First-Time Parent and Gem Babies’ Names Bundle

Bennet see Benedict

Berenice f.

From the Greek Pherenice, meaning ‘bringer of victory’. It was spread by the imperial conquests of Alexander the Great over Europe and Asia. It was especially popular in Egypt, during the period of Macedonian rule, and its use spread also to the family of Herod of Judea. Bernice is a modern form of the name, and Bunny is sometimes used as a pet form (see also VERONICA).

Bernadette f.

The commonest female form of BERNARD. Its use has spread due to the fame of St Bernadette of Lourdes, who lived in the mid 19th century and whose visions started the pilgrimages of healing to that town. The Italian Bernardetta has been shortened to Detta, which can be used as an independent name. Bernadine is another form of the name, and Bernie the short form.

Bernard m.

A Germanic name meaning ‘brave as a bear’. It was very popular in the Middle Ages. Two important saints bearing the name were St Bernard of Menthon after whom St Bernard dogs are named, and St Bernard of Clairvaux who inspired the Second Crusade. It has remained in use ever since. The most usual short forms are Bernie and Barney, which is shared with BARNABAS.

Berry see Apple, Bertram

Bert, Bertie m.

A pet form of a large number of names including ALBERT, BERTRAM, BERTRAND, GILBERT, HERBERT, HUBERT, ROBERT. In all these cases, the ‘-bert’ part of the name is a Germanic element meaning ‘bright’. The name is sometimes used as a given name, when it may take the form Burt.

Bertha f.

From the Old German word beraht, meaning ‘bright’. The first famous English Bertha was the wife of King Ethelbert of Kent who welcomed St Augustine to England on his mission of conversion. In the Middle Ages both Bertha and Berta were popular, and the name has been regularly used ever since, although it is rather uncommon at present.

Bertram m.

From the Old German meaning ‘bright raven’, the bird associated with the god Odin. The name has been used in England since the early Middle Ages, and has the short forms BERT and Bertie, and the less common Berry. Bertrand, meaning ‘bright shield’, is often treated as the French form of Bertram and shares with it the short forms BERT and Bertie.

Beryl f.

From the gemstone, whose name is related to the Arabic for ‘crystal’. It appeared in the 19th century, and was popular in the early part of the 20th century.

Bess, Bessie, Beth see Elizabeth

Betha see Bethia

Bethany f.

A popular name taken from a New Testament place name, the village where Lazarus lived. The short form Bethan is used independently, and is also a short form of ELIZABETH which has spread from Wales.

Bethia f.

Bethia or Bethea can be interpreted in three different ways. It can be thought of as a pet form of ELIZABETH, as a use of the Old Testament place name Bethia, or as an English version of a Gaelic name also found as Betha, meaning ‘life’.

Betsy, Bettina, Betty see Elizabeth

Bettrys see Beatrice

Beverl(e)y f. and m.

From an Old English surname meaning ‘of the beaver-meadow’. It is shortened to Bev, and is now only rarely used for boys.

Bevis m.

This is a French name, possibly meaning ‘bow’, introduced into England at the Norman Conquest. It was popular in the Middle Ages and revived again after Richard Jeffries’ Bevis, The Story of a Boy was published in 1882.

Bharat m.

This was the name of several famous heroes in the Hindu epics, and derives from the Sanskrit for ‘being maintained’. India officially became Bharat when it achieved independence.

Bharati f.

A Hindu name identified with the goddess of speech and learning.

Bhaskar m.

A Hindu name from the Sanskrit for ‘the sun’. Bhaskara, the famous 12th-century Indian astronomer and teacher, shows an earlier form of the name.

Bhavana see Bhavna

Bhavini f.

A Hindu name meaning ‘illustrious, beautiful’, a term for the goddess Parvati, wife of the god Siva.

Bhavna f.

An Indian name, from the Sanskrit meaning ‘wish’, ‘desire’ or ‘thought’. The form Bhavana is also used.

Bianca see Blanche

Bidelia, Biddy see Bridget

Bill see William

Billie, Billy f. and m.

