Colette f FrenchShort form of
Nicolette. Saint Colette was a 15th-century French nun who gave her money to the poor. This was also the pen name of the French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954).
Colleen f EnglishDerived from the Irish word
cailín meaning
"girl". It is not commonly used in Ireland itself, but has been used in America since the early 20th century.
Collins f & m EnglishFrom a surname, which is either Irish or English in origin (see
Collins 1 and
Collins 2). It increased in popularity as a name for girls after it appeared in the movie
The Blind Side (2009), which was based on a 2006 biography.
Colombina f Italian (Rare)Italian feminine diminutive of
Columba. In traditional Italian pantomimes this is the name of a stock character, the female counterpart of Arlecchino (also called Harlequin). This is also the Italian word for the columbine flower.
Columba m & f Late RomanLate Latin name meaning
"dove". The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Christianity. This was the name of several early saints both masculine and feminine, most notably the 6th-century Irish monk Saint Columba (or Colum) who established a monastery on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. He is credited with the conversion of Scotland to Christianity.
Comfort f English (African)From the English word
comfort, ultimately from Latin
confortare "to strengthen greatly", a derivative of
fortis "strong". It was used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. It is now most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Concepción f SpanishMeans
"conception" in Spanish. This name is given in reference to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin
Mary. A city in Chile bears this name.
Concetta f ItalianMeans
"conceived" in Italian, referring to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin
Mary.
Condoleezza f VariousIn the case of the former American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (1954-), it is derived from the Italian musical term
con dolcezza meaning
"with sweetness".
Consolación f SpanishMeans
"consolation" in Spanish. It is taken from a title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de Consolación, meaning "Our Lady of Consolation".
Consolata f ItalianMeans
"consoled" in Italian. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Maria Consolata.
Consuelo f SpanishMeans
"consolation" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora del Consuelo, meaning "Our Lady of Consolation".
Cora f English, German, Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of
Kore. It was not used as a given name in the English-speaking world until after it was employed by James Fenimore Cooper for a character in his novel
The Last of the Mohicans (1826). In some cases it may be a short form of
Cordula,
Corinna and other names beginning with a similar sound.
Coral f English, SpanishFrom the English and Spanish word
coral for the underwater skeletal deposits that can form reefs. It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek
κοράλλιον (korallion).
Coraline f Literature, FrenchCreated by the French composer Adolphe Adam for one of the main characters in his opera
Le Toréador (1849). He probably based it on the name
Coralie. It was also used by the author Neil Gaiman for the young heroine in his novel
Coraline (2002). Gaiman has stated that in this case the name began as a typo of
Caroline.
Cordelia f Literature, EnglishFrom
Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King
Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of
Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.
... [more] Cordula f GermanLate Latin name meaning
"heart" from Latin
cor (genitive
cordis). Saint Cordula was one of the 4th-century companions of Saint Ursula.
Coretta f EnglishDiminutive of
Cora. It was borne by Coretta Scott King (1927-2006), the wife of Martin Luther King Jr.
Coriander f English (Rare)From the name of the spice, also called cilantro, which may ultimately be of Phoenician origin (via Latin and Greek).
Corinna f German, Italian, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Κορίννα (Korinna), which was derived from
κόρη (kore) meaning
"maiden". This was the name of a Greek lyric poet of the 5th century BC. The Roman poet
Ovid used it for the main female character in his book
Amores. In the modern era it has been in use since the 17th century, when Robert Herrick used it in his poem
Corinna's going a-Maying.
Cornelia f German, Romanian, Italian, Dutch, English, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Cornelius. In the 2nd century BC it was borne by Cornelia Scipionis Africana (the daughter of the military hero Scipio Africanus), the mother of the two reformers known as the Gracchi. After her death she was regarded as an example of the ideal Roman woman. The name was revived in the 18th century.
Cosette f French, LiteratureFrom French
chosette meaning
"little thing". This is the nickname of the illegitimate daughter of Fantine in Victor Hugo's novel
Les Misérables (1862). Her real name is
Euphrasie, though it is seldom used. In the novel young Cosette is the ward of the cruel Thénardiers until she is retrieved by Jean Valjean.
