Aali m ArabicMeans
"high, lofty, sublime" in Arabic, from the root
علا (ʿalā) meaning "to be high".
Aaliyah f Arabic, English (Modern), African American (Modern)Feminine form of
Aali. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the singer Aaliyah Haughton (1979-2001), who was known simply as Aaliyah. This name received a boost in popularity after she released her debut album in 1994, and also in 2001 after her untimely death in an airplane crash.
Aamir 1 m Arabic, UrduMeans
"prosperous, substantial, populated" in Arabic, related to the root
عمر (ʿamara) meaning "to live long, to thrive".
Abd al-Aziz m ArabicMeans
"servant of the powerful" from Arabic
عبد (ʿabd) meaning "servant" combined with
عزيز (ʿazīz) meaning "powerful". This was the name of the first king of modern Saudi Arabia.
Abd al-Hamid m ArabicMeans
"servant of the praiseworthy" from Arabic
عبد (ʿabd) meaning "servant" combined with
حميد (ḥamīd) meaning "praiseworthy". This was the name of two sultans of the Ottoman Empire.
Abd Allah m ArabicMeans
"servant of Allah" from Arabic
عبد (ʿabd) meaning "servant" combined with
الله (Allah). This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's father. He died before his son's birth.
Abd al-Malik m ArabicMeans
"servant of the king" from Arabic
عبد (ʿabd) meaning "servant" combined with
ملك (malik) meaning "king". This was the name of the fifth Umayyad caliph, who made Arabic the official language of the empire.
Abd al-Qadir m ArabicMeans
"servant of the capable, servant of the powerful" from Arabic
عبد (ʿabd) meaning "servant" combined with
قادر (qādir) meaning "capable, powerful". This was the name of a 19th-century Algerian resistance leader.
Abd al-Wali m ArabicMeans
"servant of the protector" from Arabic
عبد (ʿabd) meaning "servant" combined with
ولي (walī) meaning "helper, protector, friend".
Abd ar-Rahman m ArabicMeans
"servant of the merciful" from Arabic
عبد (ʿabd) meaning "servant" combined with
رحْمن (raḥman) meaning "merciful". This was the name of two early caliphs of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain.
Abla f ArabicMeans
"full-figured" in Arabic. The 7th-century Arab poet Antara dedicated much of his poetry to a woman named Abla.
Afaf f ArabicMeans
"chastity" in Arabic, from the root
عفّ (ʿaffa) meaning "to refrain, to be chaste".
Affan m ArabicMeans
"chaste, modest, pure" in Arabic, from the root
عفّ (ʿaffa) meaning "to refrain, to be chaste". This was the name of the father of the caliph
Uthman.
Afif m ArabicMeans
"chaste" in Arabic, from the root
عفّ (ʿaffa) meaning "to refrain, to be chaste".
Akif m Arabic, Turkish, Azerbaijani, UrduMeans
"devoted, focused" in Arabic. It refers to one who practices
اعتكاف (iʿtikāf), which is seclusion inside a mosque for a period of time to worship.
Ala 1 m ArabicMeans
"excellence, elevation" in Arabic, from the root
علا (ʿalā) meaning "to be high".
Ala ad-Din m ArabicMeans
"excellence of religion" from Arabic
علاء (ʿalāʾ) meaning "excellence, elevation" combined with
دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith". This was the name of several sultans of Delhi.
Ali 1 m Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Pashto, Indonesian, Malay, Avar, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, Dhivehi, Albanian, BosnianMeans
"lofty, sublime" in Arabic, from the root
علا (ʿalā) meaning "to be high". Ali ibn Abi Talib was a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet
Muhammad and the fourth caliph to rule the Muslim world. His followers were the original Shia Muslims, who regard him as the first rightful caliph.
... [more] Ammar m Arabic, Urdu, MalayMeans
"one who lives a long life, one who builds" in Arabic, from the root
عمر (ʿamara) meaning "to live long, to thrive". Ammar ibn Yasir was an early companion of the Prophet
Muhammad. After Muhammad's death he supported
Ali.
Amr m ArabicMeans
"life" in Arabic, from
عمر (ʿamara) meaning "to live long, to thrive". Amr ibn al-As was a companion of the Prophet
Muhammad. The final
و is generally not pronounced in this name.
Aqil m Arabic, UrduMeans
"intelligent, wise, reasonable" in Arabic, from the root
عقل (ʿaqala) meaning "to have intelligence, to be reasonable". Aqil ibn Abi Talib was the name of a cousin of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Atif m Arabic, UrduMeans
"affection, kindness" in Arabic, derived from the root
عطف (ʿaṭafa) meaning "to incline, to be fond of".
Atika f ArabicFrom Arabic
عاتك (ʿātik) meaning
"clear, pure". This name was borne by ancestors of the Prophet
Muhammad, as well as one of his aunts and one of his disciples.
Atuf m ArabicMeans
"affectionate, loving" in Arabic, a derivative of
عطف (ʿaṭafa) meaning "to incline, to be fond of".
