FABIUSmAncient RomanRoman family name which was derived from Latin
faba "bean". Quintus Fabius Maximus was the Roman general who used delaying tactics to halt the invasion of Hannibal in the 3rd century BC.
FABRICEmFrenchFrench form of the Roman family name
Fabricius, which was derived from Latin
faber "craftsman". Gaius Fabricius Luscinus was a 3rd-century BC Roman general and statesman.
FADLmArabicMeans "grace, generosity" in Arabic. This was a name of both a cousin of
Muhammad and a son of
Abbas (the son of the fourth caliph
Ali).
FAITHfEnglishSimply from the English word
faith, ultimately from Latin
fidere "to trust". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century.
FALLONfEnglish (Modern)From an Irish surname which was derived from
Ó Fallamhain meaning "descendant of Fallamhan". The given name
Fallamhan meant "leader". It was popularized in the 1980s by a character on the soap opera 'Dynasty'.
FANCYfEnglish (Rare)From the English word
fancy which means either "like, love, inclination" or "ornamental". It is derived from Middle English
fantasie, which comes (via Norman French and Latin) from Greek
φαινω (phaino) "to show, to appear".
FANGf & mChineseFrom Chinese
芳 (fāng) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
FANTINEfLiteratureThis name was used by Victor Hugo for the mother of Cosette in his novel 'Les Misérables' (1862). The name was given to her by a passerby who found the young orphan on the street. Hugo may have intended it to be a derivative of the French word
enfant "child".
FAOLÁNmIrishMeans "little wolf", derived from Gaelic
fáel "wolf" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an Irish saint who did missionary work in Scotland.
FARAMUNDmAncient GermanicDerived from the Germanic elements
fara "journey" and
mund "protection". This was the name of a semi-legendary 5th-century king of the Franks.
FARLEYmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was originally from a place name meaning "fern clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer of this name is Canadian author Farley Mowat (1921-).
FARONmEnglishFrom a French surname which was derived from the Germanic given name
Faro.
FARRANmEnglish (Rare)From an English surname which was derived from Old French
ferrant meaning "iron grey".
FARUQmArabicMeans "person who can tell right from wrong" in Arabic. This was the name of the last king of Egypt (1920-1965).
FÁTIMAfPortuguese, SpanishFrom the name of a town in Portugal, which is derived from the Arabic feminine name
FATIMAH, apparently after a Moorish princess who converted to Christianity during the Reconquista. The town became an important Christian pilgrimage center after 1917 when three local children reported witnessing repeated apparitions of the Virgin
Mary.
FAUNAfRoman MythologyFeminine form of
FAUNUS. Fauna was a Roman goddess of fertility, women and healing, a daughter and companion of Faunus.
FAUNUSmRoman MythologyPossibly means "to befriend" from Latin. Faunus was a Roman god of fertility, forests, and agriculture.
FAUSTmLiteratureFrom a German surname which was derived from the Latin name
FAUSTUS. This is the name of a character in German legends about a man who makes a deal with the devil. He is believed to be based on the character of Dr. Johann Faust (1480-1540). His story was adapted by writers such as Christopher Marlowe and Goethe.
FAUSTINOmSpanish, Italian, PortugueseSpanish, Italian and Portuguese form of the Roman cognomen
Faustinus, which was itself derived from the Roman name
FAUSTUS. Faustinus was the name of several early saints.
FAUSTUSmAncient RomanRoman cognomen meaning "auspicious, lucky" in Latin. It was also occasionally used as a praenomen, or given name. This was the name of several early Christian saints.
FAWNfEnglishFrom the English word
fawn for a young deer.
FAYfEnglishDerived from Middle English
faie meaning "fairy", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin
fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Arthurian legends in the name of Morgan le Fay. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In some cases it may be used as a short form of
FAITH.
FAYRUZfArabicMeans "turquoise (the gemstone)" in Arabic, ultimately of Persian origin.
FEARGHALmIrishMeans "man of valour", derived from the Gaelic elements
fear "man" and
gal "valour". This was the name of an 8th-century king of Ireland.
FEARGHASmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyMeans "man of vigour", derived from the Gaelic elements
fear "man" and
gus "vigour". This was the name of several characters in Irish legend including the Ulster hero Fearghas mac Róich.
FECHÍNmIrishMeans "little raven" from Irish
fiach "raven" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an Irish saint of the 7th century who died of the yellow plague.
FEDDEmFrisianShort form of Frisian names beginning with the Germanic element
frid "peace".
FEDERICOmSpanish, ItalianSpanish and Italian form of
FREDERICK. Spanish poet Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) and Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (1920-1993) are famous bearers of this name.
