A Cast of Names Both Old and New
Ciro (pr. chee-ro in Italian, cee-ro in Latin American Spanish) is the Italian and Spanish form of Cyrus, the Latinized form of Ancient Greek Kyros, the Greek form of Persian Kurush of unknown meaning and origin. Several possible meanings have been listed for it, however, such as “far-sighted”, “young”, “sun”, “hero”, “one who bestows care”, and “humiliator of the… Continue reading Ciro
Gilgamesh is the name of the legendary king of Uruk (an ancient Sumerian city-state); he is also the eponymous hero of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia which is the oldest surviving piece of literature in the world. He may have been based on a historical king named Gilgamesh around the 27th… Continue reading Gilgamesh
Yujiro is a Japanese male name with a variety of meanings depending on the kanji used: yu 佑 "to help; assist" + ji 次 "next, order; sequence" + ro 郎 "son" (佑次郎); yu 裕 "abundant; rich; fertile" + ji 次 "next, order; sequence" + ro 郎 "son" (裕次郎); yu 雄 "male, masculine; hero; leader; superiority; excellence" + ji 二 "two" + ro 郎 "son" ( 雄二郎); yu 勇 "courage; bravery; heroism" + ji 治 "reign; govern; regulate" + ro 郎 "son" (勇治郎); yu 裕 "abundant; rich; fertile"… Continue reading Yujiro
Torrence comes from a Scottish surname derived from a place name derived from Gaelic torran meaning "hillock" or "mound". It may also have derived from an Irish surname, Ó Toráin meaning "descendant of Torán", the latter an Irish male name meaning "little lord" or "little hero, champion" from Irish tor (lord, hero, champion) and the diminutive suffix -án. It's also possible… Continue reading Torrence
Denzil has several possible meanings but nothing concrete, and they may not even be accurate. It’s from a surname denoting someone who came from a place called Denzell in Cornwall. I’ve seen it listed as meaning “fort”, “fertile highland” or “high stronghold”. I’ve also seen it listed as being a pet form of German name Denz, a short… Continue reading Denzil
Raya is a female given name with a variety of origins and meanings such as: it's used as a short form of Rayna, either a Bulgarian form of Regina meaning "queen" or the feminine form of Rayno derived from Slavic rad meaning "happy, willing"; Raya is also used as a Russian nickname for Raisa, a Russian name of unknown meaning though it may have been… Continue reading Raya
Xerxes (pr. zurk-seez) is the Greek form of Persian Khshayarsha meaning "ruler over heroes" or "ruler among kings" or even "hero among heroes". Origin: Old Persian Variants: Khshayarsha (Ancient Persian)
Hero is the name of a lover of Leander, a priestess of Aphrodite. They lived on opposite sides of the Hellespont and every night Leander would swim across to meet up with his lover, who would light a lamp at the top of the tower to help guide his way. One night he got caught… Continue reading Hero
Herodias is the feminine form of Herod, a Greek name meaning "song of the hero" from Greek elements heros (hero, warrior) and oide (song, ode). Origin: Greek Variants: Erodiade (Italian) Aradia (Italian) Hérodiade (French) Heroda (English) Herodia Erodias Irodiada (Romanian) Herodiana (Latin) Male forms: Herod (Ancient Greek) Herodes (Ancient Greek) Herodion (Ancient Greek) Rodion (Russian) Rodya (Russian diminutive of… Continue reading Herodias
Hera is the Greek goddess of marriage, childbirth, women and family. She is also the queen of the gods, the wife of Zeus. Apparently Zeus fell in love with her at first sight but she refused his first marriage proposal, but he refused to give up so easily. He turned himself into a cuckoo bird… Continue reading Hera
