UMID m UzbekMeans
"hope" in Uzbek, ultimately from Persian
امید (omid).
ÜMİT m TurkishMeans
"hope" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian
امید (omid).
UMUT m & f TurkishVariant of
ÜMİT. The Turkish words
umut and
ümit are etymologically related synonyms.
UNATHI m & f Southern African, XhosaMeans
"he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix
u- meaning "he, she" and
nathi meaning "with us".
UPTON m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"upper town" in Old English. A famous bearer of this name was the American novelist Upton Sinclair (1878-1968).
URAL m Bashkir, TurkishFrom the name of the Ural Mountains, of uncertain meaning, possibly from Turkic
aral meaning "island, boundary". This is the name of the title character in the Bashkir epic
Ural-batyr.
URANUS m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Οὐρανός (Ouranos), the name of the husband of
Gaia and the father of the Titans in Greek mythology. His name is derived from
οὐρανός (ouranos) meaning
"the heavens". This is also the name of the seventh planet in the solar system.
URIA m & f HebrewModern Hebrew form of
URIAH, also used as a feminine name.
URIAH m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
אוּרִיָה ('Uriyah) meaning
"YAHWEH is my light", from the roots
אוּר ('ur) meaning "light, flame" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of a Hittite warrior in King
David's army, the first husband of
Bathsheba. David desired Bathsheba so he placed Uriah in the forefront of battle so he would be killed.
URIEL m Biblical, HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
אוּרִיאֵל ('Uri'el) meaning
"God is my light", from
אוּר ('ur) meaning "light, flame" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Uriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition. He is mentioned only in the Apocrypha, for example in the Book of Enoch where he warns
Noah of the coming flood.
URIJAH m BiblicalForm of
URIAH used in some English versions of the Old Testament (for a character in the Book of Jeremiah).
URMAS m EstonianPossibly from the dialectal Estonian word
urm meaning
"frost" or
"catkin".
UROŠ m Serbian, SloveneSerbian form of an old Hungarian name, possibly from
úr meaning
"man, lord" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of five Serbian kings.
URS m GermanGerman form of the Latin name
Ursus, which meant
"bear". Saint Ursus was a 3rd-century soldier in the Theban Legion who was martyred with Saint Victor. He is the patron saint of Solothurn in Switzerland.
UTHER m Welsh Mythology, Arthurian RomanceFrom the Welsh name
Uthyr, derived from Welsh
uthr meaning
"terrible". In Arthurian legend Uther was the father of King
Arthur. He appears in some early Welsh texts, but is chiefly known from the 12th-century chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth.
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.
UTTARA m & f Hinduism, Indian, MarathiMeans
"north" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
उत्तर (also written
Uttar) and the feminine form
उत्तरा (also written
Uttarā), both of which occur in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata belonging to the son and daughter of King Virata.
UTU m Sumerian MythologyDerived from Sumerian
𒌓 (ud) meaning
"sun". In Sumerian mythology this was the name of the god of the sun. He was the son of the moon god
Nanna and
Ningal.
UZZIAH m BiblicalMeans
"my power is YAHWEH" in Hebrew, from the roots
עֹז ('oz) meaning "strength, power" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of several Old Testament characters including a king of Judah.
UZZIEL m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"my power is God" in Hebrew, from the roots
עֹז ('oz) meaning "strength, power" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.
VÁCLAV m Czech, SlovakContracted form of the older name
Veceslav, from the Slavic elements
veche "more" and
slava "glory". Saint Václav (known as Wenceslas in English) was a 10th-century duke of Bohemia murdered by his brother. He is the patron saint of the Czech Republic. This was also the name of several Bohemian kings.
VADIM m RussianMeaning unknown. It is used as a Russian form of
BADEMUS, but it may actually be derived from the Slavic name
VADIMIR or else from an Old Norse source.
VAHAGN m Armenian Mythology, ArmenianFrom Avestan
Verethragna meaning
"breaking of defense, victory". In Armenian mythology this was the name of the heroic god of war.
VÄINÄMÖINEN m Finnish MythologyDerived from Finnish
väinä meaning
"wide and slow-flowing river". In Finnish mythology Väinämöinen was a wise old magician, the son of the primal goddess
Ilmatar. He is the hero of the Finnish epic the
Kalevala.
VAKHTANG m GeorgianDerived from Old Persian
varka-tanu meaning
"wolf-bodied". This name was borne by several kings of Georgia.
VALENTIN m French, Romanian, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Czech, Russian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, MacedonianForm of
Valentinus (see
VALENTINE (1)) in several languages.
