AMEDEOmItalianItalian form of
AMADEUS. A notable bearer of this name was Amedeo Avogadro (1776-1856), an Italian chemist most famous for the constant that now bears his name: Avogadro's Number. Another famous bearer was the Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920).
AMENEMHETmAncient EgyptianMeans "
AMON is foremost" in Egyptian. This was the name of four Egyptian pharaohs, including the founder of the 12th dynasty.
AMENHOTEPmAncient EgyptianFrom the Egyptian
Ymnhtp meaning "peace of Amon", derived from the name of the Egyptian god
AMON combined with
htp "peace, satisfaction". This was the name of four pharaohs of the New Kingdom, including Amenhotep III, known as the Magnificent, who ruled over Egypt during a time of great prosperity.
AMERIGOmItalianMedieval Italian form of
EMMERICH. Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512) was the Italian explorer who gave the continent of America its name (from
Americus, the Latin form of his name).
AMI (1)mBiblicalMeans "trustworthy, reliable" in Hebrew. This was the name of a servant of King Solomon in the Old Testament.
AMINTAmLiteratureForm of
AMYNTAS used by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso for his play 'Aminta' (1573). In the play Aminta is a shepherd who falls in love with a nymph.
AMIRANmGeorgian, LiteratureVariant of
AMIRANI. This is the name of the central character in the medieval Georgian romance 'Amiran-Darejaniani' by Moses of Khoni. The author was inspired by the mythical Amirani and the stories surrounding him, and loosely based his tale on them.
AMIRANImGeorgian MythologyMeaning unknown, probably of Proto-Kartvelian origin. This is the name of a hero from Georgian mythology whose story is similar to that of
Prometheus from Greek mythology.
AMIT (1)mIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Punjabi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, NepaliMeans "immeasurable, infinite" in Sanskrit.
AMITABHmIndian, HindiMeans "immeasurable splendour" in Sanskrit. A famous bearer is Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan (1942-).
AMITTAImBiblicalMeans "my truth" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the father of the prophet Jonah.
AMONmEgyptian Mythology (Anglicized)From
Αμμων (Ammon), the Greek form of Egyptian
Ymn (reconstructed as
Yamanu) which meant "the hidden one". In early Egyptian mythology he was a god of the air, creativity and fertility, who was particularly revered in Thebes. Later, during the Middle Kingdom, his attributes were combined with those of the god
Ra and he was worshipped as the supreme solar deity
Amon-Ra.
AMOSmEnglish, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewFrom Hebrew
עָמַס ('amas) meaning "load, burden". Amos is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Amos, which speaks against greed, corruption and oppression of the poor. Written about the 8th century BC, it is among the oldest of the prophetic books. As an English name,
Amos has been used since the Protestant Reformation, and was popular among the Puritans.
AMPELIOmItalianItalian form of
Ampelius, the Latin form of the Greek name
Αμπελιος (Ampelios), which was derived from
αμπελος (ampelos) meaning "vine". Saint Ampelius was a 7th-century bishop of Milan.
AMRITmIndian, HindiMeans "immortal" from Sanskrit
अ (a) meaning "not" and
मृत (mrta) meaning "dead". In Hindu texts it refers to a drink which gives immortality.
AMULIUSmRoman MythologyMeaning unknown. In Roman mythology Amulius overthrew his brother Numitor, king of Alba Longa, but was eventually deposed by Numitor's grandsons
Romulus and
Remus.
AMUNDmNorwegianDerived from the Old Norse name
Agmundr, from the element
egg "edge of a sword" or
agi "awe, terror" combined with
mundr "protection".
AMYASmEnglish (Rare)Meaning unknown, perhaps a derivative of
AMIS. Alternatively, it may come from a surname which originally indicated that the bearer was from the city of Amiens in France. Edmund Spenser used this name for a minor character in his epic poem 'The Faerie Queene' (1590).
AN (1)m & fChinese, VietnameseFrom Chinese
安 (ān) meaning "peace, quiet" or other characters with a similar pronunciation. As a Vietnamese name, it is derived from Sino-Vietnamese
安 meaning "safe, secure".
AN (2)mSumerian MythologyMeans "heaven, sky" in Sumerian. An was the supreme Sumerian god of the heavens, the father of
Enlil and
Enki. His cuneiform sign
𒀭 (dingir) was prefixed to the names of other deities in writing, though it was not pronounced.
ANAHf & mBiblical, Biblical HebrewMeans "answer" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name belongs to one female character and two male characters.
