DAVIDmEnglish, Hebrew, French, Scottish, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
דָּוִד (Dawid), which was derived from Hebrew
דּוֹד (dod) meaning "beloved" or "uncle". David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of
Goliath, a giant Philistine. According to the New Testament,
Jesus was descended from him.
... [more] DAVISmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from the given name
DAVID. A famous bearer of the surname was Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), the only president of the Confederate States of America.
DAWNfEnglishFrom the English word
dawn, ultimately derived from Old English
dagung.
DAWSONmEnglishFrom a surname meaning "son of
DAVID". This name was popularized in the late 1990s by the television drama 'Dawson's Creek'.
DAXmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived either from the town of Dax in France or else from the Old English given name
Dæcca (of unknown meaning).
DAYTONmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from a place name which possibly meant either "dairy town" or "ditch town" in Old English.
DEACONmEnglish (Modern)Either from the occupational surname
Deacon or directly from the vocabulary word
deacon, which refer to a cleric in the Christian church (ultimately from Greek
διακονος (diakonos) meaning "servant").
DEANNAfEnglishEither a variant of
DIANA or a feminine form of
DEAN. This name was popularized by the Canadian actress and singer Deanna Durbin (1921-), whose birth name was Edna. Her stage name was a rearrangement of the letters of her real name.
DEBORAHfEnglish, Hebrew, BiblicalMeans "bee" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Book of Judges, Deborah is a heroine and prophetess who leads the Israelites when they are threatened by the Canaanites. She forms an army under the command of
Barak, and together they destroy the army of the Canaanite commander Sisera. Also in the Old Testament, this is the name of the nurse of Rebecca.
... [more] DEEf & mEnglishShort form of names beginning with
D. It may also be given in reference to the
Dee River in Scotland.
DEFORESTmEnglishFrom a French surname meaning "from the forest". It was originally given in honour of American author John Deforest (1826-1906).
DEIRDREfEnglish, Irish, Irish MythologyFrom the older Gaelic form
Derdriu, meaning unknown, possibly derived from Old Irish
der meaning "daughter". This was the name of a tragic character in Irish legend who died of a broken heart after
Conchobhar, the king of Ulster, forced her to be his bride and killed her lover
Naoise.
... [more] DELANOmEnglishFrom a surname, recorded as
de la Noye in French, indicating that the bearer was from a place called La Noue (ultimately Gaulish meaning "wetland, swamp"). It has been used in honour of American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), whose middle name came from his mother's maiden name.
DELBERTmEnglishShort form of
ADELBERT. As an American name it was first used in the New York area by people of Dutch ancestry.
DELIA (1)fEnglish, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Greek MythologyMeans "of Delos" in Greek. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Artemis, given because she and her twin brother
Apollo were born on the island of Delos. The name appeared in several poems of the 16th and 17th centuries, and it has occasionally been used as a given name since that time.
DELICIAfEnglish (Rare)Either from Latin
deliciae "delight, pleasure" or a variant of the English word
delicious. It has only been used since the 20th century (rarely).
DELILAHfBiblical, Biblical Hebrew, EnglishMeans "delicate, weak, languishing" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament she is the lover of
Samson, whom she betrays to the Philistines by cutting his hair, which is the source of his power. Despite her character flaws, the name began to be used by the Puritans in the 17th century. It has been used occasionally in the English-speaking world since that time.
DELLm & fEnglishFrom an English surname which originally denoted a person who lived in a dell or valley.
DELMARmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from Norman French
de la mare meaning "from the pond".
DELPHIAfEnglishPossibly from the name of the Greek city of Delphi, the site of an oracle of
Apollo, which is possibly related to Greek
δελφυς (delphys) "womb". It was used in the play 'The Prophetess' (1647), in which it belongs to the title prophetess.
DELTAfEnglishFrom the name of the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet,
Δ. It is also the name for an island formed at the mouth of a river.
DEMELZAfEnglish (British)From a Cornish place name meaning "fort of Maeldaf". It has been used as a given name since the middle of the 20th century. It was popularized in the 1970s by a character from the British television series 'Poldark', which was set in Cornwall.
