cactimen's Personal Name List

Means "austere" in Arabic. This was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's uncle. It was also borne by a son of Ali, the fourth caliph.

From Italian agnello "lamb", given either as a nickname for a meek and mild person or as a personal name, which was popular because the lamb led to the slaughter was a symbol of the suffering innocence of Christ.

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.

Means "my nation is a song" or "my people sings" in Hebrew, derived from Hebrew עַם (am) "nation, people" combined with Hebrew רֹן (ron) "singing, song" as well as "joyful sounds, shout of joy".

The name is either a masculine form of Anchoretta (finally going back to the Welsh name Angharad) or used with the literal meaning "anchor".

Basque form of Andreas (see Andrew).

Scandinavian form of Andreas (see Andrew). A famous bearer was the Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström (1814-1874).

From a surname meaning "son of Andrew".

Basque form of Antonius (see Anthony).

Ancient Greek and Latin form of Andrew. It is also the form used in Modern Greek, German and Welsh.

Latvian form and Hungarian diminutive of Andrew.

From the Latin animus meaning "the mind; the rational soul in man, intellect, will, courage, spirit, feeling, passion, pride, wrath, etc., the breath, life, soul". In Jungian psychology the animus is the masculine component of a feminine personality (see: Anima 2).

From the Old Danish name Ankarl, of uncertain meaning, possibly a combination of Old Norse ǫrn "eagle" and karl "man".

Greek form of Anapa (see Anubis).

From an English surname meaning "son of Agnes".

Finnish form of Andrew.

Latinized form of Ἄνουβις (Anoubis), the Greek form of Egyptian jnpw (reconstructed as Anapa and other forms), which coincided with a word meaning "royal child, prince". However, it might alternatively be derived from the root jnp meaning "to decay". Anubis was the Egyptian god who led the dead to the underworld. He was often depicted as a man with the head of a jackal. The Greeks equated him with their god Hermes.

Means "the beginning", from Basque hasi.

From old Basque azenar(i), azenari ("fox", modern azeri).

Basque form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1).

Diminutive of András.

Originally a kenning (a type of figure of speech used in Norse poetry) composed of Old Norse ben "mortal wound" and teinn "twig, sprout".

Basque form of Vincent.

This name can be a hellenized form of Blasius (see Blaise), but it can also be a genuine Greek name in its own right. In that case, it is derived from the Greek noun βλαστός (blastos) meaning "young shoot, bud, sprout", which itself is ultimately derived from the Greek verb βλαστέω (blasteo) meaning "to sprout". Also compare the Greek noun βλάστη (blaste) meaning "growth". Finally, the name Blasios is an old name - Vlasios is the modern form. It should be noted, though, that despite being different from each other, both Blasios and Vlasios are technically spelled the same in the Greek script (namely, as Βλάσιος). This is explained by the fact that the first letter of the name (the beta) was a 'b' in ancient Greek, but it is a 'v' in modern Greek.

Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either "king, prince" or "raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.

From a Scottish surname, of Norman origin, which probably originally referred to the town of Brix in France. The surname was borne by Robert the Bruce, a Scottish hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland. It has been in use as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in the 1940s and 50s. Notable bearers include Chinese-American actor Bruce Lee (1940-1973), American musician Bruce Springsteen (1949-), and American actor Bruce Willis (1955-). It is also the real name of the comic book superheroes Batman (Bruce Wayne), created 1939, and the Hulk (Bruce Banner), created 1962.

Means "proof" in Arabic.

From the English word "calico" referring to something "having a pattern of red and contrasting areas, resembling the color of calico cloth, a kind of rough cloth, often printed with a bright pattern." From Calicut, in India, from where the cloth was originally exported, from Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട് (kōḻikkōṭ, 'Kozhikode'), from koyil 'palace' + kota 'fort', "fortified palace", with ‘y’ replaced by interchangeable ‘zh’.

A noted bearer is John Rackham (1682 – 1720), commonly known as Calico Jack, an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and in Cuba during the early 18th century, his nickname derived from the calico clothing he wore.

Spanish and Italian masculine form of Carmel.

Latinized form of Greek Κάσσανδρος (Kassandros), the masculine form of Cassandra. This was the name of a 3rd-century BC king of Macedon.

French diminutive of Charles.

From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "crow ford" in Old English.

Latinized form of the Greek name Δημήτριος (Demetrios), which was derived from the name of the Greek goddess Demeter 1. Kings of Macedon and the Seleucid kingdom have had this name. This was also the name of several early saints including Demetrius of Thessalonica, a martyr of the 4th century who is regarded as a warrior.

Russian variant of Dmitriy, as well as the Georgian form.

The name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians.

Romanian, possibly a form of Dorian or a diminutive of Teodor.

Derived from Welsh eilir "butterfly; regneration; spring".

