ABERRIAfBasque (Rare, Archaic) Coined in the 19th century, this name means "fatherland; homeland". It was in use until 1939. After the Spanish Civil War, however, women answering to Aberria were forced to change their name due to its "conflict-laden meaning".
ACADIAfAmerican (Rare), Spanish (Mexican, Rare) From the name of a colony in New France in North America, derived from Arcadia and coinciding with Mi'kmaq suffix -akadie, meaning "place of abundance". This is also the name of a National Park in Maine.
ADAUTOmItalian, Spanish, Portuguese Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Adauctus. A bearer of this name was Adauto Puñales (1935-2009), a former Uruguayan politician.
ADROALDOmSpanish, Portuguese Derived from a Germanic name that was apparently composed of the elements odal or uodal "heritage, fatherland" and wald "rule". This name was borne by several Brazilian politicians, such as Adroaldo Mesquita da Costa (1894-1985) and Adroaldo Peixoto Garani (b... [more]
ADUNAfBasque (Rare) From the name of a town in the Basque region of Spain.
ÀGATAfCatalan Catalan form of Agatha. This is also a Catalan word meaning "agate".
AGERmBasque Famous bearer of this name is Spanish professional footballer Ager Aketxe.
AGERKUNDEfBasque (Rare) Derived from Basque agerkunde "appearance, apparition; revelation; Epiphany", Agerkunde is the Basque equivalent of Spanish Epifanía and French Épiphanie (compare also English Epiphany).
AGERNEfBasque (Modern, Rare) Derived from Basque agertu "to reveal; to appear", this name is a fairly recent coinage (most likely by Sabino Arana) intended as a variant of Agerkunde.
AGINARTEfBasque (Rare) Taken from the name of an ancient monastery near Ihabar (in the general area of Navarre). This monastery doesn't exist anymore, however it is known that García Sánchez III of Navarre made a donation to it in 1025.
AGIRIfBasque (Rare) Taken from the name of an ancient village that disappeared around the 1300s. Today, Agiri is the name of a mountain peak.
AGIRREfBasque From the name of a town in the Basque region of Spain.
AGUINALDOmSpanish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Italian (Rare) Meaning "A gift given at Christmas or at the Feast of the Epiphany". It is also a folk genre of Christmas music in several Latin American countries, based on an archaic form of Spanish Christmas carols or villancicos which is traditionally sung on Christmas itself or during the surrounding holiday season.
AHUÑAfBasque (Rare), Basque Mythology From the name of a mountain in the Basque region of Spain whose Basque name Ahuñamendi is derived from Basque ahuña "small goat" and mendi "mountain".... [more]
AIAfBasque (Rare) From the name of a town in the Basque region of Spain.
AITANAfSpanish From Aitana, the name of a mountain range in the province of Alicante, Spain. It was first (?) used as a feminine name by the Spanish poet Rafael Alberti who named his daughter it in 1941. In was then popularised by Spanish-Italian actress Aitana Sánchez-Gijón (born in 1968).
AITZOLmBasque Used by the Basque writer and Catholic priest José de Ariztimuño Olaso (1896-1936), who was killed by the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War. Aitzol was a pseudonym possibly taken from letters in his surname, (A)r(iz)timuño (Ol)aso; or perhaps Aitzol came from the hypothetical Basque place name h(aitz ol)a meaning "quarry, stonemason's workshop" from the words haitz "rock, stone" and ola "workplace, factory".
AITZURIAGAfBasque From the name of a little village near Lizoain (in the general area of Navarre) that disappeared shortly after the 13th century.
AIZAfBasque (Rare), Medieval Basque Feminine form of Aizo, first recorded in Leire in 1127. Its (rare) modern usage might occasionally be influenced by the surname Aiza, meaning "cliff" or "rock" in Basque.
ALBIAfBasque, Spanish (Latin American) Taken from the name of a grotto in the Aralar Range in the Basque Mountains where a dolmen was discovered in 1915, as well as from the name of a suburb of Bilbao where Sabino Arana Goiri was born. Goiri was a writer, creator of the Basque flag, founder of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and is generally considered "the father of Basque nationalism".
ALCEUmCatalan, Portuguese, Romanian, Sicilian Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian and Sicilian form of Alcaeus. Known bearers of this name include Brazilian writer and journalist Alceu Amoroso Lima (1893-1983) and Brazilian soccer player Alceu Rodrigues Simoni Filho (b... [more]
ALDARAfGalician Probably from the Visigothic name Hilduara meaning "battle prudence", composed of the Germanic elements hild "battle" and wars "wise". This was the name of a Galician saint, also known as Saint Ilduaria Eriz, the mother of Saint Rosendo.
ALEGRÍAfSpanish Means "joy, happiness" in Spanish, taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de la Alegría, meaning "Our Lady of Joy".
ALIRIOm & fSpanish (Rare) Origin uncertain, though it could be derived from the Roman name Hilarius or the Greek Hilarion, as suggested by Hanks and Hodges in 'A Dictionary of First Names' (they also go on to note a possible connection with Allyre, the name of a Gallo-Roman saint)... [more]
ALMEDAfSpanish, English, Breton (Archaic) As a Spanish given name, Almeda is a transfer of the Spanish surname which is derived from Almeida, a habitational name from Arabic al-medina "the city". Its use has been influenced by Alameda, a topographic name from Spanish alameda "poplar grove", and ultimately by the Spanish word álamo "poplar".... [more]
ALTAGRACIAfSpanish Means "high grace", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia meaning "Our Lady of High Grace". She is considered the patron saint of the Dominican Republic.
ALTAIRAfEnglish (Modern, Rare), Spanish (Latin American, Modern, Rare), Popular Culture The name of a character in the classic 1956 science fiction film, Forbidden Planet. Altaira Morbius was the daughter of the scientist and space voyager Dr. Edward Morbius. The name Altaira is derived from Altair, the brightest star in the constellation of the Eagle (Aquila).
ALTAMIROmSpanish (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian), Literature This name is either a variant form of Aldemaro or derived from the Spanish locational surname Altamira, which takes its name from a place called Altamiros or Altamira. Both mean "high view" in Spanish, as they consist of the words alta meaning "high" and mira meaning "view, sight"... [more]
ALTOmSpanish, Portuguese, English, Italian, German, Dutch Means "loud, tall, high" in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. Means "old, older" in German. From Latin altus 'high, deep, profound'. Possibly influenced by the Portuguese surname that originated as a nickname for a 'big man', or from the English word referring to 'the musical part or section', or the German saint Alto of Altomünster, or as a diminutive or variant of Alton.
ALVARITOmSpanish Spanish diminutive of Álvaro. A known bearer of this name is the Spanish retired soccer player Álvaro Rodríguez Ros (b. 1936), who is commonly known as Alvarito.
AMANCAYfQuechua, Native American, Spanish (Latin American) The name Amancay comes from the quechua "amánkay". It is the name given to a yellow lily with red streaks native to South America. By extension, the word also means "yellow".... [more]
AMAPOLAfSpanish Amapola is the name by which plants of the genus Papaver Hroeas are known, that is the poppies. One type of poppy to Papave Sonipherum is the plant with which makes up the opium and morphine, because its elements have hallucinogenic and anesthetic power... [more]
AMARISfSpanish (Latin American), English (Modern) Amaris is a modern Latin American elaboration of the Spanish name Amara, a feminine form of Amaro. Amaro comes from the Latin word amarus, meaning "bitter". Amaris coincides with the Latin word amaris, which means "you are loved"... [more]