Ameohne'e f CheyenneMeans
"walks along woman", from Cheyenne
ame- "along, by" and
-ehné "walk" combined with the feminine suffix
-e'é.
Anangikwe f OjibweMeans
"star woman" in Ojibwe, derived from
anang "star" and
ikwe "woman".
Awee f & m NavajoFrom Navajo
awéé' meaning
"baby".
Ayelen f MapucheFrom Mapuche
ayelen "laughing",
ayliñ "clear" or
aylen "ember".
Cipactli m & f NahuatlMeans
"crocodile, alligator, caiman, monster" in Nahuatl. This is the name of the first day in the tonalpohualli, the Aztec 260-day calendar.
Dehgewanus f SenecaFrom a name, also spelled as
Dickewamis or
Dehhewämis, which was given to the young British settler Mary Jemison (1743-1833) after she was captured and assimilated into the Seneca. Much later she claimed the name meant
"pretty girl, pleasant thing", though this interpretation does not seem to be valid.
Dezba f NavajoMeans
"going raiding" in Navajo, derived from
baa' meaning "raid".
Dos-teh-seh f ApachePossibly means
"something at the campire already cooked" in Apache. This was the name of the wife of the Chiricahua Apache chief
Cochise.
Giiwedinokwe f OjibweMeans
"woman of the north" in Ojibwe, derived from
giiwedin "north" and
ikwe "woman".
Góyąń f ApacheMeans
"wise" in Chiricahua Apache. This was the name of a 19th-century Apache warrior woman.
Ha-o-zinne f ApacheMeans
"standing up straight" in Apache. This was the name of a wife of the Chiricahua Apache chief
Naiche.
Iara f TupiMeans
"lady of the water" in Tupi, from
y "water" and
îara "lady, mistress". In Brazilian folklore this is the name of a beautiful river nymph who would lure men into the water. She may have been based upon earlier Tupi legends.
Iracema f TupiMeans
"honey lips" in Tupi, from
yra "honey" and
tembe "lips". This is the name of an 1865 novel by José de Alencar, about the relationship between a Tupi woman and a Portuguese man during the early colonial period. Alencar may have constructed the name so that it would be an anagram of
America.
Itzel f MayanMeaning uncertain, possibly from Classic Maya
itz meaning
"resin, nectar, dew, liquid, enchanted". Otherwise, it might be a variant of
Ixchel.
Ivalu f GreenlandicMeans
"sinew, tendon, thread" in Greenlandic. It was used by the Danish explorer and author Peter Freuchen for the heroine of his novel
Ivalu, the Eskimo Wife (1930).
Ixchel f Mayan Mythology, MayanPossibly means
"rainbow lady", from Classic Maya
ix "lady" and
chel "rainbow". Ixchel was a Maya goddess associated with the earth, jaguars, medicine and childbirth. She was often depicted with a snake in her hair and crossbones embroidered on her skirt.
Jacira f TupiMeans
"honey moon" in Tupi, from
îasy "moon" and
yra "honey".
Kaniehtiio f MohawkMeans
"she is good snow" in Mohawk, from
ka- "she",
óniehte "snow" and the suffix
-iio "good".
Kantuta f AymaraMeans
"cantua flower" in Aymara (species Cantua buxifolia).
Kawisenhawe f MohawkMeans
"she holds the ice" in Mohawk, from
ka- "she",
ówise "ice" and
-hawe "hold, have".
Licarayen f MapucheMeans
"stone flower" in Mapuche, from
likan "a type of black stone" and
rayen "flower". According to a Mapuche legend this was the name of a maiden who sacrificed herself in order to stop the wrath of the evil spirit of a volcano.
Ma'evehpota'e f CheyenneMeans
"red leaf woman", from Cheyenne
ma'e- "red" and
vehpȯtse "leaf" combined with the feminine suffix
-e'é.
Mahpiya m & f SiouxFrom Dakota or Lakota
maȟpíya meaning
"cloud, sky". This is the first part of the names of the Dakota chief Mahpiya Wicasta (1780-1863), known as Cloud Man, and the Lakota chiefs Mahpiya Luta (1822-1909), known as Red Cloud, and Mahpiya Iyapato (1838-1905), known as Touch the Clouds.
Maiara f TupiFrom Tupi
maya arya meaning
"great-grandmother".
Miillaaraq f GreenlandicPossibly from Greenlandic
millalaarpoq meaning
"drone, hum (of an insect)" combined with the diminutive suffix
-araq.
Millaray f MapucheMeans
"golden flower" in Mapuche, from
milla "gold" and
rayen "flower".
Minik m & f GreenlandicMeans
"seal oil" in Greenlandic. A notable bearer was the Inughuit boy Minik (1890-1918), who was among a group brought by the explorer Robert Peary from Greenland to New York in 1897.
Naasunnguaq f GreenlandicMeans
"little flower" in Greenlandic, from
naasoq "flower, plant" and the diminutive suffix
-nnguaq.
