Browse Submitted Names

Able m English
Either a variant of Abel, or from the English word able, "having the power, skill, means, or opportunity to do something", ultimately from Latin habere "to hold".

Ahaz m Biblical
Meaning "has held," is a diminutive of Jehoahaz, meaning "Yahweh has held." He was king of Judah, and the son and successor of Jotham... [more]

Ahaziah m Ancient Hebrew
Meaning "holds fast" or "held by God" depending on translation.

Antlia f Astronomy
From Greek ἀντλία (antlia) meaning "hold of a ship". Antlia is one of the constellations created by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century. He originally named it Antlia Pneumatica, or Machine Pneumatique in French, in honour of French physicist Denis Papin’s invention, the air pump.

Anuket f Egyptian Mythology, African Mythology
Allegedly means "the embracer" or "embrace". This was the name of the personification of the Nile in Egyptian mythology.... [more]

Astyochos m Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Derived from the Greek adjective ἀστυόχος (astyochos) meaning "protecting the city". It consists of the Greek noun ἄστυ (asty) meaning "city, town" combined with the Greek verb ὀχέω (ocheo) meaning "to bear, to carry, to hold fast, to sustain", which is closely related to the Greek verb ἔχω (echo) meaning "to have, to hold, to possess"... [more]

Avron m Italian, Jewish
Ancient Sicilian but now being used as a first name again; was taken from Sicily by Jews somewhere around 500 years ago (or longer), and became a Jewish sir-name (e.g., Arnon Avron the mathematician)... [more]

Balamuralikrishna m Indian, Sanskrit
Derived from the Sanskrit बालमुरलीकृष् (Balamuralikrishna) meaning “young Krishna holding the flute”.

Batamoyo m Shona
It means to “hold or touch the heart”.

Bingyin m & f Chinese
From Chinese 秉 (bǐng) meaning "grasp, hold, maintain" or 丙 (bǐng) meaning "third" combined with 印 (yìn) meaning "seal, mark, sign", 寅 (yín) meaning "to respect", or 垠 (yín) meaning "riverbank, boundary", as well as other character combinations.

Blessed f & m English (Puritan), African
From the English word "blessed" meaning "having divine aid, or protection, or other blessing; held in veneration; revered", ultimately from Old English blētsian, blēdsian "to consecrate (with blood)".

Bodeum f & m Korean (Modern, Rare)
From the stem of verb 보듬다 (bodeumda) meaning "to embrace, hug, clasp."

Byeong-cheol m Korean
From Sino-Korean 秉 "grasp, hold; bundle; authority" and 哲 "wise, sagacious". A famous bearer is South Korean businessman Lee Byung-chul (1910-1987), founder of the Samsung Group.

Byung-Hee m & f Korean
From Sino-Korean 秉 (byeong) meaning "grasp, hold", "bundle", or "authority" or 丙 (byeong) "third" combined with 熙 (hui) "bright, splendid, glorious". Other hanja combinations are possible.

Dayana f Kazakh
Derived either from Arabic ديانة (diyana) meaning "religion, faith" or Turkish dayan meaning "hold on, endure".

Dhruti f Indian
Goddess Lakshmi is referred to as Dhruti in Lakshmi Sahasranama because she is the embodiment of perseverance, steadfastness, and endurance. She is the one who gives us the strength to overcome challenges and obstacles, and to achieve our goals.... [more]

Dhruti f Sanskrit
Dhruti is a name for Goddess Lakshmi which represents her courage, steadiness, patience and determination. ... [more]

Dildar m & f Persian, Kazakh
Basically means "one who holds a heart", derived from the Persian noun دل (dil) meaning "heart" (see Avtandil) combined with the Persian suffix دار (dar) meaning "possessor" (see Eldar)... [more]

Držimir m Croatian
The first element of this name is derived from Serbo-Croatian držati "to hold", which is ultimately derived from Proto-Slavic dьržati "to hold". The second element is derived from Slavic mir "peace".

Držislav m Croatian
The first element of this name is derived from Serbo-Croatian držati "to hold", which is ultimately derived from Proto-Slavic dьržati "to hold". The second element is derived from Slavic slav "glory".

Echephron m Greek Mythology
The first element of this name is derived from the Greek verb ἔχω (echo) meaning "to have, to hold, to possess". The second element is derived from either the Greek noun φρόνις (phronis) meaning "prudence, wisdom" or the Greek verb φρονέω (phroneo) meaning "to think" as well as "to be minded"... [more]

Echion m Greek Mythology
This name is either derived from Greek ἔχις (echis) meaning "viper" or from Greek ἔχω (echo) meaning "to have, to hold, to possess". Echion is the name of several characters in Greek mythology, one of them being a suitor of Penelope.

