DRAKEmEnglishFrom an English surname derived from the Old Norse byname
Draki or the Old English byname
Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek
δρακων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent". This name coincides with the unrelated English word
drake meaning "male duck".
DRISCOLLmEnglish (Rare), IrishFrom an Irish surname which was an Anglicized form of
Ó Eidirsceóil meaning "descendant of the messenger".
DROGOmEnglish (Archaic)Norman name, possibly derived from Gothic
dragen "to carry" or Saxon
drog "ghost". Alternatively, it could be from the Slavic element
dragu "precious, dear". The Normans introduced this name to England.
DRORmHebrewMeans "freedom" or "sparrow" in Hebrew.
DRUMMONDmEnglish (Rare)From a Scottish surname which was derived from various place names, themselves derived from Gaelic
druim meaning "ridge".
DRUPADAmHinduismMeans "wooden pillar" or "firm footed" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the 'Mahabharata' this is the name of a king of Panchala, the father of Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna.
DRUSTmAncient CelticPictish name probably derived from Celtic
drest meaning "riot" or "tumult". This name was borne by several kings of the Picts, including their last king Drust X, who ruled in the 9th century.
DRUSUSmAncient RomanRoman family name, also sometimes used as a praenomen, or given name, by the Claudia family. Apparently the name was first assumed by a Roman warrior who killed a Gallic chieftain named Drausus in single combat.
Drausus possibly derives from a Celtic element meaning "strong".
DUANEmEnglish, IrishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname
Ó Dubhán meaning "descendant of
DUBHÁN".
DUARTEmPortuguesePortuguese form of
EDWARD. This name was borne by a 15th-century king of Portugal, who was named after his maternal ancestor Edward III of England.
DUBHÁNmIrishIrish name derived from
dubh "dark, black" combined with a diminutive suffix.
DUBHSHLÁINEmAncient IrishOld Irish name derived from
dubh "dark, black" and either
slán "defiance" or
Sláine, the Gaelic name of the River Slaney.
DUBHTHACHmAncient IrishOld Irish name derived from
dubh "dark, black" in combination with a second element of unknown meaning.
DUDLEYmEnglishFrom a surname which was originally from a place name meaning "Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.
DUILIOmItalian, SpanishFrom the Roman name
Duilius, which is possibly derived from Latin
duellum "war". This was the name of a Roman consul who defeated the Carthaginians in a naval battle.
DUKEmEnglishFrom the noble title
duke, which was originally derived from Latin
dux "leader".
DUKVAKHAmChechenMeans "to live long", derived from Nakh
duqa "many" and
vakha "to live".
DUMUZImSumerian MythologyFrom Sumerian
𒌉 (dumu) meaning "son, child" and
𒍣 (zid) meaning "true, loyal". This was the name of a Sumerian god of shepherds and vegetation, the husband of
Inanna. He was said to spend half of each year in the underworld, resulting in the yearly cycle of seasons. He was known to the Semitic peoples of Mesopotamia as
Tammuz.
DUNCANmScottish, EnglishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Donnchadh, derived from Gaelic
donn "brown" and
cath "battle". This was the name of two kings of Scotland, including the one who was featured in Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth' (1606).
DUNSTANmEnglish (Rare), Anglo-SaxonFrom the Old English elements
dunn "dark" and
stan "stone". This name was borne by a 10th-century saint, the archbishop of Canterbury. It was occasionally used in the Middle Ages, though it died out after the 16th century. It was revived by the Tractarian movement in the 19th century.
DURANTEmItalianItalian form of the Late Latin name
Durans which meant "enduring".
DURIf & mKoreanMeans "two" in Korean (Gyeongsang dialect).
DURWARDmEnglishFrom an occupational surname which meant "door guard" in Middle English.
DUSTINmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from the Old Norse given name
Þórsteinn (see
TORSTEN). The name was popularized by the actor Dustin Hoffman (1937-), who was apparently named after the earlier silent movie star Dustin Farnum (1874-1929).
DUSTYm & fEnglishFrom a nickname originally given to people perceived as being dusty. It is also used a diminutive of
DUSTIN. A famous bearer was British singer Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), who acquired her nickname as a child.
DUTCHmEnglishFrom a nickname given to Americans of German descent. It is derived from
Deutsch, the German word for the German people.
DWIm & fIndonesianMeans "two, second" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit
द्वि (dvi).
DWIGHTmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from the medieval feminine name
Diot, a diminutive of
Dionysia, the feminine form of
DIONYSIUS. In America it was sometimes given in honour of Yale president Timothy Dwight (1752-1817). A famous bearer was the American president Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969).
DZHOKHARmChechenPossibly from Persian
گوهر (gohar) "jewel, essence" or
جوهر (johar) "essence, ink" (which comes from the same root, but via a loan to Arabic and retransmission to Persian).
