walterkelly724's Personal Name List
Abel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Georgian, Armenian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: აბელ(Georgian) Աբել(Armenian) הֶבֶל(Ancient Hebrew) Ἄβελ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AY-bəl(English) A-BEHL(French) a-BEHL(Spanish, European Portuguese) a-BEW(Brazilian Portuguese) A-bəl(Dutch)
Personal remark: breath
From 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.
Adelaide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: A-də-layd(English) a-deh-LIE-deh(Italian) a-di-LIE-di(European Portuguese) a-di-LIED(European Portuguese) a-deh-LIE-dee(Brazilian Portuguese)
Personal remark: Adelayde-kind
Means
"nobleness, nobility", from the French form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis, which was composed of
adal "noble" and the suffix
heit "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by
Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great.
In Britain the parallel form Alice, derived via Old French, has historically been more common than Adelaide, though this form did gain some currency in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.
Alexandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Catalan, Russian, Ukrainian, Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Αλεξάνδρα(Greek) Александра(Russian, Ukrainian) Ἀλεξάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: al-ig-ZAN-drə(English) a-leh-KSAN-dra(German, Romanian) a-lehk-SAHN-dra(Dutch) A-LUG-ZAHN-DRA(French) a-leh-KSAN-dhra(Greek) u-li-SHUN-dru(European Portuguese) a-leh-SHUN-dru(Brazilian Portuguese) A-lehk-san-dra(Czech, Slovak) AW-lehk-sawn-draw(Hungarian) A-LEH-KSAN-DRA(Classical Greek)
Personal remark: to defend, help
Feminine form of
Alexander. In Greek
mythology this was a Mycenaean epithet of the goddess
Hera, and an alternate name of
Cassandra. It was borne by several early Christian
saints, and also by the wife of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia. She was from Germany and had the birth name
Alix, but was renamed
Александра (Aleksandra) upon joining the Russian Church.
Alice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Czech, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch
Pronounced: AL-is(English) A-LEES(French) u-LEE-si(European Portuguese) a-LEE-see(Brazilian Portuguese) a-LEE-cheh(Italian) a-LEES(German) A-li-tseh(Czech)
From the Old French name
Aalis, a short form of
Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis (see
Adelaide). This name became popular in France and England in the 12th century. It was among the most common names in England until the 16th century, when it began to decline. It was revived in the 19th century.
This name was borne by the heroine of Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871).
Alix
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-LEEKS
Medieval French variant of
Alice, also sometimes used as a masculine name. This is the name of the hero (a young Gaulish man) of a French comic book series, which debuted in 1948.
Aliyah 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: עֲלִיָּה(Hebrew)
Personal remark: to ascend
Alya 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Turkish
Other Scripts: علياء(Arabic)
Pronounced: ‘al-YA(Arabic)
Personal remark: sky, heaven, loftiness
Means "sky, heaven, loftiness" in Arabic.
Amalthea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀμάλθεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: am-əl-THEE-ə(English)
Personal remark: to soften, to soothe
From the Greek
Ἀμάλθεια (Amaltheia), derived from
μαλθάσσω (malthasso) meaning
"to soften, to soothe". In Greek
myth she was a nymph (in some sources a goat) who nursed the infant
Zeus.
Anastasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, English, Spanish, Italian, Georgian, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Αναστασία(Greek) Анастасия(Russian) Анастасія(Ukrainian, Belarusian) ანასტასია(Georgian) Ἀναστασία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-na-sta-SEE-a(Greek) u-nu-stu-SYEE-yə(Russian) u-nu-stu-SYEE-yu(Ukrainian) a-na-sta-SYEE-ya(Belarusian) an-ə-STAY-zhə(English) a-na-STA-sya(Spanish) a-na-STA-zya(Italian) A-NA-STA-SEE-A(Classical Greek)
Personal remark: ANASTASIYA
Feminine form of
Anastasius. This was the name of a 4th-century Dalmatian
saint who was martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Due to her, the name has been common in Eastern Orthodox Christianity (in various spellings). As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the youngest daughter of the last Russian tsar Nicholas II, who was rumoured to have escaped the execution of her family in 1918.
Anastazja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: a-na-STA-zya
Andreas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Greek, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Welsh, Ancient Greek, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Ανδρέας(Greek) Ἀνδρέας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: an-DREH-as(German, Swedish) ahn-DREH-ahs(Dutch) AN-DREH-AS(Classical Greek)
Personal remark: man
Ancient Greek and Latin form of
Andrew. It is also the form used in Modern Greek, German and Welsh.
Andrzej
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: AN-jay
Anthony
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AN-thə-nee(American English) AN-tə-nee(British English)
Personal remark: flower
English form of the Roman family name
Antonius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. The most notable member of the Roman family was the general Marcus Antonius (called Mark Antony in English), who for a period in the 1st century BC ruled the Roman Empire jointly with Augustus. When their relationship turned sour, he and his mistress Cleopatra were attacked and forced to commit suicide, as related in Shakespeare's tragedy
Antony and Cleopatra (1606).
