Adam m English, French, German, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Catalan, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewThis is the Hebrew word for
"man". It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew
אדם ('adam) meaning
"to be red", referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Akkadian
adamu meaning
"to make".
... [more] Ahenobarbus m Ancient RomanFrom a Roman cognomen meaning
"bronze beard" in Latin. This name was borne by a series of consuls of the late Roman Republic.
Akane f JapaneseFrom Japanese
茜 (akane) meaning "deep red, dye from the rubia plant". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
Akari f JapaneseFrom Japanese
明 (aka) meaning "bright" or
朱 (aka) meaning "vermilion red" combined with
里 (ri) meaning "village" or
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Amarantha f VariousFrom the name of the amaranth flower, which is derived from Greek
ἀμάραντος (amarantos) meaning "unfading".
Ἀμάραντος (Amarantos) was also an Ancient Greek given name.
Anara f Kazakh, KyrgyzFrom Kazakh and Kyrgyz
анар (anar) meaning
"pomegranate", a word ultimately derived from Persian.
Annagül f TurkmenDerived from Turkmen
anna "Friday" and
gül "flower, rose".
Arushi f Hinduism, Indian, HindiFrom Sanskrit
अरुष (arusha) meaning
"reddish, dawn", a word used in the Rigveda to describe the red horses of
Agni. This name also appears in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata belonging to a daughter of
Manu and the wife of Chyavana, though in this case it might derive from Sanskrit
आरुषी (arushi) meaning
"hitting, killing".
Aygül f Turkish, Uyghur, AzerbaijaniDerived from the Turkic element
ay meaning "moon" combined with Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose". In some languages this is also a name for a variety of flowering plant that grows in central Asia (species Fritillaria eduardii).
Bahargül f TurkmenDerived from Turkmen
bahar meaning "spring" and
gül meaning "flower, rose" (both roots ultimately of Persian origin).
Burgundy f English (Rare)This name can refer either to the region in France, the wine (which derives from the name of the region), or the colour (which derives from the name of the wine).
Camellia f English (Rare)From the name of the flowering shrub, which was named for the botanist and missionary Georg Josef Kamel.
Celyn m WelshMeans
"holly" in Welsh. It appears briefly in the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen, but was not typically used as a given name until the 20th century.
Cherry f EnglishSimply means "cherry" from the name of the fruit. It can also be a diminutive of
Charity. It has been in use since the late 19th century.
Cheyenne f & m EnglishDerived from the Dakota word
shahiyena meaning "red speakers". This is the name of a Native American people of the Great Plains. The name was supposedly given to the Cheyenne by the Dakota because their language was unrelated to their own. As a given name, it has been in use since the 1950s.
Clancy m English (Rare)From an Irish surname (Anglicized from
Mac Fhlannchaidh), derived from the given name
Flannchadh meaning "red warrior".
Edom m BiblicalFrom Hebrew
אָדֹם ('adom) meaning
"red". According to the Old Testament,
Esau, who is described as having red skin, was given this name because he traded his birthright for a helping of red broth. The bible goes on to tell that Esau was the founder of the ancient nation of Edom, located to the south of the kingdom of Judah.
Electra f Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Ἠλέκτρα (Elektra), derived from
ἤλεκτρον (elektron) meaning
"amber". In Greek myth she was the daughter of
Agamemnon and
Clytemnestra and the sister of
Orestes. She helped her brother kill their mother and her lover Aegisthus in vengeance for Agamemnon's murder. Also in Greek mythology, this name was borne by one of the Pleiades, who were the daughters of
Atlas and Pleione.
Fiammetta f ItalianDerived from Italian
fiamma meaning
"flame" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Flanagan m English (Rare)From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of
Ó Flannagáin, itself from the given name
Flannagán, which was derived from Irish
flann "blood red" and a diminutive suffix.
Flann m & f Irish, Old IrishMeans
"blood red" in Irish. This was the name of a 9th-century high king of Ireland.