DENAfEnglishPossibly a short form of names ending with
dena. It has also been used as a variant of
DEANNA.
DENHOLMmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was originally taken from a place name meaning "valley island" in Old English.
DENISmFrench, Russian, English, German, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Romanian, CroatianFrom
Denys or
Denis, the medieval French forms of
DIONYSIUS. Saint Denis was a 3rd-century missionary to Gaul and the first bishop of Paris. He was martyred by decapitation, after which legend says he picked up his own severed head and walked for a distance while preaching a sermon. He is credited with converting the Gauls to Christianity and is considered the patron saint of France.
... [more] DENTONmEnglishFrom a surname, originally from a place name, which meant "valley town" in Old English.
DENVERmEnglishFrom an English surname which 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).
DENZELmEnglish (Modern)Possibly a variant of
DENZIL. This spelling of the name was popularized by American actor Denzel Washington (1954-), who was named after his father.
DENZILmEnglishFrom a surname which originally denoted a person from the manor of Denzell in Cornwall. This given name was borne by several members of the noble Holles family starting in the 16th century, notably the statesman Denzil Holles (1599-1680). They were named for John Denzel, an ancestor whose home was Denzell.
DEREKmEnglishFrom the older English name
Dederick, which was in origin a Low German form of
THEODORIC. It was imported to England from the Low Countries in the 15th century.
DESIREEfEnglishEnglish form of
DÉSIRÉE. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the movie 'Désirée' (1954).
DESMONDmEnglish, IrishFrom an Irish surname which was derived from
Deasmhumhain meaning "South Munster", originally indicating a person who came from that region in Ireland.
DESTINYfEnglishMeans simply "destiny, fate" from the English word, ultimately from Latin
destinare "to determine", a derivative of
stare "to stand". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the last half of the 20th century.
DEVEREUXmEnglish (Rare)From an English surname, of Norman French origin, meaning "from Evreux". Evreux is a town in France.
DEVONm & fEnglishVariant of
DEVIN. It may also be partly inspired by the name of the county of Devon in England, which got its name from the Dumnonii, a Celtic tribe.
DEXTERmEnglishFrom an occupational surname meaning "one who dyes" in Old English. It also coincides with the Latin word
dexter meaning "right-handed, skilled".
DIAMONDfEnglish (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".
DIANAfEnglish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Roman MythologyProbably derived from an old Indo-European root meaning "heavenly, divine", related to
dyeus (see
ZEUS). Diana was a Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests, and childbirth, often identified with the Greek goddess
Artemis.
... [more] DICK (1)mEnglishMedieval diminutive of
RICHARD. The change in the initial consonant is said to have been caused by the way the trilled Norman
R was pronounced by the English.
DIGBYmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was derived from the name of an English town, itself derived from a combination of Old English
dic "dyke, ditch" and Old Norse
byr "farm, town".
DIGGORYmEnglish (Rare)Probably an Anglicized form of
Degaré. Sir Degaré was the subject of a medieval poem set in Brittany. The name may mean "lost one" from French
égaré.
DILLONmEnglishVariant of
DYLAN based on the spelling of the surname
Dillon, which has an unrelated origin.
DIONmAncient Greek, EnglishShort form of
DIONYSIOS and other Greek names beginning with the Greek element
Διος (Dios) meaning "of
ZEUS". This was the name of a 4th-century BC tyrant of Syracuse. It has been used as an American given name since the middle of the 20th century.
DIRKmDutch, German, EnglishShort form of
DIEDERIK. The name was popularized in the English-speaking world by actor Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999), who had some Dutch ancestry. This is also the Scots word for a type of dagger.
DIXIEfEnglishFrom the term that refers to the southern United States, used by Daniel D. Emmett in his song
Dixie in 1859. The term may be derived from French
dix "ten", which was printed on ten-dollar bills issued from a New Orleans bank.
DOLLYfEnglishDiminutive of
DOROTHY.
Doll and
Dolly were used from the 16th century, and the common English word
doll (for the plaything) is derived from them. In modern times this name is also sometimes used as a diminutive of
DOLORES.
