JessicaLeigh's Personal Name List
Aaron
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Finnish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: אַהֲרֹן(Hebrew) Ἀαρών(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EHR-ən(English) AR-ən(English) A-RAWN(French) A-rawn(German) AH-ron(Finnish)
Rating: 40% based on 11 votes
From the Hebrew name
אַהֲרֹן (ʾAharon), which is most likely of unknown Egyptian origin. Other theories claim a Hebrew derivation, and suggest meanings such as
"high mountain" or
"exalted". In the
Old Testament this name is borne by the older brother of
Moses. He acted as a spokesman for his brother when they appealed to the pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery. Aaron's rod produced miracles and plagues to intimidate the pharaoh. After the departure from Egypt and arrival at Mount Sinai, God installed Aaron as the first high priest of the Israelites and promised that his descendants would become the priesthood.
As an English name, Aaron has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. This name was borne by the American politician Aaron Burr (1756-1836), notable for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
Ace 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AYS
Rating: 32% based on 10 votes
From the English word meaning "highest rank". More commonly a nickname, it is occasionally used as a given name.
Adah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: עָדָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AY-də(English)
Rating: 36% based on 10 votes
Adalind
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic (Anglicized), Hungarian (Rare), Popular Culture
Rating: 38% based on 9 votes
Anglicized form of
Adalindis.
The name came to prominence with Adalind Schade, a main character on the television show "Grim" (2011-2017).
Adannaya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Igbo
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
Means "eldest daughter of her father" in Igbo.
Ailill
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish [1], Irish Mythology
Pronounced: A-lyil(Irish)
Rating: 33% based on 7 votes
Means
"elf" in Irish. This name was borne by several early Irish kings. It also occurs frequently in Irish legend, borne for example by the husband of Queen
Medb. It was also the name of two
saints, both bishops of Armagh in the 6th century.
Anchor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
The name is either a masculine form of
Anchoretta (finally going back to the Welsh name
Angharad) or used with the literal meaning "anchor".
Angus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, Irish, English
Pronounced: ANG-gəs(English)
Rating: 30% based on 7 votes
Annelies
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: a-nə-LEES(German) ah-nə-LEES(Dutch)
Rating: 58% based on 10 votes
Anneliese
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: A-nə-lee-zə(German) ah-nə-LEE-sə(Dutch)
Rating: 71% based on 10 votes
Annelise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish
Rating: 64% based on 10 votes
Ansel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AN-səl
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Anselm. A famous bearer was American photographer Ansel Adams (1902-1984).
Aonghus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Irish Mythology
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
From Old Irish
Óengus, possibly meaning
"one strength" from
óen "one" and
guss "force, strength". Aonghus (sometimes surnamed
Mac Og meaning "young son") was an Irish god of love and youth, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He was the son of
Dagda and
Boann. The name was also borne by an 8th-century Pictish king, several Irish kings, and a few
saints, including a 9th-century bishop of Tallaght.
Araceli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: a-ra-THEH-lee(European Spanish) a-ra-SEH-lee(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
Means
"altar of the sky" from Latin
ara "altar" and
coeli "sky". This is an epithet of the Virgin
Mary in her role as the patron
saint of Lucena, Spain.
Ari 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֲרִי(Hebrew)
Rating: 48% based on 10 votes
Means "lion" in Hebrew.
Arianna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, English (Modern)
Pronounced: a-RYAN-na(Italian) ar-ee-AN-ə(English) ar-ee-AHN-ə(English)
Rating: 49% based on 7 votes
Arianrhod
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: ar-YAN-rawd(Welsh)
Rating: 13% based on 6 votes
Probably means
"silver wheel" from Welsh
arian "silver" and
rhod "wheel". According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], Arianrhod was the mother of the twins
Dylan and
Lleu Llaw Gyffes, whom she spontaneously birthed when she stepped over a magical wand. It is speculated that in earlier myths she may have been a goddess of the moon.
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)
Rating: 53% based on 9 votes
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).
Arik
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אָרִיק(Hebrew)
Pronounced: A-reek
Rating: 41% based on 8 votes
Arion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek, Greek, Greek Mythology, Popular Culture
Other Scripts: Ἀρίων(Greek)
Pronounced: AR-ee-ən(Popular Culture)
Rating: 37% based on 6 votes
In Greek mythology, Arion is the name of a divine immortal talking horse, who is the son of the gods Poseidon and Demeter. In real life, this name was borne by a Greek singer and poet of Methymna on Lesbos, skilled at the cithara and inventor of the dithyramb. He is said to have lived at Periander's court in Corinth in the late 7th century B.C. A legend repeated by Herodotus tells how, having been thrown overboard by pirates, Arion was saved from the sea by a dolphin that had been charmed by his music. And, finally, Arion is also the name of several characters in popular culture, such the mystical hero of a DC comic book.
Arya 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Persian, Hindi, Malayalam
Other Scripts: آریا(Persian) आर्य, आर्या(Hindi) ആര്യ, ആര്യാ(Malayalam)
Pronounced: aw-ree-YAW(Persian) awr-YAW(Persian) AR-yə(Hindi) AR-ya(Hindi, Malayalam) AR-yu(Malayalam)
Rating: 54% based on 9 votes
From an old Indo-Iranian root meaning "Aryan, noble". In India, this is a transcription of both the masculine form
आर्य and the feminine form
आर्या. In Iran it is only a masculine name.
Aslan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish, Kazakh, Azerbaijani, Chechen, Ossetian, Circassian, Literature
Other Scripts: Аслан(Kazakh, Chechen, Ossetian) Аслъан(Western Circassian) Аслъэн(Eastern Circassian)
Pronounced: as-LAN(Turkish)
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
From Turkic arslan meaning "lion". This was a byname or title borne by several medieval Turkic rulers, including the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan (a byname meaning "brave lion") who drove the Byzantines from Anatolia in the 11th century. The author C. S. Lewis later used the name Aslan for the main protagonist (a lion) in his Chronicles of Narnia series of books, first appearing in 1950.
August
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English
Pronounced: OW-guwst(German) OW-goost(Polish, Norwegian) OW-guyst(Swedish) AW-gəst(English)
Rating: 72% based on 10 votes
German, Polish, Scandinavian and Catalan form of
Augustus. This was the name of three Polish kings.
As an English name it can also derive from the month of August, which was named for the Roman emperor Augustus.
