Miriam f Hebrew, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Polish, BiblicalForm of
Mary used in the Old Testament, where it belongs to the elder sister of
Moses and
Aaron. She watched over the infant Moses as the pharaoh's daughter drew him from the Nile. The name has long been popular among Jews, and it has been used as an English Christian name (alongside
Mary) since the Protestant Reformation.
Miron 2 m HebrewFrom the name of the highest mountain in Israel, Mount Meron. It is also the name of a village on its slopes, thought to be on the same site as the ancient Canaanite city of Merom.
Mitra 1 m & f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"friend" in Sanskrit, a cognate of
Mithra. This is the name of a Vedic god (
मित्र) who is associated with friendship and contracts and is frequently paired with the god
Varuna. The feminine form
मित्रा (spelled with a final long vowel) is also transcribed as
Mitra.
Mohandas m HindiMeans
"servant of Mohana" from the name of the Hindu god
Mohana (an epithet of
Krishna) combined with Sanskrit
दास (dāsa) meaning "servant". A famous bearer of this name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian leader who struggled peacefully for independence from Britain.
Mohini f Hinduism, Hindi, MarathiMeans
"perplexing, enchanting" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a beautiful female avatar of the Hindu god
Vishnu, a form he took in order to trick the asuras (demons) into relinquishing the amrita (elixir of immortality).
Mordecai m Biblical, HebrewMeans
"servant of Marduk" in Persian. In the Old Testament Mordecai is the cousin and foster father of
Esther. He thwarted a plot to kill the Persian king, though he made an enemy of the king's chief advisor
Haman.
Muhammad m Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Bengali, Tajik, Uzbek, Indonesian, Malay, AvarMeans
"praised, commendable" in Arabic, derived from the root
حمد (ḥamida) meaning "to praise". This was the name of the prophet who founded the Islamic religion in the 7th century. According to Islamic belief, at age 40 Muhammad was visited by the angel
Gabriel, who provided him with the first verses of the Quran. Approximately 20 years later he conquered Mecca, the city of his birth, and his followers controlled most of the Arabian Peninsula at the time of his death in 632.
... [more] Mumtaz m & f Arabic, UrduMeans
"distinguished, outstanding" in Arabic, derived from
امتاز (imtāza) meaning "to be distinguished". The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631).
Murugan m Hinduism, TamilFrom a Tamil word meaning
"young". This was the name of a Tamil war god who is now identified with
Skanda.
Nadim m Arabic, UrduMeans
"drinking companion" in Arabic, derived from
ندم (nadima) meaning "to drink together".
Nagendra m Hinduism, Kannada, TeluguMeans
"lord of snakes" from Sanskrit
नाग (nāga) meaning "snake" (also "elephant") combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "lord". This is another name for Vasuki, the king of snakes, in Hindu mythology.
Naila f Arabic, UrduFeminine form of
Nail. This was the name of the wife of
Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. She tried in vain to prevent a mob from murdering her husband, and had several fingers cut off in the process.
Naomi 1 f English, Hebrew, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
נָעֳמִי (Naʿomi) meaning
"my pleasantness", a derivative of
נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of
Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be
Mara because of her misfortune (see
Ruth 1:20).
... [more] Narasimha m Hinduism, TeluguMeans
"man-lion", derived from Sanskrit
नर (nara) meaning "man" combined with
सिंह (siṃha) meaning "lion". This is the name of a lion-headed avatar of the god
Vishnu who kills the evil king Hiranyakashipu.
Narayana m Hinduism, Kannada, Telugu, TamilPossibly from Sanskrit
नर (nara) meaning "man" and
अयन (ayana) meaning "path". In Hindu creation legends this is the name of an eternal god who created the universe. He is considered an incarnation of
Vishnu (or sometimes
Brahma). According to the
Mahabharata and the
Bhagavata Purana Narayana and his brother Nara were sages.
Nasir m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Bengali, MalayMeans
"helper" in Arabic, from the root
نصر (naṣara) meaning "to help, to aid". This transcription represents two related yet distinct Arabic names:
ناصر, in which the first vowel is long, and
نصير, in which the second vowel is long.
Nili f HebrewAcronym of the phrase
נצח ישׂראל לא ישׁקר (Netzach Yisrael Lo Yishaker) meaning
"the eternity of Israel will not lie". This phrase appears in the Old Testament in
1 Samuel 15:29. It was used as the name of a Jewish spy network in Palestine during World War I.
Nitya f & m Hinduism, HindiMeans
"always, eternal" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form
नित्या (an epithet of the Hindu goddess
Durga) and the masculine form
नित्य.
Niv m & f HebrewMeans either
"speech, expression" or
"fang, tusk" in Hebrew.
Noam m & f Hebrew, FrenchMeans
"pleasantness" in Hebrew. A famous bearer is Noam Chomsky (1928-), an American linguist and philosopher.
