AAFJEfDutchShort form of names beginning with the Germanic element
alf "elf".
AALImArabicMeans "high, lofty, sublime" in Arabic.
AALIYAHfArabic, English (Modern)Feminine form of
AALI. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the singer Aaliyah Haughton (1979-2001), who was known simply as Aaliyah.
AARONmEnglish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom the Hebrew name
אַהֲרֹן ('Aharon) 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.
... [more] AARTIfIndian, Hindi, MarathiFrom the name of a Hindu ritual in which offerings of lamps or candles are made to various gods, derived from Sanskrit
आरात्रिक (aratrika).
AATTOmFinnishFinnish form of
ADOLF. It also means "eve, evening before" in Finnish, as the day before an important holiday.
ABADDONmBiblicalMeans "ruin, destruction" in Hebrew. In Revelation in the New Testament this is another name of the angel of the abyss.
ABBÁNmIrishMeans "little abbot", derived from Irish
abb "abbot" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint, the son of King Cormac of Leinster.
ABBEmFrisianOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
adal meaning "noble".
ABD AL-AZIZmArabicMeans "servant of the powerful" from Arabic
عبد ال ('abd al) meaning "servant of the" combined with
عزيز ('aziz) meaning "powerful". This was the name of the first king of modern Saudi Arabia.
ABD AL-HAMIDmArabicMeans "servant of the praiseworthy" from Arabic
عبد ال ('abd al) meaning "servant of the" combined with
حميد (hamid) meaning "praiseworthy". This was the name of two sultans of the Ottoman Empire.
ABD ALLAHmArabicMeans "servant of
ALLAH" from Arabic
عبد ('abd) meaning "servant of" combined with
الله (Allah). This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's father. He died before his son's birth.
ABD AL-MALIKmArabicMeans "servant of the king" from Arabic
عبد ال ('abd al) meaning "servant of the" combined with
ملك (malik) meaning "king". This was the name of the fifth Umayyad caliph, who made Arabic the official language of the empire.
ABD AL-QADIRmArabicMeans "servant of the capable, powerful" from Arabic
عبد ال ('abd al) meaning "servant of the" combined with
قادر (qadir) meaning "capable, powerful". This was the name of a 19th-century Algerian resistance leader.
ABD AL-RAHMANmArabicMeans "servant of the merciful" from Arabic
عبد ال ('abd al) meaning "servant of the" combined with
رحمن (rahman) meaning "merciful". This was the name of two early caliphs of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain.
ABD AL-WALImArabicMeans "servant of the guardian" from Arabic
عبد ال ('abd al) meaning "servant of the" combined with
ولِي (wali) meaning "guardian, friend".
ABEDNEGOmBiblicalMeans "servant of Nebo" in Akkadian,
Nebo being the Babylonian god of wisdom. In the Old Testament Abednego is the Babylonian name given to
Azariah, one of the three men cast into a blazing furnace but saved from harm by God, as told in the Book of Daniel.
ABELmEnglish, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom 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.
ABENEfBasqueDerived from Basque
abe meaning "pillar". It is a Basque equivalent of
Pilar.
ABIELmBiblicalMeans "God is my father" in Hebrew. This was the name of the grandfather of Saul in the Old Testament.
ABIHUmBiblicalMeans "he is my father" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Aaron in the Old Testament. He and his brother Nadab were killed by God because they presented him with unauthorized fire.
ABIJAHm & fBiblicalMeans "my father is
YAHWEH" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of several characters, both male and female, including the second king of Judah.
ABILENEfEnglishFrom a place name mentioned briefly in the New Testament. It is probably from Hebrew
אָבֵל ('avel) meaning "meadow, grassy area". It has occasionally been used as a given name in modern times.
ABIMAELmBiblicalMeaning uncertain, though the first element is likely Hebrew
אָב ('av) meaning "father". In the Old Testament he is listed as a descendant of Shem.
ABIMELECHmBiblicalMeans "my father is king" in Hebrew. This is the name of several characters in the Old Testament including a king of Gerar who takes
Abraham's wife
Sarah, but is forced by God to give her back.
