Nisha's Personal Name List

Latinized form of Greek Ἄκανθα (Akantha), which meant "thorn, prickle". In Greek legend she was a nymph loved by Apollo.

Means "teacher, scholar, sage" in Thai.

Derived from the Old English elements ælf "elf" and heah "high". This was the name of an 11th-century archbishop of Canterbury, a saint and martyr, who is commonly known as Alphege or Elphege.

Feminine form of Aelianus.

Russian form of Athanasius.

Modern Persian form of Angra Mainyu.

Means "lord of wisdom", from Avestan 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬀 (ahura) meaning "lord" and 𐬨𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬁 (mazdā) meaning "wisdom". In Zoroastrianism Ahura Mazda was the supreme creator, and the god of light, truth, and goodness.

Variant of Aino. It also means "always" in Finnish.

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 "living, alive" in Arabic. This was the name of Muhammad's third wife, the daughter of Abu Bakr. Some time after Muhammad's death she went to war against Ali, the fourth caliph, but was defeated. Her name is used more by Sunni Muslims and less by Shias.

This name began to be used in America in the 1970s, possibly inspired by Princess Aisha of Jordan (1968-), the daughter of King Hussein and his British-born wife. It received a boost in popularity after Stevie Wonder used it for his first daughter in 1975.

Means "prosperity, wealth" in Sanskrit. A famous bearer is the Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (1973-).

Means "dream" or "vision" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.

Irish form of Aloysius.

Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander.

Anglicized form of Alasdair.

Irish form of Alexander.

Finnish form of Alexander.

Feminine form of Ali 1.

Latinized form of Aloys, an old Occitan form of Louis. This was the name of an Italian saint, Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591). The name has been in occasional use among Catholics since his time.

French form of Alfonso.

Means "golden rose" in Mongolian, from алтан (altan) meaning "golden" and сарнай (sarnai) meaning "rose".

Means "golden flower" in Mongolian, from алтан (altan) meaning "golden" and цэцэг (tsetseg) meaning "flower".

Means "large, great" in Tamazight.

From the name of the purple semi-precious stone, which is derived from the Greek negative prefix ἀ (a) and μέθυστος (methystos) meaning "intoxicated, drunk", as it was believed to be a remedy against drunkenness. It is the traditional birthstone of February.

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.

Greek form of Anahita.

From Kazakh and Kyrgyz анар (anar) meaning "pomegranate", a word ultimately derived from Persian.

Feminine form of Anastasius. This was the name of a 4th-century Dalmatian saint who was martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Due to her, the name has been common in Eastern Orthodox Christianity (in various spellings). As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the youngest daughter of the last Russian tsar Nicholas II, who was rumoured to have escaped the execution of her family in 1918.

Means "evil spirit", from Avestan 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀 (angra) meaning "evil, destructive" and 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 (mainiiu) meaning "spirit, mind". In Zoroastrianism Angra Mainyu was the god of darkness, death and destruction, the enemy of Ahura Mazda.

Means "minuteness" from Sanskrit अणिमन (animan). In yoga texts, this is the name of the ability to make oneself infinitely small so to be invisible.

Means "soul, spirit" in Latin. In Jungian psychology the anima is an individual's true inner self, or soul.

Means "supreme, paramount, without a ruler", from the Sanskrit negative prefix अ (a) and ईश (isha) meaning "ruler, lord".

French form of Anthimos via Anthimus.

From Old Irish Aífe, derived from oíph meaning "beauty" (modern Irish aoibh). This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including a woman at war with Scáthach (her sister in some versions). She was defeated in single combat by the hero Cúchulainn, who spared her life on the condition that she bear him a child (Connla). Another legendary figure by this name appears in the Children of Lir as the jealous third wife of Lir.

This name is sometimes Anglicized as Eve or Eva.

From Avestan 𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬑𐬱𐬀 (Ərəxsha), of uncertain meaning, possibly from a root meaning "bear" [1]. In Iranian legend Arash was an archer who was ordered by the Turans to shoot an arrow, the landing place of which would determine the new location of the Iran-Turan border. Arash climbed a mountain and fired his arrow with such strength that it flew for several hours and landed on the banks of the far-away Oxus River.

Means "lion" in Hebrew.

From an old Indo-Iranian root meaning "Aryan, noble". In India, this is a transcription of both the masculine form आर्य and the feminine form आर्या. In Iran it is only a masculine name.

Short form of Old Norse feminine names beginning with the element áss "god".

Norwegian form of Åsa, as well as a Swedish and Danish variant. It was used by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen in his play Peer Gynt (1867), where it belongs to the mother of the title character.

