RadarKuma's Personal Name List
Abdiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: עֲבְדִיאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Ἀβδιήλ(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
Means
"servant of God" in Hebrew, from
עֶבֶד (ʿeveḏ) meaning "servant, slave" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the
Old Testament, this is the name of a member of the tribe of Gad. In John Milton's
Paradise Lost (1667), this is the name of a seraph who withstands Satan when he urges the angels to revolt.
Adam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Catalan, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Georgian, Malay, Indonesian, Dhivehi, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Hebrew [2]
Other Scripts: Адам(Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Macedonian) Αδάμ, Άνταμ(Greek) אָדָם(Hebrew) آدم(Arabic) ადამ(Georgian) އާދަމް(Dhivehi) Ἀδάμ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AD-əm(English) A-DAHN(French) A-dam(German, Polish, Czech, Arabic, Indonesian) A-dahm(Dutch) AH-dam(Swedish) u-DAM(Russian, Ukrainian) ə-DHAM(Catalan)
Rating: 57% based on 7 votes
This is the Hebrew word for
"man". It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew
אדם (ʾaḏam) meaning
"to be red", referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Akkadian
adamu meaning
"to make".
According to Genesis in the Old Testament Adam was created from the earth by God (there is a word play on Hebrew אֲדָמָה (ʾaḏama) meaning "earth"). He and Eve were supposedly the first humans, living happily in the Garden of Eden until they ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result they were expelled from Eden to the lands to the east, where they gave birth to the second generation, including Cain, Abel and Seth.
As an English Christian name, Adam has been common since the Middle Ages, and it received a boost after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).
Adrian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Romanian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian
Other Scripts: Адриан(Russian)
Pronounced: AY-dree-ən(English) a-dree-AN(Romanian) A-dryan(Polish) A-dree-an(German) u-dryi-AN(Russian)
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
Form of
Hadrianus (see
Hadrian) used in several languages. Several
saints and six popes have borne this name, including the only English pope, Adrian IV, and the only Dutch pope, Adrian VI. As an English name, it has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it was not popular until modern times.
Aiken
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 23% based on 7 votes
Albert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, French, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Russian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Romanian, Hungarian, Albanian, Germanic [1]
Other Scripts: Альберт(Russian)
Pronounced: AL-bərt(English) AL-behrt(German, Polish) AL-BEHR(French) əl-BEHRT(Catalan) ul-BYEHRT(Russian) AHL-bərt(Dutch) AL-bat(Swedish) AWL-behrt(Hungarian)
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
From the Germanic name
Adalbert meaning
"noble and bright", composed of the elements
adal "noble" and
beraht "bright". This name was common among medieval German royalty. The
Normans introduced it to England, where it replaced the Old English
cognate Æþelbeorht. Though it became rare in England by the 17th century, it was repopularized in the 19th century by the German-born Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.
This name was borne by two 20th-century kings of Belgium. Other famous bearers include the German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955), creator of the theory of relativity, and Albert Camus (1913-1960), a French-Algerian writer and philosopher.
Albion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AL-bee-ən
Rating: 28% based on 6 votes
From the ancient name of Great Britain, which is said to have been inspired by the White Cliffs of Dover. The word is ultimately of Celtic origin (of which the meaning is not entirely certain), but it is etymologically related to Latin
albus "white". This name has sometimes been regarded as a variant of
Albin.
Albus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
Roman
cognomen meaning
"white, bright" in Latin.
Alexander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Slovak, Biblical, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀλέξανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: al-ig-ZAN-dər(English) a-leh-KSAN-du(German) a-lehk-SAHN-dər(Dutch) a-lehk-SAN-dehr(Swedish, Latin) A-lehk-san-tehr(Icelandic) AW-lehk-sawn-dehr(Hungarian) A-lehk-san-dehr(Slovak)
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
Latinized form of the Greek name
Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant
"defending men" from Greek
ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, help" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek
mythology this was another name of the hero
Paris, and it also belongs to several characters in the
New Testament. However, the most famous bearer was Alexander the Great, king of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, use of his name spread throughout Europe.
The name has been used by kings of Scotland, Poland and Yugoslavia, emperors of Russia, and eight popes. Other notable bearers include English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744), American statesman Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), Scottish-Canadian explorer Alexander MacKenzie (1764-1820), Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), and Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-Canadian-American inventor of the telephone.
Alfred
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Polish, Dutch, Albanian
Pronounced: AL-frəd(English) AL-FREHD(French) AL-freht(German, Polish) AHL-frət(Dutch)
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Means
"elf counsel", derived from the Old English name
Ælfræd, composed of the elements
ælf "elf" and
ræd "counsel, advice". Alfred the Great was a 9th-century king of Wessex who fought unceasingly against the Danes living in northeastern England. He was also a scholar, and he translated many Latin books into Old English. His fame helped to ensure the usage of this name even after the
Norman Conquest, when most Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. It became rare by the end of the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 18th century.
Famous bearers include the British poet Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892), the Swedish inventor and Nobel Prize founder Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), and the British-American film director Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980).
Alistair
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: AL-i-stər(English)
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Altair
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Pronounced: al-TEHR(English)
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Means "the flyer" in Arabic. This is the name of a star in the constellation Aquila.
Alvin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Swedish
Pronounced: AL-vin(English)
Rating: 45% based on 6 votes
From a medieval form of any of the Old English names
Ælfwine,
Æðelwine or
Ealdwine. It was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the Old English names. As a Scandinavian name it is derived from
Alfvin, an Old Norse
cognate of
Ælfwine.
Ambrose
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AM-broz
Rating: 35% based on 4 votes
From the Late Latin name
Ambrosius, which was derived from the Greek name
Ἀμβρόσιος (Ambrosios) meaning
"immortal".
Saint Ambrose was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Milan, who is considered a Doctor of the Church. Due to the saint, the name came into general use in Christian Europe, though it was never particularly common in England.
America
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ə-MEHR-i-kə
Rating: 19% based on 7 votes
In the English-speaking world, this name is usually given in reference to the United States of America (see
Amerigo). It came into use as an American name in the 19th century.
Anatoliy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Анатолий(Russian) Анатолій(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: u-nu-TO-lyee(Russian) u-nu-TAW-lyee(Ukrainian)
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Angel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Ангел(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: AYN-jəl(English)
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
From the medieval Latin masculine name
Angelus, which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.
Anthony
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AN-thə-nee(American English) AN-tə-nee(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
English form of the Roman family name
Antonius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. The most notable member of the Roman family was the general Marcus Antonius (called Mark Antony in English), who for a period in the 1st century BC ruled the Roman Empire jointly with Augustus. When their relationship turned sour, he and his mistress Cleopatra were attacked and forced to commit suicide, as related in Shakespeare's tragedy
Antony and Cleopatra (1606).
The name became regularly used in the Christian world due to the fame of Saint Anthony the Great, a 4th-century Egyptian hermit who founded Christian monasticism. Its popularity was reinforced in the Middle Ages by the 13th-century Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of Portugal. It has been commonly (but incorrectly) associated with Greek ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower", which resulted in the addition of the h to this spelling in the 17th century.
Anton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, Croatian, Romanian, Estonian, Finnish, Georgian, English
Other Scripts: Антон(Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Macedonian) ანტონ(Georgian)
Pronounced: AN-ton(German) AN-tawn(German) un-TON(Russian) AHN-tawn(Dutch) un-TAWN(Ukrainian) an-TON(Belarusian, Slovene, Romanian) AHN-ton(Finnish) AN-TAWN(Georgian) AN-tahn(English)
Rating: 36% based on 5 votes
Form of
Antonius (see
Anthony) used in various languages. A notable bearer was the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov (1860-1904).
Ariel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Polish, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֲרִיאֵל(Hebrew) Ἀριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-ree-EHL(Hebrew) EHR-ee-əl(English) AR-ee-əl(English) A-RYEHL(French) a-RYEHL(Spanish) A-ryehl(Polish)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
Means
"lion of God" in Hebrew, from
אֲרִי (ʾari) meaning "lion" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the
Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare utilized it for a spirit in his play
The Tempest (1611) and Alexander Pope utilized it for a sylph in his poem
The Rape of the Lock (1712), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Disney film
The Little Mermaid (1989).
Armin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: AR-meen
Rating: 38% based on 6 votes
Arthfael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Welsh
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
Medieval Welsh form of
Armel.
Arthur
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: AHR-thər(English) AR-TUYR(French) AR-tuwr(German) AHR-tuyr(Dutch)
Rating: 38% based on 6 votes
The meaning of this name is unknown. It could be derived from the Celtic elements *
artos "bear" (Old Welsh
arth) combined with *
wiros "man" (Old Welsh
gur) or *
rīxs "king" (Old Welsh
ri). Alternatively it could be related to an obscure Roman family name
Artorius.
Arthur is the name of the central character in Arthurian legend, a 6th-century king of the Britons who resisted Saxon invaders. He may or may not have been based on a real person. He first appears in Welsh poems and chronicles (perhaps briefly in the 7th-century poem Y Gododdin and more definitively and extensively in the 9th-century History of the Britons [1]). However, his character was not developed until the chronicles of the 12th-century Geoffrey of Monmouth [2]. His tales were later taken up and expanded by French and English writers.
The name came into general use in England in the Middle Ages due to the prevalence of Arthurian romances, and it enjoyed a surge of popularity in the 19th century. Famous bearers include German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), mystery author and Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), and science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008).
Avery
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-və-ree, AYV-ree
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that was itself derived from the Norman French form of the given names
Alberich or
Alfred.
As a given name, it was used on the American sitcom Murphy Brown (1988-1998) for both the mother and son of the main character. By 1998 it was more popular as a name for girls in the United States, perhaps further inspired by a character from the movie Jerry Maguire (1996).
Azariah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: עֲזַרְיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: az-ə-RIE-ə(English)
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
From the Hebrew name
עֲזַרְיָה (ʿAzarya) meaning
"Yahweh has helped", derived from
עָזַר (ʿazar) meaning "help" and
יָהּ (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.
Balfour
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BAL-fər
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
From a Scottish surname, originally from various place names, themselves derived from Gaelic baile "village" and pòr "pasture, crop, cropland".
Basil 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BAZ-əl
Rating: 34% based on 5 votes
From the Greek name
Βασίλειος (Basileios), which was derived from
βασιλεύς (basileus) meaning
"king".
Saint Basil the Great was a 4th-century bishop of Caesarea and one of the fathers of the early Christian church. Due to him, the name (in various spellings) has come into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors.
Béla
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: BEH-law
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
The meaning of this name is not known for certain. It could be derived from Hungarian
bél meaning
"guts, bowel" or Old Slavic
bělŭ meaning
"white". This was the name of four Hungarian kings. It was also borne by the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881-1945).
Benedict
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHN-ə-dikt
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
From the Late Latin name
Benedictus, which meant
"blessed".
Saint Benedict was an Italian monk who founded the Benedictines in the 6th century. After his time the name was common among Christians, being used by 16 popes. In England it did not come into use until the 12th century, at which point it became very popular. This name was also borne by the American general Benedict Arnold (1741-1801), who defected to Britain during the American Revolution.
Benjamin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Biblical
Other Scripts: בִּןְיָמִין(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: BEHN-jə-min(English) BEHN-ZHA-MEHN(French) BEHN-ya-meen(German) BEHN-ya-min(Dutch)
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
From the Hebrew name
בִּןְיָמִין (Binyamin) meaning
"son of the south" or
"son of the right hand", from the roots
בֵּן (ben) meaning "son" and
יָמִין (yamin) meaning "right hand, south". Benjamin in the
Old Testament was the twelfth and youngest son of
Jacob and the founder of one of the southern tribes of the Hebrews. He was originally named
בֶּן־אוֹנִי (Ben-ʾoni) meaning "son of my sorrow" by his mother
Rachel, who died shortly after childbirth, but it was later changed by his father (see
Genesis 35:18).
As an English name, Benjamin came into general use after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), an American statesman, inventor, scientist and philosopher.
Bennett
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHN-it
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
Medieval form of
Benedict. This was the more common spelling in England until the 18th century. Modern use of the name is probably also influenced by the common surname
Bennett, itself a derivative of the medieval name.
