Abiathar m BiblicalFrom Hebrew
אֶבְיָתָר ('Evyatar) meaning
"my father abounds" or
"my father excels". In the Old Testament Abiathar was a high priest during the reign of King
David.
Abiel m BiblicalMeans
"God is my father" in Hebrew. This was the name of the grandfather of Saul in the Old Testament.
Abihu m BiblicalMeans
"he is my father" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Aaron in the Old Testament. He and his brother Nadab were killed by God because they presented him with unauthorized fire.
Abijah m & f BiblicalMeans
"my father is Yahweh" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of several characters, both male and female, including the second king of Judah (also known as
Abijam).
Abiram m BiblicalMeans
"my father is exalted" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Abiram is swallowed by an earthquake after rebelling against the leadership of
Moses.
Abishag f BiblicalMeans
"my father strays" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Abishag is a young woman who tends King
David in his old age.
Abishai m BiblicalMeans
"my father is a gift" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is one of King
David's heroes.
Abital f BiblicalMeans
"my father is dew" in Hebrew. She is the fifth wife of
David in the Old Testament.
Abner m English, Biblical, Biblical LatinMeans
"my father is a light" in Hebrew, from
אָב ('av) meaning "father" and
נֵר (ner) meaning "lamp, light". In the Old Testament, Abner was a cousin of
Saul and the commander of his army. After he killed Asahel he was himself slain by Asahel's brother
Joab.
... [more] Abraham m English, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Swedish, Biblical Norwegian, Biblical Danish, Biblical LatinThis name may be viewed either as meaning
"father of many" in Hebrew or else as a contraction of
Abram 1 and
הָמוֹן (hamon) meaning "many, multitude". The biblical patriarch Abraham was originally named Abram but God changed his name (see
Genesis 17:5). With his father
Terah, he led his wife
Sarah, his nephew
Lot and their other followers from Ur into Canaan. He is regarded by Jews as being the founder of the Hebrews through his son
Isaac and by Muslims as being the founder of the Arabs through his son
Ishmael.
... [more] Absalom m Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
אַבְשָׁלוֹם ('Avshalom) meaning
"my father is peace", derived from
אָב ('av) meaning "father" and
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". In the Old Testament he is a son of King
David. He avenged his sister
Tamar by arranging the murder of her rapist, their half-brother
Amnon. He later led a revolt against his father. While fleeing on the back of a mule he got his head caught in a tree and was killed by
Joab.
Abu m ArabicMeans
"father of" in Arabic. This is commonly used as an element in a kunya, which is a type of Arabic nickname. The element is combined with the name of one of the bearer's children (usually the eldest son). In some cases the kunya is figurative, not referring to an actual child, as in the case of the Muslim caliph
Abu Bakr.
Adanna f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of the father" in Igbo.
Adannaya f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of her father" in Igbo.
Ahab m Biblical, Biblical LatinMeans
"uncle", from Hebrew
אָח ('ach) meaning "brother" and
אָב ('av) meaning "father". This was the name of a king of Israel, the husband of
Jezebel, as told in the Old Testament. He was admonished by
Elijah for his sinful behaviour. Herman Melville later used this name in his novel
Moby-Dick (1851), where it belongs to a sea captain obsessively hunting for a white whale.
Aitor m Basque, SpanishPossibly means
"good fathers" from Basque
aita "father" and
on "good". This was the name of a legendary ancestor of the Basques.
Amane f BasqueFrom Basque
ama "mother". It was coined by the Basque writer Sabino Arana as the equivalent of the rare Spanish devotional name
Maternidad.
Antipater m Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Ἀντίπατρος (Antipatros), which meant
"like the father" from Greek
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" (genitive
πατρός). This was the name of an officer of Alexander the Great who became the regent of Macedon during Alexander's absence.
Apollo m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Ἀπόλλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to the Indo-European root *
apelo- meaning
"strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means
"father lion" or
"father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb
ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) meaning
"to destroy". In Greek mythology Apollo was the son of
Zeus and
Leto and the twin of
Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.
Atabek m Kazakh, KyrgyzFrom the Turkic noble title
atabeg, derived from
ata meaning "father, ancestor" and
beg meaning "chieftain, master".
Atajan m TurkmenFrom Turkmen
ata meaning "father, ancestor" combined with the suffix
jan meaning "dear, darling" (of Persian origin).
Attila m History, Hungarian, TurkishProbably means
"little father" from Gothic
atta "father" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 5th-century leader of the Huns, a nomadic people from Central Asia who had expanded into Eastern Europe by the 4th century.
