Kleio f Greek Mythology, GreekDerived from Greek
κλέος (kleos) meaning
"glory". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of history and heroic poetry, one of the nine Muses. She was said to have introduced the alphabet to Greece.
Kleitos m Ancient GreekMeans
"splendid, famous" in Greek. This was the name of one of the generals of Alexander the Great. He was killed by Alexander in a dispute.
Klemens m German, PolishGerman and Polish form of
Clemens (see
Clement). Prince Klemens Metternich (1773-1859) was an Austrian chancellor who guided the Austrian Empire to victory in the Napoleonic Wars.
Klotho f Greek MythologyMeans
"spinner" in Greek. In Greek mythology Klotho was one of the three Fates or
Μοῖραι (Moirai). She was responsible for spinning the thread of life.
Klytië f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
κλυτός (klytos) meaning
"famous, noble". In Greek myth Klytië was an ocean nymph who loved the sun god Helios. Her love was not returned, and she pined away staring at him until she was transformed into a heliotrope flower, whose head moves to follow the sun.
Knox m EnglishFrom a Scots surname that was derived from various places named
Knock, from Gaelic
cnoc "round hill". It jumped in popularity after the actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had a baby by this name in 2008.
Knut m Swedish, Norwegian, GermanDerived from Old Norse
knútr meaning
"knot". Knut was a Danish prince who defeated
Æðelræd II, king of England, in the early 11th century and became the ruler of Denmark, Norway and England.
Kofi m AkanMeans
"born on Friday" in Akan.
Koharu f JapaneseFrom Japanese
小 (ko) meaning "small" or
心 (ko) meaning "heart" combined with
春 (haru) meaning "spring". The compound word
小春 means "late summer". Other combinations of kanji characters can form this name as well.
Kohinoor f VariousFrom
Koh-i-noor, the name of a famous gemstone, meaning "mountain of light" in Persian.
Koios m Greek MythologyPossibly derived from Greek
κοῖος (koios), also spelled
ποῖος (poios), a questioning word meaning approximately
"of what kind?". This was the name of a Titan god of intelligence in Greek mythology.
Kokoro f JapaneseFrom Japanese
心 (kokoro) meaning "heart, mind, soul" or other kanji and kanji combinations having the same pronunciation. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.
Koloman m German (Rare), SlovakGerman and Slovak form of
Colmán. Saint Koloman (also called Coloman or Colman) was an Irish monk who was martyred in Stockerau in Austria.
Koraljka f CroatianFrom Croatian
koralj meaning
"coral", ultimately from Latin
corallium.
Koralo m EsperantoMeans
"coral" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin
corallium.
Korbinian m GermanDerived from Latin
corvus meaning
"raven". This was the name of an 8th-century Frankish saint who was sent by Pope Gregory II to evangelize in Bavaria. His real name may have been
Hraban.
Kore f Greek MythologyMeans
"maiden" in Greek. This was another name for the Greek goddess Persephone.
Kotone f JapaneseFrom Japanese
琴 (koto), which refers to a type of musical instrument similar to a harp, combined with
音 (ne) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Kreios m Greek MythologyPossibly derived from either Greek
κρείων (kreion) meaning
"lord, master" or
κριός (krios) meaning
"ram, male sheep". This was the name of a Titan in Greek mythology.
Kreka f HistoryMeaning unknown, possibly of Turkic or Germanic origin. This name was borne by the most powerful of
Attila's wives.
Krešimir m CroatianFrom the Slavic elements
krěsiti "to spark, to flare up, to bring to life, to resurrect" and
mirŭ "peace, world". This was the name of four kings of Croatia in the 10th and 11th centuries. Their names were recorded in Latin as
Cresimirus.
Kriemhild f German (Rare), Germanic MythologyDerived from the Old German elements
grimo "mask" and
hilt "battle". Kriemhild was a beautiful heroine in the medieval German saga the
Nibelungenlied, where she is the sister of
Gunther and the wife of
Siegfried. After her husband is killed by
Hagen with the consent of Gunther, Kriemhild tragically exacts her revenge. She is called
Gudrun in Norse versions of the tale.
Krishna m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"black, dark" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu god believed to be an incarnation of the god
Vishnu. He was the youngest of King Vasudeva's eight children, six of whom were killed by King Kamsa because of a prophecy that a child of Vasudeva would kill Kamsa. Krishna however was saved and he eventually killed the king as well as performing many other great feats. In some Hindu traditions, Krishna is regarded as the supreme deity. He is usually depicted with blue skin.
