NoMo519's Personal Name List

Abigail
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Italian, Biblical Portuguese, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: אֲבִיגַיִל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AB-i-gayl(English)
Personal remark: Abby for short! Abigail Anniston or Abby Ann for short?
Rating: 64% based on 31 votes
From the Hebrew name אֲבִיגָיִל (ʾAviḡayil) meaning "my father is joy", derived from the roots אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and גִּיל (gil) meaning "joy". In the Old Testament this is the name of Nabal's wife. After Nabal's death she became the third wife of King David.

As an English name, Abigail first became common after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the Puritans. The biblical Abigail refers to herself as a servant, and beginning in the 17th century the name became a slang term for a servant, especially after the release of the play The Scornful Lady (1616), which featured a character named Abigail. The name went out of fashion at that point, but it was revived in the 20th century.

Anderson
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AN-dər-sən
Personal remark: Andy for short
Rating: 30% based on 28 votes
From a surname meaning "son of Andrew".
Anniston
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Personal remark: Middle name for a daughter. Town where my family is from.
Rating: 29% based on 28 votes
Derived from the name of the city of Anniston in the state of Alabama. The city was founded in the late 19th century by Samuel Noble and Daniel Tyler, who named the city after the latter's daughter-in-law, Annie Tyler. As a result, the meaning of the name is literally "Annie's town".

In some cases, Anniston as a given name can also be a variant spelling of Aniston.

A known bearer of this name is the youngest daughter of American actress Chyler Leigh (b. 1982) and her husband Nathan West (b. 1978).

August
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English
Pronounced: OW-guwst(German) OW-goost(Polish, Norwegian) OW-guyst(Swedish) AW-gəst(English)
Rating: 62% based on 25 votes
German, Polish, Scandinavian and Catalan form of Augustus. This was the name of three Polish kings.

As an English name it can also derive from the month of August, which was named for the Roman emperor Augustus.

Becket
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEK-ət
Rating: 42% based on 28 votes
From a surname which was a variant of the surname Beckett. In some cases it might be given in honour of the English saint Thomas Becket (1118-1170).
Bellamy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Personal remark: Amy for a Nick Name?
Rating: 41% based on 28 votes
From an English surname derived from Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".
Bennett
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHN-it
Personal remark: Love this one! From the Jane Austin books!
Rating: 52% based on 29 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
Personal remark: Middle name?
Rating: 28% based on 27 votes
From an English surname that originally meant "son of Benedict".
Bishop
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BISH-əp
Personal remark: Offensive to Catholics? Love it... character from NCIS.
Rating: 26% based on 28 votes
Either from the English occupational surname, or else directly from the English word. It is ultimately derived from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) meaning "overseer".
Blythe
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BLIEDH
Personal remark: From Anne of Green Gables
Rating: 44% based on 27 votes
From a surname meaning "cheerful" in Old English.
Bradshaw
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Personal remark: My Grandma's Maiden Name. Love it for a Middle Name
Rating: 31% based on 25 votes
Transferred use of the surname Bradshaw.
Caroline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: KA-RAW-LEEN(French) KAR-ə-lien(English) KAR-ə-lin(English) ka-ro-LEE-nə(German, Dutch) ka-ro-LEEN(Dutch)
Personal remark: So Classic. Love for a middle name
Rating: 75% based on 30 votes
French feminine form of Carolus.
Coleman
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: KOL-mən(English)
Personal remark: Really liking this one!
Rating: 24% based on 27 votes
Anglicized form of Colmán.
Collin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHL-in, KOL-in
Rating: 48% based on 25 votes
Variant of Colin 2.
Cooper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KOO-pər
Rating: 30% based on 27 votes
From a surname meaning "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.
Corbin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAWR-bin
Rating: 45% based on 13 votes
From a French surname that was derived from corbeau "raven", originally denoting a person who had dark hair. The name was probably popularized in America by actor Corbin Bernsen (1954-) [1].
Davis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAY-vis
Rating: 38% based on 12 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the given name David. A famous bearer of the surname was Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), the only president of the Confederate States of America.
Dawson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAW-sən
Personal remark: Seems special to me... I like it.
Rating: 34% based on 25 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.
Elizabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ə-bəth(English)
Personal remark: Best friends name. Classic. Middle name option
Rating: 78% based on 33 votes
From Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾElishevaʿ) meaning "my God is an oath", derived from the roots אֵל (ʾel) referring to the Hebrew God and שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist.

