Mot m Semitic MythologyMeans
"death" in Ugaritic. This was the name of the Ugaritic god of death and the lord of the netherworld. He was a son of the supreme god
El.
Motecuhzoma m NahuatlMeans
"he becomes angry like a lord" in Nahuatl, from
mo- "himself",
tēcu- "lord" and
zōma "become angry, frown". This name was borne by two emperors of the Aztec Empire.
Mowgli m LiteratureCreated by Rudyard Kipling for a character in
The Jungle Book (1894) and its sequel (1895), in which Mowgli is a feral boy who was raised by wolves in the jungle of central India. His name, given to him by his adopted wolf parents, is said to mean
"frog" in the stories, though Kipling admitted the name was made up.
Mpho m & f Tswana, SothoMeans
"gift" in Tswana and Sotho, a derivative of
fa "to offer".
Mubin m ArabicMeans
"clear, distinct" in Arabic, a derivative of
بان (bāna) meaning "to be plain, to be evident".
Mubiru m GandaMeaning unknown. This is the name of a figure in Ganda mythology associated with forests and hunting.
Muchen m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
沐 (mù) meaning "bathe, wash" combined with
宸 (chén) meaning "mansion, palace" or
辰 (chén) meaning "morning". This name can also be formed from other combinations of similar-sounding characters.
Mufaddal m ArabicMeans
"preferred" in Arabic, ultimately a derivative of
فضل (faḍala) meaning "to be in excess, to excel, to be gracious".
Muhammad m Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Bengali, Tajik, Uzbek, Indonesian, Malay, AvarMeans
"praised, commendable" in Arabic, derived from the root
حمد (ḥamida) meaning "to praise". This was the name of the prophet who founded the Islamic religion in the 7th century. According to Islamic belief, at age 40 Muhammad was visited by the angel
Gabriel, who provided him with the first verses of the Quran. Approximately 20 years later he conquered Mecca, the city of his birth, and his followers controlled most of the Arabian Peninsula at the time of his death in 632.
... [more] Mukesha m HinduismMeans
"ruler of Muka" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Shiva, given to him because he killed Muka, a demon in the form of a wild boar.
Mungo m ScottishMeaning uncertain, possibly from a Brythonic phrase meaning
"my dear". This was a nickname of the 6th-century Saint
Kentigern.
Mupitsukupʉ m ComancheMeans
"old owl" in Comanche, derived from
mupitsi "owl" and
tsukupʉ "old man". This name was borne by a 19th-century chief of the Penateka Comanche.
Murphy m & f EnglishFrom a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Murchadha, itself derived from the given name
Murchadh. As a given name, it has been borne by female characters on the American television series
Murphy Brown (1988-1998) and the movie
Interstellar (2014).
Murtada m ArabicMeans
"chosen" in Arabic. This is an epithet of
Ali, the fourth caliph.
Murugan m Hinduism, TamilFrom a Tamil word meaning
"young". This was the name of a Tamil war god who is now identified with
Skanda.
Muscowequan m Ojibwe (Anglicized)From Ojibwe
Maskawigwan meaning
"hard quill", derived from
mashkawaa "hard" and
gaaway "quill". This was the name of a 19th-century Saulteaux chief.
Mu'tamid m Arabic (Rare)Means
"relying on, leaning on" in Arabic. Al-Mu'tamid was a 9th-century Abbasid caliph. This was also the name of an 11th-century Abbadid ruler of Seville, who was a patron of the arts and a poet.
Mwangi m KikuyuMeans
"rapid expansion" in Kikuyu. Kikuyu males were traditionally organized into age sets or generations. The
Mwangi generation started around the beginning of the 20th century and lasted for about 30 years.
Mwenya f & m ChewaFrom the Chewa word for a type of flowering tree (species Breonadia salicina).
Myles 2 m Greek MythologyProbably from Greek
μύλη (myle) meaning
"mill". This was the name of a king of Laconia in Greek mythology.
Myrddin m Welsh Mythology, WelshOriginal Welsh form of
Merlin. It is probably ultimately from the name of the Romano-British settlement
Moridunum, derived from Celtic *
mori "sea" and *
dūnom "rampart, hill fort". Prefixed with Welsh
caer "fort", this town has been called Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen in English) from medieval times. It is thought that
Caerfyrddin may have mistakenly been interpreted as meaning "fort of Myrddin", as if
Myrddin were a personal name instead of a later development of
Moridunum.
