Name profile

Ninian

This name comes from the name of a 5th-century British saint, known as the Apostle to the Picts, who was apparently responsible for many miracles and cures.

Usage languagesScottish

Meaning and history

This name comes from that of a 5th-century British saint known as the Apostle to the Picts, who was said to have performed many miracles and cures. He first appears briefly in the 8th-century Latin writings of the historian Bede, where his name is given only in the ablative form Nynia, which may reflect the Brythonic name * Ninniau.