Sushila f & m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, NepaliMeans
"good-tempered, well-disposed", derived from the Sanskrit prefix
सु (su) meaning "good" combined with
शील (shila) meaning "conduct, disposition". This is a transcription of both the feminine form
सुशीला and the masculine form
सुशील. This name is borne by wives of the Hindu gods
Krishna and
Yama.
Susumu m JapaneseFrom Japanese
進 (susumu) meaning "advance, make progress", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations having the same pronunciation.
Sutton f & m English (Modern)From a surname, itself derived from the name of numerous English towns, of Old English origin meaning
"south town".
Su'ud m ArabicMeans
"fortune, good luck" in Arabic, a plural form of
Sa'd. This name is traditionally transcribed as
Saud. It was the name of the ancestor of the Saud dynasty, the ruling family of Saudi Arabia.
Suzu f JapaneseFrom Japanese
鈴 (suzu) meaning "bell" or other kanji having the same pronunciation.
Suzume f Japanese (Rare)From Japanese
雀 (suzume) meaning "sparrow", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that are pronounced the same way.
Svantepolk m Old SwedishOld Swedish form of
Svatopluk. It was borne by the prominent 13th-century Swedish nobleman Svantepolk Knutsson. He may have been named after a relative of his Pomeranian mother.
Svarog m Slavic MythologyProbably means
"fire", from Old Slavic
sŭvarŭ meaning "heat". This was the name of a Slavic god associated with blacksmithing.
Svatava f CzechDerived from Czech
svatý meaning
"sacred, holy", ultimately from Old Slavic *
svętŭ.
Svatopluk m CzechMeans
"sacred people", derived from the Slavic elements
svętŭ "sacred, holy" and
pŭlkŭ "people, host, army". Svatopluk the Great was a 9th-century ruler of Great Moravia, a region centered around the modern Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Svea f SwedishFrom a personification of the country of Sweden, in use since the 17th century. It is a derivative of
Svear, the Swedish name for the North Germanic tribe the Swedes. The Swedish name of the country of Sweden is
Sverige, a newer form of
Svear rike meaning "the realm of the Svear".
Sverre m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Sverrir meaning
"wild, swinging, spinning".
Svetlana f Russian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Armenian, GeorgianDerived from Russian
свет (svet) meaning
"light, world". It was popularized by the poem
Svetlana (1813) by the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. It is sometimes used as a translation of
Photine.
Svetovit m Slavic MythologyDerived from Slavic
svętŭ "sacred, holy" and
vitŭ "master, lord". This was the name of a four-headed West Slavic god of war and light. He has historically been conflated with Saint
Vitus, who is known as
Święty Wit in Polish and
Svatý Vít in Czech.
Sveva f ItalianPossibly from the name of the Germanic tribe of the Suebi (
svevo in Italian).
Svyatoslav m Russian, UkrainianDerived from the Slavic elements
svętŭ "sacred, holy" and
slava "glory". This was the name of a 10th-century ruler of Kievan Rus, the son of
Igor and
Olga, and the first to have a name of Slavic origin instead of Old Norse.
Swanhild f German (Rare)Derived from the Old German elements
swan "swan" and
hilt "battle". Swanhild (or Swanachild) was the second wife of the Frankish ruler Charles Martel in the 8th century.
Swarna m & f Telugu, HindiMeans
"good colour" or
"golden", a contraction of the Sanskrit prefix
सु (su) meaning "good" and
वर्ण (varna) meaning "colour". This is a transcription of both the masculine form
स्वर्ण and the feminine form
स्वर्णा (spelled with a long final vowel).
Swati f Hindi, MarathiFrom the Indian name of the fourth brightest star in the night sky, called
Arcturus in the western world.
Sweeney m Irish MythologyAnglicized form of
Suibhne. In fiction, this name is borne by the murderous barber Sweeney Todd, first appearing in the British serial
The String of Pearls: A Romance (1846-1847).
Swithin m HistoryFrom the Old English name
Swiðhun or
Swiþhun, derived from
swiþ "strong" and perhaps
hun "bear cub". Saint Swithin was a 9th-century bishop of Winchester.
Sybil f EnglishVariant of
Sibyl. This spelling variation has existed since the Middle Ages.
Sycorax f LiteratureCreated by Shakespeare for a witch character in his play
The Tempest (1611). The character has died by the time the play begins, so she is only spoken of and not seen. The name's meaning is unknown, though it might have been inspired by Latin
corax or Greek
κόραξ (korax) meaning
"raven", referring to the 5th-century BC Greek rhetorician Corax of Syracuse. One of the moons of Uranus bears this name in the character's honour.
Sydney f & m EnglishFrom a surname that was a variant of the surname
Sidney. This is the name of the largest city in Australia, which was named for Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney in 1788. Formerly used by both genders, since the 1980s this spelling of the name has been mostly feminine.
Sylvan m EnglishEither a variant of
Silvanus or directly from the Latin word
silva meaning
"wood, forest".
Sylvester m English, German, DanishMedieval variant of
Silvester. This is currently the usual English spelling of the name. A famous bearer is the American actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-).
