Updated May 2023
Across 5 pages
of 5
Word or occupational name
"outlaw, thief"
We hesitate to call Bandit an occupational name, any more than Rogue or Vandal are occupational names, yet its use by one of the bandmembers of My Chemical Romance (for his daughter: we're thinking…
English
"gray man's ford"
Comes with a monocle.
"axe-wolf"
Shakespeare's classic drunken fool. In fact, this name, carried to Britain by the Normans, was quite popular until it was brought into disrepute by the low-life character who haunts taverns with…
Diminutive of Albert, Bertram etc
Long a royal nickname in England, it's coming back there along with Archie and Alfie. British singer Kate Bush calls her little boy Bertie.
German
"strong; brave as a bear"
Deceptively close to Bernardo, but suaver.
Word name
Not even for Brandy's twin brother.
German surname
"bright strength"
The surname Benz derived from the personal name Berthold and was used as a short form of Bernhard and Benedict as well. A small number of American boys are given Benz as a first name each year,…
Cornish, English
"bold friend"
An English surname and occasional first name deriving from the same root as Baldwin, "bold or brave friend".
English Traveller, Romani
"born during a thunderstorm"
A name given by the Traveller community in England to a child born when it is raining.
French form of Bartholomew
While Barthelemy does not garner much attention these days, it has a storied history in French-speaking countries. Notable bearers include geologist and explorer Barthélemy Faujas de Saint-Fond,…
"string instrument"
When Australian actress Rachel Griffiths chose this highly unusual name for her son, many assumed it was a bizarre invention, but noted Australian poet and writer of Waltzing Matilda , Banjo…
Italian
"vivacity, zest"
Musical term with a lot of energy.
Indonesian
"wind"
Bayou? No, but it sounds the same, and since both the Indonesian name and the English word have appealing nature meanings, this is a perfect choice for the family that wants to bridge cultures.
English, Gaelic
"minstrel, poet"
A literary word name, now synonymous with Shakespeare, Bard also refers more generally to a poet, particularly one who recited epics and traditional poems out loud. Similar in sound to Bernard,…