ArvirargusmOld Celtic, Literature Possibly a Latinized form of an old Celtic name, composed of the elements ard "high, paramount" and rhaig "king". This was the name of a legendary, possibly historical, British king of the 1st century AD... [more]
AsoposmGreek Mythology Possibly derived from a combination of the root of Greek ἄσις (asis) meaning "mud, slime" and Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- meaning "water". It has also been compared to the elements (asbolos) meaning "soot" and (ops) meaning "face, eye"... [more]
AssivusmMedieval Occitan (Latinized) Possibly derived from Latin asservo "watch over, observe". This name was recorded in Gascony, between 1283 and 1286.
AstyanaxmAncient Greek, Greek Mythology Means "city lord" or "lord of the city", derived from Greek ἄστυ (asty) meaning "city, town" and ἄναξ (anax) meaning "master, lord, chief".... [more]
AthenagorasmAncient Greek Derived from Greek Ᾰ̓θῆναι (Athenai) meaning "Athens (city)" (ultimately from the name of the goddess Athena) and either ἀγορά (agora) meaning "assembly, marketplace" or ἀγορεύω (agoreuo) meaning "to speak, proclaim, orate; to speak publicly"... [more]
AthenophanesmAncient Greek Means "Athens manifest" or "manifestation of Athena", derived from either the name of the city Athens or the eponymous goddess Athena combined with Greek φανής (phanes) meaning "seeming, appearing".
AtsamazmCaucasian Mythology, Ossetian Meaning uncertain, most likely of Alanian origin. In Caucasian mythology Atsamaz is a musician who plays a magical golden pipe. He is also a hero in the Nart sagas.
AtsyrukhsfOssetian Mythology, Ossetian (Rare) From Ossetian ацы (atsy) meaning "present, real, true" and рухс (rukhs) meaning "light". This is the name of a character in the Nart sagas, the daughter of the god Khur.
AttagaresfGuanche From Guanche *hata-tagarest, meaning "here is the frost". This was recorded as the name of a 5-year-old Guanche girl from Tenerife who was sold at the slave market in Valencia in 1494.
AttikusmGreek Original spelling of the name Atticus. This name come from the Greek Ἀττικός Attikos means "from Attika" and was popularly used for Greek nobles.
AtysmAncient Greek, Lydian Derived from an unknown Lydian name. This was the name of a legendary early king of Lydia in Greek mythology. It was also the name of a son of Croesus, a later king of Lydia.
AudrosmBaltic Mythology Means "storm" from Lithuanian audros meaning "storms". Audros is the god of storms in Lithuanian Mythology.
AureusmLate Roman Means "golden, gilded" in Latin, from aurum "gold" (see Aurea). An aureus was also a gold coin of ancient Rome, equivalent to 25 denarii. This was the name of a Christian saint who was martyred in the 5th century with his sister Saint Justina at the cathedral of Mainz in Germany; they were killed by invading Huns while celebrating Mass.
AuritzmBasque (Modern, Rare) Tranferred use of the name of a town in Navarre (officially named Burguete-Auritz). The toponym may come originally from the forename Aurius.
AusiàsmCatalan Catalan form of Alzeas (via the variants Auzias and Elzéar), itself an Occitan form of Eleazar.
AxiochosmAncient Greek Means "of value, one who has value", derived from Greek ἀξία (axia) meaning "worth, value" and ἔχω (echo) meaning "to have, possess, hold".
BarabasmTheatre, English (Puritan) Variant of Barabbas. In literature, this is the name of the main character in Christopher Marlowe's play The Jew of Malta (ca. 1590).
BaronessfEnglish (Rare) Perhaps from Celtic or from Frankish *baro* "freeman, man" or another Germanic source. In England, the word merged with (probably) cognate Old English *beorn* "nobleman."
BarszmHungarian (Archaic) Ultimately of Turkic origin, the meaning of this name is "panther". Also compare modern Turkish pars meaning "leopard, panther".
BeatrijsfDutch, Flemish, Literature Dutch form of Beatrix. A notable bearer of this name is the Blessed Beatrijs of Nazareth (1200-1268), a Flemish Cistercian nun who is known as Beatrice in English.... [more]
BeezusfLiterature In the case of the character from Beverly Cleary's 'Ramona' book series, it originated as a nursery form of Beatrice (her real name), given to her by her younger sister.
BesmEgyptian Mythology Etymology uncertain. It could derive from Nubian bes "cat". It could also be from Egyptian bs "flame" or bz "to be initiated, to introduce". Bes is an ancient Egyptian deity worshipped as a protector of households, particularly mothers, children, and childbirth... [more]
BixmAmerican Diminutive of Bismark. Famously borne by American jazz legend, Bix Beiderbecke, who was a reknowned cornetist and pianist during the 1920s.
BlaesusmAncient Roman Roman cognomen derived from Latin blaesus "lisping, stammering".