Avalon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AV-ə-lahn(American English) AV-ə-lawn(British English)
Rating: 43% based on 8 votes
From the name of the island paradise to which King
Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh
afal meaning "apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.
Avonlea
Usage: Literature
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
Created by Lucy Maud Montgomery as the setting for her novel
Anne of Green Gables (1908). She may have based the name on the Arthurian island of
Avalon, though it also resembles the river name
Avon and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Azalea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ə-ZAY-lee-ə
Rating: 35% based on 8 votes
From the name of the flower (shrubs of the genus Rhododendron), ultimately derived from Greek
ἀζαλέος (azaleos) meaning "dry".
Azariah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: עֲזַרְיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: az-ə-RIE-ə(English)
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
From the Hebrew name
עֲזַרְיָה (ʿAzarya) meaning
"Yahweh has helped", derived from
עָזַר (ʿazar) meaning "help" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many
Old Testament characters including of one of the three men the Babylonian king ordered cast into a fiery furnace. His Babylonian name was
Abednego.
Barnabas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Rare), English (Rare), Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Βαρναβᾶς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: BAR-na-bas(German) BAHR-nə-bəs(American English) BAH-nə-bəs(British English)
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
Greek form of an Aramaic name. In Acts in the
New Testament the byname Barnabas was given to a man named
Joseph, a Jew from Cyprus who was a companion of
Paul on his missionary journeys. The original Aramaic form is unattested, but it may be from
בּר נביא (bar navi) meaning
"son of the prophet", though in
Acts 4:36 it is claimed that the name means
"son of encouragement".
As an English name, Barnabas came into occasional use after the 12th century. It is now rare, though the variant Barnaby is still moderately common in Britain.
Beathan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic
Pronounced: BYA-han
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Derived from a
diminutive of Scottish Gaelic
beatha meaning
"life".
Bennett
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHN-it
Rating: 33% based on 6 votes
Medieval form of
Benedict. This was the more common spelling in England until the 18th century. Modern use of the name is probably also influenced by the common surname
Bennett, itself a derivative of the medieval name.
Bethan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BETH-an
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
Blaise
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: BLEHZ
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
From the Roman name
Blasius, which was derived from Latin
blaesus meaning
"lisping".
Saint Blaise was a 4th-century Armenian martyr. A famous bearer was the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).
Blythe
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BLIEDH
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
From a surname meaning "cheerful" in Old English.
Boaz
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Dutch, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: בֹּעַז(Hebrew)
Pronounced: BO-az(English) BO-ahz(Dutch)
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
Means
"swiftness" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of the man who marries
Ruth. This was also the name of one of the two pillars that stood outside Solomon's Temple (with
Jachin).
Bohdan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, Polish
Other Scripts: Богдан(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: BOH-dan(Czech) BAWH-dan(Slovak) bawh-DAN(Ukrainian)
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian form of
Bogdan, as well as a Polish variant.
Boyd
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BOID
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
From a Scottish surname that was possibly derived from the name of the island of Bute (Bód in Gaelic).
Braith
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Australian, Rare)
Pronounced: BRAYTH
Rating: 18% based on 5 votes
Meaning uncertain, perhaps from Welsh brith, braith meaning "speckled".
Branwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: BRAN-wehn(Welsh)
Rating: 44% based on 8 votes
Means
"white raven" from Old Welsh
bran "raven" and
gwen "white, blessed". According to the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi [1] she was the daughter of
Llŷr. After she was mistreated by her husband Matholwch, the king of Ireland, she managed to get a message to her brother
Brân, the king of Britain. Brân launched a costly invasion to rescue her, but she died of grief shortly after her return.
Brenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BREHN-ə
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
Briallen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Pronounced: bri-A-shehn
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
Derived from Welsh briallu meaning "primrose". This is a modern Welsh name.
Briar
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIE-ər(American English) BRIE-ə(British English)
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
From the English word for the thorny plant.
Bridger
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIJ-ər(American English) BRIJ-ə(British English)
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that originally indicated a person who lived near or worked on a bridge.
Brígh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
From Old Irish
bríg meaning
"might, power". This was the name of a daughter of the Irish god
Dagda.
Briony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BRIE-ə-nee
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Bronwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BRAWN-wehn
Rating: 37% based on 7 votes
Seemingly derived from Welsh
bron "breast" and
gwen "white, blessed", though it has sometimes occurred as a variant spelling of the legendary name
Branwen [1]. It has been used as a given name in Wales since the 19th century. It is borne by a character in Richard Llewellyn's 1939 novel
How Green Was My Valley, as well as the 1941 movie adaptation.
Caemlyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: KAYM-lin
Rating: 29% based on 8 votes
The name of a city in the book series, The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan. Likely a derivative of Camelot.
Canaan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: כְּנַעַן(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: KAY-nən(English)
Rating: 37% based on 7 votes
From
כְּנַעַן (Kenaʿan), the Hebrew name of the ancient region of Canaan, which was possibly derived from a root meaning
"low, humble". In the
Old Testament this is the name of a son of
Ham. He is said to be the ancestor and namesake of the Canaanite peoples.
Carver
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KAHR-vər(American English) KAH-və(British English)
Rating: 20% based on 3 votes
From an English surname that meant "wood carver".
Chelsea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHEHL-see
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
From the name of a district in London, originally derived from Old English and meaning "landing place for chalk or limestone". It has been in general use as an English given name since the 1970s.
Chelsie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: CHEHL-see
Rating: 20% based on 7 votes
Chessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: CHES-sə(American English)
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
Of uncertain origin and meaning.
The most likely derivation is that of a diminutive of names that share the dominant sounds, such as Chelsea or Francesca.
Cillian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 50% based on 7 votes
Probably from Old Irish
cell meaning
"church" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 7th-century Irish
saint who evangelized in Franconia. He was martyred in Würzburg.
Cody
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KO-dee
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of both Irish Gaelic
Ó Cuidighthigh meaning
"descendant of the helpful one" and
Mac Óda meaning
"son of Odo". A famous bearer of the surname was the American frontiersman and showman Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917).
Colm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 33% based on 14 votes
Conall
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1], Irish Mythology
Rating: 35% based on 13 votes
Means
"rule of a wolf", from Old Irish
cú "hound, dog, wolf" (genitive
con) and
fal "rule"
[2]. This is the name of several characters in Irish legend including the hero Conall Cernach ("Conall of the victories"), a member of the Red Branch of Ulster, who avenged
Cúchulainn's death by killing
Lugaid.
