Dracotorix's Personal Name List
Acacius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀκάκιος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 33% based on 6 votes
Achilleus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀχιλλεύς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-KEEL-LEWS(Classical Greek)
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
Adair
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-DEHR(American English) ə-DEH(British English)
Rating: 43% based on 26 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Edgar.
Adalric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
Means "noble power", derived from Old High German adal "noble" combined with rîcja "powerful, strong, mighty." The second element is also closely related to Celtic rîg or rix and Gothic reiks, which all mean "king, ruler."
Adrastos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄδραστος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-DRAS-TOS(Classical Greek)
Means
"not inclined to run away" in Greek, from the negative prefix
ἀ (a) and
διδράσκω (didrasko) meaning "to run away". This was the name of a king of Argos in Greek legend.
Áedán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish [1]
Rating: 40% based on 21 votes
Ælfwine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1][2]
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Derived from the Old English elements
ælf "elf" and
wine "friend". This name was not commonly used after the
Norman Conquest.
Aelianus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 25% based on 17 votes
Aelius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: IE-lee-oos
Rating: 29% based on 17 votes
Roman family name that was possibly derived from the Greek word
ἥλιος (helios) meaning
"sun". This was the family name of the Roman emperor Hadrian.
Aias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Αἴας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: IE-AS(Classical Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 24 votes
Aiden
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: AY-dən
Rating: 41% based on 39 votes
Akio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 昭夫, 昭男, 昭雄, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あきお(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KYEE-O
Rating: 32% based on 25 votes
From Japanese
昭 (aki) meaning "bright, luminous" combined with
夫 (o) meaning "man, husband",
男 (o) meaning "male, man" or
雄 (o) meaning "hero, manly". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Akira
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 昭, 明, 亮, 晶, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あきら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KYEE-RA
Rating: 51% based on 30 votes
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.
Ákos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: A-kosh
Rating: 37% based on 15 votes
Possibly of Turkic origin meaning "white falcon". This was the name of a medieval Hungarian clan.
Alaric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gothic (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃(Gothic)
Pronounced: AL-ə-rik(English)
Rating: 66% based on 27 votes
From the Gothic name *
Alareiks meaning
"ruler of all", derived from the element
alls "all" combined with
reiks "ruler, king". This was the name of a king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in the 5th century.
Alastair
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: AL-i-stər(American English) AL-i-stə(British English)
Rating: 68% based on 30 votes
Alastar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: A-lə-stər
Alban
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, French, Albanian, English (Rare)
Pronounced: AL-ban(German) AL-BAHN(French) AL-bən(English) AWL-bən(English)
Rating: 51% based on 21 votes
From the Roman
cognomen Albanus, which meant
"from Alba". Alba (from Latin
albus "white") was the name of various places within the Roman Empire, including the city Alba Longa. This name was borne by
Saint Alban, the first British martyr (4th century). According to tradition, he sheltered a fugitive priest in his house. When his house was searched, he disguised himself as the priest, was arrested in his stead, and was beheaded. Another 4th-century martyr by this name was Saint Alban of Mainz.
As an English name, Alban was occasionally used in the Middle Ages and was revived in the 18th century, though it is now uncommon.
Alberic
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 57% based on 6 votes
Alden
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AWL-dən
Rating: 73% based on 4 votes
From a surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Ealdwine.
Alder
Usage: English
Rating: 63% based on 7 votes
Aldéric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Quebec)
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
Aldric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare), Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AL-DREEK(French)
Rating: 66% based on 5 votes
From a Germanic name, derived from the elements
alt "old" and
rih "ruler, king".
Saint Aldric was a 9th-century bishop of Le Mans.
Alduin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Popular Culture
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
English and French form of
Aldwin. Alduin was a king of the Lombards in the 6th century AD.
In the popular video game series 'The Elder Scrolls', Alduin, or the World-Eater, as he is known to the residents of Skyrim, is an immensely powerful dragon. He is depicted as a malevolent force who destroys the world periodically, and the Nords (people of Skyrim) believe that his reappearance heralds the end of time. He is the self-proclaimed First-Born of Akatosh and aspect of Akatosh. His name can be separated into al du in in the Dragon language, which means "Destroyer Devour Master".
Alessio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: a-LEHS-syo
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
Alfwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
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)
Rating: 36% based on 17 votes
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.
Alkeides
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀλκείδης(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 23% based on 3 votes
Allan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish, Danish, Swedish, Estonian
Pronounced: AL-ən(English)
Variant of
Alan. The American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) got his middle name from the surname of the parents who adopted him.
Altan 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Rating: 42% based on 28 votes
Means "red dawn" in Turkish.
Altan 2
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Алтан(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Pronounced: AZH-tang
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Means "golden" in Mongolian.
Alwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AL-veen(German) AHL-vin(Dutch)
Rating: 41% based on 26 votes
Alwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 37% based on 15 votes
From the name of the River Alwen in northern Wales (a tributary of the River Dee).
Amar 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi
Other Scripts: अमर(Hindi, Marathi) অমর(Bengali) ਅਮਰ(Gurmukhi)
Rating: 37% based on 28 votes
From Sanskrit
अमर (amara) meaning
"immortal".
Ambrosius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀμβρόσιος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: am-BRO-see-oos(Latin)
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
Anakin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: AN-ə-kin(English)
Rating: 44% based on 24 votes
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a character (also known as Darth Vader) in the Star Wars movie saga, created by George Lucas. Lucas may have based it on the surname of his friend and fellow director Ken Annakin.
Anand
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati
Other Scripts: आनंद, आनन्द(Hindi) आनंद(Marathi) ஆனந்த்(Tamil) ఆనంద్(Telugu) ആനന്ദ്(Malayalam) ಆನಂದ್(Kannada) આનંદ(Gujarati)
Pronounced: A-nənd(Hindi) AH-nənd(Gujarati)
Rating: 31% based on 25 votes
Anaru
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Maori
Rating: 29% based on 21 votes
Ander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: AN-dehr
Rating: 51% based on 19 votes
Basque form of
Andreas (see
Andrew).
Andor 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
Rating: 34% based on 14 votes
From the Old Norse name
Arnþórr, derived from the element
ǫrn "eagle" combined with the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor).
Andre
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, African American
Pronounced: AHN-dray(English)
Rating: 46% based on 21 votes
Andronikos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Biblical Greek [2]
Other Scripts: Ἀνδρόνικος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-DRO-NEE-KOS(Classical Greek)
Rating: 31% based on 14 votes
Aneirin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Welsh, Welsh
Pronounced: a-NAY-rin(Welsh)
Rating: 40% based on 17 votes
Old Welsh name, possibly from the Latin name
Honorius [1]. This was the name of a 6th-century Brythonic poet, also known as Neirin or Aneurin
[2], who is said to be the author of the poem
Y Gododdin.
Ansgar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Norwegian, Swedish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: ANS-gar(German)
Rating: 30% based on 4 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
ansi "god" and
ger "spear".
Saint Ansgar was a 9th-century Frankish missionary who tried to convert the Danes and Norwegians.
Anton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, Croatian, Romanian, Estonian, Finnish, Georgian, English
Other Scripts: Антон(Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Macedonian) ანტონ(Georgian)
Pronounced: AN-ton(German) AN-tawn(German, British English) un-TON(Russian) AHN-tawn(Dutch) un-TAWN(Ukrainian) an-TON(Belarusian, Slovene, Romanian) AHN-ton(Finnish) AN-TAWN(Georgian) AN-tahn(American English)
Form of
Antonius (see
Anthony) used in various languages. A notable bearer was the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov (1860-1904).
Antonin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AHN-TAW-NEHN
French form of
Antoninus. This name was borne by the French playwright Antonin Artaud (1896-1948).
Antony
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AN-tə-nee
Rating: 48% based on 28 votes
Variant of
Anthony. This was formerly the usual English spelling of the name, but during the 17th century the
h began to be added.
Anubis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἄνουβις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ə-NOO-bis(English)
Rating: 30% based on 19 votes
Latinized form of
Ἄνουβις (Anoubis), the Greek form of Egyptian
jnpw (reconstructed as
Anapa and other forms), which coincided with a word meaning
"royal child, prince". However, it might alternatively be derived from the root
jnp meaning
"to decay". Anubis was the Egyptian god who led the dead to the underworld. He was often depicted as a man with the head of a jackal. The Greeks equated him with their god
Hermes.
Anwar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu, Indonesian
Other Scripts: أنور(Arabic) انور(Urdu)
Pronounced: AN-war(Arabic, Indonesian)
Rating: 37% based on 20 votes
Means
"brighter, more luminous" in Arabic, related to
نور (nūr) meaning "light". This name was borne by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat (1918-1981), who was assassinated three years after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Aodhán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
From the Old Irish name
Áedán meaning
"little fire", a
diminutive of
Áed (see
Aodh). This name was borne by a 6th-century king of Dál Riata. It was also the name of a few early Irish
saints, including a 6th-century bishop of Ferns and a 7th-century bishop of Lindisfarne.
Apollinaris
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀπολλινάρις(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 29% based on 15 votes
Ancient Greek name derived from the name of the god
Apollo. This was the name of several early
saints and martyrs, including a bishop of Ravenna and a bishop of Hierapolis.
Apollo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀπόλλων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ə-PAHL-o(American English) ə-PAWL-o(British English)
Rating: 42% based on 17 votes
From Greek
Ἀπόλλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to the Indo-European root *
apelo- meaning
"strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means
"father lion" or
"father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb
ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) meaning
"to destroy". In Greek
mythology Apollo was the son of
Zeus and
Leto and the twin of
Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.
Aquila
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: AK-wil-ə(English) ə-KWIL-ə(English)
Rating: 36% based on 16 votes
Aquilinus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 28% based on 13 votes
Aragorn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 39% based on 14 votes
Meaning unexplained, though the first element is presumably Sindarin ara "noble, kingly". This is the name of a character in The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien. In the book Aragorn is the heir of the Dúnedain kings of the north.
Aran 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 37% based on 14 votes
From the name of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland.
Arathorn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
Arathorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe. He is the fifteenth of the Chieftains of the Dúnedain, and the father of Aragorn II, one of the major characters in The Lord of the Rings.
Arden
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AHR-dən(American English) AH-dən(British English)
Rating: 49% based on 20 votes
From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, which were derived from a Celtic word meaning "high".
Arjan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: AHR-yahn
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
Arjen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: AHR-yən
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
Variant form of
Ariën. The latter was the most popular of the two for many decades, until
Arjen began to rise in popularity in the late 1950s. Arjen eventually eclipsed Ariën and has been the most popular of the two ever since. Almost exactly the same fate befell the names
Arian and
Arjan. Known Dutch bearers of this name include the professional soccer player Arjen Robben (b. 1984) and the television host Arjen Lubach (b. 1979).
Arkady
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Аркадий(Russian)
Pronounced: ur-KA-dyee
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
Armand
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Catalan
Pronounced: AR-MAHN(French) ər-MAN(Catalan)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
French and Catalan form of
Herman.
Aron
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish, Croatian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic
Pronounced: A-rawn(Polish, Icelandic) A-ron(Croatian) AH-rawn(Swedish)
Rating: 44% based on 15 votes
Polish, Croatian and Scandinavian form of
Aaron.
Arran
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 31% based on 14 votes
From the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland in the Firth of Clyde.
Artair
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Pronounced: AHR-tər
Rating: 36% based on 15 votes
Scottish Gaelic form of
Arthur.
Arthfael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Welsh
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Medieval Welsh form of
Armel.
Ásbjörn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Icelandic
Rating: 28% based on 22 votes
Ashwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada
Other Scripts: अश्विन(Hindi, Marathi) அசுவின், அஸ்வின்(Tamil) అశ్విన్(Telugu) ಅಶ್ವಿನ್(Kannada)
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
From Sanskrit
अश्विन् (aśvin) meaning
"possessed of horses". The Ashvins are twin Hindu gods of the sunrise and sunset.
Aslan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish, Kazakh, Azerbaijani, Chechen, Ossetian, Circassian, Literature
Other Scripts: Аслан(Kazakh, Chechen, Ossetian) Аслъан(Western Circassian) Аслъэн(Eastern Circassian)
Pronounced: as-LAN(Turkish)
Rating: 42% based on 15 votes
From Turkic arslan meaning "lion". This was a byname or title borne by several medieval Turkic rulers, including the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan (a byname meaning "brave lion") who drove the Byzantines from Anatolia in the 11th century. The author C. S. Lewis later used the name Aslan for the main protagonist (a lion) in his Chronicles of Narnia series of books, first appearing in 1950.
Astor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AS-tər(American English) AS-tə(British English)
Rating: 32% based on 13 votes
From a German and French surname derived from Occitan astur meaning "hawk". The wealthy and influential Astor family, prominent in British and American society, originated in the Italian Alps.
Astrophel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 45% based on 13 votes
Probably intended to mean "star lover", from Greek
ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star" and
φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend". This name was first used by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney in his collection of sonnets
Astrophel and Stella.
Athanasius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀθανάσιος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ath-ə-NAY-shəs(English)
Rating: 36% based on 12 votes
From the Greek name
Ἀθανάσιος (Athanasios) meaning
"immortal", from Greek
ἀ (a), a negative prefix, combined with
θάνατος (thanatos) meaning "death".
Saint Athanasius was a 4th-century bishop of Alexandria who strongly opposed Arianism.
Athos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Literature, French, Italian, Greek, Brazilian
Other Scripts: Άεθος(Greek)
Pronounced: A-thos(Greek Mythology, Literature) A-THOS(French)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Athos was one of the Gigantes, children of
Gaia, who hurled a mountain at
Zeus. Zeus knocked the mountain to the ground near Macedonia, and it became Mount Athos, or the "Holy Mountain."
In "The Three Musketeers" by Père Alexandre Dumas, Athos is one of the titular characters, his name deriving from the village of Athos in the commune Athos-Aspis.
Atticus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀττικός(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AT-i-kəs(English)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Ἀττικός (Attikos) meaning
"from Attica", referring to the region surrounding Athens in Greece. This name was borne by a few notable Greeks from the Roman period (or Romans of Greek background). The author Harper Lee used the name in her novel
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) for an Alabama lawyer who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman.
Auberon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Carolingian Cycle
Pronounced: AW-bə-rahn(American English) O-bə-rahn(American English) AW-bə-rawn(British English) O-bə-rawn(British English)
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
From a
diminutive form of
Auberi, an Old French form of
Alberich. It is the name of the fairy king in the 13th-century epic
Huon de Bordeaux.
Augustine 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AW-gə-steen, aw-GUS-tin
Rating: 54% based on 25 votes
From the Roman name
Augustinus, itself derived from the Roman name
Augustus.
Saint Augustine of Hippo was a 5th-century Christian theologian and author from North Africa. For his contributions to Christian philosophy he is known as a Doctor of the Church. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world. It became popular in England in the Middle Ages partly because of a second saint by this name, Augustine of Canterbury, a 6th-century Italian monk sent to England to convert the Anglo-Saxons.
