Name meanings
Philip
Origin Meaning
Greek lover of horses
Traits: The name Philip has several different images: a dashing military man; a stuck-up prince; a wealthy businessman; or a brainy introvert.
Famous people with this name: the biblical disciple Philip; Britain's Prince Phillip; several French and Spanish kings named Philip; detective Philip Marlowe; novelist Philip (Goodbye, Columbus) Roth
PHILIP
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Biblical
Pronounced: FIL-ip (English), FEE-lip (Dutch)
From the Greek name Φιλιππος (Philippos) which means "friend of horses", composed of the elements φιλος (philos) "friend" and ‘ιππος (hippos) "horse". Saint Philip was an apostle in the New Testament. This was also the name of an early figure in the Christian church spoken of in Acts in the New Testament. The name was borne by five kings of Spain, six kings of France, and five kings of Macedon, including Philip II the father of Alexander the Great.
Sebastian
Origin Meaning
Latin venerated, majestic
Traits: People picture Sebastian as a big, highly intelligent man who is polite and trustworthy.
Famous people with this name: St. Sebastian, third-century martyr; actor Sebastian (Family Affair) Cabot; English runner Sebastian Coe; Sebastian in Shakespeare's plays Twelfth Night, The Tempest; Sebastian (Brideshead Revisited) Flyte
EBASTIAN
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Polish, Finnish, Romanian
Pronounced: se-BAS-chen (English), se-BAS-tee-an (English), ze-BAHS-tee-ahn (German), se-BAHS-tyahn (Polish) [key]
From the Roman name Sebastianus which meant "from Sebaste" in Latin. Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, its name deriving from Greek σεβαστος (sebastos) "venerable" (a translation of Latin Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors). Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Roman soldier martyred by arrows after it was discovered he was a Christian. This was also the name of a king of Portugal who died in a crusade against Morocco.
Brian
Origin Meaning
Irish Gaelic strength, virtue
Traits: Most people think of Brian as an Irish he-man who is smart, athletic, and sociable. Some, though, think Brian is a drab mama's boy.
Famous people with this name: Irish King Brian Boru; actors Brian (Family Affair) Keith, Brian (Cocoon) Dennehy; movies Monty Python's Life of Brian, Brian's Song; football's Brian Piccolo; director Brian (Carlito's Way) De Palma; Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
BRIAN
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: BRIE-an
The meaning of this name is not known for certain but it is possibly related to the Old Celtic element bre meaning "hill", or by extension "high, noble". Brian Boru was an Irish king who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. He was victorious in the Battle of Clontarf, but he himself was slain.
Mavis
Origin Meaning
French thrush
Traits: Most people describe Mavis as a tall, heavyset, middle-aged black woman who is nice but boring. Some, though, say Mavis is a wealthy, bossy old maid.
Famous people with this name: novelist Mavis Gallant
MAVIS
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-vis
From the name of the type of bird, also called the song thrush, ultimately derived from Old French. In the spring it migrates to Scotland where it is said to be the harbinger of spring.
Melody
Origin Meaning
Greek melody
Traits: People expect Melody to be a tall, thin white woman with long hair who spends a lot of time on her studies.
Famous people with this name: author Melody Beattie; actress Melody (Neverending Story III) Kay; Prince's song "Melody Cool"; Emily Dickinson's Bolts of Melody
MELODY
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEL-ah-dee
Means simply "melody" from the English word, which derives (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek μελος (melos) "song" combined with αειδω (aeido) "to sing"
Anna
Traits: Most people think of Anna as a big, old-fashioned woman who is quiet and sweet but also strong and determined--a perfect combination for a pioneer.