Courtney f & m EnglishFrom an aristocratic English surname that was derived either from the French place name
Courtenay (originally a derivative of the personal name
Curtenus, itself derived from Latin
curtus "short") or else from a Norman nickname meaning "short nose".
... [more] Covadonga f SpanishFrom the name of a village in Asturias, Spain. Called
Cuadonga in Asturian, it probably means "cave of the spring", though it has long been associated with Vulgar Latin
Cova Dominica "Cave of Our Lady". This is the site of an important shrine to the Virgin
Mary, and its use as a given name stems from the Marian title
Nuestra Señora de Covadonga "Our Lady of Covadonga".
Cozbi f BiblicalMeans
"my lie, my deception" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name is borne by a Midianite woman who became a lover of the Israelite
Zimri, both of whom were killed by
Phinehas in order to stop a plague sent by God.
Cree m & f English (Rare)From the name of a Native American tribe of central Canada. Their name derives via French from the Cree word
kiristino.
Creiddylad f Welsh MythologyFrom Middle Welsh
Creidylat, of uncertain meaning, possibly from
craidd "heart, center" or
crau "blood" combined with
dylad "flood". In the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen this is the name of the beautiful daughter of
Lludd Llaw Ereint, loved by both
Gwyn and
Gwythyr. Her name is allegedly the basis for
Cordelia.
Criseida f LiteratureForm of
Chryseis used by the Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio in his 14th-century poem
Il Filostrato. In the poem she is a woman of Troy, daughter of Calchas, who leaves her Trojan lover
Troilus for the Greek hero
Diomedes. The story was taken up by Chaucer (using the form
Criseyde) and Shakespeare (using the form
Cressida).
Criseyde f LiteratureForm of
Criseida used by the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer in his 14th-century epic poem
Troilus and Criseyde.
Crocifissa f Italian (Rare)Means
"crucifix" in Italian, derived from Latin
crucifixus "fixed to a cross", from
crux "cross" and
fixus "fixed, fastened".
Croía f Irish (Modern)From Irish
croí meaning
"heart". This name was used by Irish martial artist Conor McGregor for his daughter born 2019.
Cruella f Popular CultureFrom the English word
cruel, ultimately from Latin
crudelis "hard, severe, cruel". This is the name of the antagonist, Cruella de Vil, in the 1961 Disney movie
101 Dalmatians, based on a 1956 novel by Dodie Smith.
Cruz f & m Spanish, PortugueseMeans
"cross" in Spanish or Portuguese, referring to the cross of the crucifixion.
Crystal f EnglishFrom the English word
crystal for the clear, colourless glass, sometimes cut into the shape of a gemstone. The English word derives ultimately from Greek
κρύσταλλος (krystallos) meaning "ice". It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.
Csenge f HungarianPossibly derived from Hungarian
cseng meaning
"to ring, to clang".
Csilla f HungarianDerived from Hungarian
csillag meaning
"star". This name was created by the Hungarian author András Dugonics for an 1803 novel and later used and popularized by the poet Mihály Vörösmarty.
Cvetka f SloveneDerived from Slovene
cvet meaning
"blossom, flower".
Cyan f & m English (Rare)From the English word meaning
"greenish blue, cyan", ultimately derived from Greek
κύανος (kyanos).
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, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Κυνθία (Kynthia), which means
"woman from Cynthus". This was an epithet of the Greek moon goddess
Artemis, given because Cynthus 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. It reached a peak of popularity in the United States in 1957 and has declined steadily since then.
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, rune".
Daiga f LatvianMeaning unknown, possibly related to Lithuanian
daigas meaning
"sprout, seedling".
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.
... [more] Daiva f LithuanianCreated by the Lithuanian writer Vydūnas, who possibly derived it from a Sanskrit word meaning
"destiny".
