Browse Names

Bob m English, Dutch
Short form of Robert. It arose later than Dob, Hob and Nob, which were medieval rhyming nicknames of Robert. It is borne by the character Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol (1843). Other famous bearers include American folk musician Bob Dylan (1941-) and Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).

Bobbi f English
Diminutive of Roberta or Barbara.

Bobbie f & m English
Variant of Bobby. As a feminine name it can be a diminutive of Roberta or Barbara.

Bobby m English
Diminutive of Bob. Hockey greats Bobby Hull (1939-2023) and Bobby Orr (1948-) have borne this name.

Bodhi m English (Modern)
From a term referring to enlightenment in Buddhism, derived from Sanskrit बोधि (bodhi).

Bodie m English (Modern)
Variant of Bodhi.

Boniface m French, English (Rare)
From the Late Latin name Bonifatius, which meant "good fate" from bonum "good" and fatum "fate, destiny". This was the name of nine popes and also several saints, including an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon missionary to Germany (originally named Winfrið) who is now regarded as the patron saint of that country. It came into use in England during the Middle Ages, but became rare after the Protestant Reformation.

Bonita f English
Means "pretty" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin bonus "good". It has been used as a name in the English-speaking world since the beginning of the 20th century.

Bonnie f English
Means "pretty" from the Scottish word bonnie, which was itself derived from Middle French bon "good". It has been in use as an American given name since the 19th century, and it became especially popular after the movie Gone with the Wind (1939), in which it was the nickname of Scarlett's daughter.

Booker m English
From an English occupational surname meaning "maker of books". A famous bearer was Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an African-American leader.

Boone m English
From an English surname that was either derived from Old French bon meaning "good" or from the name of the town of Bohon, France.

Boston m English
From the American city of Boston in Massachusetts, itself named after a town in Lincolnshire, England. The town's name is said to mean "Botwulf's stone".

Bowen m English (Modern)
From a Welsh surname, derived from ap Owain meaning "son of Owain".

Bowie m & f English (Modern), Dutch (Modern)
From a Scottish surname, derived from Gaelic buidhe meaning "yellow". It has been used as a given name in honour of the British musician David Bowie (1947-2016), born David Robert Jones, who took his stage name from the American pioneer James Bowie (1796-1836), though with a different pronunciation.

Boyce m English
From an English surname that was derived from Old French bois "wood".

Boyd m English
From a Scottish surname that was possibly derived from the name of the island of Bute (Bód in Gaelic).

Deborah f English, Biblical
From the Hebrew name דְּבוֹרָה (Devora) meaning "bee". 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]

Osborn m English
Derived from the Old English elements os "god" and beorn "warrior, man". During the Anglo-Saxon period there was also a Norse cognate Ásbjǫrn used in England, and after the Norman Conquest the Norman cognate Osbern was introduced. It was occasionally revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the given name.

Osborne m English
From a surname that was a variant of Osborn.

Osbourne m English (Rare)
From a surname that was a variant of Osborn.

Rainbow f English (Rare)
From the English word for the arc of multicoloured light that can appear in a misty sky.

Talbot m English (Rare)
From an English surname, of Norman origin, possibly derived from an unattested Germanic given name composed of the elements dala "to destroy" and bod "message".