This is a list of names in which the order is random.
Brecht m DutchShort form of names containing
brecht, often derived from the Old German element
beraht meaning "bright".
Neuza f PortugueseMeaning uncertain. Some theories connect it to Greek
νέουσα (neousa) meaning
"swimming", though the reasons for this formation are unclear.
Kerry m & f EnglishFrom the name of the Irish county, called
Ciarraí in Irish Gaelic, which means "
Ciar's people".
Quasimodo m LiteratureFrom the name of the Sunday that follows Easter, called Quasimodo Sunday, which gets its name from the opening words of the Latin chant
quasi modo (geniti infantes...) meaning
"like the way (that newborn infants do...)". It was used by Victor Hugo for his novel
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), in which Quasimodo is a hunchbacked bellringer at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He was named thus by Archdeacon Frollo because he was abandoned as a baby at the cathedral on Quasimodo Sunday, though Hugo states that Frollo may have been inspired by the alternate meaning for
quasi "almost", referring to the almost-complete appearance of the foundling.
Pocahontas f Powhatan (Anglicized)Means
"little playful one" in Powhatan, an Algonquian language. This was the nickname of a 17th-century Powhatan woman, a daughter of the powerful chief
Wahunsenacawh. She married the white colonist John Rolfe and travelled with him to England, but died of illness before returning.
Gollum m LiteratureThe name of a villainous creature in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel
The Hobbit (1937). The book explains he was named Gollum from the swallowing sound he made in his throat. The sequel
The Lord of the Rings (1954) tells that he was originally a hobbit named
Sméagol.
Jupiter m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From Latin
Iuppiter, which was ultimately derived from the vocative form of Indo-European *
Dyēws-pətēr, composed of the elements
Dyēws (see
Zeus) and
pətēr "father". Jupiter was the supreme god in Roman mythology. He presided over the heavens and light, and was responsible for the protection and laws of the Roman state. This is also the name of the fifth and largest planet in the solar system.
Sveva f ItalianPossibly from the name of the Germanic tribe of the Suebi (
svevo in Italian).
Phineus m Greek MythologyMeaning uncertain, possibly from Greek
φίνις (phinis), a variant of
φήνη (phene) meaning
"vulture". According to Greek mythology this was the name of a king of Thrace visited by
Jason and the Argonauts.
Audowin m GermanicDerived from Old Frankish
aud or Old High German
ot meaning "wealth, fortune" combined with
wini meaning "friend". This is a cognate of
Edwin.
Dudley m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.
Ōkuninushi m Japanese MythologyMeans
"master of the great country", from Japanese
大 (ō) meaning "big, great",
国 (kuni) meaning "country, land" and
主 (nushi) meaning "master". In Japanese myth he was the divine ruler of the lands, until the gods of the heavens seized control and he retreated to the unseen world.
Godzilla m Popular CultureFrom Japanese
ゴジラ (Gojira), a blend of
ゴリラ (gorira) meaning "gorilla" and
鯨 (kujira) meaning "whale". This is the name of a massive reptilian monster from a series of Japanese movies, starting 1954.
Erkan m TurkishFrom Turkish
er "man, hero, brave" combined with either
kan "blood" or
han "khan, leader".
Zerah m BiblicalMeans
"dawning, shining" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Judah and the twin of
Perez in the Old Testament.
Seo-Yun f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
瑞 (seo) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" and
潤 (yun) meaning "soft, sleek", as well as other hanja character combinations.
Sky f & m English (Modern)Simply from the English word
sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse
ský "cloud".
Kinsley f English (Modern)From a surname that was derived from an English place name, itself meaning
"clearing belonging to Cyne". The Old English given name
Cyne is a short form of longer names beginning with
cyne meaning "royal".
... [more] Astoria f English (Rare)Feminine form of
Astor. This is also the name of several American towns, after the businessman John Jacob Astor.
Friedrich m GermanGerman form of
Frederick. This was the name of several rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Austria and Prussia. The philosophers Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) are two other famous bearers of this name.
Harlan m EnglishFrom a surname that was from a place name meaning
"hare land" in Old English. In America it has sometimes been given in honour of Supreme Court justice John Marshall Harlan (1833-1911).
Jayadeva m SanskritMeans
"divine victory" from Sanskrit
जय (jaya) meaning "victory" and
देव (deva) meaning "god". This was the name of a 12th-century Indian poet.
Yeong-Suk f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" and
淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
Hilla f FinnishShort form of names beginning with
Hil. It also means "cloudberry" in Finnish.
