AAFJE f DutchShort form of names beginning with the Germanic element
alf "elf".
AALIYAH f Arabic, 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.
AARTI f Indian, Hindi, MarathiFrom the name of a Hindu ritual in which offerings of lamps or candles are made to various gods, derived from Sanskrit
आरात्रिक (aratrika).
ABENE f BasqueDerived from Basque
abe meaning "pillar". It is a Basque equivalent of
Pilar.
ABIJAH m & f BiblicalMeans "my father is
YAHWEH" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of several characters, both male and female, including the second king of Judah.
ABILENE f EnglishFrom a place name mentioned briefly in the New Testament. It is probably from Hebrew
אָבֵל ('avel) meaning "meadow, grassy area". It has occasionally been used as a given name in modern times.
ABISHAG f BiblicalMeans "my father strays" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Abishag is a young woman who tends King
David in his old age.
ABITAL f BiblicalMeans "my father is the night dew" in Hebrew. She is the fifth wife of
David in the Old Testament.
'ABLA f ArabicMeans "full-figured" in Arabic. The 7th-century Arabic poet Antara dedicated much of his poetry to a woman named Abla.
ADA f English, German, Polish, Hungarian, Italian, Finnish, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names such as
ADELAIDE or
ADELINA that begin with the element
adal meaning "noble". This name was borne by Augusta Ada King (1815-1852), the Countess of Lovelace (known as Ada Lovelace), a daughter of Lord Byron. She was an assistant to Charles Babbage, the inventor of an early mechanical computer.
ADAH f BiblicalMeans "adornment" in Hebrew. This was the name of the wives of both Lamech and Esau in the Old Testament.
ADDISON f & m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning "son of
ADAM". Its recent popularity as a feminine name stems from its similarity in sound to
Madison.
ADELA f English, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Germanic element
adal meaning "noble". Saint Adela was a 7th-century Frankish princess who founded a monastery at Pfazel in France. This name was also borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror.
ADELAIDE f English, Italian, PortugueseFrom the French form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis, which was composed of the elements
adal "noble" and
heid "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great. The name became common in Britain in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.
ADERYN f WelshMeans "bird" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
ADHARA f AstronomyDerived from Arabic
عذارى ('adhara) meaning "maidens". This is the name of the second brightest star (after Sirius) in the constellation Canis Major.
ADITI f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, KannadaMeans "boundless, entire" or "freedom, security" in Sanskrit. This is the name of an ancient Hindu goddess of the sky and fertility. According to the Vedas she is the mother of the gods.
ADORACIÓN f SpanishMeans "adoration" in Spanish. This name refers to the event that is known in Christian tradition as the Adoration of the Magi, which is when the three Magi presented gifts to the infant
Jesus and worshipped him.
ADVA f HebrewMeans "small wave, ripple" in Hebrew.
AEGLE f Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek
Αιγλη (Aigle), which meant "light, radiance, glory". This was the name of several characters in Greek myth, including one of the Heliades and one of the Hesperides.
ÆLFGIFU f Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ælf "elf" and
giefu "gift". This was the name of the first wife of the English king Æðelræd II.
AELLA f Greek MythologyMeans "whirlwind" in Greek. In Greek myth this was the name of an Amazon warrior killed by
Herakles during his quest for Hippolyta's girdle.
AERON (1) m & f WelshEither derived from Welsh
aeron meaning "berry" or else from the name of a river in Wales.
ÆÐELFLÆD f Anglo-SaxonOld English name composed of the elements
æðel "noble" and
flæd "beauty". Æðelflæd was a 10th-century queen of Mercia.
AFËRDITA f AlbanianMeans "daybreak, morning" in Albanian, from
afër "nearby, close" and
ditë "day".
AFON f & m WelshMeans "river" in Welsh. This is a Welsh name of recent origin.
AFRA (1) f Late RomanOriginally used by the Romans as a nickname for a woman from Africa. This was the name of two early saints.
ÁFRICA f SpanishSpanish form of
AFRICA (1). It is usually taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de África, the patron saint of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.
AFRICA (1) f African American (Rare)From the name of the continent, which is of Latin origin, possibly from the Afri people who lived near Carthage in North Africa. This rare name is used most often by African-American parents.
AGATHA f English, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Αγαθη (Agathe), derived from Greek
αγαθος (agathos) meaning "good". Saint Agatha was a 3rd-century martyr from Sicily who was tortured and killed after spurning the advances of a Roman official. The saint was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). The mystery writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a famous modern bearer of this name.
AGAUE f Greek MythologyMeans "illustrious, noble" in Greek. This was the mother of Pentheus in Greek myth.
AGLAIA f Greek Mythology, GreekMeans "splendour, beauty" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the three Graces or
Χαριτες (Charites). This name was also borne by a 4th-century saint from Rome.
AGNES f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
‘Αγνη (Hagne), derived from Greek
‘αγνος (hagnos) meaning "chaste". Saint Agnes was a virgin martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The name became associated with Latin
agnus "lamb", resulting in the saint's frequent depiction with a lamb by her side. Due to her renown, the name became common in Christian Europe, being especially popular in England in the Middle Ages.