Aurelianus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 27% based on 12 votes
Roman
cognomen that was originally derived from the Roman family name
Aurelius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Roman emperor (Lucius Domitius Aurelianus) who reconquered the breakaway Gallic and Palmyrene Empires.
Aurelius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ow-REH-lee-oos(Latin) aw-REEL-ee-əs(English)
Rating: 48% based on 18 votes
Roman family name that was derived from Latin
aureus meaning
"golden, gilded". Marcus Aurelius was a 2nd-century Roman emperor and philosophical writer. This was also the name of several early
saints.
Azar
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: آذر(Persian)
Pronounced: aw-ZAR
Rating: 38% based on 19 votes
Means "fire" in Persian.
Bastian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: BAS-tee-an
Rating: 52% based on 21 votes
Bellerophon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Βελλεροφῶν(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: bi-LEHR-ə-fən(English)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
From
Βελλεροφόντης (Bellerophontes), possibly from Greek
βέλος (belos) meaning "dart" and the suffix
φόντης (phontes) meaning "slayer of". Alternatively the first element might come from a defeated foe named Belleros, who is otherwise unattested. In Greek legend Bellerophon or Bellerophontes was a hero who tamed
Pegasus and killed the monstrous Chimera. He was killed by
Zeus when he attempted to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus.
Beowulf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon Mythology
Pronounced: BAY-ə-wuwlf(English)
Rating: 43% based on 25 votes
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.
Bessarion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Greek
Other Scripts: Βησσαρίων(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Greek
βῆσσα (bessa) meaning
"wooded valley". This was the name of a 5th-century Egyptian hermit who was a disciple of
Saint Anthony the Great. It was later adopted by the scholar Basilios Bessarion (1403-1472), a Greek born in Byzantine Anatolia who became a Roman Catholic bishop.
Bevan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 40% based on 20 votes
From a Welsh surname that was derived from
ap Evan meaning
"son of Evan". As a given name, it is particularly common in New Zealand and Australia.
Björn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Icelandic, German
Pronounced: BYUUN(Swedish) PYUURTN(Icelandic) BYUURN(German)
Rating: 40% based on 19 votes
From an Old Norse byname derived from
bjǫrn meaning
"bear".
Bran 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: BRAN(Irish)
Rating: 56% based on 17 votes
Means "raven" in Irish. In Irish legend Bran mac Febail was a mariner who was involved in several adventures on his quest to find the Otherworld.
Bran 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Rating: 54% based on 18 votes
Unaccented variant of
Brân. This is also the Middle Welsh form.
Brandon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRAN-dən
Rating: 41% based on 20 votes
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"hill covered with broom" in Old English.
Already beginning to rise on the American charts, this name got a further boost when child actor Brandon Cruz (1962-) debuted on the sitcom The Courtship of Eddie's Father in 1969 [1]. After cresting in popularity in the 1980s the name began to decline, but this was turned around by the arrival of the character Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1990 [1]. The name peaked in America ranked sixth in 1992.
Branimir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Slovene
Other Scripts: Бранимир(Serbian, Bulgarian)
Rating: 43% based on 20 votes
Derived from the Slavic element
borna "protection" combined with
mirŭ "peace, world".
Brannon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRAN-ən
Rating: 37% based on 14 votes
From an Irish surname, a variant of
Brennan.
Branwell
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Bramwell. A famous namesake is Patrick Branwell Brontë, brother of the famous Brontë sisters.
Brendan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, Breton
Pronounced: BREHN-dən(English) BREHN-dahn(Breton)
Rating: 44% based on 18 votes
From
Brendanus, the Latinized form of the Old Irish name
Bréanainn, which was derived from Old Welsh
breenhin meaning
"king, prince".
Saint Brendan was a 6th-century Irish abbot who, according to legend, crossed the Atlantic and reached North America with 17 other monks.
Brenden
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BREHN-dən
Brennan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BREHN-ən
Rating: 47% based on 19 votes
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Braonáin) that was derived from the byname
Braonán, itself from Irish
braon meaning "rain, moisture, drop" combined with a
diminutive suffix. As a given name, it has been used since the 1960s as an alternative to
Brendan or
Brandon, though it has not been as popular as them.
Brennus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gaulish (Latinized)
Pronounced: BREHN-əs(English)
Rating: 34% based on 14 votes
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.
Brian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: BRIE-ən(English) BRYEEYN(Irish)
Rating: 47% based on 22 votes
Meaning uncertain, possibly related to the old Celtic root *
brixs "hill, high" (Old Irish
brií) or the related *
brigā "might, power" (Old Irish
briíg). It was borne by the Irish king Brian Boru, who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. He was slain in the Battle of Clontarf, though his forces were decisively victorious. This name was common in Ireland after his time, and it was introduced to northern England by Norse-Gael settlers. It was also used in Brittany, and was brought to England by Bretons in the wake of the
Norman Conquest. Though it eventually became rare in the English-speaking world, it was strongly revived in the 20th century, becoming a top-ten name for boys in most regions.
Briar
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIE-ər(American English) BRIE-ə(British English)
Rating: 52% based on 19 votes
From the English word for the thorny plant.
Brynmor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 39% based on 15 votes
From the Welsh place name Brynmawr meaning "great hill".
Burak
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: boo-RAK
Rating: 29% based on 21 votes
From Arabic
براق (Burāq), the name of the legendary creature that, according to Islamic tradition, transported the Prophet
Muhammad. Its name is derived from Arabic
برق (barq) meaning "lightning"
[1].
Cadeyrn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 41% based on 16 votes
From Old Welsh
Catigirn meaning
"battle king", derived from
cat "battle" and
tigirn "king, monarch". This was the name of a 5th-century king of Powys in Wales, the son of
Vortigern.
Cadoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Welsh [1]
Rating: 48% based on 19 votes
From an Old Welsh name, recorded in Latinized forms such as
Catocus, derived from
cat meaning
"battle". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh
saint who was martyred by the Saxons.
Cadogan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Caedmon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Pronounced: KAD-mən(English)
Rating: 43% based on 22 votes
Meaning unknown, though the first element is likely connected to Brythonic
kad meaning "battle".
Saint Caedmon was a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon poet who supposedly received his poetic inspiration from a dream. Our only knowledge of him is through the 8th-century writings of the historian Bede.
Cáel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Rating: 41% based on 15 votes
From Old Irish
cáel meaning
"slender". In Irish legend Cáel was a warrior of the Fianna and the lover of Créd.
Caelan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY-lən
Rating: 41% based on 16 votes
Anglicized form of
Caolán (masculine) or a variant of
Kaylyn (feminine).
Caelinus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 27% based on 11 votes
Roman family name that was itself derived from the Roman family name
Caelius.
Caelius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: KIE-lee-oos
Rating: 37% based on 14 votes
Roman family name that was derived from Latin caelum meaning "heaven".
Caerwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 41% based on 14 votes
Derived from the Welsh elements
caer "fortress" and
gwyn "white, blessed".
Caius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: GA-ee-oos(Latin) KIE-əs(English)
Rating: 54% based on 18 votes
Calder
Gender: Masculine
Usage: American
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Calder.
Cambyses
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Persian (Latinized), History
Other Scripts: 𐎣𐎲𐎢𐎪𐎡𐎹(Old Persian)
Rating: 33% based on 18 votes
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.
Camden
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAM-dən
Rating: 37% based on 16 votes
From an English surname that was derived from a place name, perhaps meaning "enclosed valley" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English historian William Camden (1551-1623).
Carlisle
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kahr-LIEL(American English) kah-LIEL(British English)
Rating: 36% based on 13 votes
From a surname that was derived from the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans
Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of
Lugus". Later the Brythonic element
ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.
Carwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 51% based on 17 votes
Derived from Welsh
caru "to love" and
gwyn "white, blessed". This name was created in the 20th century
[1].
Casimir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: KAZ-i-mir(American English) KAZ-i-meey(British English) KA-ZEE-MEER(French)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
English form of the Polish name
Kazimierz, derived from the Slavic element
kaziti "to destroy" combined with
mirŭ "peace, world". Four kings of Poland have borne this name, including Casimir III the Great, who greatly strengthened the Polish state in the 14th century. It was also borne
Saint Casimir, a 15th-century Polish prince and a patron saint of Poland and Lithuania. The name was imported into Western Europe via Germany, where it was borne by some royalty.
Caspian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: KAS-pee-ən(English)
Rating: 60% based on 22 votes
Used by author C. S. Lewis for a character in his Chronicles of Narnia series, first appearing in 1950. Prince Caspian first appears in the fourth book, where he is the rightful king of Narnia driven into exile by his evil uncle Miraz. Lewis probably based the name on the Caspian Sea, which was named for the city of Qazvin, which was itself named for the ancient Cas tribe.
Cassian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman (Anglicized)
Pronounced: KASH-ən(English) KAS-ee-ən(English)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
From the Roman family name
Cassianus, which was derived from
Cassius. This was the name of several
saints, including a 3rd-century martyr from Tangier who is the patron saint of stenographers and a 5th-century mystic who founded a monastery in Marseille.
Cassiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
From Hebrew
קַפצִיאֵל (Qaftsiʾel), of uncertain meaning. Suggested meanings include
"leap of God",
"drawn together by God" or
"wrath of God". This is the name of an angel in medieval Jewish, Christian and Islamic mysticism.
Cavan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 37% based on 15 votes
Either from the name of the Irish county, which is derived from Irish
cabhán "hollow", or else from the Irish surname
Cavan.
Cefin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 32% based on 21 votes
Cian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: KYEEYN(Irish)
Rating: 63% based on 14 votes
Means
"ancient, enduring" in Irish. In Irish
mythology this was the name of the father of
Lugh Lámfada. It was also borne by the mythical ancestor of the Ciannachta and by a son-in-law of
Brian Boru.
Ciarán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: KYEEY-ran(Irish)
Rating: 68% based on 17 votes
Diminutive of
Ciar. This was the name of two 6th-century Irish
saints: Ciarán the Elder, the founder of the monastery at Saighir, and Ciarán the Younger, the founder of the monastery at Clonmacnoise.
Cináed
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Scottish, Old Irish [1]
Rating: 46% based on 9 votes
Possibly from Old Irish
cin "respect, esteem, affection" or
cinid "be born, come into being" combined with
áed "fire", though it might actually be of Pictish origin. This was the name of the first king of the Scots and Picts (9th century). It is often Anglicized as
Kenneth. The originally unrelated name
Coinneach is sometimes used as the modern Scottish Gaelic form.
Cipriano
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: chee-PRYA-no(Italian) chee-pree-A-no(Italian) thee-PRYA-no(European Spanish) see-PRYA-no(Latin American Spanish)
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Cyprianus (see
Cyprian).
Colin 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: KAHL-in(American English) KOL-in(American English, British English) KAWL-in(British English)
Rating: 60% based on 19 votes
Anglicized form of Scottish
Cailean.
Conall
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1], Irish Mythology
Rating: 47% based on 15 votes
Means
"rule of a wolf", from Old Irish
cú "hound, dog, wolf" (genitive
con) and
fal "rule"
[2]. This is the name of several characters in Irish legend including the hero Conall Cernach ("Conall of the victories"), a member of the Red Branch of Ulster, who avenged
Cúchulainn's death by killing
Lugaid.
Conan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Means
"little wolf" or
"little hound" from Irish
cú "wolf, hound" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early
saints, including a 7th-century bishop of the Isle of Man. It appears in Irish legend as a companion
Fionn mac Cumhaill. A famous bearer of it as a middle name was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. It is also the name of the hero of the
Conan the Barbarian series of books, comics and movies, debuting 1932.
Conn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Rating: 36% based on 15 votes
Perhaps from Old Irish
conn meaning
"sense, reason" or
cenn meaning
"head, chief". This was the name of a legendary high king of Ireland, Conn of the Hundred Battles.
Conor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: KAHN-ər(American English) KAWN-ə(British English)
Rating: 57% based on 21 votes
Conrad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: KAHN-rad(American English) KAWN-rad(British English) KAWN-rat(German)
Rating: 58% based on 19 votes
Means
"brave counsel", derived from the Old German elements
kuoni "brave" and
rat "counsel, advice". This was the name of a 10th-century
saint and bishop of Konstanz, in southern Germany. It was also borne by several medieval German kings and dukes, notably Conrad II, the first of the Holy Roman Emperors from the Salic dynasty. In England it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, but has only been common since the 19th century when it was reintroduced from Germany.
Conrí
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish
Rating: 44% based on 10 votes
Means "king of hounds" in Irish.
Corbin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAWR-bin(American English) KAW-bin(British English)
Rating: 45% based on 18 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].
Corin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare)
Rating: 54% based on 14 votes
Cornelius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, English, Dutch, German, Biblical
Pronounced: kor-NEH-lee-oos(Latin) kawr-NEEL-ee-əs(American English) kaw-NEE-lyəs(British English) kawr-NEH-lee-yuys(Dutch) kawr-NEH-lee-uws(German)
Rating: 55% based on 16 votes
Roman family name that possibly derives from the Latin element
cornu meaning
"horn". In Acts in the
New Testament Cornelius is a centurion who is directed by an angel to seek
Peter. After speaking with Peter he converts to Christianity, and he is traditionally deemed the first gentile convert. The name was also borne by a few early
saints, including a 3rd-century pope. In England it came into use in the 16th century, partly due to Dutch influence.
Crispin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-pin
Rating: 58% based on 20 votes
From the Roman
cognomen Crispinus, which was derived from the name
Crispus.
Saint Crispin was a 3rd-century Roman who was martyred with his twin brother Crispinian in Gaul. They are the patrons of shoemakers. They were popular saints in England during the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since that time.
Crispus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 48% based on 10 votes
Roman
cognomen meaning
"curly-haired" in Latin.
Cúán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish [1]
Rating: 43% based on 9 votes
Means
"little wolf" or
"little hound" from Old Irish
cú meaning "wolf, hound" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 8th-century
saint.
Cuauhtémoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Nahuatl (Hispanicized)
Rating: 22% based on 10 votes
Cyan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SIE-an
Rating: 33% based on 9 votes
From the English word meaning
"greenish blue, cyan", ultimately derived from Greek
κύανος (kyanos).
Cyprian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish, History (Ecclesiastical)
Pronounced: TSI-pryan(Polish) SIP-ree-ən(English)
Rating: 51% based on 23 votes
From the Roman family name
Cyprianus, which meant
"from Cyprus".
Saint Cyprian was a 3rd-century bishop of Carthage who was martyred under the Roman emperor Valerian.
Cyrus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Old Persian (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κῦρος(Ancient Greek) 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁(Old Persian)
Pronounced: SIE-rəs(English)
Rating: 56% based on 15 votes
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.
Daedalus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Δαίδαλος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DEHD-ə-ləs(English) DEED-ə-ləs(English)
Rating: 43% based on 13 votes
Latinized form of the Greek
Δαίδαλος (Daidalos), which was derived from
δαιδάλλω (daidallo) meaning
"to work cunningly". In Greek
myth Daedalus was an Athenian inventor who was banished to Crete. There he designed the Labyrinth for King
Minos, but he and his son
Icarus were eventually imprisoned inside it because he had aided
Theseus in his quest against the Minotaur. Daedalus and Icarus escaped using wings fashioned from wax, but Icarus fell from the sky to his death.
