HABAKKUK m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
חֲבַקּוּק (Chavaqquq) meaning "embrace", from the root
חָבַק (chavaq). In the Old Testament this is one of the twelve minor prophets, the author of the Book of Habakkuk.
HACHIROU m JapaneseFrom Japanese
八 (hachi) meaning "eight" and
郎 (rou) meaning "son". This was traditionally a name for the eighth son. Other kanji combinations are also possible.
HADAD m Semitic MythologyDerived from a Semitic root meaning "thunder". Hadad was a Western Semitic (Levantine) god of thunder and storms, often called
Ba'al. He was imported to Mesopotamia by the Amorites, where he was known as
Adad to the Assyrians and Babylonians.
HADLEY f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "heather field" in Old English.
HADRIAN m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Hadrianus, which meant "from Hadria" in Latin. Hadria was the name of two Roman settlements. The first (modern Adria) is in northern Italy and was an important Etruscan port town. The second (modern Atri) is in central Italy and was named after the northern town. The Adriatic Sea is also named after the northern town.
... [more] HAFIZ m ArabicMeans "custodian, guardian" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الحفيظ (al-Hafiz) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
HAFSA f ArabicMeans "gathering" in Arabic. This was the name of the daughter of
Umar, the second caliph, and a wife of
Muhammad.
HAGAR f Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical HebrewPossibly means "flight" in Hebrew, though it could also be of unknown Egyptian origin. In the Old Testament she is the concubine of
Abraham and the mother of
Ishmael, the founder of the Arab people. After Abraham's wife
Sarah finally gave birth to a child, she had Hagar and Ishmael expelled into the desert. However, God heard their crying and saved them.
HAGEN (1) m German, Germanic MythologyDerived from the Germanic element
hagan meaning "enclosure". In the Germanic saga the 'Nibelungenlied' he is the half-brother of
Günther. He killed the hero
Siegfried by luring him onto a hunting expedition and then stabbing him with a javelin in his one vulnerable spot.
HAGGAI m BiblicalMeans "festive" in Hebrew, from the root
חָגַג (chagag). This is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. He was the author of the Book of Haggai, which urges the exiles returning from Babylonia to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
HAI m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
海 (hǎi) meaning "sea, ocean" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
HAIDEE f LiteraturePerhaps intended to derive from Greek
αιδοιος (aidoios) "modest, reverent". This name was created by Byron for a character in his poem 'Don Juan' (1819).
HAJNA f HungarianShortened form of
HAJNAL. The Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty used it in his epic poem 'Zalán Futása' (1825).
HA-JUN m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
夏 (ha) meaning "summer, great, grand" combined with
准 (jun) meaning "approve, permit". This name can be formed by other hanja characters as well.
HAKEEM m ArabicAlternate transcription of Arabic
حكيم (see
HAKIM). A famous bearer is Nigerian-born former basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon (1963-).
HÅKON m NorwegianModern Norwegian form of the Old Norse name
Hákon, which meant "high son" from
há "high" and
konr "son, descendant". This was the name of seven kings of Norway.
HALA f ArabicMeans "halo around the moon" in Arabic. This was the name of a sister-in-law of the Prophet
Muhammad.
HALDOR m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Hallþórr, which meant "Thor's rock" from
hallr "rock" combined with the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
THOR).
HALE (2) m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "nook, retreat" from Old English
healh.
HALFDAN m Norwegian, DanishFrom the Old Norse name
Hálfdan, composed of the elements
hálfr "half" and
Danr "Dane", originally a nickname for a person who was half Danish.
HALIM m ArabicMeans "patient, tolerant, mild" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الحليم (al-Halim) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
HALL m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from Old English
heall "manor, hall", originally belonging to a person who lived or worked in a manor.
HALLAM m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning either "at the rocks" or "at the nook" in Old English.
HALLE (1) m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Halli, a diminutive of names containing the element
hallr meaning "rock".
HALLE (2) f English (Modern)In the case of American actress Halle Berry (1966-), it is from the name of a department store in Cleveland where she was born (the store was founded by brothers bearing the German surname Halle, a cognate of
HALL).
HALLEL f HebrewDerived from Hebrew
הָלַל (halal) meaning "praise". This is the name of a Jewish prayer, consisting of several psalms.
HALVARD m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Hallvarðr, which meant "rock guardian" from
hallr "rock" combined with
varðr "guardian".
