SaveroftheFranks's Personal Name List

Finnish variant of Aret.

Means "austere" in Arabic. This was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's uncle. It was also borne by a son of Ali, the fourth caliph.

Feminine variant of Adair.

Means "noble power", derived from Old High German adal "noble" 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."

Means "the crown is with wealth" in Yoruba.

French form of Adrian.

Modern Greek form of Agape.

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.

Variant of Aino. It also means "always" in Finnish.

Feminine form of Ainārs.

From Latvian aina meaning "scene, sight".

Means "the only one" in Finnish. In the Finnish epic the Kalevala this is the name of a girl who drowns herself when she finds out she must marry the old man Väinämöinen.

The meaning of this name is not known for certain. It was used in Brittany at least as early as the 6th century, and it possibly means either "little rock" or "handsome" in Breton. Alternatively, it may derive from the tribal name of the Alans, an Iranian people who migrated into Europe in the 4th and 5th centuries.

This was the name of several dukes of Brittany, and Breton settlers introduced it to England after the Norman Conquest. Famous modern bearers include Alan Shepard (1923-1998), the first American in space and the fifth man to walk on the moon, and Alan Turing (1912-1954), a British mathematician and computer scientist.

Feminine form of Alan. Canadian musician Alanis Morissette (1974-) was named after her father Alan. Her parents apparently decided to use this particular spelling after seeing this word in a Greek newspaper.

Variant of Alana. It has been influenced by the affectionate Anglo-Irish word alannah, from the Irish Gaelic phrase a leanbh meaning "O child".

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.

Feminine form of Alexander. Alexander the Great founded several cities by this name (or renamed them) as he extended his empire eastward. The most notable of these is Alexandria in Egypt, founded by Alexander in 331 BC.

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.

Medieval French variant of Alice, also sometimes used as a masculine name. This is the name of the hero (a young Gaulish man) of a French comic book series, which debuted in 1948.

Variant of Alan, or from a surname that was derived from this same name. A famous bearer of this name was Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), an American beat poet. Another is the American film director and actor Woody Allen (1935-), who took the stage name Allen from his real first name.

Combination of elements al meaning "noble" and ric "power, ruler."

Modern Swedish form of Old Norse Alríkr.

Means "red dawn" in Turkish.

Medieval feminine form of Amabilis.

Feminine form of Amabilis.

French form of Amalric.

This was the name of two poets in Irish mythology.

Spanish form of Amnon.

Derived from the Old Norse name Agmundr, from the element egg "edge of a sword" or agi "awe, fear" combined with mundr "protection".

Meaning unknown. This is the name of a character (also known as Darth Vader) in the Star Wars movie saga, created by George Lucas. Lucas may have based it on the surname of his friend and fellow director Ken Annakin.

Hawaiian form of Anthony.

Modern form of Ananda.

Means "hope" in Tamazight.

Means "friendliness" in Arabic. Anas ibn Malik was one of the Prophet Muhammad's companions.

Russian and Bulgarian form of Anastasius.

French form of Anastasia (feminine) and Romanian form of Anastasius (masculine).

From an Old Welsh name recorded in various forms such as Acgarat and Ancarat. It means "much loved", from the intensive prefix an- combined with a mutated form of caru "to love". In the medieval Welsh romance Peredur son of Efrawg, Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of the knight Peredur.

Latinate form of Annabel. It can also be interpreted as a combination of Anna and Latin/Italian bella "beautiful".

Variant of Annabel. It can also be interpreted as a combination of Anna and French belle "beautiful".

Means "helpers" in Arabic, referring to those who helped the Prophet Muhammad when he came to Medina.

Old German form of Ansgar.

Derived from the Old German elements ansi "god" and ger "spear". Saint Ansgar was a 9th-century Frankish missionary who tried to convert the Danes and Norwegians.

Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Anthelm.

Finnish form of Andrew.

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.

Galician form and Spanish variant of Antonius (see Anthony).

Form of Antonius (see Anthony) used in various languages. A notable bearer was the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov (1860-1904).

Variant of Anthony. This was formerly the usual English spelling of the name, but during the 17th century the h began to be added.

Czech and Slovak form of Apollonia.

From the name of the month, probably originally derived from Latin aperire "to open", referring to the opening of flowers. It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 1940s.

Dutch and German variant of Arnold. This is also the Dutch word for "eagle".

Low German form of Arnoald.

Variant of Eric.

Meaning: "a fierce lion" or "lion-like" and "venerable".

This was the name of two biblical men, Arioch was a king of Ellasar who was allied with Chedorlaomer (Gen. 14:1,9) and Captain of Nebuchadnezzar's guard (Dan. 2:14-15, 24-25).

Originally appears in the Book of Genesis chap. 14 as the "King of Ellasar", part of the confederation of kings who did battle with the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and with Abraham in the vale of Siddim.

French and Italian form of Aristides.

Means "beloved" in Finnish (an archaic poetic word).

Derived from the name of the country of Armenia (which is in fact named Հայաստան (Hayastan) in Armenian).

Modern form of Arminius.

Catalan form of Arnold.

French form of Arnold.

From the Old Norse name Ásgeirr, derived from the elements áss meaning "god" and geirr meaning "spear". It is a cognate of Ansgar.

Means "happy, blessed" in Hebrew, derived from אָשַׁר (ʾashar) meaning "to be happy, to be blessed". Asher in the Old Testament is a son of Jacob by Leah's handmaid Zilpah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The meaning of his name is explained in Genesis 30:13.

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.

Means "protector" in Arabic, from the root عصم (ʿaṣama) meaning "to protect".

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

Old French form of Aubrey [1].

Means "willing, helpful" in Finnish.

Auric Goldfinger is the antogonist of James Bond in 'Goldfinger' by Ian Flemming. The name derives from Latin #aurum "gold" and maens "golden". Also in the case of French composer Georges Auric (1899-1983), transferred from the surname Auric.

Derivative of Auson. This is the name of a Roman poet (310-395).

From the name of the season, ultimately from Latin autumnus. This name has been in general use since the 1960s.

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).

From a surname which is a variant of Barclay.

Possibly means "bee wolf" (in effect equal to "bear") from Old English beo "bee" and wulf "wolf". Alternatively, the first element may be beadu "battle". This is the name of the main character in the anonymous 8th-century epic poem Beowulf. Set in Denmark, the poem tells how he slays the monster Grendel and its mother at the request of King Hroðgar. After this Beowulf becomes the king of the Geats. The conclusion of the poem tells how Beowulf, in his old age, slays a dragon but is himself mortally wounded in the act.

