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$Title{Names for Boys:  A}
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Editors of Consumer Guide
Harder, Kelsey}
$Subject{Names Boys A}
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The Ultimate Baby Name Book


Names for Boys:  A


Aarao (see Aaron)

Aaro (see Aaron)

Aaron              Hebrew aharon, "enlightened" or "shining."  This biblical
                   name is more popular now than it has been in years.  Aaron
                   was the older brother of Moses.  Since Aaron was born
                   during the Israelite bondage in Egypt, his name may be
                   derived from an Egyptian word meaning "mountain," referring
                   to an exalted religious leader, or "messenger."
    Famous names:  Aaron Burr (3rd U.S. vice-president)
                   Aaron Copland (composer)
       Nicknames:  Ari, Ronnie, Ronny
      Variations:  Aarao (Portuguese), Aaro (Finnish), Aaronas (Latvian),
                   Aranne (Italian), Aron (Rumanian), Arron (Spanish),
                   Fopap (Hungarian), Haroun (Arabic)

Aaronas (see Aaron)

Ab (see Abbot, Abner)

Abad (see Abbot)

Abate (see Abbot)

Abb, Abbe (see Abbot, Abner)

Abbot, Abbott      Aramaic abba, "father."  Like Abraham, abba was a title of
                   respect in Aramaic, the language that Jesus and the
                   disciples used.  In the sense of "father," it was used by
                   Christians as a title for the head, or supervisor, of a
                   monastery.  Although seldom used now as a given name, Abbot
                   occurred sporadically during the seventeenth and eighteenth
                   centuries.
     Famous name:  Abbot Thayer (American painter)
       Nicknames:  Ab, Abb
      Variations:  Abad (Spanish), Abate (Italian), Abbe (French),
                   Abt (German)

Abdul              Arabic "servant of the Lord."  This name has been taken by
                   many rulers of Turkey and the Semitic nations of the Middle
                   East, including Abdul-Hamid I and II.  Abdul-Asiz, who was
                   the second son of Abdul-Hamid II, attempted to introduce
                   Western civilization into Turkey.  Abdul-Muttalib was the
                   grandfather of Mohammed, the founder of the Islamic
                   religion.
     Famous name:  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (basketball player)
       Variation:  Abdullah

Abdullah (see Abdul)

Abe (see Abraham)

Abel               Hebrew hebel, "breath" or "evanescent":  also, possibly
                   connected with Assyrian ablu, "son."  Abel was the second
                   son of Adam and Eve.  He was killed by his brother Cain in
                   the first murder recorded in the Book of Genesis.
     Famous name:  Abel Green (magazine editor)

Abhner (see Abner)

Abie (see Abraham)

Abner              Hebrew "father of light"; also, "son of Ner."  In the
                   Bible, Abner was the uncle of King Saul and commander of
                   his army.  He supported Ishbosheth against David, the king
                   of Israel.  After slaying Joab's brother, he was attempting
                   to work out a compromise with David when Joab killed him.
                   The name is still popular in the southern part of the
                   United States, but has fallen from use in other regions.
                   Al Capp used the name for the title character of his
                   long-running comic strip, L'il Abner.
     Famous name:  Abner Doubleday (the inventor of baseball)
       Nicknames:  Ab, Abb
       Variation:  Abhner (Hebrew)

Abraham            Hebrew "father of many."  In the book of Genesis, the
                   founder of the Hebrew people was originally named Abram,
                   but his name was changed at God's command:  "Neither shall
                   thy name nay more be called Abram, but thy name shall be
                   Abraham; for a father of many nations I have made thee."
                   Because of the high respect in which Abraham was held, his
                   name was not widely used until the time of the Protestant
                   Reformation in the sixteenth century.
    Famous names:  Abraham Lincoln (16th U.S. president)
                   Abraham Ribicoff (U.S. secretary of HEW)
       Nicknames:  Abe, Abie, Bram
      Variations:  Abrahamo (Italian), Abrahan (Spanish), Abramo,
                   Ibrahim (Arabic)

Abrahamo (see Abraham)

Abrahan (see Abraham)

Abramo (see Abraham)

Abt (see Abbot)

