Abram was the original name of Abraham in the Bible. God renamed him thusly: "No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of many nations". Abram means "exalted father", where Abraham means "father
Ali ibn Abi Talib was the first male convert to Islam, and is considered by Shia Muslims to be the first Imam. To Sunni Muslims, he is the fourth Rashidun or Rightly Guided Caliph. He married Muhammed's daughter Fatima.
The name is borne by
This is the Russian form of Antony.
The name has been borne by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov and Austrian composer Anton Webern.
St Denis was the martyr bishop of Paris in the 3rd century. He is usually depicted as headless, as he was beheaded.
Erik is a popular name, a cognate of the Old Norse name that gave Eric. However, there are some who believe the name comes to the Old Norse via the Germanic ehre (honor) and the Proto-Germanic rik (king), hence "honorable king". This was the name of twel
Cognate of the Germanic Ernst, the name was introduced to England in the 18th century following the coronation of George I (1660-1727), the "German King". George III's son Ernest Augustus, was the first of five Kings of Hanover to hold the name. Ernest Au
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
English form of Marcus.
Saint Mark the Evangelist is traditionally believed to be the author of the second Gospel (Gospel of Mark) and a companion of Peter.
A famous Roman bearer of the name was Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius), politi
Variant transcription of Russian name Maksim.
Although originally a Jewish name, this is not generally used by Russian Jews.
Short form of Slavic names such as Miloslav, beginning with the element 'mil' (gracious).
Milan is also the main city of northern Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy.
Milan's name comes from the Celtic Medelhan, meaning "in th
Anglicised version of the Greek name Philippos.
St Philip was one of the twelve disciples.
Philip has long been used as a name in the ruling classes, from the Kings of Macedon (Philip II was the father of Alexander the Great
There have been various saints named Robert. St Robert of Molesme was one of the founders of the Cistercian monastic order. St Robert Bellarmine was a Catholic Cardinal, and is one of the Doctors of the Church.
There were three kings of Sc
As well as being the word used to describe someone or something from the Italian city of Rome, 'un roman' is the French word for a novel.
Famous Romans include film director Roman Polanski, and the Russian owner of Chelsea Football Club R
There have been various Alexandras in royalty: Alexandra of Hesse was the wife of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of British King Edward VIII and Princess Alexandra is a cousin of British Queen Elizabeth II.
Of uncertain origin. It may be from an Arabic word for 'noble' or, in Scotland, a feminine form of Alistair.
It could also be a form of Adelaide.
The name is borne by ballerina Alina Cojocaru.
Russian variant of Alicia or an Armenian name meaning 'gentle'.
Alisa is also the name of a Russian rock band.
There are several saints named Anastasia. St Anastasia of Sirmium was a fourth century martyr. December 25 is St Anastasia's Day.
St Anastasia the Patrician lived in the sixth century. In order to escape the advances of Emperor Justinian
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. The name is also shared by the character Angelina Ballerina - a dancing mouse.
Anya is a Russian pet form of the name Anna.
It is also a Sanskrit female name (pronounced 'an-yah') meaning "the inexhaustible".
Bearers include historical fiction author Anya Seton and designer Anya Hindmarch.
Short form of '-bella' names such as Isabella or Annabella. It is also the Italian and Spanish feminine adjective for 'beautiful'.
'Bella' was the name of a 2006 film by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde.
Bearers include American po
Famous Denises include actresses Denise Richards and Denise van Outen. Denise Levertov was a poet, whose work was, in particular, critical of the Vietnam War. Denise Lewis is a British Olympic gold-winning heptathlete.
The name of the daughter of Jacob and Leah in the Bible. Also a diminutive of many Spanish female names ending in "dina" such as Bernardina and Geraldina.
Can also be a nickname for the Russian name Dinara.
Elena is the Spanish and Italian form of Helen.
Bearers include the Infanta Elena of Spain, eldest daughter of King Juan Carlos and tennis players Elena Dementieva and Elena Baltacha.
The name is particularly popular in Spa
The English name Helen comes from the ancient Greek Helene. In Greek mythology it famously belonged to Helen of Troy, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta who caused the Trojan War by sailing to Troy with Paris. For a discussion on the etymology of the nam
Helena of Constantinople (also known as St Helena) was the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I, the first Christian emperor. She became a saint due to her piety, and is supposed to have found the relics of the true cross. British folklore states that sh
Julia is a feminine form of the name Julius; this name was given to every female in the Julius family in ancient Rome. Julia was the name of several early Christian saints and martyrs. Julia was also the name of a character in William Shakespeare's "Two G
This is a more modern name in Poland. In Russia, this name is likely derived from Ekaterina.
This name is likely derived from the Russian name Ekaterina.
The origin of this name is unknown. It is possibly from Alana or Alan and in Latin the word lana means "wool". However, there's no definite connection to this name.
Larissa is a Greek city, the capital of Thessaly. It is situated in an area that has been inhabited for 12000 years. Larissa is also the name of a moon of Neptune. In Greek mythology, Larissa was a nymph from Thessaly.
A name from the New Testament.
Lina is a name in both the Arabic and Hausa languages. It is also used as a nickname for names ending in -lina, such as Carolina.
Also used as a Russian nickname for Larisa.