Perhaps derived from Semitic roots meaning "she who walks in the sea". This was the name of a Semitic mother goddess. She was worshipped by the Israelites before the advent of monotheism.

From the name of the continent, which is perhaps derived from Akkadian asu, meaning "east".

Polish diminutive of Joanna.

Bosnian form of Asiya.

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.

Short form of Athanasios (see Athanasius).

Feminine form of Athanasios (see Athanasius).

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.

Ancient Greek personal name that was derived from the name of the Greek goddess Athena.

Means "wild condor" in Mapuche, from awka- "wild" and mañke "condor".

Feminine form of Aurelius.

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 "dawn" in Lithuanian.

From the name of the island paradise to which King Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh afal meaning "apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.

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.

Turkish form of Aisha.

Variant of Azriel. This was the name of an angel in Jewish and Islamic tradition who separated the soul from the body upon death. He is sometimes referred to as the Angel of Death.

Means "my help is God", derived from Hebrew עָזַר ('azar) meaning "help" and אֵל ('el) meaning "God". This is the name of three minor characters in the Old Testament.

Polish form of Basil 1.

Slovene and Croatian form of Blaise.

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

Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Calixtus.

Variant of Callistus, the spelling perhaps influenced by Latin calix "wine cup". This was the name of three popes (also known as Callistus).

MEANING : female Greek Partridge ( fabled to subsist on moonbeams )
Usage : Sanskrit, Indian, Tamil, Telugu, Nepali, Sinhalese, Hindi, Sikh, Punjabi, Kannada, Marathi , Gujarati, Assamese, Malayalam, Bengali, Fijian, Hinduism

Means simply "chalice, goblet" from the English word, derived from Latin calix.

Derived from the Lakota word šahiyena meaning "red speakers". This is the name of a Native American people of the Great Plains. The name was supposedly given to the Cheyenne by the Lakota because their language was unrelated to their own. As a given name, it has been in use since the 1950s.

From the name of the Asian country, ultimately derived from Qin, the name of a dynasty that ruled there in the 3rd century BC.

From the English word for the wild flower, ultimately deriving from Old English clafre.

Masculine form of Concetta.

From the name of the spice, also called cilantro, which may ultimately be of Phoenician origin (via Latin and Greek).

From the English word meaning "greenish blue, cyan", ultimately derived from Greek κύανος (kyanos).

Created by the Lithuanian writer Vydūnas, who possibly derived it from a Sanskrit word meaning "destiny".

Means "coquettishness" in Arabic.

Meaning uncertain, perhaps an elaboration of Dalia 1. This name was used by Mexican-American musician Larry Hernandez for his daughter born 2010.

From Δαναοί (Danaoi), a word used by Homer to designate the Greeks. In Greek mythology Danaë was the daughter of the Argive king Acrisius. It had been prophesied to her father that he would one day be killed by Danaë's son, so he attempted to keep his daughter childless. However, Zeus came to her in the form of a shower of gold, and she became the mother of Perseus. Eventually the prophecy was fulfilled and Perseus killed Acrisius, albeit accidentally.

From a surname: either the English surname Delaney 1 or the Irish surname Delaney 2.

French form of Delphina.

From an elaboration of Welsh del "pretty". This is a recently created name.

Derived from Arabic ذنب (dhanab) meaning "tail". This is the name of a star in the constellation Cygnus.

Means "region, direction" in Sanskrit.

Russian form of Demetrius. This name was borne by several medieval princes of Moscow and Vladimir. Another famous bearer was Dmitriy Mendeleyev (or Mendeleev; 1834-1907), the Russian chemist who devised the periodic table.

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.

French feminine form of Dorian.

Croatian form of Dorian.

Scottish Gaelic form of Hilary.

Scottish Gaelic form of Elizabeth.

From an Old Welsh given name of unknown meaning, the source of the place name Eifionydd (also called Eifion) in northwestern Wales. This name was revived in the 19th century, probably via the place name.

Irish Gaelic form of Elizabeth (or sometimes of Alice).

Anglicized form of Eilís.

Means "snow" in Welsh. This is a recently created name.

Means "bright, beautiful" in Welsh [1].

Means "terebinth tree" in Hebrew. This was the name of the fourth king of Israel, as told in the Old Testament. He was murdered by Zimri, who succeeded him.

Short form of Eleanor. This was also the name of an ancient Italian town (modern Velia) that is well known for being the home of the philosopher Parmenides and his student Zeno of Elea, who was famous for his paradoxes.

