AGRIPPINA f Ancient RomanFeminine derivative of
AGRIPPA. This name was borne by the scheming mother of the Roman emperor Nero, who eventually had her killed. This was also the name of a 3rd-century Roman saint who is venerated in Sicily.
ALFHILD f Norwegian, SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Alfhildr, which was composed of the elements
alfr "elf" and
hildr "battle". In Norse legend Alfhild was a maiden who disguised herself as a warrior in order to avoid marriage to King Alf. Her life was perhaps based on that of a 9th-century Viking pirate.
ANTON m German, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Slovene, Macedonian, Croatian, Romanian, Estonian, Finnish, EnglishForm of
Antonius (see
ANTHONY) used in various languages.
ARCADIA f VariousFeminine form of
ARCADIUS. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.
BLAISE m FrenchFrom the Roman name
Blasius, which was derived from Latin
blaesus meaning "lisping". A famous bearer was the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).
BOR m SloveneShort form of names containing
bor, such as
BORISLAV or
BORIS. It is also a South Slavic word meaning "pine tree".
CASSIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was possibly derived from Latin
cassus "empty, vain". This name was borne by several early saints. In modern times, it was the original first name of boxer Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), who was named after his father Cassius Clay, who was himself named after the American abolitionist Cassius Clay (1810-1903).
CICERO m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen derived from Latin
cicer meaning "chickpea". Marcus Tullius Cicero (known simply as Cicero) was a statesman, orator and author of the 1st century BC.
CIEL f & m VariousMeans "sky" in French. It is not used as a given name in France itself.
CLINTON m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally from an Old English place name meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". A famous bearer of the surname is former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).
COLETTE f FrenchShort form of
NICOLETTE. Saint Colette was a 15th-century French nun who gave her money to the poor. This was also the pen name of the French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954).
DARIUS m English, Lithuanian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical LatinRoman form of
Δαρειος (Dareios), which was the Greek form of the Persian name
Dārayavahush, which was composed of the elements
dâraya "to possess" and
vahu "good". Three ancient kings of Persia bore this name, including Darius the Great who expanded the Achaemenid Empire to its greatest extent. His forces invaded Greece but were defeated in the Battle of Marathon.
... [more] DORIAN m English, FrenchThe name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians, or from the surname
DORAN.
EDITH f English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, DutchFrom the Old English name
Eadgyð, derived from the elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
gyð "war". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. The name remained common after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.
ELAM m BiblicalPossibly means either "hidden" or "eternity" in Hebrew. This was the name of several characters in the Old Testament, including a son of
Shem who was the ancestor of the Elamite peoples.
EMMANUEL m Biblical, French, EnglishFrom the Hebrew name
עִמָּנוּאֵל ('Immanu'el) meaning "God is with us", from the roots
עִם ('im) meaning "with" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". This was the foretold name of the Messiah in the Old Testament. It has been used in England since the 16th century in the spellings
Emmanuel and
Immanuel, though it has not been widespread. The name has been more common in continental Europe, especially in Spain and Portugal (in the spellings
Manuel and
Manoel).
ENNIS m EnglishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from Gaelic
inis meaning "island".
ERIK m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian, German, Dutch, EnglishScandinavian form of
ERIC. This was the name of kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. King Erik IX of Sweden (12th century) is the patron saint of that country.
ERIS f Greek MythologyMeans "strife" in Greek. In Greek mythology Eris was the goddess of discord. She was the sister and companion of
Ares.
FRANÇOIS m FrenchFrench form of
Franciscus (see
FRANCIS). François Villon was a French lyric poet of the 15th century. This was also the name of two kings of France.
FRIDA f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Ancient GermanicGermanic name, originally a short form of other feminine names containing the Germanic element
frid meaning "peace". This is also the Scandinavian equivalent, from the Old Norse cognate
Fríða. A famous bearer was Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).
GAIUS m Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, BiblicalRoman praenomen, or given name, of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from Latin
gaudere "to rejoice", though it may be of unknown Etruscan origin. This was a very common Roman praenomen, the most famous bearers being Gaius Julius Caesar, the great leader of the Roman Republic, and his adopted son Gaius Octavius (later known as Augustus), the first Roman emperor. This name also appears in the New Testament belonging to a bishop of Ephesus who is regarded as a saint.
GALLUS m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen meaning "rooster" in Latin. It could also refer to a person from Gaul (Latin
Gallia). This was the name of a 7th-century Irish saint, a companion of Saint Columbanus, who later became a hermit in Switzerland.
