AbellafSpanish From the Spanish surname, which originated in the region of Galicia. The name was originally a Catalan nickname for a bee-keeper or person with bee-like behaviors. It is derived from the Spanish word ‘abeja,’ meaning "bee," which itself is derived from Latin apicula.
AberamEthiopian Means "light" or "he shines". Used as both a given name and a surname.
AcremEnglish Potentially transferred use of the surname Acre or from Old English æcer (denoting the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in a day), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch akker and German Acker ‘field’, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit ajra ‘field’, Latin ager, and Greek agros.
AdaymSpanish (Canarian) From Charco Aday ("Aday Pond"), a place in the island of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. It may come from a Spanish surname or from a Guanche name. In any case, it was reclaimed as a Guanche name and has been used in modern times.
AdricmPopular Culture An anagram of Dirac, the surname of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Paul Dirac. This is the name of a character in the series 'Doctor Who', a companion of the fourth and fifth doctors.
Aftonf & mEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Afton. It is also the name of a river in Scotland, and it coincides with the Swedish noun afton meaning "evening".... [more]
AguinaldomSpanish (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese (African), Italian (Archaic) Possibly a form of Aginald. It coincides with a Spanish vocabulary word which refers to the thirteenth salary or end-of-year bonus in Latin America, as well as a folk genre of Christmas carols (also called villancicos); the earlier form was aguilando, allegedly from the Latin phrase hoc in anno meaning "during this year"... [more]
AiarafBasque Name origins unknown exactly, however as a surname it is the Basque equivalent of the Spanish surname, Ayala. The first name may stem from the surname.
AisjamTatar A variant of the Tatar name ”Aisä” (Mishar Tatar) and ”Ğäisä” (Kazan Tatar). This version has been used in Finland, among the small community of Tatars... [more]
AitzolmBasque Used by the Basque writer and Catholic priest José de Ariztimuño Olaso (1896-1936), who was killed by the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War. Aitzol was a pseudonym possibly taken from letters in his surname, (A)r(iz)timuño (Ol)aso; or perhaps Aitzol came from the hypothetical Basque place name h(aitz ol)a meaning "quarry, stonemason's workshop" from the words haitz "rock, stone" and ola "workplace, factory".
AkakifJapanese From Japanese 朱 (aka) meaning "crimson, red" combined with 希 (ki) meaning "Greece". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.... [more]
AlacoquefIrish (Rare) From the French surname Alacoque. Its popularity as a name, especially among Catholics, is likely due to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, V.H.M., a French Roman Catholic nun and mystic, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form.
AlariefEnglish (Rare) Most likely a transferred use of the Québecois surname Alarie which is derived from the Visigothic personal name Alaric.
AlbinetmMedieval French Medieval French diminutive of Albin (as -et is a French masculine diminutive suffix). This given name is no longer in use in France, but it still survives there as a patronymic surname... [more]
AllowmManx (Archaic) Manx name of uncertain origin, used until the 17th century. Kneen (1937) suggests Old Norse alfr "elf"; Gill (1963) points to the Manx surname Callow, which derives from MacCalo, an Anglicized form of either of the Gaelic surnames Mac Calbach "son of Calbhach" (the Gaelic name Calbhach meaning "bold") or Mac Caolaidhe "son of Caoladhe" (the Gaelic name Caoladhe being a derivative of caol "slender, comely").
AlomafCatalan (Rare), Literature This name was used by the medieval writer and philosopher Ramon Llull in his novel Blanquerna (1283), where it belongs to the mother of the main character. Llull possibly based it on the masculine name Alomar (nowadays found as a surname - see Alomar), which derives from the Germanic name Aldemar... [more]
Altabásf & mAragonese Taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de Altabás meaning "Our Lady of Altabás". Altabás is the Spanish form of Adelbald and is used as a surname as well.
AlthammEnglish Transferred use of the surname Altham. A locational name from the parish and village of Altham on the river Henburn in North East Lancashire.
