NamesAreTreasures's Personal Name List
Achilles
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀχιλλεύς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ə-KIL-eez(English) a-KEEL-lehs(Latin)
From the Greek
Ἀχιλλεύς (Achilleus), which is of unknown meaning, perhaps derived from Greek
ἄχος (achos) meaning
"pain" or else from the name of the Achelous River. This was the name of a warrior in Greek legend, one of the central characters in
Homer's
Iliad. The bravest of the Greek heroes in the war against the Trojans, he was eventually killed by an arrow to his heel, the only vulnerable part of his body.
This name was sometimes used as a personal name, and was borne by a few early saints, including a Roman soldier martyred with Nereus in the 1st century.
Ádhamh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: OW, AV
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)
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.
Adrien
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-DREE-YEHN
Ahmaud
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Aindréas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: AN-ryehs
Akira
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 昭, 明, 亮, 晶, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あきら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KYEE-RA
From Japanese
昭 (akira) meaning "bright",
明 (akira) meaning "bright" or
亮 (akira) meaning "clear". Other kanji with the same pronunciation can also form this name. A famous bearer was the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), given name written
明.
Akita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Pronounced: AH-KEE-TAH
Alden
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AWL-dən
From a surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Ealdwine.
Aldric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare), Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AL-DREEK(French)
From a Germanic name, derived from the elements
alt "old" and
rih "ruler, king".
Saint Aldric was a 9th-century bishop of Le Mans.
Alejo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: a-LEH-kho
Aleksei
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Алексей(Russian)
Pronounced: u-lyi-KSYAY
Aleksey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Алексей(Russian)
Pronounced: u-lyi-KSYAY
Russian form of
Alexius. This name was borne by a 14th-century Metropolitan of Kiev who is regarded as a
saint in the Orthodox Church. It was also the name of a 17th-century tsar of Russia.
Alexandriana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Rare)
Alexandrianna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Alexandro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Louisiana Creole, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Alexei
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Алексей(Russian)
Pronounced: u-lyi-KSYAY
Alexey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Алексей(Russian)
Pronounced: u-lyi-KSYAY
Alexina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: al-ik-SEE-nə
Ali 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Pashto, Indonesian, Malay, Avar, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, Dhivehi, Albanian, Bosnian
Other Scripts: عليّ(Arabic) علی(Persian, Urdu) علي(Pashto) ГӀали(Avar) Әли(Kazakh) Али(Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Russian) Алӣ(Tajik) ޢަލީ(Dhivehi)
Pronounced: ‘A-leey(Arabic) a-LEE(Persian, Turkish, Tajik Persian) A-lee(Indonesian, Malay) u-LYEE(Russian)
Means
"lofty, sublime" in Arabic, from the root
علا (ʿalā) meaning "to be high". Ali ibn Abi Talib was a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet
Muhammad and the fourth caliph to rule the Muslim world. His followers were the original Shia Muslims, who regard him as the first rightful caliph.
This name is borne by the hero in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, the tale of a man who finds the treasure trove of a band of thieves. Another famous bearer was the boxer Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), who changed his name from Cassius Clay upon his conversion to Islam.
Alisia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Alyssia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ə-LIS-ee-ə
Amaterasu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese Mythology
Other Scripts: 天照(Japanese Kanji) あまてらす(Japanese Hiragana) アマテラス(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: A-MA-TEH-RA-SOO(Japanese)
Means
"shining over heaven", from Japanese
天 (ama) meaning "heaven, sky" and
照 (terasu) meaning "shine". This was the name of the Japanese sun goddess, the ruler of the heavens. She was born when
Izanagi washed his left eye after returning from the underworld. At one time the Japanese royal family claimed descent from her.
Ambroise
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AHN-BRWAZ
French form of
Ambrosius (see
Ambrose).
Amen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Anglicized)
Pronounced: AH-mən(English)
Anastasiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Анастасия(Russian, Bulgarian) Анастасія(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: u-nu-stu-SYEE-yə(Russian) u-nu-stu-SYEE-yu(Ukrainian) a-na-sta-SYEE-ya(Belarusian) a-na-sta-SEE-ya(Bulgarian)
Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of
Anastasia. This name was borne by the wife of the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible.
Andrea 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: an-DREH-a
Italian form of
Andreas (see
Andrew). A notable bearer of this name was Andrea Verrocchio, a Renaissance sculptor who taught Leonardo da Vinci and Perugino.
Andrej
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Андреј(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: AN-dray(Czech, Slovak)
Form of
Andrew in several languages.
Andro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian, Georgian
Other Scripts: ანდრო(Georgian)
Croatian form of
Andrew, as well as a Georgian short form of
Andria.
Aneira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: a-NAY-ra
Feminine form of
Aneirin, also considered a combination of Welsh
an, an intensifying prefix, and
eira "snow" (see
Eira 1), with the intended meaning of "much snow" or "very snowy". It was first used in the late 19th century.
Annika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Dutch, Finnish, Estonian, German, English (Modern)
Pronounced: AN-ni-ka(Swedish) AH-nee-ka(Dutch) AHN-nee-kah(Finnish) A-nee-ka(German) AN-i-kə(English) AHN-i-kə(English)
Asa
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: אָסָא(Hebrew)
Pronounced: AY-sə(English)
Possibly means
"healer" in Hebrew. This name was borne by the third king of Judah, as told in the
Old Testament.
Ashli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ASH-lee
Audric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gascon, French (Modern), French (Belgian, Modern)
Audrick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Modern, Rare), French (Belgian, Modern, Rare)
Auliver
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Italian
Pronounced: AH-li-vər(English) AW-li-ver(English)
A variant of
Oliver.
This is the name of a Medieval Italian who wrote the lyric poem 'Cazone di Auliver' (circa early 14th century).
He was also known by the name Dominus Auliverius.
Avabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Avabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Avan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Sanskrit, Indian, Tamil, Telugu, Nepali, Sinhalese, Indian (Sikh), Bengali
Other Scripts: अवन(Sanskrit, Hindi, Nepali)
Pronounced: Av-one(Sanskrit) avan(Sanskrit)
Meaning, "favour, preservation, protection,(= तर्पण) satisfaction , joy, pleasure, desire, speed, preserving, a preserver."
Azariah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: עֲזַרְיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: az-ə-RIE-ə(English)
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.
Baruch
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin, Hebrew
Other Scripts: בָּרוּך(Hebrew)
Pronounced: bə-ROOK(English) BEHR-uwk(English) BAHR-uwk(English)
From the Hebrew name
בָּרוּך (Baruḵ) meaning
"blessed". In the
Old Testament this is the name of a companion of the prophet Jeremiah, acting as his scribe and assistant. The deuterocanonical Book of Baruch was supposedly written by him. A famous bearer was Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), a Dutch-Jewish rationalist philosopher.
Beach
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Beacon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Bellagrace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Benito
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Italian
Pronounced: beh-NEE-to
Spanish contracted form of
Benedicto. This name was borne by Mexican president Benito Juárez (1806-1872). Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), the fascist dictator of Italy during World War II, was named after Juárez.
Beowulf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon Mythology
Pronounced: BAY-ə-wuwlf(English)
Possibly means
"bee wolf" (in effect equal to "bear") from Old English
beo "bee" and
wulf "wolf". Alternatively, the first element may be
beadu "battle". This is the name of the main character in the anonymous 8th-century epic poem
Beowulf. Set in Denmark, the poem tells how he slays the monster Grendel and its mother at the request of King
Hroðgar. After this Beowulf becomes the king of the Geats. The conclusion of the poem tells how Beowulf, in his old age, slays a dragon but is himself mortally wounded in the act.
Beryl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHR-əl
From the English word for the clear or pale green precious stone, ultimately deriving from Sanskrit. As a given name, it first came into use in the 19th century.
Blaine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BLAYN
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the Old Irish given name
Bláán.
Blaise
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: BLEHZ
From the Roman name
Blasius, which was derived from Latin
blaesus meaning
"lisping".
Saint Blaise was a 4th-century Armenian martyr. A famous bearer was the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).
Blayze
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: BLAYZ(American English)
Blaze
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BLAYZ
Modern variant of
Blaise influenced by the English word
blaze.