Means "ascension" in Hebrew. In the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.

Eli has been used as an English Christian given name since the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer was the American inventor of the cotton gin Eli Whitney (1765-1825).

Means "my God" in Hebrew.

In the case of Elián Gonzalez (1993-) it is a combination of Elizabeth and Juan 1, the names of his parents.

Means "my God has answered" in Hebrew.

Probably from Aeliana, the feminine form of the Roman name Aelianus, which was derived from the Roman family name Aelius. This was the name of an obscure early saint and martyr from Amasea.

French form of Elijah.

Means "my eyes look to God" in Hebrew. This was the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.

Means "God is release" in Hebrew. This is the name of several people in the Old Testament including a son of David.

From the Hebrew name אֱלִישַׁע ('Elisha'), a contracted form of אֱלִישׁוּעַ ('Elishu'a) meaning "my God is salvation". According to the Old Testament, Elisha was a prophet and miracle worker. He was the attendant of Elijah and succeeded him after his ascension to heaven.

Hebrew form of Elizabeth.

Czech and Slovak diminutive of Elizabeth.

Medieval English form of Helen. This was the usual spelling of the name until the 19th century, when the form Helen also became common.

Feminine form of Emiliano.

Form of Immanuel used in the Greek Bible.

From the Hebrew name עִמָּנוּאֵל ('Immanu'el) meaning "God is with us", from the roots עִם ('im) meaning "with" and אֵל ('el) meaning "God". This was the foretold name of the Messiah in the Old Testament. It has been used in England since the 16th century in the spellings Emmanuel and Immanuel, though it has not been widespread [1]. The name has been more common in continental Europe, especially in Spain and Portugal (in the spellings Manuel and Manoel).

Form of Immanuel used in the Latin Bible.

Possibly derived from Basque ene "my" and ko, a diminutive suffix. This was the name of the first king of Pamplona or Navarre (9th century), whose name is usually rendered as Íñigo.

Means "rainbow" in Welsh. This name was first used in the 19th century.

Variant of Asha 2.

Persian form of Alexander.

Derived from Greek εὔλαλος (eulalos) meaning "sweetly-speaking", itself from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and λαλέω (laleo) meaning "to talk". This was the name of an early 4th-century saint and martyr from Mérida in Spain. Another martyr by this name, living at the same time, is a patron saint of Barcelona. These two saints might be the same person.

Means "good news" from Greek εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἄγγελμα (angelma) meaning "news, message". It was (first?) used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1847 epic poem Evangeline [1][2]. It also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) as the full name of the character Eva.

Means "little wolf", derived from Old Irish fáel "wolf" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an Irish saint who did missionary work in Scotland.

From the English word for the plant, ultimately from Old English fearn. It has been used as a given name since the late 19th century.

From the Old Norse name Finnr, which meant "Sámi, person from Finland".

Older form of Fionnuala.

Variant of Fionnuala.

From the Hebrew name גַבְרִיאֵל (Gavri'el) meaning "God is my strong man", derived from גֶּבֶר (gever) meaning "strong man, hero" and אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Gabriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition, often appearing as a messenger of God. In the Old Testament he is sent to interpret the visions of the prophet Daniel, while in the New Testament he serves as the announcer of the births of John to Zechariah and Jesus to Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the Quran to Muhammad.

This name has been used occasionally in England since the 12th century. It was not common in the English-speaking world until the end of the 20th century.

Means "my reward is God" in Hebrew. This name appears in the Old Testament belonging to a son of Pedahzur. It was also borne by a 1st-century Jewish priest and scholar, mentioned in Acts in the New Testament as a teacher of Saint Paul.

Medieval Italian nickname meaning "gem, precious stone". It was borne by the wife of the 13th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri.

Variant of Glenn.

From a Scottish surname that was derived from Gaelic gleann "valley". It was borne by the American actor Glenn Ford (1916-2006), whose birth name was Gwyllyn. A famous bearer of the surname was American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016). The name peaked in popularity in 1962 when he became the first American to orbit the earth.

Though this name is borne by the American actress Glenn Close (1947-), it has never caught on as a feminine name.

Means "heaven, sky" in Korean.

From the Hebrew name חַנָּה (Channah) meaning "favour, grace", derived from the root חָנַן (chanan). In the Old Testament this is the name of the wife of Elkanah. Her rival was Elkanah's other wife Peninnah, who had children while Hannah remained barren. After a blessing from Eli she finally became pregnant with Samuel.

