ratz's Personal Name List
Adalet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: a-da-LEHT
Means
"justice" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
عدل (ʿadala) meaning "to act justly".
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).
Adelaide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: A-də-layd(English) a-deh-LIE-deh(Italian) a-di-LIE-di(European Portuguese) a-di-LIED(European Portuguese) a-deh-LIE-jee(Brazilian Portuguese)
Means
"nobleness, nobility", from the French form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis, which was composed of
adal "noble" and the suffix
heit "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by
Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great.
In Britain the parallel form Alice, derived via Old French, has historically been more common than Adelaide, though this form did gain some currency in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.
Akira
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 昭, 明, 亮, 晶, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あきら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KYEE-RA
From Japanese
昭 (akira) meaning "bright",
明 (akira) meaning "bright" or
亮 (akira) meaning "clear". Other kanji with the same pronunciation can also form this name. A famous bearer was the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), given name written
明.
Alanis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-LAN-is
Feminine form of
Alan. Canadian musician Alanis Morissette (1974-) was named after her father Alan. Her parents apparently decided to use this particular spelling after seeing this word in a Greek newspaper.
Alaric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gothic (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃(Gothic)
Pronounced: AL-ə-rik(English)
From the Gothic name *
Alareiks meaning
"ruler of all", derived from the element
alls "all" combined with
reiks "ruler, king". This was the name of a king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in the 5th century.
Alazne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: a-LAS-neh
From Basque
alatz meaning
"miracle". It is an equivalent of
Milagros, proposed by Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque
saints names.
Albertine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AL-BEHR-TEEN
French feminine form of
Albert.
Alby
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Anglicized masculine form of
Ailbhe.
Alexei
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Алексей(Russian)
Pronounced: u-lyi-KSYAY
Alistair
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: AL-i-stər(English)
Amalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, German (Rare)
Pronounced: a-MA-lyə(Danish, German)
Norwegian, Danish and German form of
Amalia.
Ambrose
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AM-broz
From the Late Latin name
Ambrosius, which was derived from the Greek name
Ἀμβρόσιος (Ambrosios) meaning
"immortal".
Saint Ambrose was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Milan, who is considered a Doctor of the Church. Due to the saint, the name came into general use in Christian Europe, though it was never particularly common in England.
Ambrosia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀμβροσία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AM-BRO-SEE-A
Feminine form of
Ambrosios (see
Ambrose).
Amelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Medieval French
Pronounced: ə-MEE-lee-ə(English) ə-MEEL-yə(English) a-MEH-lya(Spanish, Italian, Polish)
Variant of
Amalia, though it is sometimes confused with
Emilia, which has a different origin. The name became popular in England after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century — it was borne by daughters of both George II and George III. The author Henry Fielding used it for the title character in his novel
Amelia (1751). Another famous bearer was Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), the first woman to make a solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean.
This name experienced a rise in popularity at the end of the 20th century. It was the most popular name for girls in England and Wales from 2011 to 2015.
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.
Amity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: A-mi-tee
From the English word meaning "friendship", ultimately deriving from Latin amicitia.
Anacletus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀνάκλητος(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of the Greek name
Ἀνάκλητος (Anakletos), derived from
ἀνάκλητος (anakletos) meaning
"invoked". This was the name of the third pope.
Anatole
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-NA-TAWL
Anatoli
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Анатолий(Russian) Анатолій(Ukrainian) ანატოლი(Georgian)
Pronounced: u-nu-TO-lyee(Russian) u-nu-TAW-lyee(Ukrainian) A-NA-TAW-LEE(Georgian)
Anatolia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀνατολία(Ancient Greek)
Feminine form of
Anatolius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Italian
saint and martyr. This is also a place name (from the same Greek origin) referring to the large peninsula that makes up the majority of Turkey.
