arnold
n. countablen. a common male name used in English-speaking countries. It is an old name that means 'eagle power'.
n. a masculine given name of Germanic origin, derived from elements meaning 'eagle' and 'power' or 'rule'.
Arnold is my neighbor's name.
The history professor, Arnold, gave a long lecture about the origins of European names.
While the name Arnold has declined in popularity since the mid-twentieth century, it remains a recognizable classic in many English-speaking regions.
From a French version of a Germanic name, from Proto-Germanic arô (“eagle”) + waldą (“power”). For the first part of the word doublet of erne, ornis, and ornitho-. Compare the Latin male given name and cognomen Aquila, and female given name Aquilīna (whence Russian Акули́на (Akulína)), related to aquila (whence eagle).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
As a proper noun, it is capitalized and typically used without an article unless referring to a specific person among others of the same name.
Last updated May 2, 2026