This pet form of the boy’s name WILLIAM is being used increasingly as a girl’s name particularly in America, often in combinations to produce names such as Billie Jean or Billy Joe.

Birgitta see Bridget

Björn m.

A Scandinavian name which means ‘bear’. The name has become widely known in modern times through the Swedish tennis champion Björn Borg.

Blaise m.

From the French, meaning either someone from the Blois region, or derived from the Latin for ‘stammerer’. It is also spelt Blase or Blaze.

Blake f. and m.

A surname, from the Old English meaning ‘black, dark-complexioned’, used as a first name.

Blanche f.

This is a French name which was brought to England in the 13th century. It means ‘white’ or ‘fair-skinned’. The Spanish and Italian form Bianca was used by Shakespeare, and is now rather more popular than the older form.

Blodwen f.

From the Welsh for ‘white flower’. It is rarely found outside Wales. Blodeuwedd, ‘flower form’, is the name of a beautiful but unfaithful woman in Welsh medieval romance, while Blodyn or Blodeyn is the more simple ‘flower’.

Blossom see Fleur

Blue see Indigo

Bob see Robert

Bobbi(e), Bobby f. and m.

These pet forms of ROBERT, ROBERTA and BARBARA are used as names in their own right, and in combinations such as Bobby Joe.

Bonnie, Bonny f.

A Scots word for ‘pretty’ used as a name. Like many modern names, it probably owes its spread to its appearance in Gone with the Wind.

Boris m.

From the Russian word for ‘fight’. It was used in Britain and North America in the 20th century, possibly due to cultural influences such as Moussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov, the film actor, Boris Karloff, and the author of Dr Zhivago, Boris Pasternak, as well the large number of Slavic immigrants who have come to the West.

Boyd m.

From a Gaelic word meaning ‘yellow’, referring to the colour of the hair. It is the name of a Scottish clan, though the surname can also derive from ‘isle of Bute’. Boyd became more widespread outside Scotland after its use in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind.

Bradley m.

A surname from the Old English, meaning ‘wide meadow’, now popular as a first name. Brad(d) is a short form.

Brady m.

An Irish surname, possibly meaning ‘broad-chested’ now found as a first name.

Bram see Abraham

Bran see Brenna

Brand see Brenda

Brandan, Brandon see Brendan

Brandi f.

This name, which seems to come from the vocabulary word ‘brandy’, has been a popular girl’s name in the USA for some years. It is also found spelt Brandy, Brandee and Brandie, and probably serves as a feminine form of Brandon.

Brannan see Brenna

Breanna f.

This new name, which has developed in the USA, can either be seen as a blend of the names Bree (a pet form of BRIDGET) and Anna, or as a development of BRIANNA, a feminine form of BRIAN. It is also used in the form Breanne, and found in spellings such as Breeanna and Brieanne.

Bree see Bridget

Bren see Brenna

Brenda f.

Probably a feminine form of the Norse name Brand, meaning ‘a sword’, found in the Shetlands. It was used by Walter Scott in his novel The Pirate. However, in practice, it has been used more frequently as a feminine form of BRENDAN.

Brendan, Brandon m.

An Irish name meaning either ‘with stinking hair’, or, according to one authority, from the Welsh word meaning ‘prince’. It is most famously found in the 6th-century Irish St Brendan the Navigator, credited in legend with the discovery of America. It is today particularly popular in Ireland, Australia and the USA. The form Brandan or Brandon has a long history as an alternative form of Brendan, but can also come from an Old English place and surname meaning ‘a hill where broom grows’. The name is also spelt Brandin, Brandyn, Brenden and Brendon.

Brenna f., Brennan m.

Brennan is a pet form of the Irish name Bren, which probably means ‘tear, sorrow’, with Brenna a modern feminine form. Since the earliest records this name and Bran, ‘raven’, and its pet form Brannan have regularly been confused, and it is not always possible to tell which form of the name has come from which source.

Bret(t) m.

From an Old French word meaning ‘a Briton’ or ‘a Breton’. It is currently well used in the USA.

Brian m., Brianna f.