Among Christians, this name was originally more common in Eastern Europe. It was borne in the 12th century by Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a daughter of King Andrew II who used her wealth to help the poor. In medieval England it was occasionally used in honour of the saint, though the form Isabel (from Occitan and Spanish) was more common. It has been very popular in England since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. In American name statistics (as recorded since 1880) it has never ranked lower than 30, making it the most consistently popular name for girls in the United States.

Besides Elizabeth I, this name has been borne (in various spellings) by many other European royals, including a ruling empress of Russia in the 18th century. Famous modern bearers include the British queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).

Emerson
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ər-sən
Rating: 35% based on 23 votes
From an English surname meaning "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.
Harper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-pər
Personal remark: Too Trendy?
Rating: 47% based on 27 votes
From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who played or made harps (Old English hearpe). A notable bearer was the American author Harper Lee (1926-2016), who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. It rapidly gained popularity in the 2000s and 2010s, entering the American top ten for girls in 2015.
Kirby
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KUR-bee
Personal remark: My mothers maiden name. Like it for a Middle Name.
Rating: 28% based on 26 votes
From an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning "church settlement" in Old Norse. This name briefly spiked in popularity for American girls in 1982 after the character Kirby Anders Colby was introduced to the soap opera Dynasty.
Laramie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Rare)
Pronounced: LEHR-ə-mee
Personal remark: The cutest little girl I know is named this... its cute on her!
Rating: 33% based on 26 votes
As an American given name, this is likely taken from the name of multiple places in the state of Wyoming (see also Laramie), which were themselves derived from the French surname Laramie and named for Jacques LaRamie (1784-1821?), a Canadian frontiersman and explorer.
Lincoln
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LING-kən
Rating: 55% based on 26 votes
From an English surname that was originally from the name of an English city, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". This name is usually given in honour of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.
Lydia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λυδία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LID-ee-ə(English) LUY-dya(German) LEE-dee-ya(Dutch)
Personal remark: Seems so proper... I really like it
Rating: 68% based on 29 votes
Means "from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king Lydos. In the New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the Protestant Reformation.
Maggie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAG-ee
Personal remark: Nick name?
Rating: 47% based on 23 votes
Diminutive of Margaret.
Margaret
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAHR-grit, MAHR-gə-rit
Personal remark: So formal... but I like it
Rating: 68% based on 31 votes
Derived from Latin Margarita, which was from Greek μαργαρίτης (margarites) meaning "pearl", a word that was probably ultimately a borrowing from an Indo-Iranian language. Saint Margaret, the patron of expectant mothers, was martyred at Antioch in the 4th century. Later legends told of her escape from a dragon, with which she was often depicted in medieval art. The saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and her name has been widely used in the Christian world.

As an English name it has been very popular since the Middle Ages. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, but it declined in the latter half of the 20th century.

Other saints by this name include a queen of Scotland and a princess of Hungary. It was also borne by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, who united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in the 14th century. Famous literary bearers include American writer Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949), the author of Gone with the Wind, and Canadian writer Margaret Atwood (1939-). Others include American anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).

Mason
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-sən
Rating: 26% based on 11 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.
Montgomery
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mənt-GUM-ə-ree, mənt-GUM-ree
Personal remark: Middle name option?
Rating: 43% based on 24 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.
Peyton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAY-tən
Personal remark: Too Trendy?
Rating: 35% based on 26 votes
From an English surname, originally a place name meaning "Pæga's town". This was a rare masculine name until the 1990s. In 1992 it was used for a female character in the movie The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and, despite the fact that it was borne by the villain, the name began to rise in popularity for girls as well as boys [1].

Famous bearers include Peyton Randolph (1721-1775), the first president of the Continental Congress, and American football quarterback Peyton Manning (1976-).