Cormac
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology, Irish
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
From Old Irish
Cormacc or
Corbmac, of uncertain meaning, possibly from
corb "chariot, wagon" or
corbbad "defilement, corruption" combined with
macc "son". This is the name of several characters from Irish legend, including the semi-legendary high king Cormac mac Airt who supposedly ruled in the 3rd century, during the adventures of the hero
Fionn mac Cumhaill. This name was also borne by a few early
saints.
Creed
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: kreed
Rating: 15% based on 8 votes
From the English word "creed" meaning "that which is believed, a set of beliefs, particularly religious, or any set of principals adhered to; a manifesto of religious or spiritual beliefs; or the fact of believing, as in belief, faith". From the Old English credo, creda, from the Latin credo 'I believe', from credere 'to believe'.
Danaë
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Δανάη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DA-NA-EH(Classical Greek) DAN-ay-ee(English)
Rating: 36% based on 5 votes
From
Δαναοί (Danaoi), a word used by
Homer to designate the Greeks. In Greek
mythology Danaë was the daughter of the Argive king Acrisius. It had been prophesied to her father that he would one day be killed by Danaë's son, so he attempted to keep his daughter childless. However,
Zeus came to her in the form of a shower of gold, and she became the mother of
Perseus. Eventually the prophecy was fulfilled and Perseus killed Acrisius, albeit accidentally.
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)
Personal remark: Daniel 3:17-18
Rating: 53% based on 7 votes
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).
Dax
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAKS
Rating: 21% based on 14 votes
From an English surname, which was derived either from the town of Dax in France or from the Old English given name
Dæcca (of unknown meaning). The name was brought to public attention by the main character in the 1966 novel
The Adventurers and its 1970 movie adaptation. It became popular in the 2010s due to its similarity to other names like
Max and
Jax.
Declan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: DEHK-lən(English)
Rating: 33% based on 9 votes
Anglicized form of Irish
Deaglán, Old Irish
Declán, which is of unknown meaning.
Saint Declan was a 5th-century missionary to the Déisi peoples of Ireland and the founder of the monastery at Ardmore.
In America, this name received boosts in popularity from main characters in the movies The Jackal (1997) and Leap Year (2010).
Diggory
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: DIG-ə-ree
Rating: 16% based on 7 votes
Probably an Anglicized form of Degaré. Sir Degaré was the subject of a medieval poem set in Brittany. The name may mean "lost one" from French égaré.
Dylan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: DUL-an(Welsh) DIL-ən(English)
Rating: 50% based on 6 votes
From the Welsh prefix
dy meaning "to, toward" and
llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], Dylan was a son of
Arianrhod and the twin brother of
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Immediately after he was baptized he took to the sea, where he could swim as well as a fish. He was slain accidentally by his uncle
Gofannon. According to some theories the character might be rooted in an earlier and otherwise unattested Celtic god of the sea.
Famous bearers include the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and the American musician Bob Dylan (1941-), real name Robert Zimmerman, who took his stage surname from the poet's given name. Due to those two bearers, use of the name has spread outside of Wales in the last half of the 20th century. It received a further boost in popularity in the 1990s due to a character on the television series Beverly Hills 90210.
Ealisaid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Manx
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
Eben
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 21% based on 7 votes
Eirwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 53% based on 8 votes
Means
"white snow" from the Welsh elements
eira "snow" and
gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the early 20th century.
Elanor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 76% based on 5 votes
Means "star sun" in the fictional language Sindarin. In The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien this is Sam's eldest daughter, named after a type of flower.
Elessar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: ELL-ess-ahr
Rating: 31% based on 8 votes
Created by JRR Tolkien for his The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. This is the name, meaning Elfstone, given to Aragorn in Lórien by Galadriel and later adopted by him as King of Gondor.
Eliana 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֶלִיעַנָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
Means "my God has answered" in Hebrew.
Eliezer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: אֱלִיעֶזֶר(Hebrew) Ἐλιέζερ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ehl-ee-EHZ-ər(American English) ehl-ee-EE-zər(American English) ehl-ee-EHZ-ə(British English) ehl-ee-EE-zə(British English)
Rating: 24% based on 7 votes
From the Hebrew name
אֱלִיעֶזֶר (ʾEliʿezer) meaning
"my God is help", derived from
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God" and
עֵזֶר (ʿezer) meaning "help". This is the name of several characters in the
Old Testament, including a servant of
Abraham and one of the sons of
Moses (see
Exodus 18:4 for an explanation of the significance of the name). It also appears in the
New Testament belonging to an ancestor of
Jesus in the genealogy in the Gospel of Luke.
Elisha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: אֱלִישַׁע(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: i-LIE-shə(English)
Rating: 45% based on 6 votes
From the Hebrew name
אֱלִישַׁע (ʾElishaʿ), a contracted form of
אֱלִישׁוּעַ (ʾElishuaʿ) meaning
"my God is salvation", derived from
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God" and
יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save, to deliver". According to the
Old Testament, Elisha was a prophet and miracle worker. He was the attendant of
Elijah and succeeded him after his ascension to heaven.
Elixabete
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: eh-LEE-sha-beh-teh
Rating: 29% based on 7 votes
Ellery
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ə-ree
Rating: 27% based on 15 votes
From an English surname that was originally derived from the medieval masculine name
Hilary.
Elphie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: Ell-fee
Rating: 18% based on 5 votes
Elphie is a pet form of the name
Elphaba and German feminine names beginning with Elf-, for example
Elfrida.
Elsinore
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: EHL-sin-awr(American English) ehl-si-NAWR(American English)
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
From the name of
Hamlet's castle, which is an anglicized form of
Helsingør, a Danish place name meaning "neck, narrow strait" (see
Elsinore). Use of this place name as a feminine personal name is likely due to its similarity to
Eleanor and
Elsa.
Elster
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Elster.
Elysium
Usage: Roman Mythology
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
Latin form of Greek
Ἠλύσιον (Elysion), which is of unknown origin, perhaps pre-Greek. According to Greek — and later Roman —
mythology, Elysium (or the Elysian Fields) was an idyllic afterlife where only the souls of distinguished mortals were admitted.