Benson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHN-sən
Rating: 13% based on 6 votes
From an English surname that originally meant
"son of Benedict".
Bernard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Polish, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: bər-NAHRD(American English) BU-nəd(British English) BEHR-NAR(French) BEHR-nahrt(Dutch) BEHR-nart(Polish, Croatian, Czech)
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Derived from the Old German element
bern "bear" combined with
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". The
Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English
cognate Beornheard. This was the name of several
saints, including Saint Bernard of Menthon who built hospices in the Swiss Alps in the 10th century, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century theologian and Doctor of the Church. Other famous bearers include the Irish playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and the British World War II field marshal Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976).
Bijou
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French (African)
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Means "jewel" in French. It is mostly used in French-speaking Africa.
Blaine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BLAYN
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the Old Irish given name
Bláán.
Brent
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRENT
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".
Brock
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRAHK
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that was derived from Old English brocc meaning "badger".
Broderick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRAHD-ə-rik, BRAHD-rik
Rating: 30% based on 4 votes
Bronson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
From an English surname meaning "son of the brown one".
Bystroń
Usage: Polish
Rating: 12% based on 5 votes
Cadwgan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Pronounced: ka-DOO-gan
Rating: 12% based on 5 votes
From Old Welsh
Catguocaun (and many other spellings) meaning
"glory in battle", from
cat "battle" and
guocaun "glory, honour". It appears briefly in the medieval Welsh tale
The Dream of Rhonabwy [1].
Camille
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KA-MEE(French) kə-MEEL(English)
Rating: 38% based on 6 votes
French feminine and masculine form of
Camilla. It is also used in the English-speaking world, where it is generally only feminine.
Casey
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY-see
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Cathasaigh, a patronymic derived from the given name
Cathassach. 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.
Caspian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: KAS-pee-ən(English)
Rating: 30% based on 4 votes
Used by author C. S. Lewis for a character in his Chronicles of Narnia series, first appearing in 1950. Prince Caspian first appears in the fourth book, where he is the rightful king of Narnia driven into exile by his evil uncle Miraz. Lewis probably based the name on the Caspian Sea, which was named for the city of Qazvin, which was itself named for the ancient Cas tribe.
Cassidy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAS-i-dee
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Caiside), which is derived from the byname
Caiside. Very rare as a given name before the 1970s, it established itself in the 80s and then surged in popularity during the 90s.
Cecil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SEE-səl, SEHS-əl
Rating: 36% based on 5 votes
From the Roman name
Caecilius. 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.
Cedric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SEHD-rik
Rating: 36% based on 5 votes
Invented by Walter Scott for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819). Apparently he based it on the actual name
Cerdic, the name of the semi-legendary founder of the kingdom of Wessex in the 6th century. The meaning of
Cerdic is uncertain, but it does not appear to be Old English in origin. It could be connected to the Brythonic name
Caratācos. The name was also used by Frances Hodgson Burnett for the main character in her novel
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886).
Chadwick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHAD-wik
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
From a surname that was derived from the name of towns in England, meaning
"settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.
Charlie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHAHR-lee
Rating: 50% based on 4 votes
Diminutive 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.
Chiffon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: shi-FAHN
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
Borrowing from French chiffon, from Middle French chiffe "cloth, old rag" from Old French chipe "rag", from Middle English chip, chippe "chip, shard, fragment" from Old English ċipp "chip, splinter, beam" from Proto-Germanic kippaz, kipaz (“log, beam”). Akin to Old Saxon kip "beam, post", Old High German kipfa "axle-rod, stave".
Cicero
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: KEE-keh-ro(Latin) SIS-ə-ro(English)
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
Roman
cognomen derived from Latin
cicer meaning
"chickpea". Marcus Tullius Cicero (now known simply as Cicero) was a statesman, orator and author of the 1st century BC. He was a political enemy of Mark Antony, who eventually had him executed.
Cinder
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American)
Pronounced: SIN-der(American English)
Personal remark: spelled "Cynder"
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
Representing the residue of combustion; ashes.
Claribel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHR-ə-behl, KLAR-ə-behl
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Combination of
Clara and the common name suffix
bel, from Latin
bella "beautiful". This name was used by Edmund Spenser in his poem
The Faerie Queene (1590; in the form
Claribell) and by Shakespeare in his play
The Tempest (1611). Alfred Tennyson also wrote a poem entitled
Claribel (1830).
Claude
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KLOD(French) KLAWD(English)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
French masculine and feminine form of
Claudius. In France the masculine name has been common since the Middle Ages due to the 7th-century
Saint Claude of Besançon. It was imported to Britain in the 16th century by the aristocratic Hamilton family, who had French connections. A famous bearer of this name was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).
Cobalt
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KO-bahlt
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
From the metal or the shade of blue. Derived from German kobold, a type of house spirit. This in turn, has a few possible etymologies. One is that it come from Greek koba'los, meaning "rogue". Another theory is that it comes from the Old High German root chubisi, "house, building, hut" and the suffix -old meaning "to rule".
Colin 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: KAHL-in(English) KOL-in(English)
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
Anglicized form of Scottish
Cailean.
Conried
Usage: English
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
Craig
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: KRAYG(English)
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
From a Scottish surname that was derived from Gaelic creag meaning "crag, rocks, outcrop", originally indicating a person who lived near a crag.
Curtis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KUR-tis
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
From an English surname that originally meant "courteous" in Old French.
Cyprian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish, History (Ecclesiastical)
Pronounced: TSI-pryan(Polish) SIP-ree-ən(English)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
From the Roman family name
Cyprianus, which meant
"from Cyprus".
Saint Cyprian was a 3rd-century bishop of Carthage who was martyred under the Roman emperor Valerian.
Cyril
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: SIR-əl(English) SEE-REEL(French) TSI-ril(Czech)
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
From the Greek name
Κύριλλος (Kyrillos), which was derived from Greek
κύριος (kyrios) meaning
"lord", a word used frequently in the Greek Bible to refer to God or Jesus.
This name was borne by a number of important saints, including Cyril of Jerusalem, a 4th-century bishop and Doctor of the Church, and Cyril of Alexandria, a 5th-century theologian. Another Saint Cyril was a 9th-century Greek missionary to the Slavs, who is credited with creating the Glagolitic alphabet with his brother Methodius in order to translate the Bible into Slavic. The Cyrillic alphabet, named after him, is descended from Glagolitic.
This name has been especially well-used in Eastern Europe and other places where Orthodox Christianity is prevalent. It came into general use in England in the 19th century.
Daedalus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Δαίδαλος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DEHD-ə-ləs(English) DEED-ə-ləs(English)
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Latinized form of the Greek
Δαίδαλος (Daidalos), which was derived from
δαιδάλλω (daidallo) meaning
"to work cunningly". In Greek
myth Daedalus was an Athenian inventor who was banished to Crete. There he designed the Labyrinth for King
Minos, but he and his son
Icarus were eventually imprisoned inside it because he had aided
Theseus in his quest against the Minotaur. Daedalus and Icarus escaped using wings fashioned from wax, but Icarus fell from the sky to his death.
Daisuke
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 大輔, etc.(Japanese Kanji) だいすけ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: DA-EE-SOO-KEH, DA-EE-SKEH
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
大 (dai) meaning "big, great" and
輔 (suke) meaning "help". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Dalton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAWL-tən
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was John Dalton (1766-1844), the English chemist and physicist who theorized about the existence of atoms.
Dana 2
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAY-nə
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
From a surname that is of unknown origin. It was originally given in honour of American lawyer Richard Henry Dana Jr. (1815-1882), the author of the memoir Two Years Before the Mast.
Daniel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Finnish, Estonian, Armenian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: דָּנִיֵּאל(Hebrew) Даниел(Bulgarian, Macedonian) Դանիէլ(Armenian) დანიელ(Georgian) Δανιήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAN-yəl(English) DA-NYEHL(French) DA-nyehl(German) DA-nee-ehl(German, Slovak) DAH-ni-yəl(Norwegian) DA-nyəl(Danish) DA-nyehl(Polish) DA-ni-yehl(Czech) da-NYEHL(Spanish) du-nee-EHL(European Portuguese) du-nee-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) də-nee-EHL(Catalan) da-nee-EHL(Romanian)
Rating: 54% based on 5 votes
From the Hebrew name
דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning
"God is my judge", from the roots
דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the
Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.
Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).
Darcy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHR-see
Rating: 14% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that was derived from Norman French d'Arcy, originally denoting one who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. This is the surname of a character, Fitzwilliam Darcy, in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).
Darion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: DAR-ee-ən
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
Darren
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAR-ən
Rating: 43% based on 6 votes
The meaning of this name is not known for certain. In the spelling
Daren, it was used by the novelist Zane Grey for the central character in his novel
The Day of the Beast (1922)
[1]. Grey may have based it on a rare Irish surname, or perhaps created it as a variant of
Darrell. It was brought to public attention in the late 1950s by the American actor Darren McGavin (1922-2006; born as William Lyle Richardson). It was further popularized in the 1960s by the character Darrin Stephens from the television show
Bewitched.
Darwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHR-win
Rating: 37% based on 6 votes
From a surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Deorwine. The surname was borne by the British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the man who first proposed the theory of natural selection and subsequently revolutionized biology.
David
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, Scottish, Welsh, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: דָּוִד(Hebrew) Давид(Russian, Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: DAY-vid(English) da-VEED(Hebrew, Brazilian Portuguese) DA-VEED(French) da-BEEDH(Spanish) du-VEED(European Portuguese) də-BEET(Catalan) DA-vit(German, Dutch, Czech) DAH-vid(Swedish, Norwegian) du-VYEET(Russian)
Rating: 58% based on 6 votes
From the Hebrew name
דָּוִד (Dawiḏ), which was derived from
דּוֹד (doḏ) 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.
This name has been used in Britain since the Middle Ages. It has been especially popular in Wales, where it is used in honour of the 5th-century patron saint of Wales (also called Dewi), as well as in Scotland, where it was borne by two kings. Over the last century it has been one of the English-speaking world's most consistently popular names, never leaving the top 30 names for boys in the United States, and reaching the top rank in England and Wales during the 1950s and 60s. In Spain it was the most popular name for boys during the 1970s and 80s.
Famous bearers include empiricist philosopher David Hume (1711-1776), explorer David Livingstone (1813-1873), musician David Bowie (1947-2016), and soccer player David Beckham (1975-). This is also the name of the hero of Charles Dickens' semi-autobiographical novel David Copperfield (1850).
Dawson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAW-sən
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
From an English surname meaning
"son of David". As a given name, it was popularized in the late 1990s by the central character on the television drama
Dawson's Creek (1998-2003). In the United States the number of boys receiving the name increased tenfold between 1997 and 1999. It got another boost in 2014 after it was used for a main character in the movie
The Best of Me.
Dean
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEEN
Rating: 4% based on 5 votes
From a surname, see
Dean 1 and
Dean 2. The actor James Dean (1931-1955) was a famous bearer of the surname.
Declan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: DEHK-lən(English)
Rating: 58% based on 5 votes
Anglicized form of Irish
Deaglán, Old Irish
Declán, which is of unknown meaning.
Saint Declan was a 5th-century missionary to the Déisi peoples of Ireland and the founder of the monastery at Ardmore.
In America, this name received boosts in popularity from main characters in the movies The Jackal (1997) and Leap Year (2010).
Dennis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: DEHN-is(English) DEH-nis(German, Dutch)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Usual English, German and Dutch form of
Denis.
Dexter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHK-stər
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
From an occupational surname meaning "one who dyes" in Old English. It also coincides with the Latin word dexter meaning "right-handed, skilled".
Dietrich
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: DEET-rikh
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
German form of
Theodoric. The character Dietrich von Bern, loosely based on Theodoric the Great, appears in medieval German literature such as the
Hildebrandslied, the
Nibelungenlied and the
Eckenlied.
Dirk
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, Low German, German, English
Pronounced: DIRK(Dutch, German) DURK(English)
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Dutch and Low German short form of
Diederik. This name was borne by several counts of Frisia and Holland, beginning in the 10th century. It 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.
Dominic
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHM-i-nik
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
From 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 has historically seen more use among Catholics.
