ASPEN f English (Modern)From the English word for the tree, derived from Old English
æspe. It is also the name of a ski resort in Colorado.
AZARIAH m BiblicalMeans
"YAHWEH has helped" in Hebrew, derived from
עָזַר ('azar) meaning "help" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many Old Testament characters including of one of the three men the Babylonian king ordered cast into a fiery furnace. His Babylonian name was
Abednego.
AZURE f English (Rare)From the English word that means "sky blue". It is ultimately (via Old French, Latin and Arabic) from Persian
لاجورد (lajvard) meaning "azure, lapis lazuli".
BETHEL f EnglishFrom an Old Testament place name meaning
"house of God" in Hebrew. This was a town north of Jerusalem, where
Jacob saw his vision of the stairway. It is occasionally used as a given name.
BLAISE m FrenchFrom the Roman name
Blasius, which was derived from Latin
blaesus meaning
"lisping". A famous bearer was the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).
BLAKE m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from Old English
blæc "black" or
blac "pale". A famous bearer of the surname was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).
BLAKELY f English (Modern)From a surname that was derived from Old English
blæc "black" and
leah "woodland clearing".
BRINLEY f English (Modern)From an English surname that was taken from the name of a town meaning
"burned clearing" in Old English.
BRITTON m EnglishDerived from a Middle English surname meaning
"a Briton" (a Celt of England) or
"a Breton" (an inhabitant of Brittany).
CADENCE f English (Modern)From an English word meaning
"rhythm, flow". It has been in use only since the 20th century.
CARMEL f English, JewishFrom the title of the Virgin
Mary Our Lady of Carmel.
כַּרְמֶל (Karmel) (meaning "garden" in Hebrew) is a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the site of several early Christian monasteries. As an English given name, it has mainly been used by Catholics.
CARROLL m IrishAnglicized form of
CEARBHALL. A famous bearer of the surname was Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the author of
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
CASEY m & f English, IrishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Cathasaigh meaning
"descendant of CATHASACH". This name can be given in honour of Casey Jones (1863-1900), a train engineer who sacrificed his life to save his passengers. In his case,
Casey was a nickname acquired because he was raised in the town of Cayce, Kentucky.
CECIL m EnglishFrom the Roman name
Caecilius (see
CECILIA). This was the name of a 3rd-century saint, a companion of Saint
Cyprian. Though it was in use during the Middle Ages in England, it did not become common until the 19th century when it was given in honour of the noble Cecil family, who had been prominent since the 16th century. Their surname was derived from the Welsh given name
Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name
Sextilius, a derivative of
SEXTUS.
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.
CHE m SpanishFrom an Argentine expression meaning
"hey!". This nickname was acquired by the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto Guevara while he was in Cuba.
CLARE f EnglishMedieval English form of
CLARA. This is also the name of an Irish county, which was itself probably derived from Irish
clár meaning "plank, level surface".
CODY m EnglishFrom the Irish surname
Ó Cuidighthigh, which means
"descendant of CUIDIGHTHEACH". A famous bearer of the surname was the American frontiersman and showman Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917).
CORIANDER f English (Rare)From the name of the spice, also called cilantro, which may ultimately be of Phoenician origin (via Latin and Greek).
COURTNEY f & m EnglishFrom an aristocratic English surname that was derived either from the French place name
Courtenay (originally a derivative of the personal name
Curtenus, itself derived from Latin
curtus "short") or else from a Norman nickname meaning "short nose". As a feminine name in America, it first became popular during the 1970s.
CREE m & f English (Rare)From the name of a Native American tribe of central Canada. Their name derives via French from the Cree word
kiristino.
DAKOTA m & f English (Modern)Means
"allies, friends" in the Dakota language. This is the name of a Native American people of the northern Mississippi valley.
DALEY m & f Irish, English (Rare)From an Irish surname that was derived from
Ó Dálaigh meaning
"descendant of Dálach". The name
Dálach means "assembly" in Gaelic.
DALLAS m & f EnglishFrom a surname that could either be of Old English origin meaning
"valley house" or of Scottish Gaelic origin meaning
"meadow dwelling". A city in Texas bears this name, probably in honour of American Vice President George M. Dallas (1792-1864).
