-Lila The Butterfly-'s Personal Name List

Old French form of Alice.

From the Hebrew name אַהֲרֹן ('Aharon), which is most likely of unknown Egyptian origin. Other theories claim a Hebrew derivation, and suggest meanings such as "high mountain" or "exalted". In the Old Testament this name is borne by the older brother of Moses. He acted as a spokesman for his brother when they appealed to the pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery. Aaron's rod produced miracles and plagues to intimidate the pharaoh. After the departure from Egypt and arrival at Mount Sinai, God installed Aaron as the first high priest of the Israelites and promised that his descendants would form the priesthood.

As an English name, Aaron has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. This name was borne by the American politician Aaron Burr (1756-1836), notable for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

From the Hebrew name הֶבֶל (Hevel) meaning "breath". In the Old Testament he is the second son of Adam and Eve, murdered out of envy by his brother Cain. In England, this name came into use during the Middle Ages, and it was common during the Puritan era.

From the Hebrew name אֲבִיגָיִל ('Avigayil) meaning "my father is joy", derived from the roots אָב ('av) meaning "father" and גִּיל (gil) meaning "joy". In the Old Testament this is the name of Nabal's wife. After Nabal's death she became the third wife of King David.

As an English name, Abigail first became common after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the Puritans. The biblical Abigail refers to herself as a servant, and beginning in the 17th century the name became a slang term for a servant, especially after the release of the play The Scornful Lady (1616), which featured a character named Abigail. The name went out of fashion at that point, but it was revived in the 20th century.

Means "virtuous" in Arabic. It is typically feminine in the Arab world, and typically masculine in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

Originally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element adal meaning "noble" (Proto-Germanic *aþalaz). Saint Adela was a 7th-century Frankish princess who founded a monastery at Pfazel in France. This name was also borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror.

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.

From the Old German elements adal "noble" and mari "famous". It is a cognate of the Old English name Æðelmær.

Means "adoration" in Spanish. This name refers to the event that is known in Christian tradition as the Adoration of the Magi, which is when the three Magi presented gifts to the infant Jesus and worshipped him.

French feminine form of Adrian.

Old Irish form of Aodhán.

Means "whirlwind" in Greek. In Greek myth this was the name of an Amazon warrior killed by Herakles during his quest for Hippolyta's girdle.

Latin form of the Greek name Αἰνείας (Aineias), derived from Greek αἴνη (aine) meaning "praise". In Greek legend he was a son of Aphrodite and was one of the chief heroes who defended Troy from the Greeks. The Roman poet Virgil continued his story in the Aeneid, in which Aeneas travels to Italy and founds the Roman state.

From the name of the Welsh river Aeron, itself probably derived from the hypothetical Celtic goddess Agrona. Alternatively, the name could be taken from Welsh aeron meaning "berries".

From the Late Latin name Agapitus or Agapetus, which was derived from the Greek name Ἀγαπητός (Agapetos) meaning "beloved". The name Agapetus was borne by two popes.

Means "splendour, beauty" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the three Graces or Χάριτες (Charites). This name was also borne by a 4th-century saint from Rome.

Means "fire" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the ancient Hindu fire god, usually depicted as red-skinned with three legs, seven arms, and two faces.

From Cree ᐊᑖᐦᑲᑯᐦᑊ (Atâhkakohp) meaning "star blanket", derived from ᐊᑖᕁ (atâhk) "star" and ᐊᑯᐦᑊ (akohp) "blanket". This was the name of an early 19th-century chief of a Plains Cree people.

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.

Greek form of Aegle.

From Japanese 愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and 子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other character combinations.

Variant of Enara.

Means "the only one" in Finnish. In the Finnish epic the Kalevala this is the name of a girl who drowns herself when she finds out she must marry the old man Väinämöinen.

Means "quick-moving, nimble" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek god of the winds.

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.

From Finnish airut meaning "messenger, herald", also influenced by place names beginning with the same sound.

Alternate transcription of Arabic علاء الدين (see Ala ad-Din).

Irish form of Alexander.

Latinized form of Greek Ἀλκυόνη (Alkyone), derived from the word ἀλκυών (alkyon) meaning "kingfisher". In Greek myth this name belonged to a daughter of Aeolus and the wife of Ceyx. After her husband was killed in a shipwreck she threw herself into the water, but the gods saved her and turned them both into kingfishers. This is also the name of the brightest of the Pleiades, a group of stars in the constellation Taurus, supposedly the daughters of Atlas and Pleione.

Variant of Aldric.

Spanish and Italian form of Alphonsus, the Latin form of the Visigothic name *Aþalafuns meaning "noble and ready", derived from the Gothic elements aþals "noble" and funs "ready". This was the name of several kings of Spain (Asturias, León, Castile and Aragon) and Portugal, starting with Alfonso I of Asturias in the 8th century. His name was sometimes recorded in the Latin spelling Adefonsus, and on that basis it is theorized that first element might be from another source (perhaps haþus meaning "battle"). It is possible that two or more names merged into a single form.

Anglicized form of Alasdair.

Medieval French variant of Alice, also sometimes used as a masculine name. This is the name of the hero (a young Gaulish man) of a French comic book series, which debuted in 1948.

Means "oak tree" in Hebrew.

Derived from the Old German elements alt "old" and witu "forest".

Feminine form of Amabilis.

Late Latin name meaning "lovable". Saint Amabilis was a 5th-century priest in Riom, central France.

Means "wishes" in Arabic.

From Japanese 天 (ama) meaning "heaven" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Means "snake" in Quechua. It was borne by Tupaq Amaru and Tupaq Amaru II, two Inca leaders after the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire (in the 16th and 18th centuries).

From the Late Latin name Ambrosius, which was derived from the Greek name Ἀμβρόσιος (Ambrosios) meaning "immortal". Saint Ambrose was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Milan, who is considered a Doctor of the Church. Due to the saint, the name came into general use in Christian Europe, though it was never particularly common in England.

Means "love" in Latin. This was another name for the Roman god Cupid. It also means "love" in Spanish and Portuguese, and as a feminine name it can be derived directly from this vocabulary word.

Originally a short form of Adelmar (and other names starting with the Old German element adal "noble" and a second element beginning with m [1]).

Means "blackbird" in German.

Means "immaculate, undefiled" in Old Persian, from the Old Iranian prefix *an- "not" combined with *āhita "unclean, dirty". This was the name of an Iranian goddess of fertility and water. In the Zoroastrian religious texts the Avesta she is called 𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬛𐬎𐬎𐬍 (Arəduuī) in Avestan, with 𐬀𐬥𐬁𐬵𐬌𐬙𐬀 (anāhita) appearing only as a descriptive epithet [1]. In origin she is possibly identical to the Indian goddess Saraswati. She has historically been identified with the Semitic goddess Ishtar and the Greek goddess Artemis.

Means "blooming pomegranate tree" in Kazakh.

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.

Russian form of the Greek name Ἀνθοῦσα (Anthousa), which was derived from Greek ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". This was the name of a 9th-century Byzantine saint.

Diminutive of Angelo or Ángel.

Possibly from Latin angor "strangulation, torment" or angustus "narrow, constricted". Angerona was the Roman goddess of the winter solstice, death, and silence.

