Rotem m & f HebrewFrom the name of a desert plant (species Retama raetam), possibly derived from Hebrew
רְתֹם (retom) meaning "to bind".
Rowan m & f Irish, English (Modern)Anglicized form of the Irish name
Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).
Ruzha f Bulgarian, MacedonianMeans
"hollyhock" in Bulgarian (referring to flowering plants from the genera Alcea and Althaea). This is also an alternate transcription of Macedonian
Ружа (see
Ruža).
Saffron f English (Rare)From the English word that refers either to a spice, the crocus flower from which it is harvested, or the yellow-orange colour of the spice. It is derived via Old French from Arabic
زعفران (za'faran), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".
Sage f & m English (Modern)From the English word
sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.
Saki f JapaneseFrom Japanese
咲 (sa) meaning "blossom" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope", besides other combinations of kanji characters.
Sakiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
咲 (saki) meaning "blossom" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other combinations of kanji characters.
Sakura f JapaneseFrom Japanese
桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom", though it is often written using the hiragana writing system. It can also come from
咲 (saku) meaning "blossom" and
良 (ra) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable" as well as other kanji combinations.
Sakurako f JapaneseFrom Japanese
桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Samantha f English, Italian, DutchPerhaps intended to be a feminine form of
Samuel, using the name suffix
antha (possibly inspired by Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). It originated in America in the 18th century but was fairly uncommon until 1964, when it was popularized by the main character on the television show
Bewitched.
Sayuri f JapaneseFrom Japanese
小 (sa) meaning "small" and
百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". This name can also be composed of other kanji combinations.
Sharon f EnglishFrom an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew
שָׁרוֹן (Sharon), which means
"plain", referring to the fertile plain near the coast of Israel. This is also the name of a type of flowering shrub, the rose of Sharon. It has been in use as a given name since the 1920s, possibly inspired by the heroine in the serial novel
The Skyrocket (1925) by Adela Rogers St. Johns.
Shion f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
紫苑 (shion) meaning "aster". It can also come from
詩 (shi) meaning "poem" and
音 (on) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Smiltė f LithuanianMeans
"sandwort" in Lithuanian, referring to flowering plants from the genus Arenaria.
Sóley f IcelandicMeans
"buttercup (flower)" in Icelandic (genus Ranunculus), derived from
sól "sun" and
ey "island".
Sólja f FaroeseMeans
"buttercup (flower)" in Faroese (genus Ranunculus). The buttercup is the national flower of the Faroe Islands.
Soma m HungarianFrom Hungarian
som meaning
"dogwood, cornel tree".
Songül f TurkishFrom Turkish
son meaning "last, final" and
gül meaning "rose".
Sumire f JapaneseFrom Japanese
菫 (sumire) meaning "violet (flower)". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.
Susan f EnglishEnglish variant of
Susanna. This has been most common spelling since the 18th century. It was especially popular both in the United States and the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1960s. A notable bearer was the American feminist Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906).
Susanna f Italian, Catalan, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, Dutch, English, Armenian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Old Church SlavicFrom
Σουσάννα (Sousanna), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshannah). This was derived from the Hebrew word
שׁוֹשָׁן (shoshan) meaning
"lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means
"rose"), perhaps ultimately from Egyptian
sšn "lotus". In the Old Testament Apocrypha this is the name of a woman falsely accused of adultery. The prophet
Daniel clears her name by tricking her accusers, who end up being condemned themselves. It also occurs in the New Testament belonging to a woman who ministers to
Jesus.
... [more] Tansy f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, which is derived via Old French from Late Latin
tanacita.
Tiare f TahitianMeans
"flower" in Tahitian, also specifically referring to the species Gardenia taitensis.
Tigerlily f English (Rare)From
tiger lily, a name that has been applied to several orange varieties of lily (such as the species Lilium lancifolium). Tiger Lily is also the name of the Native American princess in J. M. Barrie's play
Peter Pan (1904).
Tsisana f GeorgianProbably derived from Georgian
ცის (tsis) meaning
"of the sky", the genitive case of
ცა (tsa) meaning "sky, heaven". This is also an alternative Georgian word for the forget-me-not flower.
Tsubaki f JapaneseFrom Japanese
椿 (tsubaki) meaning "camellia (flower)", as well as other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.
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.
Urmas m EstonianPossibly from the dialectal Estonian word
urm meaning
"frost" or
"catkin".
Valerian m Russian, Georgian, Romanian, HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Valerianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name
Valerius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Roman emperor (Publius Licinius Valerianus) who was captured by the Persians. Several saints have also borne this name, including a 2nd-century martyr of Lyons.
