OSMOND m English (Rare)From the Old English elements
os "god" and
mund "protection". During the Anglo-Saxon period a Norse cognate
Ásmundr was also used in England, and another version was imported by the Normans. Saint Osmund was an 11th-century Norman nobleman who became an English bishop. Though it eventually became rare, it was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the given name.
OSWALD m English, German, Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
os "god" and
weald "power, ruler". Saint Oswald was a king of Northumbria who introduced Christianity to northeast England in the 7th century before being killed in battle. There was also an Old Norse cognate
Ásvaldr in use in England, being borne by the 10th-century Saint Oswald of Worcester, who was of Danish ancestry. Though the name had died out by the end of the Middle Ages, it was revived in the 19th century.
OSWIN m English (Rare)From the Old English elements
os "god" and
wine "friend". Saint Oswin was a 7th-century king of Northumbria. After the Norman Conquest this name was used less, and it died out after the 14th century. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.
OTHNIEL m BiblicalMeaning uncertain, possibly
"lion of God" or
"strength of God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is a nephew of
Caleb who becomes the first of the ruling judges of the Israelites.
PAISLEY f English (Modern)From a Scottish surname, originally from the name of a town, which may ultimately be derived from Latin
basilica "church". This is also a word (derived from the name of that same town) for a type of pattern commonly found on fabrics.
PAPHNUTIUS m Ancient Egyptian (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Παφνούτιος (Paphnoutios), derived from Egyptian
pꜣj-pꜣ-nṯr meaning
"the one of God". This was the name of several saints, including the 4th-century bishop Paphnutius of Thebes.
POSEIDON m Greek MythologyPossibly derived from Greek
πόσις (posis) meaning "husband, lord" and
δᾶ (da) meaning "earth". The name first appears in Mycenaean Greek inscriptions as
po-se-da-o. In Greek mythology Poseidon was the unruly god of the sea and earthquakes, the brother of
Zeus. He was often depicted carrying a trident and riding in a chariot drawn by white horses.
PURDIE m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from the Norman French expression
pur die "by God". It was perhaps originally a nickname for a person who used the oath frequently.
RAIJIN m Japanese MythologyFrom Japanese
雷 (rai) meaning "thunder" and
神 (jin) meaning "god, spirit". This is the name of the god (or gods) of thunder and storms in the mythology of Japan.
RAJESH m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"ruler of kings" from Sanskrit
राज (raja) meaning "king" and
ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler".
RAJNISH m Indian, HindiMeans
"lord of the night" from Sanskrit
रजनि (rajani) meaning "night" and
ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler". This is another name for the moon in Hindu texts.
RAPHAEL m German, English, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
רָפָאֵל (Rafa'el) meaning
"God heals", from the roots
רָפָא (rafa') meaning "to heal" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". In Hebrew tradition Raphael is the name of an archangel. He appears in the Book of Tobit, in which he disguises himself as a man named
Azarias and accompanies
Tobias on his journey to Media, aiding him along the way. In the end he cures Tobias's father
Tobit of his blindness. He is not mentioned in the New Testament, though tradition identifies him with the angel troubling the water in
John 5:4.
... [more] REUEL m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"friend of God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is another name for
Jethro. The fantasy author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a famous bearer.
SAJJAD m ArabicMeans
"kneeling in prayer, prostration" in Arabic.
SAMAEL m Judeo-Christian LegendMeans
"severity of God" in Hebrew. This is the name of an archangel in Jewish tradition, described as a destructive angel of death.
SAMUEL m English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Jewish, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el), which could mean either
"name of God" or
"God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed
Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor
David.
... [more] SATISHA m HinduismMeans
"lord of Sati" from the name of the Hindu goddess
SATI combined with
ईश (isha) meaning "ruler". This is another name for the Hindu god
Shiva.
SAYYID m ArabicMeans
"lord, master" in Arabic. A famous bearer was the Egyptian musician Sayyid Darwish (1892-1923).
SHEALTIEL m BiblicalMeans
"I have asked of God" in Hebrew. This was the name of the father of Zerubbabel in the Old Testament.
SHEKINAH f VariousFrom the Hebrew word
שׁכִינה (shekhinah) meaning
"God's manifested glory" or
"God's presence". This word does not appear in the Bible, but later Jewish scholars used it to refer to the dwelling place of God, especially the Temple in Jerusalem.
SHEMAIAH m BiblicalMeans
"heard by YAHWEH" in Hebrew. This name is borne by many characters in the Old Testament including a prophet in the reign of
Rehoboam.
SHRIPATI m HinduismMeans
"husband of Shri" from the name of the Hindu goddess
SHRI combined with Sanskrit
पति (pati) meaning "husband, lord". This is another name of the Hindu god
Vishnu.
STRIBOG m Slavic MythologyPossibly means
"flowing god" in Slavic. Stribog was the Slavic god of the wind, cold, ice and frost.
SUIJIN m Japanese MythologyFrom Japanese
水 (sui) meaning "water" and
神 (jin) meaning "god, spirit". This is the name of the god (or gods) of water, lakes and pools in Japanese mythology.
SUMANTRA m BengaliMeans
"following good advice", from the Sanskrit prefix
सु (su) meaning "good" combined with
मन्त्र (mantra) meaning "instrument of thought, prayer, advice".
THEIA f Greek MythologyPossibly derived from Greek
θεά (thea) meaning
"goddess". In Greek myth this was the name of a Titan goddess of light, glittering and glory. She was the wife of
Hyperion and the mother of the sun god
Helios, the moon goddess
Selene, and the dawn goddess
Eos.
