Norman m English, GermanicFrom an old Germanic byname meaning
"northman", referring to a Scandinavians. The Normans were Vikings who settled on the coast of France, in the region that became known as Normandy. In England the name
Norman or
Normant was used before the Norman Conquest, first as a nickname for Scandinavian settlers and later as a given name. After the Conquest it became more common, but died out around the 14th century. It was revived in the 19th century, perhaps in part due to a character by this name in C. M. Yonge's 1856 novel
The Daisy Chain. Famous bearers include the American painter Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) and the American author Norman Mailer (1923-2007).
Norton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"north town" in Old English.
Nurcan f TurkishMeans
"bright soul" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light" and Persian
jān meaning "soul, life".
Nurten f TurkishMeans
"radiant skin" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light" and Persian
تن (tan) meaning "body".
Nyoman m & f BalinesePossibly from a Balinese word meaning
"end, remainder". This name is traditionally bestowed upon the third-born child.
Oberon m LiteratureVariant of
Auberon. Oberon and
Titania are the king and queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's comedy
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). A moon of Uranus bears this name in his honour.
Oddrún f Old Norse, Norse MythologyFrom Old Norse
oddr "point of a sword" and
rún "secret lore, rune". This is the name of a woman in the Old Norse poem
Oddrúnargrátr in the
Poetic Edda.
Odhrán m IrishFrom Old Irish
Odrán, derived from
odar "dun-coloured, greyish brown, tan" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a saint who travelled with Saint Columba through Scotland.
Ọlọrun m Yoruba MythologyMeans
"ruler of heaven, owner of heaven" in Yoruba, derived from either
olú "chief, ruler" or the prefix
ọní "owner" combined with
ọ̀run "heaven, sky". Ọlọrun is a manifestation of the supreme god in traditional Yoruba religion. In some modern contexts this name is used to refer to the Christian or Islamic god.
Origen m HistoryFrom the Greek name
Ὠριγένης (Origenes), which was possibly derived from the name of the Egyptian god
Horus combined with
γενής (genes) meaning "born". Origen was a 3rd-century theologian from Alexandria. Long after his death some of his writings were declared heretical, hence he is not regarded as a saint.
Ortwin m German, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
ort "point" and
wini "friend". This is the name of
Gudrun's brother in the medieval German epic
Kudrun.
Osborn m EnglishDerived from the Old English elements
os "god" and
beorn "warrior, man". During the Anglo-Saxon period there was also a Norse cognate
Ásbjǫrn used in England, and after the Norman Conquest the Norman cognate
Osbern was introduced. It was occasionally revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the given name.
Ossian m LiteratureVariant of
Oisín used by James Macpherson in his 18th-century poems, which he claimed to have based on early Irish legends. In the poems Ossian is the son of
Fingal, and serves as the narrator.
Parvin f & m Persian, Urdu, HindiMeans
"the Pleiades" in Persian. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus. This name is typically feminine in Iran, but unisex in India.
Patton m English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from a diminutive of
Patrick. A notable bearer of the surname was the American World War II general George S. Patton (1885-1945), who played an important part in the allied offensive in France.
Paxton m English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"Pœcc's town".
Pœcc is an Old English given name of unknown meaning.
Peyton f & m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally a place name meaning
"Pæga's town". This was a rare masculine name until the 1990s. In 1992 it was used for a female character in the movie
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and, despite the fact that it was borne by the villain, the name began to rise in popularity for girls as well as boys.
... [more] Pippin 2 m LiteratureThe name of a hobbit in
The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien. His full given name is
Peregrin, a semi-translation into English of his true hobbit name
Razanur meaning
"traveller".
Preben m Danish, NorwegianModern Danish form of the name
Pridbjørn, which was an old Scandinavian form of the Slavic (Wendish) name
Predbor or
Pridbor, which was possibly derived from Slavic
perdŭ "first, in front of" and
borti "to fight". It was imported into Danish via the medieval Putbus family, who were Slavic nobles from Rügen in Pomerania.
Pridon m GeorgianGeorgian form of
Fereydoun. It appears in the 12th-century Georgian epic poem
The Knight in the Panther's Skin, in which Pridon (fully Nuradin-Pridon) is a friend of
Avtandil and
Tariel.
Qurban m Urdu, AzerbaijaniFrom Arabic
قربان (qurbān) meaning
"sacrifice, sacrificial animal". It is associated with the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, which features the ritual sacrifice of an animal.