Attila was likely the name given to him by his Gothic-speaking subjects in Eastern Europe; his real name may have been Avitohol.
Aulus m Ancient RomanPossibly from Latin
avulus meaning
"little grandfather", though it could be from the Etruscan name
Aule, which was possibly derived from
avils meaning "years". This was a Roman praenomen, or given name. Folk etymology connects it to Latin
aula meaning "palace".
Babak m PersianFrom Middle Persian
𐭯𐭠𐭯𐭪𐭩 (Papak) meaning
"little father". This was the name of the father of
Ardashir, the founder of the Sasanian Empire in Persia. It was also borne by the 9th-century resistance leader Babak Khorramdin.
Candace f English, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the hereditary title of the queens of Ethiopia, as mentioned in Acts in the New Testament. It is apparently derived from Cushitic
kdke meaning
"queen mother". In some versions of the Bible it is spelled
Kandake, reflecting the Greek spelling
Κανδάκη. It was used as a given name by the Puritans after the Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 20th century by a character in the 1942 movie
Meet the Stewarts.
Cleopatra f Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Κλεοπάτρα (Kleopatra) meaning
"glory of the father", derived from
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory" combined with
πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" (genitive
πατρός). This was the name of queens of Egypt from the Ptolemaic royal family, including Cleopatra VII, the mistress of both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. After being defeated by Augustus she committed suicide (according to popular belief, by allowing herself to be bitten by a venomous asp). Shakespeare's tragedy
Antony and Cleopatra (1606) tells the story of her life.
Dar f & m HebrewMeans
"mother-of-pearl, nacre" in Hebrew.
Demeter 1 f Greek MythologyPossibly means
"earth mother", derived from Greek
δᾶ (da) meaning "earth" and
μήτηρ (meter) meaning "mother". In Greek mythology Demeter was the goddess of agriculture, the daughter of
Cronus, the sister of
Zeus, and the mother of
Persephone. She was an important figure in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites performed at Eleusis near Athens.
Edda 2 f Icelandic, Old NorsePossibly from Old Norse meaning
"great-grandmother". This was the name of two 13th-century Icelandic literary works: the
Poetic Edda and the
Prose Edda. This is also the name of a character in the
Poetic Edda, though it is unclear if her name is connected to the name of the collection.
Eliab m BiblicalFrom Hebrew
אֱלִיאָב ('Eli'av) meaning
"my God is father". This is the name of several people from the Old Testament, including a brother of King
David.
Emese f HungarianPossibly derived from Finno-Ugric
eme meaning
"mother". In Hungarian legend this was the name of the grandmother of Árpád, founder of the Hungarian state.
Fu m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
富 (fù) meaning "abundant, rich, wealthy",
芙 (fú) meaning "hibiscus, lotus" or
甫 (fǔ) meaning "begin, man, father", in addition to other characters with a similar pronunciation. A famous bearer was the 8th-century Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, whose given name was
甫.
Gilgamesh m Sumerian Mythology, Semitic MythologyPossibly means
"the ancestor is a hero", from Sumerian
𒉋𒂵 (bilga) meaning "ancestor" and
𒈩 (mes) meaning "hero, young man". This was the name of a Sumerian hero, later appearing in the Akkadian poem the
Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh, with his friend
Enkidu, battled the giant Humbaba and stopped the rampage of the Bull of Heaven, besides other adventures. Gilgamesh was probably based on a real person: a king of Uruk who ruled around the 27th century BC.
Hamutal f BiblicalMeans
"father-in-law is dew" in Hebrew, derived from
חָם (cham) meaning "father-in-law" and
טַל (tal) meaning "dew". In the Old Testament this is the name of a wife of King
Josiah of Judah.
Ing m Germanic MythologyFrom the Germanic *
Ingwaz, possibly meaning
"ancestor". This was the name of an obscure Germanic fertility god who was considered the ancestor of the tribe the Ingaevones. It is possible he was an earlier incarnation of the god
Freyr.
Janaka m Sanskrit, SinhaleseMeans
"father" in Sanskrit. This was the name of an ancient Indian king of Videha. In the Hindu epic the
Ramayana he is the father of
Sita.
Joab m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh is father" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament, he was the commander of King
David's army. In separate incidents he killed both
Abner and
Absalom. When
Solomon came to power he was executed.
