Name in Different Languages
Discover 'Name' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A name is more than just a label. It is an essential part of our identity, a word that carries significant meaning and cultural importance. From ancient civilizations to modern societies, names have held a special place in our hearts and minds. They can reflect our heritage, our values, and our aspirations.
In many cultures, a person's name is believed to influence their destiny or personality. For instance, in Chinese culture, some names are chosen for their auspicious meanings, while in African cultures, names often have profound meanings related to nature, events, or character traits.
Understanding the translation of a name in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights. For example, the name 'John' translates to 'Juan' in Spanish, 'Jean' in French, and 'Giovanni' in Italian, reflecting the rich linguistic diversity of these cultures.
In this article, we delve into the translations of the word 'name' in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating world of language and culture.
Name
Name in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | naam | ||
| Like the English word 'name', 'naam' comes from the Proto-Germanic word "*namo" meaning "name, reputation" and is ultimately derived from the Indo-European root word "*h1nóh₂m̥" meaning "name, designation". | |||
| Amharic | ስም | ||
| The word "ስም" can also refer to a person's reputation or character. | |||
| Hausa | suna | ||
| In the Chadic languages, ''suna'' commonly means 'to call' or 'to name', and is not limited to names for people. | |||
| Igbo | aha | ||
| The word “aha” can also mean a person with the title “Onowu.” | |||
| Malagasy | anarana | ||
| Anarana is derived from the verb "anarana-na" meaning "to call upon someone's name", and "-na" is a possessive suffix. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | dzina | ||
| The word "dzina" can also mean "reputation" or "honor" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | zita | ||
| The Shona word "zita" also means "the one who is called". | |||
| Somali | magac | ||
| The word "magac" in Somali can also refer to a person's reputation or character. | |||
| Sesotho | lebitso | ||
| The word "lebitso" in Sesotho can also refer to a person's identity, reputation, and significance within the community. | |||
| Swahili | jina | ||
| The word "jina" in Swahili can also refer to a person's character or reputation. | |||
| Xhosa | igama | ||
| In some contexts, the Xhosa word "igama" can refer to a specific type of name given to a child at birth. | |||
| Yoruba | orukọ | ||
| "Orukọ" also means "destiny" or "fate" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | igama | ||
| The word "igama" in Zulu has roots in the Bantu language family, indicating a person's identity or lineage. | |||
| Bambara | tɔ̀gɔ | ||
| Ewe | ŋkɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | izina | ||
| Lingala | nkombo | ||
| Luganda | erinnya | ||
| Sepedi | leina | ||
| Twi (Akan) | din | ||
Name in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | اسم | ||
| In some dialects, "اسم" may also refer to a ghost or spirit, a different meaning from its use in Modern Standard Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | שֵׁם | ||
| The word "שֵׁם" comes from the Proto-Semitic root "*ŠM", meaning "to designate" or "to mark". | |||
| Pashto | نوم | ||
| The Pashto word "nom" can also refer to the "renown" or "reputation" of a person or thing in a broader sense, rather than just their individual name. | |||
| Arabic | اسم | ||
| In some dialects, "اسم" may also refer to a ghost or spirit, a different meaning from its use in Modern Standard Arabic. | |||
Name in Western European Languages
| Albanian | emri | ||
| The Albanian word "emër" also refers to the "fame, renown, reputation, standing" of a person or thing. | |||
| Basque | izena | ||
| The Basque word "izena" can also mean "designation" or "title" of a person or thing. | |||
| Catalan | nom | ||
| The word "nom" in Catalan can also refer to "reputation" or "honor." | |||
| Croatian | ime | ||
| The word 'ime' is also used in Croatian mythology, where it refers to a being of immense power and great wisdom. | |||
| Danish | navn | ||
| In Danish and other Scandinavian languages the word for 'name' also refers to an alphabetical order, hence the use of e.g. 'first name' ('fornavn') for a given name. | |||
| Dutch | naam | ||
| In its etymological sense, 'naam' carries the meaning of 'that which is spoken forth'. | |||
| English | name | ||
| The word 'name' derives from the Old English 'noma', meaning 'that which is known'. | |||
| French | nom | ||
| The French word "nom" derives from the Latin preposition "nomen" which means "by name." | |||
| Frisian | namme | ||
| The alternate meaning of 'namme' in Frisian is also 'fame' or 'renown'. | |||
| Galician | nome | ||
| In Galician, "nome" can also refer to a nickname, surname, or a famous person's name used to address them. | |||
| German | name | ||
| The German word "Name" shares its origin with the English word "cognomen", both ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root "*gné-m̥", meaning "to know". | |||
