All Items

Deacon

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈdiː.kən/ ()

Either from the occupational surname Deacon or directly from the vocabulary word deacon, which refers to a cleric in the Christian church (ultimately from Greek διάκονος (diakonos) meaning "servant").

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Christina

Usage

EnglishGermanSwedishNorwegianDanishDutchGreek

Gender

Feminine

Scripts

Χριστίνα (Greek)

Pronounced

/kɹɪs.ˈtiː.nə/ (English)/kʁɪs.ˈtiː.na/ (German)/krɪs.ˈtiː.na/ (Swedish)/krɪs.ˈti.naː/ (Dutch)

From Christiana, the Latin feminine form of Christian. This was the name of an early, possibly legendary, saint who was tormented by her pagan father. It was also borne by a 17th-century Swedish queen and patron the arts who gave up her crown in order to become a Roman Catholic.

In the English-speaking world the form Christine was more popular for most of the 20th century, though Christina eventually overtook it. Famous bearers include actress Christina Ricci (1980-) and singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).

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Cheyenne

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ʃaɪ.ˈæn/ ()

Derived from the Lakota word šahiyena meaning "red speakers". This is the name of a Native American people of the Great Plains. The name was supposedly given to the Cheyenne by the Lakota because their language was unrelated to their own. As a given name, it has been in use since the 1950s.

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Deforest

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/də.ˈfɔɹ.ɪst/ ()

From a French surname meaning "from the forest". It was originally given in honour of American author John Deforest (1826-1906) [1].

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Cullen

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈkʌl.ən/ ()

From a surname, either Cullen 1 or Cullen 2. It jumped a little in popularity as a given name after Stephenie Meyer's novel Twilight (2005), featuring a vampire named Edward Cullen, was adapted into a movie in 2008.

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Shawnee

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ʃɔ.ˈni/ ()

Means "southern people" in the Algonquin language. The Shawnee were an Algonquin tribe who originally lived in the Ohio valley.

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Harrison

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈhæɹ.ɪ.sən/ ()/ˈhɛɹ.ɪ.sən/ ()

From an English surname that meant "son of Harry". This was the surname of two American presidents, William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) and his grandson Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901). As a given name it reached a low point in America in 1977 before it was revived by the career of actor Harrison Ford (1942-), who starred in such movies as Star Wars in 1977 and Indiana Jones in 1984.

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Philip

Usage

EnglishSwedishNorwegianDanishDutchBiblical

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈfɪl.ɪp/ (English)/ˈfi.lɪp/ (Dutch)

From the Greek name Φίλιππος (Philippos) meaning "friend of horses", composed of the elements φίλος (philos) meaning "friend, lover" and ἵππος (hippos) meaning "horse". This was the name of five kings of Macedon, including Philip II the father of Alexander the Great. The name appears in the New Testament belonging to two people who are regarded as saints. First, one of the twelve apostles, and second, an early figure in the Christian church known as Philip the Deacon.

This name was initially more common among Eastern Christians, though it came to the West by the Middle Ages. It was borne by six kings of France and five kings of Spain. It was regularly used in England during the Middle Ages, although the Spanish king Philip II, who attempted an invasion of England, helped make it less common by the 17th century. It was revived in the English-speaking world in the 19th century. Famous bearers include the Elizabethan courtier and poet Philip Sidney (1554-1586) and the American science fiction novelist Philip K. Dick (1928-1982).

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Jackson

Usage

EnglishPortuguese (Brazilian)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈd͡ʒæk.sən/ (English)

From the English surname Jackson meaning "son of Jack". Famous bearers of the surname were American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and American musician Michael Jackson (1958-2009).

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Lyall

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

From a Scottish surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name Liulfr (which was derived in part from úlfr "wolf").

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Merlin

Usage

Arthurian CycleEnglish

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈmɜɹ.lɪn/ (American English)/ˈmɜː.lɪn/ (British English)

Form of the Welsh name Myrddin used by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 12th-century chronicle. Writing in Latin, he likely chose the form Merlinus over Merdinus in order to prevent associations with French merde "excrement".

