Names Categorized "literature"

Hiawatha (HY-ə-WOTH-ə, also US: -WAW-thə; Onondaga: Haiëñ'wa'tha [hajẽʔwaʔtha]), also known as Ayenwatha or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and cofounder of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy....

Hildebrand is a masculine given name of German and Germanic origin. It derives from the Old German elements hilt 'battle' and brant 'fire, torch, sword', giving it the meaning "battle sword". The name is most famously bo...

Holden is a masculine given name of English origin, derived from a surname that originated as a place name meaning "deep valley" in Old English, from hol (deep) and denu (valley). The name gained prominence through liter...

Holly is a given name derived from the English word for the holly tree, a genus of evergreen plants with distinctive spiny leaves and red berries. The name originates from the Old English word holen, which refers to the...

Hortensius is the masculine form of Hortensia, a Roman family name (nomen) derived from Latin hortus meaning "garden." The name belongs to a class of Roman gentilic names that often described agricultural or domestic ass...

Houshang (also romanized as Hushang) is a Persian masculine given name with deep roots in ancient Iranian mythology and literature. It derives from the Avestan name Haoshyangha, which is composed of the element hu meanin...

Hroðgar is an Old English masculine name composed of the elements hroð meaning "fame, glory" and gar meaning "spear", making it a cognate of Hrodger, from which the modern name Roger ultimately derives. The name fell out...

Huck is an English diminutive, primarily known as a short form of Huckleberry. It gained widespread recognition through Mark Twain's iconic character Huckleberry 'Huck' Finn, the adventurous and free-spirited protagonist...

Huckleberry is a masculine first name taken directly from the common name of a variety of shrubs in the genus Vaccinium and Gaylussacia, as well as the edible berries they produce. The word "huckleberry" itself derives f...

Ichabod is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin that appears in the Old Testament. The name means "no glory" in Hebrew, derived from the roots ʾi ("not") and kavaḏ ("to be glorious"). In the Bible, Ichabod is the son...

Ida is a feminine given name of ancient Germanic origin, derived from the element id, meaning "work, labour" (from Proto-Germanic *idiz). This etymology conveys a sense of industriousness and prosperity, aligning with th...

Idalia is a feminine given name with multiple origins and cultural associations. In the Germanic context, it is likely derived from the element idal, an extended form of id, possibly meaning "work, labour" [1]. This Germ...

Igraine is a figure from Arthurian legend, best known as the mother of King Arthur by Uther Pendragon. The meaning of her name is uncertain, but it originates from the Latinized form Igerna, which itself comes from the W...

Ilpo is a Finnish masculine given name created by author Juhani Aho for a character in his 1897 novel Panu. Aho is said to have derived Ilpo from Ilpotar, an epithet of Louhi, the death goddess in Finnish mythology who a...

Ilya is a masculine given name of Belarusian and Russian origin, functioning as the East Slavic form of Elijah. The name derives from the Hebrew Eliyahu, meaning “my God is Yahweh,” and came into Slavic languages via Byz...

Imogen is a female given name of English origin, chiefly used in the United Kingdom and Australia. The name originates from Shakespeare's Cymbeline (1609), where Imogen is the virtuous daughter of King Cymbeline. Shakesp...

Imola is a Hungarian feminine name created by the renowned Hungarian author Mór Jókai for a character in his 1883 novel Bálványosvár. The name is derived from the Hungarian word for centaury, knapweed, or starthistle, wh...

India is a feminine given name derived directly from the name of the country of India. The country's name originates from the Indus River, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit सिन्धु (Sindhu), meaning "body of trembling...

Iracema is a feminine name of Tupi origin, famously created by Brazilian writer José de Alencar for his 1865 novel Iracema - A Lenda do Ceará. The name means "honey lips" in Tupi, derived from the words eíra "honey" and...