Esben
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian
Rating: 20% based on 7 votes
Eseld
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Rating: 35% based on 6 votes
Esyllt
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EH-sisht
Rating: 30% based on 6 votes
Ewan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: YOO-ən(English)
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
Ewen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
Ezra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: עֶזְרָא(Hebrew)
Pronounced: EHZ-rə(English)
Rating: 65% based on 10 votes
Means
"help" in Hebrew. Ezra is a prophet of the
Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the
Protestant Reformation. The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a famous bearer.
Fairlight
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Literature
Rating: 24% based on 8 votes
A transferred use of the surname
Fairlight used as far back as the 1800's in England and the States.
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)
Rating: 48% based on 8 votes
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).
Ferelith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish (Rare), English (British, Rare)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Galilee
Usage: English, Biblical
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
From Hebrew
גָּלִיל (Galil) meaning
"district, roll". This is a region in northern
Israel, mentioned in the Old and
New Testament.
Griffin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRIF-in
Rating: 48% based on 16 votes
Latinized form of
Gruffudd. This name can also be inspired by the English word
griffin, a creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, ultimately from Greek
γρύψ (gryps).
Guinevere
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GWIN-ə-vir(American English) GWIN-ə-veey(British English)
Rating: 63% based on 11 votes
From the Norman French form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar meaning
"white phantom", ultimately from the old Celtic roots *
windos meaning "white" (modern Welsh
gwen) and *
sēbros meaning "phantom, magical being"
[1]. In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King
Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by
Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir
Lancelot.
The Cornish form of this name, Jennifer, has become popular in the English-speaking world.
Gus 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GUS
Rating: 30% based on 13 votes
Gwenllian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: gwehn-SHEE-an
Rating: 21% based on 7 votes
Derived from the Welsh elements
gwen meaning "white, blessed" and possibly
lliain meaning "flaxen, made of linen" or
lliant meaning "flow, flood". This name was used by medieval Welsh royalty, notably by a 12th-century princess of Deheubarth who died in battle with the
Normans. It was also borne by the 13th-century daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last prince of Gwynedd.
Gwilim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
Hananiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: חֲנַנְיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: han-ə-NIE-ə(English)
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
Harper
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-pər(American English) HAH-pə(British English)
Rating: 34% based on 14 votes
From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who played or made harps (Old English hearpe). A notable bearer was the American author Harper Lee (1926-2016), who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. It rapidly gained popularity in the 2000s and 2010s, entering the American top ten for girls in 2015.
Hope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HOP
Rating: 41% based on 8 votes
From the English word
hope, ultimately from Old English
hopian. This name was first used by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Hosanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Pronounced: ho-ZAN-ə(English)
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
From the Aramaic religious expression
הושע נא (Hoshaʿ na) meaning
"deliver us" in Hebrew. In the
New Testament this is exclaimed by those around
Jesus when he first enters Jerusalem.
Huck
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: HUK(English)
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
Huckleberry
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: HUK-əl-behr-ee(English)
Rating: 21% based on 8 votes
From the name of the variety of shrubs (genus Vaccinium) or the berries that grow on them. It was used by author Mark Twain for the character of Huckleberry (Huck) Finn in his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).
Inigo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: IN-i-go
Rating: 33% based on 15 votes
English form of
Íñigo. It became well-known in Britain due to the English architect Inigo Jones (1573-1652). He was named after his father, a Catholic who was named for
Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
Ireland
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: IER-lənd(American English) IE-ə-lənd(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
From the name of the European island country, derived from Irish Gaelic Éire, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.
Iseabail
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Rating: 30% based on 6 votes
Scottish Gaelic form of
Isabel.
Islwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
From the name of a mountain in Wales that means "below the forest" from Welsh is "below" and llwyn "forest, grove".
Isobel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 48% based on 8 votes
Jairus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
From
Ἰάϊρος (Iairos), the Greek form of
Jair used in the
New Testament, where it belongs to the father of a young girl brought back to life by
Jesus.
Jeb
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEHB
Rating: 22% based on 15 votes
Sometimes a
diminutive of
Jacob. This name may have also resulted from a nickname of James Ewell Brown Stuart (1833-1864), a Confederate general in the American Civil War, which was formed from the initial letters of his three given names.
Jedidiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: יְדִידְיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: jehd-i-DIE-ə(English)
Rating: 30% based on 8 votes
Jericho
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Other Scripts: יְרִיחוֹ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JEHR-i-ko
Rating: 47% based on 9 votes
From the name of a city in Israel that is mentioned several times in the
Old Testament. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain, but it may be related to the Hebrew word
יָרֵחַ (yareaḥ) meaning "moon"
[1], or otherwise to the Hebrew word
רֵיחַ (reyaḥ) meaning "fragrance"
[2].
Jesse
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Finnish, Biblical
Other Scripts: יִשַׁי(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JEHS-ee(English) YEH-sə(Dutch) YEHS-seh(Finnish)
Rating: 62% based on 9 votes
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.
Jessy
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: ZHEH-SEE(French) JEHS-ee(English)
Rating: 36% based on 5 votes
Jonas 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, French, Biblical
Other Scripts: Ἰωνᾶς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: YOO-nas(Swedish) YO-nas(German) YO-nahs(Dutch) JO-nəs(English)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
From
Ἰωνᾶς (Ionas), the Greek form of
Jonah. This spelling is used in some English translations of the
New Testament.
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)
Rating: 55% based on 10 votes
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-).
Jory
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Cornish
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Joscelin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norman [1]
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
Josiah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: יֹאשִׁיָהוּ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: jo-SIE-ə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 9 votes
From the Hebrew name
יֹאשִׁיָהוּ (Yoshiyahu) meaning
"Yahweh supports", from
אָשְׁיָה (ʾashya) meaning "support" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the
Old Testament this is the name of a king of Judah famous for his religious reforms. He was killed fighting the Egyptians at Megiddo in the 7th century BC. In England this name came into use after the
Protestant Reformation.
Jubilee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Popular Culture
Pronounced: joo-bə-LEE(English) JOO-bə-lee(English)
Rating: 35% based on 8 votes
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.
Judah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: יְהוּדָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JOO-də(English)
Rating: 39% based on 9 votes
From the Hebrew name
יְהוּדָה (Yehuḏa), probably derived from
יָדָה (yaḏa) meaning
"praise". In the
Old Testament Judah is the fourth of the twelve sons of
Jacob by
Leah, and the ancestor of the tribe of Judah. An explanation for his name is given in
Genesis 29:35. His tribe eventually formed the Kingdom of Judah in the south of Israel. King
David and
Jesus were among the descendants of him and his wife
Tamar. This name was also borne by Judah Maccabee, the Jewish priest who revolted against Seleucid rule in the 2nd century BC, as told in the deuterocanonical Books of Maccabees.
