kahn's Personal Name List

From the Hebrew name אַהֲרֹן (ʾAharon), which is most likely of unknown Egyptian origin. Other theories claim a Hebrew derivation, and suggest meanings such as "high mountain" or "exalted". In the Old Testament this name is borne by the older brother of Moses. He acted as a spokesman for his brother when they appealed to the pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery. Aaron's rod produced miracles and plagues to intimidate the pharaoh. After the departure from Egypt and arrival at Mount Sinai, God installed Aaron as the first high priest of the Israelites and promised that his descendants would form the priesthood.

As an English name, Aaron has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. This name was borne by the American politician Aaron Burr (1756-1836), notable for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

From the Hebrew name הֶבֶל (Hevel) meaning "breath". In the Old Testament he is the second son of Adam and Eve, murdered out of envy by his brother Cain. In England, this name came into use during the Middle Ages, and it was common during the Puritan era.

From the Hebrew name אַבְרָהָם (ʾAvraham), which may be viewed either as meaning "father of many" or else as a contraction of Abram 1 and הָמוֹן (hamon) meaning "many, multitude". The biblical patriarch Abraham was originally named Abram but God changed his name (see Genesis 17:5). With his father Terah, he led his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot and their other followers from Ur into Canaan. He is regarded by Jews as being the founder of the Hebrews through his son Isaac and by Muslims as being the founder of the Arabs through his son Ishmael.

As an English Christian name, Abraham became common after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was the American president Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), who pushed to abolish slavery and led the country through the Civil War.

Maghrebi transcription of Ashraf (chiefly Moroccan).

Spanish form of Augustinus (see Augustine 1).

Doric Greek form of Alkmaion.

Variant of Ammiel. Occurs in the Book of Numbers 13:12: Amiel, who represented the tribe of Dan, was one of the twelve spies sent out by Moses to survey the land of Canaan.

Means "treetop" in Hebrew.

Brazilian Portuguese form of Antonius (see Anthony).

Portuguese form of Arkadios.

Catalan form of Arnold.

Means "openness, space, square" in Kurdish.

Transferred use of the surname Ayrton, which was originally taken from the place name Airton.

Outside of its Brazilian usage, the name was popularised by Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna (1960-1994), starting after his first win at the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix and increasing (or, in some cases, peaking) shortly after his death.

Spanish contracted form of Benedicto. This name was borne by Mexican president Benito Juárez (1806-1872). Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), the fascist dictator of Italy during World War II, was named after Juárez.

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

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

North African short form of Ibrahim.

Galician form of Blaise.

Derived from the Old German element brunna meaning "armour, protection" (Proto-Germanic *brunjǭ) or brun meaning "brown" (Proto-Germanic *brūnaz). Saint Bruno of Cologne was a German monk of the 11th century who founded the Carthusian Order. The surname has belonged to Giordano Bruno, a philosopher burned at the stake by the Inquisition. A modern bearer is the American singer Bruno Mars (1985-), born Peter Gene Hernandez.

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

Portuguese form of Caietanus (see Gaetano).

Means "Down", "Son of the Sun". It can also have a meaning of "the tomorrow that will always come" - for the ancient Quechua had a circular-time notion.

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

From a Scottish surname meaning "crooked mouth" from Gaelic cam "crooked" and beul "mouth".

From an English surname of uncertain origin.

Means "cross" in Spanish or Portuguese, referring to the cross of the crucifixion.

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.

Short form of Ebenezer.

From an English surname meaning "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.

Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of the Roman cognomen Aemilianus, which was itself derived from the family name Aemilius (see Emil). This was the name of a 6th-century Spanish saint.

Form of Isaiah used in the Greek and Latin Bibles, as well as some English translations of the New Testament.

Usual Persian form of Ishmael, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription. This was the name of the founder of the Safavid Empire in Iran in the early 16th century.

Variant of Ivanilson.

Transferred use of the surname Everton.

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

Spanish and Italian form of Frederick. Spanish poet Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) and Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (1920-1993) are famous bearers of this name.

Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of the Roman name Felicianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name Felix. It was borne by a number of early saints, including a 3rd-century bishop of Foligno.

Catalan form of Philip.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Ferdinand.

Catalan form of Ferdinand.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Franciscus (see Francis). This is the Spanish name of Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552). Other notable bearers include the Spanish painter and engraver Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) and the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (1892-1975).

From a surname that was derived from the name of the town of Foulden in Norfolk, itself meaning "bird hill" in Old English.