Famous people with this name: Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina; Russia's Empress Anna Ivanovna; dancer Anna Pavlova; children's story writer Anna (Black Beauty) Sewell; opera singer Anna Moffo; movie character Anna (The King and I) Leonowens
ANNA
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Finnish, Estonian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Icelandic, Catalan, Breton, Biblical
Other Scripts: Αννα (Greek), Анна (Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: AN-a (English), AHN-nah (Italian, Dutch, Polish), AH-nah (German)
Latinate form of HANNAH. It appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized Jesus as the Messiah
From the Hebrew name חַנָּה (Channah) which meant "favour" or "grace". Hannah was the mother of Samuel the prophet in the Old Testament. The Latin version of this name is Anna.
Tara
Origin Meaning
Irish Gaelic rocky pinnacle
Traits: Tara is described a petite, beautiful, brunette southern belle who is quiet, elegant, and earthy.
Famous people with this name: actress Tara (Sirens) Fitzgerald; Tara, the O'Hara plantation in Gone with the Wind; the mythological Tara, home of ancient Irish kings
TARA (1)
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TAHR-a, TER-a Anglicized form of the Irish place name Teamhair, which possibly means "elevated place" in Gaelic. This was the name of the sacred hill near Dublin where the Irish high kings resided. Tara was also used as the name of the O'Hara plantation in the novel and movie 'Gone with the Wind'.
TARA (2)
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indian, Hindu Mythology
Means "star" in Sanskrit. In Hindu and Buddhist mythology Tara was an astral goddess, the wife of Brihaspati.
Last names:
Philip Daniels
(origin: Heb.) Daniel signifies, the judgment of God, the s added, being a contraction of son--the son of Daniel.
English, North German, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): patronymic from the personal name Daniel.
Bastian Graves
1. English: patronymic from Grave - English: occupational name from Middle English greyve ‘steward’, from Old Norse greifi or Low German greve
2. French: topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of gravelly soil, from Old French grave ‘gravel’ (of Celtic origin)
Brian Small
1. English: nickname for a person of slender build or diminutive stature, from Middle English smal ‘thin’, ‘narrow’.
2. Translation of equivalents in other European languages, such as German Klein and Schmal, French Petit.
Origin Meaning
Greek lover of horses
Traits: The name Philip has several different images: a dashing military man; a stuck-up prince; a wealthy businessman; or a brainy introvert.
Famous people with this name: the biblical disciple Philip; Britain's Prince Phillip; several French and Spanish kings named Philip; detective Philip Marlowe; novelist Philip (Goodbye, Columbus) Roth
PHILIP
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Biblical
Pronounced: FIL-ip (English), FEE-lip (Dutch)
From the Greek name Φιλιππος (Philippos) which means "friend of horses", composed of the elements φιλος (philos) "friend" and ‘ιππος (hippos) "horse". Saint Philip was an apostle in the New Testament. This was also the name of an early figure in the Christian church spoken of in Acts in the New Testament. The name was borne by five kings of Spain, six kings of France, and five kings of Macedon, including Philip II the father of Alexander the Great.
Sebastian
Origin Meaning
Latin venerated, majestic
Traits: People picture Sebastian as a big, highly intelligent man who is polite and trustworthy.
Famous people with this name: St. Sebastian, third-century martyr; actor Sebastian (Family Affair) Cabot; English runner Sebastian Coe; Sebastian in Shakespeare's plays Twelfth Night, The Tempest; Sebastian (Brideshead Revisited) Flyte
EBASTIAN
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Polish, Finnish, Romanian
Pronounced: se-BAS-chen (English), se-BAS-tee-an (English), ze-BAHS-tee-ahn (German), se-BAHS-tyahn (Polish) [key]
From the Roman name Sebastianus which meant "from Sebaste" in Latin. Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, its name deriving from Greek σεβαστος (sebastos) "venerable" (a translation of Latin Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors). Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Roman soldier martyred by arrows after it was discovered he was a Christian. This was also the name of a king of Portugal who died in a crusade against Morocco.
Brian
Origin Meaning
Irish Gaelic strength, virtue
Traits: Most people think of Brian as an Irish he-man who is smart, athletic, and sociable. Some, though, think Brian is a drab mama's boy.
