BLÁTHNATfIrish, Irish MythologyMeans "little flower" from the Irish word
blath "flower" combined with a diminutive suffix. In Irish legend she was a maiden abducted and married by Cú Roí. She was rescued by
Cúchulainn, who killed her husband, but she was in turn murdered by one of Cú Roí's loyal servants.
BLEDAmHistoryPossibly from a Turkic root meaning "wise". According to other theories the name was of Gothic origin, or was a Gothicized form of a Hunnic name. This was the name of the brother of Attila.
BLEDDYNmWelshFrom Welsh
blaidd "wolf" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 11th-century king of Gwynedd and Powys.
BLODEUWEDDfWelsh, Welsh MythologyMeans "face of flowers" in Welsh. In a story in the Mabinogion, she is created out of flowers by
Gwydion to be the wife of his nephew
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. She is eventually changed into an owl for her infidelity.
BLODWENfWelshMeans "white flowers" from Welsh
blodau "flowers" combined with
gwen "white, fair, blessed".
BLONDIEfEnglish (Rare)From a nickname for a person with blond hair. This is the name of the title character in a comic strip by Chic Young.
BLOSSOMfEnglishFrom the English word
blossom, ultimately from Old English
blóstm. It came into use as a rare given name in the 19th century.
BO (1)mSwedish, DanishFrom the Old Norse byname
Búi which was derived from Old Norse
bua meaning "to live".
BO (2)m & fChineseFrom Chinese
波 (bō) meaning "wave", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
BOBmEnglish, DutchShort form of
ROBERT. It arose later than
Dob,
Hob and
Nob, which were medieval rhyming nicknames of Robert. It was borne by the character Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel 'A Christmas Carol' (1843). Other famous bearers include American folk musician Bob Dylan (1941-) and Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
BOBBYmEnglishDiminutive of
BOB. Hockey greats Bobby Hull (1939-) and Bobby Orr (1948-) have borne this name.
BOGLÁRKAfHungarianMeans "buttercup" in Hungarian, derived from the archaic word
boglár meaning "ornament".
BOGUSŁAWmPolishMeans "glory of God" from the Slavic elements
bogu "god" and
slava "glory". This name was borne by several dukes of Pomerania, beginning in the 12th century.
BOLATmKazakhFrom a Turkic word meaning "steel", ultimately from Persian.
BOLESŁAWmPolishDerived from the Slavic elements
bolye "more, greater" and
slava "glory". This was the name of kings of Poland, starting in the 11th century with the first Polish king Bolesław the Brave.
BOLÍVARmSpanish (Latin American)From a surname which was taken from the Basque place name
Bolibar, which was derived from
bolu "mill" and
ibar "riverside". A famous bearer of the surname was Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), a South American revolutionary leader, after whom the country of Bolivia is named.
BONAVENTURAmItalianMeans "good fortune" in Italian. Saint Bonaventura was a 13th-century Franciscan monk who is considered a Doctor of the Church.
BONIFACEmFrench, English (Rare)From the Late Latin name
Bonifatius, which meant "good fate" from
bonum "good" and
fatum "fate". This was the name of nine popes and also several saints, including an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon missionary to Germany (originally named Winfrid) who is now regarded as the patron saint of that country. It came into use in England during the Middle Ages, but became rare after the Protestant Reformation.
BONITAfEnglishMeans "pretty" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin
bonus "good". It has been used as a name in the English-speaking world since the beginning of the 20th century.
BONITUSmLate RomanDerived from a diminutive of Latin
bonus meaning "good". This was the name of a 7th-century century saint, a bishop of Auvergne.
BONNIEfEnglishMeans "pretty" from the Scottish word
bonnie, which was itself derived from Middle French
bon "good". It has been in use as an American given name since the 19th century, and it became especially popular after the movie 'Gone with the Wind' (1939), in which it was the nickname of Scarlett's daughter.
BOOKERmEnglishFrom an English occupational surname meaning "maker of books". A famous bearer was Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an African-American leader.
BOPHAfKhmerMeans "flower" in Khmer, ultimately from Pali.
BORmSloveneShort form of names containing
bor, such as
BORISLAV or
BORIS. It is also a South Slavic word meaning "pine tree".