Geoffrey based parts of Merlin's character on Myrddin Wyllt, a legendary madman and prophet who lived in the Caledonian Forest. Other parts of his life were based on that of the historical 5th-century Romano-British military leader Ambrosius Aurelianus (also known as Emrys Wledig). In Geoffrey's version of the tales and later embellishments Merlin is a magician and counselor for King Arthur.

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Mason

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈmeɪ.sən/ ()

From an English surname (or vocabulary word) meaning "stoneworker", derived from an Old French word of Frankish origin (akin to Old English macian "to make"). In the United States this name began to increase in popularity in the 1980s, likely because of its fashionable sound. It jumped in popularity after 2009 when Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick gave it to their son, as featured on their reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2010. It peaked as the second most popular name for boys in 2011.

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Brittany

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈbɹɪt.ə.ni/ ()/ˈbɹɪt.ni/ ()

From the name of the region of Brittany in the northwest of France, called in French Bretagne. It was named for the Britons who settled there after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the invasions of the Anglo-Saxons.

As a given name, it first came into common use in America in the early 1970s, reaching the third ranked spot for girls by 1989. This was an extraordinary increase over only two decades, though it has since fallen almost as dramatically as it climbed.

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Harlow

Usage

English

Gender

FeminineMasculine

Pronounced

/ˈhɑɹ.loʊ/ (American English)/ˈhɑː.ləʊ/ (British English)

From an English surname derived from a place name, itself derived from Old English hær "rock, heap of stones" or here "army", combined with hlaw "hill". As a name for girls, it received some attention in 2008 when the American celebrity Nicole Richie used it for her daughter.

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Bridger

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈbɹɪd͡ʒ.əɹ/ (American English)/ˈbɹɪd͡ʒ.ə/ (British English)

From an English surname that originally indicated a person who lived near or worked on a bridge.

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Vale

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈveɪl/ ()

From the English word meaning "wide river valley".

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Charmaine

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ʃɑɹ.ˈmeɪn/ (American English)/ʃɑː.ˈmeɪn/ (British English)

Meaning unknown, perhaps a combination of Charmian or the English word charm with the aine suffix from Lorraine. It was (first?) used for a character in the play What Price Glory (1924), which was made into a popular movie in 1926.

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Mariabella

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Combination of Maria and Bella.

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Remington

Usage

English

Gender

MasculineFeminine

Pronounced

/ˈɹɛm.ɪŋ.tən/ ()

From an English surname that was derived from the name of the town of Rimington in Lancashire, itself meaning "settlement on the Riming stream". It may be given in honour of the American manufacturer Eliphalet Remington (1793-1861) or his sons, founders of the firearms company that bears their name.

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Alethea

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˌæl.ə.ˈθi.ə/ ()/ə.ˈli.θi.ə/ ()

Derived from Greek ἀλήθεια (aletheia) meaning "truth". This name was coined in the 16th century.

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Dawn

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈdɔn/ ()

From the English word dawn, ultimately derived from Old English dagung.

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Ridley

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

MasculineFeminine

Pronounced

/ˈɹɪd.li/ ()

From an English surname that was originally derived from various place names meaning either "reed clearing" or "stripped clearing" in Old English.

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Virgil

Usage

EnglishRomanian

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈvɜɹ.d͡ʒɪl/ (American English)/ˈvɜː.d͡ʒɪl/ (British English)

From the Roman family name Vergilius, which is of unknown meaning. This name was borne by the 1st-century BC Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro, commonly called Virgil, who was the writer of the Aeneid. Due to him, Virgil has been in use as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.

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Celinda

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/sə.ˈlɪn.də/ ()

Probably a blend of Celia and Linda. This is also the Spanish name for a variety of shrub with white flowers, known as sweet mock-orange in English (species Philadelphus coronarius).

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Satchel

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈsæt͡ʃ.əl/ ()

From an English surname derived from Old English sacc meaning "sack, bag", referring to a person who was a bag maker. A famous bearer was the American baseball player Satchel Paige (1906-1982). In his case it was a childhood nickname acquired because he sold bags.

