NEHEMIAH m BiblicalMeans "
YAHWEH comforts" in Hebrew, derived from
נָחַם (nacham) meaning "to comfort" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. According to the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament he was a leader of the Jews who was responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity.
NEIL m Irish, Scottish, EnglishFrom the Gaelic name
Niall, which is of disputed origin, possibly meaning "champion" or "cloud". This was the name of a semi-legendary 4th-century Irish king, Niall of the Nine Hostages.
... [more] NEKODA m BiblicalMeans "marked" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the head of a family of temple servants.
NELDA f EnglishPossibly an elaboration of
NELL using the popular name suffix
da.
NÉLIDA f Literature, SpanishCreated by French author Marie d'Agoult for her semi-autobiographical novel 'Nélida' (1846), written under the name Daniel Stern. It was probably an anagram of her pen name
DANIEL.
NELL f EnglishMedieval diminutive of names beginning with
El, such as
ELEANOR,
ELLEN (1) or
HELEN. It may have arisen from the medieval affectionate phrase
mine El, which was later reinterpreted as
my Nel.
NELSON m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning "son of
NEIL". It was originally given in honour of the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). His most famous battle was the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he destroyed a combined French and Spanish fleet, but was himself killed. Another notable bearer was the South African statesman Nelson Mandela (1918-2013). Mandela's birth name was
Rolihlahla; as a child he was given the English name
Nelson by a teacher.
NEMANJA m SerbianPossibly from Slavic
ne maniti meaning "not deceiving, not luring, not attracting". Another theory states that it means "without possessions", derived from Serbo-Croatian
nemati meaning "have not". This was the name of a 12th-century Serbian king, and the name of the dynasty he began.
NEMESIS f Greek MythologyMeans "distribution of what is due, righteous anger" in Greek. In Greek mythology Nemesis was personification of vengeance and justice.
NEMO m LiteratureMeans "nobody" in Latin. This was the name used by author Jules Verne for the captain of the Nautilus in his novel 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' (1870). It was later used for the title character (a fish) in the 2003 animated movie 'Finding Nemo'.
NENAD m Serbian, CroatianMeans "unexpected" in Serbian and Croatian. In the Serbian folk song 'Predrag and Nenad' this is the name of
Predrag's brother.
NEPHELE f Greek MythologyFrom Greek
νεφος (nephos) meaning "cloud". In Greek legend Nephele was created from a cloud by
Zeus, who shaped the cloud to look like
Hera in order to trick Ixion, a mortal who desired her. Nephele was the mother of the centaurs by Ixion, and was also the mother of Phrixus and Helle by Athamus.
NEPHTHYS f Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)Greek form of Egyptian
Nebt-Het meaning "lady of the house", derived from Egyptian
nbt "lady" and
hwt "house". This was the name of an Egyptian goddess associated with the air, death and mourning. She was wife of the desert god
Seth.
NEPTUNE m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Neptunus, which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Indo-European root *
nebh "wet, damp, clouds". Neptune was the god of the sea in Roman mythology, approximately equivalent to the Greek god
Poseidon. This is also the name of the eighth planet in the solar system.
NEREIDA f SpanishDerived from Greek
Νηρειδες (Nereides) meaning "nymphs, sea sprites", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god
NEREUS, who supposedly fathered them.
NEREUS m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekDerived from Greek
νηρος (neros) meaning "water". In Greek myth this was the name of a god of the sea, the father of the Nereids. It is mentioned briefly in the New Testament, belonging to a Christian in Rome. This was also the name of a Roman saint of the 1st century, a member of the army, who was martyred with his companion Achilleus because they refused to execute Christians.
NERGÜI m & f MongolianMeans "no name" in Mongolian. This name was traditionally given in order to mislead bad spirits.
NERISSA f LiteratureCreated by Shakespeare for a character in his play 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596). He possibly took it from Greek
Νηρεις (Nereis) meaning "nymph, sea sprite", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god
NEREUS, who supposedly fathered them.
