ANTONÍNmCzechCzech form of
Antoninus (see
ANTONINO). A famous bearer was the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904).
ANTONINmFrenchFrench form of
Antoninus (see
ANTONINO). This name was borne by the French playwright Antonin Artaud (1896-1948).
ANTONINOmItalianItalian 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.
ANTONIOmSpanish, Italian, CroatianSpanish and Italian form of
Antonius (see
ANTHONY). A famous bearer was the Italian Renaissance painter Antonio Pisanello (c. 1395-1455). It is also the name of the main character in 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596) by William Shakespeare.
ANTONYmEnglishVariant of
ANTHONY. This was formerly the usual English spelling of the name, but during the 17th century the
h began to be added.
ANUBISmEgyptian Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of
Ανουβις (Anoubis), the Greek form of Egyptian
Inpw (reconstructed as
Anapa) which possibly meant "royal child". 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.
ANUJmIndian, Hindi, MarathiMeans "born later, younger" in Sanskrit. This name is sometimes given to the younger sibling of an older child.
ANUSHfArmenianMeans "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.
ANWARmArabicMeans "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.
ANZORmGeorgian, ChechenPossibly derived from the Georgian noble title
აზნაური (aznauri), ultimately from Middle Persian
aznawar meaning "noble".
AODHmIrish, 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.
AODHÁNmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyFrom the old Irish name
Áedán, 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.
AOIf & mJapaneseFrom 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.
AOIBHEANNfIrishMeans "beautiful sheen" in Irish Gaelic. This was the name of the mother of Saint Enda. It was also borne by Irish royalty.
AOIDEfGreek MythologyMeans "song" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.
AOIFEfIrish, Irish MythologyMeans "beauty" from the Gaelic 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.
AONGHUSmIrish, 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.
APHRAfVariousMeaning uncertain; possibly a variant of
AFRA (1), or possibly a variant of
Aphrah, a biblical place name meaning "dust". This name was born by the English writer Aphra Behn (1640-1689).
APHRODITEfGreek 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
αφρος (aphros) "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.
APOLLINAIREmFrench (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.
APOLLINARISmAncient 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.
APOLLOmGreek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Απολλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to Indo-European *
apelo "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
απολλυμι (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.
APOLLONIOSmAncient GreekFrom an ancient Greek personal name which 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.
APPHIAfBiblicalGreek form of a Hebrew name which possibly meant "increasing". This is a name mentioned in
Paul's epistle to
Philemon in the New Testament.
APPIUSmAncient 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.
APRILfEnglishFrom 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.
AQILmArabicMeans "intelligent, wise" in Arabic. This transcription represents two different Arabic names.
ARAmArmenian, 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.
ARABELLAfEnglishMedieval Scottish name, probably a variant of
ANNABEL. It has long been associated with Latin
orabilis meaning "invokable".
ARACELIfSpanishMeans "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.
ARACHNEfGreek 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.
ARAGORNmLiteratureMeaning 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.
ARAMINTAfEnglish (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.
ARAMISmLiteratureThe surname of one of the musketeers in 'The Three Musketeers' (1844) by Alexandre Dumas. Dumas based the character on Henri d'Aramitz, whose surname was derived from the French village of Aramits.
ARAN (1)f & mIrishFrom the name of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland.
ARANTZAZUfBasqueFrom 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".
ARARATmArmenianFrom 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.
ARASHmPersian, 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.
ARATAmJapaneseFrom Japanese
新 (arata) meaning "fresh, new". Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
ARAWNmWelsh MythologyMeaning unknown. This was the name of the god of the underworld, called Annwfn, in Welsh mythology.
ARAXfArmenianFrom the name of a river (also called the Aras) which flows through Armenia.
ARCADIAfVariousFeminine form of
ARCADIUS. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.
ARCHERmEnglishFrom an English surname meaning "bowman, archer", of Old French origin.
ARCHIBALDmScottish, EnglishDerived from the Germanic elements
ercan "genuine" and
bald "bold". The first element was altered due to the influence of Greek names beginning with the element
αρχος (archos) meaning "master". The Normans brought this name to England. It first became common in Scotland in the Middle Ages.
ARCHILmGeorgianMeaning unknown, of Persian origin. This was the name of an 8th-century Georgian noble who was executed for refusing to convert to Islam.
ARDASHIRmPersianFrom the Middle Persian form of
Artakhshathra (see
ARTAXERXES). This was the name of a 3rd-century king of Persia who defeated the Parthians and founded the Sassanid Empire. He also established Zoroastrianism as the state religion.
ARDENm & fEnglishFrom an English surname, originally taken from various place names, which were derived from a Celtic word meaning "high".
ARDGHALmIrishMeans "high valour", derived from the Irish elements
ard "high" and
gal "valour".
ARELImBiblicalMeans "lion of God, hero" in Hebrew. This was the name of a son of Gad in the Old Testament.
ARESmGreek MythologyPerhaps from either Greek
αρη (are) "bane, ruin" or
αρσην (arsen) "male". The name first appears as
a-re in Mycenaean Greek writing. Ares was the blood-thirsty god of war in Greek mythology, a son of
Zeus and
Hera.
ARETASmBiblicalGreek form of an Aramaic name, of unknown meaning. This was the name of four Nabataean kings of Petra in Jordan, including the first king (2nd century BC). King Aretas IV is mentioned briefly in the New Testament.
