ISSACHAR m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekPossibly means
"man of hire" or
"there is reward", from Hebrew
שָׁכַר (shakhar) meaning "hire, wage, reward". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the twelve sons of
Jacob (by
Leah) and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. A justification for the name's meaning is given in
Genesis 30:18.
ISTVÁN m HungarianHungarian form of
STEPHEN. This was the name of the first king of Hungary. Ruling in the 11th century, he encouraged the spread of Christianity among his subjects and is considered the patron saint of Hungary.
ITALUS m Roman MythologyMeans
"of Italy" in Latin. In Roman legend Italus was the father of
Romulus and
Remus, the founders of Rome. He supposedly gave his name to the region known as Italia or Italy (in fact the region may have gotten its name from Oscan
Víteliú meaning "land of bulls").
ITHAI m BiblicalFrom a Hebrew name spelled variously
אִתַּי ('Ittai) or
אִיתַי ('Itai) meaning
"with me". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of King
David's mighty men.
ITHEL m WelshMeans
"generous lord" from the Welsh elements
udd "lord, prince" and
hael "generous".
ITHIEL m BiblicalPossibly means
"God is with me" in Hebrew. This is the name of a minor character in the Old Testament.
IÐUNN f Norse Mythology, Ancient Scandinavian, IcelandicProbably derived from Old Norse
ið "again" and
unna "to love". In Norse mythology Iðunn was the goddess of spring and immortality whose responsibility it was to guard the gods' apples of youth.
ITSUKI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
樹 (itsuki) meaning "tree", using the kanji's nanori reading. Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
ITZIAR f Basque, SpanishFrom the name of a Basque village that contains an important shrine to the Virgin
Mary, possibly meaning "old stone".
IVAH f BiblicalFrom the name of a district of Babylon, mentioned in the Old Testament.
IVAN m Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Macedonian, Slovene, English, Italian, Romanian, Danish, Swedish, NorwegianNewer form of the old Slavic name
Іѡаннъ (Ioannu), which was derived from Greek
Ioannes (see
JOHN). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote
Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.
IVAYLO m BulgarianPerhaps derived from an old Bulgar name meaning
"wolf". This was the name of a 13th-century emperor of Bulgaria. It is possible that this spelling was the result of a 15th-century misreading of his real name
Vulo from historical documents.
IVO (1) m German, Dutch, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Ancient GermanicGermanic name, originally a short form of names beginning with the Germanic element
iv meaning
"yew". Alternative theories suggest that it may in fact be derived from a cognate Celtic element. This was the name of several saints (who are also commonly known as Saint
Yves or
Ives).
IVOR m Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English (British)From the Old Norse name
Ívarr, which was derived from the elements
yr "yew, bow" and
arr "warrior". During the Middle Ages it was brought to Britain by Scandinavian settlers and invaders, and it was adopted in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
IVORY m & f African AmericanFrom the English word for the hard, creamy-white substance that comes from elephant tusks and was formerly used to produce piano keys.
IVY f EnglishFrom the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English
ifig.
IXCHEL f Mayan Mythology, Indigenous American, MayanMeans
"rainbow lady" in Mayan. Ixchel was the Maya goddess of the earth, the moon, and medicine. She was often depicted with a snake in her hair and crossbones embroidered on her skirt.
IYA f RussianMeaning unknown. This name was borne by Saint Ia of Persia, a 4th-century martyr who is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
IZANAGI m Japanese MythologyMeans
"male who invites" in Japanese. In Japanese mythology the god Izanagi was the husband of
Izanami. When she died he unsuccessfully journeyed to the underworld to retrieve her. In the purifying rites that followed his return the gods of the sun, moon and wind were created.
IZANAMI f Japanese MythologyMeans
"female who invites" in Japanese. In Japanese mythology she was a creator goddess, the wife of
Izanagi. She died giving birth to Kagutsuchi, the god of fire.
IZARO f BasqueMeans
"island" in Basque, from the name of a small island off the Spanish coast in the Bay of Biscay.
IZTOK m SloveneDerived from a South Slavic word meaning
"east".
IZUMI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
泉 (izumi) meaning "fountain, spring". This name can also be constructed from other combinations of kanji.
IZZ AL-DIN m ArabicMeans
"glory of religion", derived from Arabic
عزّ ('izz) meaning "glory, power" and
دين (din) meaning "religion". In the 13th century Izz al-Din Aybak became the first Mamluk ruler of Egypt. The Mamluks were a warrior caste who were originally slaves.