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Wisteria

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/wɪs.ˈtɛɹ.i.ə/ ()/wɪs.ˈtiɹ.i.ə/ ()

From the name of the flowering plant, which was named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar.

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Delano

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈdɛl.ə.noʊ/ ()

From a surname, recorded as de la Noye in French, indicating that the bearer was from a place called La Noue (ultimately Gaulish meaning "wetland, swamp"). It has been used in honour of American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), whose middle name came from his mother's maiden name.

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Godwin

Usage

English (African)

Gender

Masculine

From an English surname, itself derived from the Old English name Godwine. As a given name, Godwin is most common in English-speaking Africa.

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June

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈd͡ʒuːn/ ()

From the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.

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Kyson

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈkaɪ.sən/ ()

An invented name, using the same sound found in names such as Bryson and Tyson.

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Sacheverell

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/sæ.ˈʃɛv.ə.ɹəl/ ()

From a now extinct English surname that was derived from a Norman place name. It was occasionally given in honour of the English preacher Henry Sacheverell (1674-1724), especially by the Sitwell noble family.

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January

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈd͡ʒæn.ju.ˌɛɹ.i/ ()

From the name of the month, which was named for the Roman god Janus. This name briefly charted on the American top 1000 list for girls after it was borne by the protagonist of Jacqueline Susann's novel Once Is Not Enough (1973).

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Dixon

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈdɪk.sən/ ()

From an English surname meaning "Dick 1's son".

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Malandra

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Invented name using the popular name suffix andra, from names such as Sandra or Alexandra.

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Peregrine

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈpɛɹ.ə.ɡɹɪn/ ()

From the Late Latin name Peregrinus, which meant "traveller". This was the name of several early saints.

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Aubrianna

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ɔ.bɹi.ˈæn.ə/ ()/ɔ.bɹi.ˈɑːn.ə/ ()

Combination of Aubrey and Anna.

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Raeburn

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈɹeɪ.bəɹn/ (American English)/ˈɹeɪ.bən/ (British English)

From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "stream where deer drink" (from Scots rae "roe deer" and burn "stream"). A famous bearer of the surname was Scottish portrait painter Henry Raeburn (1756-1823).

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Willow

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈwɪl.oʊ/ ()

From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.

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Favour

Usage

English (African)

Gender

MasculineFeminine

Pronounced

/ˈfeɪ.vəɹ/ ()

From the English word favour, ultimately from Latin faveo "to favour". This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

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Cooper

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈkup.əɹ/ (American English)/ˈkuːp.ə/ (British English)

From a surname meaning "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.

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Tiger

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈtaɪ.ɡəɹ/ (American English)/ˈtaɪ.ɡə/ (British English)

From the name of the large striped cat, derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek τίγρις (tigris), ultimately of Iranian origin. A famous bearer is American golfer Tiger Woods (1975-).

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Wiley

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈwaɪ.li/ ()

From a surname that was derived from various English place names: towns named Willey or the River Wylye.

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Lawson

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈlɔ.sən/ ()

From an English surname meaning "son of Laurence 1".

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Permelia

Usage

English (Archaic)

Gender

Feminine

Meaning unknown, possibly an early American alteration of Pamela.

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Kip

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈkɪp/ ()

From a nickname, probably from the English word kipper meaning "male salmon".

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Sable

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈseɪ.bəl/ ()

From the English word meaning "black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.

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Candida

Usage

Late RomanEnglish

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈkæn.dɪ.də/ (English)

Late Latin name derived from candidus meaning "white". This was the name of several early saints, including a woman supposedly healed by Saint Peter. As an English name, it came into use after George Bernard Shaw's play Candida (1898).

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Oneida

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/oʊ.ˈnaɪ.də/ ()

From the name of a Native American tribe, perhaps meaning "standing rock".

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Jaylee

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈd͡ʒeɪ.li/ ()

An invented name, using the popular phonetic elements jay and lee, and sharing a sound with other popular names such as Kaylee and Bailey.