Bonaventure
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, History (Ecclesiastical)
Pronounced: BAW-NA-VAHN-TUYR(French) bahn-ə-VEHN-chər(English)
French and English form of
Bonaventura. As a French name it is most common in Francophone Africa, while as an English name it is mostly used in reference to the
saint.
Branwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: BRAN-wehn(Welsh)
Means
"white raven" from Old Welsh
bran "raven" and
gwen "white, blessed". According to the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi [1] she was the daughter of
Llŷr. After she was mistreated by her husband Matholwch, the king of Ireland, she managed to get a message to her brother
Brân, the king of Britain. Brân launched a costly invasion to rescue her, but she died of grief shortly after her return.
Brennus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gaulish (Latinized)
Pronounced: BREHN-əs(English)
Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either "king, prince" or "raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.
Bronwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BRAWN-wehn
Seemingly derived from Welsh
bron "breast" and
gwen "white, blessed", though it has sometimes occurred as a variant spelling of the legendary name
Branwen [1]. It has been used as a given name in Wales since the 19th century. It is borne by a character in Richard Llewellyn's 1939 novel
How Green Was My Valley, as well as the 1941 movie adaptation.
Bruna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Croatian
Pronounced: BROO-na(Italian)
Bumper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
From the English word “bumper”. A famous bearer of this name is American football player, Bumper Pool.
Cacey
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Caelie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KAY-lee
Caelum
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: KIE-loom(Latin) KAY-ləm(English)
The name of a faint constellation in the southern sky, which is from Latin
caelum meaning "heaven, sky" (compare
Caelius) or (allegedly) "burin" (a tool for engraving on copper or other metals).
Caileigh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KAY-lee
Caleb
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Other Scripts: כָּלֵב(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: KAY-ləb(English)
Most likely related to Hebrew
כֶּלֶב (kelev) meaning
"dog" [1]. An alternate theory connects it to Hebrew
כֹּל (kol) meaning "whole, all of"
[2] and
לֵב (lev) meaning "heart"
[3]. In the
Old Testament this is the name of one of the twelve spies sent by
Moses into Canaan. Of the Israelites who left Egypt with Moses, Caleb and
Joshua were the only ones who lived to see the Promised Land.
As an English name, Caleb came into use after the Protestant Reformation. It was common among the Puritans, who introduced it to America in the 17th century.
Cambyses
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Persian (Latinized), History
Other Scripts: 𐎣𐎲𐎢𐎪𐎡𐎹(Old Persian)
Latin form of
Καμβύσης (Kambyses), the Greek form of the Old Persian name
𐎣𐎲𐎢𐎪𐎡𐎹 (Kabujiya), which is of uncertain meaning, possibly related to the geographical name
Kamboja, a historical region in Central Asia
[1]. Two Persian kings bore this name, including Cambyses II, the second ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, who conquered Egypt.
Carilyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Carina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Late Roman
Pronounced: kə-REE-nə(English) ka-REE-na(Spanish, German)
Late Latin name derived from
cara meaning
"dear, beloved". This was the name of a 4th-century
saint and martyr. It is also the name of a constellation in the southern sky, though in this case it means "keel" in Latin, referring to a part of
Jason's ship the Argo.
Carine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KA-REEN
French form of
Carina 1. It can also function as a short form of
Catherine, via Swedish
Karin.
Carlen
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Carley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAHR-lee
Carlyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Caro
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, German
Pronounced: KAYR-o(Spanish) KAHR-o(English) KAR-o(English) KAH-ro(German)
Short form of
Caroline or other names that begin with
caro, commonly used in Great Britain (England).
Carter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHR-tər
From an English surname that meant "one who uses a cart". A famous bearer of the surname is former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).
Cassius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: KAS-see-oos(Latin) KASH-əs(English) KAS-ee-əs(English)
Roman family name that was possibly derived from Latin
cassus meaning
"empty, vain". This name was borne by several early
saints. In modern times, it was the original first name of boxer Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), who was named after his father Cassius Clay, who was himself named after the American abolitionist Cassius Clay (1810-1903).
Chaplin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: CHAP-lin
Transferred use of the surname
Chaplin.
Charles
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: CHAHRLZ(English) SHARL(French)
French and English form of
Carolus, the Latin form of the Germanic name
Karl, which was derived from a word meaning
"man" (Proto-Germanic *
karlaz). However, an alternative theory states that it is derived from the common Germanic name element *
harjaz meaning "army".
The popularity of the name in continental Europe was due to the fame of Charles the Great (742-814), commonly known as Charlemagne, a king of the Franks who came to rule over most of Europe. His grandfather Charles Martel had also been a noted leader of the Franks. It was subsequently the name of several Holy Roman emperors, as well as rulers of France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Hungary (in various spellings). After Charlemagne, his name was adopted as a word meaning "king" in many Eastern European languages, for example Czech král, Hungarian király, Russian король (korol), and Turkish kral.
The name did not become common in Britain until the 17th century when it was borne by the Stuart king Charles I. It had been introduced into the Stuart royal family by Mary Queen of Scots, who had been raised in France. Two other kings of the United Kingdom have borne this name, including the current monarch.
Other famous bearers include naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) who revolutionized biology with his theory of evolution, novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870) who wrote such works as Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities, French statesman Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), and American cartoonist Charles Schulz (1922-2000), the creator of the Peanuts comic strip.
Christalyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Church
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHURCH
From the English word, derived from Old English
cirice, ultimately from Greek
κυριακόν (kyriakon) meaning "(house) of the lord". It probably referred to a person who lived close to a church.
Circe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κίρκη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SUR-see(English)
Latinized form of Greek
Κίρκη (Kirke), possibly from
κίρκος (kirkos) meaning
"hawk". In Greek
mythology Circe was a sorceress who changed
Odysseus's crew into hogs, as told in Homer's
Odyssey. Odysseus forced her to change them back, then stayed with her for a year before continuing his voyage.
Claira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), French (Rare)
Clare
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHR, KLAR
Medieval English form of
Clara. The preferred spelling in the English-speaking world is now the French form
Claire, though
Clare has been fairly popular in the United Kingdom and Australia.
This is also the name of an Irish county, which was itself probably derived from Irish clár meaning "plank, level surface".
Clarence
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLAR-əns, KLEHR-əns
From the Latin title Clarensis, which belonged to members of the British royal family. The title ultimately derives from the name of the town of Clare in Suffolk. As a given name it has been in use since the 19th century.
Clement
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHM-ənt
English form of the Late Latin name
Clemens (or sometimes of its derivative
Clementius), which meant
"merciful, gentle". This was the name of 14 popes, including
Saint Clement I, the third pope, one of the Apostolic Fathers. Another saint by this name was Clement of Alexandria, a 3rd-century theologian and church father who attempted to reconcile Christian and Platonic philosophies. It has been in general as a given name in Christian Europe (in various spellings) since early times. In England it became rare after the
Protestant Reformation, though it was revived in the 19th century.
Coolidge
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American)
Pronounced: COO-lij(American English)
Transferred use of the surname
Coolidge, given in honor of the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933).
Corinna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Italian, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κόριννα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ko-RI-na(German) kə-REEN-ə(English) kə-RIN-ə(English)
Latinized form of the Greek name
Κόριννα (Korinna), which was derived from
κόρη (kore) meaning
"maiden". This was the name of a Greek lyric poet of the 5th century BC. The Roman poet
Ovid used it for the main female character in his book
Amores [1]. In the modern era it has been in use since the 17th century, when Robert Herrick used it in his poem
Corinna's going a-Maying [2].
Corvette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: kawr-VEHT(American English)
Either taken from the English word corvette meaning "a small warship" or the car Chevrolet Corvette.
Cruz
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: KROOTH(European Spanish) KROOS(Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese) KROOSH(European Portuguese)
Means "cross" in Spanish or Portuguese, referring to the cross of the crucifixion.
Cuauhtemoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Nahuatl
Means
"descending eagle" in Nahuatl, from
cuāuhtli "eagle" and
temo "descend"
[1]. This was the name of the last Aztec emperor, ruling until he was captured and executed by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in the year 1525.