AGRIPPA m & f Ancient Roman, BiblicalRoman cognomen of unknown meaning, possibly from Greek
αγριος (agrios) "wild" and
‘ιππος (hippos) "horse" or possibly of Etruscan origin. It was also used as a praenomen, or given name, by the Furia and Menenia families. In the New Testament this name was borne by Herod Agrippa (a grandson of Herod the Great), the king of Israel who put the apostle James to death. It was also borne by the 1st-century BC Roman general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.
AGRIPPINA f Ancient RomanFeminine derivative of
AGRIPPA. This name was borne by the scheming mother of the Roman emperor Nero, who eventually had her killed. This was also the name of a 3rd-century Roman saint who is venerated in Sicily.
AGRONA f Celtic MythologyDerived from the old Celtic element
agro meaning "battle, slaughter". This was the name of the Brythonic goddess of war and death.
AGURNE f BasqueFrom Basque
agur meaning "greeting, salutation".
AH m & f ChineseFrom the Chinese character
阿 (ā), which has no distinct meaning. It is not normally given as a name, but it can be prefixed to another name to make it a diminutive.
AHINOAM f BiblicalMeans "my brother is pleasant" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of wives of both
Saul and
David.
AI (1) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection",
藍 (ai) meaning "indigo", or other kanji with the same pronunciation.
AI (2) f ChineseFrom Chinese
爱 (ài) meaning "love, affection",
蔼 (ǎi) meaning "friendly, lush", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
AIDA f Arabic, LiteratureVariant of
AYDA. This name was used in Verdi's opera 'Aida' (1871), where it belongs to an Ethiopian princess held captive in Egypt.
AIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other character combinations.
AILBHE f & m IrishPossibly derived from the old Irish root
albho meaning "white" or
ail meaning "rock". In Irish legend this was the name of a female warrior of the Fianna. It was also the name of a 6th-century masculine saint, the founder of a monastery at Emly.
AILSA f ScottishFrom
Ailsa Craig, the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland, which is of uncertain derivation.
AIMI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
AINA (3) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens", as well as other character combinations.
ÁINE f IrishMeans "radiance" in Gaelic. This was the name of the queen of the fairies in Celtic mythology. It is also taken as an Irish form of
Anne.
AINHOA f BasqueFrom the name of a town in southwest France where there is a famous image of the Virgin
Mary.
AINO f Finnish, Finnish MythologyMeans "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.
AINSLEY f & m Scottish, English (Modern)From a surname that was from a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English
anne "alone, solitary" or
ansetl "hermitage" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
AIRI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" combined with
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or
梨 (ri) meaning "pear". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
AISHA f Arabic, Urdu, AmericanMeans "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. This name is used more by Sunni Muslims and less by Shias.
... [more] AISLING f IrishMeans "dream" or "vision" in Irish Gaelic. This name was created in the 20th century.
AISTĖ f LithuanianFrom the name of the Baltic tribe of the Aesti, mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus, called the
Aisçiai in Lithuanian.
AITANA f SpanishFrom the name of a mountain range in Valencia, eastern Spain. The Spanish poet Rafael Alberti used it for his daughter in 1941.
AKANE f JapaneseFrom Japanese
茜 (akane) meaning "deep red, dye from the rubia plant". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
AKARI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
明 (aka) meaning "bright" or
朱 (aka) meaning "vermilion red" combined with
里 (ri) meaning "village" or
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
AKEMI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
明 (ake) meaning "bright" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are possible.
AKI (2) f JapaneseFrom Japanese
晶 (aki) meaning "clear, crystal",
明 (aki) meaning "bright" or
秋 (aki) meaning "autumn". It can also come from
亜 (a) meaning "second, Asia" combined with
希 (ki) meaning "hope". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can form this name too.
AKIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
晶 (aki) meaning "clear, crystal",
明 (aki) meaning "bright" or
秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
AKIRA m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
昭 (akira) meaning "bright",
明 (akira) meaning "bright" or
亮 (akira) meaning "clear". Other kanji with the same pronunciation can also form this name. A famous bearer was the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), given name written
明.
ALANIS f English (Rare)Feminine form of
ALAN. Canadian musician Alanis Morissette (1974-) was named after her father Alan. Her parents apparently decided to use this particular spelling after seeing this word in a Greek newspaper.
ALANNAH f English (Modern), IrishVariant of
ALANA. It has been influenced by the affectionate Anglo-Irish word
alannah, from the Irish Gaelic phrase
a leanbh meaning "O child".
ALBA (1) f Italian, Spanish, CatalanThis name is derived from two distinct names,
ALBA (2) and
ALBA (3), with distinct origins, Latin and Germanic. Over time these names have become confused with one another. To further complicate the matter,
alba means "dawn" in Italian, Spanish and Catalan. This may be the main inspiration behind its use in Italy and Spain.
ALBENA f BulgarianCreated by Bulgarian writer Yordan Yovkov for the heroine in his drama 'Albena' (1930). He may have based it on
ablen, the name of a type of peony (a flowering plant).