It is true that names could be used by both men and women in Egypt. But pa-sheri was a masculine identifier and ta-sherit, feminine. Si meant son and Sit, daughter.

A king had different names which are often confusing. He may inherit a name from his predecessor, but be called by the people by another name. His name may be different in different parts of Egypt. Names were at times combined with pre-existing names.

Names were so important that their removal from monuments or statuary was considered to be equivalent to the destruction of the very memory and existence of that person.

It was held that destroying the name of a person made it impossible for him to achieve eternal life. Punishment for some crimes was this destruction of names so that the guilty will never he would lose his hope for eternal life.

The nickname represents the short version or description of the name. For example, Maat means stability, Ankh means life, Nefer means beautiful, Mut means mother, Tut means image, and Heb means feast.

A few ancient Egyptian names are given below:

Names Meanings
Wosret Powerful one
Akhenaton Spirit of Aton
Tutankhamen Image of the life of Amon
Ahmose The moon is born
Rameses Son of Ra
Hebeny Ebony
Neferiti The beautiful one has come
Khu Protected
Menes Unknown
Netikerty She who is excellent
Imhotep He comes in peace
Wahankh Strong in life