Algimantas m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
alga "salary, pay" combined with
mantus "intelligent" or
manta "property, wealth".
Algirdas m LithuanianPossibly means
"all-hearing", from the Lithuanian roots
al- "all, every" and
gird- "to hear". This was the name of a 14th-century Grand Duke of Lithuania.
Alhaji m HausaMeans
"the pilgrim" in Hausa, a derivative of Arabic
حجّ (ḥajj) meaning "pilgrimage, hajj". It is typically a title, not a name.
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] Alice f English, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Czech, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, DutchFrom the Old French name
Aalis, a short form of
Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis (see
Adelaide). This name became popular in France and England in the 12th century. It was among the most common names in England until the 16th century, when it began to decline. It was revived in the 19th century.
... [more] Alikhan m KazakhCombination of the name
Ali 1 and the Turkic title
khan meaning "ruler, leader".
Alimjan m UyghurUyghur elaboration of
Alim using the suffix
جان (jan) meaning "dear, darling" (of Persian origin).
Alin m RomanianPossibly a Romanian masculine form of
Alina. Alternatively it may derive from Romanian
alina "to soothe".
Alisher m Uzbek, Kazakh, TajikFrom the given name
Ali 1 combined with Persian
شیر (shīr) meaning "lion". It was borne by the Timurid poet Ali-Shir Nava'i (1441-1501), who wrote in the Chagatai Turkic language.
Alison 1 f English, FrenchNorman French diminutive of
Aalis (see
Alice). It was common in England, Scotland and France in the Middle Ages, and was later revived in England in the 20th century via Scotland. Unlike most other English names ending in
son, it is not derived from a surname.
Alix f & m FrenchMedieval French variant of
Alice, also sometimes used as a masculine name. This is the name of the hero (a young Gaulish man) of a French comic book series, which debuted in 1948.
Aliya 2 f HebrewMeans
"ascent" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָלָה (ʿala) meaning "to ascend, to climb". This is also a Hebrew word referring to immigration to Israel.
Aljaž m SloveneDerived from a Slovene surname, which is of unknown meaning.
Alkinoos m Greek MythologyMeans
"strong mind", derived from Greek
ἀλκή (alke) "strength, prowess" and
νόος (noos) "mind, thought". According to Greek mythology this was the name of a king of the Phaeacians.
Allah m TheologyDerived from Arabic
الإله (al-ʾilah) meaning
"the deity". It is primarily used to refer to the Islamic God, though it was originally used by pre-Islamic Arabs, and is sometimes used by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews to refer to their god.
Allegra f Italian, English (Rare)Means
"cheerful, lively" in Italian. It was borne by a short-lived illegitimate daughter of Lord Byron (1817-1822).
Allen m EnglishVariant of
Alan, or from a surname that was derived from this same name. A famous bearer of this name was Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), an American beat poet. Another is the American film director and actor Woody Allen (1935-), who took the stage name Allen from his real first name.
Alli f FinnishFinnish diminutive of names beginning with
Al. This is also the Finnish word for a type of duck.
Allie f EnglishDiminutive of
Alison 1,
Alexandra and other names beginning with the same sound. After a 34-year absence from the American top 1000 chart this name began growing in popularity after the premiere of the sitcom
Kate and Allie in 1984.
Allison f & m EnglishFrom the middle of the 20th century this has primarily been used as a variant of the feminine name
Alison 1. However, prior to that it was used as an uncommon masculine name, derived from the English and Scottish surname
Allison.
Ally 1 f EnglishDiminutive of
Alison 1,
Alexandra and other names beginning with the same sound. This name jumped in popularity in 1997 after the premiere of the American television series
Ally McBeal.
Alma 1 f English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Albanian, Slovene, CroatianThis name became popular after the Battle of Alma (1854), which took place near the River Alma in Crimea and ended in a victory for Britain and France. However, the name was in rare use before the battle; it was probably inspired by Latin
almus "nourishing". It also coincides with the Spanish word meaning
"the soul".
Alma 3 m MormonMeaning unknown. According to the Book of Mormon, this was the name of two prophets, father and son. Alma the Elder was a corrupt priest who repented after meeting the prophet Abinadi. Alma the Younger rebelled against the church, but repented and become a missionary and prophet.
Almantas m LithuanianFrom the Lithuanian root
al- "all, every" combined with
mantus "intelligent" or
manta "property, wealth".
Almazbek m KyrgyzFrom Kyrgyz
алмаз (almaz) meaning "diamond", ultimately from Persian
الماس (almās), combined with the Turkic military title
beg meaning "chieftain, master".
