AccolonmArthurian Romance Of uncertain origin, perhaps a derivative of the Gaulish name Acco (itself from Gaulish *acu- meaning "fast, swift, quick"). Sir Accolon, also spelled Accalon, is a character in Arthurian legends, possibly first appearing in the Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin (c.1230-40)... [more]
AcheflowfArthurian Romance Variant of Acheflour, which is probably a corruption of Blancheflour (see Blanchefleur) meaning "white flower" in Old French. In the Middle English romance 'Sir Perceval of Galles', Acheflour was the sister of King Arthur and mother of Perceval.
AgrestesmArthurian Romance Derived from Latin agrestis meaning "rural, rustic, wild, brutish", from ager "field, farm". This is the name of an ancient pagan king of Camelot in the Old French Arthurian romance 'Estoire del Saint Graal' ("History of the Holy Grail", 1220-35)... [more]
AilleannfArthurian Romance Of uncertain derivation. This was the name of the title character in the Irish Arthurian romance Céilidhe Iosgaide Léithe (The Visit of the Grey-Hammed Lady). She married King Arthur when she took him and his knights to the Otherworld... [more]
AlemandinefArthurian Romance Possibly from Old French alemandine, the name of a gem of a deep red colour (and the source of English almandine); this word was a corruption of Latin alabandicus "Alabandic (stone)", the name applied by Pliny the Elder to a variety of carbuncle worked at the city of Alabanda in Asia Minor (see Alabandus)... [more]
AlynefArthurian Romance, Portuguese (Brazilian) Variant of Aline. It appears in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends Le Morte d'Arthur, where it belongs to a daughter of Pellinore who commits suicide after her lover is killed.
AmaethonmWelsh Mythology, Arthurian Romance Derived from the Brittonic name *Ambaχtonos meaning "divine ploughman" or "ploughman-god". This was the name of the Welsh god of agriculture. In the late 11th-century legend of Culhwch and Olwen, Amathaon appeared as an Arthurian warrior; as one of his tasks, Culhwch had to convince Amathaon to plow the lands of the giant Ysbaddaden.
AmenafArthurian Romance The name of a queen helped by Sir Gawain's son Wigalois in an Arthurian romance written by German knight Wirnt von Grafenberg in the early years of the 13th century. Its origin is uncertain; some scholars argue that it might be an adoption of Arabic Amina, while others theorize a derivation from Spanish ameno "delightful" (see Amoena).
AmlawddmWelsh Mythology, Arthurian Romance Derived from the Welsh intensive prefix *an-/am- combined with llawdd "praise". In Welsh myth he is the father of Eigyr (Igraine) and therefore the grandfather of King Arthur... [more]
AmpflisefArthurian Romance Form of Amphelise used by the 13th-century poet Wolfram von Eschenbach for two characters in his Middle High German romance Parzival, one of whom was the queen of France during the time of Uther.
AndretmArthurian Romance The name of a character in the Tristan and Isolde legends, a nephew of King Mark of Cornwall and cousin to Tristan. Andret, also spelled Andred, is a villainous character in later versions.
AnfortasmArthurian Romance, Literature Probably derived from Old French enfertez or enfermetez meaning "infirmity". This was Wolfram's name for the wounded Fisher King in his epic 'Parzifal'.
AnguishmArthurian Romance King of Ireland and father to Iseult, beloved of Tristan. Demanding tribute from Cornwall, Anguish sends his brother-in-law, Morholt, to enforce the tribute in single combat with the Cornish champion (Celtic tribes often settled disputes by a battle of champions rather than field combat... [more]
AntikoniefArthurian Romance Medieval German variant of Antigone. In Arthurian legend, she is the sister of King Vergulaht of Ascalun who became infatuated with Gawain during one of his visits... [more]
ArtesiafTheatre, Arthurian Romance Likely from Artois, the name of a region in France (for which "artesian wells" are named), itself derived from Atrebates, a Belgic tribe that inhabited the region of Gaul and Britain during Julius Caesar's time; Atrebates is cognate with Irish aittrebaid meaning "inhabitant".... [more]
BagdemagusmArthurian Romance Meaning unknown. In Arthurian legend, Bagdemagus is the king of Gorre, a Knight of the Round Table and the father of Maleagant.
BagungusmArthurian Romance (Archaic) Meaning unknown. An extremely rare figure in Arthurian legend, Bagungus only appears in the earliest transcriptions of the works of Laghamon, from about 1190, and due to its rarity is thought by some to be a corruption of the name Bagdemagus.