Means "army" or "splendour" in Sanskrit.

Means "friendly, friend" in Arabic.

Means "nightless, sleepless" in Sanskrit.

Derived from the Old German elements ansi "god" and helm "helmet, protection". This name was brought to England in the late 11th century by Saint Anselm, who was born in northern Italy. He was archbishop of Canterbury and a Doctor of the Church.

Spanish and Italian form of Antonius (see Anthony). This has been a common name in Italy since the 14th century. In Spain it was the most popular name for boys in the 1950s and 60s.

Famous bearers include the Renaissance painter Antonio Pisanello (c. 1395-1455) and the Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). It is also the name of the main character in The Merchant of Venice (1596) by William Shakespeare.

From the Old Irish name Áedán meaning "little fire", a diminutive of Áed (see Aodh). This name was borne by a 6th-century king of Dál Riata. It was also the name of a few early Irish saints, including a 6th-century bishop of Ferns and a 7th-century bishop of Lindisfarne.

From Japanese 青 (ao) meaning "blue" combined with 芽 (me) meaning "bud, sprout, shoot" or 女 (me) meaning "female, woman, wife". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Greek Ἀπόλλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to the Indo-European root *apelo- meaning "strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means "father lion" or "father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) meaning "to destroy". In Greek mythology Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin of Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.

French and Italian form of Aristides.

Breton and French form of the Old Welsh name Arthmail, which was composed of the elements arth "bear" and mael "prince, chieftain". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh saint who founded abbeys in Brittany.

French form of Arsenios.

Means "virile" in Greek. Saint Arsenius was a 5th-century deacon who was tutor to the two sons of the Roman emperor Theodosius. The two sons, Arcadius and Honorius, divided the empire into eastern and western halves upon their father's death.

From Norwegian å meaning "river, stream" and the archaic word rud meaning "cleared land".

Means "reddish brown, dawn" in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Aruna (अरुण) is the charioteer who drives the sun god Surya across the sky. The modern feminine form अरुणा is also transcribed as Aruna, however the modern masculine form is Arun.

Means "lion" in Arabic.

From the English word for a variety of deciduous trees in the genus Populus, derived from Old English æspe. It is also the name of a ski resort in Colorado.

Probably intended to mean "star lover", from Greek ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star" and φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend". This name was first used by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney in his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella.

From Sanskrit अशवत्थ (ashvattha) meaning "sacred fig tree".

Means "crown" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Atarah is a minor character, the wife of Jerahmeel.

From the Greek name Ἀθανάσιος (Athanasios) meaning "immortal", from Greek ἀ (a), a negative prefix, combined with θάνατος (thanatos) meaning "death". Saint Athanasius was a 4th-century bishop of Alexandria who strongly opposed Arianism.

Meaning unknown. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare and the patron goddess of the city of Athens in Greece. It is likely that her name is derived from that of the city, not vice versa. The earliest mention of her seems to be a 15th-century BC Mycenaean Greek inscription from Knossos on Crete.

The daughter of Zeus, she was said to have sprung from his head fully grown after he impregnated and swallowed her mother Metis. Athena is associated with the olive tree and the owl.

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.

French form of Aurelius.

Feminine form of Aurelius.

French form of Aurelianus.

Roman family name that was derived from Latin aureus meaning "golden, gilded". Marcus Aurelius was a 2nd-century Roman emperor and philosophical writer. This was also the name of several early saints.

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.

Means "fire" in Persian.

Means "madonna lily" in Spanish.

From a Persian word meaning "tiger". This was the nickname of Zahir ud-Din Muhammad, the 16th-century founder of the Mughal Empire in India.

Means "fair-haired", derived from Old Irish barr "top, head" and finn "white, blessed".

Means "knife" in Apache. This was the name of a 19th-century chief of the Tchihende Apache.

Means "jaguar" in Mayan (Yucatec Maya báalam; K'iche' Maya balam).

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 French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and chêne "oak".

From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and lieu "place".

Latinized form of Gaulish Belenos or Belinos, possibly from Celtic roots meaning either "bright, brilliant" (from Indo-European *bhel-) or "strong" (from Indo-European *bel-) [1]. This was the name of a Gaulish god who was often equated with Apollo. He is mostly known from Gallo-Roman inscriptions and was especially venerated in Aquileia in northern Italy.

From Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".

Means "beautiful rose" in French.

Means "he is strong" in Navajo [1].

From the Roman name Blasius, which was derived from Latin blaesus meaning "lisping". Saint Blaise was a 4th-century Armenian martyr. A famous bearer was the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).

Derived from Slavic boľe "more, greater" and slava "glory". This was the name of kings of Poland, starting in the 11th century with the first Polish king Bolesław the Brave.

Means "growth, expansion, creation" in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Brahma is the creator and director of the universe, the balance between the opposing forces of Vishnu and Shiva. He is often depicted with four heads and four arms.

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.

Derived from the Slavic elements borna "protection" and slava "glory". A famous Polish anthropologist, Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1942), has borne this name.

From Old Irish cáel meaning "slender". In Irish legend Cáel was a warrior of the Fianna and the lover of Créd.

Late Latin name, a derivative of Caelestis. This name was borne by five popes (usually spelled Celestine in English).

Late Latin name meaning "of the sky, heavenly".

Means "invitation" or "falcon" in Turkish.

Means "acquired" in Hebrew. In Genesis in the Old Testament Cain is the first son of Adam and Eve. He killed his brother Abel after God accepted Abel's offering of meat instead of his offering of plant-based foods. After this Cain was banished to be a wanderer.

Irish byname meaning "curly haired", from Irish cas "twisted, curly".

Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Calixtus.

Late Latin name that was derived from the Greek name Κάλλιστος (Kallistos) meaning "most beautiful". This was the name of three popes (also known as Callixtus), including the 3rd-century Callistus I who is regarded as a saint.

From the Late Latin name Calogerus meaning "beautiful elder", from Greek καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful" and γέρων (geron) meaning "old man, elder". This was the name of a 5th-century saint, a hermit of Sicily.

French form of Candidus or Candida. The French philosopher and author Voltaire used this name for the main character (a male) in his satire Candide (1759). In French candide also means "naive", which is descriptive of the book's protagonist.

From Irish caol meaning "slender" combined with the diminutive suffix -án.

Means "loving" in Irish. This was the name of two Irish saints, from the 6th and 7th centuries.

Means "black hoof" in Shawnee. This was the name of an 18th-century Shawnee warrior and chief.

Derived from Old Irish cath "battle" and fal "rule". This was the name of a 7th-century Irish saint. It was also borne by several Irish kings. It has sometimes been Anglicized as Charles.

Spanish form of Caietanus (see Gaetano).

French form of Caelestinus.

French cognate of Carpenter, derived from Old French charpentier.

Patronymic derived from Chryses. In Greek legend she was the daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo. After she was taken prisoner by the Greeks besieging Troy, Apollo sent a plague into their camp, forcing the Greeks to release her.

Derived from Greek χρύσεος (chryseos) meaning "golden". In Greek mythology Chryses was the father of Chryseis, a woman captured by Agamemnon during the Trojan War.

Feminine form of Cian.

