ARIELLAStrictly feminine form of ARIELAURORAGender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, German, Romanian, Finnish, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: ow-RO-rah (Spanish), ə-RAWR-ə (English)
Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.AUROREFrench form of AURORABRIELLEGender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Short form of GABRIELLE. This is also the name of towns in the Netherlands and New Jersey, though their names derive from a different source.CATHERINEGender: Feminine
Pronounced: ka-tə-REEN (French), ka-TREEN (French), KATH-ə-rin (English), KATH-rin (English)
French form of KATHERINE, and also a common English variant.CELESTEGender: Feminine & Masculine
Pronounced: che-LE-ste (Italian), sə-LEST (English)
Italian feminine and masculine form of CAELESTIS. It is also the English feminine form.EMMAGender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, German, Ancient Germanic
Pronounced: EM-ə (English), E-mah (German)
Originally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element ermen meaning "whole" or "universal". It was introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, who was the wife both of king Ethelred II (and by him the mother of Edward the Confessor) and later of king Canute. It was also borne by an 11th-century Austrian saint, who is sometimes called Hemma.After the Norman conquest this name became common in England. It was revived in the 18th century, perhaps in part due to Matthew Prior's poem 'Henry and Emma' (1709). It was also used by Jane Austen for the central character, the matchmaker Emma Woodhouse, in her novel 'Emma' (1816).
EVANGELINEMeans "good news" from Greek ευ "good" and αγγελμα (angelma) "news, message". It was (first?) used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his epic poem 'Evangeline' (1847).FREYAGender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, English (British, Modern)
Pronounced: FRAY-ah (Norse Mythology)
From Old Norse Freyja meaning "lady". This is the name of the goddess of love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology. She claimed half of the heroes who were slain in battle and brought them to her realm in Asgard. Some scholars connect her with the goddess Frigg.This is not the usual spelling in any of the Scandinavian languages (in Sweden and Denmark it is Freja and in Norway it is Frøja) but it is the common spelling of the goddess's name in English. In the 2000s it became popular in Britain.
GISÈLEFrench form of GISELLEHAZELFrom the English word hazel for the tree or the light brown colour, derived ultimately from Old English hæsel. It was coined as a given name in the 19th century.HEATHERFrom the English word heather for the variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers which commonly grow in rocky areas. It is derived from Middle English hather. It was first used as a given name in the late 19th century, though it did not become popular until the last half of the 20th century.HEIDIGender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, English
Pronounced: HIE-dee (German, English)
German diminutive of ADELHEID. This is the name of the title character in the children's novel 'Heidi' (1880) by Johanna Spyri. The name began to be used in the English-speaking world shortly after the 1937 release of the movie adaptation, which starred Shirley Temple.HENRYFrom the Germanic name Heimirich which meant "home ruler", composed of the elements heim "home" and ric "power, ruler". It was later commonly spelled Heinrich, with the spelling altered due to the influence of other Germanic names like Haganrich, in which the first element is hagan "enclosure".Heinrich was popular among continental royalty, being the name of seven German kings, starting with the 10th-century Henry I the Fowler, and four French kings. In France it was rendered Henri from the Latin form Henricus.
The Normans introduced this name to England, and it was subsequently used by eight kings, ending with the infamous Henry VIII in the 16th century. During the Middle Ages it was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation. Notable bearers include arctic naval explorer Henry Hudson (1570-1611), British novelist Henry James (1843-1916), and American automobile manufacturer Henry Ford (1863-1947).
INDIAFrom the name of the country, which itself derives from the name of the Indus River.JAMESEnglish form of the Late Latin name Iacomus which was derived from Ιακωβος (Iakobos), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name Ya'aqov (see JACOB). This was the name of two apostles in the New Testament. The first was Saint James the Greater, the apostle John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of Jesus.Since the 13th century this form of the name has been used in England, though it became more common in Scotland, where it was borne by several kings. In the 17th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. Famous bearers include the explorer Captain James Cook (1728-1779), the inventor James Watt (1736-1819), and the novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming.
