YORK m EnglishFrom a surname, which was derived from York, the name of a city in northern England. The city name was originally
Eburacon, Latinized as
Eboracum, meaning "yew" in Brythonic, but it was altered by association with Old English
Eoforwic, meaning "pig farm".
YOSHI m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck",
義 (yoshi) meaning "righteous", or
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable", as well as other kanji with the same reading.
YOSHIE f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or
由 (yoshi) meaning "reason, case" combined with
恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit". Other kanji combinations with the same reading can also form this name.
YOSHIRŌ m JapaneseFrom Japanese
義 (yoshi) meaning "righteous" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
YŌSUKE m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" or
洋 (yō) meaning "ocean" combined with
介 (suke) meaning "forerunner, herald". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
YŌTA m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" and
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big". Other character combinations are possible.
YU f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
玉 (yù) meaning "jade, precious stone, gem",
愉 (yú) meaning "pleasant, delightful" or
雨 (yǔ) meaning "rain". Other characters can form this name as well.
YŪ m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness",
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence",
勇 (yū) meaning "brave", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
YŪDAI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
雄 (yū) meaning "hero, manly" and
大 (dai) meaning "big, great, vast", besides other combinations of kanji.
YŪKI m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" combined with
希 (ki) meaning "hope",
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness" or
生 (ki) meaning "living". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
YUKI f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or
雪 (yuki) meaning "snow". It can also come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" combined with
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" or
紀 (ki) meaning "chronicle". Other kanji or kanji combinations are also possible.
YŪMA m JapaneseFrom Japanese
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" or
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" combined with
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
YUN f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
云 (yún) meaning "cloud" or
允 (yǔn) meaning "allow, consent", as well as other Chinese characters that are pronounced in a similar way.
YUN-SEO f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
尹 (yun) meaning "govern" or
允 (yun) meaning "allow, consent" combined with
序 (seo) meaning "series, sequence", as well as other hanja character combinations.
YURIY m Russian, Ukrainian, BelarusianRussian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of
GEORGE. This name was borne by Yuriy Dolgorukiy, a 12th-century Grand Prince of Kiev. The Soviet cosmonaut Yuriy (or Yuri) Gagarin (1934-1968), the first man to travel to space, was another famous bearer of this name.
YŪTA m JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness",
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" or
勇 (yū) meaning "brave" combined with
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big". Other combinations of kanji are possible.
YŪTO m JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" combined with
斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation,
人 (to) meaning "person" or
翔 (to) meaning "soar, fly". Other kanji combinations are possible.
YUU m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
優 or
悠 or
勇 (see
YŪ).
YUUKI m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
優希 or
悠希 or
優輝 or
悠生 (see
YŪKI).
YUUTA m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
優太 or
悠太 or
勇太 or
雄大 (see
YŪTA).
YUUTO m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
優斗 or
悠斗 or
悠人 or
悠翔 or
優翔 or
柚翔 or
祐翔 or
勇人 (see
YŪTO).
YVES m FrenchMedieval French form of
IVO (1). This was the name of two French saints: an 11th-century bishop of Chartres and a 13th-century parish priest and lawyer, also known as Ivo of Kermartin, the patron saint of Brittany.
ZAAHIR (2) m ArabicDerived from Arabic
ظهر (zahara) meaning
"clear, evident, manifest, outward". In Islamic tradition
الظاهر (al-Zahir) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
ZACCAI m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
זַכָּי (Zakkai) meaning
"pure". This is the name of a minor character in the Old Testament.
ZACCHAEUS m BiblicalFrom
Ζακχαῖος (Zakchaios), the Greek form of
ZACCAI. In the New Testament he is a tax collector in Jericho who gives half his possessions to charity.
ZACHARIAH m English, BiblicalVariant of
ZECHARIAH. This spelling is used in the King James Version of the Old Testament to refer to one of the kings of Israel (called Zechariah in other versions).
