Kaeran's Personal Name List

From the name of the Welsh river Aeron, itself probably derived from the hypothetical Celtic goddess Agrona. Alternatively, the name could be taken from Welsh aeron meaning "berries".

Short form of Alexander, Alexandra and other names beginning with Alex.

From the Greek name Ἄλεξις (Alexis) meaning "helper" or "defender", derived from Greek ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, to help". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek comic poet, and also of several saints. It is used somewhat interchangeably with the related name Ἀλέξιος or Alexius, borne by five Byzantine emperors.

In the English-speaking world this name is more commonly given to girls. This is due to the American actress Alexis Smith (1921-1993), who began appearing in movies in the early 1940s. It got a boost in popularity in the 1980s from a character on the soap opera Dynasty.

Means "fourth born child" in Akan.

From the medieval Latin masculine name Angelus, which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.

Short form of names beginning with the Old German element arn meaning "eagle".

From a Roman cognomen meaning "eagle" in Latin. In Acts in the New Testament Paul lives with Aquila and his wife Priscilla (or Prisca) for a time.

From the name of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland.

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

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).

Short form of Ashley. It can also come directly from the English word denoting either the tree or the residue of fire.

From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Caiside), which is derived from the byname Caiside. Very rare as a given name before the 1970s, it established itself in the 80s and then surged in popularity during the 90s.

Diminutive or feminine form of Charles. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). It is also borne by Charlie Brown, the main character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz.

Derived from the Lakota word šahiyena meaning "red speakers". This is the name of a Native American people of the Great Plains. The name was supposedly given to the Cheyenne by the Lakota because their language was unrelated to their own. As a given name, it has been in use since the 1950s.

Means "god, spiritual being" in Igbo, referring to the personal spiritual guardian that each person is believed to have. Christian Igbo people use it as a name for the personal Christian god (as opposed to the omnipresent Chukwu, though the names are used synonymously in some contexts). This can also be a short form of the many Igbo names that begin with this element.

Means "sky" in French. It is not used as a given name in France itself.

Means "sea" in Turkish.

From a surname, either the Irish surname Devin 1 or the English surname Devin 2.

French feminine and masculine form of Dominicus (see Dominic).

Means "peace" in Ibibio.

Means "esteemed" or "loved" in Old French. It was first recorded in Scotland, being borne by the first Duke of Lennox in the 16th century. It is now more common as a feminine name.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Aveline. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as almost entirely feminine, probably in part because of its similarity to Eve and Evelina.

This name was popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 20th century. It staged a comeback in the early 21st century, returning to the American top ten in 2017.

Means "foxglove" in Welsh (species Digitalis purpurea). This is a recently created Welsh name.

From Welsh gwen, the feminine form of gwyn meaning "white, blessed". It can also be a short form of Gwendolen, Gwenllian and other names beginning with Gwen.

From the name of the kingdom of Gwynedd, which was located in northern Wales from the 5th century. It is now the name of a Welsh county. The name may be related to Old Irish Féni meaning "Irish people", itself possibly related to the Celtic root *wēnā meaning "band of warriors" [1].

From Chinese 海 (hǎi) meaning "sea, ocean" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Means "Yahweh is gracious" in Hebrew. This name appears frequently in the Old Testament. It is the Hebrew name of Shadrach.

From the English word for a safe place, derived ultimately from Old English hæfen.

From an English surname that was derived from place names meaning either "hay valley" or "hay hill", derived from Old English heg "hay" and denu "valley" or dun "hill". Its popularity at the end of the 20th century was due to the sound it shared with other trendy names of the time, such as Braden and Aidan.

From Chinese 河 (hé) meaning "river, stream", 和 (hé) meaning "harmony, peace", or 荷 (hé) meaning "lotus, water lily" (which is usually only feminine). Other characters can form this name as well. A famous bearer was the Ming dynasty explorer Zheng He (1371-1433).

Low German diminutive of Henrike or Henrik.

From Chinese 欢 (huān) meaning "happy, pleased", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

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).

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 현 (see Hyeon).

Means "patience" in Ibibio.

Short form of Scandinavian and German names beginning with the element ing, which refers to the Germanic god Ing. In Sweden and Norway this is primarily a masculine name, elsewhere it is usually feminine.

Means "deer" in Choctaw.

Diminutive of Isidore, Isabel, Israel and other names beginning with a similar sound.

Diminutive of Jack or Jacqueline. A notable bearer was baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.

An invented name, using the popular den suffix sound found in such names as Braden, Hayden and Aidan. This name first became common in America in the 1990s when similar-sounding names were increasing in popularity. The spelling Jayden has been more popular since 2003. It is sometimes considered a variant of the biblical name Jadon.

Originally a Lowland Scots diminutive of James. Since the late 19th century it has also been used as a feminine form.

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.