Andrei
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, Russian, Bulgarian, Belarusian, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Андрей(Russian, Bulgarian) Андрэй(Belarusian) Андреи(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: un-DRYAY(Russian)
Romanian form of
Andrew, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian
Андрей or Belarusian
Андрэй (see
Andrey).
Andromeda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀνδρομέδα, Ἀνδρομέδη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-DRO-MEH-DA(Classical Greek) an-DRAH-mi-də(English)
Derived from Greek
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός) combined with one of the related words
μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of, to provide for, to think on" or
μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek
mythology Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess rescued from sacrifice by the hero
Perseus. A constellation in the northern sky is named for her. This is also the name of a nearby galaxy, given because it resides (from our point of view) within the constellation.
Anemone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-NEHM-ə-nee
From the name of the anemone flower, which is derived from Greek
ἄνεμος (anemos) meaning "wind".
Anita 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Slovene, English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Latvian, Hungarian
Pronounced: a-NEE-ta(Spanish, Dutch, German) ə-NEET-ə(English) AH-nee-tah(Finnish) a-NYEE-ta(Polish) AW-nee-taw(Hungarian)
Aphrodite
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀφροδίτη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-PRO-DEE-TEH(Classical Greek) af-rə-DIE-tee(English)
Meaning unknown, possibly of Phoenician origin. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty, identified with the Roman goddess
Venus. She was the wife of
Hephaestus and the mother of
Eros, and she was often associated with the myrtle tree and doves. The Greeks connected her name with
ἀφρός (aphros) meaning
"foam", resulting in the story that she was born from the foam of the sea. Many of her characteristics are based on the goddess known as
Ashtoreth to the Phoenicians and
Ishtar to the Mesopotamian Semitic peoples, and on the Sumerian goddess
Inanna.
Apollon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἀπόλλων(Ancient Greek) Απόλλων(Greek)
Pronounced: A-POL-LAWN(Classical Greek)
Aroa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque, Spanish
Pronounced: a-RO-a(Spanish)
Derived from Basque aro meaning "era, age, time".
Astor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AS-tər
From a German and French surname derived from Occitan astur meaning "hawk". The wealthy and influential Astor family, prominent in British and American society, originated in the Italian Alps.
Astrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, French, English
Pronounced: AS-strid(Swedish) AHS-tri(Norwegian) AS-trit(German) AS-TREED(French) AS-trid(English)
Modern Scandinavian form of
Ástríðr. This name was borne by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), the author of
Pippi Longstocking. It was also borne by a Swedish princess (1905-1935) who became the queen of Belgium as the wife of Leopold III.
Atticus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀττικός(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AT-i-kəs(English)
Latinized form of Greek
Ἀττικός (Attikos) meaning
"from Attica", referring to the region surrounding Athens in Greece. This name was borne by a few notable Greeks from the Roman period (or Romans of Greek background). The author Harper Lee used the name in her novel
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) for an Alabama lawyer who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman.
Aurelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Polish
Pronounced: ow-REH-lee-a(Latin) ow-REH-lya(Italian, Spanish, Polish)
Ayn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Pronounced: IEN(English)
This name was assumed by Ayn Rand (1905-1982), originally named Alice Rosenbaum, a Russian-American writer and philosopher. She apparently based it on a Finnish name she had heard, but never seen written.
Azalea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ə-ZAY-lee-ə
From the name of the flower (shrubs of the genus Rhododendron), ultimately derived from Greek
ἀζαλέος (azaleos) meaning "dry".
Azure
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AZH-ər
From the English word that means "sky blue". It is ultimately (via Old French, Latin and Arabic) from Persian
لاجورد (lājvard) meaning "azure, lapis lazuli".
Beatriz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: beh-a-TREETH(European Spanish) beh-a-TREES(Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese) byu-TREESH(European Portuguese)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Beatrix.
Bellamy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
From an English surname derived from Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".
