What’s in a name? Well, it depends on the name. There are thousands of common and popular names in English. Most have their own unique meanings, but a few have more meanings than others. That’s because they happen to overlap with common English words that are found in the dictionary. Take the name Trace, for example, which is commonly used as a boy’s name and is a diminutive of Tracy. But, in the dictionary, trace has over 29 different definitions!
So, is your name in the dictionary? And, if so, what does it mean? We put together a convenient list to help you find out. Here are 50 well-known baby names that also have definitions in the dictionary.
Pierce
Though Pierce is frequently used as a boy’s name, pierce is also a verb that means “to penetrate or run through (something)”. It was first recorded in English in the 1200s.
Amber
The name Amber comes from the yellow, sometimes reddish or brown, fossil resin of the same name. The rare substance is often used to make jewelry and other fine goods.
Lance
Lance has a strong association with knights and knighthood. First recorded in the 1200s, lance refers to the long, wooden spear wielded by charging knights and cavalry soldiers in medieval times.
John
As a Biblical name, John is associated with the apostle John, believed to be the author of the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and the book of Revelation. But john is also a common slang term. It can refer to an average guy or, specifically in the US and Canada, even the toilet. (We’re sorry.)
Autumn
Fall by any other name might be called autumn. This name is borrowed from the season between summer and winter, but it can also refer to maturity, as in the autumn of one’s life. It first appeared in English in the 1300s.
Nick
Aside from being a shortened form of the name Nicholas, a nick is also a noun describing a small notch, groove, or chip cut into something. A relic of the 1400s, the word nick is thought to be related to the Old English gehnycned, meaning “wrinkled.”
Dahlia
A Dahlia is a popular flower that’s native to Mexico and Central America. Known for their color and beauty, the flowers were named after 18th-century botanist Anders Dahl. Certain shades of pale violet and amethyst are also called dahlia.
Graham
Graham might make you think of graham crackers, and that’s likely because the word itself means “made of graham flour.” The crackers were named for their inventor, Sylvester Graham, but the name Graham has taken on a life of its own as one of the top 1,000 baby names in the US. It’s currently number 155.
Molly
Molly might be a good name for a water lover, as it’s also the name of a common freshwater fish. Traditionally, the name Molly has also been used as a nickname for Mary or Millicent.
Summer
We’re all familiar with summer as a season, but what about as a construction term? A summer is also the name for a principal beam or girder and what you might call the base stone laid in the construction of an arch. The seasonal sense came first: summer was first recorded in English in the year 900.
From arboreal to zephyrean, there’s no shortage of sizzling words to describe summer days.
Mark
If the name Mark leaves an impression, perhaps it’s because a mark is a visible impression or trace on something, like a cut, line, dent, or stain. Think: X marks the spot. First recorded before 900, Mark comes from the Old English mearc, meaning “mark, sign, banner, dividing line, borderland.”
Hope
Hope, the 260th most popular baby name in the US, is also what we call the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. It, along with Faith and Charity, are among three Christian virtue names popularized by the Puritans.
Brook
A brook is a small, natural stream of fresh water, the term for which is related to the German word Bruch, meaning “marsh.” The name Brook may be spelled the same way or include the addition of a final e to form Brooke.
Bill
Bill, a common nickname for William, has a number of meanings in English. It’s a term for money, a statement of money owed for goods and services, and what we call the draft of a proposed statute presented to the legislature.
Luna
Among the top 10 most popular names in the US is Luna. Luna is the name of the ancient goddess of the moon in Roman mythology. It’s also a term for silver. In Latin, luna means simply “moon.”
Bob
The name Bob is frequently used as a nickname for Robert, but it’s more versatile than you might expect. To bob is to move in a short, jerky motion, like an apple bobbing up and down in a bucket of water. It’s also a popular type of short haircut for women.
Harper
Before it was a favored baby name, Harper entered English as a term for a person who plays the harp. It was first recorded before the year 900, derived from the Old English hearpere.
Mat
Mat can refer to a protective floor covering, an ornamental piece of fabric placed under dishes, or the padded flooring used in wrestling and gymnastics. It’s also the word for a thick tangle of something, like weeds or hair. It’s usually an abbreviation for Matthew along with the alternative spelling Matt.
Felicity
If you’re happy and you know it, that’s felicity. Felicity, the state of being happy, comes from the Latin word fēlīcitās, meaning “happiness.” It first appeared in English in the 1300s.
Archer
Archer has gained popularity as a boys’ name throughout the 2000s and 2010s. In addition to being a well-liked name, it’s also what we call a person who shoots with a bow and arrow and a nickname for the constellation Sagittarius.
Faith
Confidence or trust in a person or thing is called faith. The word has existed in English since the 1200s, but it didn’t make the transition to a name until the Puritans started the trend of virtue names in the 1600s.
Trinity
A trinity is a group of three. It can also refer to the Holy Trinity, made up of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in Christianity. As a name, its popularity may be linked to one of the main characters in the Matrix movie series.