Álmos m HungarianPossibly from Hungarian
álom "dream", though perhaps of Turkic origin meaning "bought". This was the name of the semi-legendary father of Árpád, the founder of the Hungarian state. Álmos's mother
Emese supposedly had a dream in which a turul bird impregnated her and foretold that her son would be the father of a great nation.
Almudena f SpanishDerived from Arabic
المدينة (al-mudayna) meaning
"the citadel", a diminutive form of the word
مدينة (madīna) meaning "city". According to legend, it was in a building by this name that a concealed statue of the Virgin
Mary was discovered during the Reconquista in Madrid. The Virgin of Almudena, that is Mary, is the patron saint of Madrid.
Alodia f Gothic (Latinized)Possibly from a Visigothic name, maybe from Gothic elements such as
alls "all" or
aljis "other" combined with
auds "riches, wealth". Saint Alodia was a 9th-century Spanish martyr with her sister Nunilo.
Aloysius m EnglishLatinized form of
Aloys, an old Occitan form of
Louis. This was the name of an Italian saint, Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591). The name has been in occasional use among Catholics since his time.
Alparslan m Turkish, AzerbaijaniFrom Turkish
alp meaning "brave" and
arslan meaning "lion", referring to the 11th-century Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan, who expanded the Seljuk Empire into Anatolia.
Alperen m TurkishMeans
"fighter" in Turkish, a word derived from
alp "brave, hero" and
eren "holy person".
Alpha f & m EnglishFrom the name of the first letter in the Greek alphabet,
Α.
Alphius m Late RomanMeaning unknown, possibly a variant of
Alphaeus, or possibly from an Umbrian root meaning
"white". This was the name of a 3rd-century saint who was martyred in Sicily.
Alphonsus m Gothic (Latinized)Latinized form of the Gothic name *
Aþalfuns (see
Alfonso). This name was borne by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, an 18th-century Italian bishop who is regarded as a Doctor of the Church.
Alpin m Scottish (Rare)Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic name
Ailpean, possibly derived from a Pictish word meaning
"white". This was the name of two kings of Dál Riata and two kings of the Picts in the 8th and 9th centuries.
Alta f VariousPossibly from Latin
altus or Italian/Spanish
alto meaning
"high".
Altagracia f Spanish (Caribbean)Means
"high grace", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, meaning "Our Lady of High Grace". She is considered the patron saint of the Dominican Republic, and it is there that this name is most often used.
Alte 2 m FrisianOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element
alt meaning
"old".
Alter m YiddishFrom Yiddish
אַלט (alt) meaning
"old". This name was traditionally given to a sickly newborn by Jewish parents in order to confuse the Angel of Death, in the hopes that he would go looking for somebody younger.
Althea f Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek name
Ἀλθαία (Althaia), perhaps related to Greek
ἄλθος (althos) meaning
"healing". In Greek myth she was the mother of Meleager. Soon after her son was born she was told that he would die as soon as a piece of wood that was burning on her fire was fully consumed. She immediately extinguished the piece of wood and sealed it in a chest, but in a fit of rage many years later she took it out and set it alight, thereby killing her son.
Alton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town at the source of the river" in Old English.
Aludra f AstronomyDerived from Arabic
العذراء (al-ʿadhrāʾ) meaning
"the maiden". This is the name of a star in the constellation Canis Major.
Alun m WelshWelsh form of
Alan. It is also the name of two rivers in Wales.
Alva 2 m EnglishVariant of
Alvah. A famous bearer of this name was the inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).
Alvah m BiblicalMeans
"his highness" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned in the Old Testament as belonging to a descendant of
Esau.
Alvard f ArmenianMeans
"red rose" in Armenian, from
ալ (al) meaning "red, scarlet" and
վարդ (vard) meaning "rose".
Álvaro m Spanish, PortugueseSpanish form of
Alvarus, the Latinized form of a Visigothic name, possibly derived from the elements
alls "all" and
wars "aware, cautious" or
wards "guard". Álvar Fáñez was an 11th-century military commander and duke of Toledo, who appears as a general of El Cid in the epic poem
El Cantar de mio Cid. Verdi also used the name in his opera
The Force of Destiny (1862).
Alvin m English, SwedishFrom a medieval form of any of the Old English names
Ælfwine,
Æðelwine or
Ealdwine. It was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the Old English names. As a Scandinavian name it is derived from
Alfvin, an Old Norse cognate of
Ælfwine.
