CAESARmAncient Roman From a Roman cognomen that possibly meant "hairy", from Latin caesaries "hair". Julius Caesar and his adopted son Julius Caesar Octavianus (commonly known as Augustus) were both rulers of the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC. Caesar was used as a title by the emperors that came after them.
DIEGOmSpanish Possibly a shortened form of SANTIAGO. In medieval records Diego was Latinized as Didacus, and it has been suggested that it in fact derives from Greek διδαχή (didache) meaning "teaching". Saint Didacus (or Diego) was a 15th-century Franciscan brother based in Alcalá, Spain. Other famous bearers of this name include Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (1886-1957) and Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona (1960-).
DONATELLOmItalian Diminutive of DONATO. The Renaissance sculptor Donato di Niccolo di Bette Bardi was better known as Donatello.
ELIZABETHfEnglish, Biblical From Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name אֱלִישֶׁבַע ('Elisheva') meaning "my God is an oath", derived from the roots אֵל ('el) referring to the Hebrew God and שָׁבַע (shava') meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist.... [more]
ENRICOmItalian Italian form of Heinrich (see HENRY). Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) was an Italian physicist who did work on the development of the nuclear bomb.
GEORGEmEnglish, Romanian From the Greek name Γεώργιος (Georgios), which was derived from the Greek word γεωργός (georgos) meaning "farmer, earthworker", itself derived from the elements γῆ (ge) meaning "earth" and ἔργον (ergon) meaning "work". Saint George was a 3rd-century Roman soldier from Palestine who was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian. Later legends describe his defeat of a dragon, with which he was often depicted in medieval art.... [more]
GUIDOmItalian, German Latinized form of WIDO. This was the name of two 11th-century saints. Other notable bearers include 11th-century music theorist Guido d'Arezzo, 13th-century poet Guido Cavalcanti, and 17th-century painter Guido Reni.
HAYATOmJapanese From Japanese 隼 (haya) meaning "falcon" and 人 (to) meaning "person". Other kanji combinations can also make up this name.
JEAN (1)mFrench Modern French form of Jehan, the Old French form of Iohannes (see JOHN). Since the 12th century it has consistently been the most common male name in France. It finally dropped from the top rank in 1958, unseated by Philippe.... [more]
JOHNNYmEnglish Diminutive of JOHN. A famous bearer is American actor Johnny Depp (1963-).
JONATHANmEnglish, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Biblical From the Hebrew name יְהוֹנָתָן (Yehonatan), contracted to יוֹנָתָן (Yonatan), meaning "YAHWEH has given", derived from the roots יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and נָתַן (natan) meaning "to give". According to the Old Testament, Jonathan was the eldest son of Saul. His relationship with his father was strained due to his close friendship with his father's rival David. Along with Saul he was killed in battle with the Philistines.... [more]
JOSEPHmEnglish, French, German, Biblical From Ioseph, the Latin form of Greek Ἰωσήφ (Ioseph), which was from the Hebrew name יוֹסֵף (Yosef) meaning "he will add", from the root יָסַף (yasaf). In the Old Testament Joseph is the eleventh son of Jacob and the first with his wife Rachel. Because he was the favourite of his father, his older brothers sent him to Egypt and told their father that he had died. In Egypt, Joseph became an advisor to the pharaoh, and was eventually reconciled with his brothers when they came to Egypt during a famine. This name also occurs in the New Testament, belonging to Saint Joseph the husband of Mary, and to Joseph of Arimathea.... [more]
LISAfEnglish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian Short form of ELIZABETH and its cognates in other languages. This is the name of the subject of one of the world's most famous paintings, the Mona Lisa, the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo by Leonardo da Vinci.... [more]
LUCYfEnglish English form of LUCIA, in use since the Middle Ages.
RINA (4)fJapanese From Japanese 莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or 里 (ri) meaning "village" combined with 奈 (na), a phonetic character, or 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
ROBERTmEnglish, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Romanian, Catalan, Ancient Germanic From the Germanic name Hrodebert meaning "bright fame", derived from the Germanic elements hrod "fame" and beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to Britain, where it replaced the Old English cognate Hreodbeorht. It has been consistently among the most common English names from the 13th to 20th century. In the United States it was the most popular name for boys between 1924 and 1939 (and again in 1953).... [more]
SCARLETfEnglish (Modern) Either a variant of SCARLETT or else from the English word for the red colour (both of the same origin, a type of cloth).
SHINOBUf & mJapanese From Japanese 忍 (shinobu) meaning "endurance", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations having the same pronunciation.
STEVENmEnglish, Dutch Medieval English variant of STEPHEN, and a Dutch variant of STEFAN. The filmmaker Steven Spielberg (1946-), director of E.T. and Indiana Jones, is a famous bearer of this name.
TOMOKOfJapanese From Japanese 智 (tomo) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or 朋 (tomo) meaning "friend" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed of other kanji characters as well.
WILLmEnglish Short form of WILLIAM or other names beginning with Will. A famous bearer is American actor Will Smith (1968-), whose full name is Willard.