Israella's Personal Name List
Zechariah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: זְכַרְיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: zehk-ə-RIE-ə(English)
From the Hebrew name
זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah) meaning
"Yahweh remembers", from
זָכַר (zakhar) meaning "to remember" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many characters in the
Old Testament, including the prophet Zechariah, the author of the Book of Zechariah. The name also appears in the
New Testament belonging to the father of
John the Baptist, who was temporarily made dumb because of his disbelief. He is regarded as a
saint by Christians. In some versions of the New Testament his name is spelled in the Greek form
Zacharias or the English form
Zachary. As an English given name,
Zechariah has been in occasional use since the
Protestant Reformation.
Zachariah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: zak-ə-RIE-ə(English)
Variant of
Zechariah. This spelling is used in the King James Version of the
Old Testament to refer to one of the kings of Israel (called Zechariah in other versions).
Yisrael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יִשְׂרָאֵל(Hebrew)
Pronounced: yees-ra-EHL
Wilhelm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Polish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: VIL-helm(German) VEEL-khelm(Polish)
German
cognate of
William. This was the name of two German emperors. It was also the middle name of several philosophers from Germany: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), who was also a notable mathematician. Another famous bearer was the physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (1845-1923).
Vladimir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian
Other Scripts: Владимир(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: vlu-DYEE-myir(Russian) VLA-dee-meer(Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian)
From the Old Slavic name *
Voldiměrŭ, derived from the elements
volděti meaning "to rule" and
měrŭ meaning "great, famous". The second element has also been associated with
mirŭ meaning "peace, world".
This was the name of a 9th-century ruler of Bulgaria. It was also borne by an 11th-century grand prince of Kyiv, Vladimir the Great, who is venerated as a saint because of his efforts to Christianize his realm. Other notable bearers include the revolutionary and first leader of the Soviet state Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924), the Russian author Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), and the Russian president and prime minister Vladimir Putin (1952-).
Vivius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Derived from Latin vivere "to live; to be alive" and vivus "alive, living".
Vives
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Judeo-Anglo-Norman
Personal remark: another Judeo-angllo-norman banger, so sad the language went exctinct
Vitus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Roman 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.
Victory
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Puritan)
Simply from the English word, which is ultimately from Latin
victoria (itself from the past participle stem of
vincere "to conquer", making it a (distant) relative of
Vincent). For Puritans, the name was given in reference to 1 Corinthians 15:55, "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
A male bearer was Victory Birdseye (1782-1853), a U.S. Representative from New York.
Victor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Late Roman
Pronounced: VIK-tər(English) VEEK-TAWR(French) VEEK-tor(Romanian)
Roman 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.
Tsvi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: צבי(Hebrew)
A transcription variant of
Zvi
Titus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, English, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: TEE-toos(Latin) TIE-təs(English) TEE-tuws(German)
Roman
praenomen, or given name, which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to Latin
titulus "title of honour". It is more likely of Oscan origin, since it was borne by the legendary Sabine king Titus Tatius.
This name appears in the New Testament belonging to a companion of Saint Paul. He became the first bishop of Crete and was the recipient of one of Paul's epistles. This was also the praenomen of all three Roman emperors of the 1st-century Flavian dynasty, and it is the name by which the second of them is commonly known to history. Shakespeare later used it for the main character in his tragedy Titus Andronicus (1593). As an English name, Titus has been occasionally used since the Protestant Reformation.
Theodore
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: THEE-ə-dawr
From the Greek name
Θεόδωρος (Theodoros), which meant
"gift of god" from Greek
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". The name
Dorothea is derived from the same roots in reverse order. This was the name of several
saints, including Theodore of Amasea, a 4th-century Greek soldier; Theodore of Tarsus, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury; and Theodore the Studite, a 9th-century Byzantine monk. It was also borne by two popes.
This was a common name in classical Greece, and, due to both the saints who carried it and the favourable meaning, it came into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was however rare in Britain before the 19th century. Famous bearers include three tsars of Russia (in the Russian form Fyodor) and American president Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919).
Theo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: THEE-o(English) TEH-o(German) TEH-yo(Dutch)
Terrance
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEHR-əns
Solomon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English, Jewish, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: שְׁלֹמֹה(Hebrew) Σολομών(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SAHL-ə-mən(American English) SAWL-ə-mən(British English)
From the Hebrew name
שְׁלֹמֹה (Shelomoh), which was derived from Hebrew
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". As told in the
Old Testament, Solomon was a king of Israel, the son of
David and
Bathsheba. He was renowned for his wisdom and wealth. Towards the end of his reign he angered God by turning to idolatry. Supposedly, he was the author of the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon.
This name has never been overly common in the Christian world, and it is considered typically Jewish. It was however borne by an 11th-century Hungarian king.
Shalom
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שָׁלוֹם(Hebrew)
Pronounced: sha-LOM
Personal remark: SHA-lom
Means "peace" in Hebrew.
Sender
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Yiddish
Other Scripts: סענדער(Yiddish) סנדר(Hebrew)
Sabbath
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Puritan, Rare), Literature
Pronounced: sah-BATH(English (Puritan)) SAH-bith(English (Puritan))
From the word "sabbath," referring to the day of rest (Saturday).