Benjamin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Biblical
Other Scripts: בִּןְיָמִין(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: BEHN-jə-min(English) BEHN-ZHA-MEHN(French) BEHN-ya-meen(German) BEHN-ya-min(Dutch)
From the Hebrew name
בִּןְיָמִין (Binyamin) meaning
"son of the south" or
"son of the right hand", from the roots
בֵּן (ben) meaning "son" and
יָמִין (yamin) meaning "right hand, south". Benjamin in the
Old Testament was the twelfth and youngest son of
Jacob and the founder of one of the southern tribes of the Hebrews. He was originally named
בֶּן־אוֹנִי (Ben-ʾoni) meaning "son of my sorrow" by his mother
Rachel, who died shortly after childbirth, but it was later changed by his father (see
Genesis 35:18).
As an English name, Benjamin came into general use after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), an American statesman, inventor, scientist and philosopher.
Billie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BIL-ee
Calla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAL-ə
From the name of two types of plants, the true calla (species Calla palustris) and the calla lily (species Calla aethiopica), both having white flowers and growing in marshy areas. Use of the name may also be inspired by Greek
κάλλος (kallos) meaning
"beauty".
Callista
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LIS-tə
Calum
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic
Pronounced: KAL-əm
Camilla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, German, Ancient Roman, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: kə-MIL-ə(English) ka-MEEL-la(Italian) kah-MEEL-lah(Danish) KAH-meel-lah(Finnish) ka-MI-la(German)
Feminine form of
Camillus. This was the name of a legendary warrior maiden of the Volsci, as told by
Virgil in the
Aeneid. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Fanny Burney's novel
Camilla (1796).
Carita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: ka-REE-ta
Derived from Latin caritas meaning "dearness, esteem, love".
Carys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: KA-ris
Derived from Welsh caru meaning "love". This is a relatively modern Welsh name, in common use only since the middle of the 20th century.
Celia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish
Pronounced: SEEL-yə(English) SEE-lee-ə(English) THEHL-ya(European Spanish) SEHL-ya(Latin American Spanish)
Feminine form of the Roman family name
Caelius. Shakespeare used it in his play
As You Like It (1599), which introduced the name to the English-speaking public at large. It is sometimes used as a short form of
Cecilia.
Chesley
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: CHEHS-lee
From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "camp meadow" in Old English.
Clyde
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLIED
From the name of the River Clyde in Scotland, from Cumbric
Clud, which is of uncertain origin. It became a common given name in America in the middle of the 19th century, perhaps in honour of Colin Campbell (1792-1863) who was given the title Baron Clyde in 1858
[1].
Cornelius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, English, Dutch, German, Biblical
Pronounced: kor-NEH-lee-oos(Latin) kawr-NEE-lee-əs(English) kawr-NEH-lee-yuys(Dutch) kawr-NEH-lee-uws(German)
Roman family name that possibly derives from the Latin element
cornu meaning
"horn". In Acts in the
New Testament Cornelius is a centurion who is directed by an angel to seek
Peter. After speaking with Peter he converts to Christianity, and he is traditionally deemed the first gentile convert. The name was also borne by a few early
saints, including a 3rd-century pope. In England it came into use in the 16th century, partly due to Dutch influence.
Cynthia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κυνθία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SIN-thee-ə(English) SEEN-TYA(French)
Latinized form of Greek
Κυνθία (Kynthia), which means
"woman from Cynthus". This was an epithet of the Greek moon goddess
Artemis, given because Cynthus was the mountain on Delos on which she and her twin brother
Apollo were born. It was not used as a given name until the Renaissance, and it did not become common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century. It reached a peak of popularity in the United States in 1957 and has declined steadily since then.
Cyril
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: SIR-əl(English) SEE-REEL(French) TSI-ril(Czech)
From the Greek name
Κύριλλος (Kyrillos), which was derived from Greek
κύριος (kyrios) meaning
"lord", a word used frequently in the Greek Bible to refer to God or Jesus.
