kiirakirsi's Personal Name List

Finnish form of Ada 1.

Old French form of Alice.

Means "nobleness, nobility", from the French form of the Germanic name Adalheidis, which was composed of adal "noble" and the suffix heit "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great.

In Britain the parallel form Alice, derived via Old French, has historically been more common than Adelaide, though this form did gain some currency in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.

French feminine form of Adrian.

Anglicized form of Aodhán. In the latter part of the 20th century it became popular in America due to its sound, since it shares a sound with such names as Braden and Hayden. It peaked ranked 39th for boys in 2003.

From Ailsa Craig, the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland, which is of uncertain derivation.

Means "generous amount" in Finnish.

Meaning unknown.

Alara appears in Turkic Mythology as a beautiful water fairy. She lives in the lakes and rivers of the Caspian basin and grants the wishes of those she deems worthy. She is said to be capable of repairing broken hearts and making them capable of love again.

Czech form of Amalia.

Lithuanian, Slovene and Croatian form of Amalia.

Perhaps based on the Italian word amoretto which is a representation of Cupid in a work of art. The word is based on amore meaning "love" combined with a diminutive suffix.

This name was used by Edmund Spenser in his poem 'The Faerie Queene' (1590), where it belongs to a sister of Belphoebe who allegorically represents married love and chastity.

Scandinavian form of Andreas (see Andrew). A famous bearer was the Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström (1814-1874).

Derived from Greek ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός) combined with one of the related words μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of, to provide for, to think on" or μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek mythology Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess rescued from sacrifice by the hero Perseus. A constellation in the northern sky is named for her. This is also the name of a nearby galaxy, given because it resides (from our point of view) within the constellation.

Combination of Anna and Liisa.

Dutch diminutive of Anna.

Finnish, Estonian and Swedish form of Annelie, as well as a German variant.

Combination of Anne 1 and Liese.

French form of Breton Annaig, a diminutive of Anna.

Swedish diminutive of Anna.

Variant of Annika.

Finnish diminutive of Anna.

Finnish form of Andrew.

Form of Antonius (see Anthony) used in various languages.

Means "very beautiful" in Welsh, from the intensive prefix an- combined with gwen "white, blessed".

Derived from Welsh arian "silver" and gwen "white, blessed". This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh saint, one of the supposed daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog.

Possibly means "healer" in Hebrew. This name was borne by the third king of Judah, as told in the Old Testament.

Means "happy, blessed" in Hebrew. Asher in the Old Testament is a son of Jacob by Leah's handmaid Zilpah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The meaning of his name is explained in Genesis 30:13.

Latinized form of Greek Ἀττικός (Attikos) meaning "from Attica", referring to the region surrounding Athens in Greece. This name was borne by a few notable Greeks from the Roman period (or Romans of Greek background). The author Harper Lee used the name in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) for an Alabama lawyer who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman.

Means "dawn" in Lithuanian.

Possibly from the name of the prayer Ave Maria, in which Ave is Latin meaning "greetings, salutations". In Estonian it is also associated with the word ava meaning "open".

From an English surname that was originally derived from the feminine given name Eoforhild.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew אֲבִיָה (see Avia).

Means "doe, female deer, gazelle". It is taken from the Hebrew phrase אַיֶלֶת הַשַׁחַר ('ayelet hashachar), literally "gazelle of dawn", which is a name of the morning star.

Short form of Albaer and other Limburgish names ending in baer, often derived from the Germanic element beraht meaning "bright".

From an English surname derived from Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", originally denoting one who was a bailiff.

Already an uncommon masculine name, it slowly grew in popularity for American girls beginning in 1978 after the start of the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, which featured a character with this name. Though it remained more common as a feminine name, it got a boost for boys in 1994 from another television character on the drama Party of Five. In the United Kingdom and Australia it has always been more popular for boys.

Derived from the Old German elements bald "bold, brave" and rih "ruler, king". It was borne by a 7th-century Frankish saint, the founder of the monastery of Montfaucon. The Normans introduced this name to Britain, and it was common in the Middle Ages.

From a surname probably meaning "quarrelsome, deceptive" in Middle English, originally given to a quarrelsome person.

From the Greek name Βασίλειος (Basileios), which was derived from βασιλεύς (basileus) meaning "king". Saint Basil the Great was a 4th-century bishop of Caesarea and one of the fathers of the early Christian church. Due to him, the name (in various spellings) has come into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors.

From an occupational surname that meant "(female) baker", from Old English bæcere and a feminine agent suffix.

Means "beautiful, handsome" in French. It has been used as a given name since the middle of the 20th century. In Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind (1936) this is the name of Ashley and Melanie's son.

Although this is a grammatically masculine adjective in French, it is given to girls as well as boys in Britain and the Netherlands. In America it is more exclusively masculine. It is not commonly used as a name in France itself.

From an English surname that could be derived from various sources, including from Middle English bec meaning "beak" or bekke meaning "stream, brook".

The meaning of this name is not known for certain. It could be derived from Hungarian bél meaning "guts, bowel" or Slavic бѣлъ (belu) meaning "white". This was the name of four Hungarian kings.

From an Old French form of the Germanic name Belissendis, possibly composed of the elements bili "suitable, proper, fitting, decent, amiable" (cf. Biligard) and swind "strong, brave, powerful".

The form Belisent belongs to a legendary daughter of Charlemagne in the poems 'Ami et Amile' (c.1200) and 'Otinel' or 'Otuel a Knight' (c.1330). In the late 13th-century Arthurian tale 'Arthour and Merlin', Belisent is Arthur's half-sister, the wife of Lot and mother of Gareth; Alfred Lord Tennyson also used the form Belicent in his Arthurian epic 'Gareth and Lynette'.