Rune
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: ROO-nə(Norwegian) ROO-neh(Danish, Swedish)
Derived from Old Norse
rún meaning
"secret lore, rune".
Rowen
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RO-ən
Rowan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: RO-ən(English)
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).
Romilly
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (British, Rare)
From an English surname that was derived from the name of various Norman towns, themselves from the given name
Romilius.
Romeo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Romanian
Pronounced: ro-MEH-o(Italian) RO-mee-o(English)
Italian form of the Late Latin
Romaeus or Late Greek
Ρωμαῖος (Romaios), which meant
"from Rome" or
"Roman". Romeo is best known as the lover of
Juliet in William Shakespeare's tragedy
Romeo and Juliet (1596). Shakespeare based his play on earlier Italian stories by Luigi Da Porto (1524) and Matteo Bandello (1554), which both featured characters named Giulietta and Romeo.
Remy
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
English form of
Rémy, occasionally used as a feminine name.
Remi
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: REH-mee
English form of
Rémi or a feminine version of
Remy
Prudent
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare), Dutch (Rare), Flemish (Rare), Walloon (Rare)
French form of
Prudens and
Prudentius.
Notable bearers of this name include the French athlete Prudent Joye (1913-1980), the Belgian soccer player and coach Prudent Bettens (1943-2010) and Prudent Beaudry (1816-1893), an American politician of French Canadian descent who became the 13th mayor of Los Angeles in 1874.
Percy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PUR-see
From an English surname that was derived from the name of a Norman town
Perci, which was itself perhaps derived from a Gaulish given name that was Latinized as
Persius. The surname was borne by a noble English family, and it first used as a given name in their honour. A famous bearer was Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), an English romantic poet whose works include
Adonais and
Ozymandias. This name can also be used as a short form of
Percival.
Percival
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle, English
Pronounced: PUR-si-vəl(English)
Created by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for his poem
Perceval, the Story of the Grail. Chrétien may have derived the name from Old French
perce val "pierce the valley", or he may have based it loosely on the Welsh name
Peredur [1]. In the poem Perceval is a boy from Wales who hopes to become a knight under King
Arthur. Setting out to prove himself, he eventually comes to the castle of the Fisher King and is given a glimpse of the Grail.
Otto
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AW-to(German) AHT-o(English) OT-to(Finnish)
Later German form of
Audo, originally a short form of various names beginning with Old Frankish
aud or Old High German
ot meaning
"wealth, fortune". This was the name of a 9th-century king of the West Franks (name usually spelled as
Odo). This was also the name of four kings of Germany, starting in the 10th century with Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, known as Otto the Great.
Saint Otto of Bamberg was a 12th-century missionary to Pomerania. The name was also borne by a 19th-century king of Greece, originally from Bavaria. Another notable bearer was the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898).
Obediah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Judeo-Anglo-Norman
Personal remark: Oved-ee-yah
Judeo-Anglo-Norman form of
Obadiah.
Norbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Dutch, French, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: NAWR-behrt(German, Polish, Slovak) NAWR-bərt(English, Dutch) NAWR-BEHR(French) NOR-behrt(Hungarian)
Derived from the Old German elements
nord meaning "north" and
beraht meaning "bright". This was the name of an 11th-century German
saint who made many reforms within the Church.
Noor 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: نور(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: NOOR(Arabic)
Alternate transcription of Arabic/Urdu
نور (see
Nur).
Noam
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, French
Other Scripts: נוֹעַם(Hebrew)
Pronounced: NO-am(Hebrew) NOM(English) NAW-AM(French)
Means "pleasantness" in Hebrew. A famous bearer is Noam Chomsky (1928-), an American linguist and philosopher.
Nimrod
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: נִמְרֹד(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: NIM-rahd(English)
Meaning unknown, possibly of Akkadian origin or possibly meaning
"rebel" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament Nimrod is a renowned hunter, the great-grandson of
Noah. He was the founder of Babylon.
Due to the biblical character, this name was adopted as an English-language vocabulary word meaning "hunter". In American English it acquired a further meaning of "fool", after the oafish character Elmer Fudd (a hunter) was called such by Daffy Duck in a 1948 short cartoon.
Neilos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Late Greek
Other Scripts: Νεῖλος(Ancient Greek)
Greek name of the Nile River, possibly of Semitic origin meaning "river". In Greek
mythology he was the god of the Nile, the son of
Okeanos and
Tethys.
This name was borne by a 5th-century saint who lived in the Sinai Peninsula. It was also borne by a 10th-century Byzantine saint, usually called Nilus in English, who established the monastery at Grottaferrata near Rome.
Nehemiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: נְחֶמְיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: nee-hi-MIE-ə(English)
Means
"Yahweh comforts" in Hebrew, derived from
נָחַם (nacham) meaning "to comfort" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. According to the Book of Nehemiah in the
Old Testament he was a leader of the Jews who was responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity.
Nazaire
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare)
Pronounced: NA-ZEHR
Narcisse
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: NAR-SEES
French masculine and feminine form of
Narcissus. This is also the French word for the narcissus flower.
Modeste
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAW-DEST
French masculine and feminine form of
Modestus.
