Laughing Turtle's Personal Name List
Acacius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀκάκιος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 10% based on 3 votes
Adhara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: ə-DEHR-ə(English)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Derived from Arabic
عذارى ('adhara) meaning
"maidens". This is the name of the second brightest star (after
Sirius) in the constellation Canis Major.
Adrasteia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀδράστεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-DRAS-TEH-A(Classical Greek)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Adrastos. In Greek
mythology this name was borne by a nymph who fostered the infant
Zeus. This was also another name of the goddess
Nemesis.
Adrastos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄδραστος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-DRAS-TOS(Classical Greek)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Means
"not inclined to run away" in Greek, from the negative prefix
ἀ (a) and
διδράσκω (didrasko) meaning "to run away". This was the name of a king of Argos in Greek legend.
Adrian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Romanian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian
Other Scripts: Адриан(Russian)
Pronounced: AY-dree-ən(English) a-dree-AN(Romanian) A-dryan(Polish) A-dree-an(German) u-dryi-AN(Russian)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Form of
Hadrianus (see
Hadrian) used in several languages. Several
saints and six popes have borne this name, including the only English pope, Adrian IV, and the only Dutch pope, Adrian VI. As an English name, it has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it was not popular until modern times.
Adva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַדְוָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ahd-VAH
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Means "small wave, ripple" in Hebrew.
Ailsa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: AYL-sə(English)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
From Ailsa Craig, the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland, which is of uncertain derivation.
Airi 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 愛莉, 愛梨, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あいり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-EE-REE
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" combined with
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or
梨 (ri) meaning "pear". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
'Aisha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: عائشة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ‘A-ee-shah
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Alternate transcription of Arabic
عائشة (see
Aisha).
Aislin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: ASH-lyən
Rating: 87% based on 3 votes
Alasdair
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Rating: 0% based on 4 votes
Aleida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: a-LAY-da
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Aleksey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Алексей(Russian)
Pronounced: u-lyi-KSYAY
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Russian form of
Alexius. This name was borne by a 14th-century Metropolitan of Kiev who is regarded as a
saint in the Orthodox Church. It was also the name of a 17th-century tsar of Russia.
Alessandro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: a-lehs-SAN-dro
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Italian form of
Alexander. A famous bearer was Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), the Italian physicist who invented the battery.
Alexander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Slovak, Biblical, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀλέξανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: al-ig-ZAN-dər(English) a-leh-KSAN-du(German) a-lehk-SAHN-dər(Dutch) a-lehk-SAN-dehr(Swedish, Latin) A-lehk-san-tehr(Icelandic) AW-lehk-sawn-dehr(Hungarian) A-lehk-san-dehr(Slovak)
Rating: 88% based on 4 votes
Latinized form of the Greek name
Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant
"defending men" from Greek
ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, help" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek
mythology this was another name of the hero
Paris, and it also belongs to several characters in the
New Testament. However, the most famous bearer was Alexander the Great, king of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, use of his name spread throughout Europe.
The name has been used by kings of Scotland, Poland and Yugoslavia, emperors of Russia, and eight popes. Other notable bearers include English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744), American statesman Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), Scottish-Canadian explorer Alexander MacKenzie (1764-1820), Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), and Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-Canadian-American inventor of the telephone.
Aliénor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-LYEH-NAWR
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Alma 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Albanian, Slovene, Croatian
Pronounced: AL-mə(English) AL-ma(Spanish)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
This name became popular after the Battle of Alma (1854), which took place near the River Alma in Crimea and ended in a victory for Britain and France. However, the name was in rare use before the battle; it was probably inspired by Latin
almus "nourishing". It also coincides with the Spanish word meaning
"the soul".
Althea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀλθαία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
From the Greek name
Ἀλθαία (Althaia), perhaps related to Greek
ἄλθος (althos) meaning
"healing". In Greek
myth she was the mother of Meleager. Soon after her son was born she was told that he would die as soon as a piece of wood that was burning on her fire was fully consumed. She immediately extinguished the piece of wood and sealed it in a chest, but in a fit of rage many years later she took it out and set it alight, thereby killing her son.
Aludra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Derived from Arabic
العذراء (al-'adhra) meaning
"the maiden". This is the name of a star in the constellation Canis Major.
Amalthea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀμάλθεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: am-əl-THEE-ə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From the Greek
Ἀμάλθεια (Amaltheia), derived from
μαλθάσσω (malthasso) meaning
"to soften, to soothe". In Greek
myth she was a nymph (in some sources a goat) who nursed the infant
Zeus.
Ambrosios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀμβρόσιος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AM-BRO-SEE-OS
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Amethyst
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AM-ə-thist
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
From the name of the purple semi-precious stone, which is derived from the Greek negative prefix
ἀ (a) and
μέθυστος (methystos) meaning "intoxicated, drunk", as it was believed to be a remedy against drunkenness. It is the traditional birthstone of February.