LAURELFrom the name of the laurel tree, ultimately from Latin laurus.LIBBYOriginally a medieval diminutive of Ibb, itself a diminutive of ISABEL. It is also used as a diminutive of ELIZABETH.LOLALORELEIFrom a Germanic name meaning "luring rock". This is the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. Legends say that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures fishermen to their death with her song.MABELMedieval feminine form of AMABILIS. This spelling and Amabel were common during the Middle Ages, though they became rare after the 15th century. It was revived in the 19th century after the publication of C. M. Yonge's novel 'The Heir of Redclyffe' (1854), which featured a character named Mabel (as well as one named Amabel).MARIELDiminutive of MARY influenced by MURIEL. In the case of actress Mariel Hemingway (1961-), the name is from the Cuban town of Mariel.MATILDAFrom the Germanic name Mahthildis meaning "strength in battle", from the elements maht "might, strength" and hild "battle". Saint Matilda was the wife of the 10th-century German king Henry I the Fowler. The name was brought to England by the Normans, being borne by the wife of William the Conqueror himself. It was popular until the 15th century in England, usually in the vernacular form Maud. Both forms were revived by the 19th century. This name appears in the popular Australian folk song 'Waltzing Matilda', written in 1895.OLIVEFrom the English word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva.OPHELIADerived from Greek οφελος (ophelos) meaning "help". This name was probably created by the 15th-century poet Jacopo Sannazaro for a character in his poem 'Arcadia'. It was borrowed by Shakespeare for his play 'Hamlet' (1600), in which it belongs to Hamlet's lover who eventually goes insane and drowns herself. In spite of this, the name has been used since the 19th century.ORLA (1)Anglicized form of ÓRFHLAITHPATRICKGender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, French, German
Pronounced: PAT-rik (English), pat-REEK (French), PAHT-rik (German)
From the Latin name Patricius, which meant "nobleman". This name was adopted in the 5th-century by Saint Patrick, whose birth name was Sucat. He was a Romanized Briton who was captured and enslaved in his youth by Irish raiders. After six years of servitude he escaped home, but he eventually became a bishop and went back to Ireland as a missionary. He is traditionally credited with Christianizing the island, and is regarded as Ireland's patron saint.In England and elsewhere in Europe during the Middle Ages this name was used in honour of the saint. However, it was not generally given in Ireland before the 17th century because it was considered too sacred for everyday use. It has since become very common there.
PRIMROSEFrom the English word for the flower, ultimately deriving from Latin prima rosa "first rose".RIVERFrom the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".ROSEOriginally 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.SARAHGender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, German, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: שָׂרָה (Hebrew), سارة (Arabic)
Pronounced: SER-ə (English), SAR-ə (English), ZAH-rah (German)
Means "lady" or "princess" in Hebrew. This is the name of the wife of Abraham in the Old Testament. She became the mother of Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally Sarai, but God changed it (see Genesis 17:15). In England, Sarah came into use after the Protestant Reformation.SKYSimply from the English word sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse sky "cloud".STELLAMeans "star" in Latin. This name was created by the 16th-century poet Sir Philip Sidney for the subject of his collection of sonnets 'Astrophel and Stella'. It was not commonly used as a given name until the 19th century. It appears in Tennessee Williams' play 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1947), belonging to the sister of Blanche DuBois and the wife of Stanley Kowalski.SUMMERFrom the name of the season, ultimately from Old English sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.TABITHAGender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Ταβιθα (Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TAB-i-thə (English)
Means "gazelle" in Aramaic. Tabitha in the New Testament was a woman restored to life by Saint Peter. Her name is translated into Greek as Dorcas (see Acts 9:36). As an English name, Tabitha became common after the Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the television show 'Bewitched', in which Tabitha (sometimes spelled Tabatha) is the daughter of the main character.VIOLETFrom 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.