ALADDIN m LiteratureAnglicized form of
ALA AL-DIN. This is the name of a mischievous boy in one of the tales of
The 1001 Nights. A magician traps him in a cave, but he escapes with the help of a genie.
ALPIN m ScottishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Ailpein, 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.
ARISTOTLE m Ancient Greek (Anglicized)From the Greek name
Ἀριστοτέλης (Aristoteles) meaning
"the best purpose", derived from
ἄριστος (aristos) meaning "best" and
τέλος (telos) meaning "purpose, aim". This was the name of a Greek philosopher of the 4th century BC who made lasting contributions to Western thought, including the fields of logic, metaphysics, ethics and biology.
BELSHAZZAR m Babylonian (Anglicized), BiblicalFrom
בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר (Belshatzzar), the Hebrew form of the Akkadian name
Bel-sharra-usur meaning "
BEL protect the king". This was the name of the son of Nabonidus, the last king of the Babylonian Empire before the Persians conquered it in the 6th century BC. In the Old Testament Book of Daniel Belshazzar is the last king of Babylon who sees the mystical handwriting on the wall, which is interpreted by Daniel to portend the end of the empire.
BRIDGET f Irish, English, Irish MythologyAnglicized form of the Irish name
Brighid meaning
"exalted one". In Irish mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom, the daughter of the god Dagda. In the 5th century it was borne by Saint Brigid, the founder of a monastery at Kildare and a patron saint of Ireland. Because of the saint, the name was considered sacred in Ireland, and it did not come into general use there until the 17th century. In the form
Birgitta this name has been common in Scandinavia, made popular by the 14th-century Saint Birgitta of Sweden, patron saint of Europe.
BRONTE m & f English (Rare)From a surname, an Anglicized form of Irish
Ó Proinntigh meaning
"descendant of Proinnteach". The given name
Proinnteach meant "bestower" in Gaelic. The Brontë sisters - Charlotte, Emily, and Anne - were 19th-century English novelists. Their father changed the spelling of the family surname from
Brunty to
Brontë, possibly to make it coincide with Greek
βροντή meaning "thunder".
CARROLL m IrishAnglicized form of
CEARBHALL. A famous bearer of the surname was Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the author of
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
CASEY m & f English, IrishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Cathasaigh meaning
"descendant of CATHASACH". This name can be given in honour of Casey Jones (1863-1900), a train engineer who sacrificed his life to save his passengers. In his case,
Casey was a nickname acquired because he was raised in the town of Cayce, Kentucky.
CLETUS m EnglishShort form of
ANACLETUS. This name is sometimes used to refer to the third pope, Saint Anacletus. It can also function as an Anglicized form of
KLEITOS.
CONFUCIUS m HistoryAnglicized form of the Chinese name
Kong Fuzi. The surname
孔 (Kong) means "hole, opening" and the title
夫子 (Fuzi) means "master". This was the name of a 6th-century BC Chinese philosopher. His given name was
Qiu.
CUPID m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Cupido meaning
"desire". This was the name of the Roman god of love, the son of
Venus and
Mars. He was portrayed as a winged, blindfolded boy, armed with a bow and arrows, which caused the victim to fall in love. His Greek equivalent was
Eros.
DASHIELL m English (Rare)In the case of American author Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) it was from his mother's surname, which was possibly an Anglicized form of French
de Chiel, of unknown meaning.
DECLAN m IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Deaglán, which is of unknown meaning. Saint Declan was a 5th-century missionary to Ireland.
DOUGAL m Scottish, IrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Dubhghall, which meant
"dark stranger" from
dubh "dark" and
gall "stranger".
DUANE m English, IrishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname
Ó Dubhán meaning
"descendant of DUBHÁN".
EILEEN f Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
EIBHLÍN. It is also sometimes considered an Irish form of
HELEN. It first became popular in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland near the end of the 19th century.
ELFLEDA f English (Archaic)Middle English form of both the Old English names
ÆÐELFLÆD and
ÆLFFLÆD. These names became rare after the Norman Conquest, but
Elfleda was briefly revived in the 19th century.
KEEGAN m Irish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of the Gaelic
Mac Aodhagáin, which means
"descendant of Aodhagán". The given name
Aodhagán is a double diminutive of
AODH.
