Tabea f GermanGerman short form of
Tabitha. This form was used in earlier editions of the Luther Bible.
Tabitha f English, Biblical, Biblical GreekMeans
"gazelle" in Aramaic. Tabitha in the New Testament was a woman restored to life by Saint
Peter. Her name is translated into Greek as
Dorcas (see
Acts 9:36). As an English name,
Tabitha became common after the Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the television show
Bewitched, in which Tabitha (sometimes spelled Tabatha) is the daughter of the main character.
Tacey f English (Archaic)Derived from Latin
tace meaning
"be silent". It was in use from the 16th century, though it died out two centuries later.
Tafadzwa m & f ShonaMeans
"we are pleased" in Shona, from
fadza meaning "please, make happy".
Tahel f HebrewMeans
"you will shine" in Hebrew, from the root
הָלַל (halal) meaning "to praise, to shine".
Táhirih f HistoryVariant of
Tahira. This was the title of Fatimah Baraghani (1814-1852), a Persian poet, theologian and reformer.
Tahmina f Persian Mythology, Tajik, BengaliDerived from Persian
تهم (tahm) meaning
"brave, valiant". This is the name of a character in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh. She is a daughter of the king of Samangan who marries the warrior hero
Rostam and eventually bears him a son, whom they name
Sohrab.
Tahpenes f BiblicalProbably of Egyptian origin, possibly meaning
"the wife of the king", derived from the feminine determiner
tꜣ and
ḥmt "woman, wife" combined with the masculine determiner
pꜣ and
nsw "king". Queen Tahpenes was a wife of an Egyptian pharaoh according to the Book of Kings in the Old Testament.
Tai m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
太 (tài) meaning "very, extreme" or other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Taimi f Finnish, EstonianFrom Finnish
taimi meaning
"sapling, young tree" or Estonian
taim meaning
"plant" (words from a common origin).
Taiwo m & f YorubaMeans
"taste the world, taste life" in Yoruba.
Takako f JapaneseFrom Japanese
孝 (taka) meaning "filial piety" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other combinations of kanji characters.
Takara m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
宝 (takara) meaning "treasure, jewel", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.
Talatu f HausaFrom Hausa
Talata meaning
"Tuesday" (of Arabic origin).
Talia 2 f English (Australian)From the name of a town in South Australia, perhaps meaning
"near water" in an Australian Aboriginal language.
Talin f ArmenianFrom the name of an Armenian town (meaning unknown), which is home to a famous 7th-century cathedral.
Talitha f BiblicalMeans
"little girl" in Aramaic. The name is taken from the phrase
talitha cumi meaning "little girl arise" spoken by
Jesus in order to restore a young girl to life (see
Mark 5:41).
Tallulah f English (Rare)This is the name of waterfalls in Georgia. Popularly claimed to mean "leaping waters" in the Choctaw language, it may actually mean "town" in the Creek language. It was borne by American actress Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968), who was named after her grandmother, who may have been named after the waterfalls.
Talulla f Irish (Rare)Anglicized form of the Old Irish name
Taileflaith,
Tuileflaith or
Tuilelaith, probably from
tuile "abundance" and
flaith "ruler, sovereign, princess". This was the name of an early saint, an abbess of Kildare.
Talvikki f Finnish (Rare)Derived from Finnish
talvi meaning
"winter". This is also the Finnish word for the wintergreen plant (genus Pyrola).
Tamar f Hebrew, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"date palm" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament Tamar was the daughter-in-law of
Judah and later his wife. This was also the name of a daughter of King
David. She was raped by her half-brother
Amnon, leading to his murder by her brother
Absalom. The name was borne by a 12th-century ruling queen of Georgia who presided over the kingdom at the peak of its power.
Tamara f Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Hungarian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, GeorgianRussian form of
Tamar. Russian performers such as Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978), Tamara Drasin (1905-1943), Tamara Geva (1907-1997) and Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) introduced it to the English-speaking world. It rapidly grew in popularity in the United States starting in 1957. Another famous bearer was the Polish cubist painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980).
Tamari f GeorgianForm of
Tamar with the nominative suffix, used in Georgian when the name is written stand-alone.
