PHILADELPHIA f English (Rare)From the name of a city in Asia Minor mentioned in Revelation in the New Testament. The name of the city meant "brotherly love" from Greek
φιλεω (phileo) "to love" and
αδελφος (adelphos) "brother". It is also the name of a city in the United States.
PHILOMEL f LiteratureFrom an English word meaning "nightingale" (ultimately from
PHILOMELA). It has been used frequently in poetry to denote the bird.
PHILOMELA f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
φιλος (philos) "lover, friend" and
μηλον (melon) "fruit". The second element has also been interpreted as Greek
μελος (melos) "song". In Greek myth Philomela was the sister-in-law of Tereus, who raped her and cut out her tongue. Prokne avenged her sister by killing her son by Tereus, after which Tereus attempted to kill Philomela. However, the gods intervened and transformed her into a nightingale.
PHILOMENA f English, German, Late GreekFrom Greek
φιλος (philos) "friend, lover" and
μενος (menos) "mind, strength, force". This was the name of an obscure early saint and martyr. The name came to public attention in the 19th century after a tomb seemingly marked with the name
Filumena was found in Rome, supposedly belonging to another martyr named Philomena. This may have in fact been a representation of the Greek word
φιλομηνη (philomene) meaning "loved".
PHOEBE f English, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Biblical, Biblical LatinLatinized form of the Greek name
Φοιβη (Phoibe), which meant "bright, pure" from Greek
φοιβος (phoibos). In Greek mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess
Artemis. The name appears in
Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae. In England, it began to be used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. A moon of Saturn bears this name (in honour of the Titan).
PHOENIX m & f English (Modern)From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek
φοινιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".
PHOTINE f Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
φως (phos) meaning "light" (genitive
φωτος (photos)). This is the name traditionally given to the Samaritan woman
Jesus met at the well (see John 4:7). She is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Church.
PHÚC m & f VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
福 (phúc) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing".
PHƯỢNG f VietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
鳳 (phượng) meaning "phoenix". This refers to the mythological creature known as the Chinese phoenix or the Fenghuang.
PHYLLIS f Greek Mythology, English, GermanMeans "foliage" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of a woman who killed herself out of love for Demophon and was subsequently transformed into an almond tree. It began to be used as a given name in England in the 16th century, though it was often confused with
Felicia.
PIEDAD f SpanishMeans "mercy, piety" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin
pietas.
PIETY f English (Rare)From the English word meaning "piety, devoutness". This was a rare virtue name used by the Puritans in the 17th century.
PIHLA f FinnishDerived from Finnish
pihlaja meaning "rowan tree".
PIKA (2) f SloveneMeans "dot" in Slovene. This is the Slovene name for
Pippi Longstocking, Pika Nogavička.
PILAR f SpanishMeans "pillar" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
María del Pilar, meaning "Mary of the Pillar". According to legend, when Saint
James the Greater was in Saragossa in Spain, the Virgin Mary appeared on a pillar.
PING m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
平 (píng) meaning "level, even, peaceful". Other characters can also form this name.
PIP m & f EnglishDiminutive of
PHILIP or
PHILIPPA. This was the name of the main character in 'Great Expectations' (1860) by Charles Dickens.
PIPER f English (Modern)From a surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series 'Charmed', which debuted in 1998.
PIPPI f LiteratureCreated by the daughter of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren for the main character in her mother's 'Pippi Longstocking' series of stories, first published 1945. In the books Pippi (Swedish name
Pippi Långstrump; full first name
Pippilotta) is a brash and exceptionally strong young girl who lives in a house by herself.
PISTIS f Greek MythologyMeans "trust, faith" in Greek. In Greek mythology Pistis was the personification of trust.
POCAHONTAS f Native American, PowhatanMeans "playful one" in Powhatan, an Algonquian language. This was the name of a 17th-century Powhatan woman, a daughter of the powerful chief
Wahunsenacawh. She married the white colonist John Rolfe and travelled with him to England, but died of illness before returning.