Isabella is a feminine given name of Italian origin, the Latinate form of Isabel (from which the French Isabelle also derives), which itself is a variant of Elisabeth, ultimately from the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning “G...

Isagani is a Tagalog masculine given name. It is thought to derive from the Filipino phrase masaganang ani, meaning “bountiful harvest.” The name may also be interpreted as “isa” (one) combined with other elements, thoug...

Isolde is the German form of Iseult, best known through the 13th-century German poem Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg and Richard Wagner's 1865 opera Tristan und Isolde. Wagner also named his first daughter Isolde. Th...

Jacob is a classic male given name of Hebrew origin, derived from the Hebrew name Yaʿaqov (יַעֲקֹב). The name was adopted into Greek as Iakob (Ἰακώβ) and later into Latin as Iacob. In the Old Testament, Jacob is a centra...

Jade is a feminine given name in English and French, derived from the name of the precious stone. The stone's name itself comes from the Spanish phrase piedra de la ijada, meaning "stone of the flank," based on the ancie...

Jadis is the proper name of the White Witch, the primary antagonist in C. S. Lewis's series The Chronicles of Narnia, first appearing in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950). The origin of the name is debated: Lew...

Etymology and HistoryJaime is a variant of Jamie, which originated as a Lowland Scots diminutive of James. James itself comes from the Late Latin Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin Iacobus, which is derived from th...

Jane is a feminine given name of English origin. It is the medieval English form of Jehanne, the Old French feminine form of Iohannes, which ultimately derives from Yahweh and the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "Yahweh is...

Janice is a modern feminine given name, first used by American author Paul Leicester Ford for the heroine of his 1899 novel Janice Meredith. It is an elaborated form of Jane, which itself is the medieval English feminine...

Etymology and HistoryJanuary is a feminine given name derived directly from the name of the first month of the Gregorian calendar, January. The month itself was named after the ancient Roman god Janus, the deity of gatew...

Jared is a masculine given name of Biblical derivation. In the Old Testament, Jared (Hebrew: יֶרֶד, Yereḏ) is the sixth-generation descendant of Adam, the father of Enoch, and an ancestor of Noah. The name is traditional...

Jay is a short and simple masculine name of English origin. It began as a nickname or short form for various names beginning with the sound J, most notably James and Jason. Over time, Jay has become established as a stan...

Jeb is a masculine given name or nickname primarily used in English-speaking countries. It is most commonly encountered as a diminutive of Jacob, a name of Hebrew origin meaning "holder of the heel" or "supplanter," as d...

Jem is an English diminutive of Jeremy (and formerly of James). As a short form, it originated in medieval England, where nicknames and pet forms were commonly created by shortening longer names. Over time, Jem became es...

Jerusha is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin, derived from the Hebrew word yeresha (יְרֵשָׁה), meaning 'possession' or 'inheritance'. In the Old Testament, Jerusha (also spelled Yerusha in Biblical Hebrew) is mentio...

Jesse is a male given name of Hebrew origin, best known from the biblical figure who was the father of King David. It derives from the Hebrew name Yishai (יִשַׁי), which comes through the Greek form Iessai (Ἰεσσαί) and t...

Jillian is a feminine given name that arose as a spelling variant of Gillian. Like Gillian, Jillian ultimately derives from the Roman name Iulianus, a family name of the gens Iulia (the Julian clan). This Roman root also...

Jim is a common English masculine given name, primarily serving as a medieval diminutive of James. While historically a nickname, Jim has become an independent name in its own right, particularly in English-speaking coun...

Jody is a unisex given name of Diminutive origin, derived from Josephine, Joseph, Joanna, and other names beginning with Jo. It gained prominence as a feminine name but has also been used for males, often as a short form...

Joe is an English masculine given name, typically used as a short form of Joseph. Joseph itself derives from the Hebrew name Yosef, meaning "he will add," which appears in the biblical story of Joseph, son of Jacob and R...

John is a very common male name in the English language, ultimately of Hebrew origin. It is the English form of Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name Ἰωάννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (...

