In Hebrew this is a generic word for 'man' not used as a name, but it is also associated with 'adama' (earth), from which God was supposed to have made the first humans. According to the Bible Adam and Eve were the first humans, and lived in the Garden of
Variant of Andreas used in Scandanavia, in Frisian and in some Dutch dialects.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is the current Prime Minister of Denmark, and Anders Celsius was a Swedish astronomer after whom the Celsius temperature scale is named.
Surname, from one of several Middle English personal names.
It might mean ‘son of Hann’, ‘son of Hand’, ‘son of Agnes', or even ‘son of Anselm’.
Arthur is a name that probably dates back as far as pre-Roman times in Britain. It is possibly derived from the Celtic "artos" (bear), the Irish Gaelic "art" (stone), or the Welsh term "arth gwyr," or "bear man." Its modern form may be based partly on t
In the Old Testament, Asher was the 8th son of Jacob and the second son of Zilpa, the maid of Jacob’s wife Leah. He was also the founder of the Tribe of Asher.
Attica is the region of Greece which contains Athens, the capital city. Today, the name is mainly known from the character Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. Atticus was also the name of a number of ancient Greek philosophers and
A nickname for Bartholomew and similar names.
Benjamin is the anglicized form of the Hebrew Binyamin. In the Old Testament, Benjamin was the twelfth and youngest son of Jacob. Benjamin was the 24th most popular boy's name in the US in 2006, and the 11th most popular in the UK. It is also commonly fou
Trendy modern respelling of the traditional form Braden.
Callum was the 13th most popular boy's name in the UK in 2006, but is extremely rare in the US.
Perhaps came into first-name use as a nickname for Nicholas. Cole is also a common surname, derived from the Old English "cola," meaning "coal." Perhaps the most well-known Cole in history is "Old King Cole," the subject of an English nursery-rhyme.
Conrad is Lord Byron's wily Greek pirate in "The Corsair" (1814).
It is also the name of a minor character in Shakespeare's play "Much Ado About Nothing."
There have been five German kings named Conrad, and several saints.
The Italian poet and author of "The Divine Comedy" which outlines the nine circles of Hell is known as Dante, though he was born Durante.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter.
St Dominic was the founder of the Dominican religious order. Santo Domingo (St Dominic) is the capital of the Dominican Republic. dominic is a name traditionally given to children born on Sunday in reference to its "holiness".
Operation Dom
Ethan means strong and optimistic, solid and enduring, or permanent. The name Ethan appears eight times in the Hebrew Bible. Ethan the Ezrahite, is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. It may be that Ethan was a cymbal-player in King David's court. He authored
Evan is considered to be Welsh and is, like Ieunan, a form of John and means "God is gracious". Evan and Even are used also in Britanny where they are linked to John the Baptist. These forms overlap in Ireland and Scotland with forms of Eoghan, which are
This Russian form of John was the name of four rulers of Russia, including 'Ivan the Terrible', who was the first monarch to be called a 'tsar'. Ivan was also the codename given to 'Tsar Bomba', the largest nuclear bomb ever detonated, developed by the Ru
Spelt Joël in French.
Joel was a prophet in the Old Testament.
Famous bearers include film directors Joel Schumacher and Joel Coen, and singer Joel Madden.
It was the 124th most popular name in USA in 2006. It
This name was taken from the Latin noun 'leo', meaning 'lion' (itself from the Greek 'leon'). Leo is slowly climbing in popularity - it reached the 236th spot in the US charts in 2006. Ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair used it for his son in 2000, a hi
The original Lincoln is a city in England, although there are now Lincolns all over the world. It was taken as a surname and is now becoming popular as a first name (it was the 300th most popular boy's name in the US in 2006). For those who don't live nea
Short for of Maximilian, Maxwell, and the various name using it as a first syllable.
It is often bestowed as an independent name.
There are various saints named Nicholas, the most famous of whom is St Nicholas of Myra. His name became Santa Claus and, combined with his reputation for secretly-giving gifts, he became associated with Father Christmas.
'Nicholas Nickleby
Orion was a hunter in Greek mythology. A constellation also bears his name.
The name is possibly related to Greek 'horion' ('boundary, limit') or 'ouron' ('urine'), which relates to the myth.
