ASIF m ArabicPossibly means
"forgiveness" in Arabic.
ASİL m TurkishMeans
"noble" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
أصيل (asil).
ASK m Norse MythologyDerived from Old Norse
askr "ash tree". In Norse mythology Ask and his wife
Embla were the first humans created by the gods.
ASLAN m Turkish, Kazakh, Azerbaijani, Chechen, Ossetian, CircassianFrom Turkic
arslan meaning
"lion". This was a byname or title borne by several medieval Turkic rulers, including the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan (a byname meaning "brave lion") who drove the Byzantines from Anatolia in the 11th century. The author C. S. Lewis later used the name
Aslan for the main protagonist (a lion) in his
Chronicles of Narnia series of books, first appearing in 1950.
ASSE m FrisianOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
asc meaning
"ash tree" or
ans meaning
"god".
ASTAROTH m LiteratureFrom
Ashtaroth, the plural form of
ASHTORETH used in the bible to refer to Phoenician idols. This spelling was used in late medieval demonology texts to refer to a type of (masculine) demon.
AŞTÎ f & m KurdishMeans
"peace, tranquility" in Kurdish.
ASTON m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from either a place name meaning "east town" in Old English or from the given name
ÆÐELSTAN.
ASTROPHEL m LiteratureProbably intended to mean "star lover", from Greek
αστηρ (aster) meaning "star" and
φιλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend". This name was first used by the 16th-century poet Sir Philip Sidney in his collection of sonnets
Astrophel and Stella.
ASUKA f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
明日 (asu) meaning "tomorrow" and
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance", or from
飛 (asu) meaning "to fly" and
鳥 (ka) meaning "bird". Other kanji combinations can be possible as well.
ATAHUALPA m Native American, QuechuaMeans
"hen of fortune", from Quechua
ataw meaning "lucky, fortunate" and
wallpa meaning "hen". This was the name of the last sovereign Inca emperor. He was executed by the Spanish in 1533.
ATHALIAH f & m BiblicalPossibly means
"YAHWEH is exalted" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is both a feminine and masculine name. It was borne by the daughter of
Ahab and
Jezebel, who later came to rule Judah as a queen.
ATHANARIC m Ancient GermanicFrom the Gothic name
Athanareiks, derived from the Germanic element
athana meaning "year" combined with
ric meaning "ruler, mighty". Athanaric was a 4th-century ruler of the Visigoths.
ATHOL m & f ScottishFrom the name of a district in Scotland that was derived from Gaelic
ath Fodhla "new Ireland".
ATIF m ArabicMeans
"affection, kindness" in Arabic.
ATLAS m Greek MythologyPossibly means
"enduring" from Greek
τλαω (tlao) meaning "to endure". In Greek mythology he was a Titan punished by
Zeus by being forced to support the heavens on his shoulders.
ATON m Egyptian MythologyMeans
"solar disk" in Egyptian. Aton was an Egyptian god of the sun, depicted as a solar disk with long rays extending downwards. The worship of Aton was especially extensive during the reign of the pharaoh
Akhenaton, who proclaimed Aton was the only god.
ATSE m FrisianOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
adal meaning
"noble".
ATSUSHI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
淳 (atsushi) meaning "pure" or
敦 (atsushi) meaning "kindness, honesty". This name can also be formed from other kanji or kanji combinations.
ATTICUS m Literature, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Αττικος (Attikos) meaning
"from Attica", referring to the region surrounding Athens in Greece. This name was borne by a few notable Greeks from the Roman period (or Romans of Greek background). The author Harper Lee used the name in her novel
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) for an Alabama lawyer who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman.
ATTILA m History, HungarianPossibly means
"little father" from Gothic
atta "father" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 5th-century leader of the Huns, a nomadic people from Central Asia who had expanded into Eastern Europe by the 4th century.
Attila was the name given to him by his Gothic-speaking subjects in Eastern Europe; his real name may have been Avithohol.
ATTILIO m ItalianItalian form of the Roman family name
Atilius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. Marcus Atilius Regulus was a Roman consul and hero of the First Punic War.
ATUM m Egyptian MythologyMeans
"completion" in Egyptian. This was the name of an Egyptian creator god. He was first prominently worshipped in Heliopolis during the Old Kingdom.
AUBREY m & f EnglishNorman French form of the Germanic name
ALBERICH. As an English masculine name it was common in the Middle Ages, and was revived in the 19th century. Since the mid-1970s it has more frequently been given to girls, due to Bread's 1972 song
Aubrey along with its similarity to the established feminine name
Audrey.
AUDLEY m EnglishFrom a surname that was taken from a place name meaning
"EALDGYÐ's clearing" in Old English.
AUGUSTINE (1) m EnglishFrom the Roman name
Augustinus, itself derived from the Roman name
AUGUSTUS. Saint Augustine of Hippo was a 5th-century Christian theologian and author from North Africa. For his contributions to Christian philosophy he is known as a Doctor of the Church. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world. It became popular in England in the Middle Ages partly because of a second saint by this name, Augustine of Canterbury, a 6th-century Italian monk sent to England to convert the Anglo-Saxons.
