África f SpanishSpanish form of
Africa 1. It is usually taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de África, the patron saint of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.
Africa 1 f African American (Rare)From the name of the continent, which is of Latin origin, possibly from the Afri people who lived near Carthage in North Africa. This rare name is used most often by African-American parents.
America f EnglishIn the English-speaking world, this name is usually given in reference to the United States of America (see
Amerigo). It came into use as an American name in the 19th century.
Bianca f Italian, RomanianItalian cognate of
Blanche. Shakespeare had characters named Bianca in
The Taming of the Shrew (1593) and
Othello (1603). The German singer Freddy Breck's 1973 song
Bianca boosted the name's popularity elsewhere in Europe.
Blagica f MacedonianDerived from Macedonian
благ (blag) meaning
"sweet, pleasant, good" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Boudicca f Brythonic (Latinized)Derived from Brythonic
boud meaning
"victory". This was the name of a 1st-century queen of the Iceni who led the Britons in revolt against the Romans. Eventually her forces were defeated and she committed suicide. Her name is first recorded in Roman histories, as
Boudicca by Tacitus and
Βουδουῖκα (Boudouika) by Cassius Dio.
Božica f CroatianDerived from the Slavic element
božĭjĭ meaning
"divine". It also means
"goddess" in Croatian.
Brankica f Croatian, SerbianDerived from the Slavic element
borna (South Slavic
brana) meaning
"protection" combined with a diminutive suffix.
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.
Florica f RomanianDerived from Romanian
floricea, itself a diminutive of
floare "flower".
Gonca f TurkishMeans
"flower bud" in Turkish, of Persian origin.
Jessica f English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, SpanishThis name was first used in this form by William Shakespeare in his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of
Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name
Iscah, which would have been spelled
Jescha in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century. It reached its peak of popularity in the United States in 1987, and was the top ranked name for girls between 1985 and 1995, excepting 1991 and 1992 (when it was unseated by
Ashley). Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) and Jessica Lange (1949-).
Mirica f CroatianFrom the Slavic element
mirŭ meaning
"peace, world" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Mojca f SlovenePossibly a Slovene diminutive of
Marija. Alternatively, it could be related to Slovene
moj meaning
"my, mine".
Monica f English, Italian, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Late RomanMeaning unknown, most likely of Berber or Phoenician origin. In the 4th century this name was borne by a North African saint, the mother of Saint
Augustine of Hippo, whom she converted to Christianity. Since the Middle Ages it has been associated with Latin
moneo "advisor" and Greek
μονός (monos) "one, single".
... [more] Raluca f RomanianRomanian diminutive of the Greek name
Rallou, of uncertain meaning. It was popularized by the actress Rallou Karatza (1778-1870), a daughter of the prince of Wallachia Ioannis Karatzas, who was of Greek background.
Rebecca f English, Italian, Swedish, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
רִבְקָה (Rivqa), probably from a Semitic root meaning
"join, tie, snare". This is the name of the wife of
Isaac and the mother of
Esau and
Jacob in the Old Testament. It came into use as an English Christian name after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular with the Puritans in the 17th century. It has been consistently used since then, becoming especially common in the second half of the 20th century.
... [more] Rodica f RomanianMeaning uncertain, perhaps from Romanian
rod (a Slavic borrowing) meaning
"fruit" or Greek
ῥόδον (rhodon) meaning
"rose".
Scholastica f Late RomanFrom a Late Latin name that was derived from
scholasticus meaning
"rhetorician, orator". Saint Scholastica was a 6th-century Benedictine abbess, the sister of Saint Benedict of Nursia.
Veronica f English, Italian, Romanian, Late RomanLatin alteration of
Berenice, the spelling influenced by the ecclesiastical Latin phrase
vera icon meaning
"true image". This was the name of a legendary saint who wiped
Jesus' face with a towel and then found his image imprinted upon it. Due to popular stories about her, the name was occasionally used in the Christian world in the Middle Ages. It was borne by the Italian saint and mystic Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727). As an English name, it was not common until the 19th century, when it was imported from France and Scotland.
Vjollca f AlbanianDerived from Albanian
vjollcë meaning
"violet", referring to both the flower and the colour.