Ace                Latin "unit"; metaphorically, "the best."  Ace is usually a
                   nickname, but it can also be a given name.  During World
                   War I, pilots who destroyed a certain number of enemy
                   planes, usually three, were given the honorary title Ace.
     Famous name:  James "Ace" Wilson (baseball player)
      Variations:  Acey, Acie

Acey (see Ace)

Achill, Achille (see Achilles)

Achilles           Greek "strength" or "strong warrior."  Achilles was a
                   legendary warrior and the chief of the Myrmidons.  He is
                   the main character in Homer's Iliad, where he represents
                   the Greek character and is a symbol for Greek nationalism.
                   Achilles killed Hector, the great Trojan, but was himself
                   slain by Paris, whose abduction of Helen caused the Trojan
                   War.  Achilles died when the arrow shot by Paris entered
                   his heel, the only vulnerable spot on his body.  This is
                   the origin of the phrase "Achilles heel," which connotes
                   any small weakness that can cause physical trouble.  The
                   name is not often used in the United States, but it is
                   fairly popular in Europe.
     Famous name:  Achilles Tatius (Greek rhetorician)
       Nicknames:  Ara, Quina, Quito
      Variations:  Achill (Hungarian), Achille (Italian), Achilleus (Greek),
                   Ahil (Bulgarian), Akhylliy (Ukrainian), Akilles
                   (Norwegian), Aquiles (Portuguese and Spanish)

Achilleus (see Achilles)

Acie (see Ace)

Acton              Old English actun, "town by the oaks."  Place names often
                   become the names of people who live in the place, although
                   the name usually becomes a surname before it's accepted as
                   a given name.  Acton is a surname, but it can be used as a
                   first name.

Ad (see Adam, Adlai)

Adair              Scottish "oak (tree) ford."  This name has a long Scottish
                   tradition.  Adventurous Scots took it with them to England,
                   India, and the Americas.  James Adair was an English trader
                   with the Chickasaw and Cherokee Indians and wrote a history
                   of them in which he claimed that they descended from the
                   Hebrews.  Some children were named in his honor,
                   introducing this surname as a first name.

Adam               Hebrew Adham, "red" or "man from the red earth."  As the
                   first masculine name in the Bible, it is one of the oldest
                   recorded names.  Because of Adam's fall from grace, the
                   name is seldom used by Hebrew families.  As a Christian
                   name, it was used in England and Scotland during the Middle
                   Ages and until the eighteenth century.  It's been having a
                   revival since the 1970s.
    Famous names:  Adam Clayton Powell (clergyman and congressman)
                   Adam Smith (economist)
       Nicknames:  Ad, Ade
      Variations:  Adamo (Italian), Adan (Spanish), Adao (Portuguese),
                   Adhamh (Irish and Scottish)

Adamo (see Adam)

Adan (see Adam)

Adao (see Adam)

Addy (see Adlai)

Ade (see Adam, Adrian)

Adhamh (see Adam)

Adlai              Hebrew "the just."  The name occurs only once in the Bible;
                   it's noted as the name of the father of Shaphat, the
                   shepherd for King David.  But it has become well known
                   through the Stevenson family, in which members of three
                   generations have had this unusual name:  Adlai Ewing
                   Stevenson (vice-president of the United States), Adlai
                   Ewing Stevenson, Jr. (statesman, diplomat, ambassador, and
                   twice a candidate for president of the United States), and
                   Adlai Ewing Stevenson III (United States senator).
       Nicknames:  Ad, Addy
       Variation:  Adley (Hebrew)

Adler              Old German "eagle."  This name is usually a surname, but
                   it is sometimes used as a given name.

Adley (see Adlai)

Adolf (see Adolph)

Adolph             Old German "noble wolf" from athal [noble] + wolfa [wolf].
                   Adolph was once a favorite German name, but since World War
                   II, few parents have chosen this name because of its
                   association with Adolf Hitler.  Recently, it has begun to
                   be used more often, possibly in recognition of its ancient
                   and honorable tradition as a name of noble leaders and
                   saints.  The German Bishop Adolphus was granted sainthood
                   for his work among the poor.
    Famous names:  Adolf Krebs (biochemist)
                   Adolphe Menjou (actor)
       Nicknames:  Dolf, Dolfie, Dolly, Dolph
      Variations:  Adolf (German), Adolphe (French), Adolpho (Spanish),
                   Adolphus (Latin)

