provide for, to think on" or μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". According to Greek mythology this was one of the Nereids. A minor moon of Neptune is named after her.

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.

Means "father-in-law is dew" in Hebrew, derived from חָם (ḥam) meaning "father-in-law" and טַל (ṭal) meaning "dew". In the Old Testament this is the name of a wife of King Josiah of Judah.

Romanian form of Charalampos.

Variant of Harun found in East Africa.

Persian form of Hashim.

Scots form of Henry.

Meaning uncertain, perhaps related to Greek ἕρση (herse) meaning "dew". In Roman legend this was the name of a Sabine woman who became the wife of Romulus.

From the Greek name Ἡσίοδος (Hesiodos), which probably meant "to throw song" from ἵημι (hiemi) meaning "to throw, to speak" and ᾠδή (ode) meaning "song, ode". This was the name of an 8th-century BC Greek poet.

From Romanian horă, a type of circle dance. This was the nickname of Vasile Ursu Nicola (1731-1785), a leader of a peasant rebellion in Romania. He was eventually captured, tortured and executed.

Means "linen weaver" in Hebrew. This is the name of the father of Abihail in the Old Testament.

Means "lady of the water" in Tupi, from y "water" and îara "lady, mistress". In Brazilian folklore this is the name of a beautiful river nymph who would lure men into the water. She may have been based upon earlier Tupi legends.

Basque variant form of John.

From the Mongolian title il-Khan meaning "subordinate Khan", which was first adopted by Genghis Khan's grandson Hulagu, who ruled a kingdom called the Ilkhanate that stretched from modern Iran to eastern Turkey.

Caló form of Ignatius.

Means "pearl" in Kazakh.

Means "fern field" in Basque.

Latinized form of the Greek name Εἰρηναῖος (Eirenaios), which meant "peaceful". Saint Irenaeus was an early bishop of Lyons for whom the Greek island of Santorini is named.

Means "will, determination, decree" in Uzbek, derived from Arabic إرادة (ʾirāda).

Medieval French variant of Isabel. A famous bearer of this name was Isabeau of Bavaria (1385-1422), wife of the French king Charles VI.

German and Russian form of Isidore.

Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Isidore.

Means "nocturnal journey" in Arabic, derived from سرى (sarā) meaning "to travel by night". According to Islamic tradition, the Isra was a miraculous journey undertaken by the Prophet Muhammad.

From the name of a Basque village that contains an important shrine to the Virgin Mary, possibly meaning "old stone".

Means "blossoming, prospering" in Arabic, a derivative of زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine, to bloom".

Means "important, exalted" in Arabic, from the root جلّ (jalla) meaning "to be great".

Medieval diminutive of Jan 3.

Masculine form of Jarmila.

From Latin Gaspar, perhaps from the Biblical Hebrew word גִּזְבָּר (gizbar) meaning "treasurer" [1], derived from Old Persian ganzabarah. This name was traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who were said to have visited the newborn Jesus. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since the Middle Ages. The name can also be given in reference to the English word for the gemstone.

Short form of Jackson. It appeared in the video game Mortal Kombat II in 1993. It first registered as a given name in the United States in 1995 (when it was used only five times) but steadily grew in popularity for two decades, probably inspired by similar names like Max and Dax and helped by a character of this name on the American television series Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014).

Variant of Jax.

From the Greek name Ἱερώνυμος (Hieronymos) meaning "sacred name", derived from ἱερός (hieros) meaning "sacred" and ὄνυμα (onyma) meaning "name". Saint Jerome was responsible for the creation of the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible, in the 5th century. He is regarded as a Doctor of the Church. The name was used in his honour in the Middle Ages, especially in Italy and France, and has been used in England since the 12th century [1].

Variant of Jocelyn.

Variant of Giovanni.

Means "beautiful power", derived from the Greek elements κάλλος (kallos) meaning "beauty" and κράτος (kratos) meaning "power".

Means "stone" in Bulgarian. This is a translation of the Greek name Πέτρος (Petros).

Tamil form of Krishna.

Greek form of Carpus.

Derived from the Lithuanian noun kaštonas meaning "(horse-)chestnut, conker".

From Japanese 霞 (kasumi) meaning "mist". It can also come from 花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" combined with 澄 (sumi) meaning "clear, pure". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Form of Katherine in several languages.

From the Old Norse name Ketill meaning "kettle, cauldron" (later also acquiring the meaning "helmet"). In old Scandinavian rituals the ketill was used to catch the blood of sacrificed animals.