Derived from Turkish berk meaning "mighty, firm, solid" and ay meaning "moon".

Transferred use of the surname Berkeley.

Variant of Berkeley.

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.

Variant of Bernhard

Means "bright raven", derived from the Old German element beraht "bright" combined with hram "raven". This name has long been conflated with Bertrand. The Normans introduced it to England, and Shakespeare used it in his play All's Well That Ends Well (1603).

Derived from the Old German elements beraht meaning "bright" and rant meaning "rim (of a shield)". From an early date it has been confused with Bertram and the two names have merged to some degree. Saint Bertrand was an 11th-century bishop of Comminges in France. Another famous bearer was the English philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970).

Diminutive of Bill. It is also used as a feminine form of William.

Variant of Blair.

Spanish form of Blaise.

Medieval Spanish variant of Blas.

Combination of bon (see Bono) and David.

German form of Bonifatius (see Boniface).

From a Bulgar Turkic name, also recorded as Bogoris, perhaps meaning "short" or "wolf" or "snow leopard". It was borne by the 9th-century Boris I of Bulgaria, who converted his realm to Christianity and is thus regarded as a saint in the Orthodox Church. To the north in Kievan Rus it was the name of another saint, a son of Vladimir the Great who was murdered with his brother Gleb in the 11th century. His mother may have been Bulgarian.

Other notable bearers of the name include the Russian emperor Boris Godunov (1552-1605), later the subject of a play of that name by Aleksandr Pushkin, as well as the Russian author Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), the Bulgarian king Boris III (1894-1943), and the Russian president Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007).

From the English word for the thorny plant.

English translation of German Dornröschen. This is the name of the fairy tale character Sleeping Beauty in the Brothers Grimm version of the story.

Means "brown; shining". Related to German Bruno.

From a nickname derived from the slang term bugsy meaning "crazy, unstable". It was notably borne by the American gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (1906-1947).

From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "fortified town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was Richard Burton (1821-1890), an explorer of Africa and Asia.

Anglicized form of Cadfan.

From a Scottish surname meaning "crooked nose" from Gaelic cam "crooked" and sròn "nose". As a given name it is mainly used for boys. It got a little bump in popularity for girls in the second half of the 1990s, likely because of the fame of actress Cameron Diaz (1972-). In the United States, the forms Camryn and Kamryn are now more popular than Cameron for girls.

Old German variant of Carloman.

Means "loving" in Irish. This was the name of two Irish saints, from the 6th and 7th centuries.

French form of Cedric.

Derived from Old English cene "bold" and ric "ruler, king".

Derived from French chérie meaning "darling". In America, Cherie came into use shortly after the variant Sherry, and has not been as common.

Derived from various Germanic names beginning with the element Chlodo-, particularly Chlodowald and Chlodulf.

Variant of Korbinian.

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.

Anglicized form of Cormac.

English,German and Romanian form of Corvinus.

From French chosette meaning "little thing". This is the nickname of the illegitimate daughter of Fantine in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables (1862). Her real name is Euphrasie, though it is seldom used. In the novel young Cosette is the ward of the cruel Thénardiers until she is retrieved by Jean Valjean.

Dutch (Flemish) form of Cyril.

From the Greek name Κύριλλος (Kyrillos), which was derived from Greek κύριος (kyrios) meaning "lord", a word used frequently in the Greek Bible to refer to God or Jesus.

This name was borne by a number of important saints, including Cyril of Jerusalem, a 4th-century bishop and Doctor of the Church, and Cyril of Alexandria, a 5th-century theologian. Another Saint Cyril was a 9th-century Greek missionary to the Slavs, who is credited with creating the Glagolitic alphabet with his brother Methodius in order to translate the Bible into Slavic. The Cyrillic alphabet, named after him, is descended from Glagolitic.

This name has been especially well-used in Eastern Europe and other places where Orthodox Christianity is prevalent. It came into general use in England in the 19th century.

From the Old Norse name Dagmær, derived from the elements dagr "day" and mær "maid". This was the name adopted by the popular Bohemian wife of the Danish king Valdemar II when they married in 1205. Her birth name was Markéta.

French form of Damian.

From an English surname that was derived from Norman French d'Airelle, originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France. As a given name it was moderately popular from the 1930s to the 1970s, but it dropped off the American top 1000 rankings in 2018.

French form of Delphina.

From Denys or Denis, the medieval French forms of Dionysius. Saint Denis was a 3rd-century missionary to Gaul and the first bishop of Paris. He was martyred by decapitation, after which legend says he picked up his own severed head and walked for a distance while preaching a sermon. He is credited with converting the Gauls to Christianity and is considered the patron saint of France.

This name was common in France during the Middle Ages, and it was imported by the Normans to England. It is now regularly spelled Dennis in the English-speaking world. A notable bearer was the French philosopher Denis Diderot (1713-1784).

Derived from Greek δυσδαίμων (dysdaimon) meaning "ill-fated". This is the name of the wife of Othello in Shakespeare's play Othello (1603).

Derived from French des douleurs, meaning "the sorrows" and used as the Louisiana Creole equivalent of Dolores.

Diminutive of Desmond, Desiree and other names beginning with a similar sound. In the case of musician and actor Desi Arnaz (1917-1986) it was a diminutive of Desiderio.

Italian and Spanish form of Desiderius.

Masculine form of Désirée.

Medieval French variant of Désiré. This was the name of a 6th-century French saint.

From a surname (of unknown meaning) that was used in the movie The Crow (1994).

From the Old English elements dunn "dark" and stan "stone". This name was borne by a 10th-century saint, the archbishop of Canterbury. It was occasionally used in the Middle Ages, though it died out after the 16th century. It was revived by the Tractarian movement in the 19th century.

Original Latin form of Durante.

Occitan cognate of Durante.

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

Variant of Earl.

From the Old English name Æbbe, meaning unknown, perhaps a contracted form of a longer name. Saint Ebba was a 7th-century daughter of King Æthelfrith of Bernicia and the founder of monasteries in Scotland. Another saint named Ebba was a 9th-century abbess and martyr who mutilated her own face so that she would not be raped by the invading Danes.

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.

Meaning unknown, possibly a Finnish form of a Scandinavian name.

Latinized form of Ælfgifu.

Means "my God is God" in Hebrew. This name is borne by a number of characters in the Old Testament.

Hebrew form of Elizabeth.

Probably an invented name. This is the name of an infant girl in the fantasy movie Willow (1988). Since the release of the movie the name has been steadily used, finally breaking into the top 1000 in the United States in 2015.