Dafydd
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: DA-vidh
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Welsh form of
David. This name was borne by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, a 13th-century Welsh ruler, and Dafydd ap Gwilym, a 14th-century poet.
Damian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Polish, Romanian, Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: DAY-mee-ən(English) DA-myan(Polish)
Rating: 50% based on 4 votes
From the Greek name
Δαμιανός (Damianos), which was derived from Greek
δαμάζω (damazo) meaning
"to tame".
Saint Damian was martyred with his twin brother
Cosmas in Syria early in the 4th century. They are the patron saints of physicians. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in Christian Europe. Another saint by this name was Peter Damian, an 11th-century cardinal and theologian from Italy.
Damodar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: दामोदर(Hindi)
Rating: 32% based on 9 votes
Darien
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAR-ee-ən
Rating: 51% based on 14 votes
Darwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHR-win(American English) DAH-win(British English)
Rating: 48% based on 15 votes
From a surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Deorwine. The surname was borne by the British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the man who first proposed the theory of natural selection and subsequently revolutionized biology.
Demetrius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Δημήτριος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of the Greek name
Δημήτριος (Demetrios), which was derived from the name of the Greek goddess
Demeter 1. Kings of Macedon and the Seleucid kingdom have had this name. This was also the name of several early
saints including Demetrius of Thessalonica, a martyr of the 4th century who is regarded as a warrior.
Desideratus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 29% based on 16 votes
Derived from Latin
desideratum meaning
"desired". This was the name of a 6th-century French
saint.
Desmond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: DEHZ-mənd(English)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Anglicized form of Irish Deasmhumhain meaning "south Munster", referring to the region of Desmond in southern Ireland, formerly a kingdom. It can also come from the related surname (an Anglicized form of Ó Deasmhumhnaigh), which indicated a person who came from that region. A famous bearer is the South African archbishop and activist Desmond Tutu (1931-2021).
Donovan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHN-ə-vən(American English) DAWN-ə-vən(British English)
Rating: 51% based on 16 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Donndubháin, itself derived from the given name
Donndubán. This name is borne by the Scottish folk musician Donovan Leitch (1946-), known simply as Donovan.
Dorian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Romanian, Polish
Pronounced: DAWR-ee-ən(English) DAW-RYAHN(French)
Rating: 61% based on 19 votes
The name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians.
Draven
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: DRAY-vən(English)
Rating: 43% based on 12 votes
From a surname (of unknown meaning) that was used in the movie The Crow (1994).
Drinian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: DRIN-ee-un
Rating: 27% based on 3 votes
The name of Prince Caspian's advisor and ship captain in CS Lewis' book The Dawn Treader.
Drogo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Rating: 40% based on 22 votes
Norman name, possibly derived from Gothic
dragan meaning
"to carry, to pull" or Old Saxon
drog meaning
"ghost, illusion". Alternatively, it could be related to the Slavic element
dorgŭ meaning
"precious, dear". The
Normans introduced this name to England.
Eamon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: EH-mən
Rating: 65% based on 18 votes
Éber
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Rating: 36% based on 14 votes
Edmond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Albanian
Pronounced: EHD-MAWN(French)
French and Albanian form of
Edmund. A notable bearer was the English astronomer Edmond Halley (1656-1742), for whom Halley's comet is named.
Edric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: EHD-rik
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
From the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
ric "ruler, king". After the
Norman Conquest this Old English name was not commonly used. It has occasionally been revived in modern times.
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.
Einar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish, Danish, Estonian
Pronounced: IE-nahr(Norwegian) AY-nar(Icelandic, Swedish)
Rating: 58% based on 13 votes
From the Old Norse name
Einarr, derived from the elements
einn "one, alone" and
herr "army, warrior". This name shares the same roots as
einherjar, the word for the slain warriors in Valhalla.
Eldon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-dən
Rating: 44% based on 10 votes
From a surname that was from a place name meaning "Ella's hill" in Old English.
Eleftherios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ελευθέριος(Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Elias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, English, Dutch, Greek, Amharic, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ηλίας(Greek) ኤልያስ(Amharic) Ἠλίας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: i-LEE-ush(European Portuguese) eh-LEE-us(Brazilian Portuguese) eh-LEE-as(German) EH-lee-ahs(Finnish, Dutch) i-LIE-əs(English) ee-LIE-əs(English)
Rating: 54% based on 5 votes
Form of
Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek
New Testament, as well as some English translations.
Elric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English
Pronounced: EHL-rik(English)
Rating: 54% based on 14 votes
Elrond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 38% based on 9 votes
Means "star dome" in the fictional language Sindarin. In The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Elrond was the elven ruler of Rivendell.
Emanuel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Czech, Slovak, Croatian
Pronounced: eh-MA-nwehl(German) EH-ma-noo-ehl(Czech, Slovak)
Rating: 45% based on 22 votes
Emrys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EHM-ris
Rating: 58% based on 18 votes
Welsh form of
Ambrose. Emrys Wledig (or Ambrosius Aurelianus) was a Romano-British military leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. Tales of his life were used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth to help shape the early character of
Merlin, whom he called Merlinus Ambrosius in Latin.
Emyr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EH-mir
Rating: 45% based on 11 votes
Means "king, lord" in Welsh.
Ender
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Rating: 40% based on 10 votes
Means "very rare" in Turkish.
Endymion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἐνδυμίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EHN-DUY-MEE-AWN(Classical Greek) ehn-DIM-ee-ən(English)
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
Derived from Greek
ἐνδύω (endyo) meaning
"to dive into, to enter". In Greek
mythology he was an Aeolian mortal loved by the moon goddess
Selene, who asked
Zeus to grant him eternal life. Zeus complied by putting him into an eternal sleep in a cave on Mount Latmos.
Enver
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish, Bosnian, Albanian
Rating: 38% based on 16 votes
Turkish, Bosnian and Albanian form of
Anwar.
Eoin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: ON
Rating: 58% based on 12 votes
Irish form of
Iohannes (see
John) used in the Bible.
Éomer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From Old English
eoh meaning "horse" and
maer meaning "famous". The name was used by J. R. R. Tolkien in his book "The Lord of the Rings". Éomer is
Éowyn's brother and a nephew of King
Théoden of Rohan.
Éomund
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: Ay-o-mund
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means "horse protector" in Old English. This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) Éomund is the father of
Éowyn and
Éomer.
Esmond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: EHZ-mənd
Rating: 36% based on 17 votes
Derived from the Old English elements
est "grace" and
mund "protection". This Old English name was rarely used after the
Norman Conquest. It was occasionally revived in the 19th century.
Evan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: EHV-ən(English)
Rating: 60% based on 19 votes
Anglicized form of
Ifan, a Welsh form of
John.
Ewan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: YOO-ən(English)
Rating: 56% based on 14 votes
Faraj
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: فرج(Arabic)
Pronounced: FA-raj
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "comfort, relief" in Arabic.
Faramund
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 46% based on 11 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
fara "journey" and
munt "protection". This was the name of a semi-legendary 5th-century king of the Franks.
Farid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Bengali
Other Scripts: فريد(Arabic) فرید(Persian, Urdu) ফরিদ(Bengali)
Pronounced: fa-REED(Arabic, Persian)
Rating: 49% based on 9 votes
Means
"unique, precious" in Arabic, derived from
فرد (farada) meaning "to be unique, to be alone"
[1]. This was the name of a 13th-century Persian poet.
Farran
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: FAR-ən
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Farran.
Fëanor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Means "spirit of fire". In The Silmarillion, Fëanor was the mightiest of the Noldor and the creater of the legendary Silmarils.
Fereydoun
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian, Persian Mythology
Other Scripts: فریدون(Persian)
Pronounced: feh-ray-DOON(Persian)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Modern Persian form of Old Iranian *
Thraitauna meaning
"the third". In the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh this is the name of a virtuous king who ruled for 500 years. The Avestan form of the name
𐬚𐬭𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬀𐬊𐬥𐬀 (Thraētaona) appears in the earlier texts of the
Avesta.
Fiachra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: FYEEYKH-rə(Irish)
Rating: 55% based on 10 votes
From Old Irish
Fiachrae, possibly from
fiach "raven" or
fích "battle" combined with
rí "king". This was the name of several legendary figures, including one of the four children of
Lir transformed into swans for a period of 900 years. This is also the name of the patron
saint of gardeners: a 7th-century Irish abbot who settled in France, usually called Saint Fiacre.
Finbarr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: FIN-bahr(American English) FIN-bah(British English)
Rating: 49% based on 18 votes
Finn 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1], Irish, English, Dutch, German
Pronounced: FIN(English, Dutch, German)
Rating: 62% based on 19 votes
Old Irish form of
Fionn, as well as the usual Anglicized spelling (with the Irish hero's name Anglicized as Finn McCool). As a surname it is borne by Huckleberry Finn, a character in Mark Twain's novels.
Finnian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 47% based on 18 votes
Derived from Old Irish
finn "white, blessed". This was the name of several Irish
saints, including the founders of monasteries at Clonard and Movilla (both 6th century).
Fionn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: FYIN(Irish) FYUWN(Irish) FYOON(Irish) FIN(English)
From the Old Irish name
Finn, derived from
finn meaning
"white, blessed". It occurs frequently in Irish history and legends, the most noteworthy bearer being Fionn mac Cumhaill, the central character of one of the four main cycles of Irish
mythology, the Fenian Cycle. Fionn was born as
Deimne, and acquired his nickname because of his fair hair. He grew all-wise by eating an enchanted salmon, and later became the leader of the Fianna after defeating the fire-breathing demon Áillen. He was the father of
Oisín and grandfather of
Oscar.
Francis
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: FRAN-sis(English) FRAHN-SEES(French)
Rating: 63% based on 24 votes
English form of the Late Latin name
Franciscus meaning
"Frenchman", ultimately from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were named for a type of spear that they used (Proto-Germanic *
frankô). This name was borne by the 13th-century
Saint Francis of Assisi, who was originally named Giovanni but was given the nickname Francesco by his father, an admirer of the French. Francis went on to renounce his father's wealth and devote his life to the poor, founding the Franciscan order of friars. Later in his life he apparently received the stigmata.
Due to the renown of the saint, this name became widespread in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. However, it was not regularly used in Britain until the 16th century. Famous bearers include Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), a missionary to East Asia, the philosopher and scientist Francis Bacon (1561-1626), the explorer and admiral Francis Drake (1540-1595), and Pope Francis (1936-).
In the English-speaking world this name is occasionally used for girls, as a variant of the homophone Frances.
Fyfe
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish (Rare)
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
Gabriel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: გაბრიელ(Georgian) גַּבְרִיאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Γαβριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: GA-BREE-YEHL(French) ga-BRYEHL(Spanish) ga-bree-EHL(European Portuguese, Romanian) ga-bree-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) GA-bree-ehl(German, Slovak, Latin) GAH-bri-ehl(Swedish) GAH-bree-ehl(Finnish) gə-bree-EHL(Catalan) GAY-bree-əl(English) GAB-ryehl(Polish) GA-bri-yehl(Czech)
Rating: 63% based on 26 votes
From the Hebrew name
גַבְרִיאֵל (Ḡavriʾel) meaning
"God is my strong man", derived from
גֶּבֶר (gever) meaning "strong man, hero" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Gabriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition, often appearing as a messenger of God. In the
Old Testament he is sent to interpret the visions of the prophet
Daniel, while in the
New Testament he serves as the announcer of the births of
John to
Zechariah and
Jesus to
Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the
Quran to
Muhammad.
This name has been used occasionally in England since the 12th century. It was not common in the English-speaking world until the end of the 20th century.
Gaius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, Biblical
Pronounced: GA-ee-oos(Latin) GIE-əs(English)
Rating: 50% based on 16 votes
Roman
praenomen, or given name, of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from Latin
gaudere "to rejoice", though it may be of unknown Etruscan origin. This was a very common Roman praenomen, the most famous bearers being Gaius Julius Caesar, the great leader of the Roman Republic, and his adopted son Gaius Octavius (later known as Augustus), the first Roman emperor. This name also appears in the
New Testament belonging to a bishop of Ephesus who is regarded as a
saint.
Galahad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GAL-ə-had(English)
Rating: 55% based on 15 votes
From earlier
Galaad, likely derived from the Old French form of the biblical place name
Gilead. In Arthurian legend Sir Galahad was the son of
Lancelot and
Elaine. He was the most pure of the Knights of the Round Table, and he was the only one to succeed in finding the Holy Grail. He first appears in the 13th-century French
Lancelot-Grail Cycle.
Galenos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Γαληνός(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 32% based on 10 votes
Gamaliel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: גַּמְלִיאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Γαμαλιήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: gə-MAY-lee-əl(English)
Rating: 40% based on 10 votes
Means
"my reward is God" in Hebrew, from the roots
גָּמַל (gamal) meaning "to reward" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This name appears in the
Old Testament belonging to a son of Pedahzur. It was also borne by a 1st-century Jewish priest and scholar, mentioned in Acts in the
New Testament as a teacher of
Saint Paul.
Gandalf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Literature
Pronounced: GAN-dahlf(English)
Rating: 32% based on 14 votes
Means "wand elf" in Old Norse, from the elements gandr "wand, staff, magic, monster" and alfr "elf". This name belongs to a dwarf (Gandálfr) in the Völuspá, a 13th-century Scandinavian manuscript that forms part of the Poetic Edda. The author J. R. R. Tolkien borrowed the name for a wizard in his novels The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954).
Ganymede
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Γανυμήδης(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: GAN-i-meed(English)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
From Greek
Γανυμήδης (Ganymedes), which was possibly derived from
γάνυμαι (ganymai) meaning "to be glad" and
μήδεα (medea) meaning "plans, counsel, cunning". In Greek
mythology this was the name of a beautiful boy who was abducted by
Zeus to become the cupbearer to the gods, the successor of
Hebe. A moon of Jupiter is named after him.
Gareth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English (British), Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GAR-əth(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain. It appears in this form in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends
Le Morte d'Arthur, in which the knight Gareth (also named
Beaumains) is a brother of
Gawain. He goes with
Lynet to rescue her sister
Lyonesse from the Red Knight. Malory based the name on
Gaheriet or
Guerrehet, which was the name of a similar character in French sources. It may ultimately have a Welsh origin, possibly from the name
Gwrhyd meaning
"valour" (found in the tale
Culhwch and Olwen) or
Gwairydd meaning
"hay lord" (found in the chronicle
Brut y Brenhinedd).
Gautama
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Sanskrit, Buddhism
Other Scripts: गौतम(Sanskrit)
Pronounced: GOW-tu-mu(Sanskrit)
Rating: 32% based on 18 votes
In the case of Siddhartha Gautama, it was a patronymic form of
Gotama.
Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the
Buddha, was the founder of Buddhism. He was a 6th-century BC nobleman who left his family in order to lead a life of meditation and poverty.