The name became regularly used in the Christian world due to the fame of Saint Anthony the Great, a 4th-century Egyptian hermit who founded Christian monasticism. Its popularity was reinforced in the Middle Ages by the 13th-century Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of Portugal. It has been commonly (but incorrectly) associated with Greek ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower", which resulted in the addition of the h to this spelling in the 17th century.
Aurelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Polish
Pronounced: ow-REH-lee-a(Latin) ow-REH-lya(Italian, Spanish, Polish)
Personal remark: golden, gilded
Aurélie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: O-REH-LEE
Aurelius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ow-REH-lee-oos(Latin) aw-REEL-ee-əs(English)
Personal remark: golden, gilded
Roman family name that was derived from Latin
aureus meaning
"golden, gilded". Marcus Aurelius was a 2nd-century Roman emperor and philosophical writer. This was also the name of several early
saints.
Benjamin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Biblical
Other Scripts: בִּנְיָמִין(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: BEHN-jə-min(English) BEHN-ZHA-MEHN(French) BEHN-ya-meen(German) BEHN-ya-min(Dutch)
Personal remark: son of the south
From the Hebrew name
בִּנְיָמִין (Binyamin) meaning
"son of the south" or
"son of the right hand", from the roots
בֵּן (ben) meaning "son" and
יָמִין (yamin) meaning "right hand, south". Benjamin in the
Old Testament was the twelfth and youngest son of
Jacob and the founder of one of the southern tribes of the Hebrews. He was originally named
בֶּן־אוֹנִי (Ben-'oni) meaning "son of my sorrow" by his mother
Rachel, who died shortly after childbirth, but it was later changed by his father (see
Genesis 35:18).
As an English name, Benjamin came into general use after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), an American statesman, inventor, scientist and philosopher.
Bruce
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: BROOS
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.
Bruno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Croatian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Latvian, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: BROO-no(German, Italian, Spanish, Czech) BROO-noo(Portuguese) BRUY-NO(French) BROO-naw(Polish, Slovak)
Personal remark: brown
Derived from the Old German element
brunna meaning
"armour, protection" (Proto-Germanic *
brunjǭ) or
brun meaning
"brown" (Proto-Germanic *
brūnaz).
Saint Bruno of Cologne was a German monk of the 11th century who founded the Carthusian Order. The surname has belonged to Giordano Bruno, a philosopher burned at the stake by the Inquisition. A modern bearer is the American singer Bruno Mars (1985-), born Peter Gene Hernandez.
Bryce
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRIES
Personal remark: speckled
Bud
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BUD
Personal remark: friend
Caroline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: KA-RAW-LEEN(French) KAR-ə-lien(English) KAR-ə-lin(English) ka-ro-LEE-nə(German)
Personal remark: warrior
Carsten
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Low German, Danish
Pronounced: KAR-stən(Low German) KAS-dən(Danish)
Personal remark: a Christian
Cassandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κασσάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-SAN-drə(English) kə-SAHN-drə(English)
Personal remark: shining upon man
From the Greek name
Κασσάνδρα (Kassandra), possibly derived from
κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning "to excel, to shine" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek
myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of
Priam and
Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by
Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.
In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.
Catherine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KA-TU-REEN(French) KA-TREEN(French) KATH-ə-rin(English) KATH-rin(English)
Personal remark: pure
French form of
Katherine, and also a common English variant.
Catriona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Scottish
Pronounced: kə-TREE-nə(English)
Personal remark: each of the two
Cecilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Romanian, Finnish
Pronounced: seh-SEE-lee-ə(English) seh-SEEL-yə(English) cheh-CHEE-lya(Italian) theh-THEE-lya(European Spanish) seh-SEE-lya(Latin American Spanish) seh-SEEL-yah(Danish, Norwegian)
Personal remark: blind
Latinate feminine form of the Roman family name
Caecilius, which was derived from Latin
caecus meaning
"blind".
Saint Cecilia was a semi-legendary 2nd or 3rd-century martyr who was sentenced to die because she refused to worship the Roman gods. After attempts to suffocate her failed, she was beheaded. She was later regarded as the patron saint of music and musicians.
Due to the popularity of the saint, the name became common in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The Normans brought it to England, where it was commonly spelled Cecily — the Latinate form Cecilia came into use in the 18th century.
Cezar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Personal remark: hairy, TSE-zahr
Romanian form of
Caesar, as well as a Brazilian Portuguese variant of
César.
Channing
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: CHAN-ing
From an English surname of uncertain origin.
Chesed
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: חֶסֶד(Hebrew)
Personal remark: mercy
Means "kindness, goodness" in Hebrew.
Christopher
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KRIS-tə-fər
Personal remark: bearing Christ
From the Late Greek name
Χριστόφορος (Christophoros) meaning
"bearing Christ", derived from
Χριστός (Christos) combined with
φέρω (phero) meaning "to bear, to carry". Early Christians used it as a metaphorical name, expressing that they carried Christ in their hearts. In the Middle Ages, literal interpretations of the name's etymology led to legends about a
Saint Christopher who carried the young
Jesus across a river. He has come to be regarded as the patron saint of travellers.