From the name of Hamlet's castle, which is an anglicized form of Helsingør, a Danish place name meaning "neck, narrow strait" (see Elsinore). Use of this place name as a feminine personal name is likely due to its similarity to Eleanor and Elsa.

From an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning "Ella's town". A famous bearer of this name is British musician Elton John (1947-), born Reginald Dwight, who adopted his stage name in honour of his former bandmate Elton Dean (1945-2006).

French form of Emmerich.

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.

Short form of names beginning with Em.

Swedish and Norwegian form of Emmerich.

Anglicized form of Eithne.

From the Hebrew name חֲנוֹך (Ḥanoḵ) meaning "dedicated". In Genesis in the Old Testament this is the name of the son of Cain. It is also the name of a son of Jared and the father of Methuselah, who was the supposed author of the apocryphal Books of Enoch.

Scandinavian form of Enoch.

Catalan form of Heinrich (see Henry).

Derived from Finnish ensi meaning "first".

Variant of Hartmann. It can also be interpreted as meaning "earth man" from German Erde "earth", and thus was sometimes used as a translation of Adam.

Georgian form of Herakleios (see Heraclius). This name was borne by two Georgian kings of the Bagrationi dynasty.

Variant of Erland.

Breton form of Ivo 1 or Yves.

Finnish form of Isaiah.

Variant of Asbjørn.

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).

Diminutive of Ethel.

Old French form of Odo.

Somali form of Farah.

From a German surname that was derived from the Latin name Faustus. This is the name of a character in German legends about a man who makes a pact with the devil, via his representative Mephistopheles. He is believed to be based on the character of Dr. Johann Faust (1480-1540). His story was adapted by writers such as Christopher Marlowe and Goethe.

From the English word felicity meaning "happiness", which ultimately derives from Latin felicitas "good luck". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans around the 17th century. It can sometimes be used as an English form of the Latin name Felicitas. This name jumped in popularity in the United States after the premiere of the television series Felicity in 1998. It is more common in the United Kingdom.

Meaning uncertain, perhaps from Floriven, the Old Occitan form of Floovant. This was the name of the eldest son of the king of France in I Reali di Francia by Andrea da Barberino (c. 1370-1431), an Italian prose compilation and adaptation of the Old French chansons de geste of the Matter of France concerning Charlemagne and Roland. He can be identified with the earlier French hero Floovant.

Folk etymology connects Fioravante and Floovant to Latin florem (nominative flos) meaning "flower" (source of Italian fiore and names such as Florent and Fiorente). Alternatively it has been suggested that Floovant derives from the Germanic name Chlodovech, perhaps via a patronymic *Chlodoving meaning "descendant of Chlodovech", referring to the 5th-century Frankish king Clovis I who founded the Merovingian dynasty; this theory may be supported by the fact that in the Frankish language the fricative consonant -ch- typically became -f-; for example, Clovis (Cloovis in Old French) was also known as Floovis in Merovingian texts.

A feminine form of Florimond. This was used by English writer Mary de Morgan for a wicked young princess in her fairy tale 'The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde' (1880).

Short form of various given names that are derived from surnames beginning with Norman French fitz meaning "son of" (for example Fitzroy).

Transferred use of the surname Fitzgerald. This was the middle name of President John F. Kennedy.

From an English surname meaning "son of the king" in Old French, originally given to illegitimate sons of monarchs.

From an English surname meaning "son of William", formed using the Anglo-Norman French prefix fitz-, derived from Latin filius "son". This is the given name of Mr. Darcy, a character in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).

From the Roman family name Flavianus, which was derived from Flavius. This was the name of several early saints including a 5th-century patriarch of Constantinople who was beaten to death.

French form of Flavian.

From a medieval Norse nickname meaning "from Flanders".

From the name of the common heraldic charge in the shape of a lily, particularly associated with the French monarchy. It is derived from French fleur de lis meaning "lily flower".

Variant of Florian.

French masculine form of Florentius (see Florence).

From the Roman cognomen Florianus, a derivative of Florus. This was the name of a short-lived Roman emperor of the 3rd century, Marcus Annius Florianus. It was also borne by Saint Florian, a martyr of the 3rd century, the patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria.

Possibly from Latin florens meaning "prosperous, flourishing" combined with the Old German element munt meaning "protection". This is the name of the prince in some versions of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty.

German feminine form of Franciscus (see Francis).

Variant of Frethesenta.

Means "man of peace" from the Old German elements fridu "peace" and man "person, man".

German diminutive of Friedrich.

Russian form of Theodore. It was borne by three tsars of Russia. Another notable bearer was Fyodor Dostoyevsky (or Dostoevsky; 1821-1881), the Russian author of such works as Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.

Probably a derivative of Greek γάλα (gala) meaning "milk" (genitive γάλακτος). This was the name of a 3rd-century saint (also called Galation) who was martyred in Emesa, Syria. It was also borne by the Georgian poet Galaktion Tabidze (1892-1959).

French form of the Old German name Wenilo. In the medieval French epic La Chanson de Roland Ganelon is the knight who betrays Charlemagne's army to the Saracens, resulting in the death of Roland and the rest of the rear guard. He was based on Wenilo, a 9th-century archbishop of Sens who betrayed Charles the Bald (Charlemagne's grandson).

Meaning uncertain. It appears in this form in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends Le Morte d'Arthur, in which the knight Gareth (also named Beaumains) is a brother of Gawain. He goes with Lynet to rescue her sister Lyonesse from the Red Knight. Malory based the name on Gaheriet or Guerrehet, which was the name of a similar character in French sources. It may ultimately have a Welsh origin, possibly from the name Gwrhyd meaning "valour" (found in the tale Culhwch and Olwen) or Gwairydd meaning "hay lord" (found in the chronicle Brut y Brenhinedd).

Medieval French form of Werner.

French form of Gautbert or Waldebert.

In the case of Siddhartha Gautama, it was a patronymic form of Gotama. Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, was the founder of Buddhism. He was a 6th-century BC nobleman who left his family in order to lead a life of meditation and poverty.

French form of Gawain used in the works of Chrétien de Troyes.

Derived from the Old German element geba "gift" combined with hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". Saint Gebhard was a 10th-century bishop of Constance.

Feminine form of Gerd 1.

Latinized form of Gerd 2.

French form of Gislenus, a Latinized form of the Germanic name Gislin, derived from the element gisal meaning "hostage" or "pledge". This was the name of a 7th-century saint and hermit who built a chapel near Mons, Belgium.