Variant of Bent 1.

Danish and Norwegian feminine form of Benedict.

Danish form of Benedict.

Danish feminine form of Benedict.

Short form of Bernhard.

Scandinavian form of Bernard.

Hungarian diminutive of Bertalan and other names beginning with Bert.

Means "white top" from the Welsh elements barr "top, head" and gwyn "white, blessed". This is the name of a mountain range in Wales.

From an Old Norse byname derived from bjǫrn meaning "bear".

Danish and Norwegian form of Björn.

From a Scottish surname that was derived from the Old Irish given name Bláán.

From a Scottish surname that was derived from Gaelic blàr meaning "plain, field, battlefield". In Scotland this name is typically masculine.

In the United States it became more common for girls in the early 1980s, shortly after the debut of the television sitcom The Facts of Life (1979-1988), which featured a character named Blair Warner. The name left the American top 1000 rankings two decades later, but was resurrected by another television character, this time Blair Waldorf from the series Gossip Girl (2007-2012).

From an English occupational surname meaning "maker of books". A famous bearer was Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an African-American leader.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Bradáin, which was in turn derived from the byname Bradán. Like other similar-sounding names such as Hayden and Aidan, it and its variant Brayden became popular in America at the end of the 20th century.

Means "raven" in Irish. In Irish legend Bran mac Febail was a mariner who was involved in several adventures on his quest to find the Otherworld.

Unaccented variant of Brân. This is also the Middle Welsh form.

From an Irish surname, a variant of Brennan.

From Brendanus, the Latinized form of the Old Irish name Bréanainn, which was derived from Old Welsh breenhin meaning "king, prince". Saint Brendan was a 6th-century Irish abbot who, according to legend, crossed the Atlantic and reached North America with 17 other monks.

From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Braonáin) that was derived from the byname Braonán, itself from Irish braon meaning "rain, moisture, drop" combined with a diminutive suffix. As a given name, it has been used since the 1960s as an alternative to Brendan or Brandon, though it has not been as popular as them.

From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".

From a Middle English surname meaning "a Breton", referring to an inhabitant of Brittany. A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Brett Favre (1969-).

From the English word for the thorny plant.

From a surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Ó Proinntigh, itself derived from the given name Proinnteach, probably from Irish bronntach meaning "generous". The Brontë sisters — Charlotte, Emily, and Anne — were 19th-century English novelists. Their father changed the spelling of the family surname from Brunty to Brontë, possibly to make it coincide with Greek βροντή meaning "thunder".

Means "hill, mound" in Welsh. In Wales it is almost always a masculine name, though elsewhere in the English-speaking world it can be unisex (see Brynn).

From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Broin, which was derived from the given name Bran 1.

From an English surname that was originally derived from a nickname meaning "round" in Old English.

Sometimes explained as deriving from the Irish surname Caden, which is an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mac Cadáin, itself from the given name Cadán (of unknown meaning). In actuality, the popularity of this name in America beginning in the 1990s is due to its sound — it shares its fashionable den suffix sound with other trendy names like Hayden, Aidan and Braden.

Anglicized form of Caolán.

Scottish Gaelic form of Christina.

From the name of a type of orchid, ultimately meaning "beautiful flower", derived from Greek καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful" and ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower".

Most likely related to Hebrew כֶּלֶב (kelev) meaning "dog". An alternate theory connects it to Hebrew כָּל (kal) meaning "whole, all of" and לֵב (lev) meaning "heart". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the twelve spies sent by Moses into Canaan. Of the Israelites who left Egypt with Moses, Caleb and Joshua were the only ones who lived to see the Promised Land.

As an English name, Caleb came into use after the Protestant Reformation. It was common among the Puritans, who introduced it to America in the 17th century.

From the name of two types of plants, the true calla (species Calla palustris) and the calla lily (species Calla aethiopica), both having white flowers and growing in marshy areas. Use of the name may also be inspired by Greek κάλλος (kallos) meaning "beauty".

Transferred use of the surname Callister.

From a Scottish surname meaning "crooked nose" from Gaelic cam "crooked" and sròn "nose". As a given name it is mainly used for boys. It got a little bump in popularity for girls in the second half of the 1990s, likely because of the fame of actress Cameron Diaz (1972-). In the United States, the forms Camryn and Kamryn are now more popular than Cameron for girls.

Derived from Irish caomh meaning "dear, beloved, gentle".

From an Italian word meaning "beloved" or an Irish word meaning "friend". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century, though it did not become popular until after the 1950s.

Derived from Welsh caru meaning "love". This is a relatively modern Welsh name, in common use only since the middle of the 20th century.

Used by author C. S. Lewis for a character in his Chronicles of Narnia series, first appearing in 1950. Prince Caspian first appears in the fourth book, where he is the rightful king of Narnia driven into exile by his evil uncle Miraz. Lewis probably based the name on the Caspian Sea, which was named for the city of Qazvin, which was itself named for the ancient Cas tribe.

Feminine form of Cassius.

Variant of Ciara 2.

From the English word for the coniferous tree, derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek κέδρος (kedros).

Derived from Welsh cain "good, lovely" and gwen "white, blessed". This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh saint also known as Cain or Keyne.

French feminine and masculine form of Caelestis.

French feminine form of Caelinus. This name can also function as a short form of Marceline.

Derived from the Indo-European root *ker- meaning "grow, increase". In Roman mythology Ceres was the goddess of agriculture, equivalent to the Greek goddess Demeter.