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Prosper

Usage

FrenchEnglish

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/pʁɔs.pɛʁ/ (French)/ˈpɹɑs.pəɹ/ (American English)/ˈpɹɒs.pə/ (British English)

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.

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Denton

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈdɛn.tən/ ()

From a surname, originally from a place name, which meant "valley town" in Old English.

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Emerald

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈɛm.ə.ɹəld/ ()

From the word for the green precious stone, which is the traditional birthstone of May. The emerald supposedly imparts love to the bearer. The word is ultimately from Greek σμάραγδος (smaragdos).

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Mercy

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈmɜɹ.si/ (American English)/ˈmɜː.si/ (British English)

From the English word mercy, ultimately from Latin merces "wages, reward", a derivative of merx "goods, wares". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century. It is currently most common in English-speaking Africa.

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Sawyer

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

MasculineFeminine

Pronounced

/ˈsɔɪ.əɹ/ (American English)/ˈsɔɪ.ə/ (British English)

From an English surname meaning "sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Very rare as an American given name before 1980, it increased in popularity in the 1980s and 90s. It got a boost in 2004 after the debut of the television series Lost, which featured a character by this name.

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Odin

Usage

Norse MythologyEnglish (Modern)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈoʊ.dɪn/ (English)

Anglicized form of Old Norse Óðinn, which was derived from óðr meaning "frenzied, furious, inspired". 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.

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Edmund

Usage

EnglishGermanPolish

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈɛd.mənd/ (English)/ˈɛt.mʊnt/ (German)/ˈɛd.munt/ (Polish)

Means "rich protection", from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and mund "protection". This was the name of two Anglo-Saxon kings of England. It was also borne by two saints, including a 9th-century king of East Anglia who, according to tradition, was shot to death with arrows after refusing to divide his Christian kingdom with an invading pagan Danish leader. This Old English name remained in use after the Norman Conquest (even being used by King Henry III for one of his sons), though it became less common after the 15th century.

Famous bearers of the name include the English poet Edmund Spenser (1552-1599), the German-Czech philosopher Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) and New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), the first person to climb Mount Everest.

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Benjamin

Usage

EnglishFrenchGermanDutchDanishSwedishNorwegianFinnishSloveneCroatianBiblical

Gender

Masculine

Scripts

בִּנְיָמִין (Ancient Hebrew)

Pronounced

/ˈbɛn.d͡ʒə.mɪn/ (English)/bɛ̃.ʒa.mɛ̃/ (French)/ˈbɛn.ja.miːn/ (German)/ˈbɛn.jaː.ˌmɪn/ (Dutch)

From the Hebrew name בִּנְיָמִין (Binyamin) meaning "son of the south" or "son of the right hand", from the roots בֵּן (ben) meaning "son" and יָמִין (yamin) meaning "right hand, south". Benjamin in the Old Testament was the twelfth and youngest son of Jacob and the founder of one of the southern tribes of the Hebrews. He was originally named בֶּן־אוֹנִי (Ben-ʾoni) meaning "son of my sorrow" by his mother Rachel, who died shortly after childbirth, but it was later changed by his father (see Genesis 35:18).

As an English name, Benjamin came into general use after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), an American statesman, inventor, scientist and philosopher.

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Ford

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈfɔɹd/ (American English)/ˈfɔːd/ (British English)

From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "ford" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947).

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Amber

Usage

EnglishDutch

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈæm.bəɹ/ (American English)/ˈæm.bə/ (British English)/ˈɑm.bər/ (Dutch)

From the English word amber that denotes either the gemstone, which is formed from fossil resin, or the orange-yellow colour. The word ultimately derives from Arabic عنبر (ʿanbar) meaning "ambergris". It began to be used as a given name in the late 19th century, but it only became popular after the release of Kathleen Winsor's novel Forever Amber (1944).