BalinmArthurian Romance, Literature The name was used in Arthurian legend by Sir Thomas Malory as the name of one of King Arthur's valiant knights. ... [more]
BalinormPopular Culture (Rare), Arthurian Romance The name Balinor has no known meaning. However, it was once used in the television series 'Merlin' (2008–2012) where the character Balinor was the father of Merlin and a former Dragonlord... [more]
BanmArthurian Romance The name of Sir. Lancelot's father in Arthurian tales, Ban of Benoic.
BeaflursfArthurian Romance Means "beautiful flower" (compare Blanchefleur). This was the name of a fairy in the Middle High German romance 'Parzival' (Wolfram von Eschenbach's adaptation of 'Perceval, the Story of the Grail', a poem by Chrétien de Troyes)... [more]
BellangeremArthurian Romance Alteration of Berengar, possibly influenced by French bel, beau meaning "fine, beautiful, great" and anger "anger" (thus "righteous anger")... [more]
BellicentfLiterature, Arthurian Romance From 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]
BrangainefArthurian Romance Probably a medieval corruption of Branwen. This is the name of Isolde's faithful and beautiful handmaiden in almost all the Tristan and Isolde legends.
BrisenfArthurian Romance The name of a witch in Arthurian legend. One theory connects it to Old Norse brisinga "glowing, twinkling" (a word-forming element associated with Freya's famous necklace, the brísingamen).
BrunormArthurian Romance Likely derived from the Germanic element brunna "armour, protection" or brun "brown". This is the name of several characters in Arthurian tales, including the father of Sir Galehaut and the Knight of the Ill-Fitting Coat.
CadormArthurian Romance, Cornish Probably a form of Cadeyrn, perhaps derived from its Cornish cognate. In Arthurian romance this was the name of Guinevere's guardian. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, Cador was a ruler of Cornwall and the father of Constantine, King Arthur's successor.... [more]
DagonetmArthurian Romance Meaning unknown, possibly from Old English dæg "day". Dagonet or Daguenet was a witless Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend, usually described as the king's fool. Introduced in the Prose Lancelot, he becomes Arthur's beloved court jester in Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur and Tennyson's Idylls of the King.
DinadanmArthurian Romance Of unknown meaning, perhaps from Din Eidyn, the old name for Edinburgh (which appears in the early medieval Welsh poem 'Y Gododdin'), or possibly an Anglicized form of Dunawd... [more]
DindranefArthurian Romance Of uncertain origin, probably from Welsh Danbrann which was possibly derived from Middle Welsh dawn "gift" or dwn "brown, dark" and bran "raven". Dindrane is historically the sister of Perceval, one of King Arthur's knights... [more]
EdernmWelsh Mythology, Arthurian Romance, Medieval Breton, Breton Derived from Old Welsh edyrn "immense; heavy; prodigious, wonderful, marvellous", in the past this name has been (falsely) considered a derivation from Latin aeternus "eternal".... [more]
EglatinefLiterature, Arthurian Romance Probably a medieval French variant or possibly a misspelling of Eglantine. In Arthurian legend, Eglatine was the daughter of King Machen of the Lost Island, and the half-sister of King Nentres of Garlot... [more]
ElyanmArthurian Romance In Arthurian romance tales, Sir Elyan the White, also known as Helyan le Blanc, is the son of Sir Bors and is a Knight of the Round Table. He's sometimes a cousin of Lancelot, and helps rescue him after his affair with Guinevere is revealed... [more]
ErecmArthurian Romance Possibly derived from the Old Breton name Guerec, which may be related to Welsh Gweir, the name of several of King Arthur's warriors and relatives in early Welsh tales... [more]
EsmereefArthurian Romance Perhaps derived from Old French esmer meaning "to like, love, respect". This was the name of an enchanted queen of Wales in Le Bel Inconnu (ca. 1185-90), an Old French Arthurian poem by Renaut de Bâgé... [more]
EttarrefArthurian Romance Used by Alfred Lord Tennyson in his Arthurian epic 'Idylls of the King' (1859) as the name of the lady loved by Pelleas. An earlier form, Ettard, was used by Sir Thomas Malory in his 'Le Morte d'Arthur' and may have been a variant or corrupted form of Arcade, the original name of the character in the Post-Vulgate Cycle.