AUGUSTUS m Ancient Roman, DutchMeans
"exalted, venerable", derived from Latin
augere meaning "to increase". Augustus was the title given to
Octavian, the first Roman emperor. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar who rose to power through a combination of military skill and political prowess. In 26 BC the senate officially gave him the name
Augustus, and after his death it was used as a title for subsequent emperors. This was also the name of three kings of Poland (
August in Polish).
AULUS m Ancient RomanPossibly from Latin
avulus meaning
"little grandfather", though it could be from the Etruscan name
Aule, which was possibly derived from
avils meaning "years". This was a Roman praenomen, or given name. Folk etymology connects it to Latin
aula meaning "palace".
AURANGZEB m HistoryMeans
"honouring the throne" in Persian. This was the name of a 17th-century Mughal emperor of India.
AURELIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was derived from Latin
aureus meaning
"golden, gilded". Marcus Aurelius was a 2nd-century Roman emperor and philosophical writer. This was also the name of several early saints.
AUSTER m Roman MythologyMeans
"south" in Latin (descended from an Indo-European root meaning "dawn", making it related to the English word
east). Auster was the Roman god of the south wind.
AUSTIN m EnglishMedieval contracted form of
AUGUSTINE (1). Modern use of the name is probably also partly inspired by the common surname
Austin, which is of the same origin. This is also the name of a city in Texas.
AVILIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name of unknown meaning. Saint Avilius was a 1st-century patriarch of Alexandria.
AVITUS m Ancient RomanFrom a Roman family name that meant
"ancestral" in Latin. This was the name of an emperor who briefly reigned over the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. It was also the name of several saints, including a 6th-century bishop of Vienne.
AVTANDIL m Georgian, LiteratureCreated by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for his 12th-century epic
The Knight in the Panther's Skin. Rustaveli based it on Persian
آفتاب (aftab) meaning "sunshine" and
دل (del) meaning "heart". In the poem Avtandil is a knight who is sent by
Tinatin to search for the mysterious knight of the title.
AYAAN (1) m Indian, HindiFrom Sanskrit
अयान (ayana) meaning
"not moving" or
"natural disposition" or
अयन (ayana) meaning
"path" or
"precession".
AYAN m BengaliMeans
"road, path, solar path" in Bengali, from Sanskrit
अयन (ayana) meaning
"path" or
"precession".
AYAZ m Turkish, Azerbaijani, UrduFrom Turkish and Azerbaijani
ayaz meaning
"frost" or
"dry and cold air". This was the name of a slave and later companion of the 11th-century sultan Mahmud of Ghazni.
AYMAN m ArabicMeans
"right-handed, blessed, lucky" in Arabic.
AYTAÇ m & f TurkishDerived from Turkish
ay meaning "moon" and
taç meaning "crown" (of Persian origin).
AYUMU m JapaneseFrom Japanese
歩 (ayu) meaning "walk" and
夢 (mu) meaning "dream, vision". Other combinations of kanji are also possible.
AZARIAH m BiblicalMeans
"YAHWEH has helped" in Hebrew, derived from
עָזַר ('azar) meaning "help" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many Old Testament characters including of one of the three men the Babylonian king ordered cast into a fiery furnace. His Babylonian name was
Abednego.
AZAZEL m BiblicalMeans
"scapegoat" in Hebrew. This is the name of the recipient of a sacrificial goat in the Old Testament. The identity of Azazel is not clear; it may in fact be the name of the place where the goat is to be sacrificed, or it may be the name of some sort of evil desert demon.
AZAZIAH m BiblicalMeans
"YAHWEH is strong" in Hebrew. This is the name of three minor characters in the Old Testament.
AZEL m BiblicalMeans
"reserved" in Hebrew. This is both the name of a minor character and a place name in the Old Testament.
AZIZ m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, TajikMeans
"powerful, respected, beloved", derived from Arabic
عزّ ('azza) meaning "to be powerful" or "to be cherished". In Islamic tradition
العزيز (al-'Aziz) is one of the 99 names of Allah. A notable bearer of the name was Al-'Aziz, a 10th-century Fatimid caliph.
AZRAEL m Judeo-Christian LegendVariant of
AZRIEL. This was the name of an angel in Jewish and Islamic tradition who separated the soul from the body upon death. He is sometimes referred to as the Angel of Death.
AZRIEL m BiblicalMeans
"my help is God", derived from Hebrew
עָזַר ('azar) meaning "help" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". This was the name of three minor characters in the Old Testament.
BAAK m FrisianOriginally a short form of names starting with the Germanic element
badu "fight, struggle".
BA'AL m Semitic Mythology, Biblical HebrewHebrew form of Semitic
ba'l meaning
"lord, master, possessor". This was the title of various deities, often associated with storms and fertility, who were worshipped by the Canaanites, Phoenicians, and other peoples of the ancient Near East. It was particularly applied to the god
Hadad.
