GERMAINEfFrenchFrench feminine form of
GERMAIN. Saint Germaine was a 16th-century peasant girl from France.
GERTRUDEfEnglish, DutchMeans "spear of strength", derived from the Germanic elements
ger "spear" and
thrud "strength". Saint Gertrude the Great was a 13th-century nun and mystic writer. It was probably introduced to England by settlers from the Low Countries in the 15th century. Shakespeare used the name in his play 'Hamlet' (1600) for the mother of the title character. A famous bearer was the American writer Gertrude Stein (1874-1946).
GETHSEMANEfVariousFrom a biblical place name, the garden where
Jesus was arrested, located on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. It is derived from
Γεθσημανι (Gethsemani), the Greek form of an Aramaic name meaning "oil vat". It is very rarely used as a given name.
GILDAfItalian, PortugueseOriginally an Italian short form of names containing the Germanic element
gild meaning "sacrifice, value".
GILLIANfEnglishMedieval English feminine form of
JULIAN. This spelling has been in use since the 13th century, though it was not declared a distinct name from
Julian until the 17th century.
GINEVRAfItalianItalian form of
GUINEVERE. This is also the Italian name for the city of Geneva, Switzerland. It is also sometimes associated with the Italian word
ginepro meaning "juniper".
GINGERfEnglishFrom the English word
ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a diminutive of
VIRGINIA, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.
GIOCONDAfItalianFrom the Late Latin name
Iucunda which meant "pleasant, delightful, happy". Leonardo da Vinci's painting the 'Mona Lisa' is also known as 'La Gioconda' because its subject is Lisa del Giocondo.
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.
GITAfIndian, HindiMeans "song" in Sanskrit. The word appears in the name of the 'Bhagavad Gita', a sacred text of Hinduism (meaning "divine song").
GLADYSfWelsh, EnglishFrom the old Welsh name
Gwladus, possibly derived from
gwlad "country". It has historically been used as a Welsh form of
CLAUDIA. This name became popular outside of Wales after it was used in Ouida's novel 'Puck' (1870).
GLAWm & fWelshMeans "rain" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
GLENDAfWelsh, EnglishA name created in the 20th century from the Welsh elements
glân "pure, clean" and
da "good".
GLENYSfWelshElaboration of the Welsh word
glân meaning "pure, clean, holy". This name was created in the late 19th century.
GLORIAfEnglish, Spanish, Italian, GermanMeans "glory", from the Portuguese and Spanish titles of the Virgin
Mary Maria da Glória and
María de Gloria. Maria da Glória (1819-1853) was the daughter of the Brazilian emperor Pedro I, eventually becoming queen of Portugal as Maria II.
... [more] GLORIANAfEnglish (Rare)Elaborated form of Latin
gloria meaning "glory". In Edmund Spenser's poem 'The Faerie Queene' (1590) this was the name of the title character, a representation of Queen Elizabeth I.
GLYNISfWelshEither a variant of
GLENYS or an elaboration of the Welsh word
glyn meaning "valley".
GOBNAITfIrishFeminine form of
GOBÁN. This was the name of a 6th-century Irish abbess, the patron saint of Ballyvourney.
GODIVAfAnglo-Saxon (Latinized)Latinized form of the Old English name
Godgifu meaning "gift of god", from the elements
god and
giefu "gift". Lady Godiva was an 11th-century English noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry to protest the high taxes imposed by her husband upon the townspeople.
GOHARfArmenianMeans "jewel" in Armenian, ultimately of Persian origin.
GOIZEDERfBasqueDerived from Basque
goiz "morning" and
eder "beautiful".
GOLDIE (1)fEnglishFrom a nickname for a person with blond hair, from the English word
gold.
GORETTIfVariousFrom the surname of Maria Goretti, a 20th-century Italian saint who forgave her murderer on her deathbed. Her surname was derived from the given name
GREGORIO.
GORMLAITHfIrish, ScottishDerived from Irish
gorm "blue" or "illustrious" and
flaith "princess, lady". This was the name of a wife of the 11th-century Irish ruler
Brian Boru.
GRACEfEnglishFrom the English word
grace, which ultimately derives from Latin
gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.
GRÁINNEfIrish, Irish MythologyPossibly derived from Gaelic
grán meaning "grain". This was the name of an ancient Irish grain goddess. The name also belonged to the fiancée of
Fionn mac Cumhail and the lover of
Diarmaid in later Irish legend, and it is often associated with
gráidh "love".
GRAYm & fEnglishFrom an English surname meaning "grey", originally given to a person who had grey hair or clothing.
GRAŻYNAfPolishMeans "beautiful" in Lithuanian. This name was created by Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz for his poem 'Grażyna' (1823).
GRETELfGermanDiminutive of
GRETE. This name is well-known as the character in Grimm's fairy tale who is captured, with her brother Hansel, by a witch.
GRIDfNorse MythologyMeans "peace" in Old Norse. In Norse myth she was a frost giantess, the mother of Víðarr by
Odin. She also aided
Thor in his fight against the giant Geirrod.
GRISELDAfEnglish, Scottish, Spanish, LiteraturePossibly derived from the Germanic elements
gris "grey" and
hild "battle". It is not attested as a Germanic name. This was the name of a patient wife in medieval tales by Boccaccio and Chaucer.