Miroslav
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Мирослав(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: MI-ro-slaf(Czech) MEE-raw-slow(Slovak) myi-ru-SLAF(Russian)
Derived from the Slavic elements
mirŭ "peace, world" and
slava "glory". This was the name of a 10th-century king of Croatia who was deposed by one of his nobles after ruling for four years.
Mirko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian, Italian
Other Scripts: Мирко(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: MEER-ko(Italian)
From the Slavic element
mirŭ meaning
"peace, world", originally a
diminutive of names containing that element.
Mendel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Yiddish
Other Scripts: מענדל(Yiddish) מֶנְדְל(Hebrew)
Menachem
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: מְנַחֵם(Hebrew)
Maurice
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: MAW-REES(French) maw-REES(English) MAWR-is(English)
From the Roman name
Mauritius, a derivative of
Maurus.
Saint Maurice was a 3rd-century Roman soldier from Egypt. He and the other Christians in his legion were supposedly massacred on the orders of Emperor Maximian for refusing to worship Roman gods. Thus, he is the patron saint of infantry soldiers.
This name was borne by a 6th-century Byzantine emperor. Another notable bearer was Maurice of Nassau (called Maurits in Dutch), a 17th-century prince of Orange who helped establish the Dutch Republic. The name has been used in England since the Norman Conquest, usually in the spelling Morris or Moris.
Manno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Originally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
man meaning
"person, man" (Proto-Germanic *
mannô).
Malachi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: מַלְאָכִי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: MAL-ə-kie(English)
From the Hebrew name
מַלְאָכִי (Mal'akhi) meaning
"my messenger" or
"my angel". This is one of the twelve minor prophets of the
Old Testament, the author of the Book of Malachi, which some claim foretells the coming of Christ. In England the name came into use after the
Protestant Reformation.
Ludwig
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: LOOT-vikh
From the Germanic name
Hludwig meaning
"famous in battle", composed of the elements
hlut "famous, loud" and
wig "war, battle". This was the name of three Merovingian kings of the Franks (though their names are usually spelled as
Clovis) as well as several Carolingian kings and Holy Roman emperors (names often spelled in the French form
Louis). Other famous bearers include the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) and the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), who contributed to logic and the philosophy of language.
Ludolf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Rare), Germanic [1]
Pronounced: LOO-dawlf(German)
From the Old German name
Hludolf, which was composed of the elements
hlut meaning "famous, loud" and
wolf meaning "wolf".
Saint Ludolf (or Ludolph) was a 13th-century bishop of Ratzeburg.
Lucius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Biblical, English
Pronounced: LOO-kee-oos(Latin) LOO-shəs(English) LOO-si-əs(English)
Roman
praenomen, or given name, which was derived from Latin
lux "light". This was the most popular of the praenomina. Two Etruscan kings of early Rome had this name as well as several prominent later Romans, including Lucius Annaeus Seneca (known simply as Seneca), a statesman, philosopher, orator and tragedian. The name is mentioned briefly in the
New Testament belonging to a Christian in Antioch. It was also borne by three popes, including the 3rd-century
Saint Lucius. Despite this, the name was not regularly used in the Christian world until after the Renaissance.
Lowell
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LO-əl
From an English surname that was derived from a Norman French nickname, from
lou "wolf" and a
diminutive suffix. The surname was borne by American poet and satirist James Russell Lowell (1819-1891).
Lincoln
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LING-kən
From an English surname that was originally from the name of an English city, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". This name is usually given in honour of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.
Leonidas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λεωνίδας(Greek)
Derived from Greek
λέων (leon) meaning "lion" combined with the patronymic suffix
ἴδης (ides). Leonidas was a Spartan king of the 5th century BC who sacrificed his life and his army defending the pass of Thermopylae from the Persians. This was also the name of a 3rd-century
saint and martyr, the father of Origen, from Alexandria.
Leonid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Леонид(Russian) Леонід(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: lyi-u-NYEET(Russian)
Lawrence
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-əns
Variant of
Laurence 1. This spelling of the name is now more common than
Laurence in the English-speaking world, probably because
Lawrence is the usual spelling of the surname. The surname was borne by the author and poet D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930), as well as the revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935), who was known as Lawrence of Arabia.
Laurence 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-əns
From the Roman
cognomen Laurentius, which meant
"from Laurentum". Laurentum was a city in ancient Italy, its name probably deriving from Latin
laurus "laurel".
Saint Laurence was a 3rd-century deacon and martyr from Rome. According to tradition he was roasted alive on a gridiron because, when ordered to hand over the church's treasures, he presented the sick and poor. Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in the Christian world (in various spellings).
In the Middle Ages this name was common in England, partly because of a second saint by this name, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury. Likewise it has been common in Ireland due to the 12th-century Saint Laurence O'Toole (whose real name was Lorcán). Since the 19th century the spelling Lawrence has been more common, especially in America. A famous bearer was the British actor Laurence Olivier (1907-1989).
Lambert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, French, English, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: LAM-behrt(German) LAHM-bərt(Dutch) LAHN-BEHR(French) LAM-bərt(English)
Derived from the Old German elements
lant "land" and
beraht "bright".
