AMINTA m LiteratureForm of
AMYNTAS used by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso for his play
Aminta (1573). In the play Aminta is a shepherd who falls in love with a nymph.
AMIRAN m Georgian, LiteratureVariant of
AMIRANI. This is the name of the central character in the medieval Georgian romance
Amiran-Darejaniani by Moses of Khoni. The author was inspired by the mythical Amirani and the stories surrounding him, and loosely based his tale on them.
AMIRANI m Georgian MythologyMeaning unknown, probably of Proto-Kartvelian origin. This is the name of a hero from Georgian mythology whose story is similar to that of
Prometheus from Greek mythology.
AMISTA f ChamorroMeans
"loyalty" in Chamorro, derived from Spanish
amistad "friendship".
AMIT (1) m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Punjabi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, NepaliMeans
"immeasurable, infinite" in Sanskrit.
AMITABH m Indian, HindiMeans
"immeasurable splendour" in Sanskrit. A famous bearer is Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan (1942-).
AMITY f English (Rare)From the English word meaning
"friendship", ultimately deriving from Latin
amicitia.
AMON m Egyptian Mythology (Anglicized)From
Ἄμμων (Ammon), the Greek form of Egyptian
Ymn (reconstructed as
Yamanu) meaning
"the hidden one". In early Egyptian mythology he was a god of the air, creativity and fertility, who was particularly revered in Thebes. Later, during the Middle Kingdom, his attributes were combined with those of the god
Ra and he was worshipped as the supreme solar deity
Amon-Ra.
AMOS m English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewFrom Hebrew
עָמַס ('amas) meaning
"load, burden". Amos is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Amos, which speaks against greed, corruption and oppression of the poor. Written about the 8th century BC, it is among the oldest of the prophetic books. As an English name,
Amos has been used since the Protestant Reformation, and was popular among the Puritans.
AMPELIO m ItalianItalian form of
Ampelius, the Latin form of the Greek name
Ἀμπέλιος (Ampelios), which was derived from
ἄμπελος (ampelos) meaning
"vine". Saint Ampelius was a 7th-century bishop of Milan.
AMPORN f ThaiDerived from Thai
อํา (am) meaning "hidden, concealed" and
พร (phon) meaning "blessing".
AMRIT m Indian, HindiMeans
"immortal" from Sanskrit
अ (a) meaning "not" and
मृत (mrta) meaning "dead". In Hindu texts it refers to a drink that gives immortality.
AMULIUS m Roman MythologyMeaning unknown. In Roman mythology Amulius overthrew his brother Numitor, king of Alba Longa, but was eventually deposed by Numitor's grandsons
Romulus and
Remus.
AMUND m NorwegianDerived from the Old Norse name
Agmundr, from the element
egg "edge of a sword" or
agi "awe, terror" combined with
mundr "protection".
AMY f EnglishEnglish form of the Old French name
Amée meaning
"beloved" (modern French
aimée), a vernacular form of the Latin
Amata. As an English name, it was in use in the Middle Ages (though not common) and was revived in the 19th century.
AMYAS m English (Rare)Meaning unknown, perhaps a derivative of
AMIS. Alternatively, it may come from a surname that originally indicated that the bearer was from the city of Amiens in France. Edmund Spenser used this name for a minor character in his epic poem
The Faerie Queene (1590).
AN (1) m & f Chinese, VietnameseFrom Chinese
安 (ān) meaning "peace, quiet" or other characters with a similar pronunciation. As a Vietnamese name, it is derived from Sino-Vietnamese
安 meaning "safe, secure".
ANAH f & m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"answer" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name belongs to one female character and two male characters.
ANAKIN m Popular CultureMeaning unknown. This is the name of a character (also known as Darth Vader) in the
Star Wars movie saga, created by George Lucas. Lucas may have based it on the surname of his friend and fellow director Ken Annakin.
ANARA f Kazakh, KyrgyzFrom Kazakh and Kyrgyz
анар (anar) meaning
"pomegranate", a word ultimately derived from Persian.
ANARGYROS m GreekFrom the Greek term
ἀνάργυρος (anargyros) meaning
"poor, incorruptible", derived from Greek
ἀ (a), a negative prefix, combined with
ἄργυρος (argyros) meaning "silver". This term referred to saints who did not accept payment for their services.
ANAS m ArabicMeans
"friendliness" in Arabic. This was the name of one of the Prophet
Muhammad's companions.
ANASTASIA f Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, English, Spanish, Italian, Georgian, Ancient GreekFeminine form of
ANASTASIUS. This was the name of a 4th-century Dalmatian saint who was martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Due to her, the name has been common in Eastern Orthodox Christianity (in various spellings). As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the youngest daughter of the last Russian tsar Nicholas II, who was rumoured to have escaped the execution of her family in 1918.
