Pan

Pan is the name of a Greek god of the wild, nature, shepherds, and flocks, depicted as a man with the horns, legs, and tail of a goat, and who often played the pan-pipes. His name is somewhat tricky to pin down- it may be related to Greek pan meaning “all”; it could mean “shepherd” or it may come from an old Arcadian word for “rustic”, since Pan’s homeland was Arcadia. However, it’s believed that Pan is a cognate of Pushan, a Hindu god, in charge of the nourishment and protection of cattle; both their names may be from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (to protect, to shepherd). Pan is also a short form of names like Pandora or any name beginning with Pan.

Pan is also a Chinese surname, also common in Korean and Vietnamese, meaning “water in which rice has been rinsed” from the character 潘, though there may be other meanings depending on the character; it’s also a Spanish and Occitan surname meaning “bread” from Latin panis (bread), an occupational name for a baker or a pantryman, as well as a Polish, Ukrainian, and Yiddish surname meaning “lord; master; landowner” from a Slavic word.

Origin: Greek, Proto-Indo-European, Chinese, Latin, Slavic

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Shannon

Shannon is the name of a river in Ireland, the anglicized form of Sionainn, which may be related to Old Irish sen meaning “old, ancient” or it may mean “wise river” from Old Irish sen (wise) and abhainn (river). It may have derived its name after a goddess named Sionnan who went to the river in order to find the well where the Salmon of Knowledge lives. As a surname it has several possible sources:

• an anglicized form of Ó Seanáin which means “descendant of Seanán”, the latter a given name derived from sen meaning “wise;
• a reduced anglicized form of MacGiolla tSeanain meaning “descendant of the follower of St. Seanán”;
• an anglicized form of O’Sionain, given to those who worked with straw;
• an anglicized form of O’Seannachain meaning “descendant of a person named Seannachain”, the latter a male given name old derived from Old Irish sen.

Origin: Old Irish

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Variants:

• Shannan (English)
• Shannen (English)
• Shannah (English)
• Shanna (English)
• Shana (English)
• Sionann (Irish)

 

Marshall

Marshall comes from a surname originally used to refer to someone who was a marshal, an occupational name for someone who looked after horses which later developed into one who held important functions in a royal household, as well as also being an occupational name for someone who was responsible for the custody of prisoners. The name comes from Old High German marah-scalc meaning “horse servant” via Proto-Germanic *marhaz (horse) and *skalkaz (servant; knight), both from Proto-Indo-European *márkos (horse) and *(s)kelH- (to cut; to split, separate).

Nicknames: Marsh

Origin: Proto-Indo-European

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Variants:

• Marshal (English)

 

Troy

Troy has several possible meanings and etymologies behind it:

• it comes from a surname derived from a city in Troyes, France, used to describe someone who came from there. The name comes from Latin Tricasses, the name of a Gallic tribe that lived in the area. The first part of the name comes from tri meaning “three” although the second element, cass-, is a little trickier. It may mean “bronze, tin, brass” or “battle”;
• Troy may also be the Anglicized form of a Gaelic surname, Ó Troighthigh meaning “descendant of Troightheach”, the latter a person name meaning “foot soldier”;
• Troy is also the name of an ancient city in Asia Minor in what is now Turkey, that features in Homer’s Iliad, in which a ten year war between the Trojans and the Greeks rages on over the abduction of Helen by Paris, son of King Priam. It was known as Troia in Ancient Greek and Latin, as well as Ilium by the Romans; the name may have been derived from the name of a king, Tros, the founder of Troy and its ancestors, and the father of Ganymede, who was taken by Zeus and made the official cupbearer of the gods in Mount Olympus. I couldn’t find the etymology behind the name;
• it may also be an Americanized spelling of Treu, a German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning “true, loyal, faithful” in Middle High German;
• it could also be a Dutch surname, derived from Middle Dutch troye, meaning “doublet, jerkin”, either an occupational name for a tailor or a nickname for someone who wore a particular garment that was striking enough to be singular;
• I’ve also seen it listed as being a Dutch short form of Gertrude, from a Germanic name meaning “spear of strength”.

Origin: Latin, Gaelic, Ancient Greek, German, Dutch

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Variants:

• Troye (English, French)
• Troi (English)

 

Female forms:

• Troya
• Troia (Latin, Greek)
• Troi (English)

 

Cadrian

Cadrian seems to be a modern English name, either an elaborated form of Cade, which has a variety of meanings and origins such as:

• being an English surname derived from a metonymic occupational surname for a cooper (someone who made and repaired barrels) which comes from Old French cade (cask, barrel);
• it could also be from a Medieval English given name, Cada, which comes from a Germanic root word meaning “lump” or “swelling”;
• it may also be related to Middle English cade referring to a pet or domestic animal that has been abandoned by its mother and reared by hand. The word itself comes from an unknown origin. As a surname it seems to have originated as a nickname for a gentle or inoffensive person;
• Cade is also another name for the Juniperus oxycedrus (also known as prickly juniper or cade juniper ( from French genévrier cade);
• Cade is also the Italian third-person singular present meaning “fall” from Latin cadere (fall).

