Browse Names

Anat 1 f Semitic Mythology
Possibly derived from a Semitic root meaning "water spring". Anat was a goddess of fertility, hunting and war worshipped by the Semitic peoples of the Levant. She was the sister and consort of the god Hadad.

Anaya f English (Modern)
Meaning unknown, possibly from the Spanish surname Anaya (itself from the name of a Spanish town), used because of its similarity to Amaya.

Anup m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam
From Sanskrit अनूप (anūpa) meaning "watery, place near the water, lagoon".

Ardalion m Late Greek, Georgian (Rare), Russian (Rare)
Probably derived from Greek ἀρδάλιον (ardalion) meaning "water pot". This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr from Asia Minor.

Arethusa f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀρέθουσα (Arethousa) meaning "quick water", which is possibly derived from ἄρδω (ardo) meaning "water" and θοός (thoos) meaning "quick, nimble". This was the name of a nymph in Greek mythology who was transformed into a fountain.

Aysu f Turkish, Azerbaijani
Derived from Turkish and Azerbaijani ay meaning "moon" and su meaning "water".

Burim m Albanian
Means "spring, well, water source" in Albanian.

Cansu f Turkish
From Turkish can meaning "soul, life" and su meaning "water".

Damla f Turkish, Azerbaijani
Means "water drop" in Turkish and Azerbaijani.

Ea 1 m Semitic Mythology
Meaning unknown, perhaps from Sumerian meaning "house of water", or perhaps of Akkadian or Hurrian origin. This was the Akkadian, Assyrian, Hurrian and Babylonian name of the Sumerian water god Enki.

Glyndwr m Welsh
Given in honour of Owain Glyndwr (or Glyn Dŵr, Anglicized as Glendower), a 14th-century Welsh patriot who led a revolt against England. His byname means "valley water", and was probably inspired by the name of his estate at Glyndyfrdwy (meaning "valley of the River Dee").

Göksu m & f Turkish
From Turkish gök meaning "sky" and su meaning "water".

Gormlaith f Old Irish
Derived from Old Irish gorm "blue" or "illustrious" and flaith "ruler, sovereign, princess". This was the name of several medieval Irish royals, including the wife of the 11th-century king Brian Boru.

Gulmira f Kyrgyz, Kazakh
From Kyrgyz and Kazakh гүл (gul) meaning "flower", ultimately from Persian گل (gol), combined with Arabic أميرة (ʾamīra) meaning "princess".

Gürsel m Turkish
Means "flowing water" in Turkish.

He f & m Chinese
From Chinese 河 (hé) meaning "river, stream", 和 (hé) meaning "harmony, peace", or 荷 (hé) meaning "lotus, water lily" (which is usually only feminine). Other characters can form this name as well. A famous bearer was the Ming dynasty explorer Zheng He (1371-1433).

Hydra f Astronomy, Greek Mythology
Means "water serpent" in Greek, related to ὕδωρ (hydor) meaning "water". In Greek myth this was the name of a many-headed Lernaean serpent slain by Herakles. It is also the name of a northern constellation, as well as a moon of Pluto.

Iara f Tupi
Means "lady of the water" in Tupi, from y "water" and îara "lady, mistress". In Brazilian folklore this is the name of a beautiful river nymph who would lure men into the water. She may have been based upon earlier Tupi legends.

Irvine m English, Scottish
From a surname that was a variant of Irving.

Irving m English, Jewish
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the town of Irvine in North Ayrshire, itself named for the River Irvine, which is derived from Brythonic elements meaning "green water". Historically this name has been relatively common among Jews, who have used it as an American-sounding form of Hebrew names beginning with I such as Isaac, Israel and Isaiah. A famous bearer was the Russian-American songwriter and lyricist Irving Berlin (1888-1989), whose birth name was Israel Beilin.

Karen 3 f Japanese
From Japanese 華 (ka) meaning "flower" and 蓮 (ren) meaning "lotus, water lily". Other combinations of kanji can also form this name.

Kaur f Indian (Sikh)
Means "princess", ultimately from Sanskrit कुमारी (kumārī) meaning "girl". This surname was assigned to all female Sikhs in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh. It is now used as a surname or a middle name by most female Sikhs. The male equivalent is Singh.

Kelvin m English
From the name of a Scottish river, perhaps meaning "narrow water". As a title it was borne by the Irish-Scottish physicist William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907), who acquired his title from the river.

Kolab f Khmer (Rare)
Means "rose" in Khmer, ultimately from Persian گلاب (golāb).