Raijin m Japanese MythologyFrom Japanese
雷 (rai) meaning "thunder" and
神 (jin) meaning "god, spirit". This is the name of the god (or gods) of thunder and storms in the mythology of Japan.
Rayyan m & f ArabicMeans
"watered, luxuriant" in Arabic. According to Islamic tradition this is the name of one of the gates of paradise.
Răzvan m RomanianMeaning unknown, possibly related to the name
Radovan. Alternatively it may have been brought to Romania by the Romani people (note that Romanian and Romani are unrelated), perhaps ultimately from
Rizwan.
Reagan f & m English (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Riagáin, derived from the given name
Riagán. This surname was borne by American actor and president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
... [more] Reuben m Biblical, Hebrew, EnglishMeans
"behold, a son" in Hebrew, derived from
רָאָה (raʾa) meaning "to see" and
בֵּן (ben) meaning "son". In the Old Testament he is the eldest son of
Jacob and
Leah and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Reuben was cursed by his father because he slept with Jacob's concubine
Bilhah. It has been used as a Christian name in Britain since the Protestant Reformation.
Riagán m Irish (Rare)From Old Irish
Riacán, probably derived from
rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Rodion m RussianRussian form of
Ῥοδίων (Rhodion), a short form of
Herodion, referring to Saint Herodion of Patras. A famous fictional bearer is Rodion Raskolnikov, the main character in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel
Crime and Punishment (1866).
Róisín f IrishDiminutive of
Róis or the Irish word
rós meaning
"rose" (of Latin origin). It appears in the 17th-century song
Róisín Dubh.
Roydon m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"rye hill", from Old English
ryge "rye" and
dun "hill".
Ruslan m Russian, Tatar, Bashkir, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Turkmen, Azerbaijani, Ossetian, Chechen, Ingush, Avar, Circassian, Indonesian, MalayForm of
Yeruslan used by Aleksandr Pushkin in his poem
Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), which was loosely based on Russian and Tatar folktales of Yeruslan Lazarevich.
Sabeen f UrduPossibly from Arabic meaning
"follower of another religion", a name given to the Prophet
Muhammad and other Muslims by non-Muslim Arabs.
Samson m Biblical, English, French, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shimshon), derived from
שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh) meaning "sun". Samson was an Old Testament hero granted exceptional strength by God. His mistress
Delilah betrayed him and cut his hair, stripping him of his power. Thus he was captured by the Philistines, blinded, and brought to their temple. However, in a final act of strength, he pulled down the pillars of the temple upon himself and his captors.
... [more] Sargon m Akkadian (Anglicized), Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew form
סַרְגּוֹן (Sargon) of the Akkadian name
Sharru-ukin, from
šarru meaning "king" and
kīnu meaning "legitimate, true". This was the name of the first king of the Akkadian Empire, beginning in the 24th century BC. It was also borne by the 8th-century BC Assyrian king Sargon II, who appears briefly in the Old Testament. The usual English spelling of the name is based on this biblical mention, applied retroactively to the earlier king.
Saturn m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Saturnus, which is of unknown meaning. In Roman mythology he was the father of
Jupiter,
Juno and others, and was also the god of agriculture. This is also the name of the ringed sixth planet in the solar system.
Sauron m LiteratureMeans
"abhorred" in the fictional language Quenya. Sauron is a powerful evil being in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels, serving as the main antagonist in
The Lord of the Rings (1954). During the novels he appears as a disembodied lidless eye, though in earlier times he took on other forms.
Sefton m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town in the rushes" in Old English.
Selwyn m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from an Old English given name, which was formed of the elements
sele "manor" and
wine "friend".
Seo-Jun m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
瑞 (seo) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" or
舒 (seo) meaning "open up, unfold, comfortable, easy" combined with
俊 (jun) meaning "talented, handsome". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Seo-Yun f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
瑞 (seo) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" and
潤 (yun) meaning "soft, sleek", as well as other hanja character combinations.
Serhan m TurkishDerived from Turkish
ser meaning "head, top" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
Serkan m TurkishMeans
"leader, chief" from Turkish
ser "head, top" and
kan "blood".
Shaban m Arabic, AlbanianFrom the name of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from Arabic
شعب (shaʿaba) meaning "scatter".
Shahin m Persian, Arabic, BengaliMeans
"falcon" in Persian, referring more specifically to the Barbary falcon (species Falco pelegrinoides). The bird's name is a derivative of Persian
شاه (shāh) meaning "king".