Possibly from cyrrid "bent, crooked" (a derivative of Old Welsh cwrr "corner") combined with ben "woman" or gwen "white, blessed". According to the medieval Welsh legend the Tale of Taliesin (recorded by Elis Gruffyd in the 16th century) this was the name of a sorceress who created a potion that would grant wisdom to her son Morfan. The potion was instead consumed by her servant Gwion Bach, who was subsequently reborn as the renowned bard Taliesin.

This name appears briefly in a poem in the Black Book of Carmarthen in the form Kyrridven [1] and in a poem in the Book of Taliesin in the form Kerrituen [2]. Some theories connect her to an otherwise unattested Celtic goddess of inspiration, and suppose her name is related to Welsh cerdd "poetry".

From an English surname of uncertain origin.

Means "God continues to save" in Igbo.

Transferred use of a Swedish surname Chrisander.

Variant of Chrisanna.

French form of Christopher.

From Greek Χριστός (Christos) meaning "anointed", derived from χρίω (chrio) meaning "to anoint". This was a name applied to Jesus by early Greek-speaking Christians. It is a translation of the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyach), commonly spelled in English messiah, which also means "anointed".

This is a Modern Greek name as well. It has been conflated with the name Χρήστος (see Christos 2), which is spelled differently but pronounced identically in Modern Greek.

Latinized form of Greek Κίρκη (Kirke), possibly from κίρκος (kirkos) meaning "hawk". In Greek mythology Circe was a sorceress who changed Odysseus's crew into hogs, as told in Homer's Odyssey. Odysseus forced her to change them back, then stayed with her for a year before continuing his voyage.

From an English surname, itself originally derived from either a medieval short form of Nicholas or the byname Cola. A famous bearer was the songwriter Cole Porter (1891-1964), while a bearer of the surname was the musician Nat King Cole (1919-1965).

This name got more popular in the early 1980s, then got a boost in 1990 when it was used by the main character in the movie Days of Thunder.

Either a French form of Koralia, or a derivative of Latin corallium "coral" (see Coral).

Latinate form of Corisande.

Meaning uncertain, from the name of a character in medieval legend, possibly first recorded by Spanish writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. Perhaps it was derived from an older form of Spanish corazón "heart" (e.g., Old Spanish coraçon; ultimately from Latin cor "heart", with the hypothetic Vulgar Latin root *coratione, *coraceone) or the Greek name Chrysanthe. As a nickname it was used by a mistress of King Henry IV of France: Diane d'Andoins (1554-1620), la Belle Corisande. Some usage may be generated by Jean-Baptiste Lully's opera 'Amadis' (1684; based on Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo), in which it belongs to the lover of the prince Florestan. The name was also used by Benjamin Disraeli for a character in his play 'Lothair' (1870).

From French chosette meaning "little thing". This is the nickname of the illegitimate daughter of Fantine in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables (1862). Her real name is Euphrasie, though it is seldom used. In the novel young Cosette is the ward of the cruel Thénardiers until she is retrieved by Jean Valjean.

Either from the English surname Cove or else directly from the vocabulary word cove, which refers to a small coastal inlet.

Feminine form of Dacian.

Means "fruitful, fertile" in Irish. This name is borne by many figures in Irish legend, including the Ulster chief Dáire mac Fiachna who reneged on his promise to loan the Brown Bull of Cooley to Medb, starting the war between Connacht and Ulster as told in the Irish epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley.

Cognate of Davida.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name David. A famous bearer of the surname was Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), the only president of the Confederate States of America.

Possibly means "earth mother", derived from Greek δᾶ (da) meaning "earth" and μήτηρ (meter) meaning "mother". In Greek mythology Demeter was the goddess of agriculture, the daughter of Cronus, the sister of Zeus, and the mother of Persephone. She was an important figure in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites performed at Eleusis near Athens.

Means "joy" in Amharic.

English form of Destrier, a French surname derived from the Anglo-Norman word destrer meaning "warhorse". This name was popularized by the western novel 'Destry Rides Again' (1930, by Max Brand) and two subsequent identically-named film adaptations (1932 and 1939).

Variant of Dylan based on the spelling of the surname Dillon, which has an unrelated origin.

Lithuanian form of Dorothea.

Derived from Spanish dulce meaning "sweet". This name was (first?) used by Miguel de Cervantes in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it belongs to the love interest of the main character, though she never actually appears in the story.

Manx form of Elizabeth.

Romanian form of Katherine.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew עִידָן (see Idan).

Scandinavian, Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian form of Edwin.

Finnish and Estonian form of Eric. A famous bearer was the architect Eero Saarinen (1910-1961).

From an Old Welsh given name of unknown meaning, the source of the place name Eifionydd (also called Eifion) in northwestern Wales. This name was revived in the 19th century, probably via the place name.

Possibly from the Finnish happy exclamation eijaa.

Perhaps means "white brow", derived from Welsh ael "brow" and gwen "white, blessed". This is a recently created Welsh name.

From the Old Welsh name Enniaun, probably from the Latin name Ennianus, a derivative of Ennius (see Ennio). It is also a modern Welsh word meaning "anvil". This was the name of a few early Welsh rulers including Einion Frenin (5th century), who is considered a saint in some Christian traditions.

Means "mercy" in Old Norse. This was the name of a Norse goddess of healing and medicine.

Means "snow" in Welsh. This is a recently created name.

Means "bright, beautiful" in Welsh [1].

Means "snowdrop (flower)" in Welsh, a compound of eira "snow" and llys "plant".

Means "white snow" from the Welsh elements eira "snow" and gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the early 20th century.