POLLY f EnglishMedieval variant of
MOLLY. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is unknown.
POLLYANNA f LiteratureCombination of
POLLY and
ANNA. This was the name of the main character in Eleanor H. Porter's novel 'Pollyanna' (1913).
POMARE m & f TahitianFrom Tahitian
po "night" and
mare "cough". This name was borne by four kings and a queen of Tahiti. The first king adopted the name after his child died of a cough in the night.
POMONA f Roman MythologyFrom Latin
pomus "fruit tree". This was the name of the Roman goddess of fruit trees.
POOJA f Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, NepaliAlternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali
पूजा, Gujarati
પૂજા, Bengali
পূজা, Gurmukhi
ਪੂਜਾ, Telugu
పూజా, Malayalam
പൂജ, Tamil
பூஜா or Kannada
ಪೂಜಾ (see
PUJA).
PORSCHE f English (Modern)From the name of the German car company, which was founded by Ferdinand Porsche (1875-1951). His surname is derived from the given name
BORIS.
PORTIA f EnglishVariant of
Porcia, the feminine form of the Roman family name
PORCIUS, used by William Shakespeare for the heroine of his play 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596). In the play Portia is a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to defend
Antonio in court. It is also the name of a moon of Uranus, after the Shakespearean character.
POSY f EnglishDiminutive of
JOSEPHINE. It can also be inspired by the English word
posy for a bunch of flowers.
PRAISE f English (Rare)From the English word
praise, which is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Late Latin
preciare, a derivative of Latin
pretium "price, worth".
PRANVERA f AlbanianDerived from Albanian
pranverë meaning "spring", itself from
pranë "nearby, close" and
verë "summer".
PRECIOUS f English (Modern)From the English word
precious, ultimately derived from Latin
pretiosus, a derivative of Latin
pretium "price, worth".
PRESLEY f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "priest clearing" (Old English
preost and
leah). This surname was borne by musician Elvis Presley (1935-1977).
PRIMROSE f English (Rare)From the English word for the flower, ultimately deriving from Latin
prima rosa "first rose".
PRIMULA f English (Rare)From the name of a genus of several species of flowers, including the primrose. It is derived from the Latin word
primulus meaning "very first".
PRISCILLA f English, Italian, French, Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, BiblicalRoman name, a diminutive of
PRISCA. In Acts in the New Testament
Paul lived with Priscilla (also known as Prisca) and her husband
Aquila in Corinth for a while. It has been used as an English given name since the Protestant Reformation, being popular with the Puritans. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used it in his poem 'The Courtship of Miles Standish' (1858).
PRUDENCE f & m English, FrenchMedieval English form of
Prudentia, the feminine form of
PRUDENTIUS. In France it is both the feminine form and a rare masculine form. In England it was used during the Middle Ages and was revived in the 17th century by the Puritans, in part from the English word
prudence, ultimately of the same source.
PRUNELLA f English (Rare)From the English word for the type of flower, also called self-heal, ultimately a derivative of the Latin word
pruna "plum".
PSYCHE f Greek MythologyMeans "the soul", derived from Greek
ψυχω (psycho) "to breathe". The Greeks thought that the breath was the soul. In Greek mythology Psyche was a beautiful maiden who was beloved by Eros (or Cupid in Roman mythology). She is the subject of Keats's poem 'Ode to Psyche' (1819).
PUABI f AkkadianMeans "word of my father", from Akkadian
pû meaning "mouth" and
abu meaning "father". Puabi was a 26th-century BC Akkadian noblewoman who was buried in the Sumerian city of Ur.
PUALANI f HawaiianMeans "heavenly flower" or "royal offspring" from Hawaiian
pua "flower, offspring" and
lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
PUANANI f HawaiianMeans "beautiful flower" or "beautiful offspring" from Hawaiian
pua "flower, offspring" and
nani "beauty, glory".
PUCK m & f Anglo-Saxon Mythology, DutchMeaning unknown, from Old English
puca. It could ultimately be of either Germanic or Celtic origin. In English legend this was the name of a mischievous spirit, also known as Robin Goodfellow. He appears in Shakespeare's play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (1600).