Gavin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: GAV-in(English)
Rating: 42% based on 17 votes
Medieval form of
Gawain. Though it died out in England, it was reintroduced from Scotland in the 20th century.
Gavriel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: גַּבְרִיאֵל(Hebrew)
Rating: 38% based on 17 votes
Gawain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: gə-WAYN(English) GAH-win(English)
Rating: 50% based on 16 votes
Meaning uncertain, from the Latin form
Gualguainus used in the 12th-century chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth (appearing also as
Walganus,
Gwalguanus and other spellings in different copies of the text), where he is one of the knights who serve his uncle King
Arthur. He can be identified with the earlier Welsh hero Gwalchmai, and it is possible that the name derives from
Gwalchmai or a misreading of it.
Gawain was a popular hero in medieval tales such as those by Chrétien de Troyes, where his name appears in the French form Gauvain or Gauvains. He is the main character of the 14th-century anonymous poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which he accepts a potentially fatal challenge from the mysterious Green Knight.
Gentian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From the name of the flowering plant called the gentian, the roots of which are used to create a tonic. It is derived from the name of the Illyrian king
Gentius, who supposedly discovered its medicinal properties.
Geraint
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GEHR-ient(Welsh) jə-RAYNT(English)
Rating: 53% based on 12 votes
Meaning unknown, possibly a Welsh form of
Gerontius. This was the name of a figure in various Welsh legends. He was also incorporated into Arthurian tales (the romance
Geraint and Enid) as one of the Knights of the Round Table and the husband of
Enid.
Gethin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 40% based on 11 votes
Means "dark-skinned, swarthy" in Welsh.
Gian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: JAN
Rating: 39% based on 17 votes
Giancarlo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jang-KAR-lo
Rating: 38% based on 16 votes
Gianpiero
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jam-PYEH-ro
Rating: 38% based on 16 votes
Gideon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, English, Dutch
Other Scripts: גִּדְעוֹן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: GID-ee-ən(English) GHEE-deh-awn(Dutch)
Rating: 67% based on 22 votes
From the Hebrew name
גִּדְעוֹן (Giḏʿon) meaning
"feller, hewer", derived from
גָּדַע (gaḏaʿ) meaning "to cut, to hew"
[1]. Gideon is a hero and judge of the
Old Testament. He led the vastly outnumbered Israelites against the Midianites, defeated them, and killed their two kings. In the English-speaking world,
Gideon has been used as a given name since the
Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the
Puritans.
Griffin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRIF-in
Rating: 63% based on 17 votes
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)
Gundhram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 39% based on 8 votes
Gwalchmei
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Gwendal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Derived from Breton gwenn meaning "white, blessed" and tal meaning "brow, forehead".
Gwillym
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Gwydion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Probably means
"born of trees" from Old Welsh
guid "trees" and the suffix
gen "born of". In the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], Gwydion is the nephew of King
Math of Gwynedd, and like him a powerful magician. In an elaborate plot to give his brother a chance to rape his uncle's footbearer, he arranged a war between Gwynedd and the neighbouring kingdom of Dyfed. Gwydion himself killed King
Pryderi of Dyfed at the end of the war. In punishment for the rape, Math transformed Gwydion and his brother into different animals over the course of three years. Gwydion was the uncle of
Lleu Llaw Gyffes, whom he fostered. Math and Gwydion fashioned Lleu a wife,
Blodeuwedd, out of flowers and they later aided him after her betrayal. Gwydion also appears in older Welsh poetry such as the
Book of Taliesin.
Gwynfor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 33% based on 12 votes
Derived from the Welsh element
gwyn meaning "white, blessed" combined with
maur meaning "great, large". This name was created in the 19th century.
Haidar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: حيدر(Arabic)
Pronounced: HIE-dar
Rating: 35% based on 6 votes
Means
"lion, warrior" in Arabic. This is a title of
Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Hakim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Malay, Indonesian
Other Scripts: حكيم(Arabic)
Pronounced: ha-KEEM(Arabic)
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Means
"wise" in Arabic, from the root
حكم (ḥakama) meaning "to pass judgement, to decide". In Islamic tradition
الحكيم (al-Ḥakīm) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Hasan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Indonesian, Malay, Albanian, Bosnian
Other Scripts: حسن(Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Shahmukhi) হাসান(Bengali)
Pronounced: HA-san(Arabic, Indonesian) ha-SAN(Turkish, Persian)
Rating: 47% based on 10 votes
Means
"handsome" in Arabic, from the root
حسن (ḥasuna) meaning "to be beautiful, to be good". Hasan was the son of
Ali and the grandson of the Prophet
Muhammad. He was poisoned by one of his wives and is regarded as a martyr by Shia Muslims. This was also the name of two kings of Morocco. It is sometimes transcribed as
Hassan, though this is a distinct name in Arabic.
Hawthorn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Romani (Archaic)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Transferred use of the surname
Hawthorn.
Haytham
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: هيثم(Arabic)
Pronounced: HIE-tham
Rating: 33% based on 7 votes
Means "young eagle" in Arabic.
Helio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: EH-lyo
Helios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἥλιος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEH-LEE-OS(Classical Greek) HEE-lee-ahs(American English) HEE-lee-aws(British English) HEE-lee-əs(English)
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Means
"sun" in Greek. This was the name of the young Greek sun god, a Titan, who rode across the sky each day in a chariot pulled by four horses. His sister was the moon goddess
Selene.
Hephaestus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἥφαιστος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: hi-FEHS-təs(English) hi-FEES-təs(English)
Rating: 30% based on 17 votes
Latinized form of Greek
Ἥφαιστος (Hephaistos), meaning unknown. It probably shares its origin with the Minoan city of
Φαιστός (Phaistos), which is of Pre-Greek origin. In Greek
mythology Hephaestus was the god of fire and forging, the husband of the unfaithful
Aphrodite. It was said that when he was born
Hera, his mother, was so displeased with his physical deformities that she hurled him off the top of Mount Olympus.
Hermes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1], Spanish
Other Scripts: Ἑρμῆς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHR-MEHS(Classical Greek) HUR-meez(American English) HU-meez(British English) EHR-mehs(Spanish)
Rating: 56% based on 11 votes
Probably from Greek
ἕρμα (herma) meaning
"cairn, pile of stones, boundary marker". Hermes was a Greek god associated with speed and good luck, who served as a messenger to
Zeus and the other gods. He was also the patron of travellers, writers, athletes, merchants, thieves and orators.
This was also used as a personal name, being borne for example by a 1st-century saint and martyr.
Hiawatha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History, Iroquois (Anglicized)
Pronounced: hie-ə-WAHTH-ə(English)
Rating: 29% based on 18 votes
Meaning uncertain, of Iroquois origin, possibly meaning "he who combs". This was the name of a Mohawk or Onondaga leader who founded the Iroquois Confederacy around the 15th century. He was later the subject of a fictionalized 1855 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Hikari
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 光, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ひかり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-KA-REE
Rating: 43% based on 18 votes
From Japanese
光 (hikari) meaning "light". Other kanji can also form this name. It is often written with the hiragana writing system.
Horus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ὧρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HAWR-əs(English)
Rating: 39% based on 8 votes
Latinized form of
Ὧρος (Horos), the Greek form of Egyptian
ḥrw (reconstructed as
Heru and other forms) possibly from
ḥr "above, over" or
ḥrj "distant". In Egyptian
mythology Horus was a god of the sky and light, often depicted as a man with the head of a falcon. In some versions of the mythology he was the son of
Osiris and
Isis, and avenged his father's murder by killing his uncle
Seth.
Hrafn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Icelandic, Old Norse [1]
Pronounced: RAPN(Icelandic)
Rating: 38% based on 8 votes
Means "raven" in Old Norse.
Hyacinth 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Ὑάκινθος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HIE-ə-sinth(English)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Hyacinthe
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: YA-SEHNT
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Hyperion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὑπερίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HUY-PEH-REE-AWN(Classical Greek) hie-PIR-ee-ən(English)
Rating: 44% based on 9 votes
Derived from Greek
ὑπέρ (hyper) meaning
"over". In Greek
myth this was the name of a Titan who presided over the sun and light. By
Theia he was the father of the sun god
Helios, the moon goddess
Selene, and the dawn goddess
Eos.
Iason
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1], Biblical Greek [2], Biblical Latin, Greek, Georgian
Other Scripts: Ἰάσων(Ancient Greek) Ιάσων(Greek) იასონ(Georgian)
Pronounced: EE-A-SAWN(Classical Greek)
Rating: 34% based on 14 votes
Greek and Georgian form of
Jason.
Icarus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἴκαρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: IK-ə-rəs(English)
Rating: 58% based on 17 votes
From the Greek
Ἴκαρος (Ikaros), of unknown meaning. In Greek
myth Icarus was the son of
Daedalus, locked with his father inside the Labyrinth by
Minos. They escaped from the maze using wings devised from wax, but Icarus flew too close to the sun and the wax melted, plunging him to his death.
Idris 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 41% based on 19 votes
Means
"ardent lord" from Old Welsh
iudd "lord" combined with
ris "ardent, enthusiastic". This name was borne by Idris the Giant, a 7th-century king of Meirionnydd.
Ignatius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Pronounced: ig-NAY-shəs(English)
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
From the Roman family name
Egnatius, meaning unknown, of Etruscan origin. The spelling was later altered to resemble Latin
ignis "fire". This was the name of several
saints, including the third bishop of Antioch who was thrown to wild beasts by Emperor Trajan, and by Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits, whose real birth name was in fact
Íñigo.
Imriel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: Im ree el(Literature) IM-ree-el(English)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
character from the Kushiel's Legacy Trilogy by Jacqueline Carey
-------------------------------------
From Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy, Imriel is the name of the main Character in the second trilogy. The meaning 'Eloquence of God'.
Indigo
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: IN-di-go
Rating: 52% based on 16 votes
From the English word
indigo for the purplish-blue dye or the colour. It is ultimately derived from Greek
Ἰνδικόν (Indikon) meaning "Indic, from India".
Íñigo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: EE-nyee-gho
Rating: 45% based on 12 votes
Medieval Spanish form of
Eneko. This was the birth name of
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who changed it in honour of Saint Ignatius of Antioch. As such, this name is sometimes regarded as a form of
Ignatius.
Inigo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: IN-i-go
Rating: 52% based on 15 votes
English form of
Íñigo. It became well-known in Britain due to the English architect Inigo Jones (1573-1652). He was named after his father, a Catholic who was named for
Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
Isaiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Other Scripts: יְשַׁעְיָהוּ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: ie-ZAY-ə(American English) ie-ZIE-ə(British English)
Rating: 53% based on 18 votes
From the Hebrew name
יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (Yeshaʿyahu) meaning
"Yahweh is salvation", from the roots
יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. Isaiah is one of the four major prophets of the
Old Testament, supposedly the author of the Book of Isaiah. He was from Jerusalem and probably lived in the 8th century BC, at a time when Assyria threatened the Kingdom of Judah. As an English Christian name,
Isaiah was first used after the
Protestant Reformation.
Isaias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Rating: 51% based on 17 votes
Late Latin form of
Isaiah used in some versions of the Bible.
Isidore
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Georgian (Rare), Jewish
Other Scripts: ისიდორე(Georgian)
Pronounced: IZ-ə-dawr(American English) IZ-ə-daw(British English) EE-ZEE-DAWR(French)
From the Greek name
Ἰσίδωρος (Isidoros) meaning
"gift of Isis", derived from the name of the Egyptian goddess
Isis combined with Greek
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift".
Saint Isidore of Seville was a 6th-century archbishop, historian and theologian.
Though it has never been popular in the English-speaking world among Christians, it has historically been a common name for Jews, who have used it as an Americanized form of names such as Isaac, Israel and Isaiah.
Jareth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: JAR-əth(English)
Rating: 50% based on 16 votes
Invented name, probably inspired by names such as
Jared and
Gareth. This is the name of the Goblin King, played by David Bowie, in the movie
Labyrinth (1986).
Jaromirŭ
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Slavic (Hypothetical) [1]
Rating: 10% based on 2 votes
Proto-Slavic reconstruction of
Jaromír.
Jasmin 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bosnian
Rating: 40% based on 20 votes
Jericho
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Other Scripts: יְרִיחוֹ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JEHR-i-ko
Rating: 43% based on 15 votes
From the name of a city in Israel that is mentioned several times in the
Old Testament. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain, but it may be related to the Hebrew word
יָרֵחַ (yareaḥ) meaning "moon"
[1], or otherwise to the Hebrew word
רֵיחַ (reyaḥ) meaning "fragrance"
[2].
Johan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: YOO-an(Swedish) YUW-hahn(Norwegian) YO-hahn(Dutch)
Rating: 58% based on 22 votes
Scandinavian and Dutch form of
Iohannes (see
John). A famous bearer was the Dutch soccer player Johan Cruyff (1947-2016).
Jorah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Literature
Other Scripts: יוֹרָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
From the Hebrew name
יוֹרָה (Yora), derived from the root
יָרָה (yara) meaning variously
"to teach, to throw, to rain". This name is mentioned briefly in the Book of Ezra in the
Old Testament. It was used by George R. R. Martin for a character in his fantasy series
A Song of Ice and Fire (first published 1996) and the television adaptation
Game of Thrones (2011-2019). It is not known if Martin took the name from the Bible.
Joscelin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norman [1]
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Kai 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English
Pronounced: KIE(German, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English)
Rating: 62% based on 19 votes
Meaning uncertain, possibly a Frisian
diminutive of
Gerhard,
Nicolaas,
Cornelis or
Gaius [1]. It is borne by a boy captured by the Snow Queen in an 1844 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Spreading from Germany and Scandinavia, this name became popular in the English-speaking world and other places in Western Europe around the end of the 20th century.
Kaito
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 海斗, 海翔, etc.(Japanese Kanji) かいと(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KA-EE-TO
Rating: 31% based on 8 votes
From Japanese
海 (kai) meaning "sea, ocean" combined with
斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation, or
翔 (to) meaning "soar, fly". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Kaleo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: ka-LEH-o
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Means "sound, voice" from Hawaiian ka "the" and leo "sound, voice".
Keanu
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: keh-A-noo
Rating: 49% based on 15 votes
Means "the cool breeze" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and anu "coolness". This name is now associated with Canadian actor Keanu Reeves (1964-).
Keir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 57% based on 12 votes
From a surname that was a variant of
Kerr.
Kennet
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Rating: 52% based on 13 votes
Kenneth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: KEHN-əth(English)
Rating: 51% based on 16 votes
Anglicized form of both
Coinneach and
Cináed. This name was borne by the Scottish king Kenneth (Cináed) mac Alpin, who united the Scots and Picts in the 9th century. It was popularized outside of Scotland by Walter Scott, who used it for the hero in his 1825 novel
The Talisman [1]. A famous bearer was the British novelist Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932), who wrote
The Wind in the Willows.
Kenyon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 45% based on 12 votes
From a surname that was derived from an English place name, of uncertain meaning.