Piper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PIE-pər
Personal remark: Unique?! Rhymes with too many things?
Rating: 38% based on 25 votes
From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series Charmed, which debuted in 1998 [1].
Reagan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RAY-gən
Rating: 40% based on 26 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Riagáin, derived from the given name Riagán. This surname was borne by American actor and president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).

As a given name, it took off in popularity during the 1990s. It has been more common for girls in the United States probably because of its similarity to other names such as Megan, Morgan and Regan.

Riley
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RIE-lee
Rating: 50% based on 23 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.

Ruby
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROO-bee
Personal remark: Just love this for a nick name... or first name.
Rating: 69% based on 28 votes
Simply from the name of the precious stone (which ultimately derives from Latin ruber "red"), which is the traditional birthstone of July. It came into use as a given name in the 16th century [1].
Ryann
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: rie-AN
Rating: 24% based on 26 votes
Feminine form of Ryan.
Rylan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RIE-lən
Rating: 22% based on 10 votes
Possibly a variant of Ryland, though it could also be an invented name inspired by other names like Ryan and Riley.
Saylor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAY-lər
Rating: 23% based on 26 votes
From an English surname that was derived from Old French sailleor meaning "acrobat, dancer". As a modern English given name it could also come from the homophone vocabulary word sailor.
Sheridan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHEHR-i-dən
Personal remark: Named after my Grandma Sherry.
Rating: 42% based on 23 votes
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Sirideáin), which was derived from the given name Sirideán possibly meaning "searcher".
Sloane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SLON
Rating: 38% based on 26 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Sluaghadháin, itself derived from the given name Sluaghadhán.
Sophia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek, German, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σοφία(Greek)
Pronounced: so-FEE-ə(English) sə-FIE-ə(British English) so-FEE-a(Greek) zo-FEE-a(German)
Rating: 64% based on 31 votes
Means "wisdom" in Greek. This was the name of an early, probably mythical, saint who died of grief after her three daughters were martyred during the reign of the emperor Hadrian. Legends about her probably arose as a result of a medieval misunderstanding of the phrase Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom", which is the name of a large basilica in Constantinople.

This name was common among continental European royalty during the Middle Ages, and it was popularized in Britain by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century. It was the name of characters in the novels Tom Jones (1749) by Henry Fielding and The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) by Oliver Goldsmith.

In the United States this name was only moderately common until the 1990s when it began rising in popularity, eventually becoming the most popular for girls from 2011 to 2013. A famous bearer is the Italian actress Sophia Loren (1934-).

Stratton
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Personal remark: Best friends name. Middle name option?
Rating: 22% based on 26 votes
Transferred use of the surname Stratton.
Sydney
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SID-nee
Personal remark: Syd for Short
Rating: 48% based on 26 votes
From a surname that was a variant of the surname Sidney. This is the name of the largest city in Australia, which was named for Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney in 1788. Formerly used by both genders, since the 1980s this spelling of the name has been mostly feminine.
Thomas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Greek, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θωμάς(Greek) Θωμᾶς(Ancient Greek) തോമസ്(Malayalam)
Pronounced: TAHM-əs(American English) TAWM-əs(British English) TAW-MA(French) TO-mas(German) TO-mahs(Dutch) tho-MAS(Greek)
Personal remark: Grandpa's name. Definitely want this for a middle name
Rating: 72% based on 29 votes
Greek form of the Aramaic name תְּאוֹמָא (Teʾoma) meaning "twin". In the New Testament this is the name of an apostle. When he heard that Jesus had risen from the dead he initially doubted the story, until Jesus appeared before him and he examined his wounds himself. According to tradition he was martyred in India. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world.

In England the name was used by the Normans and became very popular due to Saint Thomas Becket, a 12th-century archbishop of Canterbury and martyr. It was reliably among the top five most common English names for boys from the 13th to the 19th century, and it has remained consistently popular to this day.

Another notable saint by this name was the 13th-century Italian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas, who is regarded as a Doctor of the Church. Other famous bearers include philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), American president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), novelist Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), and inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).

behindthename.com   ·   Copyright © 1996-2024