EvainefArthurian Romance In Arthurian tales, Evaine is the sister of Lancelot's mother Elaine, wife of King Bors of Gaul and mother of Sir Lionel and Sir Bors the Younger. Her character first appears in the Old French prose Lancelot of the Lake (c.1215–20), which was incorporated into the Vulgate Lancelot.... [more]
EvelakemArthurian Romance From Evalach, likely a corruption of Afallach. It appears in this form in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends 'Le Morte d'Arthur', in which Evelake is a good king of Sarras and a contemporary of Joseph of Arimathea... [more]
FlorisdelfafArthurian Romance It's origins are unknown but presumably a coinage from of the Latin flos "flower" and the Greek adelphe "sister".... [more]
GalehautmArthurian Romance Meaning unknown. However, like many given names from Arthurian legend, this name is probably of Celtic origin (either Breton or Welsh, to be precise). It was subsequently gallicized and due to this, it is sometimes thought to be connected to Middle French hault (which is haut in modern French) meaning "high, elevated".... [more]
GanorafArthurian Romance Latinate form of Gaynor used by Reginald Heber for the character of Queen Guinevere in his unfinished and posthumous 'Morte d'Arthur' (first published in 1830).
GuironmArthurian Romance Guiron le Courtois is a character in Arthurian legend, a knight-errant and one of the central figures in the French romance known as Palamedes, with later versions named Guiron le Courtois and the Compilation of Rustichello da Pisa.
GwainemWelsh, Arthurian Romance Variant of Gawain. Gwaine is a character on the BBC television series 'Merlin', meant to represent the Gawain of Arthurian legend.
HellawesfArthurian Romance Probably a variant of Helewise. It occurs in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends 'Le Morte d'Arthur' belonging to a sorceress who creates the chapel perilous, the setting of one of the quests of Sir Lancelot, and falls in love with the knight... [more]
IsoudefMedieval English, Arthurian Romance Medieval English vernacular form of Isolde. It appears in this form in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends Le Morte d'Arthur.
IžotafBelarusian, Literature, Arthurian Romance Belarusian form of Iseult that was used in the Old Belarusian translation of Tristan and Iseult called Apoviesć pra Tryščana (translates The Tale of Tristan into English) that was made in the XVI century by an unknown author.
JaufremLengadocian, Arthurian Romance Languedocian form of of Jaufré. 'Jaufre' is the only surviving Arthurian romance written in Occitan; its main character is equivalent to Sir Griflet son of Do, a Knight of the Round Table known from other literature.
JolïetefArthurian Romance Possibly from Old French joli, jolif "pretty, cute, smart, joyful". According to the Fourth Continuation (or Gerbert's Continuation; c. 1230) of Chrétien de Troyes' unfinished romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail, this was the name of a maidservant of Bloiesine, Gawain's lover.
KeamArthurian Romance Likely from a Cornish form of the Welsh name Cai or Cei (see Kay). This was the name of a semi-legendary British saint, for whom the Cornish parish of Kea is named... [more]
KexmArthurian Romance Form of Kay 2 used by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes in his Arthurian romances.
LamorakmArthurian Romance Possibly a coinage based on French l'amour "love". It has also been suggested that this is a corruption of the Welsh name Llywarch. This was the name of a Knight of the Round Table in some Arthurian romances, a son of King Pellinore and brother of Percival.
LanvalmArthurian Romance From Norman French l'an val meaning "the valiant man". In Arthurian romance Lanval is a knight at the court of King Arthur. The character originates in one of the lais of Marie de France, written in the late 12th century.
LauncelotmTheatre, Arthurian Romance Variant of Lancelot. This spelling was used by Shakespeare in his play The Merchant of Venice (written between 1596 and 1598) for the character of Launcelot Gobbo.
LeodegrancemArthurian Romance, Welsh Mythology King Leodegrance was Queen Guinevere's father from Arthurian mythology. "His earliest existing mention is in the Prose 'Lancelot', though he may be identical to Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Leodegar."
LyonorsfArthurian Romance Appears in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends 'Le Morte d'Arthur', belonging to the daughter of Earl Sanam. Lyonors had an affair with Arthur and bore him a son, Borre. Alfred Lord Tennyson used the name in his poem 'Gareth and Lynette' (1872) for the sister of Lynette, a character usually called Lyonesse in medieval versions of the story.
