ALIN m RomanianPossibly a Romanian masculine form of
ALINA. Alternatively it may derive from Romanian
alina "to soothe".
ALISON f English, FrenchNorman French diminutive of
Aalis (see
ALICE). It was common in England, Scotland and France in the Middle Ages, and was later revived in England in the 20th century via Scotland. Unlike most other English names ending in
son, it is not derived from a surname.
ALIYA (2) f HebrewMeans
"ascent" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָלָה ('alah) meaning "to ascend, to climb". This is also a Hebrew word referring to immigration to Israel.
ALJAŽ m SloveneDerived from a Slovene surname, which is of unknown meaning.
ALKE m FrisianOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
adal meaning
"noble".
ALLAH m TheologyDerived from Arabic
الإله (al-ilah) meaning
"the deity". It is primarily used to refer to the Islamic God, though it was originally used by pre-Islamic Arabs, and is sometimes used by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews.
ALLAN m English, Scottish, DanishVariant of
ALAN. The American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) got his middle name from the surname of the parents who adopted him.
ALLE m FrisianOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
adal meaning
"noble".
ALLEGRA f Italian, English (Rare)Means
"cheerful, lively" in Italian. It was borne by a short-lived illegitimate daughter of Lord Byron (1817-1822).
ALLEN m English, ScottishVariant of
ALAN. A famous bearer of this name was Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), an American beat poet. Another is the American film director and actor Woody Allen (1935-), who took the stage name Allen from his real first name.
ALLI f FinnishFinnish diminutive of names beginning with
Al. This is also the Finnish word for a type of duck.
ALLISON f & m EnglishFrom the middle of the 20th century this has primarily been used as a variant of the feminine name
ALISON. However, prior to that it was used as an uncommon masculine name, derived from the English and Scottish surname
ALLISON.
ALLON m BiblicalMeans
"oak" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
ALMA (1) f English, Spanish, Italian, DutchThis name became popular after the Battle of Alma (1854), which took place near the River Alma in Crimea and ended in a victory for Britain and France. However, the name was in rare use before the battle; it was probably inspired by Latin
almus "nourishing". It also coincides with the Spanish word meaning "the soul".
ALMAS f & m ArabicMeans
"diamond" in Arabic, ultimately from Persian.
ALMAST f ArmenianMeans
"diamond" in Armenian, ultimately from Persian.
ÁLMOS m HungarianPossibly from Hungarian
álom "dream", though perhaps of Turkic origin meaning "bought". This was the name of the semi-legendary father of Árpád, the founder of the Hungarian state. Álmos's mother Emese supposedly had a dream in which a turul bird impregnated her and foretold that her son would be the father of a great nation.
ALMUDENA f SpanishDerived from Arabic
المدينة (al-mudaynah) meaning
"the citadel". It was in a building by this name that a concealed statue of the Virgin
Mary was discovered during the Reconquista in Madrid. The Virgin of Almudena, that is Mary, is the patron saint of Madrid.
ALODIA f Ancient Germanic (Latinized)Possibly from a Visigothic name derived from the Germanic elements
alja "other, foreign" and
aud "riches, wealth". Saint Alodia was a 9th-century Spanish martyr with her sister Nunilo.
ALOYSIUS m EnglishLatinized form of
Aloys, an old Occitan form of
LOUIS. This was the name of a 16th-century Italian saint, Aloysius Gonzaga. The name has been in occasional use among Catholics since his time.
ALPARSLAN m TurkishFrom Turkish
alp meaning "brave" and
arslan meaning "lion", referring to the 11th-century Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan, who expanded the Seljuk Empire into Anatolia.
ALPHA f & m EnglishFrom the name of the first letter in the Greek alphabet,
Α.
ALPHONSUS m HistoryLatinized form of
ALFONSO. This name was borne by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, an 18th-century Italian bishop who is regarded as a Doctor of the Church.
ALPIN m ScottishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Ailpein, possibly derived from a Pictish word meaning
"white". This was the name of two kings of Dál Riata and two kings of the Picts in the 8th and 9th centuries.
ALTA f VariousPossibly from Latin
altus or Italian/Spanish
alto meaning
"high".
ALTAGRACIA f Spanish (Caribbean)Means
"high grace", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, meaning "Our Lady of High Grace". She is considered the patron saint of the Dominican Republic, and it is there that this name is most often used.