From the name of a Welsh river, also called the Leri, of unknown meaning. This was also the name of a 7th-century Welsh saint (masculine).

Estonian form of Elizabeth.

Short form of Elizabeth. It was borne by the character Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion (1913) and the subsequent musical adaptation My Fair Lady (1956).

Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.

Variant of Elowen.

Latgalian form of Elizabeth.

Lithuanian form of Elizabeth.

Welsh form of Ambrose. Emrys Wledig (or Ambrosius Aurelianus) was a Romano-British military leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. Tales of his life were used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth to help shape the early character of Merlin, whom he called Merlinus Ambrosius in Latin.

The meaning of this name is uncertain. In some cases it seems to be an old Italian form of Heinz, though in other cases it could be a variant of the Germanic name Anzo. In modern times it is also used as a short form of names ending in enzo, such as Vincenzo or Lorenzo.

From the Old Norse byname Erlendr, which was derived from ørlendr meaning "foreigner".

Finnish form of Isaiah.

Variant of Asbjørn.

Polish, Slovak, Romanian and Lithuanian form of Esther.

Derived from Welsh aur "gold" and gwen "white, blessed".

Variant of Øyvind.

Means "help" in Hebrew. Ezra is a prophet of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a famous bearer.

Manx form of Finlugh.

Derived from Old Irish finn "white, blessed". This was the name of several Irish saints, including the founders of monasteries at Clonard and Movilla (both 6th century).

From an English surname meaning "son of William", formed using the Anglo-Norman French prefix fitz-, derived from Latin filius "son". This is the given name of Mr. Darcy, a character in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Floinn, which was derived from the given name or byname Flann. A famous bearer of the surname was American actor Errol Flynn (1909-1959). As a given name, it grew in popularity after it was featured as a character in the Disney movie Tangled in 2010.

Feminine form of François.

Breton feminine form of Franciscus (see Francis).

Greek form of Gaius.

From the medieval name Genovefa, which is of uncertain origin. It could be derived from the Germanic elements *kunją "clan, family, lineage" and *wībą "wife, woman". Alternatively it could be of Gaulish origin, from the related Celtic element *genos "kin, family" combined with a second element of unknown meaning. This name was borne by Saint Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, who inspired the city to resist the Huns in the 5th century.

Feminine form of Ghislain.

Feminine form of Giedrius.

Derived from the Old German element gisal meaning "hostage, pledge" (Proto-Germanic *gīslaz). This name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for a child given as a pledge to a foreign court. This was the name of both a sister and daughter of Charlemagne. It was also borne by a daughter of the French king Charles III who married the Norman leader Rollo in the 10th century. Another notable bearer was the 11th-century Gisela of Swabia, wife of the Holy Roman emperor Conrad II.

The name was popular in France during the Middle Ages (the more common French form is Gisèle). Though it became known in the English-speaking world due to Adolphe Adam's ballet Giselle (1841), it was not regularly used until the 20th century.

Anglicized form of Glenys.

Transferred use of the surname Glennon.

From the English word grace, which ultimately derives from Latin gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.

This name was very popular in the English-speaking world at the end of the 19th century. Though it declined in use over the next 100 years, it staged a successful comeback at the end of the 20th century. The American sitcom Will and Grace (1998-2006) may have helped, though the name was already strongly rising when it premiered. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in 2006.

From an English surname meaning "son of the steward", derived from Middle English greyve "steward". It became common towards the end of the 20th century because of its similarity to popular names like Jason, Mason and Graham.

From Lithuanian graži meaning "beautiful". This name was created by Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz for his poem Grażyna (1823).

Dutch diminutive of Margaret.

Variant of Grayson.

Means "blessed and generous" from Breton gwenn meaning "white, blessed" and hael meaning "generous". Saint Gwenhael was a 6th-century abbot of Brittany.

Old Norse and Icelandic form of Gytha.

From Gyða, an Old Norse diminutive of Guðríðr. It was borne by a Danish noblewoman who married the English lord Godwin of Wessex in the 11th century. The name was used in England for a short time after that, and was revived in the 19th century.

Dutch variant of Hedwig.

From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "heather field" in Old English.

French variant form of Adrian.

Means "wind" in Basque.

From the Old Norse name Hallþórr, which meant "Thor's rock" from hallr "rock" combined with the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor).

Variant of Hayley.

Old Swedish form of Hallsteinn (see Hallstein).

Ukrainian form of Galina.

From a Scottish and English surname that was derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". The surname was originally taken from the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists). A famous bearer of the surname was Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), a founding father of the United States who was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr.

From an English surname that was derived from either the Norman given name Hamo or the Old Norse given name Hámundr.

Form of Hannah in several languages.

From the Hebrew name חַנָּה (Channah) meaning "favour, grace", derived from the root חָנַן (chanan). In the Old Testament this is the name of the wife of Elkanah. Her rival was Elkanah's other wife Peninnah, who had children while Hannah remained barren. After a blessing from Eli she finally became pregnant with Samuel.

As an English name, Hannah was not regularly used until after the Protestant Reformation, unlike the vernacular forms Anne and Ann and the Latin form Anna, which were used from the late Middle Ages. In the last half of the 20th century Hannah surged in popularity and neared the top of the name rankings for both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Danish and Norwegian short form of Johanne, or a German and Dutch short form of Johanna. This can also be a Dutch short form of Johannes (masculine).

From an English surname that meant "son of Harry". This was the surname of two American presidents, William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) and his grandson Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901). As a given name it reached a low point in America in 1977 before it was revived by the career of actor Harrison Ford (1942-), who starred in such movies as Star Wars in 1977 and Indiana Jones in 1984.