Anastasios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Αναστάσιος(Greek) Ἀναστάσιος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-NAS-TA-SEE-OS(Classical Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
Anatoliy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Анатолий(Russian) Анатолій(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: u-nu-TO-lyee(Russian) ah-nah-TAW-lee(Ukrainian)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Andraste
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Celtic Mythology (Hellenized)
Other Scripts: Ἀνδράστη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Possibly means
"invincible" in Celtic. According to the Greco-Roman historian Cassius Dio
[1], this was the name of a Briton goddess of victory who was invoked by
Boudicca before her revolt.
Aneirin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Welsh, Welsh
Pronounced: a-NAY-rin(Welsh)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Old Welsh name, possibly from the Latin name
Honorius [1]. This was the name of a 6th-century Brythonic poet, also known as Neirin or Aneurin
[2], who is said to be the author of the poem
Y Gododdin.
Anneliese
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: A-nə-lee-zə(German) ah-nə-LEE-sə(Dutch)
Rating: 87% based on 3 votes
Antero
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: AHN-teh-ro
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Arabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ar-ə-BEHL-ə
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Medieval Scottish name, probably a variant of
Annabel. It has long been associated with Latin
orabilis meaning "invokable, yielding to prayer", and the name was often recorded in forms resembling this.
Unrelated, this was an older name of the city of Irbid in Jordan, from Greek Ἄρβηλα (Arbela).
Araminta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Meaning unknown. This name was (first?) used by William Congreve in his comedy The Old Bachelor (1693) and later by John Vanbrugh in his comedy The Confederacy (1705). This was the original given name of abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), who was born Araminta Ross.
Arden
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AHR-dən
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, which were derived from a Celtic word meaning "high".
Ariadna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Catalan, Russian, Polish
Other Scripts: Ариадна(Russian)
Pronounced: a-RYADH-na(Spanish) ə-RYADH-nə(Catalan) a-RYAD-na(Polish)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Spanish, Catalan, Russian and Polish form of
Ariadne.
Armida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: ar-MEE-da(Italian) ar-MEE-dha(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Probably created by the 16th-century Italian poet Torquato Tasso for his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1580). In the poem Armida is a beautiful enchantress who bewitches many of the crusaders.
Artemisia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Ἀρτεμισία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Artemisios. This was the name of the 4th-century BC builder of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. She built it in memory of her husband, the Carian prince Mausolus.
Arthur
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: AHR-thər(English) AR-TUYR(French) AR-tuwr(German) AHR-tuyr(Dutch)
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
The meaning of this name is unknown. It could be derived from the Celtic elements *
artos "bear" (Old Welsh
arth) combined with *
wiros "man" (Old Welsh
gur) or *
rīxs "king" (Old Welsh
ri). Alternatively it could be related to an obscure Roman family name
Artorius.
Arthur is the name of the central character in Arthurian legend, a 6th-century king of the Britons who resisted Saxon invaders. He may or may not have been based on a real person. He first appears in Welsh poems and chronicles (perhaps briefly in the 7th-century poem Y Gododdin and more definitively and extensively in the 9th-century History of the Britons [1]). However, his character was not developed until the chronicles of the 12th-century Geoffrey of Monmouth [2]. His tales were later taken up and expanded by French and English writers.
The name came into general use in England in the Middle Ages due to the prevalence of Arthurian romances, and it enjoyed a surge of popularity in the 19th century. Famous bearers include German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), mystery author and Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), and science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008).
Artyom
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Артём(Russian)
Pronounced: ur-TYUYM
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
Asenath
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: אָסְנַת(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AS-i-nath(English)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Asherah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Pronounced: ə-SHEER-ə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Perhaps derived from Semitic roots meaning "she who walks in the sea". This was the name of a Semitic mother goddess. She was worshipped by the Israelites before the advent of monotheism.
Astra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AS-trə
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
Means
"star", ultimately from Greek
ἀστήρ (aster). This name has only been (rarely) used since the 20th century.
Atarah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: עֲטָרָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: AT-ə-rə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Means
"crown" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament Atarah is a minor character, the wife of Jerahmeel.
Athanasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Αθανασία(Greek) Ἀθανασία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 3 votes
Atieno
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Luo
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Avdotya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Авдотья(Russian)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Aveline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AV-ə-lien, AV-ə-leen
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From the Norman French form of the Germanic name
Avelina, a
diminutive of
Avila. The
Normans introduced this name to Britain. After the Middle Ages it became rare as an English name, though it persisted in America until the 19th century
[1].
Aviya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֲבִיָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 0% based on 2 votes
Ayaka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 彩花, 彩華, 彩香, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あやか(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-YA-KA
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From Japanese
彩 (aya) meaning "colour" combined with
花 (ka) or
華 (ka) both meaning "flower". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Ayala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַיָּלָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ie-ah-LAH
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Means "doe, female deer" in Hebrew.