Oscar is a Scandinavian name derived from the Old English os "god" and gar "spear".
It is also an Irish mythological name: Oscar was the name of Oisin's son and the grandson of the hero Fionn mac Cumhail. It almost certainly means "lover of deer" o
Virgil is the more commonly known form of the name Vergilius. It belonged most famously to a first century AD poet, author of the Roman epic poem 'The Aeneid'. In popular culture Virgil Tracy is the pilot of the (sadly fictional) Thunderbird 2.
The name of a heroine of traditional Basque stories of the knight Teodosio de Goni.
"Aria" is an Italian word meaning "air" - it is frequently used as a musical term in English as well as in Italian. An aria is melody for a solo voice in an opera, usually with orchestral accompaniment. Famous arias include 'O mio babbino caro' and 'Ness
Asha is a fairly uncommon name, breaking into the US top 1000 girls' names again in 2006 in 976th place.
St Etheldreda is also known as St Audrey. She was an East Anglian princess who formed the monastery of Ely, and became its first Abbess. The word 'tawdry' comes from St Audrey. Admirers of St Audrey brought lacework to the annual fair in Ely, this later b
A modern feminine form of Carl or a pet form of names such as Carlene.
Charlotte is a feminine form of the name Charles; though often interpreted as "woman" or "feminine," Charlotte might equally be interpreted as "masculine." Many texts reconcile these differences by defining Charlotte as "strong woman." Whilst moderately
Clara is a town in Offaly, in the middle of Ireland. Famous Claras include American nurse Clara Barton (born Clarissa Barton) who organized the American Red Cross, and German pianist Clara Schumann, wife of the Romantic composer Robert Schumann.
The English word "felicity" ultimately derives from the Latin "felix," happy," or "felicitas," good luck.
Saint Felicitas or Felicity was a third-century martyr.
Felicity Huffman and Felicity Kendal are actresses. 'Felicity'
Freya may be taken as a variant of Freyja, name of a Nordic Earth goddess. Twin sister of Freyr, Freyja is the goddess of fertility and birth, also associated with death and the underworld. She is also a goddess of love and sexuality, of gold and silver.
Whilst not that unusual in the UK (and also used in Italy and Spain), Gemma is very rare in the US. The name derives ultimately from the Latin feminine noun 'gemma', meaning a jewel or precious stone. The word was also used for a bud or a jewelled cup.
In Greek mythology, Eirene or Irene was the goddess who personified peace. Although she did not play an active part in many myths, Eirene was still a source of inspiration for several ancient artists, writers, and poets. Child of Zeus and Themis, the godd
Leila is a common Persian name that has recently gained a measure of popularity in the English-speaking world.
Roxana is from Roxane, the Greek form of a presumably Persian name belonging to the Bactrian wife of Alexander the Great. In 2005 Roxana sat low in the top 1000 girls' names in the US.
In the Old Testament, Sarah was the wife of Abraham, and the mother of Isaac.
Her name was first Sarai ("my princess"), which God changed to Sarah ("princess") as her descendants were to be the future nation of Israel.
Famous bearer
The exact meaning of Teresa is unknown, but it is likely to be from either the Greek word meaning "to harvest", the Greek word meaning "summer", or from the Greek island of Thera.
This is a very popular Catholic name.
St Tere
Alex can be a nickname for any name beginning with Alex- (e.g. Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis), but is commonly used as a full name in its own right.
Jude, a form of Judah, is a male name, but it is also used as a feminine nickname (usually for Judith). Jude is used in the Bible opposite Judas Iscariot to distinguish between the two apostles of the same name. In popular culture the name is associated w
Kai is a Hawai'ian unisex name meaning "ocean."
It can also be a nickname for the feminine "Kaja" in Swedish, or from the masculine "Gaius" in German, Dutch and Finnish.
From the Old Welsh masculine name Morcant, which is derived from Welsh mor (sea) or mawr (great), and can (bright, white) or cant (circle, completion).
This name is common as a surname in both Wales and Ireland and is becoming increasingly popular
Rohan is a legitimate Sanskrit name, but in English-speaking countries it is often associated with the Riders of Rohan in Tolkien's fantasy 'The Lord of the Rings'. In 2006 it was the 521st most popular boy's name in the US.