TIAMAT f Semitic MythologyFrom Akkadian
tâmtu meaning
"sea". In Babylonian myth Tiamat was the personification of the sea, appearing in the form of a huge dragon. By Apsu she gave birth to the first of the gods. Later, the god
Marduk (her great-grandson) defeated her, cut her in half, and used the pieces of her body to make the earth and the sky.
TIARE f TahitianMeans
"flower" in Tahitian, also specifically referring to the species Gardenia taitensis.
TIÊN f VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
仙 (tiên) meaning
"immortal, transcendent, celestial being, fairy".
TIFFANY f EnglishMedieval form of
THEOPHANIA. This name was traditionally given to girls born on the Epiphany (January 6), the festival commemorating the visit of the Magi to the infant
Jesus. The name died out after the Middle Ages, but it was revived by the movie
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), the title of which refers to the Tiffany's jewelry store in New York.
TÍMEA f HungarianCreated by the Hungarian author Mór Jókai for a character in his novel
The Golden Man (1873). The name is apparently based on the Greek word
ευθυμια (euthymia) meaning
"good spirits, cheerfulness".
TINATIN f Georgian, LiteraturePossibly related to Georgian
სინათლე (sinatle) meaning
"light". The name was devised by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for his 12th-century epic poem
The Knight in the Panther's Skin, in which Tinatin is the ruler of Arabia and the lover of
Avtandil.
TINUVIEL f LiteratureMeans
"nightingale" in Sindarin. In the
Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Tinuviel was the daughter of Thingol the elf king and the beloved of Beren, who with her help retrieved one of the Silmarils from the iron crown of Morgoth.
TIRIL f NorwegianPossibly inspired by the Norwegian poem
Lokkende Toner (1859) by Johan Sebastian Welhaven, which features the folk heroine Tirilil Tove.
TIRTA m & f IndonesianMeans
"sacred water, place of pilgrimage" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit
तीर्थ (tirtha).
TIRZAH f BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
תִּרְצָה (Tirtzah) meaning
"favourable". Tirzah is the name of one of the daughters of
Zelophehad in the Old Testament. It also occurs in the Old Testament as a place name, the early residence of the kings of the northern kingdom.
TISIPHONE f Greek MythologyMeans
"avenging murder" in Greek, derived from
τισις (tisis) meaning "vengeance" and
φονη (phone) meaning "murder". This was the name of one of the Furies or
Ερινυες (Erinyes) in Greek mythology. She killed Cithaeron with the bite of one of the snakes on her head.
TITANIA f LiteraturePerhaps based on Latin
Titanius meaning
"of the Titans". This name was (first?) used by Shakespeare in his comedy
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595) where it is the name of the queen of the fairies. This is also a moon of Uranus, named after the Shakespearean character.
TITTY f EnglishDiminutive of
LETITIA. This is now a slang word for the female breast, and the name has subsequently dropped out of common use.
TIVOLI m & f VariousFrom the name of a picturesque Italian town, used as a summer resort by the ancient Romans.
TIWLIP f WelshMeans
"tulip" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
TOBY m & f EnglishMedieval form of
TOBIAS. It was sometimes used as a feminine name in the 1930s and 40s due to the influence of American actress Toby Wing (1915-2001).
TOM (2) m & f HebrewMeans
"the end, innocence, simplicity" from Hebrew
תּוֹם (tom). It can also be an alternate transcription of
תָּם (see
TAM (2)).
TOMIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
富 (tomi) meaning "wealth, abundance" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji can also form this name.
TOMOKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
智 (tomo) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or
朋 (tomo) meaning "friend" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed of other kanji characters as well.
TOMOMI f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
智 (tomo) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or
朋 (tomo) meaning "friend" combined with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or
実 (mi) meaning "fruit, good result, truth". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
TOPAZ f English (Rare)From the English word for the yellow precious stone, the birthstone of November, ultimately derived from Greek
τοπαζος (topazos).
TOPSY f English (Rare)From a nickname that is of unknown meaning, perhaps deriving from the English word
top. This is the name of a young slave in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852).
TORHILD f NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Þórhildr, which meant
"Thor's battle" from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
THOR) combined with
hildr "battle".
TORNY f NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Þórný, which was derived from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
THOR) combined with
nýr "new".
TORUNN f NorwegianNorwegian form of the Old Norse name
Þórunn, from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
THOR) combined with
unnr "to wave, to billow" or
unna "to love".
TOSHIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
敏 (toshi) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji characters can also form this name.
TRACY f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was taken from a Norman French place name meaning
"domain belonging to THRACIUS". Charles Dickens used it for a male character in his novel
The Pickwick Papers (1837). It was later popularized as a feminine name by the main character Tracy Lord in the movie
The Philadelphia Story (1940). This name is also sometimes used as a diminutive of
THERESA.
TREASA f IrishPossibly means
"strength" in Irish. It is also sometimes used as an Irish form of
THERESA.
TRI m & f IndonesianMeans
"three, third" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit
त्रि (tri).
TRINIDAD f & m SpanishMeans
"trinity" in Spanish, referring to the Holy Trinity. An island in the West Indies bears this name.
TRINITY f EnglishFrom the English word
Trinity, given in honour of the Christian belief that God has one essence, but three distinct expressions of being: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It has only been in use as a given name since the 20th century.
