LunarArtistFaerie's Personal Name List
Achan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dinka
Means "female child in the first pair of twins" in Dinka.
Adrian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Romanian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian
Other Scripts: Адриан(Russian)
Pronounced: AY-dree-ən(English) a-dree-AN(Romanian) A-dryan(Polish) A-dree-an(German) u-dryi-AN(Russian)
Form of
Hadrianus (see
Hadrian) used in several languages. Several
saints and six popes have borne this name, including the only English pope, Adrian IV, and the only Dutch pope, Adrian VI. As an English name, it has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it was not popular until modern times.
Alain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-LEHN
French form of
Alan. A notable bearer is the French actor Alain Delon (1935-).
Alexandria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: al-ig-ZAN-dree-ə
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.
Allie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AL-ee
Diminutive of
Alison 1,
Alexandra and other names beginning with the same sound. After a 34-year absence from the American top 1000 chart this name began growing in popularity after the premiere of the sitcom
Kate and Allie in 1984.
Amaranth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
From the name of the amaranth flower, which is derived from Greek αμαραντος (amarantos) meaning "unfading".
Amy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-mee
English form of the Old French name Amée meaning "beloved" (modern French aimée), a vernacular form of the Latin Amata. As an English name, it was in use in the Middle Ages (though not common) and was revived in the 19th century.
Angel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Ангел(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: AYN-jəl(English)
From the medieval Latin masculine name
Angelus, which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.
Armin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: AR-meen
Atsushi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 淳, 敦, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あつし(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-TSOO-SHEE
From Japanese
淳 (atsushi) meaning "pure" or
敦 (atsushi) meaning "kindness, honesty". This name can also be formed from other kanji or kanji combinations.
Bartholomew
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: bahr-THAHL-ə-myoo(English)
English form of
Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaios), which was the Greek form of an Aramaic name meaning
"son of Talmai". In the
New Testament Bartholomew is the byname of an apostle, possibly the same person as the apostle
Nathanael. According to tradition he was a missionary to India before returning westward to Armenia, where he was martyred by flaying. Due to the popularity of this
saint the name became common in England during the Middle Ages.
Belle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHL
Short form of
Isabella or names ending in
belle. It is also associated with the French word
belle meaning "beautiful". A famous bearer was Belle Starr (1848-1889), an outlaw of the American west, whose real given name was Maybelle.
Bijou
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French (African)
Means "jewel" in French. It is mostly used in French-speaking Africa.
Brandón
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Brandon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRAN-dən
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"hill covered with broom" in Old English.
Already beginning to rise on the American charts, this name got a further boost when child actor Brandon Cruz (1962-) debuted on the sitcom The Courtship of Eddie's Father in 1969 [1]. After cresting in popularity in the 1980s the name began to decline, but this was turned around by the arrival of the character Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1990 [1]. The name peaked in America ranked sixth in 1992.
Bri
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRIE, BREE
Brian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: BRIE-ən(English) BRYEEN(Irish)
Meaning uncertain, possibly related to the old Celtic root *
brixs "hill, high" (Old Irish
brií) or the related *
brigā "might, power" (Old Irish
briíg). It was borne by the Irish king Brian Boru, who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. He was slain in the Battle of Clontarf, though his forces were decisively victorious. This name was common in Ireland after his time, and it was introduced to northern England by Norse-Gael settlers. It was also used in Brittany, and was brought to England by Bretons in the wake of the
Norman Conquest. Though it eventually became rare in the English-speaking world, it was strongly revived in the 20th century, becoming a top-ten name for boys in most regions.
Caesar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: KIE-sar(Latin) SEE-zər(English)
From a Roman
cognomen that possibly meant
"hairy", from Latin
caesaries "hair". Julius Caesar and his adopted son Julius Caesar Octavianus (commonly known as Augustus) were both rulers of the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC.
Caesar was used as a title by the emperors that came after them.
Carnation
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Romani (Archaic)
Pronounced: kah-NAY-shən(British English) kahr-NAY-shən(American English)
Derived from the flower of the same name; its etymology is uncertain. It has been suggested that it may ultimately come from English coronation (which in turn ultimately comes from Anglo-French coroner "to crown"). An other suggested possibility is Latin carn(e) or caro "flesh", because the original colour of the flower was said to be as red as flesh. Alternatively, it may be derived from Middle French carnation "person's color or complexion".
Cassandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κασσάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-SAN-drə(English) kə-SAHN-drə(English)
From the Greek name
Κασσάνδρα (Kassandra), possibly derived from
κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning "to excel, to shine" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek
myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of
Priam and
Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by
Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.
In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.
Christian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: KRIS-chən(English) KRISH-chən(English) KREES-TYAHN(French) KRIS-tee-an(German) KRIS-ti-an(Swedish) KRIS-ti-ahn(Norwegian) KREHS-dyan(Danish)
From the medieval Latin name
Christianus meaning
"a Christian" (see
Christos 1 for further etymology). In England it has been in use since the Middle Ages, during which time it was used by both males and females, but it did not become common until the 17th century. In Denmark the name has been borne by ten kings since the 15th century.
This was a top-ten name in France for most of the 1940s and 50s, while in Germany it was the most popular name for several years in the 1970s and 80s. In the United States it peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Famous bearers include Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), the Danish author of such fairy tales as The Ugly Duckling and The Emperor's New Clothes, and the French fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).
Crow
From Middle English crow, Old English crawa, applied as a nickname for someone with dark hair or a dark complexion or for someone thought to resemble the bird in some other way.
Donna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHN-ə
From Italian
donna meaning
"lady". It is also used as a feminine form of
Donald.
Dorothea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, English, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Δωροθέα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: do-ro-TEH-a(German) dawr-ə-THEE-ə(English)
Feminine form of the Greek name
Δωρόθεος (Dorotheos), which meant
"gift of god" from Greek
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift" and
θεός (theos) meaning "god". The name
Theodore is composed of the same elements in reverse order. Dorothea was the name of two early
saints, notably the 4th-century martyr Dorothea of Caesarea. It was also borne by the 14th-century Saint Dorothea of Montau, who was the patron saint of Prussia.
Dracula
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History, Literature
Means "son of Dracul" in Romanian, with Dracul being derived from Romanian drac "dragon". It was a nickname of the 15th-century Wallachian prince Vlad III, called the Impaler, whose father was Vlad II Dracul. However, the name Dracula is now most known from the 1897 novel of the same name by Bram Stoker, which features the Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula, who was probably inspired in part by the historical Wallachian prince.
Draven
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: DRAY-vən(English)
From a surname (of unknown meaning) that was used in the movie The Crow (1994).
Dylan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: DUL-an(Welsh) DIL-ən(English)
From the Welsh prefix
dy meaning "to, toward" and
llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], Dylan was a son of
Arianrhod and the twin brother of
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Immediately after he was baptized he took to the sea, where he could swim as well as a fish. He was slain accidentally by his uncle
Gofannon. According to some theories the character might be rooted in an earlier and otherwise unattested Celtic god of the sea.
Famous bearers include the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and the American musician Bob Dylan (1941-), real name Robert Zimmerman, who took his stage surname from the poet's given name. Due to those two bearers, use of the name has spread outside of Wales in the last half of the 20th century. It received a further boost in popularity in the 1990s due to a character on the television series Beverly Hills 90210.
Eberwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Derived from the Old German elements
ebur "boar" and
wini "friend".
Edward
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Polish
Pronounced: EHD-wərd(English) EHD-vart(Polish)
Means
"rich guard", derived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
weard "guard". This was the name of several Anglo-Saxon kings, the last being
Saint Edward the Confessor shortly before the
Norman Conquest in the 11th century. He was known as a just ruler, and because of his popularity his name remained in use after the conquest when most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. The 13th-century Plantagenet king Henry III named his son and successor after the saint, and seven subsequent kings of England were also named Edward.
This is one of the few Old English names to be used throughout Europe (in various spellings). A famous bearer was the British composer Edward Elgar (1857-1934). It was also used by author Charlotte Brontë for the character Edward Rochester, the main love interest of the title character in her novel Jane Eyre (1847).
Elisabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: eh-LEE-za-beht(German) eh-LEE-sa-beht(Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian) eh-LEE-sa-behd(Danish) i-LIZ-ə-bəth(English)
German and Dutch form of
Elizabeth. It is also a variant English form, reflecting the spelling used in the Authorized Version of the
New Testament.
Eliza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian
Other Scripts: ელიზა(Georgian)
Pronounced: i-LIE-zə(English) eh-LEE-za(Polish) EH-lee-zaw(Hungarian)
Short form of
Elizabeth. It was borne by the character Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's play
Pygmalion (1913) and the subsequent musical adaptation
My Fair Lady (1956).
Elizabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ə-bəth(English)
From
Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾElishevaʿ) meaning
"my God is an oath", derived from the roots
אֵל (ʾel) referring to the Hebrew God and
שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the
Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of
Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the
New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of
John the Baptist.
Among Christians, this name was originally more common in Eastern Europe. It was borne in the 12th century by Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a daughter of King Andrew II who used her wealth to help the poor. In medieval England it was occasionally used in honour of the saint, though the form Isabel (from Occitan and Spanish) was more common. It has been very popular in England since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. In American name statistics (as recorded since 1880) it has never ranked lower than 30, making it the most consistently popular name for girls in the United States.
Besides Elizabeth I, this name has been borne (in various spellings) by many other European royals, including a ruling empress of Russia in the 18th century. Famous modern bearers include the British queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).
Eoforwine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1]
Eren
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: eh-REHN
Means
"saint, holy person" in Turkish.
Eric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Swedish, German, Spanish
Pronounced: EHR-ik(English) EH-rik(Swedish, German) EH-reek(Spanish)
Means
"ever ruler", from the Old Norse name
Eiríkr, derived from the elements
ei "ever, always" and
ríkr "ruler, king". A notable bearer was Eiríkr inn Rauda (Eric the Red in English), a 10th-century navigator and explorer who discovered Greenland. This was also the name of several early kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
This common Norse name was first brought to England by Danish settlers during the Anglo-Saxon period. It was not popular in England in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, in part due to the children's novel Eric, or Little by Little (1858) by Frederic William Farrar.
Ervin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian, Albanian, Croatian, Estonian
Pronounced: EHR-veen(Hungarian)
Hungarian, Albanian, Croatian and Estonian form of
Erwin.
Erwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Polish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: EHR-veen(German, Polish) EHR-vin(Dutch)
Derived from the Old German name
Hariwini, composed of the elements
heri "army" and
wini "friend". It may have merged somewhat with the name
Eberwin. A notable bearer was Erwin Schrödinger (1887-1961), an Austrian physicist who made contributions to quantum theory.
Felix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Romanian, Ancient Roman, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: FEH-liks(German, Dutch, Swedish) FEE-liks(English) FEH-leeks(Latin)
From a Roman
cognomen meaning
"lucky, successful" in Latin. It was acquired as an
agnomen, or nickname, by the 1st-century BC Roman general Sulla. It also appears in the
New Testament belonging to the governor of Judea who imprisoned
Saint Paul.
Due to its favourable meaning, this name was popular among early Christians, being borne by many early saints and four popes. It has been used in England since the Middle Ages, though it has been more popular in continental Europe. A notable bearer was the German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847).
Gayle
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAYL
Grace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRAYS
From the English word
grace, which ultimately derives from Latin
gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the
Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.
This name was very popular in the English-speaking world at the end of the 19th century. Though it declined in use over the next 100 years, it staged a successful comeback at the end of the 20th century. The American sitcom Will and Grace (1998-2006) may have helped, though the name was already strongly rising when it premiered. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in 2006.
Hadrian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: HAY-dree-ən(English)
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.
Hange
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Pronounced: HAHN-JEE
Hariwini
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Old German form of
Erwin.
Hidehiko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 秀彦, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
From Japanese 秀 (hide) meaning "excellent, outstanding" or 英 (hide) meaning "excellent, fine" combined with 彦 (hiko) meaning "boy, prince". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Hoshino
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 星乃, 星野, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: HO-SHEE-NO
From Japanese 星 (hoshi) meaning "star" combined with 乃 (no), a possessive particle or 野 (no) meaning "area, field". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
James
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JAYMZ(English)
English form of the Late Latin name
Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form
Iacobus, from the Hebrew name
Yaʿaqov (see
Jacob). This was the name of two apostles in the
New Testament. The first was
Saint James the Greater, the apostle
John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of
Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of
Jesus.
This name has been used in England since the 13th century, though it became more common in Scotland where it was borne by several kings. In the 17th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. In American name statistics (recorded since 1880) this name has never been out of the top 20, making it arguably the era's most consistently popular name. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States from 1940 to 1952.
Famous bearers include the English explorer James Cook (1728-1779), the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819), and the Irish novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming in 1953.
