Beli m Welsh MythologyProbably a Welsh derivative of
Belenus. Beli Mawr was a Welsh ancestor deity who established several royal lines in Wales.
Lenz m GermanShort form of
Lorenz. This is also a German poetic word referring to the springtime.
Mischa m & f Dutch, GermanDutch and German form of
Misha. It is occasionally used as a feminine name in Dutch.
Kirby m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"church settlement" in Old Norse. This name briefly spiked in popularity for American girls in 1982 after the character Kirby Anders Colby was introduced to the soap opera
Dynasty.
Mani 2 m PersianMeaning unknown, presumably of Persian origin. Mani was a 3rd-century prophet who founded the religion of Manichaeism (which is now extinct).
Milo 1 m English, GermanicOld German form of
Miles, as well as the Latinized form. This form was revived as an English name in the 19th century. It is also possible that the otherwise unrelated classical name
Milo 2 was responsible for the revival, at least in part.
Keegan m EnglishFrom an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Mac Aodhagáin, which was derived from the given name
Aodhagán, a double diminutive of
Aodh.
Babe m & f EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"baby", also a slang term meaning
"attractive person". As a feminine name, in some cases it is a diminutive of
Barbara.
Oakley m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was from various place names meaning
"oak clearing" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).
Matěj m CzechCzech form of
Matthias, used to refer to the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot.
Ryker m English (Modern)Possibly a variant of the German surname
Riker, a derivative of Low German
rike "rich". As a modern English name, it has become popular because it shares the same trendy sounds found in other names such as
Ryan and
Ryder.
Keefe m English (Rare)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Caoimh, derived from the given name or byname
Caomh.
Babylas m Late Greek, French (Rare)Derived from the name of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon. Saint Babylas was a 3rd-century patriarch of Antioch who was martyred during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius.
Jimmy m EnglishDiminutive of
James. This was the usual name of American actor James Stewart (1908-1997). It was also used by the American president Jimmy Carter (1924-2024).
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.
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.
Jaden m & f English (Modern)An invented name, using the popular
den suffix sound found in such names as
Braden,
Hayden and
Aidan. This name first became common in America in the 1990s when similar-sounding names were increasing in popularity. The spelling
Jayden has been more popular since 2003. It is sometimes considered a variant of the biblical name
Jadon.
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).
Yanni m Greek (Expatriate)Diminutive of
Yiannis. A famous bearer is the Greek-American musician Yiannis Chryssomallis (1954-), who goes by the single name Yanni.
Fen 2 m FrisianOriginally a Frisian short form of
Ferdinand (and other names starting with the Old German element
fridu "peace" and a second element beginning with
n).
Diogo m PortuguesePortuguese form of
Diego. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão (1452-1486).
Paden m English (Rare)From a surname, itself probably a derivative of the given name
Pate, a short form of
Patrick. It was an obscure given name in America until 1985, when it appeared in the western movie
Silverado. Its modest usage after that can probably be attributed to the fact that it ends in the popular
den sound found in more-popular names such as
Braden,
Hayden and
Aidan.
Kalidasa m SanskritMeans
"servant of Kali" from the name of the Hindu goddess
Kali 1 combined with Sanskrit
दास (dāsa) meaning "servant". Kalidasa (or Kālidāsa) was a 4th-century Indian poet and dramatist, the author of the
Abhijnanashakuntalam and other works.
Charlie m & f EnglishDiminutive or feminine form of
Charles. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). It is also borne by Charlie Brown, the main character in the comic strip
Peanuts by Charles Schulz.
Colter m English (Modern)From an English surname that was originally given to a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English
colt.
Wobbe m FrisianOriginally a Frisian short form of
Waldebert (and other names starting with the Old German element
walt meaning "power, authority" and a second element beginning with
b).
Freddy m English, French, DutchDiminutive of
Frederick and other names containing the same element. A notable fictional bearer is the horror villain Freddy Krueger from the
A Nightmare on Elm Street series of movies, beginning 1984.
Cat f & m EnglishDiminutive of
Catherine. It can also be a nickname from the English word for the animal.
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".
Ash m & f EnglishShort form of
Ashley. It can also come directly from the English word denoting either the tree or the residue of fire.
Uzzi m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"my power" in Hebrew, a possessive form of
עֹז (ʿoz) meaning "strength, power". This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.
Sky f & m English (Modern)Simply from the English word
sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse
ský "cloud".
Skyler m & f English (Modern)Variant of
Schuyler, based on the pronunciation of the surname but respelled as if it was a blend of the English word
sky with names such as
Tyler. It was rare before 1980, and first gained popularity as a name for boys. It is now more common for girls, though it is more evenly unisex than the mostly feminine variant
Skylar.
Cason m English (Modern)From the English surname
Cason. It enjoyed a modest level of use in the United States in the early 21st century, due to its similarity to other popular names such as
Mason and
Jason.
Girisha m HinduismMeans
"lord of the mountain" in Sanskrit. This is a name of the Hindu god
Shiva, given because of his abode in the Himalayan Mountains.
Maj 1 m SloveneEither a masculine form of
Maja 1, or else from the Slovene name for the month of May.
Zimri m Biblical, Biblical HebrewProbably means
"my music" in Hebrew, a possessive form of
זִמְרָה (zimra) meaning "music, song". This was the name of a king of Israel according to the Old Testament. He ruled for only seven days, when he was succeeded by the commander of the army
Omri. Another Zimri in the Old Testament was the lover of the Midianite woman
Cozbi.
Bear m English (Modern)From the English word for the animal, derived from Old English
bera, probably derived from a root meaning "brown".
Ryder m English (Modern)From an English occupational surname derived from Old English
ridere meaning
"mounted warrior" or
"messenger". It has grown in popularity in the 2000s because it starts with the same sound found in other popular names like
Ryan and
Riley.
Jamie m & f Scottish, EnglishOriginally a Lowland Scots diminutive of
James. Since the late 19th century it has also been used as a feminine form.
Shai m & f HebrewEither from Hebrew
שַׁי (shai) meaning
"gift" or else a Hebrew diminutive of
Isaiah.
Taffy m WelshAnglicized form of
Dafydd. It has been used as a slang term for a Welshman.
Pepper f & m English (Modern)From the English word for the spice, which is prepared from the dried berries of the pepper plant. The word is derived from Latin
piper, ultimately from an Indo-Aryan source. In popular culture, Pepper is the nickname of Virginia Potts from the
Iron Man series of comic books and movies, created 1963.
Jip m & f Frisian, DutchOriginally a Frisian short form of names beginning with the Old German element
geba meaning
"gift". This is the name of a boy in the Dutch children's book series
Jip and Janneke, first published 1952.
Christy f & m English, IrishDiminutive of
Christine,
Christina,
Christopher and other names beginning with
Christ. In Ireland this name is typically masculine, though elsewhere in the English-speaking world it is more often feminine (especially the United States and Canada).
Melle m DutchOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
mahal meaning
"meeting, assembly, court" (Proto-Germanic *
maþlą).
Jackie m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Jack or
Jacqueline. A notable bearer was baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.