Tomyris f HistoryHellenized form of a Scythian name, possibly from an Iranian root meaning
"family". This was the name of a 6th-century BC queen of the Massagetae (a Scythian people) who defeated Cyrus the Great during his invasion of Central Asia.
Torgeir m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Þórgeirr, which meant
"Thor's spear" from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor) combined with
geirr "spear".
Toussaint m FrenchMeans
"all saints" in French. This is the name of a Christian festival celebrated on November 1 (All Saints' Day).
Trahaearn m Medieval WelshMeans
"very much like iron", derived from Welsh
tra "very, over" prefixed to
haearn "iron". This name was borne by an 11th-century king of Gwynedd.
Traugott m German (Rare)Derived from German
trau "trust" and
Gott "God". This name was created in the 17th century.
Trevelyan m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a Cornish place name meaning
"homestead on the hill".
Trinidad f & m SpanishMeans
"trinity" in Spanish, referring to the Holy Trinity. An island in the West Indies bears this name.
Tryphena f BiblicalFrom the Greek name
Τρύφαινα (Tryphaina), derived from Greek
τρυφή (tryphe) meaning
"softness, delicacy". This name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament.
Tryphon m Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
τρυφή (tryphe) meaning
"softness, delicacy". Saint Tryphon, a gooseherder from Syria, was martyred in the 3rd century.
Tsisia f GeorgianDerived from Georgian
ცის (tsis) meaning
"of the sky", the genitive case of
ცა (tsa) meaning "sky, heaven".
Tsiuri f GeorgianMeans
"heavenly, celestial" in Georgian, a derivative of
ცა (tsa) meaning "sky, heaven".
Túathal m Old IrishMeans
"ruler of the people", from Old Irish
túath "people, country" and
fal "rule". This was the name of a few Irish kings, including the legendary Túathal Techtmar.
Tuulikki f Finnish, Finnish MythologyMeans
"little wind" in Finnish, derived from
tuuli "wind". This was the name of a Finnish forest goddess, the daughter of Tapio.
Tzeitel f Yiddish (Rare)Yiddish diminutive of
Sarah. This is the name of Tevye's oldest daughter in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on Sholem Aleichem's stories from the late 19th century.
Tzufit f HebrewMeans
"sunbird" in Hebrew (referring to birds in the family Nectariniidae).
Uaithne m Medieval IrishPossibly from Old Irish
úaine meaning
"green". Alternatively, it may come from the name of the Irish tribe the Uaithni.
Ubirajara m TupiMeans
"lord of the spear" in Tupi, from
ybyra "wood, stick, spear" and
îara "lord, master". This is the name of an 1874 novel by José de Alencar.
Uʻilani f & m HawaiianMeans
"heavenly beauty" or
"royal beauty" from Hawaiian
uʻi "youth, beauty" and
lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Ulysses m Roman Mythology, EnglishLatin form of
Odysseus. It was borne by Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), the commander of the Union forces during the American Civil War, who went on to become an American president. Irish author James Joyce used it as the title of his book
Ulysses (1922), which loosely parallels
Homer's epic the
Odyssey.
Ümit m TurkishMeans
"hope" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian
امید (omīd).
Urijah m BiblicalForm of
Uriah used in some English versions of the Old Testament (for a character in the Book of Jeremiah).
Uzziah m BiblicalMeans
"my power is Yahweh" in Hebrew, from the roots
עֹז (ʿoz) meaning "strength, power" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of several Old Testament characters including a king of Judah.
Uzziel m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"my power is God" in Hebrew, from the roots
עֹז (ʿoz) meaning "strength, power" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.
Väinämöinen m Finnish MythologyDerived from Finnish
väinä meaning
"wide and slow-flowing river". In Finnish mythology Väinämöinen was a wise old magician, the son of the primal goddess
Ilmatar. He is the hero of the Finnish epic the
Kalevala.
Valdemar m Danish, Swedish, FinnishScandinavian form of
Waldemar, also used as a translation of the Slavic cognate
Vladimir. This was the name of four kings of Denmark and a king of Sweden. It was introduced to Scandinavia by the 12th-century Danish king Valdemar I who was named after his mother's grandfather: Vladimir II, a grand prince of Kievan Rus.