Dorian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Romanian
Pronounced: DAWR-ee-ən(English) DAW-RYAHN(French)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
The 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.
Doyle
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DOIL
Rating: 0% based on 4 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Dubhghaill, itself derived from the given name
Dubhghall. A famous bearer of the surname was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.
Drakon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Δράκων(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
Draven
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: DRAY-vən(English)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From a surname (of unknown meaning) that was used in the movie The Crow (1994).
Drossel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: DRAW-sel
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
German for "thrush" as in the bird. The name of a character in the anime adaption of Black Butler, Drossel Keinz.
Dusty
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DUS-tee
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
From 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.
Ebenezer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, English
Other Scripts: אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: eh-bə-NEE-zər(English)
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
From the name of a monument erected by
Samuel in the
Old Testament, from Hebrew
אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר (ʾEven Haʿazer) meaning
"stone of help". Charles Dickens used it for the miserly character Ebenezer Scrooge in his novel
A Christmas Carol (1843). Currently the name is most common in parts of English-influenced Africa, such as Ghana.
Edur
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque (Rare)
Pronounced: eh-DHOOR
Rating: 0% based on 4 votes
Egon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: EH-gawn
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
From the Old German name
Egino, derived from the element
agin meaning
"edge, blade" (from Proto-Germanic *
agjō).
Saint Egino was a 12th-century abbot from Augsburg.
Elias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, English, Dutch, Greek, Amharic, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ηλίας(Greek) ኤልያስ(Amharic) Ἠλίας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: i-LEE-ush(European Portuguese) eh-LEE-us(Brazilian Portuguese) eh-LEE-as(German) EH-lee-ahs(Finnish) i-LIE-əs(English) ee-LIE-əs(English) EH-lee-yahs(Dutch)
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Form of
Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek
New Testament, as well as some English translations.
Elliott
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ee-ət
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that was derived from a
diminutive of the medieval name
Elias.
Emmerich
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: EH-mə-rikh(German)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Germanic name, in which the second element is
rih "ruler, king". The first element may be
irmin "whole, great" (making it a relative of
Ermenrich),
amal "unceasing, vigorous, brave" (making it a relative of
Amalric) or
heim "home" (making it a relative of
Henry). It is likely that several forms merged into a single name.
Emmett
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-it
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that was derived from a
diminutive of the feminine given name
Emma.
Erik
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian, German, Dutch, English, Spanish
Pronounced: EH-rik(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, German, Dutch) EH-reek(Finnish, Slovak, Slovene, Hungarian, Spanish) EHR-ik(English)
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
Scandinavian form of
Eric. This was the name of kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. King Erik IX of Sweden (12th century) is the patron
saint of that country.
Erroll
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ER-əl
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Ethan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: אֵיתָן(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: EE-thən(English) EH-TAN(French)
Rating: 50% based on 4 votes
From the Hebrew name
אֵיתָן (ʾEṯan) meaning
"solid, enduring, firm". In the
Old Testament this name is borne by a few minor characters, including the wise man Ethan the Ezrahite, supposedly the author of Psalm 89.
After the Protestant Reformation it was occasionally used as a given name in the English-speaking world, and it became somewhat common in America due to the fame of the revolutionary Ethan Allen (1738-1789). It only became popular towards the end of the 20th century. It is the name of the main character in Edith Wharton's novel Ethan Frome (1911), about a man in love with his wife's cousin.
Eugene
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: YOO-jeen, yoo-JEEN
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
English form of
Eugenius, the Latin form of the Greek name
Εὐγένιος (Eugenios), which was derived from the Greek word
εὐγενής (eugenes) meaning
"well born". It is composed of the elements
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
γενής (genes) meaning "born". This was the name of several
saints and four popes.
This name was not particularly common in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. It became more popular in part due to the fame of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736), a French-born general who served the Austrian Empire. A notable bearer was the American playwright Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953).
Eusebius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εὐσέβιος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ew-SEH-bee-oos(Latin) yoo-SEE-bee-əs(English)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Latinized form of
Eusebios. This was the name of a 4th-century historian of the Christian church.
Everett
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHV-ə-rit, EHV-rit
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Everard.
Fábián
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: FA-bee-an
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
Hungarian form of
Fabianus (see
Fabian).
Fabian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Polish, Romanian, English
Pronounced: FA-bee-an(German) FA-bee-ahn(Dutch) FA-byan(Polish) FAY-bee-ən(English)
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
From the Roman
cognomen Fabianus, which was derived from
Fabius.
Saint Fabian was a 3rd-century pope.
Falcon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
From the bird "Falcon" Falco
Faolán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: FEH-lan, FEE-lan
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
Means
"little wolf", derived from Old Irish
fáel "wolf" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of an Irish
saint who did missionary work in Scotland.
Faunus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: FOW-noos(Latin) FAW-nəs(English)
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
Possibly means "to befriend" from Latin. Faunus was a Roman god of fertility, forests, and agriculture.
Fayvel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: פֿייװל(Yiddish) פייבל(Hebrew)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Feliciano
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Pronounced: feh-lee-THYA-no(European Spanish) feh-lee-SYA-no(Latin American Spanish) feh-lee-CHA-no(Italian)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of the Roman name
Felicianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name
Felix. It was borne by a number of early
saints, including a 3rd-century bishop of Foligno.
Felix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Romanian, Ancient Roman, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: FEH-liks(German, Dutch, Swedish) FEE-liks(English) FEH-leeks(Latin)
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
From a Roman
cognomen meaning
"lucky, successful" in Latin. It was acquired as an
agnomen, or nickname, by the 1st-century BC Roman general Sulla. It also appears in the
New Testament belonging to the governor of Judea who imprisoned
Saint Paul.
Due to its favourable meaning, this name was popular among early Christians, being borne by many early saints and four popes. It has been used in England since the Middle Ages, though it has been more popular in continental Europe. A notable bearer was the German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847).
Fenrir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
From Old Norse
fen meaning
"marsh, fen". In Norse
mythology Fenrir was a ferocious wolf, one of the offspring of
Loki and the giantess
Angrboða. Because it was foretold he would bring about disaster, the gods bound him with a magical fetter, though in the process
Tyr's hand was bitten off. At the time of Ragnarök, the end of the world, it is told that he will break free and kill
Odin.
Ferris
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Irish, Scottish
Pronounced: FER-is
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
Finnian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Derived from Old Irish
finn "white, blessed". This was the name of several Irish
saints, including the founders of monasteries at Clonard and Movilla (both 6th century).
Flint
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FLINT
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
From the English vocabulary word, from Old English flint.
Florian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, French, Romanian, Polish, History
Pronounced: FLO-ree-an(German) FLAW-RYAHN(French) FLAW-ryan(Polish)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
From the Roman
cognomen Florianus, a derivative of
Florus. This was the name of a short-lived Roman emperor of the 3rd century, Marcus Annius Florianus. It was also borne by
Saint Florian, a martyr of the 3rd century, the patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria.
Forsythe
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Forsythe.
Fox
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: FAHKS
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
Either from the English word fox or the surname Fox, which originally given as a nickname. The surname was borne by George Fox (1624-1691), the founder of the Quakers.
Francis
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: FRAN-sis(English) FRAHN-SEES(French)
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
English 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 (Proto-Germanic *
frankô). 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.
Due to the renown of the saint, this name became widespread in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. However, it was not regularly used in Britain until the 16th century. Famous bearers include Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), a missionary to East Asia, the philosopher and scientist Francis Bacon (1561-1626), the explorer and admiral Francis Drake (1540-1595), and Pope Francis (1936-).
In the English-speaking world this name is occasionally used for girls, as a variant of the homophone Frances.
Frederick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FREHD-ə-rik, FREHD-rik
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
English form of an Old German name meaning
"peaceful ruler", derived from
fridu "peace" and
rih "ruler, king". This name has long been common in continental Germanic-speaking regions, being borne by rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, and Prussia. Notables among these rulers include the 12th-century Holy Roman emperor and crusader Frederick I Barbarossa, the 13th-century emperor and patron of the arts Frederick II, and the 18th-century Frederick II of Prussia, known as Frederick the Great.
The Normans brought the name to England in the 11th century but it quickly died out. It was reintroduced by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century. A famous bearer was Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), an American ex-slave who became a leading advocate of abolition.
Frost
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Frost or from the English word.
Gabriel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: გაბრიელ(Georgian) גַּבְרִיאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Γαβριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: GA-BREE-YEHL(French) ga-BRYEHL(Spanish) ga-bree-EHL(European Portuguese, Romanian) ga-bree-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) GA-bree-ehl(German, Slovak, Latin) GAH-bri-ehl(Swedish) GAH-bree-ehl(Finnish) gə-bree-EHL(Catalan) GAY-bree-əl(English) GAB-ryehl(Polish) GA-bri-yehl(Czech)
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
From the Hebrew name
גַבְרִיאֵל (Ḡavriʾel) meaning
"God is my strong man", derived from
גֶּבֶר (gever) meaning "strong man, hero" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Gabriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition, often appearing as a messenger of God. In the
Old Testament he is sent to interpret the visions of the prophet
Daniel, while in the
New Testament he serves as the announcer of the births of
John to
Zechariah and
Jesus to
Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the
Quran to
Muhammad.
This name has been used occasionally in England since the 12th century. It was not common in the English-speaking world until the end of the 20th century.
Gage
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: GAYJ
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
From an English surname of Old French origin meaning either "measure", originally denoting one who was an assayer, or "pledge", referring to a moneylender. It was popularized as a given name by a character from the book Pet Sematary (1983) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1989).
Galahad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GAL-ə-had(English)
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
From earlier
Galaad, likely derived from the Old French form of the biblical place name
Gilead. In Arthurian legend Sir Galahad was the son of
Lancelot and
Elaine. He was the most pure of the Knights of the Round Table, and he was the only one to succeed in finding the Holy Grail. He first appears in the 13th-century French
Lancelot-Grail Cycle.
Gareth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English (British), Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GAR-əth(British English)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Meaning uncertain. It appears in this form in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends
Le Morte d'Arthur, in which the knight Gareth (also named
Beaumains) is a brother of
Gawain. He goes with
Lynet to rescue her sister
Lyonesse from the Red Knight. Malory based the name on
Gaheriet or
Guerrehet, which was the name of a similar character in French sources. It may ultimately have a Welsh origin, possibly from the name
Gwrhyd meaning
"valour" (found in the tale
Culhwch and Olwen) or
Gwairydd meaning
"hay lord" (found in the chronicle
Brut y Brenhinedd).
Garrison
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GER-i-sən, GAR-i-sən
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Garrison. A famous bearer of the surname was American abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879). It is also borne by American humorist and radio personality Gary "Garrison" Keillor (1942-) and former football player Garrison Hearst (1971-).
Garth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAHRTH
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
From an English surname meaning "garden" in Old Norse, originally denoting one who lived near or worked in a garden.
Gawain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: gə-WAYN(English) GAH-win(English)
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
Meaning uncertain, from the Latin form
Gualguainus used in the 12th-century chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth (appearing also as
Walganus,
Gwalguanus and other spellings in different copies of the text), where he is one of the knights who serve his uncle King
Arthur. He can be identified with the earlier Welsh hero Gwalchmai, and it is possible that the name derives from
Gwalchmai or a misreading of it.
Gawain was a popular hero in medieval tales such as those by Chrétien de Troyes, where his name appears in the French form Gauvain or Gauvains. He is the main character of the 14th-century anonymous poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which he accepts a potentially fatal challenge from the mysterious Green Knight.
George
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Romanian, Indian (Christian)
Other Scripts: ജോർജ്ജ്(Malayalam)
Pronounced: JAWRJ(English) JYOR-jeh(Romanian)
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
From the Greek name
Γεώργιος (Georgios), which was derived from the Greek word
γεωργός (georgos) meaning
"farmer, earthworker", itself derived from the elements
γῆ (ge) meaning "earth" and
ἔργον (ergon) meaning "work".
Saint George was a 3rd-century Roman soldier from Cappadocia who was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian. Later legends describe his defeat of a dragon, with which he was often depicted in medieval art.
Initially Saint George was primarily revered by Eastern Christians, but returning crusaders brought stories of him to Western Europe and he became the patron of England, Portugal, Catalonia and Aragon. The name was rarely used in England until the German-born George I came to the British throne in the 18th century. Five subsequent British kings have borne the name.
