AIDA f Arabic, LiteratureVariant of
AYDA. This name was used in Verdi's opera
Aida (1871), where it belongs to an Ethiopian princess held captive in Egypt.
AIRI (2) f FinnishFrom Finnish
airut meaning
"messenger, herald", also influenced by place names beginning with the same sound.
ALHAJI m Western African, HausaMeans
"the pilgrim" in Hausa, a derivative of Arabic
حَجّ (hajj) meaning "pilgrimage, hajj". It is typically a title, not a name.
ARLOTTO m Medieval ItalianMedieval Italian name, recorded in Latin as
Arlotus. It is possibly from Old French
herlot meaning
"vagabond, tramp".
ASRA f ArabicMeans
"travel at night" in Arabic. It is related to
Isra.
AYAAN (1) m Indian, HindiFrom Sanskrit
अयान (ayana) meaning
"not moving" or
"natural disposition" or
अयन (ayana) meaning
"path" or
"precession".
AYAN m BengaliMeans
"road, path, solar path" in Bengali, from Sanskrit
अयन (ayana) meaning
"path" or
"precession".
AYDA f ArabicMeans
"returning, visitor" in Arabic.
AYUMU m JapaneseFrom Japanese
歩 (ayu) meaning "walk" and
夢 (mu) meaning "dream, vision". Other combinations of kanji are also possible.
BEATRIX f German, Hungarian, Dutch, English, Late RomanProbably from
Viatrix, a feminine form of the Late Latin name
Viator meaning
"voyager, traveller". It was a common name amongst early Christians, and the spelling was altered by association with Latin
beatus "blessed, happy". Viatrix or Beatrix was a 4th-century saint who was strangled to death during the persecutions of Diocletian.
... [more] CHRISTOPHER m EnglishFrom the Late Greek name
Χριστόφορος (Christophoros) meaning
"bearing CHRIST", derived from
Χριστός (Christos) combined with
φέρω (phero) meaning "to bear, to carry". Early Christians used it as a metaphorical name, expressing that they carried Christ in their hearts. In the Middle Ages, literal interpretations of the name's etymology led to legends about a Saint Christopher who carried the young
Jesus across a river. He has come to be regarded as the patron saint of travellers.
... [more] DORAN m IrishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from
Ó Deoráin meaning
"descendant of Deoradhán". The name
Deoradhán means "exile, wanderer" in Gaelic.
DO-YUN m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
道 (do) meaning "path, road, way" and
允 (yun) meaning "allow, consent", as well as other hanja character combinations.
EINDRIDE m NorwegianDerived from the Old Norse name
Eindriði, possibly from the elements
ein "one, alone" and
ríða "to ride".
ENDYMION m Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
ἐνδύω (endyo) meaning
"to dive into, to enter". In Greek mythology he was an Aeolian mortal loved by the moon goddess
Selene, who asked
Zeus to grant him eternal life. Zeus complied by putting him into an eternal sleep in a cave on Mount Latmos.
FARAMUND m Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic elements
fara "journey" and
mund "protection". This was the name of a semi-legendary 5th-century king of the Franks.
FERDINAND m German, French, Dutch, English, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Ancient GermanicFrom
Ferdinando, the old Spanish form of a Germanic name composed of the elements
fardi "journey" and
nand "daring, brave". The Visigoths brought the name to the Iberian Peninsula, where it entered into the royal families of Spain and Portugal. From there it became common among the Habsburg royal family of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria, starting with the Spanish-born Ferdinand I in the 16th century. A notable bearer was Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), called Fernão de Magalhães in Portuguese, who was the leader of the first expedition to sail around the earth.
HAGAR f Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical HebrewPossibly means
"flight" in Hebrew, though it could also be of unknown Egyptian origin. In the Old Testament she is the concubine of
Abraham and the mother of
Ishmael, the founder of the Arab people. After Abraham's wife
Sarah finally gave birth to a child, she had Hagar and Ishmael expelled into the desert. However, God heard their crying and saved them.
HAJI m ArabicRefers to a person who has participated in the
حَجّ (hajj), the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that Muslims must undertake at least once in their lifetimes.
HERMES m Greek Mythology, Ancient GreekProbably from Greek
ἕρμα (herma) meaning
"cairn, pile of stones, boundary marker". Hermes was a Greek god associated with speed and good luck, who served as a messenger to
Zeus and the other gods. He was also the patron of travellers, writers, athletes, merchants, thieves and orators.
... [more] ISRA f ArabicMeans
"nocturnal journey", derived from Arabic
سرى (sara) meaning "to travel at night".
