GODWINE m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"friend of god", derived from Old English
god combined with
wine "friend". This was the name of the powerful 11th-century Earl of Wessex, the father of King Harold II of England.
GOEMON m HistoryMeaning unknown. His name is composed of the kanji
五 (go) meaning "five",
右 (not pronounced) meaning "right-hand, west",
衛 (e) meaning "guard, protect", and
門 (mon) meaning "gate, door". This was the name of a semi-legendary 16th-century samurai who stole from the rich to give to the poor. After a failed assassination attempt on the daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he was boiled alive.
GOHAR f & m Persian, Armenian, UrduFrom Persian
گوهر (gohar) meaning
"jewel, gemstone". This name is typically feminine in Iran and Armenia, but masculine in Pakistan.
GOIBNIU m Irish MythologyDerived from Irish
gobha meaning
"smith". This was the name of the Irish smith god, a provider of weapons for the Tuatha De Danann. He was also skilled at brewing beer.
GOIZEDER f BasqueDerived from Basque
goiz "morning" and
eder "beautiful".
GÖKHAN m TurkishFrom Turkish
gök meaning "sky" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
GOLDA f YiddishFrom Yiddish
גאָלד (gold) meaning
"gold". This is the name of Tevye's wife in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964). It was also borne by the Israeli prime minister Golda Meir (1898-1978).
GOLDIE (1) f EnglishFrom a nickname for a person with blond hair, from the English word
gold.
GOLNAR f PersianDerived from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose" and
انار (anar) meaning "pomegranate".
GOLNAZ f PersianDerived from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose" and
ناز (naz) meaning "delight, comfort".
GONCA f TurkishMeans
"flower bud" in Turkish, of Persian origin.
GONXHE f AlbanianMeans
"flower bud" in Albanian, of Persian origin. This was the middle name of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, better known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997).
GONZALO m SpanishFrom the medieval name
Gundisalvus, which was the Latin form of a Germanic name composed of
gund meaning "war" and a second element of unknown meaning (with the spelling influenced by Latin
salvus "safe"). Saint Gonzalo was an 11th-century bishop of Mondoñedo in Galicia, Spain.
GOPALA m HinduismMeans
"cow protector" from Sanskrit
गो (go) meaning "cow" and
पाल (pala) meaning "guard, protector". This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna. This name was also borne by the 8th-century founder of the Pala Empire in Bengal.
GOPINATHA m HinduismMeans
"leader of the gopis" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna, acquired because of his association with the gopis, who are cow-herding girls.
GORAN m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Bulgarian (Rare)Means
"mountain man", derived from South Slavic
gora meaning "mountain". It was popularized by the Croatian poet Ivan Goran Kovačić (1913-1943), who got his middle name because of the mountain town where he was born.
GORDAN m Serbian, Croatian, MacedonianDerived from South Slavic
gord meaning
"dignified". This name and the feminine form Gordana were popularized by the publication of Croatian author Marija Jurić Zagorka's novel
Gordana (1935).
GORDIAN m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Gordianus meaning
"from Gordium", Gordium being the capital of Phrygia in Asia Minor. This is the name by which three Roman emperors are known.
GORDIE m EnglishDiminutive of
GORDON. A famous bearer was Canadian hockey star Gordie Howe (1928-2016).
GORDON m Scottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place name in Berwickshire meaning
"spacious fort". It was originally used in honour of Charles George Gordon (1833-1885), a British general who died defending the city of Khartoum in Sudan.
GORE m English (Rare)From an English surname meaning
"triangular" (from Old English
gara), originally referring to someone who lived on a triangular piece of land. A famous bearer is American writer Gore Vidal (1925-).
GORETTI f VariousFrom the surname of Maria Goretti, a 20th-century Italian saint who forgave her murderer on her deathbed. Her surname was derived from the given name
GREGORIO.
GORMLAITH f Irish, ScottishDerived from Irish
gorm "blue" or "illustrious" and
flaith "princess, lady". This was the name of a wife of the 11th-century Irish ruler
Brian Boru.
GORŌ m JapaneseFrom Japanese
五 (go) meaning "five" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". This was traditionally a name for the fifth son. Different combinations of kanji are also possible.
GORONWY m Welsh, Welsh MythologyMeaning unknown. In the Mabinogion, a collection of tales from Welsh myth, he was the lover of
Blodeuwedd. He attempted to murder her husband
Lleu Llaw Gyffes but was himself killed.