Jean 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHAHN
Modern French form of
Jehan, the Old French form of
Iohannes (see
John). Since the 12th century it has consistently been the most common male name in France. It finally dropped from the top rank in 1958, unseated by
Philippe.
The French theologian Jean Calvin (1509-1564) and the philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) are well-known bearers of this name. It was also borne by the German-French Dadaist artist Jean Arp (1886-1966).
Jøkul
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Faroese
Judy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOO-dee
Diminutive of
Judith. A well-known bearer of this name was the American singer and actress Judy Garland (1922-1969).
Karasu
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Other Scripts: 鴉, 烏(Japanese Kanji) からす(Japanese Hiragana) カラス(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: kah-ṙah-soo
From Japanese 鴉 or 烏 which both mean "crow".
Fictional bearers of this name include Karasu (鴉) from 'YuYu Hakusho' and Karasu (烏), a ninja puppet from 'Naruto'.
It is not a given name in Japan, but it is used as a surname and place name.
Karasu
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Pronounced: Kah-Rah-Soo
This name means "Raven" or "Crow" in Japanese.
Kayako
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: かやこ(Japanese Hiragana) 佳野子, 佳也子, 伽弥子, 伽伸子, 加哉子, 加冶子, 可耶子, 夏伸子, 伽椰子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) かや子(Kanji/Hiragana) カヤコ(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: KA-YA-KO
From Japanese
佳 (
ka) "beautiful, good" and
野 (
ya) "area, field" combined with
子 (
ko) "child". This is merely one popular combination; many other kanji combinations are possible.
This name is notably borne by the fictional antagonist of the Japanese horror franchise "Ju-On" (also known and adapted as "The Grudge" in Western countries). The character's name is spelled with the kanji 伽 (ka) "attendant, nurse" and 椰 (ya) "palm tree; coconut; coconut palm" combined with 子 (ko) "child".
(See also Sadako, the name borne by the fictional antagonist of the Japanese horror franchise "Ringu", also known and adapted as "The Ring" in the West. Indeed, these two characters - Kayako and Sadako - eventually became so popular that they starred in a crossover film together: 2016's "Sadako vs. Kayako".)
The name, regardless of kanji, is written as かやこ (Kayako) in hiragana and as カヤコ (Kayako) in katakana.
Lee
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEE
From a surname that was derived from Old English
leah meaning
"clearing". The surname belonged to Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), commander of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In his honour, it has been used as a given name in the American South. It is common as a middle name.
Leif
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: LAYF
From the Old Norse name Leifr meaning "descendant, heir". Leif Eriksson was a Norse explorer who reached North America in the early 11th century. He was the son of Erik the Red.
Leopold
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, English, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Polish
Pronounced: LEH-o-pawlt(German, Dutch) LEE-ə-pold(English) LEH-o-polt(Czech) LEH-aw-pawld(Slovak) leh-AW-pawlt(Polish)
Derived from the Old German elements
liut "people" and
bald "bold, brave". The spelling was altered due to association with Latin
leo "lion". This name was common among German royalty, first with the Babenbergs and then the Habsburgs.
Saint Leopold was a 12th-century Babenberg margrave of Austria, who is now considered the patron of that country. It was also borne by two Habsburg Holy Roman emperors, as well as three kings of Belgium. Since the 19th century this name has been occasionally used in England, originally in honour of Queen Victoria's uncle, a king of Belgium, after whom she named one of her sons. It was later used by James Joyce for the main character, Leopold Bloom, in his novel
Ulysses (1922).
Levi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, English, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: לֵוִי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: LEE-vie(English) LEH-vee(Dutch)
Possibly means
"joined, attached" in Hebrew. As told in the
Old Testament, Levi was the third son of
Jacob and
Leah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, known as the Levites. This was the tribe that formed the priestly class of the Israelites. The brothers
Moses and
Aaron were members. This name also occurs in the
New Testament, where it is borne by a son of
Alphaeus. He might be the same person as the apostle
Matthew.
As an English Christian name, Levi came into use after the Protestant Reformation.
Li 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 理, 立, 黎, 力, 丽, etc.(Chinese) 理, 立, 黎, 力, 麗, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: LEE
From Chinese
理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic",
立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish",
黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn",
力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or
丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.
Lumi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: LOO-mee
Means "snow" in Finnish.
