Chad m EnglishFrom the Old English name
Ceadda, which is of unknown meaning, possibly based on Old Welsh
cat "battle". This was the name of a 7th-century English saint. Borne primarily by Catholics, it was a rare name until the 1960s when it started to become more common amongst the general population. This is also the name of a country in Africa, though it originates from a different source (see
Chad).
Chaim m HebrewDerived from the Hebrew word
חַיִּים (chayim) meaning
"life". It has been used since medieval times.
Chang m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
昌 (chāng) meaning "flourish, prosper, good, sunlight" (which is usually only masculine),
畅 (chàng) meaning "smooth, free, unrestrained" or
长 (cháng) meaning "long". Other Chinese characters are also possible.
Chao m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
超 (chāo) meaning "surpass, leap over" (which is usually only masculine),
潮 (cháo) meaning "tide, flow, damp", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Chase m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"chase, hunt" in Middle English, originally a nickname for a huntsman.
Chen 1 m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
晨 (chén) or
辰 (chén), both meaning "morning". The character
辰 also refers to the fifth Earthly Branch (7 AM to 9 AM), which is itself associated with the dragon of the Chinese zodiac. This name can be formed from other characters as well.
Cheng m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
成 (chéng) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
诚 (chéng) meaning "sincere, honest, true", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Chidi m & f IgboMeans
"God exists" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
dị meaning "is". It is also a short form of Igbo names beginning with
Chidi.
Chima m & f IgboMeans
"God knows" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
má meaning "know".
Chip m EnglishDiminutive of
Charles or
Christopher. It can also be from a nickname given in reference to the phrase
a chip off the old block, used of a son who is similar to his father.
Chuck m EnglishDiminutive of
Charles. It originated in America in the early 20th century. Two famous bearers of this name were pilot Chuck Yeager (1923-2020), the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound, and the musician Chuck Berry (1926-2017), one of the pioneers of rock music.
Chuks m IgboDiminutive of Igbo names beginning with the element
Chukwu meaning
"God".
Chun f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
春 (chūn) meaning "spring (season)" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Cian m Irish, Irish Mythology, Old IrishMeans
"ancient, enduring" in Irish. In Irish mythology this was the name of the father of
Lugh Lámfada. It was also borne by the mythical ancestor of the Ciannachta and by a son-in-law of
Brian Boru.
Ciar m & f Irish, Irish Mythology, Old IrishDerived from Irish
ciar meaning
"black". In Irish legend Ciar was a son of
Fergus mac Róich and
Medb, and the ancestor of the tribe of the Ciarraige (after whom County Kerry is named). As a feminine name, it was borne by an Irish nun (also called
Ciara) who established a monastery in Tipperary in the 7th century.
Ciel f & m Various (Rare)Means
"sky" in French. It is not used as a given name in France itself.
Clark m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"cleric" or
"scribe", from Old English
clerec originally meaning "priest". A famous bearer of the surname was William Clark (1770-1838), an explorer of the west of North America. As a first name it was borne by the American actor Clark Gable (1901-1960), as well as the comic book character Clark Kent, the mild-mannered alter ego of Superman, first created 1938.
Clay m EnglishFrom an English surname that originally referred to a person who lived near or worked with clay. This name can also be a short form of
Clayton.
Clint m EnglishShort form of
Clinton. A notable bearer is American actor Clint Eastwood (1930-), who became famous early in his career for his western movies.
Clive m EnglishFrom an English surname derived from Old English
clif meaning
"cliff", originally belonging to a person who lived near a cliff.
Clyde m EnglishFrom the name of the River Clyde in Scotland, from Cumbric
Clud, which is of uncertain origin. It became a common given name in America in the middle of the 19th century, perhaps in honour of Colin Campbell (1792-1863) who was given the title Baron Clyde in 1858.
Cody m EnglishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of both Irish Gaelic
Ó Cuidighthigh meaning
"descendant of the helpful one" and
Mac Óda meaning
"son of Odo". A famous bearer of the surname was the American frontiersman and showman Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917).
Cohen m English (Modern)From a common Jewish surname that was derived from Hebrew
כֹּהֵן (kohen) meaning
"priest". This surname was traditionally associated with the hereditary priests who claimed descent from the biblical
Aaron.
