Browse Names - Behind the Name

Detlef m Low German, German
Derived from Old High German diota, Old Saxon thiod meaning "people" and Old High German leiba, Old Saxon leva meaning "remainder, remnant, legacy".

Elof m Swedish
From the Old Norse name Eileifr, which was derived from the elements ei "ever, always" and leif "inheritance, legacy".

Gleb m Russian
Russian form of the Old Norse name Guðleifr, which was derived from the elements guð "god" and leif "inheritance, legacy". This was the name of an 11th-century saint, a member of the ruling family of Kievan Rus. Along with his brother Boris he was killed in the power struggles that followed the death of his father Vladimir the Great, and he is regarded as a martyr.

Herleif f & m Old Norse, Norwegian (Rare)
Old Norse feminine form and modern Scandinavian masculine form of Herleifr.

Herleifr m Old Norse
Derived from the Old Norse elements herr "army, warrior" and leif "inheritance, legacy".

Herleva f Germanic (Latinized)
Possibly from the Old German elements heri "army" and leiba "remainder, remnant, legacy" (or the Old Norse cognates herr and leif, see Herleif). This was the name of the mother of William the Conqueror, who, according to tradition, was a commoner.

Hypnos m Greek Mythology
Means "sleep" in Greek. In Greek myth this was the name of the personification of sleep, twin brother of Thanatos.

Kálmán m Hungarian
Probably of Turkic origin, meaning "remainder". This was the name of a 12th-century king of Hungary. It was also borne in the 13th-century by the first king of Galicia-Volhynia, who was also a member of the Hungarian Árpád royal family. This name has been frequently confused with Koloman.

Marlowe f & m English (Modern)
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "remnants of a lake" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English playwright Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).

Moerani m & f Tahitian
From Tahitian moe "sleep" and raʻi "heaven, sky".

Narcissus m Greek Mythology (Latinized), Late Roman, Biblical
Latinized form of Greek Νάρκισσος (Narkissos), possibly derived from νάρκη (narke) meaning "sleep, numbness". Narkissos was a beautiful youth in Greek mythology who stared at his own reflection for so long that he eventually died and was turned into the narcissus flower.... [more]

Noah 1 m English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch (Modern), French (Modern), Biblical
From the Hebrew name נֹחַ (Noach) meaning "rest, repose", derived from the root נוּחַ (nuach). According to the Old Testament, Noah was the builder of the Ark that allowed him, his family, and animals of each species to survive the Great Flood. After the flood he received the sign of the rainbow as a covenant from God. He was the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.... [more]

Nyoman m & f Balinese
Possibly from a Balinese word meaning "end, remainder". This name is traditionally bestowed upon the third-born child.

Olaf m Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Polish
From 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).

Rahat m & f Arabic, Urdu
Means "rest, comfort" in Arabic.

Rati f Hinduism, Hindi
Means "rest, pleasure" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the wife of the Hindu god of love Kama.

Simisola f Yoruba
Means "rest in wealth" in Yoruba.

Swapan m Bengali
Derived from Sanskrit स्वपन (svapana) meaning "sleeping, dreaming".

Swapna f Telugu, Marathi
Means "sleep, dream" in Sanskrit.

Swapnil m Marathi, Hindi
Derived from Sanskrit स्वप्न (svapna) meaning "sleep, dream".

Torleif m Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Þórleifr, derived from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with leif "inheritance, legacy".

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