Ayame
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 菖蒲, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あやめ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-YA-MEH
Rating: 0% based on 2 votes
From Japanese
菖蒲 (ayame) meaning "iris (flower)". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Aysu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Azerbaijani
Rating: 0% based on 2 votes
Derived from Turkish and Azerbaijani
ay meaning "moon" and
su meaning "water".
Azalea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ə-ZAY-lee-ə
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
From the name of the flower (shrubs of the genus Rhododendron), ultimately derived from Greek
ἀζαλέος (azaleos) meaning "dry".
Bernadette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: BEHR-NA-DEHT(French) bər-nə-DEHT(English)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
French feminine form of
Bernard. Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879) was a young woman from Lourdes in France who claimed to have seen visions of the Virgin
Mary. She was declared a
saint in 1933.
Bracha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: בְּרָכָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Means "blessing" in Hebrew.
Bridget
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: BRIJ-it(English)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Brighid, Old Irish
Brigit, from old Celtic *
Brigantī meaning
"the exalted one". In Irish
mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom, the daughter of the god
Dagda. In the 5th century it was borne by
Saint Brigid, the founder of a monastery at Kildare and a patron saint of Ireland. Because of the saint, the name was considered sacred in Ireland, and it did not come into general use there until the 17th century. In the form
Birgitta this name has been common in Scandinavia, made popular by the 14th-century Saint Birgitta of Sweden, patron saint of Europe.
Brighid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: BRYEED(Irish)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Newer Irish form of
Brigit (see
Bridget). Since the 1948 spelling reform, this name is spelled
Bríd.
Calanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LAN-thee
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
From the name of a type of orchid, ultimately meaning "beautiful flower", derived from Greek
καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful" and
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower".
Calixta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of
Calixtus.
Callisto 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Καλλιστώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-LIS-to(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Latinized form of
Kallisto. A moon of Jupiter bears this name.
Candace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: KAN-dis(English) KAN-də-see(English)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
From the hereditary title of the queens of Ethiopia, as mentioned in Acts in the
New Testament. It is apparently derived from Cushitic
kdke meaning
"queen mother". In some versions of the Bible it is spelled
Kandake, reflecting the Greek spelling
Κανδάκη. It was used as a given name by the
Puritans after the
Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 20th century by a character in the 1942 movie
Meet the Stewarts [1].
Candelaria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: kan-deh-LA-rya
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Means
"Candlemas" in Spanish, ultimately derived from Spanish
candela "candle". This name is given in honour of the church festival of Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of Christ in the temple and the purification of the Virgin
Mary.
Cassarah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-SEHR-ə, kə-SAR-ə, KAS-ə-rə
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Recently created name intended to mean "what will be, will be". It is from the title of the 1956 song Que Sera, Sera, which was taken from the Italian phrase che sarà sarà. The phrase que sera, sera is not grammatically correct in any Romance language.
Chantrea
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Khmer
Other Scripts: ចន្ទ្រា(Khmer)
Rating: 0% based on 2 votes
Means "moonlight" in Khmer.
Charis
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek, Greek
Other Scripts: Χάρις(Ancient Greek) Χάρης, Χάρις(Greek)
Pronounced: KA-REES(Classical Greek) KHA-rees(Greek)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Ancient Greek feminine form of
Chares. This was the word (in the singular) for one of the three Graces (plural
Χάριτες).
This is also a Modern Greek transcription of the masculine form Chares.
Charissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: kə-RIS-ə(English)
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Elaborated form of
Charis. Edmund Spencer used it in his epic poem
The Faerie Queene (1590).
Charmian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: CHAHR-mee-ən(English) SHAHR-mee-ən(English)
Rating: 0% based on 2 votes
Form of
Charmion used by Shakespeare in his play
Antony and Cleopatra (1606).
Charna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: טשאַרנאַ(Yiddish)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From a Slavic word meaning "black".
Chava
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: חַוָּה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: kha-VA
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Clytemnestra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κλυταιμνήστρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: klie-təm-NEHS-trə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Κλυταιμνήστρα (Klytaimnestra) and
Κλυταιμήστρα (Klytaimestra), in which the first element is
κλυτός (klytos) meaning "famous, noble". The spelling
Klytaimnestra would suggest the second element is
μνηστήρ (mnester) meaning "courter, wooer", while
Klytaimestra would suggest a connection to
μήδομαι (medomai) meaning "to plan, to intend". There is debate over which spelling is earlier or more authentic
[1], since the ancient texts seem to make puns based on both etymologies.
Klytaimestra appears in the works of the Greek tragedians such as Aeschylus, while
Klytaimnestra appears in Homer's poems (the earliest extant copy dating from the post-classical period).
In Greek legend Clytemnestra was the wife of Agamemnon and the mother of Orestes and Electra. While her husband was away during the Trojan War she took a lover, and upon his return she had Agamemnon murdered. She was subsequently killed by her son Orestes.