Valerian m Russian, Georgian, Romanian, HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Valerianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name
Valerius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Roman emperor (Publius Licinius Valerianus) who was captured by the Persians. Several saints have also borne this name, including a 2nd-century martyr of Lyons.
Valerius m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was derived from Latin
valeo "to be strong". This was the name of several early saints.
Valkyrie f Various (Rare)Means
"chooser of the slain", derived from Old Norse
valr "the slain" and
kyrja "chooser". In Norse myth the Valkyries were maidens who led heroes killed in battle to Valhalla.
Vasudha f HindiMeans
"holding wealth" in Sanskrit, used to refer to the earth.
Veasna m & f KhmerMeans
"fate, destiny" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit
वासना (vāsanā) meaning "imagination, impression".
Vercingetorix m GaulishMeans
"king over warriors" from Gaulish
wer "on, over" combined with
kingeto "marching men, warriors" and
rix "king". This name was borne by a 1st-century BC chieftain of the Gaulish tribe the Arverni. He led the resistance against Julius Caesar's attempts to conquer Gaul, but he was eventually defeated, brought to Rome, and executed.
Verdandi f Norse MythologyFrom Old Norse
Verðandi meaning
"becoming, happening". Verdandi was one of the three Norns, or goddesses of destiny, in Norse mythology. She was responsible for the present.
Veslemøy f NorwegianMeans
"little girl" from Norwegian
vesle "little" and
møy "girl". This name was created by Norwegian writer Arne Garborg for the main character in his poem
Haugtussa (1895).
Vespasian m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Vespasianus, derived either from Latin
vesper meaning
"west" or
"evening" or
vespa meaning
"wasp". This was the name of a 1st-century Roman emperor, Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the founder of the Flavian dynasty.
Vespera f EsperantoMeans
"of the evening", derived from Esperanto
vespero "evening", ultimately from Latin
vesper.
Vikrama m HinduismMeans
"stride, pace" or
"valour" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Vishnu. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 1st-century BC king (full name Vikramaditya) of Ujjain in India.
Vinícius m PortuguesePortuguese form of
Vinicius (see
Vinicio). It gained popularity in Brazil due to the poet and musician Vinícius de Moraes (1913-1980).
Viriato m PortugueseFrom the Latin name
Viriathus or
Viriatus, which was derived from
viriae "bracelets" (of Celtic origin). Viriathus was a leader of the Lusitani (a tribe of Portugal) who rebelled against Roman rule in the 2nd century BC.
Vladislav m Russian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Serbian, CroatianFrom the Old Slavic name *
Voldislavŭ, derived from the elements
volděti "to rule" and
slava "glory". This name has been borne by kings, princes and dukes of Croatia, Serbia, Bohemia, Poland and Wallachia.
Vlastimir m SerbianDerived from the Slavic element
volstĭ (Serbian
vlast) meaning "power, rule, sovereignty" combined with
mirŭ meaning "peace, world". This was the name of a 9th-century prince of Serbia.
Voldemort m LiteratureInvented by author J.K. Rowling, apparently based on French
vol de mort meaning
"flight of death" or
"theft of death". This is the name of the primary villain in Rowling's
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997. The books explain that he created his name by anagramming his birth name Tom Marvolo Riddle into
I am Lord Voldemort.
Vytautas m LithuanianFrom the Lithuanian root
vyd- "to see" or
vyti "to chase, to drive away" combined with
tauta "people, nation". This was the name of a 15th-century Grand Duke of Lithuania, revered as a national hero in that country.
Wahunsenacawh m PowhatanMeaning unknown. This name was borne by a 17th-century chief of the Powhatan people. He was also known as Powhatan, as a result of confusion between his name and his birthplace.
Walburga f GermanMeans
"power of the fortress" from Old German
walt meaning "power, authority" and
burg meaning "fortress" (or perhaps from Old English cognates, though as an Old English name it is unattested). This was the name of an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon saint who did missionary work in Germany.
Waldebert m GermanicGermanic name composed of the elements
walt "power, authority" and
beraht "bright". This was the name of a 7th-century Frankish saint from Luxeuil (called
Valbert or
Gaubert in French).
Waltraud f GermanFrom the Old German elements
walt "power, authority" and
drud "strength". This name was borne by a 7th-century Frankish saint who founded a convent near Mons, Belgium.