Sharon f & m English, HebrewFrom an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew
שָׁרוֹן (Sharon) meaning
"plain", referring to a fertile plain on the central west coast of Israel. This is also the name of a flowering plant in the Bible, the rose of Sharon, a term now used to refer to several different species of flowers.
... [more] Shirin f PersianMeans
"sweet" in Persian. This was the name of a character in Persian and Turkish legend.
Shufen f ChineseFrom Chinese
淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming" combined with
芬 (fēn) meaning "fragrance, aroma, perfume". Other character combinations are possible as well.
Simeon m Biblical, Bulgarian, SerbianFrom
Συμεών (Symeon), the Old Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name
Shimʿon (see
Simon 1). In the Old Testament this is the name of the second son of
Jacob and
Leah and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the New Testament the Greek rendering
Σίμων (Simon) is more common, though
Συμεών occurs belonging to a man who blessed the newborn
Jesus. He is recognized as a saint in most Christian traditions.
... [more] Sixten m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Sigsteinn, which was derived from the elements
sigr "victory" and
steinn "stone".
Slaven m Croatian, SerbianMeans
"a Slav" in Croatian and Serbian, referring to the European people who speak one of the Slavic languages (which include Croatian and Serbian). The word is derived from Old Slavic *
slověninŭ.
Stefan m German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Polish, Bulgarian, Serbian, MacedonianForm of
Stephen used in several languages. Famous bearers include the Serbian rulers Stefan Nemanja, Stefan Nemanjić, and Stefan Lazarević, who are all considered saints in the Orthodox Church.
Steven m English, DutchMedieval English variant of
Stephen, and a Dutch variant of
Stefan. The filmmaker Steven Spielberg (1946-), director of
E.T. and
Indiana Jones, is a famous bearer of this name.
Suijin m Japanese MythologyFrom Japanese
水 (sui) meaning "water" and
神 (jin) meaning "god, spirit". This is the name of the god (or gods) of water, lakes and pools in Japanese mythology.
Sukhon f ThaiMeans
"fragrance, pleasant smell" in Thai, ultimately of Pali origin.
Sultan m & f Arabic, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Urdu, Bengali, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, IndonesianMeans
"ruler, king, sultan" in Arabic. In the Arab world this name is typically masculine, but Turkey it is given to both boys and girls.
Sutton f & m English (Modern)From a surname, itself derived from the name of numerous English towns, of Old English origin meaning
"south town".
Sylvan m EnglishEither a variant of
Silvanus or directly from the Latin word
silva meaning
"wood, forest".
Tarzan m LiteratureCreated by Edgar Rice Burroughs for the main character in his novel
Tarzan of the Apes (1912). In the novel Tarzan is the ape name of the baby John Clayton, who was adopted by the animals after his parents died in the African jungle. The name is said to mean
"white skin" in the fictional Mangani ape language.
Tatton m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"Tata's town" in Old English.
Teagan f English (Modern)Variant of
Tegan. It also coincides with a rare Irish surname
Teagan. This name rose on the American popularity charts in the 1990s, probably because of its similarity to names like
Megan and
Reagan.
Tegwen f WelshDerived from the Welsh elements
teg "beautiful, pretty" and
gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the 19th century.
Telman m AzerbaijaniSoviet-era name derived from the usual Azerbaijani spelling of the surname of the German communist party leader Ernst Thälmann (1886-1944; see
Thälmann).
Tenzin m & f Tibetan, BhutaneseFrom Tibetan
བསྟན་འཛིན (bstan-'dzin) meaning
"upholder of teachings". This is one of the given names of the current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (1935-).
Tilman m GermanCombination of
Till and Old German
man meaning "person, man". A notable bearer was the German sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531).
Tintin m Popular CultureCreated by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé for the hero in his comic book series of the same name, debuting 1929. Hergé never explained why he chose the name.
Titian m HistoryUsual English form of
Titianus (see
Tiziano) used to refer to the painter Tiziano Vecellio.
Torunn f NorwegianNorwegian form of the Old Norse name
Þórunn, from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor) combined with
unnr "wave" or
unna "to love".
Trajan 1 m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Traianus, which is of unknown meaning. The Roman emperor Trajan (full name Marcus Ulpius Traianus) is considered among the most capable men to have led the empire. His military accomplishments include victories over Dacia and Parthia.
Trajan 2 m Macedonian, SerbianMeans
"enduring, permanent" in South Slavic. This also coincides with the Macedonian and Serbian form of the Roman emperor's name
Trajan 1, which may also factor into the name's usage.