NERO (1) m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen, which was probably of Sabine origin meaning "strong, vigourous". It was borne most infamously by a tyrannical Roman emperor of the 1st century.
NERSES m ArmenianArmenian form of
Narseh (see
NARSES). Saint Nerses was a 4th-century patriarch of the Armenian Church.
NERTHUS f Germanic MythologyLatinized form of
Nerþuz, the Germanic (feminine) equivalent of
Njǫrðr (see
NJORD). Nerthus was a Germanic goddess of fertility as described by the Roman historian Tacitus in the 1st century.
NERVA m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen derived from Latin
nervus "strength". This is the name by which the 1st-century Roman emperor Marcus Cocceius Nerva is commonly known.
NERYS f WelshPerhaps an elaboration of Welsh
ner "lord", with the intended meaning of "lady".
NESTAN-DAREJAN f LiteratureCreated by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for a character in his 12th-century epic 'The Knight in the Panther's Skin'. Rustaveli derived it from the Middle Persian phrase
نیست اندر جهان (nist andar jahan) meaning "unlike any other in the world" or "unique". In the poem Nestan-Darejan is a princess loved by Tariel.
NESTOR m Greek Mythology, RussianMeans "homecoming" in Greek. In
Homer's 'Iliad' this was the name of the king of Pylos, famous for his great wisdom and longevity, who acted as a counselor to the Greek allies.
NETHANIAH m BiblicalMeans "
YAHWEH has given" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the father of
Ishmael (the assassin of Gedaliah), as well as other minor characters.
NEVADA f EnglishFrom the name of the American state, which means "snow-capped" in Spanish.
NEVAEH f English (Modern)The word
heaven spelled backwards. It became popular after the musician Sonny Sandoval from the rock group P.O.D. gave it to his daughter in 2000.
NEVILLE m English (British)From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "new town" in Norman French. As a given name it is chiefly British and Australian.
NEVIO m ItalianItalian form of the Roman family name
Naevius, which was derived from Latin
naevus "mole (on the body)". A famous bearer was the 3rd-century BC Roman poet Gnaeus Naevius.
NEWTON m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "new town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).
NGAIO f MaoriMaori name that is derived from the name of a type of tree, also called the mousehole tree. This name was borne by New Zealand crime writer Dame Ngaio Marsh (1895-1982).
NGAIRE f MaoriPossibly from the name of the town of
Ngaere in New Zealand, of Maori origin meaning "wetland".
NICCOLÒ m ItalianItalian form of
NICHOLAS. A famous bearer was Niccolò Machiavelli, a 16th-century political philosopher from Florence.
NICHOLAS m EnglishFrom the Greek name
Νικολαος (Nikolaos) meaning "victory of the people", derived from Greek
νικη (nike) "victory" and
λαος (laos) "people". Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop from Anatolia who, according to legend, saved the daughters of a poor man from lives of prostitution. He is the patron saint of children, sailors and merchants, as well as Greece and Russia. He formed the basis for the figure known as Santa Claus (created in the 19th century from Dutch
Sinterklaas), the bringer of Christmas presents.
... [more] NICOLE f French, English, Dutch, GermanFrench feminine form of
NICHOLAS, commonly used in the English-speaking world since the middle of the 20th century. A famous bearer is American-Australian actress Nicole Kidman (1967-).
NIELS (1) m DanishDanish form of
NICHOLAS. A famous bearer was Niels Bohr (1885-1962), a Danish physicist who investigated the structure of atoms.
NIEVES f SpanishMeans "snows" in Spanish, derived from the title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora de las Nieves meaning "Our Lady of the Snows".
NIGEL m EnglishFrom
Nigellus, a medieval Latinized form of
NEIL. It was commonly associated with Latin
niger "black". It was revived in the 19th century, perhaps in part due to Sir Walter Scott's novel 'The Fortunes of Nigel' (1822).
