Hua f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
华 (huá) meaning "splendid, illustrious, Chinese" or
花 (huā) meaning "flower, blossom" (which is usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters can form this name as well.
Huan f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
欢 (huān) meaning "happy, pleased", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Huang m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
煌 (huáng) meaning "bright, shining, luminous" (which is usually only masculine) or
凰 (huáng) meaning "phoenix" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.
Huangdi m Chinese MythologyFrom Chinese
黄 (huáng) meaning "yellow" and
帝 (dì) meaning "god, emperor". This is the Chinese name for the Yellow Emperor, a mythical ruler and deity who is said to have reigned in the 3rd millennium BC. He is regarded as the ancestor of the Chinese people.
Huanglong m Chinese MythologyFrom Chinese
黄 (huáng) meaning "yellow" and
龙 (lóng) meaning "dragon". This is the Chinese name for the Yellow Dragon, who is considered the animal form of the mythical Yellow Emperor
Huangdi.
Hubert m English, German, Dutch, French, Polish, Ancient GermanicMeans
"bright heart", derived from the Germanic elements
hug "heart, mind" and
beraht "bright". Saint Hubert was an 8th-century bishop of Maastricht who is considered the patron saint of hunters. The Normans brought the name to England, where it replaced an Old English cognate
Hygebeorht. It died out during the Middle Ages but was revived in the 19th century.
Huckleberry m LiteratureFrom the name of the variety of shrubs (genus Vaccinium) or the berries that grow on them. It was used by author Mark Twain for the character of Huckleberry Finn in his novels
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).
Hudson m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of Hudde". A famous bearer of the surname was the English explorer Henry Hudson (1570-1611).
Hugh m EnglishFrom the Germanic element
hug meaning
"heart, mind, spirit". It was common among Frankish and French nobility, being borne by Hugh Capet, a 10th-century king of France who founded the Capetian dynasty. The Normans brought the name to England and it became common there, even more so after the time of the 12th-century bishop Saint Hugh of Lincoln, who was known for his charity. This was also the name of kings of Cyprus and the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. The name is used in Ireland and Scotland as the Anglicized form of
Aodh and
Ùisdean.
Hugo m Spanish, Portuguese, English, Dutch, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Ancient Germanic (Latinized)Latinized form of
Hugh. As a surname it has belonged to the French author Victor Hugo (1802-1885), the writer of
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and
Les Misérables.
Hui f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
慧 (huì) meaning "intelligent, wise" (which is usually only feminine),
辉 (huī) meaning "brightness", besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Huitzilopochtli m Aztec and Toltec MythologyMeans
"southern hummingbird" or
"left-handed hummingbird" in Nahuatl. In Aztec mythology he was the god of the sun and war. He was a patron deity of the city of Tenochtitlan (at the site of modern Mexico City).
Humbert m French, German (Rare), English (Rare), Ancient GermanicMeans
"bright warrior", derived from the Germanic elements
hun "warrior, bear cub" and
beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it has always been uncommon there. It was borne by two kings of Italy (called Umberto in Italian), who ruled in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Humphrey m EnglishMeans
"peaceful warrior" from the Germanic elements
hun "warrior, bear cub" and
frid "peace". The Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Hunfrith, and it was regularly used through the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the American actor Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957), who starred in
The Maltese Falcon and
Casablanca.
Hunor m HungarianDerived from the ethnic term
Hun, which refers to the nomadic people from Central Asia who expanded into Europe in the 4th century. The word
Hun is from Latin
Hunnus, which is possibly of Turkic origin. According to medieval Hungarian legend, the brothers Hunor and Magor were the ancestors of the Huns and the Magyars (Hungarians) respectively.
Hunter m & f EnglishFrom an occupational English surname for a hunter, derived from Old English
hunta. A famous bearer was the eccentric American journalist Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005).
Huri m BiblicalMeans
"linen weaver" in Hebrew. This was the name of the father of Abihail in the Old Testament.
Husam m ArabicMeans
"sword" in Arabic, a derivative of the verb
حسم (hasama) meaning "to sever, to finish, to decide".
Husayn m ArabicDiminutive of
Hasan. Husayn ibn Ali (also commonly transliterated
Hussein) was the son of
Ali and the grandson of the Prophet
Muhammad. His older brother was named
Hasan. The massacre of Husayn and his family was a major event in the split between Shia and Sunni Muslims, which continues to this day. In more recent times this was the name of a king of Jordan (1935-1999).
Huxley m English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English
leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be
hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer of the surname was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).