AmarysiafGreek Mythology An epithet or title of the Greek goddess Artemis meaning "of Amarynthus", Amarynthus being a town in Euboea (according to Stephanus of Byzantium, Euboea itself)... [more]
AngmChinese Transferred use of the surname Ang, which is an Hokkien and Teochew romanization of the Chinese surnames Wang (汪, Wāng) and Hong (洪, Hóng).... [more]
Aobam & fJapanese (Modern) Derived from the Japanese kanji 青葉 (aoba) referred to "fresh, green/blue leaves". For a long time, the distinction between "blue" and "green" in Japanese was not made. This name can be also written 蒼 / 碧 (ao) meaning "green, blue" as well or 葵 (ao) meaning "hollyhock, mallow" combined with 葉 (ba) meaning "leaf, blade, needle" or 波 (ba) meaning "wave, billow, ripple" or 羽 (ba) meaning "feather, wing"... [more]
AoyofJapanese From Japanese 蒼 (ao) meaning "blue, green" combined with 世 (yo) meaning "world". Other kanji combinations are possible.... [more]
Ardellm & fEnglish Transferred use of the surname Ardell, from an unexplained first element and the common suffix of surnames, -ell (from Latin -elius)... [more]
ArganmTheatre (Gallicized, Rare) This name was used by Molière in his play, 'The Imaginary Invalid' (1673) ('Le Malade imaginaire' in French), for the main character. ... [more]
ArizafSpanish, Hebrew Either transferred use of the surname Ariza or from a Hebrew word meaning "cedar panels".
ArkadinafObscure Derived from a Russian surname, the feminine form of the surname Arkadin, which is probably derived from the given name Arkadiy... [more]
ArlingtonmEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Arlington. Notable bearer the American poet Edwin Arlington Robinson received the name rather unusually when a man from Arlington, Massachusetts was selected to pull a name out of a hat to bestow his first name, Edwin.
ArnimmGerman German name that first surfaced in the late 1800s. It was originally taken from the name of the town of Arnim near Berlin, later inspired by the surname of poet Bettina von Arnim and finally (mis)understood as a variant of Armin.
Arringtonm & fObscure Transferred use of the surname Arrington. The USA Social Security Administration has recorded 17 boys and 15 girls with the name Arringtion in 2001.
ArroyomSpanish Transferred from the surname "Arroyo".
ArtigasmSouth American Transferred use of the surname Artigas, given in honour of political leader, military general and statesman José Gervasio Artigas (1764-1850), a national hero of Uruguay and the wider Rio de la Plata region.
AsahinafJapanese (Rare) Combination of asa which by itself means "morning", and Hina, a popular name meaning "sunlight". Most commonly used as a surname, like in the case of popular character Mikuru Asahina in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya light novel, manga, and anime... [more]
Asamoahm & fWestern African, Akan Means "apostles" in Akan. It is also a surname. A famous bearer is Ghanaian soccer player Asamoah Gyan (1985-).
AshfordmEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Ashford, which itself is derived from the name of one of several places called Ashford in England... [more]
AstinmEnglish (Modern) Transferred use of the surname Astin, which was itself derived from a contraction of the Anglo-Norman French given name Asketin, a diminutive of Old Norse Ásketill.
AtaídemPortuguese Given name derived from the Ataídes surname, a noble Portuguese family whose surname derives from the Freguesia do Ataíde, currently part of Vila Meã, in Portugal... [more]
AtsumifJapanese From Japanese 渥 (atsu) meaning "moisten, moist" combined with 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.... [more]
AubinetmMedieval French Medieval French diminutive of Aubin (as -et is a French masculine diminutive suffix). This given name is no longer in use in France, but it still survives there as a patronymic surname (albeit barely, as the surname is extremely rare there nowadays)... [more]
Audenm & fEnglish Transferred use of the surname Auden, which is derived from the Germanic given name Aldwin (its Old English equivalent is Ealdwine)... [more]
AuricmPopular Culture, Literature Auric Goldfinger is the antogonist of James Bond in 'Goldfinger' by Ian Flemming. The name derives from Latin #aurum "gold" and maens "golden". Also in the case of French composer Georges Auric (1899-1983), transferred from the surname Auric.
AurielfEnglish (Modern) Possibly an English form of the Roman name Aureola, coined in the 19th century - revived also as Aureole, Auriol and Oriel - and used regularly since... [more]
AveleyfEnglish Transferred use of the surname Aveley, named for the village of Aveley in Essex. The name is Old English, and means "Ælfgyth’s meadow"... [more]
AvellanafEnglish (Rare) Derived from Latin avellana "hazel", literally "from Avella". Alternatively, it could be a transferred use of the Spanish surname Avellana.