Variant of Jaden. This spelling continued to rapidly rise in popularity in the United States past 2003, unlike Jaden, which stalled. It peaked at the fourth rank for boys in 2010, showing tremendous growth over only two decades. It has since declined.

Short form of Jesse or Jessica.

In part from the English word jewel, a precious stone, derived from Old French jouel, which was possibly related to jeu "game". It is also in part from the surname Jewel or Jewell (a derivative of the Breton name Judicaël), which was sometimes used in honour of the 16th-century bishop of Salisbury John Jewel. It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.

From Sino-Korean 智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. Although it does appear rarely as a single-character name, it is more often used in combination with another character.

From Chinese 建 (jiàn) meaning "build, establish", 健 (jiàn) meaning "strong, healthy", or other characters that are pronounced in a similar fashion.

From Chinese 金 (jīn) meaning "gold, metal, money", 锦 (jǐn) meaning "tapestry, brocade, embroidered" or 津 (jīn) meaning "ferry". Other Chinese characters can form this name as well.

Means "garden" or "paradise" in Arabic.

Diminutive of Josephine, Joseph, Joanna and other names beginning with Jo. It was popularized by the young hero (a boy) in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' novel The Yearling (1938) and the subsequent film adaptation (1946). As a feminine name, it probably received an assist from the similar-sounding name Judy, which was at the height of its American popularity when Jody was rising.

From Chinese 君 (jūn) meaning "king, ruler", 俊 (jùn) meaning "talented, handsome" (which is usually only masculine) or 军 (jūn) meaning "army" (also usually only masculine) [1]. This is also a single-character Korean name, often from the hanja 俊 meaning "talented, handsome". This name can be formed by other characters besides those shown here.

From the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.

Means "sea" in Hawaiian.

From Hawaiian kai "ocean, sea" and mana "power". It is also Hawaiian meaning "diamond", derived from the English word diamond.

Means "the heavens" from Hawaiian ka "the" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".

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.

Short form of Mackenzie.

Variant or feminine form of Kevin.

Derived from Sanskrit किरण (kirana), which can mean "dust" or "thread" or "sunbeam".

From Japanese 琥珀 (kohaku) meaning "amber".

Means "bright" in Hawaiian.

From Chinese 坤 (kūn) meaning "earth, female", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 協 or 京 or 郷 or 杏 (see Kyō).

From a Scottish surname that was derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In America it was more common as a feminine name after the 1940s.

From Chinese 理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic", 立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish", 黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn", 力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or 丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.

From Chinese 林 (lín) meaning "forest" or 琳 (lín) meaning "fine jade, gem". Other characters can also form this name.

Means "my light" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and אוֹר ('or) "light".

From an English surname that was derived from Welsh llyn meaning "lake". Before the start of the 20th century it was primarily used for boys, but it has since come to be more common for girls. In some cases it may be thought of as a short form of Linda or names that end in lyn or line.

Means "spring of water" in Hebrew.

Means "happy one" in Kikuyu.

From Japanese 誠 (makoto) meaning "sincerity", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations.

Latin form of Greek Μαρία, from Hebrew מִרְיָם (see Mary). Maria is the usual form of the name in many European languages, as well as a secondary form in other languages such as English (where the common spelling is Mary). In some countries, for example Germany, Poland and Italy, Maria is occasionally used as a masculine middle name.

This was the name of two ruling queens of Portugal. It was also borne by the Habsburg queen Maria Theresa (1717-1780), whose inheritance of the domains of her father, the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI, began the War of the Austrian Succession.

From the English word merle or the French surname Merle, which both mean "blackbird" (from Latin merula). It was borne by the devious character Madame Merle (in fact her surname) in Henry James' novel The Portrait of a Lady (1880).

This name is also common for girls in Estonia, though a connection to the English-language name is uncertain.

Variant of Merlin, sometimes used as a feminine form. It has perhaps been influenced by the Welsh word merlyn meaning "pony".

Diminutive or feminine form of Michael. This was the name that Walt Disney gave to Ub Iwerks' cartoon character Mickey Mouse (debuting 1928), who was called Mortimer Mouse while being developed. Another famous bearer was the American baseball player Mickey Mantle (1931-1995).

From 敏 (mǐn) meaning "quick, clever, sharp", 民 (mín) meaning "people, citizens", or other Chinese/Sino-Korean characters that are pronounced similarly.

Means "ocean, wide expanse of water, deep sea" in Maori, Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages.

Means "bewitching, infatuating, charming" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form मोहन (an epithet of the Hindu gods Shiva, Krishna and Kama) and the feminine form मोहना (spelled with a long final vowel).

From the Old Welsh masculine name Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh mor "sea" and cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).

Modern form of Morgen, which was used by Geoffrey of Monmouth [1] in the 12th century for the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, who was unnamed in earlier stories. Geoffrey probably did not derive it from the Welsh masculine name Morgan, which would have been spelled Morcant in his time. It is likely from Old Welsh mor "sea" and the suffix gen "born of" [2].