Crispin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-pin
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From the Roman
cognomen Crispinus, which was derived from the name
Crispus.
Saint Crispin was a 3rd-century Roman who was martyred with his twin brother Crispinian in Gaul. They are the patrons of shoemakers. They were popular saints in England during the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since that time.
Cyriacus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of the Greek name
Κυριακός (Kyriakos), which meant
"of the lord" (derived from Greek
κύριος (kyrios) meaning "lord"). This was the name of a few early
saints.
Deidra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEE-drə
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Desideria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare), Spanish (Rare), Late Roman
Pronounced: deh-see-DHEH-rya(Spanish)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Desiderio. This was the Latin name of a 19th-century queen of Sweden, the wife of Karl XIV. She was born in France with the name
Désirée.
Dimitri
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Georgian, French
Other Scripts: Димитрий(Russian) დიმიტრი(Georgian)
Pronounced: dyi-MYEE-tryee(Russian) DEE-MEE-TREE(Georgian, French)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Russian variant of
Dmitriy, as well as the Georgian form.
Diodoros
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Διόδωρος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Eileen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: ie-LEEN(English) IE-leen(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Anglicized form of
Eibhlín. It is also sometimes considered an Irish form of
Helen. It first became popular in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland near the end of the 19th century.
Elizaveta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Елизавета(Russian)
Pronounced: yi-lyi-zu-VYEH-tə, i-lyi-zu-VYEH-tə
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Elysia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ee-ə(English) i-LIS-ee-ə(English) i-LEE-zhə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
From
Elysium, the name of the realm of the dead in Greek and Roman
mythology, which means
"blissful".
Emmett
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-it
Rating: 90% based on 2 votes
From an English surname that was derived from a
diminutive of the feminine given name
Emma.
Esmeralda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, English, Albanian, Literature
Pronounced: ehz-meh-RAL-da(Spanish) izh-mi-RAL-du(European Portuguese) ehz-meh-ROW-du(Brazilian Portuguese) ehz-mə-RAHL-də(English)
Rating: 90% based on 3 votes
Means "emerald" in Spanish and Portuguese. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), in which Esmeralda is the Romani girl who is loved by Quasimodo. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since that time.
Euphemia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek, English (Archaic)
Other Scripts: Εὐφημία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: yoo-FEE-mee-ə(English) yoo-FEH-mee-ə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"to use words of good omen" from Greek
εὐφημέω (euphemeo), a derivative of
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
φημί (phemi) meaning "to speak, to declare".
Saint Euphemia was an early martyr from Chalcedon.
Feliciana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Late Roman
Pronounced: feh-lee-THYA-na(European Spanish) feh-lee-SYA-na(Latin American Spanish) feh-lee-CHA-na(Italian)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Finnegan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: FIN-ə-gən
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Fionnagáin, itself derived from the given name
Fionnagán, a
diminutive of
Fionn. This is the surname of a relatively minor character in James Joyce's novel
Finnegans Wake (1939), the title of which was based on a 19th-century Irish ballad called
Finnegan's Wake.
Franzi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: FRAN-tsee
Rating: 0% based on 2 votes
Freyde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: פֿריידע(Yiddish)
Rating: 0% based on 2 votes
From Yiddish
פֿרייד (freid) meaning
"joy".
Gavin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: GAV-in(English)
Rating: 0% based on 2 votes
Medieval form of
Gawain. Though it died out in England, it was reintroduced from Scotland in the 20th century.
Geneviève
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHU-NU-VYEHV, ZHUN-VYEHV
Rating: 68% based on 4 votes
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.
Gisela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: GEE-zə-la(German) khee-SEH-la(Spanish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
German, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Giselle.
Grigori
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Григорий(Russian)
Pronounced: gryi-GO-ryee
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Guinevere
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GWIN-ə-vir(English)
Rating: 95% based on 4 votes
From the Norman French form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar meaning
"white phantom", ultimately from the old Celtic roots *
windos meaning "white" (modern Welsh
gwen) and *
sēbros meaning "phantom, magical being"
[1]. In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King
Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by
Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir
Lancelot.
The Cornish form of this name, Jennifer, has become popular in the English-speaking world.
Hadassah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: הֲדַסָּה(Hebrew)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Hadi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Indonesian
Other Scripts: هادي(Arabic) هادی(Persian)
Pronounced: HA-dee(Arabic)
Rating: 97% based on 3 votes
Means "leader, guide" in Arabic.
Haizea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: ie-SEH-a
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "wind" in Basque.
Hassan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Urdu
Other Scripts: حسّان(Arabic, Persian, Urdu)
Pronounced: has-SAN(Arabic)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"beautifier, improver" in Arabic. Hassan ibn Thabit was a 7th-century poet who was a companion of the Prophet
Muhammad. This name is sometimes transcribed as
Hasan, though the two names are spelled distinctly in Arabic.