Probably from Old Irish cell meaning "church" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 7th-century Irish saint who evangelized in Franconia. He was martyred in Würzburg.

Means "little ashes", in part from the French name Cendrillon. This is the main character in the folktale Cinderella about a maltreated young woman who eventually marries a prince. This old story is best known in the English-speaking world from the French author Charles Perrault's 1697 version. She has other names in other languages, usually with the meaning "ashes", such as German Aschenputtel and Italian Cenerentola.

French masculine and feminine form of Claudius. In France the masculine name has been common since the Middle Ages due to the 7th-century Saint Claude of Besançon. It was imported to Britain in the 16th century by the aristocratic Hamilton family, who had French connections. A famous bearer of this name was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).

From a Roman family name that was possibly derived from Latin claudus meaning "lame, crippled". This was the name of a patrician family prominent in Roman politics. The ancestor of the family was said to have been a 6th-century BC Sabine leader named Attius Clausus, who adopted the name Appius Claudius upon becoming a Roman citizen. The family produced several Roman emperors of the 1st century, including the emperor known simply as Claudius (birth name Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus). He was poisoned by his wife Agrippina in order to bring her son Nero (Claudius's stepson) to power.

This name was later borne by several early saints, including a 7th-century bishop of Besançon. It is also the name of the primary antagonist in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet (1600).

From the Greek name Κλεοπάτρα (Kleopatra) meaning "glory of the father", derived from κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory" combined with πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" (genitive πατρός). This was the name of queens of Egypt from the Ptolemaic royal family, including Cleopatra VII, the mistress of both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. After being defeated by Augustus she committed suicide (according to popular belief, by allowing herself to be bitten by a venomous asp). Shakespeare's tragedy Antony and Cleopatra (1606) tells the story of her life.

Feminine form of Cloelius. In Roman legend Cloelia was a maiden who was given to an Etruscan invader as a hostage. She managed to escape by swimming across the Tiber, at the same time helping some of the other captives to safety.

Roman family name of unknown meaning.

Irish form of Columba. The Old Irish word columb or colum also means "dove", derived from Latin columba.

Late Latin name meaning "dove". The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Christianity. This was the name of several early saints both masculine and feminine, most notably the 6th-century Irish monk Saint Columba (or Colum) who established a monastery on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. He is credited with the conversion of Scotland to Christianity.

Means "born together" from Old Irish com "with, together" and gan "born". Saint Comgán was the founder of a monastery at Killeshin in the 6th or 7th century.

Means "little wolf" or "little hound" from Irish cú "wolf, hound" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early saints, including a 7th-century bishop of the Isle of Man. It appears in Irish legend as a companion Fionn mac Cumhaill. A famous bearer of it as a middle name was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. It is also the name of the hero of the Conan the Barbarian series of books, comics and movies, debuting 1932.

Anglicized form of the Old Irish name Conláed, possibly meaning "constant fire" from cunnail "prudent, constant" and áed "fire". Saint Conláed was a 5th-century bishop of Kildare.

Means "king of hounds" in Irish.

Derived from Hungarian csillag meaning "star". This name was created by the Hungarian author András Dugonics for an 1803 novel and later used and popularized by the poet Mihály Vörösmarty.

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.

From the Greek name Κύριλλος (Kyrillos), which was derived from Greek κύριος (kyrios) meaning "lord", a word used frequently in the Greek Bible to refer to God or Jesus.

This name was borne by a number of important saints, including Cyril of Jerusalem, a 4th-century bishop and Doctor of the Church, and Cyril of Alexandria, a 5th-century theologian. Another Saint Cyril was a 9th-century Greek missionary to the Slavs, who is credited with creating the Glagolitic alphabet with his brother Methodius in order to translate the Bible into Slavic. The Cyrillic alphabet, named after him, is descended from Glagolitic.

This name has been especially well-used in Eastern Europe and other places where Orthodox Christianity is prevalent. It came into general use in England in the 19th century.

French form of Cyril, sometimes used as a feminine form.

From Japanese 大 (dai) meaning "big, great" combined with 地 (chi) meaning "earth, land" or 智 (chi) meaning "wisdom, intellect". Other kanji combinations are possible.

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.

Spanish and Arabic form of Dahlia. The Dahlia is the national flower of Mexico.

From Old Irish Damán meaning "calf, fawn", derived from dam "ox, deer" and a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an early Irish saint, a brother of Saint Abbán.

From Old Irish Damnat meaning "calf, fawn", a combination of dam "ox, deer" and a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by a 6th-century saint from Monaghan, as well as the 7th-century saint commonly called Dymphna.

From the Greek name Δαμιανός (Damianos), which was derived from Greek δαμάζω (damazo) meaning "to tame". Saint Damian was martyred with his twin brother Cosmas in Syria early in the 4th century. They are the patron saints of physicians. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in Christian Europe. Another saint by this name was Peter Damian, an 11th-century cardinal and theologian from Italy.

Means "terror" in Greek. This was one of the sons of the Greek god Ares. Also, a moon of Mars bears this name.

Means "daughter of a poet" from Old Irish der "daughter" and fili "poet" (genitive filed). This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint, also called Dervla.

Means "Yahweh has drawn up" in Hebrew. This is the name of several Old Testament characters.

Means "of Delos" in Greek. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Artemis, given because she and her twin brother Apollo were born on the island of Delos. The name appeared in several poems of the 16th and 17th centuries, and it has occasionally been used as a given name since that time.

French feminine form of Denis.

Combination of Deon and the common phonetic suffix tay.

Diminutive of Desmond, Desiree and other names beginning with a similar sound. In the case of musician and actor Desi Arnaz (1917-1986) it was a diminutive of Desiderio.

Derived from Latin desiderium meaning "longing, desire". It was the name of several early saints. It was also borne in the 8th century by the last king of the Lombard Kingdom.

Derived from Slavic elements, possibly desiti "to find, to encounter" or desętĭ "ten", combined with slava "glory".

Means "joy" in Amharic.

Derived from Greek διαμάντι (diamanti) meaning "diamond".

From the Germanic name Theodelinda, derived from the elements theod meaning "people" (Old High German diota, Old Frankish þeoda) and lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". Theodelinda was a 6th-century Bavarian princess who became queen of the Lombards.

Means "downpour" in Arabic.

The name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians.

From Greek δόσις (dosis) meaning "giving" and θεός (theos) meaning "god".

From Latin dulcis "sweet" and bella "beautiful". The usual medieval spelling of this name was Dowsabel, and the Latinized form Dulcibella was revived in the 18th century.

Variant of Duane.

Meaning unknown, possibly from an Arabic word meaning "reward".

Feminine form of Edmé.

Means "rich protection", from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and mund "protection". This was the name of two Anglo-Saxon kings of England. It was also borne by two saints, including a 9th-century king of East Anglia who, according to tradition, was shot to death with arrows after refusing to divide his Christian kingdom with an invading pagan Danish leader. This Old English name remained in use after the Norman Conquest (even being used by King Henry III for one of his sons), though it became less common after the 15th century.

Famous bearers of the name include the English poet Edmund Spenser (1552-1599), the German-Czech philosopher Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) and New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), the first person to climb Mount Everest.

French form of Edward.

