Alexander m English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Slovak, Biblical, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized) Latinized form of the Greek name
[1] [2] [3] from Greek alexo) meaning "to defend, help" and aner) meaning "man" (genitive [4] [5] . In Greek mythology this was another name of the hero Paris, and it also belongs to several characters in the New Testament [6] . However, the most famous bearer was Alexander the Great, king of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, use of his name spread throughout Europe.... [more] Amaru m Quechua Means
"snake" in Quechua. It was borne by Tupaq Amaru and Tupaq Amaru II, two Inca leaders after the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire (in the 16th and 18th centuries).
Árpád m Hungarian From Hungarian
árpa meaning
"barley". This was the name of a 9th-century Magyar ruler who led his people into Hungary. He is considered a Hungarian national hero.
Batu m Mongolian Means
"strong, firm" in Mongolian. Batu Khan was a 13th-century Mongol leader, the founder of the Golden Horde.
Bello m Fula, Hausa Possibly from Fula
ballo meaning
"helper". This name was borne by Muhammad Bello (1781-1837), the second leader of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Bulcsú m Hungarian Hungarian name of uncertain meaning. This was the name of a 10th-century Hungarian military leader.
Dumnorix m Gaulish [1] Means
"king of the world" from Gaulish
dumnos "world" and
rix "king". This was the name of a 1st-century BC chief of the Gaulish tribe the Aedui.
Emrys m Welsh Welsh form of
Ambrose. Emrys Wledig (or Ambrosius Aurelianus) was a Romano-British military leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. Tales of his life were used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth to help shape the early character of
Merlin, whom he called Merlinus Ambrosius in Latin.
Genghis m History From the title
Genghis (or
Chinggis)
Khan, meaning "universal ruler", which was adopted by the Mongol Empire founder
Temujin in the late 12th century. Remembered both for his military brilliance and his brutality towards civilians, he went on to conquer huge areas of Asia and Eastern Europe.
Géza m Hungarian From
Gyeücsa, possibly derived from a diminutive form of the Hungarian noble title
gyevü or
gyeü, itself from Turkic
jabgu. This was the name of a 10th-century leader of the Hungarians, the father of the first king
István.
Gian-nah-tah m Apache Means
"always ready" in Apache
[1] . This was the name of a 19th-century chief of the Mescalero Apache.
Godwine m Anglo-Saxon [1] [2] Means
"friend of god", derived from Old English
god combined with
wine "friend"
[3] [4] . This was the name of the powerful 11th-century Earl of Wessex, the father of King Harold II of England.
Goyaałé m Apache Means
"one who yawns" in Chiricahua Apache. This was the real name of the Apache leader
Geronimo (1829-1909), who fought against Mexican and American expansion into his territory.
Hengist m Anglo-Saxon Mythology Means
"stallion" in Old English or Old Saxon. According to medieval histories (recorded by Bede in the 8th century), Hengist and his brother
Horsa were the leaders of the first Saxon settlers in Britain. Hengist established a kingdom in Kent in the 5th century.
Herla m Anglo-Saxon Mythology Meaning uncertain, though connections to various Germanic words have been proposed. According to the 12th-century author Walter Map, who was likely expanding on older Germanic tales, Herla was a king of the Britons who became the leader of the Wild Hunt.
Hiawatha m History, Iroquois (Anglicized) Meaning uncertain, of Iroquois origin, possibly meaning
"he who combs". This was the name of a Mohawk or Onondaga leader who founded the Iroquois Confederacy around the 15th century. He was later the subject of a fictionalized 1855 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Hideyoshi m Japanese From Japanese
秀 (hide) meaning "excellent, outstanding" combined with
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable" or
吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck". Other kanji combinations are possible. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Hideyoshi
秀吉 being his given name) was a 16th-century daimyo who unified Japan and attempted to conquer Korea. He also banned the ownership of weapons by the peasantry, and banished Christian missionaries.
Hokolesqua m Shawnee Means
"cornstalk" in Shawnee. This was the name of an 18th-century Shawnee chief.
Isapo-Muxika m Siksika From Siksika
Issapóómahksika meaning
"big Crow foot", from
Issapó "Crow (tribe)",
ómahk "big" and
ika "foot". This was the name of a Blackfoot chief, known as Crowfoot (1830-1890).
