ANFISAfRussianRussian form of the Greek name
Ανθουσα (Anthousa), which was derived from Greek
ανθος (anthos) "flower". This was the name of a 9th-century Byzantine saint.
ANGELm & fEnglish, Bulgarian, MacedonianFrom the medieval Latin masculine name
Angelus which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word
αγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.
ANGELAfEnglish, Italian, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Slovak, Russian, Macedonian, Late RomanFeminine form of
Angelus (see
ANGEL). As an English name, it came into use in the 18th century.
ANGELICAfEnglish, Italian, Romanian, LiteratureDerived from Latin
angelicus meaning "angelic", ultimately related to Greek
αγγελος (angelos) "messenger". The poets Boiardo and Ariosto used this name in their 'Orlando' poems (1495 and 1532), where it belongs to Orlando's love interest. It has been used as a given name since the 18th century.
ANGERONAfRoman MythologyPossibly from Latin
angor "strangulation, torment" or
angustus "narrow, constricted". Angerona was the Roman goddess of the winter solstice, death, and silence.
ANHm & fVietnameseThis name is frequently combined with a middle name to create a compound name; the meaning of
Anh changes depending on the Sino-Vietnamese characters underlying the compound. It is often from Sino-Vietnamese
英 (anh) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero", though in compounds it often takes on the meaning "intelligent, bright".
ANI (2)fArmenianFrom the name of an old Armenian city, of unknown meaning. Now in eastern Turkey, in the 10th and 11th centuries it was the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, though it was later abandoned and is now only ruins.
ANIMA (1)fIndian, HindiMeans "minuteness" from Sanskrit
अणिमन (animan). In yoga texts, this is the name of the ability to make oneself infinitely small so to be invisible.
ANIMA (2)fEnglish (Rare)Means "soul, spirit" in Latin. In Jungian psychology the anima is an individual's true inner self, or soul.
ANISSAfEnglishCombination of
ANNA and the popular name suffix
issa. This name was first brought to public attention by the child actress Anissa Jones (1958-1976).
ANITA (1)fSpanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Slovene, English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, LatvianSpanish, Portuguese, Croatian and Slovene diminutive of
ANA.
ANNfEnglishEnglish form of
ANNE (1). In the English-speaking world, both this spelling and
Anne have been used since the Middle Ages, though
Ann became much more popular during the 19th century.
ANNAfEnglish, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Icelandic, Faroese, Catalan, Occitan, Breton, Biblical, Old Church Slavic, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekForm of
Channah (see
HANNAH) used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the
Hannah spelling instead of
Anna. The name appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized
Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin
Mary. In the English-speaking world, this form came into general use in the 18th century, joining
Ann and
Anne.
... [more] ANNAGÜLfTurkmenDerived from Turkmen
anna "Friday" and
gül "flower, rose".
ANNE (1)fFrench, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Dutch, BasqueFrench form of
ANNA. In the 13th-century it was imported to England, where it was also commonly spelled
Ann. The name was borne by a 17th-century English queen and also by the second wife of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn (the mother of Queen Elizabeth I), who was eventually beheaded in the Tower of London. This is also the name of the heroine in 'Anne of Green Gables' (1908) by Canadian author L. M. Montgomery.
ANNUNZIATAfItalianMeans "announced" in Italian, referring to the event in the New Testament in which the angel Gabriel tells the Virgin
Mary of the imminent birth of
Jesus.
ANONAfEnglishMeaning unknown. It was possibly inspired by an American song by this name written by Vivian Grey in 1903 and recorded by musician Vess Ossman. The lyrics tell of a Native American woman named Anona from Arizona.
ANSAfFinnishDerived from Finnish
ansio "virtue" or
ansa "trap".
ANTIGONEfGreek MythologyDerived from Greek
αντι (anti) "against, compared to, like" and
γονη (gone) "birth, offspring". In Greek legend Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. King Creon of Thebes declared that her slain brother Polynices was to remain unburied, a great dishonour. She disobeyed and gave him a proper burial, and for this she was sealed alive in a cave.
ANTIOPEfGreek MythologyDerived from the Greek elements
αντι (anti) "against, compared to, like" and
οψ (ops) "voice". This was the name of several figures in Greek mythology, including a daughter of
Ares who was one of the queens of the Amazons. She was kidnapped and married by
Theseus.