As an English name, Hannah was not regularly used until after the Protestant Reformation, unlike the vernacular forms Anne and Ann and the Latin form Anna, which were used from the late Middle Ages. In the last half of the 20th century Hannah surged in popularity and neared the top of the name rankings for both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Form of Ezekiel found in Swedish and Finnish bibles, as well as in German Protestant bibles.

Variant of Horatius. Shakespeare used it for a character in his tragedy Hamlet (1600). It was borne by the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), famous for his defeat of Napoleon's forces in the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he was himself killed. Since his time the name has been occasionally used in his honour.

French form of Hortensia.

Means "raven" in Old Norse.

English form of Hyacinthus.

Latinized form of the Greek name Ὑάκινθος (Hyakinthos), which was derived from the name of the hyacinth flower. In Greek legend Hyakinthos was accidentally killed by the god Apollo, who mournfully caused this flower to arise from his blood. The name was also borne by several early saints, notably a 3rd-century martyr who was killed with his brother Protus.

Means "tree" in Hebrew.

Finnish form of Hilarius.

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.

Hungarian form of Emmerich. This was the name of an 11th-century Hungarian saint, the son of Saint Istvan. He is also known as Emeric.

From the English word indigo for the purplish-blue dye or the colour. It is ultimately derived from Greek Ἰνδικόν (Indikon) meaning "Indic, from India".

Meaning unknown. In Greek mythology Io was a princess loved by Zeus, who changed her into a heifer in order to hide her from Hera. A moon of Jupiter bears this name in her honour.

Short form of Isabella.

Means "master, lord" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form ईशा and the masculine form ईश (an epithet of the Hindu god Shiva). It is also the name of one of the Upanishads, which are parts of Hindu scripture.

From the Hebrew name יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra'el) meaning "God contends", from the roots שָׂרָה (sarah) meaning "to contend, to fight" and אֵל ('el) meaning "God". In the Old Testament, Israel (who was formerly named Jacob; see Genesis 32:28) wrestles with an angel. The ancient and modern states of Israel took their names from him.

Possibly means "God is with me" in Hebrew. This is the name of a minor character in the Old Testament.

From the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English ifig.

Norman form of Jocelyn.

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).

Medieval variant of Julian.

Medieval Low German form of George.

From Hawaiian kai "ocean, sea" and mana "power". It is also Hawaiian meaning "diamond", derived from the English word diamond.

Means "the black one" in Sanskrit. The Hindu goddess Kali is the fierce destructive form of the wife of Shiva. She is usually depicted with black skin and four arms, holding a severed head and brandishing a sword. As a personal name, it is generally masculine in India.

Possibly a Khmer form of Kalyana.

Means "imagining, fantasy" in Sanskrit.

Means "beautiful, lovely, auspicious" in Sanskrit.

Means "beautiful, lovely, auspicious" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the Mahabharata this is the name of one of the Krittikas, or Pleiades. It is also another name of the Hindu goddess Parvati.

From the name of the African country. The country is named for Mount Kenya, which in the Kikuyu language is called Kĩrĩnyaga meaning "the one having stripes". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 1960s.

Means "rainbow" in Hebrew.

Probably a variant of Keisha.

From the name of the bird of prey, ultimately derived from Old French crecelle "rattle", which refers to the sound of its cry.

Derived from Sanskrit किरण (kirana), which can mean "dust" or "thread" or "sunbeam".

Means "ember moon" in Turkish.

Polish form of Xavier.

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.

Sami variant form of Helga.

Short form of Eulalia.

Diminutive of Eduardo.

French form of Leah.

From the Hebrew name לֵאָה (Le'ah), which was probably derived from the Hebrew word לְאָה (le'ah) meaning "weary". Alternatively it might be related to Akkadian littu meaning "cow". In the Old Testament Leah is the first wife of Jacob and the mother of seven of his children. Jacob's other wife was Leah's younger sister Rachel, whom he preferred. Leah later offered Jacob her handmaid Zilpah in order for him to conceive more 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.

Variant of Leila.

Short form of Alexia.

Derived from Akkadian lilitu meaning "of the night". This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish tradition she was Adam's first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by Eve because she would not submit to him. The offspring of Adam (or Samael) and Lilith were the evil spirits of the world.

Short form of Alicia, Felicia and other names ending with the same sound.

Meaning unknown, possibly derived from the Germanic root *luką meaning "lock". In Norse mythology Loki was a trickster god associated with magic and shape shifting. Loki's children include the wolf Fenrir, the sea serpent Jörmungandr, and the queen of the dead Hel. After he orchestrated the death of Balder, the other gods tied him to a rock below a snake that dripped venom onto his face. It is told that he will break free during Ragnarök, the final battle, and slay and be slain by Heimdall.

