Brenda f EnglishPossibly 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.
Brendan m Irish, English, BretonFrom
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.
Brennan m Irish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname derived from
Ó Braonáin meaning
"descendant of Braonán".
Braonán is a byname meaning "rain, moisture, drop" (with a diminutive suffix).
Brennus m Gaulish (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.
Brent m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally taken from various place names, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning
"hill".
Brenton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from an English place name meaning
"Bryni's town".
Bryni was Old English name meaning "fire".
Břetislav m CzechPossibly from Czech
brečet "cry, weep" combined with the Slavic element
slava "glory".
Brett m EnglishFrom a Middle English surname meaning
"a Breton", referring to an inhabitant of Brittany. A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Brett Favre (1969-).
Briallen f WelshDerived from Welsh
briallu meaning
"primrose". This is a modern Welsh name.
Brian m English, 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.
Briana f EnglishFeminine 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.
Brice m French, 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.
Bridger m English (Modern)From an English surname that originally indicated a person who lived near or worked on a bridge.
Bridget f Irish, English, Irish MythologyAnglicized form of the Irish name
Brighid meaning
"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.
Brielle f English (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.
Brígh f IrishDerived from Irish
brígh meaning
"power, high".
Brigham m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from place names meaning
"bridge settlement" in Old English.
Brijesha m HinduismMeans
"ruler of Brij" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna, Brij being a region associated with him.
Brinley f English (Modern)From an English surname that was taken from the name of a town meaning
"burned clearing" in Old English.
Briscoe m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"birch wood" in Old Norse.
Briseis f Greek MythologyPatronymic derived from
Βρισεύς (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.
Britannia f English (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.
Brittany f EnglishFrom 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.
... [more] Britton m EnglishDerived from a Middle English surname meaning
"a Briton" (a Celt of England) or
"a Breton" (an inhabitant of Brittany).
Brock m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from Old English
brocc meaning
"badger".
Brody m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It probably means "ditch, mire" in Gaelic.
Brogan m & f IrishDerived from Gaelic
bróg "shoe" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several Irish saints, including Saint
Patrick's scribe.
Brokkr m Norse MythologyMeans
"badger" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf, the brother and assistant of
Sindri.
Brónach f IrishMeans
"sad", derived from Irish Gaelic
brón meaning "sorrow". Saint Brónach was a 6th-century mystic from Ireland.
Bronisław m PolishDerived from the Slavic elements
borna "protection" and
slava "glory". A famous Polish anthropologist, Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1942), has borne this name.
Bronte m & f English (Rare)From a surname, an Anglicized form of Irish
Ó Proinntigh meaning
"descendant of Proinnteach". The given name
Proinnteach meant "bestower" in Gaelic. The Brontë sisters - Charlotte, Emily, and Anne - were 19th-century English novelists. Their father changed the spelling of the family surname from
Brunty to
Brontë, possibly to make it coincide with Greek
βροντή meaning "thunder".
Brontes m Greek MythologyMeans
"thunderer" in Greek. In Greek mythology (according to Hesiod), this was the name of one of the three Cyclopes, who were the sons of
Uranus and
Gaia.
Bronwen f WelshDerived from the Welsh elements
bron "breast" and
gwen "white, fair, blessed".
Brook m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that denoted one who lived near a brook.
Brooke f EnglishVariant of
Brook. The name came into use in the 1950s, probably influenced by American socialite Brooke Astor (1902-2007). It was further popularized by actress Brooke Shields (1965-).
Brooklyn f & m English (Modern)From the name of a borough of New York City, originally named after the Dutch town of
Breukelen, itself meaning either "broken land" (from Dutch
breuk) or "marsh land" (from Dutch
broek). It can also be viewed as a combination of
Brook and the popular name suffix
lyn. It is considered a feminine name in the United States, but is more common as a masculine name in the United Kingdom.
Bror m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Bróðir meaning
"brother".
Bruce m Scottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname, of Norman origin, which probably originally referred to the town of Brix in France. The surname was borne by Robert the Bruce, a Scottish hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland. It has been in use as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. A notable bearer is the American musician Bruce Springsteen (1949-).