Cyrus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Old Persian (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κῦρος(Ancient Greek) 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁(Old Persian)
Pronounced: SIE-rəs(English)
Latin form of Greek
Κῦρος (Kyros), from the Old Persian name
𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 (Kuruš), possibly meaning
"young" or
"humiliator (of the enemy)" [1]. Alternatively it could be of Elamite origin. The name has sometimes been associated with Greek
κύριος (kyrios) meaning "lord".
The most notable bearer of the name was Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire in the 6th century BC. He is famous in the Old Testament for freeing the captive Jews and allowing them to return to Israel after his conquest of Babylon. As an English name, it first came into use among the Puritans after the Protestant Reformation.
Damiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: da-MYA-na
Italian feminine form of
Damian.
Daniyal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Urdu
Other Scripts: دانيال(Arabic) دانیال(Persian, Urdu)
Pronounced: da-nee-YAL(Arabic) daw-nee-YAWL(Persian)
Arabic, Persian and Urdu form of
Daniel.
Danny
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: DAN-ee(English) DEH-nee(Dutch) DAH-nee(Dutch)
Dante
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: DAN-teh(Italian) DAHN-tay(English) DAN-tee(English)
Medieval short form of
Durante. The most notable bearer of this name was Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), the Italian poet who wrote the
Divine Comedy.
Darian
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAR-ee-ən
Probably an elaborated form of
Darren.
Democracy
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: di-MAWK-rə-see
From the English word democracy, from French démocratie, via late Latin from Greek dēmokratia, from dēmos ‘the people’ + -kratia ‘power, rule’.
Devorah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: דְּבוֹרָה(Hebrew)
Dewayne
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: də-WAYN, DWAYN
Variant of
Duane, with the spelling altered due to the influence of
Wayne. It can be spelled
Dewayne or with a capitalized third letter as
DeWayne.
Diego
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Italian
Pronounced: DYEH-gho(Spanish) DYEH-go(Italian)
Spanish name, possibly a shortened form of
Santiago. In medieval records
Diego was Latinized as
Didacus, and it has been suggested that it in fact derives from Greek
διδαχή (didache) meaning
"teaching".
Saint Didacus (or Diego) was a 15th-century Franciscan brother based in Alcalá, Spain.
Other famous bearers of this name include Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (1886-1957) and Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona (1960-2020).
Drina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Duane
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DWAYN
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Dubháin, itself derived from the given name
Dubhán. Usage in America began around the start of the 20th century. It last appeared on the top 1000 rankings in 2002, though the variant
Dwayne lingered a few years longer.
Dwayne
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DWAYN
Variant of
Duane, with the spelling altered due to the influence of
Wayne. A notable bearer is the American actor Dwayne Johnson (1972-), known as The Rock when he was a professional wrestler.
Dylen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American)
Pronounced: Dill-en(American English)
Edwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: EHD-win(English) EHT-vin(Dutch)
Means
"rich friend", from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wine "friend". This was the name of a 7th-century Northumbrian king, regarded as a
saint. After the
Norman Conquest the name was not popular, but it was eventually revived in the 19th century. A notable bearer was the astronaut Edwin Aldrin (1930-), also known as
Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon.
Edwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: EHD-win
Éliane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-LYAN
Probably from
Aeliana, the feminine form of the Roman name
Aelianus, which was derived from the Roman family name
Aelius. This was the name of an obscure early
saint and martyr from Amasea.
Elinor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ə-nawr
Elisheva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: אֱלִישֶׁבַע(Hebrew)
Elly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: EHL-ee(English) EH-lee(Dutch)
Elysia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ee-ə(English) i-LIS-ee-ə(English) i-LEE-zhə(English)
From
Elysium, the name of the realm of the dead in Greek and Roman
mythology.
Elyssia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Ericson
Usage: English, Swedish
Pronounced: EHR-ik-sən(English) EH-rik-sawn(Swedish)
Ericsson
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: EH-rik-sawn
Eriksson
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: EH-rik-sawn
Ernesto
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: ehr-NEH-sto(Italian) ehr-NEHS-to(Spanish) ir-NESH-too(European Portuguese) ekh-NEHS-too(Brazilian Portuguese)
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Ernest.
Ethan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: אֵיתָן(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: EE-thən(English) EH-TAN(French)
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.
Ethelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ETH-ə-lin
Ethereal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Rare, Archaic)
From the English word ethereal, meaning "celestial, heavenly".
Evadne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εὐάδνη(Ancient Greek)
From Greek
Εὐάδνη (Euadne), from
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" possibly combined with Cretan Greek
ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". This name was borne by several characters in Greek legend, including the wife of Capaneus. After Capaneus was killed by a lightning bolt sent from
Zeus she committed suicide by throwing herself onto his burning body.
Everine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Falcon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
From the bird "Falcon" Falco
Fergus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: FUR-gəs(English)
Means
"man of vigour", derived from the Old Irish elements
fer "man" and
guss "vigour, strength, force". This was the name of several early rulers of Ireland and Dál Riata, as well as many characters from Irish legend. Notably it was borne by the hero Fergus mac Róich, who was tricked into giving up the kingship of Ulster to
Conchobar. However, he remained loyal to the new king until Conchobar betrayed
Deirdre and
Naoise, at which point he defected to Connacht in anger. The name was also borne by an 8th-century
saint, a missionary to Scotland.
This is the Old Irish form of the name, as well as the usual Anglicized form of Modern Irish Fearghas or Fearghus.
Fern
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FURN
From the English word for the plant, ultimately from Old English fearn. It has been used as a given name since the late 19th century.
Ford
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAWRD
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "ford" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947).
Frederick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FREHD-ə-rik, FREHD-rik
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.
Gabrijela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Slovene
Croatian and Slovene feminine form of
Gabriel.
Galileo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: ga-lee-LEH-o
Medieval Italian name derived from Latin
galilaeus meaning
"Galilean, from Galilee". Galilee is a region in northern Israel, mentioned in the
New Testament as the site of several of
Jesus's miracles. It is derived from the Hebrew root
גָּלִיל (galil) meaning "district, roll".
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was an important Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer. Both his name and surname were from an earlier 15th-century ancestor (a doctor).
General
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
After the rank in the military
Geoffrey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JEHF-ree(English) ZHAW-FREH(French)
From a Norman French form of a Frankish name. The second element is Old German
fridu "peace", while the first element could be *
gautaz "Geat" (a North Germanic tribe),
gawi "territory" or
walah "foreigner". It is possible that two or more names merged into a single form. In the later Middle Ages
Geoffrey was further confused with the distinct name
Godfrey.
The Normans introduced this name to England where it became common among the nobility. Famous medieval literary bearers include the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth and the 14th-century poet Geoffrey Chaucer, writer of The Canterbury Tales. By the end of the Middle Ages it had become uncommon, but it was revived in the 20th century, often in the spelling Jeffrey.
Giorgia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Greek
Other Scripts: Γιωργία(Greek)
Pronounced: JOR-ja(Italian)
Italian feminine form of
George, as well as a Greek variant form.
Giulia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: JOO-lya
Italian feminine form of
Julius.
Glen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GLEHN
Griffin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRIF-in
Latinized form of
Gruffudd. This name can also be inspired by the English word
griffin, a creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, ultimately from Greek
γρύψ (gryps).
Griffith
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: GRIF-ith(English)
Gweneth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: GWEHN-ith
Gwenneth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: GWEHN-ith
Gwenyth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: GWEHN-ith
Hagar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: הָגָר(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: HAY-gahr(English)
Possibly means
"flight" in Hebrew, though it could also be of unknown Egyptian origin. According to the
Old Testament she was the second wife of
Abraham and the mother of
Ishmael, the founder of the Arab people. After Abraham's first wife
Sarah finally gave birth to a child, she had Hagar and Ishmael expelled into the desert. However, God heard their crying and saved them.
Harrison
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAR-i-sən, HEHR-i-sən
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.
Hialeah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indigenous American
Pronounced: haee-LEE
Derived from the Muskogee
haiyakpo meaning "prairie" and
hili meaning "pretty". Alternatively, the name is of Seminole origin meaning "upland prairie". It also is the name of the 6th largest city in Florida.
