ANISSA f EnglishThis name was first brought to public attention in 1966 by the child actress Anissa Jones (1958-1976). In her case it was a transcription of the Arabic name
أنيسة (see
ANISA), given to honour her Lebanese heritage. Other parents who have since used this name may view it simply as an elaboration of
ANNA using the popular name suffix
issa.
ANITA (1) f Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Slovene, English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, LatvianSpanish, Portuguese, Croatian and Slovene diminutive of
ANA.
ANN f English, ManxEnglish and Manx form of
ANNE (1). In the English-speaking world, both this spelling and
Anne have been used since the late Middle Ages. Currently
Ann is less popular than
Anne (and both are less popular than their relatives
Anna and
Hannah).
ANNA f English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Icelandic, Faroese, Catalan, Occitan, Breton, Biblical, Old Church Slavic, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekForm of
Channah (see
HANNAH) used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the
Hannah spelling instead of
Anna. The name appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized
Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin
Mary.
... [more] ANNAGÜL f TurkmenDerived from Turkmen
anna "Friday" and
gül "flower, rose".
ANNE (1) f French, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, German, Dutch, BasqueFrench form of
ANNA. It was imported to England in the 13th century, but it did not become popular until three centuries later. The spelling variant
Ann was also commonly found from this period, and is still used to this day.
... [more] ANNUNZIATA f ItalianMeans
"announced" in Italian, referring to the event in the New Testament in which the angel Gabriel tells the Virgin
Mary of the imminent birth of
Jesus.
ANONA f EnglishMeaning unknown. It was possibly inspired by an American song by this name written by Vivian Grey in 1903 and recorded by musician Vess Ossman. The lyrics tell of a Native American woman named Anona from Arizona.
ANSA f FinnishDerived from Finnish
ansio "virtue" or
ansa "trap".
ANSALDO m ItalianItalian form of a Germanic name composed of the elements
ans "god" and
wald "power, leader, ruler".
ANSAR m Arabic, UrduMeans
"helpers" in Arabic, referring to those who helped the Prophet
Muhammad when he came to Medina.
ANSEL m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the given name
ANSELM. A famous bearer was American photographer Ansel Adams (1902-1984).
ANSELM m German, English (Rare), Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic elements
ans "god" and
helm "helmet, protection". This name was brought to England in the late 11th century by Saint Anselm, who was born in northern Italy. He was archbishop of Canterbury and a Doctor of the Church.
ANTARES m AstronomyFrom Greek
Ἀντάρης (Antares), traditionally said to mean
"opposing ARES". This is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius.
ANTE (2) m FrisianShort form of names beginning with the Germanic element
and "wrath, zeal".
ANTHELM m Ancient GermanicFrom the Germanic element
and "wrath, zeal" combined with
helm "helmet, protection". Saint Anthelm was a 12th-century bishop of Belley in France.
ANTHONY m EnglishEnglish form of the Roman family name
Antonius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. The most notable member of the Roman family was the general Marcus Antonius (called Mark Antony in English), who for a period in the 1st century BC ruled the Roman Empire jointly with Augustus. When their relationship turned sour, he and his mistress Cleopatra were attacked and forced to commit suicide, as related in Shakespeare's tragedy
Antony and Cleopatra (1606).
... [more] ANTIGONE f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
γονή (gone) meaning "birth, offspring". In Greek legend Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. King Creon of Thebes declared that her slain brother Polynices was to remain unburied, a great dishonour. She disobeyed and gave him a proper burial, and for this she was sealed alive in a cave.
ANTIOCHUS m Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Ἀντίοχος (Antiochos), derived from Greek
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
ὀχή (oche) meaning "support". This was the name of several rulers of the Seleucid Empire. It was also borne by a 2nd-century Christian martyr, the patron saint of Sardinia.
ANTIOPE f Greek MythologyDerived from the Greek elements
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". This was the name of several figures in Greek mythology, including a daughter of
Ares who was one of the queens of the Amazons. She was kidnapped and married by
Theseus.
ANTIPATER m Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Ἀντίπατρος (Antipatros), which meant
"like the father" from Greek
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" (genitive
πατρός). This was the name of an officer of Alexander the Great who became the regent of Macedon during Alexander's absence.
ANTOINETTE f FrenchFeminine diminutive of
ANTOINE. This name was borne by Marie Antoinette, the queen of France during the French Revolution. She was executed by guillotine.
ANTON m German, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, Croatian, Romanian, Estonian, Finnish, EnglishForm of
Antonius (see
ANTHONY) used in various languages.