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Leopold

Usage

GermanDutchEnglishCzechSlovakSlovenePolish

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈleː.o.pɔlt/ (German)/ˈleː.oː.pɔlt/ (Dutch)/ˈli.ə.ˌpoʊld/ (English)/ˈlɛ.o.polt/ (Czech)/ˈlɛ.ɔ.pɔld/ (Slovak)/lɛ.ˈɔ.pɔlt/ (Polish)

Derived from the Old German elements liut "people" and bald "bold, brave". The spelling was altered due to association with Latin leo "lion". This name was common among German royalty, first with the Babenbergs and then the Habsburgs. Saint Leopold was a 12th-century Babenberg margrave of Austria, who is now considered the patron of that country. It was also borne by two Habsburg Holy Roman emperors, as well as three kings of Belgium. Since the 19th century this name has been occasionally used in England, originally in honour of Queen Victoria's uncle, a king of Belgium, after whom she named one of her sons. It was later used by James Joyce for the main character, Leopold Bloom, in his novel Ulysses (1922).

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Cherokee

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

FeminineMasculine

Pronounced

/ˈt͡ʃɛɹ.ə.kiː/ ()

Probably derived from the Creek word tciloki meaning "people of a different speech". This is the name of a Native American people who live in the east of North America.

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Glory

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈɡlɔɹ.i/ ()

Simply from the English word glory, ultimately from Latin gloria.

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Raylene

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ɹeɪ.ˈlin/ ()

Combination of Rae and the popular name suffix lene.

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Seymour

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈsi.mɔɹ/ (American English)/ˈsiː.mɔː/ (British English)

From a Norman surname that originally belonged to a person coming from the French town of Saint Maur (which means "Saint Maurus").

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Meriwether

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈmɛɹ.ɪ.wɛð.əɹ/ (American English)/ˈmɛɹ.ɪ.wɛð.ə/ (British English)

From a surname meaning "happy weather" in Middle English, originally belonging to a cheery person. A notable bearer of the name was Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809), who, with William Clark, explored the west of North America.

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Montague

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈmɑn.tə.ˌɡju/ (American English)/ˈmɒn.tə.ˌɡjuː/ (British English)

From an aristocratic English surname meaning "sharp mountain", from Old French mont agu. In Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet (1596) this is the surname of Romeo and his family.

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Wendy

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈwɛn.di/ ()

In the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element gwen meaning "white, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.

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Lynx

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈlɪŋks/ ()

From the name of a type of wild cat (four different species in the genus Lynx). Its name is derived from Greek λύγξ (lynx), possibly related to λευκός (leukos) meaning "bright, white", because of its eyes that seem to glow in the dark.

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Fenton

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈfɛn.tən/ ()

From a surname that was originally taken from a place name meaning "marsh town" in Old English.

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Emberly

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈɛm.bəɹ.li/ (American English)/ˈɛm.bə.li/ (British English)

Elaboration of Ember, influenced by the spelling of Kimberly.

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December

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/dɪ.ˈsɛm.bəɹ/ (American English)/dɪ.ˈsɛm.bə/ (British English)

From the name of the twelfth month, originally the tenth month in the Roman calendar, derived from decem meaning "ten". It is sometimes used as a given name for someone born in December.

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Branson

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈbɹæn.sən/ ()

From an English surname that meant "son of Brandr".

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Chadwick

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈt͡ʃæd.wɪk/ ()

From a surname that was derived from the name of towns in England, meaning "settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.

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Dylan

Usage

WelshEnglishWelsh Mythology

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈdəl.an/ (Welsh)/ˈdɪl.ən/ (English)

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.

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Bevan

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

From a Welsh surname that was derived from ap Evan meaning "son of Evan". As a given name, it is particularly common in New Zealand and Australia.

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Charisma

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/kə.ˈɹɪz.mə/ ()

From the English word meaning "personal magnetism", ultimately derived from Greek χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness".

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Ravenna

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ɹə.ˈvɛn.ə/ ()

Either an elaboration of Raven, or else from the name of the city of Ravenna in Italy.

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Anselm

Usage

GermanEnglish (Rare)Germanic[1]

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈan.zɛlm/ (German)/ˈæn.sɛlm/ (English)

Derived from the Old German elements ansi "god" and helm "helmet, protection". This name was brought to England in the late 11th century by Saint Anselm, who was born in northern Italy. He was archbishop of Canterbury and a Doctor of the Church.