Lumina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Pronounced: LOO-mi-nə, loo-MEE-nə
Derived from Latin lumina "lights", ultimately from Latin lumen "light". In the English-speaking world, this name was first recorded in the 1800s.
Luminița
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: loo-mee-NEE-tsa
Means
"little light", derived from Romanian
lumina "light" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Mathias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: MA-TYAS(French) ma-TEE-as(German)
Matthew
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: MATH-yoo(English)
English form of
Ματθαῖος (Matthaios), which is the
New Testament Greek form of
Mattithiah. Matthew, probably also called
Levi, was one of the twelve apostles. He was a tax collector, and supposedly the author of the first gospel in the New Testament. He is considered a
saint in many Christian traditions. The variant
Matthias also occurs in the New Testament belonging to a separate apostle.
As an English given name, Matthew has been in use since the Middle Ages. It became popular throughout the English-speaking world around the middle of the 20th century, ranked near the top of the popularity lists for boys in the 1980s and 90s. A notable bearer was the American naval officer Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858), who led an expedition to Japan. Famous modern bearers include the actors Matthew Broderick (1962-), Matthew McConaughey (1969-) and Matthew Perry (1969-2023).
Melodi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Haitian Creole
From "melodi" who mean "melody"
Mélodie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MEH-LAW-DEE
Melodie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Mélody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MEH-LAW-DEE
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
From the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Michael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Czech, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: מִיכָאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Μιχαήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: MIE-kəl(English) MI-kha-ehl(German, Czech) MEE-kal(Danish) MEE-ka-ehl(Swedish) MEE-kah-ehl(Norwegian) mee-KA-ehl(Latin)
From the Hebrew name
מִיכָאֵל (Miḵaʾel) meaning
"who is like God?", derived from the interrogative pronoun
מִי (mi) combined with
ךְּ (ke) meaning "like" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is a rhetorical question, implying no person is like God. Michael is one of the archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Daniel in the
Old Testament he is named as a protector of Israel (see
Daniel 12:1). In the Book of Revelation in the
New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven's armies in the war against Satan, and is thus considered the patron
saint of soldiers in Christianity.
The popularity of the saint led to the name being used by nine Byzantine emperors, including Michael VIII Palaeologus who restored the empire in the 13th century. It has been common in Western Europe since the Middle Ages, and in England since the 12th century. It has been borne (in various spellings) by rulers of Russia (spelled Михаил), Romania (Mihai), Poland (Michał), and Portugal (Miguel).
In the United States, this name rapidly gained popularity beginning in the 1930s, eventually becoming the most popular male name from 1954 to 1998. However, it was not as overwhelmingly common in the United Kingdom, where it never reached the top spot.
Famous bearers of this name include the British chemist/physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867), musician Michael Jackson (1958-2009), and basketball player Michael Jordan (1963-).
Micky
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MIK-ee
Mikail
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Mikasa
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
A Japanese battleship built in 1902, named after Mount Wakakusa, aka Mount Mikasa in Nara (literally: “three bamboo hats”). Mikasa Ackerman is a character in Attack on Titan.
Milton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: MIL-tən(English) MEEL-ton(Spanish)
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "mill town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was John Milton (1608-1674), the poet who wrote Paradise Lost.
Mi-Na
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 미나(Korean Hangul) 美娜, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: MEE-NA
From Sino-Korean 美
(mi) meaning "beautiful" combined with 娜
(na) meaning "elegant, graceful, delicate". Other hanja combinations can form this name as well.
Mina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: MEE-nə(English) MEE-na(Dutch)
Short form of
Wilhelmina and other names ending in
mina. This was the name of a character in the novel
Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker.
Minako
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美奈子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みなこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-NA-KO
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful",
奈 (na), a phonetic character, and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Mitchi
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Nabi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 奈美, 奈弥, 凪火, 菜彌, 奈琵, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: NAH-BEE
From Japanese 奈 (na) meaning "apple tree" combined with 美 (bi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Nabi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 나비(Korean Hangul)
Pronounced: NAH-BEE
Means "butterfly" in Korean. Nabi is also used in Korean an endearment for a cat, like "kitty".
Nathan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: נָתָן(Hebrew) Ναθάν(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NAY-thən(English) NA-TAHN(French)
From the Hebrew name
נָתָן (Naṯan) meaning
"he gave". In the
Old Testament this is the name of a prophet during the reign of King
David. He chastised David for his adultery with
Bathsheba and for the death of
Uriah the Hittite. Later he championed
Solomon as David's successor. This was also the name of a son of David and Bathsheba.