Saint Lambert of Maastricht was a 7th-century bishop who was martyred after denouncing Pepin II for adultery. The name was also borne by a 9th-century king of Italy who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
Kairo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KIE-ro
Julius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, English, German, Finnish, Lithuanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Czech
Pronounced: YOO-lee-oos(Latin, Swedish) JOO-lee-əs(English) YOO-lee-uws(German) YOO-leews(Finnish) YUW-lyuws(Lithuanian) YOO-lyoos(Danish) YOO-li-yuws(Czech)
From a Roman family name that was possibly derived from Greek
ἴουλος (ioulos) meaning
"downy-bearded". Alternatively, it could be related to the name of the Roman god
Jupiter. This was a prominent patrician family of Rome, who claimed descent from the mythological Julus, son of
Aeneas. Its most notable member was Gaius Julius Caesar, who gained renown as a military leader for his clever conquest of Gaul. After a civil war he became the dictator of the Roman Republic, but was eventually stabbed to death in the senate.
Although this name was borne by several early saints, including a pope, it was rare during the Middle Ages. It was revived in Italy and France during the Renaissance, and was subsequently imported to England.
Jozef
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Slovak, Dutch, Albanian
Pronounced: YAW-zehf(Slovak) YO-zəf(Dutch)
Personal remark: Yo-zef
Slovak, Dutch and Albanian form of
Joseph.
Jethro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: יִתְרוֹ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JETH-ro(English)
Personal remark: Yeh-tro
From the Hebrew name
יִתְרוֹ (Yitro), which was derived from the Hebrew word
יֶתֶר (yeter) meaning
"abundance". According to the
Old Testament, Jethro was a Midianite priest who sheltered
Moses when he fled Egypt. He was the father of
Zipporah, who became Moses's wife. A famous bearer of the name was Jethro Tull (1674-1741), an English inventor and agriculturist.
Jericho
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Other Scripts: יְרִיחוֹ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JEHR-i-ko
Personal remark: Ye-ri-kho
From the name of a city in Israel that is mentioned several times in the
Old Testament. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain, but it may be related to the Hebrew word
יָרֵחַ (yareach) meaning "moon", or otherwise to the Hebrew word
רֵיחַ (reyach) meaning "fragrant".
Ives
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
English form of
Yves, used to refer to
Saint Ives (also called Ivo) of Huntingdonshire, a semi-legendary English bishop.
Ivan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, English, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian
Other Scripts: Иван(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) Іван(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: i-VAN(Russian) ee-VAN(Bulgarian, Romanian) ee-VAHN(Ukrainian) yee-VAN(Belarusian) EE-van(Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Slovak, Slovene, Italian) I-van(Czech) IE-vən(English) ee-VUN(Portuguese)
Newer form of the Old Church Slavic name
Іѡаннъ (Ioannŭ), which was derived from Greek
Ioannes (see
John). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote
Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.
Israel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Jewish, English, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: יִשְׂרָאֵל(Hebrew) Ἰσραήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: IZ-ray-əl(English) IZ-ree-əl(English) eez-ra-EHL(Spanish)
From the Hebrew name
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra'el) meaning
"God contends", from the roots
שָׂרָה (sarah) meaning "to contend, to fight" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". In the
Old Testament, Israel (who was formerly named
Jacob; see
Genesis 32:28) wrestles with an angel. The ancient and modern states of Israel took their names from him.
Indra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Nepali
Other Scripts: इन्द्र(Sanskrit, Nepali) इन्द्र, इंद्र(Hindi)
Pronounced: IN-drə(English)
Means
"possessing drops of rain" from Sanskrit
इन्दु (indu) meaning "a drop" and
र (ra) meaning "acquiring, possessing". Indra is the name of the ancient Hindu warrior god of the sky and rain. He is the chief god in the
Rigveda.
Ildebert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare)
Ilbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English
Hyacinthe
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: YA-SEHNT
Hildebrand
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Archaic), Germanic [1]
Pronounced: HIL-də-brant(German)
Means
"battle sword", derived from the Old German element
hilt "battle" combined with
brant "fire, torch, sword". This was the name of the hero of an 8th-century poem written in Old High German.
Hildebert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Rare)
Pronounced: HIL-də-behrt
Means
"bright battle" from the Old German elements
hilt "battle" and
beraht "bright". This name was borne by four early Frankish kings, usually called
Childebert.
Hendrix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HEHN-driks
From a Dutch surname that was derived from the given name
Hendrik. A famous bearer of the surname was the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).
Helios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἥλιος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEH-LEE-OS(Classical Greek) HEE-lee-ahs(English) HEE-lee-əs(English)
Means
"sun" in Greek. This was the name of the young Greek sun god, a Titan, who rode across the sky each day in a chariot pulled by four horses. His sister was the moon goddess
Selene.
Heinrich
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: HIEN-rikh(German)
German form of
Henry. This was the name of several German kings.
Hanno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Phoenician (Latinized)
Other Scripts: 𐤇𐤍𐤀(Phoenician)
Personal remark: an alternative to Yohannan
Derived from Phoenician
𐤇𐤍 (ḥan) meaning
"grace, favour". This was a fairly common Punic name.
Hamza
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Turkish, Bosnian
Other Scripts: حمزة(Arabic)
Pronounced: HAM-zah(Arabic)
Possibly derived from Arabic
hamuza meaning
"strong, steadfast". This was the name of the uncle of the Prophet
Muhammad who was killed in battle.
