Galician culture and names

Galician Names

Have you ever been curious about traditional or common names used in the Galician language? Explore Galician male and female names, their English equivalents, and short etymology notes that reveal where these names come from.

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Browse the tables to compare Galician names with their English equivalents. Use the search box to find a specific Galician name, English name or etymology quickly.

GL What this page includes

This guide includes Galician male names, Galician female names, English equivalents and concise etymology notes to make the page more useful for learners and culture lovers.

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M Galician Male Names

Galician	English	Etymology
André	Andrew	From Greek andreios, meaning “manly” or “masculine”.
Alberte	Albert	From Germanic elements meaning “noble” and “bright” or “famous”.
Alfredo	Alfred	From Old English elements meaning “elf” and “counsel”.
Antón	Anthony	From the Roman family name Antonius, of uncertain origin.
Artur	Arthur	Often linked to Celtic roots connected with “bear”, though the origin is debated.
Carlos	Charles	From a Germanic name meaning “free man”.
Daniel	Daniel	From Hebrew Daniyyel, meaning “God is my judge”.
David	David	From Hebrew Dawid, traditionally interpreted as “beloved”.
Duarte	Edward	From Old English elements meaning “wealth” or “fortune” and “guardian”.
Francisco	Francis	From Latin Franciscus, meaning “Frenchman” or “Frank”.
Guillerme	William	From Germanic elements meaning “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection”.
Henrique	Henry	From Germanic elements meaning “home” and “ruler”.
Luís	Louis	From Germanic elements meaning “famous” and “battle”.
Martiño	Martin	From Latin Martinus, meaning “of Mars”, the Roman god of war.
Miguel	Michael	From Hebrew Mikha’el, meaning “Who is like God?”
Óscar	Oscar	Often linked to Old Irish elements meaning “deer” and “friend”.
Paulo	Paul	From Latin Paulus, meaning “small” or “humble”.
Pedro	Peter	From Greek Petros, meaning “stone” or “rock”.
Ricardo	Richard	From Germanic elements meaning “powerful” and “brave” or “strong”.
Roberto	Robert	From Germanic elements meaning “fame” and “bright”.
Iago / Santiago	James	Ultimately from Hebrew Ya‘aqov; Santiago developed from “Saint James”.
Tomás	Thomas	From Aramaic ta’oma, meaning “twin”.
Xoán / Xan	John	From Hebrew Yohanan, meaning “God is gracious”.
Xurxo	George	From Greek Georgios, meaning “farmer” or “earth-worker”.
Xosé	Joseph	From Hebrew Yosef, meaning “he will add”.

F Galician Female Names

Galician	English	Etymology
Alexandra	Alexandra	From Greek Alexandros, meaning “defender of men”.
Alicia	Alice	From a Germanic name related to Adalheidis, meaning “noble kind”.
Ana	Anne	From Hebrew Hannah, meaning “grace” or “favour”.
Antona / Antonia	Toni	From the Roman family name Antonius, of uncertain origin.
Beatriz	Beatrice	From Latin Beatrix, meaning “she who brings happiness” or “blessed”.
Carme	Carmen	Often linked to Latin carmen, meaning “song”, or to Mount Carmel traditions.
Carolina	Caroline	Feminine form related to Carlos, from a Germanic root meaning “free man”.
Catarina	Catherine	From Greek Aikaterine; later associated with katharos, meaning “pure”.
Cristina	Christine	From Latin and Greek roots connected with Christos, meaning “anointed”.
Daniela	Danielle	From Hebrew Daniyyel, meaning “God is my judge”.
Dores	Delores	From Galician and Portuguese dores, meaning “pains” or “sorrows”.
Francisca	Frances	From Latin Franciscus, meaning “French” or “Frankish”.
Helena	Helen	From Greek Helene; often associated with light or brightness.
Isabel	Elizabeth	From Hebrew Elisheva, meaning “my God is an oath”.
Laura	Laura	From Latin laurus, meaning “laurel”.
Luisa	Louise	From Germanic elements meaning “famous” and “battle”.
María	Mary	From Hebrew Miryam; the exact meaning is debated.
Marta	Martha	From Aramaic, meaning “lady” or “mistress”.
Paula	Paula	From Latin Paulus, meaning “small” or “humble”.
Roberta	Roberta	From Germanic elements meaning “fame” and “bright”.
Rosa	Rose	From Latin rosa, meaning “rose”.
Teresa	Theresa	Origin uncertain; often linked to Greek place-name traditions.
Violeta	Violet	From Latin viola, meaning “violet flower”.
Xoana	Joan / Jane	From Hebrew Yohanan, meaning “God is gracious”.
Xosefa	Josephine	From Hebrew Yosef, meaning “he will add”.

✧ Galician name patterns to notice

X- names Galician often has distinctive X- forms: Xoán, Xan, Xurxo, Xosé, Xoana and Xosefa.

Accent marks Some Galician names use accents, such as Antón, Luís, Martiño, Óscar, Tomás, Xoán and Xosé.

Iago and Santiago Iago and Santiago are especially important in Galician culture because of the association with Saint James.

Name families Some pairs are easy to spot: Francisco / Francisca, Xosé / Xosefa, Roberto / Roberta.

◎ Quick facts

50 names25 Galician male names and 25 Galician female names.

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? Galician names FAQ

What does this Galician names page include?

It includes Galician male and female names with English equivalents and short etymology notes.

Are Galician names always the same as Spanish or Portuguese names?

No. Some names are very close to Spanish or Portuguese forms, while others are distinctively Galician, such as Xoán, Xurxo, Xosé and Iago.

Why do several Galician names begin with X?

The letter X is a distinctive part of Galician spelling. It appears in names such as Xoán, Xan, Xurxo, Xosé, Xoana and Xosefa.