Tambudzai f ShonaFrom Shona
tambudza meaning
"make trouble, frustrate".
Tamia f African American (Modern)An invented name, using the initial sound found in names such as
Tamika. It was popularized by the Canadian singer Tamia Hill (1975-), who is known simply as Tamia.
Tamika f EnglishVariant of
Tamiko, inspired by the American jazz singer Tamiko Jones (1945-) or the American movie
A Girl Named Tamiko (1963).
Tamiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
多 (ta) meaning "many",
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Tangwystl f Medieval WelshFrom Welsh
tanc "peace" and
gwystl "hostage, pledge". This name was borne by a mistress of the 13th-century Welsh ruler
Llywelyn the Great.
Tanina f BerberFrom the name of a legendary bird, similar to an eagle or a phoenix.
Tanisha f African AmericanPopularized by the African-American actress Ta-Tanisha (1953-), born Shirley Cummings. The name spiked in popularity in the early 1970s, when she was featured on the television series
Room 222. She apparently took her stage name from Swahili
tatanisha meaning
"puzzle, tangle, confuse". The name probably resonated with parents because of its similarity to other names such as
Tamika and
Natasha.
Tanith f Semitic MythologyMeaning unknown. This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars. She was particularly associated with the city of Carthage, being the consort of
Ba'al Hammon.
Tansy f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, which is derived via Old French from Late Latin
tanacita.
Taphath f BiblicalPossibly means
"drop" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament Taphath was a daughter of
Solomon.
Tara 1 f EnglishAnglicized form of the Irish place name
Teamhair, which possibly means
"elevated place". This was the name of the sacred hill near Dublin where the Irish high kings resided. It was popularized as a given name by the novel
Gone with the Wind (1936) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1939), in which it is the name of the O'Hara plantation.
Tara 2 f Hinduism, Buddhism, Hindi, NepaliMeans
"star" in Sanskrit. Tara is the name of a Hindu astral goddess, the wife of Brhaspati. She was abducted by
Chandra, the god of the moon, leading to a great war that was only ended when
Brahma intervened and released her. This is also the name of a Buddhist deity (a bodhisattva).
Taru f FinnishMeans
"legend, myth" in Finnish. It is also used as a diminutive of
Tarja.
Taryn f EnglishProbably a feminine form of
Tyrone. Actors Tyrone Power and Linda Christian created it for their daughter Taryn Power (1953-).
Tashina f Sioux (Anglicized)From Lakota
Tȟašína meaning
"her blanket", derived from
šiná "blanket, shawl". This is the first part of the name of historic figures such as Tȟašína Lúta, called Red Blanket, or Tȟašína Máni, called Moving Robe Woman.
Tashlultum f AkkadianMeaning unknown, presumably of Akkadian origin. It appears to end with the Akkadian feminine suffix
-tum. This was the name of a wife of
Sargon of Akkad.
Tatenda m & f ShonaMeans
"thank you" in Shona, from
tenda meaning "thank".
Tatev f ArmenianFrom the name of the Tatev monastery in southern Armenia.
Tatiana f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, French, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Greek, Georgian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of the Roman name
Tatianus, a derivative of the Roman name
Tatius. This was the name of a 3rd-century saint who was martyred in Rome under the emperor Alexander Severus. She was especially venerated in Orthodox Christianity, and the name has been common in Russia (as
Татьяна) and Eastern Europe. It was not regularly used in the English-speaking world until the 1980s.
Tatum f & m English (Modern)From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"Tata's homestead" in Old English. It was brought to public attention by the child actress Tatum O'Neal (1963-) in the 1970s, though it did not catch on. It attained a modest level of popularity after 1996, when it was borne by a character in the movie
Scream.
Taweret f Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
tꜣ-wrt meaning
"O great female". In Egyptian mythology Taweret was a goddess of childbirth and fertility. She was typically depicted as an upright hippopotamus.
Tawny f English (Modern)From the English word, ultimately deriving from Old French
tané, which means
"light brown".
Tayanita f CherokeeMeans
"young beaver" in Cherokee, derived from
ᏙᏯ (doya) meaning "beaver".