Jolánka is a Hungarian feminine given name, originally a literary invention by the Hungarian writer András Dugonics. He created it for the main character in his novel Jólánka, Etelkának Leánya (1803). Dugonics may have b...

Jolyon is a male given name of English origin, representing a medieval spelling variant of Julian. The name Julian itself derives from the Roman family name Iulianus, which in turn comes from Julius—the gens of the famou...

Jonathan is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin, derived from Yehonaṯan (יְהוֹנָתָן), meaning "Yahweh has given." The name appears in the Old Testament as the eldest son of King Saul and a close friend of David. Acco...

Jorah is a masculine given name with Biblical Hebrew origins, famously brought into modern popular culture by George R. R. Martin for a character in his fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire and the television adaptation...

Josephine is the English, German, and Dutch form of the French name Joséphine. This female name is ultimately derived from the Hebrew name יוֹסֵף (Yosef), meaning "he will add" (from the root יָסַף (yasaf)). The name Jos...

Josie is a given name predominantly used in English-speaking countries, commonly a diminutive of Josephine. It can also stand alone as an independent name. The name gained popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries, often...

Judy is a diminutive of Judith, most commonly used as a given name in English-speaking countries. The root name Judith derives from the Hebrew name Yehuḏiṯ, meaning "Jewish woman" or "woman from Judah," and ultimately st...

EtymologyJulia is a feminine given name, ultimately derived from the Roman family name Julius. The name likely has Latin origins, possibly connected to the word iulus meaning 'downy-bearded' or 'youthful', or related to...

Juliet is an Anglicized form of Giulietta or Juliette, the Italian diminutive of Giulia, itself from Julius. This particular spelling was immortalized by William Shakespeare for the heroine of his tragedy Romeo and Julie...

Justine is a feminine given name commonly used in English and French. It is the French form of Justina, which itself derives from the Latin masculine name Iustinus. The root lies in Justus, a Latin word meaning just or f...

Juta is the Estonian and Latvian form of Jutta, a name ultimately derived from Judith. The name Judith comes from the Hebrew Yehudit, meaning "Jewish woman," referring to a person from the tribe of Judah. In the Old Test...

Kaguya is a Japanese name of literary origin, best known from the classic folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. The name is composed of the kanji characters 赫 and 映, meaning respectively "bright" and "reflect", so th...

Kamal 2 is a modern masculine given name prevalent across the Indian subcontinent, used in Bengali, Nepali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu. It represents a masculine form of the...

Kane is an Irish given name that originated as a surname before being adopted as a first name in English-speaking regions. It is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Catháin, which descends from the Old Irish given...

Kaspar is a German and Estonian form of Jasper. The name derives from Latin Gaspar, which likely comes from the Biblical Hebrew word גִּזְבָּר (gizbar) meaning "treasurer", ultimately from Old Persian ganzabarah with the...

Kate is a feminine given name predominantly used in Croatian and English. It is a short form of Katherine (and its variant Katherina), often used independently as a standalone name. In English, it has been used since the...

Katniss is a name inspired by the English word for a variety of aquatic plants in the genus Sagittaria, commonly known as arrowhead, duck potato, or swamp potato. The plant is native to the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Af...

Kavita is a feminine given name used primarily in India, particularly among Hindi and Marathi speakers. Derived from Sanskrit कविता (kavitā), the name literally means "poem" in English. The root kavitā is a noun form rel...

Kavitha is a South Indian feminine given name, written as ಕವಿತ in Kannada, கவித in Tamil, and కవిత in Telugu. It is a regional variant of Kavita, a name derived from Sanskrit kavitā (कविता), meaning "poem" or "poetry." T...

Kenneth is a masculine given name of Gaelic origin, widely used in English, Scottish, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish contexts. The name is an Anglicized form of two distinct Gaelic personal names: Coinneach (modern Scott...