ANTOINETTEfFrenchFeminine diminutive of
ANTOINE. This name was borne by Marie Antoinette, the queen of France during the French Revolution. She was executed by guillotine.
ANTONIAfItalian, Spanish, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Polish, Romanian, Greek, Croatian, Bulgarian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Antonius (see
ANTHONY).
ANUSHfArmenianMeans "sweet" in Armenian. This was the name of an 1890 novel by the Armenia writer Hovhannes Tumanyan. It was adapted into an opera in 1912 by Armen Tigranian.
AOIf & mJapaneseFrom Japanese
葵 (aoi) meaning "hollyhock, althea" or an adjectival form of
碧 (ao) meaning "green, blue". Other kanji with the same reading can form this name as well.
AOIBHEANNfIrishMeans "beautiful sheen" in Irish Gaelic. This was the name of the mother of Saint Enda. It was also borne by Irish royalty.
AOIDEfGreek MythologyMeans "song" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.
AOIFEfIrish, Irish MythologyMeans "beauty" from the Gaelic word
aoibh. In Irish legend Aoife was a warrior princess. In war against her sister Scathach, she was defeated in single combat by the hero
Cúchulainn. Eventually she was reconciled with her sister and became the lover of Cúchulainn. This name is sometimes used as a Gaelic form of
EVE or
EVA.
APHRAfVariousMeaning uncertain; possibly a variant of
AFRA (1), or possibly a variant of
Aphrah, a biblical place name meaning "dust". This name was born by the English writer Aphra Behn (1640-1689).
APHRODITEfGreek MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly of Phoenician origin. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty, identified with the Roman goddess
Venus. She was the wife of
Hephaestus and the mother of
Eros, and she was often associated with the myrtle tree and doves. The Greeks connected her name with
αφρος (aphros) "foam", resulting in the story that she was born from the foam of the sea. Many of her characteristics are based on the goddess known as
Ashtoreth to the Phoenicians and
Ishtar to the Mesopotamian Semitic peoples, and on the Sumerian goddess
Inanna.
APPHIAfBiblicalGreek form of a Hebrew name which possibly meant "increasing". This is a name mentioned in
Paul's epistle to
Philemon in the New Testament.
APRILfEnglishFrom the name of the month, probably originally derived from Latin
aperire "to open", referring to the opening of flowers. It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 1940s.
ARABELLAfEnglishMedieval Scottish name, probably a variant of
ANNABEL. It has long been associated with Latin
orabilis meaning "invokable".
ARACELIfSpanishMeans "altar of the sky" from Latin
ara "altar" and
coeli "sky". This is an epithet of the Virgin
Mary in her role as the patron saint of Lucena, Spain.
ARACHNEfGreek MythologyMeans "spider" in Greek. In Greek myth Arachne was a mortal woman who defeated
Athena in a weaving contest. After this Arachne hanged herself, but Athena brought her back to life in the form of a spider.
ARAMINTAfEnglish (Rare)Meaning unknown. This name was (first?) used by William Congreve in his comedy 'The Old Bachelor' (1693) and later by Sir John Vanbrugh in his comedy 'The Confederacy' (1705). This was the real name of abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), who was born Araminta Ross.
ARAN (1)f & mIrishFrom the name of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland.
ARANTZAZUfBasqueFrom the name of a place near the Spanish town of Oñati where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. Its name is derived from Basque
arantza "thornbush".
ARAXfArmenianFrom the name of a river (also called the Aras) which flows through Armenia.
ARCADIAfVariousFeminine form of
ARCADIUS. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.
ARDENm & fEnglishFrom an English surname, originally taken from various place names, which were derived from a Celtic word meaning "high".
ARETHAfEnglishPossibly derived from Greek
αρετη (arete) meaning "virtue". This name was popularized in the 1960s by American singer Aretha Franklin (1942-).
ARIA (1)fEnglishMeans "song, melody" in Italian (literally means "air"). An aria is an elaborate vocal solo, the type usually performed in operas. As an English name, it has only been in use since the 20th century. It is not common in Italy.
ARIADNEfGreek MythologyMeans "most holy", composed of the Cretan Greek elements
αρι (ari) "most" and
αδνος (adnos) "holy". In Greek mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King
Minos. She fell in love with
Theseus and helped him to escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, but was later abandoned by him. Eventually she married the god
Dionysus.
