NamesAreTreasures's Personal Name List
Zion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Jewish, Biblical
Other Scripts: צִיוֹן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ZIE-ən(English)
From the name of a citadel that was in the center of Jerusalem. Zion is also used to refer to a Jewish homeland and to heaven.
Wish
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Meaning "a desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen". From Middle English wisshen, from Old English wȳscan "to wish", from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną "to wish", from Proto-Indo-European *wun-, *wenh₁- "to wish, love". Cognate with Scots wis "to wish", Saterland Frisian wonskje "to wish", West Frisian winskje "to wish", Dutch wensen "to wish", German wünschen "to wish", Danish ønske "to wish", Icelandic óska "to wish", Latin Venus, veneror "venerate, honour, love".
Wisdom
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: WIZ-dəm
Simply from the English word, a derivative of Old English wis "wise".
Winter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIN-tər(American English) WIN-tə(British English)
From the English word for the season, derived from Old English winter.
Winsome
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Jamaican Patois
Pronounced: WIN-səm(English)
From the English word meaning "charming, engaging", derived from the Old English roots
wynn "joy" and
sum.
Winna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Alternate name of Saint
Wuna.
Wing
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Canadian)
Windy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Whitney
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIT-nee
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "white island" in Old English. Its popular use as a feminine name was initiated by actress Whitney Blake (1925-2002) in the 1960s, and further boosted in the 1980s by singer Whitney Houston (1963-2012).
Wendy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEHN-dee
In the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play
Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname
fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name
Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element
gwen meaning "white, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.
Water
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English
Middle English variant of
Walter.
Wade
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WAYD
Virtue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan)
This name was very occasionally used by Puritan parents in 17th century England. It ltimately derived from Latin virtus "manliness; valor; worth".
Virginia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Βιργινία(Greek)
Pronounced: vər-JIN-yə(American English) və-JIN-yə(British English) veer-JEE-nya(Italian) beer-KHEE-nya(Spanish)
Feminine form of the Roman family name
Verginius or
Virginius, which is of unknown meaning, but long associated with Latin
virgo "maid, virgin". According to a legend, it was the name of a Roman woman killed by her father so as to save her from the clutches of a crooked official.
This was the name of the first English baby born in the New World: Virginia Dare in 1587 on Roanoke Island. Perhaps because of this, the name has generally been more popular in America than elsewhere in the English-speaking world, though in both Britain and America it was not often used until the 19th century. The baby was named after the Colony of Virginia, which was itself named for Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen. A more recent bearer was the English novelist Virginia Woolf (1882-1941).
Veronica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Romanian, Late Roman
Pronounced: və-RAHN-i-kə(American English) və-RAWN-i-kə(British English) veh-RAW-nee-ka(Italian)
Latin alteration of
Berenice, the spelling influenced by the ecclesiastical Latin phrase
vera icon meaning
"true image". This was the name of a legendary
saint who wiped
Jesus' face with a towel and then found his image imprinted upon it. Due to popular stories about her, the name was occasionally used in the Christian world in the Middle Ages. It was borne by the Italian saint and mystic Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727). As an English name, it was not common until the 19th century, when it was imported from France and Scotland.
Vera 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Вера(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian) ვერა(Georgian)
Pronounced: VYEH-rə(Russian) VIR-ə(English) VEHR-ə(English) VEH-ra(German, Dutch) VEH-rah(Swedish) BEH-ra(Spanish) VEH-raw(Hungarian)
Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Vanessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Dutch
Pronounced: və-NEHS-ə(English) VA-NEH-SA(French) va-NEHS-sa(Italian) vu-NEH-su(European Portuguese) va-NEH-su(Brazilian Portuguese) ba-NEH-sa(Spanish) va-NEH-sa(German) vah-NEH-sa(Dutch)
Invented by author Jonathan Swift for his 1726 poem
Cadenus and Vanessa [1]. He arrived at it by rearranging the initial syllables of the first name and surname of
Esther Vanhomrigh, his close friend. Vanessa was later used as the name of a genus of butterfly. It was a rare given name until the mid-20th century, at which point it became fairly popular.
Valentina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Валентина(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) Βαλεντίνα(Greek)
Pronounced: va-lehn-TEE-na(Italian) və-lyin-TYEE-nə(Russian) vu-lyehn-tyi-NU(Lithuanian) ba-lehn-TEE-na(Spanish)
Feminine form of
Valentinus (see
Valentine 1). A famous bearer is the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (1937-), who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space.
Valencia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: ba-LEHN-sya(Latin American Spanish) ba-LEHN-thya(European Spanish) və-LEHN-see-ə(English)
From the name of cities in Spain and Venezuela, both derived from Latin valentia meaning "strength, vigour".
Tyrell
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern), African American (Modern)
Pronounced: TIR-əl(English) tie-REHL(English) tə-REHL(English)
From a surname that was a variant of
Terrell. Influenced by similar-sounding names such as
Tyrone and
Darrell it has been used by African-American parents, usually stressed on the second syllable.
Tulip
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TOO-lip, TYOO-lip
From the name of the flower. Ultimately from Persian
dulband, "turban", from the shape of the opened flower.
As a given name, it has been occasionally used from the 19th century onwards.
Truth
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Puritan), English (Modern, Rare)
From the English word "truth" from Old English trīewth, trēowth meaning ‘faithfulness.'
Truly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Popular Culture, Theatre
Pronounced: TROO-lee
From Old English trēowlīce meaning ‘faithfully’.
True
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (American, Modern)
Pronounced: TROO(American English)
From the English word true, itself from Old English trīewe meaning "trusty, faithful".
Trinity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TRIN-i-tee
From the English word Trinity, given in honour of the Christian belief that God has one essence, but three distinct expressions of being: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It has only been in use as a given name since the 20th century.
Treasure
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: TREZH-ər(American English) TREZH-ə(British English)
From the English word, ultimately from Greek
θησαυρός (thesauros) meaning "treasure, collection".
Titan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hungarian
Pronounced: tit-an(Hungarian)
From the English word referring to "any of the giant gods in Greek mythology who preceded the Olympian gods". From the Ancient Greek titan (Τιτάν) of the same meaning.
Tiara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: tee-AHR-ə
From the English word for a semicircle crown, ultimately of Greek origin.
Thomas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Greek, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θωμάς(Greek) Θωμᾶς(Ancient Greek) തോമസ്(Malayalam)
Pronounced: TAHM-əs(American English) TAWM-əs(British English) TAW-MA(French) TO-mas(German) TO-mahs(Dutch) tho-MAS(Greek)
Greek form of the Aramaic name
תְּאוֹמָא (Teʾoma) meaning
"twin". In the
New Testament this is the name of an apostle. When he heard that
Jesus had risen from the dead he initially doubted the story, until Jesus appeared before him and he examined his wounds himself. According to tradition he was martyred in India. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world.
In England the name was used by the Normans and became very popular due to Saint Thomas Becket, a 12th-century archbishop of Canterbury and martyr. It was reliably among the top five most common English names for boys from the 13th to the 19th century, and it has remained consistently popular to this day.
Another notable saint by this name was the 13th-century Italian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas, who is regarded as a Doctor of the Church. Other famous bearers include philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), American president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), novelist Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), and inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).
Theodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θεοδώρα(Greek)
Pronounced: thee-ə-DAWR-ə(English)
Feminine form of
Theodore. This name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by several empresses including the influential wife of Justinian in the 6th century.
Thalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Greek
Other Scripts: Θάλεια(Greek)
Pronounced: THAY-lee-ə(English) thə-LIE-ə(English)
From the Greek name
Θάλεια (Thaleia), derived from
θάλλω (thallo) meaning
"to blossom". In Greek
mythology she was one of the nine Muses, presiding over comedy and pastoral poetry. This was also the name of one of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites).
Teyana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Rare)
Pronounced: TAY-ahn-nah
Contraction of
Tiana with the popular prefix/suffix
Tey.
Tee
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: African American
Tea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Slovene, Finnish, Georgian
Other Scripts: თეა(Georgian)
Pronounced: TEH-ah(Finnish)
Taylen
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Taniqua
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Rare)
Pronounced: tə-NEE-kwə(English)
Combination of the popular phonetic elements
ta,
nee and
qua.
Symphony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SIM-fə-nee
Simply from the English word, ultimately deriving from Greek
σύμφωνος (symphonos) meaning "concordant in sound".
Sweden
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: SWEE-dən(American English)
From the name of the European country of
Sweden.
Swayze
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SWAYZ
Transferred use of the surname
Swayze as a given name. Usage of the name is likely due to popular American actor Patrick Swayze (1952-2009).
Susanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, Dutch, English, Armenian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Сусанна(Russian, Ukrainian) Սուսաննա(Armenian) שׁוֹשַׁנָּה(Ancient Hebrew) Сꙋсанна(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: soo-ZAN-na(Italian) soo-ZAN-nə(Catalan) suy-SAN-na(Swedish) SOO-sahn-nah(Finnish) suw-SAN-nə(Russian) suw-SAN-nu(Ukrainian) suy-SAH-na(Dutch) soo-ZAN-ə(English)
From
Σουσάννα (Sousanna), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshanna). This was derived from the Hebrew word
שׁוֹשָׁן (shoshan) meaning
"lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means
"rose"), perhaps ultimately from Egyptian
sšn "lotus". In the
Old Testament Apocrypha this is the name of a woman falsely accused of adultery. The prophet
Daniel clears her name by tricking her accusers, who end up being condemned themselves. It also occurs in the
New Testament belonging to a woman who ministers to
Jesus.
As an English name, it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Old Testament heroine. It did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation, at which time it was often spelled Susan.
Sunshine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUN-shien
From the English word, ultimately from Old English sunne "sun" and scinan "shine".
Sunny
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUN-ee
From the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".
Sunday
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUN-day
From the name of the day of the week, which ultimately derives from Old English sunnandæg, which was composed of the elements sunne "sun" and dæg "day". This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
Summer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUM-ər(American English) SUM-ə(British English)
From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.
Suede
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SWAYD
The word comes from the French Suède, which literally means "Sweden".
Story
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: STOR-ee
From Middle English storie, storye, from Anglo-Norman estorie, from Late Latin storia meaning "history."
Stormy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: STAWR-mee(American English) STAW-mee(British English)
From the English word meaning "stormy, wild, turbulent", ultimately from Old English stormig.
Storm
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Dutch (Modern), Danish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern)
Pronounced: STAWRM(American English, Dutch) STAWM(British English)
From the vocabulary word, ultimately from Old English or Old Dutch storm, or in the case of the Scandinavian name, from Old Norse stormr. It is unisex as an English name, but typically masculine elsewhere.
Starry
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: STAHR-ee
From the English word starry, "abounding with stars".
Starla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: STAHR-lə(American English) STAH-lə(British English)
Star
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: STAHR(American English) STAH(British English)
From the English word for the celestial body, ultimately from Old English steorra.
Sparrow
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SPAR-o, SPEHR-o
From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English spearwa.
Sparky
Gender: Masculine
Usage: American, Pet
Nickname, though not a diminutive. Often a given name for pets.
Spark
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Originally a transferred use of the surname
Spark. It is now used as an adoption of the English word (which is derived from Old English
spearca via Middle English
sparke "spark").
Southern
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Transferred use of the surname
Southern.
Sonya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, English
Other Scripts: Соня(Russian)
Pronounced: SO-nyə(Russian) SON-yə(English) SAWN-yə(English)
Russian
diminutive of
Sophia. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel
War and Peace (1869, English translation 1886).
Snowy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
From the English word "snowy" meaning "covered with
Snow; resembling snow; or when snow is falling".
Snowdrop
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SNO-drahp
The name of the flower used as a first name, mainly between the 1890s and 1920s, but never one of the more popular names of this kind.
Snow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SNO
From the English word, derived from Old English snāw.
Skylynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SKIE-lin
Elaboration of
Sky using the popular name suffix
lyn.
Skyler
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKIE-lər(American English) SKIE-lə(British English)
Variant of
Schuyler, based on the pronunciation of the surname but respelled as if it was a blend of the English word
sky with names such as
Tyler. It was rare before 1980, and first gained popularity as a name for boys. It is now more common for girls, though it is more evenly unisex than the mostly feminine variant
Skylar.
Skyelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Elaboration of
Skye using the popular name suffix
lyn.
Sky
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKIE
Simply from the English word sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse ský "cloud".
Sing
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Lao
Silver
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SIL-vər(American English) SIL-və(British English)
From the English word for the precious metal or the colour, ultimately derived from Old English seolfor.
Shelly
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHEHL-ee
Shelby
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHEHL-bee
From an English surname, which was possibly a variant of
Selby. Though previously in use as a rare masculine name, it was popularized as a feminine name by the main character in the movie
The Woman in Red (1935). It was later reinforced by the movie
Steel Magnolias (1989) in which Julia Roberts played a character by this name.