BORA (1)mTurkishMeans "storm, squall" in Turkish, ultimately related to Greek
Βορεας (Boreas), the name of the god of the north wind.
BORISmBulgarian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Georgian, GermanFrom the Turkic name
Bogoris, perhaps meaning "short" or "wolf" or "snow leopard". It was borne by the 9th-century King Boris I of Bulgaria who converted his country to Christianity, as well as two later Bulgarian emperors. The name was popularized in the Slavic world due to the 11th-century Saint Boris, who was a Russian prince martyred with his brother Gleb. His mother may have been Bulgarian. Another famous bearer was the 16th-century Russian emperor Boris Godunov, later the subject of a play of that name by Aleksandr Pushkin.
BOŘIVOJmCzechDerived from the Slavic elements
borti "battle" and
voji "soldier". This name was borne by a 9th-century duke of Bohemia.
BOUDICCAfAncient Celtic (Latinized)Derived from Brythonic
boud meaning "victory". This was the name of a 1st-century queen of the Iceni who led the Britons in revolt against the Romans. Eventually her forces were defeated and she committed suicide. Her name is first recorded in Roman histories, as
Boudicca by Tacitus and
Βουδουικα (Boudouika) by Cassius Dio.
BOYCEmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from Old French
bois "wood".
BOYDmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname which was possibly derived from the name of the island of Bute.
BOYKOmBulgarianOriginally a diminutive of names containing the Slavic element
boji meaning "battle".
BRADmEnglishShort form of
BRADLEY,
BRADFORD, and other names beginning with
Brad. A famous bearer is American actor Brad Pitt (1963-).
BRÁDACHmIrishPossibly derived from a Gaelic word meaning "large-chested".
BRADFORDmEnglishFrom a surname which originally came from a place name that meant "broad ford" in Old English.
BRADLEYmEnglishFrom a surname which originally came from a place name meaning "broad clearing" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the World War II American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).
BRAHMAmHinduismMeans "growth, expansion, creation" in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Brahma is the creator and director of the universe, the balance between the opposing forces of
Vishnu and
Shiva. He is often depicted with four heads and four arms.
BRAMmEnglish, DutchShort form of
ABRAHAM. This name was borne by Bram Stoker (1847-1912), the Irish author who wrote 'Dracula'.
BRAN (2)mWelsh, Welsh MythologyMeans "raven" in Welsh. In Welsh legend Bran the Blessed (called also Bendigeid Vran) was the son of the god
Llyr. Later Welsh legends describe him as a king of Britain who was killed attacking Ireland.
BRANDONmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "hill covered with broom" in Old English. It is sometimes also used as a variant of
BRENDAN.
BRANDYfEnglishFrom the English word
brandy for the alcoholic drink. It is ultimately from Dutch
brandewijn "burnt wine". It has been in use as a given name since the 1960s.
BRANTLEYmEnglish (Modern)From a surname, an Americanized form of the German surname
Brändle, ultimately from Old High German
brant "fire".
BRANWENfWelsh, Welsh MythologyMeans "beautiful raven" from Welsh
bran "raven" and
gwen "fair, white, blessed". In the Mabinogion, a collection of tales from Welsh myth, she is the sister of the British king
Bran and the wife of the Irish king Matholwch.
BRAXTONmEnglishFrom a surname which was originally derived from an Old English place name meaning "Bracca's town".
BRECHTmDutchShort form of names containing
brecht, often derived from the Germanic element
beraht meaning "bright".
BREDA (2)fSloveneMeaning unknown. It was used by the Slovene author Ivan Pregelj for the title character in his novel 'Mlada Breda' (1913).
BRENDAfEnglishPossibly a feminine form of the Old Norse name
Brandr, meaning "sword", which was brought to Britain in the Middle Ages. This name is sometimes used as a feminine form of
BRENDAN.
BRENDANmIrish, EnglishFrom
Brendanus, the Latinized form of the Irish name
Bréanainn which was derived from a Welsh word meaning "prince". Saint Brendan was a 6th-century Irish abbot who, according to legend, crossed the Atlantic and reached North America with 17 other monks.