... [more] Myron m English, Ukrainian, Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
μύρον (myron) meaning
"sweet oil, perfume". Myron was the name of a 5th-century BC Greek sculptor. Saints bearing this name include a 3rd-century bishop of Crete and a 4th-century martyr from Cyzicus who was killed by a mob. These saints are more widely revered in the Eastern Church, and the name has generally been more common among Eastern Christians. As an English name, it has been used since the 19th century.
Naaji m ArabicMeans
"saved, safe" in Arabic, a derivative of
نجا (najā) meaning "to save, to entrust, to confide in".
Nabopolassar m Babylonian (Anglicized)From the Akkadian name
Nabu-apla-usur meaning
"Nabu protect my son", derived from the god's name
Nabu combined with
aplu meaning "son, heir" and an imperative form of
naṣāru meaning "to protect". This was the name of a 7th-century BC king of the Babylonian Empire, the first of the Chaldean dynasty.
Nabu m Semitic MythologyPossibly from a Semitic root meaning
"to announce". This was the name of a Babylonian and Assyrian god of wisdom, letters and writing.
Nadab m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekMeans
"generous" in Hebrew. This was the name of a son of
Aaron according to the Old Testament. He was consumed by flames and killed when he offered unauthorized fire to God. It was also the name of the second king of Israel.
Nagendra m Hinduism, Kannada, TeluguMeans
"lord of snakes" from Sanskrit
नाग (nāga) meaning "snake" (also "elephant") combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "lord". This is another name for Vasuki, the king of snakes, in Hindu mythology.
Nahor m BiblicalMeans
"snorting" in Hebrew. Nahor is the name of both the grandfather and a brother of
Abraham in the Old Testament.
Nahum m BiblicalMeans
"comforter" in Hebrew, from the root
נָחַם (naḥam) meaning "to comfort, to console". Nahum is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. He authored the Book of Nahum in which the downfall of Nineveh is foretold.
Naiche m ApacheMeans
"mischief maker" in Apache. This name was borne by a 19th-century Chiricahua Apache chief, the son of
Cochise.
Naji m ArabicMeans
"intimate friend" in Arabic, a derivative of
نجا (najā) meaning "to save, to entrust, to confide in". This can also be another way of transcribing the name
ناجي (see
Naaji).
Nala 1 m HinduismMeans
"stem" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a king of the Nishadha people in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata.
Nana 4 m & f AkanFrom an Akan word used as a title of a monarch.
Nándor m HungarianOriginally this was a Hungarian word referring to a Bulgarian people that lived along the Danube. Since the 19th century it has been used as a Hungarian short form of
Ferdinand.
Nanook m Inuit (Anglicized)Variant of
Nanuq. This was the (fictional) name of the subject of Robert Flaherty's documentary film
Nanook of the North (1922).
Nao f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
直 (nao) meaning "straight, direct" or from a combination of
奈 (na), a phonetic character, and
央 (o) meaning "center". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Naoise m Irish, Irish MythologyMeaning unknown, presumably of Irish origin. In Irish legend he was the young man who fled to Scotland with
Deirdre, who was due to marry
Conchobar the king of Ulster. Conchobar eventually succeeded in capturing Deirdre and killing Naoise, which caused Deirdre to die of grief.
Naoki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
直 (nao) meaning "straight, direct" and
樹 (ki) meaning "tree", as well as other combinations of different kanji with the same pronunciations.
Naphtali m BiblicalMeans
"my struggle, my strife" in Hebrew, a derivative of
פָּתַל (paṯal) meaning "to twist, to struggle, to wrestle". In the Old Testament he is a son of
Jacob by
Rachel's servant
Bilhah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Napoleon m History, EnglishFrom the old Italian name
Napoleone, used most notably by the French emperor Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821), who was born on Corsica. The etymology is uncertain, but it is possibly derived from Old German
Nibelungen meaning
"sons of mist", a name used in Germanic legend to refer to the keepers of a hoard of treasure, often identified with the Burgundians. Alternatively, it could be connected to the name of the Italian city of Napoli (Naples).
Napoleone m Italian (Rare)Italian form of
Napoleon. Besides the French emperor, it was borne by the Italian cardinal Napoleone Orsini (1263-1342) and the writer and politician Napoleone Colajanni (1847-1921).