ANASTASIUS m Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Ἀναστάσιος (Anastasios), which meant
"resurrection" from Greek
ἀνάστασις (anastasis) (composed of the elements
ἀνά (ana) meaning "up" and
στάσις (stasis) meaning "standing"). This was the name of numerous early saints and martyrs, including a 7th-century monk and writer from Alexandria who is especially venerated in the Eastern Church.
ANAT (1) f Semitic MythologyPossibly derived from a Semitic root meaning
"water spring". Anat was a goddess of fertility, hunting and war worshipped by the Semitic peoples of the Levant. She was the sister and consort of the god
Hadad.
ANATOLIA f Late RomanFeminine form of
ANATOLIUS. This was the name of a 3rd-century Italian saint and martyr. This is also a place name (from the same Greek origin) referring to the large peninsula that makes up the majority of Turkey.
ANDEOLUS m Late RomanMeaning unknown. This was the name of a saint who was martyred in southern Gaul (at the town now known as Bourg-Saint-Andéol) in 3rd century.
ANDOR (1) m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Arnþórr, derived from the element
arn "eagle" combined with the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
THOR).
ANDRASTE f Celtic MythologyPossibly means
"invincible" in Celtic. This was the name of a Briton goddess of victory who was invoked by
Boudicca before her revolt.
ANDREA (1) m ItalianItalian form of
Andreas (see
ANDREW). A notable bearer of this name was Andrea Verrocchio, a Renaissance sculptor who taught Leonardo da Vinci and Perugino.
ANDREA (2) f English, German, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Croatian, SerbianFeminine form of
ANDREW. As an English name, it has been used since the 17th century, though it was not common until the 20th century.
ANDREAS m German, Greek, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Welsh, Ancient Greek, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekAncient Greek and Latin form of
ANDREW. It is also the form used in Modern Greek, German and Welsh.
ANDREW m English, BiblicalEnglish form of the Greek name
Ἀνδρέας (Andreas), which was derived from
ἀνδρεῖος (andreios) meaning
"manly, masculine", a derivative of
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man". In the New Testament the apostle Andrew, the first disciple to join
Jesus, is the brother of
Simon Peter. According to tradition, he later preached in the Black Sea region, with some legends saying he was crucified on an X-shaped cross.
Andrew, being a Greek name, was probably only a nickname or a translation of his real Hebrew name, which is not known.
... [more] ANDROMEDA f Greek MythologyMeans
"to be mindful of a man" from the Greek element
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός) combined with
μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of". In Greek mythology Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess rescued from sacrifice by the hero
Perseus. A constellation in the northern sky is named for her. This is also the name of a nearby galaxy, given because it resides (from our point of view) within the constellation.
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.
ANE (2) m FrisianShort form of names beginning with the Germanic element
arn "eagle".
ANEIRIN m WelshWelsh name, originally spelled
Neirin, which possibly means
"noble". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh poet.
ANFISA f RussianRussian form of the Greek name
Ἀνθοῦσα (Anthousa), which was derived from Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning
"flower". This was the name of a 9th-century Byzantine saint.
ANGEL m & f English, Bulgarian, MacedonianFrom the medieval Latin masculine name
Angelus, which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.
ANGELA f English, Italian, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Slovak, Russian, Macedonian, Late RomanFeminine form of
Angelus (see
ANGEL). As an English name, it came into use in the 18th century.
ÁNGELES f SpanishMeans
"angels", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles, meaning "Our Lady the Queen of the Angels".
ANGELICA f English, Italian, RomanianDerived from Latin
angelicus meaning
"angelic", ultimately related to Greek
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger". The poets Boiardo and Ariosto used this name in their
Orlando poems (1483 and 1532), where it belongs to
Orlando's love interest. It has been used as a given name since the 18th century.
ANGERONA f Roman MythologyPossibly from Latin
angor "strangulation, torment" or
angustus "narrow, constricted". Angerona was the Roman goddess of the winter solstice, death, and silence.
ANH m & f VietnameseThis name is frequently combined with a middle name to create a compound name; the meaning of
Anh changes depending on the Sino-Vietnamese characters underlying the compound. It is often from Sino-Vietnamese
英 (anh) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero", though in compounds it often takes on the meaning "intelligent, bright".
ANI (2) f ArmenianFrom the name of an old Armenian city, of unknown meaning. Now in eastern Turkey, in the 10th and 11th centuries it was the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, though it was later abandoned and is now only ruins.
ANIL m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, NepaliDerived from Sanskrit
अनिल (anila) meaning
"air, wind". This is another name of
Vayu, the Hindu god of the wind.
ANIMA (1) f Indian, HindiMeans
"minuteness" from Sanskrit
अणिमन (animan). In yoga texts, this is the name of the ability to make oneself infinitely small so to be invisible.
ANIMA (2) f English (Rare)Means
"soul, spirit" in Latin. In Jungian psychology the anima is an individual's true inner self, or soul.