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.
Cuauhtemoc m NahuatlMeans
"descending eagle" in Nahuatl, from
cuāuhtli "eagle" and
temo "descend". This was the name of the last Aztec emperor, ruling until he was captured and executed by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in the year 1525.
Cúchulainn m Irish MythologyMeans
"hound of Culann" in Irish. This was the usual name of the warrior hero who was named Sétanta at birth, given to him because he took the place of one of Culann's hounds after he accidentally killed it. The Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology tells of Cúchulainn's many adventures, including his single-handed defence of Ulster against the army of Queen
Medb.
Cuimín m Old IrishProbably from Old Irish
camm meaning
"bent, crooked". This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint.
Culann m Irish MythologyMeaning unknown. This was the name of a smith in Irish legend. After Sétanta killed one of his dogs in self-defence, Sétanta took the place of the dog and was thereafter known as
Cúchulainn.
Culhwch m Arthurian Cycle, Welsh MythologyMeans
"hiding place of the pig" in Welsh. In the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen he was the lover of
Olwen, the daughter of the giant Yspaddaden. Before the giant would allow Culhwch to marry his daughter, he insisted that Culhwch complete a series of extremely difficult tasks. Culhwch managed to complete the tasks with the help of his cousin King
Arthur, and he returned to marry Olwen and kill the giant.
Cullen m EnglishFrom a surname, either
Cullen 1 or
Cullen 2. It jumped a little in popularity as a given name after Stephenie Meyer's novel
Twilight (2005), featuring a vampire named Edward Cullen, was adapted into a movie in 2008.
Cunobelinus m Brythonic (Latinized)Latinized form of a Brythonic name, possibly from old Celtic *
kū "dog, hound" (genitive *
kunos) combined with either the name of the god
Belenus or another Celtic root meaning "strong". This was the name of a 1st-century king of southeastern Britain. He is known from Roman historians such as Suetonius and medieval Welsh histories, as well as from coins bearing his name.
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.
Curtis m EnglishFrom an English surname that originally meant
"courteous" in Old French.
Custodio m SpanishMeans
"guardian" in Spanish, from Latin
custodia "protection, safekeeping".
Cuthbert m English (Rare)Derived from the Old English elements
cuþ "known, familiar" and
beorht "bright". Saint Cuthbert was a 6th-century hermit who became the bishop of Lindisfarne, an island off the coast of England. He was known as performer of healing miracles. Because of the saint, this name remained in use in England even after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the Protestant Reformation, but it was (briefly) revived in the 19th century.
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.
Cynwrig m Old WelshDerived from Old Welsh
cynt meaning "first, chief" and
gur meaning "man", plus the suffix
ig indicating "has the quality of".
Cyprian m Polish, History (Ecclesiastical)From the Roman family name
Cyprianus, which meant
"from Cyprus". Saint Cyprian was a 3rd-century bishop of Carthage who was martyred under the Roman emperor Valerian.
Cyrano m LiteraturePossibly derived from the name of the ancient Greek city of Cyrene, which was located in North Africa. Edmond Rostand used this name in his play
Cyrano de Bergerac (1897). He based his character upon a real person, the French satirist Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-1655).
Cyriacus m Late RomanLatinized form of the Greek name
Κυριακός (Kyriakos), which meant
"of the lord" (derived from Greek
κύριος (kyrios) meaning "lord"). This was the name of a few early saints.
Cyriaque m FrenchFrench form of
Cyriacus. This name is currently most common in parts of French-influenced Africa.
Cyrinus m Late RomanLatin name that was a derivative of
Cyrus. This is the name of several saints and martyrs from the 3rd and 4th centuries.
Da m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
达 (dá) meaning "achieve, arrive at, intelligent" (which is usually only masculine),
大 (dà) meaning "big, great, vast, high", or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Dacian m RomanianDerived from
Dacia, the old Roman name for the region that is now Romania and Moldova.
Dacre m English (Rare)From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name in Cumbria, of Brythonic origin meaning
"trickling stream".
Daedalus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek
Δαίδαλος (Daidalos), which was derived from
δαιδάλλω (daidallo) meaning
"to work cunningly". In Greek myth Daedalus was an Athenian inventor who was banished to Crete. There he designed the Labyrinth for King
Minos, but he and his son
Icarus were eventually imprisoned inside it because he had aided
Theseus in his quest against the Minotaur. Daedalus and Icarus escaped using wings fashioned from wax, but Icarus fell from the sky to his death.
Dae-Jung m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
大 (dae) meaning "big, great, vast, large, high" combined with
中 (jung) meaning "middle". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well. A notable bearer was South Korean president Kim Dae-jung (1924-2009).