Means "little fierce one", derived from Old Irish lorcc "fierce" combined with a diminutive suffix. Saint Lorcán was a 12th-century archbishop of Dublin.

Polish form of Lucianus.

Means "the moon" in Latin (as well as Italian, Spanish and other Romance languages). 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. This is the name of the main character in the His Dark Materials series of books by Philip Pullman (beginning 1995).

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.

From Greek μαῖα (maia) meaning "good mother, dame, foster mother", perhaps in origin a nursery form of μήτηρ (meter). In Greek and Roman mythology she was the eldest of the Pleiades, a group of stars in the constellation Taurus, who were the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Her son by Zeus was Hermes.

From Tupi maya arya meaning "great-grandmother".

From Japanese 誠 (makoto) meaning "sincerity", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations.

Means "angel" in Arabic.

Fijian and Tongan form of Malachi, as well as a modern English variant.

Means "sad, grieved" in Pashto. This was the name of a Pashtun woman who encouraged the Afghan forces during the 1880 Battle of Maiwand against the British.

Means "jasmine" in Sanskrit.

Hawaiian form of Mark.

Means "made of the sea" in Esperanto, a derivative of maro "sea", ultimately from Latin mare.

Means "deer" in Mongolian, Azerbaijani, Armenian and Turkmen, referring to the Caspian Red Deer.

Means "moon" in Maori. This is the name of a moon god (or goddess) in Maori mythology.

Diminutive of Mary influenced by Muriel. In the case of actress Mariel Hemingway (1961-), the name is from the Cuban town of Mariel.

Form of Maria in several languages.

French, Armenian and Georgian form of Marina.

Means "illusion, magic" in Sanskrit. In Buddhist tradition this is the name of the mother of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). This is also another name of the Hindu goddess Durga.

Derived from Hebrew מַיִם (mayim) meaning "water".

From Japanese 恵 (megumi) meaning "favour, benefit" or 愛 (megumi) meaning "love, affection", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that have the same reading. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.

Means "jasmine flower" in Malay and Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit मालती (malati).

Means "king" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Micah (not the prophet).

Old French form of Millicent.

Turkish form of Maral.

From a surname meaning "happy weather" in Middle English, originally belonging to a cheery person. A notable bearer of the name was Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809), who, with William Clark, explored the west of North America.

Possibly means "who is what Aku is?" in Akkadian, Aku being the name of the Babylonian god of the moon. In the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament this is the Babylonian name of Mishael, one of the three men cast into a blazing furnace but saved from harm by God.

From Japanese 緑 (midori) meaning "green", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that have the same pronunciation.

From the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear", originally a short form of names containing that element.

From the Occitan name Mirèio, which was first used by the poet Frédéric Mistral for the main character in his poem Mirèio (1859). He probably derived it from the Occitan word mirar meaning "to admire". It is spelled Mirèlha in classical Occitan orthography. A notable bearer is the French singer Mireille Mathieu (1946-).

From Avestan 𐬨𐬌𐬚𐬭𐬀 (mithra) meaning "oath, covenant, agreement", derived from an Indo-Iranian root *mitra meaning "that which binds". According Zoroastrian mythology Mithra was a god of light and friendship, the son of the supreme god Ahura Mazda. Worship of him eventually spread outside of Persia to the Roman Empire, where it was known as Mithraism.

Means "ocean, wide expanse of water, deep sea" in Maori, Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages.

From Japanese 百 (momo) meaning "hundred" or 桃 (momo) meaning "peach" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be constructed from other kanji combinations as well.

From Old Slavic morŭ meaning "death, plague" [1]. In Slavic mythology this was the name of a goddess associated with winter and death.

Czech form of Nadezhda.

Means "hope" in Russian and Bulgarian.

Means "stem" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a king of the Nishadha people in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata.

Means "sun light" in Mongolian, from наран (naran) meaning "sun" and гэрэл (gerel) meaning "light".

Modern northern Indian form of Narayana.

Malayalam and Tamil variant of Narayana.

Possibly from Zapotec nadxiie lii meaning "I love you" or nayele' meaning "open".

Italian form of Nicholas. A notable bearer was the 13th-century sculptor Nicola Pisano.

Means "night" in Sanskrit.

English form of Noëlle.

Derived from French océan meaning "ocean".

From Japanese 修 (osamu) meaning "discipline, study", as well as other kanji that have the same pronunciation.