As an English given name, Christopher has been in general use since the 15th century. It became very popular in the second half of the 20th century, reaching the top of the charts for England and Wales in the 1980s, and nearing it in the United States.
In Denmark this name was borne by three kings (their names are usually spelled Christoffer), including the 15th-century Christopher of Bavaria who also ruled Norway and Sweden. Other famous bearers include Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), English playwright Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), English architect Christopher Wren (1632-1723) and the fictional character Christopher Robin from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books.
Connor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAHN-ər(English)
Personal remark: wolf lover
Variant of
Conor, based on the usual spelling of the surname that is derived from the name. This is currently the most common way of spelling it in the English-speaking world, apart from Ireland.
Constantine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: KAHN-stən-teen(English)
Personal remark: constant, steadfast
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).
Cornelius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, English, Dutch, German, Biblical
Pronounced: kor-NEH-lee-oos(Latin) kawr-NEE-lee-əs(English) kawr-NEH-lee-uys(Dutch) kawr-NEH-lee-uws(German)
Personal remark: horn
Roman family name that possibly derives from the Latin element
cornu meaning
"horn". In Acts in the
New Testament Cornelius is a centurion who is directed by an angel to seek
Peter. After speaking with Peter he converts to Christianity, and he is traditionally deemed the first gentile convert. The name was also borne by a few early
saints, including a 3rd-century pope. In England it came into use in the 16th century, partly due to Dutch influence.
Cosmo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, English
Pronounced: KAWZ-mo(Italian) KAHZ-mo(English)
Personal remark: order, decency
Italian variant of
Cosimo. It was introduced to Britain in the 18th century by the second Scottish Duke of Gordon, who named his son and successor after his friend Cosimo III de' Medici. On the American sitcom
Seinfeld (1989-1998) this was the seldom-used first name of Jerry's neighbour Kramer.
Cruz
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: KROOTH(European Spanish) KROOS(Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese) KROOSH(European Portuguese)
Personal remark: cross
Means "cross" in Spanish or Portuguese, referring to the cross of the crucifixion.
Damian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Polish, Romanian, Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: DAY-mee-ən(English) DA-myan(Polish)
Personal remark: to tame
From the Greek name
Δαμιανός (Damianos), which was derived from Greek
δαμάζω (damazo) meaning
"to tame".
Saint Damian was martyred with his twin brother
Cosmas in Syria early in the 4th century. They are the patron saints of physicians. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in Christian Europe. Another saint by this name was Peter Damian, an 11th-century cardinal and theologian from Italy.
Declan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: DEHK-lən(English)
Personal remark: Saint Declan was a 5th-century missionary to Ireland.
Anglicized form of Irish
Deaglán, Old Irish
Declán, which is of unknown meaning.
Saint Declan was a 5th-century missionary to the Déisi peoples of Ireland and the founder of the monastery at Ardmore.
In America, this name received boosts in popularity from main characters in the movies The Jackal (1997) and Leap Year (2010).
Dmitriy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Дмитрий(Russian)
Pronounced: DMEE-tree
Personal remark: earth mother
Russian form of
Demetrius. This name was borne by several medieval princes of Moscow and Vladimir. Another famous bearer was Dmitriy Mendeleyev (or Mendeleev; 1834-1907), the Russian chemist who devised the periodic table.
Éabha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: EH-wə, EH-və
Personal remark: to breathe
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)
Personal remark: fruitful
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.
Evander 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὔανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ee-VAN-dər(English) ə-VAN-dər(English)
Personal remark: good man
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.
Ezekiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: יְחֶזְקֵאל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: i-ZEE-kee-əl(English)
From the Hebrew name
יְחֶזְקֵאל (Yechezqel) meaning
"God will strengthen", from the roots
חָזַק (chazaq) meaning "to strengthen" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Ezekiel is a major prophet of the
Old Testament, the author of the Book of Ezekiel. He lived in Jerusalem until the Babylonian conquest and captivity of Israel, at which time he was taken to Babylon. The Book of Ezekiel describes his vivid symbolic visions that predict the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. As an English given name,
Ezekiel has been used since the
Protestant Reformation.
Finley
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FIN-lee
Personal remark: white warrior
Variant of
Finlay. This is by far the preferred spelling in the United States, where it has lately been more common as a feminine name.
Finn 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1], Irish, English, Dutch, German
Pronounced: FIN(English)
Personal remark: fair
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.
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.
Franciszka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: fran-CHEE-shka
Polish feminine form of
Franciscus (see
Francis).
Gabriel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: გაბრიელ(Georgian) גַּבְרִיאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Γαβριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: GA-BREE-YEHL(French) ga-BRYEHL(Spanish) ga-bree-EHL(European Portuguese, Romanian) ga-bree-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) GA-bree-ehl(German, Slovak, Latin) GAH-bri-ehl(Swedish) GAHB-ree-ehl(Finnish) gə-bree-EHL(Catalan) GAY-bree-əl(English) GAB-ryehl(Polish) GA-bri-yehl(Czech)
Personal remark: strong man of god
From the Hebrew name
גַבְרִיאֵל (Gavri'el) meaning
"God is my strong man", derived from
גֶּבֶר (gever) meaning "strong man, hero" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Gabriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition, often appearing as a messenger of God. In the
Old Testament he is sent to interpret the visions of the prophet
Daniel, while in the
New Testament he serves as the announcer of the births of
John to
Zechariah and
Jesus to
Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the Quran to
Muhammad.