ANAKINmPopular CultureMeaning unknown. This is the name of a character (also known as Darth Vader) in the 'Star Wars' movie saga, created by George Lucas. Lucas may have based it on the surname of his friend and fellow director Ken Annakin.
ANARGYROSmGreekFrom the Greek term
αναργυρος (anargyros) meaning "poor, incorruptible", derived from Greek
α (a), a negative prefix, combined with
αργυρος (argyros) "silver". This term referred to saints who did not accept payment for their services.
ANASmArabicMeans "friendliness" in Arabic. This was the name of one of the Prophet
Muhammad's companions.
ANASTASIUSmAncient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Αναστασιος (Anastasios) which meant "resurrection" from Greek
αναστασις (anastasis) (composed of the elements
ανα (ana) "up" and
στασις (stasis) "standing"). This was the name of numerous early saints and martyrs, including a 7th-century monk and writer from Alexandria who is especially venerated in the Eastern Church.
ANDOR (1)mNorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Arnþórr, derived from the element
arn "eagle" combined with the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
THOR).
ANDREA (1)mItalianItalian form of
Andreas (see
ANDREW). A notable bearer of this name was Andrea Verrocchio, a Renaissance sculptor who taught Leonardo da Vinci and Perugino.
ANDREASmGerman, Greek, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Welsh, Ancient Greek, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekAncient Greek and Latin form of
ANDREW. It is also the form used in modern Greek, German and Welsh.
ANDREWmEnglish, BiblicalEnglish form of the Greek name
Ανδρεας (Andreas), which was derived from
ανδρειος (andreios) "manly, masculine", a derivative of
ανηρ (aner) "man". In the New Testament the apostle Andrew, the first disciple to join
Jesus, is the brother of
Simon Peter. According to tradition, he later preached in the Black Sea region, with some legends saying he was crucified on an X-shaped cross.
Andrew, being a Greek name, was probably only a nickname or a translation of his real Hebrew name, which is not known.
... [more] ANDYm & fEnglishDiminutive of
ANDREW or sometimes
ANDREA (2). American pop artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was a famous bearer of this name.
ANEIRINmWelshWelsh name, originally spelled
Neirin, which possibly means "noble". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh poet.
ANGELm & fEnglish, Bulgarian, MacedonianFrom the medieval Latin masculine name
Angelus which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word
αγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.
ANHm & fVietnameseThis name is frequently combined with a middle name to create a compound name; the meaning of
Anh changes depending on the Sino-Vietnamese characters underlying the compound. It is often from Sino-Vietnamese
英 (anh) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero", though in compounds it often takes on the meaning "intelligent, bright".
ANILmHinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, NepaliDerived from Sanskrit
अनिल (anila) "air, wind". This is another name of
Vayu, the Hindu god of the wind.
ANSALDOmItalianItalian form of a Germanic name composed of the elements
ans "god" and
wald "power, leader, ruler".
ANSELmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from the given name
ANSELM. A famous bearer was American photographer Ansel Adams (1902-1984).
ANSELMmGerman, English (Rare), Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic elements
ans "god" and
helm "helmet, protection". This name was brought to England in the late 11th century by Saint Anselm, who was born in northern Italy. He was archbishop of Canterbury and a Doctor of the Church.
ANTE (2)mFrisianShort form of names beginning with the Germanic element
and "wrath, zeal".
ANTHELMmAncient GermanicFrom the Germanic element
and "wrath, zeal" combined with
helm "helmet, protection". Saint Anthelm was a 12th-century bishop of Belley in France.
ANTHONYmEnglishEnglish form of the Roman family name
Antonius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. The most notable member of the Roman family was the general Marcus Antonius (called Mark Antony in English), who for a period in the 1st century BC ruled the Roman Empire jointly with Augustus. When their relationship turned sour, he and his mistress Cleopatra were attacked and forced to commit suicide, as related in Shakespeare's tragedy 'Antony and Cleopatra' (1606).
... [more] ANTONmGerman, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Slovene, Macedonian, Croatian, Romanian, Estonian, FinnishForm of
Antonius (see
ANTHONY).
ANTONÍNmCzechCzech form of
Antoninus (see
ANTONINO). A famous bearer was the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904).
ANTONINmFrenchFrench form of
Antoninus (see
ANTONINO). This name was borne by the French playwright Antonin Artaud (1896-1948).
ANTONINOmItalianItalian form of the Roman name
Antoninus, which was derived from
Antonius (see
ANTHONY). There were several early saints named Antoninus, including the patron saint of Sorrento. This was also the name of a 2nd-century Roman emperor.
