Dragiša m SerbianDiminutive of Slavic names beginning with the element
dragu meaning
"precious".
Dragoljub m Serbian, CroatianFrom the Slavic elements
dragu meaning "precious" and
lyuby meaning
"love". This is also the Serbian and Croatian word for the flowering plant nasturtium (species Tropaeolum majus).
Dragoș m RomanianOriginally a short form of Slavic names beginning with the element
dragu meaning
"precious", such as
Dragomir. This was the name of a 14th-century ruler of Moldavia.
Drake m EnglishFrom an English surname derived from the Old Norse byname
Draki or the Old English byname
Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek
δράκων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent". This name coincides with the unrelated English word
drake meaning "male duck". A famous bearer is the Canadian actor and rapper Drake (1986-), who was born as Aubrey Drake Graham.
Draupadi f HinduismMeans
"daughter of Drupada" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata this is the name of the daughter of King Drupada. She married all of the Pandavas, the five sons of Pandu.
Draža m SerbianDiminutive of Slavic names beginning with the element
dragu meaning
"precious".
Dre m EnglishShort form of
Andre. A famous bearer is the American rapper and music producer Dr. Dre (1965-), born Andre Young.
Dream f English (Modern)From the English word
dream referring to imaginary events seen in the mind while sleeping or a hope or wish.
Driscoll m English (Rare)From an Irish surname that was an Anglicized form of
Ó hEidirsceóil meaning
"descendant of the messenger".
Drogo m English (Archaic)Norman name, possibly derived from Gothic
dragan meaning
"to carry, to pull" or Old Saxon
drog meaning
"ghost, illusion". Alternatively, it could be from the Slavic element
dragu meaning
"precious, dear". The Normans introduced this name to England.
Dror m HebrewMeans
"freedom" or
"sparrow" in Hebrew.
Drummond m English (Rare)From a Scottish surname that was derived from various place names, themselves derived from Gaelic
druim meaning
"ridge".
Drupada m HinduismMeans
"wooden pillar" or
"firm footed" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata this is the name of a king of Panchala, the father of Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna.
Drust m PictishPictish name probably derived from the old Celtic root *
trusto- meaning
"noise, tumult". This name was borne by several kings of the Picts, including their last king Drust X, who ruled in the 9th century.
Drustan m PictishDiminutive of
Drust. This name was borne by a 7th-century Irish saint who was active among the Picts in Scotland.
Drusus m Ancient RomanRoman family name, also sometimes used as a praenomen, or given name, by the Claudia family. Apparently the name was first assumed by a Roman warrior who killed a Gallic chieftain named Drausus in single combat.
Drausus possibly derives from a Celtic element meaning
"strong".
Duane m EnglishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Dubháin, itself derived from the given name
Dubhán. Usage in America began around the start of the 20th century. It last appeared on the top 1000 rankings in 2002, though the variant
Dwayne lingered a few years longer.
Duarte m PortuguesePortuguese form of
Edward. This name was borne by a 15th-century king of Portugal, who was named after his maternal ancestor Edward III of England.
Dubhán m Irish (Rare)From Old Irish
Dubán meaning
"little dark one", derived from
dub "dark, black" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a few early saints.
Dubhshláine m Old IrishDerived from Old Irish
dub "dark, black" and either
slán "challenge, defiance" or
Sláine, the Irish name of the River Slaney.
Dubthach m Old IrishOld Irish name derived from
dub "dark, black" in combination with a second element of unknown meaning. This was the name of a 6th-century saint, a bishop of Armagh. It also appears in Irish legend as a companion of
Fergus mac Róich.
Dudley m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.
Duff m English (Rare)From a Scottish or Irish surname, derived from Anglicized spellings of Gaelic
dubh meaning
"dark".
Duilio m Italian, SpanishFrom the Roman name
Duilius, which is possibly derived from Latin
duellum "war". This was the name of a Roman consul who defeated the Carthaginians in a naval battle.
Duke m EnglishFrom the noble title
duke, which was originally derived from Latin
dux "leader".
Dukvakha m ChechenMeans
"to live long", derived from Nakh
duqa "many" and
vakha "to live".
Dulcibella f English (Archaic)From Latin
dulcis "sweet" and
bella "beautiful". The usual medieval spelling of this name was
Dowsabel, and the Latinized form
Dulcibella was revived in the 18th century.
Dulcie f EnglishFrom Latin
dulcis meaning
"sweet". It was used in the Middle Ages in the spellings
Dowse and
Duce, and was recoined in the 19th century.