Adolphe (see Adolph)

Adolpho (see Adolph)

Adolphus (see Adolph)

Adrian             Latin Hadrianus, "from the Adriatic."  To the Roman, this
                   name indicated that a person was from Adria, or Atri, on
                   the Adriatic Sea.  The famous Roman emperor Hadrian, a
                   military genius, built a wall of defense in the Roman
                   province of Britain between Solway Firth and the mouth of
                   the Tyne.  Six popes have taken the name, including Adrian
                   IV, the only English pope.  Currently, Adrian is becoming a
                   popular name in the United States.
     Famous name:  Adrian Boult (conductor)
       Nicknames:  Ade, Adry, Hadry
      Variations:  Adriano (Italian), Adrien (French), Andreian (Russian),
                   Arrian (Scandinavian)

Adriano (see Adrian)

Adrien (see Adrian)

Adry (see Adrian)

Affonso (see Alphonse)

Agostinho (see Augustus)

Agostino (see Augustus)

Agustek (see Augustus)

Ahil (see Achilles)

Akhylliy (see Achilles)

Akilles (see Achilles)

Aku (see Gustave)

Al (see Alan, Alastair, Albert, Alexander, Alfred, Alphonse, Alton, Alvin,
    Delbert)

Alain (see Alan)

Alan               Celtic "peace" or "handsome."  The name was introduced
                   into England in 1066 by the Norman leader, Alain.  It
                   derives from Latin Alanus, a word of unknown origin.  After
                   it entered Britain, it became very popular in Scotland and
                   Ireland with its own Celtic meaning.  The name also became
                   standard in English ballads.  Alan-a-Dale was a companion
                   of Robin Hood in some of the ballads of the English outlaw
                   hero.
    Famous names:  Alan Jay Lerner (dramatist)
                   Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (astronaut)
                   Alan Thicke (television host and actor)
 Other spellings:  Allan, Allen, Alyn
       Nicknames:  Al, Allie
      Variations:  Alain (French), Alano (Spanish), Alanus (Latin)

Alano (see Alan)

Alanus (see Alan)

Alasdair (see Alastair)

Alastair, Alistair  Gaelic form of Alexander.  Most parents who name their
                    babies Alastair are not thinking about a connection to
                    the name Alexander, which is currently so popular.  Percy
                    Bysshe Shelley used the name in "Alastor, or the Spirit of
                    Solitude," a semiautobiographical poem.
      Famous name:  Alistair Cooke (journalist)
   Other spelling:  Alasdair
        Nicknames:  Al, Alec, Alecio, Eleseo
       Variations:  Alaster (English and Scottish), Alastor, Alejho (Spanish)

Alaster (see Alastair)

Alastor (see Alastair)

Albert             Old German Adalbert, "noble and bright," from athal
                   [noble] + berhta [bright].  There are several saints with
                   this name, including St. Albert the Great, a
                   thirteenth-century monk known for his study of the natural
                   sciences, which earned him the nickname the "Universal
                   Doctor," but also caused him to be suspected of using
                   magic.  The name became extremely popular after Albert
                   Francis Augustus Charles Emmanuel married Queen Victoria of
                   England in 1840.  It now ranks in the top-100 names most
                   often used in the United States.
     Famous name:  Albert Einstein (physicist)
       Nicknames:  Al, Bert, Bertie, Beto, Hab, Hob, Tito
      Variations:  Albertko (Slovakian), Alberto (Portuguese, Spanish, and
                   Italian), Albertok (Polish), Albertukas (Latvian),
                   Albrecht, Alpo (Finnish), Alvertos (Greek), Aubert
                   (French), Bechtel (German), Delbert

Albertko (see Albert)

Alberto (see Albert)

Albertok (see Albert)

Albertukas (see Albert)

Albin (see Alvin)

Albrecht (see Albert)

Alden              Old English "old friend."  This very old surname became
                   well known through "The Courtship of Miles Standish," a
                   popular poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  John Alden
                   was a cooper, or repairman, for the Mayflower.
                   Traditionally, he is supposed to have been the first
                   person to leave the ship and step on Plymouth Rock.
     Famous name:  Alden Henig Christiansen (business executive)
      Variations:  Aldin, Aldwin