Hephzibah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: חֶפְצִי־בָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: HEHF-zi-bə(English) HEHP-zi-bə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Hikaru
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 光, 輝, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ひかる(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-KA-ROO
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Japanese
光 (hikaru) meaning "light" or
輝 (hikaru) meaning "brightness". Other kanji can also form this name.
Hisham
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: هشام(Arabic)
Pronounced: hee-SHAM
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "generous" in Arabic, ultimately from hashama "to crush". The meaning derives from the traditional Arab act of crushing bread into crumbs in order to share it. This was the name of an 8th-century caliph of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain.
Hodel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: האָדל(Yiddish)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Diminutive of
Hode. This is the name of Tevye's second daughter in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on late 19th-century stories by Sholem Aleichem.
Irina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Romanian, Georgian, Finnish, Estonian
Other Scripts: Ирина(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) ირინა(Georgian)
Pronounced: i-RYEE-nə(Russian) EE-ree-nah(Finnish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Form of
Irene in several languages.
Isaura
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Spanish, Late Roman
Pronounced: ee-SOW-ra(Spanish)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Late Latin name meaning "from Isauria". Isauria was the name of a region in Asia Minor.
Iset
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Hypothetical)
Reconstructed Egyptian form of
Isis.
Isidora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Serbian, Portuguese (Rare), Italian (Rare), English (Rare), Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Исидора(Serbian, Russian) Ἰσιδώρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ee-see-DHO-ra(Spanish) ee-zee-DAW-ra(Italian) iz-ə-DAWR-ə(English)
Rating: 87% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Isidore. This was the name of a 4th-century Egyptian
saint and hermitess.
Iskandar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Indonesian, Malay
Other Scripts: إسكندر(Arabic)
Pronounced: ees-KAN-dar(Arabic)
Rating: 100% based on 3 votes
Arabic, Indonesian and Malay form of
Alexander.
Isolde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: ee-ZAWL-də(German) i-SOL-də(English) i-ZOL-də(English) i-SOLD(English) i-ZOLD(English) EE-ZAWLD(French)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
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.
Jalila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: جليلة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ja-LEE-lah
Jerusha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: יְרוּשָׁה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: jə-ROO-shə(English)
Kalea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Means "joy, happiness" in Hawaiian.
Kaloyan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Калоян(Bulgarian)
From Greek
καλός Ἰωάννης (kalos Ioannes) meaning
"handsome John", the nickname of a 13th-century emperor of Bulgaria. He successfully defended the empire from the Fourth Crusade.
Kateri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History
From the Mohawk pronunciation of
Katherine. This was the name adopted by the 17th-century Mohawk
saint Tekakwitha upon her baptism.
Khariton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Харитон(Russian)
Khayri
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: خيريّ(Arabic)
Pronounced: KHIE-ree
Means "charitable" in Arabic.
Konstanty
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: kawn-STAN-ti
Kuzey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Means "north" in Turkish.
Lærke
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish
Means "lark" in Danish.
Laleh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: لاله(Persian)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Means "tulip" in Persian.
Larisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovene, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Лариса(Russian, Ukrainian) Λάρισα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: lu-RYEE-sə(Russian) lu-ryi-SU(Lithuanian)
Rating: 87% based on 3 votes
Possibly derived from the name of the ancient city of Larisa in Thessaly, which meant
"citadel". In Greek legends, the nymph Larisa was either a daughter or mother of Pelasgus, the ancestor of the mythical Pelasgians. This name was later borne by a 4th-century Greek martyr who is venerated as a
saint in the Eastern Church. The name (of the city, nymph and saint) is commonly Latinized as
Larissa, with a double
s. As a Ukrainian name, it is more commonly transcribed
Larysa.
Leonard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, German, Polish, Romanian, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: LEHN-ərd(English) LEH-o-nahrt(Dutch) LEH-o-nart(German) leh-AW-nart(Polish)
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Means
"brave lion", derived from the Old German elements
lewo "lion" (of Latin origin) and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish
saint from Noblac who is the patron of prisoners and horses. The
Normans brought this name to England, where it was used steadily through the Middle Ages, becoming even more common in the 20th century.
Ligeia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Λιγεία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: lie-JEE-ə(English)
Derived from Greek
λιγύς (ligys) meaning
"clear-voiced, shrill, whistling". This was the name of one of the Sirens in Greek legend. It was also used by Edgar Allan Poe in his story
Ligeia (1838).
Liliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, English
Pronounced: lee-LYA-na(Italian, Spanish, Polish) lil-ee-AN-ə(English) lil-ee-AHN-ə(English)
Rating: 75% based on 4 votes
Linnéa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: lin-NEH-a
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the name of a flower, also known as the twinflower. The Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus named it after himself, it being his favourite flower.
Lydia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Λυδία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LID-ee-ə(English) LUY-dya(German)
Rating: 93% based on 6 votes
Means
"from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king
Lydos. In the
New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by
Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the
Protestant Reformation.