Kaneonuskatew m Cree (Anglicized) Means
"he who walks on four claws" in Cree, derived from
ᓀᐅᐧ (newo) "four" and the root
ᐊᐢᑲᓯᕀ (askasiy) "claw". This was the name of a 19th-century Plains Cree chief in Saskatchewan, also known as George Gordon.
Kenyatta m & f African American From a surname used by the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978). He adopted the surname in his youth, supposedly from a type of ornamental belt worn by the Maasai people.
Kublai m History From the Mongolian name
Khubilai, of unknown meaning. Kublai Khan was a 13th-century grandson of
Genghis Khan (being the son of his son Tolui), and the fifth ruler of the Mongol Empire. He is also considered the first ruler of the Chinese Yuan dynasty.
Lautaro m Mapuche (Hispanicized), Spanish (Latin American) Hispanicized form of Mapuche
Lef-Traru meaning
"swift hawk", derived from
lef "swift" and
traru "hawk". This name was borne by a 16th-century Mapuche military leader who fought against the Spanish conquistadors in Chile.
Lysimachus m Ancient Greek (Latinized) Latinized form of the Greek name
λύσις (lysis) meaning "a release, loosening" and
mache) meaning "battle"
[1] [2] . This was the name of one of the generals under Alexander the Great. After Alexander's death Lysimachus took control of Thrace.
Massinissa m Ancient Berber (Latinized), Berber Latinized form of Berber
Masensen meaning
"their lord" [1] . This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Berber chieftain. He became the first king of Numidia after allying himself with the Roman Republic against Carthage.
Mekaisto m Siksika From Siksika
Mí'kiai'stoowa meaning
"red crow", from
mi'ki "red" and
mai'stóó "crow". Red Crow (1830-1900) was a chief of the Kainai Blackfoot.
Mihai m Romanian Romanian form of
Michael. Mihai the Brave was a prince of Wallachia who united Romania in the early 17th century.
Mislav m Croatian Derived from the Slavic element
myslĭ "thought" or
mojĭ "my" combined with
slava "glory"
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . This was the name of a 9th-century duke of Croatia, also called Mojslav. His name was recorded in Latin as
Muisclavo.
Mistawasis m Cree (Anglicized) Means
"big child" in Cree, derived from
ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃ (mistahi) "big, great" and
ᐊᐋᐧᓯᐢ (awâsis) "child". This was the name of a prominent 19th-century Cree chief.
Mupitsukupʉ m Comanche Means
"old owl" in Comanche, derived from
mupitsi "owl" and
tsukupʉ "old man"
[1] . This name was borne by a 19th-century chief of the Penateka Comanche.
Njáll m Old Norse [1] , Icelandic Old Norse form of
Niall (see
Neil). This is the name of the hero of a 13th century Icelandic saga, based on the life of a 10th-century Icelandic chieftain.
Nonhelema f Shawnee Possibly means
"not a man" in Shawnee. This was the name of an 18th-century Shawnee chief, the sister of
Hokolesqua.
Odoacer m Gothic (Latinized) [1] From the Gothic name *
Audawakrs meaning
"wealthy and vigilant", derived from the elements
auds "wealth" and
wakrs "vigilant"
[2] [3] . Odoacer, sometimes called Odovacar, was a 5th-century Gothic leader who overthrew the last Western Roman emperor and became the first barbarian king of Italy.
Onangwatgo m Oneida (Anglicized) Means
"big medicine" in Oneida, from
onúhkwaht "medicine" and the suffix
-koó "big, great". This was the name of a chief of the Oneida people, also named Cornelius Hill (1834-1907).
Orontes m Old Persian (Hellenized) Greek form of the unattested Old Persian name *
Arvanta, possibly meaning
"swift, quick" or
"possessing wealth". This name was borne by Achaemenid Persian satraps of Armenia, and later rulers of the Kingdom of Armenia, all from the dynasty known as the Orontids. The name is spelled
Patricius m Ancient Roman [1]
Original Latin form of Patrick. Philibert m French, Germanic [1] Early variant of
Filibert altered by association with Greek
philos) meaning "friend, lover". A famous bearer was Philibert de l'Orme (1510-1570), a French Renaissance architect.
