EMMAfEnglish, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Dutch, German, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element
ermen meaning "whole" or "universal". It was introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, who was the wife both of King Ethelred II (and by him the mother of Edward the Confessor) and later of King Canute. It was also borne by an 11th-century Austrian saint, who is sometimes called
Hemma.
... [more] EMMELINEfEnglishFrom an Old French form of the Germanic name
Amelina, originally a diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element
amal meaning "work". The Normans introduced this name to England.
ENCARNACIÓNfSpanishMeans "incarnation" in Spanish. This is given in reference to the Incarnation of
Jesus in the womb of the Virgin
Mary.
ENHEDUANNAfAkkadianFrom Sumerian
En-hedu-anna, derived from
𒂗 (en) meaning "lady, high priestess" combined with
𒃶𒌌 (hedu) meaning "ornament" and the god's name
AN (2). This was the Sumerian title of a 23rd-century BC priestess and poet, identified as a daughter of
Sargon of Akkad. Presumably she had an Akkadian birth name, but it is unrecorded. She is regarded as one of the earliest known poets.
ENIKŐfHungarianCreated by the Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty in the 19th century. He based it on the name of the legendary mother of the Hungarian people,
Enéh, which may mean "cow" or "deer".
ENOLAfEnglishMeaning unknown. This name first appeared in the late 19th century. The aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was named 'Enola Gay' after the mother of the pilot.
EOSfGreek MythologyMeans "dawn" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the dawn.
ÉOWYNfLiteratureMeans "horse joy" in Old English. This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden of Rohan. She slays the Lord of the Nazgul in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
EPHRATHfBiblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekMeans "fruitful place" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name was borne by one of the wives of Caleb. Also in the Bible, it is the name of the place where Rachel was buried.
EPIPHANYfEnglish (Rare)From the name of the Christian festival (January 6) which commemorates the visit of the Magi to the infant
Jesus. It is also an English word meaning "sudden appearance" or "sudden perception", ultimately deriving from Greek
επιφανεια (epiphaneia) "manifestation".
EPONAfCeltic MythologyDerived from Gaulish
epos meaning "horse". This was the name of the Celtic goddess of horses.
EPONINEfLiteratureMeaning unknown. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel 'Les Misérables' (1862) for a daughter of the Thénardiers. Her mother got her name from a romance novel.
ERATOfGreek MythologyMeans "lovely" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the nine Muses, the muse of lyric poetry.
ERESHKIGALfSumerian MythologyMeans "lady of the great earth", from Sumerian
𒊩𒌆 (ereš) meaning "lady, queen" combined with
𒆠 (ki) meaning "earth" and
𒃲 (gal) meaning "great, big". In Sumerian mythology she was the goddess of death and the underworld.
ERIKAfSwedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, English, ItalianFeminine form of
ERIK. It also coincides with the word for "heather" in some languages.
ERINfEnglish, IrishAnglicized form of
EIREANN. It has been used as a given name since the middle of the 20th century.
ERISfGreek MythologyMeans "strife" in Greek. In Greek mythology Eris was the goddess of discord. She was the sister and companion of
Ares.
ÉRIUfIrish MythologyFrom the name of an Irish goddess, who according to legend gave her name to Ireland (which is called
Éire in Irish). In reality, the goddess probably got her name from that of the island, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.
ERMAfEnglishVariant of
IRMA. It began to be used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century, along with
Irma.
ERZSÉBETfHungarianHungarian form of
ELIZABETH. This is the native name of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. It was also borne by the infamous Erzsébet Báthory, a 16th-century countess and murderer.
ESERf & mTurkishMeans "product, achievement" in Turkish.
ESMÉm & fEnglish, DutchMeans "esteemed" or "loved" in Old French. It was first recorded in Scotland, being borne by the first Duke of Lennox in the 16th century.
ESMERALDAfSpanish, Portuguese, English, LiteratureMeans "emerald" in Spanish and Portuguese. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1831), in which Esmeralda is the Gypsy girl who is loved by Quasimodo. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since that time.
ESPERANZAfSpanishSpanish form of the Late Latin name
Sperantia which was derived from
sperare "to hope".
ESSENCEfEnglish (Modern)From the English word
essence which means either "odour, scent" or else "fundamental quality". Ultimately it derives from Latin
esse "to be".
ESTEEfJewishDiminutive of
ESTHER. A famous bearer was the American businesswoman Estée Lauder (1908-2004), founder of the cosmetics company that bears her name. Her birth name was Josephine Esther Mentzer. Apparently she added the accent to her name
Estee in order to make it appear French.
ESTELLAfEnglishLatinate form of
ESTELLE. This was the name of the heroine, Estella Havisham, in Charles Dickens' novel 'Great Expectations' (1860).
ESTELLEfEnglish, FrenchFrom an Old French name which was derived from Latin
stella, meaning "star". It was rare in the English-speaking world in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due to the character Estella Havisham in Charles Dickens' novel 'Great Expectations' (1860).
ESTHERfEnglish, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekPossibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess
ISHTAR. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor
Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin
Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was
Hadassah.
... [more] ÉTAÍNfIrish, Irish MythologyPossibly derived from Old Irish
ét "jealousy". In Irish mythology she was a sun and horse goddess who was the lover of Midir.
ETELKAfHungarianFeminine form of
ETELE created by the Hungarian writer András Dugonics for the main character in his novel 'Etelka' (1788).
ETERIfGeorgianMeans "ether, air" in Georgian. This name features in the Georgian opera 'Abesalom and Eteri' (1918).
ETHELfEnglishShort form of names beginning with the Old English element
æðel meaning "noble". It was coined in the 19th century, when many Old English names were revived. It was popularized by the novels 'The Newcomes' (1855) by William Makepeace Thackeray and 'The Daisy Chain' (1856) by C. M. Yonge. A famous bearer was American actress and singer Ethel Merman (1908-1984).
