Behind the Name: reniannen17's Personal Name List

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, German, Polish, Hungarian, Italian

Pronounced: AY-də (English), AH-dah (Polish)

Short form of ADELAIDE and other names beginning with the same sound. This name was borne by Augusta Ada King (1815-1852), the Countess of Lovelace (known as Ada Lovelace), a daughter of Lord Byron. She was an assistant to Charles Babbage, the inventor of an early mechanical computer.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Macedonian, Romanian, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew

Other Scripts: Адам (Russian, Ukrainian, Macedonian), אָדָם (Hebrew), آدم (Arabic), Αδαμ (Ancient Greek)

Pronounced: A-dəm (English), AH-dahm (German, Dutch, Polish), ah-DAHM (Russian)

This is the Hebrew word for "man". It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew אדם ('adam) meaning "to be red", referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Akkadian adamu meaning "to make". According to Genesis in the Old Testament Adam was created from the earth by God (there is a word play on Hebrew אֲדָמָה ('adamah) "earth"). He and Eve were supposedly the first humans, living happily in the Garden of Eden until Adam ate a forbidden fruit given to him by Eve.

As an English Christian name, Adam has been common since the Middle Ages, and it received a boost after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).

French form of ADELA

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Irish, Scottish, English (Modern)

Pronounced: AY-dən

Anglicized form of AODHÁN. In the latter part of the 20th century it became popular in America due to its sound, since it uses the same fashionable aden suffix sound found in such names as Braden and Hayden.

Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: Irish

Pronounced: AL-va

Personal note: Ailbhe Lilias Muireann

Possibly derived from the old Gaelic root albho meaning "white". In Irish legend this was the name of a female warrior of the Fianna. It was also the name of a 6th-century masculine saint.

Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: English, Dutch, German, French, Portuguese

Pronounced: AL-əks (English), AH-ləks (Dutch)

Short form of ALEXANDER, ALEXANDRA, and other names beginning with Alex.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Hungarian, Slovak, Biblical, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)

Other Scripts: Αλεξανδρος (Ancient Greek)

Pronounced: al-əg-ZAN-dər (English), ah-lek-SAHN-der (German), ah-lək-SAHN-dər (Dutch)

Personal note: Alexander Neil

Latinized form of the Greek name Αλεξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant "defending men" from Greek αλεξω (alexo) "to defend, help" and ανηρ (aner) "man" (genitive ανδρος). In Greek mythology this was another name of the hero Paris, and it also belongs to several characters in the New Testament. However, the most famous bearer was Alexander the Great, King of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, use of his name spread throughout Europe.

The name has been used by kings of Scotland, Poland and Yugoslavia, emperors of Russia, and eight popes. Other notable bearers include English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744), American statesman Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), Scottish-Canadian explorer Sir Alexander MacKenzie (1764-1820), Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), and Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-Canadian-American inventor of the telephone.

Welsh name, originally spelled Neirin, which possibly means "noble". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh poet.

Dutch and French diminutive of ANNA

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek Mythology

Other Scripts: Αοιδη (Ancient Greek)

Means "to sing" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.

Means "beauty" from the Gaelic word aoibh. In Irish legend Aoife was a warrior princess. In war against her sister Scathach, she was defeated in single combat by the hero Cúchulainn. Eventually she was reconciled with her sister and became the lover of Cúchulainn. This name is sometimes used as a Gaelic form of EVE or EVA.

From the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland in the Firth of Clyde.

From the Old Norse name Arnviðr, derived from the elements arn "eagle" and viðr "tree".

Means "noble maiden" in Sindarin. In 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Arwen was the daughter of Elrond and the lover of Aragorn.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English

Pronounced: OW-guwst (German, Polish)

German, Polish and Scandinavian form of AUGUSTUS

Derived from Scottish Gaelic beatha meaning "life".

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, German, Ancient Germanic

Pronounced: BUR-trəm (English), BER-trahm (German)

Means "bright raven", derived from the Germanic element beraht "bright" combined with hramn "raven". The Normans introduced this name to England. Shakespeare used it in his play 'All's Well That Ends Well' (1603).

