DARLENEfEnglishFrom the English word
darling combined with the popular name suffix
lene. This name has been in use since the beginning of the 20th century.
DAWNfEnglishFrom the English word
dawn, ultimately derived from Old English
dagung.
DEANNAfEnglishEither a variant of
DIANA or a feminine form of
DEAN. This name was popularized by the Canadian actress and singer Deanna Durbin (1921-), whose birth name was Edna. Her stage name was a rearrangement of the letters of her real name.
DEARBHÁILfIrishMeans "daughter of Fál", derived from the Old Irish poetic word
der meaning "daughter" and
Fál, a legendary name for Ireland.
DEBORAHfEnglish, Hebrew, BiblicalMeans "bee" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Book of Judges, Deborah is a heroine and prophetess who leads the Israelites when they are threatened by the Canaanites. She forms an army under the command of
Barak, and together they destroy the army of the Canaanite commander Sisera. Also in the Old Testament, this is the name of the nurse of Rebecca.
... [more] DEEf & mEnglishShort form of names beginning with
D. It may also be given in reference to the
Dee River in Scotland.
DEIRBHILEfIrishMeans "daughter of a poet" from Old Irish
der "daughter" and
file "poet". This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint.
DEIRDREfEnglish, Irish, Irish MythologyFrom the older Gaelic form
Derdriu, meaning unknown, possibly derived from Old Irish
der meaning "daughter". This was the name of a tragic character in Irish legend who died of a broken heart after
Conchobhar, the king of Ulster, forced her to be his bride and killed her lover
Naoise.
... [more] DEJAfVariousMeans "already" from the French phrase
deja vu meaning "already seen".
DELARAfPersianMeans "adorning the heart", from Persian
دل (del) meaning "heart" and
آرا (ara) meaning "decorate, adorn".
DELIA (1)fEnglish, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Greek MythologyMeans "of Delos" in Greek. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Artemis, given because she and her twin brother
Apollo were born on the island of Delos. The name appeared in several poems of the 16th and 17th centuries, and it has occasionally been used as a given name since that time.
DELICIAfEnglish (Rare)Either from Latin
deliciae "delight, pleasure" or a variant of the English word
delicious. It has only been used since the 20th century (rarely).
DELILAHfBiblical, Biblical Hebrew, EnglishMeans "delicate, weak, languishing" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament she is the lover of
Samson, whom she betrays to the Philistines by cutting his hair, which is the source of his power. Despite her character flaws, the name began to be used by the Puritans in the 17th century. It has been used occasionally in the English-speaking world since that time.
DELLm & fEnglishFrom an English surname which originally denoted a person who lived in a dell or valley.
DELPHIAfEnglishPossibly from the name of the Greek city of Delphi, the site of an oracle of
Apollo, which is possibly related to Greek
δελφυς (delphys) "womb". It was used in the play 'The Prophetess' (1647), in which it belongs to the title prophetess.
DELPHINAfLate RomanFeminine form of the Latin name
Delphinus, which meant "of Delphi". Delphi was a city in ancient Greece, the name of which is possibly related to Greek
δελφυς (delphys) "womb". The Blessed Delphina was a 14th-century Provençal nun.
DELTAfEnglishFrom the name of the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet,
Δ. It is also the name for an island formed at the mouth of a river.
DELYTHfWelshFrom an elaboration of the Welsh element
del "pretty".
DEMELZAfEnglish (British)From a Cornish place name meaning "fort of Maeldaf". It has been used as a given name since the middle of the 20th century. It was popularized in the 1970s by a character from the British television series 'Poldark', which was set in Cornwall.
DEMETER (1)fGreek MythologyPossibly means "earth mother", derived from Greek
δα (da) "earth" and
μητηρ (meter) "mother". In Greek mythology Demeter was the goddess of agriculture, the daughter of
Cronus, the sister of
Zeus, and the mother of
Persephone. She was an important figure in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites performed at Eleusis near Athens.
DENAfEnglishPossibly a short form of names ending with
dena. It has also been used as a variant of
DEANNA.
DERYAf & mTurkishMeans "sea, ocean" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
DERYNfWelshPossibly from Welsh
aderyn meaning "bird".
DESIREEfEnglishEnglish form of
DÉSIRÉE. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the movie 'Désirée' (1954).
DESPOINAfGreek Mythology, GreekMeans "mistress, lady" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon. She was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites practiced at Eleusis near Athens.
DESTINYfEnglishMeans simply "destiny, fate" from the English word, ultimately from Latin
destinare "to determine", a derivative of
stare "to stand". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the last half of the 20th century.
DEVONm & fEnglishVariant of
DEVIN. It may also be partly inspired by the name of the county of Devon in England, which got its name from the Dumnonii, a Celtic tribe.
DIAMONDfEnglish (Modern)From the English word
diamond for the clear colourless precious stone, the birthstone of April. It is derived from Late Latin
diamas, from Latin
adamas, which is of Greek origin meaning "invincible, untamed".
