Shiro

  • Origin: Japanese
  • Meaning: “fourth son.”
  • Gender: Male

Shiro is a classic Japanese male name with several possible kanji spellings and therefore meanings.

The most traditional is 四郎, literally “fourth son” (shi = “four,” rō = “son, young man”). Historically it was given to a family’s fourth-born boy.

Other common spellings include 志郎 (“aspiration + son”), 司郎 (“to rule/govern + son”), and 士郎 (“gentleman/warrior + son”).

Other transliterations include: Shirō and Shirou.

Sources

Giselher

  • Origin: German
  • Meaning: “hostage army.”
  • Gender: Male
  • Germ Pron: (GEE-zehl-hair)

Giselher is an early Old High German masculine name formed from two classic Germanic elements, gisel (pledge) and hari (army).

The best-known figure is King Giselher of Burgundy, a 5th-century ruler who appears in both history and legend. He is immortalized as a character in the Nibelungenlied, the great Middle High German epic, alongside his brothers Gunther and Gernot.

It was also the name of an 11th-century Bishop of Madgeburg who succeeded St. Adalbert.

It is found in records as the name of Teutonic Knights in Estonia, Latvia and Poland. It experienced a minor revival in the early 20th-century but is quite rare in contemporary German-speaking countries.

Its Anglo-Saxon version of Gislhere was borne by an 8th-century Bishop of Selsey.

A more recent bearer was German composer, Giselher Klebe (1925-2009).

Its designated name-day in Austria is September 28th.

Variation & International Variations

  • Gizelher (Croatian, Polish)
  • Giselher (Czech; Estonian; French, pronounced JEEZ-e-LAIR; Polish)
  • Giseler, Gisiler (German)
  • Giselcaro (Italian)
  • Gislaharius (Late Latin)
  • Gizelhers (Latvian)
  • Gislahario (Spanish)

Sources

Herwig

  • Origin: German
  • Meaning: “army battle.”
  • Gender: Male

The name is composed of the Old German elements, heri (army) and wig (battle).

German Diminutives

  • Erb
  • Wicki, Wiki
  • Wiggerl
  • Wickerl

International Forms

  • Hervik (Danish, Norwegian)
  • Hervig (Nordic)
  • Harvig (Swedish)

The designated name-days are June 14, October 5th and December 5th.

Sources

Riku

In Finnish and Estonian, this is a form of Richard. It was among the top 100 most popular boys’ names in Finland in 2004, ranking in at #48. The designated name-day is February 7th in both countries.

It is also a Japanese male name (very rarely female), and can have various meanings depending on the Kanji but the most popular is 陸 (Riku), “land, shore, continent.”

Riku is a familiar character name in anime, manga, and games — for example, in Kingdom Hearts, where Riku is a central figure.

Sources

Śuri, Soranus

  • Origin: Etruscan 𐌉𐌛𐌖𐌑
  • Meaning: “black; from the black place.”
  • Gender: Male

Śuri is the name of an important Etruscan god, most often identified with the blazing sun and the powers of the underworld. Ancient sources connect him with fire, purification, and oracular prophecy. His cult was centered on Mount Soracte in central Italy. His sacred animal was the wolf. His name was later latinized by the Romans to Soranus.

The name is derived from the Etruscan word śur 𐌛𐌖𐌑 meaning “black; from the dark place.”

Sources

Subhan, Subhana

  • Origin: Arabic
  • Meaning: “praise; glory.”
  • Pron: (SOOB-hahn; soob-HAH-nah)

Both names come from the Arabic root s-b-ḥ (س ب ح), which conveys the ideas of glorifying, praising, swimming in or moving through the divine.

  • Subḥān (سُبْحَان) literally means “glory,” “exaltedness,” or “praise”—as in the Qurʾānic phrase Subḥān Allāh (“Glory be to God”).
  • The feminine form of Subḥāna / Subhana (سُبْحَانَة) carries the same meaning.

Subhan is a well-established male Muslim name across the Arabic-speaking world, South Asia, and other Islamic cultures.

Subhan has appeared in the U.K’s Top 1000 Most Popular Male Names between 1996-2024. It peaked at #384 in 2011. As of 2024, it was the 898th most popular male name.

Its Azeri form of Sübhan is currently the 55th most popular male name in Azerbaijan.