ABIRAMmBiblicalMeans "my father is exalted" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Abiram is swallowed by an earthquake after rebelling against the leadership of
Moses.
ABISHAGfBiblicalMeans "my father strays" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Abishag is a young woman who tends King
David in his old age.
ABISHAImBiblicalMeans "my father is a gift" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is one of King
David's heroes.
ABITALfBiblicalMeans "my father is the night dew" in Hebrew. She is the fifth wife of
David in the Old Testament.
'ABLAfArabicMeans "full-figured" in Arabic. The 7th-century Arabic poet Antara dedicated much of his poetry to a woman named Abla.
ABNERmEnglish, Biblical, Biblical LatinMeans "my father is a light" in Hebrew, from
אָב ('av) meaning "father" and
נִיר (nir) meaning "lamp, light". In the Old Testament, Abner was a cousin of
Saul and the commander of his army. After he killed Asahel he was himself slain by Asahel's brother
Joab. It has been used as an English Christian given name since the Protestant Reformation. It was popular with the Puritans, who brought it to America in the 17th century.
ABRAHAMmEnglish, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Biblical, Biblical LatinThis name may be viewed either as meaning "father of many" in Hebrew 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.
... [more] ABSALOMmBiblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
אַבְשָׁלוֹם ('Avshalom) meaning "my father is peace", derived from
אָב ('av) meaning "father" and
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". In the Old Testament he is a son of King
David. He avenged his sister
Tamar by arranging the murder of her rapist, their half-brother
Amnon. He later led a revolt against his father. While fleeing on the back of a mule he got his head caught in a tree and was killed by
Joab.
ABUmArabicMeans "father of" in Arabic. This is commonly used as an element in a kunya, which is a type of Arabic nickname. The element is combined with the name of one of the bearer's children (usually the eldest son). In some cases the kunya is figurative, not referring to an actual child, as in the case of the Muslim caliph
Abu Bakr.
ABU BAKRmArabicCombination of
ABU and
BAKR. Abu Bakr was a companion and father-in-law of the Prophet
Muhammad and the first caliph of the Muslim world. His name was in fact a kunya (a nickname) formed using
Abu; his real name was
Abd Allah. Shia Muslims hold a more negative view of Abu Bakr, hence this name is more widely used among Sunnis.
ACE (1)mEnglishFrom the English word meaning "highest rank". More commonly a nickname, it is occasionally used as a given name.
ACHAICUSmBiblical, Biblical LatinLatinized form of the Greek name
Αχαικος (Achaikos), which referred to the region in Greece called
Αχαια (Achaia), situated on the northern coast of the Peloponnese. In the New Testament this is the name of a Corinthian Christian who aids Saint
Paul.
ACHANmBiblicalPossibly a variation of the Hebrew word
עֲכָר ('akhar) meaning "trouble". In the Old Testament, Achan is stoned to death because he steals forbidden items during the assault on Jericho.
ACHILLESmGreek Mythology (Latinized), Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek
Αχιλλευς (Achilleus) which is of unknown meaning, perhaps derived from Greek
αχος (achos) "pain" or else from the name of the Achelous River. This was the name of a warrior in Greek legend, one of the central characters in
Homer's 'Iliad'. The bravest of the Greek heroes in the war against the Trojans, he was eventually killed by an arrow to his heel, the only vulnerable part of his body.
... [more] ACHIM (2)mBiblicalPossibly means "he will establish" in Hebrew. In the New Testament this name is listed as an ancestor of
Jesus.
ADAfEnglish, German, Polish, Hungarian, Italian, Finnish, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names such as
ADELAIDE or
ADELINA which begin with the element
adal meaning "noble". This name was borne by Augusta Ada King (1815-1852), the Countess of Lovelace (known as Ada Lovelace), a daughter of Lord Byron. She was an assistant to Charles Babbage, the inventor of an early mechanical computer.
ADAD-NIRARImAncient AssyrianMeans "Adad is my helper", from the god's name
ADAD combined with Akkadian
nērāru meaning "helper". This name was borne by three kings of the Assyrian Empire.