Ayda f Arabic, Persian, TurkishMeans
"returning, visitor" in Arabic. In Turkey this is also associated with
ay meaning "moon".
Aziz m Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Indonesian, MalayMeans
"powerful, respected, beloved" in Arabic, derived from the root
عزّ (ʿazza) meaning "to be powerful" or "to be cherished". In Islamic tradition
العزيز (al-ʿAzīz) is one of the 99 names of Allah. A notable bearer of the name was Al-'Aziz, a 10th-century Fatimid caliph.
Ba'al m Semitic Mythology, Biblical HebrewHebrew form of Semitic root
bʿl meaning
"lord, master, possessor". This was the title of various deities, often associated with storms and fertility, who were worshipped by the Canaanites, Phoenicians, and other peoples of the ancient Near East. It was particularly applied to the god
Hadad.
Baba m AzerbaijaniFrom a nickname or honorific meaning
"old man" in Azerbaijani.
Babak m PersianFrom Middle Persian
𐭯𐭠𐭯𐭪𐭩 (Papak) meaning
"little father". This was the name of the father of
Ardashir, the founder of the Sasanian Empire in Persia. It was also borne by the 9th-century resistance leader Babak Khorramdin.
Babe m & f EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"baby", also a slang term meaning
"attractive person". As a feminine name, in some cases it is a diminutive of
Barbara.
Babylas m Late Greek, French (Rare)Derived from the name of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon. Saint Babylas was a 3rd-century patriarch of Antioch who was martyred during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius.
Bahadır m TurkishTurkish form of Persian
بهادر (bahādor), itself from Turkic
bagatur meaning
"hero, warrior".
Bahija f ArabicMeans
"happy, joyous, delightful" in Arabic, from the verb
بهج (bahija) meaning "to be happy, to rejoice in".
Bahman m Persian, Persian MythologyModern Persian form of Avestan
𐬬𐬊𐬵𐬎 𐬨𐬀𐬥𐬀𐬵 (Vohu Manah) meaning
"good mind". This was the name of a Zoroastrian god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with domestic animals. The eleventh month of the Iranian calendar was named for him.
Bahram m Persian, Persian MythologyModern Persian form of Avestan
𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬚𐬭𐬀𐬖𐬥𐬀 (Vərəthraghna) meaning
"victory over resistance". This was the name of a Zoroastrian god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with victory and war. It was also borne by several Sasanian emperors. It is also the Persian name for the planet Mars.
Bailey m & f EnglishFrom an English surname derived from Middle English
baili meaning
"bailiff", originally denoting one who was a bailiff.
... [more] Bakarne f BasqueFrom Basque
bakar meaning
"alone". It was proposed by Sabino Arana in 1910 as an equivalent of the Spanish name
Soledad.
Baker m English (Modern)From an English occupational surname derived from Old English
bakere meaning
"baker".
Bakr m ArabicMeans
"young camel" in Arabic.
Abu Bakr was a father-in-law of the Prophet
Muhammad and the first caliph of the Muslim world.
Baldric m English (Archaic)Derived from the Old German elements
bald "bold, brave" and
rih "ruler, king". It was borne by a 7th-century Frankish saint, the founder of the monastery of Montfaucon. The Normans introduced this name to Britain, and it was common in the Middle Ages.
Baldwin m English, GermanicMeans
"bold friend", derived from the Old German elements
bald "bold, brave" and
wini "friend". In the Middle Ages this was a popular name in Flanders and among the Normans, who brought it to Britain. It was borne by one of the leaders of the First Crusade, an 11th-century nobleman from Flanders. After the crusaders conquered Jerusalem, he was crowned as the king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Balfour m English (Rare)From a Scottish surname, originally from various place names, themselves derived from Gaelic
baile "village" and
pòr "pasture, crop, cropland".
Balthazar m Judeo-Christian-Islamic LegendVariant of
Belshazzar. Balthazar is the name traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who visited the newborn
Jesus. He was said to have come from Arabia. This name was utilized by Shakespeare for minor characters in
The Comedy of Errors (1594) and
The Merchant of Venice (1596).
Bambi f EnglishDerived from Italian
bambina meaning
"young girl". The American novelist Marjorie Benton Cooke used it in her novel
Bambi (1914). This was also the name of a male deer in a cartoon by Walt Disney, which was based on a 1923 novel by Swiss author Felix Salten.
Bandar m ArabicMeans
"harbour, port" in Arabic (of Persian origin).
Banks m English (Modern)From an English surname that that was given to a person who lived near a hillside or a bank of land.
Banquo m LiteratureMeaning uncertain, possibly derived from Scottish Gaelic
bàn "white" and
cù "dog, hound". This is the name of a character in William Shakespeare's semi-historical tragedy
Macbeth (1606). He earlier appears in
Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), one of Shakespeare's sources for the play.
Baptiste m FrenchMeans
"baptist" in French, originally deriving from Greek
βάπτω (bapto) meaning "to dip". This name is usually given in honour of Saint John the Baptist, and as such it is often paired with the name
Jean.
Baqi m ArabicMeans
"eternal" in Arabic. This was the pen name of a 16th-century Turkish poet.
