By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 255 pages
of 255
Word name, Biblical
"the origin and formation of something; The First Book in The Bible"
Though Genesis is a Top 100 girls' name in the US, it's by all rights a unisex choice. Derived from Greek, it means "birth" or "origin", making it a word name and a Biblical name, Genesis also shares…
Italian place-name
Roreto is a handsome Italian place-name that is reminiscent of and might be shortened to the Irish Rory.
Latin
"light-bearer"
Lucifer is the name of the archangel cast into hell and while theologians disagree on whether he and Satan are separate beings, it long been on the list of forbidden names for religious and…
Irish
"red-haired"
One of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland, St. Ruadan was a follower of St. Finian and founded an abbey in Tipperary. Other versions include Ruadhain or Ruadhan.
"brown-haired warrior"
Virtually unknown in this country, Donnacha is currently in the Top 100 in Ireland. According to legend, Donnacha was a High King of Ireland until his death in 1064. The English version Donaga…
Greek mythological name
Though the name of his great tragic love Thisbe remains in modern use, that of her paramour Pyramus, a young Babylonian, has all but disappeared. Chaucer includes the tale of their misbegotten love…
"from the city of Sparta"
Spartacus is the famous name of an ancient Roman slave -- and star of his own eponymous TV series! -- who led a slave revolt and became a renowned gladiator, only to die in the ring. Not considered…
Hebrew
"God is good"
Tuvia is the Hebrew cognate of Tobias or Tobiah, found in the Bible and used in this form in Israel. The film "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" included a character named Tuvia, who was female,…
Greek
"thorny; or, innocent, not evil"
Acacius is a Latinized form of the Ancient Greek Akakios and can be interpreted to relate to the same root as the name Acacia, for the thorn bush, or Akakios which means "not evil." With the modern…
"light of Jehovah"
Neriah is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah as the father of Baruch and Seraiah ben Neriah. According to the Talmud, Neriah and his sons are all prophets. The name is traditionally…
Scottish
"son of Arthur"
The Mc and Mac surnames are asserting themselves as first names and this is among the most usable. MacArthur or McArthur makes a perfect honorific for an ancestral Arthur and leads directly to the…
Irish surname
"from England"
The fashion for using surnames as firsts has extended beyond the familiar Morgan and Parker to choices such as Cohen and O'Brien to -- why not? -- this quintessentially Irish name with the friendly o…
Variation of Caius, Latin
"rejoice"
Kaius is a K-ization of the Latin Caius, the name of an ancient poet, introduced by style maven Rachel Zoe. More recently, it was used by Derek Jeter for his son. The draw of Kaius over Caius is the…
Welsh variation of Oisin, Irish
"little deer"
Osian is the easier-to-comprehend version of the ancient Irish Oisin, an important name in mythology. Osian or Oisin was a warrior poet. Osian is popular in modern Wales and England. While Oisin is…
Adria as a masculine name derives from the Latin 'Hadrianus,' meaning 'from Hadria,' an ancient city that gave its name to the Adriatic Sea. While more commonly used as a feminine name in many…
"cat-like"
This Late Roman name is little-used in modern times, though the feminine forms Feline and Felina are popular in Europe. While some relate it to the happy-go-lucky Felix, it actually has a cat-like…
"Indian dye"
Indigo is one of the most appealing and evocative of the new generation of color names. Color names have joined flower and jewel names -- in a big way -- and Indigo, a deep blue-purple dye from…
Hawaiian
"the heavens"
This name is one of the hot new spiritual names for both sexes. In Hawaiian it means "chieftain of the sky" or "spirit of the sky,"and is extremely popular for boys.
Native American tribal name
Cherokee is the name of a Native American tribe, the largest in the United States stretching from North Carolina through Oklahoma. The meaning of the word Cherokee is uncertain: It may be Choctaw for…
Roman family name
Arrius appears in the fourteenth century writings of Geoffrey Chaucer, but this name is even older. Arrius was a Roman general, and he appears briefly in Starz original series Spartacus . With names…