Lyra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: LIE-rə(English)
Rating: 80% based on 4 votes
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).
Maeva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tahitian, French
Pronounced: MA-EH-VA(French)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Means "welcome" in Tahitian. It gained popularity in France during the 1980s.
Malcolm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: MAL-kəm(English)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
Máel Coluim, which means
"disciple of Saint Columba". This was the name of four kings of Scotland starting in the 10th century, including Malcolm III, who became king after killing
Macbeth, the usurper who had defeated his father
Duncan. The character Malcolm in Shakespeare's tragedy
Macbeth (1606) is loosely based on him. Another famous bearer was Malcolm X (1925-1965), an American civil rights leader.
Mark
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Russian, Belarusian, Dutch, Danish, Armenian, Biblical
Other Scripts: Марк(Russian, Belarusian) Մարկ(Armenian)
Pronounced: MAHRK(English, Dutch, Eastern Armenian) MARK(Russian)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Form of Latin
Marcus used in several languages.
Saint Mark was the author of the second gospel in the
New Testament. Though the author's identity is not certain, some traditions hold him to be the same person as the John Mark who appears in the Book of Acts. He is the patron saint of Venice, where he is supposedly buried. Though in use during the Middle Ages,
Mark was not common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century, when it began to be used alongside the classical form
Marcus.
In the medieval legend of Tristan and Iseult this was the name of a king of Cornwall. It was also borne by the American author Mark Twain (1835-1910), real name Samuel Clemens, the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He took his pen name from a call used by riverboat workers on the Mississippi River to indicate a depth of two fathoms. This is also the usual English spelling of the name of the 1st-century BC Roman triumvir Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony).
Morgan 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, French
Pronounced: MAWR-gən(English) MAWR-GAN(French)
Rating: 95% based on 4 votes
From the Old Welsh masculine name
Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh
mor "sea" and
cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America
Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of
Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).
Morgan 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: MAWR-gən(English)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Modern form of
Morgen, which was used by Geoffrey of Monmouth
[1] in the 12th century for the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, who was unnamed in earlier stories. Geoffrey probably did not derive it from the Welsh masculine name
Morgan, which would have been spelled
Morcant in his time. It is likely from Old Welsh
mor "sea" and the suffix
gen "born of"
[2].
Nadiyya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: ناديّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: na-DEE-yah
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Means "moist, tender, delicate" in Arabic.
Nataliya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Наталия(Russian, Bulgarian) Наталія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: nu-TA-lyi-yə(Russian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of
Natalia (see
Natalie).
Nefertari
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Egyptian
Pronounced: nehf-ər-TAHR-ee(English)
From Egyptian
nfrt-jrj meaning
"the most beautiful" [1]. This was the name of an Egyptian queen of the New Kingdom (13th century BC), the favourite wife of
Ramesses II.
Nikandros
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Νίκανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Means
"victory of a man" from the Greek elements
νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). This was the name of a 2nd-century BC Greek poet and grammarian from Colophon.
Nyala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
From the name of a type of African antelope, ultimately derived from the Bantu word nyálà.
Octavia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ahk-TAY-vee-ə(English) ok-TA-bya(Spanish) ok-TA-wee-a(Latin)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Octavius. Octavia was the wife of Mark Antony and the sister of the Roman emperor Augustus. In 19th-century England it was sometimes given to the eighth-born child.
Okeanos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὠκεανός(Ancient Greek)
From the name of the river or body of water thought by the ancient Greeks to surround the Earth. In Greek
mythology Okeanos was the Titan who personified this body of water.
Olivia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: o-LIV-ee-ə(English) ə-LIV-ee-ə(English) o-LEE-vya(Italian, German) o-LEE-bya(Spanish) AW-LEE-VYA(French) O-lee-vee-ah(Finnish)
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
This name was used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). This was a rare name in Shakespeare's time
[1] that may have been based on
Oliva or
Oliver, or directly from the Latin word
oliva meaning
"olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman who is wooed by Duke
Orsino but instead falls in love with his messenger Cesario, who is actually
Viola in disguise.
Olivia has been used in the English-speaking world since the 18th century, though it did not become overly popular until the last half of the 20th century. Its rise in popularity in the 1970s may have been inspired by a character on the television series The Waltons (1972-1982) [2] or the singer Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022). In 1989 it was borne by a young character on The Cosby Show, which likely accelerated its growth. It reached the top rank in England and Wales by 2008 and in the United States by 2019.
A famous bearer was the British-American actress Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020).
Otávia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare)
Brazilian Portuguese form of
Octavia.
Padma
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu
Other Scripts: पद्म, पद्मा(Sanskrit, Hindi) பத்மா(Tamil) ಪದ್ಮಾ(Kannada) పద్మా(Telugu)
Pronounced: pəd-MA(Hindi)
Means
"lotus" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form
पद्मा and the masculine form
पद्म.