Other famous bearers include two kings of Greece, the composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), the first president of the United States, George Washington (1732-1797), and the Pacific explorer George Vancouver (1757-1798). This was also the pen name of authors George Eliot (1819-1880) and George Orwell (1903-1950), real names Mary Anne Evans and Eric Arthur Blair respectively.
This name is also used by Christians in India, notably Saint Thomas Christians in the state of Kerala in the spelling ജോർജ്ജ് (Jōrjj).
Gideon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, English, Dutch
Other Scripts: גִּדְעוֹן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: GID-ee-ən(English) GHEE-deh-awn(Dutch)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From the Hebrew name
גִּדְעוֹן (Giḏʿon) meaning
"feller, hewer", derived from
גָּדַע (gaḏaʿ) meaning "to cut, to hew"
[1]. Gideon is a hero and judge of the
Old Testament. He led the vastly outnumbered Israelites against the Midianites, defeated them, and killed their two kings. In the English-speaking world,
Gideon has been used as a given name since the
Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the
Puritans.
Gilbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: GIL-bərt(English) ZHEEL-BEHR(French) GHIL-bərt(Dutch)
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
Means
"bright pledge", derived from the Old German elements
gisal "pledge, hostage" and
beraht "bright". The
Normans introduced this name to England, where it was common during the Middle Ages. It was borne by a 12th-century English
saint, the founder of the religious order known as the Gilbertines.
Gordon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: GAWR-dən(English)
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Berwickshire, itself derived from Brythonic elements meaning
"spacious fort". It was originally used in honour of Charles George Gordon (1833-1885), a British general who died defending the city of Khartoum in Sudan.
This was a fairly popular name throughout the English-speaking world during the 20th century, especially in Scotland and Canada. It peaked in both the United Kingdom and United States in the 1930s and has since disappeared from most of the popularity charts.
Gratton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: GRAT-ton(American English)
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Gratton. Gratton Dalton was an infamous outlaw, one of the Dalton Gang, in Kansas in the 1880s.
Grover
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRO-vər
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
From an English surname derived from Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), who popularized the name in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The name is now associated with a muppet character from the children's television program Sesame Street.
Gulliver
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GUL-i-vər
Rating: 7% based on 3 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Gulliver. First used in
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, published 1726, as the surname of the protagonist Lemuel Gulliver.
Gunter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: GUWN-tu
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
Gwynplaine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture (Rare)
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
The main character in Victor Hugo's The Man Who Laughs and inspiration for The Joker in Batman.
Harlin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-lən
Rating: 0% based on 4 votes
Harrison
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAR-i-sən, HEHR-i-sən
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that meant
"son of Harry". This was the surname of two American presidents, William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) and his grandson Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901). As a given name it reached a low point in America in 1977 before it was revived by the career of actor Harrison Ford (1942-), who starred in such movies as
Star Wars in 1977 and
Indiana Jones in 1984.
Harry
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAR-ee, HEHR-ee
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
Medieval English form of
Henry. In modern times it is used as a
diminutive of both
Henry and names beginning with
Har. Famous bearers include the American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), who was named after his uncle Harrison, and the British royal Prince Harry (1984-), who is actually named Henry. It is also the name of the boy wizard in J. K. Rowling's
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Harvey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-vee
Rating: 20% based on 3 votes
From the Breton given name
Haerviu, which meant
"battle worthy", from
haer "battle" and
viu "worthy". This was the name of a 6th-century Breton hermit who is the patron
saint of the blind. Settlers from Brittany introduced it to England after the
Norman Conquest. During the later Middle Ages it became rare, but it was revived in the 19th century.
Hector
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Arthurian Cycle
Other Scripts: Ἕκτωρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHK-tər(English) EHK-TAWR(French)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Latinized form of Greek
Ἕκτωρ (Hektor), which was derived from
ἕκτωρ (hektor) meaning
"holding fast", ultimately from
ἔχω (echo) meaning "to hold, to possess". In Greek legend Hector was one of the Trojan champions who fought against the Greeks. After he killed
Achilles' friend
Patroclus in battle, he was himself brutally slain by Achilles, who proceeded to tie his dead body to a chariot and drag it about. This name also appears in Arthurian legends where it belongs to King
Arthur's foster father.
Hector has occasionally been used as a given name since the Middle Ages, probably because of the noble character of the classical hero. It has been historically common in Scotland, where it was used as an Anglicized form of Eachann.
Henry
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HEHN-ree
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
From the Germanic name
Heimirich meaning
"home ruler", composed of the elements
heim "home" and
rih "ruler". It was later commonly spelled
Heinrich, with the spelling altered due to the influence of other Germanic names like
Haganrich, in which the first element is
hag "enclosure".
Heinrich was popular among continental royalty, being the name of seven German kings, starting with the 10th-century Henry I the Fowler (the first of the Saxon kings), and four French kings. In France it was usually rendered Henri from the Latin form Henricus.
The Normans introduced the French form to England, and it was subsequently used by eight kings, ending with the infamous Henry VIII in the 16th century. During the later Middle Ages it was fairly popular, and was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation. Notable bearers include arctic naval explorer Henry Hudson (1570-1611), American-British novelist Henry James (1843-1916), American automobile manufacturer Henry Ford (1863-1947), and American actor Henry Fonda (1905-1982).
Hermes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1], Spanish
Other Scripts: Ἑρμῆς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHR-MEHS(Classical Greek) HUR-meez(English) EHR-mehs(Spanish)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Probably 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.
This was also used as a personal name, being borne for example by a 1st-century saint and martyr.
Horus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ὧρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HAWR-əs(English)
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
Latinized form of
Ὧρος (Horos), the Greek form of Egyptian
ḥrw (reconstructed as
Heru and other forms) possibly from
ḥr "above, over" or
ḥrj "distant". In Egyptian
mythology Horus was a god of the sky and light, often depicted as a man with the head of a falcon. In some versions of the mythology he was the son of
Osiris and
Isis, and avenged his father's murder by killing his uncle
Seth.
Hugh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HYOO
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From the Germanic name
Hugo, derived from Old Frankish
hugi or Old High German
hugu meaning
"mind, thought, spirit" (Proto-Germanic *
hugiz). It was common among Frankish and French nobility, being borne by Hugh Capet, a 10th-century king of France who founded the Capetian dynasty. The
Normans brought the name to England and it became common there, even more so after the time of the 12th-century bishop
Saint Hugh of Lincoln, who was known for his charity. This was also the name of kings of Cyprus and the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. The name is used in Ireland and Scotland as the Anglicized form of
Aodh and
Ùisdean.
Hux
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Hux.
Huxley
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HUKS-lee
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English
leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be
hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer of the surname was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).
Hyperion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὑπερίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HUY-PEH-REE-AWN(Classical Greek) hie-PEER-ee-ən(English)
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
Derived from Greek
ὑπέρ (hyper) meaning
"over". In Greek
myth this was the name of a Titan who presided over the sun and light. By
Theia he was the father of the sun god
Helios, the moon goddess
Selene, and the dawn goddess
Eos.
Iafeth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Latin
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Ian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: EE-ən(English)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
Iain, itself from Latin
Iohannes (see
John). It became popular in the United Kingdom outside of Scotland in the first half of the 20th century, but did not begin catching on in America until the 1960s.
Ichabod
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: אִי־כָבוֹד(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: IK-ə-bahd(English)
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Means
"no glory" in Hebrew, from the roots
אִי (ʾi) meaning "not" and
כָּבַד (kavaḏ) meaning "to be glorious". In the
Old Testament this is the grandson of
Eli and the son of
Phinehas. He was named this because his mother despaired that "the glory has departed from Israel" (
1 Samuel 4:21).
This name was used by Washington Irving for Ichabod Crane, the main character in his short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820).
Ilya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Илья(Russian) Ілья(Belarusian)
Pronounced: i-LYA(Russian)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Russian and Belarusian form of
Elijah.
Ira 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: עִירָא(Hebrew)
Pronounced: IE-rə(English)
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
Means
"watchful" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of King
David's priest. As an English Christian given name,
Ira began to be used after the
Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century the
Puritans brought it to America, where remained moderately common into the 20th century.
Iriney
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Ириней(Russian)
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
Irving
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Jewish
Pronounced: UR-ving(English)
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the town of Irvine in North Ayrshire, itself named for the River Irvine, which is derived from Brythonic elements meaning
"green water". Historically this name has been relatively common among Jews, who have used it as an American-sounding form of Hebrew names beginning with
I such as
Isaac,
Israel and
Isaiah [1]. A famous bearer was the Russian-American songwriter and lyricist Irving Berlin (1888-1989), whose birth name was Israel Beilin.
Irwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: UR-win
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Eoforwine.
Israel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Jewish, English, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: יִשְׂרָאֵל(Hebrew) Ἰσραήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: IZ-ray-əl(English) IZ-ree-əl(English) eez-ra-EHL(Spanish)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
From the Hebrew name
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) meaning
"God contends", from the roots
שָׂרָה (sara) meaning "to contend, to fight" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the
Old Testament, Israel (who was formerly named
Jacob; see
Genesis 32:28) wrestles with an angel. The ancient and modern states of Israel took their names from him.
Ivan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, English, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian
Other Scripts: Иван(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) Іван(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: i-VAN(Russian) ee-VAN(Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Romanian) yee-VAN(Belarusian) EE-van(Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Slovak, Slovene, Italian) I-van(Czech) IE-vən(English) ee-VUN(Portuguese)
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Newer form of the Old Church Slavic name
Іѡаннъ (Ioannŭ), which was derived from Greek
Ioannes (see
John). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote
Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.
Ives
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Rating: 0% based on 4 votes
English form of
Yves, used to refer to
Saint Ives (also called Ivo) of Huntingdonshire, a semi-legendary English bishop.
Jack
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAK
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
Derived from
Jackin (earlier
Jankin), a medieval
diminutive of
John [1]. There could be some early influence from the unrelated French name
Jacques [2]. It is often regarded as an independent name. During the Middle Ages it was very common, and it became a slang word meaning "man", as seen in the terms
jack-o'-lantern,
jack-in-the-box,
lumberjack and so on. It was frequently used in fairy tales and nursery rhymes, such as
Jack and the Beanstalk,
Jack and Jill,
Little Jack Horner, and
Jack Sprat.
American writers Jack London (1876-1916) and Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) were two famous bearers of this name. It is also borne by the actor Jack Nicholson (1937-) and the golfer Jack Nicklaus (1940-). Apart from Nicklaus, none of these famous bearers were given the name Jack at birth.
In the United Kingdom this form has been bestowed more frequently than John since the 1990s, being the most popular name for boys from 1996 to 2008.
James
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JAYMZ(English)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
English form of the Late Latin name
Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form
Iacobus, from the Hebrew name
Yaʿaqov (see
Jacob). This was the name of two apostles in the
New Testament. The first was
Saint James the Greater, the apostle
John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of
Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of
Jesus.
This name has been used in England since the 13th century, though it became more common in Scotland where it was borne by several kings. In the 17th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. In American name statistics (recorded since 1880) this name has never been out of the top 20, making it arguably the era's most consistently popular name. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States from 1940 to 1952.
Famous bearers include the English explorer James Cook (1728-1779), the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819), and the Irish novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming in 1953.
Jaques
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: JAY-kweez(English)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Variant of
Jacques used by Shakespeare for a character in his play
As You Like It (1599).
Jaromirŭ
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Slavic (Hypothetical) [1]
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Proto-Slavic reconstruction of
Jaromír.
Jason
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Anglicized), Biblical
Other Scripts: Ἰάσων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: JAY-sən(English) ZHA-ZAWN(French)
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
From the Greek name
Ἰάσων (Iason) meaning
"healer", derived from Greek
ἰάομαι (iaomai) meaning "to heal". In Greek
mythology Jason was the leader of the Argonauts. After his uncle
Pelias overthrew his father
Aeson as king of Iolcos, Jason went in search of the Golden Fleece in order to win back the throne. During his journeys he married the sorceress
Medea, who helped him gain the fleece and kill his uncle, but who later turned against him when he fell in love with another woman.