French form of Osanna.

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.

Means "all gifts", derived from a combination of Greek πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". In Greek mythology Pandora was the first mortal woman. Zeus gave her a jar containing all of the troubles and ills that mankind now knows, and told her not to open it. Unfortunately her curiosity got the best of her and she opened it, unleashing the evil spirits into the world.

From the Late Latin name Paschalis, which meant "relating to Easter" from Latin Pascha "Easter", which was in turn from Hebrew פֶּסַח (pesach) meaning "Passover". Passover is the ancient Hebrew holiday celebrating the liberation from Egypt. Because it coincided closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the same Latin word was used for both. The name Pascal can also function as a surname, as in the case of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French philosopher, mathematician and inventor.

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.

Probably means "Nubian" from the Egyptian name Panhsj, though some believe it means "serpent's mouth" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Phinehas is a grandson of Aaron who kills an Israelite because he is intimate with a Midianite woman, thus stopping a plague sent by God. Also in the Bible this is the son of Eli, killed in battle with the Philistines.

From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek φοῖνιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".

Greek form of Phrixus.

From the Greek Φρίξος (Phrixos) meaning "thrilling, causing shivers", derived from φρίξ (phrix) meaning "ripple, shiver". In Greek myth Phrixus was the son of Athamus and Nephele. He was to be sacrificed to Zeus, but he escaped with his sister Helle on the back of the ram with the Golden Fleece.

Derived from Pythios, a name of Apollo, combined with Greek ἀγορά (agora) meaning "assembly, marketplace". This was the name of a 6th-century BC Greek philosopher and mathematician from Samos. He was the founder of a school of philosophy whose members believed that numbers described the universe.

Simply from the English word rain, derived from Old English regn.

From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god Odin.

From Japanese 蓮 (ren) meaning "lotus", 恋 (ren) meaning "romantic love", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.

Hungarian, Czech and Slovak feminine form of Renatus.

Feminine form of Renatus.

From Old Welsh Ris, probably meaning "ardour, enthusiasm". Several Welsh rulers have borne this name, including the 12th-century Rhys ap Gruffydd who fought against the invading Normans.

From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".

Diminutive of Róis or the Irish word rós meaning "rose" (of Latin origin). It appears in the 17th-century song Róisín Dubh.

Simply from the name of the precious stone (which ultimately derives from Latin ruber "red"), which is the traditional birthstone of July. It came into use as a given name in the 16th century [1].

Latin form of Sapphira.

From the English word that refers either to a spice, the crocus flower from which it is harvested, or the yellow-orange colour of the spice. It is derived via Old French from Arabic زعفران (za'faran), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".

First part of compound Arabic names beginning with سيف ال (Sayf al) meaning "sword of the" (such as Sayf ad-Din).

From Japanese 咲 (sa) meaning "blossom" and 希 (ki) meaning "hope", besides other combinations of kanji characters.

Greek form of Shealtiel. This form is also used in some English versions of the Bible (including the King James Version).

Means "evening conversation" in Arabic, from the root سمر (samara) meaning "to talk in the evening".

Possibly derived from the name of the city of Samarra (in Iraq) or Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel Appointment in Samarra (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.

The name received a boost in popularity after it was borne by the antagonist in the horror movie The Ring (2002).

Finnish diminutive of Samuel.

Means "elevated, sublime, supreme" in Arabic.

From Arabic سَفَر (safar) meaning "journey, travel" combined with the given name Myrat. A notable bearer was Saparmyrat Nyýazow (1940-2006), the first president of Turkmenistan.

Greek form of Sapphira.

From the Greek name Σαπφείρη (Sappheire), which was from Greek σάπφειρος (sappheiros) meaning "sapphire" or "lapis lazuli" (ultimately derived from the Hebrew word סַפִּיר (sappir)). Sapphira is a character in Acts in the New Testament who is killed by God for lying.

From Old Irish Sárait, derived from sár meaning "excellent". This was the name of a daughter of the legendary high king of Ireland, Conn of the Hundred Battles.

Means "straight" in Sanskrit.

Means "moonlight" in Mongolian, from саран (saran) meaning "moon" and гэрэл (gerel) meaning "light".

Means "essence" in Indonesian.

Hungarian diminutive of Sarah.

From a Sanskrit word referring to a type of thrush (species Turdus salica) or myna bird (species Gracula religiosa).

Means "rose" in Mongolian.

German and Dutch form of Sasha.

Russian and Ukrainian diminutive of Aleksandr or Aleksandra.

