AbiatharmBiblical From Hebrew אֶבְיָתָר ('Evyatar) meaning "my father abounds" or "my father excels". In the Old Testament Abiathar was a high priest during the reign of King David.
AbihumBiblical Means "he is my father" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of Aaron in the Old Testament. He and his brother Nadab were killed by God because they presented him with unauthorized fire.
Abijahm & fBiblical Means "my father is Yahweh" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of several characters, both male and female, including the second king of Judah (also known as Abijam).
AbimelechmBiblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek Means "my father is king" in Hebrew, derived from the roots אָב ('av) meaning "father" and מֶלֶכְ (melekh) meaning "king". This is the name of several characters in the Old Testament including a king of Gerar who takes Abraham's wife Sarah, but is forced by God to give her back.
AbirammBiblical Means "my father is exalted" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Abiram is swallowed by an earthquake after rebelling against the leadership of Moses.
AbishagfBiblical Means "my father strays" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Abishag is a young woman who tends King David in his old age.
AbishaimBiblical Means "my father is a gift" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is one of King David's heroes.
AbitalfBiblical Means "my father is dew" in Hebrew. She is the fifth wife of David in the Old Testament.
AbnermEnglish, Biblical, Biblical Latin Means "my father is a light" in Hebrew, from אָב ('av) meaning "father" and נֵר (ner) meaning "lamp, light". In the Old Testament, Abner was a cousin of Saul and the commander of his army. After he killed Asahel he was himself slain by Asahel's brother Joab.... [more]
AbsalommBiblical, Biblical Latin From the Hebrew name אַבְשָׁלוֹם ('Avshalom) meaning "my father is peace", derived from אָב ('av) meaning "father" and שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". In the Old Testament he is a son of King David. He avenged his sister Tamar by arranging the murder of her rapist, their half-brother Amnon. He later led a revolt against his father. While fleeing on the back of a mule he got his head caught in a tree and was killed by Joab.
AbumArabic Means "father of" in Arabic. This is commonly used as an element in a kunya, which is a type of Arabic nickname. The element is combined with the name of one of the bearer's children (usually the eldest son). In some cases the kunya is figurative, not referring to an actual child, as in the case of the Muslim caliph Abu Bakr.
AdhelmmGermanic From the Old German elements atto meaning "father" and helm meaning "helmet, protection".
AhabmBiblical, Biblical Latin Means "uncle", from Hebrew אָח ('ach) meaning "brother" and אָב ('av) meaning "father". This was the name of a king of Israel, the husband of Jezebel, as told in the Old Testament. He was admonished by Elijah for his sinful behaviour. Herman Melville later used this name in his novel Moby-Dick (1851), where it belongs to a sea captain obsessively hunting for a white whale.
AntipatermAncient Greek (Latinized) From the Greek name Ἀντίπατρος (Antipatros), which meant "like the father" from Greek ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" (genitive πατρός). This was the name of an officer of Alexander the Great who became the regent of Macedon during Alexander's absence.
ApollomGreek Mythology (Latinized) From Greek Ἀπόλλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to the Indo-European root *apelo- meaning "strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means "father lion" or "father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) meaning "to destroy". In Greek mythology Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin of Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.
AtabekmKazakh, Kyrgyz From the Turkic noble title atabeg, derived from ata meaning "father, ancestor" and beg meaning "chieftain, master".
AtajanmTurkmen From Turkmen ata meaning "father, ancestor" combined with the suffix jan meaning "dear, darling" (of Persian origin).
AttilamHistory, Hungarian, Turkish Probably means "little father" from Gothic atta "father" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 5th-century leader of the Huns, a nomadic people from Central Asia who had expanded into Eastern Europe by the 4th century. Attila was likely the name given to him by his Gothic-speaking subjects in Eastern Europe; his real name may have been Avitohol.
BabakmPersian From Middle Persian 𐭯𐭠𐭯𐭪𐭩 (Papak) meaning "little father". This was the name of the father of Ardashir, the founder of the Sasanian Empire in Persia. It was also borne by the 9th-century resistance leader Babak Khorramdin.
CleopatrafAncient Greek (Latinized) From the Greek name Κλεοπάτρα (Kleopatra) meaning "glory of the father", derived from κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory" combined with πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" (genitive πατρός). This was the name of queens of Egypt from the Ptolemaic royal family, including Cleopatra VII, the mistress of both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. After being defeated by Augustus she committed suicide (according to popular belief, by allowing herself to be bitten by a venomous asp). Shakespeare's tragedy Antony and Cleopatra (1606) tells the story of her life.
EliabmBiblical From Hebrew אֱלִיאָב ('Eli'av) meaning "my God is father". This is the name of several people from the Old Testament, including a brother of King David.
Fum & fChinese From Chinese 富 (fù) meaning "abundant, rich, wealthy", 芙 (fú) meaning "hibiscus, lotus" or 甫 (fǔ) meaning "begin, man, father", in addition to other characters with a similar pronunciation. A famous bearer was the 8th-century Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, whose given name was 甫.
JanakamSanskrit, Sinhalese Means "father" in Sanskrit. This was the name of an ancient Indian king of Videha. In the Hindu epic the Ramayana he is the father of Sita.
JoabmBiblical Means "Yahweh is father" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament, he was the commander of King David's army. In separate incidents he killed both Abner and Absalom. When Solomon came to power he was executed.
JupitermRoman Mythology (Anglicized) From Latin Iuppiter, which was ultimately derived from the vocative form of Indo-European *Dyēws-pətēr, composed of the elements Dyēws (see Zeus) and pətēr "father". Jupiter was the supreme god in Roman mythology. He presided over the heavens and light, and was responsible for the protection and laws of the Roman state. This is also the name of the fifth and largest planet in the solar system.
MerititesfAncient Egyptian From Egyptian mryt-jts meaning "loved by her father". This name was borne by several Egyptian royals, including a wife and a daughter of the pharaoh Khufu.
MoabmBiblical Means "of his father" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Lot. He was the ancestor of the Moabites, a people who lived in the region called Moab to the east of Israel.
NnamdimWestern African, Igbo Means "my father is alive" in Igbo. This name is given to a child when it is believed that he is a reincarnation of his grandfather.
NnennafWestern African, Igbo Means "father's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's paternal grandmother.
PatroclusmGreek Mythology (Latinized) Latinized form of the Greek Πάτροκλος (Patroklos) meaning "glory of the father", derived from πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" (genitive πατρός) and κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". In Greek legend he was one of the heroes who fought against the Trojans. His death at the hands of Hector drew his friend Achilles back into the war.
PuabifAkkadian Means "word of my father", from Akkadian pû meaning "mouth" and abu meaning "father". Puabi was a 26th-century BC Akkadian noblewoman who was buried in the Sumerian city of Ur.
RambabumIndian, Telugu Means "father Rama" from the name of the Hindu deity Rama 1 combined with Telugu బాబు (babu) meaning "father".