Vinicio m Italian, SpanishItalian and Spanish form of the Roman family name
Vinicius, which was possibly derived from Latin
vinum "wine".
Vinícius m PortuguesePortuguese form of
Vinicius (see
Vinicio). It gained popularity in Brazil due to the poet and musician Vinícius de Moraes (1913-1980).
Viracocha m Inca MythologyPossibly from Quechua
wira "fat, thick" and
qucha "lake". This is the name of the creator god in Inca mythology.
Visitación f SpanishMeans
"visitation" in Spanish. This name is given in reference to the visit of the Virgin
Mary to her cousin Elizabeth.
Vjollca f AlbanianDerived from Albanian
vjollcë meaning
"violet", referring to both the flower and the colour.
Vulcan m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Vulcanus, possibly related to
fulgeo meaning
"to flash", but more likely of pre-Latin origin. In Roman mythology Vulcan was the god of fire. He was later equated with the Greek god
Hephaestus.
Wace m Old NormanNorman form of
Wazo. This name was borne by a 12th-century Norman poet from the island of Jersey.
Wahunsenacawh m PowhatanMeaning unknown. This name was borne by a 17th-century chief of the Powhatan people. He was also known as Powhatan, as a result of confusion between his name and his birthplace.
Wallace m English, ScottishFrom a Scottish and English surname that was derived from Norman French
waleis meaning
"foreigner, Celt, Welshman" (of Germanic origin). It was first used as a given name in honour of William Wallace, a Scottish hero who led the fight against the English in the 13th century.
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.
Warwick m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from the name of a town in England, itself from Old English
wer "weir, dam" and
wic "settlement".
Wenche f NorwegianNorwegian variant of
Wenke. A famous bearer is the Norwegian singer Wenche Myhre (1947-), known as
Wencke in some countries so as to avoid pronunciation confusion.
Wickaninnish m Nuu-chah-nulth (Anglicized)Possibly means
"having no one in front of him in the canoe" in Nuu-chah-nulth. This was the name of a chief of the Clayoquot in the late 18th century, at the time of European contact.
Wojciech m PolishDerived from the Slavic elements
vojĭ "warrior, soldier" and
utěxa "solace, comfort, joy". Saint Wojciech (also known by the Czech form of his name
Vojtěch or his adopted name
Adalbert) was a Bohemian missionary to Hungary, Poland and Prussia, where he was martyred in the 10th century.
Yancy m & f EnglishFrom a surname, which was an Americanized form of the Dutch surname
Jansen meaning
"Jan 1's son".
Yeong-Cheol m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
永 (yeong) meaning "perpetual, eternal" combined with
哲 (cheol) meaning "wise, sage". Other hanja combinations are possible.
Zaccai m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
זַכָּי (Zakkai) meaning
"pure". This is the name of a minor character in the Old Testament.
Zacchaeus m BiblicalFrom
Ζακχαῖος (Zakchaios), the Greek form of
Zaccai. According to the New Testament, Zacchaeus was a tax collector who climbed a tree in order to catch a glimpse of
Jesus, then gave half of his possessions to charity.
Zachariah m English, BiblicalVariant of
Zechariah. This spelling is used in the King James Version of the Old Testament to refer to one of the kings of Israel (called Zechariah in other versions).
Zachary m English, BiblicalUsual English form of
Zacharias, used in some English versions of the New Testament. This form has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation. It was borne by American military commander and president Zachary Taylor (1784-1850).
Zechariah m Biblical, EnglishFrom the Hebrew name
זְכַרְיָה (Zeḵarya) meaning
"Yahweh remembers", from the roots
זָכַר (zaḵar) meaning "to remember" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many characters in the Old Testament, including the prophet Zechariah, the author of the Book of Zechariah. The name also appears in the New Testament belonging to the father of
John the Baptist, who was temporarily made dumb because of his disbelief. He is regarded as a saint by Christians. In some versions of the New Testament his name is spelled in the Greek form
Zacharias or the English form
Zachary. As an English given name,
Zechariah has been in occasional use since the Protestant Reformation.