Kevin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Irish, French (Modern), German (Modern), Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: KEHV-in(English) KEH-VEEN(French) KEH-vin(German, Dutch)
Rating: 38% based on 14 votes
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Caoimhín meaning
"beloved birth", derived from Old Irish
Cóemgein, composed of
cóem "dear, beloved, gentle" and
gein "birth".
Saint Caoimhín established a monastery in Glendalough, Ireland in the 6th century and is the patron saint of Dublin.
The name became popular in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland in the middle of the 20th century, and elsewhere in Europe in the latter half of the 20th century. Famous bearers include the American actors Kevin Costner (1955-) and Kevin Bacon (1958-). It was also borne by the character Kevin McCallister in the 1990 comedy movie Home Alone.
Kieran
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: KIR-ən(English) KIR-awn(English)
Rating: 55% based on 14 votes
Kiyoshi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 清, 淳, etc.(Japanese Kanji) きよし(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KYEE-YO-SHEE
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
清 (kiyoshi) or
淳 (kiyoshi) both meaning "pure". Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
Korbinian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: kawr-BEE-nee-an
Derived from Latin
corvus meaning
"raven". This was the name of an 8th-century Frankish
saint who was sent by Pope Gregory II to evangelize in Bavaria. His real name may have been
Hraban.
Kyran
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 53% based on 9 votes
Kyros
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Persian (Hellenized), Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁(Old Persian) Κῦρος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 46% based on 8 votes
Greek form of Old Persian
Kuruš (see
Cyrus).
Lachlan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: LAKH-lən(Scottish) LAWK-lən(British English) LAK-lən(American English)
Rating: 65% based on 16 votes
Anglicized form of
Lachlann, the Scottish Gaelic form of
Lochlainn. In the English-speaking world, this name was especially popular in Australia towards the end of the 20th century.
Lennox
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LEHN-əks
Rating: 44% based on 15 votes
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the name of a district in Scotland. The district, called
Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly means "place of elms". This name steadily rose in popularity in the 2000s, at the same time as the similar-sounding (but unrelated) names
Lennon and
Knox.
Leo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, English, Croatian, Armenian, Late Roman
Other Scripts: Լեո(Armenian)
Pronounced: LEH-o(German, Dutch, Danish, Finnish) LEE-o(English)
Rating: 61% based on 29 votes
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.
In some cases this name can be a short form of longer names that start with Leo, such as Leonard.
Leocadius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 52% based on 20 votes
Leofric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1][2]
Rating: 46% based on 21 votes
Derived from the Old English element
leof "dear, beloved" combined with
ric "ruler, king".
Leofwine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1][2]
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
Means
"dear friend", derived from the Old English elements
leof "dear, beloved" and
wine "friend". This was the name of an 8th-century English
saint, also known as
Lebuin, who did missionary work in Frisia.
Leolin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 42% based on 11 votes
Anglicized form of
Llywelyn influenced by Latin
leo "lion".
Leon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λέων(Greek)
Pronounced: LEE-ahn(American English) LEE-awn(British 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.
Leonardo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: leh-o-NAR-do(Italian) leh-o-NAR-dho(Spanish) lee-ə-NAHR-do(American English) lee-ə-NAH-do(British English)
Rating: 60% based on 22 votes
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Leonard. A notable bearer was Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), an Italian artist and scientist of the Renaissance. He is known as the inventor of several contraptions, including flying machines, as well as the painter of the
Mona Lisa. Another famous bearer was Leonardo Fibonacci, a 13th-century Italian mathematician. A more recent bearer is American actor Leonardo DiCaprio (1974-).
Leonato
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Theatre
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Leonnatus. This is the name of the father of
Hero and/or
Beatrice in William Shakespeare's romantic comedy 'Much Ado About Nothing' (1599).
Leonidas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λεωνίδας(Greek)
Rating: 58% based on 17 votes
Derived from Greek
λέων (leon) meaning "lion" combined with the patronymic suffix
ἴδης (ides). Leonidas was a Spartan king of the 5th century BC who sacrificed his life and his army defending the pass of Thermopylae from the Persians. This was also the name of a 3rd-century
saint and martyr, the father of Origen, from Alexandria.
Leontios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λεόντιος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Derived from Greek
λέοντος (leontos), the genitive case of
λέων (leon) meaning
"lion". This was the name of various early
saints and martyrs. It was also borne by a 7th-century Byzantine emperor.
Léopold
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LEH-AW-PAWLD, LEH-AW-PAWL
Leopold
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, English, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Polish
Pronounced: LEH-o-pawlt(German, Dutch) LEE-ə-pold(English) LEH-o-polt(Czech) LEH-aw-pawld(Slovak) leh-AW-pawlt(Polish)
Derived from the Old German elements
liut "people" and
bald "bold, brave". The spelling was altered due to association with Latin
leo "lion". This name was common among German royalty, first with the Babenbergs and then the Habsburgs.
Saint Leopold was a 12th-century Babenberg margrave of Austria, who is now considered the patron of that country. It was also borne by two Habsburg Holy Roman emperors, as well as three kings of Belgium. Since the 19th century this name has been occasionally used in England, originally in honour of Queen Victoria's uncle, a king of Belgium, after whom she named one of her sons. It was later used by James Joyce for the main character, Leopold Bloom, in his novel
Ulysses (1922).
Leoš
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: LEH-osh
Rating: 39% based on 17 votes
Lisandro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese
Pronounced: lee-SAN-dro(Spanish)
Rating: 44% based on 11 votes
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Lysander.
Llyr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Rating: 42% based on 9 votes
Unaccented variant of
Llŷr.
Llywelyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: shəw-EH-lin(Welsh) loo-EHL-in(English)
Rating: 55% based on 13 votes
Probably a Welsh form of an unattested old Celtic name *
Lugubelinos, a combination of the names of the gods
Lugus and
Belenus, or a compound of
Lugus and a Celtic root meaning "strong". Alternatively it may be derived from Welsh
llyw "leader". This was the name of several Welsh rulers, notably the 13th-century Llywelyn the Great who fought against the English.
Lonán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: LUW-nan(Irish)
Rating: 39% based on 12 votes
Means
"little blackbird", derived from Old Irish
lon "blackbird" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This name was borne by several early
saints.
Lorcán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: LAWR-kan
Rating: 47% based on 20 votes
Means
"little fierce one", derived from Old Irish
lorcc "fierce" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Saint Lorcán was a 12th-century archbishop of Dublin.
Lorne
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWRN(American English) LAWN(British English)
Rating: 36% based on 14 votes
From the title Marquis of Lorne, which was based on the Scottish place name Lorne, itself possibly derived from the name of the legendary king of Dál Riata, Loarn mac Eirc. This was the title of the first Governor General of Canada, where it has since been most frequently used as a given name. A famous bearer was the Canadian actor Lorne Greene (1915-1987).
Lucan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Rating: 51% based on 13 votes
From the Roman
cognomen Lucanus, which was derived from the name of the city of Luca in Tuscany (modern Lucca). Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, commonly called Lucan, was a 1st-century Roman poet.
Lucas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: LOO-kəs(English) LUY-kahs(Dutch) LUY-KA(French) LOO-kush(European Portuguese) LOO-kus(Brazilian Portuguese) LOO-kas(Spanish, Swedish, Latin)
Rating: 55% based on 16 votes
Latin form of Greek
Λουκᾶς (see
Luke), as well as the form used in several other languages.
This name became very popular in the second half of the 20th century. It reached the top ten names for boys in France (by 1997), Belgium (1998), Denmark (2003), Canada (2008), the Netherlands (2009), New Zealand (2009), Australia (2010), Scotland (2013), Spain (2015) and the United States (2018).
Lucian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, English
Pronounced: LOO-chyan(Romanian) LOO-shən(English)
Rating: 66% based on 22 votes
Romanian and English form of
Lucianus. Lucian is the usual name of Lucianus of Samosata in English.
Lucien
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LUY-SYEHN
Rating: 64% based on 18 votes
Lucio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: LOO-cho(Italian) LOO-thyo(European Spanish) LOO-syo(Latin American Spanish)
Italian and Spanish form of
Lucius.
Lucius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Biblical, English
Pronounced: LOO-kee-oos(Latin) LOO-shəs(English) LOO-si-əs(English)
Rating: 57% based on 13 votes
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.
Lysander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Λύσανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 60% based on 12 votes
Latinized form of the Greek name
Λύσανδρος (Lysandros), derived from Greek
λύσις (lysis) meaning "a release, loosening" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). This was the name of a notable 5th-century BC Spartan general and naval commander.
Lysandros
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λύσανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 52% based on 10 votes
Madoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 53% based on 11 votes
From the Old Welsh name
Matauc, derived from
mad meaning
"good, fortunate" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This is the name of a warrior mentioned in the 7th-century Welsh poem
Y Gododdin. It was also borne by several medieval rulers, including the 12th-century Madoc ap Maredudd, the last prince of Powys. Another bearer, according to later folklore, was a son of the 12th-century
Owain the Great who sailed to the Americas.
Makoto
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 誠, etc.(Japanese Kanji) まこと(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MA-KO-TO
Rating: 40% based on 15 votes
From Japanese
誠 (makoto) meaning "sincerity", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations.
Marcas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Scottish Gaelic [1]
Irish and Scottish Gaelic form of
Marcus (see
Mark).
Marcel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Catalan, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German
Pronounced: MAR-SEHL(French) mər-SEHL(Catalan) mar-CHEHL(Romanian) MAR-tsehl(Polish, Czech, Slovak) mahr-SEHL(Dutch) mar-SEHL(German)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Form of
Marcellus used in several languages. Notable bearers include the French author Marcel Proust (1871-1922) and the French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).
Mark
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Russian, Belarusian, Dutch, Danish, Armenian, Biblical
Other Scripts: Марк(Russian, Belarusian) Մարկ(Armenian)
Pronounced: MAHRK(American English, Dutch, Eastern Armenian) MAHK(British English) MARK(Russian) MAHRG(Western Armenian)
Rating: 45% based on 10 votes
Form of Latin
Marcus used in several languages.
Saint Mark was the author of the second gospel in the
New Testament. Though the author's identity is not certain, some traditions hold him to be the same person as the John Mark who appears in the Book of Acts. He is the patron saint of Venice, where he is supposedly buried. Though in use during the Middle Ages,
Mark was not common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century, when it began to be used alongside the classical form
Marcus.
In the medieval legend of Tristan and Iseult this was the name of a king of Cornwall. It was also borne by the American author Mark Twain (1835-1910), real name Samuel Clemens, the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He took his pen name from a call used by riverboat workers on the Mississippi River to indicate a depth of two fathoms. This is also the usual English spelling of the name of the 1st-century BC Roman triumvir Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony).
Marsyas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Pronounced: mar-SEE-aas(Classical Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Meaning Unknown. Marsyas in Greek myth a satyr known for music and free speech. Also the half-brother of General Antigonus.
Marten
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MAHR-tən
Rating: 41% based on 12 votes
Dutch form of
Martinus (see
Martin).
Martin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Finnish
Other Scripts: Мартин, Мартын(Russian) Мартин(Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: MAHR-tin(American English) MAH-tin(British English) MAR-TEHN(French) MAR-teen(German, Slovak) MAT-in(Swedish) MAHT-tin(Norwegian) MAH-tseen(Danish) MAR-kyin(Czech) MAWR-teen(Hungarian) mar-TIN(Bulgarian) MAHR-teen(Finnish)
Rating: 57% based on 15 votes
From the Roman name
Martinus, which was derived from
Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god
Mars.
Saint Martin of Tours was a 4th-century bishop who is the patron saint of France. According to legend, he came across a cold beggar in the middle of winter so he ripped his cloak in two and gave half of it to the beggar. He was a favourite saint during the Middle Ages, and his name has become common throughout the Christian world.
An influential bearer of the name was Martin Luther (1483-1546), the theologian who began the Protestant Reformation. The name was also borne by five popes (two of them more commonly known as Marinus). Other more recent bearers include the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), and the American filmmaker Martin Scorsese (1942-).
Mat
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAT
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-ahs(Dutch) mə-THIE-əs(English) MAT-tee-as(Latin)
Rating: 57% based on 18 votes
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.
Mattimeo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, Popular Culture
Pronounced: ma-ti-MAY-oh
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Used in the Redwall series by Brian Jaques. Probably based on names like Matthias, Matteo, and Timoteo.
Mehmet
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish, Albanian
Pronounced: mehh-MEHT(Turkish)
Rating: 26% based on 7 votes
Turkish and Albanian form of
Muhammad. This name was borne by sultans of the Ottoman Empire (with the older form
Mehmed).
Merle
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Estonian
Pronounced: MURL(American English) MUL(British English)
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
From the English word
merle or the French surname
Merle, which both mean
"blackbird" (from Latin
merula). It was borne by the devious character Madame Merle (in fact her surname) in Henry James' novel
The Portrait of a Lady (1880).
This name is also common for girls in Estonia, though a connection to the English-language name is uncertain.
Merlin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle, English
Pronounced: MUR-lin(American English) MU-lin(British English)
Rating: 47% based on 13 votes
Form of the Welsh name
Myrddin used by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 12th-century chronicle. Writing in Latin, he likely chose the form
Merlinus over
Merdinus in order to prevent associations with French
merde "excrement".
Geoffrey based parts of Merlin's character on Myrddin Wyllt, a legendary madman and prophet who lived in the Caledonian Forest. Other parts of his life were based on that of the historical 5th-century Romano-British military leader Ambrosius Aurelianus (also known as Emrys Wledig). In Geoffrey's version of the tales and later embellishments Merlin is a magician and counselor for King Arthur.
Merlyn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-lin(American English) MU-lin(British English)
Rating: 28% based on 9 votes
Variant of
Merlin, sometimes used as a feminine form. It has perhaps been influenced by the Welsh word
merlyn meaning "pony".
Micah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: מִיכָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: MIE-kə(English)
Rating: 57% based on 18 votes
Contracted form of
Micaiah. Micah is one of the twelve minor prophets of the
Old Testament. He authored the Book of Micah, which alternates between prophesies of doom and prophesies of restoration. This is also the name of a separate person in the Book of Judges, the keeper of an idol. It was occasionally used as an English given name by the
Puritans after the
Protestant Reformation, but it did not become common until the end of the 20th century.
Morgan 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, French
Pronounced: MAWR-gən(American English) MAW-gən(British English) MAWR-GAN(French)
Rating: 58% based on 13 votes
From the Old Welsh masculine name
Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh
mor "sea" and
cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America
Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of
Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).
Murtagh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 34% based on 9 votes
Myrddin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology, Welsh
Rating: 48% based on 9 votes
Original Welsh form of
Merlin. It is probably ultimately from the name of the Romano-British settlement
Moridunum, derived from Celtic *
mori "sea" and *
dūnom "rampart, hill fort". Prefixed with Welsh
caer "fort", this town has been called Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen in English) from medieval times. It is thought that
Caerfyrddin may have mistakenly been interpreted as meaning "fort of Myrddin", as if
Myrddin were a personal name instead of a later development of
Moridunum [1].
