Browse Names - Behind the Name

Aroha f & m Maori
Means "love" in Maori.

Bora 1 m Turkish
Means "storm, squall" in Turkish, ultimately related to Greek Βορέας (Boreas), the name of the god of the north wind.

Borja m Spanish
From 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 بُرْج (burj) meaning "tower".

Borna m Croatian
Derived from the Slavic element borti meaning "fight, battle". This was the name of a 9th-century duke of Croatia.

Borya m Russian
Diminutive of Boris.

Boža m Serbian
Diminutive of Božidar.

Cola m Anglo-Saxon
Old English byname meaning "charcoal", originally given to a person with dark features.

Cosma m Italian
Italian form of Cosmas.

Doğa f & m Turkish
Means "nature" in Turkish.

Foka m Russian (Rare)
Russian form of Phocas.

Foma m Russian
Russian form of Thomas.

Giona m Italian
Italian form of Jonah.

Gocha m Georgian
Meaning unknown, possibly from a Georgian dialectal word meaning "old man".

Goda 1 m & f Germanic
Germanic name derived from the element guot meaning "good" or got meaning "god".

Goga m Georgian
Diminutive of Giorgi.

Gorka m Basque
Basque form of George.

Gösta m Swedish
Swedish variant of Gustav.

Honza m Czech
Czech form of Hans.

Horea m Romanian
From Romanian horă, a type of circle dance. This was the nickname of Vasile Ursu Nicola (1731-1785), a leader of a peasant rebellion in Romania. He was eventually captured, tortured and executed.

Horia m Romanian
Variant of Horea.

Horsa m Anglo-Saxon Mythology
From Old English or Old Saxon hors meaning "horse". According to medieval chronicles, Horsa and his brother Hengist were the leaders of the first Saxon settlers to arrive in Britain. Horsa was said to have died in battle with the Britons. He is first mentioned in the 8th-century writings of the English historian Bede.

Hosea m Biblical
Variant English form of Hoshea, though the name is spelled the same in the Hebrew text. Hosea is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Hosea. Written in the northern kingdom, it draws parallels between his relationship with his unfaithful wife and the relationship between God and his people.

Iokua m Hawaiian
Hawaiian form of Joshua.

Iona 2 m Russian, Georgian, Biblical Latin
Form of Jonah used in the Latin Old Testament, as well as the Russian and Georgian form.

Jooa m Finnish
Finnish short form of Joakim.

Joona m Finnish
Finnish form of Jonah.

Jordà m Catalan
Catalan form of Jordan.

Jorma m Finnish
Finnish (allegedly Karelian) form of Jeremiah. This was the name of a character in Juhani Aho's novel Panu (1897).

Jóska m Hungarian
Diminutive of József.

Jozua m Dutch (Rare)
Dutch form of Joshua.

Kekoa m Hawaiian
Means "the warrior" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and koa "warrior, koa tree".

Keola m Hawaiian
Means "the life" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and ola "life, health".

Koa m Hawaiian
Means "warrior, koa tree" in Hawaiian.

Koba m Georgian
Diminutive of Iakob.

Koda m English (Modern)
At least in part inspired by the name of a character from the animated movie Brother Bear (2003). The moviemakers apparently took it from Lakota or Dakota koda meaning "friend, companion".

Kolya m Russian
Diminutive of Nikolai.

Kosma m Polish
Polish form of Cosmas.

Kosta m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Bulgarian and Macedonian diminutive of Konstantin.

Kōta m Japanese
From Japanese 康 (kō) meaning "peace" and 太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Kouta m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 康太 (see Kōta).

Louka m French (Modern)
French form of Luca 1.

Moana f & m Maori, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan
Means "ocean, wide expanse of water, deep sea" in Maori, Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages.

Motya m & f Russian
Diminutive of Matvey or Matrona 1.

Mousa m Persian, Arabic
Persian form of Musa, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription.

Noa 2 m Croatian, Hawaiian, French
Croatian and Hawaiian form of Noah 1, as well as a French variant.

Noga f & m Hebrew
Modern Hebrew transcription of Nogah, usually used as a feminine name.