Cola m Anglo-SaxonOld English byname meaning
"charcoal", originally given to a person with dark features.
Colby m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally from various place names, derived from the Old Norse byname
Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and
býr "farm, settlement". As a given name, its popularity spiked in the United States and Canada in 2001 when Colby Donaldson (1974-) appeared on the reality television show
Survivor.
Cole m EnglishFrom an English surname, itself originally derived from either a medieval short form of
Nicholas or the byname
Cola. A famous bearer was the songwriter Cole Porter (1891-1964), while a bearer of the surname was the musician Nat King Cole (1919-1965).
... [more] Colin 2 m EnglishMedieval diminutive of
Col, a short form of
Nicholas. It is now regarded as an independent name.
Colt m English (Modern)From the English word for a young male horse or from the surname of the same origin. It may be given in honour of the American industrialist Samuel Colt (1814-1862) or the firearms company that bears his name. It was brought to public attention in 1981 by the main character on the television series
The Fall Guy.
Conan m IrishMeans
"little wolf" or
"little hound" from Irish
cú "wolf, hound" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early saints, including a 7th-century bishop of the Isle of Man. It appears in Irish legend as a companion
Fionn mac Cumhaill. A famous bearer of it as a middle name was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. It is also the name of the hero of the
Conan the Barbarian series of books, comics and movies, debuting 1932.
Conn m Irish, Irish Mythology, Old IrishPerhaps from Old Irish
conn meaning
"sense, reason" or
cenn meaning
"head, chief". This was the name of a legendary high king of Ireland, Conn of the Hundred Battles.
Corey m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name
Kóri, of unknown meaning. This name became popular in the 1960s due to the character Corey Baker on the television series
Julia.
Cosmo m Italian, EnglishItalian variant of
Cosimo. It was introduced to Britain in the 18th century by the second Scottish Duke of Gordon, who named his son and successor after his friend Cosimo III de' Medici. On the American sitcom
Seinfeld (1989-1998) this was the seldom-used first name of Jerry's neighbour Kramer.
Cove m & f English (Rare)From the English vocabulary word
cove, which refers to a small coastal inlet.
Craig m Scottish, EnglishFrom the Scottish surname
Craig, which was derived from Gaelic
creag meaning
"crag, rocks, outcrop", originally indicating a person who lived near a crag.
Cree m & f English (Rare)From the name of a Native American tribe of central Canada. Their name derives via French from the Cree word
kiristino.
Crew m English (Modern)Either from a surname that was derived from the English town of Crewe (from Old Welsh
criu meaning
"weir"), or from the English vocabulary word for a group of people.
Cruz f & m Spanish, PortugueseMeans
"cross" in Spanish or Portuguese, referring to the cross of the crucifixion.
Csaba m HungarianPossibly means either
"shepherd" or
"gift" in Hungarian. According to legend this was the name of a son of
Attila the Hun.
Cúán m Old IrishMeans
"little wolf" or
"little hound" from Old Irish
cú meaning "wolf, hound" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 8th-century saint.
Cupid m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Cupido meaning
"desire". This was the name of the Roman god of love, the son of
Venus and
Mars. He was portrayed as a winged, blindfolded boy, armed with a bow and arrows, which caused the victim to fall in love. His Greek equivalent was
Eros.
Curly m EnglishFrom a nickname, typically given to a person with curly hair.
Cyan f & m English (Rare)From the English word meaning
"greenish blue, cyan", ultimately derived from Greek
κύανος (kyanos).
Cynog m WelshWelsh name of uncertain meaning. This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh saint, allegedly a son of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Dacre m English (Rare)From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name in Cumbria, of Brythonic origin meaning
"trickling stream".
Dagda m Irish MythologyMeans
"the good god" from the Old Irish prefix
dag- "good" and
día "god". In Irish myth Dagda (called also The Dagda) was the powerful god of the earth, knowledge, magic, abundance and treaties, a leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He was skilled in combat and healing and possessed a huge club, the handle of which could revive the dead.
