Names Categorized "rare English"

Morley is an English given name derived from a surname, which in turn originates from various place names in the United Kingdom. The place name combines the Old English elements mor, meaning “marsh,” and lēah, meaning “c...

Munro is a masculine given name derived from the Scottish surname Monroe, which itself originated as a variant. The surname Monroe comes from a Scottish toponym meaning "from the mouth of the Roe", where the Roe is a riv...

Munroe is an English given name derived from the Scottish surname Munroe, itself a variant of Monroe. The surname Monroe originates from a Scottish clan name meaning "from the mouth of the Roe" — the Roe being a river in...

Mysie is a variant of the name Maisie, itself a Scottish diminutive of Mairead (the Scottish Gaelic form of Margaret). As a feminine given name, Mysie shares the core meaning of Margaret—“pearl”—through its etymological...

Nakisha is a feminine name primarily used in African American communities. It is a combination of the name prefix na and the name Kisha, a variant of Keisha. Thus, Nakisha belongs to a cluster of modern coinages that eme...

EtymologyNapier is an English male given name derived from a Scottish surname. The surname originated as an occupational name for someone who sold table linen or was responsible for the linen in a great household. It com...

Natille is a modern English variant of Natalie, which itself derives from the Late Latin name Natalia. The name ultimately originates from the Latin phrase natale domini, meaning "Christmas Day" (literally, the day of th...

Neely is a gender-neutral first name derived from a Scottish surname. The surname itself is an Anglicized and reduced form of Gaelic Mac an Fhilidh or McNeilly, meaning "son of the poet".Etymology and Historical ContextT...

Nevil is a variant spelling of the given name and surname Neville. It is predominantly used in English-speaking countries, particularly as a male given name transferred from the surname.EtymologyThe name Neville originat...

Nigella is a feminine given name of English origin, derived as a feminine form of Nigel. The name Nigel itself originates from the medieval Latinized form Nigellus, which was adapted from the Irish name Neil (Irish Niall...

Nikeisha is a modern invented name primarily used in African American communities. It is a variant of Nakeisha, which itself combines the phonetic prefix na with the name Keisha. Keisha likely emerged in the 1960s, possi...

EtymologyNikkole is a feminine given name of English origin. It is a variant spelling of Nicole, which itself is the French feminine form of Nicholas. The root name Nicholas derives from the Greek name Νικόλαος (Nikolaos...

Noelene is a feminine diminutive of Noel, an English form of the French name Noël. The name ultimately derives from the Latin word natalis (meaning "birth"), referring to the birth of Jesus Christ, and thus carries the m...

Nolene is an elaborated form of Nola, most commonly found in South Africa. The name Nola itself has uncertain origins; it may be a feminine form of Noll, a medieval diminutive of Oliver, possibly influenced by the name L...

Nona is a feminine name with two distinct origins. First, it is the feminine form of the rare Roman praenomen Nonus, meaning “ninth” in Latin. Second, Nona saw use in 19th-century England, where it was derived directly f...

Normina is an elaborated form of the name Norma, created by adding the suffix -ina. Norma itself was invented by the Italian librettist Felice Romani for the titular Gaulish priestess in Vincenzo Bellini's opera Norma (1...

Nowell is a masculine English given name derived from the French Noël, meaning "Christmas". As a variant of the surname Noel, Nowell originated as a given name in honor of the Christmas season, particularly for boys born...

Nydia is a given name that first appeared in English literature, created by British author Edward Bulwer-Lytton for a blind flower-seller in his novel The Last Days of Pompeii (1834). Bulwer-Lytton possibly drew the name...

Ocean is a given name derived directly from the English word ocean, referring to the vast body of salt water that covers most of Earth's surface. The word ultimately comes from Greek Ὠκεανός (Okeanos), the name of the gr...

October is an English female given name derived from the name of the tenth month of the year. The month name itself comes from Latin octo meaning "eight", reflecting its original position as the eighth month in the early...

Odetta is a Latinate form of Odette, a name of French origin. Odetta is primarily used in English-speaking countries, though its fame largely stems from the iconic American folk singer Odetta Holmes (1930–2008), who was...

EtymologyOgden is a masculine given name of English origin, derived from a surname that referred to a place name. The place name itself comes from Old English āc ("oak") and denu ("valley"), meaning "oak valley." The nam...

Olyvia is a rare feminine given name in English, a nonstandard spelling of Olivia. The name Olivia was introduced by William Shakespeare in his comedy Twelfth Night (1602), where it is borne by a wealthy countess. Shakes...

Opaline is an elaborated form of Opal, also used as an English and French word meaning "resembling an opal."Etymology and Linguistic BackgroundThe name Opaline derives from the gemstone Opal, which ultimately comes from...

Oralee is a feminine given name that appears to be a modern English variant of Aurélie, the French form of the Latin name Aurelius. The origin of the name can be traced to the Latin aureus, meaning "golden" or "gilded."...

Oralie is a rare feminine given name of English origin, possibly a variant of Aurélie, the French feminine form of the Roman family name Aurelius. The root name Aurelius is derived from Latin aureus meaning "golden, gild...

Orinda is an English female name, most prominent as a pseudonym of the 17th-century English poet Katherine Philips (1631–1664). The name is believed to be an elaborate invention derived from Spanish oro meaning "gold," p...

Ormond is an English masculine given name derived from an Irish surname, itself an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Ruaidh. The root of this name is the Old Irish given name Ruadh, meaning "red," often used as a nickname...

Ormonde is an English masculine given name, derived as a variant of Ormond. The name Ormonde ultimately traces back to an Irish surname, itself an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Ruaidh, meaning 'descendant of Ruadh'....