Aldin (see Alden)

Aldis (see Aldous)

Aldo (see Aldous)

Aldon (see Alton)

Aldos (see Aldous)

Aldous             Variation of Aldo, German "old" or "wise."  The name was
                   found in England as early as the thirteenth century and
                   may date back to the Norman Conquest.  The Aldine editions
                   are early printed volumes of Greek and Latin authors, which
                   were named for the Venetian printer Aldus Manutius.  He is
                   also the inventor of italic type.
     Famous name:  Aldous Huxley (novelist)
      Variations:  Aldis, Aldo, Aldos, Aldus (modern Latin), Eldon

Aldus (see Aldous)

Aldwin (see Alden)

Aldy (see Eldon)

Alec (see Alastair, Alexander)

Alecio (see Alastair)

Alejandro (see Alexander)

Alejho (see Alastair)

Alejucho (see Alexander)

Alek (see Alexander)

Aleksander (see Alexander)

Alex (see Alexander)

Alexander          Greek "defender of men."  In the Iliad, Homer
                   sometimes calls Paris, the son of Priam, Alexandros.
                   It's also another name for the goddess Hera.
                   Alexander the Great was a Greek general who conquered
                   vast amounts of territory around the Mediterranean and
                   established an empire.  In the nineteenth century,
                   romantic epics about Greek and Roman times made this
                   name popular in England and the United States, and it
                   is still one of the most-popular names for boys.
    Famous names:  Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone)
                   Alexander Fleming (discoverer of penicillin)
                   Sir Alec Guinness (actor)
                   Alexander Pope (poet)
       Nicknames:  Al, Alec, Alek, Alex, Sandy
      Variations:  Alastair, Alejandro (Spanish), Alejucho, Aleksander
                   (Polish), Alexandr (Russian), Alexandre (French),
                   Alexio, Alexis, Allesandro (Italian), Sanders, Sandor,
                   Saunders

Alexandr (see Alexander)

Alexandre (see Alexander)

Alexio (see Alexander)

Alexis (see Alexander)

Alf (see Alfred, Alphonse)

Alfa (see Alphonse)

Alfero (see Alfred)

Alfie (see Alfred, Alphonse)

Alfonsin (see Alphonse)

Alfonsos (see Alphonse)

Alfonz (see Alphonse)

Alfred             Old English Aelfred, "wise counselor," from aelf [elfl +
                   raed [counsel].  In the mythology and traditions of
                   Germanic and English countries, elves are considered to be
                   wise and good counsellors.  This belief is reflected in the
                   name of Alfred the Great, last major king of England before
                   the Norman Conquest.  Other English kings before Alfred had
                   also carried the name.  It was in common use until the
                   sixteenth century and came back into fashion in the
                   eighteenth century when Old English names became popular.
                   In the United States, it ranks in the 100 most often used
                   names.
    Famous names:  Alfred, Lord Tennyson (poet)
                   Alfred Hitchcock (movie director)
                   Alfred Nobel (inventor and initiator of the Nobel Prize)
                   Alfred Emanuel Smith (governor of New York)
       Nicknames:  Al, Alf, Alfie, Alfy, Fito, Fred, Freddie, Fredo
      Variations:  Alfero, Alfredas (Lithuanian), Alfredo (Spanish and
                   Italian), Alfredos (Greek), Alvere, Avery, Elfred, Eufredo,
                   Hilfredo (Spanish), Lafredo

Alfredas (see Alfred)

Alfredo            Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese form of Alfred.  The
                   name is popular with Hispanic-Americans and ranks among
                   the 100 most often-given boys' names.
       Nicknames:  Feyo, Fito, Fredo
      Variations:  Elfriede, Eufredo, Hilfredo, Lafredo

Alfredos (see Alfred)

Alfy (see Alfred)

Ali                Swahili "placed on the highest" from Arabic Allah, "God."
                   Many African names are of Muslim origin, especially in the
                   countries of North and East Africa.  Ali has become a
                   commonly used name among Black-Americans.
     Famous name:  Muhammad Ali (boxer)

Alifonzo (see Alphonse)

Aliphont (see Alphonse)