According to Hindu tradition a lotus holding the god Brahma arose from the navel of the god Vishnu. The name Padma is used in Hindu texts to refer to several characters, including the goddess Lakshmi and the hero Rama.
Parthenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Παρθενία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: pahr-THEE-nee-ə(English)
Derived from Greek
παρθένος (parthenos) meaning
"maiden, virgin". This was the name of one of the mares of Marmax in Greek
mythology.
Persephone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Περσεφόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEHR-SEH-PO-NEH(Classical Greek) pər-SEHF-ə-nee(English)
Rating: 100% based on 3 votes
Meaning unknown, probably of Pre-Greek origin, but perhaps related to Greek
πέρθω (pertho) meaning "to destroy" and
φόνος (phonos) meaning "murder". In Greek
myth she was the daughter of
Demeter and
Zeus. She was abducted to the underworld by
Hades, but was eventually allowed to return to the surface for part of the year. The result of her comings and goings is the changing of the seasons. With her mother she was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites practiced at the city of Eleusis near Athens.
Peter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovene, Slovak, Biblical
Pronounced: PEE-tər(English) PEH-tu(German) PEH-tər(Dutch, Danish, Slovene) PEH-tehr(Slovak)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek
Πέτρος (Petros) meaning
"stone". This is a translation used in most versions of the
New Testament of the name
Cephas, meaning "stone" in Aramaic, which was given to the apostle
Simon by
Jesus (compare
Matthew 16:18 and
John 1:42). Simon Peter was the most prominent of the apostles during Jesus' ministry and is often considered the first pope.
Due to the renown of the apostle, this name became common throughout the Christian world (in various spellings). In England the Normans introduced it in the Old French form Piers, which was gradually replaced by the spelling Peter starting in the 15th century [1].
Besides the apostle, other saints by this name include the 11th-century reformer Saint Peter Damian and the 13th-century preacher Saint Peter Martyr. It was also borne by rulers of Aragon, Portugal, and Russia, including the Russian tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725), who defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War. Famous fictional bearers include Peter Rabbit from Beatrix Potter's children's books, Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up in J. M. Barrie's 1904 play, and Peter Parker, the real name of the comic book superhero Spider-Man.
Pherenike
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Φερενίκη(Ancient Greek)
Photine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Φωτίνη(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
φῶς (phos) meaning
"light" (genitive
φωτός (photos)). This is the name traditionally given to the Samaritan woman
Jesus met at the well (see
John 4:7). She is venerated as a
saint by the Eastern Church.
Pilar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: pee-LAR
Means
"pillar" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
María del Pilar, meaning "Mary of the Pillar". According to legend, when
Saint James the Greater was in Saragossa in Spain, the Virgin Mary appeared on a pillar.
Quidel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Mapuche (Hispanicized)
Possibly from Mapuche küde meaning "burning torch".
Remiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Sakurako
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 桜子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) さくらこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SA-KOO-RA-KO
From Japanese
桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Salacia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: sa-LA-kee-a(Latin)
Derived from Latin sal meaning "salt". This was the name of the Roman goddess of salt water.
Salome
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: სალომე(Georgian) Σαλώμη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: sə-LO-mee(English)
From an Aramaic name that was related to the Hebrew word
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning
"peace". According to the historian Josephus this was the name of the daughter of
Herodias (the consort of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee). In the
New Testament, though a specific name is not given, it was a daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod and was rewarded with the head of
John the Baptist, and thus Salome and the dancer have traditionally been equated.
As a Christian given name, Salome has been in occasional use since the Protestant Reformation. This was due to a second person of this name in the New Testament: one of the women who witnessed the crucifixion and later discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty. It is used in Georgia due to the 4th-century Salome of Ujarma, who is considered a saint in the Georgian Church.
Salomé
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: SA-LAW-MEH(French) sa-lo-MEH(Spanish) sə-loo-MEH(Portuguese)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
French, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Salome.
Saveliy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Савелий(Russian)
Pronounced: su-VYEH-lyee
Russian form of the Latin name Sabellius meaning "a Sabine". The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy.
Sayen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Mapuche
Meaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of Mapuche ayün "love".
Sayuri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 小百合, etc.(Japanese Kanji) さゆり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SA-YOO-REE
From Japanese
小 (sa) meaning "small" and
百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". This name can also be composed of other kanji combinations.
Shoshana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שׁוֹשַׁנָּה(Hebrew)
Sophia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek, German, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Σοφία(Greek)
Pronounced: so-FEE-ə(English) sə-FIE-ə(British English) so-FEE-a(Greek) zo-FEE-a(German)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Means
"wisdom" in Greek. This was the name of an early, probably mythical,
saint who died of grief after her three daughters were martyred during the reign of the emperor Hadrian. Legends about her probably arose as a result of a medieval misunderstanding of the phrase
Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom", which is the name of a large basilica in Constantinople.
