Rhubarb's Personal Name List

Amity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: A-mi-tee
Rating: 45% based on 8 votes
From the English word meaning "friendship", ultimately deriving from Latin amicitia.
Aoibheann
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: EE-vyən
Rating: 40% based on 7 votes
From Old Irish Oébfinn or Aíbinn, derived from oíb meaning "beauty, appearance, form" and finn meaning "white, blessed". This was the name of the mother of Saint Énna of Aran. It was also borne by the daughter of the 10th-century Irish high king Donnchad Donn.
Apollo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀπόλλων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ə-PAHL-o(English)
Rating: 63% based on 6 votes
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.
Bronte
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BRAHN-tee
Rating: 51% based on 9 votes
From a surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Ó Proinntigh, itself derived from the given name Proinnteach, probably from Irish bronntach meaning "generous". The Brontë sisters — Charlotte, Emily, and Anne — were 19th-century English novelists. Their father changed the spelling of the family surname from Brunty to Brontë, possibly to make it coincide with Greek βροντή meaning "thunder".
Brooke
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRUWK
Rating: 47% based on 10 votes
Variant of Brook. The name came into use in the 1950s, probably influenced by American socialite Brooke Astor (1902-2007). It was further popularized by actress Brooke Shields (1965-).
Caoimhe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: KEE-vyə
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Derived from Irish caomh meaning "dear, beloved, gentle".
Clémentine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KLEH-MAHN-TEEN
Rating: 82% based on 6 votes
French feminine form of Clement. This is also the name of a variety of orange (fruit).
Cora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κόρη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KAWR-ə(English) KO-ra(German)
Rating: 54% based on 9 votes
Latinized form of Kore. It was not used as a given name in the English-speaking world until after it was employed by James Fenimore Cooper for a character in his novel The Last of the Mohicans (1826). In some cases it may be a short form of Cordula, Corinna and other names beginning with a similar sound.
Cordelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: kawr-DEE-lee-ə(English) kawr-DEEL-yə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 7 votes
From Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles [1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.

The spelling was later altered to Cordelia when Geoffrey's story was adapted by others, including Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590) and Shakespeare in his tragedy King Lear (1606).

Delaney
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: di-LAYN-ee
Rating: 61% based on 8 votes
From a surname: either the English surname Delaney 1 or the Irish surname Delaney 2.
Esmé
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: EHZ-may, EHZ-mee
Rating: 64% based on 9 votes
Means "esteemed" or "loved" in Old French. It was first recorded in Scotland, being borne by the first Duke of Lennox in the 16th century. It is now more common as a feminine name.
Friday
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: FRIE-day
Rating: 39% based on 8 votes
From the English word for the day of the week, which was derived from Old English frigedæg meaning "Frig's day". Daniel Defoe used it for a character in his novel Robinson Crusoe (1719). As a given name, it is most often found in parts of Africa, such as Nigeria and Zambia.
Galaxy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: GAL-əks-ee(American English)
Rating: 37% based on 7 votes
From the English word galaxy, "a collection of star systems", ultimately from from Ancient Greek γαλαξίας (galaxías, "Milky Way"), from γάλα (gála, "milk").
Germaine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHEHR-MEHN
Rating: 50% based on 6 votes
French feminine form of Germain. Saint Germaine was a 16th-century peasant girl from France.
Gift
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: GIFT
Rating: 30% based on 8 votes
From the English word gift, of Old Norse origin. This name is most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Gioia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: JAW-ya
Rating: 45% based on 6 votes
Means "joy" in Italian.
Giovanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jo-VAN-na
Rating: 33% based on 6 votes
Italian form of Iohanna (see Joanna), making it the feminine form of Giovanni.
Giuseppa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: joo-ZEHP-pa
Rating: 35% based on 6 votes
Feminine form of Giuseppe.
Guenièvre
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
French form of Guinevere.
Henning
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Pronounced: HEH-ning(German) HEHN-ning(Norwegian, Swedish)
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
Diminutive of Henrik.
Idris 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 38% based on 6 votes
Means "ardent lord" from Old Welsh iudd "lord" combined with ris "ardent, enthusiastic". This name was borne by Idris the Giant, a 7th-century king of Meirionnydd.
Iman
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Indonesian
Other Scripts: إيمان(Arabic) ایمان(Persian)
Pronounced: ee-MAN(Arabic)
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
Means "faith", derived from Arabic أمُنَ (amuna) meaning "to be faithful". It is typically feminine in Arabic and typically masculine in Persian.
Kaffe
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Western African, Akan
Pronounced: ka-ffeh
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
Variant of Kofi.
Lachlan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: LAKH-lən(Scottish) LAK-lən(English)
Rating: 54% based on 5 votes
Anglicized form of Lachlann, the Scottish Gaelic form of Lochlainn. In the English-speaking world, this name was especially popular in Australia towards the end of the 20th century.
Lale
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Means "tulip" in Turkish, of Persian origin.
Lara 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Rating: 47% based on 7 votes
Variant of Larunda.
Liora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: לִיאוֹרָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 57% based on 7 votes
Strictly feminine form of Lior.
Llewelyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 14% based on 5 votes
Variant of Llywelyn influenced by the Welsh word llew "lion".
Louis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: LWEE(French) LOO-is(English) LOO-ee(English) loo-EE(Dutch)
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
French form of Ludovicus, the Latinized form of Ludwig. This was the name of 18 kings of France, starting with Louis I the son of Charlemagne. Others include Louis IX (Saint Louis) who led two crusades and Louis XIV (called the Sun King) who was the ruler of France during the height of its power, the builder of the Palace of Versailles, and the longest reigning monarch in the history of Europe. It was also borne by kings of Germany (as Ludwig), Hungary (as Lajos), and other places.

