Olga f Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovene, Serbian, Bulgarian, GreekRussian form of the Old Norse name
Helga. The 10th-century Saint Olga was the wife of
Igor I, the ruler of Kievan Rus (a state based around the city of Kyiv). Like her husband she was probably a Varangian, who were Norse people who settled in Eastern Europe beginning in the 9th century. Following Igor's death she ruled as regent for her son
Svyatoslav for 18 years. After she was baptized in Constantinople she attempted to convert her subjects to Christianity, though this goal was only achieved by her grandson
Vladimir.
... [more] Olivia f English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, DutchThis name was used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). This was a rare name in Shakespeare's time that may have been based on
Oliva or
Oliver, or directly on the Latin word
oliva meaning
"olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman wooed by Duke
Orsino. Instead she falls in love with his messenger Cesario, who is actually
Viola in disguise.
... [more] Omega m & f VariousFrom the name of the last letter in the Greek alphabet,
Ω. It is often seen as a symbol of completion.
Oneida f EnglishFrom the name of a Native American tribe, perhaps meaning "standing rock".
Ophelia f English, Literature, Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
ὠφέλεια (opheleia) meaning
"help, advantage". This was a rare ancient Greek name, which was either rediscovered or recreated by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro for a character in his poem
Arcadia (1480). It was borrowed by Shakespeare for his play
Hamlet (1600), in which it belongs to the daughter of
Polonius and the potential love interest of
Hamlet. She eventually goes insane and drowns herself after Hamlet kills her father. In spite of this negative association, the name has been in use since the 19th century.
Ora 1 f & m EnglishPerhaps based on Latin
oro "to pray". It was first used in America in the 19th century.
Orabela f EsperantoMeans
"golden-beautiful" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin
aurea "gold" and
bella "beautiful".
Oriana f Italian, SpanishPossibly derived from Latin
aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish
oro or French
or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight
Amadis.
Orinda f English (Rare)Probably an elaboration of Spanish
oro "gold". This was the pseudonym of the English poet Katherine Philips (1631-1664).
Orinthia f LiteraturePossibly related to Greek
ὀρίνω (orino) meaning
"to excite, to agitate". George Bernard Shaw used this name in his play
The Apple Cart (1929).
Ornella f ItalianCreated by the Italian author Gabriele d'Annunzio for his novel
La Figlia di Jorio (1904). It is derived from Tuscan Italian
ornello meaning "flowering ash tree".
Osanna f ItalianItalian form of
Hosanna. This was the name of a 15th-century Italian saint and mystic, as well as a 16th-century Montenegrin saint.
Ouida f HistoryUsed by the English author Ouida (1839-1908), born Marie Louise Ramé to a French father. Ouida was a pseudonym that arose from her own childhood pronunciation of her middle name
Louise.
Ourania f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
οὐράνιος (ouranios) meaning
"heavenly". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of astronomy and astrology, one of the nine Muses.
Oxalá m Afro-American MythologyPortuguese form of
Oriṣanla, used in Brazil by adherents of Candomblé to refer to
Ọbatala. It also coincides with the Portuguese word
oxalá meaning "God willing, hopefully", which originates from the Arabic phrase
و شاء الله (wa shāʾa Allah).
Pachamama f Inca MythologyMeans
"earth mother" in Quechua, from
pacha "world, time" and
mama "mother". This was the name of an Inca goddess of the earth and fertility.
Palma f ItalianMeans
"palm tree" in Italian, referring to Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter.
Pamela f EnglishThis name was invented in the late 16th century by the poet Philip Sidney for use in his romance
Arcadia (1593). He possibly intended it to mean
"all sweetness" from Greek
πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and
μέλι (meli) meaning "honey". It was later employed by author Samuel Richardson for the heroine in his novel
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740), after which time it became used as a given name. It did not become popular until the 20th century.
Pandora f Greek MythologyMeans
"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.
Pankaja m HinduismMeans
"born of mud", referring to the lotus flower, derived from Sanskrit
पङ्क (paṅka) meaning "mud" and
ज (ja) meaning "born". This is another name of the Hindu god
Brahma.
Papa f Polynesian MythologyMeans
"earth" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian mythology Papa or Papatuanuku was the goddess of the earth and the mother of many of the other gods. She and her husband
Rangi, the god of the sky, were locked in a tight embrace. Their children decided to separate them, a feat of strength accomplished by the god
Tāne.
Parashara m HinduismMeans
"destroyer" in Sanskrit, from
पराशॄ (parāśṝ) meaning "to destroy, to kill". In Hindu belief this is the name of a sage who is credited with the authorship of a few hymns in the
Rigveda, as well as other works. According to the
Mahabharata he was the father of
Vyasa by the fisherwoman
Satyavati.
Parisa f PersianMeans
"like a fairy" in Persian, derived from
پری (parī) meaning "fairy, sprite, supernatural being".
Paula f German, English, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Croatian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Paulus (see
Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman saint who was a companion of Saint
Jerome.
Pavana m HinduismMeans
"purification, wind, air" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Vayu.
Peppa f Popular CultureProbably from one of the English words
pepper or
pep (meaning "energy", itself derived from the name of the spice). Peppa Pig is a British animated television series for young children, debuting 2004.
Perdita f LiteratureDerived from Latin
perditus meaning
"lost". Shakespeare created this name for the daughter of
Hermione and
Leontes in his play
The Winter's Tale (1610). Abandoned as an infant by her father the king, she grows up to be a shepherdess and falls in love with with
Florizel.
