Meinolf

Posted on October 24, 2025 by Sebastiane

Origin: German
Meaning: “powerful wolf.”
Gender: Male
(MY-nulf)

The name is from the Old German, magin, magen (powerful) and wulf (wolf).

The name was borne by a 9th-century saint, a godson of Charlemagne, who according to legend found his monastery on the spot where he saw a stag appear with a cross between its antlers.

It is also a German surname, in which case, it is a patronymic derived from the given-name.

The designated name-day is October 5th.

Usage

The name is used in Dutch-speaking countries, German-speaking countries and Nordic countries, though nowadays, it is rather old fashioned.

German Diminutives

Meino

International Variations

Melf (Frisian)
Meinolph (German, alternate spelling)
Meinolphus (Latin)
Maganulf, Maginulf, Meginulf (Old German)
Magnulf (Old Norse)

Sources

S.L. Uckelman. “Meinulf”. In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Meinulf.
https://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/Meinolf
https://www.vorname.com/name,Meinolf.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meinolf

Theodard, Diethard

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Sebastiane

Bergportaal van Sint-Servaasbasiliek te Maastricht by rijksmuseum is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

Theodard is a Germanic male name which is composed of the elements, diota (people, tribe) and hart (brave, hard, hardy).

The name was borne by St. Theodard of Maastricht, a 7th-century bishop who was robbed and murdered in Speyer, Germany while on his way to save his church from the confiscation of King Childeric, II. His feast-day is September 10.

Another saint with this name is St. Theodard of Narbonne, a 9th-century archbishop.

Diethard is also the name of a municipality in Germany.

Other forms include:

Tjaart (Afrikaans)
Teodard (Catalan, Polish)
Tjeerd (Dutch, Frisian)
Dodart (English)
Audard, Odard (French)
Théodard (French)
Dieuwert (Frisian)
Tjaard (Frisian)
Dethard, Diethard (German)
Dietwart, Thiethard (Old German)
Teodardo (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)

Feminine forms include, Theodara (Old German), Théodare (French), Audarde (French), and Odarde.

Sources

Thurstan, Torsten

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Sebastiane

Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “Thor’s stone.”
Gender: masculine

Both names are derived from the Old Norse male name, Þórsteinn, literally meaning “Thor’s stone.” The name is attested as early as the 5th-century in Medieval Scandinavia and appears in the Norse saga, Draumr Þorsteins Síðu-Hallssonar.

It was transported to England by Anglo-Saxon & Norse settlers, the Anglo-Saxon form being Thurstan, and remained prevalent even after the conquest of the Normans, who themselves also used the name due to their original Norse heritage. Thurstan was borne by an 11th-century Bishop of York. Thurstan is the progenitor of the English surnames Thurston and Dustin.

Torsten appeared in Germany’s Top 100 Most Popular Male Names between 1960 and 1978, and peaked at #6 between 1964-68. While Torstein was in and out of the Norwegian Top 100 Male Names between 1947-1991, peaking at #84 in 1948. It’s original Old Norse form of Þórsteinn ranked in at #46 in Iceland’s Top 100 Male Names in 2012.

Forms include:

Turstin (Anglo-Norman, French)
Thurstan (English)
Tórstein (Faroese)
Torstein, Thorstein (Faroese, Norwegian)
Toro, Torro (Finnish, Scandinavian)
Torste,Torsti (Finnish)
Toutain (French, archaic)
Torsten (German, Scandinavian)
Thorsten (German, Scandinavian)
Torstene, Torsteni (Greenlandic)
Þórsteinn (Icelandic, Old Norse)
Turstino (Italian, Spanish)
Turstanus, Tursteinus, Turstinus (Late Latin)
Twyste (Middle Low German)
Tostein (Norwegian)
Dorste (Sami)
Toste (Scandinavian)
Tosten, Thosten (Swedish, archaic)

Sources

Hansa

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Sebastiane

Hamsa talking to Damayanti by Raja Ravi Varma

The name can have a few origins and meanings. It is primarily an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit हंस (hamsa), which originally referred to an aquatic bird of passage. The hamsa is described as a mythical bird with knowledge in the Rig Veda and also as the main means of transport for the gods Brahma, Gayatri, Saraswati, and Vishvakarma in Hinduism. In the Ramayana, the hamsa was the bird that carried love letters between Damayanti and Nala. According to Indian legend, arayanna (heavenly hamsa swans) are said to live in the Himalayas where they eat pearls and are able to separate milk from water.