Shayna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish
Other Scripts: שיינאַ(Yiddish)
From Yiddish
שיין (shein) meaning
"beautiful".
Shawnie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: Shaw-nee
Shawna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAW-nə
Shannon
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAN-ən
From the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called
an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure
Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish
sen "old, ancient"
[1]. As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.
Shaniqua
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern)
Pronounced: shə-NEE-kwə(English)
An invented name using the popular phonetic elements
sha,
nee and
qua.
Serenity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: sə-REHN-ə-tee
From the English word meaning "serenity, tranquility", ultimately from Latin serenus meaning "clear, calm".
Sequoia
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: sə-KWOI-ə
From the name of huge trees that grow in California. The tree got its name from the 19th-century Cherokee scholar
Sequoyah (also known as George Guess), the inventor of the Cherokee writing system.
September
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: sehp-TEHM-bər(American English) sehp-TEHM-bə(British English)
From the name of the ninth month (though it means "seventh month" in Latin, since it was originally the seventh month of the Roman year), which is sometimes used as a given name for someone born in September.
Selene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Σελήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SEH-LEH-NEH(Classical Greek) si-LEE-nee(English) si-LEEN(English)
Means
"moon" in Greek. This was the name of a Greek goddess of the moon, a Titan. She was sometimes identified with the goddess
Artemis.
Selena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Σελήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: seh-LEH-na(Spanish) sə-LEEN-ə(English)
Latinized form of
Selene. This name was borne by popular Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla (1971-1995), who was known simply as Selena. Another famous bearer is the American actress and singer Selena Gomez (1992-).
Sebastian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Romanian, Czech
Pronounced: zeh-BAS-tee-an(German) sə-BAS-chən(American English) sə-BAS-tee-ən(British English) seh-BAS-dyan(Danish) seh-BAS-tyan(Polish) SEH-bahs-tee-ahn(Finnish) seh-bas-tee-AN(Romanian) SEH-bas-ti-yan(Czech)
From the Latin name
Sebastianus, which meant
"from Sebaste". Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, its name deriving from Greek
σεβαστός (sebastos) meaning "venerable" (a translation of Latin
Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors). According to Christian tradition,
Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Roman soldier martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian. After he was discovered to be a Christian, he was tied to a stake and shot with arrows. This however did not kill him. Saint Irene of Rome healed him and he returned to personally admonish Diocletian, whereupon the emperor had him beaten to death.
Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in medieval Europe, especially in Spain and France. It was also borne by a 16th-century king of Portugal who died in a crusade against Morocco.
Scout
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKOWT
From the English word scout meaning "one who gathers information covertly", which is derived from Old French escouter "to listen". Harper Lee used this name in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).
Scotland
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
From the name of the country Scotland, meaning "land of the Scots", from Latin Scoti meaning "Gaelic speaker".
Scarlett
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SKAHR-lit(American English) SKAH-lit(British English)
From an English surname that denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet (a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian
سقرلاط (saqrelāṭ)). Margaret Mitchell used it for the main character, Scarlett O'Hara, in her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936). Her name is explained as having come from her grandmother. Despite the fact that the book was adapted into a popular movie in 1939, the name was not common until the 21st century. It started rising around 2003, about the time that the career of American actress Scarlett Johansson (1984-) started taking off.
Sawyer
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SOI-ər(American English) SOI-ə(British English)
From an English surname meaning
"sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).
Very rare as an American given name before 1980, it increased in popularity in the 1980s and 90s. It got a boost in 2004 after the debut of the television series Lost, which featured a character by this name.
Savannah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: sə-VAN-ə
From the English word for the large grassy plain, ultimately deriving from the Taino (Native American) word zabana. It came into use as a given name in America in the 19th century. It was revived in the 1980s by the movie Savannah Smiles (1982).
Saturday
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (African), Afro-American (Slavery-era)
Pronounced: SAT-ər-day(English) SA-tə-day(English)
From the English word for the day of the week, which derives from Old English
sæterdæġ, meaning "
Saturn's day".
Sapphire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAF-ie-ər(American English) SAF-ie-ə(British English)
From the name of the gemstone, typically blue, which is the traditional birthstone of September. It is derived from Greek
σάπφειρος (sappheiros), ultimately from the Hebrew word
סַפִּיר (sappir).
Sandy
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SAN-dee
Samuelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare), French (Quebec)
Pronounced: SA-MWEHL(French, Belgian French, Quebec French)
Samuella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Dutch (Rare), Mauritian Creole (Rare), Swedish (Archaic), Hungarian
Samuel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Jewish, Amharic, Biblical
Other Scripts: שְׁמוּאֵל(Hebrew) ሳሙኤል(Amharic)
Pronounced: SAM-yoo-əl(English) SAM-yəl(English) SA-MWEHL(French) ZA-mwehl(German) SA-muy-ehl(Dutch) sa-MWEHL(Spanish) su-moo-EHL(European Portuguese) sa-moo-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) sa-MOO-ehl(Polish) SA-moo-ehl(Czech, Slovak, Swedish) SAH-moo-ehl(Finnish)
From the Hebrew name
שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemuʾel) meaning
"name of God", from the roots
שֵׁם (shem) meaning "name" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Other interpretations have the first root being
שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear" leading to a meaning of
"God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the
Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed
Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor
David.
As a Christian name, Samuel came into common use after the Protestant Reformation. It has been consistently popular in the English-speaking world, ranking yearly in the top 100 names in the United States (as recorded since 1880) and performing similarly well in the United Kingdom.
Famous bearers include English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), American inventor Samuel Morse (1791-1872), Irish writer Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), and American actor Samuel L. Jackson (1948-). This was also the real name, Samuel Clemens, of the American author Mark Twain (1835-1910).
Samara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Possibly derived from the name of the city of Samarra (in Iraq) or Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel
Appointment in Samarra (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.
The name received a boost in popularity after it was borne by the antagonist in the horror movie The Ring (2002).
Samantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Dutch
Pronounced: sə-MAN-thə(English) sa-MAN-ta(Italian) sa-MAHN-ta(Dutch)
Perhaps intended to be a feminine form of
Samuel, using the name suffix
antha (possibly inspired by Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). It originated in America in the 18th century but was fairly uncommon until 1964, when it was popularized by the main character on the television show
Bewitched.
Sailor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SAY-lər(American English) SAY-lə(British English)
Variant of
Saylor. This is the less common spelling.
Sabrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: sə-BREEN-ə(English) sa-BREE-na(Italian, Spanish) za-BREE-na(German) SA-BREE-NA(French) su-BREE-nu(European Portuguese) sa-BREE-nu(Brazilian Portuguese)
Latinized form of
Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque
Comus (1634).
The name was brought to public attention by Samuel A. Taylor's play Sabrina Fair (1953) and the movie adaptation Sabrina that followed it the next year. This is also the name of a comic book character, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, first introduced 1962 and with television adaptations in 1970-1974 and 1996-2003, both causing minor jumps in popularity. Another jump occurred in 1976, when it was used for a main character on the television series Charlie's Angels.
Ruby
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROO-bee
Simply from the name of the precious stone (which ultimately derives from Latin
ruber "red"), which is the traditional birthstone of July. It came into use as a given name in the 16th century
[1].
Royalty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ROI-əl-tee
From the English word royalty, derived (via Old French) from Latin regalitas, a derivative of rex "king".
Royal
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROI-əl, ROIL
From the English word royal, derived (via Old French) from Latin regalis, a derivative of rex "king". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century.
Rose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: ROZ
Originally a Norman French form of the Germanic name
Hrodohaidis meaning
"famous type", composed of the elements
hruod "fame" and
heit "kind, sort, type". The
Normans introduced it to England in the forms
Roese and
Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower
rose (derived from Latin
rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.
Rosabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), French (Rare), Filipino (Rare)
Pronounced: ROZ-ə-bel(English)
Rosabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish
Pronounced: RAWR-ə(English)
Short form of
Aurora. In Sweden its earliest documented usage is 1889.
Ronda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHN-də(American English) RAWN-də(British English)
Ronalda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: rah-NAWL-da
Robinson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RAHB-in-sən(American English) RAWB-in-sən(British English)
From an English surname that was a patronymic form of the given name
Robin. This is the name of the main character in Daniel Defoe's novel
Robinson Crusoe (1719), about a sailor shipwrecked on a remote island.
Robin
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Swedish, Czech
Pronounced: RAHB-in(American English) RAWB-in(British English) RAW-BEHN(French) RAW-bin(Dutch) RO-bin(Czech)
Medieval English
diminutive of
Robert, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.
Roberta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: rə-BUR-tə(American English) rə-BU-tə(British English) ro-BEHR-ta(Italian, Spanish)
River
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RIV-ər(American English) RIV-ə(British English)
From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".
Richard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: RICH-ərd(American English) RICH-əd(British English) REE-SHAR(French) RI-khart(German, Czech) REE-khart(Slovak) REE-shahrt(Dutch)
Means
"brave ruler", derived from the Old German elements
rih "ruler, king" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of three early dukes of Normandy. The
Normans introduced it to England when they invaded in the 11th century, and it has been very common there since that time. It was borne by three kings of England including the 12th-century Richard I the Lionheart, one of the leaders of the Third Crusade.
During the late Middle Ages this name was typically among the five most common for English males (with John, William, Robert and Thomas). It remained fairly popular through to the modern era, peaking in the United States in the 1940s and in the United Kingom a bit later, and steadily declining since that time.
Famous bearers include two German opera composers, Richard Wagner (1813-1883) and Richard Strauss (1864-1949), as well as British explorer Richard Burton (1821-1890), American president Richard Nixon (1913-1994), American physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988), British actor Richard Burton (1925-1984) and American musician Little Richard (1932-2020).
Rhythm
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: RI-dhəm
From the word referring to metrical movement, derived via Latin from Ancient Greek ῥυθμός (rhythmós) meaning "measured flow/movement, symmetry, arrangement, order, form."
Reverie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: REHV-ə-ree
From the English word meaning "daydream, fanciful musing", derived from Old French resverie, itself from resver meaning "to dream, to rave".
Reverence
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Obscure
From the English word reverence meaning "deep respect".
Revelation
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
From the English word revelation, ultimately from Latin revēlātiō "disclosure".
Remembrance
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan), Romani (Archaic)
Remember
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (African), English (Puritan)
Pronounced: ri-MEHM-bə(English)
From the English word remember, ultimately from the Latin rememorārī, "to remember again", containing the root memor, "mindful".
Remedy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
From the English word, perhaps intended to be an English equivalent of
Remedios.
Reign
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RAYN
From the English word reign, derived from Latin regnum "royal power".
Reese
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Anglicized form of
Rhys. It is also used as a feminine name, popularized by the American actress Reese Witherspoon (1976-).
Reece
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Reason
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan)
Puritanical name.
Raymond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: RAY-mənd(English) REH-MAWN(French)
From the Germanic name
Raginmund, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
munt "protection". The
Normans introduced this name to England in the form
Reimund. It was borne by several medieval (mostly Spanish)
saints, including Saint Raymond Nonnatus, the patron of midwives and expectant mothers, and Saint Raymond of Peñafort, the patron of canonists.
Rashonda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Rare)
Pronounced: rə-SHAWN-də
Rainbow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RAYN-bo
From the English word for the arc of multicoloured light that can appear in a misty sky.
Queen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KWEEN
From an old nickname that was derived from the English word queen, ultimately from Old English cwen meaning "woman, wife".
Purpose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Middle English from Old French porpos, from the verb porposer, variant of proposer. Meaning, "the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists."
Purity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PUR-it-ee
Middle English from Old French purete, later assimilated to late Latin puritas, from Latin purus ‘pure’. From the English word purity, which means "freedom from immorality."
Psalms
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare), English (African, Rare), Popular Culture
Pronounced: SAHMZ(English) SAHLMZ(English) SAWMZ(English) SAWLMZ(English)
From the title of the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament, the plural of
Psalm. This was used for a character, a male former slave named Psalms Jackson, in the American Western drama television series
Hell on Wheels (2011-2016).
Psalm
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare), Filipino (Rare), Various
Pronounced: sahm(American English) sahlm(American English) sawm(American English) sawlm(American English)
From the English word
psalm which refers to a sacred song or poem, especially one of the hymns by
David and others which were collected into the Old Testament
Book of Psalms. It is ultimately derived from Greek ψαλμός
(psalmos) meaning "a song sung to the harp", from ψάλλω
(psallo) "to pluck, to play a stringed instrument with the fingers". This name was used by the television personality Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West for their son born 2019.
Proverb
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan), African
Referring to the book of Proverbs in the Bible.
Promise
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: PRAWM-is
From the English word promise, from Latin promissum. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Princess
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PRIN-sehs, prin-SEHS
Feminine equivalent of
Prince.