Szabolcs m HungarianMeaning unknown, possibly from a Slavic word meaning
"marten". It was borne by a leader of the Magyars at the time of
Árpád. This is now the name of a region in Hungary.
Tabea f GermanGerman short form of
Tabitha. This form was used in earlier editions of the Luther Bible.
Tabitha f English, Biblical, Biblical GreekMeans
"gazelle" in Aramaic. Tabitha in the New Testament was a woman restored to life by Saint
Peter. Her name is translated into Greek as
Dorcas (see
Acts 9:36). As an English name,
Tabitha became common after the Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the television show
Bewitched, in which Tabitha (sometimes spelled Tabatha) is the daughter of the main character.
Tacey f English (Archaic)Derived from Latin
tace meaning
"be silent". It was in use from the 16th century, though it died out two centuries later.
Tacitus m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen meaning
"silent, mute" in Latin. This was the name of a 1st-century Roman historian, known for writing the
Histories and the
Annals.
Tadashi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
正 (tadashi) meaning "right, correct, true" or
忠 (tadashi) meaning "loyalty, devotion", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that result in the same pronunciation.
Tadeusz m PolishPolish form of
Thaddeus. This name is borne by Tadeusz Soplica, the title character in Adam Mickiewicz's epic poem
Pan Tadeusz (1834), which is considered to be the national epic of Poland.
Tadhg m Irish, Irish MythologyFrom Old Irish
Tadg meaning
"poet". This was the name of an 11th-century king of Connacht, as well as several other kings and chieftains of medieval Ireland. According to Irish mythology it was the name of the grandfather of
Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Tafadzwa m & f ShonaMeans
"we are pleased" in Shona, from
fadza meaning "please, make happy".
Tafari m Amharic (Rare)Possibly means
"he who inspires awe" in Amharic. This name was borne by Lij Tafari Makonnen (1892-1975), also known as Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. Rastafarians (
Ras Tafari meaning "king Tafari") revere him as the earthly incarnation of God.
Taffy m WelshAnglicized form of
Dafydd. It has been used as a slang term for a Welshman.
Tage m Danish, SwedishFrom the medieval Danish byname
Taki, derived from Old Norse
taka meaning "to take, to capture".
Taha m ArabicFrom the Arabic letters
ط (called
ta) and
ه (called
ha). These letters begin the 20th chapter of the Quran (surah Ta Ha).
Tahel f HebrewMeans
"you will shine" in Hebrew, from the root
הָלַל (halal) meaning "to praise, to shine".
Táhirih f HistoryVariant of
Tahira. This was the title of Fatimah Baraghani (1814-1852), a Persian poet, theologian and reformer.
Tahmasp m Persian (Archaic)From Persian
تهم (tahm) meaning "brave, valiant" and
اسب (asb) meaning "horse". This name was borne by two Safavid shahs of Persia (16th and 18th centuries).
Tahmina f Persian Mythology, Tajik, BengaliDerived from Persian
تهم (tahm) meaning
"brave, valiant". This is the name of a character in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh. She is a daughter of the king of Samangan who marries the warrior hero
Rostam and eventually bears him a son, whom they name
Sohrab.
Tahmuras m Persian MythologyPersian form of Avestan
𐬙𐬀𐬑𐬨𐬀⸱𐬎𐬭𐬎𐬞𐬌 (Taxma Urupi), derived from
𐬙𐬀𐬑𐬨𐬀 (taxma) meaning "strong" and
𐬎𐬭𐬎𐬞𐬌 (urupi) meaning "fox". Taxma Urupi is a hero mentioned in the
Avesta who later appears in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Tahpenes f BiblicalProbably of Egyptian origin, possibly meaning
"the wife of the king", derived from the feminine determiner
tꜣ and
ḥmt "woman, wife" combined with the masculine determiner
pꜣ and
nsw "king". Queen Tahpenes was a wife of an Egyptian pharaoh according to the Book of Kings in the Old Testament.
Tai m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
太 (tài) meaning "very, extreme" or other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Taichi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great" and
一 (ichi) meaning "one", in addition to other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Taiki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (tai) meaning "big, great" and
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness" or
樹 (ki) meaning "tree". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Taimi f Finnish, EstonianFrom Finnish
taimi meaning
"sapling, young tree" or Estonian
taim meaning
"plant" (words from a common origin).
Taiwo m & f YorubaMeans
"taste the world, taste life" in Yoruba.
Takahiro m JapaneseFrom Japanese
貴 (taka) meaning "valuable" or
孝 (taka) meaning "filial piety" combined with
大 (hiro) meaning "big, great" or
浩 (hiro) meaning "prosperous". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Takako f JapaneseFrom Japanese
孝 (taka) meaning "filial piety" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other combinations of kanji characters.
Takara m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
宝 (takara) meaning "treasure, jewel", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.
Takashi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
孝 (takashi) meaning "filial piety",
隆 (takashi) meaning "noble, prosperous" or
崇 (takashi) meaning "esteem, honour, venerate", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that result in the same pronunciation.