FELICITASfGerman, Late Roman, Roman MythologyLatin name which meant "good luck, fortune". In Roman mythology the goddess Felicitas was the personification of good luck. It was borne by a 3rd-century saint, a slave martyred with her master Perpetua in Carthage.
FELICITYfEnglishFrom the English word
felicity meaning "happiness", which ultimately derives from Latin
felicitas "good luck". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans around the 17th century. It can sometimes be used as an English form of the Latin name
FELICITAS. This name was revived in the late 1990s after the appearance of the television series 'Felicity'.
FELICIUSmLate RomanMasculine form of
FELICIA. This was the name of a 4th-century saint, a companion of Saint Castor of Karden.
FELINUSmLate RomanLate Latin name meaning "cat-like". This was the name of a possibly legendary saint who was martyred with Gratian in the 3rd century.
FELIXmGerman, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Romanian, Ancient Roman, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom a Roman cognomen meaning "lucky, successful" in Latin. It was acquired as an agnomen, or nickname, by the 1st-century BC Roman general Sulla. It also appears in the New Testament belonging to the governor of Judea who imprisoned Saint
Paul.
... [more] FEMKEfDutch, FrisianDiminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element
frid "peace". It also coincides with a Frisian word meaning "little girl".
FEN (1)f & mChineseFrom Chinese
芬 (fēn) meaning "fragrance, aroma, perfume" (which is usually only feminine) or
奋 (fèn) meaning "strive, exert" (usually only masculine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.
FENTONmEnglishFrom a surname which was originally taken from a place name meaning "marsh town" in Old English.
FERDINANDmGerman, French, Dutch, English, Czech, Slovene, Ancient GermanicFrom
Ferdinando, the old Spanish form of a Germanic name composed of the elements
fardi "journey" and
nand "daring, brave". The Visigoths brought the name to the Iberian Peninsula, where it entered into the royal families of Spain and Portugal. From there it became common among the Habsburg royal family of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria, starting with the Spanish-born Ferdinand I in the 16th century. A notable bearer was Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), called Fernão de Magalhães in Portuguese, who was the leader of the first expedition to sail around the earth.
FEREYDOUNmPersian, Persian MythologyMeans "the third" in Persian. In the 11th-century Persian epic the 'Shahnameh' this is the name of a virtuous king who ruled for 500 years.
FERNfEnglishFrom the English word for the plant, ultimately from Old English
fearn. It has been used as a given name since the late 19th century.
FERNÃOmPortuguesePortuguese form of
FERDINAND. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães (1480-1521), better known in English as Ferdinand Magellan.
FERRERmVariousFrom a surname which meant "blacksmith" in Catalan. This name is often given in honour of Saint Vicente Ferrer, a 14th-century missionary who is the patron saint of builders.
FERRUCCIOmItalianDerived from the Late Latin name
Ferrutius, a derivative of
ferrum meaning "iron, sword". Saint Ferrutius was a 3rd-century martyr with his brother Ferreolus.
FIACHNAmIrishDerived from Gaelic
fiach meaning "raven". This was the name of a king in Irish legend.
FIACHRAmIrish, Irish MythologyDerived from Gaelic
fiach meaning "raven". In Irish legend Fiachra was one of the four children of
Lir transformed into swans for a period of 900 years. This is also the name of the patron saint of gardeners, a 7th-century Irish abbot who settled in France.
FIAMMETTAfItalianDerived from Italian
fiamma "fire" combined with a diminutive suffix.
FIDELmSpanishFrom the Late Latin name
Fidelis which meant "faithful". A famous bearer was revolutionary leader Fidel Castro (1926-2016), the former president of Cuba.
FIDOmPetMeans "I am faithful" in Latin. This name is commonly given to dogs.
FIFEmScottishFrom a Scottish place name which was formerly the name of a kingdom in Scotland. It is said to be named for the legendary Pictish hero Fib.
FIGAROmLiteratureCreated by playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais for the central character in his plays 'The Barber of Seville' (1775), 'The Marriage of Figaro' (1784) and 'The Guilty Mother' (1792). Beaumarchais may have based the character's name on the French phrase
fils Caron meaning "son of Caron", which was his own nickname and would have been pronounced in a similar way. In modern French the word
figaro has acquired the meaning "barber", reflecting the character's profession.
FILBERTmEastern AfricanVariant of
FILIBERT. It is particularly used in Tanzania due to track star Filbert Bayi (1953-), who set a world record running the 1500 meter in 1974.
FILIPmSwedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Hungarian, Romanian, FinnishCognate of
PHILIP.