Abidemi m & f YorubaMeans
"born in my absence" in Yoruba. It is typically given to children born when the father is away.
Abijah m & f BiblicalMeans
"my father is Yahweh" in Hebrew, from
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of several characters, both male and female, including the second king of Judah (also known as
Abijam).
Abishag f BiblicalMeans
"my father strays" in Hebrew, from
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and
שָׁגָה (shaḡa) meaning "to stray, to err". In the Old Testament Abishag is a young woman who tends King
David in his old age.
Abital f BiblicalMeans
"my father is dew" in Hebrew, from the roots
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and
טַל (ṭal) meaning "dew". She is the fifth wife of
David in the Old Testament.
Adanna f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of the father" in Igbo.
Adannaya f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of her father" in Igbo.
Ælfwynn f Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ælf "elf" and
wynn "joy". This name was borne by a daughter of
Æðelflæd who ruled Mercia briefly in the 10th century.
Ahinoam f BiblicalMeans
"my brother is pleasant" in Hebrew, derived from
אָח (ʾaḥ) meaning "brother" and
נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the Old Testament this is the name of wives of both
Saul and
David.
Aiman 1 f KazakhPossibly means
"my moon" in Kazakh, from
ай (ay) meaning "moon" and the Persian possessive
من (man) meaning "my". Aiman and
Sholpan are sisters in a 19th-century Kazakh epic poem, later adapted into the 1934 play
Aiman-Sholpan by Mukhtar Auezov.
Ankhesenamun f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
ꜥnḫ-s-n-jmn meaning
"her life is of Amon", derived from
ꜥnḫ "life" combined with the name of the god
Amon. This was the name of a 14th-century BC queen of Egypt, the wife of
Tutankhamun.
Araylym f KazakhMeans
"my beautiful" in Kazakh, from
арайлы (arayly) meaning "beautiful, like the dawn" combined with a possessive suffix.
Asylym f KazakhMeans
"my dear" in Kazakh, derived from
асыл (asyl) meaning "precious, noble" and the possessive suffix
ым (ym).
Athaliah f & m BiblicalPossibly means
"Yahweh is exalted" in Hebrew, from
עֲתַל (ʿaṯal) possibly meaning "exalted" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is both a feminine and masculine name. It was borne by the daughter of
Ahab and
Jezebel, who later came to rule Judah as a queen.
Ayaulym f KazakhMeans
"my beloved, my dear" in Kazakh, derived from
аяулы (ayauly) meaning "beloved, dear" and the possessive suffix
ым (ym).
Ayo f & m YorubaFrom Yoruba
ayọ̀ meaning
"joy", or a short form of other names containing this element.
Ayym f KazakhMeans
"my moon" in Kazakh, derived from
ай (ay) meaning "moon" and the possessive suffix
ым (ym).
Boipelo m & f TswanaMeans
"joy, rejoicing" in Tswana, from
ipela meaning "to rejoice".
Boitumelo f & m TswanaMeans
"joy" in Tswana, from
itumela meaning "to be happy".
Chidi m & f IgboMeans
"God exists" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
dị meaning "is". It is also a short form of Igbo names beginning with
Chidi.
Chisom f & m IgboMeans
"God goes with me" in Igbo.
Cleopatra f Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Κλεοπάτρα (Kleopatra) meaning
"glory of the father", derived from
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory" combined with
πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" (genitive
πατρός). This was the name of queens of Egypt from the Ptolemaic royal family, including Cleopatra VII, the mistress of both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. After being defeated by Augustus she committed suicide (according to popular belief, by allowing herself to be bitten by a venomous asp). Shakespeare's tragedy
Antony and Cleopatra (1606) tells the story of her life.
Cozbi f BiblicalMeans
"my lie, my deception" in Hebrew, a derivative of
כָּזַב (kazav) meaning "to lie, to deceive". 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.