Allan              Variation of Alan.  This spelling is more popular than Alan
                   and ranks in the top-twenty names for boys.
     Famous name:  Allan Pinkerton (detective)

Allen (see Alan)

Allesandro (see Alexander)

Allie (see Alan, Alton)

Alois (see Louis)

Aloisius (see Louis)

Alonso, Alonzo (see Alphonse)

Aloys (see Louis)

Alphons (see Alphonse)

Alphonse           Old German Adolfuns, "noble and eager," from athal
                   [noble] + funsa [ready].  This Spanish royal name was
                   brought to Spain by the Visigoths, and there have been
                   several kings of Spain and Portugal of this name.  Alfonso
                   X of Spain, known as Alphonso the Wise, was a noted
                   astronomer; a crater on the moon was named in his honor.
    Famous names:  Alphonse Daudet (novelist)
                   Alphonsus Rodriguez (saint)
                   Alphonso Smith (basketball player)
       Nicknames:  Al, Alf, Alfie, Foncho, Fonz, Fonzie, Fonzo, Lon, Lonnie,
                   Lonny, Poncho, Ponso
      Variations:  Alfonso (Portuguese), Alfa (Czech), Alfonsin (Spanish),
                   Alfonsos, Alfonz (Slovakian), Alifonzo, Aliphont, Alonso,
                   Alonzo, Alphons (German), Alphonsus (Latin), Ildefonso

Alphonsus (see Alphonse)

Alpo (see Albert)

Alten (see Alton)

Alton              Old English ald-tun, "old town"; also, a variation of
                   Eldon.  Several towns in the United States are named Alton
                   (Illinois, Missouri, and New Hampshire).  They were named
                   for early settlers, reversing the tradition of people
                   taking their names from the place they live.  East Alton,
                   Illinois, for example, was named for Alton Easton, the son
                   of the town's founder.
     Famous name:  Alton Lennon (congressman)
       Nicknames:  Al, Allie
      Variations:  Aldon, Alten

Alturo (see Arthur)

Aluin (see Alvin)

Aluino (see Alvin)

Alv (see Alvin)

Alvere (see Alfred)

Alvertos (see Albert)

Alvin              Old English Aethelwine, "noble friend," from aethel [noble]
                   + wine [friend]; or Aelfwine from aelf [elfl + wine
                   [friend].  An Old English compound name, Alvin has never
                   been very popular.  In the southern part of the United
                   States, more boys are named Alvin than in other parts of
                   the country, because of the heroism of Sergeant Alvin
                   Cullum York in World War I.  The town Alvin, Texas, was
                   named for Alvin Morgan, a landowner and promoter of the
                   town.
     Famous name:  Alvin Ailey (choreographer)
       Nicknames:  Al, Alv
      Variations:  Albin (Russian), Aluin (French), Aluino (Spanish),
                   Alvino (Italian), Alvy, Alwin (German), Alwyn, Aylwin,
                   Elvin, Elwin

Alvino (see Alvin)

Alvy (see Alvin)

Alwin, Alwyn (see Alvin)

Alyn (see Alan)

Amadee (see Amadeus)

Amadeo (see Amadeus)

Amadeus            Latin "lover of God."  Several saints have been named
                   Amadeus, including Amadeus of Lausanne and Amadeus of
                   Portugal, who reformed the Franciscan Order.  Amadeus IX of
                   Saxony was beatified in 1677.  Amadis of Gaul was a
                   legendary medieval knight, whose exploits form the center
                   of a cycle of romances.  Interest in the name has been
                   revived recently through the movie Amadeus, which is a
                   fictional version of the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
      Variations:  Amadee (French), Amadeo (Italian), Amadis (Spanish), Amias,
                   Amyas, Amyot

Amadis (see Amadeus)

Amal (see Emil)

Amar (see Omar)

Amblaoibh (see Olaf)

Amias (see Amadeus)

Amos               Hebrew "burden" or "burden carrier."  Amos was a shepherd,
                   and when he listened to the Lord, he became a prophet.
     Famous name:  Amos Bronson Alcott (writer)

Amyas (see Amadeus)

Amyot (see Amadeus)

Anabel (see Hannibal)

Anders (see Andrew)

Anderson (see Andrew)