From the Old German element sahso meaning "a Saxon". The Saxons were a Germanic tribe, their name ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife". Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642) was the wife of the Dutch painter Rembrandt.

Russian form of the Latin name Sabellius meaning "a Sabine". The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy.

From Japanese 小 (sa) meaning "small" and 百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". This name can also be composed of other kanji combinations.

Anglicized form of Shahrazad.

Means "moon" in Greek. This was the name of a Greek goddess of the moon, a Titan. She was sometimes identified with the goddess Artemis.

Feminine form of the Late Latin name Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word seraphim, which was Hebrew in origin and meant "fiery ones". The seraphim were an order of angels, described by Isaiah in the Bible as having six wings each.

This was the name of a 13th-century Italian saint who made clothes for the poor. As an English name, it has never been common.

Means "star" in Welsh. This is a recently created Welsh name.

From a Late Latin name that was derived from Latin serenus meaning "clear, tranquil, serene". This name was borne by an obscure early saint. Edmund Spenser also used it in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590). A famous bearer from the modern era is tennis player Serena Williams (1981-).

Derived from Serey and Sophear, ultimately meaning "the splendor of beauty".

Alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Сергей (see Sergey).

Russian and Bulgarian form of Sergius.

Means "star" in Persian.

From Indonesian setia meaning "loyal, true", ultimately from Sanskrit सत्य (satya), combined with the masculine suffix -wan.

Variant transcription of Sevarion, which was made using the German transcription rules for Georgian.

A notable bearer of this name is Sewarion Kirkitadse (b. 1955), a German lawyer and actor of Georgian descent.

Possibly means "noble lineage" from Persian چهر (chehr) meaning "lineage, origin" and آزاد (azad) meaning "free, noble" [1]. Alternatively, it might mean "child of the city" from شهر (shahr) meaning "city, land" combined with the suffix زاد (zad) meaning "child of". This is the name of the fictional storyteller in The 1001 Nights. She tells a story to her husband the king every night for 1001 nights in order to delay her execution.

Persian form of Avestan 𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬚𐬭𐬀⸱𐬬𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (Xshathra Vairiia) meaning "desirable power". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with the creation of metals. The sixth month of the Iranian calendar is named for him.

Means "I have asked of God" in Hebrew. This was the name of the son of King Jeconiah of Judah and the father of Zerubbabel in the Old Testament.

Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of Sophia.

This name is used as 園 (en, sono) meaning "farm, garden, park, yard."

It's not known how popular Sono was in the early and middle part of the Edo period (1603-1868), but it was moderately popular in the latter part of that period. By the Meiji period (1868-1912), it dropped down in popularity, becoming uncommon by the end of that period and in the Taishō period (1912-1926).

From Japanese 空 (sora) or 昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.

Danish form of Severinus. Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Danish philosopher who is regarded as a precursor of existentialism.

Means "sun" in Khmer.

Means "beautiful" in Khmer.

Means "golden garlend, wreath, line" in Khmer.

Middle Persian form of Soroush.

Yiddish form of Sarah.

Estonian and Finnish form of David.

From a Welsh place name meaning "front hill", derived from Welsh tal "front, extremity" and bryn "hill".

Means "shining brow", derived from Welsh tal "brow, head" and iesin "shining, radiant". This was the name of a semi-legendary 6th-century Welsh poet and bard, supposedly the author of the collection of poems the Book of Taliesin. He appears briefly in the Welsh legend Culhwch and Olwen and the Second Branch of the Mabinogi. He is the central character in the Tale of Taliesin, a medieval legend recorded in the 16th century, which tells how Ceridwen's servant Gwion Bach was reborn to her as Taliesin; how he becomes the bard for Elffin; and how Taliesin defends Elffin from the machinations of the king Maelgwn Gwynedd.

Combination of the popular name prefix ta and Lisha.

This is the name of waterfalls in Georgia. Popularly claimed to mean "leaping waters" in the Choctaw language, it may actually mean "town" in the Creek language. It was borne by American actress Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968), who was named after her grandmother, who may have been named after the waterfalls.

Means "son, boy" in Maori.

Western Armenian transcription of Daniel.

Greek form of Tanith.

Meaning unknown. This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars. She was particularly associated with the city of Carthage, being the consort of Ba'al Hammon.

Means "music, song" in Azerbaijani.

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 太郎 (see Tarō).

Anglicized form of a Thàmhais, vocative case of Tàmhas. Alternatively it could be taken from the Scottish surname McTavish, Anglicized form of Mac Tàmhais, meaning "son of Tàmhas".

