AISHA f Arabic, Urdu, AmericanMeans
"alive" in Arabic. This was the name of
Muhammad's third wife, the daughter of
Abu Bakr. Some time after Muhammad's death she went to war against
Ali, the fourth caliph, but was defeated. This name is used more by Sunni Muslims and less by Shias.
... [more] AMBROSE m EnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Ambrosius, which was derived from the Greek name
Ἀμβρόσιος (Ambrosios) meaning
"immortal". Saint Ambrose was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Milan, who is considered a Doctor of the Church. Due to the saint, the name came into general use in Christian Europe, though it was never particularly common in England.
AMERETAT f Persian MythologyMeans
"immortality" in Avestan. This was the name of a Zoroastrian goddess (one of the Amesha Spenta) of plants and long life.
AMRIT m Indian, HindiMeans
"immortal" from Sanskrit
अ (a) meaning "not" and
मृत (mrta) meaning "dead". In Hindu texts it refers to a drink that gives immortality.
ATROPOS f Greek MythologyMeans
"inevitable, inflexible" in Greek, derived from the negative prefix
ἀ (a) combined with
τρόπος (tropos) meaning "direction, manner, fashion". Atropos was one of the three Fates or
Μοῖραι (Moirai) in Greek mythology. When her sister Lachesis decided that a person's life was at an end, Atropos would choose the manner of death and cut the person's life thread.
BO (1) m Swedish, DanishFrom the Old Norse byname
Búi, which was derived from Old Norse
bua meaning
"to live".
CAN m TurkishMeans
"soul, life" or by extension
"darling, sweetheart" in Turkish, from Persian
جان (jan).
CANER m TurkishFrom Turkish
can meaning "soul, life" and
er meaning "brave man".
CANSU f TurkishFrom Turkish
can meaning "soul, life" and
su meaning "water".
DUKVAKHA m ChechenMeans
"to live long", derived from Nakh
duqa "many" and
vakha "to live".
EASTER f EnglishFrom the English name of the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of
Jesus. It was ultimately named for the Germanic spring goddess Eostre. It was traditionally given to children born on Easter, though it is rare in modern times.
ERCAN m TurkishFrom Turkish
er meaning "brave man" and
can meaning "soul, life".
EVE f English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
חַוָּה (Chawwah), which was derived from the Hebrew word
חָוָה (chawah) meaning
"to breathe" or the related word
חָיָה (chayah) meaning
"to live". According to the Old Testament Book of Genesis, Eve and
Adam were the first humans. God created her from one of Adam's ribs to be his companion. At the urging of a serpent she ate the forbidden fruit and shared some with Adam, causing their expulsion from the Garden of
Eden.
... [more] FLORENCE f & m English, FrenchFrom the Latin name
Florentius or the feminine form
Florentia, which were derived from
florens "prosperous, flourishing".
Florentius was borne by many early Christian saints, and it was occasionally used in their honour through the Middle Ages. In modern times it is mostly feminine.
... [more] HARUKI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather" or
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male" combined with
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness" or
生 (ki) meaning "living". Other kanji combinations are possible.
JEHIEL m BiblicalMeans
"God will live" in Hebrew. This is the name of several people in the Old Testament, including one of King
David's lute players.
KLOTHO f Greek MythologyMeans
"spinner" in Greek. In Greek mythology Klotho was one of the three Fates or
Μοῖραι (Moirai). She was responsible for spinning the thread of life.
LACHESIS f Greek MythologyMeans
"apportioner" in Greek. She was one of the three Fates or
Μοῖραι (Moirai) in Greek mythology. She was responsible for deciding how long each person had to live.
LEBERECHT m German (Rare)Means
"live rightly" from German
lebe "live" and
recht "right". This name was created in the 17th century.
LIV (1) f Swedish, Norwegian, DanishDerived from the Old Norse name
Hlíf meaning
"protection". Its use has been influenced by the modern Scandinavian word
liv meaning
"life".
LULJETA f AlbanianMeans
"flower of life" in Albanian, from
lule "flower" and
jetë "life".
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.
