Janice f EnglishElaborated form of
Jane, created by Paul Leicester Ford for his novel
Janice Meredith (1899).
January f EnglishFrom the name of the month, which was named for the Roman god
Janus. This name briefly charted on the American top 1000 list for girls after it was borne by the protagonist of Jacqueline Susann's novel
Once Is Not Enough (1973).
Jarmila f Czech, SlovakDerived from Czech
jarý "young, fresh" and
milý "kind, dear". This is the name of a character in the Czech poem
Máj (1836) by Karel Hynek Mácha.
Jaslene f English (Modern)Combination of the popular phonetic elements
jaz and
lene. It was brought to some public attention in 2007 by Puerto Rican-born model Jaslene Gonzalez (1986-), the eighth winner of the reality television series
America's Next Top Model.
Jasmine f English, FrenchFrom the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian
یاسمین (yāsamīn), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie
Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.
Jasone f BasqueFrom Basque
jaso meaning
"to lift up, to raise". It was coined by Sabino Arana in 1910 as an equivalent of the Spanish name
Asunción.
Jawdat m & f ArabicMeans
"goodness, excellence" in Arabic, derived from
جاد (jāda) meaning "to be excellent, to be generous".
Jaya f & m Hinduism, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, MarathiDerived from Sanskrit
जय (jaya) meaning
"victory". In Sanskrit this is a transcription of both the feminine form
जया (long final vowel) and the masculine form
जय (short final vowel), both of which are used as names or epithets for several characters in Hindu texts. As a modern personal name, this transcription is both feminine and masculine in southern India, but typically only feminine in the north.
Jayden m & f English (Modern)Variant of
Jaden. This spelling continued to rapidly rise in popularity in the United States past 2003, unlike
Jaden, which stalled. It peaked at the fourth rank for boys in 2010, showing tremendous growth over only two decades. It has since declined.
Kadek m & f BalinesePossibly from Balinese
adik meaning
"younger sibling". This name is traditionally given to the second-born child.
Kaede f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
楓 (kaede) meaning "maple" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Kaguya f LiteratureMeans
"bright, shining" in Japanese. It is spelled with the kanji
赫 (kagaya) meaning "bright" and
映 (ya) meaning "reflect". The name originates from the old Japanese folktale
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, about a bamboo cutter who finds a tiny baby in a bamboo stalk and names her
Kaguya-hime "shining princess". When she grows up she rejects all proposals for marriage (including that from the Emperor) and eventually returns to her true home on the moon.
... [more] Kahina f BerberDerived from Arabic
الكاهنة (al-Kāhina) meaning
"the diviner, the fortuneteller". This was a title applied to the 7th-century Berber queen Dihya, who resisted the Arab expansion into North Africa.
Kahurangi f & m MaoriFrom the name of a type of green gemstone found in New Zealand, meaning
"sky blue" in Maori.
Kaimana m & f HawaiianFrom Hawaiian
kai "ocean, sea" and
mana "power". It is also Hawaiian meaning "diamond", derived from the English word
diamond.
Kaipo m & f HawaiianMeans
"the sweetheart" from Hawaiian
ka, a definite article, and
ipo "sweetheart".
Kalani m & f HawaiianMeans
"the heavens" from Hawaiian
ka "the" and
lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Kalei m & f HawaiianMeans
"the flowers" or
"the child" from Hawaiian
ka "the" and
lei "flowers, lei, child".
Kali 1 f & m Hinduism, Bengali, TamilMeans
"the black one", derived from Sanskrit
काल (kāla) meaning "black". The Hindu goddess Kali is the fierce destructive form of the wife of
Shiva. According to stories in the Puranas, she springs from the forehead of
Durga in order to defeat various demons. She is typically depicted with black skin and four arms, holding a severed head and brandishing a sword. As a personal name, it is generally masculine in India.
Kalliope f Greek MythologyMeans
"beautiful voice" from Greek
κάλλος (kallos) meaning "beauty" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". In Greek mythology she was a goddess of epic poetry and eloquence, one of the nine Muses.
