The Authority for Name Information since 1996

• Aboriginal Names
  The Aboriginal typically refers to the indigenous people to Australia. Aboriginal names are fluid, meaning they could change throughout a person's life, through marriage, partnerships, fostering, or adoption... more
• African Names
  This is a meta-category. The exact country/region is listed on each name detail page. Each country within Africa has distinct naming practices among their different ethnic groups. For example, in Nigeria, the Yoruba culture often chooses names based on a characteristic relative to the moment of birth, such as the day of the week or where it was born... more
• American Names
  Names classified as American were created as part of the American culture. American names can be combination names, such as merging the names of both parents or both female grandmothers, etc... more
• Arabic Names
  Arabic names can be primarily found in both the Middle East, Northern Africa, and the Americas. Many Arabic names are derived from Islam... more
• Armenian Names
  Armenian names are based in the steep history, dating back 3,000 years. Biblical names of various origins, such as Hebrew and Greek, are commonly used with an Armenian twist... more
• Aztec Names
  Aztec names, also referred to as Nahuatl names, are primarily derived from the Nahuatl language, used by the Aztecs/Nahua in Central Mexico. Aztec boy names can have varied meanings, such as those associated to religion, combat, or nature... more
• Cambodian Names
  Cambodian (Khmer) girl names usually refer to beauty, while Cambodian boy names tend to refer to virtues. Most Cambodian baby names refer directly to something beautiful and positive... more
• Chinese Names
  Chinese names usually consist of one or two characters. Unlike Western naming, given names (first names) are written after the surname... more
• Dutch Names
  There is a variety of types of baby names used in Holland, many derived from German or related to Christianity. It is common for Catholics in Holland to use Biblical names and saints' names in Latinized forms... more
• Egyptian Names
  Ancient Egyptians believed that a given name held a lot of power, and therefore took great thought in naming their babies. Many Egyptian names refer to powerful or positive nouns or adjectives, and some were actually statements or phrases like "The Best of the Noble... more
• English Names
  English baby names are some of the more popular names in Western culture. They are derived from the Germanic and Latin languages and often do not have a direct relationship to their meaning... more
• French Names
  Many French names were derived from English or Latin names, and accommodated for the French language. For girls, it is common to use the suffix -ette that means "little" or "young... more
• German Names
  In Germany, many of the given names are Biblical or saints names. Baby name laws in Germany are strict and do not allow you to use last names, objects, or products... more
• Greek Names
  In Ancient Greece, girls were given a version of boys' names, with a feminine ending. Many Greek baby names were derived from gods and some were plain nouns or adjectives... more
• Hawaiian Names
  Hawaiian names can be derived from birth conditions, family lineage, or parents' occupation. Some names were given by a mystical sign to the parents, or come in a dream... more
• Hebrew Names
  Most Hebrew names are derived from characters in the Bible, in which there are over 3,000 given names. Many Hebrew names were based on birth order, nouns, or personal attributes... more
• Hungarian Names
  Most Hungarian names are derivatives of Christan names, although some were based on Latin, Slavic and Germanic names. Like in Eastern cultures, it is common practice to write the surname first, then given name... more
• Italian Names
  Italian names commonly end in -o or -a for boys, and -a for girls, with some names ending in -e. Diminutive names (denoting little or child) can end in -uzzo/-uzza, -ino/-ina, or -etto/etta for boys and girls, respectively... more
• Japanese Names
  Japanese names tend to reflect positive characteristics or the family's background. Japanese children are given a "yômyô " or child's name, six days after birth... more
• Latin Names
  Latin names were derived from ancient Rome. The first name in Rome was called the "Praenomen" and was only used by close friends and family... more
• Maori Names
  The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. A Maori name can depict the child's descendants and family lineage or a powerful noun, like "fire... more
• Mongolian Names
  Mongolian names usually contain a character that will bring good fortune to the child. Current Mongolian names usually consist of two nouns or adjectives... more
• Native American Names
  This is a meta-category. The exact tribe is listed on each name detail page. Native American names can vary, depending on tribe--click through to see actual tribe associated with each baby name. Parents often use names that are descriptive, however in many Native American cultures names are fluid, which means they can change throughout a person's life... more
• Persian Names
  Similar to Asian names, Persian names depict strength, virtue, colors and beauty. A name might mean "New Year" or "Happy Fortune... more
• Polish Names
  Polish names can be of Germanic or Slavic origin, modified for the native Polish language. Many Polish names are related to Christian saints... more
• Portuguese Names
  Portuguese names are derived from Latin names most often, but could also include Greek, Celtic, Arabic, and Germanic influences. Portuguese babies often have two given names, followed by the mother’s paternal family name and then the father’s paternal family name... more
• Romansh Names
