Browse Names

Altwidus m Germanic (Latinized)
Derived from the Old German elements alt "old" and witu "forest".

Arvid m Swedish, Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Arnviðr, derived from the elements ǫrn "eagle" and viðr "tree".

Basajaun m Basque Mythology
Means "lord of the woods" from Basque baso "woods" and jaun "lord". This is the name of a character in Basque folklore, the Old Man of the Woods.

Boyce m English
From an English surname that was derived from Old French bois "wood".

Briscoe m English (Rare)
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "birch wood" in Old Norse.

Carver m English (Rare)
From an English surname that meant "wood carver".

Codrin m Romanian
From Romanian codru meaning "forest", a word of uncertain origin.

Codruț m Romanian
From Romanian codru meaning "forest", a word of uncertain origin.

Deforest m English
From a French surname meaning "from the forest". It was originally given in honour of American author John Deforest (1826-1906).

Delaney f English (Modern)
From a surname: either the English surname Delaney 1 or the Irish surname Delaney 2.

Diklah m & f Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Possibly means "palm grove" in Hebrew or Aramaic. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Joktan. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name.

Doubravka f Czech
Czech feminine form of Dubravko.

Dubravka f Croatian, Serbian
Feminine form of Dubravko.

Dubravko m Croatian
From the Old Slavic word *dǫbrava meaning "oak grove".

Elwood m English
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "elder tree forest" in Old English.

Forest m English
Variant of Forrest, or else directly from the English word forest.

Forrest m English
From an English surname meaning "forest", originally belonging to a person who lived near a forest. In America it has sometimes been used in honour of the Confederate Civil War general Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877). This name was borne by the title character in the movie Forrest Gump (1994) about a loveable simpleton. Use of the name increased when the movie was released, but has since faded away.

Foster 1 m English
From an English surname that has several different origins: see Foster 1, Foster 2, Foster 3 and Foster 4.

Garrick m English
From an English surname, of French Huguenot origin, that was derived from Occitan garric meaning "oak tree grove".

Grover m English
From an English surname derived from Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), who popularized the name in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The name is now associated with a muppet character from the children's television program Sesame Street.

Haywood m English
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.

Horst m German
Means "wood, thicket" in Low German. Alternatively, it may derive from Horsa. This name was popular in the first half of the 20th century but has since become uncommon. It is now a German slang word for an unintelligent person.

Keir m Scottish
From a surname that was a variant of Kerr.

Keith m English, Scottish
From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from the name of a place in East Lothian, itself possibly derived from the Celtic root *kayto- meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century, becoming fairly common throughout the English-speaking world in the 20th century.

Kerr m Scottish
From a Scots surname that was derived from a word meaning "thicket, marsh", ultimately from Old Norse kjarr.

Kingsley m English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "king's wood" in Old English. This name may have received a boost in popularity after the release of the 2007 movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, featuring the character Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Lin m & f Chinese
From Chinese 林 (lín) meaning "forest" or 琳 (lín) meaning "fine jade, gem". Other characters can also form this name.

Linwood m English
From an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning "stream forest" in Old English.

Lucina f Roman Mythology
Derived from Latin lucus meaning "grove", but later associated with lux meaning "light". This was the name of a Roman goddess of childbirth.

Moriko f Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Mu m & f Chinese
From Chinese 慕 (mù) meaning "admire, desire", 木 (mù) meaning "tree, wood", or other characters with similar pronunciations.

Mulan f Chinese Mythology
From Chinese 木兰 (mùlán) meaning "magnolia". This is the name of a legendary female warrior who disguises herself as a man to take her ailing father's place when he is conscripted into the army.

Norwood m English
From a surname that was originally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.

Oihan m Basque
Means "forest" in Basque.

Ripley f & m English (Rare)
From a surname that was derived from the name of various English towns, from Old English rippel "grove, thicket" and leah "clearing". A famous fictional bearer is the character Ellen Ripley (usually only called by her surname) from the Alien series of movies, beginning 1979.

Sawyer m & f English (Modern)
From an English surname meaning "sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).... [more]

Shaw m English (Rare)
From a surname. As an English surname it is derived from Old English sceaga meaning "thicket". As a Scottish surname it is derived from the Gaelic byname Sitheach meaning "wolf".

Sherwood m English
From an English place name (or from a surname that was derived from it) meaning "bright forest". This was the name of the forest in which the legendary outlaw Robin Hood made his home.

Silvanus m Roman Mythology, Ancient Roman, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Roman cognomen meaning "of the woods", derived from Latin silva meaning "wood, forest". Silvanus was the Roman god of forests. This name appears in the New Testament belonging to one of Saint Paul's companions, also called Silas.

Silverius m Late Roman
Probably from Latin silva meaning "wood, forest" (compare Silvanus, Silvester and Silvius). This name was borne by a 6th-century pope who served for less than a year but is considered a saint.

Silvinus m Ancient Roman
Roman cognomen that was a variant of Silvanus. This name was borne by an 8th-century saint who evangelized in northern France.

Silvius m Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Derived from Latin silva meaning "wood, forest". This was the family name of several of the legendary kings of Alba Longa. It was also the name of an early saint martyred in Alexandria.

Sylvan m English
Either a variant of Silvanus or directly from the Latin word silva meaning "wood, forest".

Vipin m Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam
Means "forest" in Sanskrit.

Walton m English
From a surname that was originally taken from various Old English place names meaning "stream town", "wood town", or "wall town".

Widald m Germanic
Old German name composed of the elements witu "wood" and walt "power, authority".

Wido m Germanic
Originally a short form of names beginning with the Old Frankish or Old Saxon element widu, Old High German witu, meaning "wood" (Proto-Germanic *widuz). This was the name of two 11th-century saints, one from Belgium and one from northern Italy, both commonly called Guido or Guy. From early times this name has been confused with the Latin name Vitus.

Widogast m Germanic
Old German name composed of the elements witu "wood" and gast "guest, stranger".

Widukind m Germanic
Old Saxon name composed of the elements widu "wood" and kind "child". This was the name of an 8th-century Saxon leader who fought against the Franks, in the end unsuccessfully.

Woodrow m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood" in Old English. It was borne by the American president Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), who was given his mother's maiden name as his middle name (his first name was Thomas). During his candidacy and presidency (1912-1921) the name became popular, reaching the 44th rank in 1913, though it quickly declined after that.