Orrell is a masculine given name of English origin, derived from a surname that itself originated as a place name. The place name, meaning "ore hill" in Old English, combines the word ora (ore) with hyll (hill). This ety...

Osbert is a traditional male given name of Old English and Germanic origin. It combines the elements os "god" and beorht "bright", thus meaning "divinely bright" or "god-bright". After the Norman Conquest, the local Old...

Osbourne is an English masculine given name, derived from a surname that is a variant of Osborn. The name ultimately traces back to the Old English elements os meaning "god" and beorn meaning "warrior" or "man", giving t...

Osmond is a masculine given name of Old English and Old Norse origin, meaning "god-protection," derived from the elements os "god" and mund "protection." During the Anglo-Saxon period, the native Old English form Ōsmund...

Oswin is an English masculine given name derived from the Old English elements os meaning "god" and wine meaning "friend", thus translating to "God's friend" or "divine friend". The name belonged to Saint Oswin, a 7th-ce...

Ottoline is a feminine given name of German origin, primarily used in English. It is a diminutive of Ottilie, which itself is a German form of Odilia.The root name Odilia is derived from the Old German elements uodil mea...

Pace is an English masculine given name derived from a surname. The surname Pace itself originated from the Middle English word pace, meaning "peace," ultimately from the same root as the modern English word "peace." It...

Paden is a masculine given name of English origin. It ultimately derives from an English surname, which is likely a derivative of the given name Pate, a medieval short form of Patrick. The name Patrick itself comes from...

Paget is a feminine given name of English origin, derived from a French and English surname that means "little page" (see Paige). The surname Paget itself was a diminutive form, originally meaning "little page" or "littl...

Parris is a unisex given name of English origin, derived from a surname that originally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris, itself named after the Gaulish tribe known as the Parisii. As a given name,...

Parry is a given name derived from a Welsh surname, which itself originated as a patronymic from ap Harry, meaning "son of Harry". It follows a common Welsh onomastic tradition where the prefix ap or ab ("son of") combin...

Patton is an English masculine given name derived from a diminutive of the surname Patton, which itself originated as a diminutive of Patrick. Ultimately from the Latin Patricius meaning "nobleman", the name Patrick was...

Pearce is an English given name derived from a surname that was a variant of Pierce. Though primarily used as a surname, it has been adopted as a first name, particularly in English-speaking countries. The meaning of Pea...

Etymology and OriginRadcliff is a masculine given name of English origin, derived from a surname that itself comes from a place name meaning "red cliff" in Old English. The name combines the elements rēad ("red") and cli...

Ravenna is a feminine name with dual origins, deriving either from the name of the raven or from the historic Italian city of Ravenna. As an elaboration of Raven, it carries the symbolic weight of that bird—associated in...

Ridley is a given name derived from an English surname. The surname originated from a number of place names in England, specifically in the counties of Cheshire, Kent, Northumberland, and Essex. The place names themselve...

Rigby is an English surname that has gained occasional use as a first name, primarily for boys. Its origins lie in the Old Norse words hryggr meaning "ridge" and býr meaning "farm" or "settlement," thus referring to a "r...

Ripley is an English unisex given name that originated as a surname derived from place names. The place name Ripley comes from Old English rippel meaning "grove, thicket" and leah meaning "clearing", so the surname refer...

Robinson is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Robinson, which itself originated as a patronymic form of the given name Robin, meaning "son of Robin". Little Robin was a medieval diminutive of Robert...

Romilly is a unisex given name derived from an English surname. The surname itself originates from various Norman towns named Romilly, whose name is ultimately derived from the personal name Romilius. Romilius is a Roman...

Roydon is a masculine given name of English origin, derived from a surname that itself originated from a place name. The place name comes from Old English ryge meaning "rye" and dun meaning "hill," thus signifying "rye h...

Sandford is an English given name derived from a surname. The surname Sandford, in turn, originates from a place name meaning 'sand ford' in Old English, from sand (sand) and ford (a ford used for crossing a river). Thus...

Selby is a unisex given name derived from an English surname, which itself originated as a place name meaning "willow farm" from Old Norse selja (willow) + bȳ (farm or settlement). The name is primarily used in English-s...

Etymology and OriginSheard is a first name derived from an English surname, which itself originated as a place name. The place name is composed of Old English elements meaning "gap between hills," referring to a geograph...

Silver is a modern English name inspired by the precious metal or its characteristic color. The word 'silver' derives from Old English seolfor, which is related to similar terms in Germanic languages. Silver has been pri...

Sinclair is an English unisex given name derived from the Scottish surname Sinclair. The surname itself originates from a Norman French place name, ultimately derived from the Latin Clarus, meaning "clear, bright, famous...

Talbot is a masculine given name of English origin, derived from the English surname Talbot. The surname itself has Norman French roots, brought to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is believed to origi...

Tanzi is a given name that originated as a variant of the flower name Tansy, which itself derives from the name of the plant, through Old French and Late Latin tanacita. As a floral name, Tanzi fits into broader trends o...

Tatton is an English first name derived from a surname, which itself originates from a place name. In Old English, the place name means "Tata's town", combining the personal name Tata (a diminutive of various names) with...

Tennyson is a masculine given name derived from an English surname meaning "son of Tenney", where Tenney is a medieval diminutive of the name Denis. The surname and thus the first name originated in medieval England, eme...

Etymology and OriginsThorburn is a surname of Scottish and English origin, derived from the Old Norse personal name Þórbjǫrn, meaning "Thor's bear." This name is a compound of the name of the Norse god Thor (Old Norse Þó...