Possibly a spelling alternative to Hailey or Haley.
Hinata
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 日向, 陽向, 向日葵, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ひなた(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-NA-TA
From Japanese
日向 (hinata) meaning "sunny place",
陽向 (hinata) meaning "toward the sun", or a non-standard reading of
向日葵 (himawari) meaning "sunflower". Other kanji compounds are also possible. Because of the irregular readings, this name is often written using the hiragana writing system.
Homer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Ancient Greek (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Ὅμηρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HO-mər(English)
From the Greek name
Ὅμηρος (Homeros), derived from
ὅμηρος (homeros) meaning
"hostage, pledge". Homer was the Greek epic poet who wrote the
Iliad, about the Trojan War, and the
Odyssey, about
Odysseus's journey home after the war. There is some debate about when he lived, or if he was even a real person, though most scholars place him in the 8th century BC. In the modern era,
Homer has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world (chiefly in America) since the 18th century. This name is borne by the oafish cartoon father on the television series
The Simpsons.
Hooper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Transferred use of the surname
Hooper.
Hopie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: hope-ee, ho-pee
Hopper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname
Hopper, originally borne by Hopper Jack Penn, the son of Sean Penn, in homage to Dennis Hopper.
Hoshea
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: הוֹשֵׁעַ(Ancient Hebrew)
From the Hebrew name
הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hosheaʿ) meaning
"salvation", from the root
יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save". In the
Old Testament at
Numbers 13:16,
Moses gives the spy Hoshea the new name
Yehoshuaʿ (see
Joshua), which has a related origin. This name was also borne by an 8th-century BC king of Israel, who was the last ruler of that state before it was conquered by Assyria.
Ida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, French, Polish, Finnish, Hungarian, Slovak, Slovene, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: IE-də(English) EE-da(German, Dutch, Italian, Polish) EE-dah(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) EE-daw(Hungarian)
Derived from the Germanic element
id possibly meaning
"work, labour" (Proto-Germanic *
idiz). The
Normans brought this name to England, though it eventually died out there in the Middle Ages. It was strongly revived in the 19th century, in part due to the heroine in Alfred Tennyson's poem
The Princess (1847), which was later adapted into the play
Princess Ida (1884) by Gilbert and Sullivan.
Though the etymology is unrelated, this is the name of a mountain on the island of Crete where, according to Greek myth, the god Zeus was born.
Ilya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Илья(Russian) Ілья(Belarusian)
Pronounced: i-LYA(Russian)
Russian and Belarusian form of
Elijah.
Jamaal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, African American
Other Scripts: جمال(Arabic)
Pronounced: ja-MAL(Arabic) jə-MAHL(English)
Alternate transcription of Arabic
جمال (see
Jamal).
Jamal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu, Indonesian, Malay, African American
Other Scripts: جمال(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: ja-MAL(Arabic) jə-MAHL(English)
Means
"beauty" in Arabic, from the root
جمل (jamala) meaning "to be beautiful".
Jasper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Pronounced: JAS-pər(English) YAHS-pər(Dutch)
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.
Jeffery
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEHF-ree
Jeffrey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEHF-ree
Medieval variant of
Geoffrey. In America,
Jeffrey has been more common than
Geoffrey, though this is not true in Britain.
Jeffry
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEHF-ree
Jensen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JEHN-sən
From a Danish surname meaning
"son of Jens".
Jenson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JEHN-sən
Jesenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: gyeh-SEH-nya
Jessalynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: JES-ə-lin
Jessenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: gyeh-SEH-nya
Jessereel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: African American (Rare)
Jewett
A mainly Northern English surname, derived from a pet form of
Julian.
Jonbenét
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Obscure, Popular Culture
The name of the famous child beauty queen and murder victim JonBenét Ramsey (1990-1996). Her name came from her father's first and middle names,
John Bennett.
There are 14 and 6 baby girls born in 1997 and 1999 in the US, possibly used in honor of her.
Judelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
This name is a blend of the given names
Jude 2 and
Lyn. Alternatively, it can also be considered a variant spelling of
Judilyn.
Judelynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Variant of Judelyn. It is a combination of Jude and Lynn.
Judge
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JUJ
This name is derived from the word of the same name. The word originates from Old French jugier meaning "to judge, pronounce judgment," which, in turn, comes from Latin iudicare meaning "to judge, to examine officially, form an opinion upon" (derived from iudicem meaning "a judge," which is a combination of ius meaning "right, law" and the root of dicere meaning "to say").
Judilyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
This name is a blend of the given names
Judith and
Lyn.
Judilynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Variant of Judilyn.
Judyann
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: joo-dee-AN
Julieta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: khoo-LYEH-ta(Spanish)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Juliet.
Juliette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHUY-LYEHT
Julius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, English, German, Finnish, Lithuanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Czech
Pronounced: YOO-lee-oos(Latin, Swedish) JOO-lee-əs(English) YOO-lee-uws(German) YOO-leews(Finnish) YUW-lyuws(Lithuanian) YOO-lyoos(Danish) YUY-lee-uys(Dutch) YOO-li-yuws(Czech)
From a Roman family name that was possibly derived from Greek
ἴουλος (ioulos) meaning
"downy-bearded". Alternatively, it could be related to the name of the Roman god
Jupiter. This was a prominent patrician family of Rome, who claimed descent from the mythological Julus, son of
Aeneas. Its most notable member was Gaius Julius Caesar, who gained renown as a military leader for his clever conquest of Gaul. After a civil war he became the dictator of the Roman Republic, but was eventually stabbed to death in the senate.
Although this name was borne by several early saints, including a pope, it was rare during the Middle Ages. It was revived in Italy and France during the Renaissance, and was subsequently imported to England.
Jupiter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology (Anglicized)
Pronounced: JOO-pi-tər(English)
From Latin
Iuppiter, which was ultimately derived from the vocative form of Indo-European *
Dyēws-pətēr, composed of the elements
Dyēws (see
Zeus) and
pətēr "father". Jupiter was the supreme god in Roman
mythology. He presided over the heavens and light, and was responsible for the protection and laws of the Roman state. This is also the name of the fifth and largest planet in the solar system.
Kaelea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KAY-lee
Kailo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: KIE-lo
Kalle
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: KAL-leh(Swedish) KAHL-leh(Finnish, Estonian)
Swedish
diminutive of
Karl. It is used in Finland and Estonia as a full name.
Kallisto
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Καλλιστώ(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
κάλλιστος (kallistos) meaning
"most beautiful", a derivative of
καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful". In Greek
mythology Kallisto was a nymph who was loved by
Zeus. She was changed into a she-bear by
Hera, and subsequently became the Great Bear constellation. This was also an ancient Greek personal name.
Karine 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KA-REEN
French form of
Carina 1. It can also function as a short form of
Catherine, via Swedish
Karin.
Karley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Karli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAHR-lee
Karly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAHR-lee
Kassidy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAS-i-dee
Katalina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: ka-ta-LEE-na
Katharina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: ka-ta-REE-na(German, Swedish)
Katharine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: KATH-ə-rin(English) KATH-rin(English) ka-ta-REE-nə(German)
English variant of
Katherine and German variant of
Katharina. A famous bearer was American actress Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003).
Kayly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KAY-lee
Kayshawn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: African American (Modern, Rare)
Kayshawna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Rare)
Keagan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Keegan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEE-gən
From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Mac Aodhagáin, which was derived from the given name
Aodhagán, a double
diminutive of
Aodh.
Kerrigan
Usage: Irish (Anglicized)
Kerrigan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KER-ə-gən
Transferred use of the surname
Kerrigan.
Kiley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIE-lee
Kimberly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIM-bər-lee
From the name of the city of
Kimberley in South Africa, which was named after Lord
Kimberley (1826-1902). The city came to prominence in the late 19th century during the Boer War.
Kimberly has been used as a given name since the mid-20th century, eventually becoming very popular as a feminine name.