Diminutive of Matvey or Matrona 1.

Means "gift" in Tswana, a derivative of naya "to give".

Diminutive of Nicholas or Nicole.

French feminine form of Nicholas, commonly used in the English-speaking world since the middle of the 20th century. A famous bearer is American-Australian actress Nicole Kidman (1967-).

Means "dark blue, sapphire" in Sanskrit.

Means "blessing" in Arabic.

Simply from the English word ocean for a large body of water. It is ultimately derived from Greek Ὠκεανός (Okeanos), the name of the body of water thought to surround the Earth.

Probably derived from a Greek word meaning "maiden, young woman". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Athena. According to some legends it was originally the name of a friend of the goddess. Athena accidentally killed her while sparring, so she took the name in honour of her friend.

From the English word pearl for the concretions formed in the shells of some mollusks, ultimately from Late Latin perla. Like other gemstone names, it has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. The pearl is the traditional birthstone for June, and it supposedly imparts health and wealth.

Simply from the English word rain, derived from Old English regn.

From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god Odin.

From Japanese 蓮 (ren) meaning "lotus", 恋 (ren) meaning "romantic love", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.

Means "kings" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, La Virgen de los Reyes, meaning "The Virgin of the Kings". According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to King Ferdinand III of Castile and told him his armies would defeat those of the Moors in Seville.

Medieval English diminutive of Robert, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.

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).

German and Dutch form of Sasha.

From the name of the ninth month (though it means "seventh month" in Latin, since it was originally the seventh month of the Roman year), which is sometimes used as a given name for someone born in September.

Means "star" in Welsh. This is a recently created Welsh name.

From the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish sen "old, ancient" [1]. As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.

Variant of Shea.

From Chinese 水 (shuǐ) meaning "water", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Derived from Sanskrit श्याम (shyama) meaning "dark, black, blue". This is a transcription of the masculine form श्याम, which is another name of the Hindu god Krishna, as well as the feminine form श्यामा, one of the many names of the wife of the god Shiva. It is also the name of a Jain goddess.

From the English surname Sidney. It was first used as a given name in honour of executed politician Algernon Sidney (1622-1683). Another notable bearer of the surname was the poet and statesman Philip Sidney (1554-1586).

As a given name, it has traditionally been more masculine than feminine. In America however, after the variant Sydney became popular for girls, Sidney was used more for girls than boys between 1993 and 2019.

Simply from the English word sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse ský "cloud".

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.

From Japanese 空 (sora) or 昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.

From the vocabulary word, ultimately from Old English or Old Dutch storm, or in the case of the Scandinavian name, from Old Norse stormr.

From an English surname that was derived from the medieval name Thierry, a Norman French form of Theodoric.

From an English surname that was taken from a Norman French place name meaning "domain belonging to Thracius". Charles Dickens used it for a male character in his novel The Pickwick Papers (1837). It was later popularized as a feminine name by the main character Tracy Lord in the movie The Philadelphia Story (1940). This name is also sometimes used as a diminutive of Theresa.

Means "trinity" in Spanish, referring to the Holy Trinity. An island in the West Indies bears this name.

Means "he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix u- meaning "he, she" and nathi meaning "with us".

Means "victory" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form विजय and the feminine form विजया, both of which are used frequently in Hindu texts. It is the name of a grandson of Indra, a son of Krishna and it is another name of the goddess Durga. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 6th-century BC king of Sri Lanka.

From Chinese 文 (wén) meaning "literature, culture, writing", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation. A famous bearer was the 2nd-century BC Emperor Wen of Han (posthumous name).

Simply from the English word, a derivative of Old English wis "wise".

Variant of Wyn, sometimes used as a feminine form.

From Chinese 雪 (xuě) meaning "snow" or 学 (xué) meaning "study, learning, school", besides other characters pronounced similarly.

Diminutive of Yann or Yanna 2.

From Chinese 宜 (yí) meaning "suitable, proper", 毅 (yì) meaning "resolute, decisive, firm", 义 (yì) meaning "justice, righteousness", 益 (yì) meaning "profit, benefit", 怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" (which is usually only feminine) or 仪 (yí) meaning "ceremony, rites" (also usually feminine). Other characters can also form this name.

From Chinese 玉 (yù) meaning "jade, precious stone, gem", 愉 (yú) meaning "pleasant, delightful" or 雨 (yǔ) meaning "rain". Other characters can form this name as well.

From Japanese 幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or 雪 (yuki) meaning "snow". It can also come from 由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" combined with 貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" or 紀 (ki) meaning "chronicle". Other kanji or kanji combinations are also possible.

From Chinese 云 (yún) meaning "cloud" or 允 (yǔn) meaning "allow, consent", as well as other Chinese characters that are pronounced in a similar way.

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 優希 or 悠希 or 優輝 or 悠生 (see Yūki).