| Icelandic | nafn | ||
| The word "nafn" in Icelandic is also a synonym for a "poem" and is derived from the Old Norse word "nefna" meaning "to name" or "to tell a story". | |||
| Irish | ainm | ||
| In a medieval Irish legal context "ainm" could also refer to reputation or honour. | |||
| Italian | nome | ||
| The Italian word "nome" (name) derives from Latin "nomen", meaning "name" or "designation". | |||
| Luxembourgish | numm | ||
| The word "Numm" in Luxembourgish can also refer to a nickname or a person's reputation. | |||
| Maltese | isem | ||
| The word "isem" in Maltese comes from the Arabic word "ism", meaning "name, sign, or mark". | |||
| Norwegian | navn | ||
| In Old Norse, "nafn" originally meant "mark" or "label". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | nome | ||
| "Nome" can also refer to a subdivision of a prefecture in Brazil, or to a musical genre in Cape Verde. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ainm | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, “ainm” not only means “name” but also “soul,” hinting at the belief that the name embodies the essence of the individual. | |||
| Spanish | nombre | ||
| The Spanish word "nombre" comes from Latin "nomen", meaning "name" or "reputation". | |||
| Swedish | namn | ||
| The Swedish word "namn" is derived from the Old Norse word "nafn", which itself is thought to be related to the Proto-Germanic word "namon" meaning "to take". | |||
| Welsh | enw | ||
| Although 'enw' means 'name', it may also refer to a surname, an appellation, or a reputation. | |||
Name in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | імя | ||
| The word "імя" ("name") is cognate to the Latin "nomen", meaning "name", and the Sanskrit "nāman", meaning "name, designation" (PIE *h₁nómn̥) | |||
| Bosnian | ime | ||
| The word "ime" can also mean "surname" or "reputation" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | име | ||
| The word "име" (name) in Bulgarian comes from the Proto-Slavic root *imę, meaning "name, honor, title, dignity." | |||
| Czech | název | ||
| The word "název" can also refer to a title, heading, or designation. | |||
| Estonian | nimi | ||
| The Estonian word "nimi" comes from the Proto-Uralic word *nimi, which also meant "sign" or "mark". | |||
| Finnish | nimi | ||
| In Finnish, 'nimi' also refers to the repute or character of a person. | |||
| Hungarian | név | ||
| The word "név" in Hungarian also refers to a person's fame or reputation. | |||
| Latvian | nosaukums | ||
| "Nosaukums" also means "title" or "designation." | |||
| Lithuanian | vardas | ||
| The word "vardas" also means "honor" or "reputation" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | име | ||
| "Име" in Macedonian also means "fate" or "destiny", and is related to the Proto-Slavic word *jьmę, meaning "to take, to grab". | |||
| Polish | nazwa | ||
| The word 'Nazwa' in Polish not only means 'name', but is also used to denominate various kinds of titles, appellations, and labels. | |||
| Romanian | nume | ||
| The Romanian word "nume" is derived from Latin "nomen" and also means "fame", "celebrity" or "reputation". | |||
| Russian | имя | ||
| The word "имя" can also refer to a person's reputation or honor. | |||
| Serbian | име | ||
| "Име" is sometimes used to refer to a person's "character" or "reputation". | |||
| Slovak | názov | ||
| The Slovak word "názov" can also refer to a title, designation, or appellation. | |||
| Slovenian | ime | ||
| The Slovenian word "ime" (name) is related to the Latin word "nomina" (name), which is also the root of the English word "nomenclature" (naming convention). | |||
| Ukrainian | ім'я | ||
| The Ukrainian word "ім'я" can also refer to one's reputation, character, or honor. | |||
Name in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নাম | ||
| The word "নাম" also has the meaning of "reputation" or "status". | |||
| Gujarati | નામ | ||
| The word "નામ" in Gujarati is also used as a synonym for "reputation" or "respect". | |||
| Hindi | नाम | ||
| In Sanskrit and Pali, 'nam' is a common root for words related to 'worship', 'bowing', 'salutation', and 'repetition'. | |||
| Kannada | ಹೆಸರು | ||
| The word ಹೆಸರು ('name') in Kannada also has the alternate meaning of 'bean'. | |||
| Malayalam | പേര് | ||
| "പേര്" (name) in Malayalam also refers to the fruit of the "Guava" tree. | |||
| Marathi | नाव | ||
| The word 'नाव' also has alternate meanings such as 'boat' and 'naval' in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | नाम | ||
| In some South Indian languages, the word "naam" is used to denote the term "caste". | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਾਮ | ||
| "ਨਾਮ" is used in the Sikh sacred scripture Guru Granth Sahib as one of the many names of God. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නාමය | ||
| The Sinhala word නාමය was formerly used in a broad sense for 'honorific designation' of persons, things, or even abstract ideas and in this sense the word survives in certain fossilized expressions. | |||
| Tamil | பெயர் | ||
