AMY f EnglishEnglish form of the Old French name
Amée meaning
"beloved" (modern French
aimée), a vernacular form of the Latin
Amata. As an English name, it was in use in the Middle Ages (though not common) and was revived in the 19th century.
ANNA f English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Icelandic, Faroese, Catalan, Occitan, Breton, Biblical, Old Church Slavic, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekForm of
Channah (see
HANNAH) used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the
Hannah spelling instead of
Anna. The name appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized
Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin
Mary. In the English-speaking world, this form came into general use in the 18th century, joining
Ann and
Anne.
... [more] 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.
AYN f VariousThis name was assumed by Ayn Rand (1905-1982), originally named Alice Rosenbaum, a Russian-American writer and philosopher. She apparently based it on a Finnish name she had heard, but never seen written.
DAEDALUS m Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek
Δαιδαλος (Daidalos), which was derived from
δαιδαλλω (daidallo) meaning
"to work cunningly". In Greek myth Daedalus was an Athenian inventor who was banished to Crete. There he designed the Labyrinth for King
Minos, but he and his son
Icarus were eventually imprisoned inside it because he had aided
Theseus in his quest against the Minotaur. Daelalus and Icarus escaped using wings fashioned from wax, but Icarus fell from the sky to his death.
ETHAN m English, French, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
אֵיתָן ('Eitan) meaning
"solid, enduring, firm". In the Old Testament this name is borne by a few minor characters, including the wise man Ethan the Ezrahite, supposedly the author of Psalm 89.
... [more] GWYN m WelshMeans
"white, fair, blessed" in Welsh.
HUGH m EnglishFrom the Germanic element
hug, meaning
"heart, mind, spirit". It was common among Frankish and French nobility, being borne by Hugh Capet, a 10th-century king of France who founded the Capetian dynasty. The Normans brought the name to England and it became common there, even more so after the time of the 12th-century bishop Saint Hugh of Lincoln, who was known for his charity. This was also the name of kings of Cyprus and the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. The name is used in Ireland and Scotland as the Anglicized form of
Aodh and
Ùisdean.
LENA f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Polish, Russian, English, Italian, Portuguese, GreekShort form of names ending in
lena, such as
HELENA,
MAGDALENA or
YELENA.
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.
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).
LYLE m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Norman French
l'isle "island".
MAYA (2) f EnglishVariant of
MAIA (1). This name can also be given in reference to the Maya peoples, a Native American culture who built a great civilization in southern Mexico and Latin America.
MEDUSA f Greek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Μεδουσα (Medousa), which was derived from
μεδω (medo) meaning
"to protect, to rule over". In Greek myth this was the name of one of the three Gorgons, ugly women who had snakes for hair. She was so hideous that anyone who gazed upon her was turned to stone, so the hero
Perseus had to look using the reflection in his shield in order to slay her.
MONTAGUE m English (Rare)From a surname meaning
"pointed mountain" in French. In Shakespeare's tragedy
Romeo and Juliet (1596) this is the surname of Romeo and his family.
NERO (1) m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen, which was probably of Sabine origin meaning
"strong, vigorous". It was borne most infamously by a tyrannical Roman emperor of the 1st century.
NOAH (1) m English, German, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
נֹחַ (Noach) meaning
"rest, repose", derived from the root
נוּחַ (nuach). According to the Old Testament, Noah was the builder of the Ark that allowed him, his family, and animals of each species to survive the Great Flood. After the flood he received the sign of the rainbow as a covenant from God. He was the father of
Shem,
Ham and
Japheth.
... [more] ODIN m Norse Mythology, English (Modern)Anglicized form of Old Norse
Óðinn, which was derived from
óðr meaning
"inspiration, rage, frenzy". It ultimately developed from the early Germanic *
Woðanaz. The name appears as
Woden in Anglo-Saxon sources (for example, as the founder of several royal lineages in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) and in forms such as
Wotan,
Wuotan or
Wodan in continental Europe. However, Odin is best known from Norse mythology, as the highest of the gods, presiding over art, war, wisdom and death. He resided in Valhalla, where warriors went after they were slain.
RAJA (2) m Urdu, Tamil, Indian, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, IndonesianMeans
"king, ruler", from Sanskrit
राजन् (rajan).
RHYS m Welsh, EnglishMeans
"enthusiasm" in Welsh. Several Welsh rulers have borne this name, including the 12th-century Rhys ap Gruffydd who fought against the invading Normans.
ROLF m German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Hrolf (or its Old Norse cognate
Hrólfr), a contracted form of
Hrodulf (see
RUDOLF). The Normans introduced this name to England but it soon became rare. In the modern era it has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world as a German import.
RUDOLPH m EnglishEnglish form of
RUDOLF, imported from Germany in the 19th century. Robert L. May used it in 1939 for his Christmas character Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
RYAN m Irish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from
Ó Riain meaning
"descendant of Rían". The given name
Rían probably means
"little king" (from Irish
rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix).
TYLER m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"tiler of roofs", derived from Old English
tigele "tile". The surname was borne by American president John Tyler (1790-1862).
WARREN m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived either from Norman French
warrene meaning
"animal enclosure", or else from the town of La Varenne in Normandy. This name was borne by the American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).
WREN f English (Modern)From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English
wrenna.