This name also appears in the New Testament, belonging to man who sheltered Paul and Silas. In his case, it may represent a Hellenized form of a Hebrew name. It was not used in England until after the Protestant Reformation.
Jasper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Pronounced: JAS-pər(English) YAHS-pər(Dutch)
Rating: 58% based on 5 votes
From Latin
Gaspar, perhaps from the Biblical Hebrew word
גִּזְבָּר (gizbar) meaning
"treasurer" [1], derived from Old Persian
ganzabarah. This name was traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who were said to have visited the newborn
Jesus. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since the Middle Ages. The name can also be given in reference to the English word for the gemstone.
Jedediah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Hebrew
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Means "God's Friend"
Jesse
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Finnish, Biblical
Other Scripts: יִשַׁי(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JEHS-ee(English) YEH-sə(Dutch) YEHS-seh(Finnish)
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
From
Ἰεσσαί (Iessai), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
יִשַׁי (Yishai). This could be a derivative of the word
שַׁי (shai) meaning
"gift" or
יֵשׁ (yesh) meaning
"existence". In the
Old Testament Jesse is the father of King
David. It began to be used as an English given name after the
Protestant Reformation.
A famous bearer was Jesse James (1847-1882), an American outlaw who held up banks and stagecoaches. He was eventually shot by a fellow gang member for a reward. Another famous bearer was the American athlete Jesse Owens (1913-1980), whose real name was James Cleveland (or J. C.) Owens.
Jody
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JO-dee
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
Diminutive of
Josephine,
Joseph,
Joanna and other names beginning with
Jo. It was popularized by the young hero (a boy) in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' novel
The Yearling (1938) and the subsequent film adaptation (1946). As a feminine name, it probably received an assist from the similar-sounding name
Judy, which was at the height of its American popularity when Jody was rising.
Joey
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JO-ee
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
Jovian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman (Anglicized)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
From Latin
Iovianus, a Roman
cognomen that was a derivative of
Iovis (see
Jove). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman emperor.
Jude 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JOOD(English)
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
Variant 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.
Julian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Polish, German
Pronounced: JOO-lee-ən(English) JOOL-yən(English) YOO-lyan(Polish) YOO-lee-an(German)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
From the Roman name
Iulianus, which was derived from
Julius. This was the name of the last pagan Roman emperor, Julian the Apostate (4th century). It was also borne by several early
saints, including the legendary Saint Julian the Hospitaller. This name has been used in England since the Middle Ages, at which time it was also a feminine name (from
Juliana, eventually becoming
Gillian).
Kai 4
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 凯, etc.(Chinese) 凱, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: KIE
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
From Chinese
凯 (kǎi) meaning "triumph, victory, music of triumph", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Kaito
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 海斗, 海翔, etc.(Japanese Kanji) かいと(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KA-EE-TO
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
海 (kai) meaning "sea, ocean" combined with
斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation, or
翔 (to) meaning "soar, fly". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Keir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
From a surname that was a variant of
Kerr.
Kelley
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHL-ee
Rating: 12% based on 5 votes
Killian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, French
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
Anglicized form of
Cillian, also used in France.
Kipper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Old English for "male salmon".
Kiyan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Kurdish
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Korbinian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: kawr-BEE-nee-an
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Derived from Latin
corvus meaning
"raven". This was the name of an 8th-century Frankish
saint who was sent by Pope Gregory II to evangelize in Bavaria. His real name may have been
Hraban.
Kurt
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: KUWRT(German) KURT(English)
Rating: 17% based on 3 votes
German contracted form of
Conrad. A famous bearer was the American musician Kurt Cobain (1967-1994).
Kylo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: KIE-lo(English)
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Meaning unexplained. This is the name of the villain, Kylo Ren, in the Star Wars movie sequels, starting with The Force Awakens in 2015. Originally named Ben Solo, he is the son of Han Solo and Leia Skywalker. His name might simply be formed from the ky of Skywalker and the lo of Solo.
Langley
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 4% based on 5 votes
Lawrence
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-əns
Rating: 8% based on 5 votes
Variant of
Laurence 1. This spelling of the name is now more common than
Laurence in the English-speaking world, probably because
Lawrence is the usual spelling of the surname. The surname was borne by the author and poet D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930), as well as the revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935), who was known as Lawrence of Arabia.
Leofdæg
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1][2]
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Derived from the Old English element
leof "dear, beloved" combined with
dæg "day".
Leonard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, German, Polish, Romanian, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: LEHN-ərd(English) LEH-o-nahrt(Dutch) LEH-o-nart(German) leh-AW-nart(Polish)
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
Means
"brave lion", derived from the Old German elements
lewo "lion" (of Latin origin) and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish
saint from Noblac who is the patron of prisoners and horses. The
Normans brought this name to England, where it was used steadily through the Middle Ages, becoming even more common in the 20th century.
Leonidas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λεωνίδας(Greek)
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
Derived from Greek
λέων (leon) meaning "lion" combined with the patronymic suffix
ἴδης (ides). Leonidas was a Spartan king of the 5th century BC who sacrificed his life and his army defending the pass of Thermopylae from the Persians. This was also the name of a 3rd-century
saint and martyr, the father of Origen, from Alexandria.
Leopold
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, English, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Polish
Pronounced: LEH-o-pawlt(German, Dutch) LEE-ə-pold(English) LEH-o-polt(Czech) LEH-aw-pawld(Slovak) leh-AW-pawlt(Polish)
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
liut "people" and
bald "bold, brave". The spelling was altered due to association with Latin
leo "lion". This name was common among German royalty, first with the Babenbergs and then the Habsburgs.
Saint Leopold was a 12th-century Babenberg margrave of Austria, who is now considered the patron of that country. It was also borne by two Habsburg Holy Roman emperors, as well as three kings of Belgium. Since the 19th century this name has been occasionally used in England, originally in honour of Queen Victoria's uncle, a king of Belgium, after whom she named one of her sons. It was later used by James Joyce for the main character, Leopold Bloom, in his novel
Ulysses (1922).
Leslie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHZ-lee, LEHS-lee
Rating: 12% based on 5 votes
From a Scottish surname that was derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In America it was more common as a feminine name after the 1940s.
Lev 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: לֵב(Hebrew)
Rating: 17% based on 3 votes
Means "heart" in Hebrew.
Lexi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHK-see
Rating: 8% based on 5 votes
Liberty
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIB-ər-tee
Rating: 34% based on 5 votes
Simply from the English word
liberty, derived from Latin
libertas, a derivative of
liber "free". Interestingly, since 1880 this name has charted on the American popularity lists in three different periods: in 1918 (at the end of World War I), in 1976 (the American bicentennial), and after 2001 (during the War on Terrorism)
[1].
Linus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Ancient Greek (Latinized), Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German
Other Scripts: Λίνος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LIE-nəs(English) LEE-nuys(Swedish) LEE-nuws(German)
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
From the Greek name
Λίνος (Linos) meaning
"flax". In Greek legend he was the son of the god
Apollo, who accidentally killed him in a contest. Another son of Apollo by this name was the music teacher of
Herakles. The name was also borne by the second pope, serving after
Saint Peter in the 1st century. In modern times this was the name of a character in Charles Schulz's comic strip
Peanuts.
Lior
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: לִיאוֹר(Hebrew)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Means
"my light" in Hebrew, from
לִי (li) "for me" and
אוֹר (ʾor) "light".
Logan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LO-gən
Rating: 3% based on 3 votes
From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Ayrshire meaning
"little hollow" (from Gaelic
lag "hollow, pit" combined with a
diminutive suffix). This name started slowly rising on the American popularity charts in the mid-1970s, perhaps partly inspired by the movie
Logan's Run (1976). The comic book character Wolverine, alias Logan, was also introduced around the same time.
The name has been very common throughout the English-speaking world since end of the 20th century. In the United States it reached a high point in 2017, when it ranked as the fifth most popular name for boys.
Loki
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology
Pronounced: LO-kee(English)
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
Meaning unknown, possibly derived from the Germanic root *
luką meaning
"lock". In Norse
mythology Loki was a trickster god associated with magic and shape shifting. Loki's children include the wolf
Fenrir, the sea serpent
Jörmungandr, and the queen of the dead
Hel. After he orchestrated the death of
Balder, the other gods tied him to a rock below a snake that dripped venom onto his face. It is told that he will break free during Ragnarök, the final battle, and slay and be slain by
Heimdall.
Loren
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-ən
Rating: 0% based on 4 votes
Either a short form of
Laurence 1 (masculine) or a variant of
Lauren (feminine).
Louis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: LWEE(French) LOO-is(English) LOO-ee(English) loo-EE(Dutch)
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
French form of
Ludovicus, the Latinized form of
Ludwig. This was the name of 18 kings of France, starting with Louis I the son of
Charlemagne. Others include Louis IX (
Saint Louis) who led two crusades and Louis XIV (called the Sun King) who was the ruler of France during the height of its power, the builder of the Palace of Versailles, and the longest reigning monarch in the history of Europe. It was also borne by kings of Germany (as
Ludwig), Hungary (as
Lajos), and other places.
Apart from royalty, this name was only moderately popular in France during the Middle Ages. After the French Revolution, when Louis XVI was guillotined, it became less common.
The Normans brought the name to England, where it was usually spelled Lewis, though the spelling Louis has been more common in America. Famous bearers include French scientist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), French actor Louis de Funès (1914-1983), Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), who wrote Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (1901-1971).
Mackenzie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mə-KEHN-zee
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
From a Scottish surname, an Anglicized form of Gaelic
Mac Coinnich, itself derived from the given name
Coinneach. As a feminine given name it was popularized by the American actress Mackenzie Phillips (1959-), especially after she began appearing on the television comedy
One Day at a Time in 1975. In the United Kingdom it is more common as a masculine name.
Martin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Finnish
Other Scripts: Мартин, Мартын(Russian) Мартин(Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: MAHR-tin(English) MAR-TEHN(French) MAR-teen(German, Slovak) MAT-in(Swedish) MAHT-tin(Norwegian) MAH-tseen(Danish) MAR-kyin(Czech) MAWR-teen(Hungarian) mar-TIN(Bulgarian) MAHR-teen(Finnish)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
From the Roman name
Martinus, which was derived from
Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god
Mars.
Saint Martin of Tours was a 4th-century bishop who is the patron saint of France. According to legend, he came across a cold beggar in the middle of winter so he ripped his cloak in two and gave half of it to the beggar. He was a favourite saint during the Middle Ages, and his name has become common throughout the Christian world.
An influential bearer of the name was Martin Luther (1483-1546), the theologian who began the Protestant Reformation. The name was also borne by five popes (two of them more commonly known as Marinus). Other more recent bearers include the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), and the American filmmaker Martin Scorsese (1942-).
Marvin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: MAHR-vin(English, Dutch) MAR-vin(German)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the Welsh given name
Merfyn or the Old English name
Mærwine. As an American given name, it steadily rose in popularity through the beginnings of the 20th century and peaked in the early 1930s (closely mirroring the similar-sounding but unrelated name
Melvin). A famous bearer was the American musician Marvin Gaye (1939-1984).
Mason
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-sən
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
From an English surname (or vocabulary word) meaning "stoneworker", derived from an Old French word of Frankish origin (akin to Old English macian "to make"). In the United States this name began to increase in popularity in the 1980s, likely because of its fashionable sound. It jumped in popularity after 2009 when Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick gave it to their son, as featured on their reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2010. It peaked as the second most popular name for boys in 2011.
Matthew
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: MATH-yoo(English)
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
English form of
Ματθαῖος (Matthaios), which is the
New Testament Greek form of
Mattithiah. Matthew, probably also called
Levi, was one of the twelve apostles. He was a tax collector, and supposedly the author of the first gospel in the New Testament. He is considered a
saint in many Christian traditions. The variant
Matthias also occurs in the New Testament belonging to a separate apostle.
As an English given name, Matthew has been in use since the Middle Ages. It became popular throughout the English-speaking world around the middle of the 20th century, ranked near the top of the popularity lists for boys in the 1980s and 90s. A notable bearer was the American naval officer Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858), who led an expedition to Japan. Famous modern bearers include the actors Matthew Broderick (1962-), Matthew McConaughey (1969-) and Matthew Perry (1969-2023).
