Browse Names - Behind the Name

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Aþanagild m Gothic (Hypothetical)
Gothic form of Athanagild.

Carpus m Biblical, Biblical Latin
Latin form of the Greek name Καρπός (Karpos), which meant "fruit, profits". The name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament in the second epistle of Timothy.

Ecrin f Turkish
Meaning unknown, possibly from an Arabic word meaning "reward".

Gage m English (Modern)
From an English surname of Old French origin meaning either "measure", originally denoting one who was an assayer, or "pledge", referring to a moneylender. It was popularized as a given name by a character from the book Pet Sematary (1983) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1989).

Gamaliel m Biblical, Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Greek
Means "my reward is God" in Hebrew. This name appears in the Old Testament belonging to a son of Pedahzur. It was also borne by a 1st-century Jewish priest and scholar, mentioned in Acts in the New Testament as a teacher of Saint Paul.

Gilda f Italian, Portuguese
Originally an Italian short form of Ermenegilda and other names containing the Old German element gelt meaning "payment, tribute, compensation". This is the name of a character in Verdi's opera Rigoletto (1851). It is also the name of a 1946 American movie, starring Rita Hayworth in the title role.

Giltbert m Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements gelt "payment, tribute, compensation" and beraht "bright".

Hermenegildo m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of a Visigothic name, from the Gothic elements airmans "great, immense" and gild "payment, tribute, compensation". It was borne by a 6th-century saint, the son of Liuvigild the Visigothic king of Hispania.

Issachar m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Possibly means "man of hire" or "there is reward", from Hebrew שָׁכַר (shakhar) meaning "hire, wage, reward". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the twelve sons of Jacob (by Leah) and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. A justification for the name's meaning is given in Genesis 30:18.

Jelle m Frisian, Dutch
Originally a Frisian short form of names beginning with the Old German element gelt meaning "payment, tribute, compensation". It can also be a Dutch diminutive of Willem.

Lishan f & m Amharic
Means "award" in Amharic.

Lucretia f Ancient Roman, Roman Mythology
Feminine form of the Roman family name Lucretius, possibly from Latin lucrum meaning "profit, wealth". According Roman legend Lucretia was a maiden who was raped by the son of the king of Rome. This caused a great uproar among the Roman citizens, and the monarchy was overthrown. This name was also borne by a 4th-century saint and martyr from Mérida, Spain.

María de las Mercedes f Spanish
Means "Mary of mercies" in Spanish, a devotional title of the Virgin Mary.

Masuyo f Japanese
From Japanese 益 (masu) meaning "profit, benefit" and 世 (yo) meaning "world". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Mercè f Catalan
Catalan form of Mercedes.

Mercury m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)
From the Latin Mercurius, probably derived from Latin mercari "to trade" or merces "wages". This was the name of the Roman god of trade, merchants, and travellers, later equated with the Greek god Hermes. This is also the name of the first planet in the solar system and a metallic chemical element, both named for the god.

Öwez m Turkmen
Means "compensation" in Turkmen (of Arabic origin).

Samar 2 m Urdu, Bengali
From Arabic ثمر (thamar) meaning "fruit, profit".

Shō m Japanese
From Japanese 翔 (shō) meaning "soar, glide" or 奨 (shō) meaning "prize, reward". Other kanji with identical pronunciations can also form this name.

Thilini f Sinhalese
From Sinhala තිළිණය (tilinaya) meaning "gift, award".

Tohil m Mayan Mythology
Possibly from Classic Maya tojol meaning "tribute". This was the name of a K'iche' Maya fire god.

Velta f Latvian
Derived from Latvian velte meaning "gift, tribute". The Latvian playwright Aspazija used it for a character in her play Zaudētās Tiesības (1894).

Yi f & m Chinese
From Chinese 宜 (yí) meaning "suitable, proper", 毅 (yì) meaning "resolute, decisive, firm", 义 (yì) meaning "justice, righteousness", 益 (yì) meaning "profit, benefit", 怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" (which is usually only feminine) or 仪 (yí) meaning "ceremony, rites" (also usually feminine). Other characters can also form this name.

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