From the Hebrew name גַבְרִיאֵל (Ḡavriʾel) meaning "God is my strong man", derived from גֶּבֶר (gever) meaning "strong man, hero" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Gabriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition, often appearing as a messenger of God. In the Old Testament he is sent to interpret the visions of the prophet Daniel, while in the New Testament he serves as the announcer of the births of John to Zechariah and Jesus to Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the Quran to Muhammad.

This name has been used occasionally in England since the 12th century. It was not common in the English-speaking world until the end of the 20th century.

Probably from the ethno-linguistic term Gael, which refers to speakers of Gaelic languages.

Derived from the Old German element ger meaning "spear" combined with hart meaning "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This name was borne by saints from Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Italy. The Normans introduced it to Britain. It was initially much more common there than the similar name Gerald [1], with which it was often confused, but it is now less common.

French form of Giles.

Variant of Grayham.

Catalan form of William.

Transferred use of the surname Guzmán, derived from the name of a Spanish town. The name itself possibly come from the Ancient Germanic elements gut meaning "good" and mann meaning "man".

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

Means "lion" in Arabic, a derivative of حمز (ḥamuza) meaning "strong, sturdy". This was the name of an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad who was killed in battle.

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

Means "crusher, breaker" in Arabic, derived from the root هشم (hashama) meaning "to crush, to destroy". This was the nickname of a great-grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad. He acquired this nickname because of his practice of crumbling bread and giving it to pilgrims.

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

From an English surname that denoted one who lived on a heath. It was popularized as a given name by the character Heath Barkley from the 1960s television series The Big Valley [1].

Means "tree" in Hebrew.

Modern Greek form of Elias.

From the Hebrew name יִץְחָק (Yitsḥaq) meaning "he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from צָחַק (tsaḥaq) meaning "to laugh". The Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see Genesis 17:17), and later Sarah laughed when overhearing the same prophecy (see Genesis 18:12). When Isaac was a boy, God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, though an angel prevented the act at the last moment. Isaac went on to become the father of Esau and Jacob with his wife Rebecca.

As an English Christian name, Isaac was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, though it was more common among Jews. It became more widespread after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers include the physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton (1643-1727) and the science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992).

Italian form of Ishmael.

Newer form of the Old Church Slavic name Іѡаннъ (Ioannŭ), which was derived from Greek Ioannes (see John). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.

Sicilian form of Ivano.

This is the second given name of Brazilian footballer Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, commonly known as Kaká (born 1982-)

Means "he shines" in Hebrew, a derivative of אוֹר (ʾor) meaning "to shine". In the Old Testament this is the name of both a son of Manasseh and one of the ruling judges of the Israelites.

An invented name. In America it was popularized in the 1990s by basketball player Jalen Rose (1973-), whose name was a combination of those of his father James and maternal uncle Leonard [1].

Means "right hand" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Simeon.

Combination of the phonetic elements ja or jay and von.

Contracted form of Jehoiachin or Jehoiakim. According to the apocryphal Gospel of James, Saint Joachim was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of the Virgin Mary. Due to his popularity in the Middle Ages, the name came into general use in Christian Europe (though it was never common in England).

Portuguese form of Iohannes (see John).

Portuguese diminutive of João.

German, Czech and Scandinavian form of Joseph.

French form of Iulianus (see Julian).

From an occupational surname meaning "judge, officer of justice" in Old French. This name can also be given in direct reference to the English word justice.

Possibly from Balinese adik meaning "younger sibling". This name is traditionally given to the second-born child.

From the name of a Scottish river, perhaps meaning "narrow water". As a title it was borne by the Irish-Scottish physicist William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907), who acquired his title from the river.

Possibly means "possession" in Hebrew. He is a son of Enosh and a great-grandson of Adam in the Old Testament.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Cinnéidigh, itself derived from the given name Cennétig. The name has sometimes been given in honour of assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963). It was popularized as a name for girls by Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (1972-), known simply as Kennedy, the host of the television program Alternative Nation on MTV from 1992 to 1997.

Anglicized form of both Coinneach and Cináed. This name was borne by the Scottish king Kenneth (Cináed) mac Alpin, who united the Scots and Picts in the 9th century. It was popularized outside of Scotland by Walter Scott, who used it for the hero in his 1825 novel The Talisman [1]. A famous bearer was the British novelist Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932), who wrote The Wind in the Willows.

Means "lion cub" in Hebrew.

Means "king, foundation, symbol of pride" in Persian.

Russian form of Cyril.

Variant of Cleberson.

Variant of Coby.