ZACHARY m English, BiblicalUsual English form of
ZACHARIAS, used in some English versions of the New Testament. This form has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation. It was borne by American military commander and president Zachary Taylor (1784-1850).
ZADOK m BiblicalMeans
"righteous" in Hebrew. This is the name of several characters in the Old Testament, most notably the high priest of Israel during the reigns of
David and
Solomon. Solomon was anointed by Zadok.
ZAHI m ArabicMeans
"beautiful, brilliant" in Arabic.
ZAL m Persian MythologyMeans
"albino" in Persian. In the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh this is the name of a white-haired warrior.
ZALÁN m HungarianPossibly from the name of the region of Zala in western Hungary, itself named for the Zala River. This name used by the Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty in his 1823 epic
Zalán Futása.
ZALMON m BiblicalMeans
"shady" in Hebrew. This is the name of one of
David's mighty men in the Old Testament.
ZAN f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
赞 (zàn) meaning "help, support", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
ZANE (1) m EnglishFrom an English surname of unknown meaning. It was introduced as a given name by American author Zane Grey (1872-1939). Zane was in fact his middle name - it had been his mother's maiden name.
ZARATHUSTRA m HistoryPossibly means
"golden camel" in Old Iranian, derived from
zarat meaning "golden" combined with
ushtra meaning "camel". Zarathustra was the Persian prophet who founded the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism about the 10th century BC.
ZAYD m ArabicDerived from Arabic
زاد (zada) meaning
"to increase". This was the name of a slave who became the adopted son of the Prophet
Muhammad.
ZEBADIAH m BiblicalMeans
"YAHWEH has bestowed" in Hebrew. This was the name of several Old Testament characters.
ZEBEDEE m BiblicalFrom
Ζεβεδαῖος (Zebedaios), the Greek form of
ZEBADIAH used in the New Testament, where it refers to the father of the apostles James and John.
ZEBULUN m BiblicalPossibly derived from Ugartic
zbl meaning
"prince". In the Old Testament Zebulun is the tenth son of
Jacob (his sixth son by
Leah) and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Genesis 30:20 implies two different roots for the name:
זָבַל (zaval) meaning "to dwell" and
זֵבֵד (zeved) meaning "gift, dowry". These are probably only folk etymologies.
ZECHARIAH m Biblical, EnglishFrom the Hebrew name
זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah) meaning
"YAHWEH remembers", from
זָכַר (zakhar) meaning "to remember" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many characters in the Old Testament, including the prophet Zechariah, the author of the Book of Zechariah. The name also appears in the New Testament belonging to the father of
John the Baptist, who was temporarily made dumb because of his disbelief. He is regarded as a saint by Christians. In some versions of the New Testament his name is spelled in the Greek form
Zacharias or the English form
Zachary. As an English given name,
Zechariah has been in occasional use since the Protestant Reformation.
ZEDONG m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
泽 (zé) meaning "moist, grace, brilliance" combined with
东 (dōng) meaning "east", as well as other character combinations. A notable bearer was the founder of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong (1893-1976).
ZEFERINO m PortuguesePortuguese form of the Roman name
Zephyrinus, which was derived from the Greek
Zephyros (see
ZEPHYR). Saint Zephyrinus was a 3rd-century pope.
ZEKİ m TurkishMeans
"intelligent" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
ذكيّ (dhakiy).
ZELOPHEHAD m BiblicalPossibly means either
"first born" or
"shadow from terror" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Zelophehad is a man who dies while the Israelites are wandering in the wilderness, leaving five daughters as heirs.
ZENO m Ancient Greek (Latinized), ItalianFrom the Greek name
Ζήνων (Zenon), which was derived from the name of the Greek god
ZEUS (the poetic form of his name being
Ζήν). Zeno was the name of two famous Greek philosophers: Zeno of Elea and Zeno of Citium, the founder of the Stoic school in Athens.