ETSUKOfJapaneseFrom Japanese
悦 (etsu) meaning "joy, pleased" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
ETTAfEnglishShort form of
HENRIETTA and other names that end with
etta. A famous bearer was the American singer Etta James (1938-2012), who took her stage name from her real given name Jamesetta.
EUAfBiblical GreekForm of
Chawwah (see
EVE) used in the Greek translation of Old Testament.
Chawwah is also translated as
Zoe in the Greek Old Testament.
EUDORAfGreek MythologyMeans "good gift" in Greek, from the elements
ευ (eu) "good" and
δωρον (doron) "gift". This was the name of a nymph, one of the Hyades, in Greek mythology.
EUNm & fKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" or
銀 (eun) meaning "silver, money", as well as other hanja characters which are pronounced in the same way. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.
EUN-JEONGfKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" or
慇 (eun) meaning "careful, anxious, attentive" combined with
廷 (jeong) meaning "court" or
婷 (jeong) meaning "pretty, graceful". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
EUN-JIfKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" combined with
智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or
地 (ji) meaning "earth, soil, ground". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
EUN-YEONGfKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" and
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
EUROPAfGreek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Ευρωπη (Europe), which meant "wide face" from
ευρυς (eurys) "wide" and
ωψ (ops) "face, eye". In Greek mythology Europa was a Phoenician princess who was abducted and taken to Crete by
Zeus in the guise of a bull. She became the first queen of Crete, and later fathered
Minos by Zeus. The continent of Europe is named for her. This is also the name of a moon of Jupiter.
EURWENfWelshDerived from Welsh
aur "gold" and
gwen "white, fair, blessed".
EURYDICEfGreek Mythology (Latinized)From the Greek
Ευρυδικη (Eurydike) which meant "wide justice", derived from
ευρυς (eurys) "wide" and
δικη (dike) "justice". In Greek myth she was the wife of Orpheus. Her husband tried to rescue her from Hades, but he failed when he disobeyed the condition that he not look back upon her on their way out.
EUTERPEfGreek MythologyMeans "delight" in Greek, ultimately from
ευ (eu) "good" and
τερπω (terpo) "to satisfy, to cheer". In Greek mythology she was one of the nine Muses, the muse of music and joy. She was said to have invented the double flute.
EVAfSpanish, Italian, Portuguese, English, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Greek, Slovene, Bulgarian, Croatian, Russian, Georgian, Old Church Slavic, Biblical LatinLatinate form of
EVE. This form is used in the Latin translation of the New Testament, while
Hava is used in the Latin Old Testament. It is also a variant transcription of Russian
YEVA. This name appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.
EVADNEfGreek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Ευαδνη (Euadne), from
ευ (eu) meaning "good" possibly combined with Cretan Greek
αδνος (adnos) meaning "holy". In Greek legend Evadne was the wife of Capaneus. After Capaneus was killed by a lightning bolt sent from
Zeus she committed suicide by throwing herself onto his burning body.
EVANGELINEfEnglishMeans "good news" from Greek
ευ (eu) "good" and
αγγελμα (angelma) "news, message". It was (first?) used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his epic poem 'Evangeline' (1847). It also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' (1852) as the full name of the character Eva.
EVEfEnglish, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
חַוָּה (Chawwah), which was derived from the Hebrew word
חָוָה (chawah) meaning "to breathe" or the related word
חָיָה (chayah) meaning "to live". According to the Old Testament Book of Genesis, Eve and
Adam were the first humans. God created her from one of Adam's ribs to be his companion. At the urging of a serpent she ate the forbidden fruit and shared some with Adam, causing their expulsion from the Garden of
Eden.
... [more] EVELYNf & mEnglish, GermanFrom an English surname which was derived from the given name
AVELINE. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as mainly feminine due to association with the related name
Evelina.
EVRENm & fTurkishMeans "cosmos, the universe" in Turkish. In Turkic mythology the Evren is a gigantic snake-like dragon.
FAITHfEnglishSimply from the English word
faith, ultimately from Latin
fidere "to trust". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century.
FALLONfEnglish (Modern)From an Irish surname which was derived from
Ó Fallamhain meaning "descendant of Fallamhan". The given name
Fallamhan meant "leader". It was popularized in the 1980s by a character on the soap opera 'Dynasty'.
FANCYfEnglish (Rare)From the English word
fancy which means either "like, love, inclination" or "ornamental". It is derived from Middle English
fantasie, which comes (via Norman French and Latin) from Greek
φαινω (phaino) "to show, to appear".
FANGf & mChineseFrom Chinese
芳 (fāng) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
FANTINEfLiteratureThis name was used by Victor Hugo for the mother of Cosette in his novel 'Les Misérables' (1862). The name was given to her by a passerby who found the young orphan on the street. Hugo may have intended it to be a derivative of the French word
enfant "child".
FÁTIMAfPortuguese, SpanishFrom the name of a town in Portugal, which is derived from the Arabic feminine name
FATIMAH, apparently after a Moorish princess who converted to Christianity during the Reconquista. The town became an important Christian pilgrimage center after 1917 when three local children reported witnessing repeated apparitions of the Virgin
Mary.
FAUNAfRoman MythologyFeminine form of
FAUNUS. Fauna was a Roman goddess of fertility, women and healing, a daughter and companion of Faunus.
FAWNfEnglishFrom the English word
fawn for a young deer.
FAYfEnglishDerived from Middle English
faie meaning "fairy", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin
fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Arthurian legends in the name of Morgan le Fay. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In some cases it may be used as a short form of
FAITH.
FAYRUZfArabicMeans "turquoise (the gemstone)" in Arabic, ultimately of Persian origin.