Taygete f Greek MythologyDerived from the name of Mount Taygetos near Sparta, which is probably of pre-Greek origin. Taygete was one of the Pleiades in Greek mythology. By
Zeus she was the mother of
Lacedaemon, the founder of Sparta. A small moon of Jupiter is named after her.
Taylor m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that originally denoted someone who was a tailor, from Norman French
tailleur, ultimately from Latin
taliare "to cut".
... [more] Teagan f English (Modern)Variant of
Tegan. It also coincides with a rare Irish surname
Teagan. This name rose on the American popularity charts in the 1990s, probably because of its similarity to names like
Megan and
Reagan.
Teal f English (Rare)From the English word for the type of duck or the greenish-blue colour.
Tegan f Welsh, English (Modern)Means
"darling" in Welsh, derived from a diminutive of Welsh
teg "beautiful, pretty". It was somewhat common in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada in the 1980s and 90s. It was borne by an Australian character on the television series
Doctor Who from 1981 to 1984.
Tegwen f WelshDerived from the Welsh elements
teg "beautiful, pretty" and
gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the 19th century.
Tekakwitha f MohawkMeans
"she who bumps into things" or
"she who puts things in place" in Mohawk. Tekakwitha, also named
Kateri, was a 17th-century Mohawk woman who has become the first Native American Catholic saint.
Tellervo f Finnish MythologyMeaning unknown. Tellervo was a Finnish forest goddess. She is variously described as either the wife or daughter of Tapio.
Temperance f EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"moderation" or
"restraint". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century. It experienced a modest revival in the United States during the run of the television series
Bones (2005-2017), in which the main character bears this name.
Tempest f English (Rare)From the English word meaning
"storm". It appears in the title of William Shakespeare's play
The Tempest (1611).
Temple m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who was associated with the Knights Templar, a medieval religious military order.
Temüülen m & f MongolianMeans
"striving, aspiring" in Mongolian. This was the name of the sister of Genghis Khan.
Tendai m & f ShonaFrom Shona
tenda meaning
"be thankful, thank".
Tenley f English (Modern)From an English surname, itself possibly from a place name derived from Old English
tind "point" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This name was popularized in 2010 by a contestant on the reality television series
The Bachelor.
Tennyson m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that meant
"son of Tenney",
Tenney being a medieval form of
Denis. A notable bearer of the surname was the British poet Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892), commonly called Lord Tennyson after he became a baron in 1884.
Tenzin m & f Tibetan, BhutaneseFrom Tibetan
བསྟན་འཛིན (bstan-'dzin) meaning
"upholder of teachings". This is one of the given names of the current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (1935-).
Teresa f Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, Polish, Lithuanian, Finnish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, EnglishForm of
Theresa used in several languages. Saint Teresa of Ávila was a 16th-century Spanish nun who reformed the Carmelite monasteries and wrote several spiritual books. It was also borne by the Albanian missionary Saint Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), better known as Mother Teresa, who worked with the poor in India. She adopted the name in honour of the French saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who is the patron of missionaries.
Terhi f FinnishShort form of
Terhenetär, which was derived from Finnish
terhen meaning
"mist". In the Finnish epic the
Kalevala Terhenetär is a sprite associated with mist and forests.
Terra f EnglishVariant of
Tara 1, perhaps influenced by the Latin word
terra meaning "land, earth".
Terry 1 m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the medieval name
Thierry, a Norman French form of
Theodoric.
Terry 2 m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Terence or
Theresa. A famous bearer was Terry Fox (1958-1981), a young man with an artificial leg who attempted to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He died of the disease before crossing the country.
Tess f English, DutchShort form of
Theresa. This is the name of the main character in Thomas Hardy's novel
Tess of the D'Ubervilles (1891).
Tethys f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
τήθη (tethe) meaning
"grandmother". In Greek mythology this was the name of a Titan associated with the sea. She was the wife of Oceanus.
Teuta f AlbanianPossibly from an Illyrian word or title meaning
"queen, lady of the people". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Illyrian queen. After the death of her husband
Agron, she ruled as the regent for his young son Pinnes.