Triton m Greek MythologyMeaning uncertain. It is possibly related to a root meaning
"the sea" (cognate with Old Irish
trethan). Alternatively it could be connected to Greek
τρεῖς (treis) meaning
"three" (ordinal form
τρίτος). In Greek mythology Triton was the son of
Poseidon and
Amphitrite. He was often depicted as a merman, half-human and half-fish. The largest of Neptune's moons is named after him.
Truman m EnglishFrom a surname that meant
"trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972). It was also borne by American writer Truman Capote (1924-1984).
Turpin m Carolingian CycleFrom the rare medieval name
Tilpinus, of uncertain meaning, which was borne by an 8th-century bishop of Reims. He appears as
Turpin, a warrior and bishop, in the French epic
La Chanson de Roland. The spelling was probably altered by association with Latin
turpis "ugly".
Tychon m Greek Mythology, Ancient GreekFrom Greek
τύχη (tyche) meaning
"chance, luck, fortune", a derivative of
τυγχάνω (tynchano) meaning "hit the mark, succeed". This was the name of a minor deity associated with
Priapus in Greek mythology. It was also borne by a 5th-century saint from Cyprus.
Typhon m Greek MythologyPossibly from Greek
τύφω (typho) meaning
"to smoke",
τῦφος (typhos) meaning
"fever" or
τυφώς (typhos) meaning
"whirlwind". In Greek Mythology Typhon was a monstrous giant who challenged the rule of
Zeus. He and his mate
Echidna were said to be the parents of all monsters.
Uthman m ArabicMeans
"baby bustard" in Arabic (a bustard is a type of large bird). Uthman was a companion of the Prophet
Muhammad who married two of his daughters. He was the third caliph of the Muslims.
Vardan m ArmenianDerived from Armenian
վարդ (vard) meaning
"rose", ultimately from an Iranian language.
Vernon m EnglishFrom a Norman surname, which was from a French place name, ultimately derived from the Gaulish word
vern meaning
"alder".
Vivian m & f English, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishFrom the Latin name
Vivianus, which was derived from Latin
vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of
Bébinn or a variant of
Vivien 2.
Vivien 2 f Literature, HungarianUsed by Alfred Tennyson as the name of the Lady of the Lake in his Arthurian epic
Idylls of the King (1859). Tennyson may have based it on
Vivienne, but it possibly arose as a misreading of
Ninian. A famous bearer was British actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967), who played Scarlett O'Hara in
Gone with the Wind.
Vladan m Serbian, CzechFrom the Slavic element
volděti meaning
"to rule, to control", originally a diminutive of names containing that element.
Vulcan m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Vulcanus, possibly related to
fulgere meaning
"to flash", but more likely of pre-Latin origin. In Roman mythology Vulcan was the god of fire. He was later equated with the Greek god
Hephaestus.
Walton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally taken from various Old English place names meaning
"stream town",
"wood town", or
"wall town".
Warren m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived either from Norman French
warrene meaning
"animal enclosure", or else from the town of La Varenne in Normandy. This name was borne by the American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).
Watson m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of Wat". A famous fictional bearer of the surname was Dr. Watson, the assistant to Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.
Waylon m EnglishVariant of
Wayland. This name was popularized by country music singer Waylon Jennings (1937-2002), who was originally named Wayland.
Weldon m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"hill near a spring" in Old English.
Weston m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English
west "west" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Wilton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the names of several English towns. The town names mean variously "willow town", "well town" or "town on the River Wylye" in Old English. The river name is itself of Celtic origin, possibly meaning "tricky".
Winton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"enclosure belonging to Wine" in Old English.
Wystan m English (Rare)From the Old English name
Wigstan, composed of the elements
wig "battle" and
stan "stone". This was the name of a 9th-century Anglo-Saxon saint. It became rare after the Norman Conquest, and in modern times it is chiefly known as the first name of the British poet W. H. Auden (1907-1973).
Xiulan f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with
兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
Yaxkin f & m MayanFrom
Yaxk'in, the name of the seventh month in the Maya calendar, derived from Classic Maya
yax "green, first" and
k'in "sun, day".
Yunuen f & m Spanish (Mexican)Meaning unknown, probably of indigenous (maybe Purépecha) origin. This is the name of an island on Lake Pátzcuaro in Mexico.
Zalmon m BiblicalMeans
"shady" in Hebrew. This is the name of one of
David's mighty men in the Old Testament.
Zoltán m Hungarian, SlovakPossibly related to the Turkish title
sultan meaning
"king, sultan". This was the name of a 10th-century ruler of Hungary, also known as Zsolt.