Means "rich friend", from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and wine "friend". This was the name of a 7th-century Northumbrian king, regarded as a saint. After the Norman Conquest the name was not popular, but it was eventually revived in the 19th century. A notable bearer was the astronaut Edwin Aldrin (1930-), also known as Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon.

Means "acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.

From Éireann, the genitive case of Irish Gaelic Éire, meaning "Ireland". It is commonly Anglicized as Erin.

Means "baker" in Turkish.

Means "fawn" in Welsh. This name was created in the 19th century [1].

Greek form of Electra.

Form of Eleanor in several languages.

Form of Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek New Testament.

From the Hebrew name אֱלִיָּהוּ ('Eliyyahu) meaning "my God is Yahweh", derived from the elements אֵל ('el) and יָה (yah), both referring to the Hebrew God. Elijah was a Hebrew prophet and miracle worker, as told in the two Books of Kings in the Old Testament. He was active in the 9th century BC during the reign of King Ahab of Israel and his Phoenician-born queen Jezebel. Elijah confronted the king and queen over their idolatry of the Canaanite god Ba'al and other wicked deeds. At the end of his life he was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and was succeeded by Elisha. In the New Testament, Elijah and Moses appear next to Jesus when he is transfigured.

Because Elijah was a popular figure in medieval tales, and because his name was borne by a few early saints (who are usually known by the Latin form Elias), the name came into general use during the Middle Ages. In medieval England it was usually spelled Elis. It died out there by the 16th century, but it was revived by the Puritans in the form Elijah after the Protestant Reformation. The name became popular during the 1990s and 2000s, especially in America where it broke into the top ten in 2016.

Derived from Welsh elus meaning "kind, benevolent". This was the name of two kings of Powys in Wales.

Italian form of Eloise.

From the Old French name Héloïse, which was probably from the Germanic name Helewidis, composed of the elements heil meaning "healthy, whole" and wit meaning "wide". It is sometimes associated with the Greek word ἥλιος (helios) meaning "sun" or the name Louise, though there is no etymological connection. This name was borne by the 12th-century French scholar and philosopher Héloïse. Secretly marrying the theologian Peter Abelard at a young age, she became a nun (and eventually an abbess) after Abelard was violently castrated by order of her uncle Fulbert.

There was a medieval English form of this name, Helewis, though it died out after the 13th century. In the 19th century it was revived in the English-speaking world in the form Eloise.

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

Meaning unknown. In Irish legend she was the wife of Cúchulainn. She was said to possess the six gifts of womanhood: beauty, voice, speech, needlework, wisdom and chastity.

From the Roman family name Aemilius, which was derived from Latin aemulus meaning "rival".

Germanic name, in which the second element is rih "ruler, king". The first element may be irmin "whole, great" (making it a relative of Ermenrich), amal "unceasing, vigorous, brave" (making it a relative of Amalric) or heim "home" (making it a relative of Henry). It is likely that several forms merged into a single name.

Derived from Greek ἐνδύω (endyo) meaning "to dive into, to enter". In Greek mythology he was an Aeolian mortal loved by the moon goddess Selene, who asked Zeus to grant him eternal life. Zeus complied by putting him into an eternal sleep in a cave on Mount Latmos.

Meaning unknown. She was a bloodthirsty Greek war goddess and a companion of Ares.

Irish form of Iohannes (see John) used in the Bible.

Italian and Portuguese form of Ermelinde.

From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from the name of a town near Glasgow. The town's name possibly means "projecting height" in Gaelic. A famous bearer was the Irish novelist and nationalist Erskine Childers (1870-1922).

Means "sweet, honey", from Basque ezti.

From the Hebrew name אֵיתָן ('Eitan) meaning "solid, enduring, firm". In the Old Testament this name is borne by a few minor characters, including the wise man Ethan the Ezrahite, supposedly the author of Psalm 89.

After the Protestant Reformation it was occasionally used as a given name in the English-speaking world, and it became somewhat common in America due to the fame of the revolutionary Ethan Allen (1738-1789). It only became popular towards the end of the 20th century. It is the name of the main character in Edith Wharton's novel Ethan Frome (1911), about a man in love with his wife's cousin.

Feminine form of Eugenius (see Eugene). It was borne by a semi-legendary 3rd-century saint who escaped persecution by disguising herself as a man. The name was occasionally found in England during the Middle Ages, but it was not regularly used until the 19th century.

Spanish and Italian form of Euthymius.

Variant of Evandrus, the Latin form of the Greek name Εὔανδρος (Euandros) meaning "good of man", derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Roman mythology Evander was an Arcadian hero of the Trojan War who founded the city of Pallantium near the spot where Rome was later built.

Means "bringing good news" from the Greek word εὐάγγελος (euangelos), a derivative of εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger".

Means "virtuous, generous" in Arabic.

Means "unique, precious", derived from Arabic فرد (farada) meaning "to be unique". This was the name of a 13th-century Persian poet.

From a German surname that was derived from the Latin name Faustus. This is the name of a character in German legends about a man who makes a pact with the devil, via his representative Mephistopheles. He is believed to be based on the character of Dr. Johann Faust (1480-1540). His story was adapted by writers such as Christopher Marlowe and Goethe.

Roman cognomen meaning "auspicious, lucky" in Latin. It was also occasionally used as a praenomen, or given name. This was the name of several early Christian saints.

In part from the English word fay meaning "fairy", derived from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles in the name of Morgan le Fay. In some cases it may be used as a short form of Faith. It has been used as a feminine given name since the 19th century.

As a rarer (but older) masculine name it is probably derived from a surname: see Fay 1 or Fay 2.

Scottish Gaelic form of the Old Irish name Ferchar, from fer "man" and carae "friend". This was the name of early kings of Dál Riata (sometimes as Ferchar).

Means "dark man" from Old Irish fer "man" and dorchae "dark".

Italian form of Felix.

Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of the Roman name Felicianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name Felix. It was borne by a number of early saints, including a 3rd-century bishop of Foligno.

French form of Felicia.

French form of Felicianus (see Feliciano).

From Fredenandus, the Latinized form of a Gothic name composed of the elements friþus "peace" (or perhaps farþa "journey" [1]) and nanþa "boldness, daring". The Visigoths brought the name to the Iberian Peninsula, where it entered into the royal families of Spain and Portugal. From there it became common among the Habsburg royal family of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria, starting with the Spanish-born Ferdinand I in the 16th century. A notable bearer was Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), called Fernão de Magalhães in Portuguese, who was the leader of the first expedition to sail around the earth.

From the Persian byname فردوسی (Ferdosi) meaning "paradisiacal, heavenly", derived from Arabic فردوس (firdaws), itself of Iranian origin. Ferdowsi was a 10th-century poet and historian, the author of the epic Shahnameh, which tells the history of Persia.

From the Latin name Florentius or the feminine form Florentia, which were derived from florens "prosperous, flourishing". Florentius was borne by many early Christian saints, and it was occasionally used in their honour through the Middle Ages. In modern times it is mostly feminine.

This name can also be given in reference to the city in Italy, as in the case of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), who was born there to British parents. She was a nurse in military hospitals during the Crimean War and is usually considered the founder of modern nursing.