It has been used as a Christian given name in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Nathan Hale (1755-1776), an American spy executed by the British during the American Revolution.
Nathanael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: ןְתַןְאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Ναθαναήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: nə-THAN-yəl(English)
Necile
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Necile is the wood nymph in the the 1902 novel 'The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus' written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark. In this story Necile is the adoptive mother of Santa Claus. From this book were made many adaptations.
Nefertari
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Egyptian
Pronounced: nehf-ər-TAHR-ee(English)
From Egyptian
nfrt-jrj meaning
"the most beautiful" [1]. This was the name of an Egyptian queen of the New Kingdom (13th century BC), the favourite wife of
Ramesses II.
Otabek
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Tajik, Uzbek
Other Scripts: Отабек(Tajik, Uzbek)
Tajik and Uzbek form of
Atabek.
Ozymandias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, American (Modern, Rare), Popular Culture
Other Scripts: Ὀσυμανδύας(Greek)
This particular spelling of the name was popularised through the poem 'Ozymandias' by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
It is a variant of the Ancient Greek name for Pharaoh Ramesses II, Osymandyas (Greek: Ὀσυμανδύας).
The recent revival of the name is probably triggered by a villain named Ozymandias in 'Watchmen' (TV series).
Pearl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PURL
From the English word pearl for the concretions formed in the shells of some mollusks, ultimately from Late Latin perla. Like other gemstone names, it has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. The pearl is the traditional birthstone for June, and it supposedly imparts health and wealth.
Piers
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (British), Medieval French
Pronounced: PEEZ(British English) PIRZ(American English)
Medieval form of
Peter. This is the name of the main character in the 14th-century poem
Piers Plowman [1] by William Langland.
Primrose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PRIM-roz
From the English word for the flower, ultimately deriving from Latin prima rosa "first rose".
Pris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PRIS
Prisca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: PRIS-kə(English)
Feminine form of
Priscus, a Roman family name meaning
"ancient" in Latin. This name appears in the epistles in the
New Testament, referring to
Priscilla the wife of Aquila.
Puck
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon Mythology, Dutch
Pronounced: PUK(English) PUYK(Dutch)
Meaning unknown, from Old English puca. It could ultimately be of either Germanic or Celtic origin. In English legend this was the name of a mischievous spirit, also known as Robin Goodfellow. He appears in Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). It is used in the Netherlands as mainly a feminine name.
Ramesses
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Egyptian (Anglicized)
Pronounced: RAM-ə-seez(English) ra-MEHS-eez(English) RAM-seez(English) RAM-zeez(English)
From
Ῥαμέσσης (Rhamesses), the Greek form of Egyptian
rꜥ-ms-sw meaning
"born of Ra", composed of the name of the supreme god
Ra combined with the root
msj "be born". Ramesses was the name of eleven Egyptian pharaohs of the New Kingdom. The most important of these were Ramesses II the Great who campaigned against the Hittites and also built several great monuments (13th century BC), and Ramesses III who defended Egypt from the Libyans and Sea Peoples (12th century BC).
Raphael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Biblical
Other Scripts: רָפָאֵל, רְפָאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: RA-fa-ehl(German) RAF-ee-əl(English) RAF-ay-ehl(English) rah-fie-EHL(English)
From the Hebrew name
רָפָאֵל (Rafaʾel) meaning
"God heals", from the roots
רָפָא (rafa) meaning "to heal" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In Hebrew tradition Raphael is the name of an archangel. He appears in the Book of Tobit, in which he disguises himself as a man named
Azarias and accompanies
Tobias on his journey to Media, aiding him along the way. In the end he cures Tobias's father
Tobit of his blindness. He is not mentioned in the
New Testament, though tradition identifies him with the angel troubling the water in
John 5:4.
This name has never been common in the English-speaking world, though it has been well-used elsewhere in Europe. A famous bearer was the Italian Renaissance master Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), usually known simply as Raphael in English.
Raven
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAY-vən
From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English
hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god
Odin.
Rei
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 鈴, 麗, 玲, etc.(Japanese Kanji) れい(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: REH
From Japanese
鈴 (rei) meaning "bell",
麗 (rei) meaning "beautiful, lovely" or
玲 (rei) meaning "the tinkling of jade". This name can also be formed by other kanji with the same pronunciation.