BleizmBreton Derived from Breton bleiz "wolf; gray" and thus nowadays commonly considered the Breton equivalent of French Loup, this name was in former times also used as a phonetic approximation to Blois and given in honor of the Blessed Charles of Blois, Duke of Brittany.... [more]
Bootsm & fEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Boots or a nickname whose meaning is particular to the bearer.... [more]
BossmAmerican Possibly transferred use of the surname Boss, or taken from the English word boss, meaning "one who is in charge", from Middle Dutch baes "master of a household, friend"... [more]
Bracem & fEnglish Likely intended as a variant of Brice. Middle English (as a verb meaning ‘clasp, fasten tightly’) from Old French bracier ‘embrace’, from brace ‘two arms’, from Latin bracchia, plural of bracchium ‘arm’, from Greek brakhiōn.
BrandisfAmerican (Modern) Apparently a modern invented name, blending Brandy with Candice (or Beatrice), though it coincides with a surname which was taken from a place name (either "from from a former Brandis castle in Emmental near Bern, Switzerland, or from any of the places so named in Saxony, Germany", or from the Czech town of Brandýs, on the Labe (Elbe) river (German Brandeis)).
BrassmEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Brass. Alternately, could be taken directly from the English word brass, a metal alloy of copper and zinc, possibly derived from Proto-Germanic brasō "fire, pyre"... [more]
BronxmEnglish Transferred use of the place name Bronx. It began gaining popularity as a given name after singers Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson used it for their son in 2008.
BruguersfCatalan (Rare) From the Catalan title of the Virgin Mary, Mare de Déu de Bruguers, meaning "Mother of God of Bruguers." She is venerated at the hermitage in the municipality of Gavà in the comarca of Baix Llobregat, hence the high concentration of its usage in that comarca.
ButtsmAmerican (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Butts or a nickname with meaning particular to the bearer. Notable namesake, professional baseball player, Albert "Butts" Wagner was the older brother of baseball great Honus Wagner.
CacusmGreek Mythology (Latinized), Roman Mythology Derived from Greek κᾰκός (kakos), meaning "bad". In Greek and Roman mythology, Cacus was a giant and the son of Vulcan. He was killed by Hercules after terrorizing the Aventine Hill before the founding of Rome.
CaelusmRoman Mythology Means "sky" or "the heavens" in Latin (related to the word caelum). Caelus is the Roman god of the sky, the equivalent of the Greek god Uranus.
CaithnessmLiterature Meaning unknown, possibly a transferred usage of the place name Caithness as a given name. He appeared in the Shakespearean play, Macbeth.
CalchasmGreek Mythology (Latinized) Latinized form of Greek Κάλχας (Kalchas), which is perhaps derived from Greek χαλκός (chalkos) "bronze". Calchas was a seer featured in Homer's 'Iliad', famous for correctly predicting many events of the Trojan War... [more]
CalpusmAncient Roman Likely derived from the Latin root "calpus", which means "pale" or "fair". It may also have been used as a variant of names that are associated with calvus, meaning "bald" in Latin.
CamarismLiterature Camaris sa-Vinitta is an original character created by fantasy Author, Tad Williams. Camaris comes from the Greek καμαρης meaning 'pride'. Camaris also means 'chamber' in Latin.
CanismAstronomy From the dog constellation "Canis Major", who who loyally follows its mythical master, Orion across the southern skies of winter.
CanopusmAncient Greek (Latinized), Astronomy The name of the second-brightest star in the night sky. It is possibly derived from Greek Κάνωβος (Kanobos), of uncertain meaning, possibly related to Arabic جَنُوب (janub), meaning "south"... [more]
CaressfEnglish (American, Rare), African American (Rare) Directly from the English word caress meaning "an act or expression of kindness or affection", ultimately from Latin carus "beloved". A fictional bearer was Cassandra 'Caress' Morell, a prominent character on the American soap opera Dynasty, who appeared on the show in 1986... [more]
CaressefEnglish (Rare) From the French word caresse meaning "caress", ultimately from Latin carus "dear, beloved". This name was borne by Caresse Crosby (1892-1970), original name Mary 'Polly' Phelps Jacob, an American socialite and the inventor of the modern bra... [more]
ČeslovasmLithuanian Lithuanian form of Czesław. A known bearer of this name was the Lithuanian composer Česlovas Sasnauskas (1867-1916).
CethegusmLate Roman A Roman cognomen of unknown meaning. One bearer of this name was Gaius Cornelius Cethegus who was a consul of the Roman Republic in 197 BC.
Challisf & mEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the surname Challis. This is also a word (possibly derived from the surname) for a type of fine fabric. Alternatively, this could be a variant of Chalice.
Chaosm & fGreek Mythology (Latinized), English (Rare) From the English word meaning "gaping void," ultimately from the Greek khaos "abyss, that which gapes wide open, is vast and empty." In Hesiod's 'Theogeny,' Chaos is the primeval emptiness of the Universe, who gave birth to Gaea (Mother Earth), Tartarus (embodiment of the underworld), Eros (god of love), Erebus (embodiment of silence), and Nyx (embodiment of night).
