Names That Mean People

Gabisile

A patronymic derived from the Old Germanic name Fulco (variants: Fulk, Fulke, Folke), which is a short form of names starting with the element fulc "people". A more formal option for lovers of red-hot celebrity favorite Fox. Has potential as a crazy <a href="https://nameberry.com/fameberry">celebrity baby name</a>.

Foxon

A jaunty, traditional name in Sweden's Top 100. Famous bearers include actor Svante Thunberg (Greta's father) and the father of physical chemistry Svante August Arrhenius.

The name Svante is short for Svantepolk, the name of a Slavic nobleman who settled in Sweden in the 14th century.

Svante

An ancient Roman name that hasn't found favor in the modern world.

Publia

Common Slovene spelling of Ludmila, also used frequently in the Baltics.

Ljudmila

Leotis effortlessly blends vintage and contemporary style, offering old-fashioned charm and not one, but two old-school cool nicknames: Leo and Otis.
 
Leotis and Leodis — the original form of the name — both debuted on the American charts in 1915, but Leotis would go on to be (slightly) more common. At its peak, Leotis was given to 25 baby boys in 1949. It was, and remains, a predominantly African American name.
 
Leotis Martin was the first-ever North American Boxing Federation heavyweight champion, making Leotis one of many eligible <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/754/black-hero-names">Black hero names</a>.
 
Leotis comes from Leodis, the place name that predated Leeds, Yorkshire. It was derived from the Celtic Lādenses, meaning "people living by the strongly flowing river".

Leotis

Mariska Hargitay honored her Hungarian heritage when she used Miklos as one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle names</a> for her son August in 2006.

Miklos

This rare French name was made a little more familar via French soccer player Ludivine Diguelman, golfer Ludivine Krautz and actress Ludivine Sagnier.

Ludivine

An Ancient Greek name with a huge dose of literary credibility. Laertes was the father of Odysseus in Greek mythology, who therefore pops up in Homer's The Odyssey. Laertes is even more familiar to English speakers as a central character in Shakespeare's Hamlet, the impetuous son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia who ends up (spoiler alert!) killing Hamlet with a poisoned sword. Laertes is almost never used as a baby name today, but we think it has lots of potential. Variant Leart is slightly more popular -- it was given to 6 boys in 2016 -- and some may find it more approachable.

Laertes

An obscure name connected to several saints.

Thalelaeus

Combining the feel of sturdy Benjamin with the contemporary interest in Bellamy and Amias, this classic feeling double-barrelled name is of Hebrew origin. It blends the elements ben meaning "son" with am meaning "people, nation and is used as both a surname and a given name.

Ben-ami

Zippy and unexpected, Nicoby is an unusual choice that blends elements of Nicholas, Jacob, and Coby. It could be seen as a form of the Greek name Nikoboulos, meaning "prevailing in the council", or simply a pet form of Nicholas meaning "people of victory".
 
Alternatively, it blends Nicolas with Jacob (or Jacoby) into a compound name with the joint meaning "people of victory who supplant". There's also the chance however, that it follows the tradition of naming a place after a person who owns it, so Nicoby could mean "Nicolas's farm or settlement".

Nicoby

A sophisticated <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' name</a> for those attracted to Leona, Leonie and Leonore.

Leopoldine

A stripped back and streamlined form of Theodelinda (and Theodolinda), Theolinda combines the elementstheod meaning "people" and lind meaning "soft, tender". This form may feel more approachable than its longer counterpart, working as an intriguing alternative to Theodora or Rosalind.

Theolinda

This elaborate German name was created for the main protagonist in the Middle High German heroic epic "Wolfdietrich" by combining Wolf + Dietrich. A real-life bearer of the name was author Wolfdietrich Schnurre.

Wolfdietrich

A Latvian alternative to Nick or Niko, used as a short form (and a stand-alone name) of Nikolajs or Niklāvs, both Latvian forms of Nicholas. It has been appearing in the Latvian Top 100 since the 90s. 

Niks

A name with strong, distinctive sounds and a pretty feel, Cassima is reminiscent of Cassandra, Cassia, and Cosima. Despite its familiarity, however, it is in fact an invented name, created for a character in the 90s computer game, King's Quest.
 
One possible origin for the name is the Arabic Qasim (also written as Kasim and Cassim) which means "one who divides goods among the people". One of Cassima's first actions in the game is to help the protagonist defeat the villain, despite being a prisoner herself, making this meaning a fitting choice. 
 
Alternatively, it could be inspired by Cosima, an Italian name meaning "world, universe, order", by Casimira, a Slavic name meaning "destroyer of peace", or by Cassandra or Cassia, meaning "to excel, shine" and "cinnamon" respectively. 
 
Wherever it comes from, it sounds like a plausible name rather than a fantastical creation, and may appeal as an alternative route to Cassie, or to someone who loves 90s video games.

Cassima

Nickelle is an unusual feminine form of Nicholas, a name with many variations both male and female around the world.  Nickelle is a twist on the more common Nicole with the feminine -elle ending, as in Michelle.  The addition of the k helps clarify pronunciation.  Unlike the 5 cent coin, the emphasis is on the second syllable.

Nickelle

Derived from the Irish elements tuath meaning "people" and flaith meaning "princess", Tuathlaith is a rare name with a beautiful meaning. It is sometimes adapted into the more familiar Tallula or Tallulah.

Tuathlaith

An appealing mix of Theodora and Belinda, this old Germanic name blends the elements theod meaning "people" and lind meaning "soft, tender". This form is notably borne by Finnish writer and translatior, Theodolinda Hahnsson, known as the first woman to publish and write her works in Finnish.
 
Nicknames could include Thea, Theo Teddy, Lindy, and Dolly!