The hamsa bird is also associated with the concept of soham (that I am), as when it is said fast, hamsa starts to resemble soham. The latter is linked with the Brahman, and thus the bird is often associated with the cycle of samsara.

The hamsa bird has also been a popular motif in Indian art for centuries.

Over the centuries, it has interchangeably been translated as a swan, flamingo, goose or duck. It is ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root word *ǵʰh₂éns, which is also the progenitor of the English word goose, German gans (goose), and the Latin anser (goose).

In India, as a given-name, it is used among all languages groups. The name is primarily used on females but has occasionally been given to males.

The name is also German and Scandinavian female name, being a contracted form of Johanna. Other forms are Hansina and Hansine.

Sources

Elika

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Sebastiane

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

The name can be of several different origins and meanings.

It is a Biblical male name that occurs in 2 Samuel 23:25 as the name of Elika the Harodite, one of David’s 37 special warriors. In this case, אֵַליקָא (Eli’ka), may mean “vomit of God” or “Congregation of God.” Some sources also list this as meaning “pelican of God.” In English, the name would be pronounced ee-LYE-kuh.

Pronounced, EH-lee-KAW الیکا, it is a Persian female name that derives from the Mazanderani language, meaning, “wild cherry.” However, it’s use in Iran may be influenced by an identical sounding Indian female name, which is derived from the Sanskrit एलीका (Elika), meaning “small cardamom.” It is also the name of a village in northern Iran of the same aforementioned Mazanderani etymology.

Elika is also a Nordic female name of uncertain etymology, it’s earliest use is recorded in 18th-century Iceland. It may derive from the the Frisian diminutive name, Alike, which is a diminutive form of any name beginning in the Adal- element, or the Frisian unisex diminutive name Elike, which is a short form of any name beginning in the EGG- element.

It may also be linked with a Greenlandic female name of uncertain etymology.

It’s Nordic form has been in use in Finland & Estonia, as well as all of Scandinavia & Iceland. It should be noted that Elike has occurred in use as a unisex name in Norway and Friesland.

Swedish and Frisian female variations include Eliko & Eliken.

Alternately, it is a Mari female name, but is of uncertain meaning, it may be a variation of Evika, meaning “slender.”

It is also the Hawaiian translation of Elisa, Eliza, Erica & Eric.

Sources

Pippin, Pépin

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Sebastiane

The name is Germanic and of disputed meaning. It is most likely derived from a Germanic element bib- meaning “to tremble,” which formed an etymological basis for the Late Latin nickname, pippinus (little child). This same root is related to the modern French word, pépin, which means “seed” or “pulp” in French, but also a “glitch” in modern French slang.

This was a name that appeared among the Carolingian rulers of the Franks. It was most notably borne by King Pepin the Short (8th-century CE), father of Charlemagne, as well as Pepin of Landen, an ancestor, who was revered as a saint in Belgium (6th-century CE).

Pépin appeared in the French Top 500 between 1902-1945, peaking at #358 in 1942.

Its Dutch form of Pepijn (PEP-pine) currently appears in Netherlands’ Top 100, coming in as the 64th most popular male name in the Netherlands (2019).

Forms and usages in other languages are as follows:

Pepyn (Afrikaans, Frisian)
Pippin (Alemmanish, English, Estonian, German, Letzburgerish, Swedish)
Pepín (Aragonese)
Pipí (Catalan)
Pepin (Czech, English, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Walloon)
Pipin (Danish, English, Finnish, German, Norwegian)
Pepijn, Pippijn (Dutch)
Pépin (French, Gaelic)
Pipino (Italian, Spanish)
Pêpenê (Kurdish)
Pippinus (Late Latin)
Pepinas, Pipinas (Lithuanian)
Pepino (Portuguese)

Sources

Wilfred

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Sebastiane

160px-Chichester_Cathedral_Wilfrid_window

Origin: Anglo-Saxon
Meaning: “desiring peace.”
Gender: masculine

The name is composed of the Anglo-Saxon elements, wil (will, desire) and frið (peace). It was borne by 2 English bishops of Worcester, one of whom is a Catholic saint and a 9th-century Catalan count, known as Wilfred the Hairy (b. 878-897). Wilfred was of Gothic origins and he is known to have established a hereditary dukedom in Catalonia. It’s Spanish form of Wilfredo traces its origins back to the Visigoths in Spain and has remained a fairly common male name in many Hispanic countries.