Medieval English feminine form of Julian. This spelling has been in use since the 13th century, though it was not declared a distinct name from Julian until the 17th century [1].

Russian form of the Old Norse name Guðleifr, which was derived from the elements guð "god" and leif "inheritance, legacy". This was the name of an 11th-century saint, a member of the ruling family of Kievan Rus. Along with his brother Boris he was killed in the power struggles that followed the death of his father Vladimir the Great, and he is regarded as a martyr.

Elaborated form of Latin gloria meaning "glory". In Edmund Spenser's poem The Faerie Queene (1590) this was the name of the title character, a representation of Queen Elizabeth I.

Latinized form of the Old English name Godgifu meaning "gift of god", from the elements god and giefu "gift". Lady Godiva was an 11th-century English noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry to protest the high taxes imposed by her husband upon the townspeople.

From Yiddish גאָלד (gold) meaning "gold". This is the name of Tevye's wife in the musical Fiddler on the Roof (1964). It was also borne by the Israeli prime minister Golda Meir (1898-1978).

From the Old Norse name Guðmundr, which was derived from the elements guð "god" and mundr "protection".

Means "war raven" from the Old German elements gunda "war" and hram "raven". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish king, sometimes called Gontrand, who is considered a saint.

From a Hungarian royal title, which was probably of Turkic origin. This name is also used as a Hungarian form of Julius.

From the Roman cognomen Hadrianus, which meant "from Hadria" in Latin. Hadria was the name of two Roman settlements. The first (modern Adria) is in northern Italy and was an important Etruscan port town. The second (modern Atri) is in central Italy and was named after the northern town. The Adriatic Sea is also named after the northern town.

A famous bearer of the name was Publius Aelius Hadrianus, better known as Hadrian, a 2nd-century Roman emperor who built a wall across northern Britain. His family came from the town of Atri in central Italy.

Possibly means "flight" in Hebrew, though it could also be of unknown Egyptian origin. According to the Old Testament she was the second wife of Abraham and the mother of Ishmael, the founder of the Arab people. After Abraham's first wife Sarah finally gave birth to a child, she had Hagar and Ishmael expelled into the desert. However, God heard their crying and saved them.

Means "lion, warrior" in Arabic. This is a title of Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Finnish diminutive of Johanna or Hannah.

Combination of Hanne 1 and Eleonore.

Short form of Johannes.

From a surname that was from a place name meaning "hare land" in Old English. In America it has sometimes been given in honour of Supreme Court justice John Marshall Harlan (1833-1911).

Means "brave man", derived from the Old German element hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy" combined with man.

Means "brave mind", derived from the Old German elements hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy" and muot "mind, spirit". This is the kidnapper of Gudrun in the medieval German epic Kudrun.

Means "brave friend" from the Old German elements hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy" and wini "friend".

Czech and Slovak form of Gallus.

Transferred use of the surname Havelok. This name is also the source of the English surname Havelock.

From Old Norse Heimdallr, derived from Old Norse heimr "home, house" and dallr, possibly meaning "glowing, shining". In Norse mythology he is the god who guards the Bifröst, the bridge that connects Asgard to the other worlds. It is foretold that he will blow the Gjallarhorn to wake the gods for the final battle at the end of the world, Ragnarök. During this battle, he will fight Loki and they will slay one another.

Derived from the Old German element helm "helmet" (or perhaps heil "healthy, whole") combined with muot "mind, spirit".

Variant of Helmut.

French form of Heinrich (see Henry). A notable bearer was the French artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954).

German form of Herman. A famous bearer was the German author Hermann Hesse (1877-1962).

Possibly from the Old English masculine name Hildræd, which was composed of the elements hild "battle" and ræd "counsel, advice". This name was revived in the late 19th century, probably because of its similarity to the popular names Hilda and Mildred.

From the Old Norse name Hjálmarr meaning "helmeted warrior" from the element hjalmr "helmet" combined with herr "army, warrior".

From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "deep valley" in Old English. This is the name of the main character in J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), Holden Caulfield.

From the Old Norse name Hólmgeirr, derived from the elements holmr "small island" and geirr "spear". In Scandinavia and Germany this is the usual name for the hero Ogier the Dane from medieval French romance.

Remodelled form of Ulrich to be read as huld-reich "rich of grace, rich of favour".

This name was borne by the Swiss reformer Huldrych Zwingli.

Welsh and Galician form of Iacobus (see James). This was the name of two early Welsh kings of Gwynedd. It is also the name of the villain in Shakespeare's tragedy Othello (1603).

Possibly means "interpreter, teacher" in Arabic, related to the root درس (darasa) meaning "to study, to learn". According to the Quran this was the name of an ancient prophet. He is traditionally equated with the Hebrew prophet Enoch.

Means "tree" in Hebrew.

Feminine form of Ilan.

Georgian form of Elijah. It is also an alternate transcription of Russian Илья or Belarusian Ілья (see Ilya) or Bulgarian Илия (see Iliya).

Hungarian diminutive of Ilona.

Old Hungarian form of Helen, possibly via a Slavic form. In Finland it is associated with the word ilona, a derivative of ilo "joy".

Hungarian and Czech diminutive of Ilona.

Hungarian form of Emmerich. This was the name of an 11th-century Hungarian saint, the son of Saint Istvan. He is also known as Emeric.

Means "amber" in Hebrew.

Germanic name composed of either the element angil, from the name of the Germanic tribe of the Angles, or engil meaning "angel" combined with hram meaning "raven". This name was brought to England by the Normans, though it died out after the medieval era. These days it is usually inspired by the surname that was derived from the medieval name.

Means "enthusiasm" in Finnish.

Means "worthy lord" from Old Welsh ior "lord" and gwerth "value, worth". This name was used by medieval Welsh royalty, including the prince Iorwerth Goch of Powys, who is mentioned in the tale the Dream of Rhonabwy. It has sometimes been Anglicized as Edward.

Means "knowledge, awareness, learning" in Arabic.

Probably from Wernerius, a Latinized form of the Germanic name Werner. This was the name of a 12th-century Italian scholar and jurist. He sometimes wrote his name as Wernerius.

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

Scandinavian form of Isaac.

Variant transcription of Iskandar

Amharic form of Alexander.

Hungarian form of Stephen. This was the name of the first king of Hungary. Ruling in the 11th century, he encouraged the spread of Christianity among his subjects and is considered the patron saint of Hungary.

English form of Yves, used to refer to Saint Ives (also called Ivo) of Huntingdonshire, a semi-legendary English bishop.