ANTONIOmSpanish, Italian, CroatianSpanish and Italian form of
Antonius (see
ANTHONY). A famous bearer was the Italian Renaissance painter Antonio Pisanello (c. 1395-1455). It is also the name of the main character in 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596) by William Shakespeare.
ANTONYmEnglishVariant of
ANTHONY. This was formerly the usual English spelling of the name, but during the 17th century the
h began to be added.
ANUBISmEgyptian Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of
Ανουβις (Anoubis), the Greek form of Egyptian
Inpw (reconstructed as
Anapa) which possibly meant "royal child". Anubis was the Egyptian god who led the dead to the underworld. He was often depicted as a man with the head of a jackal.
ANUJmIndian, Hindi, MarathiMeans "born later, younger" in Sanskrit. This name is sometimes given to the younger sibling of an older child.
ANWARmArabicMeans "brighter, more luminous" in Arabic. This name was borne by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat (1918-1981), who was assassinated three years after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
ANZORmGeorgian, ChechenPossibly derived from the Georgian noble title
აზნაური (aznauri), ultimately from Middle Persian
aznawar meaning "noble".
AODHmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyFrom the old Irish name
Áed, which meant "fire". This was a very popular name in early Ireland, being borne by numerous figures in Irish mythology and several high kings. It has been traditionally Anglicized as
Hugh.
AODHÁNmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyFrom the old Irish name
Áedán, a diminutive of
Áed (see
AODH). This was the name of an Irish monk and saint of the 7th century. It was also borne by several characters in Irish mythology.
AOIf & mJapaneseFrom Japanese
葵 (aoi) meaning "hollyhock, althea" or an adjectival form of
碧 (ao) meaning "green, blue". Other kanji with the same reading can form this name as well.
AONGHUSmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyPossibly meaning "one strength" derived from Irish
óen "one" and
gus "force, strength, energy". Aonghus (sometimes surnamed
Mac Og meaning "young son") was the Irish god of love and youth. The name was also borne by an 8th-century Pictish king and several Irish kings.
APOLLINAIREmFrench (Rare)French form of
APOLLINARIS. It was adopted as a surname by the Polish-French poet Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918), who based it on his Polish middle name Apolinary.
APOLLINARISmAncient GreekAncient Greek name derived from the name of the god
APOLLO. This was the name of several early saints and martyrs, including a bishop of Ravenna and a bishop of Hierapolis.
APOLLOmGreek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Απολλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to Indo-European *
apelo "strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means "father lion" or "father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb
απολλυμι (apollymi) meaning "to destroy". In Greek mythology Apollo was the son of
Zeus and
Leto and the twin of
Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.
APOLLONIOSmAncient GreekFrom an ancient Greek personal name which was derived from the name of the Greek god
APOLLO. It was borne by a Greek poet of the 3rd century BC. Several saints have also had this name.
APPIUSmAncient RomanThis was a Roman praenomen, or given name, used predominantly by the Claudia family. Its etymology is unknown. A famous bearer of this name was Appius Claudius Caecus, a Roman statesman of the 3rd century BC. He was responsible for the Aqua Appia (the first Roman aqueduct) and the Appian Way (a road between Rome and Capua), both of which were named for him.
AQILmArabicMeans "intelligent, wise" in Arabic. This transcription represents two different Arabic names.
ARAmArmenian, Armenian MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly of Sumerian origin. In Armenian legend this was the name of an Armenian king who was so handsome that the Assyrian queen Semiramis went to war to capture him. During the war Ara was slain.
ARAGORNmLiteratureMeaning unexplained, though the first element is presumably Sindarin
ara "noble, kingly". This is the name of a character in 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien. In the book Aragorn is the heir of the Dúnedain kings of the north.
ARAMISmLiteratureThe surname of one of the musketeers in 'The Three Musketeers' (1844) by Alexandre Dumas. Dumas based the character on Henri d'Aramitz, whose surname was derived from the French village of Aramits.
ARAN (1)f & mIrishFrom the name of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland.
ARARATmArmenianFrom the name of a mountain in eastern Turkey (formerly part of Armenia), the place where
Noah's Ark came to rest according to the Old Testament.
ARASHmPersian, Persian MythologyPossibly means either "truthfulness" or "bright" in Persian. In Persian legend Arash was a Persian archer who was ordered by the Turans to shoot an arrow, the landing place of which would determine the new location of the Persian-Turan border. Arash climbed a mountain and fired his arrow with such strength that it flew for several hours and landed on the banks of the far-away Oxus River.