ANNAGender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Icelandic, Catalan, Occitan, Breton, Biblical, Old Church Slavic, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Αννα (Greek), Анна (Russian, Bulgarian, Church Slavic)
Pronounced: AN-a (English), AHN-nah (Italian, Dutch, Polish), AH-nah (German, Russian)
Form of Channah (see HANNAH) used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the Hannah spelling. The name appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin Mary. In the English-speaking world, this form came into general use in the 18th century, joining Ann and Anne.The name was borne by several Russian royals, including an 18th-century empress of Russia. It was also the name of the main character in Leo Tolstoy's novel 'Anna Karenina' (1877), a woman forced to choose between her son and her lover.
ARIAMeans "song" or "melody" in Italian (literally means "air"). An aria is an elaborate vocal solo, the type usually performed in operas. As an English name, it has only been in use since the 20th century.AVA (1)Variant of EVE. A famous bearer was the American actress Ava Gardner (1922-1990).CAMERONGender: Masculine & Feminine
Pronounced: KAM-rən (English), KAM-ə-rən (English)
From a Scottish surname meaning "crooked nose" from Gaelic cam "crooked" and sròn "nose".CASSANDRAGender: 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.
EMMAGender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, German, Ancient Germanic
Pronounced: EM-ə (English), E-mah (German)
Originally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element ermen meaning "whole" or "universal". It was introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, who was the wife both of king Ethelred II (and by him the mother of Edward the Confessor) and later of king Canute. It was also borne by an 11th-century Austrian saint, who is sometimes called Hemma.After the Norman conquest this name became common in England. It was revived in the 18th century, perhaps in part due to Matthew Prior's poem 'Henry and Emma' (1709). It was also used by Jane Austen for the central character, the matchmaker Emma Woodhouse, in her novel 'Emma' (1816).
GINEVRAItalian form of GUINEVERE. This is also the Italian name for the city of Geneva, Switzerland. It is also sometimes associated with the Italian word ginepro meaning "juniper".GINNYISABELLAGender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Romanian
Pronounced: ee-zah-BEL-lah (Italian), iz-ə-BEL-ə (English)
Latinate form of ISABEL. A notable bearer of the name was the powerful ruling queen Isabella of Castile, who sponsored the explorations of Christopher Columbus.JAYLACombination of JAY (1) and the popular name suffix la.JESSICAGender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian
Pronounced: JES-i-kə (English)
This name was first used in this form by Shakespeare in his play 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name ISCAH, which would have been spelled Jescha in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century.JULIAGender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Finnish, Ancient Roman, Biblical
Pronounced: JOO-lee-ə (English), YOO-lee-ah (German), HOO-lyah (Spanish), YUWL-yah (Polish), YOO:-lee-ah (Ancient Roman)
Feminine form of JULIUS. A person by this name has a brief mention in the New Testament. It was borne by a few early saints and martyrs, including the patron saint of Corsica. Shakespeare used the name in his comedy 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona' (1594). It has been common as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the 18th century.JULIETAnglicized form of JULIETTE or GIULIETTA. This spelling was first used by Shakespeare for the lover of Romeo in his play 'Romeo and Juliet' (1596).LEAHGender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: לֵאָה (Hebrew)
Pronounced: LEE-ə (English)
From the Hebrew name לֵאָה (Le'ah) which was probably derived from the Hebrew word לְאָה (le'ah) meaning "weary". Alternatively it might derive from a Chaldean name meaning "mistress" or "ruler" in Akkadian. In the Old Testament, Leah is the first wife of Jacob and the mother of seven of his children. Although this name was used by Jews in the Middle Ages, it was not typical as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation, being common among the Puritans.LEILAGender: Feminine
Other Scripts: ليلى (Arabic)
Pronounced: LAY-lə (English), LEE-lə (English), LIE-lə (English)
Variant of LAYLA. This spelling was used by Lord Byron for characters in 'The Giaour' (1813) and 'Don Juan' (1819), and it is through him that the name was introduced to the English-speaking world.LILYFrom the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin lilium.NICKShort form of NICHOLASSARIGender: Feminine
Usage: Indonesian
Means "essence" in Indonesian.SHAYLASOPHIAGender: 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.
TAYLORFrom an English surname which originally denoted someone who was a tailor, from Norman French tailleur, ultimately from Latin taliare "to cut". British author Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985) may have been an influence on its modern use as a feminine name.