This name was borne by a number of important saints, including Cyril of Jerusalem, a 4th-century bishop and Doctor of the Church, and Cyril of Alexandria, a 5th-century theologian. Another Saint Cyril was a 9th-century Greek missionary to the Slavs, who is credited with creating the Glagolitic alphabet with his brother Methodius in order to translate the Bible into Slavic. The Cyrillic alphabet, named after him, is descended from Glagolitic.
This name has been especially well-used in Eastern Europe and other places where Orthodox Christianity is prevalent. It came into general use in England in the 19th century.
Dalton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAWL-tən
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was John Dalton (1766-1844), the English chemist and physicist who theorized about the existence of atoms.
Darian
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAR-ee-ən
Probably an elaborated form of
Darren.
Darijo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian
Darius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Lithuanian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Old Persian (Latinized)
Other Scripts: 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎢𐏁(Old Persian)
Pronounced: də-RIE-əs(English) DAR-ee-əs(English)
Latin form of Greek
Δαρεῖος (Dareios), from the Old Persian name
𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎢𐏁 (Darayauš), shortened from
𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 (Darayavauš). It means
"possessing goodness", composed of
𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹 (daraya) meaning "to possess, to hold" and
𐎺𐎢 (vau) meaning "good"
[1]. Three ancient kings of Persia bore this name, including Darius the Great who expanded the Achaemenid Empire to its greatest extent. His forces invaded Greece but were defeated in the Battle of Marathon.
It has never been very common as a given name in the English-speaking world, though it rose in popularity after the middle of the 20th century. In the United States it is frequently an African-American name. In Lithuania it may be given in honour of the Lithuanian-American aviator Steponas Darius (1896-1933), who died attempting to fly nonstop from New York to Lithuania. His surname was an Americanized form of the original Darašius.
Davide
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: DA-vee-deh
Desiderio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: deh-zee-DEH-ryo(Italian) deh-see-DHEH-ryo(Spanish)
Dezi
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: DEHZ-ee
Effie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: EHF-ee(English)
Effimia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ευφημία(Greek)
Elliott
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ee-ət
From an English surname that was derived from a
diminutive of the medieval name
Elias.
Eppie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Pronounced: EHP-ee
Erasmus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἔρασμος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: i-RAZ-məs(English)
Derived from Greek
ἐράσμιος (erasmios) meaning
"beloved, desired".
Saint Erasmus, also known as Saint
Elmo, was a 4th-century martyr who is the patron saint of sailors. Erasmus was also the name of a Dutch scholar of the Renaissance period.
Erminia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: ehr-MEE-nya
Euan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: YOO-ən(English)
Eudoxia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Εὐδοξία(Ancient Greek)
From Greek
εὐδοξία (eudoxia) meaning
"good repute, good judgement", itself from
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
δόξα (doxa) meaning "notion, reputation, honour".
Eurydice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εὐρυδίκη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ew-RUY-dee-keh(Latin) yuw-RID-i-see(English)
From the Greek
Εὐρυδίκη (Eurydike) meaning
"wide justice", derived from
εὐρύς (eurys) meaning "wide" and
δίκη (dike) meaning "justice, custom, order". In Greek
myth she was the wife of Orpheus. Her husband tried to rescue her from Hades, but he failed when he disobeyed the condition that he not look back upon her on their way out.
Fantine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
This name was used by Victor Hugo for the mother of Cosette in his novel Les Misérables (1862). The name was given to her by a passerby who found the young orphan on the street. Hugo may have intended it to be a derivative of the French word enfant "child".
Fletcher
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FLECH-ər
From a surname meaning "maker of arrows" in Middle English, ultimately from Old French flechier.
Fortune
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French, English (Rare)
Pronounced: FAWR-TUYN(French) FAWR-chən(English)
Simply from the word fortune, ultimately from Latin fortuna, a derivative of fors "luck".