The name appears in the New Testament with the spellings Judas and Jude.
Kala 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tamil
Other Scripts: கலா(Tamil)
Rating: 27% based on 3 votes
Means "art form, virtue" in Sanskrit.
Kelila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: כְּלִילָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
From Hebrew
כְּלִיל (kelil) meaning
"crown, wreath, garland" or
"complete, perfect".
Kelsie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KEHL-see
Rating: 30% based on 7 votes
Lachlan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: LAKH-lən(Scottish) LAWK-lən(British English) LAK-lən(American English)
Rating: 49% based on 15 votes
Anglicized form of
Lachlann, the Scottish Gaelic form of
Lochlainn. In the English-speaking world, this name was especially popular in Australia towards the end of the 20th century.
Landon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAN-dən
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
From a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning "long hill" (effectively meaning "ridge"). Use of the name may have been inspired in part by the actor Michael Landon (1936-1991).
Lazarus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin, English (African)
Other Scripts: Λάζαρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LAZ-ə-rəs(English)
Rating: 34% based on 8 votes
Latinized form of
Λάζαρος (Lazaros), a Greek form of
Eleazar used in the
New Testament. Lazarus was a man from Bethany, the brother of
Mary and
Martha, who was restored to life by
Jesus.
At present this name is most commonly used in English-speaking Africa.
Leilani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: lay-LA-nee
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
Means "heavenly flowers" or "royal child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Leiliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Brazilian (Modern, Rare)
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
Leiv
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
Norwegian variant of
Leif.
Lennox
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LEHN-əks
Rating: 28% based on 6 votes
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the name of a district in Scotland. The district, called
Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly means "place of elms". This name steadily rose in popularity in the 2000s, at the same time as the similar-sounding (but unrelated) names
Lennon and
Knox.
Levi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, English, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: לֵוִי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: LEE-vie(English) LEH-vee(Dutch)
Rating: 72% based on 10 votes
Possibly means
"joined, attached" in Hebrew. As told in the
Old Testament, Levi was the third son of
Jacob and
Leah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, known as the Levites. This was the tribe that formed the priestly class of the Israelites. The brothers
Moses and
Aaron were members. This name also occurs in the
New Testament, where it is borne by a son of
Alphaeus. He might be the same person as the apostle
Matthew.
As an English Christian name, Levi came into use after the Protestant Reformation.
Líadan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: LYEEY-dən
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
Possibly from Old Irish
líath meaning
"grey". According to an Irish tale this was the name of a poet who became a nun, but then missed her lover Cuirithir so much that she died of grief. The name was also borne by a 5th-century
saint, the mother of Saint Ciarán the Elder.
Liam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, French (Modern), Dutch (Modern), German (Modern), Swedish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern)
Pronounced: LYEEYM(Irish) LEE-əm(English) LYAM(French) LEE-ahm(Dutch)
Rating: 64% based on 9 votes
Irish short form of
William. It became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, and elsewhere in Europe and the Americas after that. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States beginning in 2017. Famous bearers include British actor Liam Neeson (1952-), British musician Liam Gallagher (1972-), and Australian actor Liam Hemsworth (1990-).
Lies
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: LEES
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
Liese
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: LEE-zə(German) LEE-sə(Dutch)
Rating: 28% based on 6 votes
Liesel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: LEE-zəl
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Lileas
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
Lilibeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Lillian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIL-ee-ən
Rating: 64% based on 7 votes
Probably originally a
diminutive of
Elizabeth. It may also be considered an elaborated form of
Lily, from the Latin word for "lily"
lilium. This name has been used in England since the 16th century.
Lily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIL-ee
Rating: 71% based on 9 votes
From the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin lilium. This is the name of the main character, Lily Bart, in the novel The House of Mirth (1905) by Edith Wharton. A famous bearer is the American actress Lily Tomlin (1939-).
Llyr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Unaccented variant of
Llŷr.
Lonán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: LUW-nan(Irish)
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
Means
"little blackbird", derived from Old Irish
lon "blackbird" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This name was borne by several early
saints.
Luke
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: LOOK(English)
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
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.
Lydia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λυδία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LID-ee-ə(English) LUY-dya(German) LEE-dee-a(Dutch)
Rating: 60% based on 8 votes
Means
"from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king
Lydos. In the
New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by
Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the
Protestant Reformation.
Lyric
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LIR-ik
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Means simply
"lyric, songlike" from the English word, ultimately derived from Greek
λυρικός (lyrikos).
Mack 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
Medieval short form of
Magnus, brought to Britain by Scandinavian settlers.
Maddox
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAD-əks
Rating: 30% based on 8 votes
From a Welsh surname meaning
"son of Madoc". It was brought to public attention when the actress Angelina Jolie gave this name to her adopted son in 2002.
Madoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 24% based on 7 votes
From the Old Welsh name
Matauc, derived from
mad meaning
"good, fortunate" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This is the name of a warrior mentioned in the 7th-century Welsh poem
Y Gododdin. It was also borne by several medieval rulers, including the 12th-century Madoc ap Maredudd, the last prince of Powys. Another bearer, according to later folklore, was a son of the 12th-century
Owain the Great who sailed to the Americas.
Magdalene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Μαγδαληνή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: mak-da-LEH-nə(German) MAG-də-lin(English)
Rating: 51% based on 9 votes
From a title meaning
"of Magdala".
Mary Magdalene, a character in the
New Testament, was named thus because she was from Magdala — a village on the Sea of Galilee whose name meant "tower" in Hebrew. She was cleaned of evil spirits by
Jesus and then remained with him during his ministry, witnessing the crucifixion and the resurrection. She was a popular
saint in the Middle Ages, and the name became common then. In England it is traditionally rendered
Madeline, while
Magdalene or
Magdalen is the learned form.
Magnus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late Roman
Pronounced: MANG-nuys(Swedish) MAHNG-noos(Norwegian) MOW-noos(Danish) MAG-nəs(English)
Rating: 49% based on 8 votes
Late Latin name meaning
"great". It was borne by a 7th-century
saint who was a missionary in Germany. It became popular in Scandinavia after the time of the 11th-century Norwegian king Magnus I, who was said to have been named after
Charlemagne, or Carolus Magnus in Latin (however there was also a Norse name
Magni). The name was borne by six subsequent kings of Norway as well as three kings of Sweden. It was imported to Scotland and Ireland during the Middle Ages.