GREGOR m German, Scottish, Slovak, SloveneGerman, Scottish, Slovak and Slovene form of
Gregorius (see
GREGORY). A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.
GUL m & f Urdu, PashtoMeans "flower, rose" in Urdu and Pashto, ultimately from Persian.
INGE f & m Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German, DutchShort form of Scandinavian and German names beginning with the element
ing, which refers to the Germanic god
ING. In Sweden and Norway this is primarily a masculine name, elsewhere it is usually feminine.
INGRID f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, DutchFrom the Old Norse name
Ingríðr meaning "Ing is beautiful", derived from the name of the Germanic god
ING combined with
fríðr "beautiful". A famous bearer was the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982).
IONA (1) f English, ScottishFrom the name of the island off Scotland where Saint Columba founded a monastery. The name of the island is Old Norse in origin, and apparently derives simply from
ey meaning "island".
JEANNE f French, EnglishModern French form of
Jehanne, an Old French feminine form of
Iohannes (see
JOHN). Joan of Arc is known as Jeanne d'Arc in France.
KARL m German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Finnish, Ancient GermanicGerman and Scandinavian form of
CHARLES. This was the name of seven emperors of the Holy Roman Empire and an emperor of Austria, as well as kings of Sweden and Norway. Other famous bearers include Karl Marx (1818-1883), the German philosopher and revolutionary who laid the foundations for communism, and Karl Jaspers (1883-1969), a German existentialist philosopher.
LOUIS m French, English, DutchFrench form of
Ludovicus, the Latinized form of
LUDWIG. This was the name of 18 kings of France, starting with Louis I the son of
Charlemagne. Others include Louis IX (Saint Louis) who led two crusades and Louis XIV (called the Sun King) who was the ruler of France during the height of its power, the builder of the Palace of Versailles, and the longest reigning monarch in the history of Europe. It was also borne by kings of Germany (as
Ludwig), Hungary (as
Lajos), and other places.
... [more] LUCAN m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Lucanus, which was derived from the name of the city of Luca in Tuscany (modern Lucca). Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, commonly called Lucan, was a 1st-century Roman poet.
LUCIA f Italian, German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
LUCIUS. Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings
Lucy or
Luce.
MARA (1) f BiblicalMeans "bitter" in Hebrew. This is a name taken by
Naomi in the Old Testament (see Ruth 1:20).
MARTIN m English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, FinnishFrom the Roman name
Martinus, which was derived from
Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god
MARS. Saint Martin of Tours was a 4th-century bishop who is the patron saint of France. According to legend, he came across a cold beggar in the middle of winter so he ripped his cloak in two and gave half of it to the beggar. He was a favourite saint during the Middle Ages, and his name has become common throughout the Christian world.
... [more] MAURICE m English, FrenchFrom the Roman name
Mauritius, a derivative of
MAURUS. Saint Maurice was a 3rd-century Roman soldier from Egypt. He and the other Christians in his legion were supposedly massacred on the orders of Emperor Maximian for refusing to worship Roman gods. Thus, he is the patron saint of infantry soldiers.
... [more] MICHEL m French, German, DutchFrench form of
MICHAEL. Michel de Notredame, also known as Nostradamus, was the 16th-century French astrologer who made predictions about future world events. This is also the German diminutive form of
MICHAEL.
MILOŠ m Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Slovene, Croatian, MacedonianOriginally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
milu "gracious, dear". This was the name of a 14th-century Serbian hero who apparently killed the Ottoman sultan Murad I at the Battle of Kosovo.
MIRABELLE f French (Rare), English (Rare)Derived from Latin
mirabilis "wonderful". This name was coined during the Middle Ages, though it eventually died out. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.
MURIEL f English, French, IrishMedieval English form of a Celtic name that was probably related to the Irish name
MUIRGEL. The Normans brought it to England from Brittany. In the modern era it was popularized by a character from Dinah Craik's novel 'John Halifax, Gentleman' (1856).
NASH m English (Modern)From a surname that was derived from the Middle English phrase
atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer of the surname was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015). The name was popularized in the 1990s by the television series 'Nash Bridges'.
OLAF m Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, PolishFrom the Old Norse name
Áleifr meaning "ancestor's descendant", derived from the elements
anu "ancestor" and
leifr "descendant". This was the name of five kings of Norway, including Saint Olaf (Olaf II).