MAHATMA m HistoryFrom the Indian title
महात्मा (Mahatma) meaning
"great soul", derived from Sanskrit
महा (maha) meaning "great" and
आत्मन् (atman) meaning "soul, spirit, life". This title was given to, among others, Mohandas Karamchand, also known as Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948).
MEI (2) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
芽 (me) meaning "bud, sprout" combined with
依 (i) meaning "rely on",
生 (i) meaning "life" or
衣 (i) meaning "clothing, garment". Other kanji combinations are possible.
NNAMDI m Western African, IgboMeans
"my father is alive" in Igbo. This name is given to a child when it is believed that he is a reincarnation of his grandfather.
NURCAN f TurkishMeans
"bright soul" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nur) meaning "light" and Persian
jan meaning "soul, life".
OMAR (1) m Arabic, English, Spanish, ItalianAlternate transcription of Arabic
عمر (see
UMAR). This is the usual English spelling of the 12th-century poet Umar Khayyam's name. In his honour it has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world, notably for the American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).
OMRI m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical HebrewPossibly means
"life" or
"servant" in Hebrew (or a related Semitic language). This was the name of a 9th-century BC military commander who became king of Israel. He appears in the Old Testament, where he is denounced as being wicked.
SU-JIN f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
收 (su) meaning "gather, harvest" or
壽 (su) meaning "long life, lifespan" combined with
眞 (jin) meaning "real, genuine" or
珍 (jin) meaning "precious, rare". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.
TUTANKHAMON m Ancient EgyptianMeans
"image of the life of Amon", derived from Egyptian
tut "image" combined with
ankh "life" combined with the name of the god
Amon. This was the name of an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, most famous because of the treasures found in his tomb.
UMAR m Arabic, UrduMeans
"populous, flourishing", derived from Arabic
عمر ('umr) meaning "life". Umar was a companion and strong supporter of the Prophet
Muhammad who became the second caliph of the Muslims. He is considered to be one of the great founders of the Muslim state. The name was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Persia, Umar Khayyam.
VITALE m ItalianItalian form of the Late Latin name
Vitalis, which was derived from Latin
vitalis meaning
"of life, vital". Vitalis was the name of several early saints and martyrs.
VITUS m Ancient RomanRoman name that was derived from Latin
vita "life". Saint Vitus was a child martyred in Sicily in the early 4th century. From an early date this name was confused with the Germanic name
Wido.
VIVIAN m & f English, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishFrom the Latin name
Vivianus, which was derived from Latin
vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of
BÉBINN or a variant of
VIVIEN (2).
VIVIEN (2) f Literature, HungarianUsed by Alfred Lord Tennyson as the name of the Lady of the Lake in his Arthurian epic
Idylls of the King (1859). Tennyson may have based it on
VIVIENNE, but it possibly arose as a misreading of
NINIAN. A famous bearer was British actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967), who played Scarlett O'Hara in
Gone with the Wind.
YEONG-SU m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
永 (yeong) meaning "perpetual, eternal" and
壽 (su) meaning "long life, lifespan", as well as other hanja character combinations.
YŪKI m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" combined with
希 (ki) meaning "hope",
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness" or
生 (ki) meaning "living". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
YUUKI m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
優希 or
悠希 or
優輝 or
悠生 (see
YŪKI).
ZENOBIA f Ancient GreekMeans
"life of Zeus", derived from Greek
Ζηνός (Zenos) meaning "of
ZEUS" and
βίος (bios) meaning "life". This was the name of a 3rd-century queen of Palmyra. After claiming the title
Queen of the East and expanding her realm into Roman territory she was defeated by Emperor Aurelian. Her Greek name was used as an approximation of her native Aramaic name.
ŽIVA f Slavic Mythology, SloveneMeans
"living, alive" in Slavic. This was the name of a Slavic goddess associated with life, fertility and spring.
ZOE f English, Italian, German, Ancient GreekMeans
"life" in Greek. From early times it was adopted by Hellenized Jews as a translation of
EVE. It was borne by two early Christian saints, one martyred under Emperor Hadrian, the other martyred under Diocletian. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by a ruling empress of the 11th century.
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