Means "of God" in Hebrew. This is the name of the father of Eliasaph in the Old Testament. It is misspelled as Δαήλ (Dael) in the Greek translation, the Septuagint.

Possibly means "to make low" in Hebrew. This is the name of two characters in Genesis in the Old Testament, the first being a descendant of Cain, and the second being a descendant of Seth and the father of Noah.

Possibly a combination of Leander and Anderson.

French form of Leander.

From a surname, originally from an English place name, which meant "fallow land" in Old English. A famous bearer was the politician, businessman and Stanford University founder Leland Stanford (1824-1893).

Combination of Leo-, from names beginning with this pattern such as Leonardo and Leopoldo, and -mar, from names beginning in that pattern, e.g. María (Spanish)/Maria (Portuguese).

Known bearers of this name include the Brazilian politician Leomar Quintanilha (b. 1945), the Brazilian soccer player Leomar Francisco Rodrigues (b. 1987) and the Venezuelan soccer player Leomar Pinto (b. 1997).

Originally a medieval diminutive of Leone 1, now used as a given name in its own right.

Armenian form of Leon. This was the name of several kings of Cilician Armenia, including the first king Levon I the Magnificent.

Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Galician form of Linus.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Lysander.

Means "lion" in Albanian.

Corsican form of Lucas.

Derived from the Old German elements man "man" and fridu "peace". It was borne by a 13th-century king of Sicily. Another notable bearer was Manfred von Richthofen (1892-1918), the World War I pilot known as the Red Baron. This is also the name of the main character in Lord Byron's drama Manfred (1817).

Spanish diminutive of Manuel.

Short form of Manuel or Emmanuel (and also of Manuela in Germany).

Spanish and Portuguese form of Marcus (see Mark).

Polish, Czech and Slovak form of Mark.

From a Scottish surname, an Anglicized form of Mac Fhionnlaigh, from the given name Fionnlagh. A famous bearer of the surname was the American president William McKinley (1843-1901).

As a given name in America, it was mainly masculine in the late 19th century and the majority of the 20th, being most common around the times of the president's election and assassination. During the 1990s it began growing in popularity for girls, probably inspired by other feminine names beginning with Mac or Mc such as Mackenzie and McKenna.

From the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear", originally a short form of names that began with that element. It was originally used in Czech, Slovak, and the South Slavic languages, though it has recently become popular elsewhere in Europe.

A city in Italy bears this name, though in this case it originates from Latin Mediolanum, perhaps ultimately of Celtic origin meaning "middle of the plain". In some cases the city name may be an influence on the use of the given name.

From an English occupational surname for a miller, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Derived from the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace" or "world".

Derived from the Slavic elements mirŭ "peace, world" and slava "glory". This was the name of a 10th-century king of Croatia who was deposed by one of his nobles after ruling for four years.

Means "prince" from Persian میرزا (mīrzā), earlier امیرزاده (amīrzādeh), which is ultimately from Arabic أمير (ʾamīr) meaning "commander" combined with Persian زاده (zādeh) meaning "offspring".

Persian form of Musa, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription.

originally of Yiddish origin. derived from Nachum combined with the medieval diminutive suffix man

Possibly a short form of Nathanaël or Gwenaël.

From the name of a 10th-century Armenian saint, Grigor of Narek, who came from the town of Narek (formerly in Armenia, now in eastern Turkey).

Masculine form of Natalia.

Variant of Newen using Spanish spelling conventions.

Portuguese, Galician and Catalan form of Nicholas.

Danish form of Nicholas. A famous bearer was Niels Bohr (1885-1962), a Danish physicist who investigated the structure of atoms.

Russian form of Niketas. This form is also used in Ukrainian and Belarusian alongside the more traditional forms Mykyta and Mikita. A notable bearer was the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971).

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Neilos (and also of the Nile River).

From an English surname that was from various place names meaning "oak clearing" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).

From an English surname that was derived from the French place name Pacy, itself derived from Gaulish given name of unknown meaning.

From an English surname meaning "pilgrim". It is ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.

Form of Raphael in various languages. A famous bearer is the Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (1986-).

Variant of Raheem.

Possibly from Hebrew רָעמִיאֵל (Raʿmiʾel) meaning "thunder of God". The Book of Enoch names him as an archangel. He is often identified with Jeremiel.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Ramirus, earlier Ranimirus, a Latinized form of a Visigothic name derived from the Gothic element rana "wedge" or perhaps ragin "law, decree, assessment, responsibility" combined with mers "famous". Saint Ramirus was a 6th-century prior of the Saint Claudius Monastery in León. He and several others were executed by the Arian Visigoths, who opposed orthodox Christianity. This name was subsequently borne by kings of León, Asturias and Aragon.