Hadrian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: HAY-dree-ən(English)
From the Roman
cognomen Hadrianus, which meant
"from Hadria" in Latin. Hadria was the name of two Roman settlements. The first (modern Adria) is in northern Italy and was an important Etruscan port town. The second (modern Atri) is in central Italy and was named after the northern town. The Adriatic Sea is also named after the northern town.
A famous bearer of the name was Publius Aelius Hadrianus, better known as Hadrian, a 2nd-century Roman emperor who built a wall across northern Britain. His family came from the town of Atri in central Italy.
Gavriel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: גַּבְרִיאֵל(Hebrew)
Gavri
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: גברי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: gah-vree
Personal remark: only as a pet form of Gavriel, I really don't like Gabi
Means "manly / my man" in Hebrew, also a diminutive for
Gavriel
Friedrich
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: FREE-drikh
German form of
Frederick. This was the name of several rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Austria and Prussia. The philosophers Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) are two other famous bearers of this name.
Frederick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FREHD-ə-rik, FREHD-rik
English form of an Old German name meaning
"peaceful ruler", derived from
fridu "peace" and
rih "ruler, king". This name has long been common in continental Germanic-speaking regions, being borne by rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, and Prussia. Notables among these rulers include the 12th-century Holy Roman emperor and crusader Frederick I Barbarossa, the 13th-century emperor and patron of the arts Frederick II, and the 18th-century Frederick II of Prussia, known as Frederick the Great.
The Normans brought the name to England in the 11th century but it quickly died out. It was reintroduced by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century. A famous bearer was Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), an American ex-slave who became a leading advocate of abolition.
Fred
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, German, French, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: FREHD(English, French, Portuguese) FREHT(Dutch, German)
Short form of
Frederick and other names containing the same element. A famous bearer was the American actor and dancer Fred Astaire (1899-1987). It was also borne by the cartoon caveman Fred Flintstone on the television series
The Flintstones (1960-1966).
Frank
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, French
Pronounced: FRANGK(English, German) FRAHNGK(Dutch) FRAHNK(French)
From an Old German name that referred to a member of the Germanic tribe, the Franks. The Franks settled in the regions now called France, Belgium and the Netherlands in the 3rd and 4th century. They possibly derived their tribal name from a type of spear that they used, from Proto-Germanic *
frankô. From medieval times, the various forms of this name have been commonly conflated with the various forms of
Francis. In modern times it is sometimes used as a short form of
Francis or
Franklin.
The name was brought to England by the Normans. Notable bearers include author L. Frank Baum (1856-1919), architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), and singer Frank Sinatra (1915-1998).
Francis
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: FRAN-sis(English) FRAHN-SEES(French)
English form of the Late Latin name
Franciscus meaning
"Frenchman", ultimately from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were named for a type of spear that they used (Proto-Germanic *
frankô). This name was borne by the 13th-century
Saint Francis of Assisi, who was originally named Giovanni but was given the nickname Francesco by his father, an admirer of the French. Francis went on to renounce his father's wealth and devote his life to the poor, founding the Franciscan order of friars. Later in his life he apparently received the stigmata.
Due to the renown of the saint, this name became widespread in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. However, it was not regularly used in Britain until the 16th century. Famous bearers include Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), a missionary to East Asia, the philosopher and scientist Francis Bacon (1561-1626), the explorer and admiral Francis Drake (1540-1595), and Pope Francis (1936-).
In the English-speaking world this name is occasionally used for girls, as a variant of the homophone Frances.
Frances
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FRAN-sis
Feminine form of
Francis. The distinction between
Francis as a masculine name and
Frances as a feminine name did not arise until the 17th century
[1]. A notable bearer was
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), a social worker and the first American to be canonized.
Florimond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, French
Pronounced: FLAW-REE-MAWN(French)
Possibly from Latin
florens meaning "prosperous, flourishing" combined with the Old German element
munt meaning "protection". This is the name of the prince in some versions of the fairy tale
Sleeping Beauty.
Fitzwilliam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
From an English surname meaning
"son of William", formed using the Anglo-Norman French prefix
fitz-, derived from Latin
filius "son". This is the given name of Mr. Darcy, a character in Jane Austen's novel
Pride and Prejudice (1813).
Fidelis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Ferdinand
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, French, Dutch, English, Slovak, Czech, Slovene, Croatian
Pronounced: FEHR-dee-nant(German) FEHR-DEE-NAHN(French) FEHR-dee-nahnt(Dutch) FUR-də-nand(English) FEHR-dee-nand(Slovak) FEHR-di-nant(Czech)
From
Fredenandus, the Latinized form of a Gothic name composed of the elements
friþus "peace" (or perhaps
farþa "journey"
[1]) and
nanþa "boldness, daring". 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.
Everard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
From
Everardus, the Latinized form of
Eberhard. The
Normans introduced it to England, where it joined the Old English
cognate Eoforheard. It has only been rarely used since the Middle Ages. Modern use of the name may be inspired by the surname
Everard, itself derived from the medieval name.