Maia 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: MIE-ya(Latin) MAY-ə(English) MIE-ə(English)
Rating: 37% based on 6 votes
Probably from Latin
maior meaning
"greater". This was the name of a Roman goddess of spring, a companion (sometimes wife) of
Vulcan. She was later conflated with the Greek goddess
Maia. The month of May is named for her.
Mailys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAY-LEES, MA-EE-LEES
Rating: 40% based on 8 votes
Maisie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: MAY-zee(English)
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
Scottish
diminutive of
Mairead. It was long used in the United Kingdom and Australia, becoming popular at the end of the 20th century. In the United States it was brought to public attention by the British actress Maisie Williams (1997-), who played Arya Stark on the television series
Game of Thrones beginning 2011. Her birth name is Margaret.
Maitland
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 17% based on 7 votes
From an English surname that was from a Norman French place name possibly meaning "inhospitable".
Malcolm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: MAL-kəm(English)
Rating: 64% based on 8 votes
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
Máel Coluim, which means
"disciple of Saint Columba". This was the name of four kings of Scotland starting in the 10th century, including Malcolm III, who became king after killing
Macbeth, the usurper who had defeated his father
Duncan. The character Malcolm in Shakespeare's tragedy
Macbeth (1606) is loosely based on him. Another famous bearer was Malcolm X (1925-1965), an American civil rights leader.
Mannix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 20% based on 7 votes
Maranatha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare), Haitian Creole
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
From an Aramaic phrase in the New Testament, translated as "O Lord, come".
Marilla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
Possibly a
diminutive of
Mary or a variant of
Amaryllis. More common in the 19th century, this name was borne by the American suffragist Marilla Ricker (1840-1920). It is also the name of the adoptive mother of Anne in L. M. Montgomery's novel
Anne of Green Gables (1908).
Maverick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAV-ə-rik
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
Derived from the English word maverick meaning "independent". The word itself is derived from the surname of a 19th-century Texas rancher who did not brand his calves.
Maysilee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: MAY-see-lee
Rating: 16% based on 8 votes
Name of one of the contestants of District 12 in the world of Suzanne Collins' novel "The Hunger Games". It can be seen as a combination of
Maisie and
Lee.
Meade
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: MEED
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that indicated one who lived on a meadow (from Middle English mede) or one who sold or made mead (an alcoholic drink made from fermented honey; from Old English meodu).
Meadow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MEHD-o
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
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).
Mercy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-see(American English) MU-see(British English)
Rating: 47% based on 7 votes
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.
Meriadoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Celtic, Literature
Rating: 26% based on 7 votes
Welsh form of
Meriadeg. This is the name of the legendary founder of Brittany, British leader Conan Meriadoc. Used by J. R. R. Tolkien for the character of Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck, a hobbit in 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954).
Merrick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MEHR-ik
Rating: 38% based on 15 votes
From a Welsh surname that was originally derived from the given name
Meurig.
Miles
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MIELZ
Rating: 65% based on 16 votes
From the Germanic name
Milo, introduced by the
Normans to England in the form
Miles. The meaning is not known for certain. It is possibly connected to the Slavic name element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear". From an early date it was associated with Latin
miles meaning
"soldier".
A notable bearer was the American musician Miles Davis (1926-1991). In Scotland this name was historically used to Anglicize Maoilios.
Milo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: MIE-lo(English)
Rating: 51% based on 14 votes
Old German form of
Miles, as well as the Latinized form. This form was revived as an English name in the 19th century
[2].
Mishael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, English
Other Scripts: מִישאֵל(Hebrew)
Pronounced: mee-sha-EHL(Hebrew) mi-sha-EHL(English)
Rating: 34% based on 5 votes
From Hebrew מִישאֵל (
Misha'el) meaning "who is what God is?" or "who asked?", both rhetorical questions about
Yahweh. This is the name of three characters in the Bible.
Mór 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Irish [1]
Pronounced: MOR(Irish)
Rating: 30% based on 6 votes
Means
"great" in Irish. This was a popular medieval Irish name. It was probably given in some cases as an alternative to
Máire, which was considered too sacred for general use.
Natalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: NAT-ə-lee(English) NA-ta-lee(German, Dutch)
Rating: 69% based on 8 votes
From the Late Latin name
Natalia, which meant
"Christmas Day" from Latin
natale domini. This was the name of the wife of the 4th-century martyr
Saint Adrian of Nicomedia. She is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church, and the name has traditionally been more common among Eastern Christians than those in the West. It was popularized in America by actress Natalie Wood (1938-1981), who was born to Russian immigrants.
Nayeli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Zapotec (Hispanicized), Spanish (Mexican)
Pronounced: na-YEH-lee(Spanish)
Rating: 45% based on 8 votes
Possibly from Zapotec nadxiie lii meaning "I love you" or nayele' meaning "open".
Nicodemus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Νικόδημος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: nik-ə-DEE-məs(English) nee-ko-DEH-moos(Latin)
Rating: 50% based on 7 votes
From the Greek name
Νικόδημος (Nikodemos) meaning
"victory of the people", derived from Greek
νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and
δῆμος (demos) meaning "the people". This is the name of a character in the
New Testament who helps
Joseph of Arimathea entomb
Jesus.
Nikola 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Czech, Basque
Other Scripts: Никола(Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: NI-ko-la(Czech) nee-KO-la(Basque)
Rating: 49% based on 8 votes
Form of
Nicholas in several languages. Note, in Czech this is also a feminine name (see
Nikola 2). A famous bearer was the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).
Noble
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NO-bəl
Rating: 37% based on 7 votes
From an English surname meaning "noble, high-born". The name can also be given in direct reference to the English word noble.
Nolan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French (Modern)
Pronounced: NO-lən(English)
Rating: 46% based on 13 votes
From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of
Ó Nualláin, itself derived from the given name
Nuallán. The baseball player Nolan Ryan (1947-) is a famous bearer. This name has climbed steadily in popularity since the 1970s.
Oded
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: עוֹדֵד(Ancient Hebrew)
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
Means
"to restore" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of a prophet from Samaria.