ANTONIA f Italian, Spanish, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Romanian, Greek, Croatian, Bulgarian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Antonius (see
ANTHONY).
ANTONÍN m CzechCzech form of
Antoninus (see
ANTONINO), also used as the Czech form of
Antonius (see
ANTHONY). A famous bearer was the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904).
ANTONIN m FrenchFrench form of
Antoninus (see
ANTONINO). This name was borne by the French playwright Antonin Artaud (1896-1948).
ANTONINO m ItalianItalian form of the Roman name
Antoninus, which was derived from
Antonius (see
ANTHONY). There were several early saints named Antoninus, including the patron saint of Sorrento. This was also the name of a 2nd-century Roman emperor.
ANTONIO m Spanish, Italian, CroatianSpanish and Italian form of
Antonius (see
ANTHONY). This has been a common name in Italy since the 14th century. In Spain it was the most popular name for boys in the 1950s and 60s.
... [more] ANTONY m EnglishVariant of
ANTHONY. This was formerly the usual English spelling of the name, but during the 17th century the
h began to be added.
ANUBIS m Egyptian Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of
Ἄνουβις (Anoubis), the Greek form of Egyptian
Inpw (reconstructed as
Anapa and other forms), which coincided with a word meaning
"royal child, prince". However, it might alternatively be derived from the root
inp meaning
"to decay". Anubis was the Egyptian god who led the dead to the underworld. He was often depicted as a man with the head of a jackal. The Greeks equated him with their god
Hermes.
ANUJ m Indian, Hindi, MarathiMeans
"born later, younger" in Sanskrit. This name is sometimes given to the younger sibling of an older child.
ANUSH f ArmenianMeans
"sweet" in Armenian. This was the name of an 1890 novel by the Armenia writer Hovhannes Tumanyan. It was adapted into an opera in 1912 by Armen Tigranian.
ANWAR m Arabic, Urdu, IndonesianMeans
"brighter, more luminous" in Arabic. This name was borne by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat (1918-1981), who was assassinated three years after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
ANZOR m Georgian, ChechenPossibly derived from the Georgian noble title
აზნაური (aznauri), ultimately from Middle Persian
aznawar meaning
"noble".
AODH m Irish, Scottish, Irish MythologyFrom the old Irish name
Áed, which meant
"fire". This was a very popular name in early Ireland, being borne by numerous figures in Irish mythology and several high kings. It has been traditionally Anglicized as
Hugh.
AODHÁN m Irish, Scottish, Irish MythologyFrom the old Irish name
Áedán meaning
"little fire", a diminutive of
Áed (see
AODH). This was the name of an Irish monk and saint of the 7th century. It was also borne by several characters in Irish mythology.
AOI f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
葵 (aoi) meaning "hollyhock, althea" or an adjectival form of
碧 (ao) meaning "green, blue". Other kanji with the same reading can form this name as well.
AOIBHEANN f IrishMeans
"beautiful, pleasant, radiant" in Irish Gaelic. This was the name of the mother of Saint Enda. It was also borne by Irish royalty.
AOIDE f Greek MythologyMeans
"song" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.
AOIFE f Irish, Irish MythologyMeans
"beauty" from the Irish word
aoibh. In Irish legend Aoife was a warrior princess. In war against her sister Scathach, she was defeated in single combat by the hero
Cúchulainn. Eventually she was reconciled with her sister and became the lover of Cúchulainn. This name is sometimes used as a Gaelic form of
EVE or
EVA.
AONGHUS m Irish, Scottish, Irish MythologyPossibly meaning
"one strength" derived from Irish
óen "one" and
gus "force, strength, energy". Aonghus (sometimes surnamed
Mac Og meaning "young son") was the Irish god of love and youth. The name was also borne by an 8th-century Pictish king and several Irish kings.
APARECIDA f PortugueseMeans
"appeared" in Portuguese, taken from the Brazilian title of the Virgin
Mary Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida, meaning "Our Lady of the Conception Who Appeared". It refers to a statue of the Virgin Mary that was said to have been pulled from a river by fishermen in the 18th century. Our Lady of Aparecida is regarded as the patron saint of Brazil.
APHRA f VariousMeaning uncertain; possibly a variant of
AFRA (1), or possibly a variant of
Aphrah, a biblical place name meaning "dust". This name was borne by the English writer Aphra Behn (1640-1689).