Avel·límCatalan Transferred use of the surname Avel-lí, Catalan form of Avellino, the surname of the 17th-century Italian saint Andrew Avellino.
AvenelmMedieval English Originally derived from the same, highly uncertain, source as Avo and Ava 3, Avenel was first in use as a given name in the Middle Ages, and later went on to become a surname (which, in turn, was occasionally re-used as a given name from the 1500s onwards).
BabajanmArmenian (Rare) Means " soul, friendly" in Armenian. Until the end of the last century, it was a rather common name, but it is still being forgotten, but Babajanyan’s surname is still preserved.
Backof & mIndigenous Australian Meaning unknown (from a language possibly spoken near Townsville, Queensland in the south-easthern Australia).... [more]
BanastremEnglish (Archaic) Transferred use of the surname Banastre. This was borne by the British officer and politician Banastre Tarleton (1754-1833), known for fighting in the American War of Independence.
Bangm & fKorean Bang is a Korean surname, which is cognate to the Chinese surname Fāng (方).
BanjomEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Banjo. Occasionally used in homage to various persons using the byname, such as Australian poet Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson or American race car driver Edwin “Banjo” Matthews.
BarretomPortuguese (Rare) Portuguese version of the english name Barett.Surname and first name used in Brazil and is derived from the name of several locations in Portugal(Ancient hamlets) .Used rarely on spanol language .... [more]
BartonmEnglish, Popular Culture Transferred use of the surname Barton. In popular culture, Barton Fink is the name of a playwright in the 1991 film "Barton Fink".
BatmanmJavanese, Popular Culture From a Jawi rendering of पत्मन् (patman), meaning "path" in Sanskrit. A notable bearer of this name is Batman bin-Suparman, a Singaporean man imprisoned for drugs, who was rumored to be named after the DC comics superhero.... [more]
BeauchianafDutch (Rare) A combination of the French masculine adjective beau meaning "beautiful, handsome" with the name Chiana. Interestingly, this given name has a strong resemblance with the French surname Beauchain and its variant Beauchaine... [more]
BecketmEnglish From a surname which was a variant of the surname Beckett. In some cases it might be given in honour of the English saint Thomas Becket (1118-1170).
BelacquamLiterature Possibly from a contraction of Bevilacqua, an Italian surname that was originally a nickname derived from the expression bevi l'acqua meaning "drinks water", probably applied ironically to a heavy drinker of alcohol... [more]
BelarminomSpanish, Galician, Portuguese Spanish, Galician and Portuguese form of Bellarmino, the original Italian surname of Saint Roberto Bellarmine (1542-1621), a cardinal who is regarded as a Doctor of the Church... [more]
BerchanmIrish, Filipino A well-known saint of the early Irish church was named Berchan the Prophet of Clonsast in King's Co., but often called Brachan by Metathesis. Often used as a surname.
Berettaf & mSpanish, English (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Beretta. The usage in the USA is probably influenced by the fact that there is a producer of firearms named Beretta.
BerliozmPopular Culture Transferred use of the French surname Berlioz, borne by Louis-Hector Berlioz (1803–1869) a French Romantic composer and conductor... [more]
BernellefEnglish (Rare) Either a diminutive of names beginning with the element Bern-, such as Bernadette and Bernice, combined with the French feminine ending -elle or a quasi-feminization of the surname Bernell.
BerrickmEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Berrick which was originally taken from various locational names in Kent, Shropshire, Oxfordshire, Yorkshire and Norfolk.... [more]
BeryozamSoviet, Russian (Rare) Derived from the Russian noun берёза (beryoza) meaning "birch tree". Also compare Bereza, which is a medieval first name of the same etymological origin.... [more]
BindomMedieval Italian Medieval name of unknown origin. It was very popular in Florence in the age of Dante Alighieri (late 13th - early 14th centuries). It is no more in use but it has originated the common surname Bindi.
BingmEnglish (Rare) Either transferred use of the surname Bing or from a nickname, as was the case for American singer and actor Bing Crosby (1903-1977), who was originally called Bingo.