Andie (see Andrew)

Andonios (see Anthony)

Andor (see Andrew)

Andre              French form of Andrew.  The name has become a very
                   popular given name, perhaps because it is French and
                   considered fashionable and chic, and also because it's a
                   spin-off from the more-popular Andrew.
    Famous names:  Andre Gide (author)
                   Andre Maginot (politician)
                   Andre Malraux (writer)
        Nickname:  Andy

Andrea (see Andrew)

Andreas (see Andrew)

Andreian (see Adrian)

Andrejc (see Andrew)

Andrejko (see Andrew)

Andres (see Andrew)

Andrew             Greek andreas or andreios, "man, manly, strong."  This is
                   one of the top-ten boys' names in the United States.  St.
                   Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus and the brother of
                   St. Simon Peter.  St. Andrew is the patron saint of
                   Scotland.  He is also the patron saint of Russia, and an
                   unsubstantiated tradition claims that he preached there.
                   During the Middle Ages, the saint was so popular in England
                   that several hundred churches were named for him.
    Famous names:  Andrew Carnegie (industrialist)
                   Andrew Jackson (7th U.S. president)
                   Andrew Johnson (17th U.S. president)
       Nicknames:  Andie, Andy, Dandie, Dandy, Necho, Randy, Tandy, Tito
      Variations:  Anders, Anderson, Andor (Hungarian), Andre (French),
                   Andrea (Italian), Andreas (Greek), Andrejc (Slovenian),
                   Andrejko (Slovakian), Andres (Spanish), Andrews,
                   Andrius (Lithuanian), Andriyechko (Russian), Andrzehczaj
                   (Polish), Andzs (Latvian), Antti (Finnish), Drew, Drews,
                   Ondro (Czech)

Andrews (see Andrew)

Andrique (see Henry)

Andrius (see Andrew)

Andriyechko (see Andrew)

Andrzehczaj (see Andrew)

Andy               Form of Andre or Andrew.  This nickname is used sometimes
                   as a separate name that's not associated with Andre or
                   Andrew.
     Famous name:  Andy Warhol (artist)

Andzs (see Andrew)

Angelo             Italian form of Greek Angelos, "a messenger," originally
                   from Hebrew "a messenger of God."  Angel, the English form
                   of this name, is rarely used.  Italians brought the name
                   Angelo to the United States, and it is very popular among
                   Italian-Americans.  It is also popular with
                   Hispanic-Americans, and Angelo now ranks high among the 100
                   most-used given names.
    Famous names:  Angel Valdes "Pete" Aragon (baseball player)
                   Angel Cordero (jockey)
                   Angelo Roncalli (Pope John XXIII)
       Nicknames:  Angie, Gelo, Lito
      Variations:  Angelov (Bulgarian), Angelyar (Russian), Angyalka
                   (Hungarian), Aniol (Polish), Anzhel (Russian)

Angelov (see Angelo)

Angelyar (see Angelo)

Angie (see Angelo)

Angyalka (see Angelo)

Aniol (see Angelo)

Antek (see Anthony)

Anthony            Latin Antonius, a family name of no specific meaning but
                   sometimes translated as "inestimable, priceless one."  This
                   name has long been popular in Western Europe and in the
                   Americas because of St. Anthony, the ascetic and founder of
                   Christian monasticism.  Shakespeare's plays Julius Caesar
                   and Antony and Cleopatra, in which Mark Antony is a major
                   character, have helped increase the popularity of this
                   Roman family name.  Antonio is the merchant in
                   Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.  In the United
                   States, the name is usually spelled with an h, changing the
                   pronunciation from its traditional one.  The older
                   pronunciation is reflected in the nickname Tony.  Anthony
                   has remained among the 20 most-popular names for many
                   years.
    Famous names:  Anton Dvorak (composer)
                   Anthony Quayle (actor)
                   Tony Randall (actor)
                   Anthony Trollope (English novelist)
       Nicknames:  Nico, Toncho, Tonek, Toni, Tonico, Tonio, Tony
      Variations:  Antek (Polish), Antoine (French), Andonios (Greek),
                   Anton (Bulgarian, German, Rumanian, Russian, Serbian,
                   Slovenian, Swedish, Norwegian, and Ukrainian), Antonio
                   (Spanish and Italian), Antonyuk (Russian)