VALENTINE (1) m EnglishFrom the Roman cognomen
Valentinus, which was itself a derivative of the cognomen
Valens meaning
"strong, vigorous, healthy" in Latin. Saint Valentine was a 3rd-century martyr. His feast day was the same as the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, which resulted in the association between Valentine's day and love. As an English name, it has been used occasionally since the 12th century.
VALERIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was derived from Latin
valere "to be strong". This was the name of several early saints.
VALÉRY m FrenchDerived from the Germanic elements
walha "foreign" and
ric "ruler, mighty". It has been frequently confused with the name
Valère.
VĂN m VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
文 (văn) meaning
"literature, culture, writing". This is a common middle name for Vietnamese boys.
VANCE m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old English
fenn meaning
"marsh, fen".
VANNA (2) f & m KhmerMeans
"golden" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit.
VARDAN m ArmenianDerived from Armenian
վարդ (vard) meaning
"rose", ultimately from an Iranian language.
VARIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name meaning
"versatile" in Latin. Varius Rufus was a Roman epic poet of the 1st century BC.
VARUNA m HinduismProbably from a Sanskrit word meaning
"to surround". In Hindu mythology Varuna is a god of water and the celestial ocean surrounding the world. He is one of the chief gods in the Rigveda.
VASANTA m HinduismMeans
"brilliant" or
"spring" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu personification of the spring.
VASCO m Portuguese, Spanish, ItalianFrom the medieval Spanish name
Velasco, which possibly meant
"crow" in Basque. A famous bearer was the 15th-century Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, the first person to sail from Europe around Africa to India.
VAUGHN m Welsh, EnglishFrom a Welsh surname that was derived from Welsh
bychan meaning
"little".
VAYU m HinduismMeans
"air, wind" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu god of the air and wind, one of the five elements.
VEASNA m & f KhmerMeans
"opportunity, good fortune, fate" in Khmer.
VEDASTUS m HistoryPossibly a Latinized form of a Germanic or Celtic name, possibly Germanic
WIDOGAST. This was the name of a 6th-century saint who helped to convert the Frankish king Clovis to Christianity.
VENA m HinduismDerived from Sanskrit
वेन (vena) meaning
"yearning". This is the name of an evil king in Hindu mythology.
VERCINGETORIX m Ancient CelticMeans
"king over warriors" from Gaulish
ver "on, over" combined with
cingeto "marching men, warriors" and
rix "king". This name was borne by a chieftain of the Gaulish tribe the Arverni. He led the resistance against Julius Caesar's attempts to conquer Gaul, but he was eventually defeated, brought to Rome, and executed.
VERE m EnglishFrom a Norman surname, which was from a French place name, which was itself derived from a Gaulish word meaning
"alder".
VEREMUND m Ancient Germanic (Latinized)Latinized form of a Germanic name, probably
Waramunt, derived from
war "vigilant, cautious" and
mund "protection". This was the name of a 5th-century king of Galicia (from the Germanic tribe of the Suebi). It was later the name of kings of Asturias and León, though their names are usually spelled in the Spanish form
Bermudo.
VERÍSSIMO m PortugueseFrom the Latin name
Verissimus meaning
"very true". Saint Verissimus was a Portuguese martyr executed during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian in the early 4th century.
VERNON m EnglishFrom a Norman surname, which was from a French place name, ultimately derived from the Gaulish word
vern meaning
"alder".
VESPASIAN m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Vespasianus, derived either from Latin
vesper meaning
"west" or
"evening" or
vespa meaning
"wasp". This was the name of a 1st-century Roman emperor, Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the founder of the Flavian dynasty.
VETLE m NorwegianNorwegian form of the Old Norse name
Vetrliði meaning
"winter traveller", and by extension
"bear cub".
VIBOL m KhmerMeans
"abundant, large, vast" in Khmer.
VICTOR m English, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Late RomanRoman name meaning
"victor, conqueror" in Latin. It was common among early Christians, and was borne by several early saints and three popes. It was rare as an English name during the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the French writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885), who authored
The Hunchback of Notre Dame and
Les Misérables.
VICTORINUS m Late RomanRoman name that was derived from
VICTOR. This was the name of a ruler of the Gallic Empire in the 3rd century. It was also borne by the 4th-century Roman grammarian and philosopher Victorinus Afer as well as a few early saints.
VIDE m SwedishMeans
"willow" in Swedish, from Old Norse
víðir.
VIKING m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Víkingr meaning
"viking, raider", ultimately from
vík "bay, inlet".
VIKRAMA m HinduismMeans
"stride, pace" or
"valour" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Vishnu. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 1st-century BC king (full name Vikramaditya) of Ujjain in India.
VIKTOR m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Estonian, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, GreekForm of
VICTOR used in various languages.
VILEN m RussianAbbreviation of
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the name of the founder of the former Soviet state.