TRYPHENA f BiblicalFrom the Greek name
Τρυφαινα (Tryphaina), derived from Greek
τρυφη (tryphe) meaning
"softness, delicacy". This name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament.
TSISANA f GeorgianProbably derived from Georgian
ცის (tsis) meaning
"of the sky", the genitive case of
ცა (tsa) meaning "sky, heaven".
TSISIA f GeorgianDerived from Georgian
ცის (tsis) meaning
"of the sky", the genitive case of
ცა (tsa) meaning "sky, heaven".
TSIURI f GeorgianMeans
"heavenly, celestial" in Georgian, a derivative of
ცა (tsa) meaning "sky, heaven".
TSUBAKI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
椿 (tsubaki) meaning "camellia flower", as well as other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.
TSUBASA m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
翼 (tsubasa) meaning "wing", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.
TSUKIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
月 (tsuki) meaning "moon" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji are possible.
TU m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
图 (tú) meaning "chart, map" or other characters with similar pronunciations.
TÚ m & f VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
秀 (tú) meaning
"luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding".
TUBA f Arabic, TurkishFrom the name of a type of tree that is believed to grow in heaven in Islamic tradition. It means "blessedness" in Arabic.
TUĞÇE f TurkishDerived from Turkish
tuğ meaning
"tail, plume", referring to a type of banner made of horse hairs used in the Ottoman Empire.
TÜNDE f HungarianDerived from Hungarian
tündér meaning
"fairy". The Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty created this name in the 19th century.
TUULIKKI f Finnish, Finnish MythologyMeans
"little wind" in Finnish, derived from
tuuli "wind". This was the name of a Finnish forest goddess, the daughter of Tapio.
TWILA f EnglishMeaning unknown. Perhaps based on the English word
twilight, or maybe from a Cajun pronunciation of French
étoile "star". It came into use as an American given name in the late 19th century.
TYCHE f Greek MythologyMeans
"fortune, chance" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of fortune, luck and fate.
TYYNE f FinnishDerived from Finnish
tyyni meaning
"calm, serene".
TZEITEL f Yiddish (Rare)Yiddish diminutive of
SARAH. This is the name of Tevye's oldest daughter in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on Sholem Aleichem's stories from the late 19th century.
UDANE f BasqueDerived from Basque
uda meaning
"summer".
UʻILANI f & m HawaiianMeans
"heavenly beauty" or
"royal beauty" from Hawaiian
uʻi "youth, beauty" and
lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
UMA f Hinduism, Indian, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, HindiMeans
"flax" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess
Parvati. In Hindu texts it is said to derive from the Sanskrit exclamation
उ मा (u ma) meaning "O (child), do not (practice austerities)!", which was addressed to Parvati by her mother.
UME f JapaneseFrom Japanese
梅 (ume) meaning "Japanese apricot, plum" (refers specifically to the species Prunus mume). In Japan the ume blossom is regarded as a symbol of spring and a ward against evil. Different kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
UMEKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
梅 (ume) meaning "apricot, plum" (referring to the species Prunus mume) and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
UMUT m & f TurkishVariant of
ÜMİT. The Turkish words
umut and
ümit are etymologically related synonyms.
ÚNA f IrishPossibly derived from Irish
uan meaning
"lamb".
UNATHI m & f Southern African, XhosaMeans
"he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix
u- meaning "he, she" and
nathi meaning "with us".
UNDINE f LiteratureDerived from Latin
unda meaning
"wave". The word
undine was created by the medieval author Paracelsus, who used it for female water spirits.
UNITY f English (Rare)From the English word
unity, which is ultimately derived from Latin
unitas.
UNNI f NorwegianPossibly a modern coinage based on the Old Norse elements
unnr "to wave, to billow" or
unna "to love" combined with
nýr "new".
URD f Norse MythologyFrom the Old Norse
Urðr meaning
"fate". In Norse mythology Urd was one of the three Norns, or goddesses of destiny. She was responsible for the past.
URIA m & f HebrewModern Hebrew form of
URIAH, also used as a feminine name.
URSA f Late RomanFeminine form of
URSUS. This is the name of two constellations in the northern sky: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
URSULA f English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Late RomanMeans
"little bear", derived from a diminutive form of the Latin word
ursa "she-bear". Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.
USAGI f Popular CultureMeans
"rabbit" in Japanese. This name was used on the Japanese television show
Sailor Moon, which first aired in the 1990s.
USHAS f HinduismMeans
"dawn" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of the dawn, considered the daughter of heaven.
UTTARA m & f Hinduism, Indian, MarathiMeans
"north" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
उत्तर (also written
Uttar) and the feminine form
उत्तरा (also written
Uttarā), both of which occur in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata belonging to the son and daughter of King Virata.
UXUE f BasqueFrom the Basque name of the Spanish town of Ujué where there is a church dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. Its name is derived from Basque
usoa "dove".
VALENCIA f VariousFrom the name of cities in Spain and Venezuela, both derived from Latin
valentia meaning "strength, vigour".
VALENTINA f Italian, Russian, German, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Romanian, Spanish, Greek, Latvian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Valentinus (see
VALENTINE (1)). A famous bearer was the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (1937-), who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space.