Names That Mean Peace

Fedde, a Top 100 boys' name in The Netherlands, is a Frisian short form for names beginning with Frid, which means "peace." As with many names popular in contemporary Holland, this short form stands on its own.

Hipsters might consider reviving this old German name, though we're not so sure their sons wouldn't have preferred the classic Fred name Frederick. Manfred B. Lee (born Manford) was half of the team of detective story writers who used the pseudonym Ellery Queen; Manfred Mann was a British pop group of the 1960's, with Manfred Mann (born Michael Liebowitz) at the keyboard. There's also a wooly mammoth named Manfred, and nicknamed Manny, in the film Ice Age.

The original Polish version of Casimir, borne by many Polish kings.

Iria is a diminutive version of Eirene / Irene and is therefore associated with the Greek goddess of peace.

This name, which sounds a little like "churt", is commonly used in Slovenia but could pose pronunciation problems in the anglo world.

This appealing Italian name is associated with the great Florentine painter and architect Giotto di Bondone, a major force in the Italian Renaissance.

This spelling of Frida or Frieda ranked as high as #141 back in the late 19th century. Its most famous bearers, with different spellings, are Indian actress Frieda Pinto, who starred in Slumdog Millionnaire, and Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Udo is the Igbo word for peace, and, in Nigeria, is a name usually reserved for men. Related names include Akudo, Udoka and Udo-Amaka.

This name, used in many Eastern European countries including Serbia and Romania, has two possible (and equally lovely) meanings. The feminine version is Dragomira.

A rare Arabic name related to the Hebrew Shalom, Solomon or Salome, meaning "peace", " safety" or "completeness". In complete contrast, it could be related to the word "dhulm" or "zulm" meaning "unfairness", and conveying the idea of overcoming oppression.

Sometimes used as the masculine form of Irene / Eirene, Irenaeus is a name seen in the Early Christian church (for example, Saint Irenaeus who is considered to be one of the Church fathers). Other forms of this name are Irenaus and Eireneus.

Short form of the name Anglicized as Saladin, very popular throughout the Arab world.

Kazumi can be used both as a masculine and feminine name. It is related to names like Kazuko, Kazuo and Kazuki.

You'd be forgiven for thinking this is the Catalan form of Geoffrey, but it actually comes from a slightly different Germanic name — also with a peaceful meaning. It's a historical choice, belonging to several medieval counts. In modern times, Guifré Vidal is a leading quantum physicist.

Frederique, the soigne name of Dutch-born model Frederique Van der Wal, is a lot more sophisticated than the dated MONIQUE. Still, as feminine forms of the Fred names go, we prefer the Italian Federica or the distant Spanish cousin Fernanda.

This widely-used Romanian choice was the name of a medieval ruler who brought stability to the region of Wallachia.

Shulamit--which has a variety of different spellings--is a serious-sounding Old Testament name that appears in the Song of Songs. Its common nickname is Shula, which is sometimes used on its own. Toni Morrison used the sleeker variation Sula in one of her novels.

Little-known outside the Isle of Man (between Britain and Ireland), Orry is a Manx form of Godfrey. So while it looks as friendly and casual as a nickname, it's a complete name in itself, and may appeal as an unusual alternative to names like Harry and Ari. It reached the US via Patrick Swayze, who played Orry Main in the 1985 TV series North and South.

Airini is the Maori transliteration of the name Eirene, whcih comes from the Greek goddess of peace. A notable bearer of this name is nineteenth century Maori rights activist Airini Donnelly.

Familiar as the most common form of greeting in Hebrew, but also associated with top female model Shalom Harlow.