EA (1)mSemitic MythologyMeaning unknown, perhaps from Sumerian meaning "house of water", or perhaps of Akkadian or Hurrian origin. This was the Akkadian, Assyrian, Hurrian and Babylonian name of the Sumerian water god
Enki.
EADBERHTmAnglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
beorht "bright". This was the name of an 8th-century king of Northumbria and three kings of Kent.
EADWIGmAnglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wig "war". This was the name of a Saxon king of England in the 10th century. The name fell out of use after the Norman conquest.
EADWULFmAnglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wulf "wolf". This name fell out of use after the Norman conquest.
EALDRÆDmAnglo-SaxonFrom the Old English elements
eald "old" and
ræd "counsel". This name was rarely used after the Norman conquest.
ÉAMONmIrishVariant of
ÉAMONN. This name was borne by American-born Irish president Éamon de Valera (1882-1975), whose birth name was Edward.
EARLmEnglishFrom the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English
eorl "nobleman, warrior". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
EASTONmEnglish (Modern)From an English surname which was derived from place names meaning "east town" in Old English.
EBENEZERmBiblicalMeans "stone of help" in Hebrew. This was the name of a monument erected by
Samuel in the Old Testament. Charles Dickens used it for the miserly character Ebenezer Scrooge in his novel 'A Christmas Carol' (1843).
EDENf & mHebrew, English (Modern)Means "place of pleasure" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
EDER (1)mBiblicalMeans "flock" in Hebrew. This was the name of a son of Beriah in the Old Testament.
EDGARmEnglish, FrenchDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
gar "spear". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, Edgar the Peaceful. The name did not survive long after the Norman conquest, but it was revived in the 18th century, in part due to a character by this name in Sir Walter Scott's novel 'The Bride of Lammermoor' (1819), which tells of the tragic love between Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton. Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).
EDISONmEnglishFrom an English surname which meant either "son of
EDA (2)" or "son of
ADAM". A famous bearer of the surname was the inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).
EDMAOmLimburgishLimburgish form of
EDMUND. Its spelling has been influenced by the French pronunciation of Edmond.
EDMONDmFrenchFrench form of
EDMUND. A notable bearer was the English astronomer Edmond Halley (1656-1742), for whom Halley's comet is named.
EDMUNDmEnglish, German, PolishFrom the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
mund "protection". This was the name of two Anglo-Saxon kings of England. It was also borne by two saints, including a 9th-century king of East Anglia who, according to tradition, was shot to death with arrows after refusing to divide his Christian kingdom with an invading pagan Danish leader. This Old English name remained in use after the Norman conquest (even being used by King Henry III for one of his sons), though it became less common after the 15th century.
... [more] EDOMmBiblicalMeans "red" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament,
Esau was given this name because he traded his birthright for a helping of red broth. The bible goes on to tell that Esau was the founder of the ancient nation of Edom, located to the south of the kingdom of Judah.
EDRICmEnglish (Rare)From the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
ric "rule". After the Norman conquest this Old English name was not commonly used. It has occasionally been revived in modern times.
EDSELmVariousVariant of
ETZEL notably borne by Edsel Ford (1893-1943), the son of the American industrialist Henry Ford.
EDUARDmGerman, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, Dutch, Estonian, Romanian, Georgian, ArmenianForm of
EDWARD.
EDWARDmEnglish, PolishMeans "rich guard", derived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
weard "guard". This was the name of several Anglo-Saxon kings, the last being Saint Edward the Confessor shortly before the Norman conquest in the 11th century. He was known as a just ruler, and because of his popularity his name remained in use after the conquest when most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. The 13th-century Plantagenet king Henry III named his son and successor after the saint, and seven subsequent kings of England were also named Edward.
... [more] EDWINmEnglish, DutchMeans "rich friend" from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wine "friend". This was the name of a 7th-century Northumbrian king, regarded as a saint. After the Norman conquest the name was not popular, but it was eventually revived in the 19th century. A notable bearer was the astronaut Edwin Aldrin (1930-), also known as Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon.
EEROmFinnishFinnish form of
ERIC. A famous bearer was the architect Eero Saarinen (1910-1961).
EFISIOmItalianFrom the Latin byname
Ephesius, which originally belonged to a person who was from the city of Ephesus in Ionia. This was the name of a saint martyred on Sardinia in the 4th century.
EGBERTmEnglish, DutchMeans "bright edge" from the Old English elements
ecg "edge of a sword" and
beorht "bright". This was the name of kings of Kent and Wessex as well as two English saints. The name was rarely used after the Norman conquest but was revived in the 19th century.