Lydia is the name of a historic region of Asia Minor, that included Troy and Ephesus. Lydia is also the name of a purple goods seller, in the Bible. She is considered the first European convert to Christianity. She was living in Thyatira which was on the
Russian form of the name Maya.
Latin form from the Greek 'margarites' meaning "pearl".
Latinate form of Margaret.
This is also a Spanish word meaning "daisy flower".
As a Japanese name, Mari may be written with the characters for "truth" (ma) and "reason; truth" (ri). Other possibilities include "ten thousand" or "flax" for 'ma' and "hometown; village" (ri).
Mari is a nickname for the Russian name Mariy
Latin form of Mary.
It arose as a back-formation from the early Christian Greek name Mariam, which was taken as a Latin accusative case, and is ultimately derived from Hebrew Miryam.
In the English-speaking world, Maria was the writ
Aramaic alternative form of the Hebrew name Miriam.
It is also the form of Mary used in the Greek translation of the Bible.
It was mistaken as a Latin accusative case and gave the well-known name Maria.
It can also be conside
A feminine form of the Roman family name Marinus.
The name is derived from Marius (from the god Mars), but is identical to the Latin adjective 'marinus' meaning "of the sea", and therefore commonly associated to it.
Marina is
Mila is a pet form of various names in eastern European languages, including the Czech Miloslava and Dobromila, the Polish Kamill and Emilia and the Russian Ludmilla. It is also used in Spanish for Emelia.
It is also the Serbian and Bulgari
Nadia has two sources. It can either be the English form of Nadya, which itself is the pet form of Nadezhda and is Russian for "hope" or it can be a variant of Nadiyya which, in Arabic, means "moist, tender, delicate".
Famous bearers inclu
The original form of the English name "Natalie," Natalia is derived from the Italian "natale," meaning "birthday." The term refers specifically to Christ's birthday - the Italian phrase for "merry Christmas" is "buon natale!", literally "good birthday!"
Famous Natashas include actresses Natasha Richardson and Natasha Lyonne, singer Natasha Bedingfield and British newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky.
A Russian and Polish nickname for Anne, Antonia, and names ending with -nina. Also a Swahili name meaning "mother."
In geographical terms, La Niña is a fluctuation in ocean surface temperature, the opposite to El Niño. La Niña is character
Ukrainian form of Xenia.
Olga is the Russian form of the name Helga or comes from the male name, Oleg.
St. Olga was a 10th century saint.
Sonia Gandhi is the Italian-born President of the Indian National Congress. She is the widow of Rajiv Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi. Both Rajiv and Indira Gandhi were Indian Prime Minister.
Sonia O'Sullivan is an Irish athlete.
Sonya is a Russian pet form of Sophia.
From the Greek form of the Hebrew name Shoshanah, traditionally translated as "lily" or occasionally as "rose".
Tamara de Lempicka was a Polish art deco painter. Tamara or Tammy Faye was an American Christian evangelist.
A recently coined variant of Tania.
Tanya is a nickname of Tatyana, which is probably derived from the Latin "Tatianus" or "Tatius," a family name of unknown definition.
In Christianity, several early Eastern saints bore the name Tatiana. "Tatiana" is also the name of a Russian ballet.
Tatyana is probably derived from the Latin "Tatianus" or "Tatius," a family name of unknown definition. Tatiana is used with some regularity in the English-speaking world, though it is not as popular as its variants Tania, Tanya, and Tanja.
Pet form of the Russian name Taisiya.
Taya is mostly used in English-speaking countries as a modern coinage; the feminine form of Tay.
A number of early Christian saints were named Valeria. Valeria is also the name of a character in Shakespeare's "Coriolanus." Many Americans became familiar with this name through the TV show "A Model Life," in which one of the contestants was named Val
A Russian form of Helen.
Zarya (ZAHR yah) is the Russian word for "sunrise."
Zaria or Zoria is the goddess of beauty in Slavic mythology. A once-popular goddess also associated with the morning, Zaria was known to her worshippers as "the heavenly bride." She was gr
In a greater part of the world seen as a Latinate form of Hannah and used on females.
On the Indian subcontinent it is considered masculine and derived from the Sanskrit, meaning 'grain'. There was also a king of East Anglia named Anna.
May come from the name Alexander but the origin is uncertain. It can be used as a pet form of various names including Arlene.
As a Russian male name, Kesha is a pet form of various names, including Vikenti and Innokenti.
As a female American modern coinage, Kesha may be related to such names as Keisha or Lakeisha/Lakesha.
As a female name, Kira is a variant of the name Ciara, from the Gaelic meaning "dark".
As a Japanese male name, Kira may be written with the character for "glitter; gleam; twinkle".
As a Russian name Kira is taken from the fe
A Russian male name now often used for girls in the English-speaking world, perhaps due to its similarity to the female names Niki or Nita. Perhaps the best-known Nikita in the last century was Nikita Khrushchev, an important leader in the USSR's Communi
Russian endearment of Alexander that has crossed over from strictly boy's territory to commonly used for girls.
Both comedian Jerry Seinfeld and President Barack Obama have daughters names Sasha.
Sasha Cohen is an American Olympic fi
Alternate spelling of Valerie.
A Russian male name.