BRENNANmIrish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname derived from
Ó Braonáin meaning "descendant of Braonán".
Braonán is a byname meaning "rain, moisture, drop" (with a diminutive suffix).
BRENNUSmAncient Celtic (Latinized)Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either "king, prince" or "raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.
BRENTmEnglishFrom an English surname, originally taken from various place names, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".
BRENTONmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from an English place name which meant "Bryni's town".
Bryni was Old English name meaning "fire".
BRETTm & fEnglishFrom a Middle English surname meaning "a Breton", referring to an inhabitant of Brittany. A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Brett Favre (1969-).
BRIALLENfWelshDerived from Welsh
briallu meaning "primrose". This is a modern Welsh name.
BRIANmEnglish, Irish, Ancient IrishThe meaning of this name is not known for certain but it is possibly related to the old Celtic element
bre meaning "hill", or by extension "high, noble". It was borne by the semi-legendary Irish king Brian Boru, who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. He was slain in the Battle of Clontarf, though his forces were decisively victorious. The name was common in Ireland before his time, and even more so afterwards. It came into use in England in the Middle Ages, introduced by Breton settlers. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.
BRIANAfEnglishFeminine form of
BRIAN. This name was used by Edmund Spenser in 'The Faerie Queene' (1590). The name was not commonly used until the 1970s, when it rapidly became popular in the United States.
BRICEmFrench, EnglishFrom the name
Bricius, which was probably a Latinized form of a Gaulish name meaning "speckled". This was the name of a 5th-century saint, a disciple of Saint Martin of Tours.
BRIDGERmEnglish (Modern)From an English surname which originally indicated a person who lived near or worked on a bridge.
BRIDGETfIrish, English, Irish MythologyAnglicized form of the Irish name
Brighid which means "exalted one". In Irish mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom, the daughter of the god Dagda. In the 5th century it was borne by Saint Brigid, the founder of a monastery at Kildare and a patron saint of Ireland. Because of the saint, the name was considered sacred in Ireland, and it did not come into general use there until the 17th century. In the form
Birgitta this name has been common in Scandinavia, made popular by the 14th-century Saint Birgitta of Sweden, patron saint of Europe.
BRIELLEfEnglish (Modern)Short form of
GABRIELLE. This is also the name of towns in the Netherlands and New Jersey, though their names derive from a different source.
BRÍGHfIrishDerived from Irish
brígh meaning "power, high".
BRIGHAMmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was originally derived from place names meaning "bridge settlement" in Old English.
BRIJESHAmHinduismMeans "ruler of Brij" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna, Brij being a region associated with him.
BRISCOEmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "birch wood" in Old Norse.
BRISEISfGreek MythologyPatronymic derived from
Βρισευς (Briseus), a Greek name of unknown meaning. In Greek mythology Briseis (real name Hippodameia) was the daughter of Briseus. She was captured during the Trojan War by
Achilles. After
Agamemnon took her away from him, Achilles refused to fight in the war.
BRITANNIAfEnglish (Rare)From the Latin name of the island of Britain, in occasional use as an English given name since the 18th century. This is also the name of the Roman female personification of Britain pictured on some British coins.
BRITTANYfEnglishFrom the name of the region in the northwest of France, called in French
Bretagne. It was named for the Britons who settled there after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the invasions of the Anglo-Saxons. As a given name, it first came into common use in America in the 1970s.
BRITTONmEnglishDerived from a Middle English surname meaning "a Briton" (a Celt of England) or "a Breton" (an inhabitant of Brittany).
BROCKmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from Old English
brocc meaning "badger".
BRODYmEnglishFrom a surname which was originally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It probably means "ditch, mire" in Gaelic.
BROGANm & fIrishDerived from Gaelic
bróg "shoe" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several Irish saints, including Saint
Patrick's scribe.
BRÓNACHfIrishDerived from Irish Gaelic
brón meaning "sorrow". Saint Brónach was a 6th-century mystic from Ireland.
BRONISŁAWmPolishDerived from the Slavic elements
borna "protection" and
slava "glory". A famous Polish anthropologist, Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1942), has borne this name.