Kulap f & m ThaiMeans
"rose" in Thai (of Persian origin).
Kumar m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, NepaliModern form of
Kumara.
Kumari f Hinduism, Hindi, TeluguFeminine form of
Kumara. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata Kumari is the wife of the warrior Bhima. This is also another name of the Hindu goddess
Durga.
Kumiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
久 (ku) meaning "long time",
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Kunala m SanskritMeans
"lotus" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a son of the 3rd-century BC Indian emperor Ashoka.
Kunegunda f Polish (Rare)Polish form of
Kunigunde. The 13th-century Saint Kunegunda was the daughter of Bela IV, king of Hungary. She married Boleslaus V of Poland, but after his death refused to assume power and instead became a nun.
Kunigunde f German (Rare)Derived from the Old German element
kuni "royal" combined with
gunda "war". It was borne by a 4th-century Swiss saint, a companion of Saint
Ursula. Another saint by this name was the 11th-century wife of the Holy Roman emperor Henry II.
Kuno m German, GermanicShort form of names beginning with the Old German element
kuni meaning
"royal" (related to
kunni meaning "clan, family"). It can also be a short form of
Konrad.
Kunthea f KhmerMeans
"perfume, fragrance" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit
गनध (gandha). It is also said to derive from Khmer
គុណ (kun) meaning "virtue, good deed" and
ធារ (thear) meaning "profusion, abundance".
Kunti f HinduismMeans
"spear" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata this is the name of the mother of the Pandavas.
Kwame m AkanMeans
"born on Saturday" in Akan.
Kyllikki f Finnish, Finnish MythologyDerived from Finnish
kyllä "abundance" or
kyllin "enough". This is the name of a character in the Finnish epic the
Kalevala.
Kylo m Popular CultureMeaning unexplained. This is the name of the villain, Kylo Ren, in the
Star Wars movie sequels, starting with
The Force Awakens in 2015. Originally named Ben Solo, he is the son of Han Solo and Leia Skywalker. His name might simply be formed from the
ky of
Skywalker and the
lo of
Solo.
Kyo m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
協 or
京 or
郷 or
杏 (see
Kyō).
Kyō m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
協 (kyō) meaning "unite, cooperate",
京 (kyō) meaning "capital city",
郷 (kyō) meaning "village",
杏 (kyō) meaning "apricot", or other kanji with the same pronunciation.
Kyōko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
京 (kyō) meaning "capital city" or
恭 (kyō) meaning "respectful, polite" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Kyou m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
協 or
京 or
郷 or
杏 (see
Kyō).
Kyrie 2 f English (Modern)From the name of a Christian prayer, also called the
Kyrie eleison meaning "Lord, have mercy". It is ultimately from Greek
κύριος (kyrios) meaning
"lord".
Lachesis f Greek MythologyMeans
"apportioner" in Greek. She was one of the three Fates or
Μοῖραι (Moirai) in Greek mythology. She was responsible for deciding how long each person had to live.
Lachtna m Irish (Rare)From Old Irish
Lachtnae meaning
"milk-coloured", from
lacht "milk" (borrowed from Latin). This was the name of a great-grandfather of the Irish king
Brian Boru.
Lady f Spanish (Latin American)From the English noble title
Lady, derived from Old English
hlæfdige, originally meaning "bread kneader". This name grew in popularity in Latin America after the marriage of Diana Spencer, known as Lady Di, to Prince Charles in 1981 and her death in 1997.
Lael m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"of God" in Hebrew. This is the name of the father of Eliasaph in the Old Testament. It is misspelled as
Δαήλ (Dael) in the Greek translation, the Septuagint.
Laetitia f Late Roman, FrenchOriginal Latin form of
Letitia, as well as a French variant. This name began rising in popularity in France around the same time that Serge Gainsbourg released his 1963 song
Elaeudanla Téïtéïa (this title is a phonetic rendering of the letters in the name
Lætitia). It peaked in 1982 as the fourth most common name for girls.
Laima f Lithuanian, Latvian, Baltic MythologyFrom Latvian
laime and Lithuanian
laima, which mean
"luck, fate". This was the name of the Latvian and Lithuanian goddess of fate, luck, pregnancy and childbirth. She was the sister of the goddesses Dēkla and Kārta, who were also associated with fate.