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Irish, English, Irish Mythology

Pronounced: BRIJ-ət (English)

Anglicized form of the Irish name Brighid which means "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.

Scottish form of KATHERINE

From the name of a type of orchid, ultimately meaning "beautiful flower", derived from Greek καλος (kalos) "beautiful" and ανθος (anthos) "flower".

Scottish form of COLUMBA

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, Greek Mythology (Latinized)

Other Scripts: Κασσανδρα (Ancient Greek)

Pronounced: kə-SAN-drə (English), kə-SAHN-drə (English)

From the Greek Κασσανδρα (Kassandra), which possibly meant "shining upon man", derived from κεκασμαι (kekasmai) "to shine" and ανηρ (aner) "man" (genitive ανδρος). In Greek myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.

In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.

Gender: Feminine & Masculine

Usage: English (Modern)

Pronounced: KAS-i-dee

From an Irish surname which was derived from Ó Caiside meaning "descendent of CAISIDE".

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Irish, Scottish

Pronounced: ka-TREE-na, ka-TREE-o-na

Personal note: Catriona Maeve

Gaelic form of KATHERINE

Means "strong wolf" in Gaelic. This is the name of several characters in Irish legend including the hero Conall Cernach ("Conall of the victories"), a member of the Red Branch of Ulster, who avenged Cúchulainn's death by killing Lugaid.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Irish, English (Modern)

Pronounced: KAHN-ər (English)

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, German

Pronounced: KAWR-ə (English)

Created by James Fenimore Cooper for his novel 'The Last of the Mohicans' (1826). He may have based it on KORË or CORINNA.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Armenian, Biblical, Biblical Greek

Other Scripts: דָּנִיֵּאל (Hebrew), Даниел (Macedonian), Դանիէլ (Armenian), Δανιηλ (Ancient Greek)

Pronounced: DAN-yul (English), dah-nee-EL (Jewish), dan-YEL (French), DAH-nee-el (German), DAHN-yel (Polish)

From the Hebrew name דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.

Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).

From the Irish Mac Dara which means Means "oak tree". This was the name of a 6th-century saint from Connemara. It is also used as an Anglicized form of DÁIRE.

Anglicized form of DEARBHÁIL or DEIRBHILE

Gaelic form of DONALD

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology

Pronounced: DUL-an (Welsh), DIL-ən (English)

From the Welsh elements dy "great" and llanw "tide, flow". In Welsh mythology Dylan was a god or hero associated with the sea. He was the son of Arianrhod and was accidentally slain by his uncle Govannon.

Famous bearers include the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and the American musician Bob Dylan (1941-), real name Robert Zimmerman, who took his stage surname from the poet's given name. Due to those two bearers, use of the name has spread outside of Wales in the last half of the 20th century. It received a further boost in popularity in the 1990s due to a character on the television series 'Beverly Hills 90210'.

Modern form of ÉTAÍN

Latinized form of ÉTAÍN. This was the name of an early Irish saint.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch

Pronounced: EE-dith (English), E-dit (German)

From the Old English name Eadgyð, derived from the elements ead "rich, blessed" and gyð "war". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by Saint Eadgyð, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. The name remained common after the Norman conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Dutch

Pronounced: ED-win (English), ED-win (Dutch), ED-vin (Dutch)

Means "rich friend" from the Old English elements ead "rich, blessed" 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 "snow" in Welsh.

Means "white snow" from the Welsh elements eira "snow" and gwen "white, blessed".

Medieval English form of HELEN. This was the usual spelling of the name until the 17th century, when Helen became more common.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Finnish, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish

Pronounced: e-MEEL-yah (Italian, Spanish, Polish)

Feminine form of Aemilius (see EMIL).

Anglicized form of EOGHAN

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovene, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Russian, Old Church Slavic, Biblical Latin

Other Scripts: Ева (Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Church Slavic)

Pronounced: E-vah (Italian, Spanish), EE-və (English), E-fah (German), AY-vah (Dutch)

Latinate form of EVE. This form is used in the Latin translation of the New Testament, while Hava is used in the Latin Old Testament. It is also a variant Russian transcription of YEVA. This name appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.