DOLORESfSpanish, EnglishMeans "sorrows", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary María de los Dolores, meaning "Mary of Sorrows". It has been used in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in America during the 1920s and 30s.
DOMINICmEnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Dominicus meaning "of the Lord". This name was traditionally given to a child born on Sunday. Several saints have borne this name, including the 13th-century founder of the Dominican order of friars. It was in this saint's honour that the name was first used in England, starting around the 13th century. It is primarily used by Catholics.
DONALDmScottish, EnglishFrom the Gaelic name
Domhnall which means "ruler of the world", composed of the old Celtic elements
dumno "world" and
val "rule". This was the name of two 9th-century kings of the Scots and Picts. It has traditionally been very popular in Scotland, and during the 20th century it became common in the rest of the English-speaking world. This is the name of one of Walt Disney's most popular cartoon characters, Donald Duck. It was also borne by Australian cricket player Donald Bradman (1908-2001).
DONNAfEnglishFrom Italian
donna meaning "lady". It is also used as a feminine form of
DONALD.
DOREENfEnglishCombination of
DORA and the name suffix
een. The name was (first?) used by novelist Edna Lyall in her novel 'Doreen' (1894).
DORIANmEnglish, FrenchThe name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians, or from the surname
DORAN.
DORINDAfEnglishCombination of
DORA and the name suffix
inda. It was apparently coined by the English writers John Dryden and William D'Avenant for their play 'The Enchanted Island' (1667). In the play, a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', Dorinda is the sister of Miranda.
DORISfEnglish, German, Croatian, Ancient Greek, Greek MythologyFrom the ancient Greek name
Δωρις (Doris) which meant "Dorian woman". The Dorians were a Greek tribe who occupied the Peloponnese starting in the 12th century BC. In Greek mythology Doris was a sea nymph, one of the many children of Oceanus and Tethys. It began to be used as an English name in the 19th century. A famous bearer is the American actress Doris Day (1924-).
DOROTHEAfGerman, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, English, Late GreekFeminine form of the Late Greek name
Δωροθεος (Dorotheos), which meant "gift of God" from Greek
δωρον (doron) "gift" and
θεος (theos) "god". The name
Theodore is composed of the same elements in reverse order. Dorothea was the name of two early saints, notably the 4th-century martyr Dorothea of Caesarea. It was also borne by the 14th-century Saint Dorothea of Montau, who was the patron saint of Prussia.
DOROTHYfEnglishUsual English form of
DOROTHEA. It has been in use since the 16th century. The author L. Frank Baum used it for the central character in his fantasy novel 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' (1900).
DOUGLASmScottish, EnglishAnglicized form of the Scottish surname
Dubhghlas, meaning "dark river" from Gaelic
dubh "dark" and
glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to
glas "grey, green"). Douglas was originally a place name (for example, a tributary of the River Clyde), which then became a Scottish clan name borne by a powerful line of earls. It has been used as a given name since the 16th century.
DOVEfEnglishFrom the English word for the variety of bird, seen as a symbol of peace.
DRAKEmEnglishFrom an English surname derived from the Old Norse byname
Draki or the Old English byname
Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek
δρακων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent". This name coincides with the unrelated English word
drake meaning "male duck".
DRISCOLLmEnglish (Rare), IrishFrom an Irish surname which was an Anglicized form of
Ó Eidirsceóil meaning "descendant of the messenger".
DROGOmEnglish (Archaic)Norman name, possibly derived from Gothic
dragen "to carry" or Saxon
drog "ghost". Alternatively, it could be from the Slavic element
dragu "precious, dear". The Normans introduced this name to England.
DRUMMONDmEnglish (Rare)From a Scottish surname which was derived from various place names, themselves derived from Gaelic
druim meaning "ridge".
DUANEmEnglish, IrishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname
Ó Dubhán meaning "descendant of
DUBHÁN".
DUDLEYmEnglishFrom a surname which was originally from a place name meaning "Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.
DUKEmEnglishFrom the noble title
duke, which was originally derived from Latin
dux "leader".
DULCIBELLAfEnglish (Archaic)From Latin
dulcis "sweet" and
bella "beautiful". The usual medieval spelling of this name was
Dowsabel, and the Latinized form
Dulcibella was revived in the 18th century.