DENVER m EnglishFrom an English surname that was from a place name meaning
"Dane ford" in Old English. This is the name of the capital city of Colorado, which was named for the politician James W. Denver (1817-1892).
DIAMOND f English (Modern)From the English word
diamond for the clear colourless precious stone, the birthstone of April. It is derived from Late Latin
diamas, from Latin
adamas, which is of Greek origin meaning "invincible, untamed".
EDEN f & m Hebrew, English (Modern)Possibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן ('eden) meaning "pleasure, delight", or perhaps derived from Sumerian
𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
ELLIOTT m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a diminutive of the medieval name
ELIAS.
EMERSON m & f EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of EMERY". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.
EMERY m & f EnglishNorman form of
EMMERICH. The Normans introduced it to England, and though it was never popular, it survived until the end of the Middle Ages. As a modern given name, it is likely inspired by the surname
Emery, which was itself derived from the medieval given name. It can also be given in reference to the hard black substance called emery.
ENGEL m German (Rare), Ancient GermanicOriginally this was a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
angil, referring to the Germanic tribe known in English as the Angles. Since the Middle Ages it has been firmly associated with the German word
engel meaning "angel".
FALLON f English (Modern)From an Irish surname that was derived from
Ó Fallamhain meaning
"descendant of Fallamhan". The given name
Fallamhan meant "leader". It was popularized in the 1980s by a character on the soap opera
Dynasty.
FAY f EnglishDerived from Middle English
faie meaning
"fairy", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin
fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Arthurian legends in the name of Morgan le Fay. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In some cases it may be used as a short form of
FAITH.
FRANCIS m & f English, FrenchEnglish form of the Late Latin name
Franciscus meaning
"Frenchman", ultimately from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were named for a type of spear that they used. This name was borne by the 13th-century Saint Francis of Assisi, who was originally named Giovanni but was given the nickname Francesco by his father, an admirer of the French. Francis went on to renounce his father's wealth and devote his life to the poor, founding the Franciscan order of friars. Later in his life he apparently received the stigmata.
... [more] GAEL f English (Modern)Variant of
GAIL, also coinciding with the ethno-linguistic term
Gael, which refers to speakers of Gaelic languages.
GAY f EnglishFrom the English word
gay meaning
"gay, happy". By the mid-20th century the word had acquired the additional meaning of "homosexual", and the name has subsequently dropped out of use.
GERMAINE f FrenchFrench feminine form of
GERMAIN. Saint Germaine was a 16th-century peasant girl from France.
GWYN m WelshMeans
"white, fair, blessed" in Welsh.
HARLEY m & f EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English
hara "hare" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
HAVEN f & m EnglishFrom the English word for a safe place, derived ultimately from Old English
hæfen.
HAYDEN m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from place names meaning either
"hay valley" or
"hay hill", derived from Old English
heg "hay" and
denu "valley" or
dun "hill".
HONOUR f English (Rare)From the English word
honour, which is of Latin origin. This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century. It can also be viewed as a form of
HONORIA or
HONORATA, which are ultimately derived from the same source.
INDIE f English (Modern)Possibly a diminutive of
INDIA or
INDIANA, but also likely inspired by the term
indie, short for
independent, which is typically used to refer to media produced outside of the mainstream.
INDRA m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, NepaliMeans
"possessing drops of rain" from Sanskrit
इन्दु (indu) meaning "a drop" and
र (ra) meaning "acquiring, possessing". Indra is the name of the ancient Hindu warrior god of the sky and rain. He is the chief god in the Rigveda.
INNA f Russian, UkrainianMeaning unknown. This was the name of an early Scythian saint and martyr, a male, supposedly a disciple of Saint
Andrew.
ISLAY m & f ScottishFrom the name of the island of Islay, which lies off of the west coast of Scotland.
JAEL f BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יָעֵל (Ya'el) meaning
"ibex, mountain goat". This name appears in the Old Testament belonging to the wife of
Heber the Kenite. After Sisera, the captain of the Canaanite army, was defeated in battle by
Deborah and
Barak he took refuge in Heber's tent. When he fell asleep Jael killed him by hammering a tent peg into his head.