GUADALUPEf & mSpanishFrom a Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, meaning "Our Lady of Guadalupe". Guadalupe is a Spanish place name, the site of a famous convent, derived from Arabic
وادي (wadi) meaning "valley, river" possibly combined with Latin
lupus meaning "wolf". In the 16th century Our Lady of Guadalupe supposedly appeared in a vision to a native Mexican man, and she is now regarded as a patron saint of the Americas.
GUANTINGm & fChineseFrom Chinese
冠 (guān) meaning "cap, crown, headgear" combined with
廷 (tíng) meaning "court". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
GUANYUm & fChineseFrom Chinese
冠 (guān) meaning "cap, crown, headgear" combined with
宇 (yǔ) meaning "house, eaves, universe". Other character combinations are possible.
GUDRUNfNorse Mythology, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, GermanFrom the Old Norse name
Guðrún meaning "god's secret lore", derived from the elements
guð "god" and
rún "secret lore". In Norse legend Gudrun was the wife of
Sigurd. After his death she married Atli, but when he murdered her brothers, she killed her sons by him, fed him their hearts, and then slew him.
GUINEVEREfArthurian RomanceFrom the Norman French form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar, derived from the elements
gwen meaning "fair, white" and
sebara meaning "phantom, magical being". In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King
Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by
Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir
Lancelot.
... [more] GUIOMARf & mPortuguese, Spanish, Arthurian RomancePossibly derived from the Germanic name
Wigmar, which is formed of the elements
wig "war, battle" and
mari "famous". In the medieval 'Lancelot-Grail' cycle he plays a minor role as a cousin of Guinevere, who banishes him after he becomes a lover of Morgan le Fey. In modern Portugal and Spain it is a feminine name.
GUIYINGm & fChineseFrom Chinese
桂 (guì) meaning "laurel, cassia, cinnamon" combined with
英 (yīng) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". This name can be formed from other character combinations as well.
GÜLfTurkishMeans "rose" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
GULm & fUrdu, PashtoMeans "flower, rose" in Urdu and Pashto, ultimately from Persian.
GULBADANfUrdu (Rare)Means "having a body like a rose" in Persian. This was the name of a daughter of the Mughal emperor Babur.
GULISAfGeorgianMeans "little heart" in Georgian, derived from
გული (guli) "heart" combined with a diminutive suffix.
GÜLNURfTurkishMeans "rose light" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose" and Arabic
نور (nur) meaning "light".
GULRUKHfUrduMeans "rose faced" in Persian. This was the name of a wife of the Mughal emperor Babur.
GUOm & fChineseFrom Chinese
国 (guó) meaning "country" or other Chinese characters pronounced in a similar way.
GWENfWelsh, EnglishFrom Welsh
gwen, the feminine form of
gwyn meaning "white, fair, blessed". It can also be a short form of
GWENDOLEN,
GWENLLIAN, and other names beginning with
Gwen.
GWENDAfWelsh, EnglishDerived from the Welsh elements
gwen meaning "white, fair, blessed" and
da meaning "good". This name was created in the 20th century.
GWENDOLENfWelshMeans "white ring", derived from the Welsh elements
gwen meaning "white, fair, blessed" and
dolen meaning "ring, loop". This was the name of a mythical queen of the Britons who defeated her husband in battle, as told by Geoffrey of Monmouth.
GWENFREWIfWelshDerived from the Welsh elements
gwen meaning "white, fair, blessed" and
frewi meaning "reconciliation, peace". This was the name of a 7th-century Welsh saint and martyr.
GWENLLIANfWelshDerived from the Welsh elements
gwen meaning "white, fair, blessed" and
llian meaning "flaxen". This name was popular among medieval Welsh royalty. It was borne by the 14th-century daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.
GWYNEDDf & mWelshFrom the name of a region in Wales, named after an ancient kingdom, which may be derived from the old Welsh given name
Cunedda.
GWYNEIRAfWelshMeans "white snow" from the Welsh element
gwyn meaning "white, fair, blessed" combined with
eira meaning "snow".
GYEONGm & fKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
京 (gyeong) meaning "capital city",
景 (gyeong) meaning "scenery, view",
敬 (gyeong) meaning "respect, honour", or other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.
GYEONG-HUIfKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
敬 (gyeong) meaning "respect, honour" and
姬 (hui) meaning "beauty". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
GYEONG-JAfKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
慶 (gyeong) meaning "congratulate, celebrate" or
敬 (gyeong) meaning "respect, honour" combined with
子 (ja) meaning "child". This name can be formed of other hanja character combinations as well. Korean feminine names ending with the character
子 (a fashionable name suffix in Japan, read as
-ko in Japanese) became less popular after Japanese rule of Korea ended in 1945.
GYEONG-SUKfKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
京 (gyeong) meaning "capital city" and
淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
GYNETHfLiteraturePerhaps a variant of
GWYNETH. Sir Walter Scott used this name for the daughter of King
Arthur in his work 'The Bridal of Triermain' (1813).
GYPSYfEnglish (Rare)Simply from the English word
Gypsy for the nomadic people who originated in northern India. The word was originally a corruption of
Egyptian. It is sometimes considered pejorative.
GYTHAfEnglish (Archaic)From
Gyða, an Old Norse diminutive of
GUÐRÍÐR. It was borne by a Danish noblewoman who married the English lord Godwin of Wessex in the 11th century. The name was used in England for a short time after that, and was revived in the 19th century.
HADLEYf & mEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from a place name meaning "heather field" in Old English.