Names That Mean People

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

Nicolet is an old diminutive of Nicolas or Nicolau. It's also found as a surname: Jean Nicolet was a French explorer in the New World in the 17th century, most famous in Wisconsin where a forest and a college are some of the things named after him.

This Polish variant of Nicholas is very common in Poland, and has stayed in the nation's Top 30 for the last 20 years. A significant namesake is Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born Mikołaj Kopernik. Can be shortened to the cute nickname Miko.

Sekani was the fastest-rising boy name of 2019 thanks to the 2018 movie The Hate U Give. Naturally, it inspired some spinoffs, including Sakani.

Would make a difficult choice even for those with ties to the Virginia city or British county.

Leotis effortlessly blends vintage and contemporary style, offering old-fashioned charm and not one, but two old-school cool nicknames: Leo and Otis.

A patronymic derived from the Old Germanic name Fulco (variants: Fulk, Fulke, Folke), which is a short form of names starting with the element fulc "people". A more formal option for lovers of red-hot celebrity favorite Fox. Has potential as a crazy celebrity baby name.

Buckingham is an English surname, denoting one's ancestors lived in Buckinghamshire county. The place name was firstly Buccingaham, composed of the components inga, meaning "people of," and hamm, the Old English word for "water meadow." Bucc refers to an Anglo-Saxon chieftain named Bucca, who, in theory, settled the land.

A rare Finnish name that can also be spelled Teemu.

An ancient Roman forename that has never been on the modern American charts. Famous bearers include Publius Vergilius Maro (the poet Virgil), Publius Ovidius Naso (the poet Ovid), and Publius Aelius Hadrianus (the Emperor Hadrian, of wall fame).

Collins is a surname name that has made the girls' Top 300 thanks to its use for the daughter of the real-life Blind Side heroine. The Kollins spelling is rising for girls too now, and was used for 131 baby girls in 2022.

Fulbert comes from the same root as Fulbright, as in the prestigious fellowship. A unique name not prized by 21st century parents.

A jaunty, traditional name in Sweden's Top 100. Famous bearers include actor Svante Thunberg (Greta's father) and the father of physical chemistry Svante August Arrhenius. The name Svante is short for Svantepolk, the name of a Slavic nobleman who settled in Sweden in the 14th century.

A rare geographical option which has never been given to more than 12 baby boys per year in the US, but is familiar to everyone. The actual meaning of the state's name, which comes from that of a local tribe, is unknown, but it has often been said to mean "people of the west wind".

Sekani was the fastest-rising boy name of 2019, inspired by the character Sekani Carter in the 2018 movie The Hate U Give. The Sekani, also spelled Tse’khene, are a First Nations culture in Canada. Their name was derived from words in the Sekani language meaning "people on the rocks." Sekani is also seen as a name in Malawi and Zambia among the Tumbuka people.

An international — much fresher — twist on Nicola.

Variant of Treveri. 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.

An unusual ancient Theo- name, borne by 8th century writer and bishop Theodulf of Orléans.

This Finnish nickname for Klaus could stand independently on birth certificates.