Blackbirdf & mEnglish (Rare) From the name of the animal, introduced into popular culture by the 1968 song of the same name performed by The Beatles.... [more]
BlackiemAmerican (Rare) A nickname or a diminutive. As a nickname the meaning is particular to the bearer, perhaps referring to dark hair color or complexion. That was the case for sports writer WilliamForrest "Blackie" Sherrod (1919-2016)... [more]
BlademEnglish, Popular Culture Transferred use of the surname Blade or from the Old English blæd ‘leaf of a plant,' of Germanic origin; related to Dutch blad and German Blatt.... [more]
Blissf & mEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Bliss or from Old English blīths, bliss, of Germanic origin; related to blithe... [more]
BloccamAnglo-Saxon Meaning unknown, though it might come from Old English blac "pale, shining, white" or blæc "black". The surname Bloxham derived from this name.
BodenmEnglish (Modern) Likely an invented name based on the popular name syllable Bode, from names such as Bodhi or Bode. Alternatively it may be a transferred use of the surname Boden, or a variant of Beauden.
BoliviafAmerican (Hispanic, Rare) From the name of the country in South America. The country got its name from the surname Bolívar, in honour of the revolutionary Simón Bolívar.
Bonamym & fEnglish Transferred use of the surname. This name was borne by British literary scholar Bonamy Dobrée (1891-1974), who was given the name because it was a family surname.
BonomPopular Culture Derives from 'Bono Vox', an altered form of bonavox, which is Latin for "good voice". On its own, it could be seen as a variant of Bonus.... [more]
BoothmEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Booth, which is derived from Middle English bothe meaning "booth, bothy, hut", which itself is ultimately derived from Old Norse búð meaning "booth, dwelling, shelter"... [more]
Bootsm & fEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Boots or a nickname whose meaning is particular to the bearer.... [more]
BoromieumLengadocian Transferred use of the surname Boromieu. Derived from the surname of Catholic saint Charles Borromeo (1538 – 1584), Archbishop of Milan and a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat against the Protestant Reformation.
BoscomSpanish, Italian (Archaic) Transferred use of the surname Bosco borne by the catholic saint Giovanni Bosco (also known as Don Bosco).
BossmAmerican Possibly transferred use of the surname Boss, or taken from the English word boss, meaning "one who is in charge", from Middle Dutch baes "master of a household, friend"... [more]
BowermEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Bower. It was the middle name of John Bower "Bouse" Hutton (1877-1962), a Canadian ice hockey goaltender and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
BracciomMedieval Italian Short form of Fortebraccio, a nickname that was also used as a given name in medieval Italy. Nowadays it solely exists as both a descriptive and a patronymic surname.... [more]
BrandisfAmerican (Modern) Apparently a modern invented name, blending Brandy with Candice (or Beatrice), though it coincides with a surname which was taken from a place name (either "from from a former Brandis castle in Emmental near Bern, Switzerland, or from any of the places so named in Saxony, Germany", or from the Czech town of Brandýs, on the Labe (Elbe) river (German Brandeis)).
BrandonmMedieval French Medieval French form of Brando. At the same time, it was also a diminutive of Germanic names that contain the element brant meaning "sword", as -on is a French diminutive suffix.... [more]
BrassmEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Brass. Alternately, could be taken directly from the English word brass, a metal alloy of copper and zinc, possibly derived from Proto-Germanic brasō "fire, pyre"... [more]
BraunmGerman Transferred from the surname "Braun", which means "brown."
BrawleymEnglish Transferred use of the surname Brawley. A known bearer of this name is American actor Brawley Nolte (b. 1986), the son of American actor Nick Nolte (b... [more]
Braym & fEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Bray, derived from Cornish bre meaning "hill".
BrayleenfEnglish Possibly a combination of the English surname Bray, from the Cornish bre 'hill' combined with the suffix -leen. Another possibility is that it's a feminized variant of Brayden combined with the suffix -leen.
BraytonmEnglish (Modern, Rare) Likely a variant of Braden, or else a transferred use of the English habitational surname Brayton (which is derived from Old Norse breithr "broad", or from the Old Norse personal name Breithi, combined with Old English tun "town, farmstead").
BrazosmSpanish (Rare) Either transferred use of the surname Brazos or from a Spanish word meaning "arms".