Myrddin appears in early Welsh poems, as a prophet who lives in the Caledonian Forest after being driven insane witnessing the slaughter of his king Gwenddoleu and his forces at the Battle of Arfderydd. His character seems to be based on the North Brythonic figure Lailoken, and perhaps also the Irish figure Suibhne. Geoffrey of Monmouth adapted him into Merlin in the 12th century.
Nadim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: نديم(Arabic) ندیم(Urdu)
Pronounced: na-DEEM(Arabic)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means
"drinking companion" in Arabic, derived from
ندم (nadima) meaning "to drink together"
[1].
Nathan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: נָתָן(Hebrew) Ναθάν(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NAY-thən(English) NA-TAHN(French)
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
From the Hebrew name
נָתָן (Naṯan) meaning
"he gave". In the
Old Testament this is the name of a prophet during the reign of King
David. He chastised David for his adultery with
Bathsheba and for the death of
Uriah the Hittite. Later he championed
Solomon as David's successor. This was also the name of a son of David and Bathsheba.
It has been used as a Christian given name in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Nathan Hale (1755-1776), an American spy executed by the British during the American Revolution.
Nathaniel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Other Scripts: נְתַנְאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: nə-THAN-yəl(English)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Nathanael. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the
Protestant Reformation. This has been the most popular spelling, even though the spelling
Nathanael is found in most versions of the
New Testament. The American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of
The Scarlet Letter, was a famous bearer of this name.
Neno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian
Other Scripts: Нено(Serbian)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Nereus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1], Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [2]
Other Scripts: Νηρεύς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NEH-REWS(Classical Greek) NIR-ee-əs(English)
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
Derived from Greek
νηρός (neros) meaning
"water". In Greek
myth this was the name of a god of the sea, the father of the Nereids. It is mentioned briefly in the
New Testament, belonging to a Christian in Rome. This was also the name of a Roman
saint of the 1st century, a member of the army, who was martyred with his companion Achilleus because they refused to execute Christians.
Nerio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Possibly a variant of
Nereo.
Nico
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: NEE-ko(Italian, Dutch, Spanish)
Rating: 45% based on 18 votes
Nicodemus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Νικόδημος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: nik-ə-DEE-məs(English) nee-ko-DEH-moos(Latin)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
From the Greek name
Νικόδημος (Nikodemos) meaning
"victory of the people", derived from Greek
νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and
δῆμος (demos) meaning "the people". This is the name of a character in the
New Testament who helps
Joseph of Arimathea entomb
Jesus.
Nicolai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian
Danish and Norwegian variant form of
Nicholas.
Nicolás
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: nee-ko-LAS
Nikodem
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: nyee-KAW-dehm
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Nikolai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Николай(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: nyi-ku-LIE(Russian)
Rating: 68% based on 17 votes
Ninian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
From the name of a 5th-century British
saint, known as the Apostle to the Picts, who was apparently responsible for many miracles and cures. He first appears briefly in the 8th-century Latin writings of the historian Bede, though his name is only written in the ablative case
Nynia [1]. This may represent a Brythonic name *
Ninniau [2][3].
Nuruddin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: نور الدين(Arabic)
Pronounced: noo-rood-DEEN
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Oak
Usage: English
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Topographic surname for someone who lived near an oak tree or in an oak wood, from Middle English oke "oak".
Oceanus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ὠκεανός(Ancient Greek)
Odhrán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: UW-ran
Rating: 38% based on 9 votes
From Old Irish
Odrán, derived from
odar "dun-coloured, greyish brown, tan" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of a
saint who travelled with Saint Columba through Scotland.
Oisín
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: aw-SHEEN(Irish) o-SHEEN(English)
Means
"little deer", derived from Old Irish
oss "deer, stag" combined with a
diminutive suffix. In Irish legend Oisín was a warrior hero and a poet, the son of
Fionn mac Cumhaill and the narrator in many of his tales.
Okeanos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὠκεανός(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the name of the river or body of water thought by the ancient Greeks to surround the Earth. In Greek
mythology Okeanos was the Titan who personified this body of water.
Oleander
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Greek (Rare), English (Rare)
Pronounced: AW-lee-an-der(Greek)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
The name Oleander originated as an Greek name. In Greek, the name Oleander means "an evergreen tree."
The origin of the name was said to have come from a young man whose ardour to his Lady Love ended in a tragedy. The young man was named Leander, and his precious lady longing for his love shouting with such forlorn “O Leander!”, “O Leander!” in the banks, until finally he was found. And clasped in his hands were sweet flowers, who have become a symbol of everlasting love, known as oleanders.
Possibly taken from the plant family, Nerium oleander (flowering shrub known as oleanders), Cascabela thevetia (yellow oleander), Acacia neriifolia (oleander wattle); or a species of moth, Daphnis nerii (oleander hawk-moth).
In the complex language of love practiced during the time of Queen Victoria, the Oleander flower means caution.
A diminutive use of Oleander could be Ollie, Lee, Lee-Ann, or Anders.
Omar 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Bosnian, Kazakh, Malay, English, Spanish, Italian
Other Scripts: عمر(Arabic) Омар(Kazakh)
Pronounced: ‘OO-mar(Arabic) ‘O-mar(Egyptian Arabic) O-mahr(American English) O-mah(British English) o-MAR(Spanish)
Rating: 45% based on 10 votes
Alternate transcription of Arabic
عمر (see
Umar). This is the usual English spelling of the name of the 12th-century poet Umar Khayyam. In his honour it has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world, notably for the American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).
Oran
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: O-rən(English)
Rating: 38% based on 9 votes
Orestes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὀρέστης(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: O-REHS-TEHS(Classical Greek) aw-REHS-teez(English)
Rating: 38% based on 11 votes
Means
"of the mountains", derived from Greek
ὄρος (oros) meaning "mountain" and
ἵστημι (histemi) meaning "to stand". In Greek
myth he was the son of
Agamemnon and
Clytemnestra. He killed his mother and her lover Aegisthus after they killed his father.
Orion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὠρίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AW-REE-AWN(Classical Greek) o-RIE-ən(English)
Rating: 39% based on 12 votes
Meaning uncertain, but possibly related to Greek
ὅριον (horion) meaning
"boundary, limit". Alternatively it may be derived from Akkadian
Uru-anna meaning
"light of the heavens". This is the name of a constellation, which gets its name from a legendary Greek hunter who was killed by a scorpion sent by the earth goddess
Gaia.
Orpheus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὀρφεύς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: OR-PEWS(Classical Greek) AWR-fee-əs(American English) AW-fee-əs(British English)
Rating: 49% based on 19 votes
Perhaps related to Greek
ὄρφνη (orphne) meaning
"the darkness of night". In Greek
mythology Orpheus was a poet and musician who went to the underworld to retrieve his dead wife Eurydice. He succeeded in charming Hades with his lyre, and he was allowed to lead his wife out of the underworld on the condition that he not look back at her until they reached the surface. Unfortunately, just before they arrived his love for her overcame his will and he glanced back at her, causing her to be drawn back to Hades.
Orso
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: OR-so
Rating: 31% based on 13 votes
Italian form of
Ursus (see
Urs).
Osiris
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
Other Scripts: Ὄσιρις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: o-SIE-ris(English)
Rating: 50% based on 11 votes
Greek form of the Egyptian
wsjr (reconstructed as
Asar,
Usir and other forms), which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to
wsr "mighty" or
jrt "eye". In Egyptian
mythology Osiris was the god of fertility, agriculture, and the dead and served as the judge of the underworld. In one tale he was slain by his brother
Seth, but restored to life by his wife
Isis in order to conceive their son
Horus, who would go on to avenge his father.
Osmond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AHZ-mənd(American English) AWZ-mənd(British English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Old English elements
os "god" and
mund "protection". During the Anglo-Saxon period a Norse
cognate Ásmundr was also used in England, and another version was imported by the
Normans.
Saint Osmund was an 11th-century Norman nobleman who became an English bishop. Though it eventually became rare, it was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the given name.
Owen 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: O-in(English)
Rating: 64% based on 18 votes
Anglicized form of
Owain.
Pàdraig
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Pronounced: PA-trik
Rating: 51% based on 13 votes
Parsifal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: PAR-zee-fal(German)
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Form of
Parzival used by Richard Wagner for his opera
Parsifal (1882).
Pascal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, German, Dutch
Pronounced: PAS-KAL(French) pas-KAL(German) pahs-KAHL(Dutch)
Rating: 41% based on 15 votes
From the Late Latin name
Paschalis, which meant
"relating to Easter" from Latin
Pascha "Easter", which was in turn from Hebrew
פֶּסַח (pesaḥ) meaning "Passover"
[1]. Passover is the ancient Hebrew holiday celebrating the liberation from Egypt. Because it coincided closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the same Latin word was used for both. The name Pascal can also function as a surname, as in the case of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French philosopher, mathematician and inventor.
Paul
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Romanian, Biblical
Pronounced: PAWL(English, French) POWL(German, Dutch, Swedish)
Rating: 45% based on 15 votes
From the Roman family name
Paulus, which meant
"small" or
"humble" in Latin. Paul was an important leader of the early Christian church. According to Acts in the
New Testament, he was a Jewish Roman citizen who converted to Christianity after the resurrected
Jesus appeared to him. After this he travelled the eastern Mediterranean as a missionary. His original Hebrew name was
Saul. Many of the epistles in the New Testament were authored by him.
Due to the renown of Saint Paul the name became common among early Christians. It was borne by a number of other early saints and six popes. In England it was relatively rare during the Middle Ages, but became more frequent beginning in the 17th century. In the United States it was in the top 20 names for boys from 1900 to 1968, while in the United Kingdom it was very popular from the 1950s to the 80s. It has also been heavily used in Germany and France and continues to be popular there, though it is currently on the decline in the English-speaking world.
A notable bearer was the American Revolutionary War figure Paul Revere (1735-1818), who warned of the advance of the British army. Famous bearers in the art world include the French impressionists Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) and Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), and the Swiss expressionist Paul Klee (1879-1940). It is borne by actor Paul Newman (1925-2008) and the musicians Paul Simon (1941-) and Paul McCartney (1942-). This is also the name of the legendary American lumberjack Paul Bunyan and the fictional Paul Atreides from Frank Herbert's novel Dune (1965).
Pavel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Czech, Bulgarian, Slovene, Macedonian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Павел(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: PA-vyil(Russian) PA-vehl(Czech)
Rating: 50% based on 13 votes
Russian, Czech, Bulgarian, Slovene, Macedonian and Belarusian form of
Paul.
Pedr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 45% based on 11 votes
Pelagius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Πελάγιος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of the Greek name
Πελάγιος (Pelagios), which was derived from
πέλαγος (pelagos) meaning
"the sea". This was the name of several
saints and two popes. It was also borne by a 4th-century British theologian whose teachings were eventually declared heretical.
Peredur
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: peh-REH-dir(Welsh)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain. It possibly means
"hard spears" from Welsh
peri "spears" and
dur "hard, steel"
[1]. In early Welsh poetry and histories, the brothers Peredur and Gwrgi were chieftains in Cumbria who defeated
Gwenddoleu at the Battle of Arfderydd. This name was later used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth in the Latin form
Peredurus for an early (fictitious) king of Britain. Entering into Arthurian romance, Peredur is an aspiring knight in the 14th-century Welsh tale
Peredur son of Efrawg (an adaptation or parallel of Chrétien de Troyes' hero
Percival).
Peregrine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PEHR-ə-grin
Rating: 66% based on 16 votes
From the Late Latin name
Peregrinus, which meant
"traveller". This was the name of several early
saints.
Peregrinus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 33% based on 8 votes
Perun
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Slavic Mythology
Rating: 38% based on 15 votes
From Old Slavic
perunŭ meaning
"thunder". In Slavic
mythology Perun was the god of lightning and the sky, sometimes considered to be the supreme god. Oak trees were sacred to him.
Peter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovene, Slovak, Biblical
Pronounced: PEET-ər(American English) PEE-tə(British English) PEH-tu(German) PEH-tər(Dutch, Danish, Slovene) PEH-tehr(Slovak)
Rating: 61% based on 20 votes
Derived from Greek
Πέτρος (Petros) meaning
"stone". This is a translation used in most versions of the
New Testament of the name
Cephas, meaning "stone" in Aramaic, which was given to the apostle
Simon by
Jesus (compare
Matthew 16:18 and
John 1:42). Simon Peter was the most prominent of the apostles during Jesus' ministry and is often considered the first pope.
Due to the renown of the apostle, this name became common throughout the Christian world (in various spellings). In England the Normans introduced it in the Old French form Piers, which was gradually replaced by the spelling Peter starting in the 15th century [1].
Besides the apostle, other saints by this name include the 11th-century reformer Saint Peter Damian and the 13th-century preacher Saint Peter Martyr. It was also borne by rulers of Aragon, Portugal, and Russia, including the Russian tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725), who defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War. Famous fictional bearers include Peter Rabbit from Beatrix Potter's children's books, Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up in J. M. Barrie's 1904 play, and Peter Parker, the real name of the comic book superhero Spider-Man.
Pierrick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton, French
Rating: 41% based on 11 votes
Poseidon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ποσειδῶν(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PO-SEH-DAWN(Classical Greek) pə-SIE-dən(English)
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Possibly derived from Greek
πόσις (posis) meaning "husband, lord" and
δᾶ (da) meaning "earth". The name first appears in Mycenaean Greek inscriptions as
po-se-da-o. In Greek
mythology Poseidon was the unruly god of the sea and earthquakes, the brother of
Zeus. He was often depicted carrying a trident and riding in a chariot drawn by white horses.
Pryderi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From Welsh
pryder meaning
"care, worry" (or perhaps from a derivative word *
pryderi meaning
"loss" [1]). Appearing in Welsh legend in all four branches of the
Mabinogi, Pryderi was the son of
Pwyll and
Rhiannon, eventually succeeding his father as the king of Dyfed. He was one of only seven warriors to return from
Brân's tragic invasion of Ireland, and later had several adventures with
Manawydan. He was ultimately killed in single combat with
Gwydion during the war between Dyfed and Gwynedd.
Ptolemaios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Πτολεμαῖος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Ptolemy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Other Scripts: Πτολεμαῖος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TAHL-ə-mee(American English) TAWL-ə-mee(British English)
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
From the Greek name
Πτολεμαῖος (Ptolemaios), derived from Greek
πολεμήϊος (polemeios) meaning
"aggressive, warlike". Ptolemy was the name of several Greco-Egyptian rulers of Egypt, all descendants of Ptolemy I Soter, one of the generals of Alexander the Great. This was also the name of a 2nd-century Greek astronomer.
Pyrrhus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Πύρρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PIR-əs(English)
Rating: 40% based on 11 votes
From the Greek name
Πύρρος (Pyrrhos) meaning
"flame-coloured, red", related to
πῦρ (pyr) meaning "fire". This was another name of
Neoptolemus the son of
Achilles. This was also the name of a 3rd-century BC king of Epirus who was famed for his victorious yet costly battles against Rome.