Dae-Seong m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
大 (dae) meaning "big, great, vast, large, high" combined with
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded". Other combinations of hanja characters can also form this name.
Dafydd m WelshWelsh form of
David. This name was borne by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, a 13th-century Welsh ruler, and Dafydd ap Gwilym, a 14th-century poet.
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.
Dagfinn m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Dagfinnr, which was composed of the elements
dagr "day" and
finnr "Sámi, person from Finland".
Dagobert m Germanic, GermanMeans
"bright day", derived from Old Frankish
dag or Old High German
tag meaning "day" combined with Old Frankish
berht or Old High German
beraht meaning "bright". This was the name of a 7th-century Merovingian king of the Franks.
... [more] 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.
Dagwood m Popular CultureCreated in 1930 by cartoonist Chic Young for the character Dagwood Bumstead in the long-running comic strip
Blondie.
Daichi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (dai) meaning "big, great" combined with
地 (chi) meaning "earth, land" or
智 (chi) meaning "wisdom, intellect". Other kanji combinations are possible.
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.
Dainius m LithuanianMeans
"poet, singer" in Lithuanian, a derivative of
daina "song".
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.
Daisuke m JapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (dai) meaning "big, great" and
輔 (suke) meaning "help". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Dáithí m IrishMeans
"swiftness, nimbleness" in Irish. This was the name of a semi-legendary high king of Ireland, also called
Nathí. It is sometimes Anglicized as
David.
Dakota m & f English (Modern)From the name of the Native American people of the northern Mississippi Valley, or from the two American states that were named for them: North and South Dakota (until 1889 unified as the Dakota Territory). The tribal name means
"allies, friends" in the Dakota language.
... [more] Daksha m HinduismMeans
"able, competent" in Sanskrit. According to the
Mahabharata and the Puranas this was the name of a son of the Hindu god
Brahma and the father of
Sati. After Daksha insulted Sati's husband
Shiva, prompting her to throw herself into a fire, he was killed by the enraged Shiva. He was later restored to life with the head of a goat.
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-).
Dallas m & f EnglishFrom a surname that could either be of Old English origin meaning
"valley house" or of Scottish Gaelic origin meaning
"meadow dwelling". A city in Texas bears this name, probably in honour of American Vice President George M. Dallas (1792-1864).
Dalton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was John Dalton (1766-1844), the English chemist and physicist who theorized about the existence of atoms.
Damhán m IrishFrom Old Irish
Damán meaning
"calf, fawn", derived from
dam "ox, deer" and a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an early Irish saint, a brother of Saint Abbán.
Damian m English, Polish, Romanian, Dutch (Modern)From the Greek name
Δαμιανός (Damianos), which was derived from Greek
δαμάζω (damazo) meaning
"to tame". Saint Damian was martyred with his twin brother
Cosmas in Syria early in the 4th century. They are the patron saints of physicians. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in Christian Europe. Another saint by this name was Peter Damian, an 11th-century cardinal and theologian from Italy.
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).
Damocles m Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Δαμοκλῆς (Damokles), which was derived from
δᾶμος (damos) meaning "the people", a Doric Greek variant of
δῆμος (demos), and
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". In Greek legend Damocles was a member of the court of Dionysius the Elder, the king of Syracuse. Damocles expressed envy of the king's station so Dionysius offered to switch roles with him for a day. To illustrate to Damocles the peril of a man in his position he suspended a sword over the throne.
Damodara m HinduismMeans
"rope around the belly", derived from Sanskrit
दाम (dāma) meaning "rope" and
उदर (udara) meaning "belly". This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna, given to him because his foster mother
Yashoda tied him to a large urn.
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.
Dan 3 m Swedish, Danish, NorwegianFrom the Old Norse byname
Danr meaning
"a Dane". This was the name of several semi-legendary Danish kings.
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.
Daniel m English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Finnish, Estonian, Armenian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical GreekFrom the Hebrew name
דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning
"God is my judge", from the roots
דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.
... [more] Danish m UrduFrom Persian
دانش (dānesh) meaning
"knowledge, learning".
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.
Dar f & m HebrewMeans
"mother-of-pearl, nacre" in Hebrew.
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).
Dardan m AlbanianFrom the name of the Dardani, an Illyrian tribe who lived on the Balkan Peninsula. Their name may derive from an Illyrian word meaning "pear". They were unrelated to the ancient people who were also called the Dardans who lived near Troy.
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.