GOTAMA m HinduismMeans
"the best ox" from Sanskrit
गो (go) meaning "ox, cow" and
तम (tama) meaning "best". In Hindu texts this is the name of one of the Saptarshis, or seven sages. This name was also borne by an early Indian philosopher who wrote the Nyaya Sutras.
GÖTE m SwedishSwedish form of the Old Norse name
Gauti, derived from
gautr meaning
"Geat, Goth".
GOTTFRIED m GermanGerman form of
GODFREY. This name was borne by the 13th-century German poet Gottfried von Strassburg and the German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716), one of the inventors of calculus.
GOTTHILF m German (Rare)Derived from German
Gott "God" and
hilf "help". This name was created in the 17th century.
GOTTHOLD m German (Rare)Derived from German
Gott "God" and
hold "lovely". This name was created in the 17th century.
GOTTLOB m German (Rare)Derived from German
Gott "God" and
lob "praise". This name was created in the 17th century.
GOTTSCHALK m German (Archaic)Derived from the Germanic elements
god "god" and
scalc "servant". Saint Gottschalk was a (perhaps spurious) 11th-century prince of the Wends who was martyred by his brother-in-law.
GOVAD m Persian MythologyMeans
"wind" in Persian. This was the name of a Yazata (or angel) associated with the wind in Zoroastrianism.
GOYATHLAY m Native American, ApacheMeans
"one who yawns" in Apache. This was the real name of the Apache leader
Geronimo (1829-1909), who fought against Mexican and American expansion into his territory.
GOZZO m Ancient GermanicOriginally a diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element
gaut, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats or Goths.
GRACE f EnglishFrom the English word
grace, which ultimately derives from Latin
gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.
GRADY m Irish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from
Ó Grádaigh meaning
"descendant of Grádaigh". The name
Grádaigh means "noble" in Gaelic.
GRAHAM m Scottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname, originally derived from the English place name
Grantham, which probably meant
"gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by the Norman baron William de Graham. A famous bearer was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-Canadian-American inventor who devised the telephone.
GRÁINNE f Irish, Irish MythologyPossibly derived from Gaelic
grán meaning
"grain". This was the name of an ancient Irish grain goddess. The name also belonged to the fiancée of
Fionn mac Cumhail and the lover of
Diarmaid in later Irish legend, and it is often associated with
gráidh meaning
"love".
GRANIT m AlbanianMeans
"granite" in Albanian, from Italian
granito, ultimately derived from Latin
granum meaning "grain".
GRANT m English, ScottishFrom an English and Scottish surname that was derived from Norman French
grand meaning
"great, large". A famous bearer of the surname was Ulysses Grant (1822-1885), the commander of the Union forces during the American Civil War who later served as president. In America the name has often been given in his honour.
GRATIAN m HistoryFrom the Roman name
Gratianus, which meant
"grace" from Latin
gratus. Saint Gratian was the first bishop of Tours (4th century). This was also the name of a Roman emperor.
GRAY m & f EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"grey", originally given to a person who had grey hair or clothing.
GRAYSON m English (Modern)From an English surname meaning
"son of the steward", derived from Middle English
greyve "steward".
GRAŻYNA f PolishMeans
"beautiful" in Lithuanian. This name was created by Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz for his poem
Grażyna (1823).
GREGOR m German, Scottish, Slovak, SloveneGerman, Scottish, Slovak and Slovene form of
Gregorius (see
GREGORY). A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.
GREGORY m EnglishEnglish form of Latin
Gregorius, which was from the Late Greek name
Γρηγόριος (Gregorios), derived from
γρήγορος (gregoros) meaning
"watchful, alert". This name was popular among early Christians, being borne by a number of important saints including Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus (3rd century), Saint Gregory the Illuminator (4th century), Saint Gregory of Nyssa (4th century), Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (4th century), and Saint Gregory of Tours (6th century). It was also borne by the 6th-century pope Saint Gregory I the Great, a reformer and Doctor of the Church, as well as 15 subsequent popes.
... [more] GRESHAM m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"grazing homestead" in Old English.
GRETEL f GermanDiminutive of
GRETE. It is well-known as a character from an 1812 Brothers Grimm fairy tale who is captured, with her brother Hansel, by a witch. The Grimm's story was based on earlier European folk tales.
