Pace m English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from the Middle English word
pace meaning
"peace".
Pacey m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from the French place name
Pacy, itself derived from Gaulish given name of unknown meaning.
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.
Paisley f English (Modern)From a Scots surname, originally from the name of a town near Glasgow, maybe ultimately derived from Latin
basilica "church". This is also a word (derived from the name of that same town) for a type of pattern commonly found on fabrics.
Pan m Greek MythologyPossibly from the Indo-European root *
peh- meaning
"shepherd, protect". In Greek mythology Pan was a half-man, half-goat god associated with shepherds, flocks and pastures.
Pancho m SpanishSpanish diminutive of
Francisco. This name was borne by Pancho Villa (1878-1923), a Mexican bandit and revolutionary.
Pansy f EnglishFrom the English word for a type of flower, ultimately deriving from Old French
pensee "thought".
Pat m & f EnglishShort form of
Patrick or
Patricia. A famous bearer of this name was Pat Garrett (1850-1908), the sheriff who shot Billy the Kid.
Patty f EnglishOriginally a variant of
Matty, a 17th-century diminutive of
Martha. It is now commonly used as a diminutive of
Patricia.
Pau m Catalan, OccitanCatalan and Occitan form of
Paul. It also coincides with the Catalan word for
"peace".
Peggy f EnglishMedieval variant of
Meggy, a diminutive of
Margaret. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is unknown.
Pele f Polynesian MythologyMeaning unknown. This was the name of the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire who is said to live in Kilauea. She is considered the creator of the Hawaiian Islands.
Penny f EnglishDiminutive of
Penelope. It can also be given in reference to the copper coin (a British pound or an American dollar are worth 100 of them), derived from Old English
penning.
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.
Piet m DutchShort form of
Pieter. Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was a Dutch abstract painter.
Pikachu m Popular CultureFrom Japanese
ピカチュウ (Pikachuu), derived from the onomatopoeic words
ピカピカ (pikapika), a sparkly sound, and
チュウチュウ (chuuchuu), a mouse sound. This is the name of a Pokémon, a yellow rodent-like creature who can summon electricity, from a series of video games starting 1996. This is technically the name of the species, though it is used as a given name for the creature in some contexts.
Pinocchio m LiteratureMeans
"pine eye" from Italian
pino and
occhio. It was created by the Italian author Carlo Collodi for his novel
The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883), about a boy made out of wood whose nose grows longer every time he lies. The story was later adapted into a 1940 Disney movie.
Pip m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Philip or
Philippa. This is the name of the main character in
Great Expectations (1860) by Charles Dickens.
Piper f English (Modern)From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series
Charmed, which debuted in 1998.
Pippi f LiteratureCreated by the daughter of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren for the main character in her mother's
Pippi Longstocking series of stories, first published 1945. In the books Pippi (Swedish name
Pippi Långstrump; full first name
Pippilotta) is a brash and exceptionally strong young girl who lives in a house by herself.
Pippin 2 m LiteratureThe name of a hobbit in
The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien. His full given name is
Peregrin, a semi-translation into English of his true hobbit name
Razanur meaning
"traveller".
Polly f EnglishMedieval variant of
Molly. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is unknown.
Poppy f EnglishFrom the word for the red flower, derived from Old English
popæg.
Posy f EnglishDiminutive of
Josephine. It can also be inspired by the English word
posy for a bunch of flowers.
Puck m & f Anglo-Saxon Mythology, DutchMeaning unknown, from Old English
puca. It could ultimately be of either Germanic or Celtic origin. In English legend this was the name of a mischievous spirit, also known as Robin Goodfellow. He appears in Shakespeare's play
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). It is used in the Netherlands as mainly a feminine name.
Purdie m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from the Norman French expression
pur die "by God". It was perhaps originally a nickname for a person who used the oath frequently.
Rabbie m ScotsScots diminutive of
Robert. This is the familiar name of the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).
Rade m Serbian, CroatianShort form of
Milorad and other names containing the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". It is often used independently.
Rati f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"rest, repose, pleasure" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of love and pleasure, the wife of
Kama.
Red m EnglishFrom the English word for the colour, ultimately derived from Old English
read. This is typically a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
Reto m German (Swiss)Means
"of Rhaetia". Rhaetia is a region in eastern Switzerland that got its name from the Rhaeti, a Celtic tribe who originally inhabited the area.
Rick m EnglishShort form of
Richard or names ending in
rick. A notable fictional bearer is Rick Blaine, portrayed by Humphrey Bogart, from the movie
Casablanca (1942).
Ridge m English (Modern)From the English vocabulary word denoting a continuous elevated mountain crest, or from the English surname derived from the word.