Reiner
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: RIE-nu(German)
Renie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Robert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Albanian, Romanian, Catalan, Germanic [1]
Other Scripts: Роберт(Russian)
Pronounced: RAHB-ərt(American English) RAWB-ət(British English) RAW-BEHR(French) RO-beht(Swedish) RO-behrt(German, Finnish, Czech) RO-bərt(Dutch) RAW-bərt(Dutch) RAW-behrt(Polish) RO-byirt(Russian) roo-BEHRT(Catalan)
From the Germanic name
Hrodebert meaning
"bright fame", derived from the elements
hruod "fame" and
beraht "bright". The
Normans introduced this name to Britain, where it replaced the rare Old English
cognate Hreodbeorht. It has been consistently among the most common English names from the 13th to 20th century. In the United States it was the most popular name for boys between 1924 and 1939 (and again in 1953).
This name has been borne by two kings of the Franks, two dukes of Normandy, and three kings of Scotland, including Robert the Bruce who restored the independence of Scotland from England in the 14th century. Several saints have also had the name, the earliest known as Saint Rupert, from an Old German variant. The author Robert Browning (1812-1889) and poets Robert Burns (1759-1796) and Robert Frost (1874-1963) are famous literary namesakes. Other bearers include Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), the commander of the Confederate army during the American Civil War, and American actors Robert Redford (1936-), Robert De Niro (1943-) and Robert Downey Jr. (1965-).
Rose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: ROZ
Originally a Norman French form of the Germanic name
Hrodohaidis meaning
"famous type", composed of the elements
hruod "fame" and
heit "kind, sort, type". The
Normans introduced it to England in the forms
Roese and
Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower
rose (derived from Latin
rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.
Roy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English, Dutch
Pronounced: ROI(English, Dutch)
Anglicized form of
Ruadh. A notable bearer was the Scottish outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy (1671-1734). It is often associated with French
roi "king".
Rubin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, Dutch, English, Swedish
Pronounced: RUY-bin(Dutch) ROO-bin(English)
Sadako
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 定子, 貞子, 禎子, 節子(Japanese Kanji) さだこ(Japanese Hiragana) サダコ(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: SA-DA-KO
From Japanese
貞 (
sada) "chastity; virtue, faithfulness, uprighteousness" or "chaste; virtuous, faithful, uprighteous",
節 (
sada) "season",
定 (
sada) "determined", or
禎 (
sada) "lucky, auspicious" or "blessed, good fortune" combined with Japanese
子(
ko) "child".
貞子 "chaste child" or "child of chastity" was by far the most common combination.
A famous bearer of the name was Sadako Sasaki (Japanese: 佐々木 禎子 Sasaki Sadako) (1943-1955), a child who died from leukemia after the Hiroshima bomb. Her endeavour to fold 1,000 paper cranes in order to have her wish granted has become a symbol of peace.
The name was also borne by Sadako Yamamura (Japanese: 山村 貞子 Yamamura Sadako), the fictional antagonist of the Japanese horror franchise "Ringu" (also known and adapted as "The Ring" in Western countries), which began as a book first published in 1991. Although malevolent and considered very frightening, the character also has a tragic and sympathetic backstory, a combination that has made her very popular within the horror community. This may have influenced the popularity of her name's kanji combination, at least during the 1990s and afterward. (Prior to the franchise, the literal meaning of this combination was probably its chief attraction, especially to conservative parents.)
(See also Kayako, the name borne by the main fictional antagonist of the Japanese horror franchise "Ju-On", also known and adapted as "The Grudge" in the West. Indeed, these two characters - Sadako and Kayako - eventually became so popular that they starred in a crossover film together: 2016's "Sadako vs. Kayako".)
The name, regardless of kanji, is written as さだこ (Sadako) in hiragana and as サダコ (Sadako) in katakana.
Sakon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 左近(Japanese Kanji) さこん(Japanese Hiragana) サコン(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: SAH-KON
This name is used as 左近 with 左 (sa, sha, hidari) meaning "left" and 近 (kin, kon, chika.i) meaning "akin, early, near, tantamount."
One bearer of this name is racing driver Sakon Yamamoto (山本 左近) (1982-).