Anglicized form of the Irish name Caoimhín meaning "beloved birth", derived from Old Irish Cóemgein, composed of cóem "dear, beloved, gentle" and gein "birth". Saint Caoimhín established a monastery in Glendalough, Ireland in the 6th century and is the patron saint of Dublin.

The name became popular in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland in the middle of the 20th century, and elsewhere in Europe in the latter half of the 20th century. Famous bearers include the American actors Kevin Costner (1955-) and Kevin Bacon (1958-). It was also borne by the character Kevin McCallister in the 1990 comedy movie Home Alone.

Means "premature child" in Arabic. This was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's first wife and the mother of all of his children, with the exception of one. She was a wealthy merchant and a widow when they married in the year 595. Muhammad received his first revelation 15 years after their marriage, and she was the first person to convert to Islam.

Means "lily of the valley" in Finnish (species Convallaria majalis).

Polish and Hungarian diminutive of Kunigunde.

Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Cyril.

Possibly a variant of Krishna.

Short form of Koldobika.

Derived from the Old German elements grimo "mask" and hilt "battle". Kriemhild was a beautiful heroine in the medieval German saga the Nibelungenlied, where she is the sister of Gunther and the wife of Siegfried. After her husband is killed by Hagen with the consent of Gunther, Kriemhild tragically exacts her revenge. She is called Gudrun in Norse versions of the tale.

From Sanskrit कृत्तिका (krittika), the name for the constellation of the Pleiades.

Short form of names beginning with the Old German element kunni meaning "clan, family". It can also be a short form of Konrad.

Old Persian form of Cyrus.

Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian form of Cosmas.

Variant of Kira 2, sometimes considered a feminine form of Cyrus.

Feminine form of Kyriakos.

Means "glances" in Arabic [1].

Italian form of Lazarus. In the past it was used as an Italian word meaning "leper".

Means "pearl lei" or "pearl child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and momi "pearl".

Means "lemon tree" in Greek.

Derived from Greek λέοντος (leontos), the genitive case of λέων (leon) meaning "lion". This was the name of various early saints and martyrs. It was also borne by a 7th-century Byzantine emperor.

Italian (particularly Sicilian) form of Liborius.

Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Galician form of Linus.

Old German form of Linda.

Romanian form of Livius.

Means "lion" in Caló. This name is used as the Caló form of León.

Italian and Spanish form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1). Lorenzo de' Medici (1449-1492), known as the Magnificent, was a ruler of Florence during the Renaissance. He was also a great patron of the arts who employed Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli and other famous artists.

From the name of a town in Italy, originally called Lauretum in Latin, meaning "laurel grove". Supposedly in the 13th century the house of the Virgin Mary was miraculously carried by angels from Nazareth to the town. In Spain it is a feminine name, from the Marian title Nuestra Señora de Loreto, while in Italy it is mostly masculine.

Variant of Loren.

Walloon form of Laurent.

Diminutive of Lorenzo.

From the name of a region in eastern France, originally meaning "kingdom of Lothar". Lothar was a Frankish king, the great-grandson of Charlemagne, whose realm was in the part of France that is now called Lorraine, or in German Lothringen (from Latin Lothari regnum). As a given name, it has been used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century, perhaps due to its similar sound with Laura. It became popular after World War I when the region was in the news, as it was contested between Germany and France.

Variant of Louwis.

This name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called Lucasta (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, whom he called lux casta "pure light".

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

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

Meaning unknown, though possibly related to the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace, world". In Czech legend this is the name of a bard.

Form of Eluned used by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes in his poem Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. In the poem she is a servant of the Lady of the Fountain who aids the knight Yvain.

Means "rage, fury, anger" in Greek. In Greek mythology Lyssa is a goddess associated with uncontrolled rage.

Spanish form of the Latin name Macarius, derived from the Greek name Μακάριος (Makarios), which was in turn derived from Greek μάκαρ (makar) meaning "blessed, happy". This was the name of several early saints.

Hebrew form of Mahalath.

Derived from Arabic مَدَنِيّ (madaniyy) meaning "city dweller, civilian, citizen", chiefly found in Algerian and Moroccan Arabic.

French form of Breton Mael meaning "prince, chieftain, lord". Saint Mael was a 5th-century Breton hermit who lived in Wales.

Variant of Mahendra used by Sikhs.