Marjorie f EnglishMedieval variant of
Margery, influenced by the name of the herb
marjoram. After the Middle Ages this name was rare, but it was revived at the end of the 19th century.
Rhonwen f WelshWelsh form of
Rowena, appearing in medieval Welsh poems and stories as a personification of the English people.
Ryū m JapaneseFrom Japanese
竜 or 龍 (ryū) meaning "dragon", as well as other kanji with the same pronunciation.
Asterix m Popular CultureThe name of a Gaulish hero (
Astérix in the original French) in a comic book series of the same name, debuting 1959. His name is a pun based on French
astérisque meaning
"asterisk, little star" but appearing to end with the Gaulish element
rix meaning "king" (seen for example in the historical figure
Vercingetorix). All male Gauls in the series have humorous names ending with
-ix.
Nagendra m Hinduism, Kannada, TeluguMeans
"lord of snakes" from Sanskrit
नाग (nāga) meaning "snake" (also "elephant") combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "lord". This is another name for Vasuki, the king of snakes, in Hindu mythology.
Khan m Urdu, PashtoFrom a title meaning
"king, ruler". Its origin is probably Mongolian, though the word has been transmitted into many other languages.
Harley m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English
hara "hare" or
hær "rock, heap of stones" and
leah "woodland, clearing". An American name for boys since the 19th century, it began to be used for girls after a character with the name began appearing on the soap opera
Guiding Light in 1987.
Lemuel m Biblical, Mormon, Biblical HebrewMeans
"for God" in Hebrew, from the proposition
לְמוֹ (lemo) combined with
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This was the name of a king briefly mentioned in Proverbs in the Old Testament. In the Book of Mormon it is the name of a rebellious son of
Lehi and
Sariah. It is also borne by the hero of Jonathan Swift's novel
Gulliver's Travels (1726).
Kaleo m HawaiianMeans
"sound, voice" from Hawaiian
ka "the" and
leo "sound, voice".
Agatha f English, German, Dutch, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Ἀγαθή (Agathe), derived from Greek
ἀγαθός (agathos) meaning
"good". Saint Agatha was a 3rd-century martyr from Sicily who was tortured and killed after spurning the advances of a Roman official. The saint was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). The mystery writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a famous modern bearer of this name.
Stafford m EnglishFrom a surname that was from a place name meaning
"landing-place ford" in Old English.
Helah f BiblicalMeans
"rust" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name is mentioned as one of the wives of Ashur.
Epponina f Gaulish (Latinized)Probably related to the name of the goddess
Epona. Epponina was the virtuous wife of the 1st-century Gallo-Roman rebel Julius Sabinus.
Juana f SpanishSpanish form of
Iohanna (see
Joanna), making it the feminine form of
Juan 1. This name was borne by Juana the Mad, a 16th-century queen of Castile.
Velma f EnglishProbably a variant of
Wilma, the spelling with an
e perhaps due to the influence of
Selma 1. This name has been in use since the 19th century.
Django m Popular CultureThe name of Romani-French musician Django Reinhardt (1910-1953), whose real name was Jean. It is possibly from a Romani word meaning
"I awake", though it might in fact be derived from the name
Jean 1. This is the name of the title character in the Italian western movie
Django (1966), as well as numerous subsequent films.
Edmao m LimburgishLimburgish form of
Edmund. Its spelling has been influenced by the French pronunciation of Edmond.
Shpëtim m AlbanianFrom Albanian
shpëtim meaning
"rescue, relief, salvation".
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).
Gráinne f Irish, Irish Mythology, Old IrishPossibly derived from Old Irish
grán meaning
"grain" or
gráin meaning
"hatred, fear". In the Irish legend
The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Gráinne she escaped from her arranged marriage to
Fionn mac Cumhaill by fleeing with her lover
Diarmaid. Another famous bearer was the powerful 16th-century Irish landowner and seafarer Gráinne Ní Mháille (known in English as Grace O'Malley), who was sometimes portrayed as a pirate queen in later tales.
Lewis m EnglishMedieval English form of
Louis. A famous bearer was Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), the author of
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This was also the surname of C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), the author of the
Chronicles of Narnia series.
Thaddeus m English, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom
Θαδδαῖος (Thaddaios), the Greek form of the Aramaic name
תַדַּי (Ṯaddai). It is possibly derived from Aramaic
תַּד (taḏ) meaning
"heart, breast", but it may in fact be an Aramaic form of a Greek name such as
Θεόδωρος (see
Theodore). In the Gospel of Matthew, Thaddaeus is listed as one of the twelve apostles, though elsewhere in the New Testament his name is omitted and
Jude's appears instead. It is likely that the two names refer to the same person.