Naram-Sin m AkkadianMeans
"beloved of Sin", from Akkadian
narāmu and the god's name
Sin. This was the name of a 23rd-century BC ruler of the Akkadian Empire, the grandson of
Sargon.
Narasimha m Hinduism, TeluguMeans
"man-lion", derived from Sanskrit
नर (nara) meaning "man" combined with
सिंह (siṃha) meaning "lion". This is the name of a lion-headed avatar of the god
Vishnu who kills the evil king Hiranyakashipu.
Narayana m Hinduism, Kannada, Telugu, TamilPossibly from Sanskrit
नर (nara) meaning "man" and
अयन (ayana) meaning "path". In Hindu creation legends this is the name of an eternal god who created the universe. He is considered an incarnation of
Vishnu (or sometimes
Brahma). According to the
Mahabharata and the
Bhagavata Purana Narayana and his brother Nara were sages.
Narcisse m & f FrenchFrench masculine and feminine form of
Narcissus. This is also the French word for the narcissus flower.
Narek m ArmenianFrom the name of a 10th-century Armenian saint, Grigor of Narek, who came from the town of Narek (formerly in Armenia, now in eastern Turkey).
Narses m Middle Persian (Hellenized)Hellenized form of the Middle Persian name
𐭭𐭥𐭮𐭧𐭩 (Narseh), which was derived from Avestan
Nairyosangha. This name was borne by a 3rd-century ruler of the Persian Sasanian Empire. It was also borne by a Byzantine general of Armenian and Parthian descent who helped restore Italy to the Roman Empire during the reign of Justinian I in the 6th century.
Naruhito m JapaneseFrom Japanese
徳 (naru) meaning "virtue" and
仁 (hito) meaning "compassionate". Naruhito (1960-) is the current emperor of Japan. Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Nash m English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from the Middle English phrase
atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer of the surname was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).
... [more] Nathaniel m English, BiblicalVariant of
Nathanael. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. This has been the most popular spelling, even though the spelling
Nathanael is found in most versions of the New Testament. The American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of
The Scarlet Letter, was a famous bearer of this name.
Navy f & m English (Modern)From the English word meaning
"sea force, fleet, armed forces of the sea". It is derived from Old French
navie, from Latin
navigia, the plural of
navigium "boat, vessel". It also refers to a shade of dark blue, a colour traditionally associated with naval uniforms.
Nazzareno m ItalianItalian form of the Late Latin
Nazarenus, which meant
"from Nazareth, Nazarene". Nazareth was the town in Galilee where
Jesus lived. According to the New Testament, the phrase
Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum meaning "Jesus the Nazarene, king of the Jews", was inscribed on the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.
Nebuchadnezzar m Babylonian (Anglicized), BiblicalFrom
נְבוּכַדְנֶאצֲּר (Nevuḵaḏnetstsar), the Hebrew form of the Akkadian name
Nabu-kudurri-usur meaning "Nabu protect my eldest son", derived from the god's name
Nabu combined with
kudurru meaning "eldest son" and an imperative form of
naṣāru meaning "to protect". This name was borne by a 12th-century BC king of the Babylonian Empire. It was also borne by a 6th-century BC king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He captured Jerusalem, and ultimately destroyed the city's temple and deported many of its citizens, as told in the Old Testament.
Nechtan m Irish Mythology, Old IrishIrish name of uncertain meaning, possibly from a Celtic root meaning
"damp" (cognate with
Neptune). In Irish mythology Nechtan was the husband of
Boann, the goddess of the River Boyne. He is sometimes identified with
Nuada. This name was borne by the 5th-century Saint Nectan of Hartland in Devon, who was supposedly born in Ireland. It was also the name of several kings of the Picts (described mostly from Gaelic sources, this may represent a Pictish cognate).
Ned m EnglishDiminutive of
Edward or
Edmund. It has been used since the 14th century, and may have had root in the medieval affectionate phrase
mine Ed, which was later reinterpreted as
my Ned.
Neely m & f English (Rare)From a Scottish surname, an Anglicized and reduced form of Gaelic
Mac an Fhilidh (or
McNeilly) meaning
"son of the poet".
Neferkare m Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
nfr-kꜣ-rꜥ meaning
"the soul of Ra is beautiful", from
nfr "beautiful, good" combined with
kꜣ "soul" combined with the name of the god
Ra. This name was borne by several Egyptian pharaohs.