BA'AL HAMMON m Semitic MythologyFrom Semitic
ba'l meaning "lord" prefixing another word of uncertain meaning. This was the name of the supreme god worshipped in the Phoenician city of Carthage, alongside his consort
Tanith.
BABAK m Persian, Ancient PersianMeans
"little father" in Persian. This was the name of the father of Ardashir, the founder of the Sassanid Empire in Persia. It was also borne by the 9th-century resistance leader Babak Khorramdin.
BABUR m UrduFrom a Persian word meaning
"tiger". This was the nickname of Zahir ud-Din Muhammad, the 16th-century founder of the Mughal Empire in India.
BABYLAS m Late Greek, French (Rare)Derived from the name of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon. Saint Babylas was a 3rd-century patriarch of Antioch who was martyred during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius.
BADEMUS m HistoryLatinized form of a Persian name of unknown meaning. Saint Bademus was a 4th-century Persian martyr who was a victim of Shapur II's persecutions.
BAER m LimburgishShort form of
ALBAER and other Limburgish names ending in
baer, often derived from the Germanic element
beraht meaning "bright".
BAGADATA m Ancient PersianOld Persian name derived from
baga "god" and
data "given". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Persian satrap under the Seleucid Empire.
BAHMAN m Persian, Persian MythologyModern Persian form of Avestan
Vohu Manah meaning
"good mind". This was the name of a Zoroastrian god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with domestic animals. It is also the name of the eleventh month in the Iranian calendar.
BAHRAM m Persian, Persian MythologyModern Persian form of Avestan
Verethragna meaning
"victory over resistance". This was the name of a Zoroastrian god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with victory and war. This name was borne by several Sassanid emperors. It is also the Persian name for the planet Mars.
BAI m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
白 (bái) meaning "white, pure",
百 (bǎi) meaning "one hundred, many" or
柏 (bǎi) meaning "cypress tree, cedar" (which is usually only masculine). Other Chinese characters can form this name as well. This name was borne in the 8th century by the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, whose given was
白.
BAILEY m & f EnglishFrom a surname derived from Middle English
baili meaning
"bailiff", originally denoting one who was a bailiff.
BAKIR m TurkishTurkish form of
BAQIR. It coincides with the Turkish word
bakır meaning "copper".
BAKR m ArabicMeans
"young camel" in Arabic.
Abu Bakr was a father-in-law of the Prophet
Muhammad and the first caliph of the Muslim world.
BALA (1) m & f Hinduism, TamilMeans
"young" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
बाल and the feminine form
बाला (a minor Hindu goddess).
BALADEVA m HinduismMeans
"god of strength" from Sanskrit
बल (bala) meaning "strength" combined with
देव (deva) meaning "god". Baladeva (also called Balarama) is the name of the older brother of the Hindu god
Krishna.
BALBUS m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen meaning
"stammerer" in Latin. This was a family name of the mother of Emperor Augustus, Atia Balba Caesonia.
BALDER m Norse MythologyMeans
"prince" from Old Norse. In Norse mythology Balder was the son of
Odin and
Frigg. Because of the disturbing dreams he had when he was young, his mother extracted an oath from every thing in the world that it would not harm him. However the evil fire god
Loki learned that she had overlooked mistletoe. Being jealous, he tricked the blind god Hoder into throwing a branch of mistletoe at Balder, which killed him.
BALDRIC m English (Archaic)Derived from the Germanic elements
bald "bold, brave" and
ric "ruler, mighty". The Normans introduced this name to Britain, and it was common in the Middle Ages.
BALDWIN m English, Ancient GermanicMeans
"bold friend", derived from the Germanic elements
bald "bold, brave" and
win "friend". In the Middle Ages this was a popular name in Flanders and among the Normans, who brought it to Britain. It was borne by one of the leaders of the First Crusade, an 11th-century nobleman from Flanders. After the crusaders conquered Jerusalem, he was crowned as the king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
BALFOUR m English (Rare)From a Scottish surname, originally from various place names, which meant
"village pasture" in Gaelic.
BALTHAZAR m Judeo-Christian LegendVariant of
BELSHAZZAR. Balthazar is the name traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who visited the newborn
Jesus. He was said to have come from Arabia.
BAO f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
宝 (bǎo) meaning "treasure, jewel, precious, rare",
褒 (bāo) meaning "praise, honour" or
苞 (bāo) meaning "bud" (which is usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are possible as well.
BAPTISTE m FrenchMeans
"baptist" in French, originally deriving from Greek
βαπτω (bapto) meaning "to dip". This name is usually given in honour of Saint John the Baptist, and as such it is often paired with the name
Jean.
BAQI m ArabicMeans
"eternal" in Arabic. This was the pen name of a 16th-century Turkish poet.
BAQIR m ArabicMeans
"to rip open" in Arabic. Muhammad al-Baqir was the fifth imam of the Shia Muslims.
BARACK m ArabicAlternate transcription of Arabic
باراك (see
BARAK (2)). A famous bearer is former American president Barack Obama (1961-), who was named after his Kenyan father.