  Romansh (or Rumantsch) is the official language of Switzerland and has its roots in Latin. There are many Swiss baby rules including a clear separation of gender--a boy cannot have a girl's name and vice-versa... more
• Russian Names
  Classic Russian names could depict desired characteristics, personality, or physical characteristics. They could also depict birth order... more
• Indian Names
  East Indian names/Sanskrit names were typically derived from Hinduism and Buddhism, many referring to gods, goddesses, or their traits. Sanskrit names can also refer to nature, natural wonders, or colors... more
• Scandinavian Names
  Scandinavia is a region in northern Europe that includes Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and sometimes Iceland and Finland. Many Scandinavian names are derivatives of Christian names or based on Norse mythology... more
• Slavic Names
  Slavic names and languages belong to the Indo-European family. Slavic names usually originate from Russia, Ukraine, and then propagate to Czechoslovakia, Servia, Bosnia and Croatia... more
• Spanish Names
  Spanish babies are often given two given names but are rarely known by just the middle name. Traditionally, Spanish names were based on Biblical or classic Latin/Greek names... more
• Swahili Names
  Swahili is a language spoken in eastern Africa, and is the official language of Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and DR of the Congo. Swahili names are derived from Bantu and Arabic... more
• Thai Names
  Thai names are heavily influenced by Sanskrit (East Indian language) and Portuguese. It is common for Thai parents to consult a monk or astrologer to help choose a baby name that will bring good luck to the child throughout his or her life... more
• Turkish Names
  Turkish names are often words derived from mythology. Babies are often named after grandparents, who also may choose the second name... more
• Vietnamese Names
  Vietnamese names usually have a literal meaning and often depict nature or beauty. It can also depict desired characteristics, specifically for girls, like chastity or modesty... more
• Welsh Names
  Many Welsh baby names are derived from the Celtic language, but adapted to the Welsh language. Many Welsh names depict characters of legend and mythology, although currently many Welsh parents are using names that are common in all of UK... more
• Indonesian Names
  Indonesian names can be a combination of the many cultures of the country, located in southeast Asia. Many Indonesian names are based on Arabic, and some are derived from the Malay people, the dominant ethnic group of the country... more
• Irish Names
  Irish names come from the deep religious history of the Irish people and the Celtic-Gaelic language. A wide variety of Irish names are saints' names... more
• Scottish Names
  Most Scottish names are like Irish names, Gaelic in origin. Some migh be based on Old Norse names, because of the Viking conquests... more
• Korean Names
  Korean given names have traditionally been comprised of a unique name plus a name shared by all people within the baby's generation (siblings and cousins) of the same gender. One given name is not considered more important than the other... more
• Lithuanian Names
  A Lithuanian given name is called a vardas. Lithuanian names follow the rules of the Lithuanian language... more
• Incan Names
  Incan personal names could come from animals, plants, and flowers. We have listed the name elements of Incan names that could create a variety of personal names... more
• Albanian Names
  Traditionally Albanians gave their children religious names, either Christian or Islamic. During Communist rule, however, the government discouraged religious names and there was a trend (actually an order) to give children secular, Illyrian names - names with Albanian meanings... more
• Basque Names
  Basque is a language spoken in the Basque Country, a region in northern Spain and southwestern France along the coast of the Bay of Biscay. Basque names were originally written in Latin form but then they adopted the French and Spanish spellings... more
• Bulgarian Names
  Traditionally Bulgarian names are either Slavic or are derived from the Greek, Latin or Hebrew, reflecting the Christian faith. Bulgarian boy names can end in a variety of letters, such as l, r, n, o, and i, whereas Bulgarian girl names are more likely to end in a and sometimes i... more
• Polynesian Names
  Polynesian names are dependent on the specific island or culture in which they are given. Many people were originally known by only one name, which was descriptive and could change based on the events of that person's life... more
• Haitian Names
  Many given names in Haiti comes from the era when the Haitians were enslaved by the French. The French assigned them Biblical and Classical names, as well as names describing their birth day, month or birth order... more
• Malaysian Names
  Traditional Malay names were taken from one of a number of languages, including Malay, Khmer, Siamese, Javanese and Sanskrit. Arabic and Islamic names were introduced later but did not become the norm until the colonial era... more
• Romanian Names
  In Romania, babies can have one, two, or more given names. The first given name is typically used in everyday life... more
• Estonian Names
  Given names in Estonia are a mix of international names found in most of Europe and names native to the Estonian language. There is also a lot of overlap with Finnish names as Estonian is a Finnic language, and both are a part of the Uralic family... more
• Filipino Names
  Historically, the Tagalog naming system changed with family dynamics. If he was baptized into Christianity, a Tagalog person would take a Spanish "Christian name" but retain their native name as their surname... more
• Aramaic Names
  Aramaic is the original language of the Bible, and of Babylonia and Mesopotamia. The naming traditions are based strongly on religion and God's actions or intentions... more