FRANCIS m & f English, FrenchEnglish form of the Late Latin name
Franciscus meaning "Frenchman", ultimately from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were named for a type of spear that they used. This name was borne by the 13th-century Saint Francis of Assisi, who was originally named Giovanni but was given the nickname Francesco by his father, an admirer of the French. Francis went on to renounce his father's wealth and devote his life to the poor, founding the Franciscan order of friars. Later in his life he apparently received the stigmata.
... [more] FRAUKE f GermanMeans "little lady", derived from German
frau combined with a diminutive suffix.
FREYA f Norse Mythology, English (British, Modern), GermanFrom Old Norse
Freyja meaning "lady". This was the name of the goddess of love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology. She claimed half of the heroes who were slain in battle and brought them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother
Freyr and father
Njord, she was one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess
Frigg.
... [more] FRIDA f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Ancient GermanicGermanic name, originally a short form of other feminine names containing the Germanic element
frid meaning "peace". This is also the Scandinavian equivalent, from the Old Norse cognate
Fríða. A famous bearer was Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).
FRIDESWIDE f HistoryModern form of the Old English name
Friðuswiþ, formed of the elements
friþ "peace" and
swiþ "strong". Saint Frideswide was an 8th-century English princess who became a nun. She is credited with establishing Christ Church in Oxford.
FRIEDE f GermanShort form of names containing the element
fried, derived from the Germanic element
frid meaning "peace".
FRIGG f Norse MythologyMeans "beloved" in Old Norse, ultimately derived from Indo-European *
pri "to love". In Norse mythology she was the goddess of the earth, air and fertility, and the wife of
Odin. Some scholars believe that she and the goddess
Freya share a common origin.
FRUMA f YiddishFrom Yiddish
פֿרום (frum) meaning "pious". This is the name of a character (appearing as a ghost) in the musical 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1964).
FU m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
富 (fù) meaning "abundant, rich, wealthy",
芙 (fú) meaning "hibiscus, lotus" or
甫 (fǔ) meaning "begin, man, father", in addition to other characters with a similar pronunciation. A famous bearer was the 8th-century Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, whose given name was
甫.
FUYUKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
冬 (fuyu) meaning "winter" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other combinations of kanji.
GABIJA f Lithuanian, Baltic MythologyProbably from Lithuanian
gaubti meaning "to cover". In Lithuanian mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire and the home.
GAEL f English (Modern)Variant of
GAIL, also coinciding with the ethno-linguistic term
Gael, which refers to speakers of Gaelic languages.
GAIA f Greek Mythology, ItalianFrom the Greek word
γαια (gaia), a parallel form of
γη (ge) meaning "earth". In Greek mythology Gaia was the mother goddess who presided over the earth. She was the mate of
Uranus and the mother of the Titans and the Cyclopes.
GAIANA f Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Γαιανη (Gaiane), a derivative of
GAIA. This was the name of a (perhaps fictional) martyr who was killed in Armenia during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian in the late 3rd century.
GALADRIEL f LiteratureMeans "maiden crowned with a radiant garland" in Sindarin. Galadriel was a Noldorin elf princess renowned for her beauty and wisdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The elements are
galad "radiant" and
riel "garlanded maiden".
Alatáriel is the Quenya form of her name.
GARDENIA f English (Rare)From the name of the tropical flower, which was named for the Scottish naturalist Alexander Garden (1730-1791).
GARGI f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, BengaliMeaning unknown. This was the name of a 7th-century BC Indian philosopher who appears in the Upanishads, which are parts of Hindu scripture.
GARNET (1) f EnglishFrom the English word
garnet for the precious stone, the birthstone of January. The word is derived from Middle English
gernet meaning "dark red".
GARNET (2) m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that either referred to a person who made hinges (Old French
carne) or was derived from the Norman name
GUARIN.
GAY f EnglishFrom the English word
gay meaning "gay, happy". By the mid-20th century the word had acquired the additional meaning of "homosexual", and the name has subsequently dropped out of use.
GAYATRI f Hinduism, Indian, Marathi, HindiFrom Sanskrit
गायत्र (gayatra), which refers to a type of song or hymn with a particular meter. It is also the name of a Hindu goddess who is a personification of this song.
GENESIS f English (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.
GENEVA f EnglishPossibly a shortened form of
GENEVIEVE. It could also be inspired by the name of the city in Switzerland. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.
GENEVIÈVE f FrenchFrom the medieval name
Genovefa, which is of uncertain origin. It could be derived from the Germanic elements
kuni "kin, family" and
wefa "wife, woman". Alternatively it could be of Gaulish origin, from the related Celtic element
genos "kin, family" combined with a second element of unknown meaning. This name was borne by Saint Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, who inspired the city to resist the Huns in the 5th century.
GEORGIA f English, GreekLatinate feminine form of
GEORGE. This is the name of an American state, which was named after the British king George II. A famous bearer was the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).
GERLINDE f German, DutchDerived from the Germanic element
ger meaning "spear" combined with
lind meaning "soft, tender, flexible".
GERMAINE f FrenchFrench feminine form of
GERMAIN. Saint Germaine was a 16th-century peasant girl from France.
GERTRUDE f English, 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).
GETHSEMANE f VariousFrom 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.
GILDA f Italian, PortugueseOriginally an Italian short form of names containing the Germanic element
gild meaning "sacrifice, value".
GILLIAN f EnglishMedieval 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.
GINEVRA f ItalianItalian 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".
GINGER f EnglishFrom 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.
GIOCONDA f ItalianFrom 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.
GISELLE f French, 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.
GITA f Indian, HindiMeans "song" in Sanskrit. The word appears in the name of the 'Bhagavad Gita', a sacred text of Hinduism (meaning "divine song").
GLADYS f Welsh, 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).
GLAW m & f WelshMeans "rain" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
GLENDA f Welsh, EnglishA name created in the 20th century from the Welsh elements
glân "pure, clean" and
da "good".
GLENYS f WelshElaboration of the Welsh word
glân meaning "pure, clean, holy". This name was created in the late 19th century.
GLORIA f English, 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] GLORIANA f English (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.
GLYNIS f WelshEither a variant of
GLENYS or an elaboration of the Welsh word
glyn meaning "valley".
GOBNAIT f IrishFeminine form of
GOBÁN. This was the name of a 6th-century Irish abbess, the patron saint of Ballyvourney.
GODIVA f Anglo-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.
GOHAR f ArmenianMeans "jewel" in Armenian, ultimately of Persian origin.
GOIZEDER f BasqueDerived from Basque
goiz "morning" and
eder "beautiful".