Dulcinea f LiteratureDerived from Spanish
dulce meaning
"sweet". This name was (first?) used by Miguel de Cervantes in his novel
Don Quixote (1605), where it belongs to the love interest of the main character, though she never actually appears in the story.
Dumnorix m GaulishMeans
"king of the world" from Gaulish
dumnos "world" and
rix "king". This was the name of a 1st-century BC chief of the Gaulish tribe the Aedui.
Dumuzi m Sumerian MythologyFrom Sumerian
𒌉 (dumu) meaning "son, child" and
𒍣 (zid) meaning "true, loyal". This was the name of a Sumerian god of shepherds and vegetation, the husband of
Inanna. He was said to spend half of each year in the underworld, resulting in the yearly cycle of seasons. He was known to the Semitic peoples of Mesopotamia as
Tammuz.
Duncan m Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic name
Donnchadh, derived from Old Irish
donn "brown" and
cath "battle". This was the name of two kings of Scotland, including the one who was featured in Shakespeare's play
Macbeth (1606).
Dunja f Serbian, Croatian, SloveneMeans
"quince" in the South Slavic languages, a quince being a type of fruit. It can also be a Serbian, Croatian and Slovene form of
Dunya.
Dunstan m English (Rare), Anglo-SaxonFrom 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.
Durante m ItalianItalian form of the Late Latin name
Durans, which meant
"enduring".
Durdona f UzbekMeans
"pearl" in Uzbek (a word of Arabic origin).
Duri f & m KoreanMeans
"two" in Korean (Gyeongsang dialect).
Durward m EnglishFrom an occupational surname meaning
"door guard" in Middle English.
Dushyanta m HinduismPossibly means
"destroyer of evil" in Sanskrit. In Hindu legend this is the name of a king who is the husband of
Shakuntala and the father of
Bharata.
Dustin m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name
Þórsteinn (see
Torsten). The name was popularized by the actor Dustin Hoffman (1937-), who was apparently named after the earlier silent movie star Dustin Farnum (1874-1929).
Dusty m & f EnglishFrom a nickname originally given to people perceived as being dusty. It is also used a diminutive of
Dustin. A famous bearer was British singer Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), who acquired her nickname as a child.
Dutch m EnglishFrom a nickname given to Americans of German descent. It is related to
deutsch, the German word meaning "German".
Duuk m Dutch (Modern)Probably a Dutch form of the English word
duke, which was originally derived from Latin
dux "leader". The equivalent Dutch word is
hertog.
Dwi m & f IndonesianMeans
"two, second" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit
द्वि (dvi).
Dwight m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the medieval feminine name
Diot, a diminutive of
Dionysia, the feminine form of
Dionysius. In America it was sometimes given in honour of Yale president Timothy Dwight (1752-1817). A famous bearer was the American president Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969).
Dyaus m HinduismFrom Sanskrit
द्यु (dyu) meaning
"sky", ultimately connected to the name of the Indo-European god *
Dyēws. In the
Rigveda he is the sky god, the consort of the earth goddess
Prithvi. He is also called
Dyaus Pita meaning "father sky". His name is cognate with other Indo-European theonyms such as Greek
Zeus and Latin
Jupiter.
Dylan m Welsh, English, Welsh MythologyFrom the Welsh prefix
dy meaning "to, toward" and
llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi, 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.
... [more] Dymphna f History (Ecclesiastical), IrishForm of
Damhnait. According to legend, Saint Dymphna was a young 7th-century woman from Ireland who was martyred by her father in the Belgian town of Geel. She is the patron saint of the mentally ill.
Dženita f BosnianFrom Bosnian
dženet meaning
"paradise, garden", derived from Arabic
جنّة (jannah).
Dzhokhar m ChechenPossibly from Persian
گوهر (gohar) meaning
"jewel, essence" or
جوهر (johar) meaning
"essence, ink" (which comes from the same root, but via a loan to Arabic and retransmission to Persian).
Ea 1 m Semitic MythologyMeaning unknown, perhaps from Sumerian meaning
"house of water", or perhaps of Akkadian or Hurrian origin. This was the Akkadian, Assyrian, Hurrian and Babylonian name of the Sumerian water god
Enki.
Eachann m Scottish GaelicFrom the Old Irish name
Echdonn meaning
"brown horse", from
ech "horse" and
donn "brown". This name was historically common among the chiefs of Clan MacLean. It has sometimes been Anglicized as
Hector.
Eadberht m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
beorht "bright". This was the name of an 8th-century king of Northumbria and three kings of Kent.
Eadwald m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
weald "powerful, mighty". This was the name of an 8th-century king of East Anglia.
Eadwig m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wig "war". This was the name of a Saxon king of England in the 10th century. The name fell out of use after the Norman Conquest.