Naira f AymaraFrom Aymara
nayra meaning
"eye" or
"early".
Naja f Greenlandic, DanishFrom Greenlandic
najaa meaning
"his younger sister". It was popularized in Denmark by the writer B. S. Ingemann, who used it in his novel
Kunnuk and Naja, or the Greenlanders (1842).
Nanabah f NavajoMeans
"returning warrior" in Navajo, derived from
nááná "again" and
baa' "warrior, heroine, raid, battle".
Neohne'e f CheyenneMeans
"walks toward woman", from Cheyenne
nėh- "toward" and
-ehné "walk" combined with the feminine suffix
-e'é.
Nicte f Mayan (Hispanicized)From Yucatec Maya
nikte' meaning
"flower" or specifically
"plumeria flower". It is derived from Classic Maya
nich "flower" and
te' "tree".
Nivi f GreenlandicShort form of Greenlandic
niviarsiaq meaning
"young girl".
Niviarsiaq f GreenlandicMeans
"young girl" in Greenlandic. This is the name of a variety of flower that grows on Greenland, the dwarf fireweed (species Chamaenerion latifolium).
Nonhelema f ShawneePossibly means
"not a man" in Shawnee. This was the name of an 18th-century Shawnee chief, the sister of
Hokolesqua.
Pahoevotona'e f CheyenneMeans
"attached feathers woman", from Cheyenne
pȧhoe- "attach to" and
voto "feather, plume" combined with the feminine suffix
-e'é.
Paninnguaq f GreenlandicMeans
"little daughter" in Greenlandic, from
panik "daughter" and the diminutive suffix
-nnguaq.
Pittiulaaq f & m InuitMeans
"black guillemot" in Inuktitut (a guillemot is a type of sea bird; species Cepphus grylle).
Pocahontas f Powhatan (Anglicized)Means
"little playful one" in Powhatan, an Algonquian language. This was the nickname of a 17th-century Powhatan woman, a daughter of the powerful chief
Wahunsenacawh. She married the white colonist John Rolfe and travelled with him to England, but died of illness before returning.
Qinnuajuaq f & m InuitMeans
"rough-legged hawk" in Inuktitut (species Buteo lagopus).
Quetzalli f NahuatlMeans
"feather (from the quetzal bird)" or
"precious thing" in Nahuatl.
Sacagawea f Indigenous AmericanProbably from Hidatsa
tsakáka wía meaning
"bird woman". Alternatively it could originate from the Shoshone language and mean "boat puller". This name was borne by a Native American woman who guided the explorers Lewis and Clark. She was of Shoshone ancestry but had been abducted in her youth and raised by a Hidatsa tribe.
Sayen f MapucheMeaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of Mapuche
ayün "love".
Sons-ee-ah-ray f ApachePossibly means
"morning star" from Apache
sons-ee-ah-ray. This name was featured in the western movie
Broken Arrow (1950).
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.
Tayanita f CherokeeMeans
"young beaver" in Cherokee, derived from
ᏙᏯ (doya) meaning "beaver".
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.
Ve'keseha'e f CheyenneMeans
"bird woman" in Cheyenne, derived from
vé'kėséhe- "bird" and the feminine suffix
-e'é.
Voestaa'e f CheyenneMeans
"white bison calf woman" in Cheyenne, derived from
vóésta "white bison calf" and the feminine suffix
-e'é. Because white bison calves were rare they were considered sacred.
Vonahe'e f CheyenneMeans
"medicine bundle woman" in Cheyenne. A medicine bundle is a collection of sacred items used in religious ceremonies.
Winona f English, SiouxMeans
"firstborn daughter" in Dakota or Lakota. According to folklore, this was the name of a daughter of a Dakota chief (possibly
Wapasha III) who leapt from a cliff to her death rather than marry a man she hated. Numerous places in the United States have been named after her. The actress Winona Ryder (1971-) was named after the city in Minnesota where she was born.
Xiadani f ZapotecMeaning uncertain, said to mean
"the flower that arrived" in Zapotec.
Xquenda f & m ZapotecFrom Zapotec
guenda "spirit, soul, essence" combined with the possessive prefix
x-.
Yatzil f MayanMeans
"love, mercy, charity" in Yucatec Maya.
Yaxkin f & m MayanFrom
Yaxk'in, the name of the seventh month in the Maya calendar, derived from Classic Maya
yax "green, first" and
k'in "sun, day".
Yolotzin f & m NahuatlMeans
"beloved heart" in Nahuatl, from
yōllōtl "heart" and the suffix
tzin "beloved, revered".
Zazil f MayanMeans
"clear, light, clarity" in Yucatec Maya. Zazil Há was a 16th-century Maya woman who married the Spanish shipwreck survivor Gonzalo Guerrero.
Zeltzin f NahuatlNahuatl name of uncertain meaning, said to mean
"delicate".
Zyanya f ZapotecPossibly means
"forever, always" in Zapotec. It appears in the novel
Aztec (1980) by the American author Gary Jennings.