Combination of the name Eli 2, means "My God" and Ran, means "singing" or "(he) sang". It can be also variant of Eliron. Notable bearers include:

Eliran Atar (born 1987), Israeli footballer
Eliran Danin (born 1984), Israeli footballer
Eliran Avni (born 1975), Israeli-American pianist
Eliran Guetta (born 1975), Israeli basketball player
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From the word for the green precious stone, which is the traditional birthstone of May. The emerald supposedly imparts love to the bearer. The word is ultimately from Greek σμάραγδος (smaragdos).

Germanic name, in which the second element is hramn meaning "raven". The first element is often said to be heim meaning "home" (which would thus make this name a relative of Heimeran), but it could also be amal meaning "work, labour" or ermen meaning "whole, universal". Also compare the similar-looking name Emmerich, where the first element is similarly ambiguous.

This name was borne by a saint from the 7th century AD.

Welsh form of Ambrose. Emrys Wledig (or Ambrosius Aurelianus) was a Romano-British military leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. Tales of his life were used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth to help shape the early character of Merlin, whom he called Merlinus Ambrosius in Latin.

Latinized form of the Greek Ἔρεβος (Erebos), which means "nether darkness". Erebus was the personification of the primordial darkness in Greek mythology.

Anglicized form of Ifan, a Welsh form of John.

Variant of Evandrus, the Latin form of the Greek name Εὔανδρος (Euandros) meaning "good of man", derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Roman mythology Evander was an Arcadian hero of the Trojan War who founded the city of Pallantium near the spot where Rome was later built.

Latin variant of Evander 1.

Alternate transcription of Yiddish פֿייװל (see Feivel).

Old Irish form of Fionn, as well as the usual Anglicized spelling (with the Irish hero's name Anglicized as Finn McCool). As a surname it is borne by Huckleberry Finn, a character in Mark Twain's novels.

Either from the English word fox or the surname Fox, which originally given as a nickname. The surname was borne by George Fox (1624-1691), the founder of the Quakers.

Derived from the Germanic element gal, which comes from galan "to sing." The second element is derived from Old High German mâri "famous."

Basque variant form of John.

From a Scottish surname that was derived from the given name Gregor.

Aragonese form of Ignatius.

Germanic name composed of either the element angil, from the name of the Germanic tribe of the Angles, or engil meaning "angel" combined with hram meaning "raven". This name was brought to England by the Normans, though it died out after the medieval era. These days it is usually inspired by the surname that was derived from the medieval name.

Inko is one of the Basque names of God, used in the Basque dialect of the Ainhoa ​​region of Lapurdi.

Variant of Isidore.

German and Russian form of Isidore.

From the Greek name Ἰσίδωρος (Isidoros) meaning "gift of Isis", derived from the name of the Egyptian goddess Isis combined with Greek δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". Saint Isidore of Seville was a 6th-century archbishop, historian and theologian.

Though it has never been popular in the English-speaking world among Christians, it has historically been a common name for Jews, who have used it as an Americanized form of names such as Isaac, Israel and Isaiah.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew יָרוֹן (see Yaron).

Diminutive of Jean 1.

Scots form of Jack. Among the English, this is a slang term for a Scotsman.

Of debated origin and meaning.
While some scholars consider this name a Basque form of Leander, others theorize that it might in fact be derived from Basque lander "poor; pilgrim".
As a given name, it was first recorded in 1284.

Latinized form of the Greek name Λέανδρος (Leandros), derived from λέων (leon) meaning "lion" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.

Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Leander.

Masculine variant and one of the feminine forms of Leve. As a masculine, is has been recorded since the 16th century, as a feminine name since the 17th century.

Leven coincides with the Dutch word for "life".

American actress Leven Rambin (born 1990) is a famous bearer.

Of unknown origin and meaning

Polish form of Marcellus.

Cornish form of Mark.

Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian and French form of Marinus.

Form of Mark in several languages.

Derived from the Greek adjective Μουσαῖος (Mousaios) or Μούσειος (Mouseios) meaning "of the Muse(s)", which is ultimately derived from the Greek noun Μοῦσα (Mousa) meaning "Muse" as well as "music, song".

means "sprout" in hebrew.

Nickname for someone with a good voice from Middle English nightegale "nightingale" (Old English nihtegale, ultimately from niht "night" and galan "to sing").

Short form of Giannino, Antonino and other names ending in nino.

Perhaps derived from Greek ὀδύσσομαι (odyssomai) meaning "to hate". In Greek legend Odysseus was one of the Greek heroes who fought in the Trojan War. In the Odyssey Homer relates Odysseus's misadventures on his way back to his kingdom and his wife Penelope.

Possibly means "life" or "servant" in Hebrew (or a related Semitic language). This was the name of a 9th-century BC military commander who became king of Israel. He appears in the Old Testament, where he is denounced as being wicked.

Greek form of the Egyptian wsjr (reconstructed as Asar, Usir and other forms), which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to wsr "mighty" or jrt "eye". In Egyptian mythology Osiris was the god of fertility, agriculture, and the dead and served as the judge of the underworld. In one tale he was slain by his brother Seth, but restored to life by his wife Isis in order to conceive their son Horus, who would go on to avenge his father.