NIKAU m MaoriFrom the name of a type of palm tree found in New Zealand (species Rhopalostylis sapida).
NIKEPHOROS m & f Ancient Greek, Greek MythologyMeans "carrying victory" from Greek
νικη (nike) "victory" and
φερω (phero) "to carry, to bear". This name was borne by several Byzantine emperors, including the 10th-century Nikephoros II Phokas. Besides being a masculine personal name, it was also a title borne by the goddess
Athena.
NIKETAS m Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
νικητης (niketes) meaning "winner, victor". Saint Niketas was a 4th-century bishop of Remesiana in Serbia. He is a patron saint of Romania.
NIKIAS m Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
νικη (nike) meaning "victory". This was the name of an Athenian general who fought in the Peloponnesian war.
NIKOSTRATOS m Ancient GreekMeans "army of victory" from Greek
νικη (nike) "victory" and
στρατος (stratos) "army". This was the name of a Roman saint martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian at the end of the 3rd century.
NİL f TurkishFrom the Turkish name for the Nile River, derived from Greek
Νειλος (Neilos), possibly of Semitic origin meaning "river".
NIL m Catalan, Russian (Rare)Catalan and Russian form of
NEILOS (and also of the Nile River). This name was borne by a 15th-century Russian saint, Nil Sorsky.
NILI f HebrewAcronym of the phrase
נצח ישׂראל לא ישׁקר (Netzach Yisrael Lo Yishaker) meaning "the eternity of Israel will not lie". This phrase appears in the Old Testament in Samuel 15:29. It was used as the name of a Jewish spy network in Palestine during World War I.
NIMROD m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeaning unknown, possibly of Akkadian origin or possibly meaning "rebel" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Nimrod is a renowned hunter, the great-grandson of
Noah. He was the founder of Babylon.
... [more] NIMUE f Arthurian RomanceMeaning unknown. In Arthurian legends this is the name of a sorceress, also known as the Lady of the Lake, Vivien, or Niniane. Various versions of the tales have
Merlin falling in love with her and becoming imprisoned by her magic. She first appears in the medieval French 'Lancelot-Grail' cycle.
NINA (1) f Russian, Italian, English, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, SerbianShort form of names that end in
nina, such as
ANTONINA or
GIANNINA. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word
niña meaning "little girl".
NINEL f RussianReversal of the name
Lenin. Lenin was the founder of the former Soviet state. This name was created by Communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.
NING f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
宁 (níng) meaning "peaceful, calm, serene", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
NINGAL f Sumerian MythologyMeans "great lady", from Sumerian
𒊩𒌆 (nin) meaning "lady" and
𒃲 (gal) meaning "big, great". This was the name of a goddess of reeds in Sumerian mythology. She was the daughter of
Enki and the wife of
Nanna.
NINHURSAG f Sumerian MythologyMeans "lady of the mountain", from Sumerian
𒊩𒌆 (nin) meaning "lady" and
𒉺𒂅 (hursaĝ) meaning "mountain". This was the name of the Sumerian mother and fertility goddess, the primary consort of
Enki.
NINIAN m Scottish, Irish, Ancient CelticMeaning unknown. It appears in a Latinized form
Niniavus, which could be from the Welsh name
NYNNIAW. This was the name of a 5th-century British saint who was apparently responsible for many miracles and cures. He is known as the Apostle to the Picts.
NINO (2) f GeorgianMeaning unknown, possibly from a Greek feminine form of
NINOS. Saint Nino (sometimes called Nina) was a Greek-speaking woman from Asia Minor who introduced Christianity to Georgia in the 4th century.
NINOS m Ancient Assyrian (Hellenized)Probably from the name of the ancient city of
NINEVEH in Assyria. According to Greek historians this was the name of the husband of
Semiramis and the founder of Nineveh. In actuality he does not correspond to any known Assyrian king, and is likely a composite character named after the city.