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and revived again after Richard Jeffries’ Bevis, The Story of a Boy was published in 1882.

      Bharat m.

      This was the name of several famous heroes in the Hindu epics, and derives from the Sanskrit for ‘being maintained’. India officially became Bharat when it achieved independence.

      Bharati f.

      A Hindu name identified with the goddess of speech and learning.

      Bhaskar m.

      A Hindu name from the Sanskrit for ‘the sun’. Bhaskara, the famous 12th-century Indian astronomer and teacher, shows an earlier form of the name.

      Bhavana see Bhavna

      Bhavini f.

      A Hindu name meaning ‘illustrious, beautiful’, a term for the goddess Parvati, wife of the god Siva.

      Bhavna f.

      An Indian name, from the Sanskrit meaning ‘wish’, ‘desire’ or ‘thought’. The form Bhavana is also used.

      Bianca see Blanche

      Bidelia, Biddy see Bridget

      Bill see William

      Billie, Billy f. and m.

      This pet form of the boy’s name WILLIAM is being used increasingly as a girl’s name particularly in America, often in combinations to produce names such as Billie Jean or Billy Joe.

      Birgitta see Bridget

      Björn m.

      A Scandinavian name which means ‘bear’. The name has become widely known in modern times through the Swedish tennis champion Björn Borg.

      Blaise m.

      From the French, meaning either someone from the Blois region, or derived from the Latin for ‘stammerer’. It is also spelt Blase or Blaze.

      Blake f. and m.

      A surname, from the Old English meaning ‘black, dark-complexioned’, used as a first name.

      Blanche f.

      This is a French name which was brought to England in the 13th century. It means ‘white’ or ‘fair-skinned’. The Spanish and Italian form Bianca was used by Shakespeare, and is now rather more popular than the older form.

      Blodwen f.

      From the Welsh for ‘white flower’. It is rarely found outside Wales. Blodeuwedd, ‘flower form’, is the name of a beautiful but unfaithful woman in Welsh medieval romance, while Blodyn or Blodeyn is the more simple ‘flower’.

      Blossom see Fleur

      Blue see Indigo

      Bob see Robert

      Bobbi(e), Bobby f. and m.

      These pet forms of ROBERT, ROBERTA and BARBARA are used as names in their own right, and in combinations such as Bobby Joe.

      Bonnie, Bonny f.

      A Scots word for ‘pretty’ used as a name. Like many modern names, it probably owes its spread to its appearance in Gone with the Wind.

      Boris m.

      From the Russian word for ‘fight’. It was used in Britain and North America in the 20th century, possibly due to cultural influences such as Moussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov, the film actor, Boris Karloff, and the author of Dr Zhivago, Boris Pasternak, as well the large number of Slavic immigrants who have come to the West.

      Boyd m.

      From a Gaelic word meaning ‘yellow’, referring to the colour of the hair. It is the name of a Scottish clan, though the surname can also derive from ‘isle of Bute’. Boyd became more widespread outside Scotland after its use in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind.

      Bradley m.

      A surname from the Old English, meaning ‘wide meadow’, now popular as a first name. Brad(d) is a short form.

      Brady m.

      An Irish surname, possibly meaning ‘broad-chested’ now found as a first name.

      Bram see Abraham

      Bran see Brenna

      Brand see Brenda

      Brandan, Brandon see Brendan

      Brandi f.

      This name, which seems to come from the vocabulary word ‘brandy’, has been a popular girl’s name in the USA for some years. It is also found spelt Brandy, Brandee and Brandie, and probably serves as a feminine form of Brandon.

      Brannan see Brenna

      Breanna f.

      This new name, which has developed in the USA, can either be seen as a blend of the names Bree (a pet form of BRIDGET) and Anna, or as a development of BRIANNA, a feminine form of BRIAN. It is also used in the form Breanne, and found in spellings such as Breeanna and Brieanne.

      Bree see Bridget

      Bren see Brenna

      Brenda f.

      Probably a feminine form of the Norse name Brand, meaning ‘a sword’, found in the Shetlands. It was used by Walter Scott in his novel The Pirate. However, in practice, it has been used more frequently as a feminine form of BRENDAN.

      Brendan, Brandon m.

      An Irish name meaning either ‘with stinking hair’, or, according to one authority, from the Welsh word meaning ‘prince’. It is most famously found in the 6th-century Irish St Brendan the Navigator, credited in legend with the discovery of America. It is today particularly popular in Ireland, Australia and the USA. The form Brandan or Brandon has a long history as an alternative form of Brendan, but can also come from an Old English place and surname meaning ‘a hill where broom grows’. The name is also spelt Brandin, Brandyn, Brenden and Brendon.

      Brenna f., Brennan m.

      Brennan is a pet form of the Irish name Bren, which probably means ‘tear, sorrow’, with Brenna a modern feminine form. Since the earliest records this name and Bran, ‘raven’, and its pet form Brannan have regularly been confused, and it is not always possible to tell which form of the name has come from which source.

      Bret(t) m.

      From an Old French word meaning ‘a Briton’ or ‘a Breton’. It is currently well used in the USA.

      Brian m., Brianna f.

      A Celtic name, the origin of which is obscure, though it may be derived from words meaning ‘hill’ or ‘strength’. It was known mainly in Celtic areas until the Norman Conquest, when it was introduced to England. Brian Boru was a famous Irish King of the 11th century, who defeated the invading Vikings.

      The name continued to be popular in England until Tudor times, but after that it disappeared until it was reintroduced from Ireland in the 18th century. Today the spellings Bryan, Brien and Brion are found, and Bryant or Briant, originally a surname developed from the name Brian, is also found. Brianna, Bryan(n)a and Brianne (Bryanne) are used as feminine forms, as is BRYONY.

      Brice m.

      Brice, possibly meaning ‘speckled’, is an old Gaulish name, the name of a 5th-century French saint and bishop of Tours, which is now well used in the USA, often in the form Bryce. The surname which developed from the first name, Bryson, is also found used as a first name.

      Bridget f.

      Brigit was the ancient Irish goddess of poetry whose name meant ‘strength’. Her name was borne by 5th-century St Brigit of Kildare, the most revered of the Irish female saints. The Irish name also appears in the forms Bri(d)gid and Bride (which reflects the Irish pronunciation of the name, with a long ‘ee’ sound and no ‘g’), with the diminutives Bridie, Biddy, Bree (now sometimes Brea) and the older elaboration Bidelia. Brigidine is a variant chosen by Sinead O’Connor for her child.

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