Blanchard m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
blanc meaning "white" and
hart meaning "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of an obscure (perhaps legendary) 7th-century French saint.
Blanche f French, EnglishFrom a medieval French nickname meaning
"white, fair-coloured". This word and its cognates in other languages are ultimately derived from the Germanic word *
blankaz. An early bearer was the 12th-century Blanca of Navarre, the wife of Sancho III of Castile. Her granddaughter of the same name married Louis VIII of France, with the result that the name became more common in France.
Blandine f FrenchFrench form of the Roman name
Blandina, which was the feminine form of
Blandinus, which was itself a derivative of the cognomen
Blandus. Saint Blandina was a 2nd-century slave from Lyons who was martyred by being thrown to wild beasts.
Bláthnat f Irish MythologyMeans
"little flower" from Irish
bláth "flower" combined with a diminutive suffix. In Irish legend she was a maiden abducted and married by Cú Roí. She was rescued by
Cúchulainn, who killed her husband, but was in turn murdered by one of Cú Roí's loyal servants.
Blaže m MacedonianDerived from Macedonian
блажен (blažen) meaning
"blissful, blessed", ultimately from Old Slavic
bolgŭ "good, pleasant".
Blažej m Czech, SlovakCzech and Slovak form of
Blaise, also associated with the word
blažený meaning
"blissful, happy, blessed".
Blažena f Czech, SlovakDerived from Czech and Slovak
blažený meaning
"blissful, happy, blessed", ultimately from Old Slavic *
bolgŭ "good, pleasant".
Bleda m HistoryPossibly from a Turkic root meaning
"wise". According to other theories the name was of Gothic origin, or was a Gothicized form of a Hunnic name. This was the name of the brother of
Attila.
Bleddyn m WelshFrom Welsh
blaidd "wolf" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 11th-century king of Gwynedd and Powys.
Blessing m & f English (African)From the English word
blessing, of Old English origin. This name is most common in Nigeria, Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa.
Blodeuwedd f Welsh MythologyMeans
"face of flowers" in Welsh. According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi, she was created out of flowers by
Gwydion to be the wife of his nephew
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Originally she was named
Blodeuedd meaning simply "flowers". She was eventually transformed into an owl by Gwydion after she and her lover
Gronw attempted to murder Lleu, at which point he renamed her
Blodeuwedd.
Blodwen f WelshMeans
"white flowers" from Welsh
blodau "flowers" combined with
gwen "white, blessed". This is the name of an 1878 Welsh opera by Joseph Parry.
Blondie f English (Rare)From a nickname for a person with blond hair. This is the name of the title character in a comic strip by Chic Young.
Blossom f EnglishFrom the English word
blossom, ultimately from Old English
blóstm. It came into use as a rare given name in the 19th century.
Blue m & f English (Rare)From the English word for the colour, derived via Norman French from a Frankish word (replacing the native Old English cognate
blaw). Despite the fact that this name was used by the American musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z in 2012 for their first daughter, it has not come into general use in the United States.
Bo 1 m Swedish, DanishFrom the Old Norse byname
Búi, which was derived from Old Norse
bua meaning
"to live".
Bo 2 m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
波 (bō) meaning "wave", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Boann f Irish MythologyPossibly from Old Irish
bó "cow" and
finn "white, blessed". In Irish mythology this was the name of the goddess of the River Boyne, which is named for her. She was the wife of
Nechtan and the father of
Aonghus (by
Dagda).
Boaz m Biblical, Hebrew, Dutch, Biblical HebrewMeans
"swiftness" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the man who marries
Ruth. This was also the name of one of the two pillars that stood outside Solomon's Temple (with
Jachin).
Bob m English, DutchShort form of
Robert. It arose later than
Dob,
Hob and
Nob, which were medieval rhyming nicknames of Robert. It is borne by the character Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel
A Christmas Carol (1843). Other famous bearers include American folk musician Bob Dylan (1941-) and Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
Bobby m EnglishDiminutive of
Bob. Hockey greats Bobby Hull (1939-2023) and Bobby Orr (1948-) have borne this name.