JAMIE m & f Scottish, EnglishOriginally a Lowland Scots diminutive of
JAMES. Since the late 19th century it has also been used as a feminine form.
JEWEL f & m EnglishIn part from the English word
jewel, a precious stone, derived from Old French
jouel, which was possibly related to
jeu "game". It is also in part from the surname
Jewel or
Jewell (a derivative of the Breton name
JUDICAËL), which was sometimes used in honour of the 16th-century bishop of Salisbury John Jewel. It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.
JIMI m EnglishDiminutive of
JAMES. A famous bearer was the rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).
JORDAN m & f English, French, Macedonian, SerbianFrom the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is
יַרְדֵן (Yarden), and it is derived from
יָרַד (yarad) meaning
"descend" or
"flow down". In the New Testament
John the Baptist baptizes
Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Germanic name
JORDANES, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.
... [more] JUDE (1) m English, BiblicalVariant of
JUDAS. It is used in many English versions of the New Testament to denote the second apostle named Judas, in order to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. He was supposedly the author of the Epistle of Jude. In the English-speaking world,
Jude has occasionally been used as a given name since the time of the Protestant Reformation.
JULY f English (Rare)From the name of the month, which was originally named for Julius Caesar.
JUNÍPERO m VariousThis was the name assumed by the 18th-century Spanish Franciscan monk Miguel José Serra, a missionary to California. He named himself after one of Saint Francis's companions, who was named from Latin
iuniperus "juniper".
JUNO f Roman MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly related to an Indo-European root meaning
"youth", or possibly of Etruscan origin. In Roman mythology Juno was the wife of
Jupiter and the queen of the heavens. She was the protectress of marriage and women, and was also the goddess of finance.
JUPITER m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From Latin
Iuppiter, which was ultimately derived from the Indo-European *
Dyeu-pater, composed of the elements
Dyeus (see
ZEUS) and
pater "father". Jupiter was the supreme god in Roman mythology. He presided over the heavens and light, and was responsible for the protection and laws of the Roman state. This is also the name of the fifth and largest planet in the solar system.
JUSTICE m & f EnglishFrom an occupational surname meaning
"judge, officer of justice" in Old French. This name can also be given in direct reference to the English word
justice.
KESTREL f English (Rare)From the name of the bird of prey, ultimately derived from Old French
crecelle "rattle", which refers to the sound of its cry.
KIMBERLY f EnglishFrom the name of the city of
Kimberley in South Africa, which was named after Lord
KIMBERLEY (1826-1902). The city came to prominence in the late 19th century during the Boer War.
Kimberly has been used as a given name since the mid-20th century, eventually becoming very popular as a feminine name.
KINGSLEY m English (Modern)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"king's wood" in Old English.
KIRBY m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"church settlement" in Old Norse. This name briefly spiked in popularity for American girls in 1982 after the character Kirby Anders Colby was introduced to the soap opera
Dynasty.
KRISHNA m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"black, dark" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu god believed to be an incarnation of the god
Vishnu. He was the youngest of King Vasudeva's eight children, six of whom were killed by King Kamsa because of a prophecy that a child of Vasudeva would kill Kamsa. Krishna however was saved and he eventually killed the king as well as performing many other great feats. In some Hindu traditions, Krishna is regarded as the supreme deity. He is usually depicted with blue skin.
LAUREL f EnglishFrom the name of the laurel tree, ultimately from Latin
laurus.
LEVI m Hebrew, English, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical LatinPossibly means
"joined, attached" in Hebrew. As told in the Old Testament, Levi was the third son of
Jacob and
Leah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, known as the Levites. This was the tribe that formed the priestly class of the Israelites. The brothers
Moses and
Aaron were members. This name also occurs in the New Testament, where it is another name for the apostle
Matthew.
... [more] LEXUS f EnglishShort form of
ALEXUS. Its use has been influenced by the Lexus brand name (a line of luxury automobiles made by Toyota).
LOTUS f English (Rare)From the name of the lotus flower (species Nelumbo nucifera) or the mythological lotus tree. They are ultimately derived from Greek
λωτός (lotos). In Greek and Roman mythology the lotus tree was said to produce a fruit causing sleepiness and forgetfulness.