Famous people with this name: Irish King Brian Boru; actors Brian (Family Affair) Keith, Brian (Cocoon) Dennehy; movies Monty Python's Life of Brian, Brian's Song; football's Brian Piccolo; director Brian (Carlito's Way) De Palma; Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
BRIAN
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: BRIE-an
The meaning of this name is not known for certain but it is possibly related to the Old Celtic element bre meaning "hill", or by extension "high, noble". Brian Boru was an Irish king who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. He was victorious in the Battle of Clontarf, but he himself was slain.
Mavis
Origin Meaning
French thrush
Traits: Most people describe Mavis as a tall, heavyset, middle-aged black woman who is nice but boring. Some, though, say Mavis is a wealthy, bossy old maid.
Famous people with this name: novelist Mavis Gallant
MAVIS
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-vis
From the name of the type of bird, also called the song thrush, ultimately derived from Old French. In the spring it migrates to Scotland where it is said to be the harbinger of spring.
Melody
Origin Meaning
Greek melody
Traits: People expect Melody to be a tall, thin white woman with long hair who spends a lot of time on her studies.
Famous people with this name: author Melody Beattie; actress Melody (Neverending Story III) Kay; Prince's song "Melody Cool"; Emily Dickinson's Bolts of Melody
MELODY
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEL-ah-dee
Means simply "melody" from the English word, which derives (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek μελος (melos) "song" combined with αειδω (aeido) "to sing"
Anna
Traits: Most people think of Anna as a big, old-fashioned woman who is quiet and sweet but also strong and determined--a perfect combination for a pioneer.
Famous people with this name: Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina; Russia's Empress Anna Ivanovna; dancer Anna Pavlova; children's story writer Anna (Black Beauty) Sewell; opera singer Anna Moffo; movie character Anna (The King and I) Leonowens
ANNA
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Finnish, Estonian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Icelandic, Catalan, Breton, Biblical
Other Scripts: Αννα (Greek), Анна (Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: AN-a (English), AHN-nah (Italian, Dutch, Polish), AH-nah (German)
Latinate form of HANNAH. It appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized Jesus as the Messiah
From the Hebrew name חַנָּה (Channah) which meant "favour" or "grace". Hannah was the mother of Samuel the prophet in the Old Testament. The Latin version of this name is Anna.
Tara
Origin Meaning
Irish Gaelic rocky pinnacle
Traits: Tara is described a petite, beautiful, brunette southern belle who is quiet, elegant, and earthy.
Famous people with this name: actress Tara (Sirens) Fitzgerald; Tara, the O'Hara plantation in Gone with the Wind; the mythological Tara, home of ancient Irish kings
TARA (1)
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TAHR-a, TER-a Anglicized form of the Irish place name Teamhair, which possibly means "elevated place" in Gaelic. This was the name of the sacred hill near Dublin where the Irish high kings resided. Tara was also used as the name of the O'Hara plantation in the novel and movie 'Gone with the Wind'.
TARA (2)
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indian, Hindu Mythology
Means "star" in Sanskrit. In Hindu and Buddhist mythology Tara was an astral goddess, the wife of Brihaspati.
Last names:
Philip Daniels
(origin: Heb.) Daniel signifies, the judgment of God, the s added, being a contraction of son--the son of Daniel.
English, North German, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): patronymic from the personal name Daniel.
Bastian Graves
1. English: patronymic from Grave - English: occupational name from Middle English greyve ‘steward’, from Old Norse greifi or Low German greve
2. French: topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of gravelly soil, from Old French grave ‘gravel’ (of Celtic origin)
Brian Small
1. English: nickname for a person of slender build or diminutive stature, from Middle English smal ‘thin’, ‘narrow’.
2. Translation of equivalents in other European languages, such as German Klein and Schmal, French Petit.