ARETHAfEnglishPossibly derived from Greek
αρετη (arete) meaning "virtue". This name was popularized in the 1960s by American singer Aretha Franklin (1942-).
ARGIDERmBasqueDerived from Basque
argi "light" and
eder "beautiful".
ARGUSmGreek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Αργος (Argos), derived from
αργος (argos) meaning "glistening, shining". In Greek myth this name belonged to both the man who built the Argo and a man with a hundred eyes.
ARIA (1)fEnglishMeans "song, melody" in Italian (literally means "air"). An aria is an elaborate vocal solo, the type usually performed in operas. As an English name, it has only been in use since the 20th century. It is not common in Italy.
ARIADNEfGreek MythologyMeans "most holy", composed of the Cretan Greek elements
αρι (ari) "most" and
αδνος (adnos) "holy". In Greek mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King
Minos. She fell in love with
Theseus and helped him to escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, but was later abandoned by him. Eventually she married the god
Dionysus.
ARIANRHODfWelsh, Welsh MythologyPossibly means "silver wheel" or "round wheel" in Welsh. In Welsh myth Arianrhod was the mother of the brothers
Dylan and
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. In earlier myths she was a goddess of the moon.
ARIDAImBiblicalMeaning unknown, possibly of Persian origin. In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the ten sons of
Haman killed by the Jews.
ARIELm & fHebrew, English, French, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical GreekMeans "lion of God" in Hebrew, from
אֲרִי ('ari) meaning "lion" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". In the Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare used it as the name of a spirit in his play 'The Tempest' (1611), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Walt Disney film 'The Little Mermaid' (1989).
ARIESmRoman MythologyMeans "ram" in Latin. This is the name of a constellation and the first sign of the zodiac. Some Roman legends state that the ram in the constellation was the one who supplied the Golden Fleece sought by
Jason.
ARISTAfAstronomyMeans "ear of corn" in Latin. This is the name of a star, also known as Spica, in the constellation Virgo.
ARISTOTLEmAncient Greek (Anglicized)From the Greek name
Αριστοτελης (Aristoteles) which meant "the best purpose", derived from
αριστος (aristos) "best" and
τελος (telos) "purpose, aim". This was the name of a Greek philosopher of the 4th century BC who made lasting contributions to Western thought, including the fields of logic, metaphysics, ethics and biology.
ARJAfFinnishVariant of
IRJA. The Finnish poet Eino Leino used it in his poem 'Arja and Selinä' (1916), though belonging to a male character.
ARJUNAmHinduismMeans "white, clear" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a hero in Hindu texts, the son of the god
Indra and the princess Kunti.
ARKADIOSmAncient GreekFrom an ancient Greek name meaning "of Arcadia". Arcadia was a region in Greece, its name deriving from
αρκτος (arktos) "bear". This was the name of a 3rd-century saint and martyr.
ARKADIYmRussianRussian form of
ARKADIOS. This is the name of one of the main characters in Ivan Turgenev's 'Fathers and Sons' (1862).
ARKEmFrisianOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
arn meaning "eagle".
ARLIEf & mEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "eagle wood" in Old English. This name can also be a diminutive of
ARLENE.
ARLINEfEnglishMeaning unknown, possibly invented by Michael William Balfe for the main character in his opera 'The Bohemian Girl' (1843).
ARLOmEnglishMeaning uncertain. It was perhaps inspired by the fictional place name Arlo Hill from the poem 'The Faerie Queene' (1590) by Edmund Spenser. Spenser probably got Arlo by altering the real Irish place name Aherlow, which is Gaelic meaning "between two highlands".
ARLOTTOmMedieval ItalianMedieval Italian name, recorded in Latin as
Arlotus. It is possibly from Old French
herlot meaning "vagabond, tramp".
ARMASmFinnishMeans "beloved" in Finnish (an archaic poetic word).
ARMELmFrenchFrom the old Welsh name
Arthfael, which was composed of the elements
arth "bear" and
mael "prince". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh saint who founded abbeys in Brittany.
ARMIDAfItalian, SpanishProbably created by the 16th-century Italian poet Torquato Tasso for his epic poem 'Jerusalem Delivered' (1580). In the poem Armida is a beautiful enchantress who bewitches many of the crusaders.
ARMIDEfLiteratureFrench form of
ARMIDA. This is the name of operas by Jean-Baptiste Lully (in 1686) and Christoph Willibald Gluck (in 1777), both of which were based on 'Jerusalem Delivered' by Torquato Tasso.
ARMINIUSmAncient Germanic (Latinized)Latinized form of a Germanic name which was probably derived from the element
ermen meaning "whole, universal". Other theories claim that it is related to
HERMAN. Arminius was a 1st-century ruler of the Cherusci who led a rebellion against the Roman Empire.
ARNFINNmNorwegianNorwegian form of
Arnfinnr, which was derived from the elements
arn "eagle" and
Finnr "Sámi, person from Finland".
ARNOLDmEnglish, German, Dutch, Ancient GermanicFrom a Germanic name meaning "eagle power", derived from the elements
arn "eagle" and
wald "power". The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Earnweald. It died out as an English name after the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century.
... [more] ÁRPÁDmHungarianFrom Hungarian
árpa meaning "barley". This was the name of a 9th-century Magyar ruler who led his people into Hungary. He is considered a Hungarian national hero.
ARRANmScottishFrom the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland in the Firth of Clyde.