Aaron m English, French, German, Finnish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom the Hebrew name
אַהֲרֹן ('Aharon), which is most likely of unknown Egyptian origin. Other theories claim a Hebrew derivation, and suggest meanings such as
"high mountain" or
"exalted". In the Old Testament this name is borne by the older brother of
Moses. He acted as a spokesman for his brother when they appealed to the pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery. Aaron's rod produced miracles and plagues to intimidate the pharaoh. After the departure from Egypt and arrival at Mount Sinai, God installed Aaron as the first high priest of the Israelites and promised that his descendants would form the priesthood.
... [more] Abd al-Aziz m ArabicMeans
"servant of the powerful" from Arabic
عبد ('abd) meaning "servant" combined with
عزيز ('aziz) meaning "powerful". This was the name of the first king of modern Saudi Arabia.
Abd al-Hamid m ArabicMeans
"servant of the praiseworthy" from Arabic
عبد ('abd) meaning "servant" combined with
حميد (hamid) meaning "praiseworthy". This was the name of two sultans of the Ottoman Empire.
Abd Allah m ArabicMeans
"servant of Allah" from Arabic
عبد ('abd) meaning "servant" combined with
الله (Allah). This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's father. He died before his son's birth.
Abd al-Malik m ArabicMeans
"servant of the king" from Arabic
عبد ('abd) meaning "servant" combined with
ملك (malik) meaning "king". This was the name of the fifth Umayyad caliph, who made Arabic the official language of the empire.
Abd al-Qadir m ArabicMeans
"servant of the capable, servant of the powerful" from Arabic
عبد ('abd) meaning "servant" combined with
قادر (qadir) meaning "capable, powerful". This was the name of a 19th-century Algerian resistance leader.
Abd ar-Rahman m ArabicMeans
"servant of the merciful" from Arabic
عبد ('abd) meaning "servant" combined with
رحمن (rahman) meaning "merciful". This was the name of two early caliphs of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain.
Abdastartus m Phoenician (Latinized)From the Greek form
Ἀβδάσταρτος (Abdastartos) of the Phoenician name
𐤏𐤁𐤃𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓𐤕 (ʿAbdʿashtart) meaning
"servant of Ashtoreth", derived from
𐤏𐤁𐤃 (ʿabd) meaning "servant, slave" combined with the name of the goddess
Ashtoreth. This was the name of a 10th-century BC king of Tyre, as recorded by the historian Josephus.
Abdiel m Biblical, Biblical GreekMeans
"servant of God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, this is the name of a member of the tribe of Gad. In John Milton's
Paradise Lost (1667), this is the name of a seraph who withstands Satan when he urges the angels to revolt.
Abdolhossein m PersianMeans
"servant of al-Husayn" from Arabic
عبد ('abd) meaning "servant" combined with
حسّین (Hosseyn), the Persian form of Arabic
Husayn. This name refers to Husayn ibn Ali, the son of Ali.
Abdolreza m PersianMeans
"servant of al-Ridha" from Arabic
عبد ('abd) meaning "servant" combined with
رضا (Reza), the Persian form of Arabic
Ridha. This name refers to the 9th-century Shia imam Ali al-Ridha.
Abel m English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Georgian, Armenian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom the Hebrew name
הֶבֶל (Hevel) meaning
"breath". In the Old Testament he is the second son of
Adam and
Eve, murdered out of envy by his brother
Cain. In England, this name came into use during the Middle Ages, and it was common during the Puritan era.
Abiathar m BiblicalFrom 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.
Abiel m BiblicalMeans
"God is my father" in Hebrew. This was the name of the grandfather of Saul in the Old Testament.
Abihu m BiblicalMeans
"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.
Abijah m & f BiblicalMeans
"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).
Abimael m Biblical, Biblical GreekMeaning uncertain, though the first element is likely Hebrew
אָב ('av) meaning "father". In the Old Testament he is listed as a descendant of Shem.
Abiram m BiblicalMeans
"my father is exalted" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Abiram is swallowed by an earthquake after rebelling against the leadership of
Moses.
Abishag f BiblicalMeans
"my father strays" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Abishag is a young woman who tends King
David in his old age.
Abishai m BiblicalMeans
"my father is a gift" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is one of King
David's heroes.
Abital f BiblicalMeans
"my father is dew" in Hebrew. She is the fifth wife of
David in the Old Testament.
Abner m English, Biblical, Biblical LatinMeans
"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] Abraham m English, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Swedish, Biblical Norwegian, Biblical Danish, Biblical LatinThis name may be viewed either as meaning
"father of many" in Hebrew or else as a contraction of
Abram 1 and
הָמוֹן (hamon) meaning "many, multitude". The biblical patriarch Abraham was originally named Abram but God changed his name (see
Genesis 17:5). With his father
Terah, he led his wife
Sarah, his nephew
Lot and their other followers from Ur into Canaan. He is regarded by Jews as being the founder of the Hebrews through his son
Isaac and by Muslims as being the founder of the Arabs through his son
Ishmael.
... [more] Absalom m Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom 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.
