BILAL m Arabic, UrduMeans "wetting, moistening" in Arabic. This was the name of a companion of the Prophet
Muhammad.
CAIN m Biblical, Biblical LatinMeans "acquired" in Hebrew. In Genesis in the Old Testament Cain is the first son of
Adam and
Eve. He killed his brother
Abel after God accepted Abel's offering of meat instead of his offering of plant-based foods. After this Cain was banished to be a wanderer.
GARETH m Welsh, English (British), Arthurian RomanceMeaning unknown. It first appears in this form in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends 'Le Morte d'Arthur', in which Gareth was a Knight of the Round Table, the brother of Sir
Gawain. Malory based the name on
Gahariet, which was the name of a similar Arthurian character in French sources. It may ultimately have a Welsh origin, possibly related to
gwaredd meaning "gentleness".
GRADY m Irish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname which was derived from
Ó Grádaigh meaning "descendant of Grádaigh". The name
Grádaigh means "noble" in Gaelic.
HARUNA f JapaneseFrom Japanese
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather",
遥 (haru) meaning "distant, remote" or
春 (haru) meaning "spring" combined with
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
JESSE m English, Dutch, Finnish, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יִשַׁי (Yishai) which possibly means "gift". In the Old Testament Jesse is the father of King
David. It began to be used as an English given name after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Jesse James (1847-1882), an American outlaw who held up banks and stagecoaches. He was eventually shot by a fellow gang member for a reward. Another famous bearer was the American athlete Jesse Owens (1913-1980), whose real name was James Cleveland (or J. C.) Owens.
LAN f & m Chinese, VietnameseFrom Chinese
兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant" (which is usually only feminine) or
岚 (lán) meaning "mountain mist". Other Chinese characters can form this name as well. As a Vietnamese name, it is derived from Sino-Vietnamese
蘭 meaning "orchid".
MIN m & f Chinese, KoreanFrom
敏 (mǐn) meaning "quick, clever, sharp",
民 (mín) meaning "people, citizens", or other Chinese/Sino-Korean characters which are pronounced similarly.
SHIN m JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (shin) meaning "real, genuine" or other kanji with the same pronunciation.
VALDA f LatvianModern coinage from Germanic
wald meaning "power, rule". It has been in use only since the 20th century.
ZERAH m BiblicalMeans "dawning, shining" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of
Judah and the twin of
Perez in the Old Testament.