Invented name, probably inspired by names such as Jared and Gareth. This is the name of the Goblin King, played by David Bowie, in the movie Labyrinth (1986).

Variant of Jarl.

Form of Yelena in several languages. In Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia it is also associated with the South Slavic words jelen meaning "deer, stag" and jela meaning "fir tree".

Danish form of John.

Finnish form of Iohannes (see John).

Swedish diminutive of Karl. It is used in Finland and Estonia as a full name.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Catháin, derived from the given name Cathán.

Form of Macarius (see Macario) used by the Finnish author Juhani Aho in his novel Panu (1897).

German form of Carloman.

Dutch and Scandinavian form of Jasper.

Means "far away" in Finnish.

Derived from Finnish keiju meaning "elf, fairy".

From the Old English name Cenhelm, which was composed of the elements cene "bold, keen" and helm "helmet". Saint Kenelm was a 9th-century martyr from Mercia, where he was a member of the royal family. The name was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, but has since become rare.

Variant of Kendrick.

From a surname that was originally derived from Kent, the name of a county in England, which may be derived from a Brythonic word meaning "coastal district".

From a Brythonic name in which the second element is Celtic *tigernos "lord, ruler". The first element may be *kentus "first" or *kū "dog, hound" (genitive *kunos). This was the name of a 6th-century saint from the Kingdom of Strathclyde. He is the patron saint of Glasgow.

Swedish form of Christina.

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

Transferred use of the surname Kiernan.

Meaning unknown. It was popularized by Eino Leino's poem Kimmo's Revenge (1902).

Danish and Norwegian form of Christina.

Younger form of Mýrkjartan as well as a Scandinavian form of Certán.

German short form of Nicholas, now used independently.

Short form of Koenraad.

Form of Constantine in several languages.

Derived from Latin corvus meaning "raven". This was the name of an 8th-century Frankish saint who was sent by Pope Gregory II to evangelize in Bavaria. His real name may have been Hraban.

Short form of Kristina.

Variant of Kristin.

Scandinavian form of Christina.

Form of Christina in several languages. It is also an English variant of Christina and a Bulgarian variant of Hristina.

Swedish variant form of Christopher.

Croatian and Albanian form of Christopher.

Derived from the Old German elements lant "land" and beraht "bright". Saint Lambert of Maastricht was a 7th-century bishop who was martyred after denouncing Pepin II for adultery. The name was also borne by a 9th-century king of Italy who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

French form of Landric. This name was borne by a few French saints, including a 5th-century bishop of Sées and a 7th-century bishop of Paris.

Old German form of Lance.

Scandinavian and Finnish form of Laurence 1.

Possibly a Finnish diminutive of Klaus.

Meaning unknown. Laverna was the Roman goddess of thieves and thievery.

From a French surname that was derived from a place name, ultimately from the Gaulish word vern "alder". It is sometimes associated with the Roman goddess Laverna or the Latin word vernus "of spring".

Latinized form of the Greek name Λέανδρος (Leandros), derived from λέων (leon) meaning "lion" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.

French form of Leander.

Form of Leir used by Shakespeare for the title character of his tragic play King Lear (1606).

Anglicized form of Laoghaire.

The name of an early king of the Britons, according to the 12th-century chronicles [1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Leir's name may be connected to the city where he reigned, Leicester (named Kaerleir by Geoffrey). Alternatively it might be derived from the name of the legendary Welsh figure Llŷr. The story of Leir and his daughters was later adapted by Shakespeare for his play King Lear (1606).

Means "for God" in Hebrew, from the proposition לְמוֹ (lemo) combined with אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This was the name of a king briefly mentioned in Proverbs in the Old Testament. In the Book of Mormon it is the name of a rebellious son of Lehi and Sariah. It is also borne by the hero of Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels (1726).

Swedish and Low German form of Leonard.

French form of Leon (used to refer to the popes named Leo).

Russian and Ukrainian form of Leonidas.

French masculine and feminine form of Leonidas.

Feminine form of Léon.

From the Ottoman Turkish term levend, referring to a member of the navy, which is possibly ultimately derived from Italian levante "person from the eastern Mediterranean". The Turkish word has now come to mean "tall, handsome, roguish".

Old Hungarian name, possibly of Slavic origin, or possibly from Hungarian lesz "will be". This name was used by the Árpád royal family since at least the 10th century.

Irish short form of William. It became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, and elsewhere in Europe and the Americas after that. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States beginning in 2017. Famous bearers include British actor Liam Neeson (1952-), British musician Liam Gallagher (1972-), and Australian actor Liam Hemsworth (1990-).

From Yiddish ליבע (libe) meaning "love".

French form of Liberalis.

Derived from Latin liber "free". Used by a few saints.

Variant of Lynette.

From the word for the type of flower, also called the twinflower (see Linnéa).

From the name of a flower, also known as the twinflower. The Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus named it after himself, it being his favourite flower.

Variant of Linnéa.

Strictly feminine form of Lior.

Combination of Lise and Charlotte.

Apparently either a variant or a corrupted form of Goffredo.

Portuguese form of Lupus (see Loup).

Hungarian form of Roland.

French form of the Roman name Lupus meaning "wolf". Lupus was the name of several early saints, including a 5th-century bishop of Troyes who apparently convinced Attila to spare the city.

From the Roman cognomen Lucanus, which was derived from the name of the city of Luca in Tuscany (modern Lucca). Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, commonly called Lucan, was a 1st-century Roman poet.

Form of Lunete used in Thomas Malory's 15th-century tale Le Morte d'Arthur, where it is borne by a woman who enlists the help of Sir Gareth to rescue her sister Lyonesse. She eventually marries his brother Gaheris.

Means "lioness" in Middle English. In Thomas Malory's 15th-century tale Le Morte d'Arthur this is the name of a woman trapped in a castle by the Red Knight. Her sister Lynet gains the help of the knight Gareth in order to save her.

Medieval feminine form of Amabilis. This spelling and Amabel were common during the Middle Ages, though they became rare after the 15th century. It was revived in the 19th century after the publication of C. M. Yonge's 1854 novel The Heir of Redclyffe [1], which featured a character named Mabel (as well as one named Amabel).

Means "queen" in Hebrew.

French diminutive of Marie.

Manton is derived from various place names throughout England. In Ireland Manton is the anglicized form of the Gaelic "Ó Manntáin", or "descendant of Manntán", a personal name derived from a diminutive of "manntach" ("toothless").

