Adalia m BiblicalMeaning unknown, possibly of Persian origin. In Book of Esther in the Old Testament this is the name of a son of
Haman the Agagite.
Adisa m & f YorubaMeans
"bundled up and set to dry" in Yoruba.
Agrippa m & f Ancient Roman, BiblicalRoman cognomen of unknown meaning, possibly from a combination of Greek
ἄγριος (agrios) meaning "wild" and
ἵππος (hippos) meaning "horse" or alternatively of Etruscan origin. It was also used as a praenomen, or given name, by the Furia and Menenia families. In the New Testament this name was borne by Herod Agrippa (a grandson of Herod the Great), the king of Israel who put the apostle James to death. It was also borne by the 1st-century BC Roman general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.
Akicita m SiouxFrom Lakota or Dakota
akíčhita meaning
"warrior".
Akira m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
昭 (akira) meaning "bright",
明 (akira) meaning "bright" or
亮 (akira) meaning "clear". Other kanji with the same pronunciation can also form this name. A famous bearer was the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), given name written
明.
Akiva m HebrewFrom an Aramaic form of
Yaakov. Akiva (or Akiba) ben Joseph was a prominent 1st-century Jewish rabbi.
Amadioha m Igbo MythologyDerived from Igbo
àmádí "freeborn man" and
ọ̀hà "community, people". The is the name of the god of thunder and lightning in traditional Igbo belief.
Attila m History, Hungarian, TurkishProbably means
"little father" from Gothic
atta "father" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 5th-century leader of the Huns, a nomadic people from Central Asia who had expanded into Eastern Europe by the 4th century.
Attila was likely the name given to him by his Gothic-speaking subjects in Eastern Europe; his real name may have been Avitohol.
Avalokiteshvara m BuddhismMeans
"the lord who looks down" in Sanskrit, derived from
अवलोक् (avalok) meaning "to look down" and
ईश्वर (īśvara) meaning "lord, god". The original form of the name may have been
अवलोकितस्वर (Avalokitasvara), with the final element being
स्वर (svara) meaning "sound, tone" (as evidenced by the Chinese form
Guanyin). In Buddhist belief this is the name of a bodhisattva associated with compassion.
Avicenna m HistoryLatinized form of the Arabic patronymic
ابن سينا (ibn Sīnā), referring to the famed Arabic-speaking Persian philosopher and physician Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sina (980-1037). His patronymic commemorates an ancestor named
Sina.
Bhima m HinduismMeans
"terrible, formidable" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata this is the name of the second son of
Pandu, and thus one of the five Pandavas. His true father was the wind god
Vayu. He was known for his terrific strength and skill as a warrior.
Bhishma m HinduismMeans
"terrible, dreadful, formidable" in Sanskrit. According to the
Mahabharata he was a son of
Shantanu and the river goddess
Ganga. He was originally named
Devavrata. He became an advisor to the kings of Kuru, and was renowned for his wisdom. He reluctantly helped lead the Kauravas in their war with the Pandavas, during which he was killed by the Pandava brother
Arjuna.
Bidzina m GeorgianFrom Georgian
ბიძა (bidza) meaning
"uncle". This was the name of a 17th-century Georgian saint and martyr.
Brijesha m HinduismMeans
"ruler of Brij" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna, Brij being a region associated with him.
Caligula m HistoryMeans
"little boot" in Latin. This was a nickname for the 1st-century Roman emperor Gaius Caesar Germanicus given to him in his youth by his father's soldiers.
Chikara m JapaneseFrom Japanese
力 (chikara) meaning "power, capability, influence". This name can also be formed by other kanji or combinations of kanji.
Chima m & f IgboMeans
"God knows" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
má meaning "know".
Chizoba f & m IgboMeans
"God continues to save" in Igbo.
Dilipa m HinduismMeans
"protector of Delhi" from Sanskrit
दिल्ली (see
Delhi) combined with
प (pa) meaning "protecting". According to Hindu scripture this was the name of a king who was an ancestor of
Rama 1.
Dinesha m HinduismMeans
"day lord" from Sanskrit
दिन (dina) meaning "day" and
ईश (īśa) meaning "lord". In Hindu texts this is used as a name of the sun.
Dipaka m HinduismMeans
"inflaming, exciting" in Sanskrit. This is another name of
Kama, the Hindu god of love.
Dragiša m SerbianOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
dorgŭ (South Slavic
drag) meaning
"precious".
Elisha m Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
אֱלִישַׁע (ʾElishaʿ), a contracted form of
אֱלִישׁוּעַ (ʾElishuaʿ) meaning
"my God is salvation", derived from
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God" and
יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save, to deliver". According to the Old Testament, Elisha was a prophet and miracle worker. He was the attendant of
Elijah and succeeded him after his ascension to heaven.