ADAHfBiblicalMeans "adornment" in Hebrew. This was the name of the wives of both Lamech and Esau in the Old Testament.
ADALETfTurkishMeans "justice" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic.
ADALHARDmAncient GermanicDerived from the Germanic elements
adal "noble" and
hard "brave, hardy". Saint Adalhard or Adalard was a cousin of Charlemagne who became a abbot of Corbie.
ADALIAmBiblicalMeaning unknown, possibly of Persian origin. In Book of Esther in the Old Testament this is the name of a son of
Haman the Agagite.
ADAMmEnglish, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Catalan, Hebrew, Arabic, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewThis is the Hebrew word for "man". It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew
אדם ('adam) meaning "to be red", referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Akkadian
adamu meaning "to make".
... [more] ADDEmFrisianOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
adal meaning "noble".
ADDISONf & mEnglishFrom an English surname meaning "son of
ADAM". Its recent popularity as a feminine name stems from its similarity in sound to
Madison.
ADELAfEnglish, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Germanic element
adal meaning "noble". Saint Adela was a 7th-century Frankish princess who founded a monastery at Pfazel in France. This name was also borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror.
ADELAIDEfEnglish, Italian, PortugueseFrom the French form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis, which was composed of the elements
adal "noble" and
heid "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great. The name became common in Britain in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.
ADEODATUSmLate RomanLatin name meaning "given by God". This was the name of a son of Saint Augustine and two popes (who are also known by the related name
Deusdedit).
ADERYNfWelshMeans "bird" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
ADHARAfAstronomyDerived from Arabic
عذارى ('adhara) meaning "maidens". This is the name of the second brightest star (after Sirius) in the constellation Canis Major.
ADILmArabic, Urdu, UyghurMeans "fair, honest, just" from Arabic
عدل ('adala) "to act justly". This name was borne by several sultans of Bijapur.
ADILETm & fKyrgyzMeans "justice" in Kyrgyz, ultimately from Arabic.
ADINOmBiblicalMeans "ornament" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of one of King
David's mighty men.
ADIRmHebrewMeans "strong, mighty" in Hebrew. This word is used in the Hebrew Bible to describe God.
ADITIfHinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, KannadaMeans "boundless, entire" or "freedom, security" in Sanskrit. This is the name of an ancient Hindu goddess of the sky and fertility. According to the Vedas she is the mother of the gods.
ADOLFmGerman, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Hungarian, Ancient GermanicFrom the Germanic name
Adalwolf, which meant "noble wolf" from the Germanic elements
adal "noble" and
wulf. It was borne by several Swedish kings as a first or second name, most notably by Gustav II Adolf in the 17th century. Association with Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), the leader of the Nazi party in Germany during World War II, has lessened the use of this name.
ADONAImTheologyMeans "my lord" in Hebrew. This was the title used to refer to the God of the Israelites,
Yahweh, whose name was forbidden to be spoken.
ADONIJAHmBiblicalMeans "my lord is
YAHWEH" in Hebrew. This is the name of one of King
David's sons in the Old Testament. Though he was the eldest surviving son of David, he was passed over as heir to the throne in favour of
Solomon.
ADONISmGreek MythologyFrom Phoenician
Adonai which means "lord". In Greek myth Adonis was a handsome young shepherd killed while hunting a wild boar. The anemone flower is said to have sprung from his blood. Because he was loved by
Aphrodite,
Zeus allowed him to be restored to life for part of each year. The Greeks borrowed this character from Semitic traditions, originally Sumerian (see
DUMUZI).
ADORACIÓNfSpanishMeans "adoration" in Spanish. This name refers to the event that is known in Christian tradition as the Adoration of the Magi, which is when the three Magi presented gifts to the infant
Jesus and worshipped him.
ADRASTOSmGreek MythologyMeans "not inclined to run away" in Greek. This was the name of a king of Argos in Greek legend.
ADRIANmEnglish, Romanian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, RussianForm of
Hadrianus (see
HADRIAN). 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.
ADRIANUSmDutchOfficial Dutch form of
ADRIAN, used on birth certificates but not commonly in daily life.