Many name books and dictionaries claim this name fell out of use by the Norman Conquest, but records contradict this claim as Wilfred was still recorded by the 16th-century. More accurately, the name became extremely popular at the turn of the 20th-century in both England & the United States

Wilfred appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1984 & peaked at #164 in 1917. In England & Wales, he is currently the 143rd most popular male name (2018).

Other forms include:

Wilfrið (Anglo-Saxon)
Guifré (Catalan)
Vildfred, Wildfred (Danish)
Wilfried (Dutch, German)
Wifred (English)
Wilfrid (English)
Wilfrith (English
Vilfrid (Finnish, Swedish)
Wilfryd (Frisian, Polish)
Vilfredo (Italian)
Wilfredus, Vilfredus (Late Latin)
Willifred (Old German)
Wilfredo (Portuguese, Spanish)
Vilfred, Willfred (Scandinavian)
Wifredo (Spanish)

In the English-speaking world, common short forms include Will, Wilf, Wilfy & Fred. A feminine form that is used in German-speaking countries, the Netherlands, Spanish-speaking countries, Portuguese speaking countries is Wilfreda, while Vilfrida is a Scandinavian feminine form.

Sources

Barnabas, Barnaby, Barney

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Sebastiane

180px-San_Barnaba

The name is borne by St. Barnabas, a companion of St. Paul who was instrumental in converting gentiles to the new Christian faith. St. Barnabas was believed to be a Cypriot Jew whose true name was Joseph but he is referred to as Barnabas in Acts 4:36, which describes the name to mean “son of consolation,” possibly being linked with the Aramaic בר נחמה, bar neḥmā of the same meaning. Many linguists contradict this meaning and claim that the latter part of the name might actually be derived from the Hebrew nabī נביא meaning “prophet.”

St. Barnabas is considered an early apostle and the founder of the Christian Church in Cyprus who was eventually stoned to death by an angry mob in Syria. He is considered the patron saint of Cyprus and his feast day is June 11th.

As a given-name, Barnaby has been the preferred form in England since medieval times. Its usage spread to the rest of the English-speaking world through colonialism. It spawned the diminutive off-shoot of Barney, which has been used as an independent given-name in its own right.

To millennials, Barney is often associated with the beloved purple dinosaur of their childhood. However, he appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1976. Never a huge hit, the highest he ever ranked in the U.S. Charts was #201 in 1887. He hasn’t been seen in the charts since 1976, but in England & Wales he currently ranks in as the #492nd Most Popular Males Name (2018).

Barnaby is currently the 251st Most Popular Male Name in England & Wales (2018). Whereas Barnabás is currently the 32nd Most Popular Male Name in Hungary (2018).

Other forms include:

Barnabana برنابا (Arabic, Persian)
Barnabas Բառնաբաս ബർണബാസ് (Armenian, Coptic, Dutch, English, Finnish, Frisian, German, Greek, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Scandinavian, Syriac, Welsh)
Bernaba (Basque)
Varnáva Варна́ва (Bulgarian)
Bernabé (Catalan, Portuguese, Spanish)
Barnaba ბარნაბა (Croatian, Georgian, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Slovenian)
Barnabáš (Czech/Slovak)
Barnaby (English, Plattdeutsch)
Barnabé (French)
Balló (Hungarian)
Barna (Hungarian)
Barnabás (Hungarian)
Barnabà (Lombard)
Varnava Варнава (Macedonian, Serbian, Russian, Ukrainian)

An obscure Spanish feminine form is Bernabea.

Sources

Marcus, Mark

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Sebastiane

Il_Pordenone_-_San_Marco_-_Budapest

From one of the most common Roman praenomen, its origin and meaning is uncertain. A popular etymology is that it relates to Mars, others suggest it may be from the Etruscan Marce, which may come from mar (to harvest). It is said the name was originally bestowed on those who were born in March.

