Browse Names - Behind the Name

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Arwa f Arabic
Means "female ibex, mountain goat" in Arabic. This name was borne by some relatives of the Prophet Muhammad. It was also the name of a 12th-century queen of Yemen.

Ayala f Hebrew
Means "doe, female deer" in Hebrew.

Ayelet f Hebrew
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.

Baxter m English
From an occupational surname that meant "(female) baker", from Old English bæcere and a feminine agent suffix.

Bellatrix f Astronomy
Means "female warrior" in Latin. This is the name of the star that marks the left shoulder of the constellation Orion.

Bolormaa f Mongolian
Means "crystal woman" in Mongolian, from болор (bolor) meaning "crystal" and the feminine suffix маа (maa).

Huang m & f Chinese
From Chinese 煌 (huáng) meaning "bright, shining, luminous" (which is usually only masculine) or 凰 (huáng) meaning "phoenix" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.

Izanami f Japanese Mythology
Probably means "female who invites" in Japanese, from 誘 (izana) meaning "invite, lure, attract". In Japanese mythology she was a creator goddess, the wife of Izanagi. She died giving birth to Kagutsuchi, the god of fire.

Kun f & m Chinese
From Chinese 坤 (kūn) meaning "earth, female", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.

Nonhle f Xhosa
From the Xhosa feminine prefix no- combined with hle "beautiful".

Nontle f Xhosa
Variant of Nonhle.

Nosipho f Zulu, Xhosa
From the Zulu and Xhosa feminine prefix no- combined with isipho "gift".

Nosizwe f Xhosa
From the Xhosa feminine prefix no- combined with isizwe "nation".

Noxolo f Xhosa, Ndebele
From the Xhosa and Ndebele feminine prefix no- combined with uxolo "peace".

Nüwa f Chinese Mythology
From Chinese 女 (nǚ) meaning "woman, female" and 娲 (wā), a character of uncertain origin that refers to the goddess herself. This is the name of the creator goddess in Chinese mythology, depicted as a snake with a human head. She molded humans from earth or clay with her brother Fuxi.

Seward m English
From an English surname, either Seward 1 or Seward 2.

Srbuhi f Armenian
Means "holy woman, female saint" in Armenian, derived from սուրբ (surb) meaning "holy, sacred".

Taweret f Egyptian Mythology
From Egyptian tꜣ-wrt meaning "O great female". In Egyptian mythology Taweret was a goddess of childbirth and fertility. She was typically depicted as an upright hippopotamus.

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