Kishori
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Marathi
Other Scripts: किशोरी(Marathi)
Kjersti
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian
Pronounced: SHESH-tee
Kjerstin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish
Pronounced: SHESH-tin(Swedish)
Klay
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KLAY
Klayton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Kyle
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIEL
From a Scottish surname that was derived from various place names, themselves from Gaelic caol meaning "narrows, channel, strait". As a given name it was rare in the first half of the 20th century. It rose steadily in popularity throughout the English-speaking world, entering the top 50 in most places by the 1990s. It has since declined in all regions.
Kyli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: KIE-lee(American English)
Kylo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: KIE-lo(English)
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.
Laken
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: LAY-kən(American English)
Elaboration of
Lake. It became popular after a character named Laken Lockridge was introduced in the American soap opera
Santa Barbara in 1984.
Lakotah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: lə-KO-tə, lə-KO-də
Lane
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAYN
From an English surname, meaning "lane, path", which originally belonged to a person who lived near a lane.
Lanessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Rare)
Pronounced: la-NES-sa
Larisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovene, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Лариса(Russian, Ukrainian) Λάρισα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: lu-RYEE-sə(Russian) lu-ryi-SU(Lithuanian)
Possibly derived from the name of the ancient city of Larisa in Thessaly, which meant
"citadel". In Greek legends, the nymph Larisa was either a daughter or mother of Pelasgus, the ancestor of the mythical Pelasgians. This name was later borne by a 4th-century Greek martyr who is venerated as a
saint in the Eastern Church. The name (of the city, nymph and saint) is commonly Latinized as
Larissa, with a double
s. As a Ukrainian name, it is more commonly transcribed
Larysa.
Lawman
Derived from Middle English lagman or lagheman "lawyer".
Layken
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: LAY-kən(American English) LAY-kin(American English)
Layne
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAYN
Lefman
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English
Leighana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Obscure
Variant of
Liana or
Leanna. This name was given to 11 girls born in the USA in 2010.
Leighanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Obscure (Modern)
Lemon
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: American (Rare, Archaic), Popular Culture
Pronounced: LEM-un(American)
Transferred use of the surname
Lemon.
Lemon
Usage: English, Northern Irish, Scottish
English: from the Middle English personal name
Lefman, Old English
Leofman, composed of the elements
leof ‘dear’, ‘beloved’ +
mann ‘man’, ‘person’. This came to be used as a nickname for a lover or sweetheart, from Middle English
lem(m)an. There is no connection with the word denoting the citrus fruit (which is of Persian origin).
Scottish and northern Irish: variant of
Lamont.
Leo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, English, Croatian, Armenian, Late Roman
Other Scripts: Լեո(Armenian)
Pronounced: LEH-o(German, Danish, Finnish) LEH-yo(Dutch) LEE-o(English)
Derived from Latin
leo meaning
"lion", a
cognate of
Leon. It was popular among early Christians and was the name of 13 popes, including
Saint Leo the Great who asserted the dominance of the Roman bishops (the popes) over all others in the 5th century. It was also borne by six Byzantine emperors and five Armenian kings. Another famous bearer was the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), name spelled
Лев in Russian, whose works include
War and Peace and
Anna Karenina. Leo is also a constellation and the fifth sign of the zodiac.
Leofman
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English element
leof "dear, beloved" combined with
mann "man, person".
Leon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λέων(Greek)
Pronounced: LEE-ahn(English) LEH-awn(German, Dutch, Polish, Slovene)
Derived from Greek
λέων (leon) meaning
"lion". During the Christian era this Greek name was merged with the Latin
cognate Leo, with the result that the two forms are used somewhat interchangeably across European languages. In England during the Middle Ages this was a common name among Jews. A famous bearer was the communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1879-1940), whose name is
Лев in Russian.
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)
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.
Leslyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Australian)
Pronounced: lez-lyn(Australian English)
A variant of Leslie/Lesley with the popular -lyn ending.
Levi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, English, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: לֵוִי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: LEE-vie(English) LEH-vee(Dutch)
Possibly means
"joined, attached" in Hebrew. As told in the
Old Testament, Levi was the third son of
Jacob and
Leah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, known as the Levites. This was the tribe that formed the priestly class of the Israelites. The brothers
Moses and
Aaron were members. This name also occurs in the
New Testament, where it is borne by a son of
Alphaeus. He might be the same person as the apostle
Matthew.
As an English Christian name, Levi came into use after the Protestant Reformation.
Lex
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: LEHKS
Lexa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHK-sə
Lexi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHK-see
Li 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 理, 立, 黎, 力, 丽, etc.(Chinese) 理, 立, 黎, 力, 麗, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: LEE
From Chinese
理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic",
立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish",
黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn",
力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or
丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.
Liberty
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIB-ər-tee
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].
Lion
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew (Modern, Rare)
Other Scripts: לִיאוֹן, ליאון, לי-און(Hebrew)
Pronounced: lee-ON
Combination of the names
Li 2 and
On means "my potency; my strength" in Hebrew.
Lion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Venetian, Ligurian, Medieval Italian (Tuscan)
Venetian and Ligurian form of
Leone 1.
Lita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Short form of names ending in lita. This name was brought to the public eye in the 1920s due to Lita Grey (1908-1995), who was the second wife of Charlie Chaplin. Her birth name was Lillita Louise MacMurray.
Logan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LO-gən
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.
Loida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: LOI-dha
Loy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: American
Transferred use of the surname
Loy.
Lucia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, German, Dutch, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: loo-CHEE-a(Italian) LOO-tsya(German) loo-TSEE-a(German) LUY-see-ya(Dutch) LOO-shə(English) loo-SEE-ə(English) luy-SEE-a(Swedish) LOO-chya(Romanian) LOO-kee-a(Latin)
Feminine form of
Lucius.
Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings
Lucy or
Luce.
Lucius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Biblical, English
Pronounced: LOO-kee-oos(Latin) LOO-shəs(English) LOO-si-əs(English)
Roman
praenomen, or given name, which was derived from Latin
lux "light". This was the most popular of the praenomina. Two Etruscan kings of early Rome had this name as well as several prominent later Romans, including Lucius Annaeus Seneca (known simply as Seneca), a statesman, philosopher, orator and tragedian. The name is mentioned briefly in the
New Testament belonging to a Christian in Antioch. It was also borne by three popes, including the 3rd-century
Saint Lucius. Despite this, the name was not regularly used in the Christian world until after the Renaissance.
Lynnlee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Macario
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ma-KA-ryo
Spanish form of the Latin name
Macarius, derived from the Greek name
Μακάριος (Makarios), which was in turn derived from Greek
μάκαρ (makar) meaning
"blessed, happy". This was the name of several early
saints.
Macauley
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: mə-KAW-lee
Maegan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MEHG-ən
Maegen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Mahatma
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Other Scripts: महात्मा(Hindi)
Pronounced: mə-HAT-mə(English) mə-HAHT-mə(English)
From the Indian title
महात्मा (Mahātmā) meaning
"great soul", derived from Sanskrit
महा (mahā) meaning "great" and
आत्मन् (ātman) meaning "soul, spirit, life". This title was given to, among others, Mohandas Karamchand, also known as Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948).
Mahomes
Usage: American
Pronounced: mə-HOMZ
With Gaelic origins, Mahomes is a surname that is derived from the word “mathghamhan”, which means “bear”. A famous individual with the name is NFL Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
Makai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: African American
Marco
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch
Pronounced: MAR-ko(Italian, Spanish, German) MAR-koo(European Portuguese) MAKH-koo(Brazilian Portuguese) MAHR-ko(Dutch)
Italian form of
Marcus (see
Mark). During the Middle Ages this name was common in Venice, where
Saint Mark was supposedly buried. A famous bearer was the Venetian explorer Marco Polo, who travelled across Asia to China in the 13th century.
Marcus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: MAR-koos(Latin) MAHR-kəs(English) MAR-kuys(Swedish)
Roman
praenomen, or given name, that was probably derived from the name of the Roman god
Mars. This was among the most popular of the Roman praenomina. Famous bearers include Marcus Tullius Cicero (known simply as Cicero), a 1st-century BC statesman and orator, Marcus Antonius (known as Mark Antony), a 1st-century BC politician, and Marcus Aurelius, a notable 2nd-century emperor. This was also the name of a pope of the 4th century. This spelling has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world, though the traditional English form
Mark has been more common.