Elizabeth f English, BiblicalFrom
Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾElishevaʿ) meaning
"my God is an oath", derived from the roots
אֵל (ʾel) referring to the Hebrew God and
שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of
Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of
John the Baptist.
... [more] Éowyn f LiteratureMeans
"horse joy" in Old English. This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel
The Lord of the Rings (1954) Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden of Rohan. She slays the Lord of the Nazgul in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Etsuko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
悦 (etsu) meaning "joy, pleased" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
Fu m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
富 (fù) meaning "abundant, rich, wealthy",
芙 (fú) meaning "hibiscus, lotus" or
甫 (fǔ) meaning "begin, man, father", in addition to other characters with a similar pronunciation. A famous bearer was the 8th-century Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, whose given name was
甫.
Hamutal f BiblicalMeans
"father-in-law is dew" in Hebrew, derived from
חָם (ḥam) meaning "father-in-law" and
טַל (ṭal) meaning "dew". In the Old Testament this is the name of a wife of King
Josiah of Judah.
Hetepheres f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
ḥtp-ḥrs meaning
"satisfied is her face", from
ḥtp "peace, satisfaction" and
ḥr "face". This was the name of queens consort and princesses from the Egyptian 4th dynasty (26th century BC).
Ingrid f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, German, DutchFrom the Old Norse name
Ingríðr meaning
"Ing is beautiful", derived from the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with
fríðr "beautiful, beloved". A famous bearer was the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982).
Iqbi-Damiq f Semitic MythologyMeans
"she said: it is good", derived from Akkadian
qabû "to say" and
damqu "good, fine". This was the name of a goddess worshipped in Kish and Ashur.
Jehosheba f BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְהוֹשֶׁבַע (Yehoshevaʿ) meaning
"Yahweh is an oath", derived from
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". In the Old Testament she is the daughter of King
Jehoram of Judah. With her husband Jehoiada she rescued the future king
Joash, her nephew, from a purge.
Jingyi m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle" combined with
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". Other character combinations are possible as well.
Joy f EnglishSimply from the English word
joy, ultimately derived from Norman French
joie, Latin
gaudium. It has been regularly used as a given name since the late 19th century.
Kaniehtiio f MohawkMeans
"she is good snow" in Mohawk, from
ka- "she",
óniehte "snow" and the suffix
-iio "good".
Katherine f EnglishFrom the Greek name
Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from an earlier Greek name
Ἑκατερινη (Hekaterine), itself from
ἑκάτερος (hekateros) meaning
"each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the goddess
Hecate; it could be related to Greek
αἰκία (aikia) meaning
"torture"; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning
"my consecration of your name". In the early Christian era it became associated with Greek
καθαρός (katharos) meaning
"pure", and the Latin spelling was changed from
Katerina to
Katharina to reflect this.
... [more] Kiyo f JapaneseFrom Japanese
清 (kiyo) meaning "clear, pure, clean" or other homophonic words. This was a popular name in the Edo period and remained common until the early 20th century, at which time it was usually spelled using katakana.
Letitia f EnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Laetitia meaning
"joy, happiness". This was the name of an obscure saint, who is revered mainly in Spain. It was in use in England during the Middle Ages, usually in the spelling
Lettice, and it was revived in the 18th century.
Lindita f AlbanianMeans
"the day is born" in Albanian, from
lind "to give birth" and
ditë "day".
Lubanzi m & f Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"it is wide" in Xhosa and Zulu, from the phrase
uthando lubanzi "love is wide".
Madonna f EnglishFrom a title of the Virgin
Mary meaning "my lady" in Italian. A famous bearer of the name is American singer Madonna Ciccone (1958-), known simply as Madonna.
Meritites f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
mryt-jts meaning
"loved by her father". This name was borne by several Egyptian royals, including a wife and a daughter of the pharaoh
Khufu.
