blackelectric's Personal Name List
Alafare
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Romani
Pronounced: AL-ə-fehr(English)
Personal remark: AL-ə-fehr
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Of uncertain meaning, possibly a corruption of
Alethea (compare
Alethaire). In the United States, this name was first found in 1768; in the United Kingdom, there were several uses throughout the 1800s (and most likely before that as well). While the background of the American bearers of this name is unknown, almost all British bearers were born to traveling Romani families.
Alazebath
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare, Archaic)
Rating: 0% based on 2 votes
Of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of
Elizabeth.
Alethaire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (South, Rare, Archaic)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Corruption of
Alethea. This name arose among Catholics in Kentucky in the 1700-1800s.
Alzada
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Archaic)
Amyris
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek, English (Rare)
Other Scripts: Ἄμυρις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-MUY-RIS(Classical Greek) ə-MEER-is(English)
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Both a personal name and the name of a resin, it is derived from the Greek word αμυρων (amyron), which means "intensely scented" and refers to the resin's strong, aromatic odor.
Asante
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: African American
Possibly derived from Swahili asante "thank you".
Blessed
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Puritan), African
From the English word "blessed" meaning "having divine aid, or protection, or other blessing; held in veneration; revered", ultimately from Old English blētsian, blēdsian "to consecrate (with blood)".
Caledon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: American (Rare, Archaic)
Pronounced: KAL-ə-dən
Most likely a masculine form of
Caledonia. This name is probably best known from the 1997 film "Titanic", where it was the name of one of the main characters (namely Caledon Hockley, who went by Cal in daily life).
Caledonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Canadian, Rare)
Pronounced: kal-ə-DO-nee-ə(Canadian English)
From the Latin name of Scotland, which may be derived from Caledones, the Latin name of a tribe that inhabited the region during the Roman era, which is of unknown origin, though some Celtic roots have been suggested; it is possible that the exonym means "tough person" from Brythonic caled "hard, tough" and a suffix (unknown to me) meaning either "great" or "person". The name Caledonia has been applied poetically to Scotland since the 18th century.
Charity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHEHR-ə-tee, CHAR-ə-tee
From the English word
charity, ultimately derived from Late Latin
caritas "generous love", from Latin
carus "dear, beloved".
Caritas was in use as a Roman Christian name. The English name
Charity came into use among the
Puritans after the
Protestant Reformation. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Cleodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), American (South, Archaic)
Pronounced: klee-o-DAWR-ə(American (South))
Latinized form of
Kleodora. In Greek mythology, Cleodora was a nymph of Mount Parnassos in Phokis. She was one of the prophetic Thriai, nymphs who divined the future by throwing stones or pebbles. She was loved by the sea god Poseidon and had a son called Parnassos by him. This name was also borne by one of the Danaids (i.e., the 50 daughters of Danaus).
Colastie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Louisiana Creole
Personal remark: Louisiana Creole
Of debated origin and meaning. Theories include a feminine form of
Colas and a corruption of
Scholastique (compare
Colastia).
Corresta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Meaning uncertain, possibly an elaboration of
Corrie using the suffix
esta (found in
Celesta). This was borne by American physician Corresta Thisba Canfield (1833-1920).
Dameron
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Deja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern)
Pronounced: DAY-zhə(English)
Means "already" from the French phrase déjà vu meaning "already seen". It received a popularity boost in 1995 when a character named Deja appeared in the movie Higher Learning.
Dion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek, English
Other Scripts: Δίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DEE-ahn(English)
Short form of
Dionysios and other Greek names beginning with the Greek element
Διός (Dios) meaning "of
Zeus". This was the name of a 4th-century BC tyrant of Syracuse. It has been used as an American given name since the middle of the 20th century.
Ebony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American
Pronounced: EHB-ən-ee(English)
From the English word ebony for the black wood that comes from the ebony tree. It is ultimately from the Egyptian word hbnj. In America this name is most often used in the black community.
Elsinore
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: EHL-si-nawr(Literature, American English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the name of
Hamlet's castle, which is an anglicized form of
Helsingør, a Danish place name meaning "neck, narrow strait" (see
Elsinore). Use of this place name as a feminine personal name is likely due to its similarity to
Eleanor and
Elsa.
Elzada
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Meaning uncertain. This was borne by American botanist Elzada Clover (1897-1980).
Elzora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American
Evanora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture, English
The name of a witch in the movie Oz the Great and Powerful. Could be a female form of
Evan, a combination of
Eva and
Nora 1 or an altered form of
Eleanora
Fantasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern, Rare), English (American, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: fan-TAY-zhə(English)
From the Italian word for "fantasy, imagination", ultimately deriving from Greek φαντασία (phantasia). A known bearer is the American R&B singer Fantasia Barrino (1984-).
Hazeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American
Pronounced: hay-za-LINE, hay-za-LEEN
Imogene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: IM-ə-jeen
Personal remark: family
Imojean
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (South)
Variant of
Imogene used in the southern United States.
