What is Name Meaning Lookup?

Look up the meaning, origin, and variants of thousands of first names. Great for picking a baby name, exploring your own name's roots, or just browsing. Each entry includes etymology, language of origin, and related name forms, all stored in an offline database.

Each entry lists the literal meaning, the language family or culture the name comes from (Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, Sanskrit, Norse, Yoruba, and many more), and common variants across languages. The database is curated per locale so the names you see match your script and region, and search runs on your device without sending queries anywhere.

How to use

1. Type a name in the search field to see its meaning, origin, and variants.
2. Browse names by origin (Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, etc.) or by first letter to discover options.
3. Save favorite names to a shortlist for easy comparison.

When to use

• Shortlisting baby names with your partner and saving favourites to compare.
• Checking what your own name means and where it originally came from.
• Researching naming conventions for a novel, game character, or screenplay.

Result

Expecting parents type 'Sofia' and learn it means 'wisdom' from Greek origin, is popular across Europe and Latin America, and has variants like Sophie (French) and Sophia (English). They add it to their favorites list alongside 'Elena' and 'Amara'.

FAQ

How many names are in the database?

Around 130 curated entries per locale, weighted toward names that are commonly used in that language's culture. The English set covers Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Germanic, Sanskrit, Japanese, Yoruba, and other origins reflecting English-speaking countries' diversity.

Are the meanings historically accurate or just folk etymologies?

Meanings come from accepted etymological sources where possible, but for older names some entries are best-guess from the proto-form. If you're naming a child after a specific ancestor, double-check with a dedicated onomastic reference.

Do my favorite names persist between visits?

Yes. Favorites are saved on your device and load again the next time you open this page. Open the Favorites view and tap Share shortlist to copy a link that reopens the exact same list for your partner, or use bulk Copy to paste the names as plain text elsewhere.

Can I search by meaning instead of by name?

Yes — there is a dedicated Search by Meaning field next to the origin filter. Type a word like 'wisdom' or 'star' and any name whose meaning contains that text will appear. You can combine it with the origin or gender filters to narrow the list further.

Why are name lists different between languages?

Each locale gets a curated list of names that are actually common in that culture, written in the native script. The Russian set uses Cyrillic, the Arabic set uses Arabic letters, and so on, so the names feel relevant rather than transliterated.

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