Micaiah m & f BiblicalMeans
"who is like Yahweh?" in Hebrew, derived from the interrogative pronoun
מִי (mi) combined with
ךְּ (ke) meaning "like" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This name occurs in the Old Testament in a variety of Hebrew spellings, belonging to both males and females. It is the full name of
Micah, both the prophet and the man from the Book of Judges. As a feminine name it belongs to the mother of King
Abijah (at
2 Chronicles 13:2), though her name is listed as
Maacah in other passages.
Mojca f SlovenePossibly a Slovene diminutive of
Marija. Alternatively, it could be related to Slovene
moj meaning
"my, mine".
Mutemwiya f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
mwt-m-wjꜣ meaning
"Mut is in the sacred barque", from the name of the goddess
Mut combined with
wjꜣ "sacred barque" (a boat used to carry the dead to the afterlife). This name was borne by a wife of the pharaoh
Thutmose IV. She was the mother of
Amenhotep III.
Mutnedjmet f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
mwt-nḏmt meaning
"Mut is sweet", from the name of the goddess
Mut combined with
nḏm "sweet, pleasant". This name was borne by the wife of the pharaoh Horemheb.
Myfanwy f WelshFrom the Welsh prefix
my- meaning "my, belonging to me" (an older form of
fy) combined with either
manwy meaning "fine, delicate" or
banwy meaning "woman" (a variant of
banw). This was the name of an 1875 Welsh song composed by Joseph Parry.
Naomi 1 f English, Hebrew, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
נָעֳמִי (Naʿomi) meaning
"my pleasantness", a derivative of
נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of
Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be
Mara because of her misfortune (see
Ruth 1:20).
... [more] Nemesis f Greek MythologyMeans
"distribution of what is due, righteous anger" in Greek. In Greek mythology Nemesis was the personification of vengeance and justice.
Nkemdilim f IgboMeans
"that which is mine belongs to me" in Igbo.
Nneka f IgboMeans
"mother is greater" in Igbo.
Nnenna f IgboMeans
"father's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's paternal grandmother.
Nokomis f New World MythologyFrom Ojibwe
nookomis meaning
"my grandmother". In Anishinaabe legend this is the name of
Nanabozho's grandmother. It was used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for the grandmother of
Hiawatha in his 1855 poem
The Song of Hiawatha.
Okuhle f & m Zulu, XhosaMeans
"that which is beautiful, that which is good" in Zulu and Xhosa.
Opeyemi f & m YorubaMeans
"gratitude is suitable for me" in Yoruba.
Puabi f AkkadianMeans
"word of my father", from Akkadian
pû meaning "mouth" and
abu meaning "father". Puabi was a 26th-century BC Akkadian noblewoman who was buried in the Sumerian city of Ur.
Romi f HebrewMeans
"my height, my exaltation" in Hebrew.
Shania f English (Modern)In the case of singer Shania Twain (1965-), who chose it as her stage name, it was apparently based on an Ojibwe phrase meaning
"on my way".
Uchenna m & f IgboMeans
"wisdom of the father, sense of the father" in Igbo.
Unathi m & f XhosaMeans
"he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix
u- meaning "he, she" and
nathi meaning "with us".
Xinyi m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
欣 (xīn) meaning "happy, joyous, delighted" or
心 (xīn) meaning "heart, mind, soul" combined with
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Yi f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
宜 (yí) meaning "suitable, proper",
毅 (yì) meaning "resolute, decisive, firm",
义 (yì) meaning "justice, righteousness",
益 (yì) meaning "profit, benefit",
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" (which is usually only feminine) or
仪 (yí) meaning "ceremony, rites" (also usually feminine). Other characters can also form this name.
Yijun m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" combined with
君 (jūn) meaning "king, ruler". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Yoshiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable",
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or
悦 (yoshi) meaning "joy, pleased" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other kanji combinations as well.
Yue f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
越 (yuè) meaning "cross, surpass", also referring to the Yue people, or
月 (yuè) meaning "moon". Other characters can form this name as well.
Yukiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or
雪 (yuki) meaning "snow" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Alternatively, it can come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" with
喜 (ki) meaning "joy" or
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.