Behind the Name: MoonAgeDaydreamer's Personal Name List

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek, Russian, English, Spanish, Ancient Greek

Other Scripts: Αναστασια (Greek), Анастасия (Russian)

Pronounced: ah-nah-stah-SEE-yah (Russian), a-nə-STAY-zhə (English), a-nə-STAS-yə (English), ah-nahs-TAH-syah (Spanish)

Personal note: Stas

Rating: 64% based on 34 votes

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.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Czech, Slovak, French

Pronounced: SEER-əl (English)

Rating: 44% based on 33 votes

From the Greek name Κυριλλος (Kyrillos) which was derived from Greek κυριος (kyrios) "lord". Saint Cyril of Jerusalem was a 4th-century bishop and a Doctor of the Church. Saint Cyril of Alexandria was a 5th-century theologian. Another Saint Cyril was a 9th-century linguist and a Greek missionary to the Slavs. The Cyrillic alphabet, which is still used today, was created by him and his brother Methodius in order to translate the Bible into Slavic, and thus this name has been especially popular in Eastern Christianity. It came into general use in England in the 19th century.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Hebrew, French, Scottish, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Biblical, Biblical Latin

Other Scripts: דָּוִד (Hebrew), Давид (Russian, Serbian, Macedonian)

Pronounced: DAY-vid (English), dah-VEED (Jewish), da-VEED (French), DAH-vit (German, Dutch), dah-VEET (Russian)

Rating: 59% based on 34 votes

From the Hebrew name דָּוִד (Dawid), which was probably derived from Hebrew דוד (dwd) meaning "beloved". David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of Goliath, a giant Philistine. According to the New Testament, Jesus was descended from him.

This name has been used in Britain since the Middle Ages. It has been especially popular in Wales, where it is used in honour of the 5th-century patron saint of Wales (also called Dewi), as well as in Scotland, where it was borne by two kings. Famous bearers include empiricist philosopher David Hume (1711-1776) and explorer David Livingstone (1813-1873). This is also the name of the hero of Charles Dickens' semi-autobiographical novel 'David Copperfield' (1850).

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Russian

Other Scripts: Дмитрий (Russian)

Pronounced: DMEE-tree

Rating: 68% based on 32 votes

Variant transcription of DMITRIY

Gender: Feminine

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

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

Personal note: Edie

Rating: 45% based on 28 votes

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: Feminine

Usage: Russian

Other Scripts: Елизавета (Russian)

Pronounced: ye-lee-zah-VYE-tah, ee-lee-zah-VYE-tah

Personal note: Liz

Rating: 55% based on 34 votes

Variant transcription of YELIZAVETA

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Biblical, English, Hebrew

Other Scripts: עֶזְרָא (Hebrew)

Pronounced: EZ-rə (English)

Rating: 53% based on 32 votes

Means "help" in Hebrew. Ezra is a prophet of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a famous bearer.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, English, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek

Other Scripts: גַּבְרִיאֵל (Ancient Hebrew), Γαβριηλ (Ancient Greek)

Pronounced: ga-bree-EL (French), GAHP-ree-el (German), GAH-bryel (Spanish), GAY-bree-əl (English), GAHP-ryel (Polish)

Personal note: Gabe

Rating: 64% based on 27 votes

From the Hebrew name גַבְרִיאֵל (Gavri'el) meaning "strong man of God". Gabriel was one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition. He appears in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, where 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 Qur'an 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.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Yiddish

Other Scripts: אִיסֶר (Yiddish)

Rating: 36% based on 31 votes

Yiddish form of ISRAEL

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English

Pronounced: JIL-ee-ən

Personal note: Jillie

Rating: 48% based on 33 votes

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Hebrew

Other Scripts: לֵב (Hebrew)

Rating: 49% based on 33 votes

Means "heart" in Hebrew.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Indian

Other Scripts: लीला (Hindi)

Rating: 56% based on 33 votes

Means "play, amusement" in Sanskrit.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, German, Finnish, Biblical, Old Church Slavic, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek

Other Scripts: Λυδια (Ancient Greek), Лѷдіа (Church Slavic)

Pronounced: LID-ee-ə (English), LUY-dee-ah (German)

Rating: 63% based on 34 votes

Means "from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor. In the New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the Protestant Reformation.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian

Other Scripts: Милош (Serbian, Macedonian)

Rating: 59% based on 15 votes

Originally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element mil "gracious, dear". This was the name of a 14th-century Serbian hero who apparently killed the Ottoman sultan Murad I at the Battle of Kosovo.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical

Other Scripts: נָעֳמִי (Hebrew)

Pronounced: nay-O-mee (English), nie-O-mee (English)

Rating: 53% based on 33 votes

From the Hebrew name נָעֳמִי (Na'omiy) meaning "pleasantness". In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of Ruth. After the death of her husband, Naomi took the name Mara (see Ruth 1:20). Though previously common as a Jewish name, Naomi was not typically used as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation.

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Russian, Bulgarian

Other Scripts: Николай (Russian, Bulgarian)

Pronounced: nee-kah-LIE (Russian)

Rating: 72% based on 33 votes

Russian and Bulgarian form of NICHOLAS. A notable bearer was Nikolai Gogol, a 19th-century Russian novelist.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Various

Rating: 58% based on 35 votes

From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea. This name can also be used as a feminine form of ODYSSEUS.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English (Rare)

Pronounced: ROZ-ə-mund

Rating: 58% based on 33 votes

Derived from the Germanic elements hros "horse" and mund "protection". The Normans introduced this name to England. It was subsequently influenced by the Latin phrase rosa munda "pure rose". This was the name of the mistress of Henry II, the king of England in the 12th century. She was possibly murdered by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Literature

Rating: 37% based on 9 votes