From the English word for a safe place, derived ultimately from Old English hæfen.

From an English surname that was derived from place names meaning either "hay valley" or "hay hill", derived from Old English heg "hay" and denu "valley" or dun "hill". Its popularity at the end of the 20th century was due to the sound it shared with other trendy names of the time, such as Braden and Aidan.

From a German surname meaning "heathen". It is used in honour of the Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809).

From an English surname that was originally derived from the name of an English town (meaning "hay clearing" from Old English heg "hay" and leah "clearing"). It was brought to public attention as a given name, especially in the United Kingdom, by the British child actress Hayley Mills (1946-) [1].

This is the most common spelling of this name in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand; in the United States the spellings Haley and Hailey are more popular.

From an English surname that denoted one who lived on a heath. It was popularized as a given name by the character Heath Barkley from the 1960s television series The Big Valley [1].

Derived from Welsh hedd "peace" and gwyn "white, blessed". This name has been given in honour of the poet Ellis Humphrey Evans (1887-1917), who used Hedd Wyn as his bardic name [1].

From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "heather clearing" in Old English.

Finnish form of Heinrich (see Henry).

Means "winebearer, dispenser" in Welsh. According to the Second Branch of the Mabinogi [1] he was one of only seven warriors to return from Brân's invasion of Ireland.

Finnish feminine form of Heinrich (see Henry).

Uncertain meaning, possibly from Greek ἥρως (heros) meaning "hero, warrior"; ὥρα (hora) meaning "period of time"; or αἱρέω (haireo) meaning "to be chosen". In Greek mythology Hera was the queen of the gods, the sister and wife of Zeus. She presided over marriage and childbirth.

Probably from Greek ἕρμα (herma) meaning "cairn, pile of stones, boundary marker". Hermes was a Greek god associated with speed and good luck, who served as a messenger to Zeus and the other gods. He was also the patron of travellers, writers, athletes, merchants, thieves and orators.

This was also used as a personal name, being borne for example by a 1st-century saint and martyr.

Derived from the name of the Greek messenger god Hermes. In Greek myth Hermione was the daughter of Menelaus and Helen. This is also the name of the wife of Leontes in Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale (1610). It is now closely associated with the character Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.

Derived from Greek ἥρως (heros) meaning "hero". This was the name of a 1st-century Greek inventor (also known as Hero) from Alexandria.

From the Hebrew name חִזְקִיָהוּ (Chizqiyahu), which means "Yahweh strengthens", from the roots חָזַק (chazaq) meaning "to strength" and יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This name was borne by a powerful king of Judah who reigned in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Also in the Old Testament, this is the name of an ancestor of the prophet Zephaniah.

German, Dutch and Norwegian variant of Hilda.

From Old Norse hildr meaning "battle", making it a cognate of Hilda. In Norse legend this was the name of a valkyrie.

Swedish and Finnish form of Heilwig.

From the Old German name Hildimar, derived from the elements hilt "battle" and mari "famous".

From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "deep valley" in Old English. This is the name of the main character in J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), Holden Caufield.

From the English word honour, which is of Latin origin. This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century. It can also be viewed as a form of Honoria or Honorata, which are ultimately derived from the same source.

Scottish Gaelic form of Iohannes (see John).

Means "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.

Means "era" in Hebrew.

Means "sparkle brilliance" in the fictional language Sindarin. In the Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Idril was the daughter of Turgon, the king of Gondolin. She escaped the destruction of that place with her husband Tuor and sailed with him into the west.

Older Welsh form of Ifan.

Welsh form of Justin. This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh saint.

Feminine form of Ilan.

Welsh form of Hilarius. This is the name of a 6th-century Welsh saint.

Bulgarian form of Elijah.

Feminine form of Illyrios.

Variant of Ilse.

Means "evening" in Finnish.

Spanish form of Agnes.

French form of Inés.

Finnish form of Ingrid or Inger.

From the Late Latin name Innocentius, which was derived from innocens "innocent". This was the name of several early saints. It was also borne by 13 popes including Innocent III, a politically powerful ruler and organizer of the Fourth Crusade.

As an English-language name in the modern era, it is most common in Africa.

Means "enthusiasm" in Finnish.

Meaning unknown. In Greek mythology Io was a princess loved by Zeus, who changed her into a heifer in order to hide her from Hera. A moon of Jupiter bears this name in her honour.

Means "asphodel (flower)" in Hebrew.

Late Latin name meaning "from Isauria". Isauria was the name of a region in Asia Minor.

German form of Iseult, appearing in the 13th-century German poem Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg. In 1865 the German composer Richard Wagner debuted his popular opera Tristan und Isolde and also used the name for his first daughter.

Means "shadow, protection" in Basque.

Feminine form of Iustinus (see Justin).

Estonian form of Jacob or James, and a Flemish short form of Jacob.

Finnish form of Joachim.

Feminine form of Jalil.

Feminine form of Jaan (Estonian) or Jani (Finnish).

Transferred use of the surname Jennings.

From a variant spelling of the English word jasmine (see Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.

Variant of Jessamine.

From 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.

Icelandic and Faroese feminine form of John.

Variant of Gjord.

Derived from Old Norse jǫrð meaning "earth". In Norse mythology, Jǫrð was the goddess of the earth and the mother of Þórr (see Thor). Other names for her included Hlóðyn and Fjǫrgyn.

Serbian and Macedonian feminine form of John.

French form of Julius. A notable bearer of this name was the French novelist Jules Verne (1828-1905), author of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and other works of science fiction.

Diminutive of Julia or Julian.