Bodo m German, GermanicDerived from the Old High German element
bot, Old Saxon
bod meaning
"command, order" (Proto-Germanic *
budą). Saint Bodo, also called Leudinus, was a 7th-century bishop of Toul in northern France.
Boel f SwedishFrom
Boeld, a medieval form of the Old Norse name
Bóthildr (see
Bodil).
Boglárka f HungarianMeans
"buttercup (flower)" in Hungarian (genus Ranunculus), derived from the archaic word
boglár meaning "ornament".
Bogusław m PolishMeans
"glory of God" from the Slavic elements
bogŭ "god" and
slava "glory". This name was borne by several dukes of Pomerania, beginning in the 12th century.
Boipelo m & f TswanaMeans
"joy, rejoicing" in Tswana, from
ipela meaning "to rejoice".
Boitumelo f & m TswanaMeans
"joy" in Tswana, from
itumela meaning "to be happy".
Bojan m Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, MacedonianDerived from Old Slavic
bojĭ meaning
"battle". This was the name of a 9th-century Bulgarian saint and martyr, also called Enravota, a son of the Bulgarian khan Omurtag.
Bolat m KazakhFrom a Turkic word meaning
"steel", ultimately from Persian.
Bolesław m PolishDerived from Slavic
boľe "more, greater" and
slava "glory". This was the name of kings of Poland, starting in the 11th century with the first Polish king Bolesław the Brave.
Bolívar m Spanish (Latin American)From a surname that was taken from the Basque place name
Bolibar, which was derived from
bolu "mill" and
ibar "riverside". A famous bearer of the surname was Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), a South American revolutionary leader, after whom the country of Bolivia is named.
Bomilcar m Phoenician (Latinized)From the Punic name
𐤁𐤃𐤌𐤋𐤒𐤓𐤕 (Bodmilqart), from Phoenician
𐤁𐤃 (bod) meaning "on behalf of" or perhaps from
𐤏𐤁𐤃 (ʿabd) meaning "servant, slave" combined with the name of the god
Melqart. This name was borne by a few figures from Carthaginian history.
Bonaventura m Italian, CatalanMeans
"good fortune" in Italian, from Latin
bonus "good" and
venturas "the things that will come, the future". Saint Bonaventura was a 13th-century Franciscan monk who is considered a Doctor of the Church.
Boniface m French, English (Rare)From the Late Latin name
Bonifatius, which meant
"good fate" from
bonum "good" and
fatum "fate, destiny". This was the name of nine popes and also several saints, including an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon missionary to Germany (originally named
Winfrið) who is now regarded as the patron saint of that country. It came into use in England during the Middle Ages, but became rare after the Protestant Reformation.
Bonita f EnglishMeans
"pretty" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin
bonus "good". It has been used as a name in the English-speaking world since the beginning of the 20th century.
Bonitus m Late RomanDerived from a diminutive of Latin
bonus meaning
"good". This was the name of a 7th-century century saint, a bishop of Auvergne.
Bonnie f EnglishMeans
"pretty" from the Scottish word
bonnie, which was itself derived from Middle French
bon "good". It has been in use as an American given name since the 19th century, and it became especially popular after the movie
Gone with the Wind (1939), in which it was the nickname of Scarlett's daughter.
Booker m EnglishFrom an English occupational surname meaning
"maker of books". A famous bearer was Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an African-American leader.
Boone m EnglishFrom an English surname that was either derived from Old French
bon meaning
"good" or from the name of the town of Bohon, France.
Bor m SloveneMeans
"pine tree" in Slovene. It is also a short form of names containing
bor, such as
Borislav or
Boris.
Bora 1 m TurkishMeans
"storm, squall" in Turkish, ultimately related to Greek
Βορέας (Boreas), the name of the god of the north wind.
Borgny f NorwegianFrom the Old Norse elements
borg "fortress" and
nýr "new". This name appears in the Old Norse poem
Oddrúnargrátr in the
Poetic Edda.
