GABE (m) Short form of GABRIEL
GABOR (m) Hungarian form of GABRIEL
GABRIEL (m) "strong man of God" (Hebrew). Gabriel is one of four
archangels in Hebrew tradition, along with Michael, Raphael and Uriel. He
appears in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, where he serves as
the announcer of the births of John to Zechariah and Jesus to Mary.
GABRIELLE (f) Feminine form of GABRIEL
GAEA (f) "earth" (Greek). Gaea was the Greek mother goddess who
presided over the earth. She was the mate of Uranus and the mother of the
Titans and the cyclops.
GAGE (m) "measure" (Middle English). From a surname which denoted
one who was an assayer.
GAIA (f) Variant of GAEA
GAIL (f) Short form of ABIGAIL
GAILA (f) Form of GAIL
GAIUS (m) "to rejoice" (Latin). This was a common Roman name, the
most famous bearer being Gaius Julius Caesar, the great leader of the Roman
republic.
GALADRIEL (f) "maiden crowned with a radiant garland" (Sindarin).
Galadriel was a Noldorin elf princess renowned for her beauty and wisdom in J.
R. R. Tolkien's novels. The elements are galad "radiant" and riel
"garlanded maiden". Altariel is the Quenya form of her name.
GALE (f) Form of GAIL or "gale" (English)
GALEN (m) "calm" (Greek). This was the name of a 2nd-century BC
Greek physician who contributed to anatomy and medicine.
GARETH (m) "gentle" (Welsh). He was a knight who loved Eluned in 'The
Tales of King Arthur'.
GARFIELD (m) "triangle field" (Old English), from a surname. This is
the name of a cat in Jim Davis's cartoon strip 'Garfield'.
GARNET (m) Either "protection" (Old English) from a surname, or
"garnet" (English) from the name of the precious stone, the
birthstone of January.
GARNETTE (f) Feminine form of GARNET
GARRETT (m) From a surname derived from the name GERALD or GERARD. Pat Garrett
was the sheriff who shot Billy the Kid.
GARTH (m) "garden" (Teutonic). From a surname the denoted one who
lived near or worked in a garden.
GARY (m) Short form of GERALD or GARETH. Two famous contemporary bearers of
this name are the American actor Gary Cooper (who got his stage name from the
city in Indiana) and the Azerbaijani chess champion Gary Kasparov.
GASPAR (m) Variant of JASPER. This was a name traditionally given to one of the
three kings (also known as the three Magi, or wise men) who visit the newborn
Jesus in the New Testament.
GAVIN (m) Form of GAWAIN
GAWAIN (m) Either "white hawk" or "small hawk" or possibly
"battle hawk" (Celtic). Sir Gawain was character in 'The Tales of
King Arthur', a nephew of Arthur and a knight of the Round Table. The
14th-century romantic poem 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' tells how Gawain
beheads the Green Knight in single combat.
GAY
(f) "happy" (English)
GAYE (f) Form of GAY
GAYLA (f) Form of GAIL
GAYLE (f) Form of GAIL
GAYNOR (f) Medieval form of GUINEVERE
GEBHARD (m) "gift brave" (Teutonic). Saint Gebhard was a 10th-century
bishop of Constance.
GEERT (m) Low German and Dutch form of GERARD
GEFFREY (m) Form of GEOFFREY
GEMINI (m) "twins" (Latin). This is the third sign of the zodiac. The
two brightest stars in the constellation, Castor and Pollux, are named for the
twin sons of Leda in Greek mythology.
GEMMA (f) "gem" (Italian) or feminine form of JAMES
GENA (f) Short form of EUGENIA
GENE (m) Short form of EUGENE
GENESIS (f) "birth" (Greek). This is the name of the first book of the
Old Testament in the Bible. It tells of the creation of the world, the
expulsion of Adam and Eve, Noah and the great flood, and the three patriarchs.
GENEVA (f) Possibly a form of GENEVIEVE or possibly from the name of the city
in Switzerland.
GENEVIEVE (f) "white wave" or "tribe woman" (Celtic) or form
of GUINEVERE. Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, inspired the city to
resist the Huns in the 5th century.