THEKLA f German (Rare), Greek (Rare), Late GreekFrom the ancient Greek name
Θεόκλεια (Theokleia), which meant
"glory of God" from the Greek elements
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 1st-century saint, appearing (as
Θέκλα) in the apocryphal
Acts of Paul and Thecla. The story tells how Thecla listens to Paul speak about the virtues of chastity and decides to remain a virgin, angering both her mother and her suitor.
THEODORE m EnglishFrom the Greek name
Θεόδωρος (Theodoros), which meant
"gift of god" from Greek
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". The name
Dorothea is derived from the same roots in reverse order. This was the name of several saints, including Theodore of Amasea, a 4th-century Greek soldier; Theodore of Tarsus, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury; and Theodore the Studite, a 9th-century Byzantine monk. It was also borne by two popes.
... [more] THEODOSIUS m Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Θεοδόσιος (Theodosios) meaning
"giving to god", derived from
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
δόσις (dosis) meaning "giving". Saint Theodosius of Palestine was a monk who founded a monastery near Bethlehem in the 5th century. This also was the name of emperors of the Eastern Roman and Byzantine Empires.
THEOPHANES m Ancient GreekMeans
"manifestation of God" from Greek
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
φανής (phanes) meaning "appearing". This name was borne by a few saints, including an 8th-century chronicler from Constantinople and a 19th-century Russian Orthodox saint, Theophanes the Recluse, who is
Феофан (Feofan) in Russian. Another famous bearer was a 14th-century Byzantine icon painter active in Moscow.
TIGHEARNACH m IrishDerived from Old Irish
tigerna meaning
"lord". This was the name of an Irish saint of the 6th century. In his youth he was kidnapped by Welsh pirates and brought to Wales, but he escaped to Scotland. Eventually he returned to Ireland where he was a bishop of Clogher.
TIGHEARNÁN m IrishMeans
"little lord" from Old Irish
tigerna "lord" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 12th-century king of Breifne in Ireland.
TIMOTHY m English, BiblicalEnglish form of the Greek name
Τιμόθεος (Timotheos) meaning
"honouring God", derived from
τιμάω (timao) meaning "to honour" and
θεός (theos) meaning "god". Saint Timothy was a companion of
Paul on his missionary journeys and was the recipient of two of Paul's epistles that appear in the New Testament. He was of both Jewish and Greek ancestry. According to tradition, he was martyred at Ephesus after protesting the worship of
Artemis. As an English name,
Timothy was not used until after the Protestant Reformation.
TOBIAH m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
טוֹבִיָּה (Toviyyah) meaning
"YAHWEH is good", from the elements
טוֹב (tov) meaning "good" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This was the name of an Ammonite in the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament.
TRAUGOTT m German (Rare)Derived from German
trau "trust" and
Gott "God". This name was created in the 17th century.
URIAH m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
אוּרִיָה ('Uriyah) meaning
"YAHWEH is my light", from the roots
אוּר ('ur) meaning "light, flame" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of a Hittite warrior in King
David's army, the first husband of
Bathsheba. David desired Bathsheba so he placed Uriah in the forefront of battle so he would be killed.
URIEL m Biblical, HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
אוּרִיאֵל ('Uri'el) meaning
"God is my light", from
אוּר ('ur) meaning "light, flame" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Uriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition. He is mentioned only in the Apocrypha, for example in the Book of Enoch where he warns
Noah of the coming flood.
UROŠ m Serbian, SloveneSerbian form of an old Hungarian name, possibly from
úr meaning
"man, lord" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of five Serbian kings.
UZZIAH m BiblicalMeans
"my power is YAHWEH" in Hebrew, from the roots
עֹז ('oz) meaning "strength, power" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of several Old Testament characters including a king of Judah.
UZZIEL m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"my power is God" in Hebrew, from the roots
עֹז ('oz) meaning "strength, power" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.
ZEBADIAH m BiblicalMeans
"YAHWEH has bestowed" in Hebrew. This was the name of several Old Testament characters.
ZECHARIAH m Biblical, EnglishFrom the Hebrew name
זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah) meaning
"YAHWEH remembers", from
זָכַר (zakhar) meaning "to remember" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many characters in the Old Testament, including the prophet Zechariah, the author of the Book of Zechariah. The name also appears in the New Testament belonging to the father of
John the Baptist, who was temporarily made dumb because of his disbelief. He is regarded as a saint by Christians. In some versions of the New Testament his name is spelled in the Greek form
Zacharias or the English form
Zachary. As an English given name,
Zechariah has been in occasional use since the Protestant Reformation.
ZEPHANIAH m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
צְפַנְיָה (Tzefanyah) meaning
"YAHWEH has hidden", derived from
צָפַן (tzafan) meaning "to hide" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Zephaniah.
ZERACHIEL m Judeo-Christian LegendPossibly means
"command of God" in Hebrew. The Book of Enoch names him as one of the seven archangels. His name is sometimes rendered as
Sarakiel.
ZIEMOWIT m PolishFrom an old Slavic name derived from the elements
sem "family" and
vit "lord, master". This was the name of a legendary Piast prince of Poland. It was also borne by several other Piast rulers.
ZURIEL m BiblicalMeans
"my rock is God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name is borne by a chief of the Merarite Levites at the time of the Exodus.