Dagon m Semitic MythologyPerhaps related to Ugaritic
dgn meaning
"grain". This was the name of a Semitic god of agriculture, usually depicted with the body of a fish.
Daigo m JapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (dai) meaning "big, great" combined with
悟 (go) meaning "enlightenment" or
吾 (go) meaning "I, me". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Daiki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (dai) meaning "big, great" combined with
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness",
樹 (ki) meaning "tree" or
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable". Other combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Dáire m Irish, Irish MythologyMeans
"fruitful, fertile" in Irish. This name is borne by many figures in Irish legend, including the Ulster chief Dáire mac Fiachna who reneged on his promise to loan the Brown Bull of Cooley to
Medb, starting the war between Connacht and Ulster as told in the Irish epic
The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
Dale m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that originally belonged to a person who lived near a dale or valley.
Daler m TajikFrom Tajik
далерӣ (daleri) meaning
"courage", ultimately from Persian
دلاور (delāver) meaning "brave, valiant".
Daley f & m English (Rare), Dutch (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Dálaigh, itself derived from the given name
Dálach. Its recent popularity in the Netherlands can be attributed to the Dutch soccer player Daley Blind (1990-).
Damir 1 m Croatian, Serbian, SlovenePossibly derived from the Slavic elements
danŭ "given" and
mirŭ "peace, world". Otherwise, it might be of Turkic or Russian origin (see
Damir 2). It was popularized by a character from Marija Jurić Zagorka's novel
Gordana (1935).
Damon m Greek Mythology, EnglishDerived from Greek
δαμάζω (damazo) meaning
"to tame". According to Greek legend, Damon and Pythias were friends who lived on Syracuse in the 4th century BC. When Pythias was sentenced to death, he was allowed to temporarily go free on the condition that Damon take his place in prison. Pythias returned just before Damon was to be executed in his place, and the king was so impressed with their loyalty to one another that he pardoned Pythias. As an English given name, it has only been regularly used since the 20th century.
Dana 2 m & f EnglishFrom a surname that is of unknown origin. It was originally given in honour of American lawyer Richard Henry Dana Jr. (1815-1882), the author of the memoir
Two Years Before the Mast.
Dane m EnglishFrom an English surname that was either a variant of the surname
Dean or else an ethnic name referring to a person from Denmark.
Dante m ItalianMedieval short form of
Durante. The most notable bearer of this name was Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), the Italian poet who wrote the
Divine Comedy.
Darby m & f EnglishFrom an English surname, which was derived from the name of the town of
Derby, itself from Old Norse
djúr "animal" and
býr "farm, settlement".
Darcy f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Norman French
d'Arcy, originally denoting one who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. This is the surname of a character, Fitzwilliam Darcy, in Jane Austen's novel
Pride and Prejudice (1813).
Daren m EnglishVariant of
Darren. In fact this form occurs earlier in American records, though
Darren eventually became more popular.
Darin m EnglishVariant of
Darren. This was the adopted surname of the singer Bobby Darin (1936-1973), who was born Robert Cassotto and chose his stage name from a street sign.
Dash m English (Modern)Probably inspired by the English word
dash meaning "run, sprint". In some cases it can be a short form of
Dashiell, as in the animated movie
The Incredibles (2004) where it belongs to a speedy young superhero.
Dauid m Biblical GreekForm of
David used in the Greek Old Testament. Some versions of the Greek New Testament also use this form, while others (the Textus Receptus) use
Δαβίδ (Dabid).
Davaa m & f MongolianMeans
"Monday" or
"threshold, mountain pass" in Mongolian.
David m English, Hebrew, French, Scottish, Welsh, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
דָּוִד (Dawiḏ), which was derived from
דּוֹד (doḏ) meaning
"beloved" or
"uncle". David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of
Goliath, a giant Philistine. According to the New Testament,
Jesus was descended from him.
... [more] Davis m EnglishFrom the English surname
Davis, which was derived from the given name
David. A famous bearer of the surname was Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), the only president of the Confederate States of America.
Davor m Croatian, Serbian, SloveneMeaning uncertain, possibly from an old Slavic exclamation expressing joy or sorrow. This was the name of a supposed Slavic war god. His name was the basis for the word
davorije, a type of patriotic war song popular in the 19th century.
