Names That Mean Man
- Whitman
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"white man"Description:
Whitman, a namesake surname for poet Walt, would be much more suited to a boy, probably because of that "man" part. Whit or Witt makes an uplifting short form which can be used on its own.
- Adrianna
Origin:
Feminine variation of AdrianMeaning:
"man of Adria"Description:
A popular spelling variation of Adriana.
- Neander
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"new man"Description:
Following a custom among scholars in Renaissance Germany, Neander is the classical form of the surname Newman. But the bullies at school are sure to call him Neanderthal.
- Gatlin
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"wandering man"Description:
Gatlin has risen into the Top 1000 in recent years on the strength of its association with the Olympic champion sprinter Justin Galtin as well as the Gatlin Brothers of Nashville fame. The name has the same root as gadabout, thus the meaning related to wandering.
- Jean-luc
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"God is gracious + man from Lucania"Description:
An example of the traditional French/Catholic style of double names starting with Jean: in this case, two Gospel writers. Star Trek, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is from 24th-century France, where the French language is almost extinct, but parents apparently still give their children classic French names.
- Fannie
Origin:
Spelling variation of Fanny, diminutive of FrancesMeaning:
"from France; free man"Description:
It's hard to believe, via a 21st-century sensibility, that Fannie was ever a Top 50 name. But Fannie was even more popular than Fanny in its late 19th-century heyday, and stuck around much longer, staying on the Top 1000 until the 1960s while Fanny fell off in 1940. Today, however, Fannie sounds antiquated at best, and rude at worst.
- Lucah
Origin:
Variation of Luca, ItalianMeaning:
"man from Lucania"Description:
One of many Luca variations making its way up the charts.
- Manfred
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"man of peace"Description:
Hipsters might consider reviving this old German name, though we're not so sure their sons wouldn't have preferred the classic Fred name Frederick. Manfred B. Lee (born Manford) was half of the team of detective story writers who used the pseudonym Ellery Queen; Manfred Mann was a British pop group of the 1960's, with Manfred Mann (born Michael Liebowitz) at the keyboard. There's also a wooly mammoth named Manfred, and nicknamed Manny, in the film Ice Age.
- Freeman
Origin:
Word name or surname name, EnglishMeaning:
"free man"Description:
Another meaningful word name that actually dates back to pre-Emancipation days.
- Keyne
Origin:
Cornish variation of KaneMeaning:
"man of the eastern sky"Description:
This name is unusual enough that the spelling variation won't be too much of a further complication. While the Biblical cognate Cain may be more classic, this removes the name from any negative associations.
- Forsythe
Origin:
English from GaelicMeaning:
"man of peace"Description:
Forsythe is a rare and intriguing surname name, most likely derived from the Old Gaelic name Fearsithe, meaning "man of peace." It may instead come from a bygone place name meaning "fairy meadow" or "fairy mound", from Gaelic fer "grass" or for "hill, mound" plus sithe "fairies."
- Ladd
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"manservant, young man"Description:
Seems like a redundant name for a lad.
- Adrian
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"man from Adria"Description:
Adrian is an ancient gender-neutral name off its peak for girls but increasing in popularity for boys throughout Europe. The most popular female form in the US is Adriana, followed by Adrianna, then the French Adrienne, and finally the unisex Adrian.
- Osmo
Origin:
FinnishMeaning:
"young man"Description:
Cosmo's Finnish cousin.
- Francie
Origin:
Diminutive of Frances, English from LatinMeaning:
"from France; free man"Description:
Francie is one of the most neglected nicknames for Frances, despite having more style value than Franny and Fanny and being more unique than Frankie. We'd love to see it get more use, whether as a Frances short form or as an independent name.
- Franny
Origin:
Latin, diminutive of FrancesMeaning:
"from France or free man"Description:
If Frances and Fran are too serious for you, and Fanny too saucy, you might like Franny, still identified by some with J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey stories.
- Karoline
Origin:
German and Scandinavian variation of Caroline, FrenchMeaning:
"free man"Description:
Karoline is the form of the classic Caroline commonly used in Germany and throughout Scandinavia, where it is popular. It's an acceptable if not tradition spelling variation, given to nearly 100 baby girls in the US last year, versus more than 3000 named Caroline.
- Dre
Origin:
Variation of AndreMeaning:
"man"Description:
Diminutive of Andre. Associated with the rapper Dr. Dre.
- Ultan
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"man from Ulster"Description:
This name of eighteen Irish saints of the past is relatively popular in Ireland, though little known outside it.
- Amadi
Origin:
AfricanMeaning:
"free man"Description:
This name from the Igbo language of Africa, which feels like the more-familiar Arabic Ahmad, might be an original and attractive choice.