Mariel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Philippines), English (American)
Pronounced: ma-RYEHL(Spanish) MEHR-ee-əl(American English) MAR-ee-əl(American English)
Diminutive of
Maria. In the case of the American actress Mariel Hemingway (1961-), the name was inspired by the Cuban town of Mariel.
Marión
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Kashubian
Martina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Hungarian, English, Swedish, Dutch, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Мартина(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: mar-TEE-na(German, Italian, Spanish) mər-TEE-nə(Catalan) MAR-kyi-na(Czech) MAR-tee-na(Slovak) MAWR-tee-naw(Hungarian) mahr-TEEN-ə(English) mahr-TEE-na(Dutch)
Feminine form of
Martinus (see
Martin).
Saint Martina was a 3rd-century martyr who is one of the patron saints of Rome.
Mathieu
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MA-TYUU
Matthias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, French, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ματθίας, Μαθθίας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ma-TEE-as(German) MA-TYAS(French) mah-TEE-yahs(Dutch) mə-THIE-əs(English) MAT-tee-as(Latin)
From Greek
Ματθίας (Matthias), a variant of
Ματθαῖος (see
Matthew). This form appears in the
New Testament as the name of the apostle chosen to replace the traitor
Judas Iscariot. This was also the name of kings of Hungary (spelled
Mátyás in Hungarian), including Matthias I who made important reforms to the kingdom in the 15th century.
Matthieu
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MA-TYUU
Mayor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Spanish
Derived from Spanish mayor, meaning "bigger, greater".
Mccaylee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Meghyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Mercury
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology (Anglicized)
Pronounced: MURK-yə-ree(English)
From the Latin
Mercurius, probably derived from Latin
mercari "to trade" or
merces "wages". This was the name of the Roman god of trade, merchants, and travellers, later equated with the Greek god
Hermes. This is also the name of the first planet in the solar system and a metallic chemical element, both named for the god.
Meritxell
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: mə-ree-CHEHL
From the name of a village in Andorra where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. The name of the village may derive from Latin
meridies meaning "midday".
Merriam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: MEE-ree-əm, MEHR-ee-əm
Variant of
Miriam derived from a Welsh surname which is derived from either the personal name Meuric, which is the Welsh form of
Maurice, or ultimately from the Latin personal name Mauritius, which means "dark".
Merrion
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Michelangelo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: mee-keh-LAN-jeh-lo(Italian) mie-kə-LAN-jə-lo(English)
Combination of
Michael and
Angelo, referring to the archangel Michael. The Renaissance painter and sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), from Florence, was the man who created such great works of art as the statue of
David and the mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This name was also borne by the Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi (1571-1610), better known as Caravaggio.
Michele 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: mee-KEH-leh
Michele 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mi-SHEHL
Micheline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MEESH-LEEN
Milan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian, Dutch (Modern), German (Modern), French (Modern)
Other Scripts: Милан(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: MI-lan(Czech) MEE-lan(Slovak, Serbian, Croatian) MEE-lahn(Dutch)
From the Slavic element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear", originally a short form of names that began with that element. It was originally used in Czech, Slovak, and the South Slavic languages, though it has recently become popular elsewhere in Europe.
A city in Italy bears this name, though in this case it originates from Latin Mediolanum, perhaps ultimately of Celtic origin meaning "middle of the plain". In some cases the city name may be an influence on the use of the given name.
Miryam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Spanish, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: מִרְיָם(Hebrew)
Hebrew form of
Miriam, as well as a Spanish variant.
Muriel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Irish, Scottish, Medieval Breton (Anglicized)
Pronounced: MYUWR-ee-əl(English) MUY-RYEHL(French)
Anglicized form of Irish
Muirgel and Scottish
Muireall. A form of this name was also used in Brittany, and it was first introduced to medieval England by Breton settlers in the wake of the
Norman Conquest. In the modern era it was popularized by a character from Dinah Craik's novel
John Halifax, Gentleman (1856).
Myla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MIE-lə
Possibly a feminine form of
Miles, influenced by similar-sounding names such as
Kyla.
Myra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MIE-rə
Created by the 17th-century poet Fulke Greville. He possibly based it on Latin
myrra meaning "myrrh" (a fragrant resin obtained from a tree). Otherwise, he may have simply rearranged the letters from the name
Mary. Although unrelated etymologically, this is also the name of an ancient city of Anatolia.
Nara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Armenian (Rare)
Narmer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Egyptian
From Egyptian
nꜥr-mr meaning
"fierce catfish", derived from
nꜥr "catfish" and
mr "fierce, painful". Narmer was an Egyptian ruler who is considered the first pharaoh, uniting Upper and Lower Egypt around the 31st century BC. He is probably the same person as
Menes, with Narmer being his Horus name.
Nastasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Настасья(Russian)
Nastasya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Настасья(Russian)
Navalny
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Навальный(Russian)
Pronounced: nuh-vaal-nee
Neptune
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology (Anglicized)
Pronounced: NEHP-toon(English) NEHP-tyoon(English)
From the Latin
Neptunus, which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Indo-European root *
nebh- "wet, damp, clouds". Neptune was the god of the sea in Roman
mythology, approximately equivalent to the Greek god
Poseidon. This is also the name of the eighth planet in the solar system.
Nicky
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NIK-ee
Nightingale
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: NIE-ting-gayl
Possibly a transferred usage of the English surname
Nightingale, in honor of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), an English social reformer.
It is ultimately derived from Middle English nyghtyngale "night singer" (Old English nihtegal, composed of niht "night" and galan "sing"). It could also be used referring to the songbird.
Nisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Indonesian
From Arabic
نساء (nisāʾ) meaning
"women". This is the name of the fourth chapter of the
Quran (surah an-Nisa).
Nisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Thai
Other Scripts: นิศา, นิสา(Thai)
Pronounced: nee-SA
Means "night" in Thai, ultimately from Sanskrit निशा
(nisha).
Noam
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, French
Other Scripts: נוֹעַם(Hebrew)
Pronounced: NO-am(Hebrew) NOM(English) NAW-AM(French)
Means "pleasantness" in Hebrew. A famous bearer is Noam Chomsky (1928-), an American linguist and philosopher.
Oana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: WA-na
Romanian short form of
Ioana.
Ó Ciaragáin
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: O-KYEERəGAN
It means "descendant of Ciaragán".
Oskar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Slovene, Basque
Pronounced: AWS-kar(German, Swedish, Polish) OS-kar(Basque)
Form of
Oscar in several languages. A famous bearer was Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), who is credited for saved over 1,000 Polish Jews during World War II.
Palmer
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHL-mər, PAH-mər
From an English surname meaning "pilgrim". It is ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.
Papa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polynesian Mythology
Means
"earth" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian
mythology Papa or Papatuanuku was the goddess of the earth and the mother of many of the other gods. She and her husband
Rangi, the god of the sky, were locked in a tight embrace. Their children decided to separate them, a feat of strength accomplished by the god
Tāne.
Piety
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PIE-ə-tee
From the English word meaning
"piety, devoutness". This was a rare virtue name used by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Pilot
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PIE-lət
Either from the surname
Pilot, which is derived from
Pilate, or directly from the vocabulary word
pilot, which is derived from either Greek πηδον
(pedon) "steering oar" or πλωτης
(plotes) "sailor". This name is borne by Pilot Inspektor Lee (2003-), son of American actor Jason Lee.
Pluto
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Πλούτων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PLOO-to(English, Latin)
Latinized form of Greek
Πλούτων (Plouton), derived from
πλοῦτος (ploutos) meaning
"wealth". This was an alternate name of
Hades, the god of the underworld. This is also the name of a dwarf planet (formerly designated the ninth planet) in the solar system.
Prior
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish (Rare)
Ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for "earlier, first".