From the English word, ultimately deriving from Old French tané, which means "light brown".

Variant of Tara 1.

Variant of Tara 1, perhaps influenced by the Latin word terra meaning "land, earth".

Derived from Greek τήθη (tethe) meaning "grandmother". In Greek mythology this was the name of a Titan associated with the sea. She was the wife of Oceanus.

Derived from Greek θάλλω (thallo) meaning "to blossom". Thales of Miletus was a 6th-century BC Greek philosopher and mathematician.

From the Greek name Θάλεια (Thaleia), derived from θάλλω (thallo) meaning "to blossom". In Greek mythology she was one of the nine Muses, presiding over comedy and pastoral poetry. This was also the name of one of the three Graces or Χάριτες (Charites).

Means "death" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek god of death who resided with Hades in the underworld.

Greek form of Egyptian ḏḥwtj (reconstructed as Djehuti), which is of uncertain meaning. In Egyptian mythology Thoth was the god of the moon, science, magic, speech and writing. He was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis.

Modern Scandinavian form of Þórr (see Thor). It was not used as a personal name until the 18th century. It is sometimes used as a short form of names of Old Norse origin that begin with the element Tor, which is also a derivative of Þórr.

Diminutive of Victoria.

Means "flower" in Mongolian.

Hebrew form of Zipporah.

Derived from the Georgian adjective უშიშარი (ushishari) meaning "fearless, brave".

Medieval Slavic form of Basil 1.

Russian form of Basil 1.

MEANING - night; excellent, beneficent , sweet

Means "destiny" in Khmer.

MEANING - speed, quickness, velocity, current ( of water ), momentum

Feminine form of Velvel.

Czech form of Vera 1.

Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.

Means "scholar" in Khmer.

Alternate transcription of Russian Власий (see Vlasiy).

Possibly means "having no one in front of him in the canoe" in Nuu-chah-nulth. This was the name of a chief of the Clayoquot in the late 18th century, at the time of European contact.

From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.

From Chinese 秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with 兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.

Derived from Nahuatl xōchitl "flower" and quetzalli "quetzal feather, precious thing" [1]. This was the name of the Aztec goddess of love, flowers and the earth, the twin sister of Xochipilli.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew יְחִיאֵל (see Yechiel).

Hebrew form of Jesse.

Derived from Albanian yll meaning "star".

Hebrew form of Jonah. It is a unisex name in modern Hebrew.

Hebrew form of Jonathan.

Medieval Scandinavian form of Jurian.

From Chinese 云 (yún) meaning "cloud" or 允 (yǔn) meaning "allow, consent", as well as other Chinese characters that are pronounced in a similar way.

Alternate transcription of Russian Юрий, Ukrainian Юрій or Belarusian Юрый (see Yuriy).

From Japanese 百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can also form this name.

Derived from Arabic زهرة (zahrah) meaning "blooming flower", from the root زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".

Italian and Spanish form of Zaïre. It was used by Vincenzo Bellini for the heroine of his opera Zaira (1829), which was based on Voltaire's 1732 play Zaïre.

From Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (Zarathushtra), in which the second element is 𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (ushtra) meaning "camel". Proposed meanings for the first element include "old", "moving", "angry" and "yellow". Zarathustra was an Iranian prophet who founded the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism around the 10th century BC. He is also called Zoroaster in English, from the Greek form of his name Ζωροάστρης (Zoroastres).

Possibly based on Zahrah or the Nigerian city of Zaria.

Polish cognate of Záviš.

Means "fate, destiny" in Mongolian.

Possibly means either "first born" or "shadow from terror" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Zelophehad is a man who dies while the Israelites are wandering in the wilderness, leaving five daughters as heirs.

From the Greek Ζέφυρος (Zephyros) meaning "west wind". Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind.

French feminine form of Zephyrinus (see Zeferino).

Possibly means "command of God" in Hebrew. The Book of Enoch names him as one of the seven archangels. His name is sometimes rendered as Sarakiel.

Azerbaijani form of Zaynab.

Diminutive of Zlatan.

From Polish złoto "gold", used as a translation of Yiddish Golda.

Masculine form of Zora.

Means "happiness" in Basque.

Diminutive of Zofia.

Diminutive of Zsuzsanna.

Hungarian form of Sophia.

Diminutive of Erzsébet or Zsófia.

Arabic form of Zuleika.

Means "my rock is God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name is borne by a chief of the Merarite Levites at the time of the Exodus.

Derived from Basque zuri "white". This is a Basque equivalent of Blanca.