Bram m English, DutchShort form of
Abraham. This name was borne by Bram Stoker (1847-1912), the Irish author who wrote
Dracula.
Brân m Welsh MythologyMeans
"raven" in Welsh. According to the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi, Brân the Blessed (called
Bendigeidfran) was a giant king of Britain. He was the son of the divine figure
Llŷr. After his sister
Branwen was mistreated by her husband the Irish king Matholwch, Brân led an attack on Ireland (the text says that he was so big he was able to wade there). Although victorious, the British lost all except seven men with Brân being mortally wounded by a poisoned spear. He asked the survivors to cut of his head and return with it to Britain. The head continued to speak for many years until it was buried in London.
Bran 1 m Irish, Irish Mythology, Old IrishMeans
"raven" in Irish. In Irish legend Bran mac Febail was a mariner who was involved in several adventures on his quest to find the Otherworld.
Brandon m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"hill covered with broom" in Old English.
... [more] Brant m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name
Brandr. This is also the name for a variety of wild geese.
Brantley m English (Modern)From a surname, an Americanized form of the German surname
Brändle, ultimately from Old High German
brant "fire".
Braxton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"Bracca's town" in Old English. In some cases it is given in honour of the Confederate general Braxton Bragg (1817-1876).
Brecht m DutchShort form of names containing
brecht, often derived from the Old German element
beraht meaning "bright".
Brendan m Irish, English, BretonFrom
Brendanus, the Latinized form of the Old Irish name
Bréanainn, which was derived from Old Welsh
breenhin meaning
"king, prince". Saint Brendan was a 6th-century Irish abbot who, according to legend, crossed the Atlantic and reached North America with 17 other monks.
Brennan m EnglishFrom an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Braonáin) that was derived from the byname
Braonán, itself from Irish
braon meaning "rain, moisture, drop" combined with a diminutive suffix. As a given name, it has been used since the 1960s as an alternative to
Brendan or
Brandon, though it has not been as popular as them.
Brennus m Gaulish (Latinized)Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either
"king, prince" or
"raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.
Brent m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally taken from various place names, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning
"hill".
Brenton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from an English place name meaning
"Bryni's town".
Bryni was an Old English name meaning "fire".
Břetislav m CzechPossibly from Slavic
bręcati "to make a sound, to buzz" combined with
slava "glory". This name was borne by three medieval dukes of Bohemia.
Brett m EnglishFrom a Middle English surname meaning
"a Breton", referring to an inhabitant of
Brittany. A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Brett Favre (1969-).
Brian m English, Irish, Old IrishMeaning uncertain, possibly related to the old Celtic root *
brixs "hill, high" (Old Irish
brií) or the related *
brigā "might, power" (Old Irish
briíg). It was borne by the Irish king Brian Boru, who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. He was slain in the Battle of Clontarf, though his forces were decisively victorious. This name was common in Ireland after his time, and it was introduced to northern England by Norse-Gael settlers. It was also used in Brittany, and was brought to England by Bretons in the wake of the Norman Conquest. Though it eventually became rare in the English-speaking world, it was strongly revived in the 20th century, becoming a top-ten name for boys in most regions.
Brice m French, EnglishFrom the name
Bricius, which was probably a Latinized form of a Gaulish name meaning
"speckled". This was the name of a 5th-century saint, a disciple of Saint Martin of Tours.
Bridger m English (Modern)From an English surname that originally indicated a person who lived near or worked on a bridge.
Briggs m English (Modern)From a surname that was derived from Middle English
brigge, Old English
brycg meaning
"bridge".
Brigham m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from place names meaning
"bridge settlement" in Old English.
Brijesha m HinduismMeans
"ruler of Brij" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna, Brij being a region associated with him.
Briscoe m English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"birch wood" in Old Norse.
Britton m EnglishDerived from a Middle English surname meaning
"a Briton" (a Celt of England) or
"a Breton" (an inhabitant of Brittany). Both ethnonyms are related to the place name
Britain.
Brochfael m Medieval WelshFrom Old Welsh
Brochmail, from a Brythonic name *
Broccomaglos, derived from Celtic *
brokkos "badger" and *
maglos "chief". This was the name of a 6th-century king of Powys, also known as
Brochwel.
Brock m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old English
brocc meaning
"badger".
Brody m EnglishFrom a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It probably means "ditch, mire" in Gaelic.
Brogán m Irish (Rare)From the Old Irish name
Broccán, derived from
bróc "shoe, sandal, greave" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several Irish saints, including Saint
Patrick's scribe.
Brokkr m Norse MythologyMeans
"badger" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf, the brother and assistant of
Sindri.
Bronisław m PolishDerived from the Slavic elements
borna "protection" and
slava "glory". A famous Polish anthropologist, Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1942), has borne this name.
Bronte m & f English (Rare)From a surname, an Anglicized form of Irish
Ó Proinntigh, itself derived from the given name
Proinnteach, probably from Irish
bronntach meaning "generous". The Brontë sisters — Charlotte, Emily, and Anne — were 19th-century English novelists. Their father changed the spelling of the family surname from
Brunty to
Brontë, possibly to make it coincide with Greek
βροντή meaning "thunder".
