Vilma f Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, CroatianForm of
Wilma in several languages.
Vilmantas m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
viltis "hope" combined with
mantus "intelligent" or
manta "property, wealth".
Vinal m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"vine hall" in Middle English.
Vincent m English, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, SlovakFrom the Roman name
Vincentius, which was derived from Latin
vincere meaning
"to conquer". This name was popular among early Christians, and it was borne by many saints. As an English name,
Vincent has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 19th century. Famous bearers include the French priest Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
Vinicio m Italian, SpanishItalian and Spanish form of the Roman family name
Vinicius, which was possibly derived from Latin
vinum "wine".
Vinícius m PortuguesePortuguese form of
Vinicius (see
Vinicio). It gained popularity in Brazil due to the poet and musician Vinícius de Moraes (1913-1980).
Vinyet f CatalanMeans
"vineyard" in Catalan. It is from a devotional title of the Virgin
Mary,
Mare de Déu del Vinyet, meaning "Mother of God of the Vineyard". This is the name of a sanctuary in Sitges, Spain.
Viola f English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, SlovakMeans
"violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke
Orsino, she attempts to convince
Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.
Violet f EnglishFrom the English word
violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin
viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.
Viorel m RomanianDerived from
viorea, the Romanian word for the alpine squill flower (species Scilla bifolia) or the sweet violet flower (species Viola odorata). It is derived from Latin
viola "violet".
Viracocha m Inca MythologyPossibly from Quechua
wira "fat, thick" and
qucha "lake". This is the name of the creator god in Inca mythology.
Viraja m HinduismMeans
"ruling, sovereign" in Sanskrit. This is the name of an offspring of
Brahma in Hindu belief.
Virgil m English, RomanianFrom the Roman family name
Vergilius, which is of unknown meaning. This name was borne by the 1st-century BC Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro, commonly called Virgil, who was the writer of the
Aeneid. Due to him,
Virgil has been in use as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.
Virginia f English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek, Ancient RomanFeminine form of the Roman family name
Verginius or
Virginius, which is of unknown meaning, but long associated with Latin
virgo "maid, virgin". According to a legend, it was the name of a Roman woman killed by her father so as to save her from the clutches of a crooked official.
... [more] Virgo f AstronomyMeans
"maiden, virgin" in Latin. This is the name of a constellation and the sixth sign of the zodiac.
Viriato m PortugueseFrom the Latin name
Viriathus or
Viriatus, which was derived from
viriae "bracelets" (of Celtic origin). Viriathus was a leader of the Lusitani (a tribe of Portugal) who rebelled against Roman rule in the 2nd century BC.
Virna f ItalianAs an Italian name it owes its usage primarily to the actress Virna Lisi (1936-2014). Her name was invented by her father.
Virva f FinnishPossibly derived from Finnish
virvatuli meaning
"will o' the wisp". In folklore, will o' the wisp is a floating ball of light that appears over water.
Virve f Estonian, FinnishFrom Estonian
virves meaning
"sprout, shoot" or
virve meaning
"ripple, shimmer".
Vishnu m Hinduism, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, MarathiProbably means
"all-pervasive" in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Vishnu is the protector and preserver of the universe, usually depicted as four-armed and blue-skinned. By some Hindus he is regarded as the supreme god.
Visitación f SpanishMeans
"visitation" in Spanish. This name is given in reference to the visit of the Virgin
Mary to her cousin Elizabeth.
Vitale m ItalianItalian form of the Late Latin name
Vitalis, which was derived from Latin
vitalis meaning
"of life, vital". Vitalis was the name of several early saints and martyrs.
Vitalianus m Late RomanRoman cognomen that was derived from
Vitalis. This was the name of a 7th-century pope who is considered a saint.
Vito 1 m Italian, SpanishItalian and Spanish form of
Vitus. A notable fictional bearer is Vito Corleone from
The Godfather novel (1969) and movie (1972).