Latin form of Ovid.

Possibly from the Indo-European root *peh- meaning "shepherd, protect". In Greek mythology Pan was a half-man, half-goat god associated with shepherds, flocks and pastures.

Derived from Greek προμήθεια (prometheia) meaning "foresight, forethought". In Greek myth he was the Titan who gave the knowledge of fire to mankind. For doing this he was punished by Zeus, who had him chained to a rock and caused an eagle to feast daily on his liver, which regenerated itself each night. Herakles eventually freed him.

Meaning unknown, from Old English puca. It could ultimately be of either Germanic or Celtic origin. In English legend this was the name of a mischievous spirit, also known as Robin Goodfellow. He appears in Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). It is used in the Netherlands as mainly a feminine name.

From Hebrew רַן (ran) meaning "to sing".

Derived from the Germanic element hraban or hramn "raven" combined with Gothic vulfs "wolf."

Originally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element hraban meaning "raven".

Derived from Hebrew רֹן (ron) meaning "song, joy".

Variant of Roan.

Form of Shelach used in some English versions of the Old Testament.

The meaning and origin of the first element in this Germanic name is rather uncertain, and so there are various possibilities to the name's meaning. The most likely possibility is that the first element is derived from Old High German salo "black." Other possibilities are sal "house, living room" and Gothic sêls "kind, friendly." The second element is derived from hraban or hramn "raven."

This is the name of a king in the 12th-century epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin written by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli (1172-1216). He was the father of the titular knight of the poem, namely prince Tariel of India.

Sources state that the name is of Persian origin, which is hardly surprising, given that virtually all characters in Rustaveli's poem bear names of Persian origin. It is, however, unclear from which Persian root Rustaveli derived the name from. He may have derived it from Middle Persian srūdan meaning "to sing" as well as "to recite" - the modern Persian equivalent is سرودن (sorudan). An other possible derivation might be Middle Persian srāyīdan meaning "to protect". Either way, whatever the meaning is, it seems that the name Saridan never really caught on with the Georgian people; throughout the centuries, few parents were inspired to name their son Saridan. That is in sharp contrast to other names that originated from Rustaveli's poem, such as Avtandil, Darejan and Nestan, which have long been popular and remain so today.

Derived from Gothic sinths "way, path" combined with hraban or hramn "raven."

From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English spearwa.

Means "charm, grace" in Finnish.

Means "spell, charm" in Welsh, ultimately from Latin signum "sign".

Croatian short form of Martin, Valentin and other names ending in tin.

Short form of Anthony. Famous bearers include singer Tony Bennett (1926-2023) and skateboarder Tony Hawk (1968-). It is also the real name of the comic book superhero Iron Man (Tony Stark), created 1963, and two antihero criminal characters: Tony Montana from the movie Scarface (1983) and Tony Soprano from the television series The Sopranos (1999-2007).

Modern Scandinavian form of Þórr (see Thor). It was not used as a personal name until the 18th century. It is sometimes used as a short form of names of Old Norse origin that begin with the element Tor, which is also a derivative of Þórr.

Armenian form of Theodore.

Dutch form of Tyge.

Roman cognomen (see Valentine 1). This name was borne by a 4th-century Roman emperor.

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Valens.

Form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1) in several languages.

From the Roman cognomen Valentinus, which was itself a derivative of the cognomen Valens meaning "strong, vigorous, healthy" in Latin. Saint Valentine was a 3rd-century martyr. His feast day was the same as the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, which resulted in the association between Valentine's day and love.

As an English name, it has been used occasionally since the 12th century. It is the name of a central character in Shakespeare's play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).

Ukrainian form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1).

Diminutive of Ivane.

Hungarian form of Václav.

Means "sprout, young tree" in Finnish.

English short form and Hungarian normal form of Vincent.

From 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).

Latin form of Vitale.

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.

Derived from Old High German walah "wanderer, traveller, foreigner" combined with hraban or hramn "raven."

Variant of Wayland. This name was popularized by country music singer Waylon Jennings (1937-2002), who was originally named Wayland [1].

Derived from the Old German element wolf meaning "wolf" combined with hram meaning "raven". Saint Wolfram (or Wulfram) was a 7th-century archbishop of Sens. This name was also borne by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the author of Parzival.

Alternate transcription of Russian Юлий (see Yuliy).

Meaning uncertain. Some sources say that the name means "musical" or "musician" and is ultimately derived from Hebrew zimrah meaning "melody, song (in praise of God)". If this is true, then the name is etymologically related to Zimri. Other sources say that this name is derived from Hebrew zemer meaning "mountain sheep" or "mountain goat".

In the Hebrew Bible, Zimran is the name of the first son of Abraham and his wife Keturah.

Basque variant of Cyprian.

Means "happiness" in Basque.

Latinized form of the Greek name Ζωτικός (Zotikos), derived from ζωτικός (zotikos) meaning "full of life". This was the name of several early saints.