Brontes m Greek MythologyMeans
"thunderer" in Greek. In Greek mythology (according to Hesiod), this was the name of one of the three Cyclopes, who were the sons of
Uranus and
Gaia.
Brook m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that denoted one who lived near a brook.
Brooklyn f & m English (Modern)From the name of a borough of New York City, originally named after the Dutch town of
Breukelen, itself meaning either "broken land" (from Dutch
breuk) or "marsh land" (from Dutch
broek). It can also be viewed as a combination of
Brook and the popular name suffix
lyn. It is considered a feminine name in the United States, but is more common as a masculine name in the United Kingdom.
Bror m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Bróðir meaning
"brother".
Bruce m Scottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname, of Norman origin, which probably originally referred to the town of Brix in France. The surname was borne by Robert the Bruce, a Scottish hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland. It has been in use as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in the 1940s and 50s. Notable bearers include Chinese-American actor Bruce Lee (1940-1973), American musician Bruce Springsteen (1949-), and American actor Bruce Willis (1955-). It is also the real name of the comic book superheroes Batman (Bruce Wayne), created 1939, and the Hulk (Bruce Banner), created 1962.
Bruno m German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Croatian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Latvian, GermanicDerived from the Old German element
brunna meaning
"armour, protection" (Proto-Germanic *
brunjǭ) or
brun meaning
"brown" (Proto-Germanic *
brūnaz). Saint Bruno of Cologne was a German monk of the 11th century who founded the Carthusian Order. The surname has belonged to Giordano Bruno, a philosopher burned at the stake by the Inquisition. A modern bearer is the American singer Bruno Mars (1985-), born Peter Gene Hernandez.
Brutus m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen meaning
"heavy" in Latin. Famous bearers include Lucius Junius Brutus, the traditional founder of the Roman Republic, and Marcus Junius Brutus, the statesman who conspired to assassinate Julius Caesar.
Bryan m EnglishVariant of
Brian, based on the usual spelling of the surname that is derived from the name.
Brychan m Old WelshDerived from Welsh
brych meaning
"speckled, freckled" combined with a diminutive suffix. Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary Welsh king, said to be Irish by birth, the founder of the kingdom of Brycheiniog in central Wales. He reputedly fathered dozens of children, many of whom are regarded as saints.
Bryn m & f Welsh, English (Modern)Means
"hill, mound" in Welsh. In Wales it is almost always a masculine name, though elsewhere in the English-speaking world it can be unisex (see
Brynn).
Brynmor m WelshFrom the Welsh place name
Brynmawr meaning
"great hill".
Bryson m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of Brice". Starting in the 1970s this name began steadily growing in popularity, likely because it features the same popular sounds found in other names such as
Brice and
Tyson.
Buck m EnglishFrom an English nickname meaning simply "buck, male deer", ultimately from Old English
bucc.
Buddha m BuddhismMeans
"enlightened" in Sanskrit. This is a title applied to
Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, as well as to a handful of other enlightened individuals.
Buddy m EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"friend". It probably originated as a nursery form of the word
brother.
Bugs m Popular CultureFrom the slang term
bugs meaning
"crazy, unstable". Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon rabbit originally developed in the 1930s by staff at Leon Schlesinger Productions. He was named for the animator Ben "Bugs" Hardaway.
Bugsy m EnglishFrom a nickname derived from the slang term
bugsy meaning
"crazy, unstable". It was notably borne by the American gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (1906-1947).
Buhle f & m Xhosa, NdebeleFrom Xhosa and Ndebele
buhle "beautiful, handsome", from the root
hle.
Bulcsú m HungarianHungarian name of uncertain meaning. This was the name of a 10th-century Hungarian military leader.
Burak m TurkishFrom Arabic
براق (Buraq), the name of the legendary creature that, according to Islamic tradition, transported the Prophet
Muhammad. Its name is derived from Arabic
برق (barq) meaning "lightning".
Burke m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old English
burg meaning
"fortress".
Burkhard m German, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
burg "fortress" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy", or perhaps from the Old English cognate
Burgheard. Saint Burkhard was an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon missionary to Germany (a companion of
Boniface) who became the first bishop of Würzburg.
Burton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"fortified town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was Richard Burton (1821-1890), an explorer of Africa and Asia.
Buster m EnglishOriginally a nickname denoting a person who broke things, from the word
bust, a dialectal variant of
burst. A famous bearer was the silent movie star Buster Keaton (1895-1966).
Buz m BiblicalMeans
"contempt" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Abraham's brother
Nahor in the Old Testament.
Buzz m EnglishFrom a nickname derived from the onomatopoeic word
buzz meaning
"buzz, hum, murmur". A notable bearer is American astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (1930-), one of the first people to walk on the moon. The character Buzz Lightyear from the movie
Toy Story (1995) was named after Aldrin.
Byeong-Ho m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
炳 (byeong) meaning "bright, luminous, glorious" combined with
浩 (ho) meaning "great, numerous, vast" or
昊 (ho) meaning "summer, sky, heaven". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
Byron m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"place of the cow sheds" in Old English. This was the surname of the romantic poet Lord Byron (1788-1824), the writer of
Don Juan and many other works.
Bysshe m English (Rare)From an English surname, a variant of the surname
Bush, which originally indicated a person who lived near a bush. This was the middle name of the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822).