Browse Names

This is a list of names in which the origin is Ancient; and the community's impression is strange; and the order is random.
gender
usage
origin
impression
Sharona f English (Rare)
Elaborated form of Sharon.
Petras m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Peter.
Asgeir m Norwegian
Norwegian form of Asger.
Muir m Scottish
From a Scottish surname, derived from Scots muir meaning "moor, fen". This name could also be inspired by Scottish Gaelic muir meaning "sea".
Zacharias m Biblical, Biblical Greek, Greek
Greek form of Zechariah. This form of the name is used in most English translations of the New Testament to refer to the father of John the Baptist. It was also borne by an 8th-century pope (called Zachary in English).
Karolis m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Carolus.
Rishi m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Nepali
From Sanskrit ऋषि (ṛṣi) meaning "sage, poet", perhaps ultimately deriving from a root meaning "to see".
Nicolau m Portuguese, Galician, Catalan
Portuguese, Galician and Catalan form of Nicholas.
Ludovic m French
French form of Ludovicus, the Latinized form of Ludwig. This was the name of an 1833 opera by the French composer Fromental Halévy.
Mars m Roman Mythology
Possibly related to Latin mas meaning "male" (genitive maris). In Roman mythology Mars was the god of war, often equated with the Greek god Ares. This is also the name of the fourth planet in the solar system.
Florizel m Literature
From Latin floris, the genitive case of flos meaning "flower". This name was used by Shakespeare for the prince of Bohemia and the lover of Perdita in his play The Winter's Tale (1610).
Padmavati f Hinduism
Means "resembling lotuses", derived from the Sanskrit word पद्म (padma) meaning "lotus" combined with वती (vatī) meaning "resemblance". This is the name of a Hindu goddess, the wife of Venkateswara. She is considered an aspect of Lakshmi. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 14th-century queen of Mewar.
Alastair m Scottish
Anglicized form of Alasdair.
Zanna f English
Short form of Suzanna.
Clíodhna f Irish, Irish Mythology
Meaning unknown. In Irish legend this was the name of a beautiful goddess. She fell in love with a mortal named Ciabhán and left the Land of Promise with him, but when she arrived on the other shore she was swept to sea by a great wave.
Colombina f Italian (Rare), Theatre
Italian feminine diminutive of Columba. In traditional Italian theatre (commedia dell'arte) this is the name of a stock character, a female servant who was often the lover of Arlecchino (Harlequin). This is also the Italian word for the columbine flower.
Donalda f Scottish
Feminine form of Donald.
Tiras m Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
From Hebrew תִּירָס (Tiras), meaning unknown. Tiras is a grandson of Noah in the Old Testament. This is also a modern Hebrew word meaning "corn".
Thucydides m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Means "glory of god", from the Greek name Θουκυδίδης (Thoukydides), derived from θεός (theos) meaning "god" (genitive θεοῦ) and κῦδος (kydos) meaning "glory" with the patronymic suffix ἴδης (ides). This was the name of a 5th-century BC Athenian historian.
Oleksiy m Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Alexius.
Ilinca f Romanian
Romanian diminutive of Elena.
Hlíf f Old Norse, Icelandic
Old Norse and Icelandic form of Liv 1.
Shira f Hebrew
Means "singing" in Hebrew.
Fayvel m Yiddish (Rare)
Alternate transcription of Yiddish פֿייװל (see Feivel).
Quirijn m Dutch (Rare)
Dutch form of Quirinus.
Gallcobar m Old Irish
Old Irish form of Gallchobhar.
Maeve f Irish, English, Irish Mythology
Anglicized form of the Irish name Medb meaning "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. She and her husband Ailill fought against the Ulster king Conchobar and the hero Cúchulainn, as told in the Irish epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
Pantelis m Greek
Short form of Panteleimon.
Séafra m Irish
Irish form of Geoffrey.