GENEVRA (f) Form of GUINEVERE
GENNARO (m) "January" (Latin). From the name of the month which
derives from the name of the Roman god Janus. Saint Gennaro was a bishop who
was beheaded by emperor Diocletian in the 4th century. He is the patron saint
of Naples.
GEOFF (m) Short form of GEOFFREY
GEOFFREY (m) Perhaps a form of GODFREY. This name was introduced to England by
the Normans, where it became common among the nobility. A famous literary
bearer of this name was the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, writer of 'The Canterbury
Tales'. Visit a web page devoted to the name Geoffrey.
GEORG (m) German form of GEORGE. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German
idealist philosopher.
GEORGE (m) "farmer" from Greek georgos
"earthworker". Saint George is the patron saint of England and
Portugal, the legendary slayer of a dragon. Six kings of England have had this
name as well as two kings of Greece. George Washington was the first president
of the United States. Other famous bearers include authors George Eliot and
George Orwell (both pen names; real names Mary Anne Evans and Eric Arthur
Blair respectively), composer George Frideric Handel, and Pacific explorer
George Vancouver.
GEORGES (m) French form of GEORGE
GEORGETTE (f) French feminine form of GEORGE
GEORGINA (f) Latin and English feminine form of GEORGE
GEORGINE (f) French feminine form of GEORGE
GERALD (m) "spear rule" from Teutonic ger "spear"
combined with wald "rule".
GERALDINE (f) Feminine form of GERALD
GERALDO (m) Spanish form of GERALD
GERARD (m) "spear brave" from Teutonic ger "spear"
combined with hard "brave".
GERARDO (m) Italian and Spanish form of GERARD
GERBEN (m) "spear bear" from Teutonic ger "spear"
and bern "bear".
GERD (f) "stronghold" (Scandinavian). Gerd was a Norse fertility
goddess.
GERDA (f) Latinized form of GERD
GERHARD (m) German form of GERARD
GERLINDE (f) "spear snake" (Teutonic). The snake signified wisdom.
GERMAIN (m) French form of GERMAN
GERMAINE (f) French feminine form of GERMAN. Saint Germaine was a 16th-century
peasant girl from France.
GERMAN (m) "brother" from Latin germanus. It may also be given
with the intended meaning of "from Germany".
GERNOT (m) "spear crush" (Teutonic)
GEROLAMO (m) Italian form of JEROME
GERONIMO (m) A rare Italian form of JEROME. The Apache chief Goyathlay was better
known as Geromino, the name given to him by the Mexicans.
GERONTIUS (m) "old man" (Greek)
GERT (m) German short form of GERARD
GERTRAUD (f) German form of GERTRUDE
GERTRUDE (f) "spear strength" (Teutonic). This was the name of two
famous 13th-century nuns.
GERTRUIDA (f) Dutch form of GERTRUDE
GERVAIS (m) French form of GERVASIUS
GERVAISE (m,f) English masculine or French feminine form of GERVASIUS
GERVASIUS (m) Meaning unknown (Latin). Saint Gervasius was an early martyr from
Milan.
GERWULF (m) "spear wolf" (Teutonic)
GETHSEMANE (f) "oil vat" (Hebrew). In the New Testament this is the name
of the garden where Jesus was arrested.
GHISLAINE (f) Old French form of GISELLE
GIA
(f) Perhaps a variant of GAIA
GIACOMO (m) Italian form of JAMES
GIANNA (f) Short form of GIOVANNA
GIANNI (m) Short form of GIOVANNI
GIDEON (m) "feller" or "hewer" (Hebrew). Gideon was a hero
of the Old Testament who lead the Israelites against the Midianites.
GIGI (f) French pet form of GEORGINE or VIRGINIA
GILBERT (m) "bright pledge" (Teutonic). This was the name of a
12th-century British saint.
GILDA (f) "sacrifice" (Teutonic)
GILES (m) "young goat" from Greek aigidion. Saint Giles was
an 8th-century miracle worker from Greece.
GILLIAN (f) English feminine form of JULIAN or possibly "girl"
(Teutonic)
GINA (f) Either a short form of GEORGINA or REGINA or "silvery"
(Japanese)
GINGER (f) Pet form of VIRGINIA, or else "ginger" (English) from the
name of the spice or the reddy-brown colour.