ChresefEnglish (Modern, Rare) Variant of Charisse, notable person is Chrese Evans, originally named Olga Peters, granddaughter of Joseph Stalin, dictator of the Soviet Union.
Chrysalism & fEnglish (Rare), Filipino (Rare) From the word referring to the pupa of a butterfly or moth or the cocoon where the pupa is enclosed inside, derived via Latin from Ancient Greek χρυσαλλίς (khrusallís), from χρυσός (khrusós) meaning "gold."... [more]
ChrysonicusmAncient Roman Roman cognomen borrowed from Ancient Greek Χρυσόνικος (Khrysonikos), derived from χρυσός (chrysos) meaning "gold" and νίκη (nike) meaning "victory".
CíesfGalician (Modern) Given after Cíes Islands in Galicia (Spain), itself possibly from the Proto-Indo-European root *seikw ("to dry").
CirrusmEnglish (Rare) Possibly named for the cirrus cloud or from the Latin word, meaning "a lock of hair, tendril, curl, ringlet of hair," that the word originates from.
ClaasmDutch Variant spelling of Klaas. The spelling of this short form is actually based on Nicolaas, whereas the short form Klaas is based on Nikolaas.
CoalhousemLiterature Appears in the novel (1975), movie (1981) and musical (1998) Ragtime, on the character Coalhouse Walker Junior, and his son, Coalhouse Walker III. The writer of Ragtime, E. L. Doctorow, was inspired to name Coalhouse Jr... [more]
CornielsmDutch Derived from Cornelius or a blend of the name Cor with Niels 2, this name is quite, quite rare in The Netherlands and had only 5 bearers in the 2006 statistics for Dutch names.
Corpusf & mSpanish, American (Hispanic, Rare), English (American, Rare) Borrowed from Latin corpus meaning "body," more specifically referring, in this case, to the Body of Christ (Corpus Christi). This name, sometimes used with the full name Corpus Christi, is usually given to children born on or around the feast day of Corpus Christi.
CortesfSpanish (European, Rare) From the titles of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Cortes and La Virgen de Cortes, meaning "Our Lady of Cortes" and "The Virgin of Cortes" respectively (coincides with the words meaning "cut; style, type" or "courts").... [more]
CrucesfSpanish (European, Rare) Plural form of Cruz, taken from the titles of the Virgin Mary La Virgen de las Cruces and Nuestra Señora de las Cruces, meaning "The Virgin of the Crosses" and "Our Lady of the Crosses" respectively... [more]
CuadrosfSpanish (European, Rare) From the title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de Cuadros (Our Lady of Cuadros), native to the town of Bedmar y Garcíez in the province of Jaén, Spain. The name ultimately comes from the river next to its Marian sanctuary, river Cuadros (meaning "squares").
CumulusmEnglish (Rare) Derived from the English-speaking word cumulus, a type of cloud. Cumulus stems from the Latin word "cumulo", which means "pile, heap, or accumulate".
DatiusmAncient Roman Form of Dacius. This was the name of the Bishop of Milan who defended the will of Catholicism from the rampaging heresies of his day.
DatusmDutch (Rare, Archaic) Possibly derived from Latin datus, meaning "given, offered" or "gift". In the Netherlands, it was occasionally given as a middle name in the nineteenth century, but it is not used at all these days.
DaulisfGreek Mythology Etymology uncertain, possibly derived from Greek δαῦλος (daulos) meaning "bushy, leafy, dense", "forest, thicket", and figuratively "intricate, inscrutable", or from the related δαλός (dalos) meaning "firebrand, torch"... [more]
DeinarchosmAncient Greek Derived from Greek δεινός (deinos) meaning "terrible, fearsome; mighty, powerful" and ἀρχός (archos) meaning "ruler, leader, master".
DeinolochosmAncient Greek Derived from Greek δεινός (deinos) meaning "terrible, fearsome; mighty, powerful" and λόχος (lochos) meaning "ambush, trap".
DeinosthenesmAncient Greek Derived from Greek δεινός (deinos) meaning "terrible, fearsome; mighty, powerful" and σθένος (sthenos) meaning "vigour, strength".
DeiphobosmGreek Mythology Derived from Greek δήϊος (deios) meaning "hostile, destructive; burning" as well as "unhappy, wretched", related to δηϊόω (deioo) meaning "to slay, to cut down" (see Deianeira), and φόβος (phobos) meaning "fear, terror, panic; awe, reverence" as well as "flight, retreat".
DeliverancefEnglish (Puritan) From the English word deliverance meaning "action of setting free" in physical or spiritual senses. An especially common name given in regard to the perils of child birth.
DelphosmAncient Greek, Greek Mythology Derived from the Greek word adelphos, meaning "brother". In Greek mythology this was the name of a man whom the name of the Greek city is derived from... [more]