Gage
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: GAYJ
From an English surname of Old French origin meaning either "measure", originally denoting one who was an assayer, or "pledge", referring to a moneylender. It was popularized as a given name by a character from the book Pet Sematary (1983) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1989).
Geneva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: jə-NEE-və
Possibly a shortened form of
Genevieve. It could also be inspired by the name of the city in Switzerland. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.
Grayson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: GRAY-sən
From an English surname meaning
"son of the steward", derived from Middle English
greyve "steward". It became common towards the end of the 20th century because of its similarity to popular names like
Jason,
Mason and
Graham.
Greyson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: GRAY-sən
Harper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-pər
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.
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.
Jean 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: JEEN
Medieval English variant of
Jehanne (see
Jane). It was common in England and Scotland during the Middle Ages, but eventually became rare in England. It was reintroduced to the English-speaking world from Scotland in the 19th century.
Jericho
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Other Scripts: יְרִיחוֹ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JEHR-i-ko
From the name of a city in Israel that is mentioned several times in the
Old Testament. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain, but it may be related to the Hebrew word
יָרֵחַ (yareaḥ) meaning "moon"
[1], or otherwise to the Hebrew word
רֵיחַ (reyaḥ) meaning "fragrance"
[2].
Jerusha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: יְרוּשָׁה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: jə-ROO-shə(English)
Jerzy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: YEH-zhi
Jocosa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Medieval variant of
Joyce, influenced by the Latin word
iocosus or
jocosus "merry, playful".
Juniper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JOON-i-pər
From the English word for the type of tree, derived ultimately from Latin iuniperus.
Keziah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: קְצִיעָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: kə-ZIE-ə(English)
From the Hebrew name
קְצִיעָה (Qetsiʿa) meaning
"cassia, cinnamon", from the name of the spice tree. In the
Old Testament she is a daughter of
Job.
Killian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, French
Anglicized form of
Cillian, also used in France.
Kizzy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIZ-ee
Diminutive of
Keziah. This particular spelling was repopularized in the late 1970s by a character in the book and miniseries
Roots (1977).
Lemoine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: lə-MOIN
From a French surname meaning "the monk" in French.
Lenore
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: lə-NAWR
Short form of
Eleanor. This is the name of the departed love of the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's poem
The Raven (1845).
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.
Lessie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHS-ee
Lilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Лилия(Russian) Лілія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: LEE-lya(Spanish) LYEE-lyi-yə(Russian)
Spanish and Italian form of
Lily, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian
Лилия or Ukrainian
Лілія (see
Liliya).
Linnet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: li-NEHT, LIN-it
Either a variant of
Lynette or else from the name of the small bird, a type of finch.
Linnie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIN-ee
Liora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: לִיאוֹרָה(Hebrew)
Strictly feminine form of
Lior.
Loretta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian
Pronounced: lə-REHT-ə(English) lo-REHT-ta(Italian)
Perhaps a variant of
Lauretta or
Loreto. A famous bearer was the American actress Loretta Young (1913-2000), whose birth name was Gretchen.
Lysander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Λύσανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of the Greek name
Λύσανδρος (Lysandros), derived from Greek
λύσις (lysis) meaning "a release, loosening" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). This was the name of a notable 5th-century BC Spartan general and naval commander.
Lysandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λυσάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Feminine form of
Lysandros (see
Lysander).
Macarena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ma-ka-REH-na
From the name of a barrio (district) in Seville, which got its name from a temple that may have been named for a person named
Macarius (see
Macario). The Virgin of Macarena, that is
Mary, is widely venerated in Seville.
Mae
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY
Variant of
May. A famous bearer was the American actress Mae West (1893-1980), whose birth name was Mary.
Malachy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Anglicized form of
Máel Sechnaill or
Máel Máedóc, influenced by the spelling of
Malachi.
Saint Malachy (in Irish, Máel Máedóc) was a 12th-century archbishop of Armagh renowned for his miracles.
