Where Knowledge Rules

How to find out what your name means

The origin and history of your name.

What does your name mean?

Whether you're curious about your own name or looking for the perfect name for a child, the resources gathered here will help you find what you need.

Instructions

Behind the name

The website Behind the Name contains an impressive collection of articles about the meanings of names. To find out what your first name means, simply type it into the search box. You can also search for names that have a particular meaning by entering English words.

The random name generator will let you choose from a list of cultures that run the gamut from African to Welsch as well as a list of silly categories like "hillbilly" and "transformer". Just for fun, I tried generating a hillbilly/wrestler name, which resulted in "Insane Vendetta Maggie-Rae". My request for a goth/transformer name gave me "VelvetPython Cog".

All in all, Behind the Name is a fun, informative site for anyone interested in names.

Surnames

This website is an expansion of Behind the Name. While not nearly as extensive as Behind the Name's database of first names, the database of surnames is worth trying if you would like to find the meaning of your last name. Many common last names are included.

Some additional features of the site include a "search by origin" page and a list of most common surnames for several different countries.

More name resources

Last name meanings

Last-names.net has a fairly extensive database of surnames, so even if you have an unusual surname, you can probably find it here. Another neat feature of the site is a map of the U.S. shaded to show the frequency of the surname you are searching.

Numerology

This website will tell you what your first name means and will also use numerology to provide a description of your personality traits. The name origin information is well-researched, and reading the numerology information is fun in the same way that reading horoscopes is.

Your name as an acronym

This fun, silly little widget will assign a word to go with each letter of your name. Here are my results:

R is for Revolutionary

A is for Animated

V is for Visionary

E is for Enjoyable

N is for Neglected

Give it a try. If you don't like the results, hit the back button and try again.

Comments (1 to 1 of 1)

zteve t evans

Nov 25, 09 at 08:25 PM

Raven, This is really interesting. Thanks!

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