Gender: Feminine & Masculine

Usage: English, German

Pronounced: EV-ə-lin (English), EV-lin (English)

From an English surname which was derived from the given name AVELINE. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as mainly feminine due to association with the related name Evelina.

Anglicized form of FIONNUALA

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian

Pronounced: fer-NAHN-dah (Spanish)

Spanish, Portuguese and Italian feminine form of FERDINAND

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology

Pronounced: FEE-akh-ra

Derived from Gaelic fiach meaning "raven". In Irish legend Fiachra was one of the four children of Lir transformed into swans for a period of 900 years. This is also the name of the patron saint of gardeners, a 7th-century Irish abbot who settled in France.

From a Scottish place name which was formerly the name of a kingdom in Scotland. It is said to be named for the legendary Pictish hero Fib.

Older Irish form of FIONN. This is also the usual Anglicized spelling of the name. As a surname it is borne by Huckleberry Finn, a character in Mark Twain's novels.

Anglicized form of FIONNUALA

Modern Irish form of FINTAN

English form of a Germanic name meaning "peaceful ruler", derived from frid "peace" and ric "ruler, power". This name has long been common in continental Germanic-speaking regions, being borne by rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, and Prussia. Notables among these rulers include the 12th-century Holy Roman Emperor and crusader Frederick I Barbarossa, the 13th-century emperor and patron of the arts Frederick II, and the 18th-century Frederick II of Prussia, known as Frederick the Great.

The Normans brought the name to England in the 11th century but it quickly died out. It was reintroduced by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century. A famous bearer was Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), an American ex-slave who became a leading advocate of abolition.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Norse Mythology, English (British, Modern)

Pronounced: FRAY-ah (Norse Mythology)

From Old Norse Freyja meaning "lady". This is the name of the goddess of love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology. She claimed half of the heroes who were slain in battle and brought them to her realm in Asgard. Some scholars connect her with the goddess Frigg.

This is not the usual spelling in any of the Scandinavian languages (in Sweden and Denmark it is Freja and in Norway it is Frøja) but it is the common spelling of the goddess's name in English. In the 2000s it became popular in Britain.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: German, English

Pronounced: FREE-dah (German), FREE-də (English)

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek Mythology, Italian

Other Scripts: Γαια (Ancient Greek)

Pronounced: GAY-ə (English), GIE-ə (English), GAH-yah (Italian)

Means "earth" in Greek. In Greek mythology Gaia was the mother goddess who presided over the earth. She was the mate of Uranus and the mother of the Titans and the Cyclopes.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Scottish

Pronounced: GAV-in (English)

Medieval form of GAWAIN. Though it died out in England, it was reintroduced from Scotland in the 20th century.

From the Germanic element hug, meaning "heart, mind, spirit". It was common among Frankish and French nobility, being borne by Hugh Capet, a 10th-century king of France who founded the Capetian dynasty. The Normans brought the name to England and it became common there, even more so after the time of the 12th-century bishop Saint Hugh of Lincoln, who was known for his charity. This was also the name of kings of Cyprus and the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. The name is used in Ireland and Scotland as the Anglicized form of Aodh and Ùisdean.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek Mythology

Other Scripts: Ιανθη (Ancient Greek)

Means "violet flower", derived from Greek ιον (ion) "violet" and ανθος (anthos) "flower". This was the name of an ocean nymph in Greek mythology.

Means "sparkle brilliance" in Sindarin. In the 'Silmarillion' (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Idril was the daughter of Turgon, the king of Gondolin. She escaped the destruction of that place with her husband Tuor and sailed with him into the west.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German

Pronounced: ING-grit (German)

From the Old Norse name Ingríðr meaning "Ing is beautiful", derived from the name of the Germanic god ING combined with fríðr "beautiful". A famous bearer was the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982).

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, Scottish

Pronounced: ie-ON-ə (English)

From the name of the island off Scotland where Saint Columba founded a monastery. The name of the island is Old Norse in origin, and apparently derives simply from ey meaning "island".