Evangelista m & f Italian, Spanish, PortugueseMeans
"evangelist, preacher" in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, derived from Latin, ultimately from Greek
εὐάγγελος (euangelos) meaning "bringing good news". It is often used in honour of the Four Evangelists (the authors of the gospels in the New Testament:
Matthew,
Mark,
Luke and
John). It is traditionally masculine, though occasionally given to girls. A famous bearer was the Italian physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647), who invented the barometer.
Fiachna m Irish Mythology, Old IrishDerived from Irish
fiach meaning
"raven". This is the name of several characters from Irish legend. It was also borne by Fiachna mac Báetáin, a 7th-century king of Dál Araide.
Fiachra m Irish, Irish MythologyFrom Old Irish
Fiachrae, possibly from
fiach "raven" or
fích "battle" combined with
rí "king". This was the name of several legendary figures, including one of the four children of
Lir transformed into swans for a period of 900 years. This is also the name of the patron saint of gardeners: a 7th-century Irish abbot who settled in France, usually called Saint Fiacre.
Fida f & m Arabic, Urdu, IndonesianMeans
"redemption" in Arabic, a derivative of
فدى (fadā) meaning "to redeem, to to ransom, to sacrifice". It is typically masculine in Pakistan and feminine in Indonesia.
Gaizka m BasqueMeans
"saviour" in Basque. This name was proposed as an equivalent of
Salvador by the Basque writer Sabino Arana in 1910.
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.
Godzilla m Popular CultureFrom Japanese
ゴジラ (Gojira), a blend of
ゴリラ (gorira) meaning "gorilla" and
鯨 (kujira) meaning "whale". This is the name of a massive reptilian monster from a series of Japanese movies, starting 1954.
Gopinatha m HinduismMeans
"leader of the gopis" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna, acquired because of his association with the gopis (milkmaids).
Hiawatha m History, Iroquois (Anglicized)Meaning uncertain, of Iroquois origin, possibly meaning
"he who combs". This was the name of a Mohawk or Onondaga leader who founded the Iroquois Confederacy around the 15th century. He was later the subject of a fictionalized 1855 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Hinata f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
日向 (hinata) meaning "sunny place",
陽向 (hinata) meaning "toward the sun", or a non-standard reading of
向日葵 (himawari) meaning "sunflower". Other kanji compounds are also possible. Because of the irregular readings, this name is often written using the hiragana writing system.
Ilkka m FinnishFrom a Finnish surname, which is of unknown meaning. It is given in honour of Jaakko Ilkka (1550-1597), the leader of a peasant uprising against Swedish rule, known as the Cudgel War.
Indiana f & m EnglishFrom the name of the American state of
Indiana, which means "land of the Indians". This is the name of the hero in the
Indiana Jones series of movies, starring Harrison Ford.
Indra m Hinduism, Hindi, Nepali, IndonesianMeans
"possessing drops of rain" from Sanskrit
इन्दु (indu) meaning "a drop" and
र (ra) meaning "acquiring, possessing". Indra is the name of the ancient Hindu warrior god of the sky and rain, frequently depicted riding the elephant Airavata. He is the chief god in the
Rigveda.
Ira 1 m English, Hebrew, BiblicalMeans
"watchful" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of King
David's priest. As an English Christian given name,
Ira began to be used after the Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century the Puritans brought it to America, where remained moderately common into the 20th century.
Isa 3 m GermanicShort form of Germanic names beginning with the element
is meaning
"ice" (Proto-Germanic *
īsą).
Isapo-Muxika m SiksikaFrom Siksika
Issapóómahksika meaning
"big Crow foot", from
Issapó "Crow (tribe)",
ómahk "big" and
ika "foot". This was the name of a Blackfoot chief, known as Crowfoot (1830-1890).
Isha f & m Hindi, Marathi, HinduismMeans
"master, lord, ruler" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form
ईशा and the masculine form
ईश (an epithet of the Hindu god
Shiva). It is also the name of one of the Upanishads, which are parts of Hindu scripture.
Itzamna m Mayan Mythology, MayanFrom Classic Maya
itzam, an element found in the names of some Maya gods (possibly from
itz "enchanted, nectar" and
mam "grandfather"), combined with
nah "great". Itzamna was the Maya creator god.
Jia m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
佳 (jiā) meaning "good, auspicious, beautiful",
家 (jiā) meaning "home, family", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Kaimana m & f HawaiianFrom Hawaiian
kai "ocean, sea" and
mana "power". It is also Hawaiian meaning "diamond", derived from the English word
diamond.
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.