Means "sad, grieved" in Pashto. This was the name of a Pashtun woman who encouraged the Afghan forces during the 1880 Battle of Maiwand against the British.

Means "raspberry" in several Slavic languages.

Means "bitter" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is a name that Naomi calls herself after the death of her husband and sons (see Ruth 1:20).

Walloon form of Maria.

Short form of María Soledad. It is sometimes considered a combination of María and Sol 1, or from Spanish mar y sol "sea and sun".

From the Germanic name Mahthilt meaning "strength in battle", from the elements maht "might, strength" and hilt "battle". Saint Matilda was the wife of the 10th-century German king Henry I the Fowler. The name was common in many branches of European royalty in the Middle Ages. It was brought to England by the Normans, being borne by the wife of William the Conqueror himself. Another notable royal by this name was a 12th-century daughter of Henry I of England, known as the Empress Matilda because of her first marriage to the Holy Roman emperor Henry V. She later invaded England, laying the foundations for the reign of her son Henry II.

The name was very popular until the 15th century in England, usually in the vernacular form Maud. Both forms were revived by the 19th century. This name appears in the popular Australian folk song Waltzing Matilda, written in 1895.

Diminutive of Mattin.

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Maurus.

From the name of a town in southern France, said to derive from Occitan mair "mother" and French lys "lily". It is also sometimes considered a combination of Marie and lys.

Diminutive of Mareye and thus a cognate of Marion 1.

From Indonesian mega meaning "cloud" (of Sanskrit origin) and the feminine suffix -wati. A notable bearer is former Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri (1947-).

Means "mercies" (that is, the plural of mercy), from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, meaning "Our Lady of Mercies". It is ultimately from the Latin word merces meaning "wages, reward", which in Vulgar Latin acquired the meaning "favour, pity" [1].

From Egyptian mrt-sgr meaning "she who loves silence", derived from mrt "the beloved" (see mrj "to love") and sgr "silence, quiet". This was the name of a Theban cobra-goddess, guardian of the necropolis at Thebes and the Valley of Kings. She was said to watch over the workers there, punishing thieves and tomb desecrators with blindness and snake or scorpion bites, but healing those who repented.

Meretseger was also the name of the wife of the Pharaoh Senusret III, and the first to bear the title Great Royal Wife, which went on to be the standard title for the chief wives of pharaohs. She was also the first queen consort to have her name written in a cartouche. She may have been a later invention of the New Kingdom.

Romanian form of Michael. Mihai the Brave was a prince of Wallachia who united Romania in the early 17th century.

Means "miracles" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de los Milagros, which means "Our Lady of Miracles".

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

From the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear".

From the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by the wife of the 14th-century Serbian ruler Lazar.

Derived from the Slavic elements milŭ "gracious, dear" and radŭ "happy, willing".

Originally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear". This was the name of a 14th-century Serbian hero who apparently killed the Ottoman sultan Murad I at the Battle of Kosovo.

Diminutive of Émile.

From 敏 (mǐn) meaning "quick, clever, sharp", 民 (mín) meaning "people, citizens", or other Chinese/Sino-Korean characters that are pronounced similarly.

Means "fish catcher" in Sanskrit.

Romanian form of Menodora.

Romanian, Croatian and Albanian form of Mireille.

Possibly derived from the Slavic word mir meaning "peace" or Romanian mira meaning "to wonder, to astound".

Tajik and Uzbek form of Mirza.

Walloon form of Maximilian.

Means "lily of the valley" in Turkish (species Convallaria majalis).

Means "hope" in Russian and Bulgarian.

From Japanese 七 (nana) meaning "seven" and 海 (mi) meaning "sea". It can also come from 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" duplicated and 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Meaning unknown, possibly related to Inanna. This was the name of a goddess worshipped by the Sumerians and Akkadians. She was later conflated with the goddesses Anahita and Aphrodite.

Walloon form of Fernand.

Variant of Narendra used by Sikhs.

Means "helper" in Arabic, from the root نصر (naṣara) meaning "to help, to aid". This transcription represents two related yet distinct Arabic names: ناصر, in which the first vowel is long, and نصير, in which the second vowel is long.

Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Nahum.

Russian, Ukrainian, Turkmen and Armenian form of Nazarius.

Possibly means "water lily" in an Australian Aboriginal language.

Created by Shakespeare for a character in his play The Merchant of Venice (1596). He possibly took it from Greek Νηρηΐς (Nereis) meaning "nymph, sea sprite", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god Nereus, who supposedly fathered them.