Alvis m Norse Mythology, LatvianFrom the Old Norse
Alvíss meaning
"all wise". In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf who was to marry
Thor's daughter
Thrud. Thor was not pleased with this so he tricked Alvis by asking him questions until the sun rose, at which time the dwarf was turned into stone.
Alvydas m LithuanianMeans
"all-seeing", from the Lithuanian roots
al- "all, every" and
vyd- "to see".
Alwilda f HistoryLatinized form of
Alfhild. This was the name of a legendary female Scandinavian pirate, also called Awilda.
Alwyn m WelshFrom the name of the River Alwen in northern Wales (a tributary of the River Dee).
Alyssa f EnglishVariant of
Alicia. The spelling has probably been influenced by that of the alyssum flower, the name of which is derived from Greek
ἀ (a), a negative prefix, combined with
λύσσα (lyssa) meaning "madness, rabies", since it was believed to cure madness.
Amalaberga f Gothic (Latinized)From the Gothic name *
Amalabairga, derived from the Gothic element
amals meaning "unceasing, vigorous, brave", also referring to the royal dynasty of the Amali, combined with
bairgo meaning "help, protection". This name was borne by a daughter of Theodemir, king of the Ostrogoths in the 5th century.
Amalberga f GermanicVariant of
Amalaberga, as borne by the Frankish saints Amalberga of Maubeuge (7th century) and Amalberga of Temse (8th century).
Amalbert m GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
amal possibly meaning "unceasing, vigorous, brave" and
beraht meaning "bright".
Amalgaid m Old IrishOld Irish name of uncertain meaning. This was the name of a few early Irish kings.
Amalia f Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Greek, Finnish, Swedish, Dutch, German, Germanic (Latinized)Short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
amal. This element means
"unceasing, vigorous, brave", or it can refer to the Gothic dynasty of the Amali (derived from the same root).
... [more] Amalric m Gothic (Anglicized)From the Visigothic name *
Amalareiks, derived from the Gothic element
amals meaning "unceasing, vigorous, brave", also referring to the royal dynasty of the Amali, combined with
reiks meaning "ruler, king". This was the name of a 6th-century king of the Visigoths, as well as two 12th-century rulers of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Archibald m Scottish, EnglishDerived from the Germanic name
Ercanbald, composed of the elements
erkan meaning "pure, holy, genuine" and
bald meaning "bold, brave". The first element was altered due to the influence of Greek names beginning with the element
ἀρχός (archos) meaning "master". The Normans brought this name to England. It first became common in Scotland in the Middle Ages (sometimes used to Anglicize the Gaelic name
Gilleasbuig, for unknown reasons).
Asal f PersianMeans
"honey" in Persian (of Arabic origin).
Ashurbanipal m Ancient Assyrian (Anglicized)From Akkadian
Ashur-bani-apli meaning
"Ashur is creator of a son". This was the name of one of the final kings of the Assyrian Empire, reigning late in the 7th century BC. He appears in the Old Testament under the name
Asnappar.
Atahualpa m Quechua (Anglicized)From Quechua
Atawallpa meaning
"fortunate hen", from
ataw meaning "fortunate, lucky" and
wallpa meaning "hen". This was the name of the last sovereign Inca emperor. He was executed by the Spanish in 1533.
Atalanta f Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Ἀταλάντη (Atalante) meaning
"equal in weight", derived from
ἀτάλαντος (atalantos), a word related to
τάλαντον (talanton) meaning "a scale, a balance". In Greek legend she was a fast-footed maiden who refused to marry anyone who could not beat her in a race. She was eventually defeated by Hippomenes, who dropped three golden apples during the race causing her to stop to pick them up.
Athaliah f & m BiblicalPossibly means
"Yahweh is exalted" in Hebrew, from
עֲתַל (ʿaṯal) possibly meaning "exalted" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is both a feminine and masculine name. It was borne by the daughter of
Ahab and
Jezebel, who later came to rule Judah as a queen.
Avalokiteshvara m BuddhismMeans
"the lord who looks down" in Sanskrit, derived from
अवलोक् (avalok) meaning "to look down" and
ईश्वर (īśvara) meaning "lord, god". The original form of the name may have been
अवलोकितस्वर (Avalokitasvara), with the final element being
स्वर (svara) meaning "sound, tone" (as evidenced by the Chinese form
Guanyin). In Buddhist belief this is the name of a bodhisattva associated with compassion.
Avalon f English (Rare)From the name of the island paradise to which King
Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh
afal meaning "apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.
Azalea f English (Modern)From the name of the flower (shrubs of the genus Rhododendron), ultimately derived from Greek
ἀζαλέος (azaleos) meaning "dry".