Antoine (see Anthony)

Anton              Slavic and Germanic form of Anthony.
     Famous name:  Anton Chekhov (writer)

Antonio (see Anthony)

Antonyuk (see Anthony)

Antti (see Andrew)

Anzhel (see Angelo)

Aodh (see Hugh)

Aoidh (see Hugh)

Aquiles (see Achilles)

Ar (see Armand)

Ara (see Achilles)

Aranne (see Aaron)

Arcy (see Darcy)

Ardon              Hebrew "subduer"; also, "bronze."  The name is not used
                   very often.  Ardon was the son of Caleb, a leader of the
                   tribe of Judah, sent by Moses to reconnoiter the land of
                   Canaan, and from which after forty days, he reported that
                   the land flowed with milk and honey.

Ari (see Aaron, Aristo)

Ariel              Hebrew "lioness of God."  Ariel is a feminine name in
                   Hebrew, but in the Book of Ezra, Ariel is listed as one of
                   Ezra's chiefs and is sent to Iddo to obtain ministers for
                   the house of God.  The name is also in the Book of Isaiah,
                   where it's used as another name for Jerusalem.  Shakespeare
                   made Ariel the witty, light, and graceful spirit in The
                   Tempest.  Milton used the name in Paradise Lost for one of
                   the rebel angels.  Percy Bysshe Shelley referred to himself
                   as Ariel, and one of his biographers, Andre Maurois,
                   entitled his book on Shelley Ariel.

Aristelo (see Aristo)

Aristeo, Aristio (see Aristo)

Aristo             Greek aristos, "best"; also, form of Aristophanes or
                   Aristotle.  Originally, this name was a prefix that showed
                   that the person named was of the highest quality, or the
                   best.  Aristophanes was a Greek writer of comedy.
                   Aristotle is one of the great philosophers among the
                   ancient Greeks, a student of Plato, and a teacher of
                   Alexander the Great.  Aristo is a popular name with
                   Hispanic-Americans.
        Nickname:  Ari
      Variations:  Aristeo, Aristio, Aristelo

Arley (see Harley)

Arlow (see Harlow)

Arm (see Armand)

Armand             French form of Herman.  Armand is becoming a more
                   popular name than Herman.
       Nicknames:  Ar, Arm
      Variations:  Armandek (Polish), Armando (Portuguese, Spanish, and
                   Italian)

Armandek (see Armand)

Armando (see Armand, Herman)

Armant (see Herman)

Armin (see Herman)

Arminio (see Herman)

Armond (see Herman)

Arn (see Arnold)

Arnaud (see Arnold)

Arne, Arnie (see Arnold)

Arno (see Ernest)

Arnold             Old German Arenvald, "strong as an eagle," from arin
                   [eagle] + vold [power].  Arnold became a very popular name
                   in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries in England.  The
                   version of the name brought to England by the Normans was
                   Arnaut.  From the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries,
                   the name dropped from use, only to be revived in the early
                   twentieth century.  It does not appeal to many new parents
                   today.
    Famous names:  Arnold Bennett (writer)
                   Arnold Palmer (golfer)
                   Arnold Schoenberg (composer)
                   Arnold Toynbee (historian)
       Nicknames:  Arn, Arnie, Noldy
      Variations:  Arnaud (French), Arne (Czech), Arnoldek (Polish), Arnoldo
                   (Italian and Spanish), Arnolds (Latvian), Arnot (Hungarian)

Arnoldek (see Arnold)

Arnoldo (see Arnold)

Arnolds (see Arnold)

Arnot (see Arnold)

Aron (see Aaron)

Arrian (see Adrian)

Arrigo (see Harry)

Arron (see Aaron)

Arry (see Harold)

Art (see Arthur)

Artek (see Arthur)

