Browse Names - Behind the Name

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Bambi f English
Derived from Italian bambina meaning "young girl". The American novelist Marjorie Benton Cooke used it in her novel Bambi (1914). This was also the name of a male deer in a cartoon by Walt Disney, which was based on a 1923 novel by Swiss author Felix Salten.

Channary f Khmer
Means "moon-faced girl" from Khmer ចន្ទ (chan) meaning "moon" and នារី (neari) meaning "woman, girl".

Colleen f English
Derived 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.

Dagmar f Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, German, Czech, Slovak
From the Old Norse name Dagmær, derived from the elements dagr "day" and mær "maid". This was the name adopted by the popular Bohemian wife of the Danish king Valdemar II when they married in 1205. Her birth name was Markéta.

Damaris f Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Probably means "calf, heifer, girl" from Greek δάμαλις (damalis). In the New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by Saint Paul.

Dehgewanus f Seneca
From 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.

Hine f Maori
Means "girl" in Maori.

Lassie f Literature
From a diminutive of the northern English word lass meaning "young girl", a word probably of Norse origin. This name was used by the author Eric Knight for a collie dog in his novel Lassie Come-Home (1940), later adapted into a popular film and television series.

Mädchen f Various (Rare)
Means "girl" in German. It is not used as a name in Germany itself.

Morwenna f Cornish, Welsh
From Old Cornish moroin meaning "maiden, girl" (related to the Welsh word morwyn). This was the name of a 6th-century Cornish saint, said to be one of the daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog.

Nena f English
Variant of Nina 1, also coinciding with the Spanish word nena meaning "baby girl".

Neneng f Sundanese
Possibly means "young girl" in Sundanese.

Nina 1 f Russian, Italian, English, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Lithuanian, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Short form of names that end in nina, such as Antonina or Giannina. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word niña meaning "little girl" (the word is pronounced differently than the name).... [more]

Nivi f Greenlandic
Short form of Greenlandic niviarsiaq meaning "young girl".

Niviarsiaq f Greenlandic
Means "young girl" in Greenlandic. This is the name of a variety of flower that grows on Greenland, the dwarf fireweed (species Chamaenerion latifolium).

Nkauj f Hmong
Means "woman, girl" in Hmong.

Ntombi f Zulu
Means "girl" in Zulu.

Ntombifuthi f Zulu
Means "a girl again" in Zulu.

Ntombizodwa f Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele
Means "only girls", from Zulu, Xhosa and Ndebele intombi "girl" and zodwa "only".

Talita f Portuguese (Brazilian)
Portuguese form of Talitha, popular in Brazil.

Talitha f Biblical
Means "little girl" in Aramaic. The name is taken from the phrase talitha cumi meaning "little girl arise" spoken by Jesus in order to restore a young girl to life (see Mark 5:41).

Thalita f Portuguese (Brazilian)
Variant of Talita.

Veslemøy f Norwegian
Means "little girl" from Norwegian vesle "little" and møy "girl". This name was created by Norwegian writer Arne Garborg for the main character in his poem Haugtussa (1895).

Zita 1 f Italian, Portuguese, German, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian, Latvian
Means "little girl" in Tuscan Italian. This was the name of a 13th-century saint, the patron saint of servants.

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