This name has been used occasionally in England since the 12th century. It was not common in the English-speaking world until the end of the 20th century.
Georgiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Romanian
Pronounced: jawr-JAY-nə(English) jawr-jee-AN-ə(English)
Personal remark: earth work
Feminine form of
George. This form of the name has been in use in the English-speaking world since the 18th century.
Georgiy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Георгий(Russian)
Pronounced: gyi-OR-gyee
Personal remark: earthworker, farmer
Gerard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Catalan, Polish
Pronounced: ji-RAHRD(American English) JEHR-əd(British English) GHEH-rahrt(Dutch) zhə-RART(Catalan) GEH-rart(Polish)
Derived from the Old German element
ger meaning "spear" combined with
hart meaning "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This name was borne by
saints from Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Italy. The
Normans introduced it to Britain. It was initially much more common there than the similar name
Gerald [1], with which it was often confused, but it is now less common.
Giorgio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: JOR-jo
Hanan 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: חָנָן(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: HAY-nən(English)
Personal remark: gracious
Means
"gracious" in Hebrew. This is the name of several minor characters in the
Old Testament.
Hanan 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: حنان(Arabic)
Pronounced: ha-NAN
Personal remark: mercy, compassion
Means "mercy, compassion" in Arabic.
Hunter
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HUN-tər
From an English occupational surname for a hunter, derived from Old English hunta. A famous bearer was the eccentric American journalist Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005).
Isaak
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, Russian (Rare), German (Rare), Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Ισαάκ(Greek) Исаак(Russian) Ἰσαάκ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: i-su-AK(Russian)
Personal remark: he laughs
Greek, Russian and German form of
Isaac.
Jasmine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAZ-min(English) ZHAS-MEEN(French)
Personal remark: climbing plant with fragrant flowers which is used for making perfumes
From the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian
یاسمین (yasamin), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans
[1]. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie
Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.
Javier
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: kha-BYEHR
Personal remark: the new house
Jaya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Marathi
Other Scripts: जया, जय(Sanskrit) ஜெயா, ஜெய(Tamil) జయ(Telugu) जया(Hindi, Marathi)
Personal remark: victory
Derived from Sanskrit
जय (jaya) meaning
"victory". This is a transcription of both the feminine form
जया (an epithet of the Hindu goddess
Durga) and the masculine form
जय (borne by several characters in Hindu texts). As a modern personal name, this transcription is both feminine and masculine in southern India, but typically only feminine in the north.
Jethro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: יִתְרוֹ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JETH-ro(English)
Personal remark: abundance
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.
Job
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical French, Dutch
Other Scripts: אִיּוֹב(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JOB(English) ZHAWB(French) YAWP(Dutch)
Personal remark: persecuted, hated
From the Hebrew name
אִיּוֹב ('Iyyov), which means
"persecuted, hated". In the Book of Job in the
Old Testament he is a righteous man who is tested by God, enduring many tragedies and hardships while struggling to remain faithful.
Jonah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Other Scripts: יוֹנָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JO-nə(English)
Personal remark: dove
From the Hebrew name
יוֹנָה (Yonah) meaning
"dove". This was the name of a prophet swallowed by a fish, as told in the
Old Testament Book of Jonah. Jonah was commanded by God to preach in Nineveh, but instead fled by boat. After being caught in a storm, the other sailors threw Jonah overboard, at which point he was swallowed. He emerged from the fish alive and repentant three days later.
Jonah's story was popular in the Middle Ages, and the Hellenized form Jonas was occasionally used in England. The form Jonah did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation.
Joseph
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Biblical
Other Scripts: יוֹסֵף(Ancient Hebrew) ജോസഫ്(Malayalam)
Pronounced: JO-səf(English) ZHO-ZEHF(French) YO-zehf(German)
Personal remark: he will add
From
Ioseph, the Latin form of Greek
Ἰωσήφ (Ioseph), which was from the Hebrew name
יוֹסֵף (Yosef) meaning
"he will add", from the root
יָסַף (yasaf). In the
Old Testament Joseph is the eleventh son of
Jacob and the first with his wife
Rachel. Because he was the favourite of his father, his older brothers sent him to Egypt and told their father that he had died. In Egypt, Joseph became an advisor to the pharaoh, and was eventually reconciled with his brothers when they came to Egypt during a famine. This name also occurs in the
New Testament, belonging to
Saint Joseph the husband of
Mary, and to Joseph of Arimathea.
In the Middle Ages, Joseph was a common Jewish name, being less frequent among Christians. In the late Middle Ages Saint Joseph became more highly revered, and the name became popular in Spain and Italy. In England it became common after the Protestant Reformation. In the United States it has stayed within the top 25 names for boys since 1880, making it one of the most enduringly popular names of this era.
