ADOLF m German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Hungarian, Ancient GermanicFrom the Germanic name
Adalwolf, which meant "noble wolf" from the Germanic elements
adal "noble" and
wulf. It was borne by several Swedish kings as a first or second name, most notably by Gustav II Adolf in the 17th century. Association with Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), the leader of the Nazi party in Germany during World War II, has lessened the use of this name.
ADONIS m Greek MythologyFrom Phoenician
Adonai meaning "lord". In Greek myth Adonis was a handsome young shepherd killed while hunting a wild boar. The anemone flower is said to have sprung from his blood. Because he was loved by
Aphrodite,
Zeus allowed him to be restored to life for part of each year. The Greeks borrowed this character from Semitic traditions, originally Sumerian (see
DUMUZI).
CONRAD m English, German, Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic elements
kuoni "brave" and
rad "counsel". This was the name of a 10th-century saint and bishop of Konstanz, in southern Germany. It was also borne by several medieval German kings and dukes. In England it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, but has only been common since the 19th century when it was reintroduced from Germany.
GASTON m FrenchPossibly from a Germanic name derived from the element
gast meaning "stranger, guest". This is the usual French name for Saint
Vedastus, called
Vaast in Flemish, and alternatively the name may be connected to it. The name was also borne by several counts of Foix-Béarn, beginning in the 13th century.
JEROME m EnglishFrom the Greek name
‘Ιερωνυμος (Hieronymos) meaning "sacred name", derived from
‘ιερος (hieros) "sacred" and
ονομα (onoma) "name". Saint Jerome was responsible for the creation of the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible, in the 5th century. He is regarded as a Doctor of the Church. The name was used in his honour in the Middle Ages, especially in Italy and France, and has been used in England since the 12th century.
JULIUS m Ancient Roman, English, German, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, DutchFrom a Roman family name that was possibly derived from Greek
ιουλος (ioulos) meaning "downy-bearded". Alternatively, it could be related to the name of the Roman god
JUPITER. This was a prominent patrician family of Rome, who claimed descent from the mythological Julus, son of
Aeneas. Its most notable member was Gaius Julius Caesar, who gained renown as a military leader for his clever conquest of Gaul. After a civil war he became the dictator of the Roman Republic, but was eventually stabbed to death in the senate.
... [more] LUCA (1) m Italian, RomanianItalian and Romanian form of
Lucas (see
LUKE). This name was borne by Luca della Robbia, a Renaissance sculptor from Florence.
MORGAN (1) m & f Welsh, English, FrenchFrom the Old Welsh masculine name
Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh
mor "sea" and
cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America
Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of
Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).
NINA (1) f Russian, Italian, English, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, SerbianShort form of names that end in
nina, such as
ANTONINA or
GIANNINA. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word
niña meaning "little girl".
PUCK m & f Anglo-Saxon Mythology, DutchMeaning unknown, from Old English
puca. It could ultimately be of either Germanic or Celtic origin. In English legend this was the name of a mischievous spirit, also known as Robin Goodfellow. He appears in Shakespeare's play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (1600).
RODERICK m English, Scottish, WelshMeans "famous power" from the Germanic elements
hrod "fame" and
ric "power". This name was in use among the Visigoths; it was borne by their last king (also known as Rodrigo), who died fighting the Muslim invaders of Spain in the 8th century. It also had cognates in Old Norse and West Germanic, and Scandinavian settlers and Normans introduced it to England, though it died out after the Middle Ages. It was revived in the English-speaking world by Sir Walter Scott's poem 'The Vision of Don Roderick' (1811).