GINNY (f) Pet form of VIRGINIA
GINO (m) Italian pet form of names ending in gino
GIOVANNA (f) Italian feminine form of JOHN
GIOVANNI (m) Italian form of JOHN. The Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini and
the 17th-century painter and sculptor Giovanni Bernini are two famous bearers
of this name.
GIRISH (m) "lord of the mountain" (Sanskrit). A name of Shiva, given
because of his abode in the Himalayan Mountains.
GIROLAMO (m) Italian form of JEROME
GISBERT (m) "hostage bright" from Teutonic gisel
"hostage" and beraht "bright".
GISELLE (f) "hostage" or "pledge" from Teutonic gisel.
This is the name of a well-known ballet by Adolphe Adam.
GITA (f) "song" (Sanskrit). The 'Bhagavad Gita' (meaning "The
Lord's song") is a sacred writing of Hinduism.
GITTA (m) Scandinavian short form of BIRGITTA
GIUSEPPE (m) Italian form of JOSEPH. Giuseppe Garibaldi was the military leader
who united Italy in the 19th century.
GIUSEPPINA (f) Italian form of JOSEPHINE
GLADWYN (m) "bright friend" from Old English glaed
"bright" and wine "friend".
GLADYS (f) Either from the Welsh name Gwladus, which is of unknown
meaning, or a form of CLAUDIA
GLEN (m) "valley" (Celtic), from a surname.
GLENDA (f) "pure good" from Welsh glan "pure, clean"
and da "good".
GLENN (m) Form of GLEN
GLENYS (f) "pure" or "holy" (Welsh)
GLORIA (f) "glorious" (Latin). The name first appears in George
Bernard Shaw's play 'You Never Can Tell'. It was not used before the 20th
century.
GLYNDWR (m) "valley water" or perhaps "valley man" (Welsh).
Owain Glyndwr was a 15th-century leader of a revolt against England in order
to free Wales.
GODFREY (m) "God's peace" or "glad peace" (Teutonic).
Godfrey of Bouillon was the leader of the First Crusade and the first ruler of
the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
GOLDA (f) "gold" (Yiddish)
GOLDIE (f) Either a form of GOLDA or "golden" (English)
GOMER (m) "complete" (Hebrew). In the Old Testament this was the
name of a grandson of Noah.
GORAN (m) Swedish form of GEORGE
GORDON (m) "great hill" (Scottish), from a surname which derived from
a place name. Charles George Gordon was a British general who died defending
the city of Khartoum in Sudan.
GOTTFRIED (m) German form of GODFREY. Gottfried von Strassburg was a medieval
German poet. The German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm von
Leibniz was one of the inventors of calculus.
GOTTHILF (m) "God help" (German)
GOVAD (m) "wind" (Persian)
GRACE (f) "grace" from English grace or Latin gratia.
GRACIA (f) "grace" (Spanish)
GRACIELA (f) Pet form of GRACIA
GRAEME (m) Form of GRAHAM
GRAHAM (m) From a Scottish surname which derived from an English place name
which meant either "gravelly homestead" or "grey home"
(Old English). The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century. A
famous bearer is Alexander Graham Bell, the Scottish-Canadian-American
inventor who devised the telephone.
GRAINNE (f) "love" (Gaelic). Grainne was the fiance of Fionn Mac
Cumhail and the lover of Diarmuid in Irish legend.
GRANIA (f) Latinized form of GRAINNE
GRANT (m) "great" (French) from a Norman surname. A famous bearer of
the surname was Ulysses Grant, the commander of the Union forces during the
American Civil War.
GRATIAN (m) "grace" from Latin gratus. Saint Gratian was the
first bishop of Tours (4th century). This was also the name of a Roman
emperor.
GRATIEN (m) French form of GRATIAN
GRAZIA (f) "grace" (Italian)
GRAZIANA (f) Italian feminine form of GRATIAN
GRAZIANO (m) Italian form of GRATIAN
GRAZIELLA (f) Pet form of GRAZIA
GRAZYNA (f) "beautiful" (Lithuanian). Created by Polish poet Adam
Mickiewicz for his poem 'Grazyna'.