Maximilian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian (Rare), Danish (Rare)
Pronounced: mak-see-MEE-lee-an(German) mak-sə-MIL-yən(English)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
From the Roman name
Maximilianus, which was derived from
Maximus. It was borne by a 3rd-century
saint and martyr. In the 15th century the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III gave this name to his son and eventual heir. In this case it was a blend of the names of the Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus (see
Emiliano), whom Frederick admired. It was subsequently borne by a second Holy Roman emperor, two kings of Bavaria, and a short-lived Habsburg emperor of Mexico.
Melvin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Swedish
Pronounced: MEHL-vin(English)
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
From a Scots surname that was a variant of
Melville. This name has been used in America since the 19th century. It became popular in the early 20th century and reached a peak in the late 1920s, but has steadily declined since then (closely mirroring the similar-sounding but unrelated names
Marvin and
Alvin).
Mervyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: MUR-vin(English)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Welsh variant of
Merfyn, as well as the usual Anglicized form.
Montgomery
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mənt-GUM-ə-ree, mənt-GUM-ree
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
From an English surname meaning
"Gumarich's mountain" in Norman French. A notable bearer of this surname was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.
Mordecai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew
Other Scripts: מָרְדֳּכַי, מָרְדְּכַי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: MAWR-də-kie(English)
Rating: 7% based on 3 votes
Means
"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.
Murdock
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Murphy
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-fee
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
From a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Murchadha, itself derived from the given name
Murchadh. As a given name, it has been borne by female characters on the American television series
Murphy Brown (1988-1998) and the movie
Interstellar (2014).
Nereus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1], Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [2]
Other Scripts: Νηρεύς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NEH-REWS(Classical Greek) NIR-ee-əs(English)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Derived from Greek
νηρός (neros) meaning
"water". In Greek
myth this was the name of a god of the sea, the father of the Nereids. It is mentioned briefly in the
New Testament, belonging to a Christian in Rome. This was also the name of a Roman
saint of the 1st century, a member of the army, who was martyred with his companion Achilleus because they refused to execute Christians.
Nichlas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian (Rare)
Pronounced: NIK-lahs
Rating: 6% based on 5 votes
Nicholas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NIK-ə-ləs, NIK-ləs
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
From the Greek name
Νικόλαος (Nikolaos) meaning
"victory of the people", derived from Greek
νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and
λαός (laos) meaning "people".
Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop from Anatolia who, according to legend, saved the daughters of a poor man from lives of prostitution. He is the patron saint of children, sailors and merchants, as well as Greece and Russia. He formed the basis for the figure known as Santa Claus (created in the 19th century from Dutch
Sinterklaas), the bringer of Christmas presents.
Due to the renown of the saint, this name has been widely used in the Christian world. It has been common in England since the 12th century, though it became a bit less popular after the Protestant Reformation. The name has been borne by five popes and two tsars of Russia.
Nicklaus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 14% based on 5 votes
Nigel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NIE-jəl
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
From
Nigellus, a medieval Latinized form of
Neil. It was commonly associated with Latin
niger "black". It was revived in the 19th century, perhaps in part due to Walter Scott's novel
The Fortunes of Nigel (1822).
Nikita 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Никита(Russian) Нікіта(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: nyi-KYEE-tə(Russian)
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
Russian form of
Niketas. This form is also used in Ukrainian and Belarusian alongside the more traditional forms
Mykyta and
Mikita. A notable bearer was the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971).
Niko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 仁子, 仁湖, 仁胡, 二子, 二胡, 日子, 日湖(Japanese Kanji) にこ(Japanese Hiragana) ニコ(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: NEE-KO
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
This name can be used as 仁子, 仁湖, 仁胡, 二子, 二胡, 日子 or 日湖 with 仁 (jin, ni, non) meaning "benevolence, charity, humanity, kernel, man, virtue", 二 (ji, ni, futa, futata.bi, futa.tsu) meaning "two", 日 (jitsu, nichi, -ka, hi, -hi, ni) meaning "day, Japan, sun", 子 (shi, su, tsu, ko, -ko, -ne) meaning "child, sign of the rat (1st sign of the Chinese zodiac)", 湖 (ko, mizuumi) meaning "lake" and 胡 (u, ko, go, nanzo, ebisu, kuru) meaning "barbarian, foreign."
Norman
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: NAWR-mən(English)
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
From an old Germanic byname meaning
"northman", referring to a Scandinavians. The
Normans were Vikings who settled on the coast of France, in the region that became known as Normandy. In England the name
Norman or
Normant was used before the Norman Conquest, first as a nickname for Scandinavian settlers and later as a given name. After the Conquest it became more common, but died out around the 14th century. It was revived in the 19th century, perhaps in part due to a character by this name in C. M. Yonge's 1856 novel
The Daisy Chain [2]. Famous bearers include the American painter Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) and the American author Norman Mailer (1923-2007).
Oliver
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Catalan, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Carolingian Cycle
Other Scripts: Оливер(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: AHL-i-vər(English) O-lee-vu(German) O-lee-vehr(Finnish) oo-lee-BEH(Catalan) O-li-vehr(Czech) AW-lee-vehr(Slovak)
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
From Old French
Olivier, which was possibly derived from Latin
oliva "olive tree" [1]. Alternatively there could be an underlying Germanic name, such as Old Norse
Áleifr (see
Olaf) or Frankish
Alawar (see
Álvaro), with the spelling altered by association with the Latin word. In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic
La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier is a friend and advisor to the hero
Roland.
In England Oliver was a common medieval name, however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due in part to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1838), about a poor orphan living on the streets of London. It became very popular at the beginning of the 21st century, reaching the top rank for boys in England and Wales in 2009 and entering the top ten in the United States in 2017.
Onyx
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AHN-iks
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
From the English word for the gemstone (a variety of chalcedony), which can be black, red or other colours. It is derived from Greek
ὄνυξ (onyx) meaning "claw, nail".
Oswald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: AHZ-wawld(English) AWS-valt(German)
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
Derived from the Old English elements
os "god" and
weald "powerful, mighty".
Saint Oswald was a king of Northumbria who introduced Christianity to northeastern England in the 7th century before being killed in battle. There was also an Old Norse
cognate Ásvaldr in use in England, being borne by the 10th-century Saint Oswald of Worcester, who was of Danish ancestry. Though the name had died out by the end of the Middle Ages, it was revived in the 19th century.
Otto
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AW-to(German, Dutch) AHT-o(English) OT-to(Finnish)
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
Later German form of
Audo, originally a short form of various names beginning with Old Frankish
aud or Old High German
ot meaning
"wealth, fortune". This was the name of a 9th-century king of the West Franks (name usually spelled as
Odo). This was also the name of four kings of Germany, starting in the 10th century with Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, known as Otto the Great.
Saint Otto of Bamberg was a 12th-century missionary to Pomerania. The name was also borne by a 19th-century king of Greece, originally from Bavaria. Another notable bearer was the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898).
Owen 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: O-in(English)
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
Anglicized form of
Owain.
Parker
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHR-kər
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
From an English occupational surname that meant "keeper of the park".
Pascal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, German, Dutch
Pronounced: PAS-KAL(French) pas-KAL(German) pahs-KAHL(Dutch)
Rating: 3% based on 3 votes
From the Late Latin name
Paschalis, which meant
"relating to Easter" from Latin
Pascha "Easter", which was in turn from Hebrew
פֶּסַח (pesaḥ) meaning "Passover"
[1]. Passover is the ancient Hebrew holiday celebrating the liberation from Egypt. Because it coincided closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the same Latin word was used for both. The name Pascal can also function as a surname, as in the case of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French philosopher, mathematician and inventor.
Patrick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, French, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Pronounced: PAT-rik(English) PA-TREEK(French) PA-trik(German)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
From the Latin name
Patricius, which meant
"nobleman". This name was adopted in the 5th-century by
Saint Patrick, whose birth name was Sucat. He was a Romanized Briton who was captured and enslaved in his youth by Irish raiders. After six years of servitude he escaped home, but he eventually became a bishop and went back to Ireland as a missionary. He is traditionally credited with Christianizing the island, and is regarded as Ireland's patron saint. He is called
Pádraig in Irish.
In England and elsewhere in Europe during the Middle Ages this name was used in honour of the saint. However, it was not generally given in Ireland before the 17th century because it was considered too sacred for everyday use. It has since become very common there.
Patton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PAT-ən
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that was derived from a
diminutive of
Patrick. A notable bearer of the surname was the American World War II general George S. Patton (1885-1945), who played an important part in the allied offensive in France.
Paul
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Romanian, Biblical
Pronounced: PAWL(English, French) POWL(German, Dutch)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
From the Roman family name
Paulus, which meant
"small" or
"humble" in Latin. Paul was an important leader of the early Christian church. According to Acts in the
New Testament, he was a Jewish Roman citizen who converted to Christianity after the resurrected
Jesus appeared to him. After this he travelled the eastern Mediterranean as a missionary. His original Hebrew name was
Saul. Many of the epistles in the New Testament were authored by him.
Due to the renown of Saint Paul the name became common among early Christians. It was borne by a number of other early saints and six popes. In England it was relatively rare during the Middle Ages, but became more frequent beginning in the 17th century. In the United States it was in the top 20 names for boys from 1900 to 1968, while in the United Kingdom it was very popular from the 1950s to the 80s. It has also been heavily used in Germany and France and continues to be popular there, though it is currently on the decline in the English-speaking world.
A notable bearer was the American Revolutionary War figure Paul Revere (1735-1818), who warned of the advance of the British army. Famous bearers in the art world include the French impressionists Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) and Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), and the Swiss expressionist Paul Klee (1879-1940). It is borne by actor Paul Newman (1925-2008) and the musicians Paul Simon (1941-) and Paul McCartney (1942-). This is also the name of the legendary American lumberjack Paul Bunyan and the fictional Paul Atreides from Frank Herbert's novel Dune (1965).
Pendleton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Perceval
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Old French form of
Percival used by Chrétien de Troyes.
Peregrine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PEHR-ə-grin
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
From the Late Latin name
Peregrinus, which meant
"traveller". This was the name of several early
saints.
Peter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovene, Slovak, Biblical
Pronounced: PEE-tər(English) PEH-tu(German) PEH-tər(Dutch, Danish, Slovene) PEH-tehr(Slovak)
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
Derived from Greek
Πέτρος (Petros) meaning
"stone". This is a translation used in most versions of the
New Testament of the name
Cephas, meaning "stone" in Aramaic, which was given to the apostle
Simon by
Jesus (compare
Matthew 16:18 and
John 1:42). Simon Peter was the most prominent of the apostles during Jesus' ministry and is often considered the first pope.
Due to the renown of the apostle, this name became common throughout the Christian world (in various spellings). In England the Normans introduced it in the Old French form Piers, which was gradually replaced by the spelling Peter starting in the 15th century [1].
Besides the apostle, other saints by this name include the 11th-century reformer Saint Peter Damian and the 13th-century preacher Saint Peter Martyr. It was also borne by rulers of Aragon, Portugal, and Russia, including the Russian tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725), who defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War. Famous fictional bearers include Peter Rabbit from Beatrix Potter's children's books, Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up in J. M. Barrie's 1904 play, and Peter Parker, the real name of the comic book superhero Spider-Man.
Phaethon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Φαέθων(Greek)
Pronounced: Fay-e-then
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
From Greek meaning "Shining one". Phaethon was the son of the sun god Helios, who asked to drive the celestial chariot that drove the sun across the sky. After losing control, Zeus killed him with a lightning strike.
Phillip
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FIL-ip
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
Variant of
Philip, inspired by the usual spelling of the surname.
Phineas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: פִּיןְחָס(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: FIN-ee-əs(English)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Phoenix
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: FEE-niks
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
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".
Pim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: PIM
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Prescott
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PRES-kaht
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Prescott.
Proteus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Πρωτεύς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PRAW-TEWS(Classical Greek) PRO-tee-əs(English)
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Derived from Greek
πρῶτος (protos) meaning
"first". In Greek
mythology this was the name of a prophetic god of the sea. Shakespeare later utilized it for a character in his play
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
Quincy
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KWIN-see
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From an English 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). Another notable bearer is the American musician Quincy Jones (1933-).