KEELY f EnglishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Caolaidhe meaning
"descendant of Caoladhe". The given name
Caoladhe is derived from the Gaelic word
caol "slender".
KELLY m & f Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of the Irish given name
CEALLACH or the surname derived from it
Ó Ceallaigh. As a surname, it has been borne by actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).
KENNETH m Scottish, English, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishAnglicized form of both
COINNEACH and
CINÁED. This name was borne by the Scottish king Kenneth (Cináed) mac Alpin, who united the Scots and Picts in the 9th century. It was popularized outside of Scotland by Sir Walter Scott, who used it for the hero in his 1825 novel
The Talisman. A famous bearer was the British novelist Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932), who wrote
The Wind in the Willows.
KEVIN m English, Irish, French (Modern), German (Modern), Dutch (Modern), Swedish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern), Danish (Modern)Anglicized form of the Irish name
Caoimhín meaning
"handsome birth", derived from the older
Cóemgein, composed of the Old Irish elements
cóem "kind, gentle, handsome" and
gein "birth". Saint Caoimhín established a monastery in Glendalough, Ireland in the 6th century and is the patron saint of Dublin. It became popular in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland in the middle of the 20th century, and elsewhere in Europe in the late 20th century.
MACBETH m HistoryAnglicized form of the Gaelic given name
Mac Beatha meaning
"son of life", implying holiness. This was the name of an 11th-century Scottish king. Shakespeare based his play
Macbeth loosely on this king's life.
MAEVE f Irish, Irish MythologyAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Medb meaning
"intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. Her fight against Ulster and the hero
Cúchulainn is told in the Irish epic
The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
MAURA (2) f Irish, Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
MÁIRE. It has also been associated with Gaelic
mór meaning "great". This was the name of an obscure 5th-century Irish or Scottish martyr.
MAVOURNEEN f IrishDerived from the Irish phrase
mo mhúirnín meaning
"my darling".
RHETT m EnglishFrom a surname, an Anglicized form of the Dutch
de Raedt, derived from
raet "advice, counsel". Margaret Mitchell used this name for the character Rhett Butler in her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936).
ROWAN m & f Irish, English (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Ruadháin meaning
"descendant of RUADHÁN". This name can also be given in reference to the rowan tree.
ROY m Scottish, English, DutchAnglicized form of
RUADH. A notable bearer was the Scottish outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy (1671-1734). It is often associated with French
roi "king".
SHANE m Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
SEÁN. It came into general use in America after the release of the western movie
Shane (1953).
SHAW (2) m ScottishFrom a Scottish surname that was itself derived from the Gaelic byname
Sithech meaning
"wolf".
SHEENA f Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
SÌNE. This name was popularized outside of Scotland in the 1980s by the singer Sheena Easton (1959-).
SHONA f ScottishAnglicized form of
SEONAG or
SEÒNAID. Though unconnected, this is also the name of an ethnic group who live in southern Africa, mainly Zimbabwe.
SOMERLED m ScottishAnglicized form of the Old Norse name
Sumarliði meaning
"summer traveller". This was the name of a 12th-century Scottish warlord who created a kingdom on the Scottish islands.
TARA (1) f EnglishAnglicized form of the Irish place name
Teamhair, which possibly means
"elevated place" in Gaelic. This was the name of the sacred hill near Dublin where the Irish high kings resided. It was popularized as a given name by the novel
Gone with the Wind (1936) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1939), in which it is the name of the O'Hara plantation.
TAVISH m ScottishAnglicized form of
Thàmhais, vocative case of
TÀMHAS. Alternatively it could be taken from the Scottish surname
MacTavish, Anglicized form of
Mac Tàmhais, meaning "son of Thomas".
TEAGAN m & f English (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Tadhgáin meaning
"descendant of Tadhgán". The given name
Tadhgán is a diminutive of
TADHG.
TEAGUE m IrishAnglicized form of
TADHG. This name is also used as a slang term for an Irishman.
TURIN m LiteratureMeans
"victory mood" in Sindarin. In the
Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Turin was a cursed hero, the slayer of the dragon Glaurung. He was also called Turambar, Mormegil, and other names. This is also the Anglicized name of the city of Torino in Italy.
ZARA (1) f English (Modern)English form of
ZAÏRE. In England it came to public attention when Princess Anne gave it to her daughter in 1981. Use of the name may also be influenced by the trendy Spanish clothing retailer Zara.