QUENTIN m French, EnglishFrench form of the Roman name
QUINTINUS. It was borne by a 3rd-century saint, a missionary who was martyred in Gaul. The Normans introduced this name to England. In America it was brought to public attention by president Theodore Roosevelt's son Quentin Roosevelt (1897-1918), who was killed in World War I.
QUINTUS m Ancient RomanRoman praenomen, or given name, meaning "fifth" in Latin. It was traditionally given to the fifth child, or possibly a child born in the fifth month. This was a common praenomen, being more popular than the other numeric Roman names. A notable bearer was the poet Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus).
RAVEN f & m EnglishFrom the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English
hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god
Odin.
RIGEL m AstronomyDerived from Arabic
الرجل (al-Rijl) meaning "foot". This is the name of the star that forms the left foot of the constellation Orion.
SAMUEL m English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Jewish, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el), which could mean either "name of God" or "God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed
Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor
David.
... [more] SERGIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name, possibly meaning "servant" in Latin but most likely of unknown Etruscan origin. Saint Sergius was a 4th-century Roman officer who was martyred in Syria with his companion Bacchus. They are the patron saints of Christian desert nomads. Another saint by this name (in the Russian form
Sergey) was a 14th-century Russian spiritual leader. The name was also borne by four popes.
SEVAN f & m ArmenianFrom the name of the largest lake in Armenia, which may be from the Urartian word
suinia simply meaning "lake".
SIGURD m Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Norse MythologyFrom the Old Norse name
Sigurðr, which was derived from the elements
sigr "victory" and
varðr "guardian". Sigurd was the hero of the Norse legend the 'Volsungasaga', which tells how his foster-father Regin sent him to recover a hoard of gold guarded by the dragon Fafnir. After slaying the dragon Sigurd tasted some of its blood, enabling him to understand the language of birds, who told him that Regin was planning to betray him. In a later adventure, Sigurd disguised himself as
Gunnar (his wife
Gudrun's brother) and rescued the maiden
Brynhildr from a ring of fire, with the result that Gunnar and Brynhildr were married. When the truth eventually came out, Brynhildr took revenge upon Sigurd. The stories of the German hero
Siegfried were in part based on him.
SILVIA f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, English, German, Late Roman, Roman MythologyFeminine form of
SILVIUS.
Rhea Silvia was the mother of
Romulus and
Remus, the founders of Rome. This was also the name of a 6th-century saint, the mother of the pope Gregory the Great. It has been a common name in Italy since the Middle Ages. It was introduced to England by Shakespeare, who used it for a character in his play 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona' (1594). It is now more commonly spelled
Sylvia in the English-speaking world.
STAR f EnglishFrom the English word for the celestial body, ultimately from Old English
steorra.
SUSANNA f Italian, Catalan, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Dutch, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Old Church SlavicFrom
Σουσαννα (Sousanna), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshannah). This was derived from the Hebrew word
שׁוֹשָׁן (shoshan) meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose"), perhaps ultimately from Egyptian
sšn "lotus". In the Old Testament Apocrypha this is the name of a woman falsely accused of adultery. The prophet
Daniel clears her name by tricking her accusers, who end up being condemned themselves. It also occurs in the New Testament belonging to a woman who ministers to
Jesus.
... [more] TACITUS m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen meaning "silent, mute" in Latin. This was the name of a 1st-century Roman historian.
TAMIKA f EnglishVariant of
TAMIKO, inspired by the American jazz singer Tamiko Jones (1945-) or the American movie 'A Girl Named Tamiko' (1963).
TITUS m Ancient Roman, English, Biblical, Biblical LatinRoman praenomen, or given name, which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to Latin
titulus "title of honour". It is more likely of Oscan origin, since it was borne by the legendary Sabine king Titus Tatius.
... [more] URIEL m Biblical, HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
אוּרִיאֵל ('Uri'el) meaning "God is my light", from
אוּר ('ur) meaning "light, flame" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Uriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition. He is mentioned only in the Apocrypha, for example in the Book of Enoch where he warns
Noah of the coming flood.
WILHELM m German, Polish, Ancient GermanicGerman cognate of
WILLIAM. This was the name of two German emperors. It was also the middle name of several philosophers from Germany: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), and Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716), who was also a notable mathematician.
XANDER m Dutch, English (Modern)Short form of
ALEXANDER. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character on the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003).