MARIS f English (Rare)Means
"of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin
Mary,
Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".
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).
MARLOWE f English (Modern)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"remnants of a lake" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English playwright Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).
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.
MERRYN f CornishMeaning unknown. This was the name of an early Cornish (male) saint.
MICAH m Biblical, EnglishContracted form of
MICAIAH. Micah is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. He authored the Book of Micah, which alternates between prophesies of doom and prophesies of restoration. This is also the name of a separate person in the Book of Judges, the keeper of an idol. It was occasionally used as an English given name by the Puritans after the Protestant Reformation, but it did not become common until the end of the 20th century.
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.
MILEY f English (Modern)In the case of actress and singer Miley Cyrus (1992-), it is a shortened form of the nickname
Smiley, given to her by her father because she often smiled. Although it was not at all common before she brought it to public attention, there are some examples of its use before her time, most likely as a diminutive of
MILES.
MIRACLE f English (Modern)From the English word
miracle for an extraordinary event, ultimately deriving from Latin
miraculum "wonder, marvel".
MONROE m & f Scottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname meaning
"from the mouth of the Roe". The Roe is a river in Ireland. Two famous bearers of the surname were American president James Monroe (1758-1831) and American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).
MORGAN (1) m & f Welsh, English, FrenchFrom the Old Welsh masculine name
Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh
mor "sea" and
cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America
Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of
Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).
MORLEY m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally from an Old English place name meaning
"marsh clearing".
NEPTUNE m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Neptunus, which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Indo-European root *
nebh "wet, damp, clouds". Neptune was the god of the sea in Roman mythology, approximately equivalent to the Greek god
Poseidon. This is also the name of the eighth planet in the solar system.
NEVADA f & m EnglishFrom the name of the American state, which means
"snow-capped" in Spanish.
NORI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
儀 (nori) meaning "ceremony, rites" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
NOVA f EnglishDerived from Latin
novus meaning
"new". It was first used as a name in the 19th century.
ORAL m EnglishMeaning uncertain. This name was borne by the influential American evangelist Oral Roberts (1918-2009), who was apparently named by his cousin.
PACEY m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from the French place name
Pacy, itself derived from Gaulish given name of unknown meaning.
PEYTON m & f EnglishFrom an English surname, originally a place name meaning
"PÆGA's town". A famous bearer was Peyton Randolph (1721-1775), the first president of the Continental Congress. It is also borne by American football quarterback Peyton Manning (1976-).
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".
PRAISE f English (Rare)From the English word
praise, which is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Late Latin
preciare, a derivative of Latin
pretium "price, worth".
QUINCY m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived (via the place name
CUINCHY) from the personal name
QUINTUS. A famous bearer was John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), sixth president of the United States, who was born in the town of Quincy, Massachusetts. Both the town and the president were named after his maternal great-grandfather John Quincy (1689-1767).
REGAN f & m EnglishMeaning unknown, probably of Celtic origin. Shakespeare took the name from earlier British legends and used it in his tragedy
King Lear (1606) for a treacherous daughter of the king. In the modern era it has appeared in the horror movie
The Exorcist (1973) belonging to a girl possessed by the devil. This name can also be used as a variant of
REAGAN.
REILLY m & f English (Modern)From an Irish surname that was derived from the given name
Raghailleach, meaning unknown.
REN m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
蓮 (ren) meaning "lotus",
恋 (ren) meaning "love", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
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.
RIO (1) m & f VariousMeans
"river" in Spanish or Portuguese. A city in Brazil bears this name. Its full name is Rio de Janeiro, which means "river of January", so named because the first explorers came to the harbour in January and mistakenly thought it was a river mouth.
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.
RIVER m & f English (Modern)From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin
ripa "riverbank".
ROWAN m & f Irish, English (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Ruadháin meaning
"descendant of RUADHÁN". This name can also be given in reference to the rowan tree.
ROYAL m & f EnglishFrom the English word
royal, derived (via Old French) from Latin
regalis, a derivative of
rex "king". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century.
ROYLE m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"rye hill" from Old English
ryge "rye" and
hyll "hill".
