BELSHAZZARmBabylonian (Anglicized), BiblicalFrom
בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר (Belshatzzar), the Hebrew form of the Akkadian name
Bel-sharra-usur meaning "
BEL protect the king". This was the name of the son of Nabonidus, the last king of the Babylonian Empire before it was conquered by the Persians in the 6th century BC. In the Old Testament Book of Daniel Belshazzar is the last king of Babylon who sees the mystical handwriting on the wall, which is interpreted by Daniel to portend the end of the empire.
BENDEGÚZmHungarianHungarian variant of the Turkic name
Mundzuk, possibly from
mončuq meaning "jewel, bead". This was the name of
Attila the Hun's father.
BENEDICTmEnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Benedictus which meant "blessed". Saint Benedict was an Italian monk who founded the Benedictines in the 6th century. After his time the name was common among Christians, being used by 16 popes. In England it did not come into use until the 12th century, at which point it became very popular. This name was also borne by the American general Benedict Arnold (1741-1801), who defected to Britain during the American Revolution.
BENIGNOmItalian, Spanish, PortugueseItalian, Spanish and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name
Benignus which meant "kind, friendly" in Latin. This was the name of several saints including a 5th-century disciple of Saint
Patrick who later became the chief Bishop of Ireland.
BENITOmSpanish, ItalianSpanish form of
BENEDICT. This name was borne by Mexican president Benito Juárez, and also by Benito Mussolini (who was named after Juárez), the fascist dictator of Italy during World War II.
BENJAMINmEnglish, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
בִּנְיָמִין (Binyamin) which means "son of the south" or "son of the right hand", from the roots
בֵּן (ben) meaning "son" and
יָמִין (yamin) meaning "right hand, south". Benjamin in the Old Testament is the twelfth and youngest son of
Jacob and the founder of one of the southern tribes of the Hebrews. He was originally named
בֶּן־אוֹנִי (Ben-'oni) meaning "son of my sorrow" by his mother
Rachel, who died shortly after childbirth, but it was later changed by his father (see Genesis 35:18).
... [more] BENNETTmEnglishMedieval form of
BENEDICT. This was the more common spelling in England until the 18th century. Modern use of the name is probably also influenced by the common surname
Bennett, itself a derivative of the medieval name.
BENTLEYmEnglishFrom a surname which was from a place name, itself derived from Old English
beonet "bent grass" and
leah "woodland, clearing". Various towns in England bear this name.
BENTONmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from a place name, composed of Old English
beonet "bent grass" and
tun "enclosure".
BENVENUTOmItalianMeans "welcome" in Italian. A famous bearer was the Italian Renaissance sculptor and writer Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571).
BEOWULFmAnglo-Saxon MythologyPossibly means "bee wolf" (in effect equal to "bear") from Old English
beo "bee" and
wulf "wolf". Alternatively, the first element may be
beadu "battle". This is the name of the main character in the anonymous 8th-century epic poem 'Beowulf'. Set in Denmark, the poem tells how he slays the monster Grendel and its mother at the request of King
Hroðgar. After this Beowulf becomes the king of the Geats. The conclusion of the poem tells how Beawulf, in his old age, slays a dragon but is himself mortally wounded in the act.
BERACHmIrishDerived from Gaelic
biorach meaning "sharp". This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint.
BERARDmAncient GermanicVariant of
BERNARD using the related root
bera "bear" as the first element. This was the name of a 13th-century saint who was martyred in Morocco.
BERATmTurkishPossibly from Turkish
berat meaning "letters patent".
BERENGARmAncient GermanicGermanic name derived from the elements
bern "bear" and
ger "spear". This was the name of two medieval kings of Italy and a Holy Roman emperor.
BERNARDmEnglish, French, Dutch, Polish, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic element
bern "bear" combined with
hard "brave, hardy". The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Beornheard. This was the name of several saints, including Saint Bernard of Menthon who built hospices in the Swiss Alps in the 10th century, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century theologian and Doctor of the Church. Other famous bearers include the Irish playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and the British World War II field marshal Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976).
BERTRAMmEnglish, German, Ancient GermanicMeans "bright raven", derived from the Germanic element
beraht "bright" combined with
hramn "raven". The Normans introduced this name to England. Shakespeare used it in his play 'All's Well That Ends Well' (1603).
BERTRANDmFrench, English, Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic elements
beraht meaning "bright" and
rand meaning "rim (of a shield)". From an early date it has been confused with
BERTRAM and the two names have merged to some degree. A famous bearer was English philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970).