Mallory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAL-ə-ree
From an English surname that meant "unfortunate" in Norman French. It first became common in the 1980s due to the American sitcom Family Ties (1982-1989), which featured a character by this name.
Marcel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Catalan, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German
Pronounced: MAR-SEHL(French) mər-SEHL(Catalan) mar-CHEHL(Romanian) MAR-tsehl(Polish, Czech, Slovak) mahr-SEHL(Dutch) mar-SEHL(German)
Form of
Marcellus used in several languages. Notable bearers include the French author Marcel Proust (1871-1922) and the French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).
Margery
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAHR-jə-ree
Maricela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ma-ree-THEH-la(European Spanish) ma-ree-SEH-la(Latin American Spanish)
Marinus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Dutch
Pronounced: ma-REE-nuys(Dutch)
From the Roman family name
Marinus, which derives either from the name
Marius or from the Latin word
marinus "of the sea".
Saint Marinus was a 4th-century stonemason who built a chapel on Monte Titano, in the country that is today known as San Marino.
Maxwell
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAKS-wehl
From a Scottish surname meaning
"Mack's stream", from the name
Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name
Magnus, combined with Old English
wille "well, stream". A famous bearer of the surname was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.
As a given name it has increased in popularity starting from the 1980s, likely because it is viewed as a full form of Max [1].
Merle
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Estonian
Pronounced: MURL(English)
Personal remark: Nickname for: Merrill (m) as on name.
From the English word
merle or the French surname
Merle, which both mean
"blackbird" (from Latin
merula). It was borne by the devious character Madame Merle (in fact her surname) in Henry James' novel
The Portrait of a Lady (1880).
This name is also common for girls in Estonia, though a connection to the English-language name is uncertain.
Milly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, English
Pronounced: MIL-ee(English)
Minna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Archaic), Finnish, Swedish
Pronounced: MI-na(German) MEEN-nah(Finnish)
Means
"love" in Old German, specifically medieval courtly love. It is also used as a short form of
Wilhelmina. This is the name of the title character in the play
Minna von Barnhelm (1767) by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing.
Mitxel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Montague
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: MAHN-tə-gyoo
From an aristocratic English surname meaning
"sharp mountain", from Old French
mont agu. In Shakespeare's tragedy
Romeo and Juliet (1596) this is the surname of
Romeo and his family.
Nanette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: nə-NEHT
Narcissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Pronounced: nahr-SIS-ə(English)
Nate
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NAYT
Nelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NEHL
Nena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Variant of
Nina 1, also coinciding with the Spanish word
nena meaning
"baby girl".
Nine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Frisian
Pronounced: NEE-nə
Octavia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ahk-TAY-vee-ə(English) ok-TA-bya(Spanish) ok-TA-wee-a(Latin)
Feminine form of
Octavius. Octavia was the wife of Mark Antony and the sister of the Roman emperor Augustus. In 19th-century England it was sometimes given to the eighth-born child.
Oona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Finnish
Pronounced: OO-nə(English) O-nah(Finnish)
Anglicized form of
Úna, as well as a Finnish form.
Ottilie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: aw-TEE-lyə
Paisley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PAYZ-lee
From a Scots surname, originally from the name of a town near Glasgow, maybe ultimately derived from Latin basilica "church". This is also a word (derived from the name of that same town) for a type of pattern commonly found on fabrics.
Pax
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: PAKS(Latin, English)
Means
"peace" in Latin. In Roman
mythology this was the name of the goddess of peace.
Penny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PEHN-ee
Diminutive of
Penelope. It can also be given in reference to the copper coin (a British pound or an American dollar are worth 100 of them), derived from Old English
penning.
Phaedra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Φαίδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: FEED-rə(English) FEHD-rə(English)
From the Greek
Φαίδρα (Phaidra), derived from
φαιδρός (phaidros) meaning
"bright". Phaedra was the daughter of Minos and the wife of
Theseus in Greek
mythology.