This name was borne by rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Portugal. Other notable bearers include Austrian composer Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), the founder of Mormonism Joseph Smith (1805-1844), Polish-British author Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin (1878-1953).
Jude 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JOOD(English)
Personal remark: praised
Variant of
Judas. It is used in many English versions of the
New Testament to denote the second apostle named Judas, in order to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. He was supposedly the author of the Epistle of Jude. In the English-speaking world,
Jude has occasionally been used as a given name since the time of the
Protestant Reformation.
Kalina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian, Polish
Other Scripts: Калина(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: ka-LEE-na(Polish)
Personal remark: rowan tree
Means "viburnum tree" in Bulgarian, Macedonian and Polish.
Kasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: KA-sha
Personal remark: pure
Kathleen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: kath-LEEN(English)
Personal remark: each of the two
Keaton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KEE-tən
Personal remark: shed town
From an English surname that was derived from a few different place names (see the surname
Keaton).
Keegan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEE-gən
Personal remark: fire
From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Mac Aodhagáin, which was derived from the given name
Aodhagán, a double
diminutive of
Aodh.
Keelin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: KEE-lin(English)
Personal remark: slender and fair
Keely
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEE-lee
Personal remark: slender
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Caolaidhe, itself derived from the given name Caoladhe, from Irish caol "slender".
Keinan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: קֵינָן(Ancient Hebrew)
Personal remark: possession KAY-nen
Kelila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: כְּלִילָה(Hebrew)
Personal remark: crown of laurel ke-LY-la
From Hebrew
כְּלִיל (kelil) meaning
"crown, wreath".
Kelly
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: KEHL-ee(English)
Personal remark: wood; holly
Anglicized form of the Irish given name
Ceallach or the surname derived from it
Ó Ceallaigh. As a surname, it has been borne by actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).
As a given name it was mostly masculine before 1940, but it rose in popularity as a name for girls during the 40s and 50s, probably due both to Grace Kelly (who married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956) and a female character on the 1957 television series Bachelor Father [1]. By the end of the 1970s it was on the decline.
Kendall
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHN-dəl
Personal remark: valley of the River Kent
From an English surname that comes from the name of the city of Kendale in northwestern England meaning "valley on the river Kent". Originally mostly masculine, the name received a boost in popularity for girls in 1993 when the devious character Kendall Hart began appearing on the American soap opera All My Children.
Kendrick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHN-drik
Personal remark: royal power
From a surname that has several different origins. It could be from the Old English given names
Cyneric "royal power" or
Cenric "bold power", or from the Welsh name
Cynwrig "chief hero". It can also be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname
Mac Eanraig meaning "son of
Henry".
As an American given name, it got a boost in popularity in 2012 after the rapper Kendrick Lamar (1987-) released his debut album.
Kennedy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: KEHN-ə-dee(English)
Personal remark: armoured head
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Cinnéidigh, itself derived from the given name
Cennétig. The name has sometimes been given in honour of assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963). It was popularized as a name for girls by Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (1972-), known simply as Kennedy, the host of the television program
Alternative Nation on MTV from 1992 to 1997.
Kingsley
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KINGZ-lee
Personal remark: king's wood
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.
Kipling
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KIP-ling
Personal remark: Cybbel's cottage
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.
Kira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Кира(Russian) Кіра(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: KYEE-rə(Russian)
Personal remark: far sighted or young
Russian feminine form of
Cyrus.
Kolya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Коля(Russian)
Pronounced: KO-lyə
Personal remark: victory of the people
Konrad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Slovene
Pronounced: KAWN-rat(German, Polish)
German, Scandinavian, Polish and Slovene form of
Conrad.
Konstantyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish (Rare)
Pronounced: kawn-STAN-tin
Personal remark: constant, steadfast
Ksenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Ксения(Russian) Ксенія(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: KSEH-nya(Polish) KSYEH-nyi-yə(Russian)
Personal remark: hospitality
Polish form of
Xenia, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian
Ксения or Ukrainian/Belarusian
Ксенія (see
Kseniya).
Kseniya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Ксения(Russian) Ксенія(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: KSYEH-nyi-yə(Russian) KSYEH-nyee-ya(Belarusian)
Personal remark: hospitality
Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of
Xenia.
Kuzma
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Кузьма(Russian, Ukrainian)
Pronounced: kuwz-MA(Russian)
Personal remark: order, decency
Russian and Ukrainian form of
Cosmas.
Lalita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Thai
Other Scripts: ललिता(Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi) ลลิตา(Thai)
Pronounced: la-lee-TA(Thai)
Personal remark: playful, charming, desirable
Means
"playful, charming, desirable" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of one of the playmates of the young
Krishna. It is also another name of the goddess
Parvati.
Lavinia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Romanian, Italian
Pronounced: la-WEE-nee-a(Latin) lə-VIN-ee-ə(English) la-VEE-nya(Italian)
Meaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of
Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.