Prince
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PRINS
From the English word prince, a royal title, which comes ultimately from Latin princeps. This name was borne by the American musician Prince Rogers Nelson (1958-2016), who is known simply as Prince.
Precious
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (African), African American (Modern)
Pronounced: PRESH-əs(African English, English)
From the English word precious, ultimately derived from Latin pretiosus, a derivative of Latin pretium "price, worth".
Prayer
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Middle English from Old French preiere, based on Latin precarius ‘obtained by entreaty,’ from prex, prec- prayer.’
Poetry
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: American (Rare, Archaic)
Poet
Gender: Masculine
Usage: East Frisian (Archaic)
As an East Frisian name, Poet is a short form of names containing the element
boto "messenger", for example
Boeterich.
This name was in use as a strictly masculine name during the 1700s and 1800s.
Poem
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
From French
poème or Latin
poema, from Greek
poēma, early variant of
poiēma ‘fiction, poem,’ from
poiein ‘create.’ See also
Poema.
Piper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PIE-pər(American English) PIE-pə(British English)
From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series
Charmed, which debuted in 1998
[1].
Pharaoh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Mormon, African American
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the rulers of all Ancient Egyptian dynasties. Historically, however, "pharaoh" only started being used as a title for the king during the New Kingdom, specifically during the middle of the eighteenth dynasty, after the reign of
Hatshepsut. From the Middle English
pharao, from the Late Latin
pharaō, from the Ancient Greek
pharaṓ (φαραώ), from the Hebrew
par‘ōh (פַּרְעֹה), ultimately derived from the Ancient Egyptian
pr ˤ3 'palace, pharaoh', from
pr 'house' and
ˤ3 'great, big'.
Noted bearers include Grammy Award winning American jazz saxophonist, Pharoah Sanders, born Farrell Sanders (b.1940), and American rapper Pharoahe Monch, born Troy Donald Jamerson (b.1972).
Petal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PEHT-əl
From the English word for the flower part, derived from Greek
πέταλον (petalon) meaning "leaf".
Pearly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PER-lee
Pearl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PURL(American English) PUL(British English)
From the English word pearl for the concretions formed in the shells of some mollusks, ultimately from Late Latin perla. Like other gemstone names, it has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. The pearl is the traditional birthstone for June, and it supposedly imparts health and wealth.
Peaches
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: peech-əz
Literally derived from the English word peaches, which is the plural form of peach, the fruit. It is derived from Late Middle English from Old French pesche, from medieval Latin persica, from Latin persicum, meaning "Persian apple".
Peach
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Popular Culture
Pronounced: peech
Derived from the name of the fruit, which itself derived its name from Late Latin persica, which came from older Latin malum persicum meaning "Persian fruit." In popular culture, this is the name of the Nintendo video game character Princess Peach, whom Mario often rescues from the evil Bowser.
Paula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Croatian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: POW-la(German, Spanish, Polish, Dutch) PAWL-ə(English) POW-lah(Finnish) POW-lu(Portuguese) PAW-oo-law(Hungarian)
Feminine form of
Paulus (see
Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman
saint who was a companion of Saint
Jerome.
Patriot
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Albanian, Indonesian
Derived from Albanian patriot "patriot".
Patience
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAY-shəns
From the English word
patience, ultimately from Latin
patientia, a derivative of
pati "to suffer". This was one of the virtue names coined by the
Puritans in the 17th century. It is now most commonly used in African countries where English is widely understood, such as Nigeria and Ghana.
Paradise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PEHR-ə-dies, PAR-ə-dies
From the English word meaning "heaven, the garden of Eden", ultimately from Avestan
pairidaēza "enclosure, park" (compare the cognate
Firdaus).
Painter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname
Painter.
Page
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAYJ
From a surname that was a variant of
Paige.
Orchard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Transferred use of the surname
Orchard.
Opal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: O-pəl
From the English word
opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit
उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".
Olive
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AHL-iv(American English) AWL-iv(British English) AW-LEEV(French)
From the English and French word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva.
Océane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AW-SEH-AN
Derived from French océan meaning "ocean".
Ocean
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: O-shən
Simply from the English word
ocean for a large body of water. It is ultimately derived from Greek
Ὠκεανός (Okeanos), the name of the body of water thought to surround the Earth.
Oasis
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: o-AY-sis
From the English word
oasis referring to a cultivated area (often a date palm grove) in a desert or semi-desert environment. An oasis can also provide habitat for animals and spontaneous plants.
This is a modern name in the United States, first recorded by the Social Security Administration in 1995 (perhaps influenced by the English rock band by this name, which was active from 1991 until 2009).
November
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: no-VEHM-bər, nə-VEHM-bə, no-VEHM-bə
From the Latin word
novem, meaning "nine". November was the ninth month of the Roman calendar before January and February were added around 713 BC. It is now the eleventh month of the year.
This is the name of one of the main adult female characters in Catherynne M. Valente's adult fantasy novel "Palimpsest" (2009). In the novel November remembers having read a book called "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making" when she was a child, and the heroine of that book was called September. Valente later wrote that book as a crowd-funded work. It became the first volume in her bestselling "Fairyland" series.
Novel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: NAH-vəl, NAW-vəl
From the English word
novel, a type of literature.
From Borrowing from Old French novel (“new, fresh, recent, recently made or done, strange, rare”) (modern nouvel), from Latin novellus (“new, fresh, young, modern”), diminutive of novus (“new”).
Northern
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: north-urn
Simply means "northern" from the English word. This name was used briefly in the middle of the twentieth century. Five males were given it in 1955, the last year in which it qualified to be counted by SSA data. The first year, 1921, it was used 8 times. It was also used in between.
Noble
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NO-bəl
From an English surname meaning "noble, high-born". The name can also be given in direct reference to the English word noble.
Noah 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch (Modern), French (Modern), Biblical
Other Scripts: נֹחַ, נוֹחַ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: NO-ə(English) NO-a(German)
From the Hebrew name
נֹחַ (Noaḥ) meaning
"rest, repose", derived from the root
נוּחַ (nuaḥ). According to the
Old Testament, Noah was the builder of the Ark that allowed him, his family, and animals of each species to survive the Great Flood. After the flood he received the sign of the rainbow as a covenant from God. He was the father of
Shem,
Ham and
Japheth.
As an English Christian name, Noah has been used since the Protestant Reformation, being common among the Puritans. In the United States it was not overly popular in the 19th and 20th centuries, but it began slowly growing in the 1970s. Starting 1994 it increased rapidly — this was when actor Noah Wyle (1971-) began starring on the television series ER. A further boost in 2004 from the main character in the movie The Notebook helped it eventually become the most popular name for boys in America between 2013 and 2016. At the same time it has also been heavily used in other English-speaking countries, as well as Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and France.
A famous bearer was the American lexicographer Noah Webster (1758-1843).
Nicole
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch, German
Pronounced: NEE-KAWL(French) ni-KOL(English) nee-KAWL(Dutch, German)
French feminine form of
Nicholas, commonly used in the English-speaking world since the middle of the 20th century. A famous bearer is American-Australian actress Nicole Kidman (1967-).
Nickel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Dutch, Medieval German, Dutch (Rare), German (Rare), English (Rare), Hunsrik
Pronounced: NIK-kəl(Medieval Dutch, Dutch) NEE-kəl(Hunsrik)
In Germany and the Netherlands, this name is a medieval short form of respectively
Nicolaus and
Nicolaas. In the case of the latter, it is via the medieval short form
Nicol 1, of which Nickel is a variant.
In English-speaking countries, there are a few more possibilities for the origin and etymology of this name. There, it can be: a short form of Nicholas, a pet form of Nicholas' short form Nick and an anglicisation of the Scottish name Nichol. Very rarily will this name have been inspired by the coin or the metal, in which case nickel is ultimately derived from German nickel meaning "goblin, devil."
The name Nickel is still in use in the English-speaking world, Germany and the Netherlands to this day, albeit (very) rarely.
Nevada
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: nə-VAD-ə
From the name of the American state, which means "snow-capped" in Spanish.
Neil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, English
Pronounced: NEEL(English)
From the Irish name
Niall, which is of disputed origin, possibly connected to the old Celtic root *
nītu- "fury, passion" or the (possibly related) Old Irish word
nia "hero" [1][2]. A derivation from Old Irish
nél "cloud" has also been suggested. This was the name of a few early Irish kings, notably Niall of the Nine Hostages, a semi-legendary high king of the 4th or 5th century.
In the early Middle Ages the name was adopted by Norse raiders and settlers in Ireland in the form Njáll. The Norse transmitted it to England and Scotland, as well as bringing it back to Scandinavia. It was also in use among the Normans, who were of Scandinavian origin. A famous bearer of this name was American astronaut Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), the first person to walk on the moon.
Nehemiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: נְחֶמְיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: nee-hi-MIE-ə(English)
Means
"Yahweh comforts" in Hebrew, derived from
נָחַם (naḥam) meaning "to comfort" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. According to the Book of Nehemiah in the
Old Testament he was a leader of the Jews who was responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity.
Nebraska
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Nebraska is derived from transliteration of the archaic Otoe words Ñí Brásge (contemporary Otoe Ñí Bráhge), or the Omaha Ní Btháska meaning "flat water", after the Platte River that flows through the state.
Navy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: NAY-vee
From the English word meaning "sea force, fleet, armed forces of the sea". It is derived from Old French navie, from Latin navigia, the plural of navigium "boat, vessel". It also refers to a shade of dark blue, a colour traditionally associated with naval uniforms.
Natasha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Belarusian, English
Other Scripts: Наташа(Russian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: nu-TA-shə(Russian) nə-TAHSH-ə(English)
Russian
diminutive of
Natalya. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel
War and Peace (1865). It has been used in the English-speaking world only since the 20th century.
Nashville
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: NASH-vil
This name is derived from the city of
Nashville (and capital of
Tennessee in the USA). It is made of a combination of the surname
Nash and the French word
ville meaning "town."
The surname
Nash belongs to General Francis Nash (1742-1777), whom the city was named after.
Naomi 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: נָעֳמִי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: nay-O-mee(English) nie-O-mee(English)
From the Hebrew name
נָעֳמִי (Naʿomi) meaning
"my pleasantness", a derivative of
נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of
Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be
Mara because of her misfortune (see
Ruth 1:20).
Though long common as a Jewish name, Naomi was not typically used as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer is the British model Naomi Campbell (1970-).
Morning
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MOR-ning
From the English word "morning", ultimately from proto-Germanic murginaz "to flicker, twinkle, darken".
Montana
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: mahn-TAN-ə(American English) mawn-TAN-ə(British English)
From the name of the American state, which is derived from Latin montanus "mountainous".
Miracle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MIR-ə-kəl
From the English word miracle for an extraordinary event, ultimately deriving from Latin miraculum "wonder, marvel".
Michaela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, English, Czech, Slovak, Greek, Hebrew
Other Scripts: Μιχαέλα(Greek) מִיכָאֵלָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: mi-kha-EH-la(German) mi-KAY-lə(English) MI-kha-eh-la(Czech) MEE-kha-eh-la(Slovak)
Micah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: מִיכָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: MIE-kə(English)
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.
Miami
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
From the name of the city in the American state of Florida. The city got its name from the Mayaimi, a Native American tribe that lived around Lake Okeechobee until the 17th or 18th century.
Merry 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHR-ee
From the English word
merry, ultimately from Old English
myrige. This name appears in Charles Dickens' novel
Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), where it is a
diminutive of
Mercy.
Mercy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-see(American English) MU-see(British English)
From the English word
mercy, ultimately from Latin
merces "wages, reward", a derivative of
merx "goods, wares". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Merciful
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan), Literature
Meaning, "showing or exercising mercy."
Memphis
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MEHM-fis
From the name of an important city of ancient Egypt, or the city in Tennessee that was named after it. It is derived from a Greek form of Egyptian mn-nfr meaning "enduring beauty".
Memory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: MEHM-ə-ree, MEHM-ree
From the English word memory, ultimately from Latin memor "mindful, remembering". This name is most common in Malawi, Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa.
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
From the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Meadow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MEHD-o
From the English word meadow, ultimately from Old English mædwe. Previously very rare, it rose in popularity after it was used as the name of Tony Soprano's daughter on the television series The Sopranos (1999-2007).
Maya 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MIE-ə, MAY-ə
Variant of
Maia 1. This name can also be given in reference to the Maya, an indigenous people of southern Mexico and parts of Central America whose civilization flourished between the 3rd and 8th centuries. A famous bearer was the American poet and author Maya Angelou (1928-2014).
Maximiliano
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: mak-see-mee-LYA-no(Spanish)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Maximilianus (see
Maximilian).
Mattea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: mat-TEH-a
Mashayla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare), African American (Modern, Rare)
Combination of the phonetic elements
ma,
shay and
la, or perhaps a blend of
Michelle and
Makayla - both of which are feminine forms of
Michael.
