Names That Mean People

Russian names, like Russian supermodels, are hot these days, at least they are when politics alow it. This is a strong way to make Nicholas new. More authentically spelled Nikolai.

German spelling of the Russian diminutive Kolya, from Nikolai.

In Iceland, there is an official government list of baby names you must choose from. Demus was officially recognized as an Icelandic name in August of 2002.

Like cousin Ludmila, a Russian name rarely heard in this country.

This is one of the least known or used of the Theo names, quite possibly because of its last syllable. In Samuel Butler's 1903 novel The Way of All Flesh, there is a clergyman character named Theobald Pontifex.

Mariska Hargitay honored her Hungarian heritage when she used Miklos as one of the middle names for her son August in 2006.

Tib was a unisex nickname in the 13th century, used as a short form of Theobald and Isabel. As Theobald waned in popularity, it became far more associated with girls, so much so that Tib was a term for young girls by the 16th century.

A cheerful-sounding name from ancient Rome that would be an offbeat route to Poppy as a nickname. Poppaea Sabina was the second wife of the emperor Nero.

Royalty was the hottest name of 2016, moving furthest up the ladder to enter the Top 1000, and is also arguably the trendiest name of the past decade, used a whopping 71 times as often in 2017 as it was ten years earlier. Royalty represents the convergence of two important trends: word names and superlative names such as Legend and King. This is one we'll hear a lot of for a while.

The enduring form of Nicholas in countries that speak predominantly Germanic languages.

An unusual word name that nevertheless feels right on trend, with that two-syllable, n-ending shape and sharp middle X.

This Ukrainian variation of classic Nicholas is pronounced like the more familiar Nikola, but with an M of course. Myko would be a cool and edgy nickname option.

Derived from the Baltic component vyti, meaning "to chase," and tauta, "people." Vytautas the Great was a medieval Lithuanian king, still revered to this day.

Shy Anne? The original place-name spelling Cheyenne is preferable to this phonetic and slyly jokey spelling in every way.

A cool new word name possibility, if Legend has become too popular for you.

The Treveri people gave their name to modern-day Trier, formerly known in English by its French name Treves, which is the oldest city in Germany and was one of the ancient capitals of the Roman Empire. This could be a novel way to honor an ancestral Trevor.

American football player Adam Thielen has put this German surname on the first name list for baby boys in the US. It derives from Old High German thiot "people".

In Danish and Swedish, Nisse is a diminutive of Nils, a relative of Nicholas meaning "victory of the people". In Frisian, it's a diminutive of Dionysus, meaning "of Zeus". And Nisse also happens to mean "elf" in Danish.

A big, bold, ultra-rare virtue name. Could it follow in the footsteps of Justice and Liberty?