Odin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology, English (Modern)
Pronounced: O-din(English)
Rating: 25% based on 6 votes
Anglicized form of Old Norse
Óðinn, which was derived from
óðr meaning
"inspiration, rage, frenzy". It ultimately developed from Proto-Germanic *
Wōdanaz. The name appears as
Woden in Anglo-Saxon sources (for example, as the founder of several royal lineages in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) and in forms such as
Wuotan,
Wotan or
Wodan in continental Europe, though he is best known from Norse sources.
In Norse mythology Odin is the highest of the gods, presiding over war, wisdom and death. He is the husband of Frigg and resides in Valhalla, where warriors go after they are slain. He is usually depicted as a one-eyed older man, carrying two ravens on his shoulders who inform him of all the events of the world. At the time of Ragnarök, the final battle, it is told that he will be killed fighting the great wolf Fenrir.
Ophelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Literature, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ὠφελία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: o-FEEL-ee-ə(English) o-FEEL-yə(English)
Rating: 53% based on 9 votes
Derived from Greek
ὠφέλεια (opheleia) meaning
"help, advantage". This was a rare ancient Greek name, which was either rediscovered or recreated by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro for a character in his poem
Arcadia (1480). It was borrowed by Shakespeare for his play
Hamlet (1600), in which it belongs to the daughter of
Polonius and the potential love interest of
Hamlet. She eventually goes insane and drowns herself after Hamlet kills her father. In spite of this negative association, the name has been in use since the 19th century.
Ophélie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AW-FEH-LEE
Rating: 48% based on 6 votes
Ori
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אוֹרִי(Hebrew)
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Means "my light" in Hebrew.
Orion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὠρίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AW-REE-AWN(Classical Greek) o-RIE-ən(English)
Rating: 62% based on 9 votes
Meaning uncertain, but possibly related to Greek
ὅριον (horion) meaning
"boundary, limit". Alternatively it may be derived from Akkadian
Uru-anna meaning
"light of the heavens". This is the name of a constellation, which gets its name from a legendary Greek hunter who was killed by a scorpion sent by the earth goddess
Gaia.
Oz 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: עוֹז(Hebrew)
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
Means "strength" in Hebrew.
Pace
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PAYS
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the Middle English word pace meaning "peace".
Pacey
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PAY-see
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the French place name Pacy, itself derived from Gaulish given name of unknown meaning.
Pax
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: PAKS(Latin, English)
Rating: 34% based on 7 votes
Means
"peace" in Latin. In Roman
mythology this was the name of the goddess of peace.
Phoenix
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: FEE-niks
Rating: 30% based on 8 votes
From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek
mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek
φοῖνιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".
Praise
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: PRAYZ
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From the English word praise, which is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Late Latin preciare, a derivative of Latin pretium "price, worth". This name is most common in English-speaking Africa.
Prosper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: PRAWS-PEHR(French) PRAHS-pər(American English) PRAWS-pə(British English)
Rating: 35% based on 8 votes
From the Latin name
Prosperus, which meant
"fortunate, successful". This was the name of a 5th-century
saint, a supporter of Saint
Augustine. It has never been common as an English name, though the
Puritans used it, partly because it is identical to the English word
prosper.
Rain 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RAYN
Personal remark: 2 Samuel 23:4
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
Simply from the English word rain, derived from Old English regn.
Reagan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RAY-gən
Rating: 36% based on 5 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Riagáin, derived from the given name
Riagán. This surname was borne by American actor and president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
As a given name, it took off in popularity during the 1990s. It has been more common for girls in the United States probably because of its similarity to other names such as Megan, Morgan and Regan.
Reid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: REED
Rating: 43% based on 6 votes
From a surname, a Scots variant of
Reed.
Reilly
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RIE-lee
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh, derived from the given name Raghailleach, meaning unknown.
Reverie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: REHV-ə-ree
Rating: 46% based on 7 votes
From the English word meaning "daydream, fanciful musing", derived from Old French resverie, itself from resver meaning "to dream, to rave".
Rhodes
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Rhodes.
Rhys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: REES
Rating: 63% based on 15 votes
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.
Riley
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RIE-lee
Rating: 68% based on 9 votes
From a surname that comes from two distinct sources. As an Irish surname it is a variant of
Reilly. As an English surname it is derived from a place name meaning
"rye clearing" in Old English.
Before 1980, this was an uncommon masculine name in America. During the 1980s and 90s this name steadily increased in popularity for both boys and girls, and from 2003 onwards it has been more common for girls in the United States. Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, it has remained largely masculine.
Riordan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 52% based on 6 votes
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Ríoghbhárdáin), which was derived from the given name
Rígbarddán.
Rivalen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Rating: 29% based on 7 votes
Medieval form of
Rhiwallon used in the early German versions of the Tristan legend, where it belongs to Tristan's father, the king of Parmenie.
River
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RIV-ər(American English) RIV-ə(British English)
Rating: 63% based on 9 votes
From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".
Rory
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, English
Pronounced: RAWR-ee(English)
Rating: 66% based on 7 votes
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-).
Rosalind
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHZ-ə-lind(American English) RAWZ-ə-lind(British English)
Rating: 66% based on 8 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
hros meaning "horse" and
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The
Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase
rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy
As You Like It (1599).
Rowan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: RO-ən(English)
Rating: 47% based on 7 votes
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).
Saga
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Swedish, Icelandic
Pronounced: SAH-gah(Swedish) SA-gha(Icelandic)
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
From Old Norse
Sága, possibly meaning
"seeing one", derived from
sjá "to see". This is the name of a Norse goddess, possibly connected to
Frigg. As a Swedish and Icelandic name, it is also derived from the unrelated word
saga "story, fairy tale, saga".
Samara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
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).
Samson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English, French, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: שִׁמְשׁוֹן(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: SAM-sən(English) SAHN-SAWN(French)
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
From the Hebrew name
שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shimshon), derived from
שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh) meaning "sun". Samson was an
Old Testament hero granted exceptional strength by God. His mistress
Delilah betrayed him and cut his hair, stripping him of his power. Thus he was captured by the Philistines, blinded, and brought to their temple. However, in a final act of strength, he pulled down the pillars of the temple upon himself and his captors.
This name was known among the Normans due to the Welsh bishop Saint Samson, who founded monasteries in Brittany and Normandy in the 6th century. In his case, the name may have been a translation of his true Celtic name. As an English name, Samson was common during the Middle Ages, having been introduced by the Normans. It is currently most common in Africa, especially in countries that have an British colonial past.