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English (Rare), German, Celtic Mythology

Pronounced: i-ZOL-də (English), i-SOL-də (English), ee-ZAWL-du (German)

The origins of this name are uncertain, though some Celtic roots have been suggested. It is possible that the name is ultimately Germanic, perhaps from a hypothetic name like Ishild, composed of the elements is "ice" and hild "battle".

In Arthurian legend she was an Irish princess betrothed to King Mark of Cornwall. She became the lover of his knight Tristan, which led to their tragic deaths. The story was popular during the Middle Ages and the name became relatively common in England at that time. It was rare by the 19th century, though some interest was generated by Richard Wagner's opera 'Tristan und Isolde' (1865).

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Biblical

Pronounced: JAYMZ (English)

English form of the Late Latin name Iacomus which was derived from Ιακωβος (Iakobos), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name Ya'aqov (see JACOB). This was the name of two apostles in the New Testament. The first was Saint James the Greater, the apostle John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of Jesus.

Since the 13th century this form of the name has been used in England, though it became more common in Scotland, where it was borne by several kings. In the 17th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. Famous bearers include the explorer Captain James Cook (1728-1779), the inventor James Watt (1736-1819), and the novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming.

Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: Scottish, English

Pronounced: JAY-mee

Originally a Lowland Scots diminutive of JAMES. Since the late 19th century it has also been used as a feminine form.

Anglicized form of CAITLÍN

From the Old English name Cenhelm, which was composed of the elements cene "bold, keen" and helm "helmet". Saint Kenelm was a 9th-century martyr from Mercia, where he was a member of the royal family. The name was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, but has since become rare.

Irish form of LAURENCE (1)

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English

Pronounced: lə-TISH-ə

Personal note: Letitia Niamh

From the Late Latin name Laetitia which meant "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.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Scottish

Personal note: Lilias Mara, Lilias Niamh

Scottish form of LILLIAN

Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: Scottish, English

Pronounced: LO-gən

From a surname which was originally derived from a Scottish place name meaning "little hollow" in Scottish Gaelic.

Means "the moon" in Latin. Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.

The name of the constellation in the northern sky containing the star Vega. It is said to be shaped after the lyre of Orpheus.

Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Medb meaning "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. Her fight against Ulster and the hero Cúchulainn is told in the Irish epic 'The Cattle Raid of Cooley'.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology, Georgian

Other Scripts: Μαια (Ancient Greek), მაია (Georgian)

Pronounced: MAY-ə (English), MIE-ə (English)

Meaning unknown. In Greek and Roman mythology she was the eldest of the Pleiades, the group of seven stars in the constellation Taurus, who were the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Her son by Zeus was Hermes.

Scottish form of MARGARET

From Scottish 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 murdered his father. The character Malcolm in Shakespeare's tragedy 'Macbeth' (1606) is based on him. Another famous bearer was Malcolm X (1925-1965), an American civil rights leader.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Biblical

Other Scripts: מָרָא (Ancient Hebrew)

Pronounced: MAHR-ə (English), MAR-ə (English)

Means "bitter" in Hebrew. This is a name taken by Naomi in the Old Testament (see Ruth 1:20).

Scottish form of both MARJORIE and MARCELLA

Vocative form of MÀIRI

Anglicized form of MUIRNE

Means "festive" in Irish Gaelic. In Irish legend this was the name of the mother of Fionn mac Cumhail.

Medieval English form of a Celtic name which was probably related to the Irish name MUIRGEL. The Normans brought it to England from Brittany. In the modern era it was popularized by a character from Dinah Craik's novel 'John Halifax, Gentleman' (1856).

Anglicized form of MUIRNE

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Irish, Scottish, English

Pronounced: NEEL (English)

From the Gaelic name Niall, which is of disputed origin, possibly meaning "champion" or "cloud". This was the name of a semi-legendary 4th-century Irish king, Niall of the Nine Hostages.

In the early Middle Ages the name was adopted by Viking raiders and settlers in Ireland in the form Njal. The Vikings transmitted it to England and Scotland, as well as bringing it back to Scandinavia. It was also in use among the Normans, who were of Scandinavian origin. A famous bearer of this name was American astronaut Neil Armstrong (1930-), the first person to walk on the moon.