Rilla f EnglishShort form of names ending in
rilla. It is short for
Marilla in L. M. Montgomery's sequels to her 1908 novel
Anne of Green Gables, where it belongs to a daughter of Anne.
Rocky m EnglishDiminutive of
Rocco and other names beginning with a similar sound, or else a nickname referring to a tough person. This is the name of the boxer Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) in the movie
Rocky (1976) and its sequels.
Romi f HebrewMeans
"my height, my exaltation" in Hebrew.
Rory m & f Irish, Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Ruaidhrí. Typically a masculine name, it gained some popularity for girls in the United States after it was used on the television series
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007), in this case as a nickname for
Lorelai. Despite this, the name has grown more common for boys in America, especially after 2011, perhaps due to Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy (1989-).
Rusty m EnglishFrom a nickname that was originally given to someone with a rusty, or reddish-brown, hair colour.
Ruud m DutchDutch short form of
Rudolf. This name is borne by retired Dutch soccer player Ruud Gullit (1962-).
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.
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.
Ryou m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
亮 or
涼 or
遼 or
諒 (see
Ryō).
Sachie f JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (sachi) meaning "happiness, good luck" and
枝 (e) meaning "branch" or
恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Sam 1 m & f EnglishShort form of
Samuel,
Samson,
Samantha and other names beginning with
Sam. A notable fictional bearer is Sam Spade, a detective in Dashiell Hammett's novel
The Maltese Falcon (1930). In J. R. R. Tolkien's 1954 novel
The Lord of the Rings (1954) this is a short form of
Samwise.
Sam 2 m Persian, Persian MythologyMeans
"fire" in Persian (from an earlier Iranian root meaning "black"). This is the name of a hero in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Saylor f English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from Old French
sailleor meaning
"acrobat, dancer". As a modern English given name it could also come from the homophone vocabulary word
sailor.
Scout f & m English (Modern)From the English word
scout meaning
"one who gathers information covertly", which is derived from Old French
escouter "to listen". Harper Lee used this name in her novel
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).
Senga f ScottishSometimes explained as an anagram of
Agnes, but more likely derived from Gaelic
seang "slender".
Senna f & m Dutch (Modern)Meaning uncertain. In some cases it is given in honour of the Brazilian racecar driver Ayrton Senna (1960-1994). It could also be inspired by the senna plant.
Seven m & f English (Modern)From the English word for the number, derived from Old English
seofon (from an Indo-European root shared by Latin
septem and Greek
ἑπτά (hepta)).
Shawnee f English (Modern)Means
"southern people" in the Algonquin language. The Shawnee were an Algonquin tribe who originally lived in the Ohio valley.
Shell f EnglishShort form of
Michelle or
Shelley. It can also be simply from the English word
shell (ultimately from Old English
sciell).
Sher m Urdu, PashtoMeans
"lion" in Persian. A famous bearer of this name was Sher Shah, a 16th-century Mughal ruler.
Shō m JapaneseFrom Japanese
翔 (shō) meaning "soar, glide" or
奨 (shō) meaning "prize, reward" or
祥 (shō) meaning "good luck, good omen". Other kanji with identical pronunciations can also form this name.
Sikke m FrisianOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element
sigu meaning
"victory".
Sisu m FinnishMeans
"willpower, determination, strength" in Finnish.
Si-U m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
始 (si) meaning "begin, start" combined with
祐 (u) meaning "divine intervention, protection" or
雨 (u) meaning "rain". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.
Sky f & m English (Modern)Simply from the English word
sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse
ský "cloud".
Sly m EnglishShort form of
Sylvester. The actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-) is a well-known bearer of this nickname.
Snorri m Old Norse, IcelandicDerived from Old Norse
snerra "attack, onslaught". This name was borne by Snorri Sturluson, a 13th-century Icelandic historian and poet, the author of the
Prose Edda.
Sonic m Popular CultureFrom the English word
sonic meaning
"related to sound", derived from Latin
sonus meaning "sound". It also connotates speediness, or the speed of sound, due to words like
supersonic or
hypersonic. A notable fictional bearer is the speedy video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, introduced in 1991 by Sega. He is called
ソニック (Sonikku) in Japan.
Sonny m EnglishFrom a nickname that is commonly used to denote a young boy, derived from the English word
son.
Sothy m & f KhmerMeans
"intelligence, wisdom" in Khmer.
Spike m EnglishFrom a nickname that may have originally been given to a person with spiky hair.
Spirit f English (Rare)From the English word
spirit, ultimately from Latin
spiritus "breath, energy", a derivative of
spiro "to blow, to breathe".
Spring f EnglishFrom the name of the season, ultimately from Old English
springan "to leap, to burst forth".
Sprita f EsperantoMeans
"witty, lively" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin
spiritus "breath, energy".