A Celtic name, the origin of which is obscure, though it may be derived from words meaning ‘hill’ or ‘strength’. It was known mainly in Celtic areas until the Norman Conquest, when it was introduced to England. Brian Boru was a famous Irish King of the 11th century, who defeated the invading Vikings.

The name continued to be popular in England until Tudor times, but after that it disappeared until it was reintroduced from Ireland in the 18th century. Today the spellings Bryan, Brien and Brion are found, and Bryant or Briant, originally a surname developed from the name Brian, is also found. Brianna, Bryan(n)a and Brianne (Bryanne) are used as feminine forms, as is BRYONY.

Brice m.

Brice, possibly meaning ‘speckled’, is an old Gaulish name, the name of a 5th-century French saint and bishop of Tours, which is now well used in the USA, often in the form Bryce. The surname which developed from the first name, Bryson, is also found used as a first name.

Bridget f.

Brigit was the ancient Irish goddess of poetry whose name meant ‘strength’. Her name was borne by 5th-century St Brigit of Kildare, the most revered of the Irish female saints. The Irish name also appears in the forms Bri(d)gid and Bride (which reflects the Irish pronunciation of the name, with a long ‘ee’ sound and no ‘g’), with the diminutives Bridie, Biddy, Bree (now sometimes Brea) and the older elaboration Bidelia. Brigidine is a variant chosen by Sinead O’Connor for her child. There is also a Swedish saint Birgitta or Brigitta whose feast day falls on the same day as St Brigit’s, and her name has influenced the most common English form of the name, Bridget. Britt is a pet form of the Swedish name.

Brien see Brian

Brigid, Brigit, Brigitta see Bridget

Brin see Bryn

Brion see Brian

Briony see Bryony

Britt see Bridget

Brittany f.

This French place name began to be used as a name for American girls in the 1960s, for reasons which are unclear. The sound of the name rather than its meaning seems to be important, as it also occurs as Britanee, Britani, Britney (made famous by Britney Spears) and Brittney. In the 1980s a sudden surge in popularity took it to the top of the American name charts and use is growing in the UK.

Bronwen f.

From the Welsh words meaning ‘white breast’. This name has long been popular in Wales where it has strong associations with ancient legend.

Brooke f. and m.

The surname meaning ‘a brook’, used as a first name, made famous by the actress Brooke Shields. The American place name Brooklyn, most famously used in the UK for a boy, Brooklyn Beckham, is more often used for girls in the USA, and is treated as if a blend of Brooke and LYN in forms such as Brooklynne.

Bruce m.

A French surname which came to Britain at the time of the Norman Conquest. Members of the family moved to Scotland where a descendant of one, Robert Bruce, became King of Scots, and was the ancestor of the Stewart or Stuart Kings. Bruce has only been used as a first name since the 19th century, but it proved so popular in Australia in the mid 20th century that it is almost a nickname for an Australian man. Brucie is a pet form.

Bruno m.

This is a German name meaning ‘brown’, probably imported to the UK via the USA where it has been established for longer.

Bryan see Brian

Bryce see Brice

Bryn m.

A Welsh name, originally describing where someone lived, meaning ‘hill’. It can be found as Brin, and Brynmor (‘large hill’) is also used.

Bryony f.

Bryony, or Briony, is the name of the climbing hedgerow plant used as a girl’s name. It is a rather insignificant plant, although it has pretty berries, and the name probably owes its popularity to the fact that it can be used as a female equivalent to BRIAN.

Buddy m.

This word for a friend is occasionally used as a first name, but is usually a nickname. The singer Buddy Holly, for example, was christened Charles.

Buffy see Elizabeth

Bunny see Berenice

Bunty f.

This was a traditional name for a pet lamb, which came into use for girls after 1911, when it was featured in a very successful play called Bunty Pulls the Strings. However, it is used more commonly as a nickname.

Burhan m.

An Arabic name meaning ‘evidence’ or ‘proof’. Burhanuddin means ‘proof of faith’.

Burt see Bert

Byron m.

A name more frequently used in America than Britain, though it honours the English poet Lord Byron (1784–1824). Byron comes from the word ‘byre’, which means a cow-shed or barn. The name may have originally indicated someone who lived near a barn.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.