Browse Names

Aeron m & f Welsh
From the name of the Welsh river Aeron, itself probably derived from the hypothetical Celtic goddess Agrona. Alternatively, the name could be taken from Welsh aeron meaning "berries".

Afon f & m Welsh (Rare)
Means "river" in Welsh. This is a Welsh name of recent origin.

Alton m English
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "town at the source of the river" in Old English.

Aysel f Turkish, Azerbaijani
Means "moon flood" in Turkish and Azerbaijani, derived from ay "moon" and sel "flood, stream" (of Arabic origin).

Beck m & f English (Rare)
From a surname of English, German or Scandinavian origins, all derived from related words meaning "stream". As a feminine name, in some cases it is a short form of Rebecca. A noted bearer is the American rock musician Beck Hansen (1970-), born Bek David Campbell, who goes by the stage name Beck.

Beckett m English (Modern)
From an English surname that could be derived from various sources, including from Middle English bec meaning "beak" or bekke meaning "stream, brook".

Brook m & f English
From an English surname that denoted one who lived near a brook.

Brooke f English
Variant of Brook. The name came into use in the 1950s, probably influenced by American socialite Brooke Astor (1902-2007). It was further popularized by actress Brooke Shields (1965-).

Brooklyn f & m English (Modern)
From the name of a borough of New York City, originally named after the Dutch town of Breukelen, itself meaning either "broken land" (from Dutch breuk) or "marsh land" (from Dutch broek). It can also be viewed as a combination of Brook and the popular name suffix lyn. It is considered a feminine name in the United States, but is more common as a masculine name in the United Kingdom.

Brooks m English
From an English surname, a variant of Brook.

Callirrhoe f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek name Καλλιρρόη (Kallirrhoe), derived from the word καλλίρρους (kallirrhous) meaning "beautiful flowing". This was the name of several characters in Greek mythology, including a daughter of Achelous. A small moon of Jupiter is named after her.

Cansel f Turkish
Derived from Turkish can "soul, life" and sel "flood, stream".

Clifford m English
From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "ford by a cliff" in Old English.

Clinton m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from towns named Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". A famous bearer of the surname is former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).

Dacre m English (Rare)
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name in Cumbria, of Brythonic origin meaning "trickling stream".

Douglas m Scottish, English
From a Scottish surname that was from the name of a town in Lanarkshire, itself named after a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water. It means "dark river", derived from Gaelic dubh "dark" and glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to glas "grey, green"). This was a Scottish Lowland clan, the leaders of which were powerful earls in the medieval period. The Gaelic form is Dùghlas or Dùbhghlas. It has been used as a given name since the 16th century.

Ghadir f Arabic
Means "stream" in Arabic.

Giang f & m Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 江 (giang) meaning "river".

Gwenfrewi f Welsh (Rare)
Derived from Welsh gwen meaning "white, blessed" combined with another element of uncertain meaning. It could possibly be Welsh ffreu meaning "stream, flow" or the obscure word ffrewi meaning "pacify, quell, reconcile". This may be the original form of Winifred. In any case, it is the Welsh name for the saint.

Hà f & m Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 河 (hà) meaning "river".

He f & m Chinese
From Chinese 河 (hé) meaning "river, stream", 和 (hé) meaning "harmony, peace", or 荷 (hé) meaning "lotus, water lily" (which is usually only feminine). Other characters can form this name as well. A famous bearer was the Ming dynasty explorer Zheng He (1371-1433).

Ibai m Basque
Means "river" in Basque.

Irmak f Turkish
Means "river" in Turkish.

Jafar m Arabic, Persian
Means "stream" in Arabic. Jafar ibn Abi Talib was a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad who was killed fighting against Byzantium in the 7th century. Another notable bearer was Jafar al-Sadiq, the sixth Shia imam.

Jiang m & f Chinese
From Chinese 江 (jiāng) meaning "river, Yangtze", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.

Jubal m Biblical
Means "stream" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned in Genesis in the Old Testament as belonging to the first person to be a musician.

Kendall m & f English
From an English surname that comes from the name of the city of Kendale in northwestern England meaning "valley on the river Kent". Originally mostly masculine, the name received a boost in popularity for girls in 1993 when the devious character Kendall Hart began appearing on the American soap opera All My Children.

Lanford m English (Rare)
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "long ford" in Old English.

Linwood m English
From an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning "stream forest" in Old English.

Maxwell m English
From a Scottish surname meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name Magnus, combined with Old English wille "well, stream". A famous bearer of the surname was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.... [more]

Michal 2 f Biblical, Hebrew
Possibly means "brook" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a daughter of Saul. She was married to David, but after David fled from Saul he remarried her to someone else. Later, when David became king, he ordered her returned to him.

Milburn m English
From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "mill stream" in Old English.

Min-Su m & f Korean
From Sino-Korean 民 (min) meaning "people, citizens" or 旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable" combined with 秀 (su) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" or 洙 (su), which refers to a river in China. Other hanja combinations are possible.

Nahal f Hebrew
Means "stream" in Hebrew.

Nehir f Turkish
Means "river" in Turkish.

Raeburn m English (Rare)
From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "stream where deer drink" (from Scots rae "roe deer" and burn "stream"). A famous bearer of the surname was Scottish portrait painter Henry Raeburn (1756-1823).

Remington m & f English
From an English surname that was derived from the name of the town of Rimington in Lancashire, itself meaning "settlement on the Riming stream". It may be given in honour of the American manufacturer Eliphalet Remington (1793-1861) or his sons, founders of the firearms company that bears their name.

Rio 1 m & f Various
Means "river" in Spanish or Portuguese. A city in Brazil bears this name. Its full name is Rio de Janeiro, which means "river of January", so named because the first explorers came to the harbour in January and mistakenly thought it was a river mouth.

Ritika f Hindi
Means either "movement, stream" or "brass" in Sanskrit.

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

Rostam m Persian, Persian Mythology
Meaning unknown, possibly from Iranian roots *rautas "river" and *taxma "strong". Rostam was a warrior hero in Persian legend. The 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi recorded his tale in the Shahnameh.

Seong-Su m Korean
From Sino-Korean 成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or 聖 (seong) meaning "holy, sacred" combined with 洙 (su), which refers to a river in China. Many other hanja character combinations are possible.

Stanford m English
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "stone ford" in Old English.

Väinämöinen m Finnish Mythology
Derived from Finnish väinä meaning "wide and slow-flowing river". In Finnish mythology Väinämöinen was a wise old magician, the son of the primal goddess Ilmatar. He is the hero of the Finnish epic the Kalevala.

Vale f English (Rare)
From the English word meaning "wide river valley".

Walton m English
From a surname that was originally taken from various Old English place names meaning "stream town", "wood town", or "wall town".

Xiang m & f Chinese
From Chinese 翔 (xiáng) meaning "soar, glide", 祥 (xiáng) meaning "good luck, good omen", 香 (xiāng) meaning "fragrant" (which is usually only feminine) or 湘 (xiāng), which refers to the Xiang River in southern China. This name can also be formed from other characters.

Zaire m African American (Modern)
From the name of a country in Africa from 1971 to 1997, now called the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is said to be derived from Kikongo nzadi o nzere meaning "river swallowing rivers", referring to the Congo River.