Abe 2 m Frisian, DutchOriginally a Frisian short form of
Adalbert (and other names starting with the Old German element
adal "noble" and a second element beginning with
b).
Ace 1 m EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"highest rank". More commonly a nickname, it is occasionally used as a given name.
Adi 2 m Indonesian, JavaneseMeans
"first" in Indonesian and
"beautiful, good, valuable" in Javanese, both ultimately from Sanskrit
आदि (ādi) meaning "first, prime".
Afon f & m Welsh (Rare)Means
"river" in Welsh. This is a Welsh name of recent origin.
Afra 1 f Late Roman, ItalianOriginally used by the Romans as a nickname for a woman from Africa. This was the name of two early saints.
África f SpanishSpanish form of
Africa 1. It is usually taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de África, the patron saint of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.
Airi 2 f FinnishFrom Finnish
airut meaning
"messenger, herald", also influenced by place names beginning with the same sound.
Al m EnglishShort form of
Albert and other names beginning with
Al. A notable bearer is American actor Al Pacino (1940-).
Alli f FinnishFinnish diminutive of names beginning with
Al. This is also the Finnish word for a type of duck.
Allie f EnglishDiminutive of
Alison 1,
Alexandra and other names beginning with the same sound. After a 34-year absence from the American top 1000 chart this name began growing in popularity after the premiere of the sitcom
Kate and Allie in 1984.
Ally 1 f EnglishDiminutive of
Alison 1,
Alexandra and other names beginning with the same sound. This name jumped in popularity in 1997 after the premiere of the American television series
Ally McBeal.
Amse m FrisianOriginally a short form of
Adelmar (and other names starting with the Old German element
adal "noble" and a second element beginning with
m).
Andy m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Andrew or sometimes
Andrea 2. American pop artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was a famous bearer of this name.
Angie f EnglishDiminutive of
Angela and other names beginning with
Ang. The 1973 Rolling Stones song
Angie caused this name to jump in popularity.
Apple f English (Rare)From the English word for the fruit, derived from Middle English
appel, Old English
æppel. The American actress Gwenyth Paltrow and British musician Chris Martin gave this name to their daughter in 2004.
Archie m Scottish, EnglishDiminutive of
Archibald. This name is borne by Archie Andrews, an American comic-book character created in 1941. It was also used by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for the name of their son born 2019.
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.
Audie m & f EnglishIn the case of the famed American soldier Audie Murphy (1925-1971), it is of uncertain meaning. As a feminine name, it can be a diminutive of
Audrey.
Awiti f LuoMeans
"thrown away" in Luo, possibly used for a child born prematurely.
Awotwi m & f AkanMeans
"eighth born child" in Akan.
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.
Baggi m Old NorseByname derived from Old Norse
baggi meaning
"bag, pack".
Bambi f EnglishDerived from Italian
bambina meaning
"young girl". The American novelist Marjorie Benton Cooke used it in her novel
Bambi (1914). This was also the name of a male deer in a cartoon by Walt Disney, which was based on a 1923 novel by Swiss author Felix Salten.
Barbie f EnglishDiminutive of
Barbara. This is the name of a doll produced by the Mattel toy company since 1959. It was named after the original designer's daughter.
Baylor m & f English (Modern)From a surname, possibly an Americanized form of the German surname
Beiler, derived from Middle High German
beile meaning
"measuring stick".
Bear m English (Modern)From the English word for the animal, derived from Old English
bera, probably derived from a root meaning "brown".
Beck m & f English (Rare)From a surname of English, German or Scandinavian origins, all derived from related words meaning
"stream". As a feminine name, in some cases it is a short form of
Rebecca. A noted bearer is the American rock musician Beck Hansen (1970-), born Bek David Campbell, who goes by the stage name Beck.
Beetlejuice m Popular CultureVariant of
Betelgeuse used for the title character of the movie
Beetlejuice (1988), about an obnoxious ghost who is commissioned to scare a family out of their new house. The character's name is spelled
Betelgeuse in the credits, though in other media it appears as
Beetlejuice.
Beli m Welsh MythologyProbably a Welsh derivative of
Belenus. Beli Mawr was a Welsh ancestor deity who established several royal lines in Wales.
Berry 2 f English (Rare)From the English word referring to the small fruit. It is ultimately derived from Old English
berie. This name has only been in use since the 20th century.
Bevis m English (Rare)From an English surname that is possibly derived from the name of the French town
Beauvais.
Biff m English (Rare)From a nickname that was based on the English word
biff, which means
"punch, hit, strike".
Birdie f EnglishDiminutive of
Bertha,
Bernice and other names with a similar sound, or sometimes simply from the English word
bird.
Blakely f English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from Old English
blæc "black" and
leah "woodland clearing".
Blondie f English (Rare)From a nickname for a person with blond hair. This is the name of the title character in a comic strip by Chic Young.
Blue m & f English (Rare)From the English word for the colour, derived via Norman French from a Frankish word (replacing the native Old English cognate
blaw). Despite the fact that this name was used by the American musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z in 2012 for their first daughter, it has not come into general use in the United States.
Bob m English, DutchShort form of
Robert. It arose later than
Dob,
Hob and
Nob, which were medieval rhyming nicknames of Robert. It is borne by the character Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel
A Christmas Carol (1843). Other famous bearers include American folk musician Bob Dylan (1941-) and Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
Bobby m EnglishDiminutive of
Bob. Hockey greats Bobby Hull (1939-2023) and Bobby Orr (1948-) have borne this name.