Wapasha m SiouxMeans
"red leaf" in Dakota, from
waȟpé "leaf" and
šá "red". This was the name of several Dakota chiefs.
Wawatam m OjibwePossibly means
"little goose" in Ojibwe. This was the name of an 18th-century chief of the Ottawa people.
Wednesday f Popular CultureFrom the name of the day of the week, which was derived from Old English
wodnesdæg meaning "
Woden's day". On the
Addams Family television series (1964-1966) this was the name of the daughter, based on an earlier unnamed character in Charles Addams' cartoons. Her name was inspired by the popular nursery rhyme line
Wednesday's child is full of woe.
Wickaninnish m Nuu-chah-nulth (Anglicized)Possibly means
"having no one in front of him in the canoe" in Nuu-chah-nulth. This was the name of a chief of the Clayoquot in the late 18th century, at the time of European contact.
Widukind m GermanicOld Saxon name composed of the elements
widu "wood" and
kind "child". This was the name of an 8th-century Saxon leader who fought against the Franks, in the end unsuccessfully.
Wigberht m Anglo-Saxon, GermanicDerived from the Old English elements
wig "battle" and
beorht "bright". This is also a continental Germanic equivalent, derived from the Old German elements
wig and
beraht. The name was borne by an 8th-century English saint who did missionary work in Frisia and Germany.
Willoughby m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"willow town" in Old English.
Winifred f English, WelshFrom Latin
Winifreda, possibly from a Welsh name
Gwenfrewi (maybe influenced by the Old English masculine name
Winfred). Saint Winifred was a 7th-century Welsh martyr, probably legendary. According to the story, she was decapitated by a prince after she spurned his advances. Where her head fell there arose a healing spring, which has been a pilgrimage site since medieval times. Her story was recorded in the 12th century by Robert of Shrewsbury, and she has been historically more widely venerated in England than in Wales. The name has been used in England since at least the 16th century.
Wojciech m PolishDerived from the Slavic elements
vojĭ "warrior, soldier" and
utěxa "solace, comfort, joy". Saint Wojciech (also known by the Czech form of his name
Vojtěch or his adopted name
Adalbert) was a Bohemian missionary to Hungary, Poland and Prussia, where he was martyred in the 10th century.
Wolfram m GermanDerived from the Old German element
wolf meaning "wolf" combined with
hram meaning "raven". Saint Wolfram (or Wulfram) was a 7th-century archbishop of Sens. This name was also borne by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the author of
Parzival.
Xanthippe f Ancient GreekFeminine form of
Xanthippos. This was the name of the wife of
Socrates. Because of her supposedly argumentative nature, the name has been adopted (in the modern era) as a word for a scolding, ill-tempered woman.
Xavier m English, French, Portuguese, Catalan, SpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Etxeberria meaning
"the new house". This was the surname of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552) who was born in a village by this name. He was a missionary to India, Japan, China, and other areas in East Asia, and he is the patron saint of the Orient and missionaries. His surname has since been adopted as a given name in his honour, chiefly among Catholics.
Xbalanque m Mayan MythologyPossibly from Classic Maya
balam "jaguar" and
k'in "sun" or
kej "deer". In the
Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the K'iche' Maya, Xbalanque and his twin brother
Hunahpu avenge their father's death at the hands of the underworld gods.
Xena f Popular CultureProbably a variant of
Xenia. This was the name of the main character in the 1990s television series
Xena: Warrior Princess.
Xenia f Greek, Spanish, Ancient GreekMeans
"hospitality" in Greek, a derivative of
ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreigner, guest". This was the name of a 5th-century saint who is venerated in the Eastern Church.
Xenophon m Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreign, strange" and
φωνή (phone) meaning "voice". This was the name of a 4th-century BC Greek military commander and historian. This name was also borne by a 5th-century saint from Constantinople.
Xerxes m Old Persian (Hellenized), HistoryGreek form of the Old Persian name
𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 (Xšayarša), which meant
"ruler over heroes". This was the name of a 5th-century BC king of Persia, the son of
Darius the Great. He attempted an invasion of Greece, which ended unsuccessfully at the battle of Salamis.
Xiulan f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with
兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.