Vercingetorix m GaulishMeans
"king over warriors" from Gaulish
wer "on, over" combined with
kingeto "marching men, warriors" and
rix "king". This name was borne by a 1st-century BC chieftain of the Gaulish tribe the Arverni. He led the resistance against Julius Caesar's attempts to conquer Gaul, but he was eventually defeated, brought to Rome, and executed.
Verdandi f Norse MythologyFrom Old Norse
Verðandi meaning
"becoming, happening". Verdandi was one of the three Norns, or goddesses of destiny, in Norse mythology. She was responsible for the present.
Vered f HebrewMeans
"rose" in Hebrew, originally a borrowing from an Iranian language.
Veremund m Germanic (Latinized)Latinized form of a Germanic name, probably
Waramunt, derived from either
war "aware, cautious" or
war "true" combined with
munt "protection". This was the name of a 5th-century king of Galicia (from the Germanic tribe of the Suebi). It was later the name of kings of Asturias and León, though their names are usually spelled in the Spanish form
Bermudo.
Verena f German, Late RomanPossibly related to Latin
verus "true". This might also be a Coptic form of the Ptolemaic name
Berenice. Saint Verena was a 3rd-century Egyptian-born nurse who went with the Theban Legion to Switzerland. After the legion was massacred she settled near Zurich.
Veríssimo m PortugueseFrom the Latin name
Verissimus meaning
"very true". Saint Verissimus was a Portuguese martyr executed during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian in the early 4th century.
Veritas f Roman MythologyMeans "truth" in Latin, a derivative of
verus "true". The Roman goddess Veritas was the personification of truth.
Verity f EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"verity, truth", from Latin
verus "true, real". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century.
Veronica f English, Italian, Romanian, Late RomanLatin alteration of
Berenice, the spelling influenced by the ecclesiastical Latin phrase
vera icon meaning
"true image". This was the name of a legendary saint who wiped
Jesus' face with a towel and then found his image imprinted upon it. Due to popular stories about her, the name was occasionally used in the Christian world in the Middle Ages. It was borne by the Italian saint and mystic Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727). As an English name, it was not common until the 19th century, when it was imported from France and Scotland.
Veronika f Russian, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Lithuanian, LatvianForm of
Veronica in several languages.
Věroslav m CzechCombination of the Czech name
Věra or word
víra (both meaning "faith") with the Slavic element
slava meaning "glory".
Vespasian m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Vespasianus, derived either from Latin
vesper meaning
"west" or
"evening" or
vespa meaning
"wasp". This was the name of a 1st-century Roman emperor, Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the founder of the Flavian dynasty.
Vesper m & f Roman Mythology, Dutch (Modern)Latin cognate of
Hesperos. This name was used by the British author Ian Fleming for a female character, a love interest of James Bond, in his novel
Casino Royale (1953). She also appears in the film adaptations of 1967 and 2006.
Vespera f EsperantoMeans
"of the evening", derived from Esperanto
vespero "evening", ultimately from Latin
vesper.
Vesta f Roman MythologyProbably a Roman cognate of
Hestia. Vesta was the Roman goddess of the hearth. A continuous fire, tended by the Vestal Virgins, was burned in the Temple of Vesta in Rome.
Vetle m NorwegianNorwegian form of the Old Norse name
Vetrliði meaning
"winter traveller", and by extension
"bear cub".
Victor m English, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Late RomanRoman name meaning
"victor, conqueror" in Latin. It was common among early Christians, and was borne by several early saints and three popes. It was rare as an English name during the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the French writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885), who authored
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and
Les Misérables.
Victoria f English, Spanish, Romanian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, French, Late Roman, Roman MythologyMeans
"victory" in Latin, being borne by the Roman goddess of victory. It is also a feminine form of
Victorius. This name was borne by a 4th-century saint and martyr from North Africa.
... [more] Victorinus m Late RomanRoman name that was derived from
Victor. This was the name of a ruler of the Gallic Empire in the 3rd century. It was also borne by the 4th-century Roman grammarian and philosopher Victorinus Afer as well as a few early saints.
Vida 2 f SloveneSlovene feminine form of
Vid. Lepa Vida ("beautiful Vida") is a character in Slovene tradition and later romantic poetry (notably by France Prešeren).
Vidar m Norwegian, Swedish, Norse MythologyFrom Old Norse
Víðarr, which was possibly derived from
víðr "wide" and
herr "army, warrior". In Norse mythology Víðarr was the son of
Odin and
Grid. At the time of the end of the world, Ragnarök, it is said he will avenge his father's death by slaying the wolf
Fenrir.
Vide m SwedishMeans
"willow" in Swedish, from Old Norse
víðir.