Minos m Greek MythologyPossibly from a Cretan word or title meaning
"king". This was the name of a king of Crete in Greek mythology. He was the son of
Zeus and
Europa. Because Minos had refused to sacrifice a certain bull to
Poseidon, the god had caused his wife Pasiphaë to mate with the bull, which produced the half-bull creature called the Minotaur. Minos had
Daedalus construct the Labyrinth to house the beast, but it was eventually slain by
Theseus.
Fatih m Turkish, ArabicMeans
"conqueror" in Arabic, derived from the root
فتح (fataḥa) meaning "to open, to conquer". The Ottoman sultan
Mehmed II the Conqueror is called
Fatih Sultan Mehmed in Turkish.
Wangchuk m & f Tibetan, BhutaneseMeans
"mighty" in Tibetan, from
དབང (dbang) meaning "power" and
ཕྱུག (phyug) meaning "wealthy, possessing". This is the Tibetan name for the god
Shiva.
Jehiel m BiblicalMeans
"God will live" in Hebrew, from
חָיָה (ḥaya) meaning "to live" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is the name of several people in the Old Testament, including one of King
David's lute players.
Lexus f EnglishShort form of
Alexus. Its use has been influenced by the Lexus brand name (a line of luxury automobiles made by Toyota).
Yeong-Cheol m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
永 (yeong) meaning "perpetual, eternal" combined with
哲 (cheol) meaning "wise, sage". Other hanja combinations are possible.
Lleucu f WelshMeaning unknown, possibly derived from
Lleu. This name appears in the 14th-century poem
Marwnad Lleucu Llwyd, written by Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen for his deceased lover Lleucu Llwyd.
Euphrasia f Ancient GreekMeans
"good cheer" in Greek, a derivative of
εὐφραίνω (euphraino) meaning
"to delight, to cheer". This name was borne by a 5th-century saint from Constantinople.
Ju-Won m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
周 (ju) meaning "circumference" combined with
元 (won) meaning "first, origin" or
媛 (won) meaning "beautiful woman". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
Shahrokh m PersianMeans
"royal face" in Persian, from
شاه (shāh) meaning "king" and
رخ (rokh) meaning "face". This was the name of a 15th-century ruler of the Timurid Empire (a son of
Timur).
Rajab m ArabicFrom the name of the seventh month in the Islamic calendar, derived from Arabic
رجب (rajaba) meaning "respect, awe".
Averroes m HistoryLatinized form of the Arabic patronymic
ابن رشد (ibn Rushd), used to refer to the Islamic philosopher and scientist Abu l-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Rushd (1126-1198), who was born in Córdoba, Spain. His patronymic commemorates an ancestor named
Rushd.
Brahma m HinduismMeans
"growth, expansion, creation" in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Brahma is the creator and director of the universe, the balance between the opposing forces of
Vishnu and
Shiva. After the classical period Brahma was no longer as highly revered as Vishnu and Shiva. He is often depicted with four heads and four arms.
Rosario f & m Spanish, ItalianMeans
"rosary", and is taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora del Rosario meaning "Our Lady of the Rosary". This name is feminine in Spanish and masculine in Italian.
Taweret f Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
tꜣ-wrt meaning
"O great female". In Egyptian mythology Taweret was a goddess of childbirth and fertility. She was typically depicted as an upright hippopotamus.
Qing f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green, young", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Nasir m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Bengali, MalayMeans
"helper" in Arabic, from the root
نصر (naṣara) meaning "to help, to aid". This transcription represents two related yet distinct Arabic names:
ناصر, in which the first vowel is long, and
نصير, in which the second vowel is long.
Camden m English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from a place name, perhaps meaning
"enclosed valley" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English historian William Camden (1551-1623).
Maris 2 f English (Rare)Means
"of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin
Mary,
Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".
Africanus m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen derived from the place name
Africa, which in Roman times referred only to North Africa. This was the agnomen of the 3rd-century BC Roman general Scipio Africanus, who was honoured with it after his victory over Carthage in the Second Punic War. His descendants used it as a cognomen.
Yoshimitsu m JapaneseFrom Japanese
義 (yoshi) meaning "righteous",
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful", or
吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" combined with
光 (mitsu) meaning "light". Other combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Charmaine f EnglishMeaning unknown, perhaps a combination of
Charmian or the English word
charm with the
aine suffix from
Lorraine. It was (first?) used for a character in the play
What Price Glory (1924), which was made into a popular movie in 1926.
Vonahe'e f CheyenneMeans
"medicine bundle woman" in Cheyenne. A medicine bundle is a collection of sacred items used in religious ceremonies.