Mary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: MEHR-ee(English)
Usual English form of
Maria, the Latin form of the
New Testament Greek names
Μαριάμ (Mariam) and
Μαρία (Maria) — the spellings are interchangeable — which were from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (Miryam), a name borne by the sister of
Moses in the
Old Testament. The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including
"sea of bitterness",
"rebelliousness", and
"wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from
mry "beloved" or
mr "love".
This is the name of several New Testament characters, most importantly Mary the mother of Jesus. According to the gospels, Jesus was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit while she remained a virgin. This name was also borne by Mary Magdalene, a woman cured of demons by Jesus. She became one of his followers and later witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection.
Due to the Virgin Mary this name has been very popular in the Christian world, though at certain times in some cultures it has been considered too holy for everyday use. In England it has been used since the 12th century, and it has been among the most common feminine names since the 16th century. In the United States in 1880 it was given more than twice as often as the next most popular name for girls (Anna). It remained in the top rank in America until 1946 when it was bumped to second (by Linda). Although it regained the top spot for a few more years in the 1950s it was already falling in usage, and has since dropped out of the top 100 names.
This name has been borne by two queens of England, as well as a queen of Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots. Another notable bearer was Mary Shelley (1797-1851), the author of Frankenstein. A famous fictional character by this name is Mary Poppins from the children's books by P. L. Travers, first published in 1934.
The Latinized form of this name, Maria, is also used in English as well as in several other languages.
Maris 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: MEHR-is, MAR-is
Means
"of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin
Mary,
Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".
Marina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Greek, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Georgian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Μαρίνα(Greek) Марина(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) მარინა(Georgian)
Pronounced: ma-REE-na(Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Macedonian) mə-REE-nə(Catalan) mə-REEN-ə(English) mu-RYEE-nə(Russian) MA-ri-na(Czech)
Feminine form of
Marinus. This name was borne by a few early
saints. This is also the name by which Saint
Margaret of Antioch is known in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Marigold
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAR-i-gold, MEHR-i-gold
From the name of the flower, which comes from a combination of
Mary and the English word
gold.
Maria
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Faroese, Dutch, Frisian, Greek, Polish, Romanian, English, Finnish, Estonian, Corsican, Sardinian, Basque, Armenian, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Μαρία(Greek) Մարիա(Armenian) Мария(Russian, Bulgarian) Марія(Ukrainian) Маріа(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: ma-REE-a(Italian, German, Swedish, Dutch, Greek, Romanian, Basque) mu-REE-u(European Portuguese) ma-REE-u(Brazilian Portuguese) mə-REE-ə(Catalan, English) mah-REE-ah(Norwegian, Danish) MAR-ya(Polish) MAH-ree-ah(Finnish) mu-RYEE-yə(Russian) mu-RYEE-yu(Ukrainian)
Latin form of Greek
Μαρία, from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (see
Mary).
Maria is the usual form of the name in many European languages, as well as a secondary form in other languages such as English (where the common spelling is
Mary). In some countries, for example Germany, Poland and Italy,
Maria is occasionally used as a masculine middle name.
This was the name of two ruling queens of Portugal. It was also borne by the Habsburg queen Maria Theresa (1717-1780), whose inheritance of the domains of her father, the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI, began the War of the Austrian Succession.
Maple
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-pəl
From the English word for the tree (comprising the genus Acer), derived from Old English mapul. This is the name of a girl in Robert Frost's poem Maple (1923) who wonders about the origin of her unusual name.
Malachi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: מַלְאָכִי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: MAL-ə-kie(English)
From the Hebrew name
מַלְאָכִי (Malʾaḵi) meaning
"my messenger" or
"my angel", derived from a possessive form of
מַלְאָךְ (malʾaḵ) meaning "messenger, angel". This is one of the twelve minor prophets of the
Old Testament, the author of the Book of Malachi, which some claim foretells the coming of Christ. In England the name came into use after the
Protestant Reformation.
Mackenzie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mə-KEHN-zee
From a Scottish surname, an Anglicized form of Gaelic
Mac Coinnich, itself derived from the given name
Coinneach. As a feminine given name it was popularized by the American actress Mackenzie Phillips (1959-), especially after she began appearing on the television comedy
One Day at a Time in 1975. In the United Kingdom it is more common as a masculine name.
Lyric
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LIR-ik
Means simply
"lyric, songlike" from the English word, ultimately derived from Greek
λυρικός (lyrikos).
Lynn
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIN
From an English surname that was derived from Welsh
llyn meaning
"lake". Before the start of the 20th century it was primarily used for boys, but it has since come to be more common for girls. In some cases it may be thought of as a short form of
Linda or names that end in
lyn or
line.
Lunabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: LOO-nə-BEL-ə
Luke
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: LOOK(English)
English form of Latin
Lucas, from the Greek name
Λουκᾶς (Loukas), probably a shortened form of
Λουκανός (Loukanos) meaning
"from Lucania", Lucania being a region in southern Italy. Luke was a doctor who travelled in the company of the apostle
Paul. According to tradition, he was the author of the third gospel and Acts in the
New Testament. He was probably of Greek ethnicity. He is considered a
saint by many Christian denominations.
Due to the saint's renown, the name became common in the Christian world (in various spellings). As an English name, Luke has been in use since the 12th century alongside the Latin form Lucas. Both forms became popular throughout the English-speaking world towards the end of the 20th century. A famous fictional bearer was the hero Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movies, beginning in 1977.
Lucinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese, Literature
Pronounced: loo-SIN-də(English)
An elaboration of
Lucia created by Cervantes for his novel
Don Quixote (1605). It was subsequently used by Molière in his play
The Doctor in Spite of Himself (1666).
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)
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).
Loyal
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, English (Puritan)
Pronounced: LOI-əl(English)
From the English word meaning "firm in allegiance, faithful, to a person, cause, or institution", ultimately from Latin lēgalis meaning "legal, law".
Lovely
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American, English
Pronounced: luv-lee(African American)
From the English word "lovely" meaning "beautiful; charming; very pleasing in form, looks, tone, or manner; very nice, wonderful". From the Middle English
lovely,
lufli, from Old English
luflīc 'amiable, loving, lovable', equivalent to
love + -
ly.
A noted bearer is Lovely A. Warren (b.1977), the current (as of 2014) mayor of Rochester, New York; the first woman to be mayor of Rochester.
London
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LUN-dən
From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain. As a surname it was borne by the American author Jack London (1876-1916).
Lindsey
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIN-zee
Lincoln
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LING-kən
From an English surname that was originally from the name of an English city, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". This name is usually given in honour of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.
Lilac
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LIE-lək
From the English word for the shrub with purple or white flowers (genus Syringa). It is derived via Arabic from Persian.
Life
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Puritan, Rare)
Directly taken from the English word
life.
From Middle English lif, lyf, from Old English līf (“life, existence; life-time”), from Proto-Germanic *lībą (“life, body”), from *lībaną (“to remain, stay, be left”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp-, *lip- (“to stick, glue”).
Leviticus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare), English (African, Rare), African American
Pronounced: lə-VI-ti-kəs(American English)
From the name of the book of the Old Testament, which means "of the Levites, of the tribe of
Levi". Some parents in the United States view it as a full form or more formal version of the name
Levi.
Leslie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHZ-lee, LEHS-lee
From a Scottish surname that was derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In America it was more common as a feminine name after the 1940s.
Leonora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Lena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Polish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, English, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Georgian, Armenian
Other Scripts: Лена(Russian, Ukrainian) Λένα(Greek) ლენა(Georgian) Լենա(Armenian)
Pronounced: LEH-na(Swedish, German, Dutch, Polish, Italian) LYEH-nə(Russian) LEE-nə(English) LEH-NA(Georgian) leh-NAH(Armenian)
Leilani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: lay-LA-nee
Means "heavenly flowers" or "royal child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Legacy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LEHG-ə-see
From the English word, meaning "something inherited from a predecessor, heritage". It is derived from Old French legacie, itself from Latin legatum "bequest, legacy".
Leah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: לֵאָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: LEE-ə(English)
From the Hebrew name
לֵאָה (Leʾa), which was probably derived from the Hebrew word
לָאָה (laʾa) meaning
"weary, grieved" [1]. Alternatively it might be related to Akkadian
littu meaning
"cow". In the
Old Testament Leah is the first wife of
Jacob and the mother of seven of his children. Jacob's other wife was Leah's younger sister
Rachel, whom he preferred. Leah later offered Jacob her handmaid
Zilpah in order for him to conceive more children.
Although this name was used by Jews in the Middle Ages, it was not typical as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation, being common among the Puritans.
Leafy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan)
Lawyer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Transferred use of the surname
Lawyer.
Lawson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAW-sən
From an English surname meaning
"son of Laurence 1".
Lavender
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LAV-ən-dər(American English) LAV-ən-də(British English)
From the English word for the aromatic flower or the pale purple colour.
Larkspur
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: LAHRK-spər
From the English word for the flowering plant with many purplish-blue flowers, which is so called (1578) from its resemblance to the lark's large hind claws. Other names for it are lark's heel (Shakespeare), lark's claw and knight's spur. See
Lark.
Lakelynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Lacy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAY-see
From a surname that was derived from Lassy, the name of a town in Normandy. The name of the town was Gaulish in origin, perhaps deriving from a personal name that was Latinized as Lascius. Formerly more common for boys in America, this name began to grow in popularity for girls in 1975.
Lacole
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern, Rare)
Blend of the popular prefix
la with the name
Nicole.
Kourtnei
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Knox
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NAHKS(American English) NAWKS(British English)
From a Scots surname that was derived from various places named Knock, from Gaelic cnoc "round hill". It jumped in popularity after the actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had a baby by this name in 2008.
Knight
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Transferred use of the surname
Knight.
Kingdom
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare), English (African)
Either a transferred use of the surname
Kingdom or else directly from the English word, perhaps taken from the biblical phrase
kingdom of God. A famous bearer was the English engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859), whose middle name was his mother's maiden name.
Kimber
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KIM-bər(American English) KIM-bə(British English)
Khrystal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-tal
Khalil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Urdu
Other Scripts: خليل(Arabic) خلیل(Persian, Urdu)
Pronounced: kha-LEEL(Arabic)
Means "friend" in Arabic.
Khadija
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu, Bengali
Other Scripts: خديجة(Arabic) خدیجہ(Urdu) খাদিজা(Bengali)
Pronounced: kha-DEE-ja(Arabic)
Means
"premature child" in Arabic. This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's first wife and the mother of all of his children, with the exception of one. She was a wealthy merchant and a widow when they married in the year 595. Muhammad received his first revelation 15 years after their marriage, and she was the first person to convert to Islam.
Keshawn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: African American (Modern)
Pronounced: kə-SHAWN(English)
Combination of the popular name prefix
ke and
Shawn.
Kenzie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHN-zee
Kensington
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Transferred use of an English place name.
Kendalynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Kendalyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KEN-də-lin
Elaboration of
Kendall with the popular name suffix -
Lyn.
Kayleigh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAY-lee
Variant of
Kaylee. This particular spelling was popularized by a 1985 song by the British band Marillion.
Katrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: kə-TREE-nə(English)
Katie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY-tee
Karina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Polish, German, Russian, English, Latvian, Spanish
Other Scripts: Карина(Russian)
Pronounced: ka-REE-na(Swedish, Polish, German, Spanish) ku-RYEE-nə(Russian) kə-REE-nə(English)
Elaborated form of
Karin.
Justice
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JUS-tis
From an occupational surname meaning "judge, officer of justice" in Old French. This name can also be given in direct reference to the English word justice.
June
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOON
From the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess
Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Juliet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: joo-lee-EHT, JOOL-yət
Anglicized form of
Giulietta or
Juliette. This spelling was used for the ill-fated lover of
Romeo in the play
Romeo and Juliet (1596) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare based his story on earlier Italian tales such as
Giulietta e Romeo (1524) by Luigi Da Porto.
Julien
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHUY-LYEHN
French form of
Iulianus (see
Julian).
Julia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Ancient Roman, Biblical
Other Scripts: Юлия(Russian) Юлія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: JOO-lee-ə(English) YOO-lya(German, Danish, Polish) YOO-lee-ah(Swedish, Finnish) YUY-lee-a(Dutch) KHOO-lya(Spanish) YOO-lyi-yə(Russian) YOO-lee-a(Latin)
Feminine form of the Roman family name
Julius. Among the notable women from this family were Julia Augusta (also known as Livia Drusilla), the wife of Emperor
Augustus, and Julia the Elder, the daughter of Augustus and the wife of
Tiberius. A person by this name has a brief mention in the
New Testament. It was also borne by a few early
saints and martyrs, including the patron saint of Corsica. Additionally, Shakespeare used it in his comedy
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
It has been common as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the 18th century. A famous modern bearer is American actress Julia Roberts (1967-).