DULCIEfEnglishFrom Latin
dulcis meaning "sweet". It was used in the Middle Ages in the spellings
Dowse and
Duce, and was recoined in the 19th century.
DUNCANmScottish, EnglishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Donnchadh, derived from Gaelic
donn "brown" and
cath "battle". This was the name of two kings of Scotland, including the one who was featured in Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth' (1606).
DUNSTANmEnglish (Rare), Anglo-SaxonFrom the Old English elements
dunn "dark" and
stan "stone". This name was borne by a 10th-century saint, the archbishop of Canterbury. It was occasionally used in the Middle Ages, though it died out after the 16th century. It was revived by the Tractarian movement in the 19th century.
DURWARDmEnglishFrom an occupational surname which meant "door guard" in Middle English.
DUSTINmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from the Old Norse given name
Þórsteinn (see
TORSTEN). The name was popularized by the actor Dustin Hoffman (1937-), who was apparently named after the earlier silent movie star Dustin Farnum (1874-1929).
DUSTYm & fEnglishFrom a nickname originally given to people perceived as being dusty. It is also used a diminutive of
DUSTIN. A famous bearer was British singer Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), who acquired her nickname as a child.
DUTCHmEnglishFrom a nickname given to Americans of German descent. It is derived from
Deutsch, the German word for the German people.
DWIGHTmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from the medieval feminine name
Diot, a diminutive of
Dionysia, the feminine form of
DIONYSIUS. In America it was sometimes given in honour of Yale president Timothy Dwight (1752-1817). A famous bearer was the American president Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969).
EARLmEnglishFrom the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English
eorl "nobleman, warrior". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
EARTHAfEnglishCombination of the English word
earth with the feminine name suffix
a. It has been used in honour of African-American philanthropist Eartha M. M. White (1876-1974). Another famous bearer was American singer and actress Eartha Kitt (1927-2008).
EASTERfEnglishFrom the English name of the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of
Jesus. It was ultimately named for the Germanic spring goddess Eostre. It was traditionally given to children born on Easter, though it is rare in modern times.
EASTONmEnglish (Modern)From an English surname which was derived from place names meaning "east town" in Old English.
EBBA (2)fEnglishFrom the Old English name
Æbbe, meaning unknown, perhaps a contracted form of a longer name. Saint Ebba was a 7th-century daughter of King Æthelfrith of Bernicia and the founder of monasteries in Scotland. Another saint named Ebba was a 9th-century abbess and martyr who mutilated her own face so that she would not be raped by the invading Danes.
EBONYfEnglishFrom the English word
ebony for the black wood which comes from the ebony tree. It is ultimately from the Egyptian word
hbnj. In America this name is most often used by black parents.
EDENf & mHebrew, English (Modern)Means "place of pleasure" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
EDGARmEnglish, FrenchDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
gar "spear". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, Edgar the Peaceful. The name did not survive long after the Norman conquest, but it was revived in the 18th century, in part due to a character by this name in Sir Walter Scott's novel 'The Bride of Lammermoor' (1819), which tells of the tragic love between Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton. Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).
EDISONmEnglishFrom an English surname which meant either "son of
EDA (2)" or "son of
ADAM". A famous bearer of the surname was the inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).
EDITHfEnglish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, DutchFrom the Old English name
Eadgyð, derived from the elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
gyð "war". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. The name remained common after the Norman conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.
EDMUNDmEnglish, German, PolishFrom the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
mund "protection". This was the name of two Anglo-Saxon kings of England. It was also borne by two saints, including a 9th-century king of East Anglia who, according to tradition, was shot to death with arrows after refusing to divide his Christian kingdom with an invading pagan Danish leader. This Old English name remained in use after the Norman conquest (even being used by King Henry III for one of his sons), though it became less common after the 15th century.
... [more] EDRICmEnglish (Rare)From the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
ric "rule". After the Norman conquest this Old English name was not commonly used. It has occasionally been revived in modern times.