Criseida f LiteratureForm of
Chryseis used by the Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio in his 14th-century poem
Il Filostrato. In the poem she is a woman of Troy, daughter of Calchas, who leaves her Trojan lover
Troilus for the Greek hero
Diomedes. The story was taken up by Chaucer (using the form
Criseyde) and Shakespeare (using the form
Cressida).
Imants m LatvianPossibly from Livonian (a Finnic language that was spoken in Latvia)
im "miracle" and
and "to give".
Weldon m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"hill near a spring" in Old English.
Väinämöinen m Finnish MythologyDerived from Finnish
väinä meaning
"wide and slow-flowing river". In Finnish mythology Väinämöinen was a wise old magician, the son of the primal goddess
Ilmatar. He is the hero of the Finnish epic the
Kalevala.
K'inich m Mayan MythologyMeans
"hot, sunny" in Classic Maya, derived from
k'in "sun". K'inich Ajaw (
ajaw meaning "king, lord") was the Maya god of the sun.
K'inich was commonly used as an element in the names of Maya royalty.
Piran m CornishPossibly derived from
Ciarán. This was the name of a 5th-century Irish monk who founded a monastery in Cornwall. He is the patron saint of Cornwall.
Olive f English, FrenchFrom the English and French word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin
oliva.
Naiara f BasqueFrom the Basque name of the Spanish city of Nájera, which is Arabic in origin. In the 12th century there was a reported apparition of the Virgin
Mary in a nearby cave.
Longwang m Chinese MythologyFrom Chinese
龙 (lóng) meaning "dragon" and
王 (wáng) meaning "king". This is the Chinese name of the Dragon King, a god associated with water and rain.
Chenaniah m BiblicalVariant of
Kenaniah used in several translations of the Old Testament (including the King James Version).
Abner m English, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
אַבְנֵר (ʾAvner) meaning
"my father is a light", derived from
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and
נֵר (ner) meaning "lamp, light". In the Old Testament, Abner was a cousin of
Saul and the commander of his army. After he killed Asahel he was himself slain by Asahel's brother
Joab.
... [more] Alfonso m Spanish, ItalianSpanish and Italian form of
Alphonsus, the Latin form of the Visigothic name *
Aþalafuns meaning
"noble and ready", derived from the Gothic elements
aþals "noble" and
funs "ready". This was the name of several kings of Spain (Asturias, León, Castile and Aragon) and Portugal, starting with Alfonso I of Asturias in the 8th century. His name was sometimes recorded in the Latin spelling
Adefonsus, and on that basis it is theorized that first element might be from another source (perhaps
haþus meaning "battle"). It is possible that two or more names merged into a single form.
Ermengard f GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
irmin meaning "whole, great" and
gart meaning "enclosure, yard". This name was borne by the wife of the Frankish king Louis the Pious (9th century). This was also the name of one of her granddaughters, an abbess of Frauenwörth who is regarded as a saint.
Vishnu m Hinduism, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, MarathiProbably means
"all-pervasive" in Sanskrit, from
विष् (viṣ) meaning "to prevade, to spread through". The Hindu god Vishnu is the protector and preserver of the universe, usually depicted as four-armed and blue-skinned. His wife is
Lakshmi. Though he appears in the
Rigveda, he features more prominently in post-Vedic texts. The great heroes
Krishna,
Rama,
Narasimha and others are regarded as avatars of Vishnu.
... [more] Vilen m RussianAbbreviation of
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the name of the founder of the former Soviet state (see
Vladimir and
Lenin).
Jordanes m Late RomanThe name of a 6th-century Roman author of Gothic background, who wrote a history of the Goths. His name is probably derived from that of the
Jordan River. However, some theories suggest that it could contain a trace of the Germanic root *
erþō meaning
"earth" (Gothic
airþa, Old Norse
jǫrð).
Veritas f Roman MythologyMeans "truth" in Latin, a derivative of
verus "true". The Roman goddess Veritas was the personification of truth.
Napier m English (Rare)From an English and Scots surname meaning
"linen keeper" in Middle English, from Old French
nappe "table cloth".
Amon m Egyptian Mythology (Anglicized)From
Ἄμμων (Ammon), the Greek form of Egyptian
jmn (reconstructed as
Yamanu) meaning
"the hidden one". In early Egyptian mythology he was a god of the air, creativity and fertility, who was particularly revered in Thebes. Later, during the Middle Kingdom, his attributes were combined with those of the god
Ra and he was worshipped as the supreme solar deity
Amon-Ra.
Hadley f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"heather field" in Old English.