Nehemiah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh comforts" in Hebrew, derived from
נָחַם (naḥam) meaning "to comfort" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. According to the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament he was a leader of the Jews who was responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity.
Neil m Irish, Scottish, EnglishFrom the Irish name
Niall, which is of disputed origin, possibly connected to the old Celtic root *
nītu- "fury, passion" or the (possibly related) Old Irish word
nia "hero". A derivation from Old Irish
nél "cloud" has also been suggested. This was the name of a few early Irish kings, notably Niall of the Nine Hostages, a semi-legendary high king of the 4th or 5th century.
... [more] Nelson m English, SpanishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of Neil". It was originally given in honour of the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). His most famous battle was the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he destroyed a combined French and Spanish fleet, but was himself killed. Another notable bearer was the South African statesman Nelson Mandela (1918-2013). Mandela's birth name was
Rolihlahla; as a child he was given the English name
Nelson by a teacher.
Nemanja m SerbianPossibly from Slavic
ne maniti meaning
"not deceiving, not luring, not attracting". Another theory states that it means
"without possessions", derived from Serbo-Croatian
nemati meaning "have not". This was the name of a 12th-century Serbian king, and the name of the dynasty he began.
Nemesius m Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Νεμέσιος (Nemesios), derived from the name of the Greek goddess
Nemesis. This name was borne by a 4th-century Christian philosopher. It was also borne by an early saint and martyr.
Nemo m LiteratureMeans
"nobody" in Latin. This was the name used by author Jules Verne for the captain of the Nautilus in his novel
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870). It was later used for the title character (a fish) in the 2003 animated movie
Finding Nemo.
Nenad m Serbian, CroatianMeans
"unexpected" in Serbian and Croatian. In the Serbian folk song
Predrag and Nenad this is the name of
Predrag's brother.
Nennius m HistoryMeaning unknown, presumably a Latinized form of a Brythonic name (perhaps
Nynniaw). According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a British prince who fought against the invading forces of Julius Caesar. It was also borne by a 9th-century Welsh monk, traditionally credited with authoring the
History of the Britons.
Neo 1 f & m TswanaMeans
"gift" in Tswana, a derivative of
naya "to give".
Nephi m MormonMeaning unknown. This name is used in the Book of Mormon as the name of a prophet, the son of
Lehi and
Sariah. He was supposedly the founder of the Nephite people in the Americas.
Neptune m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Neptunus, which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Indo-European root *
nebh- "wet, damp, clouds". Neptune was the god of the sea in Roman mythology, approximately equivalent to the Greek god
Poseidon. This is also the name of the eighth planet in the solar system.
Nereus m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekDerived from Greek
νηρός (neros) meaning
"water". In Greek myth this was the name of a god of the sea, the father of the Nereids. It is mentioned briefly in the New Testament, belonging to a Christian in Rome. This was also the name of a Roman saint of the 1st century, a member of the army, who was martyred with his companion Achilleus because they refused to execute Christians.
Nero 1 m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen, which was probably of Sabine origin meaning
"strong, vigorous". It was used by a prominent branch of the gens Claudia starting from the 3rd century BC. It was borne most famously by a Roman emperor of the 1st century, remembered as a tyrant. His birth name was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, but after he was adopted as the heir of
Claudius his name became Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus.
Nero 2 m ItalianShort form of
Raniero. It also coincides with the Italian word
nero meaning
"black".
Nerses m ArmenianArmenian form of Middle Persian
Narseh (see
Narses). Saint Nerses was a 4th-century patriarch of the Armenian Church.
Nestor m Greek Mythology, Russian, Portuguese, FrenchMeans
"returner, homecomer" in Greek, from
νέομαι (neomai) meaning "to return". In
Homer's
Iliad this was the name of the king of Pylos, famous for his great wisdom and longevity, who acted as a counselor to the Greek allies.
Nethaniah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh has given" in Hebrew, derived from
נָתַן (naṯan) meaning "to give" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of the father of
Ishmael (the assassin of Gedaliah), as well as other minor characters.
Nevada f & m EnglishFrom the name of the American state, which means
"snow-capped" in Spanish.
Nevio m ItalianItalian form of the Roman family name
Naevius, which was derived from Latin
naevus "mole (on the body)". A famous bearer was the 3rd-century BC Roman poet Gnaeus Naevius.
Newton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"new town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).