From the Roman cognomen Florianus, a derivative of Florus. This was the name of a short-lived Roman emperor of the 3rd century, Marcus Annius Florianus. It was also borne by Saint Florian, a martyr of the 3rd century, the patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria.

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name Fortunatus meaning "fortunate, blessed, happy". This was the name of several early saints and martyrs.

Spanish form of the Late Latin name Fulgentius, which meant "shining" from Latin fulgens. Saint Fulgentius was a 6th-century bishop from Tunisia who was a friend of Saint Augustine.

From a nickname meaning "(sovereign) prince" in German. The word fürst itself is derived from Old High German furisto "first".

Modern form of the Greek name Γαληνός (Galenos), which meant "calm" from Greek γαλήνη (galene). It was borne by a 2nd-century BC Greco-Roman physician who contributed to anatomy and medicine. In modern times the name is occasionally given in his honour.

Means "lord of hordes" from Sanskrit गण (gana) meaning "horde, multitude" and ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler". This is the name of the Hindu god of wisdom and good luck, the son of Shiva and Parvati. He is often depicted as a stout man with the head of an elephant.

Derived from the Old German element ger meaning "spear" combined with lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender".

From a Late Latin name that was derived from Greek γέρων (geron) meaning "old man".

Means "graceful woman" in Arabic.

Feminine form of Ghislain.

Derived from Middle High German glocke "bell". It may have referred to a person who worked at or lived close to a bell tower.

Means "glory", from the Portuguese and Spanish titles of the Virgin Mary Maria da Glória and María de Gloria. Maria da Glória (1819-1853) was the daughter of the Brazilian emperor Pedro I, eventually becoming queen of Portugal as Maria II.

The name was introduced to the English-speaking world by E. D. E. N. Southworth's novel Gloria (1891) and George Bernard Shaw's play You Never Can Tell (1898), which both feature characters with a Portuguese background [1]. It was popularized in the early 20th century by American actress Gloria Swanson (1899-1983). Another famous bearer is feminist Gloria Steinem (1934-).

Derived from South Slavic gora meaning "mountain". It was popularized by the Croatian poet Ivan Goran Kovačić (1913-1943), who got his middle name because of the mountain town where he was born.

Possibly derived from Old Irish grán meaning "grain" or gráin meaning "hatred, fear". In the Irish legend The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Gráinne she escaped from her arranged marriage to Fionn mac Cumhaill by fleeing with her lover Diarmaid. Another famous bearer was the powerful 16th-century Irish landowner and seafarer Gráinne Ní Mháille (known in English as Grace O'Malley), who was sometimes portrayed as a pirate queen in later tales.

Means "rose moon" in Turkish and Azerbaijani, derived from gül, ultimately Persian گل (gol), meaning "rose" combined with ay meaning "moon".

From the Roman cognomen Hadrianus, which meant "from Hadria" in Latin. Hadria was the name of two Roman settlements. The first (modern Adria) is in northern Italy and was an important Etruscan port town. The second (modern Atri) is in central Italy and was named after the northern town. The Adriatic Sea is also named after the northern town.

A famous bearer of the name was Publius Aelius Hadrianus, better known as Hadrian, a 2nd-century Roman emperor who built a wall across northern Britain. His family came from the town of Atri in central Italy.

Means "wise" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition الحكيم (al-Hakim) is one of the 99 names of Allah.

Means "halo around the moon" in Arabic. This was the name of a sister-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

Means "patient, tolerant, mild" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition الحليم (al-Halim) is one of the 99 names of Allah.

From Middle High German and Middle Low German hase meaning "hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.

From various English place names that were derived from Old English hæg meaning "enclosure, fence". A famous bearer was American President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893).

Portuguese feminine form of Helios.

Feminine form of Helios. This name was borne by one of the Heliades, daughters of the sun god Helios by Clymene the Oceanid and sisters of the ill-fated Phaethon. (However, only Hyginus gives Helia as one of the Heliades; other sources give different names to the sisters, all omitting Helia as one of them.)

Means "sun" in Greek. This was the name of the young Greek sun god, a Titan, who rode across the sky each day in a chariot pulled by four horses. His sister was the moon goddess Selene.

Derived from Arabic حكمة (hikmah) meaning "wisdom".

Roman name derived from Latin hilaris meaning "cheerful". Alternatively, it could be derived from the Greek name Ἱλαρός (Hilaros) also meaning "cheerful" (the Greek word ἱλαρός was the source of the Latin word hilaris). Saint Hilarius was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Poitiers. This was also the name of a 5th-century pope.

Means "deer, hart" in German. This was a nickname for a person who resembled a deer in some way, or who raised or hunted deer.

Late Latin name meaning "honour, esteem, dignity". This was the name of an emperor of the Western Roman Empire. It was also borne by a few early saints and four popes.

Means "raven" in Old Norse.

Means "sword" in Arabic, a derivative of the verb حسم (hasama) meaning "to sever, to finish, to decide".

Derived from the Georgian noun ია (ia) meaning "violet", as in the spring flower (also see Violet). In turn, it is thought to be derived from the Georgian noun იასამანი (iasamani) meaning "lilac", which might possibly be of Persian origin. However, ია (ia) could also be derived from ancient Greek ἴα (ia), which is the plural form of ἴον (ion) meaning "violet".

Known bearers of this name include the Georgian actresses Ia Parulava (b. 1967) and Iamze "Ia" Sukhitashvili (b. 1980).

Welsh and Galician form of Iacobus (see James). This was the name of two early Welsh kings of Gwynedd. It is also the name of the villain in Shakespeare's tragedy Othello (1603).

Variant of Aisha. It was popularized by the song Iesha (1991) by Another Bad Creation [1].

From the Roman family name Egnatius, meaning unknown, of Etruscan origin. The spelling was later altered to resemble Latin ignis "fire". This was the name of several saints, including the third bishop of Antioch who was thrown to wild beasts by Emperor Trajan, and by Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits, whose real birth name was in fact Íñigo.

Means "honour" in Arabic, from the root كرم (karuma) meaning "to be generous".

Modern Greek form of Elias.

Russian and Belarusian form of Elijah.

Form of Emmanuel used in most translations of the Old Testament. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a German philosopher of the Enlightenment who is sometimes called the father of modern philosophy.

Medieval Spanish form of Eneko. This was the birth name of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who changed it in honour of Saint Ignatius of Antioch. As such, this name is sometimes regarded as a form of Ignatius.

From Ancient Greek ἴον (ion) meaning "violet flower". This was the name of a sea nymph in Greek mythology. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, though perhaps based on the Greek place name Ionia, a region on the west coast of Asia Minor.

French form of Irenaeus, also occasionally a feminine form.

From the Greek name Ἰσίδωρος (Isidoros) meaning "gift of Isis", derived from the name of the Egyptian goddess Isis combined with Greek δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". Saint Isidore of Seville was a 6th-century archbishop, historian and theologian.

Though it has never been popular in the English-speaking world among Christians, it has historically been a common name for Jews, who have used it as an Americanized form of names such as Isaac, Israel and Isaiah.

Variant of Ittai.