Original Gaelic spelling of NEIL

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology

Pronounced: NEEV

Personal note: Niamh Letitia, Niamh Lilias

Means "bright" in Irish. She was the daughter of the sea god in Irish legends. She fell in love with the poet Oisín, son of Fionn.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Biblical

Other Scripts: נוֹחַ (Ancient Hebrew)

Pronounced: NO-ə (English)

Derived from the Hebrew name נוֹחַ (Noach) meaning "rest, comfort". According to the Old Testament, Noah was the builder of the Ark that allowed him, his family, and animals of each species to survive the great Flood. After the Flood he received the sign of the rainbow as a covenant from God. As an English Christian name, Noah has been used since the Protestant Reformation, being common among the Puritans.

Means "little pale green one", derived from Irish odhra "pale green, sallow" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a saint who travelled with Saint Columba through Scotland.

Anglicized form of ODHRÁN

Anglicized form of ÓRFHLAITH

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Irish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Irish Mythology

Pronounced: AHS-kər (English)

Possibly means "deer lover", derived from Gaelic os "deer" and cara "lover". Alternatively, it may derive from the Old English name OSGAR or its Old Norse cognate ÁSGEIRR, which may have been brought to Ireland by Viking invaders and settlers. In Irish legend Oscar was the son of the poet Oisín and the grandson of the hero Fionn mac Cumhail.

This name was popularized in continental Europe by the works of the 18th-century Scottish poet James Macpherson. Napoleon was an admirer of Macpherson, and he suggested Oscar as the second middle name of his godson, who eventually became king of Sweden as Oscar I. Another notable bearer was the Irish writer and humourist Oscar Wilde (1854-1900).

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Biblical, Biblical Latin

Other Scripts: Φοιβη (Ancient Greek)

Pronounced: FEE-bee (English)

Latinized form of the Greek name Φοιβη (Phoibe), which meant "bright, pure" from Greek φοιβος (phoibos). In Greek mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess Artemis. The name appears in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae. In England, it began to be used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. A moon of Saturn bears this name (in honour of the Titan).

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Welsh

Pronounced: HREES (Welsh), REES (English)

Means "enthusiasm" in Welsh. Several Welsh rulers have borne this name.

Anglicized form of RUAIDHRÍ

Means "famous strength" from the Germanic elements hrod "fame" and swinþ "strength". This was the name of a 10th-century nun from Saxony who wrote several notable poems.

Means "freedom" in Irish Gaelic.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, English, German, Late Roman, Roman Mythology

Pronounced: SEEL-vyah (Italian), SEEL-byah (Spanish)

Feminine form of SILVIUS. Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. This was also the name of a 6th-century saint, the mother of the pope Gregory the Great. It has been a common name in Italy since the Middle Ages. It was introduced to England by Shakespeare, who used it for a character in his play 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona' (1594).

Variant of SÍTHMAITH

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, Greek, German, Ancient Greek

Other Scripts: Σοφια (Greek)

Pronounced: so-FEE-ə (English), so-FIE-ə (British English), zo-FEE-ah (German)

Means "wisdom" in Greek. This was the name of an early, probably mythical, saint who died of grief after her three daughters were martyred. Legends about her probably arose as a result of a medieval misunderstanding of the phrase Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom", which was the name of a large basilica in Constantinople.

This name was common among continental European royalty during the Middle Ages, and it was popularized in Britain by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century. It was the name of characters in the novels 'Tom Jones' (1749) by Henry Fielding and 'The Vicar of Wakefield' (1766) by Oliver Goldsmith.

Scandinavian form of the Old English name Sunngifu, which meant "sun gift" from the Old English elements sunne "sun" and giefu "gift". This was the name of a legendary English saint who was shipwrecked in Norway and killed by the inhabitants.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Dutch

Pronounced: THEE-o (English), TAY-o (Dutch)

Short form of THEODORE, THEOBALD, and other names that begin with Theo.

Means "wind" in Finnish.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, German, Czech

Pronounced: VAL-ə-ree (English), VAH-le-ree (German)