| The word "பெயர்" (peyar) can also refer to "fame" or "reputation". | |||
| Telugu | పేరు | ||
| The word "పేరు" (name) can also refer to "fame", "celebrity", or "reputation". | |||
| Urdu | نام | ||
| نام comes from the Sanskrit word "nama" meaning "to bow down", alluding to the respect shown to a person's name. | |||
Name in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 名称 | ||
| "名称" can also mean "list of names or items" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 名稱 | ||
| 名稱 is a noun which means 'name' or 'title' and can also refer to 'reputation' or 'fame'. | |||
| Japanese | 名前 | ||
| The word "名前" can also mean "face" or "reputation" as in the idiom "顔を潰す" (to make someone lose face). | |||
| Korean | 이름 | ||
| '이름' also means 'flower' in the Korean language | |||
| Mongolian | нэр | ||
| The word "нэр" ("name") in Mongolian is cognate with the Tibetan word "མིང་" ("name") and the Buryat word "нэрэ" ("name"), all deriving from the Proto-Mongolic word *ner, meaning "to know, to recognize." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နာမည် | ||
Name in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | nama | ||
| In some Indonesian dialects, the word nama can also be used to refer to the family name or the first name | |||
| Javanese | jeneng | ||
| In Javanese, "jeneng" not only means "name" but also refers to a person's identity or reputation. | |||
| Khmer | ឈ្មោះ | ||
| ឈ្មោះ refers to a person's given name or surname, a place, or a thing. | |||
| Lao | ຊື່ | ||
| The word ຊື່ also refers to a nickname or a brand name. | |||
| Malay | nama | ||
| The Malay word "nama" is derived from Sanskrit, with cognates in other Austronesian languages such as Javanese and Balinese. | |||
| Thai | ชื่อ | ||
| The word "ชื่อ" in Thai can also mean "rank" or "post." | |||
| Vietnamese | tên | ||
| In Hán-Nôm script, it is written as 𠫾、𠫏、𠫭、𠫧, which originally meant facial appearance. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangalan | ||
Name in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ad | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "ad" also means "rank" and "position". | |||
| Kazakh | аты | ||
| The Kazakh word "аты" also refers to a horse's breed. | |||
| Kyrgyz | аты | ||
| Kyrgyz "аты" also denotes a clan or genus, an idea also found in many other Altaic languages where cognate words often carry this meaning. | |||
| Tajik | ном | ||
| The word "ном" in Tajik also means "honor" or "reputation" in some contexts. | |||
| Turkmen | ady | ||
| Uzbek | ism | ||
| The Uzbek word "ism" can also refer to a concept, doctrine, or belief system, similar to the English suffix "-ism". | |||
| Uyghur | name | ||
Name in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | inoa | ||
| Inoa, meaning "name" in Hawaiian, also refers to the true essence or nature of a person. | |||
| Maori | ingoa | ||
| In Maori, the word "ingoa" can also refer to the reputation or essence of a person. | |||
| Samoan | igoa | ||
| The word "igoa" can also mean "title" or "reputation" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pangalan | ||
| The Tagalog word "pangalan" can also refer to the "title" of a book, movie, or other work. | |||
Name in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chacha | ||
| Guarani | téra | ||
Name in International Languages
| Esperanto | nomo | ||
| "Nom" originates from the Greek and Latin word, "nomos." It means custom in Greek while law/command in Latin. | |||
| Latin | nomine | ||
| Nomine is a Latin word that can also mean reputation, character, or honor. | |||
Name in Others Languages
| Greek | όνομα | ||
| The word "όνομα" also means "noun" in Greek, reflecting that nouns are used to assign names to things. | |||
| Hmong | lub npe | ||
| The word "lub npe" can also mean "identity" or "reputation" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | nav | ||
| In Kurdish, the word "nav" not only means "name", but also symbolizes one's identity, honor, and social standing. | |||
| Turkish | isim | ||
| The Turkish word "isim" (name) is derived from the Arabic word "ism" (name) and also refers to a noun in grammar. | |||
| Xhosa | igama | ||
| In some contexts, the Xhosa word "igama" can refer to a specific type of name given to a child at birth. | |||
| Yiddish | נאָמען | ||
| The Yiddish word "נאָמען" derives from the Hebrew word "שם" and has additional meanings of "reputation" and "fame". | |||
| Zulu | igama | ||
| The word "igama" in Zulu has roots in the Bantu language family, indicating a person's identity or lineage. | |||
| Assamese | নাম | ||
| Aymara | chacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | नांव | ||
| Dhivehi | ނަން | ||
| Dogri | नां | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangalan | ||
| Guarani | téra | ||
| Ilocano | nagan | ||
| Krio | nem | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ناو | ||
| Maithili | नाम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯤꯡ | ||
| Mizo | hming | ||
| Oromo | maqaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନାମ | ||
| Quechua | suti | ||
| Sanskrit | नामः | ||
| Tatar | исем | ||
| Tigrinya | ሽም | ||
| Tsonga | vito | ||