GRID f Norse MythologyMeans
"peace" in Old Norse. In Norse myth she was a frost giantess, the mother of Víðarr by
Odin. She also aided
Thor in his fight against the giant Geirrod.
GRIFFIN m EnglishLatinized form of
GRUFFUDD. This name can also be inspired by the English word
griffin, a creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, ultimately from Greek
γρύψ (grups).
GRIGORIY m RussianRussian form of
GREGORY. This name was borne by the Russian mystic Grigoriy Rasputin (1869-1916), more commonly known by only his surname.
GRISELDA f English, Spanish, LiteraturePossibly derived from the Germanic elements
gris "grey" and
hild "battle". It is not attested as a Germanic name. This was the name of a patient wife in medieval tales by Boccaccio and Chaucer.
GROVER m EnglishFrom a surname meaning
"grove of trees" from Old English
graf. A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), who popularized the name in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The name is now associated with a muppet character from the children's television program
Sesame Street.
GRUFFUDD m WelshFrom the Old Welsh name
Grippiud, the second element deriving from Welsh
udd "lord, prince" but the first element being of uncertain meaning (possibly
cryf "strong"). This was a common name among medieval Welsh royalty. Gruffudd (or Gruffydd) ap Llywelyn was an 11th-century Welsh ruler who fought against England.
GRWN m WelshMeans
"ridge" in Welsh. This is a Welsh name of recent origin.
GUADALUPE f & m SpanishFrom a Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, meaning "Our Lady of Guadalupe". Guadalupe is a Spanish place name, the site of a famous convent, derived from Arabic
وادي (wadi) meaning "valley, river" possibly combined with Latin
lupus meaning "wolf". In the 16th century Our Lady of Guadalupe supposedly appeared in a vision to a native Mexican man, and she is now regarded as a patron saint of the Americas.
GUANTING m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
冠 (guān) meaning "cap, crown, headgear" combined with
廷 (tíng) meaning "court". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
GUANYU m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
冠 (guān) meaning "cap, crown, headgear" combined with
宇 (yǔ) meaning "house, eaves, universe". Other character combinations are possible.
GÜÇİN f TurkishMeans
"rose picking, rose growing" in Turkish.
GUDRUN f Norse Mythology, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, GermanFrom the Old Norse name
Guðrún meaning
"god's secret lore", derived from the elements
guð "god" and
rún "secret lore". In Norse legend Gudrun was the wife of
Sigurd. After his death she married Atli, but when he murdered her brothers, she killed her sons by him, fed him their hearts, and then slew him.
GUIDO m Italian, GermanLatinized form of
WIDO. This was the name of two 11th-century saints. Other notable bearers include 11th-century music theorist Guido d'Arezzo, 13th-century poet Guido Cavalcanti, and 17th-century painter Guido Reni.
GUINEVERE f Arthurian RomanceFrom the Norman French form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar meaning
"white phantom", ultimately from the Old Celtic roots *
windos meaning "fair, white, blessed" (modern Welsh
gwen) and *
sebros meaning "phantom, magical being". In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King
Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by
Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir
Lancelot.
... [more] GUIOMAR f & m Portuguese, Spanish, Arthurian RomancePossibly derived from the Germanic name
Wigmar, which is formed of the elements
wig "war, battle" and
mari "famous". In the medieval
Lancelot-Grail cycle he plays a minor role as a cousin of Guinevere, who banishes him after he becomes a lover of Morgan le Fey. In modern Portugal and Spain it is a feminine name.
GUIYING m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
桂 (guì) meaning "laurel, cassia, cinnamon" combined with
英 (yīng) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". This name can be formed from other character combinations as well.
GÜL f TurkishMeans
"rose" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
GUL m & f Urdu, PashtoMeans
"flower, rose" in Urdu and Pashto, ultimately from Persian.
GULBADAN f Urdu (Rare)Means
"having a body like a rose" in Persian. This was the name of a daughter of the Mughal emperor Babur.
GULISA f GeorgianMeans
"little heart" in Georgian, derived from
გული (guli) meaning "heart" combined with a diminutive suffix.
GÜLNUR f TurkishMeans
"rose light" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose" and Arabic
نور (nur) meaning "light".
GULRUKH f UrduMeans
"rose faced" in Persian. This was the name of a wife of the Mughal emperor Babur.
GUNBORG f SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Gunnbjǫrg, derived from the elements
gunnr "war" and
bjǫrg "help, save, rescue".