Pytheas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Πυθέας(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Derived from Greek Πυθιος
(Pythios), which is an epithet of the god
Apollo. This epithet originated from his cult in the city of Πυθώ
(Pytho), which is nowadays known as Delphi. The city's name is ultimately derived from the Greek verb πυθώ
(putho) or
(pytho) meaning "to rot, to decay". Also see
Python and compare
Pythias. It should also be noted that one source claims that this name is basically a short form of
Pythagoras. Finally, a known bearer of this name was the Greek geographer and explorer Pytheas of Massalia, who lived in the 4th century BC.
Quintus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: KWEEN-toos(Latin) KWIN-təs(English)
Rating: 54% based on 10 votes
Roman
praenomen, or given name, meaning
"fifth" in Latin. Originally, during the time of the early Roman Republic, it was spelled
Quinctus. This name was traditionally given to the fifth child, or possibly a child born in the fifth month. It was a common praenomen, being more popular than the other numeric Roman names. A notable bearer was the poet Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus).
Raban
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 56% based on 9 votes
Radboud
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: RAHT-bowt
Rating: 24% based on 8 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
rat meaning "counsel, advice" and
bot meaning "command, order". This was the name of a 7th-century king of the Frisians.
Radek
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech, Polish
Pronounced: RA-dehk(Czech)
Rating: 50% based on 9 votes
Originally a
diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element
radŭ meaning
"happy, willing". In Poland it is usually a diminutive of
Radosław.
Raiden
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese Mythology
Other Scripts: 雷電(Japanese Kanji) らいでん(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: RA-EE-DEHN(Japanese)
Rating: 43% based on 11 votes
From Japanese
雷 (rai) meaning "thunder" and
電 (den) meaning "lightning". This is a regional epithet of the Japanese god
Raijin.
Raphael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Biblical
Other Scripts: רָפָאֵל, רְפָאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: RA-fa-ehl(German) RAF-ee-əl(English) RAF-ay-ehl(English) rah-fie-EHL(English)
From the Hebrew name
רָפָאֵל (Rafaʾel) meaning
"God heals", from the roots
רָפָא (rafa) meaning "to heal" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In Hebrew tradition Raphael is the name of an archangel. He appears in the Book of Tobit, in which he disguises himself as a man named
Azarias and accompanies
Tobias on his journey to Media, aiding him along the way. In the end he cures Tobias's father
Tobit of his blindness. He is not mentioned in the
New Testament, though tradition identifies him with the angel troubling the water in
John 5:4.
This name has never been common in the English-speaking world, though it has been well-used elsewhere in Europe. A famous bearer was the Italian Renaissance master Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), usually known simply as Raphael in English.
Rashid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu, Uzbek, Malay
Other Scripts: رشيد, راشد(Arabic) رشید, راشد(Urdu) Рашид(Uzbek)
Pronounced: ra-SHEED(Arabic) RA-sheed(Arabic)
Rating: 41% based on 16 votes
Means
"rightly guided" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الرشيد (al-Rashīd) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
This transcription represents two different ways of spelling the name in Arabic: رشيد, in which the second vowel is long, and راشد, in which the first vowel is long.
Regin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 25% based on 17 votes
Rhydian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Possibly a derivative of Welsh
rhyd meaning
"ford".
Saint Rhydian or Rhidian was a companion of Saint
Illtyd.
Riagán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: REEY-gan
Rating: 38% based on 18 votes
From Old Irish
Riacán, probably derived from
rí "king" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Rigel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: RIE-jəl(English)
Rating: 50% based on 10 votes
Derived from Arabic
الرجل (al-Rijl) meaning
"foot". This is the name of the star that forms the left foot of the constellation Orion.
Rio 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Various
Rating: 40% based on 9 votes
Means "river" in Spanish or Portuguese. A city in Brazil bears this name. Its full name is Rio de Janeiro, which means "river of January", so named because the first explorers came to the harbour in January and mistakenly thought it was a river mouth.
Riordan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 63% based on 13 votes
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Ríoghbhárdáin), which was derived from the given name
Rígbarddán.
Rohan 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada
Other Scripts: रोहन(Hindi, Marathi) রোহন(Bengali) ರೋಹನ್(Kannada)
Rating: 59% based on 14 votes
Derived from Sanskrit
रोहण (rohaṇa) meaning
"ascension".
Rolan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Ролан(Russian)
Rating: 41% based on 8 votes
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)
Rating: 55% based on 19 votes
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.
Rónán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: RO-nan(Irish)
Rating: 66% based on 17 votes
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.
Ronen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: רוֹנֶן(Hebrew)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Derived from Hebrew
רֹן (ron) meaning
"song, joy".
Ruadhán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: RWU-an
Rating: 47% based on 11 votes
From Old Irish
Rúadán, derived from
rúad "red" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of the founder of the monastery of Lorrha in the 6th century.
Ruaidhrí
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: RWU-ryee
Rating: 53% based on 12 votes
From Old Irish
Ruaidrí meaning
"red king", from
rúad "red" combined with
rí "king". This was the name of the last high king of Ireland, reigning in the 12th century.
Ruarc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 53% based on 11 votes
From Old Irish
Ruarcc. It was possibly an early borrowing from the Old Norse name
Hrǿríkr. Alternatively it might be derived from Old Irish elements such as
rúad "red" and
arg "hero, champion". This was the name of a 9th-century king of Leinster.
Ruaridh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic
Rating: 38% based on 10 votes
Rúnar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Icelandic
Pronounced: ROO-nar
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Rune
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: ROO-nə(Norwegian) ROO-neh(Danish, Swedish)
Rating: 55% based on 13 votes
Derived from Old Norse
rún meaning
"secret lore, rune".
Rylan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RIE-lən
Rating: 45% based on 14 votes
Possibly a variant of
Ryland, though it could also be an invented name inspired by other names like
Ryan and
Riley.
Sa'id
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: سعيد(Arabic)
Pronounced: sa-‘EED
Rating: 46% based on 10 votes
Alternate transcription of Arabic
سعيد (see
Said).
Salvador
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan
Pronounced: sal-ba-DHOR(Spanish) sal-vu-DOR(European Portuguese) sow-va-DOKH(Brazilian Portuguese) səl-bə-DHO(Catalan)
Rating: 39% based on 10 votes
Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan form of the Late Latin name
Salvator, which meant
"saviour", referring to
Jesus. A famous bearer of this name was the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).
Samwell
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, Popular Culture
Pronounced: SAM-wel
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Samwell Tarly is the name of a character from the Song of Ice and Fire books by GRR Martin and the TV show Game of Thrones based upon the former.
Samwise
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: SAM-wiez(English)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Means "simple, half wise" from Old English sam "half" and wis "wise". This is the name of a hobbit in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings (1954). Samwise Gamgee, often called Sam, is the faithful companion of Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring. Samwise is an English-like translation of his true hobbit name Banazîr.
Sándor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: SHAN-dor
Rating: 47% based on 18 votes
Saturninus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 22% based on 9 votes
Roman
cognomen derived from the name of the Roman god
Saturnus (see
Saturn). This was the name of several early
saints.
Séamus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHEH-məs
Rating: 56% based on 15 votes
Sean
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: SHAWN(English)
Rating: 66% based on 14 votes
Anglicized form of
Seán. This name name, along with variants
Shawn and
Shaun, began to be be used in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland around the middle of the 20th century.
Séarlas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHEHR-ləs
Seneca
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: SEH-neh-ka(Latin) SEHN-ə-kə(English)
Rating: 28% based on 8 votes
From a Roman
cognomen derived from Latin
senectus meaning
"old". This was the name of both a Roman orator (born in Spain) and also of his son, a philosopher and statesman.
This name also coincides with that of the Seneca, a Native American tribe that lived near the Great Lakes, whose name meant "place of stones".
Seth 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
Other Scripts: Σήθ, Σέθ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SETH(English) SEHT(English)
Rating: 54% based on 16 votes
From
Σήθ (Seth), the Greek form of Egyptian
swtẖ or
stẖ (reconstructed as
Sutekh), which is of unknown meaning. Seth was the Egyptian god of chaos and the desert, the slayer of
Osiris. Osiris's son
Horus eventually defeats Seth and has him banished to the desert.
Shaheen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian, Urdu
Other Scripts: شاهین(Persian) شاہین(Urdu)
Pronounced: shaw-HEEN(Persian)
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
Alternate transcription of Persian
شاهین (see
Shahin), as well as the usual Urdu transcription.
Shahin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian, Arabic, Bengali
Other Scripts: شاهین(Persian) شاهين(Arabic) শাহীন(Bengali)
Pronounced: shaw-HEEN(Persian) sha-HEEN(Arabic)
Rating: 45% based on 8 votes
Means
"falcon" in Persian, referring more specifically to the Barbary falcon (species Falco pelegrinoides). The bird's name is a derivative of Persian
شاه (shāh) meaning "king".
Shahzad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian, Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: شهزاد(Persian, Arabic) شہزاد(Urdu)
Pronounced: shah-ZAD(Arabic)
Rating: 34% based on 8 votes
Means "prince, son of the king" in Persian.
Shiloh
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: שִׁלוֹ, שִׁילֹה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: SHIE-lo(English)
Rating: 33% based on 18 votes
From an
Old Testament place name possibly meaning
"tranquil" in Hebrew. It is also used prophetically in the Old Testament to refer to a person, often understood to be the Messiah (see
Genesis 49:10). This may in fact be a mistranslation.
This name was brought to public attention after actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave it to their daughter in 2006.
Siarl
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: SHARL
Rating: 32% based on 9 votes
Siddhartha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Sanskrit, Buddhism, Bengali
Other Scripts: सिद्धार्थ(Sanskrit) সিদ্ধার্থ(Bengali)
Rating: 40% based on 16 votes
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.
Sigmund
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Norwegian, English, Norse Mythology
Pronounced: ZEEK-muwnt(German) SIG-mənd(English)
Derived from the Old German elements
sigu "victory" and
munt "protection" (or in the case of the Scandinavian
cognate, from Old Norse
sigr and
mundr). An early variant of this name was
Sigismund, borne by a 6th-century
saint and king of the Burgundians. In the Norse
Völsungasaga Sigmund is the hero
Sigurd's father, the bearer of the powerful sword Gram. A notable bearer was the Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the creator of the revolutionary theory of psychoanalysis.
Sikandar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Urdu, Pashto
Other Scripts: سکندر(Urdu, Pashto)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Silas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Greek, Danish, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σίλας(Greek)
Pronounced: SIE-ləs(English)
Rating: 54% based on 16 votes
The name of a companion of
Saint Paul in the
New Testament. It is probably a short form of
Silvanus, a name that Paul calls him by in the epistles. It is possible that
Silvanus and
Silas were Latin and Greek forms of the Hebrew name
Saul (via Aramaic).
As an English name it was not used until after the Protestant Reformation. It was utilized by George Eliot for the title character in her novel Silas Marner (1861).
Silvanus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Ancient Roman, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: SEEL-wa-noos(Latin) sil-VAYN-əs(English)
Rating: 40% based on 9 votes
Roman
cognomen meaning
"of the woods", derived from Latin
silva meaning "wood, forest". Silvanus was the Roman god of forests. This name appears in the
New Testament belonging to one of
Saint Paul's companions, also called Silas.
Silvio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: SEEL-vyo(Italian) SEEL-byo(Spanish)
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Italian and Spanish form of
Silvius.
Silvius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: SEEL-wee-oos(Latin) SIL-vee-əs(English)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Derived from Latin
silva meaning
"wood, forest". This was the family name of several of the legendary kings of Alba Longa. It was also the name of an early
saint martyred in Alexandria.
Simon 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, Romanian, Macedonian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Симон(Macedonian) სიმონ(Georgian) Σίμων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SIE-mən(English) SEE-MAWN(French) SEE-mawn(Danish, Dutch, Macedonian) ZEE-mawn(German) SHEE-mon(Hungarian)
From
Σίμων (Simon), the
New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name
שִׁמְעוֹן (Shimʿon) meaning
"hearing, listening", derived from
שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear, to listen". This name is spelled
Simeon, based on Greek
Συμεών, in many translations of the
Old Testament, where it is borne by the second son of
Jacob. The New Testament spelling may show influence from the otherwise unrelated Greek name
Simon 2.
In the New Testament Simon is the name of several characters, including the man who carried the cross for Jesus. Most importantly however it was borne by the leading apostle Simon, also known as Peter (a name given to him by Jesus).
Because of the apostle, this name has been common in the Christian world. In England it was popular during the Middle Ages, though it became more rare after the Protestant Reformation.
Siothrún
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 35% based on 10 votes
Sirius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: SIR-ee-əs(English)
Rating: 61% based on 17 votes
The name of a bright star in the constellation Canis Major, derived via Latin from Greek
σείριος (seirios) meaning
"burning".
Søren
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish
Pronounced: SUUW-ən
Rating: 54% based on 16 votes
Danish form of
Severinus. Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Danish philosopher who is regarded as a precursor of existentialism.
Spyridon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, Late Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σπυρίδων(Greek)
Rating: 44% based on 18 votes
Late Greek name derived from Greek
σπυρίδιον (spyridion) meaning
"basket" or Latin
spiritus meaning
"spirit".
Saint Spyridon was a 4th-century sheep farmer who became the bishop of Tremithus and suffered during the persecutions of Diocletian.
Stephanos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Biblical Greek [2], Greek
Other Scripts: Στέφανος(Greek)
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Greek form of
Stephen. In Modern Greek it is usually transcribed
Stefanos.
Stephen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: STEE-vən(English) STEHF-ən(English)
Rating: 53% based on 13 votes
From the Greek name
Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning
"crown, wreath", more precisely
"that which surrounds".
Saint Stephen was a deacon who was stoned to death, as told in Acts in the
New Testament. He is regarded as the first Christian martyr. Due to him, the name became common in the Christian world. It was popularized in England by the
Normans.
This was the name of kings of England, Serbia, and Poland, as well as ten popes. It was also borne by the first Christian king of Hungary (11th century), who is regarded as the patron saint of that country. More recent bearers include British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) and the American author Stephen King (1947-).
Surya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Indonesian
Other Scripts: सूर्य(Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali) సూర్య(Telugu) ಸೂರ್ಯ(Kannada) சூர்யா(Tamil) സൂര്യ(Malayalam)
Pronounced: SOOR-yu(Sanskrit) SOOR-ya(Indonesian)
Rating: 37% based on 7 votes
Means
"sun" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the
Vedic Hindu god of the sun who rides a chariot across the sky.
Sutekh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Hypothetical)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Reconstructed Egyptian form of
Seth 2.
Sylvain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SEEL-VEHN
Rating: 40% based on 9 votes
Sylvan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Either a variant of
Silvanus or directly from the Latin word
silva meaning
"wood, forest".