Rafael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Hebrew
Other Scripts: רָפָאֵל(Hebrew) Рафаел(Macedonian)
Pronounced: ra-fa-EHL(Spanish, European Portuguese) ha-fa-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) RA-fa-ehl(German) RAW-faw-ehl(Hungarian)
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
Form of
Raphael in various languages. A famous bearer is the Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (1986-).
Raivis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Latvian
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Randall
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAN-dəl
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the medieval given name
Randel.
Raphael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Biblical
Other Scripts: רָפָאֵל, רְפָאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: RA-fa-ehl(German) RAF-ee-əl(English) RAF-ay-ehl(English) rah-fie-EHL(English)
Rating: 56% based on 5 votes
From the Hebrew name
רָפָאֵל (Rafaʾel) meaning
"God heals", from the roots
רָפָא (rafa) meaning "to heal" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In Hebrew tradition Raphael is the name of an archangel. He appears in the Book of Tobit, in which he disguises himself as a man named
Azarias and accompanies
Tobias on his journey to Media, aiding him along the way. In the end he cures Tobias's father
Tobit of his blindness. He is not mentioned in the
New Testament, though tradition identifies him with the angel troubling the water in
John 5:4.
This name has never been common in the English-speaking world, though it has been well-used elsewhere in Europe. A famous bearer was the Italian Renaissance master Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), usually known simply as Raphael in English.
Ráðúlfr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norse [1]
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
Derived from the Norse elements
ráð meaning "counsel, advice" and
ulfr meaning "wolf".
Reginald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: REHJ-ə-nəld
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
From
Reginaldus, a Latinized form of
Reynold.
René
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Slovak, Czech
Pronounced: RU-NEH(French) rə-NEH(German, Dutch) reh-NEH(Dutch, Spanish) REH-neh(Slovak, Czech)
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
French form of
Renatus. Famous bearers include the French mathematician and rationalist philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) and the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte (1898-1967).
Reuben
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, English
Other Scripts: רְאוּבֵן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ROO-bən(English)
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Means
"behold, a son" in Hebrew, derived from
רָאָה (raʾa) meaning "to see" and
בֵּן (ben) meaning "son". In the
Old Testament he is the eldest son of
Jacob and
Leah and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Reuben was cursed by his father because he slept with Jacob's concubine
Bilhah. It has been used as a Christian name in Britain since the
Protestant Reformation.
Rex
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: REHKS
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
From Latin rex meaning "king". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Rhydderch
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Pronounced: HRUDH-ehrkh
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
From the Old Welsh name
Riderch, probably derived from
ri "king" combined with
derch "exalted". Rhydderch Hael was a 6th-century king of Strathclyde. It has sometimes been Anglicized as
Roderick.
Rhys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: REES
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
From Old Welsh
Ris, probably meaning
"ardour, enthusiasm". Several Welsh rulers have borne this name, including the 12th-century Rhys ap Gruffydd who fought against the invading
Normans.
Richard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: RICH-ərd(English) REE-SHAR(French) RI-khart(German, Czech) REE-khart(Slovak) REE-shahrt(Dutch)
Rating: 3% based on 3 votes
Means
"brave ruler", derived from the Old German elements
rih "ruler, king" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of three early dukes of Normandy. The
Normans introduced it to England when they invaded in the 11th century, and it has been very common there since that time. It was borne by three kings of England including the 12th-century Richard I the Lionheart, one of the leaders of the Third Crusade.
During the late Middle Ages this name was typically among the five most common for English males (with John, William, Robert and Thomas). It remained fairly popular through to the modern era, peaking in the United States in the 1940s and in the United Kingom a bit later, and steadily declining since that time.
Famous bearers include two German opera composers, Richard Wagner (1813-1883) and Richard Strauss (1864-1949), as well as British explorer Richard Burton (1821-1890), American president Richard Nixon (1913-1994), American physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988), British actor Richard Burton (1925-1984) and American musician Little Richard (1932-2020).
Rigby
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RIG-bee
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "ridge farm" in Old Norse.
Riley
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RIE-lee
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
From a surname that comes from two distinct sources. As an Irish surname it is a variant of
Reilly. As an English surname it is derived from a place name meaning
"rye clearing" in Old English.
Before 1980, this was an uncommon masculine name in America. During the 1980s and 90s this name steadily increased in popularity for both boys and girls, and from 2003 onwards it has been more common for girls in the United States. Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, it has remained largely masculine.
Robert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Albanian, Romanian, Catalan, Germanic [1]
Other Scripts: Роберт(Russian)
Pronounced: RAHB-ərt(American English) RAWB-ət(British English) RAW-BEHR(French) RO-beht(Swedish) RO-behrt(German, Finnish, Czech) RO-bərt(Dutch) RAW-bərt(Dutch) RAW-behrt(Polish) RO-byirt(Russian) roo-BEHRT(Catalan)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
From the Germanic name
Hrodebert meaning
"bright fame", derived from the elements
hruod "fame" and
beraht "bright". The
Normans introduced this name to Britain, where it replaced the rare Old English
cognate Hreodbeorht. It has been consistently among the most common English names from the 13th to 20th century. In the United States it was the most popular name for boys between 1924 and 1939 (and again in 1953).
This name has been borne by two kings of the Franks, two dukes of Normandy, and three kings of Scotland, including Robert the Bruce who restored the independence of Scotland from England in the 14th century. Several saints have also had the name, the earliest known as Saint Rupert, from an Old German variant. The author Robert Browning (1812-1889) and poets Robert Burns (1759-1796) and Robert Frost (1874-1963) are famous literary namesakes. Other bearers include Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), the commander of the Confederate army during the American Civil War, and American actors Robert Redford (1936-), Robert De Niro (1943-) and Robert Downey Jr. (1965-).
Robin
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Swedish, Czech
Pronounced: RAHB-in(American English) RAWB-in(British English) RAW-BEHN(French) RAW-bin(Dutch) RO-bin(Czech)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Medieval English
diminutive of
Robert, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.
Roderick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish, Welsh
Pronounced: RAHD-ə-rik(English) RAHD-rik(English)
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
Means
"famous ruler" from the Old German elements
hruod "fame" and
rih "ruler, king". This name was in use among the Visigoths; it was borne by their last king (Gothic form *
Hroþireiks, also known by the Spanish form
Rodrigo), who died fighting the Muslim invaders of Spain in the 8th century. It also had cognates in Old Norse and West Germanic, and Scandinavian settlers and
Normans introduced it to England, though it died out after the Middle Ages. It was revived in the English-speaking world by Walter Scott's 1811 poem
The Vision of Don Roderick [1].
This name has also functioned as an Anglicized form of Scottish Ruaridh or Welsh Rhydderch.
Rodney
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHD-nee(American English) RAWD-nee(British English)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
From an English surname, originally derived from a place name, which meant "Hroda's island" in Old English (where Hroda is an Old English given name meaning "fame"). It was first used as a given name in honour of the British admiral Lord Rodney (1719-1792).
Roger
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: RAHJ-ər(American English) RAWJ-ə(British English) RAW-ZHEH(French) roo-ZHEH(Catalan) RO-gu(German) ro-ZHEH(Dutch)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
From the Germanic name
Hrodger meaning
"famous spear", derived from the elements
hruod "fame" and
ger "spear". The
Normans brought this name to England, where it replaced the Old English
cognate Hroðgar (the name of the Danish king in the Anglo-Saxon epic
Beowulf). It was a common name in England during the Middle Ages. By the 18th century it was rare, but it was revived in following years. The name was borne by the Norman lords Roger I, who conquered Sicily in the 11th century, and his son Roger II, who ruled Sicily as a king.
This name was very popular in France in the first half of the 20th century. In the English-speaking world it was popular especially from the 1930s to the 50s. Famous bearers include British actor Roger Moore (1927-2017) and Swiss tennis player Roger Federer (1981-).
Rolf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English
Pronounced: RAWLF(German) ROLF(English)
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
From the Old German name
Hrolf (or its Old Norse
cognate Hrólfr), a contracted form of
Hrodulf (see
Rudolf). The
Normans introduced this name to England but it soon became rare. In the modern era it has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world as a German import.
Roman
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, Slovene, Croatian, Estonian, German, English
Other Scripts: Роман(Russian, Ukrainian)
Pronounced: ru-MAN(Russian) RAW-man(Polish, Slovak) RO-man(Czech, German) RO-mən(English)
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
From the Late Latin name
Romanus meaning
"Roman". This name was borne by several early
saints including a 7th-century bishop of Rouen, as well as medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia.
Romlyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: RAWM-lin
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
The name of a Dark Elf in the video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Ron 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: רוֹן(Hebrew)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
Means "song, joy" in Hebrew.
Rory
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, English
Pronounced: RAWR-ee(English)
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
Anglicized form of
Ruaidhrí. Typically a masculine name, it gained some popularity for girls in the United States after it was used on the television series
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007), in this case as a nickname for
Lorelai. Despite this, the name has grown more common for boys in America, especially after 2011, perhaps due to Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy (1989-).
Rowan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: RO-ən(English)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).
Roy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English, Dutch
Pronounced: ROI(English, Dutch)
Rating: 4% based on 5 votes
Anglicized form of
Ruadh. A notable bearer was the Scottish outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy (1671-1734). It is often associated with French
roi "king".
Rubeus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, Medieval Italian (Latinized)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From Latin rubeus meaning "red, reddish". Rubeus Hagrid is a half-wizard, half-giant character in J. K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' series; considering Rowling has likened the character to the Green Man, she may have based his name on the Latin word rubeus "of the bramble-bush, made of brambles", from rubus "bramble-bush".
Rufus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, English, Biblical
Pronounced: ROO-foos(Latin) ROO-fəs(English)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Roman
cognomen meaning
"red-haired" in Latin. Several early
saints had this name, including one mentioned in one of
Paul's epistles in the
New Testament. As a nickname it was used by William II Rufus, a king of England, because of his red hair. It came into general use in the English-speaking world after the
Protestant Reformation.
Rúnar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Icelandic
Pronounced: ROO-nar
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
Rupert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English
Pronounced: ROO-pehrt(German) ROO-pərt(English)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
German variant form of
Robert, from the Old German variant
Hrodperht. It was borne by the 7th century
Saint Rupert of Salzburg and the 8th-century Saint Rupert of Bingen. The military commander Prince Rupert of the Rhine, a nephew of Charles I, introduced this name to England in the 17th century. A notable bearer is the Australian-American businessman Rupert Murdoch (1931-).
Sage
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAYJ
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
From the English word sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.
Sal
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SAL
Rating: 18% based on 5 votes
Short form of
Sally,
Salvador and other names beginning with
Sal.
Sawyer
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SOI-ər, SAW-yər
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
From an English surname meaning
"sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).
Very rare as an American given name before 1980, it increased in popularity in the 1980s and 90s. It got a boost in 2004 after the debut of the television series Lost, which featured a character by this name.
Scott
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: SKAHT(American English) SKAWT(British English)
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
From an English and Scottish surname that referred to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic. It is derived from Latin Scoti meaning "Gael, Gaelic speaker", with the ultimate origin uncertain.
Sébastien
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SEH-BAS-TYEHN
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Sedgwick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American)
Pronounced: SEDJ-wik(American English)
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Sedgwick.
Sheen
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Indian
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Shigeo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 茂雄, 茂男, 重雄, 重男, 茂夫, 重夫, etc.(Japanese Kanji) しげお(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SHEE-GEH-O
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
From Japanese
茂 (shige) meaning "lush, luxuriant" or
重 (shige) meaning "layers, folds" combined with
雄 (o) meaning "hero, manly" or
男 (o) meaning "male, man". Many other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Shinji
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 真司, 真二, etc.(Japanese Kanji) しんじ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SHEEN-JEE
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
真 (shin) meaning "real, genuine" combined with
司 (ji) meaning "officer, boss" or
二 (ji) meaning "two". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.
Sid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SID
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Silas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Greek, Danish, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σίλας(Greek)
Pronounced: SIE-ləs(English)
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
The name of a companion of
Saint Paul in the
New Testament. It is probably a short form of
Silvanus, a name that Paul calls him by in the epistles. It is possible that
Silvanus and
Silas were Latin and Greek forms of the Hebrew name
Saul (via Aramaic).
