Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Belisarius m Greek (Latinized), HistoryFrom Greek Βελισάριος (
Belisarios), probably of Illyric origin. This was the name of a famed Byzantine general and war hero who served the emperor Justinian. He was possibly of Slavic ancestry which has led to speculation that the name derives from Slavonic
Beli-tzar "white prince" (the -
sarius element being interpreted as coming from the old Slavic word
tsesar or
tsesari, which was derived from
Caesar, thus giving Belisarius a "princely" connotation), but this etymology has since been discounted as somewhat dubious.
Belislav m BulgarianFrom old Slavic
bělъ meaning "white", possibly also idiomatically "good", and
slava meaning "glory".
Belita f Medieval BasqueMedieval Basque name of uncertain origin and meaning. It was first recorded in Artaxoa (in the Navarre area) in 1330.
Bella f SpanishMeans "beautiful, fair; lovely" in Spanish, taken from the titles of the Virgin Mary,
La Virgen de la Bella and
Nuestra Señora de la Bella, meaning "The Virgin of the Beautiful" and "Our Lady of the Beautiful" respectively.... [
more]
Belladonna f Literature, Medieval ItalianFrom Italian
bella "beautiful, fair" and
donna "lady". This is the name of an extremely poisonous plant (
Atropa belladonna; also bears the popular name of deadly nightshade). The author J. R. R. Tolkien used it as a hobbit name in 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954), where it belongs to the mother of Bilbo Baggins.
Bellamira f TheatreProbably derived from the Latin elements
bella "beautiful" and
mira "wondrous" (cf.
Mirabella). This name belongs to a courtesan in the play 'The Jew of Malta' (written c. 1589 or 1590) by English dramatist Christopher Marlowe.
Bellaria f LiteraturePerhaps derived from Latin
bellare meaning "to fight". This name was used by Robert Greene for a character in his prose romance 'Pandosto: The Triumph of Time' (1588). It was also used by Henry Fielding in his play 'The Temple Beau' (1730), and by Aaron Hill (1685-1750) in his poem 'Bellaria, at her Spinnet'.
Belldandy f Popular CultureVariant of
Verdandi, representing an Anglicization of the name's Japanese transcription. This is the name of a major character in the manga series "Oh My Goddess!"
Bellicent f Literature, Arthurian CycleFrom an Old French form of the Germanic name
Belissendis, possibly composed of the elements
bili "suitable, proper, fitting, decent, amiable" (cf.
Biligard) and
swind "strong, brave, powerful".... [
more]
Bellis f DanishIt can also be inspired by the Latin word
bellis "daisy".
Belluls f JewishFrom the Latin bellule (pretty, nice, well-formed), this is found in a Jewish catacomb in Rome as the name of a woman. It is possibly the precursor to such names as the Sephardic
Bela and the Yiddish
Shayna Belmondo m Croatian (Rare)Means "beautiful world", from Italian
bel "beautiful, pleasant" and
mondo "world". It is used as a surname in Italy.
Beloslava f BulgarianFeminine form of
Beloslav. Beloslava of Bulgaria was a Bulgarian princess and Queen consort of Serbia between 1234 and 1243. She was the wife of king Stefan Vladislav I.
Belphegor m Judeo-Christian-Islamic LegendFrom
Ba'al Pe'or, the name of a Semitic god mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, meaning "
Ba'al of Mount Pe'or" or "lord of the opening". In Christian demonology this is the name of a demon that represents the deadly sin of sloth.
Bēl-ṣarbi m Near Eastern Mythology, AkkadianMeans "lord of the poplar", deriving from the Akkadian elements
bēlu ("boss, chief, master, lord") and
ṣarbat (deriving from a place name, that presumably later became associated with groves of trees... [
more]
Beltrán m Spanish, GalicianSpanish and Galician form of
Bertram or
Bertrand. It is sometimes given in reference to the 16th-century Spanish saint Louis Bertrand (known as Luis Beltrán in Spanish), a Dominican friar who preached in South America; he is called the "Apostle to the Americas".
Beltso m Medieval BasqueOf uncertain origin and meaning. One current theory, however, connects this name to Basque
beltxo, a diminutive of
beltz / baltz "black".
Beltzane f BasqueDerived from the Basque adjective
beltz "black; dark" in combination with the feminine name suffix
-ne.
Belvedere m English (American, Rare, Archaic)From an Italian word meaning "beautiful sight", from Italian
bel "beautiful" and
vedere "a view, sight". It was apparently coined in the early 19th century, when it first appears as a given name in United States historical records (for both Northern and Southern states), along with its feminine variant
Belva.... [
more]
Belvidera f TheatreDerived from Italian
belvedere meaning "a fair sight" (compare
Belvedere). This was used by English dramatist Thomas Otway for a character in his tragedy
Venice Preserv'd (1682).