HAM m BiblicalMeans "hot, warm" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Ham is one of
Noah's three sons, along with
Shem and
Japheth. He was the ancestor of the Egyptians and Canaanites.
HAMA m Anglo-Saxon MythologyFrom Old English
ham meaning "home". This is the name of a Gothic warrior, who appears with his companion of Wudga in some Anglo-Saxon tales (briefly in 'Beowulf').
HAMAN m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeaning uncertain, of Persian origin. In the Book of Esther in the Old Testament Haman, called the Agagite, is an adviser to the Persian king. He plots to have all the Jews in the realm executed, but is foiled by Queen
Esther.
HAMILTON m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from Old English
hamel "crooked, mutilated" and
dun "hill". The surname was originally taken from the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists). A famous bearer of the surname was Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), a founding father of the United States who was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr.
HAMLET m Literature, ArmenianAnglicized form of the Danish name
Amleth. Shakespeare used this name for the Prince of Denmark in his play 'Hamlet' (1600), which he based upon earlier Danish tales.
HAMMOND m English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from either the Germanic given name
Haimund, which meant "home protection", or else the Old Norse given name
Hámundr, which meant "high protection".
HAMNET m English (Archaic)Diminutive of
HAMO. This was the name of a son of Shakespeare who died in childhood. His death may have provided the inspiration for his father's play 'Hamlet'.
HAMZA m Arabic, TurkishPossibly derived from Arabic
hamuza meaning "strong, steadfast". This was the name of the uncle of the Prophet
Muhammad who was killed in battle.
HANA (3) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
花 (hana) or
華 (hana) both meaning "flower". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.
HANAE f JapaneseFrom Japanese
花 (hana) or
華 (hana), which both mean "flower", combined with
絵 (e) meaning "picture" or
恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit". Other kanji combinations are possible.
HANAKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
花 (hana) meaning "flower" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
HANAN (1) m BiblicalMeans "gracious" in Hebrew. This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.
HANK m EnglishOriginally a short form of
Hankin, which was a medieval diminutive of
JOHN. Since the 17th century in the United States this name has also been used as a diminutive of
HENRY, probably under the influence of the Dutch diminutive
HENK. A famous bearer is the American former baseball player Hank Aaron (1934-).
HANNA (1) f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German, Dutch, Icelandic, Hungarian, HebrewForm of
HANNAH in several languages.
HANNAH f English, Hebrew, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Arabic, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
חַנָּה (Channah) meaning "favour, grace", derived from the root
חָנַן (chanan). In the Old Testament this is the name of the wife of
Elkanah. Her rival was Elkanah's other wife
Peninnah, who had children while Hannah remained barren. After a blessing from
Eli she finally became pregnant with
Samuel.
... [more] HANNIBAL m Phoenician (Latinized), HistoryMeans "grace of Ba'al" from Phoenician
hann "grace" combined with the name of the god
BA'AL. Hannibal was the Carthaginian general who threatened Rome during the Second Punic War in the 3rd century BC.
HANS m German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishGerman, Dutch and Scandinavian short form of
JOHANNES. Two famous bearers were Hans Holbein (1497-1543), a Renaissance portrait painter from Germany, and Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), a Danish writer of fairy tales.
HARDING m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the Old English given name
HEARD. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).
HARDY m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from Middle English
hardi "brave, hardy".
HAREL m HebrewMeans "altar, mountain of God" in Hebrew. In the Hebrew Bible this word is applied to the altar in the temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 43:15).
HARI m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, NepaliMeans "brown, yellow, tawny" in Sanskrit, and by extension "monkey, horse, lion". This is another name of the Hindu god
Vishnu, and sometimes of
Krishna. It is also borne by the son of the Garuda, the bird-like mount of Vishnu.
HARLAN m EnglishFrom a surname that was from a place name meaning "hare land" in Old English. In America it has sometimes been given in honour of Supreme Court justice John Marshall Harlan (1833-1911).
HARLEY m & f EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English
hara "hare" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
HARLOW f & m EnglishFrom a surname derived from a place name, itself derived from Old English
hær "rock" or
here "army", combined with
hlaw "hill".
HAROLD m EnglishFrom the Old English name
Hereweald, derived from the elements
here "army" and
weald "power, leader, ruler". The Old Norse cognate
Haraldr was also common among Scandinavian settlers in England. This was the name of five kings of Norway and three kings of Denmark. It was also borne by two kings of England, both of whom were from mixed Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon backgrounds, including Harold II who lost the Battle of Hastings (and was killed in it), which led to the Norman Conquest. After the conquest the name died out, but it was eventually revived in the 19th century.