DIANAfEnglish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Roman MythologyProbably derived from an old Indo-European root meaning "heavenly, divine", related to
dyeus (see
ZEUS). Diana was a Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests, and childbirth, often identified with the Greek goddess
Artemis.
... [more] DIDOfRoman MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly "virgin" in Phoenician. Dido, also called
Elissa, was the queen of Carthage in
Virgil's 'Aeneid'. She burned herself to death after Aeneas left her.
DIETLINDEfGermanFrom the Germanic name
Theudelinda, derived from the elements
theud "people" and
lind "soft, tender, flexible". Theudelinda was a 6th-century queen of the Lombards.
DIKEfGreek MythologyMeans "justice" in Greek. In Greek mythology Dike was the goddess of justice, one of the
‘Ωραι (Horai).
DIKLAHm & fHebrew, Biblical, Biblical HebrewPossibly means "palm grove" in Hebrew or Aramaic. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Joktan. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name.
DIONE (1)fGreek MythologyFrom Greek
Διος (Dios) meaning "of
ZEUS". By extension, it means "goddess". This was the name of an obscure Greek goddess who, according to some legends, was the mother of
Aphrodite.
DIXIEfEnglishFrom the term that refers to the southern United States, used by Daniel D. Emmett in his song
Dixie in 1859. The term may be derived from French
dix "ten", which was printed on ten-dollar bills issued from a New Orleans bank.
DOIREANNfIrish, Irish MythologyMeans "sullen, tempestuous" in Irish. This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including a daughter of Bodb Derg who poisoned
Fionn mac Cumhail.
DOLLYfEnglishDiminutive of
DOROTHY.
Doll and
Dolly were used from the 16th century, and the common English word
doll (for the plaything) is derived from them. In modern times this name is also sometimes used as a diminutive of
DOLORES.
DOLORESfSpanish, EnglishMeans "sorrows", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary María de los Dolores, meaning "Mary of Sorrows". It has been used in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in America during the 1920s and 30s.
DOMITILLAfItalian, Ancient RomanFeminine diminutive of the Roman family name
DOMITIUS. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Vespasian and the mother of emperors Titus and Domitian.
DONNAfEnglishFrom Italian
donna meaning "lady". It is also used as a feminine form of
DONALD.
DORCASfBiblicalDerived from Greek
δορκας (dorkas) meaning "gazelle". This is the Greek translation of the name
Tabitha in the New Testament (see Acts 9:36).
DOREENfEnglishCombination of
DORA and the name suffix
een. The name was (first?) used by novelist Edna Lyall in her novel 'Doreen' (1894).
DORINDAfEnglishCombination of
DORA and the name suffix
inda. It was apparently coined by the English writers John Dryden and William D'Avenant for their play 'The Enchanted Island' (1667). In the play, a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', Dorinda is the sister of Miranda.
DORISfEnglish, German, Croatian, Ancient Greek, Greek MythologyFrom the ancient Greek name
Δωρις (Doris) which meant "Dorian woman". The Dorians were a Greek tribe who occupied the Peloponnese starting in the 12th century BC. In Greek mythology Doris was a sea nymph, one of the many children of Oceanus and Tethys. It began to be used as an English name in the 19th century. A famous bearer is the American actress Doris Day (1924-).
DOROTHEAfGerman, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, English, Late GreekFeminine form of the Late Greek name
Δωροθεος (Dorotheos), which meant "gift of God" from Greek
δωρον (doron) "gift" and
θεος (theos) "god". The name
Theodore is composed of the same elements in reverse order. Dorothea was the name of two early saints, notably the 4th-century martyr Dorothea of Caesarea. It was also borne by the 14th-century Saint Dorothea of Montau, who was the patron saint of Prussia.
DOROTHYfEnglishUsual English form of
DOROTHEA. It has been in use since the 16th century. The author L. Frank Baum used it for the central character in his fantasy novel 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' (1900).
DOVEfEnglishFrom the English word for the variety of bird, seen as a symbol of peace.
DRAUPADIfHinduismMeans "daughter of
DRUPADA" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the 'Mahabharata' this is the name of the daughter of King Drupada. She married all of the Pandavas, the five sons of Pandu.
DULCIBELLAfEnglish (Archaic)From Latin
dulcis "sweet" and
bella "beautiful". The usual medieval spelling of this name was
Dowsabel, and the Latinized form
Dulcibella was revived in the 18th century.
DULCIEfEnglishFrom Latin
dulcis meaning "sweet". It was used in the Middle Ages in the spellings
Dowse and
Duce, and was recoined in the 19th century.
DULCINEAfLiteratureDerived from Spanish
dulce meaning "sweet". This name was (first?) used by Miguel de Cervantes in his novel 'Don Quixote' (1605), where it belongs to the love interest of the main character, though she never actually appears in the story.
DUNJAfSerbian, Croatian, SloveneSerbian, Croatian and Slovene form of
DUNYA. This also means "quince" in the South Slavic languages, a quince being a type of fruit.