Eadwulf m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wulf "wolf". This name fell out of use after the Norman Conquest.
Ealdhelm m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
eald "old" and
helm "helmet, protection". This was the name of a 7th-century English saint (commonly called
Aldhelm).
Ealdræd m Anglo-SaxonFrom the Old English elements
eald "old" and
ræd "counsel, advice". This name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.
Éamon m IrishVariant of
Éamonn. This name was borne by American-born Irish president Éamon de Valera (1882-1975), whose birth name was Edward.
Earl m EnglishFrom the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English
eorl "nobleman, warrior". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Eartha f EnglishCombination of the English word
earth with the feminine name suffix
a. It has been used in honour of African-American philanthropist Eartha M. M. White (1876-1974). Another famous bearer was American singer and actress Eartha Kitt (1927-2008).
Easter f EnglishFrom the English name of the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of
Jesus. It was ultimately named for the Germanic spring goddess Eostre. It was traditionally given to children born on Easter, though it is rare in modern times.
Easton m English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from place names meaning
"east town" in Old English.
Ebba 2 f English (Rare)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.
Ebenezer m Literature, English (Archaic)From the name of a monument erected by
Samuel in the Old Testament, from Hebrew
אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר ('Even Ha'azer) meaning
"stone of help". Charles Dickens used it for the miserly character Ebenezer Scrooge in his novel
A Christmas Carol (1843).
Eberhard m German, GermanicOld German name meaning
"brave boar", derived from the elements
ebur "wild boar" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This name was borne by an influential 9th-century Duke of Friuli. It was also the name of a 12th-century German saint, an archbishop of Salzburg.
Ebony f African AmericanFrom the English word
ebony for the black wood that comes from the ebony tree. It is ultimately from the Egyptian word
hbnj. In America this name is most often used in the black community.
Ebru f TurkishMeans
"paper marbling" in Turkish. Paper marbling is the art of creating colourful patterns on paper.
Ece f TurkishMeans
"queen" or
"beautiful woman" in Turkish.
Echidna f Greek MythologyMeans
"viper, snake" in Greek, a variant of
ἔχις (echis). In Greek mythology this was the name of a monster who was half woman and half snake. By Typhon she was the mother of
Cerberus, the Hydra, the Chimera, and other monsters.
Echo f Greek MythologyFrom the Greek word
ἠχώ (echo) meaning
"echo, reflected sound", related to
ἠχή (eche) meaning "sound". In Greek mythology Echo was a nymph given a speech impediment by
Hera, so that she could only repeat what others said. She fell in love with
Narcissus, but her love was not returned, and she pined away until nothing remained of her except her voice.
Ecrin f TurkishMeaning unknown, possibly from an Arabic word meaning
"reward".
Edda 2 f Icelandic, Old NorsePossibly from Old Norse meaning
"great-grandmother". This was the name of two 13th-century Icelandic literary works: the
Poetic Edda and the
Prose Edda. This is also the name of a character in the
Poetic Edda, though it is unclear if her name is connected to the name of the collection.
Edelgard f GermanFrom an Old German name, which was derived from the elements
adal "noble" and
gart "enclosure, yard".
Eden f & m Hebrew, English (Modern)Possibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן ('eden) meaning "pleasure, delight", 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.
Eder 1 m BiblicalMeans
"flock" in Hebrew. This was the name of a son of Beriah in the Old Testament.
Edgar m English, French, Portuguese, GermanDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
gar "spear". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, Edgar the Peaceful. The name did not survive long after the Norman Conquest, but it was revived in the 18th century, in part due to a character by this name in Walter Scott's novel
The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), which tells of the tragic love between Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton. Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).
Edina f HungarianPossibly a diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element
adal meaning
"noble".
Edith f English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, DutchFrom the Old English name
Eadgyð, derived from the elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
guð "battle". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. It was also borne by the Anglo-Saxon wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. The name remained common after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.
Edmao m LimburgishLimburgish form of
Edmund. Its spelling has been influenced by the French pronunciation of Edmond.
Edmond m French, AlbanianFrench and Albanian form of
Edmund. A notable bearer was the English astronomer Edmond Halley (1656-1742), for whom Halley's comet is named.
Edmund m English, German, PolishMeans
"rich protection", from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
mund "protection". This was the name of two Anglo-Saxon kings of England. It was also borne by two saints, including a 9th-century king of East Anglia who, according to tradition, was shot to death with arrows after refusing to divide his Christian kingdom with an invading pagan Danish leader. This Old English name remained in use after the Norman Conquest (even being used by King Henry III for one of his sons), though it became less common after the 15th century.
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