Noga f & m HebrewModern Hebrew transcription of
Nogah, usually used as a feminine name.
Noya f HebrewDerived from Hebrew
נוֹי (noi) meaning
"beauty, ornament".
Nurit f HebrewMeans
"buttercup (flower)" in Hebrew (genus Ranunculus).
Ofer m HebrewMeans
"fawn" in Hebrew. This makes it a modern variant of the Classical Hebrew name
Ophrah.
Om m Hindi, MarathiFrom Sanskrit
ओम् (om), considered to be a sacred syllable because it represents the range of sounds that can be made by the human voice.
Omri m Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical HebrewPossibly means
"servant" in Hebrew (or a related Semitic language), from the root
עָמַר (ʿamar) meaning "to bind". This was the name of a 9th-century BC military commander who became king of Israel. He appears in the Old Testament, where he is denounced as being wicked.
Ophir m & f Biblical, HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
אוֹפִיר (ʾOfir), meaning unknown. This is the name of a son of
Joktan in the Old Testament (where it is also used as a place name).
Parvati f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"of the mountains", derived from Sanskrit
पर्वत (parvata) meaning "mountain". Parvati is a Hindu goddess of love and power, the benign form of the wife of
Shiva. A daughter of the mountain god Himavat, she was a reincarnation of Shiva's first wife
Sati. She is the mother of
Ganesha and
Skanda.
Parvin f & m Persian, Urdu, HindiMeans
"the Pleiades" in Persian. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus. This name is typically feminine in Iran, but unisex in India.
Pooja f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, NepaliAlternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali
पूजा, Gujarati
પૂજા, Bengali
পূজা, Gurmukhi
ਪੂਜਾ, Telugu
పూజా, Malayalam
പൂജ, Tamil
பூஜா or Kannada
ಪೂಜಾ (see
Puja).
Pradeep m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, NepaliAlternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi
प्रदीप, Bengali
প্রদিপ, Malayalam
പ്രദീപ്, Kannada
ಪ್ರದೀಪ್, Telugu
ప్రదీప్, Tamil
பிரதீப் or Nepali
प्रदिप (see
Pradip).
Prakash m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Odia, NepaliDerived from Sanskrit
प्रकाश (prakāśa) meaning
"light, bright, shining".
Prasad m Telugu, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Odia, Bengali, NepaliFrom Sanskrit
प्रसाद (prasāda) meaning
"brightness, clearness, graciousness, offering". This is a word referring to an offering of food made to a deity.
Praveen m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, MalayalamAlternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi
प्रवीण, Gujarati
પ્રવીણ, Kannada
ಪ್ರವೀಣ್, Telugu
ప్రవీణ్, Tamil
பிரவீண் or Malayalam
പ്രവീൺ (see
Pravin).
Prithvi m & f Hindi, Nepali, HinduismFrom Sanskrit
पृथ्वी (pṛthvī) meaning
"earth", derived from
पृथु (pṛthu) meaning "wide, vast". This is the name of a Hindu goddess, a personification of the earth in the
Rigveda. She is the consort of the sky god
Dyaus. When used as a given name in modern times it is typically masculine.
Puja f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, NepaliFrom Sanskrit
पूजा (pūjā) meaning
"honour, worship". This is the name of a Hindu ritual of reverence.
Qadir m Arabic, UrduMeans
"capable, powerful, mighty" in Arabic, from the root
قدر (qadara) meaning "to have power, to be able". This transcription represents two related yet distinct Arabic names:
قادر, in which the first vowel is long, and
قدير, in which the second vowel is long. In Islamic tradition
القادر (al-Qādir) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Qasim m Arabic, UrduMeans
"one who divides goods among people" in Arabic, derived from
قسم (qasama) meaning "to divide, to distribute". This was the name of a son of the Prophet
Muhammad who died while young.
Qurban m Urdu, AzerbaijaniFrom Arabic
قربان (qurbān) meaning
"sacrifice, sacrificial animal". It is associated with the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, which features the ritual sacrifice of an animal.
Rachel f English, Hebrew, French, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
רָחֵל (Raḥel) meaning
"ewe". In the Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of
Jacob. Her father
Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister
Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid
Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of
Joseph and
Benjamin.
... [more] Rahul m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, TeluguModern form of
Rahula.
Raj m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"empire, royalty", from Sanskrit
राज्य (rājya).
Rajaram m Hindi, MarathiMeans
"king Rama", from Sanskrit
राज (rāja) meaning "king" combined with the name
Rama 1. This name was borne by a 17th-century ruler of the Maratha Empire.
Rajendra m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, NepaliMeans
"lord of kings", derived from Sanskrit
राज (rāja) meaning "king" combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "lord". This was the name of two 11th-century rulers of the Chola Empire in southern India.
Rajesh m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"ruler of kings" from Sanskrit
राज (rāja) meaning "king" and
ईश (īśa) meaning "lord, ruler".