Ivory
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: African American
Pronounced: IE-və-ree(English) IEV-ree(English)
From the English word for the hard, creamy-white substance that comes from elephant tusks and was formerly used to produce piano keys.
Izetta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Rare, Archaic), English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: i-ZET-ə(American) ee-ZET-ə(American) EYE-zet-ah(American English)
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
This name was used at least as early as the 1870s in the Appalachian Mountain area of the eastern United States. Notable bearer is New Jersey born actress Izetta Jewel (1883-1978) who advocated for women's legal right to vote in the US.
Jenning
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Puritan)
Kalisha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern)
Pronounced: kə-LEESH-ə(English) kə-LISH-ə(English)
Combination of the name prefix
ka and
Lisha.
Keisha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American
Pronounced: KEE-shə(English)
Possibly invented, or possibly based on
Keziah. It began to be used in the 1960s.
Kiana 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American
Lakeisha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American
Pronounced: lə-KEE-shə(English)
Combination of the popular prefix
la with the name
Keisha. It can be spelled
LaKeisha or
Lakeisha.
Louzine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (South, Archaic)
Pronounced: LOO-zeen
American English regional name (Appalachian).
Mercy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-see
From the English word
mercy, ultimately from Latin
merces "wages, reward", a derivative of
merx "goods, wares". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Minnijean
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (South, Rare), African American (Rare)
Combination of
Minnie and
Jean 2. This is borne by Minnijean Brown-Trickey (1941-), who was one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of nine African-American teenagers who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957 after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional three years earlier. Minnijean's mother was named
Imogene.
Orison
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare, Archaic)
Directly taken from the archaic word meaning "prayer", which is derived from Anglo-Norman
oreison and ultimately from Latin
oro (via Latin
oratio) "to beg; to beseech".
As a given name, it has found occasional usage from the 19th century onwards. One known bearer is Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924), who wrote books on positive thinking.
Percifer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare, Archaic)
Personal remark: Dialectic spelling of Percival
Pharaoh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Mormon, African American
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the rulers of all Ancient Egyptian dynasties. Historically, however, "pharaoh" only started being used as a title for the king during the New Kingdom, specifically during the middle of the eighteenth dynasty, after the reign of
Hatshepsut. From the Middle English
pharao, from the Late Latin
pharaō, from the Ancient Greek
pharaṓ (φαραώ), from the Hebrew
par‘ōh (פַּרְעֹה), ultimately derived from the Ancient Egyptian
pr ˤ3 'palace, pharaoh', from
pr 'house' and
ˤ3 'great, big'.
Noted bearers include Grammy Award winning American jazz saxophonist, Pharoah Sanders, born Farrell Sanders (b.1940), and American rapper Pharoahe Monch, born Troy Donald Jamerson (b.1972).
Pleasant
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan, Rare), Romani (Archaic)
Derived from the English word, which is derived from Anglo-Norman plaisant "delightful" and ultimately from Latin placens "pleasing; agreeable".
As a given name, Pleasant has been in occasional use in the English-speaking world from the 16th century onwards. It was generally used as a masculine name among the English Romani community.
Primeveire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Norman (Archaic)
Means "primrose"in French. and It was commonly used in the Middle Ages although now it is practically obsolete.
Prosper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: PRAWS-PEHR(French) PRAHS-pər(English)
From the Latin name
Prosperus, which meant
"fortunate, successful". This was the name of a 5th-century
saint, a supporter of Saint
Augustine. It has never been common as an English name, though the
Puritans used it, partly because it is identical to the English word
prosper.
Prudence
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: PROO-dəns(English) PRUY-DAHNS(French)
Medieval English form of
Prudentia, the feminine form of
Prudentius. In France it is both the feminine form and a rare masculine form. In England it was used during the Middle Ages and was revived in the 17th century by the
Puritans, in part from the English word
prudence, ultimately of the same source.
Qiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern)
From the word for the silk-like material, introduced by DuPont in 1968 and popular in the fashions of the 1970s
[1].
Remedy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
From the English word, perhaps intended to be an English equivalent of
Remedios.
Roselda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Archaic), French (Quebec, Archaic)
Rosilda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Estonian (Archaic), Italian (Archaic), English (American, Archaic), French (Quebec, Archaic), Walloon (Archaic)
Estonian variant of
Rosilde and Italian, Québécois and Walloon form of
Roshilda.
Sinia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Archaic), American (South, Archaic)
Troya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Twila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TWIE-lə
Meaning unknown. Perhaps based on the English word
twilight, or maybe from a Cajun pronunciation of French
étoile "star"
[1]. It came into use as an American given name in the late 19th century.
Willory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (South, Archaic)
Za'darius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: African American (Rare)
Zenoby
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (South, Rare, Archaic), Cornish (Rare, Archaic), English (Rare, Archaic)
Archaic variant of
Zenobia, prevalent in Cornwall and Devon as well as in the southern states of the US.
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