Combination of Marie and Anne 1, though it could also be considered a variant of Mariana or Mariamne. Shortly after the formation of the French Republic in 1792, a female figure by this name was adopted as the symbol of the state.

Czech form of Margaret.

Transferred use of the French surname Martelle.

French diminutive of Marie.

Feminine form of Max. It has been commonly used only since the beginning of the 20th century.

Feminine form of Meir.

Older form of Millicent.

French form of Millicent used by Maurice Maeterlinck in his play Pelléas et Mélisande (1893). The play was later adapted by Claude Debussy into an opera (1902).

Old French form of Millicent.

The name of the main character in the Disney/Pixar movie Brave (2012) about a medieval Scottish princess. The meaning of her name is unexplained, though it could be based on the Spanish city of Mérida, derived from Latin Emerita Augusta meaning "veterans of Augustus", so named because it was founded by the emperor Augustus as a colony for his veterans.

Either a variant of Merritt or else simply from the English word merit, ultimately from Latin meritus "deserving".

From an English surname, originally from a place name, which meant "boundary gate" in Old English.

French variant of Maximin. Saint Mesmin (died c. 520 AD) is a French saint associated with the Bishopric of Orléans. He was the second abbot of Micy Abbey, founded by his uncle, Saint Euspicius.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew מֵאִיר (see Meir). It also coincides with a German surname meaning "mayor, leader".

Turkish form of Michael.

From the Gothic name *Amalaswinþa, composed of the elements amals "unceasing, vigorous, brave" and swinþs "strong". Amalaswintha was a 6th-century queen of the Ostrogoths. The Normans introduced this name to England in the form Melisent or Melisende. Melisende was a 12th-century queen of Jerusalem, the daughter of Baldwin II.

Means "servant of Mohana" from the name of the Hindu god Mohana (an epithet of Krishna) combined with Sanskrit दास (dāsa) meaning "servant". A famous bearer of this name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian leader who struggled peacefully for independence from Britain.

Short form of Móric or a Hungarian form of Maurus.

Anglicized form of Móirín. It is sometimes used as a variant of Maureen.

German form of Maurice.

From the American English word mortician meaning "undertaker, funeral director", ultimately derived from Latin mortis meaning "death". This name was created for the mother on the Addams Family television series (1964-1966). She was based on an unnamed recurring character in cartoons by Charles Addams, starting 1938.

Used in the 1995 movie Braveheart for William Wallace's wife, who is murdered early in the film. In reality, Wallace may have been married to a woman named Marion.

From an English and Scots surname meaning "linen keeper" in Middle English, from Old French nappe "table cloth".

Meaning unknown. It was borne by the wife of Umbarra, who was a 19th-century leader of the Yuin, an Australian Aboriginal people.

Russian diminutive of Natalya. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace (1865). It has been used in the English-speaking world only since the 20th century.

When this given name first came into use, it was usually given in honour of the medieval saint John of Nepomuk (c. 1345-1393). He was born and raised in the town of Pomuk, which is what Nepomuk refers to. The town was located in what was once Bohemia, but is now located (under the name Nepomuk) in the Plzeň region in the Czech Republic.

Some sources claim that Nepomuk literally means "from Pomuk" or "born in Pomuk" in Czech, but this is probably incorrect, as "from" is z in Czech and "born" is narozený in Czech. Instead, Nepomuk probably literally means "not Pomuk" in Czech, derived from ne meaning "not" or "no" and Pomuk meaning "Pomuk". This unusual meaning is said to originate from the early history of the town, which is as follows: in the beginning, there were two towns in the area, namely Pomuk and Přesanice. Both were located in the near vicinity of the one Cistercian Monastery in the area. Apparently, the two towns were often confused with each other, because at some point, the need arose for people to differentiate the two towns from each other. People informally started calling Přesanice ne Pomuk meaning "not Pomuk", which set it apart from the town of Pomuk in no uncertain terms. Eventually, in 1413, the two towns and the monastery were merged into one town, which was henceforth known under the name Nepomuk.

This early history surrounding the town of Pomuk is plausible by itself, but it seems a bit problematic when you try to relate it to saint John of Nepomuk. After all, he was born long before the merge of the two towns and the monastery. In his day, Pomuk was still a separate and independent town. In addition to that, Nepomuk was the nickname given to Přesanice at the time - it was never a nickname for Pomuk itself. As such, it does not make sense for a Pomuk native such as the saint to refer to themselves as "Nepomuk". The only way in which it would make sense for the saint to refer to himself as such, would be if he was actually born and raised in Přesanice instead of in Pomuk.

All in all, there is some uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding the etymology of Nepomuk. The only thing that we can truly say for certain, is that the name is of Czech (and therefore Slavic) origin.

Finally, a well-known bearer of this name was Johann Nepomuk Hummel, a 19th-century Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist.

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.

Armenian form of Middle Persian Narseh (see Narses). Saint Nerses was a 4th-century patriarch of the Armenian Church.

Swedish form of Nicholas.

Finnish form of Nicholas, as well as a Croatian, Slovene, Georgian and German short form.

Scandinavian form of Nicholas.

Medieval diminutive of Oliver.

Derived from Latin novellus meaning "new, young, novel", a diminutive of novus "new". This name was borne by the 14th-century Italian scholar Novella d'Andrea, who taught law at the University of Bologna.

Lithuanian form of Odette.

Latinate form of Odette.

French diminutive of Oda or Odilia. This is the name of a princess who has been transformed into a swan in the ballet Swan Lake (1877) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

French form of Odilo.

French form of Audagar. In La Chanson de Roland and other medieval French romances, this is the name of one of Charlemagne's knights. He is said to be from Denmark, and is sometimes called Holger.

Ukrainian form of Xenia.

Latinized form of Olof.

Finnish and Estonian form of Olaf.

Georgian and Moldovan form of Olya as well as a Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian variant transcription of the name.

This name has developed into an independent name in Georgia.

Used by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso for the lover of Sophronia in his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1580). It might be a variant of Olinto, the Italian form of the ancient Greek city Ὄλυνθος (Olynthos) meaning "wild fig".

Probably an Ukrainian short form of Alexander

The name occurs in the folklike song Schöne Minka by Christoph August Tiedge where it is bourne by a cossack.

From Old French Olivier, which was possibly derived from Latin oliva "olive tree" [1]. Alternatively there could be an underlying Germanic name, such as Old Norse Áleifr (see Olaf) or Frankish Alawar (see Álvaro), with the spelling altered by association with the Latin word. In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier is a friend and advisor to the hero Roland.