Eryx m Greek Mythology
Derived from the Greek verb ἐρύκω (eruko) or (eryko) meaning "to keep in, to curb, to hold back, to restrain". This is the name of several characters in Greek mythology, one of them being a king of the Elymian people from Sicily... [more]

Eryxias m Ancient Greek
Derived from the Greek verb ἐρύκω (eruko) or (eryko) meaning "to keep in, to curb, to hold back, to restrain" (see Eryx). This name was borne by an eponymous archon of Athens, who lived in the 7th century BC.

Eryximachos m Ancient Greek
The first element of this name is derived from the Greek verb ἐρύκω (eruko) or (eryko) meaning "to keep in, to curb, to hold back, to restrain" (see Eryx)... [more]

Eulabios m Late Greek, History (Ecclesiastical)
Derived from the Greek noun εὐλάβεια (eulabeia) meaning "discretion, caution" (see Eulabeia). Also compare the Greek adjective εὐλαβής (eulabes) meaning "taking hold well, holding fast, clinging" as well as "discreet, cautious, undertaking prudently".

Fluonia f Roman Mythology
Derives from fluo, fluere, "to flow," is a form of Juno who retains the nourishing blood within the womb. Women attended to the cult of Juno Fluonia "because she held back the flow of blood (i.e., menstruation) in the act of conception" and pregnancy... [more]

Gangadhara m Hinduism, Kannada, Telugu
Means "holder of the Ganges" from Sanskrit गङ्गा (ganga) referring to the Ganges River and धर (dhara) meaning "holding, bearing"... [more]

Girshel m Georgian (Rare), Literature
Meaning uncertain. According to a Russian source, the name comes from the Yiddish name Hershel, which seems unlikely in the Georgian context. Instead, it is more likely that the name is either Turco-Persian in origin, or fully Persian.... [more]

Haqqi m Bengali
Meaning "Someone Who Holds the Truth".

Hashiki f Swahili
Means “doesn’t hold” in Swahili.

Henioche f Greek Mythology
Derived from Greek ἡνίοχος (hêniochos) meaning "charioteer, driver, one who holds the reins", itself derived in part from the word ἡνία (hênia) "reins, bridle". In Greek mythology this was an epithet of the goddess Hera... [more]

Hiʻilani f & m Hawaiian
Means "held in the arms of heaven," from hiʻi "bear, hold/carry in the arms" and lani meaning "sky, heaven, heavenly, spiritual, royal, exalted, noble, aristocratic."

Hougetsu f Japanese
From Japanese 抱 (Hou) meaning “embrace, hug, to hold in your arms” combined with 月 (Getsu) meaning “moon”

Hyperochus m Greek Mythology
Derived from ῠ̔πέρ (hupér) meaning "above, over, across, beyond" and ὄχος (ókhos) meaning "chariot", or, more broadly, "anything which holds, bears something".

Jehoahaz m Ancient Hebrew
Meaning "God holds fast." Diminutive is Ahaz.

Jehoahaz m Biblical
Means "Yahweh has held" derived from the elements yah the Hebrew god and haz "held"... [more]

Jidenna m Igbo
"Hold the Father"

Kamphon m Thai
From Thai กำ (kam) meaning "grasp, hold, clench" and พล (phon) meaning "force, strength, power".

Ketanji f African American
Means “one who is cherished and held high above others” in Yoruba. A notable bearer is Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson, a Supreme Court Justice.

Lieutenant m African American (Modern, Rare)
From the English word lieutenant.... [more]

Marpesia f Greek Mythology
Derived from Greek μάρπτω (márptô) "to take hold of, to seize, to catch". This was the name of an Amazonian queen in Greek mythology. A chapter is dedicated to Marpesia and her sister Lampedo in Boccaccio's 'On Famous Women' (1374).

Marpessa f Greek Mythology
Derived from Greek μάρπτω (márptô) "to take hold of, to seize, to catch" (cf. Marpesia), with the alleged meaning "the robbed one". In Homer's 'Iliad' this name belonged to the wife of the hero Idas... [more]

Nehmetawy f Egyptian Mythology
From the nḥm.t-ˁw3ỉ; meaning "She who embraces those in need", the name of a minor Ancient Egyptian goddess, the wife of Nehebu-kau or, occasionally, Thoth.