ZEPHANIAH m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
צְפַנְיָה (Tzefanyah) meaning
"YAHWEH has hidden", derived from
צָפַן (tzafan) meaning "to hide" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Zephaniah.
ZERACHIEL m Judeo-Christian LegendPossibly means
"command of God" in Hebrew. The Book of Enoch names him as one of the seven archangels. His name is sometimes rendered as
Sarakiel.
ZERAH m BiblicalMeans
"dawning, shining" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Judah and the twin of
Perez in the Old Testament.
ZÉTÉNY m HungarianPossibly from the old Slavic root
zeti meaning
"son-in-law".
ZEUS m Greek MythologyThe name of a Greek god, related to the old Indo-European god *
Dyeus, from a root meaning
"sky" or
"shine". In Greek mythology he was the highest of the gods. After he and his siblings defeated the Titans, Zeus ruled over the earth and humankind from atop Mount Olympus. He had control over the weather and his weapon was a thunderbolt.
ZHEN f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
珍 (zhēn) meaning "precious, rare",
真 (zhēn) meaning "real, genuine",
贞 (zhēn) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.
ZHENG m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
正 (zhèng) meaning "right, proper, correct" or
政 (zhèng) meaning "government", as well as other hanja characters with a similar pronunciation.
ZHI m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
志 (zhì) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or
智 (zhì) meaning "wisdom, intellect", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
ZHIHAO m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
志 (zhì) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or
智 (zhì) meaning "wisdom, intellect" combined with
豪 (háo) meaning "brave, heroic, chivalrous". Many other character combinations are possible.
ZHONG m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
中 (zhōng) meaning "middle" or
忠 (zhōng) meaning "loyalty, devotion". Other characters can form this name as well.
ZHOU m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
舟 (zhōu) meaning "boat, ship", in addition to other characters that are pronounced similarly.
ZIBA (2) m BiblicalMeans
"station" in Hebrew. This was the name of a servant of Saul in the Old Testament.
ZIEMOWIT m PolishFrom an old Slavic name derived from the elements
sem "family" and
vit "lord, master". This was the name of a legendary Piast prince of Poland. It was also borne by several other Piast rulers.
ZIMRI m BiblicalMeans
"my praise" or
"my music" in Hebrew. This is the name of a king of Israel in the Old Testament. He ruled for only seven days, when he was succeeded by the commander of the army
Omri.
ZINEDINE m Arabic (Maghrebi)Alternate transcription of Arabic
زين الدين (see
ZAYN AD-DIN) chiefly used in Northern Africa. A famous bearer is the French soccer player Zinedine Zidane (1972-), who was born to Algerian parents.
ZION m Jewish, BiblicalFrom the name of a citadel that was in the center of Jerusalem. Zion is also used to refer to a Jewish homeland and to heaven.
ZIV m & f HebrewMeans
"bright, radiant" in Hebrew. This was the ancient name of the second month of the Jewish calendar.
ZIYA m ArabicDerived from Arabic
ضياء (diya) meaning
"splendour, light, glow". This was the name of a 14th-century Islamic Indian historian.
ZIYA AL-DIN m ArabicMeans
"splendour of religion" from Arabic
ضياء (diya) meaning "splendour, light, glow" combined with
دين (din) meaning "religion, faith".
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.
ZOPYROS m Ancient GreekMeans
"glowing" in Greek. This was the name of a Persian nobleman who aided his king Darius in the capture of Babylon. He did this by mutilating himself and then going to the Babylonians claiming that it had been Darius who did it to him. After gaining their trust he betrayed them.
ZURIEL m BiblicalMeans
"my rock is God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name is borne by a chief of the Merarite Levites at the time of the Exodus.
ZVIADI m GeorgianForm of
ZVIAD with the nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.
ŽYDRŪNAS m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
žydra meaning
"light blue" (using the patronymic suffix
ūnas).