In England Oliver was a common medieval name, however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due in part to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1838), about a poor orphan living on the streets of London. It became very popular at the beginning of the 21st century, reaching the top rank for boys in England and Wales in 2009 and entering the top ten in the United States in 2017.

Feminine form of Oliver.

Feminine form of Oliver. This was the name of the title character in the French opera Les noces d'Olivette (1879) by Edmond Audran.

French and Dutch form of Oliver. This is also a French word meaning "olive tree".

Derived from Turkish or, of uncertain meaning, possibly from a Turkic root meaning "place", and han meaning "khan, ruler, leader". This was the name of a 14th-century sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

From the Greek name Ὠριγένης (Origenes), which was possibly derived from the name of the Egyptian god Horus combined with γενής (genes) meaning "born". Origen was a 3rd-century theologian from Alexandria. Long after his death some of his writings were declared heretical, hence he is not regarded as a saint.

Derived from the Old English elements os "god" and beorht "bright". After the Norman Conquest, this Old English name was merged with its Norman cognate. It was rare in the Middle Ages, and eventually died out. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.

Derived from the Old English elements os "god" and gar "spear". It is a cognate of Ansgar.

Anglicized form of Oisín.

Form of Oscar in several languages. A famous bearer was Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), who is credited for saved over 1,000 Polish Jews during World War II.

Finnish form of Oscar.

Turkish, Kurdish, Albanian, Bosnian and Malay form of Uthman. This was the name of the founder of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century. It was later borne by two more Ottoman sultans.

Variant of Oisín used by James Macpherson in his 18th-century poems, which he claimed to have based on early Irish legends. In the poems Ossian is the son of Fingal, and serves as the narrator.

Perhaps a diminutive of Otho. William Shakespeare used this name in his tragedy Othello (1603), where it belongs to a Moor who is manipulated by Iago into killing his wife Desdemona.

German form of Odilia.

Later German form of Audo, originally a short form of various names beginning with Old Frankish aud or Old High German ot meaning "wealth, fortune". This was the name of a 9th-century king of the West Franks (name usually spelled as Odo). This was also the name of four kings of Germany, starting in the 10th century with Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, known as Otto the Great. Saint Otto of Bamberg was a 12th-century missionary to Pomerania. The name was also borne by a 19th-century king of Greece, originally from Bavaria. Another notable bearer was the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898).

Polish form of Odilia.

From an Old Welsh name (Ougein, Eugein and other spellings), which was possibly from the Latin name Eugenius. Other theories connect it to the Celtic roots *owi- "sheep", *wesu- "good" or *awi- "desire" combined with the Old Welsh suffix gen "born of". This is the name of several figures from British history, including Owain mab Urien, a 6th-century prince of Rheged who fought against the Angles. The 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes adapted him into Yvain for his Arthurian romance Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Regarded as one of the Knights of the Round Table, Yvain or Owain has since appeared in many other Arthurian tales, typically being the son of King Urien of Gore, and the errant husband of Laudine, the Lady of the Fountain.

Other notable bearers include Owain the Great, a 12th-century king of Gwynedd, and Owain Glyndwr, a 14th-century leader of the Welsh resistance to English rule.

Anglicized form of Eoghan.

Alternate transcription of Ukrainian/Russian Оксана (see Oksana).

Feminine form of Pascal.

Provençal form of Patrice 1.

Diminutive of Patrycja.

Finnish form of Peter.

Means "warrior" in Malay.

Transferred use of the surname Pendleton.

Transferred use of the surname Pendragon.

The surname of Kings Arthur and Uther, meaning “head dragon” or “dragon’s head.” As first told by Geoffrey of Monmouth, Uther adopted the symbol of the dragon because of the comet with the dragon’s head that Merlin had seen in Wales, heralding the death of King Ambrosius Aurelius, Uther’s brother. In Welsh legend, it is also the surname of one “Gwen Pendragon,” who once kept Arthur prisoner.
In the Prose and Vulgate Merlins, the name Pendragon is given to the character elsewhere called Ambrosius Aurelianus: the son of Constantine and Ivoire, the uncle of Arthur, and the king of Britain between Vortigern and Uther, Pendragon’s brother. Pendragon allied with Merlin, defeated Vortigern and Hengist, died fighting the Saxons, and was buried at Stonehenge. Uther is said to have adopted his brother’s name as a surname in memory of the slain king.

Source: Christopher Bruce's Arthurian Name Dictionary

Derived from Finnish pihlaja meaning "rowan tree".

Latinized form of Greek Πολυξένη (Polyxene), which was from the word πολύξενος (polyxenos) meaning "entertaining many guests, very hospitable", itself derived from πολύς (polys) meaning "many" and ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreigner, guest". In Greek legend she was a daughter of Priam and Hecuba, beloved by Achilles. After the Trojan War, Achilles' son Neoptolemus sacrificed her.

From the English word for the flower, ultimately deriving from Latin prima rosa "first rose".

Czech form of Prokopios.

Modern Greek form of Prokopios.

Alternate transcription of Russian Прокопий (see Prokopiy).

From the Latin name Prosperus, which meant "fortunate, successful". This was the name of a 5th-century saint, a supporter of Saint Augustine. It has never been common as an English name, though the Puritans used it, partly because it is identical to the English word prosper.

Short form of Old Norse names beginning with the element regin "advice, counsel".

Means "sky" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian mythology Rangi or Ranginui was a god of the sky, husband of the earth goddess Papa. They were locked in a crushing embrace but were eventually separated by their children, the other gods.

Frisian form of Rayner (or sometimes Reynard).

German cognate of Reynard.

Variant of Raginbert. This name was borne by a 9th-century saint, also called Rimbert, a bishop of Bremen and Hamburg.

French form of the Latin name Remigius, which was derived from Latin remigis "oarsman, rower". Saint Rémy was a 5th-century bishop who converted and baptized Clovis, king of the Franks.

French form of Reynold. This name was used in medieval French literature for the hero Renaud de Montauban, a young man who flees with his three brothers from the court of Charlemagne after killing the king's nephew. Charlemagne pardons the brothers on the condition that they enter the Crusades. A loose version of the character also appears in medieval Italian extensions of the tales, in the Italian form Rinaldo.

Transferred use of the French surname Renault.

From an English surname that was originally derived from various place names meaning either "reed clearing" or "channel clearing" in Old English.

From a surname that was derived from the name of various English towns, from Old English rippel "grove, thicket" and leah "clearing". A famous fictional bearer is the character Ellen Ripley (usually only called by her surname) from the Alien series of movies, beginning 1979.