Flannery f English (Rare)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Flannghaile, derived from the given name
Flannghal meaning "red valour". A famous bearer was American author Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964).
Fox m English (Modern)Either from the English word
fox or the surname
Fox, which originally given as a nickname. The surname was borne by George Fox (1624-1691), the founder of the Quakers.
Garnet 1 f EnglishFrom the English word
garnet for the precious stone, the birthstone of January. The word is derived from Middle English
gernet meaning "dark red".
Gilroy m English (Rare)From an Irish surname, either
Mac Giolla Ruaidh, which means
"son of the red-haired servant", or
Mac Giolla Rí, which means
"son of the king's servant".
Golnar f PersianMeans
"pomegranate flower", derived from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower" and
نار (nar) meaning "pomegranate".
Golzar m & f PersianDerived from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose" and the suffix
زار (zar) meaning "place abounding in, field, garden".
Gül f TurkishMeans
"rose" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
Gul m & f Urdu, PashtoMeans
"flower, rose" in Urdu and Pashto, ultimately from Persian.
Gülay f TurkishMeans
"rose moon" in Turkish, from Turkish
gül, ultimately Persian
گل (gol), meaning "rose" combined with
ay meaning "moon".
Gulbadan f Urdu (Rare)Means
"having a body like a rose" in Persian. This was the name of a daughter of the Mughal emperor Babur.
Gulrukh f UrduMeans
"rose faced" in Persian. This was the name of a wife of the Mughal emperor Babur.
Helah f BiblicalMeans
"rust" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name is mentioned as one of the wives of Asher.
Hollis m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Middle English
holis "holly trees". It was originally given to a person who lived near a group of those trees.
Holly f EnglishFrom the English word for the holly tree, ultimately derived from Old English
holen.
Hong m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
虹 (hóng) meaning "rainbow",
弘 (hóng) meaning "enlarge, expand, great" (which is usually only masculine) or
鸿 (hóng) meaning "wild swan, great, vast" (also usually only masculine). Other characters can also form this name.
Ivo 1 m German, Dutch, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Ancient GermanicGermanic name, originally a short form of names beginning with the Germanic element
iv meaning
"yew". Alternative theories suggest that it may in fact be derived from a cognate Celtic element. This was the name of several saints (who are also commonly known as Saint
Yves or
Ives).
Kaede f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
楓 (kaede) meaning "maple" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Kamal 2 m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliModern masculine form of
Kamala.
Kamala f & m Hinduism, Tamil, Indian, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, NepaliMeans
"lotus" or
"pale red" in Sanskrit. In Sanskrit this is a transcription of both the feminine form
कमला and the masculine form
कमल, though in modern languages it is only a feminine form. This is the name of one of the Krittikas, or Pleiades, in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata. It is also another name of the Hindu goddess
Lakshmi.
Kapila m HinduismMeans
"reddish brown" in Sanskrit, derived from
कपि (kapi) meaning "monkey". In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata this is the name of a sage who founded Samkhya philosophy and is identified with the god
Vishnu.
Kolab f KhmerMeans
"rose" in Khmer (of Persian origin).
Kulap f & m ThaiMeans
"rose" in Thai (of Persian origin).
Lali f GeorgianMeans
"ruby" in Georgian, of Sanskrit origin.
Leslie f & m EnglishFrom a Scottish surname that was derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, probably from Gaelic
leas celyn meaning
"garden of holly". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In America it was more common as a feminine name after the 1940s.
Maple f EnglishFrom the English word for the tree, derived from Old English
mapul. This is the name of a girl in Robert Frost's poem
Maple (1923) who wonders about the origin of her unusual name.
Marganita f HebrewFrom the name of a type of flowering plant common in Israel, called the scarlet pimpernel in English.
Mars m Roman MythologyPossibly related to Latin
mas meaning
"male" (genitive
maris). In Roman mythology Mars was the god of war, often equated with the Greek god
Ares. This is also the name of the fourth planet in the solar system.