Boris m Bulgarian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, German, FrenchFrom a Bulgar Turkic name, also recorded as
Bogoris, perhaps meaning
"short" or
"wolf" or
"snow leopard". It was borne by the 9th-century Boris I of Bulgaria, who converted his realm to Christianity and is thus regarded as a saint in the Orthodox Church. To the north in Kievan Rus it was the name of another saint, a son of
Vladimir the Great who was murdered with his brother
Gleb in the 11th century. His mother may have been Bulgarian.
... [more] Bořivoj m CzechDerived from the Slavic elements
borti "battle" and
vojĭ "soldier". This name was borne by a 9th-century Duke of Bohemia.
Borja m SpanishFrom a Spanish surname, used as a given name in honour of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Borja (1510-1572). The surname, also spelled Borgia, is derived from the name of a Spanish town, ultimately from Arabic
برْج (burj) meaning "tower".
Borna m CroatianDerived from the Slavic element
borti meaning
"fight, battle". This was the name of a 9th-century duke of Croatia.
Bors m Arthurian CycleFrom French
Bohort, probably from Old French
behort or
bohort meaning
"jousting" or
"jousting lance". First appearing in the 13th-century
Lancelot-Grail Cycle, Bors was one of Arthur's knights who quested for the Holy Grail. His father, the king of Gaunnes, was also named Bors.
Boston m EnglishFrom the American city of Boston in Massachusetts, itself named after a town in Lincolnshire, England. The town's name is said to mean "
Botwulf's stone".
Botwulf m Anglo-SaxonFrom Old English
bot meaning "improvement" and
wulf meaning "wolf". Saint Botwulf was a 7th-century English abbot. He may be the person after whom
Boston is named.
Boudicca f Brythonic (Latinized)Derived from Brythonic
boud meaning
"victory". This was the name of a 1st-century queen of the Iceni who led the Britons in revolt against the Romans. Eventually her forces were defeated and she committed suicide. Her name is first recorded in Roman histories, as
Boudicca by Tacitus and
Βουδουῖκα (Boudouika) by Cassius Dio.
Bounmy m & f LaoMeans
"happy", from Lao
ບຸນ (boun) meaning "happiness, prosperity, goodness" combined with
ມີ (mi) meaning "to have".
Bowie m & f English (Modern), Dutch (Modern)From a Scottish surname, derived from Gaelic
buidhe meaning
"yellow". It has been used as a given name in honour of the British musician David Bowie (1947-2016), born David Robert Jones, who took his stage name from the American pioneer James Bowie (1796-1836), though with a different pronunciation.
Boyce m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old French
bois "wood".
Boyd m EnglishFrom a Scottish surname that was possibly derived from the name of the island of Bute (
Bód in Gaelic).
Boyko m BulgarianOriginally a diminutive of names containing the Slavic element
bojĭ meaning
"battle".
Božica f CroatianDerived from the Slavic element
božĭjĭ meaning
"divine". It also means
"goddess" in Croatian.
Brad m EnglishShort form of
Bradley,
Bradford and other names beginning with
Brad. A famous bearer is American actor Brad Pitt (1963-).
Brádach m Medieval IrishIrish byname, possibly derived from
bradach meaning
"thieving, roguish, spirited".
Bradamante f Carolingian CycleUsed by Matteo Maria Boiardo for a female knight in his epic poem
Orlando Innamorato (1483). He possibly intended it to derive from Italian
brado "wild, untamed, natural" and
amante "loving" or perhaps Latin
amantis "lover, sweetheart, mistress", referring to her love for the Saracen
Ruggiero. Bradamante also appears in Ludovico Ariosto's poem
Orlando Furioso (1532) and Handel's opera
Alcina (1735).
Bradán m Medieval IrishMeans
"salmon" in Irish. It could also be formed from Irish
brad "thief" and a diminutive suffix.
Braden m EnglishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Bradáin, which was in turn derived from the byname
Bradán. Like other similar-sounding names such as
Hayden and
Aidan, it and its variant
Brayden became popular in America at the end of the 20th century.
Bradford m EnglishFrom an English surname that originally came from a place name that meant
"broad ford" in Old English.