Belvina f LiteratureApparently from the Latin word meaning "beast-like" (also written
beluina), derived from
bēlua "beast, monster" (Italian
belva) with the adjectival suffix
-īnus "of, like"... [
more]
Belzora f English (American, Rare)Meaning unknown. It might possibly be derived from
Belzora, the name of a port town in Texas that was abandoned in the 1870s.
Bembya m KalmykDerived from Kalmyk Бембә
(Bembä) meaning "Saturn (planet)".
Ben m & f JapaneseThis name is used as 勉 (
ben, tsuto.meru) meaning "exertion," 弁/辨 (hen,
ben, araso.u, hanabira, wakima.eru, wa.keru) meaning "dialect, petal, speech" or 便 (bin,
ben, tayo.ri) meaning "convenience."... [
more]
Ben m HebrewDerived from Hebrew בן
(ben), meaning "son".
Ben-abinadab m BiblicalMenas "son of
Abinadab" or "son of a generous father", ultimately derived from Hebrew בן (ben) meaning "son", אב ('ab) meaning "father", and נדב (nadab) meaning "to willingly give"... [
more]
Benahuya m GuancheMeaning unknown. It was borne by a Guanche man from La Palma who was christened in Seville.
Benammi m Hebrew, BiblicalMeans "son of my people" in Hebrew. This is the name of several people in the Bible.
Benazir f & m Urdu, BengaliFrom Persian بینظیر
(bi-nazir) meaning "incomparable, matchless". It is used as a feminine name in Pakistan while it is typically masculine in Bangladesh. A famous bearer was Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007), the first female prime minister of Pakistan.
Bencha f & m ThaiMeans "baldachin, canopy, dais" in Thai.
Benchakanlayani f Thai (Rare)Means "woman of fivefold beauty" in Thai, from เบญจ
(bencha) meaning "five, fivefold" and กัลยาณี
(kanlayani) meaning "beautiful girl, belle". In Buddhism this term refers to a woman with five favourable attributes: beautiful hair, beautiful teeth, beautiful flesh, beautiful skin and beauty at any age.
Bencharat f ThaiFrom Thai เบญจ
(bencha) meaning "five" and รัตน์
(rat) meaning "gem, jewel".
Benchawan f ThaiMeans "five-coloured" from Thai เบญจ
(bencha) meaning "five" and วรรณ
(wan) meaning "colour, tint".
Bencomo m Guanche, Spanish (Canarian)Derived from Guanche
benčom meaning "ambitious" or
benchomo meaning "the greatest". It belonged to the penultimate
mencey (leader) (1423-1495) of Taoro, Tenerife.
Bendidora f Ancient GreekMeans "gift of Bendis", derived from the name of the Thracian goddess
Bendis (genitive Βενδῖδος) combined with Greek δῶρον
(doron) meaning "gift".
Bendo f AfricanThis means is from a Liberian dialect. It means beautiful...
Bendor m English (Rare)In the case of Dr Bendor Grosvenor, art historian, the name Bendor is derived from the Grosvenor family's medieval heraldic shield, a
bend or, a golden bend (diagonal stripe), which they used until 1389 when it was claimed instead by the Scrope family, in the case Scrope v Grosvenor... [
more]
Beneatha f TheatreMeaning unknown, possibly invnted from the English word "beneath" and the feminine suffix "a". Beneatha Younger is character in the play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry.
Benediktos m GreekGreek form of
Benedictus (see
Benedict). A bearer of this name was Benediktos Adamantiades (1875-1962), a Greek ophthalmologist after whom a disease was named.
Beneharo m Spanish (Canarian)The name of a late 15th-century Guanche king of Anaga on the island of Tenerife (present-day Canary Islands, Spain) according to the epic poem
Antigüedades de las Islas Afortunadas de la Gran Canaria (1604) by Antonio de Viana... [
more]
Beneita f SardinianFeminine form of
Beneitu. Beneita de Càlaris was the judge (which equals the title of queen in medieval Sardinia) of Càlaris from 1214 to 1233.
Benen m HistoryBenen was the name of the first Irish Bishop of Ireland, who was a follower of St. Patrick. ... [
more]
Benerib f Ancient EgyptianThe name of a queen consort of the first dynasty in Ancient Egypt, meaning "sweet of heart", deriving from the Ancient Egyptian elements
bene ("sweet") and
ib ("heart").
Bengeirr m Old NorseDerived from the Germanic name elements
ben "wound" and
geirr "spear".
Benget m BatakMeans "steadfast, diligent, forbearing" in Batak.