Miltiades m Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
μίλτος (miltos) meaning "red earth" and the patronymic suffix
ἴδης (ides). This was the name of the general who led the Greek forces to victory against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.
Nurgül f TurkishMeans
"radiant rose" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nur) meaning "light" and Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose".
Patigül f UyghurUyghur elaboration of
Patime using the suffix
گۇل (gul) meaning "flower, rose" (of Persian origin).
Phoenix m & f English (Modern)From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek
φοῖνιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".
Quỳnh f & m VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
瓊 (quỳnh) meaning
"deep red". This is also the Vietnamese name for a variety of flowering plant (genus Epiphyllum).
Radcliff m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"red cliff" in Old English.
Raleigh m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning either "red clearing" or "roe deer clearing" in Old English. A city in North Carolina bears this name, after the English courtier, poet and explorer Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618).
Red m EnglishFrom the English word, ultimately derived from Old English
read. It was originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
Reed m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old English
read meaning
"red", originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
Rhoda f Biblical, EnglishDerived from Greek
ῥόδον (rhodon) meaning
"rose". In the New Testament this name was borne by a maid in the house of Mary the mother of John Mark. As an English given name,
Rhoda came into use in the 17th century.
Rhydderch m Welsh (Rare)From the Old Welsh name
Riderch, probably derived from
ri "king" combined with
derch "exalted". Rhydderch Hael was a 6th-century king of Strathclyde. It has sometimes been Anglicized as
Roderick.
Roderick m English, Scottish, WelshMeans
"famous ruler" from the Germanic elements
hrod "fame" and
ric "ruler, mighty". This name was in use among the Visigoths; it was borne by their last king (also known as Rodrigo), who died fighting the Muslim invaders of Spain in the 8th century. It also had cognates in Old Norse and West Germanic, and Scandinavian settlers and Normans introduced it to England, though it died out after the Middle Ages. It was revived in the English-speaking world by Walter Scott's 1811 poem
The Vision of Don Roderick.
... [more] Róis f Irish (Rare)Irish form of
Rose, or directly from the Irish word
rós meaning
"rose" (genitive
róis; of Latin origin).
Róisín f IrishDiminutive of
Róis or the Irish word
rós meaning
"rose" (of Latin origin). It appears in the 17th-century song
Róisín Dubh.
Roosevelt m EnglishFrom a Dutch surname meaning
"rose field". This name is often given in honour of American presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) or Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).
Rory m & f Irish, Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Ruaidhrí. Typically a masculine name, it gained some popularity for girls in the United States after it was used on the television series
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007), in this case as a nickname for
Lorelai. Despite this, the name has grown more common for boys in America, especially after 2011, perhaps due to Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy (1989-).
Rosa 1 f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, German, EnglishGenerally this can be considered a Latin form of
Rose, though originally it may have come from the unrelated Germanic name
Roza 2. This was the name of a 13th-century saint from Viterbo in Italy. In the English-speaking world it was first used in the 19th century. A famous bearer was civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005).
Rosabel f English (Rare)Combination of
Rosa 1 and the common name suffix
bel, inspired by Latin
bella "beautiful". This name was created in the 18th century.
Rosalie f French, German, Dutch, EnglishFrench, German and Dutch form of
Rosalia. In the English-speaking this name received a boost after the release of the movie
Rosalie (1938), which was based on an earlier musical.
Rosalind f EnglishDerived from the Germanic elements
hros meaning "horse" and
lind meaning "soft, tender, flexible". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase
rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy
As You Like It (1599).
Rosaline f EnglishMedieval variant of
Rosalind. This is the name of characters in Shakespeare's
Love's Labour's Lost (1594) and
Romeo and Juliet (1596).
Rosamund f English (Rare)Derived from the Germanic elements
hros "horse" and
mund "protection". The Normans introduced this name to England. It was subsequently influenced by the Latin phrase
rosa munda "pure rose". This was the name of the mistress of Henry II, the king of England in the 12th century. She was possibly murdered by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Rose f English, FrenchOriginally a Norman form of the Germanic name
Hrodohaidis meaning
"famous type", composed of the elements
hrod "fame" and
heid "kind, sort, type". The Normans introduced it to England in the forms
Roese and
Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower
rose (derived from Latin
rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.
