ACE (1) m EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"highest rank". More commonly a nickname, it is occasionally used as a given name.
ANGEL m & f English, Bulgarian, MacedonianFrom the medieval Latin masculine name
Angelus, which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.
ARLO m EnglishMeaning uncertain. It was perhaps inspired by the fictional place name Arlo Hill from the poem
The Faerie Queene (1590) by Edmund Spenser. Spenser probably got Arlo by altering the real Irish place name Aherlow, which is Gaelic meaning "between two highlands".
ASH m & f EnglishShort form of
ASHLEY. It can also come directly from the English word denoting either the tree or the residue of fire.
BAILEY m & f EnglishFrom a surname derived from Middle English
baili meaning
"bailiff", originally denoting one who was a bailiff.
BAMBI f EnglishDerived from Italian
bambina meaning
"young girl". The American novelist Marjorie Benton Cooke used it in her novel
Bambi (1914). This was also the name of a male deer in a cartoon by Walt Disney, which was based on a 1923 novel by Swiss author Felix Salten.
BEAU m & f English, DutchMeans
"beautiful" in French. It has been used as a given name since the middle of the 20th century. In Margaret Mitchell's novel
Gone with the Wind (1936) this is the name of Ashley and Melanie's son.
... [more] BELLA f EnglishShort form of
ISABELLA and other names ending in
bella. It is also associated with the Italian word
bella meaning
"beautiful".
BELLE f EnglishShort form of
ISABELLA or names ending in
belle. It is also associated with the French word
belle meaning "beautiful". A famous bearer was Belle Starr (1848-1889), an outlaw of the American west, whose real given name was Maybelle.
BUDDY m EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"friend". It probably originated as a nursery form of the word
brother.
BUSTER m EnglishOriginally a nickname denoting a person who broke things, from the word
bust, a dialectal variant of
burst. A famous bearer was the silent movie star Buster Keaton (1895-1966).
CHARLIE m & f EnglishDiminutive or feminine form of
CHARLES. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). It is also borne by Charlie Brown, the main character in the comic strip
Peanuts by Charles Schulz.
CHASE m EnglishFrom a surname meaning
"chase, hunt" in Middle English, originally a nickname for a huntsman.
CHESTER m EnglishFrom a surname that originally belonged to a person who came from Chester, an old Roman settlement in Britain. The name of the settlement came from Latin
castrum "camp, fortress".
COCO f VariousDiminutive of names beginning with
Co, influenced by the word
cocoa. However, this was not the case for French fashion designer Coco Chanel (real name Gabrielle), whose nickname came from the name of a song she performed while working as a cabaret singer.
COOPER m EnglishFrom a surname meaning
"barrel maker", from Middle English
couper.
DAISY f EnglishSimply from the English word for the white flower, ultimately derived from Old English
dægeseage meaning "day eye". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
DUKE m EnglishFrom the noble title
duke, which was originally derived from Latin
dux "leader".
FIDO m PetMeans
"I am faithful" in Latin. This name is commonly given to dogs.
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.
GORDIE m EnglishDiminutive of
GORDON. A famous bearer was Canadian hockey star Gordie Howe (1928-2016).
HAPPY f & m English (Rare)From the English word
happy, derived from Middle English
hap "chance, luck", of Old Norse origin.
LAYLA f Arabic, EnglishMeans
"night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet
Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem
Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song
Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.
LEO m German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, English, Croatian, Late RomanDerived from Latin
leo meaning
"lion", a cognate of
LEON. It was popular among early Christians and was the name of 13 popes, including Saint Leo the Great who asserted the dominance of the Roman bishops (the popes) over all others in the 5th century. It was also borne by six Byzantine emperors and five Armenian kings. Another famous bearer was Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), a Russian novelist whose works include
War and Peace and
Anna Karenina. Leo is also the name of a constellation and the fifth sign of the zodiac.
MACKENZIE f & m EnglishFrom the Gaelic surname
Mac Coinnich, which means
"son of COINNEACH". A famous bearer of the surname was William Lyon MacKenzie (1795-1861), a Canadian journalist and political rebel. As a feminine given name, it was popularized by the American actress Mackenzie Phillips (1959-). In the United Kingdom it is more common as a masculine name.
MACY f EnglishFrom an English surname that was from various towns named
Massy in France. The towns themselves were originally named from a Gallo-Roman personal name that was Latinized as
Maccius. This is the name of a chain of American department stores founded by Rowland Hussey Macy (1822-1877).
MARLEY f & m English (Modern)From a surname that was taken from a place name meaning either "pleasant wood", "boundary wood" or "marten wood" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the Jamaican musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
MEGA f & m IndonesianMeans
"cloud" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit
मेघ (megha).
MILAN m Czech, Slovak, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, MacedonianFrom the Slavic element
milu meaning
"gracious, dear", originally a short form of names that began with that element. A city in Italy bears this name, though it originates from a different source.
MILES m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Milo, introduced by the Normans to England in the form
Miles. The meaning is not known for certain. It is possibly connected to the Slavic name element
milu meaning
"gracious". From an early date it was associated with Latin
miles "soldier".
... [more] MILO m English, Ancient GermanicOld Germanic form of
MILES, as well as the Latinized form. This form of the name was used in official documents during the Middle Ages, and it has been used independently since the 19th century.