Eudes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French
Pronounced: UUD(French)
Etienne
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Afrikaans
Esa
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: EH-sah
Ephraim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֶפְרָיִם(Hebrew) Ἐφραίμ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EEF-ree-əm(English) EEF-rəm(English)
From the Hebrew name
אֶפְרָיִם ('Efrayim) meaning
"fruitful". In the
Old Testament Ephraim is a son of
Joseph and
Asenath and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This name was also borne by two early
saints: Ephraim or Ephrem the Syrian, a 4th-century theologian, and Ephraim of Antioch, a 6th-century patriarch of Antioch.
Emiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: eh-MEEL
Dutch form of
Aemilius (see
Emil).
Emerens
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Elmer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-mər
From a surname that was derived from the Old English name
Æðelmær. In the United States it is sometimes given in honour of brothers Jonathan (1745-1817) and Ebenezer Elmer (1752-1843), who were active in early American politics.
Elio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: EH-lyo
Personal remark: As a short form for names contaning El and O
Elijah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: אֱלִיָּהוּ(Hebrew)
Pronounced: i-LIE-jə(English) i-LIE-zhə(English)
From the Hebrew name
אֱלִיָּהוּ ('Eliyyahu) meaning
"my God is Yahweh", derived from the elements
אֵל ('el) and
יָה (yah), both referring to the Hebrew God. Elijah was a Hebrew prophet and miracle worker, as told in the two Books of Kings in the
Old Testament. He was active in the 9th century BC during the reign of King
Ahab of Israel and his Phoenician-born queen
Jezebel. Elijah confronted the king and queen over their idolatry of the Canaanite god
Ba'al and other wicked deeds. At the end of his life he was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and was succeeded by
Elisha. In the
New Testament, Elijah and
Moses appear next to
Jesus when he is transfigured.
Because Elijah was a popular figure in medieval tales, and because his name was borne by a few early saints (who are usually known by the Latin form Elias), the name came into general use during the Middle Ages. In medieval England it was usually spelled Elis. It died out there by the 16th century, but it was revived by the Puritans in the form Elijah after the Protestant Reformation. The name became popular during the 1990s and 2000s, especially in America where it broke into the top ten in 2016.
Elie
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Jewish, Yiddish, Judeo-Anglo-Norman
Short form of
Eliezer or
Elijah. A famous bearer is Elie Wiesel, Jewish rights activist.
Elias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, English, Dutch, Greek, Amharic, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Ηλίας(Greek) ኤልያስ(Amharic) Ἠλίας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: i-LEE-ush(European Portuguese) eh-LEE-us(Brazilian Portuguese) eh-LEE-as(German) EH-lee-ahs(Finnish) i-LIE-əs(English) ee-LIE-əs(English)
Form of
Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek
New Testament.
Eli 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: עֵלִי(Hebrew) Ἠλί(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EE-lie(English)
Means
"ascension" in Hebrew. In the Books of Samuel in the
Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young
Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.
Eli has been used as an English Christian given name since the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer was the American inventor of the cotton gin Eli Whitney (1765-1825).
Eli 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֵלִי(Hebrew)
Means "my God" in Hebrew.
Eleazar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֶלְעָזָר(Ancient Hebrew) Ἐλεάζαρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ehl-ee-AY-zər(English)
From the Hebrew name
אֶלְעָזָר ('El'azar) meaning
"my God has helped". In the
Old Testament this is the name of one of the sons of
Aaron.
Eladio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: eh-LA-dhyo
Eilert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Low German, Norwegian, Swedish
Pronounced: AY-lehrt(Swedish)
Low German and Scandinavian form of
Egilhard.
Edward
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Polish
Pronounced: EHD-wərd(English) EHD-vart(Polish)
Means
"rich guard", derived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
weard "guard". This was the name of several Anglo-Saxon kings, the last being
Saint Edward the Confessor shortly before the
Norman Conquest in the 11th century. He was known as a just ruler, and because of his popularity his name remained in use after the conquest when most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. The 13th-century Plantagenet king Henry III named his son and successor after the saint, and seven subsequent kings of England were also named Edward.
This is one of the few Old English names to be used throughout Europe (in various spellings). A famous bearer was the British composer Edward Elgar (1857-1934). It was also used by author Charlotte Brontë for the character Edward Rochester, the main love interest of the title character in her novel Jane Eyre (1847).
Eduard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, Dutch, Estonian, Romanian, Georgian, Armenian
Other Scripts: Эдуард(Russian) ედუარდ(Georgian) Էդուարդ(Armenian)
Pronounced: EH-dwart(German) EH-doo-art(Czech) EH-doo-ard(Slovak) ə-doo-ART(Catalan) EH-dwahrt(Dutch)
Form of
Edward in various languages.
Edmund
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Polish
Pronounced: EHD-mənd(English) EHT-muwnt(German) EHD-moont(Polish)
Means
"rich protection", from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
mund "protection". This was the name of two Anglo-Saxon kings of England. It was also borne by two
saints, including a 9th-century king of East Anglia who, according to tradition, was shot to death with arrows after refusing to divide his Christian kingdom with an invading pagan Danish leader. This Old English name remained in use after the
Norman Conquest (even being used by King Henry III for one of his sons), though it became less common after the 15th century.
Famous bearers of the name include the English poet Edmund Spenser (1552-1599), the German-Czech philosopher Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) and New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), the first person to climb Mount Everest.