From the English word for the type of tree, derived ultimately from Latin iuniperus.

Finnish form of Katherine.

Diminutive of Katariina.

Variant of Cairo.

Scandinavian diminutive of Katarina.

Variant of Callan.

From the name of the mythological ancestor of the Finns, which is of unknown meaning. The name of the Finnish epic the Kalevala means "the land of Kaleva".

Variant of Kaleva.

Low German form of Christian.

Finnish and Estonian form of Katherine.

Polish form of Katherine.

German, Swedish and Estonian short form of Katherine.

Belarusian form of Katherine.

Variant of Qinnuajuaq.

From the Hebrew name קְצִיעָה (Qetzi'ah) meaning "cassia, cinnamon", from the name of the spice tree. In the Old Testament she is a daughter of Job.

Means "lily of the valley" in Finnish (species Convallaria majalis).

Anglicized form of Ciara 1.

Finnish feminine form of Cyrus.

Variant of Quica.

From the name of a large lake in northern Israel, usually called the Sea of Galilee in English. Its name is derived from Hebrew כִּנּוֹר (kinnor) meaning "harp" because of its shape.

Russian feminine form of Cyrus.

Variant of Ciara 1.

Finnish form of Christina, or a short form of Kirsikka. It also means "frost" in Finnish.

Cognate of Finnish Kirsikka, derived from Estonian kirss "cherry".

Means "cherry" in Finnish.

Combination of Kirsikka and Marja.

Used by F. Scott Fitzgerald for a character in his novella The Diamond as Big as the Ritz (1922). Perhaps he based it on the English word kismet meaning "fate, destiny". In the story Kismine has a sister named Jasmine.

Polish form of Constantine.

German form of Crescentia.

Short form of Kristina.

Lithuanian form of Christian.

Scandinavian form of Christina.

Estonian and Slovene form of Christian.

Icelandic form of Christina.

Short form of Kyllikki.

It derives from the same root of the name Karly, that means "free".

Anglicized form of Lachlann, the Scottish Gaelic form of Lochlainn. In the English-speaking world, this name was especially popular in Australia towards the end of the 20th century.

Means "of God" in Hebrew. This is the name of the father of Eliasaph in the Old Testament. It is misspelled as Δαήλ (Dael) in the Greek translation, the Septuagint.

From the English word lake, for the inland body of water. It is ultimately derived from Latin lacus.

From an English surname, meaning "lane, path", which originally belonged to a person who lived near a lane.

Icelandic form of Laura.

From the English word for the type of songbird.

Medieval diminutive of Laurence 1.

Hungarian form of Vladislav. Saint László was an 11th-century king of Hungary, looked upon as the embodiment of Christian virtue and bravery.

Anglicized form of László.

Lithuanian form of Leah.

Simply from the English word liberty, derived from Latin libertas, a derivative of liber "free". Interestingly, since 1880 this name has charted on the American popularity lists in three different periods: in 1918 (at the end of World War I), in 1976 (the American bicentennial), and after 2001 (during the War on Terrorism) [1].

Variant of Liliane.

Lithuanian and Latvian cognate of Lily.

Slovene and Lithuanian form of Lillian.

Icelandic, Faroese and Finnish cognate of Lily.

From a German and Dutch surname that was derived from Old High German linta meaning "linden tree".

From the word for the type of flower, also called the twinflower (see Linnéa).

Strictly feminine form of Lior.

From the name of the musical instrument lira (from Latin lira, from Ancient Greek λύρα (lúra)), called "lyre" in English.

Of uncertain origin and meaning. Introduced in the 19th century, it faded out of general use by the early to mid-twentieth century.

Means "song for me" or "joy for me" in Hebrew.

Combination of Lisa and Anne 1.

Diminutive of Élisabeth.

Lithuanian form of Lucia.

Possibly from Lloegyr, the medieval Welsh name for a region of southeastern Britain, which is of unknown meaning. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the historical realm (which he Latinized as Loegria) was named after Locrinus, the eldest son of Brutus of Troy and Innogen.

Either a short form of Laurence 1 (masculine) or a variant of Lauren (feminine).

From the English word "loyal" meaning "firm in allegiance, faithful, to a person, cause, or institution". From the Old French loial, leal, from the Latin lēgālis 'legal, law'.

Portuguese and Hungarian form of Lucia.

Feminine form of Lucianus.

Means "poetry" in Estonian.

Derived from Latin lux meaning "light".

Icelandic form of Lyra.

The name of the constellation in the northern sky containing the star Vega. It is said to be shaped after the lyre of Orpheus. This is the name of the main character in the His Dark Materials series of books by Philip Pullman (beginning 1995).

Means simply "lyric, songlike" from the English word, ultimately derived from Greek λυρικός (lyrikos).

Variant of Lisanne.

Estonian form of Maria.

Later Welsh form of Maponos [1][2][3]. In the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen he is a prisoner freed by Arthur's warriors in order to help hunt the great boar Trwyth. His mother is Modron.

From a Scottish surname, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Coinnich, itself derived from the given name Coinneach. As a feminine given name it was popularized by the American actress Mackenzie Phillips (1959-), especially after she began appearing on the television comedy One Day at a Time in 1975. In the United Kingdom it is more common as a masculine name.

From a Welsh surname meaning "son of Madoc". It was brought to public attention when the actress Angelina Jolie gave this name to her adopted son in 2002.

Variant of Muirenn.

Anglicized form of Máel Sechnaill or Máel Máedóc, influenced by the spelling of Malachi. Saint Malachy (in Irish, Máel Máedóc) was a 12th-century archbishop of Armagh renowned for his miracles.