Quasimodo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
From the name of the Sunday that follows Easter, called Quasimodo Sunday, which gets its name from the opening words of the Latin chant
quasi modo (geniti infantes...) meaning
"like the way (that newborn infants do...)". It was used by Victor Hugo for his novel
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), in which Quasimodo is a hunchbacked bellringer at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He was named thus by Archdeacon Frollo because he was abandoned as a baby at the cathedral on Quasimodo Sunday, though Hugo states that Frollo may have been inspired by the alternate meaning for
quasi "almost", referring to the almost-complete appearance of the foundling
[1].
Raeven
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare), Filipino (Rare)
Raevon
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RAY-vən
Raevyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: rahy-VIHN
Raven
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAY-vən
From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English
hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god
Odin.
Raymonde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: REH-MAWND
Reagan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RAY-gən
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.
Reuven
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: רְאוּבֵן(Hebrew)
Reverend
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Archaic)
Derived from
Reverend, an English honorific title for certain Christian clergy and ministers.
A known bearer of this name was the American inventor Reverend "Revra" DePuy (1860-1921).
Reyes
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: REH-yehs
Means
"kings" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
La Virgen de los Reyes, meaning "The Virgin of the Kings". According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to King Ferdinand III of Castile and told him his armies would defeat those of the Moors in Seville.
Rivera
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ree-BEH-ra
From Spanish ribera meaning "bank, shore", from Latin riparius.
Riviera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Roderick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish, Welsh
Pronounced: RAHD-ə-rik(English) RAHD-rik(English)
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.
Roland
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Swedish, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Albanian, Georgian, Carolingian Cycle
Other Scripts: როლანდ(Georgian)
Pronounced: RO-lənd(English) RAW-LAHN(French) RO-lant(German) RO-lahnt(Dutch) RO-lawnd(Hungarian) RAW-lant(Polish)
From the Old German elements
hruod meaning "fame" and
lant meaning "land", though some theories hold that the second element was originally
nand meaning "brave"
[1].
Roland was an 8th-century military commander, serving under Charlemagne, who was killed by the Basques at the Battle of Roncevaux. His name was recorded in Latin as Hruodlandus. His tale was greatly embellished in the 11th-century French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which he is a nephew of Charlemagne killed after being ambushed by the Saracens. The Normans introduced the name to England.
Rolando
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: ro-LAN-do(Spanish, Italian)
Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of
Roland.
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)
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.
Rónán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: RO-nan(Irish)
Means
"little seal", derived from Old Irish
rón "seal" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early Irish
saints, including a pilgrim to Brittany who founded the hermitage at Locronan in the 6th century.
Ronan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton, Irish, French, English (Modern)
Pronounced: RO-nahn(Breton) RAW-NAHN(French) RO-nən(English)
Breton and Anglicized form of
Rónán.
Rosary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Various meaning exist for the word rosary.
1) A bed of roses, or place where roses grow. "Thick rosaries of scented thorn." (Tennyson)
2) A series of prayers arranged to be recited in order, on beads; also, a string of beads by which the prayers are counted. "His idolized book, and the whole rosary of his prayers." (Milton)
3) A chapelet; a garland; a series or collection, as of beautiful thoughts or of literary selections. "Every day propound to yourself a rosary or chaplet of good works to present to God at night." (Jer. Taylor)
4) A coin bearing the figure of a rose, fraudulently circulated in Ireland in the 13th century for a penny.
Royale
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: roi-AL
Rudy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROO-dee
Ruqayyah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: رقيّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: roo-KIE-ya
Sabryna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: sə-BREEN-ə
Sacha
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French, Dutch
Pronounced: SA-SHA(French) SAH-sha(Dutch)
French and Dutch form of
Sasha.
Sana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: سناء(Arabic)
Pronounced: sa-NA
Alternate transcription of Arabic
سناء (see
Sanaa).
Sanaa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: سناء(Arabic)
Pronounced: sa-NA
Means
"brilliance, radiance, splendour" in Arabic, derived from the root
سنا (sanā) meaning "to gleam, to shine".
Sander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, Estonian, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: SAHN-dər(Dutch)
Dutch, Estonian, Danish and Norwegian short form of
Alexander.
Sandie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SAN-dee
Santa María
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: san-ta-ma-REE-a(Latin American Spanish)
Santamaría
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: san-ta-ma-REE-a
Means "Saint
Mary" in Spanish, used as a name for someone from any of various locations named after the Virgin Mary.
Santamaria
Usage: Italian, French, Spanish
Pronounced: san-ta-ma-REE-a(Italian, Spanish) SAHN-TA-MA-RYA(French)
Italian and French cognate of
Santamaría as well as a Spanish variant.
Santiago
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: san-TYA-gho(Spanish) sun-tee-A-goo(European Portuguese) sun-chee-A-goo(Brazilian Portuguese) sahn-tee-AH-go(English) san-tee-AH-go(English)
Means
"Saint James", derived from Spanish
santo "saint" combined with
Yago, an old Spanish form of
James, the patron saint of Spain. It is the name of the main character in the novella
The Old Man and the Sea (1951) by Ernest Hemingway. This also is the name of the capital city of Chile, as well as several other cities in the Spanish-speaking world.
Saturn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology (Anglicized)
Pronounced: SAT-ərn(English)
From the Latin
Saturnus, which is of unknown meaning. In Roman
mythology he was the father of
Jupiter,
Juno and others, and was also the god of agriculture. This is also the name of the ringed sixth planet in the solar system.
Savina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: sa-VEE-na
Schindler
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Jewish
A name used in homage to Oskar Schindler. It is an occupational name for a person who made or laid wooden roof tiles.
Schindler
Occupational name for a roof tiler, from Middle High German schindel "shingle". A famous bearer was Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), who saved over a thousand Polish Jews during World War II.
Scholastique
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Pronounced: SKAW-LAS-TEEK
French form of
Scholastica. It is more common in French-speaking Africa than France.
Shana 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAN-ə
Shanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAN-ə
Possibly a feminine variant of
Shannon.
Sharon
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew
Other Scripts: שׁרון(Hebrew)
Pronounced: SHAR-ən(English) SHEHR-ən(English)
From an
Old Testament place name, in Hebrew
שָׁרוֹן (Sharon) meaning
"plain", referring to a fertile plain on the central west coast of Israel. This is also the name of a flowering plant in the Bible, the rose of Sharon, a term now used to refer to several different species of flowers.
It has been in use as a feminine given name in the English-speaking world since the 1920s, possibly inspired by the heroine in the serial novel The Skyrocket (1925) by Adela Rogers St. Johns [1]. As a Hebrew name it is unisex.
Sharyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAR-ən, SHEHR-ən
Shawn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAWN
Anglicized form of
Seán, occasionally used as a feminine form. This is the most common spelling of this name in the United States and Canada, with
Shaun being more typical in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Shaynah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: שיינאַ(Yiddish)
Siddhartha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Sanskrit, Buddhism, Bengali
Other Scripts: सिद्धार्थ(Sanskrit) সিদ্ধার্থ(Bengali)
Means
"one who has accomplished a goal", derived from Sanskrit
सिद्ध (siddha) meaning "accomplished" and
अर्थ (artha) meaning "goal". Siddhartha Gautama was the real name of the
Buddha.
Sigurd
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Norse Mythology
Pronounced: SEE-gurd(Swedish)
From the Old Norse name
Sigurðr, which was derived from the elements
sigr "victory" and
vǫrðr "guard, guardian". Sigurd was the hero of the Norse epic the
Völsungasaga, which tells how his foster father Regin sent him to recover a hoard of gold guarded by the dragon Fafnir. After slaying the dragon Sigurd tasted some of its blood, enabling him to understand the language of birds, who told him that Regin was planning to betray him. In a later adventure, Sigurd disguised himself as
Gunnar (his wife
Gudrun's brother) and rescued the maiden
Brynhildr from a ring of fire, with the result that Gunnar and Brynhildr were married. When the truth eventually came out, Brynhildr took revenge upon Sigurd. The stories of the German hero
Siegfried were in part based on him.
Silvester
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Slovak, Slovene, Serbian, German, English, Late Roman
Other Scripts: Силвестер(Serbian)
Pronounced: zil-VEHS-tu(German) sil-VEHS-tər(English)
From a Latin name meaning
"wooded, wild", derived from
silva "wood, forest". This was the name of three popes, including
Saint Silvester I who supposedly baptized the first Christian Roman emperor,
Constantine the Great. As an English name,
Silvester (or
Sylvester) has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it became less common after the
Protestant Reformation.
