Honoria f Late RomanFeminine form of
Honorius. This name was borne by the sister of the Western Roman emperor Valentinian III. After her brother had her engaged to a man she did not like, she wrote to
Attila the Hun asking for help. Attila interpreted this as a marriage proposal and subsequently invaded.
Hosanna f BiblicalFrom the Aramaic religious expression
הושע נא (Hosha' na') meaning
"deliver us" in Hebrew. In the New Testament this is exclaimed by those around
Jesus when he first enters Jerusalem.
Hoshiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
星 (hoshi) meaning "star" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Hyeon-Ju f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able" and
珠 (ju) meaning "jewel, pearl". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
Hypatia f Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
ὕπατος (hypatos) meaning
"highest, supreme". Hypatia of Alexandria was a 5th-century philosopher and mathematician, daughter of the mathematician Theon.
Ianeira f Greek MythologyPossibly from Greek
Ἰάν (Ian), a variant of
Ἴων (Ion) meaning
"Ionian", the Ionians being a Greek tribe. The name Ianeira was borne by a few characters in Greek mythology, including one of the Nereids and one of the Oceanids.
Iemanjá f Afro-American MythologyPortuguese form of
Yemọja, used in Brazil by adherents of Candomblé. She is identified with Our Lady of Immaculate Conception as well as other aspects of the Virgin
Mary.
Igraine f Arthurian RomanceMeaning unknown, from
Igerna, the Latinized form of Welsh
Eigyr. In Arthurian legend she is the mother of King
Arthur by Uther Pendragon and the mother of
Morgan le Fay by Gorlois. The Welsh form
Eigyr or
Eigr was rendered into Latin as
Igerna by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth.
Indiana f & m EnglishFrom the name of the American state, which means "land of the Indians". This is the name of the hero in the
Indiana Jones series of movies, starring Harrison Ford.
Iracema f Indigenous American, 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.
Ireland f English (Modern)From the name of the European island country, derived from Irish Gaelic
Éire, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.
Izanami f Japanese MythologyProbably means
"female who invites" in Japanese, from
誘 (izana) meaning "invite, lure, attract". In Japanese mythology she was a creator goddess, the wife of
Izanagi. She died giving birth to Kagutsuchi, the god of fire.
Izaskun f BasqueFrom the name of a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin
Mary near Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, Spain.
Jadwiga f PolishPolish form of
Hedwig. This was the name of a 14th-century ruling queen of Poland who has recently been canonized as a saint.
January f EnglishFrom the name of the month, which was named for the Roman god
Janus. This name briefly charted on the American top 1000 list for girls after it was borne by the protagonist of Jacqueline Susann's novel
Once Is Not Enough (1973).
Jaslene f English (Modern)Combination of the popular phonetic elements
jaz and
lene. It was brought to some public attention in 2007 by Puerto Rican-born model Jaslene Gonzalez (1986-), the eighth winner of the reality television series
America's Next Top Model.
Jasmine f English, FrenchFrom the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian
یاسمین (yasamin), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie
Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.
Jawahir f ArabicMeans
"jewels" in Arabic, ultimately from Persian
گوهر (gohar) meaning "jewel, essence".
Jedidah f BiblicalFrom Hebrew
יָדִיד (yadid) meaning
"beloved, friend". In the Old Testament this is the name of the wife of King Amon of Judah and the mother of
Josiah.
Jerioth f BiblicalMeans
"curtains, drapes" in Hebrew. This name occurs in the Old Testament belonging to a wife of Caleb the son of Hezron.
Jessica f English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, SpanishThis name was first used in this form by William Shakespeare in his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of
Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name
Iscah, which would have been spelled
Jescha in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century. It reached its peak of popularity in the United States in 1987, and was the top ranked name for girls between 1985 and 1995, excepting 1991 and 1992 (when it was unseated by
Ashley). Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) and Jessica Lange (1949-).
Jezebel f BiblicalFrom Hebrew
אִיזֶבֶל ('Izevel), probably from a Phoenician name, possibly containing the Semitic root
zbl meaning
"to exalt, to dwell". According to one theory it might be an altered form of the Phoenician name
𐤁𐤏𐤋𐤀𐤆𐤁𐤋 (Baʿlʾizbel) meaning "Ba'al exalts" with the first element removed or replaced.
... [more] Ji-Yeong f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or
知 (ji) meaning "know, perceive, comprehend" combined with
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" or
榮 (yeong) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper". Many other hanja character combinations are possible.