As an English name it was not used until after the Protestant Reformation. It was utilized by George Eliot for the title character in her novel Silas Marner (1861).
Simon 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, Romanian, Macedonian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Симон(Macedonian) სიმონ(Georgian) Σίμων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SIE-mən(English) SEE-MAWN(French) SEE-mawn(Danish, Dutch, Macedonian) ZEE-mawn(German) SHEE-mon(Hungarian)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
From
Σίμων (Simon), the
New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name
שִׁםְעוֹן (Shimʿon) meaning
"hearing, listening", derived from
שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear, to listen". This name is spelled
Simeon, based on Greek
Συμεών, in many translations of the
Old Testament, where it is borne by the second son of
Jacob. The New Testament spelling may show influence from the otherwise unrelated Greek name
Simon 2.
In the New Testament Simon is the name of several characters, including the man who carried the cross for Jesus. Most importantly however it was borne by the leading apostle Simon, also known as Peter (a name given to him by Jesus).
Because of the apostle, this name has been common in the Christian world. In England it was popular during the Middle Ages, though it became more rare after the Protestant Reformation.
Spencer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SPEHN-sər
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From an English surname that meant "dispenser of provisions", derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry". A famous bearer was American actor Spencer Tracy (1900-1967). It was also the surname of Princess Diana (1961-1997).
Stanley
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: STAN-lee
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From an English surname meaning
"stone clearing" (Old English
stan "stone" and
leah "woodland, clearing"). A notable bearer of the surname was the British-American explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904), the man who found David Livingstone in Africa. As a given name, it was borne by American director Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999), as well as the character Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' play
A Streetcar Named Desire (1947).
Stellan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: STEHL-lan
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Meaning unknown, perhaps related to Old Norse stilling "calm", or perhaps of German origin.
St John
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (British, Rare)
Pronounced: SIN-jin, SAYNT JAWN
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
From the title and name of
Saint John the Baptist or Saint John the Evangelist (see
John).
Sunny
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUN-ee
Rating: 6% based on 5 votes
From the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".
Sveinn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Icelandic, Old Norse [1][2]
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
Old Norse and Icelandic form of
Sven.
Syd
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SID
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Sylvester
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Danish
Pronounced: sil-VEHS-tər(English) zil-VEHS-tu(German)
Rating: 0% based on 4 votes
Medieval variant of
Silvester. This is currently the usual English spelling of the name. A famous bearer is the American actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-).
Taavi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Estonian, Finnish
Pronounced: TAH-vee(Finnish)
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Estonian and Finnish form of
David.
Talfryn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
From a Welsh place name meaning
"front hill", derived from Welsh
tal "front, extremity" and
bryn "hill".
Talos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Pronounced: Tel-os
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
In Greek Mythology Talos was a bronze winged automaton given to Europa for protection in Crete from pirates and invaders.
Tarkan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish, Popular Culture
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
In the case of the Turkish popstar Tarkan, this name comes from a Turkish comic book character in the 1960's, which in turn comes from the name of an ancient Khazar king. Also, it was the title of a high-ranking military rank.
The meaning is "bold and strong"
Tarquin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: TAHR-kwin(English)
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
From Tarquinius, a Roman name of unknown meaning, possibly Etruscan in origin. This was the name of two early kings of Rome.
Teiso
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romani
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Romani corruption of
Tasso.
Tev
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: טבֿ(Yiddish)
Pronounced: TEV
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Tevye
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: טבֿיה(Yiddish)
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
Yiddish form of
Tobiah. This is the name of the central character in stories written by the Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem in the late 19th century, as well as the later musical adaptation
Fiddler on the Roof (1964).
Theodore
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: THEE-ə-dawr
Rating: 12% based on 5 votes
From the Greek name
Θεόδωρος (Theodoros), which meant
"gift of god" from Greek
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". The name
Dorothea is derived from the same roots in reverse order. This was the name of several
saints, including Theodore of Amasea, a 4th-century Greek soldier; Theodore of Tarsus, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury; and Theodore the Studite, a 9th-century Byzantine monk. It was also borne by two popes.
This was a common name in classical Greece, and, due to both the saints who carried it and the favourable meaning, it came into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was however rare in Britain before the 19th century. Famous bearers include three tsars of Russia (in the Russian form Fyodor) and American president Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919).
Tirion
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare), Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: Tee-ree-ohn(Welsh Mythology)
Rating: 10% based on 5 votes
Means "gentle; happy" in Welsh.
While this name appears as a male name in Welsh mythology, it is mostly used for girls now (with the occasional masculine use).
Tobiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: טוֹבִיָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: to-BIE-ə(English)
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
From the Hebrew name
טוֹבִיָּה (Ṭoviyya) meaning
"Yahweh is good", from the elements
טוֹב (ṭov) meaning "good" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This was the name of an Ammonite in the Book of Nehemiah in the
Old Testament.
Tobin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TO-bin
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that was itself derived from the given name
Tobias.
Tóki
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norse [1]
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
Tolys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Lithuanian
Pronounced: toLEES
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
A diminutive form of several names beginning with the element "Tol-", including Tolmintas, Tolvydas, Tolvaišas. Relatively rare.
The element tol means "far away".
Topher
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TO-fər
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Torquil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
Trahald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
'The Hobbit'
Treasach
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Irish
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
From Old Irish Tressach meaning "warlike, fierce".
Tristam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, English (Archaic)
Pronounced: TRIS-tam
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Archaic form of
Tristan.
Sir Tristam was one of the two greatest knights of the Round Table- he tied with Sir Lancelot in 'Le Morte D'Arthur'. He was so named because his mother died in childbed. Tristam was the killer of his uncle, Sir Marhault and lover of his other uncle's wife, Isoult.
Tristan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: TRIS-tən(English) TREES-TAHN(French)
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
Probably from the Celtic name
Drustan, a
diminutive of
Drust, which occurs as
Drystan in a few Welsh sources. As
Tristan, it first appears in 12th-century French tales, probably altered by association with Old French
triste "sad". According to the tales Tristan was sent to Ireland by his uncle King Mark of Cornwall in order to fetch
Iseult, who was to be the king's bride. On the way back, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. Later versions of the tale make Tristan one of King
Arthur's knights. His tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since then.
Týr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology
Pronounced: TUYR(Old Norse)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Ualan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic (Rare)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Ulrich
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: UWL-rikh(German)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From the Old German name
Odalric, derived from the element
uodil "heritage" combined with
rih "ruler, king". This was the name of two German
saints. Another famous bearer was Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), also known as Huldrych, the leader of the
Protestant Reformation in Switzerland.
Valerian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Georgian, Romanian, History
Other Scripts: Валериан(Russian) ვალერიან(Georgian)
Pronounced: və-LIR-ee-ən(English)
Rating: 8% based on 4 votes
From the Roman
cognomen Valerianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name
Valerius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Roman emperor (Publius Licinius Valerianus) who was captured by the Persians. Several
saints have also borne this name, including a 2nd-century martyr of Lyons.
Vaughn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VAWN
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
From a Welsh surname, a variant of
Vaughan.
Victor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Late Roman
Pronounced: VIK-tər(English) VEEK-TAWR(French) VEEK-tor(Romanian) VIK-tawr(Dutch)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Roman name meaning
"victor, conqueror" in Latin. It was common among early Christians, and was borne by several early
saints and three popes. It was rare as an English name during the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the French writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885), who authored
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and
Les Misérables.
Vincent
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Slovak
Pronounced: VIN-sənt(English, Dutch) VEHN-SAHN(French) VIN-sent(Dutch) VEEN-tsent(Slovak)
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
From the Roman name
Vincentius, which was derived from Latin
vincere meaning
"to conquer". This name was popular among early Christians, and it was borne by many
saints. As an English name,
Vincent has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 19th century. Famous bearers include the French priest Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
Viorel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Derived from viorea, the Romanian word for the alpine squill flower (species Scilla bifolia) or the sweet violet flower (species Viola odorata). It is derived from Latin viola "violet".
Virgil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Romanian
Pronounced: VUR-jil(English)
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
From the Roman family name Vergilius, which is of unknown meaning. This name was borne by the 1st-century BC Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro, commonly called Virgil, who was the writer of the Aeneid. Due to him, Virgil has been in use as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.
Vogel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Archaic)
Rating: 6% based on 5 votes
Derived from Yiddish
foigl "bird", the name was generally used as a vernacular form of
Zipporah. It coincides with German
Vogel "bird". It
Walter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Italian, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: WAWL-tər(English) VAL-tu(German) VAL-tehr(Swedish, Italian)
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
From the Germanic name
Waltheri meaning
"power of the army", from the elements
walt "power, authority" and
heri "army". In medieval German tales (notably
Waltharius by Ekkehard of
Saint Gall) Walter of Aquitaine is a heroic king of the Visigoths. The name was also borne by an 11th-century French saint, Walter of Pontoise. The
Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English
cognate Wealdhere.
A famous bearer of the name was the English courtier, poet and explorer Walter Raleigh (1552-1618). It was also borne by Walter Scott (1771-1832), a Scottish novelist who wrote Ivanhoe and other notable works.
Watson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WAHT-sən
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
From an English surname meaning
"son of Wat". A famous fictional bearer of the surname was Dr. Watson, the assistant to Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.
Wendell
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEHN-dəl
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
From a German and Dutch surname that was derived from the given name
Wendel. In America this name has been given in honour of the poet Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809-1894) and his son the Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841-1935). The elder's middle name came from his mother's maiden name (which had been brought to America by a Dutch ancestor in the form
Wendel, with the extra
l added later).
Werner
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: VEHR-nu(German) VEHR-nər(Dutch)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From an Old German name derived from the element
warin, related to
war meaning "aware, cautious", combined with
heri meaning "army". This was the name of a 13th-century boy from Oberwesel, Germany who was formerly regarded as a
saint. He is no longer recognized as such by the Church. Another famous bearer was the German physicist Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976).
Wessel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian, Dutch
Pronounced: VEH-səl(Dutch)
Rating: 3% based on 4 votes
Willoughby
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: WIL-ə-bee
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "willow town" in Old English.
Wren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: REHN
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.
Xenon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ξένων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KSEH-NON
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Derived from Greek
ξένος (xenos) meaning
"foreigner, guest".
Yasha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Яша(Russian)
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Yvain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
Form of
Owain used by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for his Arthurian romance
Yvain, the Knight of the Lion.
Zacharias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Greek [1], Greek
Other Scripts: Ζαχαρίας(Greek)
Pronounced: zak-ə-RIE-əs(English) za-kha-REE-as(Late Greek)
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Greek form of
Zechariah. This form of the name is used in most English translations of the
New Testament to refer to the father of
John the Baptist. It was also borne by an 8th-century pope (called
Zachary in English).
Zachary
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: ZAK-ə-ree(English)
Rating: 7% based on 3 votes
Usual English form of
Zacharias, used in some English versions of the
New Testament. This form has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until after the
Protestant Reformation. It was borne by American military commander and president Zachary Taylor (1784-1850).
Zadkiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Other Scripts: צַדְקִיאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
Means
"God is my righteousness" in Hebrew. This is the name of an archangel associated with mercy in Jewish and Christian tradition, sometimes said to be the angel who stops
Abraham from sacrificing his son
Isaac.
Zakkai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: זַכָּי(Ancient Hebrew)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Zan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 赞, etc.(Chinese) 贊, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: TSAN
Rating: 8% based on 5 votes
From Chinese
赞 (zàn) meaning "help, support", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Zedekiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: צִדְקִיָּהוּ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: zehd-ə-KIE-ə(English)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Zephaniah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: ץְפַןְיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: zeh-fə-NIE-ə(English)
Rating: 30% based on 4 votes
From the Hebrew name
ץְפַןְיָה (Tsefanya) meaning
"Yahweh has hidden", derived from
צָפַן (tsafan) meaning "to hide" and
יָהּ (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.
Ziya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Turkish
Other Scripts: ضياء(Arabic)
Pronounced: dee-YA(Arabic)
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
Means "splendour, light, glow" in Arabic. This was the name of a 14th-century Islamic Indian historian.
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