EDWARDmEnglish, PolishMeans "rich guard", derived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
weard "guard". This was the name of several Anglo-Saxon kings, the last being Saint Edward the Confessor shortly before the Norman conquest in the 11th century. He was known as a just ruler, and because of his popularity his name remained in use after the conquest when most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. The 13th-century Plantagenet king Henry III named his son and successor after the saint, and seven subsequent kings of England were also named Edward.
... [more] EDWINmEnglish, DutchMeans "rich friend" from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wine "friend". This was the name of a 7th-century Northumbrian king, regarded as a saint. After the Norman conquest the name was not popular, but it was eventually revived in the 19th century. A notable bearer was the astronaut Edwin Aldrin (1930-), also known as Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon.
EGBERTmEnglish, DutchMeans "bright edge" from the Old English elements
ecg "edge of a sword" and
beorht "bright". This was the name of kings of Kent and Wessex as well as two English saints. The name was rarely used after the Norman conquest but was revived in the 19th century.
EGLANTINEfEnglish (Rare)From the English word for the flower also known as sweetbrier. It was first used as a given name (in the form
Eglentyne) in Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century story 'The Prioress's Tale'.
EILEENfIrish, EnglishAnglicized form of
EIBHLÍN. It is also sometimes considered an Irish form of
HELEN. It first became popular in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland near the end of the 19th century.
ELAINEfEnglish, Arthurian RomanceFrom an Old French form of
HELEN. It appears in Arthurian legend; in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation 'Le Morte d'Arthur' Elaine was the daughter of Pelleas, the lover of
Lancelot, and the mother of
Galahad. It was not commonly used as an English given name until after the appearance of Tennyson's Arthurian epic 'Idylls of the King' (1859).
ELDONmEnglishFrom a surname which was from a place name meaning "Ella's hill" in Old English.
ELEAfEnglishShort form of
ELEANOR. This was also the name of an ancient Italian town (modern Velia) which is well known for being the home of the philosopher Parmenides and his student Zeno of Elea, who was famous for his paradoxes.
ELEANORfEnglishFrom the Old French form of the Occitan name
Aliénor. Among the name's earliest bearers was the influential Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century), who was the queen of Louis VII, the king of France, and later Henry II, the king of England. She was named
Aenor after her mother, and was called by the Occitan phrase
alia Aenor "the other
AENOR" in order to distinguish her from her mother. However, there appear to be examples of bearers prior to Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is not clear whether they were in fact Aenors who were retroactively recorded as having the name Eleanor, or whether there is an alternative explanation for the name's origin.
... [more] ELFLEDAfEnglish (Archaic)Middle English form of both the Old English names
ÆÐELFLÆD and
ÆLFFLÆD. These names became rare after the Norman conquest, but
Elfleda was briefly revived in the 19th century.
ELFREDAfEnglishMiddle English form of the Old English name
Ælfþryð meaning "elf strength", derived from the element
ælf "elf" combined with
þryð "strength".
Ælfþryð was common amongst Anglo-Saxon nobility, being borne for example by the mother of King Æðelræd the Unready. This name was rare after the Norman conquest, but it was revived in the 19th century.
ELI (1)mEnglish, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewMeans "ascension" in Hebrew. In the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young
Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.
... [more] ELIJAHmEnglish, Hebrew, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
אֱלִיָּהוּ ('Eliyyahu) meaning "my God is
YAHWEH", derived from the elements
אֵל ('el) and
יָה (yah), both referring to the Hebrew God. Elijah was a Hebrew prophet and miracle worker, as told in the two Books of Kings in the Old Testament. He was active in the 9th century BC during the reign of King
Ahab of Israel and his Phoenician-born queen
Jezebel. Elijah confronted the king and queen over their idolatry of the Canaanite god
Ba'al and other wicked deeds. At the end of his life he was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and was succeeded by
Elisha. In the New Testament, Elijah and
Moses appear next to
Jesus when he is transfigured.
... [more] ELIOTmEnglishFrom a surname which was a variant of
ELLIOTT. A famous bearer of the surname was T. S. Eliot (1888-1965), an Anglo-American poet and dramatist, the writer of 'The Waste Land'. As a given name, it was borne by the American mob-buster Eliot Ness (1903-1957).