Marcellus and the name of the month of March likely shares the same etymological root.

It was borne by several notable Romans, including Mark Antony, Marcus Aurelius & Cicero.

It was the name of one of the Evangelists who authored the eponymous Gospel, known as St. Mark in the Christian world, he is revered as the founder of Christianity in Africa and is traditionally believed to have founded the Church in Alexandria. Coptic Christians hold him in high regard. His bones were smuggled out of Egypt in a barrel of pork fat by Venetian merchants from Alexandria when Egypt fell under Islamic rule and were transported back to Venice where they were eventually installed and dedicated in the Basilica of San Marco.

The name was borne by a 2nd-century pope as well.

Marcus, Mark and Marc have been quite popular in several countries. Marcus was in the U.S. Top 100 between 1970-2000, Sweden’s between 1998-2008, New Zealand’s between 2008-2014, England & Wales between 1996-2003, and in Denmark’s between 1994-2006. Currently, his rankings in other countries are as follows:

#54 (Canada, BC, 2018)
#87 (Australia, 2018)
#100 (Norway, 2018)
#209 (United States, 2018)
#213 (France, 2018)
#236 (England & Wales, 2018)
#406 (Netherlands, 2018)

Its latinate form of Marco, which started off as a mainly Italian form, became widespread across the continent. His rankings in the following countries are as follows:

#11 (Galicia, Spain, 2018)
#16 (Spain, 2018_
#23 (Italy, 2018)
#65 (Catalonia, Spain, 2018)
#81 (Portugal, 2018)
#358 (United States, 2018)
#436 (England & Wales, 2018)
#446 (France, 2018)

It’s English form of Mark appears in the legend of Tristan & Isolde as the name of the King of Cornwall, supposedly the name was not common in the English-speaking world until the 19th-century, but became a hit by the Mid-1900s. Mark appeared in the U.S. Top 100 between 1944-2002, which is quite a long stretch. Mark peaked the highest in popularity between 1955-1970, peaking at #6, six years in a row between 1959-1964. Marks’s rankings in other countries are as follows:

#5 (Slovenia, 2018)
#6 (Moscow, Russia, 2018)
#21 (Hungary, 2018)
#83 (Ireland, 2018)
#210 (U.S., 2018)
#253 (England & Wales, 2018)
#298 (the Netherlands, 2018)

Marc is the French, Catalan & Welsh form and has been popularly used in the English-speaking world, it is currently the most popular male name in Catalonia, 2018 and between 1968-1976 it was in the U.S. Top 100. Marc’s rankings in the popularity charts are as follows

#26 (Spain, 2018)
#313 (France, 2018)
#825 (US, 2018)

Other forms of the name include:

Mark Марк (Albanian, Belarusian, Breton, Dutch, English, Maltese, Russian, Ukrainian)
Marḳos ማርቆስ (Amharic)
Marqus مَرْقُس‎ (Arabic, mainly used among Arab-Christians)
Marghos (Armenian)
Marko (Basque)
Marko Марко (Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Finnish, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovene, Ukrainian)
Markos Μαρκος Ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ (Coptic, Greek)
Margh (Cornish)
Marcu (Corsican, Romanian)
Mokus (Croatian, Serbian)
Marek (Czech, Polish, Slovak)
Marco (Catalan, Dutch, Galician, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Marc (Catalan, French, Occitanian, Welsh)
Marcus (Dutch, English, German, French, Scandinavian)
Markus (Dutch, Estonian, Faroese, Finnish, Frisian, German, Scandinavian)
Marghus (Estonian)
Markko, Markku (Finnish)
Marke (Finnish)
Marcas (Gaelic)
Marx (German, archaic)
Maleko (Hawaiian)
Márk (Hungarian)
Markús (Icelandic)
Marchino (Italian)
Marcolino (Italian)
Marcuccio (Italian)
Mareks (Latvian)
Marks (Latvian)
Markuss (Latvian)
Markas, Morkus (Lithuanian)
March (Lombard)
Markys (Manx)
Marquét (Poitvin, diminutive form)
Marcos (Portuguese, Spanish)
Kusi (Swiss-German diminutive form)
Marqōs ܡܪܩܘܣ‎ (Syriac)
Mår (Walloon)

It’s feminine forms include Marca but and sometimes Marcia was used as a feminine form, though it is more the feminine equivalent of Marcius.