Thaïs f Ancient Greek, FrenchPossibly means
"bandage" in Greek. This was the name of a companion of Alexander the Great. It was also borne by a 4th-century saint from Alexandria, a wealthy socialite who became a Christian convert, though in her case the name may have had a distinct Coptic origin. She has been a popular subject of art and literature, including an 1891 novel by Anatole France and an 1894 opera by Jules Massenet.
Thalassa f Greek MythologyMeans
"sea" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was the personification of the sea. A small moon of Neptune is named for her.
Thankful f English (Archaic)From the English word
thankful. This was one of the many virtue names used by the Puritans in the 17th century.
Theda f GermanShort form of
Theodora. A famous bearer was actress Theda Bara (1885-1955), who was born Theodosia Goodman.
Theia f Greek MythologyPossibly derived from Greek
θεά (thea) meaning
"goddess". In Greek myth this was the name of a Titan goddess of light, glittering and glory. She was the wife of
Hyperion and the mother of the sun god
Helios, the moon goddess
Selene, and the dawn goddess
Eos.
Thekla f German (Rare), Greek (Rare), Late GreekFrom the ancient Greek name
Θεόκλεια (Theokleia), which meant
"glory of God" from the Greek elements
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 1st-century saint, appearing (as
Θέκλα) in the apocryphal
Acts of Paul and Thecla. The story tells how Thecla listens to Paul speak about the virtues of chastity and decides to remain a virgin, angering both her mother and her suitor.
Thelma f EnglishMeaning unknown. It was a rare name when British author Marie Corelli used it for the Norwegian heroine of her novel
Thelma (1887). The name became popular around the end of the 19th century after the novel was published. It is sometimes claimed to derive from Greek
θέλημα (thelema) meaning "will", though this seems unlikely.
Themis f Greek MythologyMeans
"law of nature, divine law, custom" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of a Titan who presided over custom and natural law. She was often depicted blindfolded and holding a pair of scales. By
Zeus she was the mother of many deities, including the three
Μοῖραι (Moirai) and the three
Ὥραι (Horai).
Theodora f English, Greek, Ancient GreekFeminine form of
Theodore. This name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by several empresses including the influential wife of Justinian in the 6th century.
Theresa f English, GermanFrom the Spanish and Portuguese name
Teresa. It was first recorded as
Therasia, being borne by the Spanish wife of Saint Paulinus of Nola in the 4th century. The meaning is uncertain, but it could be derived from Greek
θέρος (theros) meaning
"summer", from Greek
θερίζω (therizo) meaning
"to harvest", or from the name of the Greek island of Therasia (the western island of Santorini).
... [more] Thérèse f FrenchFrench form of
Theresa. It was borne by the French nun Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), who is regarded as a Doctor of the Church.
Thetis f Greek MythologyPossibly derived from Greek
θέτης (thetes) meaning
"one who places", a derivative of
τίθημι (tithemi) meaning "to set, to place". This was the name of one of the Nereids in Greek mythology. With
Peleus she was the mother of
Achilles.
Thị f VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
氏 (thị) meaning
"clan, family, maiden name". This is a very common middle name for Vietnamese girls.
Thiri f BurmeseMeans
"radiance, splendour, beauty" in Burmese, ultimately from Sanskrit
श्री (shri).
Thisbe f Greek Mythology, Roman MythologyFrom the name of an ancient Greek town in Boeotia, itself supposedly named after a nymph. In a Greek legend (the oldest surviving version appearing in Latin in Ovid's
Metamorphoses) this is the name of a young woman from Babylon. Believing her to be dead, her lover Pyramus kills himself, after which she does the same to herself. The splashes of blood from their suicides is the reason mulberry fruit are red.
Þóra f Old Norse, IcelandicEither a feminine form of
Þórr (see
Thor) or else a short form of the various Old Norse names beginning with the element
Þór. In Norse myth Thora was the wife of the Danish king Ragnar Lodbrok.
Þórbjǫrg f Old NorseOld Norse name meaning
"Thor's protection", from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor) combined with
bjǫrg "help, save, rescue".