CVETKA f SloveneDerived from Slovene
cvet meaning "blossom, flower".
CYBELE f Near Eastern Mythology (Latinized)Meaning unknown, possibly from Phrygian roots meaning either "stone" or "hair". This was the name of the Phrygian mother goddess associated with fertility and nature. She was later worshipped by the Greeks and Romans.
CYBILL f English (Rare)Variant of
SIBYL. This name was borne by actress Cybill Shepherd (1950-), who was named after her grandfather Cy and her father Bill.
CYNEBURG f Anglo-SaxonMeans "royal fortress" from Old English
cyne "royal" and
burg "fortress". Saint Cyneburga, a daughter of a king of Mercia, was the founder of an abbey at Gloucester in the 7th century.
CYNTHIA f English, Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Κυνθια (Kynthia), which means "woman from Kynthos". This was an epithet of the Greek moon goddess
Artemis, given because Kynthos was the mountain on Delos on which she and her twin brother
Apollo were born. It was not used as a given name until the Renaissance, and it did not become common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century.
CYRA f HistoryMeaning unknown. Saint Cyra was a 5th-century Syrian hermit who was martyred with her companion Marana.
DA m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
达 (dá) meaning "achieve, arrive at, intelligent" (which is usually only masculine),
大 (dà) meaning "big, great, vast, high", or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
DAENERYS f LiteratureCreated by author George R. R. Martin for a character in his series 'A Song of Ice and Fire', first published 1996, and the television adaptation 'Game of Thrones' (2011-2019). An explanation for the meaning of her name is not provided, though it is presumably intended to be of Valyrian origin. In the series Daenerys Targaryen is a queen of the Dothraki and a claimant to the throne of Westeros.
DAFFODIL f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, ultimately derived from Dutch
de affodil meaning "the asphodel".
DAFNA f HebrewMeans "laurel" in Hebrew, of Greek origin.
DAGRUN f NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Dagrún, which was derived from the Old Norse elements
dagr "day" and
rún "secret lore".
DÁIRÍNE f IrishDerived from Irish Gaelic
dáire meaning "fruitful, fertile".
DAISY f EnglishSimply from the English word for the white flower, ultimately derived from Old English
dægeseage meaning "day eye". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
DAIVA f LithuanianCreated by the Lithuanian writer Vydūnas, who possibly derived it from a Sanskrit word meaning "destiny".
DAKOTA m & f English (Modern)Means "allies, friends" in the Dakota language. This is the name of a Native American people of the northern Mississippi valley.
DALE m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that originally belonged to a person who lived near a dale or valley.
DALIA (2) f Lithuanian, Baltic MythologyMeans "fate, luck" in Lithuanian. This was the name of the Lithuanian goddess of weaving, fate and childbirth, often associated with Laima.
DALLAS m & f EnglishFrom a surname that was originally taken from a Scottish place name meaning "meadow dwelling". A city in Texas bears this name, probably in honour of American Vice President George Mifflin Dallas (1792-1864).
DALMA f HungarianCreated by the Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty for a male character in his epic poem 'Zalán Futása' (1825). It was used by later writers such as Mór Jókai for female characters.
DAMAYANTI f HinduismMeans "subduing" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the 'Mahabharata' this is the name of a beautiful princess, the wife of Nala.
DAMHNAIT f IrishMeans "fawn" from Gaelic
damh "stag, ox" combined with a diminutive suffix.
DANA (2) m & f EnglishFrom a surname that originally belonged to a person who was Danish. It was originally given in honour of American lawyer Richard Henry Dana (1815-1882), the author of 'Two Years Before the Mast'.
DANAË f Greek MythologyFrom
Δαναοι (Danaoi), a word used by
Homer to designate the Greeks. In Greek mythology Danaë was the daughter of the Argive king Acrisius. It had been prophesized to her father that he would one day be killed by Danaë's son, so he attempted to keep his daughter childless. However,
Zeus came to her in the form of a shower of gold, and she became the mother of
Perseus. Eventually the prophecy was fulfilled and Perseus killed Acrisius, albeit accidentally.
