Where do our first names come from? A small atlas of origins

Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Germanic… Most of our first names are thousand-year-old travelers. A small atlas of where they come from.

The biblical bedrock

A huge share of our names comes from the Bible, by way of Hebrew: John (“God is gracious”), Mary, Adam, Anne, Michael. Carried by Christianity, they spread across Europe and then the world.

The Greco-Roman legacy

Greece gave us Sophia (“wisdom”), Alexander, Nicholas; Rome gave Mark, Paul, Julia, Laurence. Names that speak of a virtue, a trade, or a Roman gens.

The Germanic breath

From the great migrations to the medieval kingdoms, Germanic left us Charles, William, Emma, Gerard — often names of warriors and protection.

Every name is a capsule of history. Explore them in our directory.