Silvestra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Slovene, Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: seel-VEH-stra(Italian)
Silvijo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian
Silvio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: SEEL-vyo(Italian) SEEL-byo(Spanish)
Italian and Spanish form of
Silvius.
Sir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Possibly from the title "Sir", typically used to address any male whose name is unknown or out of respect, or who is of a higher rank, or who has been bestowed the title ('knighted') by royalty. Derived from the Old French sire 'master, sir, lord', from the Latin senior 'older, elder'.
Skarlet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare), Spanish (Latin American, Modern, Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: SKAHR-lət(English)
Skarlett
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Slade
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SLAYD
From an English surname that was derived from Old English slæd meaning "valley".
Solange
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SAW-LAHNZH
French form of the Late Latin name
Sollemnia, which was derived from Latin
sollemnis "religious". This was the name of a French shepherdess who became a
saint after she was killed by her master.
Solar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Solar Pons is a fictional detective created by the writer August Derleth.
Spiro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Σπύρο(Greek)
St James
St. James has English and French origins and is a rare surname in the United States.
Sylas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern), Biblical Polish
Pronounced: SIE-ləs(English)
Sylvan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Either a variant of
Silvanus or directly from the Latin word
silva meaning
"wood, forest".
Sylvester
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Danish
Pronounced: sil-VEHS-tər(English) zil-VEHS-tu(German)
Medieval variant of
Silvester. This is currently the usual English spelling of the name. A famous bearer is the American actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-).
Tariq
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: طارق(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: TA-reek(Arabic)
Means
"visitor, knocker at the door" in Arabic, from
طرق (ṭaraqa) meaning "to knock"
[1]. This is the Arabic name of the morning star. Tariq ibn Ziyad was the Islamic general who conquered Spain for the Umayyad Caliphate in the 8th century.
Thekla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare), Greek (Rare), Late Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θέκλα(Greek)
From the ancient Greek name
Θεόκλεια (Theokleia), which meant
"glory of God" from the Greek elements
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 1st-century
saint, appearing (as
Θέκλα) in the apocryphal
Acts of Paul and Thecla. The story tells how Thecla listens to
Paul speak about the virtues of chastity and decides to remain a virgin, angering both her mother and her suitor.
Theodoric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gothic (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃(Gothic)
Pronounced: thee-AHD-ə-rik(English)
From the Gothic name *
Þiudareiks meaning
"ruler of the people", derived from the elements
þiuda "people" and
reiks "ruler, king". It was notably borne by Theodoric the Great, a 6th-century king of the Ostrogoths who eventually became the ruler of Italy. By Theodoric's time the Ostrogoths were partially Romanized and his name was regularly recorded as
Theodoricus. This was also the name of two earlier (5th century) Visigothic kings.
Thom
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TAHM(American English) TAWM(British English)
Tomas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Lithuanian
Pronounced: TUWM-mas(Swedish)
Swedish, Norwegian and Lithuanian form of
Thomas.
Tucker
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: TUK-ər
From an occupational surname for a cloth fuller, derived from Old English tucian meaning "offend, torment". A fuller was a person who cleaned and thickened raw cloth by pounding it.
Tylar
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TIE-lər
Tyler
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TIE-lər
From an English surname meaning "tiler of roofs", derived from Old English tigele "tile". The surname was borne by American president John Tyler (1790-1862).
Tylor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: TIE-lər
Union
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romani (Archaic)
Upton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: UP-tən
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "upper town" in Old English. A famous bearer of this name was the American novelist Upton Sinclair (1878-1968).
Uranus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Οὐρανός(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: yoo-RAY-nəs(English) YOOR-ə-nəs(English)
From Greek
Οὐρανός (Ouranos), the name of the husband of
Gaia and the father of the Titans in Greek
mythology. His name is derived from
οὐρανός (ouranos) meaning
"the heavens". This is also the name of the seventh planet in the solar system.
Valentine 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: VA-LAHN-TEEN
Vanita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indian
Venita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Venora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kosovar (Rare)
Venus
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: WEH-noos(Latin) VEE-nəs(English)
Means
"love, sexual desire" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of love and sex. Her character was assimilated with that of the Greek goddess
Aphrodite. As the mother of
Aeneas she was considered an ancestor of the Roman people. The second planet from the sun is named after her.
Vérène
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Verona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
From the name of the city in Italy, which is itself of unknown meaning.
Victorious
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: vik-TAWR-ee-əs
Either a variant of
Victorius or else directly from the English word
Victorious, "Of or pertaining to victory, or a victor; being a victor; bringing or causing a victory; conquering; winning; triumphant; as, a victorious general; victorious troops; a victorious day".
Viveca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Viveka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Warren
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WAWR-ən
From an English surname that was derived either from Norman French warrene meaning "animal enclosure", or else from the town of La Varenne in Normandy. This name was borne by the American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).
Wildon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: American (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare), Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
Winterrose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: WIN-tər ROZ
Combination of the English words/names,
Winter and
Rose. There is also a flower called winter rose.
Wolfe
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: WUWLF
Variant of
Wolf, influenced by the spelling of the surname (which is also derived from the animal).
Wolfgang
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: VAWLF-gang(German) WUWLF-gang(English)
Derived from the Old German elements
wolf meaning "wolf" and
gang meaning "path, way".
Saint Wolfgang was a 10th-century bishop of Regensburg. Two other famous bearers of this name were Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and German novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).
Xander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAHN-dər(Dutch) KSAHN-dər(Dutch) ZAN-dər(English)
Short form of
Alexander. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character on the television series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
Xochitl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Nahuatl
Pronounced: SHO-cheech
Means
"flower" in Nahuatl
[1].
Yesenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: gyeh-SEH-nya
From
Jessenia, the genus name of a variety of palm trees found in South America. As a given name, it was popularized by the writer Yolanda Vargas Dulché in the 1970 Mexican telenovela
Yesenia and the 1971 film adaptation
[1].
Yessenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: gyeh-SEH-nya
Yohannes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Amharic
Other Scripts: ዮሐንስ(Amharic)
Yolanda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English
Pronounced: gyo-LAN-da(Spanish) yo-LAHN-də(English)
From the medieval French name
Yolande, which was probably a form of the name
Violante, which was itself a derivative of Latin
viola "violet". Alternatively it could be of Germanic origin.
This name was borne by a 12th-century empress of the Latin Empire in Constantinople, who was originally from Flanders. It was also used by her descendants in the royal families of Hungary (spelled Jolánta) and Spain (sometimes spelled Violante). The Blessed Yolanda of Poland was a daughter of Béla IV of Hungary who married a Polish duke. It was also borne by Yolanda of Vianden, a 13th-century countess from Luxembourg who joined a convent against her parents' wishes, later becoming the subject of medieval legend. Another notable bearer was a 15th-century duchess of Lorraine, the subject of the opera Iolanta (1892) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Zander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ZAN-dər
Zandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ZAN-drə
Zechariah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: זְכַרְיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: zehk-ə-RIE-ə(English)
From the Hebrew name
זְכַרְיָה (Zeḵarya) meaning
"Yahweh remembers", from the roots
זָכַר (zaḵar) meaning "to remember" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many characters in the
Old Testament, including the prophet Zechariah, the author of the Book of Zechariah. The name also appears in the
New Testament belonging to the father of
John the Baptist, who was temporarily made dumb because of his disbelief. He is regarded as a
saint by Christians. In some versions of the New Testament his name is spelled in the Greek form
Zacharias or the English form
Zachary. As an English given name,
Zechariah has been in occasional use since the
Protestant Reformation.
Zoraida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: tho-RIE-dha(European Spanish) so-RIE-dha(Latin American Spanish)
Perhaps means
"enchanting" or
"dawn" in Arabic. This was the name of a minor 12th-century Spanish
saint, a convert from Islam. The name was used by Cervantes for a character in his novel
Don Quixote (1606), in which Zoraida is a beautiful Moorish woman of Algiers who converts to Christianity and elopes with a Spanish officer.
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