Nephalion m Greek Mythology
Most likely derived from the Greek adjective νηφάλιος (nephalios), which literally means "without wine, holding no wine, unmixed with wine". It refers to abstinence from intoxicating wine (i.e. physical sobriety), so a more figurative meaning of the word would be "sober, clear-headed, temperate"... [more]

Ngimat-ulun m Kelabit
Means "holding on to life" in Kelabit.

Nidra f Indian
The name Nidra is related to the concept of nidra, which is “one of the four states of consciousness in Hindu philosophy”. Nidra is the state of “deep sleep”, where the individual is “unaware of the external world and the inner self”... [more]

Nuit f English (British), Egyptian Mythology
Nuit is the Ancient Egyptian goddess of the heavens, with her name meaning "sky." Originally she was only the goddess of the night sky, but gradually she came to represent the sky in general. Nuit also protects people in the afterlife... [more]

Ochimos m Greek Mythology
Probably derived from the Greek verb ὀχέω (ocheo) meaning "to bear, to carry, to hold fast, to sustain", which is closely related to the Greek verb ἔχω (echo) meaning "to have, to hold, to possess"... [more]

Olopatzicatl m Nahuatl
Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from Nahuatl olotl "shelled corncob; heart of an ear of maize" and patzoa "to squeeze, to crush, to mash (fruit)", combined with the affiliative suffix -catl.

Onjalalaina m & f Malagasy
From the Malagasy onja meaning "wave" and lalaina meaning "loved, held dear".

Pengyue f Chinese
From the Chinese 捧 (pěng) meaning "hold in both hands" and 月 (yuè) meaning "moon".

Quartz m & f English (Rare)
Derived from Middle High German twarc, probably from a West Slavic source (compare Czech tvrdy and Polish twardy, both coming from Old Church Slavonic tvrudu meaning "hard," which is derived from Proto-Slavic *tvrd- and then a Proto-Indo-European root *(s)twer- meaning "to grasp, hold, hard.")... [more]

Quát m Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 括 (quát) meaning "embrace, enclose, encompass".

Quitlemati m Nahuatl
Possibly means "he suffers" or "he makes him suffer" in Nahuatl, derived from tlemati "to suffer something, with regret and anguish". Alternatively, it could derived from tlemaitl "hand-held brazier, clay censer", a device for carrying fire.

Refrain f English (Archaic), English (Puritan)
From the English word refrain meaning "restrain, repress", which ultimately derives from Latin refrenare "bridle, hold in with a bit". This was one of the rarer virtue names adopted by the Puritans, akin to the more popular Temperance.

Rushda f Arabic
Means "following the right course, holding the right beliefs, well-guided, maturity of intellect" in Arabic.

Salisa f Thai
Means "embrace, hug, caress" in Thai.

Samarinde f Dutch, Literature, Popular Culture
The use of this extremely rare name was inspired by a character from the 1992 book "Ik ook van jou" (English: "I love you too" - the literal translation is "I also of you"), who is featured much more prominently in the 2000 sequel "Ik omhels je met duizend armen" (English: "I embrace you with a thousand arms")... [more]

Sawalan m Arabic
Means "be in power, hold sway" in Arabic.

Shashidhara m Hinduism, Kannada
Means "bearer of the moon" in Sanskrit, from शशी (shashi) meaning "moon" and धर (dhara) meaning "holding, bearing". This is an epithet of the Hindu god Shiva.

Shergil m Georgian (Rare)
Means "catcher of lions", derived from the Persian noun شیر (sher) meaning "lion" (see Sher) combined with Persian گیر (gir), which is the present stem of the verb گرفتن (gereftan) or (giriftan) meaning "to take, to catch"... [more]

Shridhara m Hinduism, Sanskrit
Means "holder of Lakshmi" in Sanskrit, from श्री (shri) referring to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi and धर (dhara) meaning "holding, bearing"... [more]

Shuqian f Chinese
From the Chinese 淑 (shū) meaning "kind and gentle" and 谦 (qiān) meaning "humble, modest" , 茜 (qiàn) meaning "madder, reeds" or 骞 (qiān) meaning "raise, hold high, soar".

Taitsiaĸ m Greenlandic
From Greenlandic taatsiisaq or taatsiigaq meaning "the one whom one has held back to mention (name)", from a Greenlandic endearment term: "the fancied mention", carefully not mentioning the name, but expressing endearment nevertheless, because the child was named after a deceased relative, from Greenlandic atsiaq meaning "the one named after a deceased person" and from a hypocoristic word taa(nna)tsiaq meaning "the dear, sweet one".