Brünhild f German (Rare), Germanic MythologyDerived from the Germanic elements
brun "armour, protection" and
hild "battle". It is cognate with the Old Norse name
Brynhildr (from the elements
bryn and
hildr). In Norse legend
Brynhildr was the queen of the valkyries who was rescued by the hero
Sigurd. In the Germanic saga the
Nibelungenlied she was a queen of Iceland and the wife of
Günther. Both of these characters were probably inspired by the eventful life of the 6th-century Frankish queen Brunhilda (of Visigothic birth).
Bruno m German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Croatian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Latvian, Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic element
brun "armour, protection" or
brun "brown". Saint Bruno of Cologne was a German monk of the 11th century who founded the Carthusian Order. The surname has belonged to Giordano Bruno, a philosopher burned at the stake by the Inquisition.
Brutus m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen meaning
"heavy" in Latin. Famous bearers include Lucius Junius Brutus, the traditional founder of the Roman Republic, and Marcus Junius Brutus, the statesman who conspired to assassinate Julius Caesar.
Bryn m & f Welsh, EnglishMeans
"hill, mound" in Welsh. It is now used as a feminine name as well.
Brynhildr f Norse Mythology, Ancient ScandinavianOld Norse cognate of
Brünhild. In the Norse legend the
Völsungasaga Brynhildr was rescued by the hero
Sigurd in the guise of
Gunnar. Brynhildr and Gunnar were married, but when Sigurd's wife
Gudrun let slip that it was in fact Sigurd who had rescued her, Brynhildr plotted against him. She accused Sigurd of taking her virginity, spurring Gunnar to arrange Sigurd's murder.
Brynmor m WelshFrom the Welsh place name
Brynmawr meaning
"great hill".
Bryony f English (Rare)From the name of a type of Eurasian vine, formerly used as medicine. It ultimately derives from Greek
βρύω (bryo) meaning "to swell".
Buck m EnglishFrom an English nickname meaning simply "buck, male deer", ultimately from Old English
bucc.
Buddha m HistoryMeans
"enlightened" in Sanskrit. This is a title applied to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, as well as to a handful of other enlightened individuals.
Buddy m EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"friend". It probably originated as a nursery form of the word
brother.
Buffy f EnglishDiminutive of
Elizabeth, from a child's pronunciation of the final syllable. It is now associated with the main character from the television series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
Burak m TurkishFrom Arabic
براق (Buraq), the name of the legendary creature that, according to Islamic tradition, transported the Prophet
Muhammad. Its name is derived from Arabic
برق (barq) meaning "lightning".
Burgundy f English (Rare)This name can refer either to the region in France, the wine (which derives from the name of the region), or the colour (which derives from the name of the wine).
Burke m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old English
burg meaning
"fortress".
Burkhard m German, Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic elements
burg meaning "protection" and
hard "brave, hardy". Saint Burkhard was a bishop who founded several monasteries in Germany in the 8th century.
Burton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally taken from an Old English place name meaning
"fortified town". A famous bearer of the surname was Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890), an explorer of Africa and Asia.
Buster m EnglishOriginally a nickname denoting a person who broke things, from the word
bust, a dialectal variant of
burst. A famous bearer was the silent movie star Buster Keaton (1895-1966).
Buz m BiblicalMeans
"contempt" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Abraham's brother
Nahor in the Old Testament.
Byelobog m Slavic MythologyMeans
"the white god" from Slavic
byelo "white" and
bogu "god". This was the name of the Slavic god of the sun, happiness and fortune.
Byeong-Ho m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
炳 (byeong) meaning "bright, luminous, glorious" combined with
浩 (ho) meaning "great, numerous, vast" or
昊 (ho) meaning "summer, sky, heaven". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
Byron m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"place of the cow sheds" in Old English. This was the surname of the romantic poet Lord Byron (1788-1824), the writer of
Don Juan and many other works.
Bysshe m English (Rare)From an English surname, a variant of the surname
Bush, which originally indicated a person who lived near a bush. This was the middle name of the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822).