Eder 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: EH-dhehr
Means "handsome, beautiful" in Basque.
Dominic
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHM-i-nik
From the Late Latin name
Dominicus meaning
"of the Lord". This name was traditionally given to a child born on Sunday. Several
saints have borne this name, including the 13th-century founder of the Dominican order of friars. It was in this saint's honour that the name was first used in England, starting around the 13th century. It is primarily used by Catholics.
Domard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic, Medieval French
Pronounced: DAW-MAR(Old French)
Derived from Gothic
dôms (which is cognate with Old High German
tuom) meaning "judgement" combined with Gothic
hardus (
hart in Old High German) meaning "brave, hardy".
This name was borne by an obscure 6th-century Frankish saint, who was one of the disciples of the Frankish missionary and saint Marculf (better known under the French names Marcou, Marcouf and Marcoul). He died either on the same day as Marculf did, or several days afterwards. As a result, they were buried together (along with an other disciple of Marculf's) in the same tomb in the abbey of Nanteuil, which was located in the diocese of Coutances in the Cotentin Peninsula of Normandy.
Delbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHL-bərt
Short form of
Adelbert. As an American name it was first used in the New York area by people of Dutch ancestry
[1].
Darcy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHR-see
From an English surname that was derived from Norman French d'Arcy, originally denoting one who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. This is the surname of a character, Fitzwilliam Darcy, in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).
Dalmace
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French, French (Archaic), Provençal (Archaic)
Corentin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton, French
Pronounced: ko-REHN-teen(Breton) KAW-RAHN-TEHN(French)
French form of the Breton name Kaourintin, possibly from korventenn meaning "hurricane, storm". Alternatively, it could be connected to the Brythonic root *karid meaning "love" (modern Breton karout). This was the name of a 5th-century bishop of Quimper in Brittany.
Constantine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: KAHN-stən-teen(English)
From the Latin name
Constantinus, a derivative of
Constans. Constantine the Great (272-337), full name Flavius Valerius Constantinus, was the first Roman emperor to adopt Christianity. He moved the capital of the empire from Rome to Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople (modern Istanbul).
Clement
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHM-ənt
English form of the Late Latin name
Clemens (or sometimes of its derivative
Clementius), which meant
"merciful, gentle". This was the name of 14 popes, including
Saint Clement I, the third pope, one of the Apostolic Fathers. Another saint by this name was Clement of Alexandria, a 3rd-century theologian and church father who attempted to reconcile Christian and Platonic philosophies. It has been in general as a given name in Christian Europe (in various spellings) since early times. In England it became rare after the
Protestant Reformation, though it was revived in the 19th century.
Clarence
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLAR-əns, KLEHR-əns
From the Latin title Clarensis, which belonged to members of the British royal family. The title ultimately derives from the name of the town of Clare in Suffolk. As a given name it has been in use since the 19th century.
Cildis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Latvian (Archaic)
Cielo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: SYEH-lo(Latin American Spanish) THYEH-lo(European Spanish)
Means "sky, heaven" in Spanish. In Mexico this name was popularized by a character named María del Cielo, called Cielo, on the telenovela Por tu amor (1999).
Chaim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: חַיִּים(Hebrew)
Pronounced: KHA-yeem
Derived from the Hebrew word
חַיִּים (chayyim) meaning
"life". It has been used since medieval times.
Celio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian (Rare), Spanish (Rare)
Pronounced: CHEH-lyo(Italian) THEHL-yo(European Spanish) SEHL-yo(Latin American Spanish)
Italian and Spanish form of
Caelius.
Caspian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: KAS-pee-ən(English)
Used by author C. S. Lewis for a character in his Chronicles of Narnia series, first appearing in 1950. Prince Caspian first appears in the fourth book, where he is the rightful king of Narnia driven into exile by his evil uncle Miraz. Lewis probably based the name on the Caspian Sea, which was named for the city of Qazvin, which was itself named for the ancient Cas tribe.
Casimir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: KAZ-i-meer(English) KA-ZEE-MEER(French)
English form of the Polish name
Kazimierz, derived from the Slavic element
kaziti "to destroy" combined with
mirŭ "peace, world". Four kings of Poland have borne this name, including Casimir III the Great, who greatly strengthened the Polish state in the 14th century. It was also borne
Saint Casimir, a 15th-century Polish prince and a patron saint of Poland and Lithuania. The name was imported into Western Europe via Germany, where it was borne by some royalty.
Cameron
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAM-rən
From a Scottish surname meaning
"crooked nose" from Gaelic
cam "crooked" and
sròn "nose". As a given name it is mainly used for boys. It got a little bump in popularity for girls in the second half of the 1990s, likely because of the fame of actress Cameron Diaz (1972-). In the United States, the forms
Camryn and
Kamryn are now more popular than
Cameron for girls.
Callum
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: KAL-əm
Cairo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KIE-ro
From the name of the city in Egypt, called
القاهرة (al-Qahirah) in Arabic, meaning "the victorious".
Brent
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRENT
From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".
Berthold
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: BEHRT-hawlt
Means
"bright power" from the Old German element
beraht "bright" combined with
walt "power, authority".