Dakota m & f English (Modern)From the name of the Native American people of the northern Mississippi Valley, or from the two American states that were named for them: North and South Dakota (until 1889 unified as the Dakota Territory). The tribal name means
"allies, friends" in the Dakota language.
... [more] Dale m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that originally belonged to a person who lived near a dale or valley.
Daley f & m English (Rare), Dutch (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Dálaigh, itself derived from the given name
Dálach. Its recent popularity in the Netherlands can be attributed to the Dutch soccer player Daley Blind (1990-).
Dalia 2 f Lithuanian, Baltic MythologyFrom Lithuanian
dalis meaning
"portion, share". This was the name of the Lithuanian goddess of weaving, fate and childbirth, often associated with
Laima.
Dalida f Biblical GreekForm of
Delilah used in the Greek Old Testament. A famous bearer was the Italian-Egyptian singer and actress Dalida (1933-1987), who was born as Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti.
Dallas m & f EnglishFrom a surname that could either be of Old English origin meaning
"valley house" or of Scottish Gaelic origin meaning
"meadow dwelling". A city in Texas bears this name, probably in honour of American Vice President George M. 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 IrishFrom Old Irish
Damnat meaning
"calf, fawn", a combination of
dam "ox, deer" and a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by a 6th-century saint from Monaghan, as well as the 7th-century saint commonly called
Dymphna.
Dana 2 m & f EnglishFrom a surname that is of unknown origin. It was originally given in honour of American lawyer Richard Henry Dana Jr. (1815-1882), the author of the memoir
Two Years Before the Mast.
Danaë f Greek MythologyFrom
Δαναοί (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.
Danica f Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, EnglishFrom a Slavic word meaning
"morning star, Venus". This name occurs in Slavic folklore as a personification of the morning star. It has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world since the 1970s.
Daniela f Italian, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Hebrew, EnglishFeminine form of
Daniel.
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.
Danya 1 f HebrewFeminine form of
Dan 1. It can also be considered a compound meaning
"judgement from God", using the element
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.
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.
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 the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. This is the surname of a character, Fitzwilliam Darcy, in Jane Austen's novel
Pride and Prejudice (1813).
Darlene f EnglishFrom the English word
darling combined with the common name suffix
lene. This name has been in use since the beginning of the 20th century.
Davaa m & f MongolianMeans
"Monday" or
"threshold, mountain pass" in Mongolian.
Davinia f English (Rare), Spanish (Modern)Probably an elaboration of
Davina. About 1980 this name jumped in popularity in Spain, possibly due to the main character on the British television series
The Foundation (1977-1979), which was broadcast in Spain as
La Fundación.
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 (1921-2013), whose birth name was Edna. Her stage name was a rearrangement of the letters of her real name.
Dearbháil f IrishFrom Old Irish
Derbáil meaning
"daughter of Fál", derived from the prefix
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.
Deedee f EnglishOriginally a nickname, typically for names beginning with
D. It can be spelled
Deedee,
DeeDee or
Dee Dee.
Dehgewanus f Indigenous American, SenecaFrom a name, also spelled as
Dickewamis or
Dehhewämis, which was given to the young British settler Mary Jemison (1743-1833) after she was captured and assimilated into the Seneca. Much later she claimed the name meant
"pretty girl, pleasant thing", though this interpretation does not seem to be valid.
Deianeira f Greek MythologyFrom Greek
δηιόω (deioo) meaning "to slay" and
ἀνήρ (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
fili "poet" (genitive
filed). This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint, also called Dervla.
Deirdre f English, Irish, Irish MythologyFrom the Old Irish name
Derdriu, meaning unknown, possibly derived from
der meaning
"daughter". This was the name of a tragic character in Irish legend who died of a broken heart after
Conchobar, the king of Ulster, forced her to be his bride and killed her lover
Naoise.
... [more] Deja f African American (Modern)Means
"already" from the French phrase
déjà vu meaning "already seen". It received a popularity boost in 1995 when a character named Deja appeared in the movie
Higher Learning.
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.