Hulda 1 f Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Norse Mythology
Derived from Old Norse hulda meaning "hiding, secrecy". This was the name of a sorceress in Norse mythology. As a modern name, it can also derive from archaic Swedish huld meaning "gracious, sweet, lovable".
Katida f Esperanto
From Esperanto katido meaning "kitten", ultimately from Latin cattus.
Robrecht m Dutch (Rare)
Older Dutch form of Robert, still sometimes used in Belgium.
Macaria f Spanish
Feminine form of Macario.
Prokop m Czech
Czech form of Prokopios.
Aeronwy f Welsh (Rare)
Extended form of Aeron.
Eardwulf m Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English element eard "land" combined with wulf "wolf".
Flossie f English
Diminutive of Florence.
Otávio m Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Octavius.
Appius m Ancient Roman
This was a Roman praenomen, or given name, used predominantly by the Claudia family. Its etymology is unknown. A famous bearer of this name was Appius Claudius Caecus, a Roman statesman of the 3rd century BC. He was responsible for the Aqua Appia (the first Roman aqueduct) and the Appian Way (a road between Rome and Capua), both of which were named for him.
Zelpha f Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Form of Zilpah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament.
Phaedra f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek Φαίδρα (Phaidra), derived from φαιδρός (phaidros) meaning "bright". Phaedra was the daughter of Minos and the wife of Theseus in Greek mythology. Aphrodite caused her to fall in love with her stepson Hippolytos, and after she was rejected by him she killed herself.
Piroska f Hungarian
Hungarian form of Prisca, influenced by the Hungarian word piros meaning "red".
Muirenn f Old Irish, Irish Mythology
From Old Irish muir "sea" and finn "white, blessed". This is another name of Muirne, the mother of the legendary hero Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Vigdís f Icelandic
Icelandic form of Vígdís.
Aravind m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil
From Sanskrit अरविन्द (aravinda) meaning "lotus".
Rosalind f English
Derived from the Old German elements hros meaning "horse" and lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy As You Like It (1599).
Shura f & m Russian
Russian diminutive of Aleksandra or Aleksandr.
Bada m Anglo-Saxon
Old English name probably derived from beadu meaning "battle".
Acantha f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Ἄκανθα (Akantha), which meant "thorn, prickle". In Greek legend she was a nymph loved by Apollo.
Mirek m Polish, Czech, Slovak
Diminutive of Miroslav and other names beginning with the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace, world". It is sometimes used independently.
Eugénie f French
French form of Eugenia. This was the name of the wife of Napoleon III.
Achim 2 m Biblical
Possibly from a Hebrew name meaning "he will establish". In the New Testament this name is listed as an ancestor of Jesus.
Aldert m Frisian, Dutch
Frisian form of a Germanic name, either Aldhard or Adalhard.
Volya m Russian (Rare)
Diminutive of Vsevolod. It also means "will, freedom" in Russian.
Narinder m & f Indian (Sikh)
Variant of Narendra used by Sikhs.
Achilles m Greek Mythology (Latinized), Ancient Greek (Latinized)
From the Greek Ἀχιλλεύς (Achilleus), which is of unknown meaning, perhaps derived from Greek ἄχος (achos) meaning "pain" or else from the name of the Achelous River. This was the name of a warrior in Greek legend, one of the central characters in Homer's Iliad. The bravest of the Greek heroes in the war against the Trojans, he was eventually killed by an arrow to his heel, the only vulnerable part of his body.... [more]
Asherah f Semitic Mythology
Perhaps derived from Semitic roots meaning "she who walks in the sea". This was the name of a Semitic mother goddess. She was worshipped by the Israelites before the advent of monotheism.
Barna m Hungarian
Hungarian short form of Barnabas.
Gervais m French
French form of Gervasius.
Harta m Indonesian
Means "wealth, treasure, property" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit अर्थ (artha).
Jamshed m Urdu, Tajik
Urdu and Tajik form of Jamshid.
Angelique f Dutch
Dutch form of Angélique.
Eustaquio m Spanish
Spanish form of Eustachius (see Eustace).