KEALA f & m HawaiianMeans
"the path" from Hawaiian
ke, a definite article, and
ala "path".
LANE m EnglishFrom a surname meaning
"lane, path", which originally belonged to a person who lived near a lane.
MERCURY m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Mercurius, probably derived from Latin
mercari "to trade" or
merces "wages". This was the name of the Roman god of trade, merchants, and travellers, later equated with the Greek god
Hermes. This is also the name of the first planet in the solar system and a metallic chemical element, both named for the god.
METHODIUS m Late Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Μεθόδιος (Methodios), derived from Greek
μέθοδος (methodos) meaning
"pursuit" or
"method", ultimately from
μετά (meta) meaning "with" and
ὁδός (hodos) meaning "road". Saint Methodius was a Greek missionary to the Slavs who developed the Cyrillic alphabet (with his brother Cyril) in order to translate the Bible into Slavic.
NESTOR m Greek Mythology, RussianMeans
"returner, homecomer" in Greek, from
νέομαι (neomai) meaning "to return". In
Homer's
Iliad this was the name of the king of Pylos, famous for his great wisdom and longevity, who acted as a counselor to the Greek allies.
NJERI f Eastern African, KikuyuMeans
"travelling one" in Kikuyu. Njeri (or Wanjeri) is the name of one of the nine daughters of
Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin legend.
PALMER m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"pilgrim". It is ultimately from Latin
palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.
PALMIRO m ItalianMeans
"pilgrim" in Italian. In medieval times it denoted one who had been a pilgrim to Palestine. It is ultimately from the word
palma meaning "palm tree", because of the custom of pilgrims to bring palm fronds home with them. The name is sometimes given to a child born on Palm Sunday.
PEREGRINE m English (Rare)From the Late Latin name
Peregrinus, which meant
"traveller". This was the name of several early saints.
PIPPIN (2) m LiteratureThe name of a hobbit in
The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien. His full given name was
Peregrin, a semi-translation into English of his true hobbit name
Razanur meaning
"traveller".
ROMEO m ItalianItalian form of the Late Latin
Romaeus or Late Greek
Ρωμαῖος (Romaios), which meant
"from ROME" or
"Roman". In medieval Italian this meant
"a pilgrim to Rome". Romeo is best known as the lover of
Juliet in Shakespeare's tragedy
Romeo and Juliet (1596).
ROSENDO m SpanishSpanish form of a Visigothic name composed of the Germanic elements
hrod "fame" and
sinths "path". This was the name of a 10th-century Galician saint, also known as Rudesind.
SAIRA f UrduPossibly means
"traveller" in Arabic.
SOMERLED m ScottishAnglicized form of the Old Norse name
Sumarliði meaning
"summer traveller". This was the name of a 12th-century Scottish warlord who created a kingdom on the Scottish islands.
TECUMSEH m Native American, ShawneeMeans
"panther passing across" in Shawnee. This was the name of a Shawnee leader who, with his brother
Tenskwatawa, resisted European expansion in the early 19th century.
TIRTA m & f IndonesianMeans
"sacred water, place of pilgrimage" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit
तीर्थ (tirtha).
TRAVIS m EnglishFrom the English surname
Travis (a variant of
TRAVERS). It was used in America in honour of William Travis (1809-1836), the commander of the Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo.
VETLE m NorwegianNorwegian form of the Old Norse name
Vetrliði meaning
"winter traveller", and by extension
"bear cub".
VISITACIÓN f SpanishMeans
"visitation" in Spanish. This name is given in reference to the visit of the Virgin
Mary to her cousin Elizabeth.
WALKER m EnglishFrom an English surname that referred to the medieval occupational of a walker, also known as a fuller. Walkers would tread on wet, unprocessed wool in order to clean and thicken it. The word ultimately derives from Old English
wealcan "to walk".
WANDA f Polish, English, German, FrenchPossibly from a Germanic name meaning
"a Wend", referring to the Slavic people who inhabited eastern Germany. In Polish legends this was the name of the daughter of King Krak, the legendary founder of Krakow. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by the author Ouida, who used it for the heroine in her novel
Wanda (1883).
WAZO m Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
wad meaning
"to go" or
warin meaning
"guard, protect".
WENDEL m Dutch, German (Rare)Old short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
wandal meaning
"a Vandal". The Vandals were a Germanic tribe who invaded Spain and North Africa in the 5th century. Their tribal name, which may mean "wanderer", was later applied to other groups such as the Wends, a Slavic people living between the Elbe and the Oder.
WOLFGANG m German, Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic elements
wulf meaning "wolf" and
gang meaning "path". Two famous bearers of this name were Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and German novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).