Variant of Ramesses.

Persian form of Rasul.

Spanish form of Radulf (see Ralph).

Means "ornament, necklace" in Hebrew.

Italian, Portuguese and Spanish form of Renatus.

Short form of Lorenzo.

Means "friend of God" in Hebrew, from רֵעַ (reaʿ) meaning "friend" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is another name for Jethro. The fantasy author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a famous bearer.

Means "kings" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, La Virgen de los Reyes, meaning "The Virgin of the Kings". According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to King Ferdinand III of Castile and told him his armies would defeat those of the Moors in Seville.

Persian, Indonesian and Bengali form of Rida.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Richard.

From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".

Brazilian Portuguese form of Romulus.

Masculine form of Rosângela.

From an English surname that was derived from the medieval given name Royse, a variant of Rose.

From a surname that was originally taken from an Old English place name meaning "town of Royse". The given name Royse was a medieval variant of Rose.

Rhyming variant of Juan 1 or else a Brazilian Portuguese form of Rowan.

Brazilian Portuguese form of Reuben.

Form of Yeruslan used by Aleksandr Pushkin in his poem Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), which was loosely based on Russian and Tatar folktales of Yeruslan Lazarevich.

Arabic alternate transcription of Sadiq chiefly used in Northern Africa and Egypt as well as the Bengali form of the name.

Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan form of the Late Latin name Salvator, which meant "saviour", referring to Jesus. A famous bearer of this name was the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).

Aragonese form of Salvinus.

Possibly a Spanish and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name Sanctius, which was derived from the word sanctus meaning "saintly, holy". Alternatively, Sancho and Sanctius may be derived from an older Iberian name. This was the name of a 9th-century saint who was martyred by the Moors at Córdoba. It was also borne by several Spanish and Portuguese kings. Miguel de Cervantes used it in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it belongs to the squire of Don Quixote.

Means "Saint James", derived from Spanish santo "saint" combined with Yago, an old Spanish form of James, the patron saint of Spain. It is the name of the main character in the novella The Old Man and the Sea (1951) by Ernest Hemingway. This also is the name of the capital city of Chile, as well as several other cities in the Spanish-speaking world.

Means "saints" in Spanish. It is used in reference to the Christian festival Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints' Day) celebrated on November 1.

Means "wise" in Italian.

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

Alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Сергей (see Sergey).

Italian and Spanish form of Silvius.

Means "happiness, joy" in Hebrew.

From Σίμων (Simon), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name שִׁםְעוֹן (Shimʿon) meaning "hearing, listening", derived from שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear, to listen". This name is spelled Simeon, based on Greek Συμεών, in many translations of the Old Testament, where it is borne by the second son of Jacob. The New Testament spelling may show influence from the otherwise unrelated Greek name Simon 2.

In the New Testament Simon is the name of several characters, including the man who carried the cross for Jesus. Most importantly however it was borne by the leading apostle Simon, also known as Peter (a name given to him by Jesus).

Because of the apostle, this name has been common in the Christian world. In England it was popular during the Middle Ages, though it became more rare after the Protestant Reformation.

Arabic form of Solomon. It appears in the Quran.

Portuguese form of Theotonius.

Variant of Télio.

Variant of Tiago.

Greek form of the Aramaic name תְּאוֹמָא (Teʾoma) meaning "twin". In the New Testament this is the name of an apostle. When he heard that Jesus had risen from the dead he initially doubted the story, until Jesus appeared before him and he examined his wounds himself. According to tradition he was martyred in India. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world.

In England the name was used by the Normans and became very popular due to Saint Thomas Becket, a 12th-century archbishop of Canterbury and martyr. It was reliably among the top five most common English names for boys from the 13th to the 19th century, and it has remained consistently popular to this day.

Another notable saint by this name was the 13th-century Italian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas, who is regarded as a Doctor of the Church. Other famous bearers include philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), American president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), novelist Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), and inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).

Italian form of Tristan.

Form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1) in several languages.

Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Valerius.

Derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria meaning "the new house". This was the surname of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552) who was born in a village by this name. He was a missionary to India, Japan, China, and other areas in East Asia, and he is the patron saint of the Orient and missionaries. His surname has since been adopted as a given name in his honour, chiefly among Catholics.

From the name of a citadel that was in the center of Jerusalem. Zion is also used to refer to a Jewish homeland and to heaven.