Judson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, American (South)
Pronounced: JUD-sən
From an English surname that meant "son of Jud",
Jud being a medieval diminutive of
Jordan.
Jude 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JOOD(English)
Variant of
Judas. It is used in many English versions of the
New Testament to denote the second apostle named Judas, in order to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. He was supposedly the author of the Epistle of Jude. In the English-speaking world,
Jude has occasionally been used as a given name since the time of the
Protestant Reformation.
Jubilee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Popular Culture
Pronounced: joo-bə-LEE(English) JOO-bə-lee(English)
From the English word
jubilee meaning "season of rejoicing", which is derived from Hebrew יוֹבֵל
(yovel) "ram, ram's horn; a jubilee year: a year of rest, prescribed by the Jewish Bible to occur each fiftieth year, after seven cycles of seven years; a period of celebration or rejoicing" (via Late Latin
iubilaeus and Greek ἰώβηλος
(iobelos)). In Latin, the form of the word was altered by association with the unrelated Latin verb
iubilare "to shout with joy".
It may also refer to African-American folk songs known as Jubilees.
In popular culture, Jubilee is the 'mutant' name (a contraction of Jubilation Lee) of one of the protagonists of Marvel's X-Men line of comics.
Joy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOI
Simply from the English word joy, ultimately derived from Norman French joie, Latin gaudium. It has been regularly used as a given name since the late 19th century.
Journey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JUR-nee(American English) JU-nee(British English)
From the English word, derived via Old French from Latin diurnus "of the day".
Joshua
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Other Scripts: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JAHSH-oo-ə(American English) JAWSH-oo-ə(British English)
From the Hebrew name
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshuaʿ) meaning
"Yahweh is salvation", from the roots
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save". As told in the
Old Testament, Joshua was a companion of
Moses. He went up Mount Sinai with Moses when he received the Ten Commandments from God, and later he was one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan. After Moses died Joshua succeeded him as leader of the Israelites and he led the conquest of Canaan. His original name was
Hoshea.
The name Jesus comes from a Greek transcription of the Aramaic short form יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshuaʿ), which was the real name of Jesus. As an English name, Joshua has been in use since the Protestant Reformation.
Jordan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French, Macedonian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Јордан(Macedonian, Serbian) יַרְדֵן(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JAWR-dən(American English) JAW-dən(British English) ZHAWR-DAHN(French)
From the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is
יַרְדֵן (Yarḏen), and it is derived from
יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning
"descend, flow down". In the
New Testament John the Baptist baptizes
Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Latin name
Jordanes, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.
This name died out after the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. In America and other countries it became fairly popular in the second half of the 20th century. A famous bearer of the surname is former basketball star Michael Jordan (1963-).
Jonah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Other Scripts: יוֹנָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JO-nə(English)
From the Hebrew name
יוֹנָה (Yona) meaning
"dove". This was the name of a prophet swallowed by a fish, as told in the
Old Testament Book of Jonah. Jonah was commanded by God to preach in Nineveh, but instead fled by boat. After being caught in a storm, the other sailors threw Jonah overboard, at which point he was swallowed. He emerged from the fish alive and repentant three days later.
Jonah's story was popular in the Middle Ages, and the Hellenized form Jonas was occasionally used in England. The form Jonah did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation.
John
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Biblical
Pronounced: JAHN(American English) JAWN(British English, Dutch) YAWN(Swedish, Norwegian) SHAWN(Dutch) ZHAWN(Dutch)
English form of
Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name
Ἰωάννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name
יוֹחָנָן (Yoḥanan). It means
"Yahweh is gracious", from the roots
יוֹ (yo) referring to the Hebrew God and
חָנַן (ḥanan) meaning "to be gracious". The Hebrew form occurs in the
Old Testament (spelled
Johanan or
Jehohanan in the English version), but this name owes its popularity to two
New Testament characters, both highly revered
saints. The first is John the Baptist, a Jewish ascetic who is considered the forerunner of
Jesus. He baptized Jesus and was later executed by
Herod Antipas. The second is the apostle John, who is traditionally regarded as the author of the fourth gospel and Revelation. With the apostles
Peter and
James (John's brother), he was part of the inner circle of Jesus.
This name was initially more common among Eastern Christians in the Byzantine Empire, but it flourished in Western Europe after the First Crusade. In England it became extremely popular, typically being the most common male name from the 13th to the 20th century (but sometimes outpaced by William). During the later Middle Ages it was given to approximately a fifth of all English boys. In the United States it was the most common name for boys until 1923.
The name (in various spellings) has been borne by 21 popes and eight Byzantine emperors, as well as rulers of England, France, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Russia and Hungary. It was also borne by the poet John Milton (1608-1674), philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), American founding father and president John Adams (1735-1826), and poet John Keats (1795-1821). Famous bearers of the 20th century include author John Steinbeck (1902-1968), assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), and musician John Lennon (1940-1980).
The forms Ian (Scottish), Sean (Irish) and Evan (Welsh) have also been frequently used in the English-speaking world, as has the medieval diminutive Jack.
Jodie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JO-dee
Feminine variant of
Jody.
Jocelyn
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAHS-lin(American English) JAHS-ə-lin(American English) JAWS-lin(British English) JAWS-ə-lin(British English) ZHO-SEH-LEHN(French)
From a Frankish masculine name, variously written as
Gautselin,
Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element *
gautaz, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats, combined with a Latin
diminutive suffix. The
Normans brought this name to England in the form
Goscelin or
Joscelin, and it was common until the 14th century. It was revived in the 20th century primarily as a feminine name, perhaps an adaptation of the surname
Jocelyn (a medieval derivative of the given name). In France this is a masculine name only.
Joan 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JON
Medieval English form of
Johanne, an Old French form of
Iohanna (see
Joanna). This was the usual English feminine form of
John in the Middle Ages, but it was surpassed in popularity by
Jane in the 17th century. It again became quite popular in the first half of the 20th century, entering the top ten names for both the United States and the United Kingdom, though it has since faded.
This name (in various spellings) has been common among European royalty, being borne by ruling queens of Naples, Navarre and Castile. Another famous bearer was Joan of Arc, a patron saint of France (where she is known as Jeanne d'Arc). She was a 15th-century peasant girl who, after claiming she heard messages from God, was given leadership of the French army. She defeated the English in the battle of Orléans but was eventually captured and burned at the stake.
Other notable bearers include the actress Joan Crawford (1904-1977) and the comedian Joan Rivers (1933-2014), both Americans.
Jimena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: khee-MEH-na
Variant of
Ximena. This form is more popular in Spain itself.
Jessie 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish [1], English
Pronounced: JEHS-ee(English)
Jesse
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Finnish, Biblical
Other Scripts: יִשַׁי(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JEHS-ee(English) YEH-sə(Dutch) YEHS-seh(Finnish)
From
Ἰεσσαί (Iessai), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
יִשַׁי (Yishai). This could be a derivative of the word
שַׁי (shai) meaning
"gift" or
יֵשׁ (yesh) meaning
"existence". In the
Old Testament Jesse is the father of King
David. It began to be used as an English given name after the
Protestant Reformation.
A famous bearer was Jesse James (1847-1882), an American outlaw who held up banks and stagecoaches. He was eventually shot by a fellow gang member for a reward. Another famous bearer was the American athlete Jesse Owens (1913-1980), whose real name was James Cleveland (or J. C.) Owens.
Jerusalem
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare), Romani (Archaic)
Pronounced: jə-ROO-sə-ləm(English)
Jeremiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Other Scripts: יִרְמְיָהוּ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: jehr-i-MIE-ə(English)
From the Hebrew name
יִרְמְיָהוּ (Yirmeyahu) meaning
"Yahweh will exalt", from the roots
רוּם (rum) meaning "to exalt" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of the major prophets of the
Old Testament, the author of the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Lamentations (supposedly). He lived to see the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in the 6th century BC.
In England, though the vernacular form Jeremy had been occasionally used since the 13th century, the form Jeremiah was not common until after the Protestant Reformation.
Jennifer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish
Pronounced: JEHN-i-fər(American English) JEHN-i-fə(British English) JEH-ni-fu(German) GYEH-nee-fehr(Spanish)
From a Cornish form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar (see
Guinevere). This name has only been common outside of Cornwall since the beginning of the 20th century, after it was featured in George Bernard Shaw's play
The Doctor's Dilemma (1906). It barely ranked in the United until the late 1930s, when it began steadily growing in popularity, accelerating into the early 1970s. It was the most popular name for girls in America between 1970 and 1984, though it was not as common in the United Kingdom.
Famous bearers include the American actresses Jennifer Aniston (1969-), Jennifer Garner (1972-) and Jennifer Lawrence (1990-), as well as the singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (1969-).
Jaycee
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JAY-see
Jaxlynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Feminine elaboration of
Jax using the popular name suffix
lyn, possibly modelled on
Jaclyn.
January
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish (Rare)
Pronounced: ya-noo-WA-ri
James
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JAYMZ(English)
English form of the Late Latin name
Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form
Iacobus, from the Hebrew name
Yaʿaqov (see
Jacob). This was the name of two apostles in the
New Testament. The first was
Saint James the Greater, the apostle
John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of
Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of
Jesus.
This name has been used in England since the 13th century, though it became more common in Scotland where it was borne by several kings. In the 17th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. In American name statistics (recorded since 1880) this name has never been out of the top 20, making it arguably the era's most consistently popular name. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States from 1940 to 1952.
Famous bearers include the English explorer James Cook (1728-1779), the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819), and the Irish novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming in 1953.
Jamaica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: jə-MAY-kə(American English)
Jadelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JAYD-lin, JAYD-il-en
Combination of
Jade and popular name suffix -lyn.
Israel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Jewish, English, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: יִשְׂרָאֵל(Hebrew) Ἰσραήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: IZ-ray-əl(English) IZ-ree-əl(English) eez-ra-EHL(Spanish)
From the Hebrew name
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) meaning
"God contends", from the roots
שָׂרָה (sara) meaning "to contend, to fight" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the
Old Testament, Israel (who was formerly named
Jacob; see
Genesis 32:28) wrestles with an angel. The ancient and modern states of Israel took their names from him.
Island
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: IE-lənd(American English)
From the English word
island: "A tract of land surrounded by water, and smaller than a continent".
Also, compare
Isla.
Isla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: IE-lə
Variant of
Islay, typically used as a feminine name. It also coincides with the Spanish word
isla meaning "island".
Isaiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Other Scripts: יְשַׁעְיָהוּ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: ie-ZAY-ə(American English) ie-ZIE-ə(British English)
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.
Isaac
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: יִצְחָק(Hebrew)
Pronounced: IE-zək(English) ee-sa-AK(Spanish) EE-ZAK(French) EE-ZA-AK(French)
From the Hebrew name
יִצְחָק (Yitsḥaq) meaning
"he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from
צָחַק (tsaḥaq) meaning "to laugh". The
Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that
Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife
Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see
Genesis 17:17), and later Sarah laughed when overhearing the same prophecy (see
Genesis 18:12). When Isaac was a boy, God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, though an angel prevented the act at the last moment. Isaac went on to become the father of
Esau and
Jacob with his wife
Rebecca.
As an English Christian name, Isaac was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, though it was more common among Jews. It became more widespread after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers include the physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton (1643-1727) and the science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992).
Irish
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Filipino
Pronounced: IE-rish(English) Iry-ish(Filipino)
Means a person from Ireland or of Irish descent.
Iris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, French, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἶρις(Ancient Greek) Ίρις(Greek)
Pronounced: IE-ris(English) EE-ris(German, Dutch) EE-rees(Finnish, Spanish, Catalan, Italian) EE-REES(French)
Means "rainbow" in Greek. Iris was the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow, also serving as a messenger to the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek source) for the iris flower or the coloured part of the eye.
Ireland
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: IER-lənd(American English) IE-ə-lənd(British English)
From the name of the European island country, derived from Irish Gaelic Éire, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.
Houston
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HYOO-stin
From a Scottish surname meaning "
Hugh's town". The original Houston is in Scotland near Glasgow, but this is also the name of a city in Texas, named after the Texas president Sam Houston (1793-1863).
Hope-well
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Puritan)
Hope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HOP
From the English word
hope, ultimately from Old English
hopian. This name was first used by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Honor
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AHN-ər(American English) AWN-ə(British English)
Variant of
Honour, using the American spelling.
Honeysuckle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: HUN-ee-sə-kəl
Named after the plant and flower, the honeysuckle, as borne by British actress Honeysuckle Weeks.
Honda
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese (Rare)
Other Scripts: 大海, 挙田, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: HON-DAH
From Japanese 大海 (honda) meaning "sea, ocean". Other kanji combinations are possible.
This name is rarely, if ever given. This is also a surname as well.
Holland
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, Romani (Archaic)
Pronounced: HAH-lənd(English)
From the name of geographic places called
Holland 1, or transferred usage of the surname
Holland 1.