Hwan m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
煥 (hwan) meaning "shining, brilliant, lustrous" or other characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character.
Hyacinthus m Greek Mythology (Latinized), Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Ὑάκινθος (Hyakinthos), which was derived from the name of the hyacinth flower. In Greek legend Hyakinthos was accidentally killed by the god
Apollo, who mournfully caused this flower to arise from his blood. The name was also borne by several early saints, notably a 3rd-century martyr who was killed with his brother Protus.
Hye m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
慧 (hye) meaning "bright, intelligent" or other characters that are pronounced in the same way. Although it does appear rarely as a single-character name, it is more often used in combination with another character. A notable bearer was a 6th-century king of Baekje.
Hyeon m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able" or other characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.
Hyeon-Jeong f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able" or
炫 (hyeon) meaning "shine, glitter" combined with
廷 (jeong) meaning "courtyard" or
貞 (jeong) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
Hyeon-Ju f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able" and
珠 (ju) meaning "jewel, pearl". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
Hyeon-U m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able" or
顯 (hyeon) meaning "manifest, clear" combined with
祐 (u) meaning "divine intervention, protection" or
雨 (u) meaning "rain". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
Hyperion m Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
ὑπέρ (hyper) meaning
"over". In Greek myth this was the name of a Titan who presided over the sun and light. By
Theia he was the father of the sun god
Helios, the moon goddess
Selene, and the dawn goddess
Eos.
Hyrum m English (Rare)Variant of
Hiram. This name was borne by Hyrum Smith (1800-1844), an early leader within the Mormon Church.
Hywel m WelshMeans
"eminent" in Welsh. This was the name of a 10th-century king of Wales.
Iacob m Romanian, Biblical LatinRomanian form of
Jacob (or
James). This is also the form of
Jacob found in the Latin Old Testament (and the New Testament when referring to the patriarch).
Iago m Welsh, Galician, PortugueseWelsh and Galician form of
Iacobus (see
James). This was the name of two early Welsh kings of Gwynedd. It is also the name of the villain in Shakespeare's tragedy
Othello (1603).
Iah m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
jꜥḥ meaning
"moon". In Egyptian mythology this was the name of a god of the moon, later identified with
Thoth.
Iakob m Biblical Greek, GeorgianForm of
Jacob used in the Greek Old Testament, as well as in the Greek New Testament when referring to the patriarch. This is also the Georgian form of the name (referring to the two apostles named James as well as the patriarch).
Iarfhlaith m IrishComposed of the Irish elements
ior, of unknown meaning, and
flaith "lord". Saint Iarfhlaith was a 6th-century bishop from Galway, Ireland.
Icarus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Ἴκαρος (Ikaros), of unknown meaning. In Greek myth Icarus was the son of
Daedalus, locked with his father inside the Labyrinth by
Minos. They escaped from the maze using wings devised from wax, but Icarus flew too close to the sun and the wax melted, plunging him to his death.
Ichabod m BiblicalMeans
"no glory" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is the grandson of
Eli and the son of
Phinehas. This name was also used by Washington Irving for Ichabod Crane, the main character in his short story
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820).
Ichirō m JapaneseFrom Japanese
一 (ichi) meaning "one" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". This was traditionally a name given to the first son. Other combinations of kanji characters are also possible.
Iddo m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
עִדּוֹ ('Iddo), possibly derived from
עָדָה ('adah) meaning "to pass, to continue". This is the name of a few characters in the Old Testament, including an obscure prophet who lived during the reign of
Solomon and the grandfather of the prophet
Zechariah.
Idris 1 m Arabic, Malay, IndonesianPossibly means
"interpreter" in Arabic. In the Quran this is the name of an ancient prophet. He is traditionally equated with the Hebrew prophet
Enoch.
Idris 2 m WelshMeans
"ardent lord" from Welsh
udd "lord, prince" combined with
ris "ardent, enthusiastic, impulsive".
Idwal m WelshMeans
"lord of the wall", derived from Welsh
udd "lord, prince" combined with
gwal "wall, rampart".
Ignatius m Late RomanFrom the Roman family name
Egnatius, meaning unknown, of Etruscan origin. The spelling was later altered to resemble Latin
ignis "fire". This was the name of several saints, including the third bishop of Antioch who was thrown to wild beasts by Emperor Trajan, and by Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits, whose real birth name was in fact
Íñigo.
Igor m Russian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Slovak, Czech, Italian, PortugueseRussian form of
Yngvarr (see
Ingvar). The Varangians brought it to Russia in the 10th century. It was borne by two grand princes of Kiev. Famous bearers include Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), a Russian composer whose most famous work is
The Rite of Spring, and Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972), the Russian-American designer of the first successful helicopter.