ALTE (2) m FrisianOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
ald meaning
"old".
ALTER m YiddishFrom Yiddish
אַלט (alt) meaning
"old". This name was traditionally given to a sickly newborn by Jewish parents in order to confuse the Angel of Death, in the hopes that he would go looking for somebody younger or somebody else.
ALTHEA f Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek name
Ἀλθαία (Althaia), perhaps related to Greek
ἄλθος (althos) meaning
"healing". In Greek myth she was the mother of Meleager. Soon after her son was born she was told that he would die as soon as a piece of wood that was burning on her fire was fully consumed. She immediately extinguished the piece of wood and sealed it in a chest, but in a fit of rage many years later she took it out and set it alight, thereby killing her son.
ALTON m EnglishFrom an Old English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town at the source of the river".
ALUDRA f AstronomyDerived from Arabic
العذرا (al-'adhra) meaning
"the maiden". This is the name of a star in the constellation Canis Major.
ALUN m WelshWelsh form of
ALAN. This name appears in the Mabinogion, a collection of tales from Welsh myth.
ALVA (2) m EnglishVariant of
ALVAH. A famous bearer of this name was the inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).
ALVAH m BiblicalMeans
"his highness" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned in the Old Testament as belonging to a descendant of Esau.
ALVIN m English, SwedishFrom a medieval form of any of the Old English names
ÆLFWINE,
ÆÐELWINE or
EALDWINE. It was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the Old English names. As a Scandinavian name it is derived from
Alfvin, an Old Norse cognate of
Ælfwine.
ALVIS m Norse Mythology, LatvianFrom the Old Norse
Alvíss meaning
"all wise". In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf who was to marry
Thor's daughter
Thrud. Thor was not pleased with this so he tricked Alvis by asking him questions until the sun rose, at which time the dwarf was turned into stone.
ALWILDA f HistoryLatinized form of
ALFHILD. This was the name of a legendary female Scandinavian pirate, also called Awilda.
ALWYN m WelshFrom the name of the River Alwen in Wales.
ALYSSA f EnglishVariant of
ALICIA. The spelling has probably been influenced by that of the alyssum flower, the name of which is derived from Greek
ἀ (a), a negative prefix, combined with
λύσσα (lyssa) meaning "madness, rabies", since it was believed to cure madness.
AMABILIS m Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"lovable". Saint Amabilis was a 5th-century priest in Riom, central France.
AMADEO m ItalianItalian variant of
AMADEUS. This was the name of a 19th-century king of Spain (born in Italy).
AMADEUS m Late RomanMeans
"love of God", derived from Latin
amare "to love" and
Deus "God". A famous bearer was the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), who was actually born Wolfgang Theophilus Mozart but preferred the Latin translation of his Greek middle name. This name was also assumed as a middle name by the German novelist E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822), who took it in honour of Mozart.
AMAIA f BasqueMeans
"the end" in Basque. This is the name of a character in the historical novel
Amaya, or the Basques in the 8th century (1879) by Francisco Navarro-Villoslada (
Amaya in the Spanish original;
Amaia in the Basque translation).
AMAL (2) m BiblicalMeans
"work" in Hebrew. This was the name of an Asherite in the Old Testament.
AMALRIC m Ancient GermanicGermanic name derived from the elements
amal meaning "work, labour" and
ric meaning "ruler, mighty". This was the name of a 6th-century king of the Visigoths, as well as two 12th-century rulers of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
AMANDA f English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late RomanIn part this is a feminine form of
AMANDUS. However, it was not used during the Middle Ages. In the 17th century it was recreated by authors and poets who based it directly on Latin
amanda meaning
"lovable, worthy of love". Notably, the playwright Colley Cibber used it for a character in his play
Love's Last Shift (1696). It came into regular use during the 19th century.
AMANDUS m Late RomanDerived from Latin
amanda meaning
"lovable, worthy of love". Saint Amandus was a 5th-century bishop of Bordeaux. It was also borne by a 7th-century French saint who evangelized in Flanders.
AMANTIUS m Late RomanMeans
"loving" in Latin. This was the name of several early saints. It has sometimes been confused with the name
Amandus.