Tadhg
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: TIEG(Irish)
Rating: 53% based on 18 votes
From Old Irish
Tadg meaning
"poet" [1]. This was the name of an 11th-century king of Connacht, as well as several other kings and chieftains of medieval Ireland. According to Irish
mythology it was the name of the grandfather of
Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Takahiro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 貴大, 孝浩, etc.(Japanese Kanji) たかひろ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TA-KA-KHEE-RO
Rating: 45% based on 16 votes
From Japanese
貴 (taka) meaning "valuable" or
孝 (taka) meaning "filial piety" combined with
大 (hiro) meaning "big, great" or
浩 (hiro) meaning "prosperous". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Takeshi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 武, 健, etc.(Japanese Kanji) たけし(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TA-KEH-SHEE
Rating: 45% based on 15 votes
From Japanese
武 (takeshi) meaning "military, martial",
健 (takeshi) meaning "strong, healthy", or other kanji having the same reading.
Talfryn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 40% based on 8 votes
From a Welsh place name meaning
"front hill", derived from Welsh
tal "front, extremity" and
bryn "hill".
Taliesin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: tal-YEH-sin(Welsh) tal-ee-EHS-in(English)
Rating: 53% based on 11 votes
Means
"shining brow", derived from Welsh
tal "brow, head" and
iesin "shining, radiant". This was the name of a semi-legendary 6th-century Welsh poet and bard, supposedly the author of the collection of poems the
Book of Taliesin. He appears briefly in the Welsh legend
Culhwch and Olwen and the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi. He is the central character in the
Tale of Taliesin, a medieval legend recorded in the 16th century, which tells how
Ceridwen's servant Gwion Bach was reborn to her as Taliesin; how he becomes the bard for Elffin; and how Taliesin defends Elffin from the machinations of the king
Maelgwn Gwynedd.
Talon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: TAL-ən
Rating: 37% based on 10 votes
From the English word meaning "talon, claw", ultimately derived (via Norman French) from Latin talus "anklebone".
Tāne
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Maori, Polynesian Mythology
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
Means
"man" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian
mythology Tāne was the god of forests and light. He was the son of the sky god
Rangi and the earth goddess
Papa, who were locked in an embrace and finally separated by their son. He created the tui bird and, by some accounts, man.
Tarek
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: طارق(Arabic)
Pronounced: TA-reek
Rating: 42% based on 10 votes
Alternate transcription of Arabic
طارق (see
Tariq).
Tariq
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: طارق(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: TA-reek(Arabic)
Rating: 42% based on 9 votes
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.
Taro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 太郎, etc.(Japanese Kanji) たろう(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TA-RO
Rating: 40% based on 8 votes
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
太郎 (see
Tarō).
Tasman
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Australian)
Pronounced: TAZ-mən(Australian English)
Rating: 54% based on 5 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Tasman. Used in honour of the 17th century Dutch explorer
Abel Tasman, who claimed the island now known as Tasmania in 1642. Many places in Australia and New Zealand are named after him, most notably the Tasman Sea which lies between the two countries.
Tasman is a Dutch form of the German surname Tessmann, derived from both Slavic and German. Slavonic personal names such as Techmir, meaning “consolation”, become Tess in German. The -mann part of the name usually means “servant of”. So Tasman means “servant of Techmir”.
Tertius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, Biblical
Pronounced: TEHR-tee-oos(Latin) TUR-shəs(American English) TU-shəs(British English)
Rating: 30% based on 7 votes
This was both a Roman
praenomen and a
cognomen meaning
"third" in Latin. It is mentioned in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the
New Testament as the name of the person who wrote the letter (while Paul dictated it).
Thane
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: THAYN
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
From the Scottish and English noble title, which was originally from Old English thegn.
Théodred
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, Anglo-Saxon
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Derived from the Old English elements
þeod "people" and
ræd "advice, counsel, wisdom". This name was employed by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel
The Lord of the Rings (1954) Théodred is the deceased son of the king of Rohan.
There were also several Catholic bishops named Theodred in 10th-century England.
Theophanes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θεοφάνης(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TEH-O-PA-NEHS
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Means
"manifestation of God" from Greek
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
φανής (phanes) meaning "appearing". This name was borne by a few
saints, including an 8th-century chronicler from Constantinople and a 19th-century Russian Orthodox saint, Theophanes the Recluse, who is
Феофан (Feofan) in Russian. Another famous bearer was a 14th-century Byzantine icon painter active in Moscow.
Theron
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θήρων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TEH-RAWN(Classical Greek) THEHR-ən(English)
Rating: 57% based on 12 votes
Thor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: THAWR(American English) THAW(British English) TOOR(Norwegian, Swedish) TOR(Danish)
Rating: 52% based on 13 votes
From the Old Norse
Þórr meaning
"thunder", ultimately from Proto-Germanic *
Þunraz. In Norse
mythology Thor is a god of storms, thunder, war and strength, a son of
Odin. He is portrayed as red-bearded, short-tempered, armed with a powerful hammer called Mjölnir, and wearing an enchanted belt called Megingjörð that doubles his strength. During Ragnarök, the final battle at the end of the world, it is foretold that Thor will slay the monstrous sea serpent
Jörmungandr but be fatally poisoned by its venom.
Þórarinn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norse [1], Icelandic
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
Old Norse name derived from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor) combined with
ǫrn "eagle".
Thorben
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, German
Pronounced: TAWR-bən(German)
Thoreau
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare), French (Rare)
From the French surname
Thoreau, named after the American philosopher Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Thorvald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Thráin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology (Anglicized), Literature
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Anglicized form of
Þráinn.
Tolkien used this name for two characters. Thráin I, son of Náin I, was the king of Durin's Folk and founder of the Kingdom under the Mountain. Thráin II, son of Thrór, was the king of Durin's Folk and the father of Thorin Oakenshield. Tolkien took the name from the Dvergatal "Catalogue of Dwarves" in the Völuspá, a part of the Poetic Edda.
Tiberius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: tee-BEH-ree-oos(Latin) tie-BEHR-ee-əs(English)
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
Roman
praenomen, or given name, meaning
"of the Tiber" in Latin. The Tiber is the river that runs through Rome. Tiberius was the second Roman emperor, the stepson of Emperor
Augustus. He was born Tiberius Claudius Nero, but was renamed Tiberius Julius Caesar after he was designated as the heir of Augustus.
Tiernan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Tighe
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 35% based on 15 votes
Anglicized form of
Tadhg.
Timéo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Modern)
Tiresias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Τειρεσίας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TEH-REH-SEE-AS(Classical Greek) tie-REE-see-əs(Greek Mythology)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Titus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, English, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: TEE-toos(Latin) TIE-təs(English) TEE-tuws(German)
Rating: 57% based on 11 votes
Roman
praenomen, or given name, which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to Latin
titulus "title of honour". It is more likely of Oscan origin, since it was borne by the legendary Sabine king Titus Tatius.
This name appears in the New Testament belonging to a companion of Saint Paul. He became the first bishop of Crete and was the recipient of one of Paul's epistles. This was also the praenomen of all three Roman emperors of the 1st-century Flavian dynasty, and it is the name by which the second of them is commonly known to history. Shakespeare later used it for the main character in his tragedy Titus Andronicus (1593). As an English name, Titus has been occasionally used since the Protestant Reformation.
Torbjørn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
Rating: 41% based on 15 votes
Torin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Rating: 59% based on 15 votes
Meaning unknown. It has been suggested that it is of Irish origin, though no suitable derivation can be found.
Trevelyan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: tri-VEHL-yən
Rating: 39% based on 17 votes
From a surname that was derived from a Cornish place name meaning "homestead on the hill".
Tristan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: TRIS-tən(English) TREES-TAHN(French)
Rating: 73% based on 22 votes
Probably from the Celtic name
Drustan, a
diminutive of
Drust, which occurs as
Drystan in a few Welsh sources. As
Tristan, it first appears in 12th-century French tales, probably altered by association with Old French
triste "sad". According to the tales Tristan was sent to Ireland by his uncle King Mark of Cornwall in order to fetch
Iseult, who was to be the king's bride. On the way back, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. Later versions of the tale make Tristan one of King
Arthur's knights. His tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since then.
Tristram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: TRIS-trəm
Rating: 48% based on 10 votes
Trystan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Tsubasa
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 翼, etc.(Japanese Kanji) つばさ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TSOO-BA-SA
Rating: 39% based on 16 votes
From Japanese
翼 (tsubasa) meaning "wing", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.
Túathal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish [1]
Rating: 35% based on 11 votes
Means
"ruler of the people", from Old Irish
túath "people, country" and
fal "rule". This was the name of a few Irish kings, including the legendary Túathal Techtmar.
Turin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 51% based on 9 votes
Means "victory mood" in the fictional language Sindarin. In the Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Turin was a cursed hero, the slayer of the dragon Glaurung. He was also called Turambar, Mormegil, and other names. This is also the Anglicized name of the city of Torino in Italy.
Urien
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Rating: 24% based on 11 votes
From the Old Welsh name
Urbgen, possibly from the Celtic root *
orbo- "heir" and the suffix
gen "born of". This was the name of a 6th-century king of Rheged. Passing into Arthurian tales, he became the king of Gore, the husband of
Morgan le Fay, and the father of
Owain.
Ursinus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 33% based on 18 votes
Latin name that was a derivative of
Ursus (see
Urs).
Valdemar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Swedish, Finnish
Pronounced: VAHL-deh-mahr(Finnish)
Rating: 33% based on 11 votes
Scandinavian form of
Waldemar, also used as a translation of the Slavic
cognate Vladimir. This was the name of four kings of Denmark and a king of Sweden. It was introduced to Scandinavia by the 12th-century Danish king Valdemar I who was named after his mother's grandfather: Vladimir II, a grand prince of Kievan Rus.
Valerian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Georgian, Romanian, History
Other Scripts: Валериан(Russian) ვალერიან(Georgian)
Pronounced: və-LIR-ee-ən(English)
Rating: 49% based on 14 votes
From the Roman
cognomen Valerianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name
Valerius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Roman emperor (Publius Licinius Valerianus) who was captured by the Persians. Several
saints have also borne this name, including a 2nd-century martyr of Lyons.
Valerius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: wa-LEH-ree-oos(Latin) və-LIR-ee-əs(English)
Rating: 36% based on 10 votes
Roman family name that was derived from Latin
valere "to be strong". This was the name of several early
saints.
Valko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Вълко(Bulgarian)
Rating: 44% based on 17 votes
Derived from Bulgarian
вълк (valk) meaning
"wolf".
Victor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Late Roman
Pronounced: VIK-tər(American English) VIK-tə(British English) VEEK-TAWR(French) VEEK-tor(Romanian) VIK-tawr(Dutch)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Roman name meaning
"victor, conqueror" in Latin. It was common among early Christians, and was borne by several early
saints and three popes. It was rare as an English name during the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the French writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885), who authored
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and
Les Misérables.
Vincent
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Slovak
Pronounced: VIN-sənt(English, Dutch) VEHN-SAHN(French) VIN-sent(Dutch) VEEN-tsent(Slovak)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Roman name
Vincentius, which was derived from Latin
vincere meaning
"to conquer". This name was popular among early Christians, and it was borne by many
saints. As an English name,
Vincent has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 19th century. Famous bearers include the French priest Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
Vissarion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian (Archaic), Greek
Other Scripts: Виссарион(Russian) Βησσαρίων(Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Russian form and Modern Greek transcription of
Bessarion.
Westley
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEST-lee
Rating: 45% based on 16 votes
From a surname that was a variant of
Wesley.
Weston
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEHS-tən
Rating: 40% based on 14 votes
From an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English
west "west" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Wilhelm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Polish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: VIL-helm(German) VEEL-khelm(Polish)
Rating: 56% based on 19 votes
German
cognate of
William. This was the name of two German emperors. It was also the middle name of several philosophers from Germany: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), who was also a notable mathematician. Another famous bearer was the physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (1845-1923).
Will
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIL
Short form of
William and other names beginning with
Will. A famous bearer is American actor Will Smith (1968-), whose full name is Willard.
William
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIL-yəm
Rating: 58% based on 25 votes
From the Germanic name
Willehelm meaning
"will helmet", composed of the elements
willo "will, desire" and
helm "helmet, protection". An early
saint by this name was the 8th-century William of Gellone, a cousin of
Charlemagne who became a monk. The name was common among the
Normans, and it became extremely popular in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England in the 11th century. From then until the modern era it has been among the most common of English names (with
John,
Thomas and
Robert).
This name was later borne by three other English kings, as well as rulers of Scotland, Sicily (of Norman origin), the Netherlands and Prussia. Other famous bearers include William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish hero, and William Tell, a legendary 14th-century Swiss hero (called Wilhelm in German, Guillaume in French and Guglielmo in Italian). In the literary world it was borne by dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616), poet William Blake (1757-1827), poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850), dramatist William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), author William Faulkner (1897-1962), and author William S. Burroughs (1914-1997).
In the American rankings (since 1880) this name has never been out of the top 20, making it one of the most consistently popular names (although it has never reached the top rank). In modern times its short form, Liam, has periodically been more popular than William itself, in the United Kingdom in the 1990s and the United States in the 2010s.
Wolf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Jewish, English (Rare), Germanic [1]
Other Scripts: װאָלףֿ(Yiddish)
Pronounced: VAWLF(German) WUWLF(English)
Short form of
Wolfgang,
Wolfram and other names containing the Old German element
wolf meaning
"wolf" (Proto-Germanic *
wulfaz). It can also be simply from the German or English word. As a Jewish name it can be considered a vernacular form of
Zeev.
Wolfram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: VAWL-fram
Rating: 41% based on 16 votes
Derived from the Old German element
wolf meaning "wolf" combined with
hram meaning "raven".
Saint Wolfram (or Wulfram) was a 7th-century archbishop of Sens. This name was also borne by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the author of
Parzival.
Wulfhelm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic
Rating: 17% based on 3 votes
Derived from Gothic vulfs "wolf" combined with Old High German helm "helmet, protection."
Wystan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 38% based on 17 votes
From the Old English name
Wigstan, composed of the elements
wig "battle" and
stan "stone". This was the name of a 9th-century Anglo-Saxon
saint. It became rare after the
Norman Conquest, and in modern times it is chiefly known as the first name of the British poet W. H. Auden (1907-1973).
Xandinho
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese (Rare)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Yaron
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יָרוֹן(Hebrew)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Means "to sing, to shout" in Hebrew.
Yrian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Scandinavian
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Medieval Scandinavian form of
Jurian.
Yvain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
Form of
Owain used by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for his Arthurian romance
Yvain, the Knight of the Lion.
Zephyros
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ζέφυρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZDEH-PUY-ROS(Classical Greek)
Rating: 42% based on 20 votes
Zephyrus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ζέφυρος(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of
Zephyros (see
Zephyr).
Ziyad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: زياد(Arabic)
Pronounced: zee-YAD
Rating: 27% based on 10 votes
Means
"growth, increase, excess" in Arabic, a derivative of
زاد (zāda) meaning "to grow, to increase".
Zulfiqar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: ذو الفقار(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: dhool-fee-KAR(Arabic)
Rating: 25% based on 10 votes
From Arabic
ذو الفقار (Dhū al-Faqār) interpreted as meaning
"cleaver of the spine", derived from
ذو (dhū) meaning "possessor, holder" and
فقار (faqār) meaning "spine, vertebra". This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's sword, also used by his son-in-law
Ali.
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