Vitus m Ancient RomanRoman name that was derived from Latin
vita "life". Saint Vitus was a child martyred in Sicily in the early 4th century. From an early date this name was confused with the Germanic name
Wido.
Vivian m & f English, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishFrom the Latin name
Vivianus, which was derived from Latin
vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of
Bébinn or a variant of
Vivien 2.
Vivien 2 f Literature, HungarianUsed by Alfred Tennyson as the name of the Lady of the Lake in his Arthurian epic
Idylls of the King (1859). Tennyson may have based it on
Vivienne, but it possibly arose as a misreading of
Ninian. A famous bearer was British actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967), who played Scarlett O'Hara in
Gone with the Wind.
Vjollca f AlbanianDerived from Albanian
vjollcë meaning
"violet", referring to both the flower and the colour.
Vlad m Romanian, Russian, UkrainianOld short form of
Vladislav and other names beginning with the Slavic element
volděti (Church Slavic
vladati) meaning
"to rule, to control". This name was borne by several princes of Wallachia (in Romania) including the 15th-century Vlad III Dracula, who was Bram Stoker's inspiration for the name of his vampire Count
Dracula.
Vladan m Serbian, CzechFrom the Slavic element
volděti meaning
"to rule, to control", originally a diminutive of names containing that element.
Vladislav m Russian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Serbian, CroatianFrom the Old Slavic name *
Voldislavŭ, derived from the elements
volděti "to rule" and
slava "glory". This name has been borne by kings, princes and dukes of Croatia, Serbia, Bohemia, Poland and Wallachia.
Vlasta f & m Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, SloveneOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Slavic element
volstĭ meaning
"power, rule, sovereignty". Descendants of this word include Czech
vlast "homeland" and Serbo-Croatian
vlast "power". It is sometimes masculine in Czech and Serbian.
Vlastimir m SerbianDerived from the Slavic element
volstĭ (Serbian
vlast) meaning "power, rule, sovereignty" combined with
mirŭ meaning "peace, world". This was the name of a 9th-century prince of Serbia.
Voestaa'e f CheyenneMeans
"white bison calf woman" in Cheyenne, derived from
vóésta "white bison calf" and the feminine suffix
-e'é. Because white bison calves were rare they were considered sacred.
Vojislav m SerbianDerived from the Slavic elements
vojĭ "warrior, soldier" and
slava "glory, fame". Stefan Vojislav was an 11th-century ruler of Serbia.
Voldemort m LiteratureInvented by author J.K. Rowling, apparently based on French
vol de mort meaning
"flight of death" or
"theft of death". This is the name of the primary villain in Rowling's
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997. The books explain that he created his name by anagramming his birth name Tom Marvolo Riddle into
I am Lord Voldemort.
Voltaire m HistoryPen name of François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), a French philosopher and writer, the author of
Candide. It is not known how Arouet devised his name. He may have reversed the syllables of Airvault, a town where his family owned property; it may have been an anagram of the Latin spelling of his surname
Arovet and
LI standing for
le jeune "the young"; or it may have come from French
volontaire "determined".
Vonahe'e f CheyenneMeans
"medicine bundle woman" in Cheyenne. A medicine bundle is a collection of sacred items used in religious ceremonies.
Vratislav m Czech, SlovakDerived from the Slavic elements
vortiti (Czech
vrátit) meaning "to return" and
slava meaning "glory". This was the name of two dukes of Bohemia (the second later a king).
Vukašin m SerbianDerived from Serbian
vuk meaning
"wolf". This was the name of a 14th-century Serbian ruler.
Vulcan m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Vulcanus, possibly related to
fulgere meaning
"to flash", but more likely of pre-Latin origin. In Roman mythology Vulcan was the god of fire. He was later equated with the Greek god
Hephaestus.
Vural m TurkishPossibly from Turkish
vur meaning
"strike, hit".
Vytautas m LithuanianFrom the Lithuanian root
vyd- "to see" or
vyti "to chase, to drive away" combined with
tauta "people, nation". This was the name of a 15th-century Grand Duke of Lithuania, revered as a national hero in that country.