EGILmNorwegian, Swedish, DanishFrom the Old Norse name
Egill, a diminutive of names that began with the element
agi "awe, terror". This was the name of a semi-legendary Icelandic warrior.
EGONmGermanDerived from the Germanic element
ag, which means "edge of a sword".
EHUDmBiblical, Hebrew, Biblical HebrewMeaning unknown, possibly related to Hebrew
אֶחָד ('echad) meaning "one". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the biblical judges. He killed Eglon, the king of Moab, and freed the city of Jericho from Moabite rule.
ÉIBHEARmIrish, Irish MythologyMeaning unknown. According to Irish legend this name belonged to two of the sons of Míl, Éibhear Dunn and Éibhear Finn, the first of the Gaels to conquer Ireland.
EIFIONmWelshMeaning unknown. This was an old Welsh name that was revived in the 19th century.
EIKEmGermanShort form of names beginning with the Germanic element
ag "edge".
ÉIMHÍNmIrishPossibly means "swift, prompt" in Irish Gaelic.
EINARmNorwegian, Icelandic, Swedish, DanishFrom the Old Norse name
Einarr, derived from the elements
ein "one, alone" and
arr "warrior". This name shares the same roots as
einherjar, the word for the slain warriors in Valhalla.
EINDRIDEmNorwegianDerived from the Old Norse name
Eindriði, possibly from the elements
ein "one, alone" and
ríða "to ride".
EINIONmWelshProbably from the Latin name
Ennianus, a derivative of
Ennius (see
ENNIO). It is also a modern Welsh word meaning "anvil". This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh king who is considered a saint in some Christian traditions.
EINOmFinnishMeaning unknown, possibly a Finnish form of a Scandinavian name.
ELmSemitic MythologyFrom a Semitic root meaning "god". This was a title applied to several Semitic gods. The Canaanites used it as the name of their chief deity, the father of the gods and mankind. The Hebrews used it to refer to
Yahweh.
ELAHf & mHebrew, Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans "oak tree" or "terebinth tree" in Hebrew. This was the name of the fourth king of Israel, as told in the Old Testament. He was murdered by
Zimri, who succeeded him. In modern Hebrew this is typically a feminine name.
ELAMmBiblicalPossibly means either "hidden" or "eternity" in Hebrew. This was the name of several characters in the Old Testament, including a son of
Shem who was the ancestor of the Elamite peoples.
ELDADmBiblicalMeans "God has loved" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is one of the two elders who prophesizes in the Israelite camp.
ELDARmAzerbaijaniFrom Turkic
el meaning "country, society" combined with the Persian suffix
دار (dar) meaning "possessor".
ELDONmEnglishFrom a surname which was from a place name meaning "Ella's hill" in Old English.
ELI (1)mEnglish, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewMeans "ascension" in Hebrew. In the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young
Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.
... [more] ELIAKIMmBiblicalMeans "God rises" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the master of Hezekiah's household.
ELIGIUSmLate RomanLate Latin name derived from Latin
eligere "to choose". The 7th-century Saint Eligius is the patron saint of metalworkers.
ELIJAHmEnglish, Hebrew, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
אֱלִיָּהוּ ('Eliyyahu) meaning "my God is
YAHWEH", derived from the elements
אֵל ('el) and
יָה (yah), both referring to the Hebrew God. Elijah was a Hebrew prophet and miracle worker, as told in the two Books of Kings in the Old Testament. He was active in the 9th century BC during the reign of King
Ahab of Israel and his Phoenician-born queen
Jezebel. Elijah confronted the king and queen over their idolatry of the Canaanite god
Ba'al and other wicked deeds. At the end of his life he was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and was succeeded by
Elisha. In the New Testament, Elijah and
Moses appear next to
Jesus when he is transfigured.
... [more] ELIOENAImBiblicalMeans "my eyes look to God" in Hebrew. This was the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.
ELIOTmEnglishFrom a surname which was a variant of
ELLIOTT. A famous bearer of the surname was T. S. Eliot (1888-1965), an Anglo-American poet and dramatist, the writer of 'The Waste Land'. As a given name, it was borne by the American mob-buster Eliot Ness (1903-1957).
ELIPHELETmBiblicalMeans "God is release" in Hebrew. This is the name of several people in the Old Testament including a son of
David.
ELISEDDmAncient CelticDerived from Welsh
elus meaning "kind". This was the name of two kings of Powys in Wales.
ELISHAmBiblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
אֱלִישַׁע ('Elisha'), a contracted form of
אֱלִישׁוּעַ ('Elishu'a) meaning "my God is salvation". According to the Old Testament, Elisha was a prophet and miracle worker. He was the attendant of
Elijah and succeeded him after his ascension to heaven.