Baqir m ArabicMeans
"opener, discoverer" in Arabic, from the root
بقر (baqara) meaning "to split open". Muhammad al-Baqir was the fifth imam of the Shia Muslims.
Baran f & m Persian, Turkish, KurdishMeans
"rain" in Persian. It is typically feminine in Persian and masculine in Turkish and Kurdish.
Barbara f English, Italian, French, German, Polish, Hungarian, Slovene, Croatian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Late RomanDerived from Greek
βάρβαρος (barbaros) meaning
"foreign, non-Greek". According to legend, Saint Barbara was a young woman killed by her father Dioscorus, who was then killed by a bolt of lightning. She is the patron of architects, geologists, stonemasons and artillerymen. Because of her renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world in the Middle Ages. In England it became rare after the Protestant Reformation, but it was revived in the 19th century.
Barbe f FrenchFrench form of
Barbara. In modern times it is usually only used in reference to the saint, while
Barbara is more common as a given name.
Barbie f EnglishDiminutive of
Barbara. This is the name of a doll produced by the Mattel toy company since 1959. It was named after the original designer's daughter.
Barclay m English (Rare)From a Scottish and English surname that was derived from the English place name
Berkeley, itself from Old English
beorc "birch" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Baron m EnglishFrom the noble title, derived from Latin
baro (genitive
baronis) meaning "man, freeman", probably ultimately of Frankish origin.
Barrett m EnglishFrom a surname probably meaning
"quarrelsome, deceptive" in Middle English, originally given to a quarrelsome person.
Bartholomew m English, BiblicalEnglish form of
Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaios), which was the Greek form of an Aramaic name meaning
"son of Talmai". In the New Testament
Bartholomew is the byname of an apostle, possibly the same person as the apostle
Nathanael. According to tradition he was a missionary to India before returning westward to Armenia, where he was martyred by flaying. Due to the popularity of this saint the name became common in England during the Middle Ages.
Baruch m Biblical, Biblical Latin, HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
בָּרוּך (Baruḵ) meaning
"blessed". In the Old Testament this is the name of a companion of the prophet Jeremiah, acting as his scribe and assistant. The deuterocanonical Book of Baruch was supposedly written by him. A famous bearer was Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), a Dutch-Jewish rationalist philosopher.
Basajaun m Basque MythologyMeans
"lord of the woods" from Basque
baso "woods" and
jaun "lord". This is the name of a character in Basque folklore, the Old Man of the Woods.
Başak f TurkishMeans
"ear of wheat" in Turkish. This is also the Turkish name for the constellation Virgo.
Basil 1 m EnglishFrom the Greek name
Βασίλειος (Basileios), which was derived from
βασιλεύς (basileus) meaning
"king". Saint Basil the Great was a 4th-century bishop of Caesarea and one of the fathers of the early Christian church. Due to him, the name (in various spellings) has come into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors.
Basir m ArabicMeans
"wise" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
البصير (al-Baṣīr) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Bastet f Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
bꜣstt, which was possibly derived from
bꜣs meaning
"ointment jar" and a feminine
t suffix. In Egyptian mythology Bastet was a goddess of cats, fertility and the sun who was considered a protector of Lower Egypt. In early times she was typically depicted with the head of a lioness. By the New Kingdom period she was more associated with domestic cats, while the similar cat goddess
Sekhmet took on the fierce lioness aspect.
Batari f IndonesianMeans
"goddess" in Indonesian, derived from the Sanskrit noble title
भट्टारी (bhaṭṭārī) meaning "noble lady".
Bathsheba f BiblicalMeans
"daughter of the oath" in Hebrew, derived from
בַּת (baṯ) meaning "daughter" and
שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". According to the Old Testament, this was the name of a woman married to
Uriah the Hittite. She became pregnant by King
David, so he arranged to have her husband killed in battle and then married her. She was the mother of
Solomon.
Batu m MongolianMeans
"strong, firm" in Mongolian. Batu Khan was a 13th-century Mongol leader, the founder of the Golden Horde.
Batul f ArabicMeans
"virgin" in Arabic. This is an Arabic epithet of the Virgin
Mary.
Baxter m EnglishFrom an occupational surname that meant
"(female) baker", from Old English
bæcere and a feminine agent suffix.
Baylor m & f English (Modern)From a surname, possibly an Americanized form of the German surname
Beiler, derived from Middle High German
beile meaning
"measuring stick".
Beowulf m Anglo-Saxon MythologyPossibly 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.
Bob m English, DutchShort form of
Robert. It arose later than
Dob,
Hob and
Nob, which were medieval rhyming nicknames of Robert. It is borne by the character Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel
A Christmas Carol (1843). Other famous bearers include American folk musician Bob Dylan (1941-) and Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
Bobby m EnglishDiminutive of
Bob. Hockey greats Bobby Hull (1939-2023) and Bobby Orr (1948-) have borne this name.
Bogusław m PolishMeans
"glory of God" from the Slavic elements
bogŭ "god" and
slava "glory". This name was borne by several dukes of Pomerania, beginning in the 12th century.