Andrew m English, Biblical English form of the Greek name
ἀνδρεῖος (andreios) meaning
"manly, masculine", a derivative of
aner) meaning "man"
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] . In the New Testament the apostle Andrew, the first disciple to join
Jesus, is the brother of
Simon Peter. According to tradition, he later preached in the Black Sea region, with some legends saying he was crucified on an X-shaped cross.
Andrew, being a Greek name, was probably only a nickname or a translation of his real Hebrew name, which is not known.
... [more] Ashley f & m English From the English surname
Ashley, which was originally derived from place names meaning
"ash tree clearing", from a combination of Old English
æsc and
leah [1] [2] [3] .
... [more] Austin m English Medieval contracted form of
Augustine 1. Modern use of the name is probably also partly inspired by the common surname
Austin, which is of the same origin. This is also the name of a city in Texas.
Brandon m English From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"hill covered with broom", from Old English
brom "broom plant" and
dun "hill"
[1] [2] [3] .
... [more] Briana f English Feminine form of
Brian. It appears in Edmund Spenser's epic poem
The Faerie Queene (1590). The name was not commonly used until the 1970s, when it rapidly became popular in the United States.
Brittany f English 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.
... [more] Cassidy f & m English (Modern) 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.
Chelsea f English From the name of a district in London, originally meaning
"landing place for chalk or limestone", derived from Old English
cealc "chalk, limestone, plaster" and
hyð "port, landing place"
[1] [2] .
... [more] Cody m English 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).
Corey m English From an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name
Kóri, of unknown meaning. This name became popular in the 1960s due to the character Corey Baker on the television series
Julia [1] .
Courtney f & m English From the aristocratic English surname
Courtney, which was derived either from the French place name
Courtenay (originally a derivative of the personal name
Curtenus, itself derived from Latin
curtus "short") or else from a Norman nickname meaning "short nose".
... [more] Dalton m English From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was John Dalton (1766-1844), the English chemist and physicist who theorized about the existence of atoms.
Deja f African American (Modern) Means
"already" from the French phrase
déjà vu meaning "already seen". It received a popularity boost in 1995 when a character named Deja appeared in the movie
Higher Learning.
Dillon m English Variant of
Dylan based on the spelling of the surname
Dillon, which has an unrelated origin.
Dylan m Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology From the Welsh prefix
dy meaning "to, toward" and
llanw meaning "tide, flow"
[1] [2] [3] . According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [4] , 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.
... [more] Emily f English English feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emil)
[1] [2] [3] . It was used by Chaucer in the form
Emelye in his 14th-century story
The Knight's Tale (one of
The Canterbury Tales). In the English-speaking world it was not common until after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century; the princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was commonly known as
Emily in English, even though
Amelia is an unrelated name
[2] .
... [more] Haley f English (Modern) Variant of
Hayley. This spelling gained some popularity in the United States in 1977, possibly due to the author Alex Haley, whose book
Roots was adapted into a popular miniseries that year. This was the most common American spelling from then to 2001, when it was eclipsed by
Hailey .
Jacob m English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Jewish, Biblical From the Latin
Iacob, which was from the Greek
יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿaqov). In the Old Testament Jacob (later called
Israel) is the son of
Isaac and
Rebecca and the father of the twelve founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. He was born holding his twin brother
Esau's heel, and his name is explained as meaning
"holder of the heel" or
"supplanter" [1] [2] , because he twice deprived his brother of his rights as the firstborn son (see
Genesis 27:36). Other theories claim that it is in fact derived from a hypothetical name like
יַעֲקֹבְאֵל (Yaʿaqovʾel) meaning
"may God protect" [3] .
... [more] James m English, Biblical, Dutch (Modern) English form of the Late Latin name
Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form
Iacobus, from the Hebrew name
Yaʿaqov (see
Jacob)
[1] [2] [3] . This was the name of two apostles in the New Testament. The first was Saint James the Greater, the apostle
John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of
Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of
Jesus.
... [more] Jared m English, Biblical From the Hebrew name
יָרֶד (Yareḏ) or
יֶרֶד (Yereḏ) meaning
"descent" [1] [2] . This is the name of a close descendant of
Adam in the Old Testament. It has been used as an English name since the Protestant Reformation, and it was popularized in the 1960s by the character Jarrod Barkley on the television series
The Big Valley [3] .
Jessica f English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish This name was first used in this form by William Shakespeare in his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of
Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name
Iscah, which was also spelled
Jescha or
Jischa in some of the available translations in his time
[1] [2] [3] .
... [more] Jordan m & f English, French, Macedonian, Serbian 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" [1] [2] . 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.
... [more] Joshua m English, Biblical From the Hebrew name
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshuaʿ) meaning
"Yahweh is salvation", from the roots
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save"
[1] [2] [3] [4] . As told in the Old Testament, Joshua was a companion of
Moses. He went up Mount Sinai with Moses when he received the Ten Commandments from God, and later he was one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan. After Moses died Joshua succeeded him as leader of the Israelites and he led the conquest of Canaan. His original name was
Hoshea .
... [more] Kayla f English Combination of the popular phonetic elements
kay and
la . Use of the name greatly increased after 1982 when the character Kayla Brady began appearing on the American soap opera
Days of Our Lives [1] .
Kelsey f & m English From an English surname that is derived from town names in Lincolnshire. It may mean "Cenel's island", from the Old English name
Cenel "fierce" in combination with
eg "island".
Kyle m English From a Scottish surname that was derived from various place names, themselves from Gaelic
caol meaning
"narrows, channel, strait". As a given name it was rare in the first half of the 20th century. It rose steadily in popularity throughout the English-speaking world, entering the top 50 in most places by the 1990s. It has since declined in all regions.
Lauren f & m English Variant or feminine form of
Laurence 1. Originally a masculine name, it was first popularized as a feminine name by actress Betty Jean Perske (1924-2014), who used Lauren Bacall as her stage name.
Matthew m English, Biblical English form of
Mattithiah [1] [2] [3] . Matthew, probably also called Levi, was one of the twelve apostles. He was a tax collector, and supposedly the author of the first gospel in the New Testament. He is considered a saint in many Christian traditions. The variant Matthias also occurs in the New Testament belonging to a separate apostle.... [more] Megan f Welsh, English Welsh diminutive of
Margaret, usually used independently
[1] . In the English-speaking world outside of Wales it has only been regularly used since the middle of the 20th century.
Rachel f English, Hebrew, French, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Hebrew [1] From the Hebrew name
רָחֵל (Raḥel) meaning
"ewe" [1] [2] . In the Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of
Jacob. Her father
Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister
Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid
Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of
Joseph and
Benjamin.
... [more] Samantha f English, Italian, Dutch Perhaps intended to be a feminine form of
Samuel, using the name suffix
antha (possibly inspired by Greek
anthos) meaning "flower")
[1] . It originated in America in the 18th century but was fairly uncommon until 1964, when it was popularized by the main character on the television show
Bewitched [2] .
Sierra f English (Modern) Means
"mountain range" in Spanish, referring specifically to a mountain range with jagged peaks.
Taylor m & f English From an English surname that originally denoted someone who was a tailor, from Norman French
tailleur, ultimately from Latin
talio "to cut"
[1] .
... [more] Tyler m English From the English surname
Tyler meaning
"tiler of roofs" [1] [2] , derived from Old English
tigele "tile". The surname was borne by American president John Tyler (1790-1862).