Vardan m ArmenianDerived from Armenian
վարդ (vard) meaning
"rose", ultimately from an Iranian language.
Vardo f GeorgianDerived from Georgian
ვარდი (vardi) meaning
"rose", ultimately from an Iranian language via Armenian.
Vered f HebrewMeans
"rose" in Hebrew, originally a borrowing from an Iranian language.
Veronica f English, Italian, Romanian, Late RomanLatin alteration of
Berenice, the spelling influenced by the ecclesiastical Latin phrase
vera icon meaning
"true image". This was the name of a legendary saint who wiped
Jesus' face with a towel and then found his image imprinted upon it. Due to popular stories about her, the name was occasionally used in the Christian world in the Middle Ages. It was borne by the 17th-century Italian saint and mystic Veronica Giuliani. As an English name, it was not common until the 19th century, when it was imported from France and Scotland.
Viola f English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, SlovakMeans
"violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke
Orsino, she attempts to convince
Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.
Violet f EnglishFrom the English word
violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin
viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.
Viorel m RomanianDerived from
viorea, the Romanian word for the alpine squill flower (species Scilla bifolia) or the sweet violet flower (species Viola odorata). It is derived from Latin
viola "violet".
Vjollca f AlbanianDerived from Albanian
vjollcë meaning
"violet", referring to both the flower and the colour.
Warda f ArabicMeans
"rose" in Arabic, ultimately a borrowing from an Iranian language.
Wisteria f English (Rare)From the name of the flowering plant, which was named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar.
Xiulan f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with
兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
Xiuying f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with
英 (yīng) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". Other character combinations are possible.
Yeong f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero", as well as other hanja characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name. This name was borne by Jang Yeong-sil (where
Jang is the surname), a 15th-century Korean scientist and inventor.
Yeong-Ho m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero",
映 (yeong) meaning "reflect light" or
泳 (yeong) meaning "dive, swim" combined with
浩 (ho) meaning "great, numerous, vast" or
皓 (ho) meaning "bright, luminous, clear, hoary". Other hanja combinations are possible.
Yeong-Hui f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" or
泳 (yeong) meaning "dive, swim" combined with
姬 (hui) meaning "beauty" or
嬉 (hui) meaning "enjoy, play". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.
Yeong-Ja f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" and
子 (ja) meaning "child". Other hanja character combinations can form this name as well. Feminine names ending with the character
子 (a fashionable name suffix in Japan, read as
-ko in Japanese) were popular in Korea during the period of Japanese rule (1910-1945). After liberation this name and others like it declined in popularity.
Yeong-Suk f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" and
淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
Yolanda f Spanish, EnglishFrom the medieval French name
Yolande, which was probably a form of the name
Violante, which was itself a derivative of Latin
viola "violet". Alternatively it could be of Germanic origin.
... [more] Yolande f FrenchFrench form of
Yolanda. A notable bearer of the 15th century was Yolande of Aragon, who acted as regent for the French king Charles VII, her son-in-law. She was a supporter of Joan of Arc.
Yūka f JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" and
花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom". It can also be composed of different kanji that have the same pronunciations.
Yuri 2 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Zaira f Italian, SpanishItalian and Spanish form of
Zaïre. It was used by Vincenzo Bellini for the heroine of his opera
Zaira (1829), which was based on Voltaire's 1732 play
Zaïre.
Zaïre f LiteratureUsed by Voltaire for the heroine of his tragic play
Zaïre (1732), about an enslaved Christian woman who is due to marry the Sultan. She is named
Zara in many English adaptations. The name was earlier used by Jean Racine for a minor character (also a slave girl) in his play
Bajazet (1672). It is likely based on the Arabic name
Zahra.
Zara 1 f Literature, EnglishUsed by William Congreve for a character in his tragedy
The Mourning Bride (1697), where it belongs to a captive North African queen. Congreve may have based it on the Arabic name
Zahra. In 1736 the English writer Aaron Hill used it to translate
Zaïre for his popular adaptation of Voltaire's French play
Zaïre (1732).
... [more] Zaynab f ArabicMeaning uncertain. It is possibly related to Arabic
زين (zayn) meaning "beauty"; it could be from the name of a fragrant flowering tree; or it could be an Arabic form of
Zenobia, a name borne by a pre-Islamic queen of Palmyra. Zaynab was the name of a daughter, a granddaughter, and two wives of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Zinnia f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, which was itself named for the German botanist Johann Zinn.