Keefe m English (Rare)
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Caoimh, derived from the given name or byname Caomh.
Theophylaktos m Ancient Greek
Means "watched by god" from Greek θεός (theos) meaning "god" and φυλακτέος (phylakteos) meaning "to be watched". Saint Theophylaktos was a 9th-century bishop of Nicomedia who was banished to Caria.
Vlastimil m Czech, Slovak
Derived from the Slavic elements volstĭ "power, rule, sovereignty" (Czech vlast "homeland") and milŭ "gracious, dear".
Liora f Hebrew
Strictly feminine form of Lior.
Pylyp m Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Philip.
Sotirios m Greek
Derived from Greek σωτήρ (sotir) meaning "saviour, deliverer", referring to Jesus, or σωτηρία (sotiria) meaning "salvation, deliverance".
Valente m Italian, Spanish (Mexican), Portuguese (Rare)
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Valens.
Mellan m Irish (Rare)
Anglicized form of Meallán.
Zyta f Polish
Possibly a Polish form of Zita 1, or possibly a short form of Felicyta.
Ráichéal f Irish
Irish form of Rachel.
Aneurin m Welsh
Modern form of Aneirin.
Zula 1 f Polish (Rare)
Polish diminutive of Zuzanna.
Cielo f Spanish
Means "sky, heaven" in Spanish. In Mexico this name was popularized by a character named María del Cielo, called Cielo, on the telenovela Por tu amor (1999).
Beowulf m Anglo-Saxon Mythology
Possibly means "bee wolf" (in effect equal to "bear") from Old English beo "bee" and wulf "wolf". Alternatively, the first element may be beadu "battle". This is the name of the main character in the anonymous 8th-century epic poem Beowulf. Set in Denmark, the poem tells how he slays the monster Grendel and its mother at the request of King Hroðgar. After this Beowulf becomes the king of the Geats. The conclusion of the poem tells how Beowulf, in his old age, slays a dragon but is himself mortally wounded in the act.
Zeus m Greek Mythology
The name of a Greek god, related to the old Indo-European god *Dyēws, from the root *dyew- meaning "sky" or "shine". In Greek mythology he was the highest of the gods. After he and his siblings defeated the Titans, Zeus ruled over the earth and humankind from atop Mount Olympus. He had control over the weather and his weapon was a thunderbolt.... [more]
Ravi m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Odia, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Nepali
Means "sun" in Sanskrit. Ravi is a Hindu god of the sun, sometimes equated with Surya. A famous bearer was the musician Ravi Shankar (1920-2012).
Neven m Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian
Masculine form of Nevena.
Galena f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Bulgarian and Macedonian feminine form of Galenos (see Galen).
Witold m Polish
Polish form of Vytautas. Alternatively it could be derived from the Old German name Widald.
Padmini f Kannada, Tamil, Telugu
Means "multitude of lotuses", a derivative of Sanskrit पद्म (padma) meaning "lotus".
Leto f Greek Mythology
Possibly from Lycian lada meaning "wife". Other theories connect it to Greek λήθω (letho) meaning "hidden, forgotten". In Greek mythology she was the mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus.
Nox f Roman Mythology
Means "night" in Latin. Nox is the Roman goddess of the night, the equivalent of the Greek goddess Nyx.
Tzipora f Hebrew
Modern Hebrew form of Zipporah.
Alphonse m French
French form of Alfonso.
Gebhard m German, Germanic
Derived from the Old German element geba "gift" combined with hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". Saint Gebhard was a 10th-century bishop of Constance.
Rada f Serbian, Bulgarian
Derived from the Slavic element radŭ meaning "happy, willing", originally a short form of names beginning with that element.
Arezoo f Persian
Alternate transcription of Persian آرزو (see Arezou).
Montana f & m English (Modern)
From the name of the American state of Montana, which is derived from Latin montanus "mountainous".
Ailín m Medieval Irish
Possibly an Irish form of Alan or Ælfwine.