AMARANTHA f VariousFrom the name of the amaranth flower, which is derived from Greek
ἀμάραντος (amarantos) meaning "unfading".
Ἀμάραντος (Amarantos) was also an Ancient Greek given name.
AMARIAH m BiblicalMeans
"YAHWEH has said" in Hebrew. This was the name of several Old Testament characters.
AMARO m Galician, Portuguese, SpanishPossibly from the Germanic name
ADELMAR, maybe influenced by Latin
amarus "bitter". This was the name of a legendary saint who was said to have sailed across the Atlantic to a paradise. He is especially popular in Galicia and Asturias in Spain.
AMARYLLIS f LiteratureDerived from Greek
ἀμαρύσσω (amarysso) meaning
"to sparkle". This was the name of a heroine in
Virgil's epic poem
Eclogues. The amaryllis flower is named for her.
AMATERASU f Japanese MythologyMeans
"shining over heaven", from Japanese
天 (ama) meaning "heaven, sky" and
照 (terasu) meaning "shine". This was the name of the Japanese sun goddess, the ruler of the heavens. She was born when
Izanagi washed his left eye after returning from the underworld. At one time the Japanese royal family claimed descent from her.
AMATOR m Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"lover (of God)". Saint Amator was a 5th-century bishop of Auxerre.
AMATUS m Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"beloved". The 7th-century Saint Amatus was the first abbot of Remiremont Abbey.
AMBER f English, DutchFrom the English word
amber that denotes either the gemstone, which is formed from fossil resin, or the orange-yellow colour. The word ultimately derives from Arabic
عنبر ('anbar). It began to be used as a given name in the late 19th century, but it only became popular after the release of Kathleen Winsor's novel
Forever Amber (1944).
AMBROSE m EnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Ambrosius, which was derived from the Greek name
Ἀμβρόσιος (Ambrosios) meaning
"immortal". Saint Ambrose was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Milan, who is considered a Doctor of the Church. Due to the saint, the name came into general use in Christian Europe, though it was never particularly common in England.
AMEDEO m ItalianItalian form of
AMADEUS. A notable bearer of this name was Amedeo Avogadro (1776-1856), an Italian chemist most famous for the constant that now bears his name: Avogadro's Number. Another famous bearer was the Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920).
AMELIA f English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Dutch, German, Ancient GermanicVariant of
AMALIA, though it is sometimes confused with
EMILIA, which has a different origin. The name became popular in England after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century - it was borne by daughters of both George II and George III. The author Henry Fielding used it for the title character in his novel
Amelia (1751). Another famous bearer was Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), the first woman to make a solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean.
... [more] AMENEMHET m Ancient EgyptianMeans
"AMON is foremost" in Egyptian. This was the name of four Egyptian pharaohs, including the founder of the 12th dynasty.
AMENHOTEP m Ancient EgyptianFrom the Egyptian
Ymnhtp meaning
"peace of Amon", derived from the name of the Egyptian god
AMON combined with
htp "peace, satisfaction". This was the name of four pharaohs of the New Kingdom, including Amenhotep III, known as the Magnificent, who ruled over Egypt during a time of great prosperity.
AMERETAT f Persian MythologyMeans
"immortality" in Avestan. This was the name of a Zoroastrian goddess (one of the Amesha Spenta) of plants and long life.
AMERICA f EnglishIn the English-speaking world, this name is usually given in reference to the United States of America (see
AMERIGO). It came into use as an American name in the 19th century.
AMERIGO m ItalianMedieval Italian form of
EMMERICH. Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512) was the Italian explorer who gave the continent of America its name (from
Americus, the Latin form of his name).
AMETHYST f English (Rare)From the name of the purple semi-precious stone, which is derived from the Greek negative prefix
ἀ (a) and
μέθυστος (methystos) meaning "intoxicated, drunk", as it was believed to be a remedy against drunkenness.
AMI (1) m BiblicalMeans
"trustworthy, reliable" in Hebrew. This was the name of a servant of King
Solomon in the Old Testament.
AMI (3) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
亜 (a) meaning "second, Asia" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are possible.
AMICE f Medieval EnglishMedieval name derived from Latin
amicus meaning
"friend". This was a popular name in the Middle Ages, though it has since become uncommon.
AMIKA f EsperantoMeans
"friendly" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin
amicus "friend".