Aphrodite caused her to fall in love with her stepson
Hippolytos, and after she was rejected by him she killed herself.
Phineas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: פִּיןְחָס(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: FIN-ee-əs(English)
Pradeep
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali
Other Scripts: प्रदीप(Hindi, Marathi) প্রদিপ(Bengali) പ്രദീപ്(Malayalam) ಪ್ರದೀಪ್(Kannada) ప్రదీప్(Telugu) பிரதீப்(Tamil) प्रदिप(Nepali)
Prue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PROO
Ptolemy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Other Scripts: Πτολεμαῖος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TAHL-ə-mee(English)
From the Greek name
Πτολεμαῖος (Ptolemaios), derived from Greek
πολεμήϊος (polemeios) meaning
"aggressive, warlike". Ptolemy was the name of several Greco-Egyptian rulers of Egypt, all descendants of Ptolemy I Soter, one of the generals of Alexander the Great. This was also the name of a 2nd-century Greek astronomer.
Quinlan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KWIN-lən
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Caoindealbháin, itself from the given name
Caoindealbhán (Old Irish
Caíndelbán).
Quinn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KWIN
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Cuinn, itself derived from the given name
Conn. In the United States it was more common as a name for boys until 2010, the year after the female character Quinn Fabray began appearing on the television series
Glee.
Quintella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Ramona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Romanian, English
Pronounced: ra-MO-na(Spanish) rə-MON-ə(English)
Feminine form of
Ramón. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel
Ramona (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.
Rhodri
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: RAW-dri
From the Old Welsh name
Rotri, derived from
rod "wheel" and
ri "king". This name was borne by several medieval Welsh rulers, including Rhodri the Great, a 9th-century king of Gwynedd.
Rhys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: REES
From Old Welsh
Ris, probably meaning
"ardour, enthusiasm". Several Welsh rulers have borne this name, including the 12th-century Rhys ap Gruffydd who fought against the invading
Normans.
Romy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, French, English
Pronounced: RO-mee(German, Dutch, English)
Rory
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, English
Pronounced: RAWR-ee(English)
Anglicized form of
Ruaidhrí. Typically a masculine name, it gained some popularity for girls in the United States after it was used on the television series
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007), in this case as a nickname for
Lorelai. Despite this, the name has grown more common for boys in America, especially after 2011, perhaps due to Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy (1989-).
Rosaire
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: RO-ZEHR
Means "rosary" in French.
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.
Rosemary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROZ-mə-ree, ROZ-mehr-ee
Combination of
Rose and
Mary. This name can also be given in reference to the herb, which gets its name from Latin
ros marinus meaning "dew of the sea". It came into use as a given name in the 19th century.
Roswell
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHZ-wehl
From a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning "horse spring".
Rupert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English
Pronounced: ROO-pehrt(German) ROO-pərt(English)
German variant form of
Robert, from the Old German variant
Hrodperht. It was borne by the 7th century
Saint Rupert of Salzburg and the 8th-century Saint Rupert of Bingen. The military commander Prince Rupert of the Rhine, a nephew of Charles I, introduced this name to England in the 17th century. A notable bearer is the Australian-American businessman Rupert Murdoch (1931-).
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.
Selby
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SEHL-bee
From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "willow farm" in Old Norse.
Shane
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: SHAYN(English)
Anglicized form of
Seán. It came into general use in America after the release of the western movie
Shane (1953).
Sinclair
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: sin-KLEHR
From a Scottish surname that was derived from a Norman French town called "
Saint Clair". A notable bearer was the American author Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951).
Sloan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SLON
Sondre
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Sundri, possibly from Old Norse sunn meaning "south".
Spencer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SPEHN-sər
Personal remark: AND sydney as bros names
From an English surname that meant "dispenser of provisions", derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry". A famous bearer was American actor Spencer Tracy (1900-1967). It was also the surname of Princess Diana (1961-1997).
