Muriel f English, French, Irish, Scottish, Medieval Breton (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Irish
Muirgel and Scottish
Muireall. A form of this name was also used in Brittany, and it was first introduced to medieval England by Breton settlers in the wake of the Norman Conquest. In the modern era it was popularized by a character from Dinah Craik's novel
John Halifax, Gentleman (1856).
Nathaniel m English, BiblicalVariant of
Nathanael. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. This has been the most popular spelling, even though the spelling
Nathanael is found in most versions of the New Testament. The American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of
The Scarlet Letter, was a famous bearer of this name.
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 Walter Scott's novel
The Fortunes of Nigel (1822).
Ninel f RussianReversal of the surname
Lenin. Lenin was the founder of the former Soviet state. This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.
Noël m FrenchMeans
"Christmas" in French. In the Middle Ages it was used for children born on the holiday. A famous bearer was the English playwright and composer Noël Coward (1899-1973).
Noel m & f EnglishEnglish form of
Noël or
Noëlle (rarely). It was fairly popular in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand in the middle of the 20th century. It is occasionally written with a diaeresis, like in French. A famous bearer is British musician Noel Gallagher (1967-).
Othniel m BiblicalMeaning uncertain, possibly
"lion of God" or
"strength of God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is a nephew or brother of
Caleb who becomes the first of the ruling judges of the Israelites.
Paltiel m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"God is my deliverance" in Hebrew, derived from
פָּלַט (palaṭ) meaning "to deliver, to rescue, to escape" combined with
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is the name of two Israelites in the Old Testament.
Parnel f English (Archaic)Contracted form of
Petronel. In the later Middle Ages it became a slang term for a promiscuous woman, and the name subsequently fell out of use.
Philomel f LiteratureFrom an English word meaning
"nightingale" (ultimately from
Philomela). It has been used frequently in poetry to denote the bird.
Rachel f English, Hebrew, French, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
רָחֵל (Raḥel) meaning
"ewe". In the Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of
Jacob. Her father
Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister
Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid
Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of
Joseph and
Benjamin.
... [more] Raphael m German, English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
רָפָאֵל (Rafaʾel) meaning
"God heals", from the roots
רָפָא (rafa) meaning "to heal" and
אֵל (ʾel) 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] Rapunzel f LiteratureFrom the name of an edible plant. It is borne by a long-haired young woman locked in a tower in an 1812 German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. An evil sorceress gave her the name after she was taken as a baby from her parents, who had stolen the rapunzel plant from the sorceress's garden. The Grimms adapted the story from earlier tales (which used various names for the heroine).
Reuel m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"friend of God" in Hebrew, from
רֵעַ (reaʿ) meaning "friend" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is another name for
Jethro. The fantasy author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a famous bearer.
Rigel m AstronomyDerived from Arabic
الرجل (al-Rijl) meaning
"foot". This is the name of the star that forms the left foot of the constellation Orion.
Rosabel f English (Rare)Combination of
Rosa 1 and the common name suffix
bel, inspired by Latin
bella "beautiful". This name was created in the 18th century.
Samuel m English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Jewish, Amharic, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemuʾel) meaning
"name of God", from the roots
שֵׁם (shem) meaning "name" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Other interpretations have the first root being
שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear" leading to a meaning of
"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] Satchel m English (Rare)From an English surname derived from Old English
sacc meaning
"sack, bag", referring to a person who was a bag maker. A famous bearer was the American baseball player Satchel Paige (1906-1982). In his case it was a childhood nickname acquired because he sold bags.
Shealtiel m BiblicalMeans
"I have asked of God" in Hebrew, from the roots
שָׁאַל (shaʾal) meaning "to ask" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". According to the Old Testament this was the name of the father of Zerubbabel. It was also borne by a son of King
Jeconiah of Judah (he is called
Salathiel in some translations).
Sibel f TurkishPossibly a Turkish form of
Cybele. It was borne by the main character in Refik Halit Karay's novel
İkibin Yılın Sevgilisi (1954).
Sorrel f English (Rare)From the name of the sour tasting plant, derived from Old French
sur "sour", a word of Frankish origin.
Tahel f HebrewMeans
"you will shine" in Hebrew, from the root
הָלַל (halal) meaning "to praise, to shine".
Tariel m Literature, GeorgianCreated by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for his 12th-century epic
The Knight in the Panther's Skin. He may have based it on Persian
تاجور (tājvar) meaning "king" or
تار (tār) meaning "dark, obscure" combined with
یل (yal) meaning "hero". In the poem Tariel, the titular knight who wears a panther skin, is an Indian prince who becomes a companion of
Avtandil.
Tinúviel f LiteratureMeans
"daughter of twilight, nightingale" in the fictional language Sindarin. In the
Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Tinuviel was another name of Lúthien, the daughter of Thingol the elf king. She was the beloved of Beren, who with her help retrieved one of the Silmarils from the iron crown of Morgoth.
Torkel m Norwegian, SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Þórketill meaning
"Thor's cauldron" from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor) combined with
ketill "cauldron".
Tzeitel f Yiddish (Rare)Yiddish diminutive of
Sarah. This is the name of Tevye's oldest daughter in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on Sholem Aleichem's stories from the late 19th century.
Uriel m Biblical, HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
אוּרִיאֵל (ʾUriʾel) meaning
"God is my light", from
אוּר (ʾur) meaning "light, flame" and
אֵל (ʾel) 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.
Uzziel m Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"my power is God" in Hebrew, from the roots
עֹז (ʿoz) meaning "strength, power" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.
Viorel m RomanianDerived from
viorea, the Romanian word for the alpine squill flower (species Scilla bifolia) or the sweet violet flower (species Viola odorata). It is derived from Latin
viola "violet".
Wendel m & f Dutch (Rare), German (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian)Old short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
wentil meaning
"a Vandal". The Vandals were a Germanic tribe who invaded Spain and North Africa in the 5th century. Their tribal name, which may mean "wanderer", has often been confused with that of the Wends, a Slavic people living between the Elbe and the Oder.
... [more] Zabel f ArmenianArmenian form of
Isabel. A 13th-century ruling queen of Cilician Armenia bore this name.
Zadkiel m Judeo-Christian-Islamic LegendMeans
"God is my righteousness" in Hebrew. This is the name of an archangel associated with mercy in Jewish and Christian tradition, sometimes said to be the angel who stops
Abraham from sacrificing his son
Isaac.
Zuriel m BiblicalMeans
"my rock is God" in Hebrew, derived from
צוּר (tsur) meaning "rock" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this name is borne by a chief of the Merarite Levites at the time of the Exodus.