Holiday
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: HAHL-i-day
Transferred use of the surname
Holiday.
Hermosa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Hermosa is a spanish name meaning 'beautiful'
Heaven
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HEHV-ən
From the English vocabulary word meaning "paradise". It is derived via Middle English hevene from Old English heofon "sky".
Heather
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HEDH-ər(American English) HEDH-ə(British English)
From the English word heather for the variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers, which commonly grow in rocky areas. It is derived from Middle English hather. It was first used as a given name in the late 19th century, though it did not become popular until the last half of the 20th century.
Heartley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Feminine variant of
Hartley influenced by the English word:
Heart.
Hayley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HAY-lee
From an English surname that was originally derived from the name of an English town (meaning "hay clearing" from Old English
heg "hay" and
leah "clearing"). It was brought to public attention as a given name, especially in the United Kingdom, by the British child actress Hayley Mills (1946-)
[1].
This is the most common spelling of this name in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand; in the United States the spellings Haley and Hailey are more popular.
Haylee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HAY-lee
Hartley
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: HAHRT-lee(American English) HAHT-lee(British English)
From an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English
heorot "hart, male deer" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Harper
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-pər(American English) HAH-pə(British English)
From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who played or made harps (Old English hearpe). A notable bearer was the American author Harper Lee (1926-2016), who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. It rapidly gained popularity in the 2000s and 2010s, entering the American top ten for girls in 2015.
Harp
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHRP
Happy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: HAP-ee
From the English word happy, derived from Middle English hap "chance, luck", of Old Norse origin.
Hannah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, German, Dutch, Arabic, Biblical
Other Scripts: חַנָּה(Hebrew) حنّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: HAN-ə(English) HA-na(German) HAH-na(Dutch) HAN-na(Arabic)
From the Hebrew name
חַנָּה (Ḥanna) meaning
"favour, grace", derived from the root
חָנַן (ḥanan) meaning "to be gracious". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the wife of
Elkanah. Her rival was Elkanah's other wife
Peninnah, who had children while Hannah remained barren. After a blessing from
Eli she finally became pregnant with
Samuel.
As an English name, Hannah was not regularly used until after the Protestant Reformation, unlike the vernacular forms Anne and Ann and the Latin form Anna, which were used from the late Middle Ages. In the last half of the 20th century Hannah surged in popularity and neared the top of the name rankings for both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Halo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HAY-lo
From the English word
halo meaning
"luminous disc or ring", derived from Greek
ἅλως (halos). Haloes often appear in religious art above the heads of holy people.
Hallelujah
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: hah-le-LOO-yə
From the English word hallelujah, uttered in worship or as an expression of rejoicing, ultimately from Hebrew הַלְּלוּיָהּ (halleluyah) meaning "praise ye the Lord."
Haleigh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HAY-lee
Hailee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HAY-lee
Gwendolyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GWEHN-də-lin
Variant of
Gwendolen. This is the usual spelling in the United States.
Greenland
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
From the name of the island and Danish territory Greenland.
Gracie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRAY-see
Graceful
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan)
The physical characteristic of displaying "pretty agility", in the form of elegant movement, poise, or balance. The etymological root of grace is the Latin word gratia from gratus, meaning "pleasing."
Grace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRAYS
From the English word
grace, which ultimately derives from Latin
gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the
Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.
This name was very popular in the English-speaking world at the end of the 19th century. Though it declined in use over the next 100 years, it staged a successful comeback at the end of the 20th century. The American sitcom Will and Grace (1998-2006) may have helped, though the name was already strongly rising when it premiered. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in 2006.
Gospel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
From the word Gospel.
Goldie 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GOL-dee
From a nickname for a person with blond hair, from the English word gold.
Golden
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Romani (Archaic)
Pronounced: GOL-dən(British English, American English)
Either from the English word
golden (from Old English
gyldan "made of gold") or the surname
Golden, originally given as a nickname to someone with blond hair. According to Dunkling & Gosling (1986): 'A use of the word as feminine first name. Several examples have been noted from late 19th-century records, and one occurrence in 1915. Modern form of the name, very rarely used, appears to be
Goldie 1.
Golda also found in the 1960s and 70s, presumably with reference to the former Israeli Premier, Mrs Golda Meir.'
Glory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: GLAWR-ee
Simply from the English word glory, ultimately from Latin gloria.
Gloria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, German
Pronounced: GLAWR-ee-ə(English) GLO-rya(Spanish) GLAW-rya(Italian)
Means
"glory", from the Portuguese and Spanish titles of the Virgin
Mary Maria da Glória and
María de Gloria. Maria da Glória (1819-1853) was the daughter of the Brazilian emperor Pedro I, eventually becoming queen of Portugal as Maria II.
The name was introduced to the English-speaking world by E. D. E. N. Southworth's novel Gloria (1891) and George Bernard Shaw's play You Never Can Tell (1898), which both feature characters with a Portuguese background [1]. It was popularized in the early 20th century by American actress Gloria Swanson (1899-1983). Another famous bearer is feminist Gloria Steinem (1934-).
Giovanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jo-VAN-na
Italian form of
Iohanna (see
Joanna), making it the feminine form of
Giovanni.
Gift
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: GIFT
From the English word gift, of Old Norse origin. This name is most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Gianna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Greek, English (Modern)
Other Scripts: Γιάννα(Greek)
Pronounced: JAN-na(Italian) YA-na(Greek) jee-AHN-ə(English) JAHN-ə(English)
Italian short form of
Giovanna and a Modern Greek variant of
Ioanna.
Its use in America started increasing in the late 20th century. It spiked in popularity in 2020 after the death of Gianna Bryant and her father, the basketball player Kobe Bryant, in a helicopter crash.
Gia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: JEE-a
Georgia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek
Other Scripts: Γεωργία(Greek)
Pronounced: JAWR-jə(American English) JAW-jə(British English) yeh-or-YEE-a(Greek)
Latinate feminine form of
George. This is the name of an American state, which was named after the British king George II. The country of Georgia has an unrelated etymology. A famous bearer was the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).
Genesis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JEHN-ə-sis
Means
"birth, origin" in Greek. This is the name of the first book of the
Old Testament in the Bible. It tells of the creation of the world, the expulsion of
Adam and
Eve,
Noah and the great flood, and the three patriarchs.
Geanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: Jee-AH-nah`
Galilee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: GAL-i-lee
From the name of the region in Palestine (see
Galilee).
Galaxy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: GAL-əks-ee(American English)
From the English word galaxy, "a collection of star systems", ultimately from from Ancient Greek γαλαξίας (galaxías, "Milky Way"), from γάλα (gála, "milk").
Gabrielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: GA-BREE-YEHL(French) gab-ree-EHL(English)
French feminine form of
Gabriel. This was the real name of French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971).
Gabriella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Hungarian, English, Swedish
Pronounced: ga-bree-EHL-la(Italian) GAWB-ree-ehl-law(Hungarian) ga-bree-EHL-ə(English) gah-bree-EHL-lah(Swedish)
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)
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.
Frederica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, English
Pronounced: fri-di-REE-ku(European Portuguese) freh-deh-REE-ku(Brazilian Portuguese) frehd-ə-REE-kə(English) frehd-REE-kə(English)
Francisco
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: fran-THEES-ko(European Spanish) fran-SEES-ko(Latin American Spanish) frun-SEESH-koo(European Portuguese) frun-SEES-koo(Brazilian Portuguese)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Franciscus (see
Francis). This is the Spanish name of
Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552). Other notable bearers include the Spanish painter and engraver Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) and the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (1892-1975).
Francisca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Late Roman
Pronounced: fran-THEES-ka(European Spanish) fran-SEES-ka(Latin American Spanish) frun-SEESH-ku(European Portuguese) frun-SEES-ku(Brazilian Portuguese) frahn-SIS-ka(Dutch)
Feminine form of
Franciscus (see
Francis).
Frances
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FRAN-sis
Feminine form of
Francis. The distinction between
Francis as a masculine name and
Frances as a feminine name did not arise until the 17th century
[1]. A notable bearer was
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), a social worker and the first American to be canonized.
Forever
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
From the English word forever.
Finley
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FIN-lee
Variant of
Finlay. This is by far the preferred spelling in the United States, where it has lately been more common as a feminine name.
Feliz
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish (Rare)
Felix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Romanian, Ancient Roman, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: FEH-liks(German, Dutch, Swedish) FEE-liks(English) FEH-leeks(Latin)
From a Roman
cognomen meaning
"lucky, successful" in Latin. It was acquired as an
agnomen, or nickname, by the 1st-century BC Roman general Sulla. It also appears in the
New Testament belonging to the governor of Judea who imprisoned
Saint Paul.
Due to its favourable meaning, this name was popular among early Christians, being borne by many early saints and four popes. It has been used in England since the Middle Ages, though it has been more popular in continental Europe. A notable bearer was the German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847).
February
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
The 2nd month of the year.
The name February comes from the Latin term "februum", meaning "purification". A purification ritual called Februa was held on February 15 in the Roman calendar.
Faith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAYTH
Simply from the English word
faith, ultimately from Latin
fidere "to trust". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Ezekiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: יְחֶזְקֵאל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: i-ZEE-kee-əl(English)
From the Hebrew name
יְחֶזְקֵאל (Yeḥezqel) meaning
"God will strengthen", from the roots
חָזַק (ḥazaq) meaning "to strengthen" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Ezekiel is a major prophet of the
Old Testament, the author of the Book of Ezekiel. He lived in Jerusalem until the Babylonian conquest and captivity of Israel, at which time he was taken to Babylon. The Book of Ezekiel describes his vivid symbolic visions that predict the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. As an English given name,
Ezekiel has been used since the
Protestant Reformation.
Evermore
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Transferred usage of the surname
Evermore.
Everest
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHV-ə-rist
From the English name for the world's highest mountain, itself named after the British surveyor George
Everest (1790-1866).
Ever
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHV-ər(American English) EHV-ə(British English)
Simply from the English word ever, derived from Old English æfre.
Evening
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare), Romani (Archaic)
From the English word, evening, the last part of the day.
Evangeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: i-VAN-jə-leen, i-VAN-jə-lien
Means
"good news" from Greek
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
ἄγγελμα (angelma) meaning "news, message". It was (first?) used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1847 epic poem
Evangeline [1][2]. It also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) as the full name of the character Eva.
Eva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian, Danish, Icelandic, Faroese, Romanian, Greek, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Russian, Georgian, Armenian, Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Εύα(Greek) Ева(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Church Slavic) ევა(Georgian) Էվա(Armenian)
Pronounced: EH-ba(Spanish) EH-va(Italian, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Swedish, Icelandic, Greek) EE-və(English) EH-fa(German) EH-vah(Danish) YEH-və(Russian) EH-VAH(Georgian) EH-wa(Latin)
Form of
Eve used in various languages. This form is used in the Latin translation of the
New Testament, while
Hava is used in the Latin
Old Testament. A notable bearer was the Argentine first lady Eva Perón (1919-1952), the subject of the musical
Evita. The name also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.
This is also an alternate transcription of Russian Ева (see Yeva).
Eternity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
From the English word eternity meaning "existence without end; infinite time", ultimately from Latin aeternitas. Use of the name has been influenced by the brand of perfume called Eternity, which was introduced by Calvin Klein in 1988.
Esther
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֶסְתֵר(Hebrew) Ἐσθήρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EHS-tər(American English, Dutch) EHS-tə(British English) EHS-TEHR(French) ehs-TEHR(Spanish) EHS-tu(German)
From the Hebrew name
אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which possibly means
"star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess
Ishtar. The Book of Esther in the
Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor
Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin
Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was
Hadassah.
This name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. In America it received a boost in popularity after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893-1980), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland [1].
Essence
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHS-əns
From the English word essence, which means either "odour, scent" or else "fundamental quality". Ultimately it derives from Latin esse "to be".
Erin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: EHR-in(English)
Anglicized form of
Éireann. It was initially used by people of Irish heritage in America, Canada and Australia. It was rare until the mid-1950s.
Erica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Italian
Pronounced: EHR-i-kə(English)
Feminine form of
Eric. It was first used in the 18th century. It also coincides with the Latin word for
"heather".
English
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: EENG-lish
Transferred use of the surname
English.
Emery
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-ree
Norman French form of
Emmerich. The
Normans introduced it to England, and though it was never popular, it survived until the end of the Middle Ages. As a modern given name, now typically feminine, it is likely inspired by the surname
Emery, which was itself derived from the medieval given name. It can also be given in reference to the hard black substance called emery.
Emerson
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ər-sən(American English) EHM-ə-sən(British English)
From an English surname meaning
"son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.
Emerald
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHM-ə-rəld
From the word for the green precious stone, which is the traditional birthstone of May. The emerald supposedly imparts love to the bearer. The word is ultimately from Greek
σμάραγδος (smaragdos).