Wace m Old NormanNorman form of
Wazo. This name was borne by a 12th-century Norman poet from the island of Jersey.
Wadud m ArabicMeans
"lover, affectionate" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الودود (al-Wadud) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Wærmund m Anglo-SaxonFrom Old English
wær "aware, cautious" and
mund "protection", making it a (partial) cognate of
Veremund. This was the name of a legendary ancestor of the Mercians according to the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
Wafi m ArabicMeans
"trustworthy, reliable, loyal, perfect" in Arabic.
Wafula m LuhyaMeans
"born during the rainy season", from Luhya
ifula meaning "rainy season".
Wahid m ArabicMeans
"peerless, unique" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الوحيد (al-Wahid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Wahunsenacawh m PowhatanMeaning unknown. This name was borne by a 17th-century chief of the Powhatan people. He was also known as Powhatan, as a result of confusion between his name and his birthplace.
Wail m ArabicPossibly means
"refuge, shelter" in Arabic.
Wairimu f KikuyuFrom Kikuyu
irimũ meaning
"ogre, giant". In the Kikuyu origin legend Wairimu is of one of the nine daughters of
Mumbi.
Wakana f JapaneseFrom Japanese
和 (wa) meaning "harmony, peace" and
奏 (kana) meaning "play music, complete", as well as other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Walburga f GermanMeans
"power of the fortress" from Old German
walt meaning "power, authority" and
burg meaning "fortress" (or perhaps from Old English cognates, though as an Old English name it is unattested). This was the name of an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon saint who did missionary work in Germany.
Waldebert m GermanicGermanic name composed of the elements
walt "power, authority" and
beraht "bright". This was the name of a 7th-century Frankish saint from Luxeuil (called
Valbert or
Gaubert in French).
Waldo 1 m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the Anglo-Scandinavian given name
Waltheof. Its present use in the English-speaking world is usually in honour of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American transcendentalist, poet and author. His name came from a surname from his father's side of the family.
Waldo 2 m GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names containing the Old Frankish element
wald or Old High German element
walt meaning
"power, authority" (Proto-Germanic *
waldaz). This was the name of an 8th-century abbot of Reichenau. It was also borne by the 12th-century French merchant Peter Waldo, who founded the religious order of the Waldensians.
Walid m ArabicMeans
"newborn", derived from Arabic
ولد (walada) meaning "to give birth". This was the name of the Umayyad caliph who conquered Spain in the 8th century.
Walker m EnglishFrom an English surname that referred to the medieval occupational of a walker, also known as a fuller. Walkers would tread on wet, unprocessed wool in order to clean and thicken it. The word ultimately derives from Old English
wealcan "to walk".
Wallace m English, ScottishFrom a Scottish and English surname that was derived from Norman French
waleis meaning
"foreigner, Celt, Welshman" (of Germanic origin). It was first used as a given name in honour of William Wallace, a Scottish hero who led the fight against the English in the 13th century.
Wallis m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was a variant of
Wallace. Wallis Simpson (1895-1986) was the divorced woman whom Edward VIII married, which forced him to abdicate the British throne.
Walt m EnglishShort form of
Walter. A famous bearer was the American animator and filmmaker Walt Disney (1901-1966).
Wálter m Spanish, PortugueseSpanish and Portuguese variant form of
Walter, more common in South America than Europe. It is often written without the diacritic.
Walter m English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Italian, GermanicFrom the Germanic name
Waltheri meaning
"power of the army", from the elements
walt "power, authority" and
heri "army". In medieval German tales (notably
Waltharius by Ekkehard of Saint Gall) Walter of Aquitaine is a heroic king of the Visigoths. The name was also borne by an 11th-century French saint, Walter of Pontoise. The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Wealdhere.
... [more] Waltheof m Anglo-SaxonOld English name derived from the Old Norse
Valþjófr. This was the name of a 12th-century English saint, an abbot of Melrose.
Walton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally taken from various Old English place names meaning
"stream town",
"wood town", or
"wall town".