Arthur             Probably Latin Artorius, a family name; also, possibly
                   Celtic artos, "a bear," or Irish art, "a stone."  Long
                   associated with the name of one of the earliest kings in
                   Britain, King Arthur of the Round Table, the name first
                   occurs in a short Latin chronicle written by a Breton monk,
                   Nennius.  The legend is believed to have originated in the
                   Celtic region of what are now Wales and Cornwall, England.
                   The romance of Arthur began to develop piecemeal, a poem
                   here and another there, until a composite of Arthur and the
                   Knights of the Round Table was formed into an integrated
                   whole, Morte D' Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, in 1485.  The
                   legend became a symbol of the spirit of England, and many
                   poets have been attracted to it.  Edmund Spenser's Faerie
                   Queene uses the legend as the framework.  Alfred, Lord
                   Tennyson, published his Idylls of the King in 1859.
                   Matthew Arnold, William Morris, Samuel Clemens (Mark
                   Twain), and Edwin Arlington Robinson also wrote about the
                   Arthurian legend.  The name ranks high in the 100
                   most-popular boys' names in the United States.
    Famous names:  Arthur Ashe (tennis player)
                   Arthur Meier Schlesinger (historian)
       Nicknames:  Art, Artek, Artie, Arty, Turi, Tuto
      Variations:  Alturo (Spanish), Arthuro, Artur (Bulgarian, Czech, German,
                   Hungarian, Swedish, and Portuguese), Arturo (Italian and
                   Spanish), Arturtek (Polish), Artus (French), Yayo
                   (Spanish), Yuyo (Spanish)

Arthuro (see Arthur)

Artie, Arty (see Arthur)

Artur (see Arthur)

Arturo (see Arthur)

Arturtek (see Arthur)

Artus (see Arthur)

Asa                Hebrew "God heals"; also, a form of Isaiah.  Asa was the
                   king of Judah and son of Abijam, who was the son of David.
                   He attempted to reform his people by destroying images of
                   false gods.

Ash (see Ashley)

Ashleigh (see Ashley)

Ashley             Old English "from the ash-tree meadow" from aesc [ash
                   tree] + leah [field]; a surname often used as a first name.
                   This surname has become very popular as a boy's name and
                   has begun to be used for girls.  It is high on the list of
                   the 100 most-often given names in the United States.  In
                   English-speaking countries, the name seems to be associated
                   with royalty through Lady Ashley.
     Famous name:  Ashley Montagu (author)
 Other spellings:  Ashleigh, Ashlie
       Nicknames:  Ash, Lee

Ashlie (see Ashley)

Ask (see Haskell)

Askell (see Haskell)

Astevan (see Stephen)

Asti (see Augustus)

Aubert (see Albert)

Audvard (see Edward)

Augie (see Augustus)

Auguste (see Augustus)

Augustin (see Augustus)

Augustus           Latin "majestic"; also, August, the month.  The name was
                   introduced into England directly from Germany when the
                   House of Hanover became the royal family.  Augustine, the
                   diminutive of Augustus, had been common in England during
                   the Middle Ages because of the adulation of St. Augustine,
                   the author of The Confessions and The City of God.  But it
                   had dropped from use and still occurs only rarely.  As
                   Austin, the name is used as both a given name and a
                   surname.  But of the many U.S. cities and towns of the
                   name, only Austin, Minnesota, derives from a given name,
                   Austin R. Nichols, the town's first settler.
     Famous name:  Auguste Rodin (sculptor)
       Nicknames:  Augie, Chucho, Gus, Gussy, Tuta
      Variations:  Agostinho (Portuguese), Agostino (Italian), Agustek
                   (Polish), Asti (Swedish), Auguste (French), Augustin
                   (Spanish)

Austin             Form of Latin Augustus.  This name is more common as a
                   surname, but it is used occasionally as a given name in the
                   southern part of the United States.

Ave (see Averill)

Averell (see Averill)

Averil (see Averill)

Averill            Old English Everild, "boar warrior," from eofor [boar] +
                   hild [battle]; also, Old French Avrill from the Latin
                   Aprillis, "April."  The name first appeared in England in
                   1297 as Aueril, but the name also had an English tradition
                   as a compound, Everild.  The two traditions, French and
                   English, seem to have fallen together so that the modern
                   forms cannot be traced with certainty.  April, of course,
                   still survives as both the name of a month and a girl's
                   name.
     Famous name:  Averell Harriman (diplomat)
  Other spelling:  Averil
       Nicknames:  Ave, Avie
       Variation:  Averell (English)

Avery (see Alfred)

Avie (see Averill)

Aylwin (see Alvin)