Dutch form of Roland.

Russian form of Roland.

Lithuanian form of Roland.

Old French form of Roland [1].

Old French form of Roland. This form is used in the oldest surviving text of La Chanson de Roland.

Variant of Roan.

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

Variant of Rosabel.

Variant of Rosaline. James Clarence Mangan used it as a translation for Róisín in his poem Dark Rosaleen (1846).

Derived from the Old German elements hros meaning "horse" and lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy As You Like It (1599).

Medieval variant of Rosalind. This is the name of characters in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost (1594) and Romeo and Juliet (1596).

French form of Rosalind. Saint Roseline of Villeneuve was a 13th-century nun from Provence.

Anglicized form of Róisín.

From an English surname, of Norman origin, meaning "little red one" (a diminutive of Old French rous "red"). A notable bearer of the surname was the agnostic British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), who wrote on many subjects including logic, epistemology and mathematics. He was also a political activist for causes such as pacifism and women's rights.

This name was common throughout the English-speaking world for most of the 20th century, though in the 1960s it began a slow decline in most places.

Possibly a Swedification of the Persian name Rostam, or a modern form of Old Norse Hróðstæinn.

Possibly a variant of Ryland, though it could also be an invented name inspired by other names like Ryan and Riley.

From an English surname, which was originally derived from a place name meaning "rye land" in Old English.

Georgian form of Sabas.

From the Greek name Σάββας (Sabbas), which was derived from Aramaic סַבָא (sava) meaning "old man, grandfather". Saints bearing this name include a 4th-century Gothic martyr, a 5th-century Cappadocian hermit, and a 12th-century archbishop of Serbia who is the patron saint of that country.

Greek form of Sabas.

Form of Shelach used in some English versions of the Old Testament.

German and Dutch form of Solomon.

Means "coral" in Japanese. This name is used in the Japanese comic book and television show InuYasha.

Diminutive of Sara, or sometimes a variant of Serena.

Serbian and Bulgarian form of Sabas.

Latinized form of Saxi. Saxo Grammaticus was a medieval Danish chronicler.

Either a variant of Sarah or a short form of Seraphina.

French form of Sergius.

Means "black" in Kurdish.

From Sanskrit शान्ती (śāntī) meaning "quiet, peace, tranquility".

This name is used in the English Bible to represent two unrelated Hebrew names: שֵׁלָה (see Shela) and שֵׁלָח (see Shelach).

Means "singing" in Hebrew.

Used by Shakespeare, possibly from the Hebrew name Shelach, for the primary antagonist in his play The Merchant of Venice (1596). Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who demands a pound of Antonio's flesh when he cannot repay his loan. Subsequent to the play, the name has been used as an ethnic slur for a Jewish person and a slang term for a loan shark.

Derived from the Old German elements sigu "victory" and heri "army".

Form of Sigmund in which the first element is sigis, an extended form of sigu. Saint Sigismund was a 6th-century king of the Burgundians. This was also the name of kings of Poland and a ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.

From an English surname that was derived from the French town of Sigournais, called Segurniacum in medieval Latin, itself of unknown meaning. The American actress Sigourney Weaver (1949-), real name Susan, adopted this name in 1963 after the minor character Sigourney Howard in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby (1925).

Norwegian form of Sindri.

Means "sparkle" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf, also named Eitri. With his brother Brokkr he made several magical items for the gods, including Odin's ring Draupnir and Thor's hammer Mjölnir.

Means "falcon" in Albanian, a word borrowed from Slavic.

Means "summer" in Swedish.

From the name of the sour tasting plant, derived from Old French sur "sour", a word of Frankish origin.

From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.

Means "date palm" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament Tamar was the daughter-in-law of Judah and later his wife. This was also the name of a daughter of King David. She was raped by her half-brother Amnon, leading to his murder by her brother Absalom. The name was borne by a 12th-century ruling queen of Georgia who presided over the kingdom at the peak of its power.

Contracted form of Thomasina. It was traditionally used in Cornwall.

Feminine form of Anaruz.

Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian form of the Greek name Ταράσιος (Tarasios), which possibly means "from Taras". Taras was an Italian city, now called Taranto, which was founded by Greek colonists in the 8th century BC and was named for the Greek mythological figure Taras, a son of Poseidon. Saint Tarasios was an 8th-century bishop of Constantinople. It was also borne by the Ukrainian writer and artist Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861).

Short form of Natasha.

Coptic form of Theodore.

Form of Theodore used in various languages.

From an English surname that was probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel "to pull", referring to a stubborn person. It may sometimes be given in honour of civil rights activist Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954). It was common in the African-American community from the 1970s to the 1990s, typically stressed on the second syllable. A famous bearer is American football player Terrell Owens (1973-).

Amharic form of Theodore.

Short form of Dorothea, Theodora, Theresa and other names with a similar sound.

From the Turkic and Mongol name Temür meaning "iron". This was the name of several Mongol, Turkic and Yuan leaders. A notable bearer was Timur, also known as Tamerlane (from Persian تیمور لنگ (Tīmūr e Lang) meaning "Timur the lame"), a 14th-century Turkic leader who conquered large areas of western Asia.

Hungarian form of Theodore.

Derived from the element thiad "people".

Feminine form of Tomas.

Means "earth" or "death" in Japanese.

From the Old Norse name Þórfinnr, derived from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with finnr "Sámi, person from Finland".

Georgian form of Greek Τορνίκιος (Tornikios) or Τορνίκης (Tornikes), the name of a prominent Byzantine family that was of Armenian or Georgian descent. The family name may be derived from Armenian թոռնիկ (tornik), a diminutive of թոռն (torn) meaning "grandchild". Usage as a given name probably began in honour of the family, a notable member of which was a saint.

From the Old Norse name Þórný, which was derived from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with nýr "new".

Armenian form of Theodore.

From the surname Travers.

From the English surname Travis (a variant of Travers). It was used in America in honour of William Travis (1809-1836), the commander of the Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo.

Anglicized form of the medieval Welsh name Tudur, possibly from a hypothetical Celtic name *Toutorīxs meaning "ruler of the people" (cognate with Theodoric). As a surname it was borne by five monarchs of England beginning with Henry VII in the 15th century. These monarchs were descended from Owain ap Maredudd ap Tudur, a Welsh nobleman.

Variant of Teodor.

From a Scottish surname, a variant of McIntyre. It has been well-used as an African-American name, especially since the 1970s, probably inspired by other similar-sounding names such as Tyrone.