Kapila m Hinduism, SinhaleseMeans
"reddish brown" in Sanskrit, derived from
कपि (kapi) meaning "monkey". According to Hindu tradition this was the name of a sage who founded Samkhya philosophy. He is sometimes considered an incarnation of
Vishnu.
Kartikeya m HinduismFrom Sanskrit
कृत्तिका (Kṛttikā), the Indian name for the constellation the Pleiades, ultimately from
कृत् (kṛt) meaning "to cut, to divide". This is another name for the Hindu god
Skanda, given because he was raised by the Krttikas.
Keita 1 m JapaneseFrom Japanese
慶 (kei) meaning "celebration" or
啓 (kei) meaning "open, begin" combined with
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Khalifa m ArabicMeans
"successor, caliph" in Arabic. The title
caliph was given to the successors of the Prophet
Muhammad, originally elected by the Islamic populace.
Krishna m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliDerived from Sanskrit
कृष्ण (kṛṣṇa) meaning
"black, dark". This is the name of a Hindu deity believed to be an incarnation of the god
Vishnu. According to the
Mahabharata and the Puranas he was the youngest of King
Vasudeva's eight sons by
Devaki, six of whom were killed by King Kamsa because of a prophecy that a child of Vasudeva would kill Kamsa. However, Krishna and his brother
Balarama were saved and he eventually fulfilled the prophecy by slaying the evil king. He then helped the Pandavas defeat the Kauravas in the Mahabharata War. His philosophical conversation with the Pandava leader
Arjuna forms the text of the important Hindu scripture the
Bhagavad Gita.
... [more] Lisakhanya f & m Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"still shining" in Xhosa and Zulu, from the roots
sa "still, continuing" and
khanya "to shine".
Ljubiša m SerbianFrom the Slavic element
ľuby meaning
"love" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Mahavira m SanskritMeans
"great hero" in Sanskrit, from
महा (mahā) meaning "great" and
वीर (vīra) meaning "hero, man". Mahavira (or Mahāvīra) was the 6th-century BC founder of Jainism.
Mahpiya m & f SiouxFrom Dakota or Lakota
maȟpíya meaning
"cloud, sky". This is the first part of the names of the Dakota chief Mahpiya Wicasta (1780-1863), known as Cloud Man, and the Lakota chiefs Mahpiya Luta (1822-1909), known as Red Cloud, and Mahpiya Iyapato (1838-1905), known as Touch the Clouds.
Maina m KikuyuMeans
"sing, dance" in Kikuyu. Kikuyu males were traditionally organized into age sets or generations, each lasting about 30 years. The
Maina generation occupied the last part of the 19th century.
Manaia f & m MaoriFrom the name of a stylized design common in Maori carvings. It represents a mythological creature with the head of a bird and the body of a human.
Maquinna m Nuu-chah-nulth (Anglicized)From Nuu-chah-nulth
Mukwina, possibly meaning
"possessor of pebbles". This was the name of a late 18th-century chief of the Mowachaht people.
Maria f & m Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Faroese, Dutch, Frisian, Greek, Polish, Romanian, English, Finnish, Estonian, Corsican, Sardinian, Basque, Armenian, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin, Old Church SlavicLatin form of Greek
Μαρία, from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (see
Mary).
Maria is the usual form of the name in many European languages, as well as a secondary form in other languages such as English (where the common spelling is
Mary). In some countries, for example Germany, Poland and Italy,
Maria is occasionally used as a masculine middle name.
... [more] Massinissa m Ancient Berber (Latinized), BerberLatinized form of Berber
Masensen meaning
"their lord". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Berber chieftain. He became the first king of Numidia after allying himself with the Roman Republic against Carthage.
Matija m & f Slovene, Croatian, SerbianSlovene, Croatian and Serbian form of
Matthias, used to refer to the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. It is occasionally used as a feminine name.
Mircea m RomanianRomanian form of
Mirče. This name was borne by a 14th-century ruler of Wallachia, called Mircea the Great.
Mischa m & f Dutch, GermanDutch and German form of
Misha. It is occasionally used as a feminine name in Dutch.
Mithra m Persian MythologyFrom Avestan
𐬨𐬌𐬚𐬭𐬀 (mithra) meaning
"oath, covenant, agreement", derived from an Indo-Iranian root *
mitra meaning "that which binds". According Zoroastrian mythology Mithra was a god of light and friendship, the son of the supreme god
Ahura Mazda. Worship of him eventually spread outside of Persia to the Roman Empire, where it was known as Mithraism.
Mitică m RomanianDiminutive of
Dumitru. This is the name of a character in early 20th-century stories by the Romanian author Ion Luca Caragiale.
