Category Archives: Male Names

Hussein

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic حسين
(hoos-SANE)

The name was initially a diminutive form of Hasan حسن, which is derived from the Arabic, hasuna حسن (beautiful; good). The name has been used as an independent given name for centuries, usually used in honour of Hussein ibn Ali (626-680 CE), the son of the caliph Ali and the grandson of the prophet Mohammed.

He is considered a martyr among Shi’ia Muslims.

In recent years the name was borne by the King of Jordan (1935-1999) and it is the middle name of current President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Its Turkish form of Hüseyin is currently the 400th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).

Other forms of the name include:

  • Huseyn (Azeri)
  • Husein (Bosnian)
  • Husain (Indonesian)
  • Hossain حسّین (Persian)
  • hysejin Һүсейiн (Kazakh)
  • Hüseyin (Turkish) 
  • Usên (Zazaki)

Sinan

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic سنان
Meaning: “spearhead.”
(see-NAHN)

The name comes from an early Arabic and Aramaic source meaning “spearhead.” Its earliest bearer may have been Sinan ibn Thabit, a famous Mandean physician who eventually converted to Islam.

The name’s usage has been more common in South Eastern Europe and Central Asia than it was in the Middle East.

It was also borne by Sinan Pasha (d.1553) an Ottoman admiral, Albanian Grand Vizier and Statesman, Sinan Pasha (1506-1596), Sinan Hasani (1922-2010) president of the former Yugoslavia, Sinan Antoon (b.1967) an Iraqi poet and novelist.

Currently, Sinan is the 393rd most popular male name in Germany, (2011).

Pius

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “pious; dutiful.”
Germ (PEE-oos)

The name is derived from the Late Latin, meaning “pious; dutiful.” It was borne by twelve popes, and the name has been especially common in German-speaking countries, particularly among Catholic families.

Currently, it the 386th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).

Other forms of the name include:

  • Pius (German/Latin/Polish/Romansch)
  • Pio (Italian/Portuguese)
  • Pijus (Lithuanian)
  • Pío (Spanish)
A feminine form is Pia 

Kalle

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Swedish
(KAHL-leh)

The name is a Swedish and Norwegian diminutive form of Karl, but has been used as an independent given name in Scandinavia and Germany.

In Swedish, Donald Duck is Kalle Anka.

Kalle Blomqvist is a fictional character created by Astrid Lindgren known in English as Bill Bergson.

Currently, Kalle is the 370th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).

Quirin

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin

Quirin is a German form of the Latin, Quirinus, which was borne by a Sabine god who was later absorbed into the general Roman pantheon. He was sometimes associated as the deified form of Romulus or as a counterpart of Mars. The Qurinal Hill in Rome was named in his honour.

Most agree that the name is derived from the Latin quirus (spear), others have suggested that it is from the name of a Sabine town, Cures, or that it is related to curia.

It was also borne by several early Christian saints. Most notably, St. Quirin of Neuss, a Roman martyr whose body was eventually interred in Neuss Germany.

Another notable bearer is Quirin Kuhlmann (1651-1689) a German poet and mystic.

Currently, Quirin is the 387th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).

Other forms of the name include:

  • Quirí (Catalan)
  • Kvirin (Croatian)
  • Corin (French)
  • Quirin (French/German)
  • Quirino (Italian/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Kvirinas (Lithuanian)
  • Kwiryn (Polish)

Mete

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Turkish
Meaning: debated
(MET-eh)

The name is a modern Turkish form of the ancient Turkic name Mondu, which is of debated origin. It has been suggested by various scholars that Mondu may be a Chinese corruption of the Turkic honorific title, Baghatur.

In history, the name was borne by Mondu Chanyu (234-174 BCE) an emperor of a Central Asian federation known in Chinese as Xionghu. Mondu is credited as being the founder of the Xiongnu Empire centered in modern day Mongolia. Among the Turks, he is known as Mete Han, and he is considered one of the first known Turkish rulers.

Currently, Mete is the 403rd most popular male name in Germany, (2011).

Other forms of the name include:

  • Mete (Azeri)
  • Ogüz (Azeri)
  • Mede Мөде (Kazakh)
  • Mөde Мөде (Tatar)
  • Oguz (Turkmen)

 

Hagen

Posted on by
Reply

Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
Meaning: debated
Eng (HAY-gen); Germ (HAH-gen)

The name could be of three possible etymologies, it could be a borrowing from the Danish form of Håkon. Other sources have suggested that it comes directly from the Old High German meaning, “grove; enclosure.” In the case of the German city, this is the most likely etymology. Another possibility is that it is the German form of the Old Norse Högni (protection).

In the Medieval German epic, The Song of the Nibelungs, it is the name of Hagen of Tronje, the slayer of Siegfried and the thief of Nibelungs’ treasure. According to legend, he is half elf and has one eye. He appears in several other German folktales in which he is sometimes portrayed as the hero or the antagonist.

Currently, Hagen is the 430th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).

Another form of the name is Hagano.

 

Orlando

Posted on by
1

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Italian/Spanish

The name is an Italian form of the Germanic, Roland, meaning “famous land.” Orlando has been in usage in the English-speaking world since at least the 16th-century, most likely due to the character in Shakespeares As You Like It (1599). It also the name of the eponymous character of the Italian epic Orlando Furioso (circ. 1520).

The name has been borne by English composer, Orlando Gibbons (1582-1625), American general, Orlando Ward (1891-1972) and British actor, Orlando Bloom (b.1977).

It is also the name of a city in Florida, which, according to legend may have been named for the Shakespeare character or it could have been named for an American sentinel Orlando Reeves who was killed during the Seminole warrior.

Actor Orlando Bloom was named for Orlando Gibbons.

Currently, Orlando is the 425th most popular male name in Germany, (2011) and the 435th most popular in the United States, (2010).

A feminine form is Orlanda.