Jocelyn f & m English, FrenchFrom a Frankish masculine name, variously written as
Gaudelenus,
Gautselin,
Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element *
gautaz, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats, combined with a Latin diminutive suffix. The Normans brought this name to England in the form
Goscelin or
Joscelin, and it was common until the 14th century. It was revived in the 20th century primarily as a feminine name, perhaps an adaptation of the surname
Jocelyn (a medieval derivative of the given name). In France this is a masculine name only.
Jolánka f Hungarian (Rare)Created by the Hungarian writer András Dugonics for the main character in his novel
Jólánka, Etelkának Leánya (1803). He may have based it on Hungarian
jóleán meaning "good girl" or possibly on the name
Yolanda.
Jonquil f English (Rare)From the English word for the type of flower, derived ultimately from Latin
iuncus "reed".
Juliana f Dutch, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Iulianus (see
Julian). This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr from Nicomedia, and also of the Blessed Juliana of Norwich, also called Julian, a 14th-century mystic and author. The name was also borne by a 20th-century queen of the Netherlands. In England, this form has been in use since the 18th century, alongside the older form
Gillian.
Justice m & f EnglishFrom an occupational surname meaning
"judge, officer of justice" in Old French. This name can also be given in direct reference to the English word
justice.
Justine f French, EnglishFrench form of
Iustina (see
Justina). This is the name of the heroine in the novel
Justine (1791) by the Marquis de Sade.
Kaimana m & f HawaiianFrom Hawaiian
kai "ocean, sea" and
mana "power". It is also Hawaiian meaning "diamond", derived from the English word
diamond.
Kalyani f Hinduism, Indian, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, HindiMeans
"beautiful, lovely, auspicious" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata this is the name of one of the Krittikas, or Pleiades. It is also another name of the Hindu goddess
Parvati.
Kandaĵa f EsperantoMeans
"made of candy" in Esperanto, a derivative of
kando meaning "candy, rock sugar".
Katniss f LiteratureFrom the English word
katniss, the name of a variety of edible aquatic flowering plants (genus Sagittaria). Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist of
The Hunger Games series of novels by Suzanne Collins, released 2008 to 2010, about a young woman forced to participate in a violent televised battle.
Katsuko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
勝 (katsu) meaning "victory" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
Katsumi m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
克 (katsu) meaning "overcome" or
勝 (katsu) meaning "victory" combined with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or
己 (mi) meaning "self". Other kanji combinations having the same pronunciation can also form this name.
Kawthar f ArabicMeans
"abundance" in Arabic. This is the name of the 108th chapter (surah al-Kawthar) of the Quran.
Kealoha f & m HawaiianMeans
"the loved one" from Hawaiian
ke, a definite article, and
aloha "love".
Kendall m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that comes from the name of the city of Kendale in northwest England meaning
"valley on the river Kent". Originally mostly masculine, the name received a boost in popularity for girls in 1993 when the devious character Kendall Hart began appearing on the American soap opera
All My Children.
Kennedy f & m English, IrishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Cinnéidigh, itself derived from the given name
Cennétig. The name has sometimes been given in honour of assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963). It was popularized as a name for girls by Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (1972-), known simply as Kennedy, the host of the television program
Alternative Nation on MTV from 1992 to 1997.
Kestrel f English (Rare)From the name of the bird of prey, ultimately derived from Old French
crecelle "rattle", which refers to the sound of its cry.
Khadija f ArabicMeans
"premature child" in Arabic. This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's first wife and the mother of all of his children, with the exception of one. She was a wealthy merchant and a widow when they married in the year 595. Muhammad received his first revelation 15 years after their marriage, and she was the first person to convert to Islam.
Khatuna f GeorgianFrom the Turkic title
khatun meaning
"lady, woman", a feminine form of
khan.
Khordad f & m Persian MythologyModern Persian form of
Haurvatat. From the Middle Persian era, this deity was often considered masculine. The third month of the Iranian calendar is named for her.
Kinsley f English (Modern)From a surname that was derived from an English place name, itself meaning
"clearing belonging to Cyne". The Old English given name
Cyne is a short form of longer names beginning with
cyne meaning "royal".
... [more] Krystle f English (Modern)Variant of
Crystal. This particular spelling was popularized by the character Krystle Carrington from the American soap opera
Dynasty (1981-1989).