Kallisto f Greek Mythology, Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
κάλλιστος (kallistos) meaning
"most beautiful", a derivative of
καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful". In Greek mythology Kallisto was a nymph who was loved by
Zeus. She was changed into a she-bear by
Hera, and subsequently became the Great Bear constellation. This was also an ancient Greek personal name.
Kalyna f Ukrainian (Rare)From the Ukrainian word for a type of shrub, also called the guelder rose (species Viburnum opulus).
Kamala f & m Hinduism, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, NepaliMeans
"lotus" or
"pale red" in Sanskrit. In Sanskrit this is a transcription of both the feminine form
कमला and the masculine form
कमल, though in modern languages it is only a feminine form. In Tantric Hinduism and Shaktism this is the name of a goddess, also identified with the goddess
Lakshmi.
Kamalani f & m HawaiianMeans
"heavenly child" or
"royal child" from Hawaiian
kama "child" and
lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Kamaria f ComorianFrom Arabic
qamar meaning
"moon", also the root of the name of the island country of the Comoros.
Kanako f JapaneseFrom Japanese
加 (ka) meaning "increase" or
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance" combined with
奈 (na), a phonetic character, or
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" and finished with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Kanani f HawaiianMeans
"the beauty" from Hawaiian
ka "the" and
nani "beauty, glory".
Kanata m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
奏 (kana) meaning "play music, complete" and
多 (ta) meaning "many", as well as other combinations of kanji that have the same pronunciation.
Kandaĵa f EsperantoMeans
"made of candy" in Esperanto, a derivative of
kando meaning "candy, rock sugar".
Kaniehtiio f MohawkMeans
"she is good snow" in Mohawk, from
ka- "she",
óniehte "snow" and the suffix
-iio "good".
Kanna f JapaneseFrom Japanese
栞 (kan) meaning "bookmark" and
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Kanon f JapaneseFrom Japanese
花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" and
音 (non) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.
Kanta f & m Hindi, BengaliFrom Sanskrit
कान्त (kānta) meaning
"desired, beautiful". The feminine form has a long final vowel, while in the masculine form it is short.
Kantuta f AymaraMeans
"cantua flower" in Aymara (species Cantua buxifolia).
Kaori f JapaneseFrom Japanese
香 (kaori) meaning "fragrance". It can also come from an alternate reading of
香 (ka) combined with
織 (ori) meaning "weaving". Other kanji combinations are possible. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.
Kaoru f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
薫 (kaoru),
香 (kaoru),
馨 (kaoru) all meaning "fragrance, fragrant", as well as other kanji having the same reading.
Kapua f & m HawaiianMeans
"the flower" or
"the child" from Hawaiian
ka, a definite article, and
pua "flower, offspring".
Kára f Norse MythologyProbably from Old Norse
kárr meaning
"curly, curved". In Norse legend this was the name of a valkyrie.
Karam m & f ArabicMeans
"nobility, generosity" in Arabic, derived from
كرم (karuma) meaning "to be generous".
Karen 3 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
華 (ka) meaning "flower" and
蓮 (ren) meaning "lotus, water lily". Other combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Karine 3 f ArmenianProbably from
Կարին (Karin), the Armenian name for the city of Erzurum in eastern Turkey. It was an Armenian city in classical times.
Kartini f IndonesianDerived from Indonesian
karti meaning
"act, deed", ultimately from Sanskrit
कृति (kṛti). A notable bearer was the Indonesian women's rights activist Kartini (1879-1904).
Kashi f HindiFrom the name of a holy city in India, famous for its many temples dedicated to the Hindu god
Shiva. Its name is derived from Sanskrit
काशि (kāśi) meaning "shining".
Kasumi f JapaneseFrom Japanese
霞 (kasumi) meaning "mist". It can also come from
花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" combined with
澄 (sumi) meaning "clear, pure". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Kate f English, CroatianShort form of
Katherine, often used independently. It is short for
Katherina in Shakespeare's play
The Taming of the Shrew (1593). It has been used in England since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer is the British actress Kate Winslet (1975-).
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]