Germanic name, originally a short form of names beginning with the element iwa meaning "yew". Alternative theories suggest that it may in fact be derived from a cognate Celtic element [2]. This was the name of saints (who are also commonly known as Saint Yves or Ives), hailing from Cornwall, France, and Brittany.

From Japanese 泉 (izumi) meaning "spring, fountain".

Originally indicated a person from various Polish towns named Jaskółki, derived from Polish jaskółka "swallow (bird)".

From the Greek name Ἰάσων (Iason) meaning "healer", derived from Greek ἰάομαι (iaomai) meaning "to heal". In Greek mythology Jason was the leader of the Argonauts. After his uncle Pelias overthrew his father Aeson as king of Iolcos, Jason went in search of the Golden Fleece in order to win back the throne. During his journeys he married the sorceress Medea, who helped him gain the fleece and kill his uncle, but who later turned against him when he fell in love with another woman.

This name also appears in the New Testament, belonging to man who sheltered Paul and Silas. In his case, it may represent a Hellenized form of a Hebrew name. It was not used in England until after the Protestant Reformation.

Means "eternal" in Persian.

Form of Yelena in several languages. In Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia it is also associated with the South Slavic words jelen meaning "deer, stag" and jela meaning "fir tree".

From the Hebrew name יִרְמְיָהוּ (Yirmiyahu) meaning "Yahweh will exalt", from the roots רוּם (rum) meaning "to exalt" and יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Lamentations (supposedly). He lived to see the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in the 6th century BC.

In England, though the vernacular form Jeremy had been occasionally used since the 13th century, the form Jeremiah was not common until after the Protestant Reformation.

Variant of Jared.

Arabic form of Gabriel.

From Ioseph, the Latin form of Greek Ἰωσήφ (Ioseph), which was from the Hebrew name יוֹסֵף (Yosef) meaning "he will add", from the root יָסַף (yasaf). In the Old Testament Joseph is the eleventh son of Jacob and the first with his wife Rachel. Because he was the favourite of his father, his older brothers sent him to Egypt and told their father that he had died. In Egypt, Joseph became an advisor to the pharaoh, and was eventually reconciled with his brothers when they came to Egypt during a famine. This name also occurs in the New Testament, belonging to Saint Joseph the husband of Mary, and to Joseph of Arimathea.

In the Middle Ages, Joseph was a common Jewish name, being less frequent among Christians. In the late Middle Ages Saint Joseph became more highly revered, and the name became popular in Spain and Italy. In England it became common after the Protestant Reformation. In the United States it has stayed within the top 25 names for boys since 1880, making it one of the most enduringly popular names of this era.

This name was borne by rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Portugal. Other notable bearers include Austrian composer Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), the founder of Mormonism Joseph Smith (1805-1844), Polish-British author Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin (1878-1953).

From the Hebrew name יֹאשִׁיָהוּ (Yoshiyahu) meaning "Yahweh supports". In the Old Testament this is the name of a king of Judah famous for his religious reforms. He was killed fighting the Egyptians at Megiddo in the 7th century BC. In England this name came into use after the Protestant Reformation.

Traditional French form of Jordan.

From the Roman name Iulianus, which was derived from Julius. This was the name of the last pagan Roman emperor, Julian the Apostate (4th century). It was also borne by several early saints, including the legendary Saint Julian the Hospitaller. This name has been used in England since the Middle Ages, at which time it was also a feminine name (from Juliana, eventually becoming Gillian).

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

Means "he who walks on four claws" in Cree, derived from ᓀᐅᐧ (newo) "four" and the root ᐊᐢᑲᓯᕀ (askasiy) "claw". This was the name of a 19th-century Plains Cree chief in Saskatchewan, also known as George Gordon.

Means "the flower" or "the child" from Hawaiian ka, a definite article, and pua "flower, offspring".

From a title for a poet, meaning "wise man, sage, poet" in Sanskrit.

Means "the fire" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and ahi "fire".

From Japanese 謙 (ken) meaning "humble", 健 (ken) meaning "healthy, strong" or 賢 (ken) meaning "wise" combined with 三 (zō) meaning "three". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Variant of Kerensa.

Probably a variant of Keisha.

German and Spanish form of Cillian, as well as an Irish and French variant.

Scottish form of Christina.

Derived from Greek κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of history and heroic poetry, one of the nine Muses. She was said to have introduced the alphabet to Greece.

Means "black, dark" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu god believed to be an incarnation of the god Vishnu. He was the youngest of King Vasudeva's eight children, six of whom were killed by King Kamsa because of a prophecy that a child of Vasudeva would kill Kamsa. Krishna however was saved and he eventually killed the king as well as performing many other great feats. In some Hindu traditions, Krishna is regarded as the supreme deity. He is usually depicted with blue skin.

Means "fair, beautiful" in French.

Means "gentle, kind" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition اللطيف (al-Latif) is one of the 99 names of Allah.

Combination of the popular prefix la with the name Tonya.

French form of Laurentinus.

Means "night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.

Means "heavenly flowers" or "royal child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".

Derived from Greek λέων (leon) meaning "lion" combined with the patronymic suffix ἴδης (ides). Leonidas was a Spartan king of the 5th century BC who sacrificed his life and his army defending the pass of Thermopylae from the Persians. This was also the name of a 3rd-century saint and martyr, the father of Origen, from Alexandria.

Possibly a short form of Aletha.

From the Late Latin name Laetitia meaning "joy, happiness". This was the name of an obscure saint, who is revered mainly in Spain. It was in use in England during the Middle Ages, usually in the spelling Lettice, and it was revived in the 18th century.

Possibly from Lycian lada meaning "wife". Other theories connect it to Greek λήθω (letho) meaning "hidden, forgotten". In Greek mythology she was the mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus.

From Chinese 莲 (lián) meaning "lotus, water lily", 濂 (lián) meaning "waterfall", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.

Means "play, amusement" in Sanskrit.

Means either "palm tree" or "tender" in Arabic.

Originally a medieval short form of Germanic names containing the element lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender" (Proto-Germanic *linþaz). It also coincides with the Spanish and Portuguese word linda meaning "beautiful". In the English-speaking world this name experienced a spike in popularity beginning in the 1930s, peaking in the late 1940s, and declining shortly after that. It was the most popular name for girls in the United States from 1947 to 1952.

From the name of a town in Italy, originally called Lauretum in Latin, meaning "laurel grove". Supposedly in the 13th century the house of the Virgin Mary was miraculously carried by angels from Nazareth to the town. In Spain it is a feminine name, from the Marian title Nuestra Señora de Loreto, while in Italy it is mostly masculine.

French form of Lothar.

Feminine form of Lucius. Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings Lucy or Luce.

Roman family name that was derived from the Roman praenomen Lucius. Lucianus (or Λουκιανός in his native Greek) of Samosata was a 2nd-century satirist and author. This name was also borne by a 4th-century saint and martyr from Antioch.

French form of Lucianus.

Means "bringing light", derived from Latin lux "light" and ferre "to bring". In Latin this name originally referred to the morning star, Venus, but later became associated with the chief angel who rebelled against God's rule in heaven (see Isaiah 14:12). In later literature, such as the Divine Comedy (1321) by Dante and Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton, Lucifer became associated with Satan himself.