It’s also possible that Cadrian is another form of Adrian, which comes from Latin Hadrian derived from Roman cognomen Hadrianus meaning “from Hadria” or “from Adria”, Adria being another form of the name. It referred to someone who came from the town of Hadria/Adria situated in Northern Italy. The Adriatic sea received its name from the town. Though the origin behind the name is uncertain, it could be from Illyrian adur meaning “water, sea” though it could also be from Latin atra, a neuter of atrum meaning “black city”, which comes from Proto-Indo-European root *ater (fire).

Cadrian also seems to have some use as a surname although

Origin: Old French, Germanic, Middle English, Latin, Illyrian, Proto-Indo-European

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Variants:

• Cadrien (English)
• Adrian (English)
• Cade (English)
• Cadrienne (English) f
• Cadrianne (English) f

 

Locke

Locke comes from a surname of several origins and meanings such as:

• an English, Dutch, and German surname derived from a place name called Lock, referring to someone who lived near an enclosure or a barrier on a river such as a bridge which could be open and closed at will;
• it could also be an occupational surname used to refer to a locksmith or a lock-keeper from Old English loc meaning “fastening, lock”;
• Locke could also have come about as a nickname for someone with curly hair from Old English locc via Proto-Germanic *luka (to bend; turn);
• I’ve also seen it listed as a romanization of Lok, which is the Cantonese pronunciation of Chinese surname Luo meaning “white horse; camel” with the character 駱 or 骆;
• it might also be an anglicized form of Gaelic surname O’Lochlainn meaning “son of Lochlainn”, Lochlainn being the Irish form of Lachlan, originally a Scottish nickname used to refer to someone who was from Norway; Lochlainn means “land of the lochs”.

Locke also connotes the idea of closing or fastening something shut, as well as referring to a lock of hair.

Origin: Proto-Germanic, Chinese

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Variants:

• Lock (English)
• Lokk (English)
• Lok (Cantonese, English)

 

Terry

Terry is an English unisex name originally used as a diminutive of Terence (which comes from Roman family name Terentius which is of uncertain meaning though it could be derived from Latin terens meaning “rubbing, wearing away” from Latin terere (to rub, to wear out) though it might also be related to Sabine terenus meaning “soft”) or Theresa ( comes from Greek Therasia, the name of an island (the name is of uncertain meaning but has been linked to several possible meanings such as Greek theros “summer”, therizo “to harvest, to reap”, ther “wild beast”, or therao “to hunt”).

As an surname, however, Terry comes from medieval given name Thierry, the Norman French form of Theodoric meaning “ruler of the people” from Germanic elements theud (people) and ric (power); it could also be an anglicized form of Gaelic surname Mac Toirdhealbhaigh meaning “son of Toirdhealbhach”, the latter being a personal given name meaning “one who is like Thor” or “one who is like thunder”; or it’s a French surname deirved from Occitan terrin meaning “earthenware vessel, earthenware vase”, an occupational surname for a potter, which comes from Latin terra (earth).

Origin: Latin, Greek, Germanic, Gaelic

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Variants:

• Terrie
• Terri
• Teri

 

Chase

Chase is a given name derived from an English surname meaning “chase, hunt” derived from Old French chacier (to hunt) via Latin captiare (catch). It was an occupational surname for a huntsman or given as a nickname for an exceptionally skilled hunter.

Origin: Latin

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Variants:

• Chace (English)

 

Dober

Dober comes from a Slavic word meaning “good”; it’s the name of a settlement (also spelled Dobër and Dobre) in northern Albania. Dober is also a surname of English origin (with various spellings of Dauber, Dawber, Daber, and Doberer), an occupational surname for someone who was a plasterer from Middle English daubere via Old French daubier (whitewash, plasterer).

Origin: Slavic, Old French

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Porter

Porter comes from an English surname meaning “gatekeeper, doorkeeper” from Old French portier via Latin porta meaning “gate”; it was an occupational name for someone who was a gatekeeper of a town or a large house. Porter could also refer to someone who carried loads for a living with their own strength rather than a cart or a horse, another occupational name which comes from Old French porteour meaning “to carry” via Latin porto (to carry). In the modern era, a porter is someone who works at a hotel who carries luggage.

Origin: Latin

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