Takehiko m JapaneseFrom Japanese
武 (take) meaning "military, martial" or
竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" combined with
彦 (hiko) meaning "boy, prince". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Takeo m JapaneseFrom Japanese
武 (take) meaning "military, martial" combined with
夫 (o) meaning "man, husband" or
雄 (o) meaning "hero, manly". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Takeshi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
武 (takeshi) meaning "military, martial",
健 (takeshi) meaning "strong, healthy", or other kanji having the same reading.
Takuma m JapaneseFrom Japanese
拓 (taku) meaning "expand, open, support" and
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Takumi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
匠 (takumi) meaning "artisan" or
巧 (takumi) meaning "skillful". It can also come from
拓 (taku) meaning "expand, open, support" combined with
海 (mi) meaning "sea, ocean" or
実 (mi) meaning "fruit, good result, truth". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations.
Takuto m JapaneseFrom Japanese
拓 (taku) meaning "expand, open, support" combined with
斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation, or
人 (to) meaning "person". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Takuya m JapaneseFrom Japanese
拓 (taku) meaning "expand, open, support" combined with
也 (ya) meaning "also" or
哉 (ya), an exclamation. This name can be formed with other kanji combinations as well.
Talatu f HausaFrom Hausa
Talata meaning
"Tuesday" (of Arabic origin).
Talbot m English (Rare)From an English surname, of Norman origin, possibly derived from an unattested Germanic given name composed of the elements
dala "to destroy" and
bod "message".
Talfryn m WelshFrom a Welsh place name meaning
"front hill", derived from Welsh
tal "front, extremity" and
bryn "hill".
Talia 2 f English (Australian)From the name of a town in South Australia, perhaps meaning
"near water" in an Australian Aboriginal language.
Talib m ArabicMeans
"seeker of knowledge, student" in Arabic. Abu Talib was an uncle of the Prophet
Muhammad who raised him after his parents and grandparents died. His name was in fact a kunya (a nickname) formed using
Abu; his real name may have been
Imran.
Taliesin m Welsh, Welsh MythologyMeans
"shining brow", derived from Welsh
tal "brow, head" and
iesin "shining, radiant". This was the name of a semi-legendary 6th-century Welsh poet and bard, supposedly the author of the collection of poems the
Book of Taliesin. He appears briefly in the Welsh legend
Culhwch and Olwen and the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi. He is the central character in the
Tale of Taliesin, a medieval legend recorded in the 16th century, which tells how
Ceridwen's servant Gwion Bach was reborn to her as Taliesin; how he becomes the bard for Elffin; and how Taliesin defends Elffin from the machinations of the king
Maelgwn Gwynedd.
Talin f ArmenianFrom the name of an Armenian town (meaning unknown), which is home to a famous 7th-century cathedral.
Talitha f BiblicalMeans
"little girl" in Aramaic. The name is taken from the phrase
talitha cumi meaning "little girl arise" spoken by
Jesus in order to restore a young girl to life (see
Mark 5:41).
Tallulah f English (Rare)This is the name of waterfalls in Georgia. Popularly claimed to mean "leaping waters" in the Choctaw language, it may actually mean "town" in the Creek language. It was borne by American actress Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968), who was named after her grandmother, who may have been named after the waterfalls.
Talon m English (Modern)From the English word meaning
"talon, claw", ultimately derived (via Norman French) from Latin
talus "anklebone".
Talulla f Irish (Rare)Anglicized form of the Old Irish name
Taileflaith,
Tuileflaith or
Tuilelaith, probably from
tuile "abundance" and
flaith "ruler, sovereign, princess". This was the name of an early saint, an abbess of Kildare.
Talvikki f Finnish (Rare)Derived from Finnish
talvi meaning
"winter". This is also the Finnish word for the wintergreen plant (genus Pyrola).
Tamar f Hebrew, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"date palm" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament Tamar was the daughter-in-law of
Judah and later his wife. This was also the name of a daughter of King
David. She was raped by her half-brother
Amnon, leading to his murder by her brother
Absalom. The name was borne by a 12th-century ruling queen of Georgia who presided over the kingdom at the peak of its power.
Tamara f Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Hungarian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, GeorgianRussian form of
Tamar. Russian performers such as Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978), Tamara Drasin (1905-1943), Tamara Geva (1907-1997) and Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) introduced it to the English-speaking world. It rapidly grew in popularity in the United States starting in 1957. Another famous bearer was the Polish cubist painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980).
Tamari f GeorgianForm of
Tamar with the nominative suffix, used in Georgian when the name is written stand-alone.
Tamazi m GeorgianForm of
Tamaz with the nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.
Tambudzai f ShonaFrom Shona
tambudza meaning
"make trouble, frustrate".
Tamia f African American (Modern)An invented name, using the initial sound found in names such as
Tamika. It was popularized by the Canadian singer Tamia Hill (1975-), who is known simply as Tamia.
Tamika f EnglishVariant of
Tamiko, inspired by the American jazz singer Tamiko Jones (1945-) or the American movie
A Girl Named Tamiko (1963).
Tamiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
多 (ta) meaning "many",
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.