Roman praenomen, or given name, which was derived from Latin lux "light". This was the most popular of the praenomina. Two Etruscan kings of early Rome had this name as well as several prominent later Romans, including Lucius Annaeus Seneca (known simply as Seneca), a statesman, philosopher, orator and tragedian. The name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament belonging to a Christian in Antioch. It was also borne by three popes, including the 3rd-century Saint Lucius. Despite this, the name was not regularly used in the Christian world until after the Renaissance.

Latinized form of the Greek name Λυκοῦργος (Lykourgos), derived from λύκος (lykos) meaning "wolf" and ἔργον (ergon) meaning "work, deed". In Greek legend this was the name of a king who was driven mad by the gods because of his impiety. This was also the name of a Spartan legislator of the 9th century BC.

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.

Variant of Mabel. It also coincides with the French phrase ma belle meaning "my beautiful".

Anglicized form of the Irish name Medb meaning "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. She and her husband Ailill fought against the Ulster king Conchobar and the hero Cúchulainn, as told in the Irish epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley.

From Dakota or Lakota maȟpíya meaning "cloud, sky". This is the first part of the names of the Dakota chief Mahpiya Wicasta (1780-1863), known as Cloud Man, and the Lakota chiefs Mahpiya Luta (1822-1909), known as Red Cloud, and Mahpiya Iyapato (1838-1905), known as Touch the Clouds.

Means "lovely, beautiful" in Sanskrit.

Means "intention, aim" in Arabic.

From the Spanish word for "butterfly".

Possibly a diminutive of Marina. This name was brought to public attention by Alfred Hitchcock's movie Marnie (1964), itself based on a 1961 novel by Winston Graham.

From the Arabic name of a fragrant plant. Al-Marwa is the name of one of the two sacred hills near Mecca.

Usual English form of Maria, the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names Μαριάμ (Mariam) and Μαρία (Maria) — the spellings are interchangeable — which were from Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryam), a name borne by the sister of Moses in the Old Testament. The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness", and "wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from mry "beloved" or mr "love".

This is the name of several New Testament characters, most importantly Mary the mother of Jesus. According to the gospels, Jesus was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit while she remained a virgin. This name was also borne by Mary Magdalene, a woman cured of demons by Jesus. She became one of his followers and later witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection.

Due to the Virgin Mary this name has been very popular in the Christian world, though at certain times in some cultures it has been considered too holy for everyday use. In England it has been used since the 12th century, and it has been among the most common feminine names since the 16th century. In the United States in 1880 it was given more than twice as often as the next most popular name for girls (Anna). It remained in the top rank in America until 1946 when it was bumped to second (by Linda). Although it regained the top spot for a few more years in the 1950s it was already falling in usage, and has since dropped out of the top 100 names.

This name has been borne by two queens of England, as well as a queen of Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots. Another notable bearer was Mary Shelley (1797-1851), the author of Frankenstein. A famous fictional character by this name is Mary Poppins from the children's books by P. L. Travers, first published in 1934.

The Latinized form of this name, Maria, is also used in English as well as in several other languages.

Croatian feminine form of Mateo.

Variant of Matthias.

Spanish form of Matthias.

From the Germanic name Mahthilt meaning "strength in battle", from the elements maht "might, strength" and hilt "battle". Saint Matilda was the wife of the 10th-century German king Henry I the Fowler. The name was common in many branches of European royalty in the Middle Ages. It was brought to England by the Normans, being borne by the wife of William the Conqueror himself. Another notable royal by this name was a 12th-century daughter of Henry I of England, known as the Empress Matilda because of her first marriage to the Holy Roman emperor Henry V. She later invaded England, laying the foundations for the reign of her son Henry II.

The name was very 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.

From the Roman name Mauritius, a derivative of Maurus. Saint Maurice was a 3rd-century Roman soldier from Egypt. He and the other Christians in his legion were supposedly massacred on the orders of Emperor Maximian for refusing to worship Roman gods. Thus, he is the patron saint of infantry soldiers.

This name was borne by a 6th-century Byzantine emperor. Another notable bearer was Maurice of Nassau (called Maurits in Dutch), a 17th-century prince of Orange who helped establish the Dutch Republic. The name has been used in England since the Norman Conquest, usually in the spelling Morris or Moris.

From Greek Μήδεια (Medeia), derived from μήδεα (medea) meaning "plans, counsel, cunning". In Greek mythology Medea was a sorceress from Colchis (modern Georgia) who helped Jason gain the Golden Fleece. They were married, but eventually Jason left her for another woman. For revenge Medea slew Jason's new lover and also had her own children by Jason killed.

Greek form of Medea.

Means "giving light" in Hebrew.

Means "gift of the moon", derived from Greek μήνη (mene) meaning "moon" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a 4th-century saint who was martyred with her sisters Metrodora and Nymphodora.

Russian and Belarusian form of Michael, and an alternate transcription of Bulgarian Михаил (see Mihail). This was the name of two Russian tsars. Other notable bearers include the Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov (1814-1841), the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022), and the Latvian-Russian-American dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948-).

From the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear", originally a short form of names that began with that element. It was originally used in Czech, Slovak, and the South Slavic languages, though it has recently become popular elsewhere in Europe.

A city in Italy bears this name, though in this case it originates from Latin Mediolanum, perhaps ultimately of Celtic origin meaning "middle of the plain". In some cases the city name may be an influence on the use of the given name.

Means "sea, ocean" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a 16th-century Indian princess who devoted her life to the god Krishna.

Short form of Miroslava and other names beginning with Mir (often the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace, world").

Latinate form of Mirabelle.

Derived from the Slavic elements mirŭ "peace, world" and slava "glory". This was the name of a 10th-century king of Croatia who was deposed by one of his nobles after ruling for four years.

Russian diminutive of Mikhail.

From Tupi moasy meaning "pain, regret". This is the name of the son of Iracema and Martim in the novel Iracema (1865) by José de Alencar.

French masculine and feminine form of Modestus.

Anglicized form of Máire. It also coincides with Greek Μοῖρα (Moira) meaning "fate, destiny", the singular of Μοῖραι, the Greek name for the Fates. They were the three female personifications of destiny in Greek mythology.

Derived from Italian moro or Spanish moreno meaning "dark-skinned".

From Sanskrit मृदु (mrdu) meaning "soft, delicate, gentle".

Means "noble" in Arabic.

Feminine form of Nabil.

Variant of Nawel using Spanish spelling conventions.

Means "mischief maker" in Apache. This name was borne by a 19th-century Chiricahua Apache chief, the son of Cochise.

Means "star" in Arabic.

Meaning unknown, presumably of Irish origin. In Irish legend he was the young man who fled to Scotland with Deirdre, who was due to marry Conchobar the king of Ulster. Conchobar eventually succeeded in capturing Deirdre and killing Naoise, which caused Deirdre to die of grief.

Means "little saint", derived from Irish naomh "saint" combined with a diminutive suffix.

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

Latinized form of Greek Νάρκισσος (Narkissos), possibly derived from νάρκη (narke) meaning "sleep, numbness". Narkissos was a beautiful youth in Greek mythology who stared at his own reflection for so long that he eventually died and was turned into the narcissus flower.