BERWYNmWelshMeans "white head" from the Welsh elements
barr "head" and
wyn "white".
BESSARIONmLate GreekMeaning uncertain, possibly from Greek
βησσα (bessa) "wooded valley". This was the name of a 5th-century Egyptian hermit who was a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great. It was later adopted by the scholar Basilios Bessarion (1403-1472), a Greek born in Byzantine Anatolia who became a Roman Catholic bishop.
BETELGEUSEmAstronomyThe name of the star that marks the right shoulder of the constellation Orion. It is derived from Arabic
يد الجوزا (yad al-Jawza) meaning "the hand of Jawza".
جوزا (Jawza) meaning "central one" was the old Arabic name for the constellation Orion (also for Gemini).
BETHUELmBiblicalPossibly means "God destroys" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the father of
Rebecca.
BEVANmWelshFrom a Welsh surname which was derived from
ap Evan meaning "son of
EVAN".
BEVERLYf & mEnglishFrom a surname which was originally derived from the name of an English city, itself meaning "beaver stream" in Old English. It came into use as a masculine given name in the 19th century, and it became common as an American feminine name after the publication of George Barr McCutcheon's novel 'Beverly of Graustark' (1904).
BEVISmEnglish (Rare)From an English surname which is possibly derived from the name of the French town
Beauvais.
BHARATAmHinduismMeans "being maintained" in Sanskrit. This is one of the names of
Agni, the Hindu god of fire, and is also the name of the brother of
Rama in the Hindu epic the 'Ramayana'. It was also borne by a legendary king, the son of
Dushyanta and
Shakuntala. The official name of the country of India, Bharat, derives from him.
BHASKARAmHinduismMeans "shining", derived from a combination of Sanskrit
भास (bhasa) meaning "light" and
कर (kara) meaning "maker". This is another name of the sun and the Hindu god
Shiva. It was additionally borne by a 12th-century Indian astronomer, also known as Bhaskaracharya.
BHIMAmHinduismMeans "terrible, formidable" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the 'Mahabharata' this is the name of the second son of Pandu, and thus one of the five Pandavas. He was known for his terrific strength and skill as a warrior.
BIDZINAmGeorgianPossibly from Georgian
ბიძა (bidza) meaning "uncle". This was the name of a 17th-century Georgian saint and martyr.
BIFFmEnglish (Rare)From a nickname which was based on the English word
biff, which means "punch, hit, strike".
BILBOmLiteratureThis was the name of the hero of 'The Hobbit' (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien. His real hobbit name was
Bilba, which is of unknown meaning, but this was altered by Tolkien in order to use the more masculine
o ending. In the novel Bilbo Baggins was recruited by the wizard
Gandalf to join the quest to retake Mount Erebor from the dragon Smaug.
BILEmIrish MythologyPossibly an Irish form of
BELENUS, though it may derive from an Irish word meaning "hero". In Irish mythology this was the name of one of the Milesians who was drowned while invading Ireland.
BILLmEnglishShort form of
WILLIAM. This spelling was first used in the 19th century. The change in the initial consonant may have been influenced by an earlier Irish pronunciation of the name. Famous bearers include basketball player Bill Russell (1934-), comedian Bill Cosby (1937-), American president Bill Clinton (1946-), and Microsoft founder Bill Gates (1955-).
BILLYmEnglishDiminutive of
BILL. A notable bearer was the American outlaw Billy the Kid (1859-1881), whose real name was William H. Bonney.
BISHOPmEnglishEither from the English occupational surname, or else directly from the English word. It is ultimately derived from Greek
επισκοπος (episkopos) "overseer".
BLAINEmEnglishFrom a Scottish surname which was derived from the given name
Bláán, which meant "yellow" in Gaelic. Saint Bláán was a 6th-century missionary to the Picts.
BLAIRm & fScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname which is derived from Gaelic
blár meaning "plain, field, battlefield".
BLAISEmFrenchFrom the Roman name
Blasius which meant "lisping" from Latin
blaesus. A famous bearer was the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).
BLAKEmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from Old English
blæc "black" or
blac "pale". A famous bearer of the surname was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).
BLEDAmHistoryPossibly from a Turkic root meaning "wise". According to other theories the name was of Gothic origin, or was a Gothicized form of a Hunnic name. This was the name of the brother of Attila.
BLEDDYNmWelshFrom Welsh
blaidd "wolf" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 11th-century king of Gwynedd and Powys.