Ember
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHM-bər(American English) EHM-bə(British English)
From the English word ember, ultimately from Old English æmerge.
Ellorie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Egypt
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EE-jipt
From the name of the North African country, which derives from Greek
Αἴγυπτος (Aigyptos), itself probably from Egyptian
ḥwt-kꜣ-ptḥ meaning
"the house of the soul of Ptah", the name of the temple to the god
Ptah in Memphis.
Eden
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, English (Modern), French (Modern)
Other Scripts: עֵדֶן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: EE-dən(English)
From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן (ʿeḏen) meaning "pleasure, delight"
[1], or perhaps derived from Sumerian
𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the
Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
Ebony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American
Pronounced: EHB-ən-ee(English)
From the English word ebony for the black wood that comes from the ebony tree. It is ultimately from the Egyptian word hbnj. In America this name is most often used in the black community.
Easter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EE-stər(American English) EE-stə(British English)
From the English name of the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of
Jesus. It was ultimately named for the Germanic spring goddess Eostre. It was traditionally given to children born on Easter, though it is rare in modern times.
Dutch
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DUCH
From a nickname given to Americans of German descent (though nowadays it refers to a person from the Netherlands). It is related to deutsch, the German word meaning "German".
Dustin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DUS-tin
From an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name
Þórsteinn (see
Torsten). The name was popularized by the actor Dustin Hoffman (1937-), who was apparently named after the earlier silent movie star Dustin Farnum (1874-1929)
[1].
Dream
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: DREEM
From the English word dream referring to imaginary events seen in the mind while sleeping or a hope or wish.
Dorothy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAWR-ə-thee(American English, British English) DAWR-thee(American English)
Usual English form of
Dorothea. It has been in use since the 16th century. The author L. Frank Baum used it for the central character, Dorothy Gale, in his fantasy novel
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and several of its sequels.
Dollar
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: DAHL-ər(American English)
From the English word for the US currency.
From early Flemish or Low German daler, from German T(h)aler, short for Joachimsthaler, a coin from the silver mine of Joachimsthal (‘Joachim's valley’), now Jáchymov in the Czech Republic. The term was later applied to a coin used in the Spanish-American colonies, which was also widely used in the British North American colonies at the time of the American War of Independence, hence adopted as the name of the US monetary unit in the late 18th century.
Divinity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern)
Pronounced: dih-VIN-it-ee
Middle English from Old French divinite, from Latin divinitas, from divinus ‘belonging to a deity.’
Diana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Armenian, Georgian, Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Диана(Russian, Bulgarian) Діана(Ukrainian) Դիանա(Armenian) დიანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: die-AN-ə(English) DYA-na(Spanish, Italian, Polish) dee-U-nu(European Portuguese) jee-U-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) dee-A-na(Romanian, German, Dutch, Latin) dee-A-nə(Catalan) dyee-A-nu(Ukrainian) DI-ya-na(Czech) DEE-a-na(Slovak)
Means
"divine, goddesslike", a derivative of Latin
dia or
diva meaning
"goddess". It is ultimately related to the same Indo-European root *
dyew- found in
Zeus. Diana was a Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests and childbirth, often identified with the Greek goddess
Artemis.
As a given name, Diana has been regularly used since the Renaissance. It became more common in the English-speaking world following Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy (1817), which featured a character named Diana Vernon. It also appeared in George Meredith's novel Diana of the Crossways (1885). A notable bearer was the British royal Diana Spencer (1961-1997), the Princess of Wales.
Destiny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHS-ti-nee
Means simply "destiny, fate" from the English word, ultimately from Latin destinare "to determine", a derivative of stare "to stand". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the last half of the 20th century.
Destine
Usage: Haitian Creole, French (Rare)
From French Destiné, originally a nickname meaning "destined".
Dessie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic), Romani (Archaic)
Desirée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Swedish, Dutch, German
Spanish and Swedish form of
Désirée as well as a Dutch and German variant.
Desiree
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: dehz-i-RAY
English form of
Désirée. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the movie
Désirée (1954).
Desire
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Puritan)
Derived from Latin
desidero "to long for; to wish for; to desire" (via Old French
desir). This name was first used in the 16th century by the Puritans, probably with the intended meaning of "desire the Lord". It is also a diminutive or variant of
Desiderata or
Desiderius, etc.
Derrick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHR-ik
Derrica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: DEHR-i-kə(American English)
Delight
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: də-LIET
Means simply "delight, happiness" from the English word.
December
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: dis-EM-bər, DEE-səm-bər
Derived from the Latin word decem, meaning "ten". December is the twelfth month on the Gregorian calendar. This name is used regularly in America, mostly on females.
Dawn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAWN
From the English word dawn, ultimately derived from Old English dagung.
Davinia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Spanish (Modern)
Pronounced: da-BEE-nya(Spanish)
Probably an elaboration of
Davina. About 1980 this name jumped in popularity in Spain, possibly due to the main character on the British television series
The Foundation (1977-1979), which was broadcast in Spain as
La Fundación.
Davida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
David
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, Scottish, Welsh, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: דָּוִד(Hebrew) Давид(Russian, Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: DAY-vid(English) da-VEED(Hebrew, Brazilian Portuguese) DA-VEED(French) da-BEEDH(Spanish) du-VEED(European Portuguese) də-BEET(Catalan) DA-vit(German, Dutch, Czech) DAH-vid(Swedish, Norwegian) du-VYEET(Russian)
From the Hebrew name
דָּוִד (Dawiḏ), which was derived from
דּוֹד (doḏ) meaning
"beloved" or
"uncle". David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the
Old Testament, including his defeat of
Goliath, a giant Philistine. According to the
New Testament,
Jesus was descended from him.
This name has been used in Britain since the Middle Ages. It has been especially popular in Wales, where it is used in honour of the 5th-century patron saint of Wales (also called Dewi), as well as in Scotland, where it was borne by two kings. Over the last century it has been one of the English-speaking world's most consistently popular names, never leaving the top 30 names for boys in the United States, and reaching the top rank in England and Wales during the 1950s and 60s. In Spain it was the most popular name for boys during the 1970s and 80s.
Famous bearers include empiricist philosopher David Hume (1711-1776), explorer David Livingstone (1813-1873), musician David Bowie (1947-2016), and soccer player David Beckham (1975-). This is also the name of the hero of Charles Dickens' semi-autobiographical novel David Copperfield (1850).
Daphne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English, Dutch
Other Scripts: Δάφνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DA-PNEH(Classical Greek) DAF-nee(English) DAHF-nə(Dutch)
Means
"laurel" in Greek. In Greek
mythology she was a nymph turned into a laurel tree by her father in order that she might escape the pursuit of
Apollo. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the end of the 19th century.
Daniel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Finnish, Estonian, Armenian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: דָּנִיֵּאל(Hebrew) Даниел(Bulgarian, Macedonian) Դանիէլ(Armenian) დანიელ(Georgian) Δανιήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAN-yəl(English) DA-NYEHL(French) DA-nyehl(German) DA-nee-ehl(German, Slovak) DAH-ni-yəl(Norwegian) DA-nyəl(Danish) DA-nyehl(Polish) DA-ni-yehl(Czech) da-NYEHL(Spanish) du-nee-EHL(European Portuguese) du-nee-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) də-nee-EHL(Catalan) da-nee-EHL(Romanian)
From the Hebrew name
דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning
"God is my judge", from the roots
דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the
Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.
Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).
Dandelion
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: DAN-de-lie-on
The English name, Dandelion, is a corruption of the French dent de lion meaning "lion's tooth", referring to the coarsely toothed leaves. It is usually is used as a nickname.
Daffodil
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: DAF-ə-dil
From the name of the flower, ultimately derived from Dutch de affodil meaning "the asphodel".
Crystal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KRIS-təl
From the English word
crystal for the clear, colourless glass, sometimes cut into the shape of a gemstone. The English word derives ultimately from Greek
κρύσταλλος (krystallos) meaning "ice". It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.
Cole
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KOL
From an English surname, itself originally derived from either a medieval short form of
Nicholas or the byname
Cola. A famous bearer was the songwriter Cole Porter (1891-1964), while a bearer of the surname was the musician Nat King Cole (1919-1965).
This name got more popular in the early 1980s, then got a boost in 1990 when it was used by the main character in the movie Days of Thunder.
Clementine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHM-ən-teen, KLEHM-ən-tien
Cielo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: SYEH-lo(Latin American Spanish) THYEH-lo(European Spanish)
Means "sky, heaven" in Spanish. In Mexico this name was popularized by a character named María del Cielo, called Cielo, on the telenovela Por tu amor (1999).
Christmas
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-məs
From the name of the holiday, which means "Christ festival".
Christina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Greek
Other Scripts: Χριστίνα(Greek)
Pronounced: kris-TEE-nə(English) kris-TEE-na(German, Swedish, Dutch)
From
Christiana, the Latin feminine form of
Christian. This was the name of an early, possibly legendary,
saint who was tormented by her pagan father. It was also borne by a 17th-century Swedish queen and patron the arts who gave up her crown in order to become a Roman Catholic.
In the English-speaking world the form Christine was more popular for most of the 20th century, though Christina eventually overtook it. Famous bearers include actress Christina Ricci (1980-) and singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).
Christiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Late Roman
Pronounced: kris-tee-AN-ə(English) kris-tee-AHN-ə(English)
Christian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: KRIS-chən(English) KRISH-chən(English) KREES-TYAHN(French) KRIS-tee-an(German) KRIS-ti-an(Swedish) KRIS-ti-ahn(Norwegian) KREHS-dyan(Danish)
From the medieval Latin name
Christianus meaning
"a Christian" (see
Christos 1 for further etymology). In England it has been in use since the Middle Ages, during which time it was used by both males and females, but it did not become common until the 17th century. In Denmark the name has been borne by ten kings since the 15th century.
This was a top-ten name in France for most of the 1940s and 50s, while in Germany it was the most popular name for several years in the 1970s and 80s. In the United States it peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Famous bearers include Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), the Danish author of such fairy tales as The Ugly Duckling and The Emperor's New Clothes, and the French fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).
Christabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-tə-behl
Christabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kris-tə-BEHL-ə
Chosen
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: CHO-zən
From the past participle of choose from Old English cēosan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kiezen.
Cherish
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHEHR-ish
From the English word meaning "to treasure".
Cheerful
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
From the English word cheerful meaning "feeling or showing happiness".
Charity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHEHR-ə-tee, CHAR-ə-tee
From the English word
charity, ultimately derived from Late Latin
caritas "generous love", from Latin
carus "dear, beloved".
Caritas was in use as a Roman Christian name. The English name
Charity came into use among the
Puritans after the
Protestant Reformation. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Chapel
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Transferred use of the surname
Chapel and a "subordinate place of worship added to or forming part of a large church or cathedral, separately dedicated and devoted to special services," from Old French
chapele (12c., Modern French
chapelle), from Medieval Latin
capella, cappella "chapel, sanctuary for relics," literally "little cape," diminutive of Late Latin
cappa "cape."
Chantelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: shahn-TEHL
Chanté
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern)
Pronounced: shahn-TAY(English)
From French chanter meaning "sing". This spelling corresponds with the past participle, meaning "sung".
Channing
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: CHAN-ing
From an English surname of uncertain origin.
Chanel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: shə-NEHL
From a French surname that meant either "channel", indicating a person who lived near a channel of water, or "jug, jar, bottle", indicating a manufacturer of jugs. It has been used as an American given name since 1970s, influenced by the Chanel brand name (a line of women's clothing and perfume), which was named for French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971).
Chandler
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHAND-lər(American English) CHAND-lə(British English)
From an occupational surname that meant "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately from Latin candela via Old French. It surged in popularity after the 1994 debut of the American sitcom Friends, featuring a character by this name.
Chance
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHANS
Originally a
diminutive of
Chauncey. It is now usually given in reference to the English word
chance meaning "luck, fortune" (ultimately derived from Latin
cadens "falling").
Cerise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SU-REEZ
Means "cherry" in French.
Celine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English
Pronounced: sə-LEEN(English)
Celina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Portuguese, German
Pronounced: tseh-LEE-na(Polish)
Celestial
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: sə-LES-chəl(American English) sə-LES-tee-əl(American English)
Derived from the English adjective
celestial meaning "of the sky, heavenly", which is ultimately derived from the Latin adjective
caelestis meaning "of the heavens" (see
Caelestis).
Celeste
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, English
Pronounced: cheh-LEH-steh(Italian) theh-LEHS-teh(European Spanish) seh-LEHS-teh(Latin American Spanish) sə-LEST(English)
Italian feminine and masculine form of
Caelestis. It is also the Portuguese, Spanish and English feminine form.
Ceejay
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SEE-jay
Phonetic spelling of the initials CJ.
Cassidy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAS-i-dee
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Caiside), which is derived from the byname
Caiside. Very rare as a given name before the 1970s, it established itself in the 80s and then surged in popularity during the 90s.
Cassandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κασσάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-SAN-drə(English) kə-SAHN-drə(English)
From the Greek name
Κασσάνδρα (Kassandra), possibly derived from
κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning "to excel, to shine" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek
myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of
Priam and
Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by
Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.
In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.
Cash
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KASH
From an English occupational surname for a box maker, derived from Norman French casse meaning "case", from Latin capsa. It coincides with the English word cash meaning "money" (derived from the same French and Latin roots). A famous bearer of the surname was American musician Johnny Cash (1932-2003).
Carson
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHR-sən(American English) KAH-sən(British English)
From a Scottish surname of uncertain meaning. A famous bearer of the surname was the American scout Kit Carson (1809-1868).
Carrie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAR-ee, KEHR-ee
Diminutive of
Caroline. This name declined in use shortly after the 1976 release of the horror movie
Carrie, which was based on a 1974 novel by Stephen King.
Carnation
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Romani (Archaic)
Pronounced: kah-NAY-shən(British English) kahr-NAY-shən(American English)
Derived from the flower of the same name; its etymology is uncertain. It has been suggested that it may ultimately come from English coronation (which in turn ultimately comes from Anglo-French coroner "to crown"). An other suggested possibility is Latin carn(e) or caro "flesh", because the original colour of the flower was said to be as red as flesh. Alternatively, it may be derived from Middle French carnation "person's color or complexion".
Carly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHR-lee(American English) KAH-lee(British English)
Feminine form of
Carl. A famous bearer is the American singer Carly Simon (1945-), who inspired a rise in popularity in this name in the 1970s.
Canyon
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAN-yən
From the English word canyon, ultimately from Greek kanna "small reed", after the plants that grow in the bottom of canyons.
Camden
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAM-dən
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).
Calloway
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname
Calloway.
Calista
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese (Rare), Spanish (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LIS-tə(English) ka-LEES-ta(Spanish)
Feminine form of
Callistus. As an English name it might also be a variant of
Kallisto.
California
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
From the name of the American state, whose name probably derives from the fictional Island of California ruled by Queen
Calafia in the 16th century novel Las sergas de Esplandián by García Ordóñez de Montalvo.
Cairo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KIE-ro
From the name of the city in Egypt, called
القاهرة (al-Qāhira) in Arabic, meaning "the victorious"
[1].
Butler
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Buddy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BUD-ee
From the English word meaning "friend". It probably originated as a nursery form of the word brother.
Bryant
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRIE-ənt
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Brian.
Brooklyn
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRUWK-lən
From the name of a borough of New York City, originally named after the Dutch town of
Breukelen, itself meaning either "broken land" (from Dutch
breuk) or "marsh land" (from Dutch
broek). It can also be viewed as a combination of
Brook and the popular name suffix
lyn. It is considered a feminine name in the United States, but is more common as a masculine name in the United Kingdom.
Brooke
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRUWK
Variant of
Brook. The name came into use in the 1950s, probably influenced by American socialite Brooke Astor (1902-2007). It was further popularized by actress Brooke Shields (1965-).
Bronze
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Bronze is a yellowish-brown alloy of copper with up to one-third tin. It is a modern first name. In the US, 5 girls and 9 boys were given this first name in 2018.
Bronwyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Variant of
Bronwen used in the English-speaking world (especially Australia and New Zealand).
Brittany
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRIT-ə-nee, BRIT-nee
From the name of the region of
Brittany in the northwest of France, called in French
Bretagne. It was named for the Britons who settled there after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the invasions of the Anglo-Saxons.
As a given name, it first came into common use in America in the early 1970s, reaching the third ranked spot for girls by 1989. This was an extraordinary increase over only two decades, though it has since fallen almost as dramatically as it climbed.
Brighten
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American)
Variant of
Brighton, or from the English word
brighten meaning "to become or make bright or brighter, to become more cheerful".
Bright
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Brielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: bree-EHL
Short form of
Gabrielle. This is also the name of towns in the Netherlands and New Jersey, though their names derive from a different source.
Bricelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Elaboration of
Brice using the popular name suffix
lyn.
Bria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BREE-ə
Brent
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRENT
From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".
Brenda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BREHN-də
Possibly a feminine form of the Old Norse name
Brandr, meaning
"fire, torch, sword", which was brought to Britain in the Middle Ages. This name is sometimes used as a feminine form of
Brendan.
Bree
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BREE
Anglicized form of
Brígh. It can also be a short form of
Brianna,
Gabriella and other names containing
bri.
Bobby
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BAHB-ee(American English) BAWB-ee(British English)
Diminutive of
Bob. Hockey greats Bobby Hull (1939-2023) and Bobby Orr (1948-) have borne this name.
Bobbie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BAHB-ee(American English) BAWB-ee(British English)
Blue
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BLOO
From the English word for the colour, derived via Norman French from a Frankish word (replacing the native Old English
cognate blaw). Despite the fact that this name was used by the American musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z in 2012 for their first daughter, it has not come into general use in the United States.
Blossom
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BLAHS-əm(American English) BLAWS-əm(British English)
From the English word blossom, ultimately from Old English blóstm. It came into use as a rare given name in the 19th century.
Blessing
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: BLEHS-ing
From the English word blessing, of Old English origin. This name is most common in Nigeria, Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa.
Blessed
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Puritan), African
From the English word "blessed" meaning "having divine aid, or protection, or other blessing; held in veneration; revered", ultimately from Old English blētsian, blēdsian "to consecrate (with blood)".
Bless
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, Filipino
From the English word bless meaning "to consecrate or confer divine favor upon".
Birdie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BUR-dee(American English) BU-dee(British English)
Diminutive of
Bertha,
Bernice and other names with a similar sound, or sometimes simply from the English word
bird.
Bianca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Romanian
Pronounced: BYANG-ka(Italian, Romanian) bee-AHNG-kə(English) bee-ANG-kə(English)
Italian
cognate of
Blanche. Shakespeare had characters named Bianca in
The Taming of the Shrew (1593) and
Othello (1603). The German singer Freddy Breck's 1973 song
Bianca boosted the name's popularity elsewhere in Europe.
Beloved
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Puritan), Literature
Meaning, "dearly loved."
Belle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHL
Short form of
Isabella or names ending in
belle. It is also associated with the French word
belle meaning "beautiful". A famous bearer was Belle Starr (1848-1889), an outlaw of the American west, whose real given name was Maybelle.
Bella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHL-ə
Short form of
Isabella and other names ending in
bella. It is also associated with the Italian word
bella meaning
"beautiful". It was used by the American author Stephenie Meyer for the main character in her popular
Twilight series of novels, first released 2005, later adapted into a series of movies beginning 2008.
Believe
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: American (Rare), English (Puritan)
Late Old English belȳfan, belēfan, alteration of gelēfan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch geloven and German glauben, also to lief.
Bea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hungarian, Dutch
Pronounced: BEE(English)
Ayla 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Azerbaijani
Means "moonlight, halo" in Turkish.
Autumn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AW-təm
From the name of the season, ultimately from Latin autumnus. This name has been in general use since the 1960s.
August
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English
Pronounced: OW-guwst(German) OW-goost(Polish, Norwegian) OW-guyst(Swedish) AW-gəst(English)
German, Polish, Scandinavian and Catalan form of
Augustus. This was the name of three Polish kings.
As an English name it can also derive from the month of August, which was named for the Roman emperor Augustus.
Atlas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄτλας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-TLAS(Classical Greek) AT-ləs(English)
Possibly means
"enduring" from Greek
τλάω (tlao) meaning "to endure". In Greek
mythology he was a Titan punished by
Zeus by being forced to support the heavens on his shoulders.
Atlanta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: at-LAN-tə
From the name of the city in the American state of Georgia, originally a short form of
Atlantica, which is ultimately from the name of the Atlantic Ocean (itself the genitive of
Atlas).
It may also be considered a contracted form of Atalanta.
Athens
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (American)
From Greek
Athenai (plural because the city had several distinct parts), traditionally derived from
Athena, but probably assimilated from a lost name in a pre-Hellenic language.
Atasha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Rare), Filipino (Rare)
Combination of the popular phonetic element
a with the name
Tasha.
Ashley
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ASH-lee
From an English surname that was originally derived from place names meaning
"ash tree clearing", from a combination of Old English
æsc and
leah. Until the 1960s it was more commonly given to boys in the United States, but it is now most often used on girls. It reached its height of popularity in America in 1987, but it did not become the highest ranked name until 1991, being overshadowed by the likewise-popular
Jessica until then. In the United Kingdom it is still more common as a masculine name.
Ashleigh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ASH-lee
Ariel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Polish, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֲרִיאֵל(Hebrew) Ἀριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-ree-EHL(Hebrew) EHR-ee-əl(English) AR-ee-əl(English) A-RYEHL(French) a-RYEHL(Spanish) A-ryehl(Polish)
Means
"lion of God" in Hebrew, from
אֲרִי (ʾari) meaning "lion" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the
Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare utilized it for a spirit in his play
The Tempest (1611) and Alexander Pope utilized it for a sylph in his poem
The Rape of the Lock (1712), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Disney film
The Little Mermaid (1989).
April
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-prəl
From the name of the month, probably originally derived from Latin aperire "to open", referring to the opening of flowers. It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 1940s.
Antonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Romanian, Greek, Croatian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Αντωνία(Greek) Антония(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: an-TO-nya(Italian, Spanish, German) an-TO-nee-ə(English) ahn-TO-nee-a(Dutch) an-TO-nee-a(Latin)
Feminine form of
Antonius (see
Anthony).
Annie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Dutch
Pronounced: AN-ee(English) A-NEE(French) AH-nee(Dutch)
Annamarie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch, Flemish (Rare), Danish (Rare), German (Rare)
Annamaria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Angelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Angeliqua
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Rare)
Angelica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Romanian, Carolingian Cycle
Pronounced: an-JEHL-i-kə(English) an-JEH-lee-ka(Italian)
Derived from Latin
angelicus meaning
"angelic", ultimately related to Greek
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger". The poets Boiardo and Ariosto used this name in their
Orlando poems (1483 and 1532), where she is the love interest of both
Orlando and
Rinaldo. It has been used as a given name since the 18th century.
Angelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: an-JEHL-ee-ə
Angel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Ангел(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: AYN-jəl(English)
From the medieval Latin masculine name
Angelus, which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.
Amethyst
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AM-ə-thist
From the name of the purple semi-precious stone, which is derived from the Greek negative prefix
ἀ (a) and
μέθυστος (methystos) meaning "intoxicated, drunk", as it was believed to be a remedy against drunkenness. It is the traditional birthstone of February.
America
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ə-MEHR-i-kə
In the English-speaking world, this name is usually given in reference to the United States of America (see
Amerigo). It came into use as an American name in the 19th century.
Alleluia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Alivia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ə-LIV-ee-ə
Alissia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Sicilian
Alina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Slovene, German, Italian, Spanish
Other Scripts: Алина(Russian) Аліна(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: a-LEE-na(Romanian, Polish, German, Italian, Spanish) u-LYEE-nə(Russian) u-LYEE-nu(Ukrainian) a-LYEE-na(Belarusian)
Alicia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Swedish, French
Pronounced: a-LEE-thya(European Spanish) a-LEE-sya(Latin American Spanish) ə-LEE-shə(English) ə-LEE-see-ə(English)
Alexandrite
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Filipino (Rare)
Pronounced: al-ig-ZAN-driet(English)
From the name of a chrysoberyl that displays a colour change depending on the light source, named after the Russian tsar
Alexander II of Russia (1818-1881).
Alena 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Belarusian
Other Scripts: Алена(Belarusian)
Belarusian form of
Helen.
Adam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Catalan, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Georgian, Malay, Indonesian, Dhivehi, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Hebrew [2]
Other Scripts: Адам(Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Macedonian) Αδάμ, Άνταμ(Greek) אָדָם(Hebrew) آدم(Arabic) ადამ(Georgian) އާދަމް(Dhivehi) Ἀδάμ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AD-əm(English) A-DAHN(French) A-dam(German, Polish, Czech, Arabic, Indonesian) A-dahm(Dutch) AH-dam(Swedish) u-DAM(Russian, Ukrainian) ə-DHAM(Catalan)
This is the Hebrew word for
"man". It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew
אדם (ʾaḏam) meaning
"to be red", referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Akkadian
adamu meaning
"to make".
According to Genesis in the Old Testament Adam was created from the earth by God (there is a word play on Hebrew אֲדָמָה (ʾaḏama) meaning "earth"). He and Eve were supposedly the first humans, living happily in the Garden of Eden until they ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result they were expelled from Eden to the lands to the east, where they gave birth to the second generation, including Cain, Abel and Seth.
As an English Christian name, Adam has been common since the Middle Ages, and it received a boost after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).
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