ARIANRHODfWelsh, Welsh MythologyPossibly means "silver wheel" or "round wheel" in Welsh. In Welsh myth Arianrhod was the mother of the brothers
Dylan and
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. In earlier myths she was a goddess of the moon.
ARIELm & fHebrew, English, French, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical GreekMeans "lion of God" in Hebrew, from
אֲרִי ('ari) meaning "lion" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". In the Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare used it as the name of a spirit in his play 'The Tempest' (1611), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Walt Disney film 'The Little Mermaid' (1989).
ARISTAfAstronomyMeans "ear of corn" in Latin. This is the name of a star, also known as Spica, in the constellation Virgo.
ARJAfFinnishVariant of
IRJA. The Finnish poet Eino Leino used it in his poem 'Arja and Selinä' (1916), though belonging to a male character.
ARLIEf & mEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "eagle wood" in Old English. This name can also be a diminutive of
ARLENE.
ARLINEfEnglishMeaning unknown, possibly invented by Michael William Balfe for the main character in his opera 'The Bohemian Girl' (1843).
ARMIDAfItalian, SpanishProbably created by the 16th-century Italian poet Torquato Tasso for his epic poem 'Jerusalem Delivered' (1580). In the poem Armida is a beautiful enchantress who bewitches many of the crusaders.
ARMIDEfLiteratureFrench form of
ARMIDA. This is the name of operas by Jean-Baptiste Lully (in 1686) and Christoph Willibald Gluck (in 1777), both of which were based on 'Jerusalem Delivered' by Torquato Tasso.
ARTEMISIAfAncient GreekFeminine form of
ARTEMISIOS. This was the name of the 4th-century BC builder of the Mausoleum, one of the seven wonders of the world. She built it in memory of her husband, the Carian prince Mausolus.
ARUNDHATIfHinduism, Indian, HindiThe name of a star (also called Alcor), which was named after a type of climbing plant, possibly meaning "not restrained" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief it is the name of the sage Vasishtha's wife, who is identified with the star.
ARWAfArabicPossibly means "mountain goats" in Arabic. This was the name of a 12th-century queen of Yemen.
ARWENfLiteratureMeans "noble maiden" in Sindarin. In 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Arwen was the daughter of
Elrond and the lover of
Aragorn.
ARYAm & fPersian, Indian, Hindi, MalayalamFrom an old Indo-Iranian root meaning "Aryan, noble". In India, this is a transcription of both the masculine form
आर्य and the feminine form
आर्या. In Iran it is only a masculine name.
ÅSAfSwedishShort form of Old Norse feminine names beginning with the element
áss "god".
ASCENSIÓNfSpanishMeans "ascension" in Spanish. This name is given in reference to the Ascension of
Jesus into heaven.
ASHm & fEnglishShort form of
ASHLEY. It can also come directly from the English word denoting either the tree or the residue of fire.
ASHANTIf & mVariousFrom the name of an African people who reside in southern Ghana. It possibly means "warlike" in the Twi language.
ASHERAHfSemitic MythologyPerhaps derived from Semitic roots meaning "she who walks in the sea". This was the name of a Semitic mother goddess. She was worshipped by the Israelites before the advent of monotheism.
ASHLEYf & mEnglishFrom an English surname which was originally derived from place names meaning "ash tree clearing", from a combination of Old English
æsc and
leah. Until the 1960s it was more commonly given to boys in the United States, but it is now most often used on girls.
ASHTONm & fEnglishFrom a surname which was originally derived from a place name which meant "ash tree town" in Old English.
ASLAUGfNorwegianDerived from the Old Norse elements
áss meaning "god" and
laug possibly meaning "betrothed woman".
ASMAAfArabicMeans "appellations, names" in Arabic. This was the name of a daughter of
Abu Bakr, the first caliph of the Muslims.
ASPASIAfAncient GreekDerived from Greek
ασπασιος (aspasios) meaning "welcome, embrace". This was the name of the lover of Pericles (5th century BC).
ASPENfEnglish (Modern)From the English word for the tree, derived from Old English
æspe. It is also the name of a ski resort in Colorado.
ASTONm & fEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was originally derived from either a place name meaning "east town" in Old English or from the given name
ÆÐELSTAN.
ASTRAEAfGreek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek
Αστραια (Astraia), derived from Greek
αστηρ (aster) meaning "star". Astraea was a Greek goddess of justice and innocence. After wickedness took root in the world she left the earth and became the constellation Virgo.