ALETA f EnglishPossibly a variant of
ALETHEA. This was the name of the wife of the title character in the comic strip
Prince Valiant, which first appeared in 1937.
AMON m Egyptian Mythology (Anglicized)From
Ἄμμων (Ammon), the Greek form of Egyptian
Ymn (reconstructed as
Yamanu) meaning
"the hidden one". In early Egyptian mythology he was a god of the air, creativity and fertility, who was particularly revered in Thebes. Later, during the Middle Kingdom, his attributes were combined with those of the god
Ra and he was worshipped as the supreme solar deity
Amon-Ra.
ARNOLD m English, German, Dutch, Polish, Ancient GermanicFrom a Germanic name meaning
"eagle power", derived from the elements
arn "eagle" and
wald "power". The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Earnweald. It died out as an English name after the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century.
... [more] ASAMI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
麻 (asa) meaning "hemp" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
BLOSSOM f EnglishFrom the English word
blossom, ultimately from Old English
blóstm. It came into use as a rare given name in the 19th century.
DAPHNE f Greek Mythology, English, DutchMeans
"laurel" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was a nymph turned into a laurel tree by her father in order that she might escape the pursuit of
Apollo. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the end of the 19th century.
DEXTER m EnglishFrom an occupational surname meaning
"one who dyes" in Old English. It also coincides with the Latin word
dexter meaning
"right-handed, skilled".
DOUGLAS m Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of the Scottish surname
Dubhghlas, meaning
"dark river" from Gaelic
dubh "dark" and
glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to
glas "grey, green"). Douglas was originally a place name (for example, a tributary of the River Clyde), which then became a Scottish clan name borne by a powerful line of earls. It has been used as a given name since the 16th century.
DUDLEY m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.
ELMER m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the Old English name
ÆÐELMÆR. In the United States it is sometimes given in honour of brothers Jonathan (1745-1817) and Ebenezer Elmer (1752-1843), who were active in early American politics.
GARFIELD m EnglishFrom a surname meaning
"triangle field" in Old English. A famous bearer was American president James A. Garfield (1831-1881). It is now associated with the cat in Jim Davis's cartoon strip
Garfield.
GARNET (1) f EnglishFrom the English word
garnet for the precious stone, the birthstone of January. The word is derived from Middle English
gernet meaning "dark red".
GINGER f EnglishFrom the English word
ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a diminutive of
VIRGINIA, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.
HARU m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male",
春 (haru) meaning "spring" or
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.
HIROSHI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
寛 (hiroshi) meaning "tolerant, generous",
浩 (hiroshi) meaning "prosperous", or other kanji and kanji combinations that are read the same way.
HOMER m English, Ancient Greek (Anglicized)From the Greek name
Ὅμηρος (Homeros), derived from
ὅμηρος (homeros) meaning
"hostage, pledge". Homer was the Greek epic poet who wrote the
Iliad, about the Trojan War, and the
Odyssey, about
Odysseus's journey home after the war. There is some debate about when he lived, or if he was even a real person, though most scholars place him in the 8th century BC. In the modern era,
Homer has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world (chiefly in America) since the 18th century. This name is borne by the cartoon father on the television series
The Simpsons.
HOPE f EnglishFrom the English word
hope, ultimately from Old English
hopian. This name was first used by the Puritans in the 17th century.
IZUMI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
泉 (izumi) meaning "fountain, spring". This name can also be constructed from other combinations of kanji.
JASPER m English, Dutch, Judeo-Christian LegendFrom Latin
Gaspar, perhaps from the biblical Hebrew word
גִּזְבָּר (gizbar) meaning
"treasurer", derived from Persian
ganzabara. This name was traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who were said to have visited the newborn
Jesus. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since the Middle Ages. The name can also be given in reference to the English word for the gemstone.
JAYA f & m Hinduism, Tamil, Indian, Telugu, Hindi, MarathiDerived from Sanskrit
जय (jaya) meaning
"victory". This is a transcription of both the feminine form
जया (an epithet of the Hindu goddess
Durga) and the masculine form
जय (borne by several characters in Hindu texts). As a modern personal name, this transcription is both feminine and masculine in southern India, but typically only feminine in the north.
JUNE f EnglishFrom the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess
Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
KENJI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
健 (ken) meaning "healthy, strong" or
研 (ken) meaning "study, sharpen" combined with
二 (ji) meaning "two". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
LIN m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
林 (lín) meaning "forest" or
琳 (lín) meaning "fine jade, gem". Other characters can also form this name.
LOU f & m English, FrenchShort form of
LOUISE or
LOUIS. Famous bearers include the baseball player Lou Gehrig (1903-1941) and the musician Lou Reed (1942-2013).
MARVIN m English, GermanProbably from an English surname that was derived from the given name
MERVYN. A famous bearer was the American musician Marvin Gaye (1939-1984).
MING m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
明 (míng) meaning "bright, light, clear" or
铭 (míng) meaning "inscribe, engrave", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
OPAL f EnglishFrom the English word
opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit
उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".
REN m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
蓮 (ren) meaning "lotus",
恋 (ren) meaning "love", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
SELA f English (Rare)From the name of a city, the capital of Edom, which appears in the Old Testament. It means "rock" in Hebrew.
TENZIN m & f Tibetan, BhutaneseFrom Tibetan
བསྟན་འཛིན (bstan-'dzin) meaning
"upholder of teachings". This is one of the given names of the current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (1935-).
TOPAZ f English (Rare)From the English word for the yellow precious stone, the birthstone of November, ultimately derived from Greek
τόπαζος (topazos).
TYCHO m Danish, DutchLatinized form of
TYGE. This name was borne by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).
URSA f Late RomanFeminine form of
URSUS. This is the name of two constellations in the northern sky: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
VELMA f EnglishProbably a variant of
WILMA, the spelling with an
e perhaps due to the influence of
SELMA (1). This name has been in use since the 19th century.
WINSLOW m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning
"hill belonging to WINE". A famous bearer of this name was American painter Winslow Homer (1836-1910).