Achsah f BiblicalMeans
"anklet, bangle" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the daughter of
Caleb.
Adad-Nirari m Ancient AssyrianMeans
"Adad is my helper", from the god's name
Adad combined with Akkadian
nērāru meaning "helper". This name was borne by three kings of the Assyrian Empire.
Adaiah m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
עֲדָיָה ('Adayah) meaning
"Yahweh has adorned". This is the name of numerous Old Testament characters, including the father of
Jedidah.
Adalia m BiblicalMeaning unknown, possibly of Persian origin. In Book of Esther in the Old Testament this is the name of a son of
Haman the Agagite.
Adam m English, French, German, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Catalan, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewThis is the Hebrew word for
"man". It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew
אדם ('adam) meaning
"to be red", referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Akkadian
adamu meaning
"to make".
... [more] Addison f & m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of Adam". Its recent popularity as a feminine name stems from its similarity in sound to
Madison.
Adonai m TheologyMeans
"my lord" in Hebrew. This was the title used to refer to the God of the Israelites,
Yahweh, whose name was forbidden to be spoken.
Adonijah m BiblicalMeans
"my lord is Yahweh" in Hebrew. This is the name of one of King
David's sons in the Old Testament. Though he was the eldest surviving son of David, he was passed over as heir to the throne in favour of
Solomon.
Adonis m Greek MythologyFrom Phoenician
𐤀𐤃𐤍 (ʾadon) meaning
"lord, master". In Greek myth Adonis was a handsome young shepherd killed while hunting a wild boar. The anemone flower is said to have sprung from his blood. Because he was loved by
Aphrodite,
Zeus allowed him to be restored to life for part of each year. The Greeks borrowed this character from Semitic traditions, originally Sumerian (see
Dumuzi).
Ahab m Biblical, Biblical LatinMeans
"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.
Ahinoam f BiblicalMeans
"my brother is pleasant" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of wives of both
Saul and
David.
Akiva m HebrewFrom an Aramaic form of
Yaakov. Akiva (or Akiba) ben Joseph was a prominent 1st-century Jewish rabbi.
Aliya 2 f HebrewMeans
"ascent" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָלָה ('alah) meaning "to ascend, to climb". This is also a Hebrew word referring to immigration to Israel.
Allah m TheologyDerived from Arabic
الإله (al-ilah) meaning
"the deity". It is primarily used to refer to the Islamic God, though it was originally used by pre-Islamic Arabs, and is sometimes used by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews.
Alphius m Late RomanMeaning unknown, possibly a variant of
Alphaeus, or possibly from an Umbrian root meaning
"white". This was the name of a 3rd-century saint who was martyred in Sicily.
Amariah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh has said" in Hebrew. This is the name of several Old Testament characters.
Amaziah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh strengthens" in Hebrew. This is the name of several Old Testament characters, including a king of Judah.
Ami 4 m HebrewMeans
"my people" or
"my nation" in Hebrew.
Amos m English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewFrom Hebrew
עָמַס ('amas) meaning
"load, burden". Amos is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Amos, which speaks against greed, corruption and oppression of the poor. Written about the 8th century BC, it is among the oldest of the prophetic books. As an English name,
Amos has been used since the Protestant Reformation, and was popular among the Puritans.
Ana f Spanish, Portuguese, Slovene, Bulgarian, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Albanian, Macedonian, Georgian, Fijian, TonganForm of
Anna used in various languages.
Anah f & m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"answer" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name belongs to one female character and two male characters.
Anat 1 f Semitic MythologyPossibly derived from a Semitic root meaning
"water spring". Anat was a goddess of fertility, hunting and war worshipped by the Semitic peoples of the Levant. She was the sister and consort of the god
Hadad.
Anissa f EnglishThis name was first brought to public attention in 1966 by the child actress Anissa Jones (1958-1976). In her case it was a transcription of the Arabic name
أنيسة (see
Anisa), given to honour her Lebanese heritage. Other parents who have since used this name may view it simply as an elaboration of
Anna using the popular name suffix
issa.
Anita 1 f Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Slovene, English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Latvian, HungarianSpanish, Portuguese, Croatian and Slovene diminutive of
Ana.
Ann f English, ManxEnglish and Manx form of
Anne 1. In the English-speaking world, both this spelling and
Anne have been used since the late Middle Ages. Currently
Ann is less popular than
Anne (and both are less popular than their relatives
Anna and
Hannah).
Anna f English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Armenian, Icelandic, Faroese, Catalan, Occitan, Breton, Scottish Gaelic, Biblical, Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin, Old Church SlavicForm of
Channah (see
Hannah) used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the
Hannah spelling instead of
Anna. The name appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized
Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin
Mary.
... [more] Annabel f English, DutchVariant of
Amabel, with the spelling altered as if it were a combination of
Anna and French
belle "beautiful". This name appears to have arisen in Scotland in the Middle Ages.
Anne 1 f French, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, German, Dutch, BasqueFrench form of
Anna. It was imported to England in the 13th century, but it did not become popular until three centuries later. The spelling variant
Ann was also commonly found from this period, and is still used to this day.
... [more]