OSCAR m English, Irish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, French, Irish MythologyPossibly means
"deer friend", derived from Gaelic
os "deer" and
cara "friend". Alternatively, it may derive from the Old English name
OSGAR or its Old Norse cognate
ÁSGEIRR, which may have been brought to Ireland by Viking invaders and settlers. In Irish legend Oscar was the son of the poet
Oisín and the grandson of the hero
Fionn mac Cumhail.
... [more] OTIS m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the medieval given name
Ode, a cognate of
OTTO. In America it has been used in honour of the revolutionary James Otis (1725-1783).
OTTO m German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Ancient GermanicLater German form of
Audo or
Odo, originally a short form of various names beginning with the Germanic element
aud meaning
"wealth, fortune". This was the name of four kings of Germany, starting in the 10th century with Otto I, the first Holy Roman emperor, who was known as Otto the Great. This name was also borne by a 19th-century king of Greece who was originally from Bavaria. Another notable bearer was the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898).
PARKER m & f EnglishFrom an English occupational surname that meant
"keeper of the park".
PERCY m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the name of a Norman town
Perci, which was itself perhaps derived from a Gaulish given name that was Latinized as
Persius. The surname was borne by a noble English family, and it first used as a given name in their honour. A famous bearer was Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), an English romantic poet whose works include
Adonais and
Ozymandias. This name can also be used as a short form of
PERCIVAL.
PERDITA f LiteratureDerived from Latin
perditus meaning
"lost". Shakespeare created this name for the daughter of Hermione in his play
The Winter's Tale (1610).
POLLY f EnglishMedieval variant of
MOLLY. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is unknown.
POSY f EnglishDiminutive of
JOSEPHINE. It can also be inspired by the English word
posy for a bunch of flowers.
PRINCE m EnglishFrom the English word
prince, a royal title, which comes ultimately from Latin
princeps. This name was borne by the American musician Prince Rogers Nelson (1958-2016), who is known simply as Prince.
REX m EnglishFrom Latin
rex meaning
"king". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
RIDLEY m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from various English place names meaning
"reed clearing" or
"channel clearing" in Old English.
RILEY m & f EnglishFrom a surname that comes from two distinct sources. As an Irish surname it is a variant of
REILLY. As an English surname it is derived from a place name meaning
"rye clearing" in Old English.
RIPLEY f & m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from the name of various English towns, from Old English
ripel "strip of land" and
leah "clearing". A famous fictional bearer was the character Ellen Ripley (usually only called by her surname) from the
Alien series of movies, beginning 1979.
ROBIN m & f English, French, Dutch, SwedishMedieval diminutive of
ROBERT, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.
ROCCO m Italian, Ancient GermanicGermanic name derived from the element
hrok meaning
"rest". This was the name of a 14th-century French saint who nursed victims of the plague but eventually contracted the disease himself. He is the patron saint of the sick.
ROCKY m EnglishDiminutive of
ROCCO and other names beginning with a similar sound, or else a nickname referring to a tough person. This is the name of a boxer played by Sylvester Stallone in the movie
Rocky (1976) and its five sequels.
ROSCOE m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally derived from a place name, itself derived from Old Norse
rá "roebuck" and
skógr "wood, forest".
RUFUS m Ancient Roman, English, BiblicalRoman cognomen meaning
"red-haired" in Latin. Several early saints had this name, including one mentioned in one of
Paul's epistles in the New Testament. As a nickname it was used by William II Rufus, a king of England, because of his red hair. It came into general use in the English-speaking world after the Protestant Reformation.
RUSSELL m EnglishFrom a surname meaning
"little red one" in French. A notable bearer of the surname was the agnostic British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), who wrote on many subjects including logic, epistemology and mathematics. He was also a political activist for causes such as pacifism and women's rights.
RUSTY m EnglishFrom a nickname that was originally given to someone with a rusty, or reddish-brown, hair colour.
SCOUT f English (Rare)From the English word
scout meaning
"one who gathers information covertly", which is derived from Old French
escouter "to listen". Harper Lee used this name in her novel
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).
SHILOH m & f BiblicalFrom an Old Testament place name possibly meaning
"tranquil" in Hebrew. It is also used prophetically in the Old Testament to refer to a person, often understood to be the Messiah (see
Genesis 49:10). This may in fact be a mistranslation. This name was brought to public attention after actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave it to their daughter in 2006.
SPIKE m English (Rare)From a nickname that may have originally been given to a person with spiky hair.
TIGER m English (Rare)From the name of the large striped cat, derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek
τίγρις (tigris), ultimately of Iranian origin. A famous bearer is American golfer Tiger Woods (1975-).
TOBY m & f EnglishMedieval form of
TOBIAS. It was sometimes used as a feminine name in the 1930s and 40s due to the influence of American actress Toby Wing (1915-2001).
ZEUS m Greek MythologyThe name of a Greek god, related to the old Indo-European god *
Dyeus, from a root meaning
"sky" or
"shine". In Greek mythology he was the highest of the gods. After he and his siblings defeated the Titans, Zeus ruled over the earth and humankind from atop Mount Olympus. He had control over the weather and his weapon was a thunderbolt.