ARTURO

Italian and Spanish form of ARTHUR.

ATLAS

Possibly means "enduring" from Greek τλαω (tlao) meaning "to endure". In Greek mythology he was a Titan punished by Zeus by being forced to support the heavens on his shoulders.

BEATRIX

Probably from Viatrix, a feminine form of the Late Latin name Viator which meant "voyager, traveller". It was a common name amongst early Christians, and the spelling was altered by association with Latin beatus "blessed, happy". Viatrix or Beatrix was a 4th-century saint who was strangled to death during the persecutions of Diocletian.

In England the name became rare after the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, more commonly in the spelling Beatrice. Famous bearers include the British author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), the creator of Peter Rabbit, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (1938-).

CAROL (1)

Short form of CAROLINE. It was formerly a masculine name, derived from CAROLUS. The name can also be given in reference to the English vocabulary word, which means "song" or "hymn".

CELYN

Means "holly" in Welsh.

DAMHNAIT

Means "fawn" from Gaelic damh "stag, ox" combined with a diminutive suffix.

EURYDICE

From the Greek Ευρυδικη (Eurydike) which meant "wide justice", derived from ευρυς (eurys) "wide" and δικη (dike) "justice". In Greek myth she was the wife of Orpheus. Her husband tried to rescue her from Hades, but he failed when he disobeyed the condition that he not look back upon her on their way out.

FABIAN

From the Roman cognomen Fabianus, which was derived from FABIUS. Saint Fabian was a 3rd-century pope.

FRANCESCA

Italian and Catalan feminine form of Franciscus (see FRANCIS).

HELENA

Latinate form of HELEN.

JEREMY

Medieval English form of JEREMIAH, and the form used in some English versions of the New Testament.

JOSEPHINE

English, German and Dutch form of JOSÉPHINE.

KATHERINE

From the Greek name Αικατερινη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from the earlier Greek name ‘Εκατερινη (Hekaterine), which came from ‘εκατερος (hekateros) "each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the goddess HECATE; it could be related to Greek αικια (aikia) "torture"; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name". In the early Christian era it became associated with Greek καθαρος (katharos) "pure", and the Latin spelling was changed from Katerina to Katharina to reflect this.

The name was borne by a semi-legendary 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on a spiked wheel. The saint was initially venerated in Syria, and returning crusaders introduced the name to Western Europe. It has been common in England since the 12th century in many different spellings, with Katherine and Catherine becoming standard in the later Middle Ages.

Famous bearers of the name include Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century mystic, and Catherine de' Medici, a 16th-century French queen. It was also borne by three of Henry VIII's wives, including Katherine of Aragon, and by two empresses of Russia, including Catherine the Great.

LAURENCE (1)

From the Roman cognomen Laurentius, which meant "from Laurentum". Laurentum was a city in ancient Italy, its name probably deriving from Latin laurus "laurel". Saint Laurence was a 3rd-century deacon and martyr from Rome. According to tradition he was roasted alive on a gridiron because, when ordered to hand over the church's treasures, he presented the sick and poor. Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in the Christian world (in various spellings).

In the Middle Ages this name was common in England, partly because of a second saint by this name, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury. Likewise it has been common in Ireland due to the 12th-century Saint Laurence O'Toole (whose real name was Lorcán). Since the 19th century the spelling Lawrence has been more common, especially in America. A famous bearer was the British actor Laurence Olivier (1907-1989).

LUKAS

German, Scandinavian and Lithuanian form of LUKE.

LUNA

Means "the moon" in Latin. Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.

MATTHIAS

Variant of Matthaios (see MATTHEW) which appears in the New Testament as the name of the apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot. This was also the name of kings of Hungary, including Matthias I who made important reforms to the kingdom in the 15th century.

OPHÉLIE

French form of OPHELIA.

PAUL

From the Roman family name Paulus, which meant "small" or "humble" in Latin. Paul was an important leader of the early Christian church. According to Acts in the New Testament, he was a Jewish Roman citizen who converted to Christianity after the resurrected Jesus appeared to him. After this he travelled the eastern Mediterranean as a missionary. His original Hebrew name was Saul. Many of the epistles in the New Testament were authored by him.

Due to the renown of Saint Paul the name became common among early Christians. It was borne by a number of other early saints and six popes. In England it was relatively rare during the Middle Ages, but became more frequent beginning in the 17th century. A notable bearer was the American Revolutionary War figure Paul Revere (1735-1818), who warned of the advance of the British army. Famous bearers in the art world include the French impressionists Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) and Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), and the Swiss expressionist Paul Klee (1879-1940). It is borne by British musician Paul McCartney (1942-). This is also the name of the legendary American lumberjack Paul Bunyan.

RAVENNA

Either an elaboration of RAVEN, or else from the name of the city of Ravenna in Italy.

ROBIN

Medieval diminutive of ROBERT. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.

ROSE

Originally a Norman form of a Germanic name, which was composed of the elements hrod "fame" and heid "kind, sort, type". The Normans introduced it to England in the forms Roese and Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower rose (derived from Latin rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.

ROWENA

Meaning uncertain, possibly a Latinized form of a Germanic name derived from the elements hrod "fame" and wunn "joy, bliss". According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It was popularized by Sir Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel 'Ivanhoe' (1819).

SOLANGE

French form of the Late Latin name Sollemnia, which was derived from Latin sollemnis "religious". This was the name of a French shepherdess who became a saint after she was killed by her master.

TESNI

Means "warmth from the sun" in Welsh.

THEKLA

From the ancient Greek name Θεοκλεια (Theokleia), which meant "glory of God" from the Greek elements θεος (theos) meaning "god" and κλεος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 1st-century saint, appearing (as Θεκλα) 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.

TISIPHONE

Means "avenging murder" in Greek, derived from τισις (tisis) "vengeance" and φονη (phone) "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.

ULRIC

Middle English form of the Old English name Wulfric meaning "wolf power". When it is used in modern times, it is usually as a variant of ULRICH.

YVES

Medieval French form of IVO (1). This was the name of two French saints: an 11th-century bishop of Chartres and a 13th-century parish priest and lawyer, also known as Ivo of Kermartin, the patron saint of Brittany.

ZOLA (1)

Meaning unknown, perhaps an invented name. It has been in occasional use in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. It coincides with an Italian surname, a famous bearer being the French-Italian author Émile Zola (1840-1902).