AALIYAHfArabic, English (Modern)Feminine form of
AALI. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the singer Aaliyah Haughton (1979-2001), who was known simply as Aaliyah.
BRANTLEYmEnglish (Modern)From a surname, an Americanized form of the German surname
Brändle, ultimately from Old High German
brant "fire".
BRIANAfEnglishFeminine form of
BRIAN. This name was used by Edmund Spenser in 'The Faerie Queene' (1590). The name was not commonly used until the 1970s, when it rapidly became popular in the United States.
BRIELLEfEnglish (Modern)Short form of
GABRIELLE. This is also the name of towns in the Netherlands and New Jersey, though their names derive from a different source.
BRITTANYfEnglishFrom the name of the region in the northwest of France, called in French
Bretagne. It was named for the Britons who settled there after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the invasions of the Anglo-Saxons. As a given name, it first came into common use in America in the 1970s.
BRODYmEnglishFrom a surname which was originally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It probably means "ditch, mire" in Gaelic.
BROOKLYNfEnglish (Modern)From the name of the borough of New York City, originally derived from Dutch
Breukelen meaning "broken land". It can also be viewed as a combination of
BROOK and the popular name suffix
lyn.
CADENmEnglish (Modern)Sometimes explained as a derivative of the Irish surname
Caden, which is a reduced form of the Gaelic surname
Mac Cadáin meaning "son of Cadán". In actuality, its popularity in America beginning in the 1990s is due to its sound - it shares its fashionable
aden suffix sound with other popular names like
Hayden,
Aidan and
Braden.
CAMDENmEnglish (Modern)From a surname which was from a place name perhaps meaning "enclosed valley" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English historian William Camden (1551-1623).
CIARA (2)fEnglish (Modern)Variant of
SIERRA. Use of the name has perhaps been influenced by the brand of perfume called Ciara, which was introduced by Revlon in 1973.
DAKOTAm & fEnglish (Modern)Means "allies, friends" in the Dakota language. This is the name of a Native American people of the northern Mississippi valley.
DESTINYfEnglishMeans simply "destiny, fate" from the English word, ultimately from Latin
destinare "to determine", a derivative of
stare "to stand". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the last half of the 20th century.
EASTONmEnglish (Modern)From an English surname which was derived from place names meaning "east town" in Old English.
EDENf & mHebrew, English (Modern)Means "place of pleasure" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
GAGEmEnglish (Modern)From an English surname of Old French origin meaning either "measure", originally denoting one who was an assayer, or "pledge", referring to a moneylender. It was popularized as a given name by a character from the book 'Pet Sematary' (1983) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1989).
GENESISfEnglish (Modern)Means "birth, origin" in Greek. This is the name of the first book of the Old Testament in the Bible. It tells of the creation of the world, the expulsion of
Adam and
Eve,
Noah and the great flood, and the three patriarchs.
GISELLEfFrench, English (Modern)Derived from the Germanic word
gisil meaning "hostage, pledge". This name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for a child given as a pledge to a foreign court. It was borne by a daughter of the French king Charles III who married the Norman leader Rollo in the 10th century. The name was popular in France during the Middle Ages (the more common French form is
Gisèle). Though it became known in the English-speaking world due to Adolphe Adam's ballet 'Giselle' (1841), it was not regularly used until the 20th century.
GRAYSONmEnglish (Modern)From an English surname meaning "son of the steward", derived from Middle English
greyve "steward".
JADENm & fEnglish (Modern)An invented name, using the popular
aden suffix sound found in such names as
Braden,
Hayden and
Aidan. This name first became common in American in the 1990s when similar-sounding names were increasing in popularity. It is sometimes considered a variant of
JADON.
JASMINEfEnglish, FrenchFrom the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers which is used for making perfumes. It is derived from Persian
یاسمن (yasamen) (which is also a Persian name).
JENNAfEnglish, FinnishVariant of
JENNY. Use of the name was popularized in the 1980s by the character Jenna Wade on the television series 'Dallas'.
KELSEYf & mEnglishFrom an English surname which is derived from town names in Lincolnshire. It may mean "Cenel's island", from the Old English name
Cenel "fierce" in combination with
eg "island".
KIARAfEnglish (Modern)Variant of
CIARA (1) or
CHIARA. This name first became used in 1988 after the singing duo Kiara released their song 'This Time'. It was further popularized by a character in the animated movie 'The Lion King II' (1998).