BO (1)mSwedish, DanishFrom the Old Norse byname
Búi which was derived from Old Norse
bua meaning "to live".
BO (2)m & fChineseFrom Chinese
波 (bō) meaning "wave", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
BOBmEnglish, DutchShort form of
ROBERT. It arose later than
Dob,
Hob and
Nob, which were medieval rhyming nicknames of Robert. It was borne by the character Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel 'A Christmas Carol' (1843). Other famous bearers include American folk musician Bob Dylan (1941-) and Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
BOBBYmEnglishDiminutive of
BOB. Hockey greats Bobby Hull (1939-) and Bobby Orr (1948-) have borne this name.
BOGUSŁAWmPolishMeans "glory of God" from the Slavic elements
bogu "god" and
slava "glory". This name was borne by several dukes of Pomerania, beginning in the 12th century.
BOLATmKazakhFrom a Turkic word meaning "steel", ultimately from Persian.
BOLESŁAWmPolishDerived from the Slavic elements
bolye "more, greater" and
slava "glory". This was the name of kings of Poland, starting in the 11th century with the first Polish king Bolesław the Brave.
BOLÍVARmSpanish (Latin American)From a surname which was taken from the Basque place name
Bolibar, which was derived from
bolu "mill" and
ibar "riverside". A famous bearer of the surname was Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), a South American revolutionary leader, after whom the country of Bolivia is named.
BONAVENTURAmItalianMeans "good fortune" in Italian. Saint Bonaventura was a 13th-century Franciscan monk who is considered a Doctor of the Church.
BONIFACEmFrench, English (Rare)From the Late Latin name
Bonifatius, which meant "good fate" from
bonum "good" and
fatum "fate". This was the name of nine popes and also several saints, including an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon missionary to Germany (originally named Winfrid) who is now regarded as the patron saint of that country. It came into use in England during the Middle Ages, but became rare after the Protestant Reformation.
BONITUSmLate RomanDerived from a diminutive of Latin
bonus meaning "good". This was the name of a 7th-century century saint, a bishop of Auvergne.
BOOKERmEnglishFrom an English occupational surname meaning "maker of books". A famous bearer was Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an African-American leader.
BORmSloveneShort form of names containing
bor, such as
BORISLAV or
BORIS. It is also a South Slavic word meaning "pine tree".
BORA (1)mTurkishMeans "storm, squall" in Turkish, ultimately related to Greek
Βορεας (Boreas), the name of the god of the north wind.
BORISmBulgarian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Georgian, GermanFrom the Turkic name
Bogoris, perhaps meaning "short" or "wolf" or "snow leopard". It was borne by the 9th-century King Boris I of Bulgaria who converted his country to Christianity, as well as two later Bulgarian emperors. The name was popularized in the Slavic world due to the 11th-century Saint Boris, who was a Russian prince martyred with his brother Gleb. His mother may have been Bulgarian. Another famous bearer was the 16th-century Russian emperor Boris Godunov, later the subject of a play of that name by Aleksandr Pushkin.
BOŘIVOJmCzechDerived from the Slavic elements
borti "battle" and
voji "soldier". This name was borne by a 9th-century duke of Bohemia.
BOYCEmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from Old French
bois "wood".
BOYDmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname which was possibly derived from the name of the island of Bute.
BOYKOmBulgarianOriginally a diminutive of names containing the Slavic element
boji meaning "battle".
BRADmEnglishShort form of
BRADLEY,
BRADFORD, and other names beginning with
Brad. A famous bearer is American actor Brad Pitt (1963-).
BRÁDACHmIrishPossibly derived from a Gaelic word meaning "large-chested".
BRADFORDmEnglishFrom a surname which originally came from a place name that meant "broad ford" in Old English.
BRADLEYmEnglishFrom a surname which originally came from a place name meaning "broad clearing" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the World War II American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).
BRAHMAmHinduismMeans "growth, expansion, creation" in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Brahma is the creator and director of the universe, the balance between the opposing forces of
Vishnu and
Shiva. He is often depicted with four heads and four arms.
BRAMmEnglish, DutchShort form of
ABRAHAM. This name was borne by Bram Stoker (1847-1912), the Irish author who wrote 'Dracula'.
BRAN (2)mWelsh, Welsh MythologyMeans "raven" in Welsh. In Welsh legend Bran the Blessed (called also Bendigeid Vran) was the son of the god
Llyr. Later Welsh legends describe him as a king of Britain who was killed attacking Ireland.
BRANDONmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "hill covered with broom" in Old English. It is sometimes also used as a variant of
BRENDAN.