Viking m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Víkingr meaning
"viking, raider", ultimately from
vík "cove, inlet".
Viktor m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, GreekForm of
Victor used in various languages.
Viktoria f German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Greek, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, BelarusianGerman, Scandinavian and Greek variant of
Victoria. It is also an alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian
Виктория or Ukrainian
Вікторія (see
Viktoriya) or Belarusian
Вікторыя (see
Viktoryia), as well as the usual Georgian transcription.
Vilgot m SwedishFrom the Old Norse elements
vili "will, desire" and
góðr "good" or
guð "God". This name was created in the 19th century.
Vilja f Finnish, EstonianPossibly from the Finnish word
vilja meaning
"cereal, grain" or the Swedish word
vilja meaning
"will, intent".
Vilma f Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, CroatianForm of
Wilma in several languages.
Vincent m English, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, SlovakFrom the Roman name
Vincentius, which was derived from Latin
vincere meaning
"to conquer". This name was popular among early Christians, and it was borne by many saints. As an English name,
Vincent has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 19th century. Famous bearers include the French priest Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
Vinicio m Italian, SpanishItalian and Spanish form of the Roman family name
Vinicius, which was possibly derived from Latin
vinum "wine".
Vinícius m PortuguesePortuguese form of
Vinicius (see
Vinicio). It gained popularity in Brazil due to the poet and musician Vinícius de Moraes (1913-1980).
Viola f English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, SlovakMeans
"violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke
Orsino, she attempts to convince
Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.
Violet f EnglishFrom the English word
violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin
viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.
Viorel m RomanianDerived from
viorea, the Romanian word for the alpine squill flower (species Scilla bifolia) or the sweet violet flower (species Viola odorata). It is derived from Latin
viola "violet".
Viracocha m Inca MythologyPossibly from Quechua
wira "fat, thick" and
qucha "lake". This is the name of the creator god in Inca mythology.
Virgil m English, RomanianFrom the Roman family name
Vergilius, which is of unknown meaning. This name was borne by the 1st-century BC Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro, commonly called Virgil, who was the writer of the
Aeneid. Due to him,
Virgil has been in use as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.
Virginia f English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek, Ancient RomanFeminine form of the Roman family name
Verginius or
Virginius, which is of unknown meaning, but long associated with Latin
virgo "maid, virgin". According to a legend, it was the name of a Roman woman killed by her father so as to save her from the clutches of a crooked official.
... [more] Vitale m ItalianItalian form of the Late Latin name
Vitalis, which was derived from Latin
vitalis meaning
"of life, vital". Vitalis was the name of several early saints and martyrs.
Vitalianus m Late RomanRoman cognomen that was derived from
Vitalis. This was the name of a 7th-century pope who is considered a saint.
Vito 1 m Italian, SpanishItalian and Spanish form of
Vitus. A notable fictional bearer is Vito Corleone from
The Godfather novel (1969) and movie (1972).
Vitus m Ancient RomanRoman name that was derived from Latin
vita "life". Saint Vitus was a child martyred in Sicily in the early 4th century. From an early date this name was confused with the Germanic name
Wido.
Vivian m & f English, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishFrom the Latin name
Vivianus, which was derived from Latin
vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of
Bébinn or a variant of
Vivien 2.
Vivien 2 f Literature, HungarianUsed by Alfred Tennyson as the name of the Lady of the Lake in his Arthurian epic
Idylls of the King (1859). Tennyson may have based it on
Vivienne, but it possibly arose as a misreading of
Ninian. A famous bearer was British actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967), who played Scarlett O'Hara in
Gone with the Wind.
Vjollca f AlbanianDerived from Albanian
vjollcë meaning
"violet", referring to both the flower and the colour.
Vlad m Romanian, Russian, UkrainianOld short form of
Vladislav and other names beginning with the Slavic element
volděti (Church Slavic
vladati) meaning
"to rule, to control". This name was borne by several princes of Wallachia (in Romania) including the 15th-century Vlad III Dracula, who was Bram Stoker's inspiration for the name of his vampire Count
Dracula.
Vladan m Serbian, CzechFrom the Slavic element
volděti meaning
"to rule, to control", originally a diminutive of names containing that element.
Vladislav m Russian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Serbian, CroatianFrom the Old Slavic name *
Voldislavŭ, derived from the elements
volděti "to rule" and
slava "glory". This name has been borne by kings, princes and dukes of Croatia, Serbia, Bohemia, Poland and Wallachia.
Vlasta f & m Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, SloveneOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Slavic element
volstĭ meaning
"power, rule, sovereignty". Descendants of this word include Czech
vlast "homeland" and Serbo-Croatian
vlast "power". It is sometimes masculine in Czech and Serbian.