Lajos m HungarianHungarian form of
Louis. It was borne by two Hungarian kings, starting with the 14th-century Lajos I the Great, who was named after his French uncle.
Lake m & f English (Rare)From the English word
lake, for the inland body of water. It is ultimately derived from Latin
lacus.
Lakshmana m HinduismMeans
"having lucky marks" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Ramayana he is the trusted companion of the hero
Rama, accompanying him into exile.
Lakshmi f & m Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi, OdiaMeans
"sign, mark" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of prosperity, good luck, and beauty. She is the wife of
Vishnu and her symbol is the lotus flower, with which she is often depicted.
Lalage f LiteratureDerived from Greek
λαλαγέω (lalageo) meaning
"to babble, to prattle". The Roman poet Horace used this name in one of his odes.
Lale f TurkishMeans
"tulip" in Turkish, of Persian origin.
Lalla f LiteratureDerived from Persian
لاله (laleh) meaning
"tulip". This was the name of the heroine of Thomas Moore's poem
Lalla Rookh (1817). In the poem, Lalla, the daughter of the emperor of Delhi, listens to a poet sing four tales.
Lamar m English, African AmericanFrom a French and English surname, originally from a place name in Normandy, which was derived from Old French
la mare meaning
"the pool". In the second half of the 20th century this name has been well-used in the African-American community, probably because of its popular phonetic components
la and
mar.
Lambert m German, Dutch, French, English, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
lant "land" and
beraht "bright". Saint Lambert of Maastricht was a 7th-century bishop who was martyred after denouncing Pepin II for adultery. The name was also borne by a 9th-century king of Italy who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
Lamia 2 f Greek MythologyPossibly from Greek
λαιμός (laimos) meaning
"throat". In Greek mythology this is the name of a queen of Libya who was a mistress of
Zeus.
Hera, being jealous, kills Lamia's children, causing her to go mad and transform into a monster that hunts the children of others.
Lamya f ArabicDerived from the poetic Arabic word
لمى (lama) meaning
"dark red lips".
Lancelot m Arthurian CyclePossibly an Old French diminutive of
Lanzo (see
Lance). In Arthurian legend Lancelot was the bravest of the Knights of the Round Table. He became the lover of
Arthur's wife
Guinevere, ultimately causing the destruction of Arthur's kingdom. His earliest appearance is in the works of the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes: briefly in
Erec and Enide and then as a main character in
Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart.
Laoise f IrishPossibly a newer form of
Luigsech, or from the name of the county of Laois in central Ireland. It is also used as an Irish form of
Lucy or
Louise.
Lasha m GeorgianPossibly from a Northwest Caucasian word meaning
"light". This was a name of Giorgi IV, a 13th-century king of Georgia.
Latif m Arabic, UrduMeans
"gentle, kind" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
اللطيف (al-Latif) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Lavinia f Roman Mythology, Romanian, ItalianMeaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of
Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.
Lawan f ThaiPossibly means
"beautiful" in Thai.
LaWanda f African AmericanCombination of the popular prefix
la and the name
Wanda. This name has been used in America since the 1910s. It peaked in popularity in 1977, the same year that actress LaWanda Page (1920-2002) finished portraying the character Aunt Esther on the television comedy
Sanford and Son. It subsequently faded from the charts.
Layton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from the name of English towns meaning
"town with a leek garden" in Old English. Like similar-sounding names such as
Peyton and
Dayton, this name began rising in popularity in the 1990s.
Lazer m YiddishYiddish variant of
Eliezer. This is the name of a character in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964).
Leander m Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Λέανδρος (Leandros), derived from
λέων (leon) meaning "lion" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.
Leatrice f EnglishPossibly a combination of
Leah and
Beatrice. This name was first brought to public attention by the American actress Leatrice Joy (1893-1985).
Leberecht m German (Rare)Means
"live rightly" from German
lebe "live" and
recht "right". This name was created in the 17th century.
LeBron m African American (Modern)Probably an invented name, though it does coincide with the Spanish surname
Lebrón, derived from
liebre meaning "hare". This is the name of basketball player LeBron James (1984-).
Legacy f & m English (Modern)From the English word, meaning
"something inherited from a predecessor, heritage". It is derived from Old French
legacie, itself from Latin
legatum "bequest, legacy".