Jupiter m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From Latin
Iuppiter, which was ultimately derived from the vocative form of Indo-European *
Dyēws-pətēr, composed of the elements
Dyēws (see
Zeus) and
pətēr "father". Jupiter was the supreme god in Roman mythology. He presided over the heavens and light, and was responsible for the protection and laws of the Roman state. This is also the name of the fifth and largest planet in the solar system.
Lillemor f Swedish, Norwegian (Rare)Means
"little mother", from Swedish and Norwegian
lille, an inflected form of
liten meaning "little", combined with
mor meaning "mother". This name was first recorded in Norway and Sweden at the beginning of the 20th century.
Maiara f TupiFrom Tupi
maya arya meaning
"great-grandmother".
Mari 3 f Basque MythologyPossibly from Basque
emari meaning
"donation" or
amari meaning
"mother". This was the name of a goddess of nature and fertility in Basque mythology.
Matrona 2 f Celtic MythologyMeans
"great mother", from Celtic *
mātīr meaning "mother" and the divine or augmentative suffix
-on. This was the name of a Gaulish and Brythonic mother goddess, the namesake of the River Marne.
Meritites f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
mryt-jts meaning
"loved by her father". This name was borne by several Egyptian royals, including a wife and a daughter of the pharaoh
Khufu.
Moa f SwedishPossibly derived from Swedish
moder meaning
"mother". This was the pen name of the Swedish author Moa Martinson (real name Helga Maria Martinson).
Moab m BiblicalMeans
"of his father" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of
Lot. He was the ancestor of the Moabites, a people who lived in the region called Moab to the east of Israel.
Mut f Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
mwt meaning
"mother". In Egyptian mythology she was a mother goddess, the consort of
Amon and the mother of
Khonsu. She was sometimes depicted wearing a headdress with vulture wings.
Nnamdi m IgboMeans
"my father is alive" in Igbo. This name is given to a child when it is believed that he is a reincarnation of his grandfather.
Nneka f IgboMeans
"mother is greater" in Igbo.
Nnenna f IgboMeans
"father's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's paternal grandmother.
Nnenne f IgboMeans
"mother's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's maternal grandmother.
Nokomis f New World MythologyFrom Ojibwe
nookomis meaning
"my grandmother". In Anishinaabe legend this is the name of
Nanabozho's grandmother. It was used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for the grandmother of
Hiawatha in his 1855 poem
The Song of Hiawatha.
Obinna m IgboMeans
"heart of the father" in Igbo, from
óbì "heart, mind" and
ńnà "father".
Olaf m Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, PolishFrom the Old Norse name
Áleifr meaning
"ancestor's descendant", derived from the elements
anu "ancestor" and
leif "inheritance, legacy". This was the name of five kings of Norway, including Saint Olaf (Olaf II).
Olaug f NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Ólaug, derived from the elements
anu "ancestor" and
laug possibly meaning "vowed, promised, bound in oath".
Pachamama f Inca MythologyMeans
"earth mother" in Quechua, from
pacha "world, time" and
mama "mother". This was the name of an Inca goddess of the earth and fertility.
Puabi f AkkadianMeans
"word of my father", from Akkadian
pû meaning "mouth" and
abu meaning "father". Puabi was a 26th-century BC Akkadian noblewoman who was buried in the Sumerian city of Ur.
Rambabu m TeluguMeans
"father Rama" from the name of the Hindu deity
Rama 1 combined with Telugu
బాబు (babu) meaning "father".
Sabas m SpanishFrom the Greek name
Σάββας (Sabbas), which was derived from Aramaic
סַבָא (sava') meaning
"old man, grandfather". Saints bearing this name include a 4th-century Gothic martyr, a 5th-century Cappadocian hermit, and a 12th-century archbishop of Serbia who is the patron saint of that country.
Sadaf f ArabicMeans
"seashell, mother-of-pearl" in Arabic.
Saramama f Inca MythologyMeans
"corn mother" in Quechua, from
sara "corn, maize" and
mama "mother". This was the name of the Inca goddess of grain.
Tethys f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
τήθη (tethe) meaning
"grandmother". In Greek mythology this was the name of a Titan associated with the sea. She was the wife of Oceanus.
Uchenna m & f IgboMeans
"wisdom of the father, sense of the father" in Igbo.
Umm f ArabicMeans
"mother" in Arabic. This is often used in a kunya, a type of Arabic nickname (see the masculine counterpart
Abu).
Yemọja f Yoruba MythologyMeans
"mother of fish" in Yoruba, derived from
iye "mother",
ọmọ "child" and
ẹja "fish". In traditional Yoruba religion she is the goddess of the Ogun River, pregnancy and motherhood.