MabuzmArthurian Romance Anglo-Norman form of Mabon. This is a character in 'Lanzelet', an Arthurian romance written by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven after 1194; Mabuz the Enchanter is the cowardly lord of the Schatel le Mort, or "Castle of the Dead".
MorgausefArthurian Romance The name of a witch in Arthurian romance. Morgause, Queen of the Orkneys, is Arthur's half-sister with whom, in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation 'Le Morte d'Arthur', he engages in a brief affair, producing Mordred... [more]
NinnianefArthurian Romance The name of the Lady of the Lake in the Old French Vulgate Lancelot and the continuation to the Vulgate Merlin, known as the Suite du Merlin. (The earlier Vulgate Merlin uses the variant form Viviane.) 'She raised Lancelot and imprisoned Merlin... [more]
NynevefArthurian Romance Form of Ninniane used by Thomas Malory for one of the Ladies of the Lake in his 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends 'Le Morte d'Arthur' (as she is called Ninniane in Malory's source, the continuation to the Vulgate 'Merlin', known as the 'Suite du Merlin')... [more]
OrguelleusmArthurian Romance Means “orgulous, proud” from Anglo-French orguillus, from orguil "pride." This was the name of several characters from Arthurian legends, including Orguelleus of the Heath (a.k.a. Orilus of Lalander), Orguelleus of the Narrow Passage (lover of Orguelleuse who was defeated by Sir Gawain), and Orguelleus the Fairy (enemy of Gawain, a knight who possessed magical powers).
OrguelleusefArthurian Romance Feminine equivalent of Orguelleus. This was used by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach in Parzival, his expansion and completion of Chrétien de Troyes' unfinished romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail, for a hitherto unnamed character... [more]
PalamedesmGreek Mythology, Arthurian Romance Possibly derived from Greek πάλαι (palai) "long ago, in days of yore" and μῆδος (mêdos) "plans, schemes" (itself from the verb μηδομαι (medomai) "to think, to plan")... [more]
PalatynefArthurian Romance The name of the sister of Melusine in the English translation of the story.
RathleanfArthurian Romance Of uncertain derivation. This name belonged to a character in the Irish Arthurian romance Céilidhe Iosgaide Léithe (The Visit of Iosgaid Liath or Visit of the Grey-Hammed Lady)... [more]
RhunmWelsh, Medieval Welsh, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Romance Old Welsh name, possibly derived from Proto-Celtic *roino- meaning "hill, plain" (the source of Scottish Gaelic raon meaning "plain, field") or Proto-Celtic *rnf which meant "secret" and "magic" (the source of Middle Welsh rin which meant "mystery" and "charm" as well as Modern Welsh rhin meaning "secret")... [more]
RivalenmArthurian Romance Medieval form of Rhiwallon used in the early German versions of the Tristan legend, where it belongs to Tristan's father, the king of Parmenie.
SebilefArthurian Romance, Folklore Variant of Sybil. In Arthurian legend and Italian folklore, Sebile is a queen or princess often portrayed as a fairy or enchantress.
TelerifWelsh, Arthurian Romance Contraction of Welsh ty meaning "thy, your" and Eleri. This name is mentioned in Culhwch and Olwen as one of the maidens of King Arthur's court.
TiturelmArthurian Romance The name of the Grail King in Wolfram von Eschenbach's 'Parzival'. Also the title of another work by Wolfram von Eschenbach (preserved only fragmentary).
TorecmArthurian Romance (Dutchified) Meaning uncertain. This is the name of the hero in a 13th-century Dutch romance by Jacob van Maerlant; for the love of a maiden, Sir Torec defeats all the Knights of the Round Table except Arthur.
UlfinmArthurian Romance An ancient British name which means "little wolf". Most well known in the Arthurian legends of Geoffrey Monmouth, where Sir Ulfin plays a role in Merlin's plot for King Arthur to be born.
YdermArthurian Romance, French, Anglo-Norman French form of Edern. Used in some Arthurian romances, in both Old French and Anglo-Norman. This is also the common name of the character in modern French.
YgraynefArthurian Romance Variant of Igraine used in 'Le Morte d'Arthur', a 15th-century Middle English prose reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table—along with their respective folklore.
YsmainefArthurian Romance Origin unknown, probably unrelated to Ismay. It was used in a 13th-century continuation of Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail, where it belongs to Perceval's cousin who marries the knight Faradien... [more]