Browse Names

Farley m English (Rare)
From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "fern clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer of this name was Canadian author Farley Mowat (1921-2014).

Faron m French (Archaic), English
French form of Faro. As an English name, it is probably from a French surname that was derived from the given name.

Farrell m English
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Fearghail, derived from the given name Fearghal.

Faust m Literature
From a German surname that was derived from the Latin name Faustus. This is the name of a character in German legends about a man who makes a pact with the devil, via his representative Mephistopheles. He is believed to be based on the character of Dr. Johann Faust (1480-1540). His story was adapted by writers such as Christopher Marlowe and Goethe.

Fay f & m English
In part from the English word fay meaning "fairy", derived from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles in the name of Morgan le Fay. In some cases it may be used as a short form of Faith. It has been used as a feminine given name since the 19th century.... [more]

Fenton m English
From a surname that was originally taken from a place name meaning "marsh town" in Old English.

Ferrer m Various
From a surname that meant "blacksmith" in Catalan. This name is often given in honour of Saint Vicente Ferrer, a 14th-century missionary who is the patron saint of builders.

Finn 1 m Irish Mythology, Old Irish, Irish, English, Dutch, German
Old Irish form of Fionn, as well as the usual Anglicized spelling (with the Irish hero's name Anglicized as Finn McCool). As a surname it is borne by Huckleberry Finn, a character in Mark Twain's novels.

Finnegan m English (Modern)
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Fionnagáin, itself derived from the given name Fionnagán, a diminutive of Fionn. This is the surname of a relatively minor character in James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake (1939), the title of which was based on a 19th-century Irish ballad called Finnegan's Wake.

Fisher m English
From an English surname meaning "fisherman".

Fitz m English (Rare)
Short form of various given names that are derived from surnames beginning with Norman French fitz meaning "son of" (for example Fitzroy).

Fitzroy m English (Rare)
From an English surname meaning "son of the king" in Old French, originally given to illegitimate sons of monarchs.

Fitzwilliam m Literature
From an English surname meaning "son of William", formed using the Anglo-Norman French prefix fitz-, derived from Latin filius "son". This is the given name of Mr. Darcy, a character in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).

Flanagan m English (Rare)
From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Flannagáin, itself from the given name Flannagán, which was derived from Irish flann "blood red" and a diminutive suffix.

Fletcher m English
From a surname meaning "maker of arrows" in Middle English, ultimately from Old French flechier.

Flynn m English
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Floinn, which was derived from the given name or byname Flann. A famous bearer of the surname was American actor Errol Flynn (1909-1959). As a given name, it grew in popularity after it was featured as a character in the Disney movie Tangled in 2010.

Forbes m Scottish
From a Scottish surname that was originally taken from the name of a village in Aberdeenshire, which means "field, area of land" in Gaelic.

Ford m English
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "ford" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947).

Forrest m English
From an English surname meaning "forest", originally belonging to a person who lived near a forest. In America it has sometimes been used in honour of the Confederate Civil War general Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877). This name was borne by the title character in the movie Forrest Gump (1994) about a loveable simpleton. Use of the name increased when the movie was released, but has since faded away.

Foster 1 m English
From an English surname that has several different origins: see Foster 1, Foster 2, Foster 3 and Foster 4.

Fox m English (Modern)
Either from the English word fox or the surname Fox, which originally given as a nickname. The surname was borne by George Fox (1624-1691), the founder of the Quakers.

Frankenstein m Popular Culture
From the surname Frankenstein, used by Mary Shelley in her 1818 novel of the same name for the scientist Victor Frankenstein. The monster that Frankenstein created, which has no name in the novel, is sometimes called Frankenstein in modern speech, as if it were his given name.

Franklin m English
From an English surname that was derived from Middle English frankelin "freeman". A famous bearer of the surname was Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), an American statesman, inventor, scientist and philosopher. The name has commonly been given in his honour in the United States. It also received a boost during the term of American president Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

Fraser m Scottish, English (Rare)
From a Scottish surname, originally Norman French de Fresel, possibly from a lost place name in France.

Freeman m English
From an English surname meaning "free man". It originally denoted a person who was not a serf.

Fulton m English
From a surname that was derived from the name of the town of Foulden in Norfolk, itself meaning "bird hill" in Old English.