Other feminine forms include:

Markusine (German, obscure)
Marchina (Italian)
Marcolina (Italian)
Marcuccia (Italian)

Sources

Rudy, Rudolph, Rolf

Posted on January 15, 2020 by Sebastiane

200px-Rudolf_IV

Origin: German
Meaning: “famous wolf.”
Gender: Masculine

The name is derived from the Germanic Hrodulf, which is composed of the elements hrod (fame) and wulf (wolf). The name was borne by several European rulers.

In England, it has been in use since Anglo-Saxon times, its Anglo-Saxon form of Hroðulf was usurped by the Norman Rudolph and Rodolph in the 11th-century.

In the English-speaking world, the name has come to be associated with the Christmas folk hero, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, based on a children’s book written by Robert L. May in 1939.

Rudolf appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1887-1932, and peaked at # 715 in 1916. He appeared 3 times in the French Top 1000 in 1914, 1931 and again in 1933, peaking at #454 in 1934. He was in the German Top 20 between 1893 and 1936, peaking at #11 in 1899 and in 1916.

In France, it’s native form of Rodolphe appeared in the Top 1000 between 1900 and 2001 and peaked at #79 in 1970.

Its contracted form of Rolf has been in occasional use in England since the 11th-century. It was a favorite in German-speaking countries in the 1920s-50s, peaking at #11 in 1947. In Norway, it peaked at #14 in 1945. Rolf has also appeared in the American and French charts, though not very high. Rolf peaked at #210 in France in 1943 and #772 in 1960 in the U.S.

It his diminutive form of Rudy, often used as an independent given-name, is the one which has gained some traction in recent years. Rudy appeared in the French Top 100 between 1979-1984, and peaked at #76 in 1980. Rudy’s current rankings in the popularity charts are as follows:

#271 (England & Wales, 2018)
#822 (U.S.A., 2018)

Rudolf is used in Albanian, Armenian, Czech-Slovak, Dutch, Hungarian, Icelandic, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene, the Scandinavian languages and Russian.

Other forms include:

Hroðulf, Hrothulf (Anglo-Saxon)
Roel, Roelof, Ruud (Dutch)
Rodolf (Catalan)
Rolph (English)
Rudo, Ruudo, Ruudolf (Estonian)
Róðolvur (Faroese)
Ruuto, Ruutolffi, Ruutolhvi, Ruutolppi (Finnish)
Rodolphe (French)
Roele, Roelef, Roelf, Rolef, Rolof, Roloff, Roluf, Roolof (Frisian)
Rudolp რუდოლფ (Georgian)
Roff (German)
Rudi (German, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian)
Rudo (German)
Rul (German)
Rûtulfe, Ruutuulfi (Greenlandic)
Rhodólphos Ροδόλφος (Greek)
Rúdólf (Icelandic)
Rodolfino (Italian)
Rodolfo (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Ridolfo (Italian)
Rudolphus (Latin)
Rūdolfs, Rūdis (Latvian)
Rudolfas, Rudas (Lithuanian)
Doffen (Norwegian)
Roffe (Norwegian, Swedish)
Hróðólfr, Hrólfr (Old Norse)
Rudulf (Polish, archaic)
Duff, Dusch, Riedi, Ruosch (Romansch)
Ruedi (Swiss-German, diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent form)

Feminine forms include:

Rudolfia (Danish, Norwegian)
Rodolphine (French)
Rudolfine (German, Scandinavian)
Rodolfa, Rodolfina (Italian, Spanish)
Rodolfetta (Italian)
Rudolfa (Polish, Scandinavian)
Rudolfina (Hungarian, Polish, Scandinavian)

Sources

Legitimate Baby Names

names that are not made up and have had a history

Category Archives: Frisian name

Meinolf

Theodard, Diethard

Thurstan, Torsten

Hansa

Elika

Pippin, Pépin

Wilfred

Barnabas, Barnaby, Barney

Marcus, Mark

Rudy, Rudolph, Rolf