Names by origin

Names from Old and Modern English, including nature words, virtue names and names that started as place names or surnames.

Gaelic names from Ireland. Many have spellings that differ a lot from how they are said, so we include pronunciations.

Names from the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, from Gaelic, Scots and the names of clans and places.

Names from the Welsh language (Cymraeg), including names from medieval poetry and the Mabinogion.

Names from the French-speaking world, often gentle forms of Latin and Germanic names.

Germanic names, many built from old words for nobility, battle, protection and fame.

Italian names, many coming from Latin, saints' names and the Renaissance.

Names from Spain and Latin America, including Basque names and names honoring the Virgin Mary.

Old Norse and modern Scandinavian names from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland.

Names from Russian, Polish, Czech, Serbian and other Slavic languages, often built from words like mir (peace) and slav (glory).

Ancient and modern Greek names from mythology, philosophy and the early Church.

Names from Latin, the language of Rome, many from virtues, nature and Roman family names.

Hebrew names, many from the Bible, that are now used in almost every culture on Earth.

Names from Aramaic, the everyday language of much of the ancient Near East.

Arabic names used across the Muslim world and by Arabic-speaking Christians, often built on qualities like beauty, nobility and faith.

Names from Persian (Farsi), from the Shahnameh epic, from Zoroastrian tradition and from nature and poetry.

Modern and Old Turkic names, often from nature, the sky and heroic qualities.

Japanese names. The meaning depends on the kanji a family chooses, so we give a common reading.

Chinese given names. The meaning depends on the characters chosen, so we give a common reading.

Korean names, both Sino-Korean names (where the hanja chosen set the meaning) and native Korean words.

Vietnamese given names, often chosen for beauty, virtue or elements of nature.

Names from Tagalog and other languages of the Philippines, from pre-colonial words for nature and virtues.

Yoruba names from Nigeria, Benin and Togo. They often tell the story of the family or the child's birth.

Igbo names from south-eastern Nigeria, many of which honor Chi or Chukwu (God).

Akan names from Ghana, including day names that record the day of the week a child was born.

Swahili names from the East African coast, from Kenya and Tanzania.

Names from the Nguni languages of Southern Africa, often expressing a family's hopes or feelings when a child is born.

Amharic and Ethiopian names, including Ethiopian Orthodox names from biblical tradition.

Hawaiian names ('ōlelo Hawai'i), inspired by the sea, the sky, flowers and the land.

Names from te reo Māori, the language of the Māori people of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Names from Nahuatl, the Aztec language that is still spoken in Mexico today.