Dean m EnglishFrom a surname, see
Dean 1 and
Dean 2. The actor James Dean (1931-1955) was a famous bearer of the surname.
Dell m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that originally denoted a person who lived in a dell or valley.
Deneb m AstronomyDerived from Arabic
ذنب (dhanab) meaning
"tail". This is the name of a star in the constellation Cygnus.
Denis m French, Russian, English, German, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Romanian, Croatian, AlbanianFrom
Denys or
Denis, the medieval French forms of
Dionysius. Saint Denis was a 3rd-century missionary to Gaul and the first bishop of Paris. He was martyred by decapitation, after which legend says he picked up his own severed head and walked for a distance while preaching a sermon. He is credited with converting the Gauls to Christianity and is considered the patron saint of France.
... [more] Derek m EnglishFrom the older English name
Dederick, which was in origin a Low German form of
Theodoric. It was imported to England from the Low Countries in the 15th century.
Deryn f & m WelshPossibly from the Welsh word
deryn, a variant of
aderyn meaning
"bird".
Desi m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Desmond,
Desiree and other names beginning with a similar sound. In the case of musician and actor Desi Arnaz (1917-1986) it was a diminutive of
Desiderio.
Devon m & f EnglishVariant of
Devin. It may also be partly inspired by the name of the county of Devon in England, which got its name from the Dumnonii, a Celtic tribe.
Dewi 1 m WelshPossibly from
Dewydd, an Old Welsh form of
David. Saint Dewi, the patron saint of Wales, was a 6th-century bishop of Mynyw. A later Welsh form of David was
Dafydd, which was more common in the medieval period. Dewi was revived in the 19th century.
Dick 1 m EnglishMedieval diminutive of
Richard. The change in the initial consonant is said to have been caused by the way the trilled Norman
R was pronounced by the English.
Diede m & f DutchShort form of names beginning with the Old High German element
diota (Old Frankish
þeoda) meaning "people".
Diego m Spanish, ItalianSpanish name, possibly a shortened form of
Santiago. In medieval records
Diego was Latinized as
Didacus, and it has been suggested that it in fact derives from Greek
διδαχή (didache) meaning
"teaching". Saint Didacus (or Diego) was a 15th-century Franciscan brother based in Alcalá, Spain.
... [more] Diệu f & m VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
妙 (diệu) meaning
"mysterious, subtle, exquisite".
Digby m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from the name of an English town, itself derived from a combination of Old English
dic "dyke, ditch" and Old Norse
byr "farm, town".
Dinis m PortuguesePortuguese form of
Denis, used mainly in Portugal as opposed to Brazil (where
Dênis is more common). This name was borne by a well-regarded Portuguese king of the 13th and 14th centuries.
Diogo m PortuguesePortuguese form of
Diego. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão (1452-1486).
Dion m Ancient Greek, EnglishDerived from the Greek element
Διός (Dios) meaning "of
Zeus". This was the name of a 4th-century BC tyrant of Syracuse. It has been used as an American given name since the middle of the 20th century.
Dior f & m English (Modern)From a French surname, possibly from
doré meaning
"golden". As a given name it has been inspired by the French luxury fashion house Dior, founded by the designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).
Dirk m Dutch, Low German, German, EnglishDutch and Low German short form of
Diederik. This name was borne by several counts of Frisia and Holland, beginning in the 10th century. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by actor Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999), who had some Dutch ancestry. This is also the Scots word for a type of dagger.
Diyar m & f KurdishMeans
"apparent, visible, clear" in Kurdish.
Dizzy m EnglishFrom an English word meaning
"dizzy, lightheaded, unbalanced". This is usually a nickname, which might be adopted for various reasons. A notable bearer was the American jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993), whose real given name was John.
Dong m ChineseFrom Chinese
东 (dōng) meaning "east",
栋 (dòng) meaning "pillar, beam", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Doran m English (Rare)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Deoradháin, from the byname
Deoradhán, derived from Irish
deoradh meaning "exile, wanderer" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Doyle m EnglishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Dubhghaill, itself derived from the given name
Dubhghall. A famous bearer of the surname was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.