rory's Personal Name List

From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, which were derived from a Celtic word meaning "high".

From a surname that was taken from a place name meaning "Ealdgyð's clearing" in Old English.

From a surname probably meaning "quarrelsome, deceptive" in Middle English, originally given to a quarrelsome person.

From a French surname meaning "beautiful mountain".

From an English surname that originally indicated a person who lived near or worked on a bridge.

From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "settlement by a cliff" in Old English.

Anglicized form of Irish Deasmhumhain meaning "south Munster", referring to the region of Desmond in southern Ireland, formerly a kingdom. It can also come from the related surname (an Anglicized form of Ó Deasmhumhnaigh), which indicated a person who came from that region. A famous bearer is the South African archbishop and activist Desmond Tutu (1931-2021).

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Donndubháin, itself derived from the given name Donndubán. This name is borne by the Scottish folk musician Donovan Leitch (1946-), known simply as Donovan.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Dubhghaill, itself derived from the given name Dubhghall. A famous bearer of the surname was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.

From an occupational surname meaning "door guard" in Middle English.

From an English surname that meant either "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam". A famous bearer of the surname was the American inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).

From a surname that was from a place name meaning "Ella's hill" in Old English.

From a surname that was derived from Middle English gaile "jovial". It also coincides with the English word gale meaning "storm".

From an English surname meaning "garden" in Old Norse, originally denoting one who lived near or worked in a garden.

From the English word grace, which ultimately derives from Latin gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.

This name was very popular in the English-speaking world at the end of the 19th century. Though it declined in use over the next 100 years, it staged a successful comeback at the end of the 20th century. The American sitcom Will and Grace (1998-2006) may have helped, though the name was already strongly rising when it premiered. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in 2006.

From an English surname derived from Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), who popularized the name in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The name is now associated with a muppet character from the children's television program Sesame Street.

From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "nook, retreat" from Old English healh.

From an English surname that was derived from either the Norman given name Hamo or the Old Norse given name Hámundr.

From a surname that was from a place name meaning "hare land" in Old English. In America it has sometimes been given in honour of Supreme Court justice John Marshall Harlan (1833-1911).

Means "brave man", derived from the Old German element hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy" combined with man.

From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.

Perhaps derived from Old Norse hamr "shape", and possibly originally a nickname for a person believed to be a shape changer.

From an English surname that was derived from Middle English holis "holly trees". It was originally given to a person who lived near a group of those trees.

From a Scottish surname that was derived from the town of Irvine in North Ayrshire, itself named for the River Irvine, which is derived from Brythonic elements meaning "green water". Historically this name has been relatively common among Jews, who have used it as an American-sounding form of Hebrew names beginning with I such as Isaac, Israel and Isaiah [1]. A famous bearer was the Russian-American songwriter and lyricist Irving Berlin (1888-1989), whose birth name was Israel Beilin.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Gervais.

From an English surname that meant "son of Jep".

From an occupational surname meaning "judge, officer of justice" in Old French. This name can also be given in direct reference to the English word justice.

Middle English form of Cyneburg.

From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "king's wood" in Old English. This name may have received a boost in popularity after the release of the 2007 movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, featuring the character Kingsley Shacklebolt.

From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "Cyppel's people". The surname was borne by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), a British novelist born in India who wrote The Jungle Book and other works.

From an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning "church settlement" in Old Norse. This name briefly spiked in popularity for American girls in 1982 after the character Kirby Anders Colby was introduced to the soap opera Dynasty.

From a French surname meaning "the monk" in French.

From an English surname that meant "unfortunate" in Norman French. It first became common in the 1980s due to the American sitcom Family Ties (1982-1989), which featured a character by this name.

From an English surname that was derived from the Old German given name Meginhard.

From an occupational English surname meaning "guardian of the mill" in Old English.

From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "new town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).

From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Nualláin, itself derived from the given name Nuallán. The baseball player Nolan Ryan (1947-) is a famous bearer. This name has climbed steadily in popularity since the 1970s.

From a Norman nickname derived from a diminutive of Norman French ors "bear", ultimately from Latin ursus. American actor and director Orson Welles (1915-1985) was a famous bearer of this name.

From an English surname that was derived from the Middle English word pace meaning "peace".

From an English surname that was derived from the French place name Pacy, itself derived from Gaulish given name of unknown meaning.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Piers. In America this name slowly started to grow in popularity in 1982 when actor Pierce Brosnan (1953-) began starring on the television series Remington Steele.

From an occupational English surname meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

From an English surname that was derived from the medieval given name Royse, a variant of Rose.

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

From an English surname that was derived from the Old English given name Tata, of unknown origin.

From an English surname that was itself derived from the given name Tobias.

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

From a surname meaning "wagoner" in Old English.

From a surname that was derived from a Cornish place name meaning "homestead on the hill".

From an English surname that was derived from Old English fenn meaning "marsh, fen".

From a surname that was derived from various English place names: towns named Willey or the River Wylye.