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).
GERALDINE f EnglishFeminine form of
GERALD. This name was created by the poet Henry Howard for use in a 1537 sonnet praising Lady Elizabeth FitzGerald, whom he terms
The Geraldine.
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, Dutch, FrenchMeans
"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. Another 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
Γεθσημανί (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 meaning
"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 EnglishProbably a feminine form of
GLENN using the suffix
da (from names such as
LINDA and
WANDA). This name was not regularly used until the 20th century.
GLENYS f WelshElaboration of the Welsh word
glân meaning
"pure, clean, holy". This name was created in the late 19th century.
GLINDA f LiteratureCreated by author L. Frank Baum for his character Glinda the Good Witch, a kind sorceress in his
Oz series of books beginning in 1900. It is not known what inspired the name.
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.
GLORINDA f EsperantoMeans
"worthy of glory" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin
gloria.
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 & m Persian, Armenian, UrduFrom Persian
گوهر (gohar) meaning
"jewel, gemstone". This name is typically feminine in Iran and Armenia, but masculine in Pakistan.
GOIZEDER f BasqueDerived from Basque
goiz "morning" and
eder "beautiful".
GOLDA f YiddishFrom Yiddish
גאָלד (gold) meaning
"gold". This is the name of Tevye's wife in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964). It was also borne by the Israeli prime minister Golda Meir (1898-1978).
GOLDIE (1) f EnglishFrom a nickname for a person with blond hair, from the English word
gold.
GOLNAR f PersianDerived from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose" and
انار (anar) meaning "pomegranate".
GOLNAZ f PersianDerived from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose" and
ناز (naz) meaning "delight, comfort".
GONCA f TurkishMeans
"flower bud" in Turkish, of Persian origin.
GONXHE f AlbanianMeans
"flower bud" in Albanian, of Persian origin. This was the middle name of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, better known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997).
GORETTI f VariousFrom 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.
GORMLAITH f Irish, 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.
GRACE f EnglishFrom 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.
GRÁINNE f Irish, 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 meaning
"love".
GRAY m & f EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"grey", originally given to a person who had grey hair or clothing.
GRAŻYNA f PolishMeans
"beautiful" in Lithuanian. This name was created by Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz for his poem
Grażyna (1823).
GRETEL f GermanDiminutive of
GRETE. It is well-known as a character from an 1812 Brothers Grimm fairy tale who is captured, with her brother Hansel, by a witch. The Grimm's story was based on earlier European folk tales.
GRID f Norse 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.
GRISELDA f English, 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.
GUADALUPE f & m SpanishFrom 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.
GUANTING m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
冠 (guān) meaning "cap, crown, headgear" combined with
廷 (tíng) meaning "court". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
GUANYU m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
冠 (guān) meaning "cap, crown, headgear" combined with
宇 (yǔ) meaning "house, eaves, universe". Other character combinations are possible.
GÜÇİN f TurkishMeans
"rose picking, rose growing" in Turkish.
GUDRUN f Norse 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.
GUINEVERE f Arthurian RomanceFrom the Norman French form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar meaning
"white phantom", ultimately from the Old Celtic roots *
windos meaning "fair, white, blessed" (modern Welsh
gwen) and *
sebros 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] GUIOMAR f & m Portuguese, 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.
GUIYING m & f ChineseFrom 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.
GÜL f TurkishMeans
"rose" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
GUL m & f Urdu, PashtoMeans
"flower, rose" in Urdu and Pashto, ultimately from Persian.
GULBADAN f Urdu (Rare)Means
"having a body like a rose" in Persian. This was the name of a daughter of the Mughal emperor Babur.
GULISA f GeorgianMeans
"little heart" in Georgian, derived from
გული (guli) meaning "heart" combined with a diminutive suffix.
GÜLNUR f TurkishMeans
"rose light" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose" and Arabic
نور (nur) meaning "light".
GULRUKH f UrduMeans
"rose faced" in Persian. This was the name of a wife of the Mughal emperor Babur.
GUNBORG f SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Gunnbjǫrg, derived from the elements
gunnr "war" and
bjǫrg "help, save, rescue".