Subhana is used as a female name, though less widely, in many of the same regions.

International Variations

  • Sohban (Urdu); Female: Sohbana
  • Sübhan (Azeri, Turkish)

Sources

Rumen, Rumiana, Rumyana

Photo by Kh-ali-l i on Pexels.com
  • Origin: Bulgarian, Macedonian
  • Meaning: “red; ruddy.”

Both names are Bulgarian and come from the Slavic adjective румен / rumen, meaning “rosy, ruddy, red-cheeked, healthy-looking.”

  • Rumen Румен is the masculine form.
  • Rumiana (also spelled Rumyana / Румяна) is the feminine form, while Rumena Румена is the Macedonian form.

A notable female bearer was Bulgarian pop singer, Rumyana (1965-1999).

Variants & Diminutives

  • Masculine nicknames: Rumi, Rumencho, Rumenko.
  • Feminine nicknames: Rumi and Rumka

A Western Slavic (Polish, Czech, Slovak) hypothetical translation of both names would Rumian and Rumiana.

Source

Tarquin

Tarquin the Elder consulting Attus Nevius the Augur by Sebastiano Ricci
  • Origin: Etruscan
  • Meaning: Unknown
  • Gender: Male

Tarquin is the English form of Tarquinius, the Latin family name of a powerful Etruscan dynasty that ruled early Rome. The name’s exact Etruscan root is uncertain, but it may derive from the ancient city of Tarquinii (modern Tarquinia) in central Italy, itself probably from an older Etruscan personal or place name.


Two Roman kings bore this name: Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of Rome, and Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last king, whose overthrow in 509 BCE led to the founding of the Roman Republic.


While rare, Tarquin appears in English records from the Renaissance onward, often chosen for its aristocratic and classical resonance. Italian retains Tarquino as a given name. The name has also been used in literature and drama —Shakespeare famously tells the story of “The Rape of Lucrece” by Tarquin. It was recently used as the name of Tarquin Blackwood in Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles.

Modern bearers include British journalist Tarquin Hall (b. 1969), the middle name of American actor, Timothy Tarquin Hutton (b. 1960).


Today Tarquin feels distinctive and slightly theatrical, blending ancient Roman history with a sleek, modern sound. If you are looking for a fuller name for Quinn, this may be the perfect choice for you.

International variations include:

  • Tarkinio (Basque)
  • Tarquini, Tarquí (Catalan)
  • Tarkvinije Тарквиније (Croatian, Serbian)
  • Tarquinius (Dutch, Latin)
  • Tarquin (English, French)
  • Tarquinio, Tarquino (Italian, Spanish)
  • Tarkvinijus (Lithuanian)
  • Tarkwiniusz (Polish)
  • Tarquínio, Tarquino, Tarquim (Portuguese)
  • Tarkvinij (Slovene)

Female Forms

Its Italian feminine form of Tarquinia was borne by Italian Renaissance singer, Tarquinia Molza (1542-1617). This would also make a fabulous fuller version for the nickname Quinn. Another Italian female form is Tarquina.

Sources

Tahmina, Tahmineh

  • Origin: Persian تهمینه (Persian); Таҳмина (Tajik); তাহমিনা
  • Meaning: “potent; strong; powerful.”
  • Gender: Female

The name is derived from the Farsi تهم (tahm), meaning, “potent; strong; powerful.”

It’s a Persian female name with deep roots. It is the name of the wife of Rostam and the mother of Sohrab in the 10th-century Persian epic, Shahnameh.

Its usage has spread to South-Asia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as throughout Central Asia.

Between 1996-2002, it appeared in the U.K’s Top 500 Most Popular Female Names, peaking at #641 in 1999.

Notable bearer include Tajik actress, Tahmina Rajabova (b. 1982) and Iranian film director, Tahmineh Milani (b. 1960).

Other forms include:

  • Tahmina, Takhmina, Taxmina Тахмина, تهیمینه / تهمینه (Avar, Baloch, Bashkir, Chechen, Circassian, Kazakh, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Ossetian, Pashto, Tatar, Turkmen, Uzbek)
  • Təhminə (Azeri)
  • Tahmina, Tamina (Bosnian)
  • Tahmine (Turkish)

A rare Bosnian masculine form is Tahmin/Tamin.

Sources