GREGOIRE (m) French form of GREGORY
GREGOR (m) German form of GREGORY. Gregor Mendel was an Italian/Czech monk and
scientist who did experiments in genetics.
GREGORY (m) "to be watchful" (Greek). This was the name of several
saints including three Fathers of the Church: Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus (3rd
century), Saint Gregory of Nyssa, and Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (both 4th
century). This was also the name of 16 popes, including Gregory I, who was
known as Gregory the Great.
GRETA (f) Short form of MARGARET. A famous bearer of this name was Swedish
actress Greta Garbo.
GRETCHEN (f) German and Dutch pet form of MARGARET
GRETE (f) German and Danish short form of MARGARET
GRETEL (f) Pet form of GRETE. This name is well-known as the character in
Grimm's fairy tale who, with her brother Hansel, was captured by a witch, but
managed to trick her and escape.
GRIER (m) From a surname that derived from the first name GREGORY
GRIFFIN (m) Latinized form of GRUFFYDD, or "griffin" (English) from
the name of the creature that had the body of a lion and the head and wings of
an eagle in Greek mythology.
GRIFFITH (m) Anglicized form of GRUFFYDD
GRISELDA (f) "grey battle" (Teutonic). This was the name of a patient
wife in tales by Boccaccio and Chaucer.
GROSVENOR (m) "great hunter" (Norman French)
GRUFFUDD (m) Form of GRUFFYDD
GRUFFYDD (m) "_ prince" (Welsh). The first element is unknown. Gruffydd
ap Llewellyn was a Welsh ruler who fought against England in the 11th century
but was eventually defeated.
GRZEGORZ (m) Polish form of GREGORY
GUADALUPE (f) From a Spanish place name which means "river of the wolf"
in Arabic. Saint Guadalupe is the patron saint of the Americas.
GUDRUN (f) "god secret" (Old Norse). In Norse legend Gudrun was the
wife of Sigurd. After his death she married Atli, but when he murdered her
brothers, she killed her sons by him, fed him their hearts, and then slew him.
GUIDO (m) Italian form of GUY. This was the name of two 11th-century saints.
Also, Guido Cavalcanti was a 13th-century Italian poet.
GUILLAUME (m) French form of WILLIAM
GUILLERMO (m) Spanish form of WILLIAM
GUINEVERE (f) "fair smooth" or possibly "white wave" (Celtic).
She was the wife of Arthur in 'The Tales of King Arthur'. She had an affair
with Sir Lancelot, and their child was Sir Galahad.
GUNDA (f) Short form of names containing gunda, which means
"war" (Teutonic)
GUNDULA (f) Elaborate form of GUNDA
GUNNAR (m) "war" from Old Norse gunnr, or perhaps a form of
GUNTHER. Gunnar was a character in Norse legend, the husband of Brynhild.
GUNTER (m) Form of GUNTHER
GUNTHER (m) "war army" from Teutonic gund "war" and heri
"army". In the Germanic legend the 'Nibelungenlied', Gunther was a
Burgundian king and the husband of Brunhilde.
GUNTRAM (m) "war raven" from Teutonic gund "war" and hraban
"raven". This was a 6th-century Frankish king.
GUS
(m) Short form of AUGUST, ANGUS or GUSTAV
GUSTAV (m) "Gautr staff" (Teutonic). Gautr was a tribal name of the
Goths. This name has been borne by six kings of Sweden.
GUTO (m) Pet form of GRUFFUDD
GUY
(m) "wood" or "wide" (Teutonic)
GWEN (f) "fair" or "blessed" (Welsh) or short form of
GWENDOLEN, GWENLLIAN, GWENETH or GWENDA
GWENDA (f) "fair good" (Welsh)
GWENDOLEN (f) "fair ring" from Welsh gwyn "fair" or
"blessed" and dolen "ring".
GWENDOLINE (f) Form of GWENDOLEN
GWENDOLYN (f) Form of GWENDOLEN
GWENETH (f) Form of GWYNETH
GWENLLIAN (f) "fair flaxen" or "blessed flaxen" (Welsh). This
was a Welsh royal name.
GWYN (m) "fair" or "blessed" (Welsh)
GWYNETH
(f) "happiness" (Welsh) .