Periboia f Greek MythologyFrom Greek
περί (peri) meaning "around, exceedingly" and
βοῦς (bous) meaning "ox, cow". This is the name of several minor characters in Greek mythology, including the mother of
Ajax Telamonian.
Perpetua f Spanish, Late RomanDerived from Latin
perpetuus meaning
"continuous". This was the name of a 3rd-century saint martyred with another woman named Felicity.
Petra f German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, EnglishFeminine form of
Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.
Petronilla f Italian, Late RomanFrom a Latin name, a diminutive of
Petronia, the feminine form of
Petronius. This was the name of an obscure 1st-century Roman saint, later believed to be a daughter of Saint
Peter.
Petula f English (Rare)Meaning unknown, created in the 20th century. The name is borne by the British singer Petula Clark (1932-), whose name was invented by her father.
Petunia f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, derived ultimately from a Tupi (South American) word.
Philadelphia f English (Rare)From the name of a city in Asia Minor mentioned in Revelation in the New Testament. The name of the city meant "brotherly love" from Greek
φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love" and
ἀδελφός (adelphos) meaning "brother". It is also the name of a city in the United States.
Philomela f Greek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Φιλομήλη (Philomele), derived from
φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend" and
μῆλον (melon) meaning "fruit". The second element has also been interpreted as Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song". In Greek myth Philomela was the sister-in-law of Tereus, who raped her and cut out her tongue. Prokne avenged her sister by killing her son by Tereus, after which Tereus attempted to kill Philomela. However, the gods intervened and transformed her into a nightingale.
Philomena f English, German, Ancient Greek (Latinized)From Greek
Φιλουμένη (Philoumene) meaning
"to be loved", an inflection of
φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love". This was the name of an obscure early saint and martyr. The name came to public attention in 1802 after a tomb seemingly marked with the name
Filumena was found in Rome, supposedly belonging to another martyr named Philomena. This may have in fact been a representation of the Greek word
φιλουμένη, not a name.
Pihla f FinnishDerived from Finnish
pihlaja meaning
"rowan tree".
Pika 2 f SloveneMeans
"dot" in Slovene. This is the Slovene name for
Pippi Longstocking, Pika Nogavička.
Pitambara m HinduismDerived from Sanskrit
पीत (pīta) meaning "yellow" and
अम्बर (ambara) meaning "garment". This is another name of the Hindu gods
Vishnu or
Krishna, given to them because yellow clothing is traditionally worn at religious events.
Polymnia f Greek MythologyMeans
"abounding in song", derived from Greek
πολύς (polys) meaning "much" and
ὕμνος (hymnos) meaning "song, hymn". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of dance and sacred songs, one of the nine Muses.
Pomona f Roman MythologyFrom Latin
pomus "fruit tree". This was the name of the Roman goddess of fruit trees.
Pooja f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, NepaliAlternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali
पूजा, Gujarati
પૂજા, Bengali
পূজা, Gurmukhi
ਪੂਜਾ, Telugu
పూజా, Malayalam
പൂജ, Tamil
பூஜா or Kannada
ಪೂಜಾ (see
Puja).
Portia f EnglishVariant of
Porcia, the feminine form of the Roman family name
Porcius, used by William Shakespeare for the heroine of his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596). In the play Portia is a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to defend
Antonio in court. It is also the name of a moon of Uranus, after the Shakespearean character.
Prabhakara m SanskritMeans
"light maker", derived from Sanskrit
प्रभा (prabhā) meaning "light" and
कर (kara) meaning "maker". In Hindu scripture this term is used to refer to the sun and the moon. A notable bearer of this name was a 6th-century scholar from Kerala.
Prahlada m HinduismMeans
"joy, pleasure, delight" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu text the
Bhagavata Purana this is a prince saved by
Narasimha, an avatar of
Vishnu.
Pramoda m HinduismMeans
"joy" in Sanskrit. It appears briefly in the
Mahabharata belonging to an attendant of the Hindu god
Skanda.
Pranvera f AlbanianDerived from Albanian
pranverë meaning
"spring", itself from
pranë "nearby, close" and
verë "summer".
Primula f English (Rare), Italian (Rare)From the name of a genus of several species of flowers, including the primrose. It is derived from the Latin word
primulus meaning "very first".
Priscilla f English, Italian, French, Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, BiblicalRoman name, a diminutive of
Prisca. In Acts in the New Testament
Paul lived with Priscilla (also known as Prisca) and her husband
Aquila in Corinth for a while. It has been used as an English given name since the Protestant Reformation, being popular with the Puritans. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used it in his 1858 poem
The Courtship of Miles Standish.
Prunella f English (Rare)From the English word for the type of flower, also called self-heal, ultimately a derivative of the Latin word
pruna "plum".
Pua f & m HawaiianMeans
"flower, offspring" in Hawaiian.
Puja f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, NepaliFrom Sanskrit
पूजा (pūjā) meaning
"honour, worship". This is the name of a Hindu ritual of reverence.
Ra m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
rꜥ meaning
"sun" or
"day". Ra was an important Egyptian sun god originally worshipped in Heliopolis in Lower Egypt. He was usually depicted as a man with the head of a falcon crowned with a solar disc. In later times his attributes were often merged with those of other deities, such as
Amon,
Atum and
Horus.
Raabi'a f ArabicMeans
"fourth" in Arabic, a derivative of
أربعة (ʾarbaʿa) meaning "four". This name was borne by an 8th-century Sufi mystic from Basra in Iraq.