Turkish form of Nasrin.

Created by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for a character in his 12th-century epic The Knight in the Panther's Skin. Rustaveli derived it from the Persian phrase نیست اندر جهان (nīst andar jahān) meaning "unlike any other in the world" or "unique". In the poem Nestan-Darejan is a princess loved by Tariel.

Brazilian Portuguese form of Neptune.

Derived from South Slavic neven meaning "marigold".

From the Greek name Νικάνωρ (Nikanor), which was derived from νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man". This name was borne by several notable officers from ancient Macedon. It is also mentioned in the New Testament as belonging to one of the original seven deacons of the church, considered a saint.

Means "carrying victory" from Greek νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and φέρω (phero) meaning "to carry, to bear". This name was borne by several Byzantine emperors, including the 10th-century Nikephoros II Phokas. Besides being a masculine personal name, it was also a title borne by the goddess Athena.

Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Nikephoros.

Means "plowed field" in Hebrew.

From Sanskrit नीरज (nīraja) meaning "water-born, lotus".

Feminine form of Nirmal.

Derived from Greek νομικός (nomikos) meaning "relating to the law".

Means "light" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition النور (al-Nūr) is one of the 99 names of Allah.

From a Catalan title of the Virgin Mary, Nostra Senyora de Núria, meaning "Our Lady of Nuria". Nuria is a sanctuary in Spain in which there is a shrine containing a famous statue of Mary.

Ukrainian form of Alexandra.

Means "oblivion, forgetting" in Spanish, taken from the title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora del Olvido, Triunfo y Misericordias meaning "Our Lady of Oblivion, Triumph and Mercies". It commemorates an 1831 vision of Mary by the Spanish nun Sor Patrocinio.

Caló form of Athanasios.

Created by the Italian author Gabriele d'Annunzio for his novel La Figlia di Jorio (1904). It is derived from Tuscan Italian ornello meaning "flowering ash tree".

From the Germanic name Audamar, which was derived from Old Frankish aud or Old High German ot meaning "wealth, fortune" combined with mari meaning "famous". This was the name of an 8th-century Swiss saint, an abbot of Saint Gall.

From Sanskrit परम (parama) meaning "highest, best" combined with the name of the Hindu god Indra.

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.

Variant of Per. The Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen used this name for the main character in his play Peer Gynt (1867).

Means "wormwood, absinthe" in Turkish, referring to the plant species Artemisia absinthium.

Bulgarian diminutive of Petar.

Derived from Latin perditus meaning "lost". Shakespeare created this name for the daughter of Hermione and Leontes in his play The Winter's Tale (1610). Abandoned as an infant by her father the king, she grows up to be a shepherdess and falls in love with with Florizel.

Meaning uncertain. It possibly means "hard spears" from Welsh peri "spears" and dur "hard, steel" [1]. In early Welsh poetry and histories, the brothers Peredur and Gwrgi were chieftains in Cumbria who defeated Gwenddoleu at the Battle of Arfderydd. This name was later used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth in the Latin form Peredurus for an early (fictitious) king of Britain. Entering into Arthurian romance, Peredur is an aspiring knight in the 14th-century Welsh tale Peredur son of Efrawg (an adaptation or parallel of Chrétien de Troyes' hero Percival).

Greek name meaning "Persian woman". This is the name of a woman mentioned in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament.

Romanian and Slovak form of Petronilla.

Italian and Portuguese form of Pius.

Georgian form of Fereydoun. It appears in the 12th-century Georgian epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin, in which Pridon (fully Nuradin-Pridon) is a friend of Avtandil and Tariel.

Means "the palm of the hand" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the legendary Hindu figure Kunti.

Walloon form of Cyprien.

Means "one who divides goods among people" in Arabic, derived from قسم (qasama) meaning "to divide, to distribute". This was the name of a son of the Prophet Muhammad who died while young.

From the name of a Spanish sanctuary (in Catalonia) that is devoted to the Virgin Mary.

German form of Quirinus.

Originally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element radŭ meaning "happy, willing". In Poland it is usually a diminutive of Radosław.

Derived from the Slavic elements radŭ "happy, willing" and milŭ "gracious, dear".

From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "stream where deer drink" (from Scots rae "roe deer" and burn "stream"). A famous bearer of the surname was Scottish portrait painter Henry Raeburn (1756-1823).