This name was common among continental European royalty during the Middle Ages, and it was popularized in Britain by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century. It was the name of characters in the novels Tom Jones (1749) by Henry Fielding and The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) by Oliver Goldsmith.
In the United States this name was only moderately common until the 1990s when it began rising in popularity, eventually becoming the most popular for girls from 2011 to 2013. A famous bearer is the Italian actress Sophia Loren (1934-).
Sophie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: SAW-FEE(French) SO-fee(English) zo-FEE(German) so-FEE(Dutch)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Subira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swahili
Means "patience" in Swahili.
Svetlana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Armenian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Светлана(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) Սվետլանա(Armenian) სვეტლანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: svyit-LA-nə(Russian) svyeht-lu-NU(Lithuanian)
Derived from Russian
свет (svet) meaning
"light, world". It was popularized by the poem
Svetlana (1813) by the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. It is sometimes used as a translation of
Photine.
Tahira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: طاهرة(Arabic) طاہرہ(Urdu)
Pronounced: TA-hee-rah(Arabic)
Thekla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare), Greek (Rare), Late Greek
Other Scripts: Θέκλα(Greek)
From the ancient Greek name
Θεόκλεια (Theokleia), which meant
"glory of God" from the Greek elements
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 1st-century
saint, appearing (as
Θέκλα) 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.
Tiamat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Other Scripts: 𒀭𒋾𒊩𒆳, 𒀭𒌓𒌈(Akkadian Cuneiform)
Pronounced: TEE-ə-maht(English)
From Akkadian
tâmtu meaning
"sea". In Babylonian
myth Tiamat was the personification of the sea, appearing in the form of a huge dragon. By Apsu she gave birth to the first of the gods. Later, the god
Marduk (her great-grandson) defeated her, cut her in half, and used the pieces of her body to make the earth and the sky.
Tirzah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: תִּרְצָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: TIR-zə(English)
From the Hebrew name
תִּרְצָה (Tirtzah) meaning
"favourable". Tirzah is the name of one of the daughters of
Zelophehad in the
Old Testament. It also occurs in the Old Testament as a place name, the early residence of the kings of the northern kingdom.
Tristan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: TRIS-tən(English) TREES-TAHN(French)
Rating: 95% based on 2 votes
Probably from the Celtic name
Drustan, a
diminutive of
Drust, which occurs as
Drystan in a few Welsh sources. As
Tristan, it first appears in 12th-century French tales, probably altered by association with Old French
triste "sad". According to the tales Tristan was sent to Ireland by his uncle King Mark of Cornwall in order to fetch
Iseult, who was to be the king's bride. On the way back, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. Later versions of the tale make Tristan one of King
Arthur's knights. His tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since then.
Tryphena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: Τρύφαινα(Ancient Greek)
Tsukiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 月子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) つきこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TSOO-KYEE-KO
From Japanese
月 (tsuki) meaning "moon" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji are possible.
Varvara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Greek, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Варвара(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) Βαρβάρα(Greek)
Pronounced: vur-VA-rə(Russian)
Russian, Greek, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of
Barbara.
Velvela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: װעלװעלע(Yiddish)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Yevpraksiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Евпраксия(Russian)
Pronounced: yif-PRA-ksyi-yə, if-PRA-ksyi-yə
Russian form of
Eupraxia. This was the name of a daughter of Vsevolod I, grand prince of Kyiv, who became the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Henry IV.
Zenovia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ζηνοβία(Greek)
Zinoviya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian (Rare), Ukrainian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Зиновия(Russian) Зіновія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: zyi-NO-vyi-yə(Russian)
Russian and Ukrainian form of
Zenobia.
Zoe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, German, Czech, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Ζωή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZO-ee(English) DZAW-eh(Italian)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Means
"life" in Greek. From early times it was adopted by Hellenized Jews as a translation of
Eve. It was borne by two early Christian
saints, one martyred under Emperor Hadrian, the other martyred under Diocletian. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by a ruling empress of the 11th century.
As an English name, Zoe (sometimes with a diaeresis as Zoë) has only been in use since the 19th century. It has generally been more common among Eastern Christians (in various spellings).
Zoraida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: tho-RIE-dha(European Spanish) so-RIE-dha(Latin American Spanish)
Perhaps means
"enchanting" or
"dawn" in Arabic. This was the name of a minor 12th-century Spanish
saint, a convert from Islam. The name was used by Cervantes for a character in his novel
Don Quixote (1606), in which Zoraida is a beautiful Moorish woman of Algiers who converts to Christianity and elopes with a Spanish officer.
Zuleika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: zoo-LAY-kə(English)
Meaning uncertain, possibly of Arabic origin. According to medieval tradition, notably related by the 15th-century Persian poet Jami, this was the name of the biblical Potiphar's wife. She has been a frequent subject of poems and tales.
Zuzen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: soo-SEHN
Means "just, fair" in Basque.
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