B is for...

BARRY
Gender: Masculine

Usage: Irish, English

Pronounced: BAR-ee, BER-ee

Anglicized form of the Irish name Bairre, which is a diminutive of FIONNBHARR which means "fair hair", derived from Gaelic fionn "white, fair" and barr "head". Saint Fionnbharr of Cork was a 6th-century bishop who supposedly performed miraculous cures. The Barry Islands off Wales were named for him. It is also used as an Anglicized form of BEARACH,which is derived from Gaelic biorach meaning "sharp". This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint.

BENJAMIN
Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Biblical

Pronounced: BEN-jə-min (English), ben-zha-MEN (French), BEN-yah-meen (German)

From the Hebrew name בִנְיָמִין (Binyamin) which means "son of the south" or "son of the right hand". Benjamin in the Old Testament was the twelfth and youngest son of Jacob and the founder of one of the southern tribes of the Hebrews. He was originally named בֶּן־אוֹנִי (Ben-'oniy) meaning "son of my sorrow" by his mother Rachel, who died shortly after childbirth, but it was later changed by his father.
As an English name, Benjamin came into general use after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), an American statesman, inventor, scientist and philosopher.


BERNARDO
Gender: Masculine

Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese

Pronounced: ber-NAHR-do (Italian, Spanish) [key]

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of BERNARD, which is derived from the Germanic element bern "bear" combined with hard "brave, hardy". It was brought by the Normans to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Beornheard. This was the name of several saints, including Saint Bernard of Menthon who built hospices in the Swiss Alps in the 10th century, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century theologian and Doctor of the Church. Another famous bearer was George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), an Irish playwright and essayist.


BILLY
Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: BIL-ee [key]

Diminutive of BILL, a short hand of WILLIAM from the Germanic name Wilhelm, which was composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection". Saint William of Gellone was an 8th-century cousin of Charlemagne who became a monk. The name was common among the Normans, and it became extremely popular in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England. It was later borne by three other English kings, as well as rulers of Scotland, Sicily (of Norman origin), the Netherlands and Prussia.
Other famous bearers include William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish hero, and William Tell, a legendary 14th-century Swiss hero. In the literary world it was borne by dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616), poet William Blake (1757-1827), poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850), dramatist William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), author William Faulkner (1897-1962), and author William S. Burroughs (1914-1997). A notable bearer was the American outlaw Billy the Kid (1859-1881), whose real name was William H. Bonney.



Bira




BLAKE
Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: BLAYK

From a surname which was derived from Old English blæc "black" or blāc "pale". A famous bearer of the surname was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).


Boddy

BRAD
Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: BRAD
Short form of BRADLEY, BRADFORD, and other names beginning with Brad.

Branci


BRENO
Gender: Masculine

Usage: Portuguese

Portuguese form of BRENNUS, which is a Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either "king, prince" or "raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th-century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.


BRENT
Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: BRENT

From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".

BRETT
Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: English

Pronounced: BRET

From a Middle English surname meaning "a Breton", referring to an inhabitant of Brittany.



BRIAN
Gender: Masculine

Usage: Irish, English

Pronounced: BRIE-ən

The meaning of this name is not known for certain but it is possibly related to the old Celtic element bre meaning "hill", or by extension "high, noble". It was borne by the semi-legendary Irish king Brian Boru, who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. He was slain in the Battle of Clontarf, though his forces were decisively victorious. The name was common in Ireland before his time, and even more so afterwards. It came into use in England in the Middle Ages, introduced by Breton settlers. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.


Broc

BROCK
Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: BRAHK [key]

From a surname which was derived from Old English brocc meaning "badger".


BRUNO
Gender: Masculine

Usage: German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French

Pronounced: BROO-no (German)

Means "brown" from Germanic. Saint Bruno of Cologne was a German monk of the 11th century who founded the Carthusian Order. The surname has belonged Giordano Bruno, a philosopher burned at the stake by the Inquisition.