HARPER f & m EnglishFrom an Old English surname that originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps. A notable bearer was the American author Harper Lee (1926-2016), who wrote 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.
HARRIET f EnglishEnglish form of
HENRIETTE, and thus a feminine form of
HARRY. It was first used in the 17th century, becoming very common in the English-speaking world by the 18th century. A famous bearer was Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), the American author who wrote 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'.
HARRISON m EnglishFrom an English surname that meant "son of
HARRY". This was the surname of two American presidents, William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) and his grandson Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901). The actor Harrison Ford (1942-), who starred in such movies as 'Star Wars' and 'Indiana Jones', is a famous bearer.
HARRY m EnglishMedieval English form of
HENRY. In modern times it is used as a diminutive of both
Henry and
HAROLD. A famous bearer was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972). It is also the name of the boy wizard in J. K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' series of books, first released in 1997.
HARSHA m Indian, Kannada, Telugu, SanskritMeans "happiness" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a 7th-century emperor of northern India. He was also noted as an author.
HARTLEY m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "hart clearing" in Old English.
HARTMANN m GermanMeans "brave man", derived from the Germanic element
hard "brave, hardy" combined with
man.
HARU m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male",
春 (haru) meaning "spring" or
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.
HARUKA f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
遥 (haruka) meaning "distant, remote". It can also come from
春 (haru) meaning "spring" or
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather" combined with
花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" or
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance". Additionally, other kanji combinations can form this name.
HARUKI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather" or
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male" combined with
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness" or
生 (ki) meaning "living". Other kanji combinations are possible.
HARUKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
春 (haru) meaning "spring" or
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
HARUNA f JapaneseFrom Japanese
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather",
遥 (haru) meaning "distant, remote" or
春 (haru) meaning "spring" combined with
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
HARUTO m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male",
遥 (haru) meaning "distant, remote" or
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather" combined with
斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation, or
翔 (to) meaning "soar, fly". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
HARVEY m EnglishFrom the Breton given name
Haerviu, which meant "battle worthy", from
haer "battle" and
viu "worthy". This was the name of a 6th-century Breton hermit who is the patron saint of the blind. Settlers from Brittany introduced it to England after the Norman Conquest. During the later Middle Ages it became rare, but it was revived in the 19th century.
HASAN m Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, IndonesianMeans "handsome" in Arabic, from the root
حَسُنَ (hasuna) meaning "to be beautiful, to be good". Hasan was the son of
Ali and the grandson of the Prophet
Muhammad. He was poisoned by one of his wives and is regarded as a martyr by Shia Muslims. This was also the name of two kings of Morocco. It is sometimes transcribed as
Hassan, though this is a distinct name in Arabic.
HASHIM m ArabicMeans "crusher, breaker" in Arabic. This was the nickname of a great-grandfather of the Prophet
Muhammad. He acquired this nickname because of his practice of crumbling bread and giving it to pilgrims.
HASIM m ArabicMeans "decisive" in Arabic, derived from
حسم (hasama) meaning "to sever, to finish, to decide".
HASSAN m Arabic, Persian, UrduMeans "beautifier, improver" in Arabic. Hassan ibn Thabit was a 7th-century poet who was a companion of the Prophet
Muhammad. This name is sometimes transcribed as
Hasan, though the two names are spelled distinctly in Arabic.
HATHOR f Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)Greek form of Egyptian
Het-Heru meaning "the house of Horus", derived from Egyptian
hwt "house" combined with
Hr the god
HORUS. In Egyptian mythology she was the goddess of love, often depicted with the head of a cow.
HATSHEPSUT f Ancient EgyptianMeans "foremost of noble women" in Egyptian. This was the name of a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. She may have been the first woman to take the title of Pharaoh.
HAUKEA f HawaiianMeans "white snow" from Hawaiian
hau "snow" and
kea "white".
HAUL m WelshMeans "sun" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
HAUNANI f HawaiianMeans "beautiful snow" from Hawaiian
hau "snow" and
nani "beauty, glory".
HAURVATAT f Persian MythologyMeans "health, perfection, wholeness" in Avestan. This was the name of a Zoroastrian goddess (one of the Amesha Spenta) of health and water.
HAVEN f & m EnglishFrom the English word for a safe place, derived ultimately from Old English
hæfen.