Mitra 1 m & f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"friend" in Sanskrit, a cognate of
Mithra. This is the name of a Vedic god (
मित्र) who is associated with friendship and contracts and is frequently paired with the god
Varuna. The feminine form
मित्रा (spelled with a final long vowel) is also transcribed as
Mitra.
Narasimha m Hinduism, TeluguMeans
"man-lion", derived from Sanskrit
नर (nara) meaning "man" combined with
सिंह (siṃha) meaning "lion". This is the name of a lion-headed avatar of the god
Vishnu who kills the evil king Hiranyakashipu.
Nikita 1 m Russian, Ukrainian, BelarusianRussian form of
Niketas. This form is also used in Ukrainian and Belarusian alongside the more traditional forms
Mykyta and
Mikita. A notable bearer was the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971).
Nima 2 m PersianPersian name of uncertain meaning, possibly
"just, fair" or
"half moon".
Ninurta m Sumerian Mythology, Semitic MythologyDerived from Sumerian
𒎏 (nin) meaning "lord" and
𒅁 (urta) meaning "ear of barley". In Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian mythology Ninurta was a god of agriculture, hunting and healing, later associated with war. He was also called
Ningirsu, though they may have originally been separate deities.
Nitya f & m Hinduism, HindiMeans
"always, eternal" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form
नित्या (an epithet of the Hindu goddess
Durga) and the masculine form
नित्य.
Njinga m & f MbunduPossibly from a Bantu root meaning
"to twist, to wrap" (
kujinga in Kimbundu), alluding to the wrapping of the umbilical cord around the neck of the newborn. This name was borne by kings and queens of the African kingdoms of Ndongo and Kongo, notably a 17th-century queen of Ndongo who resisted the Portuguese.
Nsia m & f AkanMeans
"sixth born child" in Akan.
Obinna m IgboMeans
"heart of the father" in Igbo, from
óbì "heart, mind" and
ńnà "father".
Ohiyesa m SiouxMeans
"winner" in Dakota or Lakota, from
ohíya "winning" and the suffix
s'a "commonly, frequently".
Pitambara m HinduismDerived from Sanskrit
पीत (pīta) meaning "yellow" and
अम्बर (ambara) meaning "garment". This is another name of the Hindu gods
Vishnu or
Krishna, given to them because yellow clothing is traditionally worn at religious events.
Ramakrishna m Telugu, KannadaCombination of the names of the Hindu deities
Rama 1 and
Krishna. This name was borne by the Hindu religious teacher Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886).
Rida m ArabicFrom Arabic
رضًا (riḍan) meaning
"satisfaction, contentment". This name was borne by Ali ar-Rida, a 9th-century Shia imam.
Satisha m HinduismMeans
"lord of Sati" from the name of the Hindu goddess
Sati combined with
ईश (īśa) meaning "ruler". This is another name of the Hindu god
Shiva.
Sequoia f & m English (Rare)From the name of huge trees that grow in California. The tree got its name from the 19th-century Cherokee scholar
Sequoyah (also known as George Guess), the inventor of the Cherokee writing system.
Sharia m Arabic (Rare)Means
"divine law, noble law" in Arabic, from the root
شرع (sharaʿa) meaning "to go, to enact".
Shin'ya m JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (shin) meaning "real, genuine" combined with
也 (ya) meaning "also", as well as other kanji combinations having the same pronunciation.
Shiva 1 m Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliDerived from Sanskrit
शिव (śiva) meaning
"benign, kind, auspicious". Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction and restoration, the husband of the mother goddess
Parvati. Though he does not appear in the Vedas, Shiva nevertheless incorporates elements of Vedic deities such as the storm god
Rudra. He is often depicted with four arms and a third eye, and has both fierce and gentle aspects.
... [more] Simba 2 m SwahiliMeans
"lion" in Swahili. This is the name of the main character in the Disney movie
The Lion King (1994), about a lion cub who exiles himself after his father is murdered.
Sina m PersianFrom the Persian name for Mount Sinai or the Sinai Peninsula.
Sushila f & m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, NepaliMeans
"good-tempered, well-disposed", derived from the Sanskrit prefix
सु (su) meaning "good" combined with
शील (śīla) meaning "conduct, disposition". This is a transcription of both the feminine form
सुशीला (long final vowel, borne by a consort of the Hindu god
Yama) and the masculine form
सुशील (short final vowel).
Tezcatlipoca m Aztec and Toltec MythologyMeans
"smoking mirror" in Nahuatl, derived from
tezcatl "mirror" and
pōctli "smoke". In Aztec and other Mesoamerican mythology he was one of the chief gods, associated with the night sky, winds, war, and the north. Like his rival
Quetzalcoatl, he was a creator god.
Tichaona m ShonaMeans
"we will see" from Shona
ticha "we will" and
ona "see".