Lena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Polish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, English, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Georgian, Armenian
Other Scripts: Лена(Russian, Ukrainian) Λένα(Greek) ლენა(Georgian) Լենա(Armenian)
Pronounced: LEH-na(Swedish, German, Polish, Italian) LYEH-nə(Russian) LEE-nə(English)
Léonce
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LEH-AWNS
French form of
Leontios, also used as a feminine name.
Leroy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEE-roi
Personal remark: the king
From the French nickname
le roi meaning
"the king". It has been common as an English given name since the 19th century. Since 1920 in the United States it has been mainly used by African Americans
[1].
Leticia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: leh-TEE-thya(European Spanish) leh-TEE-sya(Latin American Spanish)
Personal remark: joy, happiness
Letizia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: leh-TEET-tsya
Italian form of
Letitia. It was borne by Napoleon Bonaparte's mother.
Letty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHT-ee
Personal remark: joy, happiness
Lila 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: लीला(Hindi) లీలా(Telugu) ಲೀಲಾ(Kannada) லீலா(Tamil) ലീലാ(Malayalam)
Personal remark: play, amusement
Means "play, amusement" in Sanskrit.
Lina 3
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: लीना(Hindi)
Personal remark: absorbed, united
Means "absorbed, united" in Sanskrit.
Lionel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, English, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: LYAW-NEHL(French) LIE-ə-nəl(English) LIE-nəl(English)
Personal remark: Lion
French
diminutive of
Léon. It appears in Arthurian legend in the 13th-century
Lancelot-Grail Cycle, belonging to a knight who was the brother of Sir
Bors. A notable modern bearer is the Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi (1987-).
Lorcán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: LAWR-kan
Means
"little fierce one", derived from Old Irish
lorcc "fierce" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Saint Lorcán was a 12th-century archbishop of Dublin.
Lorelei
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: LAWR-ə-lie(English)
Personal remark: luring rock
From German
Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German
ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.
In the English-speaking world this name has been occasionally given since the early 20th century. It started rising in America after the variant Lorelai was used for the main character (and her daughter, nicknamed Rory) on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007).
Louise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, German
Pronounced: LWEEZ(French) loo-EEZ(English) loo-EE-sə(Danish) loo-EE-zə(German)
French feminine form of
Louis.
Lucienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LUY-SYEHN
Personal remark: light
Lucius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Biblical, English
Pronounced: LOO-kee-oos(Latin) LOO-shəs(English) LOO-si-əs(English)
Personal remark: light
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.
Lurdes
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese
Personal remark: Virgin Mary
Maciej
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: MA-chay
Malaika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swahili
Personal remark: angels
Means
"angel" in Swahili, derived from Arabic
ملك (malak).
Marcelo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: mar-THEH-lo(European Spanish) mar-SEH-lo(Latin American Spanish) mur-SEH-loo(European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese)
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
Personal remark: song
From the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Mercy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-see
Personal remark: mercy, wages, reward, go
From the English word
mercy, ultimately from Latin
merces "wages, reward", a derivative of
merx "goods, wares". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Michał
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: MEE-khow
Personal remark: who is like God?
Mikołaj
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: mee-KAW-wie
Mira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada
Other Scripts: मीरा(Hindi, Marathi) മീര(Malayalam) மீரா(Tamil) ಮೀರಾ(Kannada)
Personal remark: sea, ocean
Means
"sea, ocean" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a 16th-century Indian princess who devoted her life to the god
Krishna.
Murphy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-fee
Personal remark: sea warrior
From a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Murchadha, itself derived from the given name
Murchadh. As a given name, it has been borne by female characters on the American television series
Murphy Brown (1988-1998) and the movie
Interstellar (2014).
Naila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: نائلة(Arabic)
Pronounced: NA-ee-lah
Personal remark: attainer
Feminine form of
Nail. This was the name of the wife of
Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. She tried in vain to prevent a mob from murdering her husband, and had several fingers cut off in the process.
Narcyz
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: NAR-tsis
Personal remark: sleep, numbness
Polish form of
Narcissus. This is also the Polish word for the narcissus flower.
Nastya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Настя(Russian)
Pronounced: NAS-tyə
Personal remark: Diminutive of ANASTASIYA
Natasza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: na-TA-sha
Personal remark: Christmas Day
Nathanael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: נְתַנְאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Ναθαναήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: nə-THAN-yəl(English)
Personal remark: God has given
Neasa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: NYA-sə(Irish)
Personal remark: Meaning unknown
From Old Irish
Ness, meaning uncertain. In Irish legend she was the mother of
Conchobar. She installed her son as king of Ulster by convincing
Fergus mac Róich (her husband and Conchobar's stepfather) to give up his throne to the boy for a year and then helping him rule so astutely that the Ulstermen demanded that he remain as king. According to some versions of the legend she was originally named
Assa "gentle", but was renamed
Ní-assa "not gentle" after she sought to avenge the murders of her foster fathers.
Nicholas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NIK-ə-ləs, NIK-ləs
Personal remark: victory of the people
From the Greek name
Νικόλαος (Nikolaos) meaning
"victory of the people", derived from Greek
νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and
λαός (laos) meaning "people".
Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop from Anatolia who, according to legend, saved the daughters of a poor man from lives of prostitution. He is the patron saint of children, sailors and merchants, as well as Greece and Russia. He formed the basis for the figure known as Santa Claus (created in the 19th century from Dutch
Sinterklaas), the bringer of Christmas presents.
Due to the renown of the saint, this name has been widely used in the Christian world. It has been common in England since the 12th century, though it became a bit less popular after the Protestant Reformation. The name has been borne by five popes and two tsars of Russia.
Nikolai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Николай(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: nyi-ku-LIE(Russian)
Personal remark: victory of the people
Oleg
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Олег(Russian) ოლეგ(Georgian)
Pronounced: u-LYEHK(Russian)
Personal remark: holy, blessed
Russian form of the Old Norse name
Helgi (see
Helge). The Varangians brought this name from Scandinavia to Eastern Europe: it was borne by a 9th-century Varangian ruler who conquered Kyiv and made it the capital of the state of Kievan Rus.
Oliwia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: aw-LEE-vya
Parker
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHR-kər
Personal remark: keeper of the park
From an English occupational surname that meant "keeper of the park".
Patrick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, French, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Pronounced: PAT-rik(English) PA-TREEK(French) PA-trik(German)
Personal remark: PATRYK - polish
From the Latin name
Patricius, which meant
"nobleman". This name was adopted in the 5th-century by
Saint Patrick, whose birth name was Sucat. He was a Romanized Briton who was captured and enslaved in his youth by Irish raiders. After six years of servitude he escaped home, but he eventually became a bishop and went back to Ireland as a missionary. He is traditionally credited with Christianizing the island, and is regarded as Ireland's patron saint. He is called
Pádraig in Irish.
In England and elsewhere in Europe during the Middle Ages this name was used in honour of the saint. However, it was not generally given in Ireland before the 17th century because it was considered too sacred for everyday use. It has since become very common there.
Peter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovene, Slovak, Biblical
Pronounced: PEE-tər(English) PEH-tu(German) PEH-tər(Dutch, Danish, Slovene) PEH-tehr(Slovak)
Derived from Greek
Πέτρος (Petros) meaning
"stone". This is a translation used in most versions of the
New Testament of the name
Cephas, meaning "stone" in Aramaic, which was given to the apostle
Simon by
Jesus (compare
Matthew 16:18 and
John 1:42). Simon Peter was the most prominent of the apostles during Jesus' ministry and is often considered the first pope.
Due to the renown of the apostle, this name became common throughout the Christian world (in various spellings). In England the Normans introduced it in the Old French form Piers, which was gradually replaced by the spelling Peter starting in the 15th century [1].
Besides the apostle, other saints by this name include the 11th-century reformer Saint Peter Damian and the 13th-century preacher Saint Peter Martyr. It was also borne by rulers of Aragon, Portugal, and Russia, including the Russian tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725), who defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War. Famous fictional bearers include Peter Rabbit from Beatrix Potter's children's books, Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up in J. M. Barrie's 1904 play, and Peter Parker, the real name of the comic book superhero Spider-Man.
Poppy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHP-ee
Personal remark: red flower
From the word for the red flower, derived from Old English popæg.
Quinlan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KWIN-lən
Personal remark: slender
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Caoindealbháin, itself from the given name
Caoindealbhán (Old Irish
Caíndelbán).
Quinn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KWIN
Personal remark: chief
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Cuinn, itself derived from the given name
Conn. In the United States it was more common as a name for boys until 2010, the year after the female character Quinn Fabray began appearing on the television series
Glee.
Rafe
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAYF
Personal remark: counsel, wolf
Variant of
Ralph. This form became common during the 17th century, reflecting the usual pronunciation.
Raoul
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Italian
Pronounced: RA-OOL(French)
French form of
Radulf (see
Ralph).
Reese
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Personal remark: enthusiasm
Anglicized form of
Rhys. It is also used as a feminine name, popularized by the American actress Reese Witherspoon (1976-).
Rhea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Ῥέα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: REH-A(Classical Greek) REE-ə(English) REH-a(Latin)
Personal remark: to flow
Riku 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: REE-koo
Personal remark: brave power
Sawyer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SOI-ər, SAW-yər
Personal remark: sawer of wood
From an English surname meaning
"sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).
Very rare as an American given name before 1980, it increased in popularity in the 1980s and 90s. It got a boost in 2004 after the debut of the television series Lost, which featured a character by this name.
Sebastian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Romanian, Czech
Pronounced: zeh-BAS-tee-an(German) sə-BAS-chən(American English) sə-BAS-tee-ən(British English) seh-BAS-dyan(Danish) seh-BAS-tyan(Polish) SEH-bahs-tee-ahn(Finnish) seh-bas-tee-AN(Romanian) SEH-bas-ti-yan(Czech)
Personal remark: venerable
From the Latin name
Sebastianus, which meant
"from Sebaste". Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, its name deriving from Greek
σεβαστός (sebastos) meaning "venerable" (a translation of Latin
Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors). According to Christian tradition,
Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Roman soldier martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian. After he was discovered to be a Christian, he was tied to a stake and shot with arrows. This however did not kill him. Saint Irene of Rome healed him and he returned to personally admonish Diocletian, whereupon the emperor had him beaten to death.
Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in medieval Europe, especially in Spain and France. It was also borne by a 16th-century king of Portugal who died in a crusade against Morocco.
Simeon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Bulgarian, Serbian
Other Scripts: שִׁמְעוֹן(Ancient Hebrew) Симеон(Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: SIM-ee-ən(English)
Personal remark: he has heard
From
Συμεών (Symeon), the
Old Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name
Shim'on (see
Simon 1). In the Old Testament this is the name of the second son of
Jacob and
Leah and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the
New Testament the Greek rendering
Σίμων (Simon) is more common, though
Συμεών occurs belonging to a man who blessed the newborn
Jesus. He is recognized as a
saint in most Christian traditions.
This name was also borne by a powerful 10th-century ruler of Bulgaria who expanded the empire to its greatest extent.
Skyler
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKIE-lər
Personal remark: scholar
Variant of
Schuyler, based on the pronunciation of the surname but respelled as if it was a blend of the English word
sky with names such as
Tyler. It was rare before 1980, and first gained popularity as a name for boys. It is now more common for girls, though it is more evenly unisex than the mostly feminine variant
Skylar.
Sofiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: София(Russian, Bulgarian) Софія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: su-FYEE-yə(Russian)
Personal remark: wisdom
Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of
Sophia.
Sterling
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: STUR-ling
Personal remark: little star
From a Scots surname that was derived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning. The name can also be given in reference to the English word sterling meaning "excellent". In this case, the word derives from sterling silver, which was so named because of the emblem that some Norman coins bore, from Old English meaning "little star".
Tatiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, French, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Greek, Georgian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Τατιάνα(Greek) ტატიანა(Georgian) Татьяна(Russian) Татяна(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ta-TYA-na(Italian, Spanish, Polish, German) TAH-tee-ah-nah(Finnish) ta-TYAHN-ə(English) tu-TYA-nə(Russian)
Personal remark: unknown meaning
Feminine form of the Roman name
Tatianus, a derivative of the Roman name
Tatius. This was the name of a 3rd-century
saint who was martyred in Rome under the emperor Alexander Severus. She was especially venerated in Orthodox Christianity, and the name has been common in Russia (as
Татьяна) and Eastern Europe. It was not regularly used in the English-speaking world until the 1980s.
Temperance
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEHM-prəns, TEHM-pər-əns
Personal remark: moderation, restraint
From the English word meaning
"moderation" or
"restraint". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century. It experienced a modest revival in the United States during the run of the television series
Bones (2005-2017), in which the main character bears this name.
Tevye
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: טבֿיה(Yiddish)
Yiddish form of
Tobiah. This is the name of the central character in stories written by the Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem in the late 19th century, as well as the later musical adaptation
Fiddler on the Roof (1964).
Thea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, English
Pronounced: TEH-a(German) THEE-ə(English)
Tristan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: TRIS-tən(English) TREES-TAHN(French)
Personal remark: riot
Probably from the Celtic name
Drustan, a
diminutive of
Drust, which occurs as
Drystan in a few Welsh sources. As
Tristan, it first appears in 12th-century French tales, probably altered by association with Old French
triste "sad". According to the tales Tristan was sent to Ireland by his uncle King Mark of Cornwall in order to fetch
Iseult, who was to be the king's bride. On the way back, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. Later versions of the tale make Tristan one of King
Arthur's knights. His tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since then.
Tytus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: TI-toos
Personal remark: title of honour
Veda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Telugu, Kannada
Other Scripts: వేద(Telugu) ವೇದ(Kannada)
Personal remark: knowledge
Means "knowledge" in Sanskrit.
Vera 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Вера(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian) ვერა(Georgian)
Pronounced: VYEH-rə(Russian) VEE-rə(English) VEHR-ə(English) VEH-ra(German, Dutch) VEH-rah(Swedish) BEH-ra(Spanish) VEH-raw(Hungarian)
Personal remark: faith
Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Walter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Italian, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: WAWL-tər(English) VAL-tu(German) VAL-tehr(Swedish, Italian)
Personal remark: ruler of army
From the Germanic name
Waltheri meaning
"power of the army", from the elements
walt "power, authority" and
heri "army". In medieval German tales (notably
Waltharius by Ekkehard of
Saint Gall) Walter of Aquitaine is a heroic king of the Visigoths. The name was also borne by an 11th-century French saint, Walter of Pontoise. The
Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English
cognate Wealdhere.
A famous bearer of the name was the English courtier, poet and explorer Walter Raleigh (1552-1618). It was also borne by Walter Scott (1771-1832), a Scottish novelist who wrote Ivanhoe and other notable works.
Zuzanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Latvian (Rare)
Pronounced: zoo-ZAN-na(Polish)
Personal remark: lily
Polish and Latvian form of
Susanna.
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