Bradley m EnglishFrom the English surname
Bradley, which originally came from a place name meaning
"broad clearing" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the World War II American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).
Brady m EnglishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Brádaigh, itself derived from the byname
Brádach. A famous bearer of the surname is the American football quarterback Tom Brady (1977-). It was also borne by a fictional family on the television series
The Brady Bunch (1969-1974).
Bragi m Norse Mythology, IcelandicDerived from Old Norse
bragr meaning
"first, foremost" or
"poetry". In Norse mythology Bragi is the god of poetry and the husband of
Iðunn.
Brahma m HinduismMeans
"growth, expansion, creation" in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Brahma is the creator and director of the universe, the balance between the opposing forces of
Vishnu and
Shiva. After the classical period Brahma was no longer as highly revered as Vishnu and Shiva. He is often depicted with four heads and four arms.
Bram m English, DutchShort form of
Abraham. This name was borne by Bram Stoker (1847-1912), the Irish author who wrote
Dracula.
Brân m Welsh MythologyMeans
"raven" in Welsh. According to the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi, Brân the Blessed (called
Bendigeidfran) was a giant king of Britain. He was the son of the divine figure
Llŷr. After his sister
Branwen was mistreated by her husband the Irish king Matholwch, Brân led an attack on Ireland (the text says that he was so big he was able to wade there). Although victorious, the British lost all except seven men with Brân being mortally wounded by a poisoned spear. He asked the survivors to cut of his head and return with it to Britain. The head continued to speak for many years until it was buried in London.
Bran 1 m Irish, Irish Mythology, Old IrishMeans
"raven" in Irish. In Irish legend Bran mac Febail was a mariner who was involved in several adventures on his quest to find the Otherworld.
Brandon m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"hill covered with broom" in Old English.
... [more] Brandy f EnglishFrom the English word
brandy for the alcoholic drink. It is ultimately from Dutch
brandewijn "burnt wine". It has been in use as a given name since the 1960s.
Brankica f Croatian, SerbianDerived from the Slavic element
borna (South Slavic
brana) meaning
"protection" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Brant m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name
Brandr. This is also the name for a variety of wild geese.
Brantley m English (Modern)From a surname, an Americanized form of the German surname
Brändle, ultimately from Old High German
brant "fire".
Branwen f Welsh, Welsh MythologyMeans
"white raven" from Old Welsh
bran "raven" and
gwen "white, blessed". According to the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi she was the daughter of
Llŷr. After she was mistreated by her husband Matholwch, the king of Ireland, she managed to get a message to her brother
Brân, the king of Britain. Brân launched a costly invasion to rescue her, but she died of grief shortly after her return.
Braxton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"Bracca's town" in Old English. In some cases it is given in honour of the Confederate general Braxton Bragg (1817-1876).
Brecht m DutchShort form of names containing
brecht, often derived from the Old German element
beraht meaning "bright".
Breda 2 f SloveneMeaning unknown. It was used by the Slovene author Ivan Pregelj for the title character in his novel
Mlada Breda (1913).
Brenda f EnglishPossibly a feminine form of the Old Norse name
Brandr, meaning
"fire, torch, sword", which was brought to Britain in the Middle Ages. This name is sometimes used as a feminine form of
Brendan.
Brendan m Irish, English, BretonFrom
Brendanus, the Latinized form of the Old Irish name
Bréanainn, which was derived from Old Welsh
breenhin meaning
"king, prince". Saint Brendan was a 6th-century Irish abbot who, according to legend, crossed the Atlantic and reached North America with 17 other monks.
Brennan m EnglishFrom an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Braonáin) that was derived from the byname
Braonán, itself from Irish
braon meaning "rain, moisture, drop" combined with a diminutive suffix. As a given name, it has been used since the 1960s as an alternative to
Brendan or
Brandon, though it has not been as popular as them.
Brennus m Gaulish (Latinized)Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either
"king, prince" or
"raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.
Brent m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally taken from various place names, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning
"hill".
Brenton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from an English place name meaning
"Bryni's town".
Bryni was an Old English name meaning "fire".