This name appears briefly in the epistles in the New Testament and was also borne by a few early saints, including a 2nd-century patriarch of Jerusalem. It has been used to the present, especially in Catholic regions, usually in honour of the saint as opposed to the mythological character.

Rare diminutive of Natalija.

From Japanese 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" and 月 (tsuki) meaning "moon". Alternatively, it can come from 夏 (natsu) meaning "summer" and 希 (ki) meaning "hope". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.

Italian and Spanish form of Nazarius.

Latin name meaning "from Nazareth". Nazareth was the town in Galilee where Jesus lived. This name was borne by several early saints, including a man martyred with Celsus in Milan.

From Persian نازی (nazi) meaning "sweet, coy".

Greek name of the Nile River, possibly of Semitic origin meaning "river". In Greek mythology he was the god of the Nile, the son of Okeanos and Tethys.

This name was borne by a 5th-century saint who lived in the Sinai Peninsula. It was also borne by a 10th-century Byzantine saint, usually called Nilus in English, who established the monastery at Grottaferrata near Rome.

From Greek νέφος (nephos) meaning "cloud". In Greek legend Nephele was created from a cloud by Zeus, who shaped the cloud to look like Hera in order to trick Ixion, a mortal who desired her. Nephele was the mother of the centaurs by Ixion, and was also the mother of Phrixus and Helle by Athamus.

Possibly means "water lily" in an Australian Aboriginal language.

From Persian نرم (narm) meaning "soft, gentle". It is typically masculine in Bosnian, and feminine in Turkish and Arabic.

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.

German, Polish, Czech and Slovak feminine form of Nicholas. Note, in Czech this is also a masculine name (see Nikola 1).

Greek, Bulgarian and Slovak form of Nicolette.

Means "water lily" in Persian.

Meaning unknown. In Arthurian legends this is the name of a sorceress, also known as the Lady of the Lake, Vivien, or Niniane. Various versions of the tales have Merlin falling in love with her and becoming imprisoned by her magic. She first appears in the medieval French Lancelot-Grail Cycle.

From the name of a 5th-century British saint, known as the Apostle to the Picts, who was apparently responsible for many miracles and cures. He first appears briefly in the 8th-century Latin writings of the historian Bede, though his name is only written in the ablative case Nynia [1]. This may represent a Brythonic name *Ninniau [2][3].

From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

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

From Japanese 信 (nobu) meaning "trust" and 敏 (toshi) meaning "quick, clever, sharp". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Galician feminine form of Noël.

From Japanese 憲 (nori) meaning "law" or 典 (nori) meaning "rule, ceremony" combined with 明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Possibly means "almost there" in Navajo.

Probably a Welsh form of *Ninniau (see Ninian). This form is used for Nennius in Brut y Brenhinedd [1], the Middle Welsh translation of the 12th-century Latin chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth. The name also appears in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen belonging to a man who is transformed into an ox [2].

From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of Odysseus.

Means "born in the evening" in Luo.

From the English and French word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva.

From Old French Olivier, which was possibly derived from Latin oliva "olive tree" [1]. Alternatively there could be an underlying Germanic name, such as Old Norse Áleifr (see Olaf) or Frankish Alawar (see Álvaro), with the spelling altered by association with the Latin word. In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier is a friend and advisor to 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), 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.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Onuphrius.

Latinized form of Greek Ὀνούφριος (Onouphrios), derived from Egyptian wnn-nfr meaning "he who is good, he who is happy". This was an epithet of the god Osiris. It was later used by an Egyptian saint and hermit from the 4th or 5th century.

Possibly derived from Latin aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish oro or French or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight Amadis.

French form of Oriana.

Derived from the Old German elements ort "point" and runa "secret lore, rune". In the medieval German epic Kudrun this is the name of Hartmut's sister.

Greek form of the Egyptian wsjr (reconstructed as Asar, Usir and other forms), which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to wsr "mighty" or jrt "eye". In Egyptian mythology Osiris was the god of fertility, agriculture, and the dead and served as the judge of the underworld. In one tale he was slain by his brother Seth, but restored to life by his wife Isis in order to conceive their son Horus, who would go on to avenge his father.

Derived from Greek οὐράνιος (ouranios) meaning "heavenly". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of astronomy and astrology, one of the nine Muses.

From an Old Welsh name (Ougein, Eugein and other spellings), which was possibly from the Latin name Eugenius. Other theories connect it to the Celtic roots *owi- "sheep", *wesu- "good" or *awi- "desire" combined with the Old Welsh suffix gen "born of". This is the name of several figures from British history, including Owain mab Urien, a 6th-century prince of Rheged who fought against the Angles. The 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes adapted him into Yvain for his Arthurian romance Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Regarded as one of the Knights of the Round Table, Yvain or Owain has since appeared in many other Arthurian tales, typically being the son of King Urien of Gore, and the errant husband of Laudine, the Lady of the Fountain.

Other notable bearers include Owain the Great, a 12th-century king of Gwynedd, and Owain Glyndwr, a 14th-century leader of the Welsh resistance to English rule.

Welsh and Breton form of Patrick.

Probably derived from a Greek word meaning "maiden, young woman". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Athena. According to some legends it was originally the name of a friend of the goddess. Athena accidentally killed her while sparring, so she took the name in honour of her friend.

Means "pilgrim" in Italian. In medieval times it denoted one who had been a pilgrim to Palestine. It is ultimately from the word palma meaning "palm tree", because of the custom of pilgrims to bring palm fronds home with them. The name is sometimes given to a child born on Palm Sunday.

Derived from Greek παρασκευή (paraskeue) meaning "preparation" or "Friday" (being the day of preparation). This was the name of a 2nd-century saint who was martyred in Rome.

Means "of the mountains" in Sanskrit. Parvati is a Hindu goddess of love and power, the wife of Shiva and the mother of Ganesha.

Probably derived from Greek πηνέλοψ (penelops), a type of duck. Alternatively it could be from πήνη (pene) meaning "threads, weft" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". In Homer's epic the Odyssey this is the name of the wife of Odysseus, forced to fend off suitors while her husband is away fighting at Troy.

It has occasionally been used as an English given name since the 16th century. It was moderately popular in the 1940s, but had a more notable upswing in the early 2000s. This may have been inspired by the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz (1974-), who gained prominence in English-language movies at that time. It was already rapidly rising when celebrities Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick gave it to their baby daughter in 2012.

French feminine form of Perrin, a diminutive of Pierre.

From Greek Φιλομήλη (Philomele), derived from φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend" and μῆλον (melon) meaning "fruit". The second element has also been interpreted as Greek μέλος (melos) meaning "song". In Greek myth Philomela was the sister-in-law of Tereus, who raped her and cut out her tongue. Prokne avenged her sister by killing her son by Tereus, after which Tereus attempted to kill Philomela. However, the gods intervened and transformed her into a nightingale.

Latinized form of the Greek name Φοῖβος (Phoibos), which meant "bright, pure". This was an epithet of the Greek god Apollo.

French masculine and feminine form of Placidus (see Placido).

Italian form of the Late Latin name Placidus meaning "quiet, calm". Saint Placidus was a 6th-century Italian saint, a disciple of Saint Benedict.