Darius m English, Lithuanian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Old Persian (Latinized)Latin form of Greek
Δαρεῖος (Dareios), from the Old Persian name
𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎢𐏁 (Darayauš), shortened from
𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 (Darayavauš). It means
"possessing goodness", composed of
𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹 (daraya) meaning "to possess, to hold" and
𐎺𐎢 (vau) meaning "good". Three ancient kings of Persia bore this name, including Darius the Great who expanded the Achaemenid Empire to its greatest extent. His forces invaded Greece but were defeated in the Battle of Marathon.
... [more] Darnell m English, African AmericanFrom an English surname that was derived from Old French
darnel, a type of grass. In some cases the surname may be from a place name, itself derived from Old English
derne "hidden" and
halh "nook".
Darrell m English, African AmericanFrom an English surname that was derived from Norman French
d'Airelle, originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France. As a given name it was moderately popular from the 1930s to the 1970s, but it dropped off the American top 1000 rankings in 2018.
Darren m EnglishThe meaning of this name is not known for certain. In the spelling
Daren, it was used by the novelist Zane Grey for the central character in his novel
The Day of the Beast (1922). Grey may have based it on a rare Irish surname, or perhaps created it as a variant of
Darrell. It was brought to public attention in the late 1950s by the American actor Darren McGavin (1922-2006; born as William Lyle Richardson). It was further popularized in the 1960s by the character Darrin Stephens from the television show
Bewitched.
Darryl m English, African AmericanVariant of
Darrell. In the United States, this spelling was more popular than
Darrell from 1960 to 1966, being especially well-used in the African-American community.
D'Artagnan m LiteratureMeans
"from Artagnan" in French, Artagnan being a town in southwestern France. This was the name of a character in the novel
The Three Musketeers (1884) by Alexandre Dumas. In the novel D'Artagnan is an aspiring musketeer who first duels with the three title characters and then becomes their friend.
Darwin m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Deorwine. The surname was borne by the British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the man who first proposed the theory of natural selection and subsequently revolutionized biology.
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.
Dasharatha m HinduismMeans
"ten chariots" from Sanskrit
दशन् (daśan) meaning "ten" and
रथ (ratha) meaning "chariot". In the Hindu epic the
Ramayana he is the king of Ayodhya and the father of the hero
Rama. He was given this name because of his skill with a chariot.
Dashiell m English (Rare)In the case of American author Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) it was from his mother's surname, which was possibly an Anglicized form of French
de Chiel, of unknown meaning.
Dasoda-hae m ApacheMeans
"he just sits there" in Apache. This was the name of a 19th-century chief of the Tchihende Apache, also known by the Spanish nickname
Mangas Coloradas meaning "red sleeves".
Dathan m BiblicalPossibly means
"fountain" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the conspirators against
Moses.
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).
Daumantas m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
daug "much" combined with
mantus "intelligent" or
manta "property, wealth". This name was borne by a 13th-century Lithuanian ruler of Pskov who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
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.
Daviti m GeorgianForm of
Davit with the nominative suffix, used in Georgian when the name is written stand-alone.
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.
Dawson m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of David". As a given name, it was popularized in the late 1990s by the central character on the television drama
Dawson's Creek (1998-2003). In the United States the number of boys receiving the name increased tenfold between 1997 and 1999. It got another boost in 2014 after it was used for a main character in the movie
The Best of Me.
Dax m EnglishFrom an English surname, which was derived either from the town of Dax in France or from the Old English given name
Dæcca (of unknown meaning). The name was brought to public attention by the main character in the 1966 novel
The Adventurers and its 1970 movie adaptation. It became popular in the 2010s due to its similarity to other names like
Max and
Jax.
Dayaram m HindiMeans
"compassion of Rama", from Sanskrit
दया (dayā) meaning "compassion" combined with the name of the god
Rama 1.
Dayton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from places named
Deighton, meaning
"ditch town" in Old English. Dayton is also the name of a city in Ohio. As a given name, it gained a bit of popularity in the 1990s, probably because it shares a similar sound with names such as
Peyton and
Clayton.
Dazhbog m Slavic MythologyMeans
"the giving god" from Old Slavic
dati "to give" and
bogŭ "god". Dazhbog was a Slavic god of the sun and light, a son of
Svarog. In some myths he is the ancestor of the Rus people.
Deacon m English (Modern)Either from the occupational surname
Deacon or directly from the vocabulary word
deacon, which refers to a cleric in the Christian church (ultimately from Greek
διάκονος (diakonos) meaning "servant").
Dean m EnglishFrom a surname, see
Dean 1 and
Dean 2. The actor James Dean (1931-1955) was a famous bearer of the surname.