PUJA f Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, NepaliMeans "honour, worship" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu ritual of reverence.
PURDIE m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from the Norman French expression
pur die "by God". It was perhaps originally a nickname for a person who used the oath frequently.
PUTERI f MalayMeans "daughter, princess" in Malay, ultimately from Sanskrit
पुत्री (putri).
PUTU m & f Indonesian, BalineseMeans "grandchild" in Balinese. Traditionally, this name is given to the first-born child.
QING f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green, young", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
QIU m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
秋 (qiū) meaning "autumn",
丘 (qiū) meaning "hill, mound", or other characters with a similar pronunciation. The given name of the philosopher
Confucius was
丘.
QUEEN f EnglishFrom an old nickname that was derived from the English word
queen, ultimately from Old English
cwen meaning "woman, wife".
QUERALT f CatalanFrom the name of a Spanish sanctuary (in Catalonia) that is devoted to the Virgin
Mary.
QUINN m & f Irish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Cuinn meaning "descendant of
CONN".
RAABI'A f ArabicMeans "fourth" in Arabic. This name was borne by an 8th-century Sufi mystic from Basra in Iraq.
RACHEL f English, Hebrew, French, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
רָחֵל (Rachel) meaning "ewe". In the Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of
Jacob. Jacob was tricked by her father
Laban into marrying her older sister
Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid
Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of
Joseph and
Benjamin.
... [more] RAHAB f BiblicalMeans "spacious" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a woman of Jericho who helped the Israelites capture the city.
RAINBOW f English (Rare)From the English word for the arc of multicoloured light that can appear in a misty sky.
RAINE f & m English (Rare)Possibly based on the French word
reine meaning "queen". A famous bearer is the British socialite Raine Spencer (1929-), the stepmother of Princess Diana. In modern times it can also be used as a variant of
RAIN (1) or a short form of
LORRAINE.
RAISA (1) f RussianPossibly from the Greek name
HERAIS. This was the name of a saint and martyr killed in Alexandria during the early 4th-century persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian.
RAKHI f Indian, HindiFrom a word for a type of ritual wristband, ultimately from Sanskrit
रक्षा (raksha).
RALUCA f RomanianRomanian diminutive of the Greek name
Rallou, of uncertain meaning. It was popularized by the actress Rallou Karatza (1778-1870), a daughter of the prince of Wallachia Ioannis Karatzas, who was of Greek background.
RAMONA f Spanish, Romanian, EnglishFeminine form of
RAMÓN. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel 'Ramona' (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.
RAN f JapaneseFrom Japanese
蘭 (ran) meaning "orchid" or other kanji pronounced in the same way.
RANA (1) f ArabicMeans "an eye-catching object" from Arabic
رنا (rana) meaning "to gaze".
RANIYA f ArabicMeans "looking at", derived from Arabic
رنا (rana) meaning "to gaze".
RATHNAIT f IrishDerived from Irish
rath "grace, prosperity" combined with a diminutive suffix.
RATREE f ThaiFrom the name of a variety of jasmine flower, the night jasmine, ultimately from a poetic word meaning "night".
RAVEN f & m EnglishFrom the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English
hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god
Odin.
RAVID m & f HebrewMeans "ornament, necklace" in Hebrew.
RAWIYA f ArabicMeans "storyteller", derived from Arabic
روى (rawa) meaning "to relate".
RAYYAN m & f ArabicMeans "watered, luxuriant" in Arabic. According to Islamic tradition this is the name of one of the gates of paradise.
REAGAN f & m English (Modern), IrishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Ríagáin meaning "descendant of
RIAGÁN". This surname was borne by American president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
REBECCA f English, Italian, Swedish, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
רִבְקָה (Rivqah) from an unattested root probably meaning "join, tie, snare". This is the name of the wife of
Isaac and the mother of
Esau and
Jacob in the Old Testament. It came into use as a Christian name after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular with the Puritans in the 17th century.