Spiridon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, Serbian (Rare), Croatian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Σπυρίδων(Greek) Спиридон(Serbian)
Serbian and Croatian form of
Spyridon, as well as an alternate transcription of the Greek name.
Spyridon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, Late Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σπυρίδων(Greek)
Late Greek name derived from Greek
σπυρίδιον (spyridion) meaning
"basket" or Latin
spiritus meaning
"spirit".
Saint Spyridon was a 4th-century sheep farmer who became the bishop of Tremithus and suffered during the persecutions of Diocletian.
Stigr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norse [1]
Means "path" in Old Norse.
Sunil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Other Scripts: सुनील(Hindi, Marathi) সুনীল(Bengali, Assamese) સુનીલ(Gujarati) ਸੁਨੀਲ(Gurmukhi) సునీల్(Telugu) சுனில்(Tamil) ಸುನಿಲ್(Kannada) സുനിൽ(Malayalam) सुनिल, सुनील(Nepali)
From Sanskrit
सु (su) meaning "good, very" combined with
नील (nīla) meaning "dark blue".
Sunny
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUN-ee
From the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".
Tea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Slovene, Finnish, Georgian
Other Scripts: თეა(Georgian)
Pronounced: TEH-ah(Finnish)
Teona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Georgian
Other Scripts: თეონა(Georgian)
Theron
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θήρων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TEH-RAWN(Classical Greek) THEHR-ən(English)
Tia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEE-ə
Short form of names ending with
tia. It has been suggested that its use since the 1950s is the result of the brand name for the coffee liqueur Tia Maria
[1]. In the brand name,
Tia is not a given name; rather, it means "aunt" in Spanish or Portuguese.
Tin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian
Pronounced: TEEN
Croatian short form of
Martin,
Valentin and other names ending in
tin.
Valdís
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse [1], Icelandic
Derived from Old Norse
valr meaning "the dead, the slain" and
dís meaning "goddess".
Vashti
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: וַשְׁתִּי(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: VASH-tee(English)
Probably of Persian origin, possibly a superlative form of
𐎺𐎢 (vahu) meaning
"good". According to the
Old Testament this was the name of the first wife of King
Ahasuerus of Persia before he married
Esther.
Venetia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Greek
Other Scripts: Βενετία(Greek)
From the Latin name of the Italian region of Veneto and the city of Venice (see the place name
Venetia). This name was borne by the celebrated English beauty Venetia Stanley (1600-1633), though in her case the name may have been a Latinized form of the Welsh name
Gwynedd [1]. Benjamin Disraeli used it for the heroine of his novel
Venetia (1837).
Verity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VEHR-i-tee
From the English word meaning
"verity, truth", from Latin
verus "true, real". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Viatrix
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Vincent
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Slovak
Pronounced: VIN-sənt(English, Dutch) VEHN-SAHN(French) VIN-sent(Dutch) VEEN-tsent(Slovak)
From the Roman name
Vincentius, which was derived from Latin
vincere meaning
"to conquer". This name was popular among early Christians, and it was borne by many
saints. As an English name,
Vincent has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 19th century. Famous bearers include the French priest Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
Vinnie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VIN-ee
Willie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIL-ee
Masculine or feminine
diminutive of
William. Notable bearers include the retired American baseball player Willie Mays (1931-) and the musician Willie Nelson (1933-).
Wine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon
Derived from Old English
wine "friend".
Yuri 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Юрий(Russian) Юрій(Ukrainian) Юрый(Belarusian)
Pronounced: YOO-ryee(Russian)
Alternate transcription of Russian
Юрий, Ukrainian
Юрій or Belarusian
Юрый (see
Yuriy).
Ziva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: זִיוָה(Hebrew)
Zora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak
Other Scripts: Зора(Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: ZO-ra(Czech) ZAW-ra(Slovak)
Means "dawn, aurora" in the South Slavic languages, as well as Czech and Slovak.
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