APHRODITE f Greek MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly of Phoenician origin. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty, identified with the Roman goddess
Venus. She was the wife of
Hephaestus and the mother of
Eros, and she was often associated with the myrtle tree and doves. The Greeks connected her name with
ἀφρός (aphros) meaning
"foam", resulting in the story that she was born from the foam of the sea. Many of her characteristics are based on the goddess known as
Ashtoreth to the Phoenicians and
Ishtar to the Mesopotamian Semitic peoples, and on the Sumerian goddess
Inanna.
APOLLINAIRE m French (Rare)French form of
APOLLINARIS. It was adopted as a surname by the Polish-French poet Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918), who based it on his Polish middle name Apolinary.
APOLLINARIS m Ancient GreekAncient Greek name derived from the name of the god
APOLLO. This was the name of several early saints and martyrs, including a bishop of Ravenna and a bishop of Hierapolis.
APOLLO m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Ἀπόλλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to Indo-European *
apelo meaning
"strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means
"father lion" or
"father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb
ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) meaning
"to destroy". In Greek mythology Apollo was the son of
Zeus and
Leto and the twin of
Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.
APOLLONIOS m Ancient GreekFrom an ancient Greek personal name that was derived from the name of the Greek god
APOLLO. It was borne by a Greek poet of the 3rd century BC. Several saints have also had this name.
APPHIA f BiblicalGreek form of a Hebrew name that possibly meant
"increasing". This is a name mentioned in
Paul's epistle to
Philemon in the New Testament.
APPIUS m Ancient RomanThis was a Roman praenomen, or given name, used predominantly by the Claudia family. Its etymology is unknown. A famous bearer of this name was Appius Claudius Caecus, a Roman statesman of the 3rd century BC. He was responsible for the Aqua Appia (the first Roman aqueduct) and the Appian Way (a road between Rome and Capua), both of which were named for him.
APRIL f EnglishFrom the name of the month, probably originally derived from Latin
aperire "to open", referring to the opening of flowers. It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 1940s.
AQIL m ArabicMeans
"intelligent, wise" in Arabic. This transcription represents two different Arabic spellings.
ARA m Armenian, Armenian MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly of Sumerian origin. In Armenian legend this was the name of an Armenian king who was so handsome that the Assyrian queen Semiramis went to war to capture him. During the war Ara was slain.
ARABELLA f EnglishMedieval Scottish name, probably a variant of
ANNABEL. It has long been associated with Latin
orabilis meaning "invokable, yielding to prayer".
ARACELI f SpanishMeans
"altar of the sky" from Latin
ara "altar" and
coeli "sky". This is an epithet of the Virgin
Mary in her role as the patron saint of Lucena, Spain.
ARACHNE f Greek MythologyMeans
"spider" in Greek. In Greek myth Arachne was a mortal woman who defeated
Athena in a weaving contest. After this Arachne hanged herself, but Athena brought her back to life in the form of a spider.
ARAGORN m LiteratureMeaning unexplained, though the first element is presumably Sindarin
ara "noble, kingly". This is the name of a character in
The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien. In the book Aragorn is the heir of the Dúnedain kings of the north.
ARAMINTA f English (Rare)Meaning unknown. This name was (first?) used by William Congreve in his comedy
The Old Bachelor (1693) and later by Sir John Vanbrugh in his comedy
The Confederacy (1705). This was the real name of abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), who was born Araminta Ross.
ARAMIS m LiteratureThe surname of one of the musketeers in
The Three Musketeers (1844) by Alexandre Dumas. Dumas based the character on the 17th-century Henri d'Aramitz, whose surname was derived from the French village of Aramits (itself from Basque
aran meaning "valley").
ARAN (1) f & m IrishFrom the name of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland.
ARANTZAZU f BasqueFrom the name of a place near the Spanish town of Oñati where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. Its name is derived from Basque
arantza "thornbush".
ARARAT m ArmenianFrom the name of a mountain in eastern Turkey (formerly part of Armenia), the place where
Noah's Ark came to rest according to the Old Testament.
ARASH m Persian, Persian MythologyPossibly means either
"truthfulness" or
"bright" in Persian. In Persian legend Arash was a Persian archer who was ordered by the Turans to shoot an arrow, the landing place of which would determine the new location of the Persian-Turan border. Arash climbed a mountain and fired his arrow with such strength that it flew for several hours and landed on the banks of the far-away Oxus River.
ARATA m JapaneseFrom Japanese
新 (arata) meaning "fresh, new". Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
ARAWN m Welsh MythologyMeaning unknown. This was the name of the god of the underworld, called Annwfn, in Welsh mythology.
ARAX f ArmenianFrom the name of an Armenian river, also called the Aras.
ARCADIA f VariousFeminine form of
ARCADIUS. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.