Kulap f & m Thai
Means "rose" in Thai (of Persian origin).

Lian 2 m & f Chinese
From Chinese 莲 (lián) meaning "lotus, water lily", 濂 (lián) meaning "waterfall", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.

Liên f Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 蓮 (liên) meaning "lotus, water lily".

Maayan f & m Hebrew
Means "spring of water" in Hebrew.

Mai 4 f Arabic
Means "water" in Arabic, a dialectal variant of ماء (māʾ).

Maya 3 f Hebrew
Derived from Hebrew מַיִם (mayim) meaning "water".

Mehrab m Persian, Persian Mythology
From Persian مهر (mehr) meaning "sun" or "friendship" and آب (āb) meaning "water". This is the name of the king of Kabul in the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh.

Moana f & m Maori, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan
Means "ocean, wide expanse of water, deep sea" in Maori, Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages.

Mortimer m English
From an English surname that was derived from the name of a town in Normandy, itself meaning "dead water, still water" in Old French.

Nahla f Arabic
Means "a drink of water" in Arabic.

Neith f Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
Greek form of Egyptian nt, possibly from nt "water" or nrw "fear, dread". This was the name of an early Egyptian goddess of weaving, hunting and war. Her character may have some correspondences with the goddesses Tanith, Anat or Athena.

Nereus m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Derived from Greek νηρός (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.

Nerida f Indigenous Australian
Possibly means "water lily" in an Australian Aboriginal language.

Niloufar f Persian
Means "water lily" in Persian.

Niraj m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Nepali
From Sanskrit नीरज (nīraja) meaning "water-born, lotus".

Nkosazana f Xhosa
Means "princess" in Xhosa.

Nu m Egyptian Mythology
From Egyptian nnw meaning "primeval water". In Egyptian mythology this was the name of the god who personified the primeval waters from which the earth was born.

Pegasus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek Πήγασος (Pegasos), possibly either from πηγός (pegos) meaning "strong" or πηγαῖος (pegaios) meaning "from a water spring". In Greek mythology Pegasus was the winged horse that sprang from the blood of Medusa after she was killed by Perseus. There is a constellation in the northern sky named after the horse.

Princess f English (Modern)
Feminine equivalent of Prince.

Puteri f Malay
Means "daughter, princess" in Malay, ultimately from Sanskrit पुत्री (putrī).

Rajkumari f Hindi
Means "princess" in Sanskrit.

Ren m & f Japanese
From Japanese 蓮 (ren) meaning "lotus", 恋 (ren) meaning "romantic love", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.

Sarah f English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical
From the Hebrew name שָׂרָה (Sara) meaning "lady, princess, noblewoman". In the Old Testament this is the name of Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see Genesis 17:15).... [more]

Sarai f Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Hebrew, Spanish
Means "my princess" in Hebrew, a possessive form of שָׂרָה (sara) meaning "lady, princess, noblewoman". In the Old Testament, this was Sarah's name before God changed it (see Genesis 17:15).

Saraswati f Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi
Means "possessing water" from Sanskrit सरस् (saras) meaning "fluid, water, lake" and वती (vatī) meaning "having". This is the name of a Hindu river goddess, also associated with learning and the arts, who is the wife of Brahma. She appears in the Vedas.

Shui m & f Chinese
From Chinese 水 (shuǐ) meaning "water", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Sohrab m Persian, Persian Mythology
From Persian سهر (sohr) meaning "red" and آب (āb) meaning "water". In the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh this is the name of the son of the hero Rostam. He was tragically slain in battle by his father, who was unaware he was fighting his own son.

Su 1 f Turkish
Means "water" in Turkish.

Suijin m Japanese Mythology
From 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.

Talia 2 f English (Australian)
From the name of a town in South Australia, perhaps meaning "near water" in an Australian Aboriginal language.

Tirta m & f Indonesian
Means "sacred water, place of pilgrimage" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit तीर्थ (tīrtha).

Tirto m Javanese
Javanese variant of Tirta.

Vaihere f Tahitian
From Tahitian vai "water" and here "loved, dear".

Vaimiti f Tahitian
From Tahitian vai "water" and miti "sea, salt".

Vaitiare f Tahitian
From Tahitian vai "water" and tiare "flower".

Walton m English
From a surname that was originally taken from various Old English place names meaning "stream town", "wood town", or "wall town".

Wells m English
From an English surname that originally denoted a person who lived near a well or spring, from Middle English wille.