KINGSTONmEnglish (Modern)From a surname which was originally derived from a place name meaning "king's town" in Old English.
KYLIEfEnglishThis name arose in Australia, where it is said to mean "boomerang" in an Australian Aboriginal language. It is more likely a feminine form of
KYLE, and it is in this capacity that it began to be used in America in the 1970s. A famous bearer is the Australian singer Kylie Minogue (1968-).
LAYLAfArabic, EnglishMeans "night" in Arabic. This was the name of the object of romantic poems written by the 7th-century poet known as Qays. The story of Qays and Layla became a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song 'Layla' by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.
LONDONf & mEnglish (Modern)From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain. As a surname it was borne by the American author Jack London (1876-1916).
MACKENZIEf & mEnglishFrom the Gaelic surname
Mac Coinnich, which means "son of
COINNEACH". A famous bearer of the surname was William Lyon MacKenzie (1795-1861), a Canadian journalist and political rebel. As a feminine given name, it was popularized by the American actress Mackenzie Phillips (1959-).
MADDOXmEnglish (Modern)From a Welsh surname meaning "son of
MADOC". It was brought to public attention when the actress Angelina Jolie gave this name to her adopted son in 2002.
MARLEYfEnglish (Modern)From a surname which was taken from a place name meaning either "pleasant wood", "boundary wood" or "marten wood" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the Jamaican musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
MAYA (2)fEnglishVariant of
MAIA (1). This name can also be given in reference to the Maya peoples, a Native American culture who built a great civilization in southern Mexico and Latin America.
MILEYfEnglish (Modern)In the case of actress and singer Miley Cyrus (1992-), it is a shortened form of the nickname
Smiley, given to her by her father because she often smiled. Although it was not at all common before she brought it to public attention, there are some examples of its use before her time, most likely as a diminutive of
MILES.
NEVAEHfEnglish (Modern)The word
heaven spelled backwards. It became popular after the musician Sonny Sandoval from the rock group P.O.D. gave it to his daughter in 2000.
PAISLEYfEnglish (Modern)From a Scottish surname, originally from the name of a town, which may ultimately be derived from Latin
basilica "church". This is also a word (derived from the name of that same town) for a type of pattern commonly found on fabrics.
PIPERfEnglish (Modern)From a surname which was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series 'Charmed', which debuted in 1998.
REAGANf & mEnglish (Modern), IrishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Ríagáin meaning "descendant of
RIAGÁN". This surname was borne by American president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
ROWANm & fIrish, English (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Ruadháin meaning "descendant of
RUADHÁN". This name can also be given in reference to the rowan tree.
RYDERmEnglish (Modern)From an English occupational surname derived from Old English
ridere meaning "mounted warrior" or "messenger".
RYKERmEnglish (Modern)Possibly a variant of the German surname
Riker, a derivative of Low German
rike "rich". It may have been altered by association with the popular name prefix
Ry.
RYLANmEnglish (Modern)Possibly a variant of the English surname
Ryland, which was originally derived from a place name meaning "rye land" in Old English.
SAWYERmEnglish (Modern)From a surname meaning "sawer of wood" in Middle English. Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' (1876).
SERENITYfEnglish (Modern)From the English word meaning "serenity, tranquility", ultimately from Latin
serenus meaning "clear, calm".
SIERRAfEnglish (Modern)Means "mountain range" in Spanish, referring specifically to a mountain range with jagged peaks.
SUMMERfEnglishFrom the name of the season, ultimately from Old English
sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.
TANNERmEnglishFrom an English surname meaning "one who tans hides".
TRINITYfEnglishFrom the English word
Trinity, given in honour of the Christian belief that God has one essence, but three distinct expressions of being: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It has only been in use as a given name since the 20th century.
TRISTANmWelsh, English, French, Arthurian RomanceOld French form of the Pictish name
Drustan, a diminutive of
DRUST. The spelling was altered by association with Latin
tristis "sad". Tristan is a character in medieval French tales, probably inspired by older Celtic legends, and ultimately merged into Arthurian legend. According to the story Tristan was sent to Ireland in order to fetch
Isolde, who was to be the bride of King Mark of Cornwall. On the way back, Tristan and Isolde accidentally drink a potion which makes them fall in love. Their tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since that time.