From Maldwyn, another name for the old Welsh county of Montgomeryshire. It is so called from Trefaldwyn, the Welsh name for the county town of Montgomery, misinterpreting it as if meaning "town of Maldwyn". In fact it means "town of Baldwin" (in Welsh both m and b mutate to f).

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Maoil Eoin meaning "descendant of a disciple of Saint John".

Means "sea" in Spanish and Catalan. It is from a devotional title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora del Mar "Our Lady of the Sea", the patron saint of the Spanish province of Almería.

Means "bitter" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is a name that Naomi calls herself after the death of her husband and sons (see Ruth 1:20).

Hungarian variant of Mária, and a Croatian and Serbian variant of Marija.

Danish diminutive of Marina or Maria.

Hungarian and Scandinavian form of Margaret.

Sami form of Marianne.

Originally a French diminutive of Marie. It is also considered a combination of Marie and Anne 1. Shortly after the formation of the French Republic in 1792, a female figure by this name was adopted as the symbol of the state.

Diminutive of Mary influenced by Muriel. In the case of actress Mariel Hemingway (1961-), the name is from the Cuban town of Mariel.

Diminutive of Maria and other names beginning with Mari.

Finnish form of Margaret.

Spanish form of Matthew. This form is also sometimes used in Croatia, from the Italian form Matteo.

From the Roman name Maximilianus, which was derived from Maximus. It was borne by a 3rd-century saint and martyr. In the 15th century the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III gave this name to his son and eventual heir. In this case it was a blend of the names of the Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus (see Emiliano), whom Frederick admired. It was subsequently borne by a second Holy Roman emperor, two kings of Bavaria, and a short-lived Habsburg emperor of Mexico.

From a Scottish surname meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name Magnus, combined with Old English wille "well, stream". A famous bearer of the surname was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.

As a given name it has increased in popularity starting from the 1980s, likely because it is viewed as a full form of Max [1].

Hebrew form of Merab 1.

Either a variant of Merritt or else simply from the English word merit, ultimately from Latin meritus "deserving".

From a Welsh surname that was originally derived from the given name Meurig.

From an English surname, originally from a place name, which meant "boundary gate" in Old English.

Hungarian form of Milena.

From the Germanic name Milo, introduced by the Normans to England in the form Miles. The meaning is not known for certain. It is possibly connected to the Slavic name element milu meaning "gracious". From an early date it was associated with Latin miles meaning "soldier". A notable bearer was the American musician Miles Davis (1926-1991).

In Scotland this name was historically used to Anglicize Maoilios.

From the Occitan name Mirèio, which was first used by the poet Frédéric Mistral for the main character in his poem Mirèio (1859). He probably derived it from the Occitan word mirar meaning "to admire". It is spelled Mirèlha in classical Occitan orthography. A notable bearer is the French singer Mireille Mathieu (1946-).

From a French surname that was derived from either Hamon or Edmond. This was the surname of the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).

Medieval form of Moses.

From a Scottish surname, derived from Scots muir meaning "moor, fen". This name could also be inspired by Scottish Gaelic muir meaning "sea".

Hebrew form of Nadab.

Means "wave, sea foam" in Basque.

French masculine and feminine form of Narcissus. This is also the French word for the narcissus flower.

Feminine form of Neil.

Danish variant of Nils.

Finnish form of Nestor.

From the Greek name Νικόλαος (Nikolaos) meaning "victory of the people", derived from Greek νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and λαός (laos) meaning "people". Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop from Anatolia who, according to legend, saved the daughters of a poor man from lives of prostitution. He is the patron saint of children, sailors and merchants, as well as Greece and Russia. He formed the basis for the figure known as Santa Claus (created in the 19th century from Dutch Sinterklaas), the bringer of Christmas presents.

Due to the renown of the saint, this name has been widely used in the Christian world. It has been common in England since the 12th century, though it became a bit less popular after the Protestant Reformation. The name has been borne by five popes and two czars of Russia.

Variant of Nicholas.

From the Greek name Νικόδημος (Nikodemos) meaning "victory of the people", derived from Greek νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and δῆμος (demos) meaning "the people". This is the name of a character in the New Testament who helps Joseph of Arimathea entomb Jesus.

Dutch form of Nicolette.

Diminutive of Nicole.

Finnish form of Nicholas.

Feminine form of Nikola 1.

Swedish form of Nicholas.

Finnish form of Nicholas, as well as a Croatian, Slovene, Georgian and German short form.

Ancient Greek form of Nicodemus.

Dutch variant of Nicolaas.

Alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Николай (see Nikolay).

Variant of Nikolaos (Greek) or Nicholas (English).

Basque form of Nicole, as well as an English variant.

Maori form of Nicholas or Nicole.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Neil.

Scandinavian form of Nicholas.

Means "blessing" in Arabic.

Short form of names that end in nina, such as Antonina or Giannina. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word niña meaning "little girl". A famous bearer was the American musician Nina Simone (1933-2003).

Short form of Niviaq or else directly from Greenlandic niviarsiaq meaning "maiden" (compare Niviarsiaq).

Derived from the Greenlandic word niviarsiaq "girl" (compare Niviarsiaq), possibly meaning "reincarnated as a girl".

Means "young girl" in Greenlandic [1]. This is the name of a variety of flower that grows on Greenland, the dwarf fireweed (species Chamaenerion latifolium).

Perhaps from Arabic نزير (nazir) meaning "little".

Means "pleasantness" in Hebrew. A famous bearer is Noam Chomsky (1928-), an American linguist and philosopher.