Apart from royalty, this name was only moderately popular in France during the Middle Ages. After the French Revolution, when Louis XVI was guillotined, it became less common.

The Normans brought the name to England, where it was usually spelled Lewis, though the spelling Louis has been more common in America. Famous bearers include French scientist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), Métis leader Louis Riel (1844-1885), who led a rebellion against Canada, Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), who wrote Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (1901-1971).

Lysander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Λύσανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 62% based on 5 votes
Latinized form of the Greek name Λύσανδρος (Lysandros), derived from Greek λύσις (lysis) meaning "a release, loosening" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). This was the name of a notable 5th-century BC Spartan general and naval commander.
Malcolm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: MAL-kəm(English)
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
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.
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
Rating: 35% based on 6 votes
From the English word melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Morgane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAWR-GAN
Rating: 48% based on 5 votes
French, either a form of Morgan 2 or a feminine form of Morgan 1.
Nadija
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bosnian
Rating: 48% based on 6 votes
Bosnian form of Nadiyya.
Nelson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Spanish
Pronounced: NEHL-sən(English)
Rating: 30% based on 7 votes
From an English surname meaning "son of Neil". It was originally given in honour of the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). His most famous battle was the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he destroyed a combined French and Spanish fleet, but was himself killed. Another notable bearer was the South African statesman Nelson Mandela (1918-2013). Mandela's birth name was Rolihlahla; as a child he was given the English name Nelson by a teacher.
Niamh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: NYEEW(Irish) NYEEV(Irish)
Rating: 63% based on 6 votes
Means "bright" in Irish. She was the daughter of the sea god Manannán mac Lir in Irish legends. She fell in love with the poet Oisín, the son of Fionn mac Cumhaill. It has been used as a given name for people only since the early 20th century.
Olivier
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Dutch
Pronounced: AW-LEE-VYEH(French) O-lee-veer(Dutch)
Rating: 33% based on 6 votes
French and Dutch form of Oliver. This is also the French word meaning "olive tree".
Patrice 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: PA-TREES
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
French form of Patricius (see Patrick).
René
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Slovak, Czech
Pronounced: RU-NEH(French) rə-NEH(German) reh-NEH(Spanish) REH-neh(Slovak, Czech)
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
French form of Renatus. A famous bearer was the French mathematician and rationalist philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650).
Salomé
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: SA-LAW-MEH(French) sə-loo-MEH(Portuguese)
Rating: 34% based on 5 votes
French, Spanish and Portuguese form of Salome.
Samuel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Jewish, Eastern African, Amharic, Biblical
Other Scripts: שְׁמוּאֵל(Hebrew) ሳሙኤል(Amharic)
Pronounced: SAM-yoo-əl(English) SAM-yəl(English) SA-MWEHL(French) ZA-mwehl(German) sa-MWEHL(Spanish) su-moo-EHL(European Portuguese) sa-moo-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) san-MOO-ehl(Polish) SA-moo-ehl(Czech, Slovak, Swedish) SAH-moo-ehl(Finnish)
Rating: 70% based on 5 votes
From the Hebrew name שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el) meaning "name of God", from the roots שֵׁם (shem) meaning "name" and אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Other interpretations have the first root being שָׁמַע (shama') meaning "to hear" leading to a meaning of "God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor David.

As a Christian name, Samuel came into common use after the Protestant Reformation. It has been consistently popular in the English-speaking world, ranking yearly in the top 100 names in the United States (as recorded since 1880) and performing similarly well in the United Kingdom.

Famous bearers include English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), American inventor Samuel Morse (1791-1872), Irish writer Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), and American actor Samuel L. Jackson (1948-). This was also the real name, Samuel Clemens, of the American author Mark Twain (1835-1910).

Sidney
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SID-nee
Rating: 65% based on 6 votes
From the English surname Sidney. It was first used as a given name in honour of executed politician Algernon Sidney (1622-1683). Another notable bearer of the surname was the poet and statesman Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586).

As a given name, it has traditionally been more masculine than feminine. In America however, after the variant Sydney became popular for girls, Sidney was used more for girls than boys between 1993 and 2019.

Solène
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SAW-LEHN
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
Variant of Solange.
Solstice
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: SAWL-stis
Rating: 50% based on 6 votes
Derived from Latin solsticium and thus ultimately from sol "sun" and stito "to stand still". The English word solstice refers to two times of the year when the sun's apparent position in the sky reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes.

Lionel Shriver (born Margaret Shriver), used Solstice for a character in her novel 'Big Brother' (2013).

Thaïs
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek, French
Other Scripts: Θαΐς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TA-EES(French)
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
Possibly means "bandage" in Greek. This was the name of a companion of Alexander the Great. It was also borne by a 4th-century saint from Alexandria, a wealthy socialite who became a Christian convert, though in her case the name may have had a distinct Coptic origin. She has been a popular subject of art and literature, including an 1891 novel by Anatole France and an 1894 opera by Jules Massenet.
Valora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Esperanto
Pronounced: va-LO-ra
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
Means "valuable" in Esperanto.
Vered
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: וֶרֶד(Hebrew)
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
Means "rose" in Hebrew, originally a borrowing from an Iranian language.
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