Ber
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Yiddish
Other Scripts: בער(Yiddish) בֶר(Hebrew)
Pronounced: BEHR
Means
"bear" in Yiddish, a vernacular form of
Dov.
Aubert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: O-BEHR
Athens
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (American)
From Greek
Athenai (plural because the city had several distinct parts), traditionally derived from
Athena, but probably assimilated from a lost name in a pre-Hellenic language.
Atallah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: عطا الله(Arabic)
Astor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AS-tər
From a German and French surname derived from Occitan astur meaning "hawk". The wealthy and influential Astor family, prominent in British and American society, originated in the Italian Alps.
Asher
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, English, Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: אָשֵׁר(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ASH-ər(English)
Means
"happy, blessed" in Hebrew. Asher in the
Old Testament is a son of
Jacob by
Leah's handmaid
Zilpah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The meaning of his name is explained in
Genesis 30:13.
Asa
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: אָסָא(Hebrew)
Pronounced: AY-sə(English)
Possibly means
"healer" in Hebrew. This name was borne by the third king of Judah, as told in the
Old Testament.
Arnaud
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AR-NO
Aristides
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized), Portuguese
Other Scripts: Ἀριστείδης(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-rees-TEE-dehs(Latin) ar-is-TIE-deez(English) u-reesh-TEE-dish(European Portuguese) u-reesh-CHEE-jeesh(Brazilian Portuguese)
From the Greek name
Ἀριστείδης (Aristeides), derived from
ἄριστος (aristos) meaning "best" and the patronymic suffix
ἴδης (ides). This name was borne by the 5th-century BC Athenian statesman Aristides the Just, who was renowned for his integrity. It was also the name of a 2nd-century
saint.
Ariel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Polish, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֲרִיאֵל(Hebrew) Ἀριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-ree-EHL(Hebrew) EHR-ee-əl(English) AR-ee-əl(English) A-RYEHL(French) a-RYEHL(Spanish) A-ryehl(Polish)
Means
"lion of God" in Hebrew, from
אֲרִי ('ari) meaning "lion" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". In the
Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare utilized it for a spirit in his play
The Tempest (1611) and Alexander Pope utilized it for a sylph in his poem
The Rape of the Lock (1712), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Disney film
The Little Mermaid (1989).
Ares
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄρης(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-REHS(Classical Greek) EHR-eez(English)
Perhaps from either Greek
ἀρή (are) meaning
"bane, ruin" or
ἄρσην (arsen) meaning
"male". The name first appears as
a-re in Mycenaean Greek writing. Ares was the bloodthirsty god of war in Greek
mythology, a son of
Zeus and
Hera.
Aramayis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Armenian, Armenian
Other Scripts: Արամայիս(Armenian)
Pronounced: ah-rah-mah-YEES(Eastern Armenian)
From Old Median *Rāmanīsah which meant "one who strives for peace" or "one who strives for joy" from Proto-Iranian *rāma- "joy, peace" and *ais-/*is- "to strive".
Anselm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English (Rare), Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AN-zelm(German) AN-selm(English)
Derived from the Old German elements
ansi "god" and
helm "helmet, protection". This name was brought to England in the late 11th century by
Saint Anselm, who was born in northern Italy. He was archbishop of Canterbury and a Doctor of the Church.
Anah
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: עֲנָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Personal remark: The name of my biblical oc Anah Ben-Amon
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Means
"answer" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this name belongs to one female character and two male characters.
Amos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: עָמוֹס(Hebrew) Ἀμώς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AY-məs(English)
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From 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.
Amis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English, Medieval French
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Medieval name, a masculine form of
Amice. It appears in the medieval French poem
Amis and Amiles, about two friends who make sacrifices for one another.
Amil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Filipino, Tausug
Other Scripts: عمل(Arabic)
Pronounced: ‘A-meel(Arabic)
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Means "labour, work, deed, action" in Arabic, from the root عمل ('amila) meaning "to work, to perform, to do".
Amias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Ambrose
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AM-broz
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From the Late Latin name
Ambrosius, which was derived from the Greek name
Ἀμβρόσιος (Ambrosios) meaning
"immortal".
Saint Ambrose was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Milan, who is considered a Doctor of the Church. Due to the saint, the name came into general use in Christian Europe, though it was never particularly common in England.
Amariah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: אֲמַרְיָהוּ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: am-ə-RIE-ə(English)
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Amance
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French (Rare)
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French feminine and masculine form of
Amantius.
Altbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French
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Derived from Old High German
alt, Old Saxon, Old Frisian
ald meaning "old" together with Old High German
beraht, Old Saxon
berht meaning "bright" from Proto-Germanic
*berhtaz.
Some forms of this name are impossible to distinguish from forms of Albert.
Adone
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: a-DO-neh
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Adelbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: A-dəl-behrt(German)
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Adaiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: עֲדָיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: ə-DAY-yə(English)
Personal remark: 'Ada-Yah
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Achard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norman [1]
Absalom
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: אַבְשָׁלוֹם(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AB-sə-ləm(English)
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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.
Abba
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Aramaic, Hebrew, Jewish
Pronounced: ah-bah(Hebrew, Jewish)
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Derived from Aramaic אבא (’abā’) meaning "father", which is ultimately derived from Proto-Semitic ʾab meaning "father".
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