Sawyl
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Scout
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKOWT
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
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).
Séamus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHEH-məs
Rating: 67% based on 6 votes
Sela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Other Scripts: סֶלַע(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: SEE-lə
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
From the name of a city, the capital of Edom, which appears in the
Old Testament. It means "rock" in Hebrew.
Selby
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SEHL-bee
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "willow farm" in Old Norse.
Serendipity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: sɛ.rɛn.ˈdɪp.ə.ti
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
From the English word serendipity.
Shaelan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Shaelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SHAY-lin
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Elaboration of
Shae using the popular name suffix
lyn.
Shelah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: שֵׁלָה, שֵׁלָח(Ancient Hebrew)
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
This name is used in the English Bible to represent two unrelated Hebrew names:
שֵׁלָה (see
Shela) and
שֵׁלָח (see
Shelach).
Shelby
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHEHL-bee
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
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.
Shiloh
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: שִׁלוֹ, שִׁילֹה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: SHIE-lo(English)
Rating: 49% based on 7 votes
From an
Old Testament place name possibly meaning
"tranquil" in Hebrew. It is also used prophetically in the Old Testament to refer to a person, often understood to be the Messiah (see
Genesis 49:10). This may in fact be a mistranslation.
This name was brought to public attention after actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave it to their daughter in 2006.
Shoshanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: שׁוֹשַׁנָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
Simon 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, Romanian, Macedonian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Симон(Macedonian) სიმონ(Georgian) Σίμων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SIE-mən(English) SEE-MAWN(French) SEE-mawn(Danish, Dutch, Macedonian) ZEE-mawn(German) SHEE-mon(Hungarian)
Rating: 54% based on 8 votes
From
Σίμων (Simon), the
New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name
שִׁמְעוֹן (Shimʿon) meaning
"hearing, listening", derived from
שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear, to listen". This name is spelled
Simeon, based on Greek
Συμεών, in many translations of the
Old Testament, where it is borne by the second son of
Jacob. The New Testament spelling may show influence from the otherwise unrelated Greek name
Simon 2.
In the New Testament Simon is the name of several characters, including the man who carried the cross for Jesus. Most importantly however it was borne by the leading apostle Simon, also known as Peter (a name given to him by Jesus).
Because of the apostle, this name has been common in the Christian world. In England it was popular during the Middle Ages, though it became more rare after the Protestant Reformation.
Sorin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Possibly derived from Romanian soare meaning "sun".
Sullivan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: SUL-i-vən(English)
Rating: 37% based on 6 votes
From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of
Ó Súileabháin, itself from the given name
Súileabhán, which was derived from Irish
súil "eye" and
dubh "dark, black" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This name has achieved a moderate level of popularity in France since the 1970s. In the United States it was rare before the 1990s, after which it began climbing steadily. A famous fictional bearer of the surname was James P. Sullivan from the animated movie
Monsters, Inc. (2001).
Talia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: טַלְיָה, טַלְיָא(Hebrew)
Personal remark: Little lamb
Rating: 37% based on 6 votes
Means
"dew from God" in Hebrew, from
טַל (ṭal) meaning "dew" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.
Teige
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Anglicized form of
Tadhg.
Thessaly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
Thessaly is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. This name is borne by Thessaly Lerner, American stage, film and voice actress.
Thorin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, Germanic Mythology, German (Modern), Popular Culture
Pronounced: THOR-in(Literature) TO-reen(German)
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
German male name representing the Germanic god
Thor.
Used by JRR Tolkien as the name of a dwarf, Thorin Oakensheild, who is the main dwarf in 'The Hobbit'. Tolkien took the name from the Dvergatal "Catalogue of Dwarves" in the Völuspá, a part of the Poetic Edda.
Tulliver
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, English
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Transferred use of the surname
Tulliver.
Tulliver is the name of a young rabbit in author Diana Reynolds Roome's children's book 'Tulliver's Tunnel'. It is the protagonist's surname in 'The Mill on the Floss' by English novelist Mary Ann Evans under the pseudonym George Eliot.
Tyrion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture, Literature
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Variant of
Tyrian.
Tyrion is the father of the green dragon Tabaluga in the musical by Peter Maffay. Tyrion Lannister is one of the main protagonists in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' by George R. R. Martin.
Valko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Вълко(Bulgarian)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Derived from Bulgarian
вълк (valk) meaning
"wolf".
Vivian
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: VIV-ee-ən(English)
Rating: 50% based on 6 votes
From the Latin name
Vivianus, which was derived from Latin
vivus "alive".
Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of
Bébinn or a variant of
Vivien 2.
Wilford
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIL-fərd(American English) WIL-fəd(British English)
Rating: 64% based on 5 votes
From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "willow ford" in Old English.
Wilkin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Willem
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: VI-ləm
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
Dutch form of
William. Willem the Silent, Prince of Orange, was the leader of the Dutch revolt against Spain that brought about the independence of the Netherlands. He is considered the founder of the Dutch royal family. In English he is commonly called William of Orange.
William
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIL-yəm
Rating: 45% based on 6 votes
From the Germanic name
Willehelm meaning
"will helmet", composed of the elements
willo "will, desire" and
helm "helmet, protection". An early
saint by this name was the 8th-century William of Gellone, a cousin of
Charlemagne who became a monk. The name was common among the
Normans, and it became extremely popular in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England in the 11th century. From then until the modern era it has been among the most common of English names (with
John,
Thomas and
Robert).
This name was later borne by three other English kings, as well as rulers of Scotland, Sicily (of Norman origin), the Netherlands and Prussia. Other famous bearers include William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish hero, and William Tell, a legendary 14th-century Swiss hero (called Wilhelm in German, Guillaume in French and Guglielmo in Italian). In the literary world it was borne by dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616), poet William Blake (1757-1827), poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850), dramatist William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), author William Faulkner (1897-1962), and author William S. Burroughs (1914-1997).
In the American rankings (since 1880) this name has never been out of the top 20, making it one of the most consistently popular names (although it has never reached the top rank). In modern times its short form, Liam, has periodically been more popular than William itself, in the United Kingdom in the 1990s and the United States in the 2010s.
Willoughby
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: WIL-ə-bee
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "willow town" in Old English.
Zephyr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Ζέφυρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZEHF-ər(American English) ZEHF-ə(British English)
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
From the Greek
Ζέφυρος (Zephyros) meaning
"west wind". Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind.
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