Felix
You might think of Felix as equivalent to Felicity. It comes from Latin and means “happy” or “lucky.”
Poppy
Poppy is one of several popular flower names. It’s also the name of an orangish-red shade of color. In architecture, a common term is poppyhead, which is a finial or other ornament, often richly carved, used as the top of the upright end of a bench or pew.
August
August isn’t just a month or the name of a Taylor Swift song. It’s also an adjective that means “inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity.”
Isabella
One of the most popular names in the US, Isabella, has a rich literary history. A variant of Elizabeth, it’s appeared in works by Shakespeare and Keats. It also refers to a grayish-yellow color.
Grace
Grace, gracias, and grazie all descend from the same Latin word, grātia (“favor, kindness, esteem”). Grace is a form of favor or goodwill. In English, it can also refer to elegance or beauty. It was first recorded in English in the 1100s.
Wren
Wren, a word that traces its connections all the way back to Old Norse, refers to any of several small, active songbirds, like the house wren, marsh wren, and winter wren.
Carol
The name Carol has traditionally been used as both a male and female name, but it’s also an English word that means “song”—think Christmas carols. Carol first appeared in English in the 1200s and is thought to be related to the Greek choraúlēs, a piper for choral dance.
Ruby
A type of gem, a deep-red port wine, a shade of red—these are all things for which we can use the word ruby. Fun fact: Ruby is also an open-source, high-level computer programming language.
Birdie
In addition to being a fun name, a birdie is also a sports term. In golf, it’s a score of one stroke under par. In badminton, it’s another name for a shuttlecock.
Hunter
A hunter is, of course, a person who hunts, but we can also use this word to describe any person who seeks something, like good fortune or opportunity. Hunter is also a nickname for the constellation Orion.
Drew
Drew is in the dictionary for a straightforward reason: it’s the past tense of draw. It’s commonly used as a nickname for Andrew, but it’s also popular on its own.
Jasper
Jasper is a type of quartz. In particular, it’s red and opaque, and it’s frequently used in decorative carvings and stoneware.
Paisley
A paisley is a soft woven fabric with a detailed pattern. But the fabric is actually not where the name originated. Paisley is a city in Scotland, and it was a 19th-century center of the weaving industry, which is where the fabric gets its name.
Ash
Ash, used as a standalone name or as a nickname for Ashley, refers to the powdery residue that remains after burning something. It’s also a color. It describes a light, silvery-gray.
Olive
The name Olive is borrowed from both an evergreen tree and the fruit of that tree. English speakers have the Greeks to thank for this one, both for the olives themselves and for elaíwa, the Greek word from which olive derives.
Daisy
Most are familiar with daisy as the name of a flower, but did you know it has other meanings? A daisy is also a cheddar cheese of a cylindrical shape as well as a slang term for a top-quality or first-rate thing.
Trace
Trace, in English, has many definitions. It’s an extremely small amount of something, the track left by the passage of a person or animal, and a surviving mark of a former action or agent. It can also be used as a verb for drawing or sketching.
Benjamin
The name Benjamin calls to mind great names like Benjamin Franklin or Biblical characters. Benjamin is also a type of bush as well as slang for money.
Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill, but Jill may not refer to a specific person. That’s because jill is a word for any young girl or woman or another way of saying “sweetheart.”
Ray
Ray may be short for Raymond. It may also be a narrow beam of light, a straight line emanating from a point, a type of flower, or any of 16 other definitions. This one may look simple, but it’s versatile.
Britt
Look to the northeastern Atlantic for the meaning of the word Britt. It’s a type of turbot, or European flatfish.
Max
Max isn’t just the hero of the classic children’s book Where The Wild Things Are. It’s also a shortened form of English words like maximum and maximal. In other words, it means the greatest degree of something.
Heather
In addition to being an enduring girls’ name throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, heather is a type of plant with small, pinkish-purple flowers. It also describes light shades of color, like heather gray.
Violet
Violet calls to mind a reddish-blue or any variety of the flowering plants of the same name. It first entered English in the 1300s.
Maverick
A maverick is a lone dissenter or a rebellious person. In the Southwestern US, it can also be used to refer to an unbranded calf. It gained popularity as a name due in part to its frequent use by former Senator John McCain.
Sherry
Sherry is a classic name that peaked in popularity in the ’60s and ’70s, but it also refers to a fortified, amber-colored wine. It comes from sherris, an archaic form of Jerez, the Spanish city known for making sherry.
Ace
An ace in English could be an extremely skilled person, a type of playing card, or even slang for a one-dollar bill. It was first recorded in the 1200s and has continued to take on new meanings in the decades since.
Melody
This list ends on a good note with Melody, both a popular feminine name and a word for musical sounds in agreeable succession. This musical name comes from the Medieval Latin melōdia, meaning “choral singing.”
Take the quiz
Are you ready to ace our quiz on proper names with different meanings? Or do you need more time to practice with this nifty word list here?