ELIZABETHfEnglish, BiblicalFrom
Ελισαβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
אֱלִישֶׁבַע ('Elisheva') meaning "my God is an oath", derived from the roots
אֵל ('el) referring to the Hebrew God and
שָׁבַע (shava') meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of
Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of
John the Baptist.
... [more] ELLA (1)fEnglishNorman form of the Germanic name
Alia, which was a short form of names containing the Germanic element
alja meaning "other". It was introduced to England by the Normans and used until the 14th century, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the American singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996).
ELLEfEnglish (Modern)Diminutive of
ELEANOR and other names beginning with
El. This name can also be given in reference to the French pronoun
elle meaning "she".
ELLEN (1)fEnglishMedieval English form of
HELEN. This was the usual spelling of the name until the 17th century, when
Helen became more common.
ELLERYmEnglishFrom an English surname which was originally derived from the medieval masculine name
HILARY.
ELLIOTTmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from a diminutive of the medieval name
ELIAS.
ELMAfDutch, German, EnglishShort form of
WILHELMINE or names ending in
elma, such as
ANSELMA. It has also been recorded as a combination of
ELIZABETH and
MARY, as in the case of the 19th-century daughter of the Earl of Elgin, who was named using her mother's first and middle names.
ELMERmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from the Old English name
ÆÐELMÆR. In the United States it is sometimes given in honour of brothers Jonathan (1745-1817) and Ebenezer Elmer (1752-1843), who were active in early American politics.
ELMOmEnglish, German, ItalianOriginally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element
helm meaning "helmet, protection". It is also a derivative of
ERASMUS, via the old Italian diminutive
Ermo. Saint Elmo, also known as Saint Erasmus, was a 4th-century martyr who is the patron of sailors. Saint Elmo's fire is said to be a sign of his protection.
ELOISEfEnglishFrom the Old French name
Héloïse, which is probably from the Germanic name
Helewidis, composed of the elements
heil "hale, healthy" and
wid "wide". It is sometimes associated with the Greek word
‘ηλιος (helios) "sun" or the name
Louise, though there is not likely an etymological connection. This name was borne in the 12th century by Saint Eloise, the wife of the French theologian Peter Abelard. She became a nun after her husband was castrated by her uncle.
... [more] ELROYmEnglishAltered form of
LEROY, using the Spanish definite article
el as opposed to the French
le.
ELSDONmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was originally derived from a place name meaning "Elli's valley" in Old English.
ELTONmEnglishFrom a surname which was originally from a place name meaning "Ella's town" in Old English. A famous bearer of this name is British musician Elton John (1947-), born Reginald Dwight, who adopted his stage name in honour of his former bandmate Elton Dean (1945-2006).
ELVISmEnglishMeaning unknown. It could possibly be a derivative of
ALVIS or
ELWIN. More likely, it is from the rare surname
Elvis, which is ultimately derived from the given name
ELOISE. The name was brought to public attention by the singer Elvis Presley (1935-1977), whose name came from his father's middle name.
ELWOODmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from a place name meaning "elder tree forest" in Old English.
ELYSEfEnglishDiminutive of
ELIZABETH. It was popularized in the early 1980s by a character from the television comedy 'Family Ties'.
EMERALDfEnglish (Modern)From the word for the green precious stone, which is the birthstone of May. The emerald supposedly imparts love to the bearer. The word is ultimately from Greek
σμαραγδος (smaragdos).
EMERSONm & fEnglishFrom 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.
EMERYm & fEnglishNorman 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.
EMILmSwedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Romanian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Hungarian, Icelandic, EnglishFrom the Roman family name
Aemilius, which was derived from Latin
aemulus meaning "rival".
EMILYfEnglishEnglish feminine form of
Aemilius (see
EMIL). In the English-speaking world it was not common until after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century; the princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was commonly known as
Emily in English, even though
Amelia is an unrelated name.
... [more] EMMAfEnglish, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Dutch, German, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element
ermen meaning "whole" or "universal". It was introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, who was the wife both of King Ethelred II (and by him the mother of Edward the Confessor) and later of King Canute. It was also borne by an 11th-century Austrian saint, who is sometimes called
Hemma.
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