Pitikwahanapiwiyin m Cree (Anglicized) From Cree
ᐲᐦᑐᑲᐦᐊᓇᐱᐏᔨᐣ (Pîhtokahanapiwiyin) meaning
"sits at the buffalo pound", derived from
ᐲᐦᑐᑲᐦᐋᐣ (pîhtokahân) "buffalo pound, buffalo corral" and
ᐊᐱᐤ (apiw) "sit". This was the name of a Plains Cree chief, also known as Poundmaker (1842-1886).
Rajaram m Hindi, Marathi Means
"king Rama", from Sanskrit
rāja) meaning "king" combined with the name
Rama 1. This name was borne by a 17th-century ruler of the Maratha Empire.
Rareș m Romanian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Romanian
rar meaning
"sparse, rare". This name was borne by Petru Rareș, a 16th-century ruler of Moldavia, whose second name was adopted from a nickname of his mother's husband.
Selçuk m Turkish Possibly derived from a diminutive form of the Turkic root
sil meaning
"clean, pure". Selçuk was the eponymous leader of the Seljuk Turks, who established the Seljuk Empire in the Middle East in the 11th century.
Skenandoa m Oneida (Anglicized) Possibly from Oneida
oskanutú meaning
"deer". This was the name of an 18th-century Oneida chief. According to some sources the Shenandoah River in Virginia was named after him, though the river seems to have borne this name from before his birth. It is possible that he was named after the river, or that the similarity in spellings is a coincidence.
Suharto m Javanese From Sanskrit
su) meaning "good" and
artha) meaning "wealth, property" (borrowed into Indonesian as
harta). This was the name of an Indonesian general (1921-2008) who seized power to become the country's second president.
Tadhg m Irish, Irish Mythology From Old Irish
Tadg meaning
"poet" [1] . This was the name of an 11th-century king of Connacht, as well as several other kings and chieftains of medieval Ireland. According to Irish mythology it was the name of the grandfather of
Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Tasunka m Sioux (Anglicized) From Lakota
Tȟašuŋke meaning
"his horse", derived from
šuŋg "horse". This forms the first part of the name of Tasunka Witko (1840-1877), translated as Crazy Horse, a Lakota war leader.
Tecumseh m Shawnee Means
"passing across" in Shawnee, possibly referencing a meteor that appeared around the birth of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh (1768-1813), who resisted American expansion along with his brother the spiritual leader
Tenskwatawa.
Temujin m History Means
"of iron" in Mongolian, derived ultimately from the Turkic word
temür "iron". This was the original name of the Mongolian leader better known by the title
Genghis Khan. Born in the 12th century, he managed to unite the tribes of Mongolia and then conquer huge areas of Asia and Eastern Europe.
Tessouat m Algonquin Meaning unknown. This was the name of several 17th-century Algonquin chiefs.
Tʉhʉyakwahipʉ m Comanche Means
"horse back" in Comanche, derived from
tʉhʉya "horse" and
kwahi "back (body part)"
[1] . This was the name of a 19th-century chief of the Nokoni Comanche.
Vercingetorix m Gaulish Means
"king over warriors" from Gaulish
wer "on, over" combined with
kingeto "marching men, warriors" and
rix "king". This name was borne by a 1st-century BC chieftain of the Gaulish tribe the Arverni. He led the resistance against Julius Caesar's attempts to conquer Gaul, but he was eventually defeated, brought to Rome, and executed.
Viriato m Portuguese From the Latin name
Viriathus or
Viriatus, which was possibly derived from
viriae "bracelets" (of Celtic origin). Viriathus was a leader of the Lusitani (a tribe of Portugal) who rebelled against Roman rule in the 2nd century BC.
Vratislav m Czech, Slovak Derived from the Slavic elements
vortiti (Czech
vrátit) meaning "to return" and
slava meaning "glory"
[1] [2] . This was the name of two dukes of Bohemia (the second later a king).
Widukind m Germanic [1] Old Saxon name composed of the elements
widu "wood" and
kind "child"
[2] [3] [4] . This was the name of an 8th-century Saxon leader who fought against the Franks, in the end unsuccessfully.