Galician feminine form of Noël.

From the Breton phrase Noyal Gwenn meaning "holy one from Noyal". This was the epithet of a 6th-century saint and martyr from Brittany.

From the surname Nowell (a variant of Noel).

Anglicized form of Ngaire. It was borne by New Zealand actress Nyree Dawn Porter (1936-2001).

Meaning unknown. This was the name of a Finnish god of the hunt, the son of Tapio.

Welsh form of Ovid.

From Old French Olivier, possibly derived from a Germanic name, perhaps Old Norse Áleifr (see Olaf) or Frankish Alawar (see Álvaro). The spelling was altered by association with Latin oliva "olive tree". In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier was a friend and advisor of the hero Roland.

In England Oliver was a common medieval name, however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due in part to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1838), which was about a poor orphan living on the streets of London. It became very popular at the beginning of the 21st century, reaching the top rank for boys in England and Wales in 2009 and entering the top ten in the United States in 2017.

Czech variant form of Olivia.

Surname of Garrick Ollivander, a wizard and the owner of Ollivander's Wand Shop in the Harry Potter book series and movie franchise by J. K. Rowling. In the Harry Potter universe the name is said to be of Mediterranean origin and mean "he who owns the olive wand".

Finnish form of Paul used in the Bible.

Finnish and Estonian form of Paul.

Irish form of Patrick.

Welsh and Breton form of Patrick.

French form of Pepin.

From the Late Latin name Peregrinus, which meant "traveller". This was the name of several early saints.

Chiefly Australian feminine form of Peter.

Latinate feminine form of Philip. As an English name, it is chiefly British.

French form of Philomena.

Variant of Phinehas used in some English versions of the Old Testament.

Medieval form of Peter. This is the name of the main character in the 14th-century poem Piers Plowman [1] by William Langland.

Finnish and Estonian form of Pia.

Old German form of Pepin. The 1972 musical Pippin is loosely based on the life of Charlemagne's eldest son Pepin the Hunchback.

Possibly derived from Ciarán. This was the name of a 5th-century Irish monk who founded a monastery in Cornwall. He is the patron saint of Cornwall.

From the English word praise, which is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Late Latin preciare, a derivative of Latin pretium "price, worth". This name is most common in English-speaking Africa.

Finnish form of Brita.

Means "the soul", derived from Greek ψύχω (psycho) meaning "to breathe". The Greeks thought that the breath was the soul. In Greek mythology Psyche was a beautiful maiden who was beloved by Eros (or Cupid in Roman mythology). She is the subject of Keats's poem Ode to Psyche (1819).

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Caoindealbháin, itself from the given name Caoindealbhán (Old Irish Caíndelbán).

Roman praenomen, or given name, meaning "fifth" in Latin. Originally, during the time of the early Roman Republic, it was spelled Quinctus. This name was traditionally given to the fifth child, or possibly a child born in the fifth month. It was a common praenomen, being more popular than the other numeric Roman names. A notable bearer was the poet Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus).

Variant of Ralph. This form became common during the 17th century, reflecting the usual pronunciation.

Simply from the English word rain, derived from Old English regn.

Finnish form of Franciscus (see Francis).

From an English surname that was derived from Old English read meaning "red", originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. Unconnected, this is also the English word for tall grass-like plants that grow in marshes.

Hungarian form of Kreka.

French form of the Latin name Remigius, which was derived from Latin remigis "oarsman, rower". Saint Rémy was a 5th-century bishop who converted and baptized Clovis, king of the Franks.

French form of Renatus. A famous bearer was the French mathematician and rationalist philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650).

Derived from Welsh rhiain meaning "maiden, young woman".

Finnish short form of Fredrika, Henriikka and other names ending in rika.

Modern Norwegian form of Hróarr.

From the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, where it is a place name meaning "horse country" in the fictional language Sindarin.

Russian form of Roland.

Variant of Romi.

Diminutive of Rosemarie or Rosemary.

Invented by Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren, who based it on the middle portion of Juronjaure, the name of a lake in Sweden. Lindgren used it in her 1981 book Ronia the Robber's Daughter (Ronia is the English translation).

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).

From an English occupational surname derived from Old English ridere meaning "mounted warrior" or "messenger". It has grown in popularity in the 2000s because it starts with the same sound found in other popular names like Ryan and Riley.

Possibly a variant of the German surname Riker, a derivative of Low German rike "rich". As a modern English name, it has become popular because it shares the same trendy sounds found in other names such as Ryan and Ryder.

Finnish form of Sarah.

From Old Norse Sága, possibly meaning "seeing one", derived from sjá "to see". This is the name of a Norse goddess, possibly connected to Frigg. As a Swedish and Icelandic name, it is also derived from the unrelated word saga "story, fairy tale, saga".

Finnish form of Zacharias.

Dutch, Estonian, Danish and Norwegian short form of Alexander.

Form of Sarah used in various languages.

Means "lady, princess, noblewoman" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see Genesis 17:15).

In England, Sarah came into use after the Protestant Reformation. It was consistently popular in the 20th century throughout the English-speaking world, reaching the top of the charts for England and Wales in the 1970s and 80s.

Notable bearers include Sarah Churchill (1660-1744), an influential British duchess and a close friend of Queen Anne, and the French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923).

From the Old German element sahso meaning "a Saxon". The Saxons were a Germanic tribe, their name ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife". Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642) was the wife of the Dutch painter Rembrandt.

From an English surname meaning "sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Very rare as an American given name before 1980, it increased in popularity in the 1980s and 90s. It got a boost in 2004 after the debut of the television series Lost, which featured a character by this name.