Browse Names - Behind the Name

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Ajda 2 f Slovene
Means "buckwheat" in Slovene.

Arista f Astronomy
Means "ear of grain" in Latin. This is the name of a star, also known as Spica, in the constellation Virgo.

Árpád m Hungarian
From Hungarian árpa meaning "barley". This was the name of a 9th-century Magyar ruler who led his people into Hungary. He is considered a Hungarian national hero.

Başak f Turkish
Means "ear of wheat" in Turkish. This is also the Turkish name for the constellation Virgo.

Dagon m Semitic Mythology
Perhaps related to Ugaritic dgn meaning "grain". This was the name of a Semitic god of agriculture, usually depicted with the body of a fish.

Eithne f Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish
Possibly from Old Irish etne meaning "kernel, grain". In Irish mythology Eithne or Ethniu was a Fomorian and the mother of Lugh Lámfada. It was borne by several other legendary and historical figures, including a few early saints.

Eustachys m Ancient Greek
Means "fruitful" in Greek. It is ultimately from the elements εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and στάχυς (stachys) meaning "ear of corn".

Gera m Biblical
Possibly means "a grain" in Hebrew. This was the name of several members of the tribe of Benjamin in the Old Testament.

Gráinne f Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish
Possibly derived from Old Irish grán meaning "grain" or gráin meaning "hatred, fear". In the Irish legend The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Gráinne she escaped from her arranged marriage to Fionn mac Cumhaill by fleeing with her lover Diarmaid. Another famous bearer was the powerful 16th-century Irish landowner and seafarer Gráinne Ní Mháille (known in English as Grace O'Malley), who was sometimes portrayed as a pirate queen in later tales.

Honoka f Japanese
From Japanese 和 (hono) meaning "harmony" (using an obscure nanori reading) and 花 (ka) meaning "flower", as well as other combinations of kanji that have the same pronunciation. Very often it is written using the hiragana writing system.

Inari f & m Japanese Mythology
Means "carrying rice" in Japanese, from 稲 (ina) meaning "rice" and 荷 (ri) meaning "carry". This is the name of a Japanese divinity associated with prosperity, rice and foxes, represented as both female and male.

Miho 2 f Japanese
From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and 穂 (ho) meaning "grain" or 保 (ho) meaning "protect, maintain". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Ninurta m Sumerian Mythology, Semitic Mythology
Derived from Sumerian 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lord" and 𒅁 (urta) meaning "ear of barley". In Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian mythology Ninurta was a god of agriculture, hunting and healing, later associated with war. He was also called Ningirsu, though they may have originally been separate deities.

Omer m & f Hebrew
Means "sheaf of wheat" in Hebrew.

Riley m & f English
From a surname that comes from two distinct sources. As an Irish surname it is a variant of Reilly. As an English surname it is derived from a place name meaning "rye clearing" in Old English.... [more]

Roydon m English (Rare)
From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill", from Old English ryge "rye" and dun "hill".

Royle m English (Rare)
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "rye hill" from Old English ryge "rye" and hyll "hill".

Rugilė f Lithuanian
From Lithuanian rugys meaning "rye".

Ryland m English (Modern)
From an English surname, which was originally derived from a place name meaning "rye land" in Old English.

Saramama f Inca Mythology
Means "corn mother" in Quechua, from sara "corn, maize" and mama "mother". This was the name of the Inca goddess of grain.

Vilja f Finnish, Estonian
Possibly from the Finnish word vilja meaning "cereal, grain" or the Swedish word vilja meaning "will, intent".

Viljar 1 m Estonian
Estonian masculine form of Vilja.

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