DANIELLE f French, EnglishFrench feminine form of
DANIEL. It has been commonly used in the English-speaking world only since the 20th century.
DANUTĖ f LithuanianMeaning uncertain, possibly a feminine form of
DANIEL. It is found in Lithuania from at least 14th century, being borne by a sister of Vytautas the Great.
DAPHNE f Greek Mythology, English, DutchMeans "laurel" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was a nymph turned into a laurel tree by her father in order that she might escape the pursuit of
Apollo. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the end of the 19th century.
DAR f & m HebrewMeans "mother-of-pearl, nacre" in Hebrew.
DARA (2) f & m KhmerMeans "star" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit.
DARBY m & f EnglishFrom an English surname, which was derived from the name of the town of
Derby, meaning "deer town" in Old Norse.
DARCY f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Norman French
d'Arcy, originally denoting one who came from Arcy in France. This was the surname of a character in Jane Austen's novel 'Pride and Prejudice' (1813).
DARLENE f EnglishFrom the English word
darling combined with the popular name suffix
lene. This name has been in use since the beginning of the 20th century.
DAWN f EnglishFrom the English word
dawn, ultimately derived from Old English
dagung.
DEANNA f EnglishEither 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.
DEARBHÁIL f IrishMeans "daughter of Fál", derived from the Old Irish poetic word
der meaning "daughter" and
Fál, a legendary name for Ireland.
DEBORAH f English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
דְּבוֹרָה (Devorah) meaning "bee". 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] DEE f & m EnglishShort form of names beginning with
D. It may also be given in reference to the
Dee River in Scotland.
DEIANEIRA f Greek MythologyFrom Greek
δηιοω (deioo) meaning "to slay" and
ανηρ (aner) meaning "man". In Greek mythology this was the name of the wife of
Herakles. She unwittingly poisoned her husband by giving him the Shirt of Nessus.
DEIRBHILE f IrishMeans "daughter of a poet" from Old Irish
der "daughter" and
file "poet". This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint.
DEIRDRE f English, 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] DEJA f VariousMeans "already" from the French phrase
deja vu meaning "already seen".
DELARA f PersianMeans "adorning the heart", from Persian
دل (del) meaning "heart" and
آرا (ara) meaning "decorate, adorn".
DELIA (1) f English, 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.
DELICIA f English (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).
DELILAH f Biblical, 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.
DELL m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that originally denoted a person who lived in a dell or valley.
DELPHIA f EnglishPossibly 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.
DELPHINA f Late 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.
DELTA f EnglishFrom 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.
DELYTH f WelshFrom an elaboration of the Welsh element
del "pretty".
DEMELZA f English (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) f Greek MythologyPossibly means "earth mother", derived from Greek
δα (da) meaning "earth" and
μητηρ (meter) meaning "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.
DENA f EnglishPossibly a short form of names ending with
dena. It has also been used as a variant of
DEANNA.
DERYA f & m TurkishMeans "sea, ocean" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
DERYN f WelshPossibly from Welsh
aderyn meaning "bird".
DESIREE f EnglishEnglish form of
DÉSIRÉE. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the movie 'Désirée' (1954).
DESPOINA f Greek 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.
DESTINY f EnglishMeans 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.
DEVON m & f EnglishVariant 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.
DIAMOND f English (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".
DIANA f English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, 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] DİDEM f TurkishMeaning unknown, possibly from Persian
دیده (dideh) meaning "eye".
DIDO f Roman 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.
DIEDE m & f DutchShort form of
DIEDERIK and other names beginning with the same element, originally from Germanic
theud meaning "people".
DIETLINDE f GermanFrom the Germanic name
Theudelinda, derived from the elements
theud "people" and
lind "soft, tender, flexible". Theudelinda was a 6th-century queen of the Lombards.
DIKE f Greek MythologyMeans "justice" in Greek. In Greek mythology Dike was the goddess of justice, one of the
‘Ωραι (Horai).
DIKLAH m & f Hebrew, 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) f Greek 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.