Sara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Catalan, Galician, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian, Polish, English, Arabic, Persian, Biblical Hebrew [1], Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: שָׂרָה(Hebrew) Σάρα(Greek) Сара(Serbian, Macedonian) سارة(Arabic) سارا(Persian)
Pronounced: SA-ra(Greek, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Icelandic, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Polish, Arabic) SA-RA(French) ZA-ra(German) SAH-rah(Finnish) SEHR-ə(English) SAR-ə(English) saw-RAW(Persian)
Form of
Sarah used in various languages.
Sha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 샤(Korean Hangul)
Pronounced: SHAH
Means "girl" in Korean.
Smith
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SMITH
From an English surname meaning "metal worker, blacksmith", derived from Old English smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world.
Steven
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: STEE-vən(English) STEH-vən(Dutch)
Medieval English variant of
Stephen, and a Dutch variant of
Stefan. The filmmaker Steven Spielberg (1946-), director of
E.T. and
Indiana Jones, is a famous bearer of this name.
Teddie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEHD-ee
Teddy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEHD-ee
Theodore
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: THEE-ə-dawr
From the Greek name
Θεόδωρος (Theodoros), which meant
"gift of god" from Greek
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". The name
Dorothea is derived from the same roots in reverse order. This was the name of several
saints, including Theodore of Amasea, a 4th-century Greek soldier; Theodore of Tarsus, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury; and Theodore the Studite, a 9th-century Byzantine monk. It was also borne by two popes.
This was a common name in classical Greece, and, due to both the saints who carried it and the favourable meaning, it came into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was however rare in Britain before the 19th century. Famous bearers include three tsars of Russia (in the Russian form Fyodor) and American president Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919).
Tomoe
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Pronounced: TO-MO-EH
Tsubasa
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 翼, etc.(Japanese Kanji) つばさ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TSOO-BA-SA
From Japanese
翼 (tsubasa) meaning "wing", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.
Ukon
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 右近(Japanese Kanji) うこん(Japanese Hiragana) ウコン(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: UU-KON
This name is used as 右近 with 右 (u, yuu, migi) meaning "right" and 近 (kin, kon, chika.i) meaning "akin, early, near, tantamount."
One (male) bearer of this name was Ukon Takayama (or Takayama Ukon if surname is used first) (高山 右近) (1552-1615), also known as Dom Justo Takayama, Iustus Takayama Ukon, Hikogorō (彦五郎 - his childhood name) and Shigetomo (重友 - name given after the coming-of-age ceremony), a Sengoku period kirishitan (キリシタン/Christian) samurai and daimyō.
One (female) bearer of this name was the Heian period poet Ukon (右近), who was included in the list of Thirty-six Female Poetry Immortals in Japan.
Victor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Late Roman
Pronounced: VIK-tər(English) VEEK-TAWR(French) VEEK-tor(Romanian) VIK-tawr(Dutch)
Roman name meaning
"victor, conqueror" in Latin. It was common among early Christians, and was borne by several early
saints and three popes. It was rare as an English name during the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the French writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885), who authored
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and
Les Misérables.
Viktor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Greek
Other Scripts: Виктор(Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian, Macedonian) Віктор(Ukrainian) Βίκτωρ(Greek)
Pronounced: VIK-to(German) VEEK-tor(Hungarian) VIK-tor(Czech) VEEK-tawr(Slovak) VYEEK-tər(Russian)
Form of
Victor used in various languages.
Yeong-Su
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 영수(Korean Hangul) 永壽, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: YUNG-SOO
From Sino-Korean
永 (yeong) meaning "perpetual, eternal" and
壽 (su) meaning "long life, lifespan", as well as other hanja character combinations.
Yoshimitsu
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 義光, 芳光, 吉光, etc.(Japanese Kanji) よしみつ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YO-SHEE-MEE-TSOO
From Japanese
義 (yoshi) meaning "righteous",
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful", or
吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" combined with
光 (mitsu) meaning "light". Other combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Yura
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Юра(Russian, Ukrainian)
Pronounced: YOO-rə(Russian)
Yuri 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Юрий(Russian) Юрій(Ukrainian) Юрый(Belarusian)
Pronounced: YOO-ryee(Russian)
Alternate transcription of Russian
Юрий, Ukrainian
Юрій or Belarusian
Юрый (see
Yuriy).
Yuri 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 百合, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-REE
From Japanese
百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can also form this name.
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