Rosina f ItalianItalian diminutive of
Rosa 1. This is the name of a character in Rossini's opera
The Barber of Seville (1816).
Rowan m & f Irish, English (Modern)Anglicized form of the Irish name
Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).
Roy m Scottish, English, DutchAnglicized form of
Ruadh. A notable bearer was the Scottish outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy (1671-1734). It is often associated with French
roi "king".
Ruadh m Medieval Irish, Medieval ScottishIrish and Scottish Gaelic byname meaning
"red", often a nickname for one with red hair. This was the nickname of the Scottish outlaw Raibeart Ruadh MacGregor (1671-1734), known as Rob Roy in English.
Ruadhán m IrishFrom Old Irish
Rúadán, derived from
rúad "red" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of the founder of the monastery of Lorrha in the 6th century.
Ruaidhrí m IrishFrom Old Irish
Ruaidrí meaning
"red king", from
rúad "red" combined with
rí "king". This was the name of the last high king of Ireland, reigning in the 12th century.
Rubena f EsperantoFrom Esperanto
rubeno meaning
"ruby", ultimately from Latin
ruber "red".
Ruby f EnglishSimply from the name of the precious stone (which ultimately derives from Latin
ruber "red"), which is the birthstone of July. It came into use as a given name in the 16th century.
Rudyard m English (Rare)From a place name meaning
"red yard" in Old English. This name was borne by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), the author of
The Jungle Book and other works, who was named after Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire.
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 an English surname, of Norman origin, meaning
"little red one" (a diminutive of Old French
rous "red"). 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.
... [more] Rusty m EnglishFrom a nickname that was originally given to someone with a rusty, or reddish-brown, hair colour.
Scarlett f EnglishFrom an English surname that denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet (a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian
سقرلاط (saghrelat)). Margaret Mitchell used it for the main character, Scarlett O'Hara, in her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936). Her name is explained as having come from her grandmother. Despite the fact that the book was adapted into a popular movie in 1939, the name was not common until the 21st century. It started rising around 2003, about the time that the career of American actress Scarlett Johansson (1984-) started taking off.
Sienna f English (Modern)From the English word meaning
"orange-red". It is ultimately from the name of the city of Siena in Italy, because of the colour of the clay there.
Sohrab m Persian, Persian MythologyProbably from Middle Persian
swhr "red" and
ab "water". In the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh this is the name of the son of the hero
Rostam. He was tragically slain in battle by his father, who was unaware he was fighting his own son.
Songül f TurkishFrom Turkish
son meaning "last, final" and
gül meaning "rose".
Todd m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"fox", derived from Middle English
todde. As a given name it was rare before 1930. It peaked in popularity in most parts of the English-speaking world in the 1960s or 70s, but it has since declined.
Tsubaki f JapaneseFrom Japanese
椿 (tsubaki) meaning "camellia flower", as well as other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Vardan m ArmenianDerived from Armenian
վարդ (vard) meaning
"rose", ultimately from an Iranian language.
Vardo f GeorgianDerived from Georgian
ვარდი (vardi) meaning
"rose", ultimately from an Iranian language via Armenian.
Vered f HebrewMeans
"rose" in Hebrew, originally a borrowing from an Iranian language.
York m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from York, the name of a city in northern England. The city name was originally
Eburacon, Latinized as
Eboracum, meaning "yew" in Brythonic. In the Anglo-Saxon period it was corrupted to
Eoforwic, as if from Old English
eofor "boar" and
wīc "village". This was rendered as
Jórvík by the Vikings and eventually reduced to
York.
Yves m FrenchMedieval French form of
Ivo 1. This was the name of two French saints: an 11th-century bishop of Chartres and a 13th-century parish priest and lawyer, also known as Ivo of Kermartin, the patron saint of Brittany.