Brady m EnglishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Brádaigh, itself derived from the byname
Brádach. A famous bearer of the surname is the American football quarterback Tom Brady (1977-). It was also borne by a fictional family on the television series
The Brady Bunch (1969-1974).
Brandy f EnglishFrom the English word
brandy for the alcoholic drink. It is ultimately from Dutch
brandewijn "burnt wine". It has been in use as a given name since the 1960s.
Brett m EnglishFrom a Middle English surname meaning
"a Breton", referring to an inhabitant of
Brittany. A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Brett Favre (1969-).
Brody m EnglishFrom a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It probably means "ditch, mire" in Gaelic.
Buck m EnglishFrom an English nickname meaning simply "buck, male deer", ultimately from Old English
bucc.
Buddy m EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"friend". It probably originated as a nursery form of the word
brother.
Buffy f EnglishDiminutive of
Elizabeth, from a child's pronunciation of the final syllable. It is now associated with the main character from the television series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
Buster m EnglishOriginally a nickname denoting a person who broke things, from the word
bust, a dialectal variant of
burst. A famous bearer was the American silent movie star Buster Keaton (1895-1966), whose real first name was Joseph.
Buttercup f LiteratureFrom the English word for the yellow flower (genus Ranunculus). Author William Goldman used it for Princess Buttercup in his book
The Princess Bride (1973) and the subsequent film adaptation (1987).
Carmi m BiblicalMeans
"vine" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Reuben in the Old Testament.
Carrie f EnglishDiminutive of
Caroline. This name declined in use shortly after the 1976 release of the horror movie
Carrie, which was based on a 1974 novel by Stephen King.
Casey m & f EnglishFrom the Irish surname
Casey, an Anglicized form of
Ó Cathasaigh, a patronymic derived from the given name
Cathassach. This name can be given in honour of Casey Jones (1863-1900), a train engineer who sacrificed his life to save his passengers. In his case,
Casey was a nickname acquired because he was raised in the town of Cayce, Kentucky.
Cash m EnglishFrom an English occupational surname for a box maker, derived from Norman French
casse meaning
"case", from Latin
capsa. It coincides with the English word
cash meaning
"money" (derived from the same French and Latin roots). A famous bearer of the surname was American musician Johnny Cash (1932-2003).
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.
Cat f & m EnglishDiminutive of
Catherine. It can also be a nickname from the English word for the animal.
Cenk m TurkishMeans
"battle, war" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
Chance m EnglishOriginally a diminutive of
Chauncey. It is now usually given in reference to the English word
chance meaning "luck, fortune" (ultimately derived from Latin
cadens "falling").
Charizard m Popular CultureFrom a blend of the English words
char and
lizard. This is the name of a dragon-like creature in the Pokémon series of video games starting 1996. Technically the name of the species, it is used as a given name for the creature in some contexts. It is called
リザードン (Rizādon) in Japan.
Che m SpanishFrom an Argentine expression meaning
"hey!". This nickname was acquired by the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto Guevara while he was in Cuba.
Cherry f EnglishSimply means "cherry" from the name of the fruit, derived from Latin
cerasium, Greek
κεράσιον (kerasion). It can also be a diminutive of
Charity. It has been in use since the late 19th century.
Chesley m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"camp meadow" in Old English.
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.
Chrissy f EnglishDiminutive of
Christine or
Christina. This name briefly jumped in popularity after the 1977 premiere of the American sitcom
Three's Company, featuring a character by this name.
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).
Chuck m EnglishDiminutive of
Charles. It originated in America in the early 20th century. Two famous bearers of this name were pilot Chuck Yeager (1923-2020), the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound, and the musician Chuck Berry (1926-2017), one of the pioneers of rock music.
Chuks m IgboDiminutive of Igbo names beginning with the element
Chukwu meaning
"God".
Clay m EnglishFrom an English surname that originally referred to a person who lived near or worked with clay. This name can also be a short form of
Clayton.
Cletus m EnglishShort form of
Anacletus. This name is sometimes used to refer to the third pope, Saint Anacletus. It can also function as an Anglicized form of
Kleitos.
Coco f VariousDiminutive of names beginning with
Co, influenced by the word
cocoa. However, this was not the case for French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971; real name Gabrielle), whose nickname came from the name of a song she performed while working as a cabaret singer.
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).
Cola m Anglo-SaxonOld English byname meaning
"charcoal", originally given to a person with dark features.
Colt m English (Modern)From the English word for a young male horse or from the surname of the same origin. It may be given in honour of the American industrialist Samuel Colt (1814-1862) or the firearms company that bears his name. It was brought to public attention in 1981 by the main character on the television series
The Fall Guy.
Colter m English (Modern)From an English surname that was originally given to a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English
colt.
Conn m Irish, Irish Mythology, Old IrishPerhaps from Old Irish
conn meaning
"sense, reason" or
cenn meaning
"head, chief". This was the name of a legendary high king of Ireland, Conn of the Hundred Battles.
Corey m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name
Kóri, of unknown meaning. This name became popular in the 1960s due to the character Corey Baker on the television series
Julia.
Cree m & f English (Rare)From the name of a Native American tribe of central Canada. Their name derives via French from the Cree word
kiristino.
Crew m English (Modern)Either from a surname that was derived from the English town of Crewe (from Old Welsh
criu meaning
"weir"), or from the English vocabulary word for a group of people.
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.