Nooa m Finnish
Finnish form of Noah 1.

Ofra m & f Hebrew
Modern Hebrew form of Ophrah. Originally it was a masculine name, but it is now used for females too.

Oiva m Finnish
Means "splendid" in Finnish.

Ola 1 m Norwegian, Swedish
Norwegian and Swedish short form of Olaf.

Ola 3 m & f Yoruba
From Yoruba ọlà meaning "wealth" or the related ọlá meaning "honour, respect". It is also a short form of names containing those elements.

Omega m & f Various
From the name of the last letter in the Greek alphabet, Ω. It is often seen as a symbol of completion.

Ora 1 f & m English
Perhaps based on Latin oro "to pray". It was first used in America in the 19th century.

Orla 2 m Danish
Danish name, meaning unknown.

Osama m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic أسامة (see Usama).

Oshea m Biblical
Variant of Hoshea used in some versions of the Bible.

Ota m Czech, Sorbian
Czech and Sorbian form of Otto.

Oxalá m Afro-American Mythology
Portuguese form of Oriṣanla, used in Brazil by adherents of Candomblé to refer to Ọbatala. It also coincides with the Portuguese word oxalá meaning "God willing, hopefully", which originates from the Arabic phrase و شاء الله (wa shaa Allah).

Paora m Maori
Maori form of Paul.

Rodya m Russian
Diminutive of Rodion.

Roma 1 m Russian
Diminutive of Roman.

Romà m Catalan
Catalan form of Romanus (see Roman).

Ryōta m Japanese
From Japanese 涼 (ryō) meaning "cool, refreshing", 亮 (ryō) meaning "clear" or 良 (ryō) meaning "good" combined with 太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations.

Ryota m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 涼太 or 亮太 or 良太 (see Ryōta).

Shōta m Japanese
From Japanese 翔 (shō) meaning "soar, glide" and 太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". Other combinations of kanji are also possible.

Shota m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 翔太 (see Shōta).

Sokha m & f Khmer
Means "health" in Khmer, ultimately derived from Sanskrit सुख (sukha).

Sōma m Japanese
From Japanese 颯 (sō) meaning "sudden, sound of the wind" and 真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Soma m Hungarian
From Hungarian som meaning "dogwood, cornel tree".

Sora f & m Japanese
From Japanese 空 (sora) or 昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.

Sōta m Japanese
From Japanese 颯 (sō) meaning "sudden, sound of the wind" and 太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations.

Sota m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 颯太 (see Sōta).

Souma m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 颯真 (see Sōma).

Souta m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 颯太 (see Sōta).

Tekoa m Biblical
Possibly means either "stockade" or "horn, trumpet" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a both a city and a son of Ashhur.

Te'oma m Ancient Aramaic
Old Aramaic form of Thomas.

Thoma m Albanian, Old Church Slavic
Albanian form of Thomas, as well as the Old Church Slavic form.

Tobia m Italian, Biblical Italian
Italian form of Tobiah.

Tola 1 m & f Khmer
Means "October" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit तुल (tula), referring to the constellation Libra.

Tolga m Turkish
Means "helmet" in Turkish.

Tolya m Russian
Diminutive of Anatoliy.

Toma 2 m Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Georgian
Form of Thomas used in several languages.

Tovia m & f Hebrew
Hebrew form of Tobiah, also used as a feminine form.

Tyoma m Russian
Diminutive of Artyom.

Uzoma m & f Igbo
Means "good way" in Igbo.

Vojta m Czech
Diminutive of Vojtěch.

Volya m Russian (Rare)
Diminutive of Vsevolod. It also means "will, freedom" in Russian.

Vova m Russian
Diminutive of Vladimir.

Yoda m Popular Culture
The name of a short green alien in the Star Wars series of movies, first appearing in the second movie The Empire Strikes Back (1980). The name has no meaning; it was devised for its sound by creator George Lucas.

Yona m & f Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew יוֹנָה (see Yonah).

Yōta m Japanese
From Japanese 陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" and 太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". Other character combinations are possible.

Youta m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 陽太 (see Yōta).

Zola 2 f & m Xhosa
From the Xhosa root -zola meaning "calm".

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