RUE f EnglishFrom the name of the bitter medicinal herb, ultimately deriving from Greek
ῥυτή (rhyte). This is also sometimes used as a short form of
RUTH (1).
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).
RYLAN m English (Modern)Possibly a variant of the English surname
Ryland, which was originally derived from a place name meaning
"rye land" in Old English.
SANDEEP m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, NepaliAlternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi
संदीप, Bengali
সন্দীপ, Gurmukhi
ਸੰਦੀਪ, Gujarati
સંદિપ, Kannada
ಸಂದೀಪ್, Malayalam
സന്ദീപ്, Telugu
సందీప్, Tamil
சந்தீப் or Nepali
सन्दीप (see
SANDIP).
SANDIP m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, NepaliMeans
"blazing" in Sanskrit.
SATURN m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Saturnus, which is of unknown meaning. In Roman mythology he was the father of
Jupiter,
Juno and others, and was also the god of agriculture. This is also the name of the ringed sixth planet in the solar system.
SAYLOR f English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from Old French
sailleor meaning
"acrobat, dancer". As a modern English given name it could also come from the homophone vocabulary word
sailor.
SCHUYLER m & f EnglishFrom a Dutch surname meaning
"scholar". Dutch settlers brought the surname to America, where it was subsequently adopted as a given name in honour of the American general and senator Philip Schuyler (1733-1804).
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).
SHELL f EnglishShort form of
MICHELLE or
SHELLEY. It can also be simply from the English word
shell (ultimately from Old English
sciell).
SIDNEY m & f EnglishFrom the English surname
SIDNEY. It was first used as a given name in honour of executed politician Algernon Sidney (1622-1683). Another notable bearer of the surname was the poet and statesman Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586).
SKY f & m English (Modern)Simply from the English word
sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse
sky "cloud".
SKYE f English (Modern)From the name of the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. It is sometimes considered a variant of
SKY.
SORA f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
空 (sora) or
昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.
SORREL f English (Rare)From the name of the sour tasting plant, which may ultimately derive from Germanic
sur "sour".
TATUM f English (Modern)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"Tata's homestead" in Old English.
TAYLOR m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that originally denoted someone who was a tailor, from Norman French
tailleur, ultimately from Latin
taliare "to cut". Its modern use as a feminine name may have been influenced by the British-American author Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985).
TEAL f English (Rare)From the English word for the type of duck or the greenish-blue colour.
TEGAN f WelshDerived from Welsh
teg meaning
"fair".
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).
TRINITY f EnglishFrom the English word
Trinity, given in honour of the Christian belief that God has one essence, but three distinct expressions of being: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It has only been in use as a given name since the 20th century.
TRISTAN m Welsh, English, French, Arthurian RomanceOld French form of the Pictish name
Drustan, a diminutive of
DRUST. The spelling was altered by association with Latin
tristis "sad". Tristan is a character in medieval French tales, probably inspired by older Celtic legends, and ultimately merged into Arthurian legend. According to the story Tristan was sent to Ireland in order to fetch
Isolde, who was to be the bride of King Mark of Cornwall. On the way back, Tristan and Isolde accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. Their tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since that time.
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).
UNITY f English (Rare)From the English word
unity, which is ultimately derived from Latin
unitas.
URANUS m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Οὐρανός (Ouranos), the name of the husband of
Gaia and the father of the Titans in Greek mythology. His name is derived from
οὐρανός (ouranos) meaning
"the heavens". This is also the name of the seventh planet in the solar system.
WREN f English (Modern)From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English
wrenna.
WYN m WelshDerived from Welsh
gwyn meaning
"blessed, white, fair".
XIU f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
ZAÏRE f LiteratureUsed by Voltaire for the heroine of his tragic play
Zaïre (1732), about a Christian woman enslaved by Muslims. The heroine is named
Zara in some English translations. Voltaire may have based the name on
ZAHRAH.
ZEPHANIAH m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
צְפַנְיָה (Tzefanyah) meaning
"YAHWEH has hidden", derived from
צָפַן (tzafan) meaning "to hide" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Zephaniah.
ZION m Jewish, BiblicalFrom the name of a citadel that was in the center of Jerusalem. Zion is also used to refer to a Jewish homeland and to heaven.