Browse Names

Bhaskara m Hinduism
Means "shining, light maker", derived from Sanskrit भास (bhāsa) meaning "light" and कर (kara) meaning "maker". This is another name of Hindu sun god Surya. It was additionally borne by a 12th-century Indian astronomer, also known as Bhaskaracharya.

Booker m English
From an English occupational surname meaning "maker of books". A famous bearer was Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an African-American leader.

Chandler m & f English
From an occupational surname that meant "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately from Latin candela via Old French. It surged in popularity after the 1994 debut of the American sitcom Friends, featuring a character by this name.

Colter m English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally given to a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English colt.

Cooper m English
From a surname meaning "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.

Cordell m English
From an English surname meaning "maker of cord" or "seller of cord" in Middle English.

Dexter m English
From an occupational surname meaning "one who dyes" in Old English. It also coincides with the Latin word dexter meaning "right-handed, skilled".

Fabrice m French
French form of the Roman family name Fabricius, which was derived from Latin faber meaning "craftsman". Gaius Fabricius Luscinus was a 3rd-century BC Roman general and statesman.

Fisher m English
From an English surname meaning "fisherman".

Fletcher m English
From a surname meaning "maker of arrows" in Middle English, ultimately from Old French flechier.

Foster 1 m English
From an English surname that has several different origins: see Foster 1, Foster 2, Foster 3 and Foster 4.

Gobán m Irish (Rare)
From Old Irish Gobbán, derived from gobae "smith" and a diminutive suffix. It could also be a derivative of the name of the Irish smith god Goibniu (from the same root). This was the name of a few early saints, such as a 7th-century abbot of Killamery. In later folklore, the smith god and the saints seem to have conflated into the legendary figure Gobán Saor ("Gobán the builder"), a master architect and builder of churches.

Gobannos m Gaulish Mythology
From old Celtic *goban meaning "smith". This was the name of a scantily attested Gaulish smith god.

Gofannon m Welsh Mythology
From Welsh gof meaning "smith". This was the name of a smith in Welsh legends. He is possibly a later development of an earlier Celtic god (seen also in Gaulish Gobannos and Irish Goibniu).

Goibniu m Irish Mythology
Derived from Old Irish gobae meaning "smith". In Irish mythology this was the name of a divine metalsmith and weapon maker of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He also provided them with feasts that protected them from old age. He may be derived from an earlier Celtic smith god (seen also in Gaulish Gobannos and Welsh Gofannon).

Hunter m & f English
From an English occupational surname for a hunter, derived from Old English hunta. A famous bearer was the eccentric American journalist Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005).

Jaasiel m Biblical, Biblical Spanish
Means "God is my maker" in Hebrew, derived from עָשָׂה (ʿasa) meaning "to make" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is the name of two minor characters in the Old Testament.

Khayyam m Arabic
Means "tent maker" in Arabic. This was the surname of the 12th-century Persian poet Umar Khayyam.

Kiefer m English (Modern)
From a German surname meaning either "pine tree" or "barrel maker".

Madhukar m Hindi, Marathi
From Sanskrit मधुकर (madhukara) meaning "bee, honey-maker".

Miller m & f English
From the English occupational surname Miller, originally used by those who were millers, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Naiche m Apache
Means "mischief maker" in Apache. This name was borne by a 19th-century Chiricahua Apache chief, the son of Cochise.

Parker m & f English
From an English occupational surname that meant "keeper of the park".

Piper f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series Charmed, which debuted in 1998.

Prabhakara m Sanskrit
Means "light maker", derived from Sanskrit प्रभा (prabhā) meaning "light" and कर (kara) meaning "maker". In Hindu scripture this term is used to refer to the sun and the moon. A notable bearer of this name was a 6th-century scholar from Kerala.

Sawyer m & f English (Modern)
From an English surname meaning "sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).... [more]

Scarlett f English
From an English surname that denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet (a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian سقرلاط (saqrelāṭ)). Margaret Mitchell used it for the main character, Scarlett O'Hara, in her novel Gone with the Wind (1936). Her name is explained as having come from her grandmother. Despite the fact that the book was adapted into a popular movie in 1939, the name was not common until the 21st century. It started rising around 2003, about the time that the career of American actress Scarlett Johansson (1984-) started taking off.

Seppo 1 m Finnish, Finnish Mythology
Derived from Finnish seppä meaning "smith". Seppo Ilmarinen ("the smith Ilmarinen") is the name of a master craftsman in the Finnish epic the Kalevala.

Shankara m Hinduism
Derived from the Sanskrit elements शम् (śam) meaning "auspicious, lucky" and कर (kara) meaning "maker". This is another name of the Hindu gods Rudra or Shiva. This was also the name of a 9th-century Indian religious philosopher also known as Shankaracharya.

Spencer m English
From an English surname that meant "dispenser of provisions", derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry". A famous bearer was American actor Spencer Tracy (1900-1967). It was also the surname of Princess Diana (1961-1997).

Takumi m Japanese
From 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.

Turner m English
From the English surname Turner, which indicated a person who worked with a lathe, derived from Old English turnian "to turn", of Latin origin.

Wayne m English
From an occupational surname meaning "wagon maker", derived from Old English wægn "wagon". Use of it as a given name can be partly attributed to the popularity of the actor John Wayne (1907-1979). Another famous bearer is Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretzky (1961-), generally considered the greatest player in the history of the sport.

Webster m English
From an occupational surname meaning "weaver", derived from Old English webba.

Wright m English
From an occupational surname meaning "craftsman", ultimately from Old English wyrhta. Famous bearers of the surname were the Wright brothers (Wilbur 1867-1912 and Orville 1871-1948), the inventors of the first successful airplane, and Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), an American architect.