Ike m EnglishDiminutive of
Isaac. This was the nickname of the American president Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), based on the initial sound of his surname.
Ildefonso m SpanishSpanish form of the Visigothic name
Hildefons, which meant
"battle ready", derived from the Germanic elements
hild "battle" and
funs "ready". This was the name of a 7th-century saint, an archbishop of Toledo.
İlhan m TurkishFrom the Mongolian title
il-Khan meaning
"subordinate Khan", which was first adopted by Genghis Khan's grandson Hulagu, who ruled a kingdom called the Ilkhanate that stretched from modern Iran to eastern Turkey.
Ilir m AlbanianMeans
"Illyrian" in Albanian, referring to an ancient people who inhabited the Balkans.
İlkay f & m TurkishMeans
"new moon" in Turkish, derived from
ilk "first" and
ay "moon".
İlker m TurkishMeans
"first man" in Turkish, derived from
ilk "first" and
er "man, brave".
Illtyd m WelshMeans
"multitude of land" from Welsh
il "multitude" and
tud "land, people". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh saint who founded the abbey of Llanilltud in Glamorgan.
Ilmarinen m Finnish MythologyDerived from Finnish
ilma meaning
"air". Ilmarinen is an immortal smith in Finnish mythology, the creator of the sky and the magic mill known as the Sampo. He is one of the main characters in the Finnish epic the
Kalevala.
Il-Seong m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
日 (il) meaning "sun, day" and
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded". Other hanja character combinations are possible. A notable bearer was Kim Il-sung (1912-1994), the first leader of North Korea.
Imad m ArabicMeans
"support" or
"pillar" in Arabic.
Ime 2 m & f FrisianShort form of names beginning with the Germanic element
ermen meaning
"whole, universal".
Imhotep m Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
jj-m-ḥtp meaning
"he comes in peace". This was the name of the architect, priest, physician and chief minister to the pharaoh Djoser. Imhotep apparently designed the step pyramid at Saqqara, near Memphis.
Imre m HungarianHungarian form of
Emmerich. This was the name of an 11th-century Hungarian saint, the son of Saint Istvan. He is also known as Emeric.
Indiana f & m EnglishFrom the name of the American state, which means "land of the Indians". This is the name of the hero in the
Indiana Jones series of movies, starring Harrison Ford.
Indigo f & m English (Rare)From the English word
indigo for the purplish-blue dye or the colour. It is ultimately derived from Greek
Ἰνδικὸν (Indikon) meaning "Indic, from India".
Indra m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, NepaliMeans
"possessing drops of rain" from Sanskrit
इन्दु (indu) meaning "a drop" and
र (ra) meaning "acquiring, possessing". Indra is the name of the ancient Hindu warrior god of the sky and rain. He is the chief god in the Rigveda.
Indrajit m Hinduism, Bengali, Indian, HindiMeans
"conqueror of Indra" from the name of the god
Indra combined with Sanskrit
जिति (jiti) meaning "victory, conquering". In Hindu legend this is another name of Meghanada, the son of Ravana, the king of Sri Lanka. He was given this name by
Brahma after he defeated
Indra.
Ing m Germanic MythologyFrom the Germanic *
Ingwaz, possibly meaning
"ancestor". This was the name of an obscure old Germanic fertility god who was considered the ancestor of the tribe the Ingaevones. It is possible he was an earlier incarnation of the god
Freyr.
Inge f & m Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German, Dutch, EstonianShort form of Scandinavian and German names beginning with the element
ing, which refers to the Germanic god
Ing. In Sweden and Norway this is primarily a masculine name, elsewhere it is usually feminine.
Ingemar m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Ingimárr, derived from the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with
mærr "famous".
Ingmar m SwedishVariant of
Ingemar. This name was borne by the Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007).
Íñigo m SpanishMedieval Spanish form of
Eneko. This was the birth name of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who changed it in honour of Saint Ignatius of Antioch. As such, this name is sometimes regarded as a form of
Ignatius.
Inigo m English (Rare)English form of
Íñigo. It became well-known in Britain due to the 17th-century English architect Inigo Jones. He was named after his father, a Catholic who was named for Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
Innocent m History (Ecclesiastical)From the Late Latin name
Innocentius, which was derived from
innocens "innocent". This was the name of several early saints. It was also borne by 13 popes including Innocent III, a politically powerful ruler and organizer of the Fourth Crusade.