Tamassuk m & f Arabic
Means "hold on, hold fast" in Arabic.

Tamotsu m Japanese
Derived from the Japanese kanji 保 (tamotsu) meaning "protection" or 維 (tamotsu) meaning "keep; mantain" as well as the combination of two or more characters for example 太 (ta) meaning "big; great" combined with 持 (motsu) meaning "hold; have"... [more]

Toqto'a m Mongolian (Archaic)
Means "stability" or "stopping, holding, settling" in Mongolian.

Tsoma m Shipibo-Conibo
Means "grab, hold on to, grasp" in Shipibo.

Weijian m & f Chinese
From Chinese 伟 (wěi) meaning "great, robust, extraordinary", 维 (wéi) meaning "tie, fasten, preserve, maintain", 惟 (wéi) meaning "alone, only", 卫 (wèi) meaning "guard, protect" or 維 (wéi) meaning "maintain, preserve, hold together" combined with 建 (jiàn) meaning "build, establish", 健 (jiàn) meaning "strong, healthy" or 剑 (jiàn) meaning "sword, dagger sabre"... [more]

Weiming m & f Chinese
From Chinese 维 (wéi) meaning "tie, fasten, preserve, maintain", 維 (wéi) meaning "maintain, preserve, hold together", 微 (wēi) meaning "small" or 伟 (wěi) meaning "great, robust, extraordinary" combined with 明 (míng) meaning "bright, light, clear" or 铭 (míng) meaning "inscribe, engrave"... [more]

Weiyi f Chinese
Derived from 維 (wei) meaning "to tie, to link, to hold together", 薇 (wēi), a type of fern, or 玮 (wěi) meaning "type of jade, rare, valuable" and 儀 (yi) meaning "ceremony, rite", 懿 (yì) meaning "virtuous, admirable", 薏 (yì) meaning "lotus seeds", 忆 (yì) meaning "remember, memory" or 艺 (yì) meaning "art, talent, ability".

Wrestling m English (Puritan)
Old English, frequentative of wrǣstan ‘wrest’. Meaning, "The sport or activity of grappling with an opponent and trying to throw or hold them down on the ground, typically according to a code of rules." Referring to Genesis 32:22-32 in which Jacob wrestles with God... [more]

Xincheng f Chinese
From the Chinese 馨 (xīn) meaning "fragrant, aromatic, distant fragrance" and 承 (chéng) meaning "bear, hold, inherit, receive".

Xiuhtzitzqui m Nahuatl
Derived from Nahuatl xihuitl "year" and tzitzquia "to seize, grasp, take hold of". Often given to boys born during the New Fire ceremony xiuhmolpilli, "the binding of the years", an event held every 52 years to align the Aztec’s ritual calendar with the annual calendar.

Yashodhara f Sanskrit
Means "preserving glory", derived from Sanskrit यशस् (yashas) meaning "fame, praise, glory" and धर (dhara) meaning "holding, maintaining, bearing"... [more]

Yuēná m Chinese
Chinese variant of Yonah, the titular character in the story of Jonah in Abrahamic religions.... [more]

Yuna f Korean
The name can have different meanings. The first syllable can mean "abundant" (yu), "willow" (yu), "child" (yu), "pleased, happy" (yu) and others. The second syllable can mean "hold, catch" (na), "get, reach" (na) or simply be a phonetic character... [more]

Zhaowei f & m Chinese
From Chinese 昭 (zhāo) meaning "bright, luminous" or 钊 (zhāo) meaning "endeavour, strive, encourage" combined with 薇 (wēi) meaning "fern", 纬 (wěi) meaning "weft, woof (a horizontal thread in a woven fabric)", 巍 (wēi) meaning "high, lofty, towering", 玮 (wěi) meaning "precious, rare, valuable, jade" or 维 (wéi) meaning "maintain, preserve, hold together"... [more]

Zhixin m & f Chinese
From Chinese 志 (zhì) meaning "will, purpose, ambition", 致 (zhì) meaning "send, deliver, cause, result in", 智 (zhì) meaning "wisdom, intellect", 之 (zhī), a possessive marker, or 执 (zhí) meaning "grasp, hold" combined with 鑫 (xīn) meaning "wealthy, prosperous", 新 (xīn) meaning "fresh, new" or 信 (xìn) meaning "trust, believe"... [more]