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Ivah

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Scripts

עִוָּה (Ancient Hebrew)

Possibly from the name of the city of Ivah in the Old Testament.

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Unique

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ju.ˈniːk/ ()

From the English word unique, ultimately derived from Latin unicus.

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Lefty

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈlɛf.ti/ ()

From a nickname, in most cases given to a left-handed person.

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Thurstan

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈθɜɹ.stən/ (American English)/ˈθɜː.stən/ (British English)

From an English surname that was derived from the Norse name Þórsteinn (see Torsten).

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Saranna

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/sə.ˈɹæn.ə/ ()

Combination of Sarah and Anna, in occasional use since the 18th century.

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Alger

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈæl.d͡ʒəɹ/ (American English)/ˈæl.d͡ʒə/ (British English)

From a surname that was derived from the given name Algar.

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Bethel

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Scripts

בֵּית־אֵל (Ancient Hebrew)

Pronounced

/ˈbɛθ.əl/ ()

From an Old Testament place name meaning "house of God" in Hebrew. This was a town north of Jerusalem, where Jacob saw his vision of the stairway. It is occasionally used as a given name.

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Delroy

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈdɛl.ˌɹɔɪ/ ()

Possibly an alteration of Leroy.

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Holland

Usage

English

Gender

FeminineMasculine

Pronounced

/ˈhɑl.ənd/ (American English)/ˈhɒl.ənd/ (British English)

From the place name Holland 1 or the related surname.

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Chauncey

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈt͡ʃɔn.si/ ()

From a Norman surname of unknown meaning. It was used as a given name in America in honour of Harvard president Charles Chauncey (1592-1672).

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Edgar

Usage

EnglishFrenchPortugueseGerman

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈɛd.ɡəɹ/ (American English)/ˈɛd.ɡə/ (British English)/ɛd.ɡaʁ/ (French)

Derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and gar "spear". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, Edgar the Peaceful. The name did not survive long after the Norman Conquest, but it was revived in the 18th century, in part due to a character by this name in Walter Scott's novel The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), which tells of the tragic love between Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton [1]. Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).

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Crawford

Usage

English

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈkɹɔ.fəɹd/ (American English)/ˈkɹɔː.fəd/ (British English)

From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "crow ford" in Old English.

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Heaven

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈhɛv.ən/ ()

From the English vocabulary word meaning "paradise". It is derived via Middle English hevene from Old English heofon "sky".

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Jaylynn

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈd͡ʒeɪ.lɪn/ ()

An invented name, a combination of the popular phonetic elements jay and lyn.

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Sunshine

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈsʌn.ʃaɪn/ ()

From the English word, ultimately from Old English sunne "sun" and scinan "shine".

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Royal

Usage

English

Gender

MasculineFeminine

Pronounced

/ˈɹɔɪ.əl/ ()/ˈɹɔɪl/ ()

From the English word royal, derived (via Old French) from Latin regalis, a derivative of rex "king". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century.

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Cassidy

Usage

English (Modern)

Gender

FeminineMasculine

Pronounced

/ˈkæs.ɪ.di/ ()

From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Caiside), which is derived from the byname Caiside. Very rare as a given name before the 1970s, it established itself in the 80s and then surged in popularity during the 90s.

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Jolene

Usage

English

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/d͡ʒoʊ.ˈlin/ ()

Formed from Jo and the common name suffix lene. This name was created in the early 20th century. It received a boost in popularity after the release of Dolly Parton's 1973 song Jolene.

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Carver

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈkɑɹ.vəɹ/ (American English)/ˈkɑː.və/ (British English)

From an English surname that meant "wood carver".

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Drummond

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Masculine

Pronounced

/ˈdɹʌm.ənd/ ()

From a Scottish surname that was derived from various place names, themselves derived from Gaelic druim meaning "ridge".

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Jennica

Usage

English (Rare)

Gender

Feminine

Pronounced

/ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɪ.kə/ ()

Combination of Jennifer and Jessica.

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