Tímea f HungarianCreated by the Hungarian author Mór Jókai for a character in his novel
The Golden Man (1873). The name is apparently based on the Greek word
εὐθυμία (euthymia) meaning
"good spirits, cheerfulness".
Tina f English, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, GeorgianShort form of
Christina,
Martina and other names ending in
tina. In addition to these names, it is also used in Dutch as a short form of
Catharina, in Swedish and Croatian as a short form of
Katarina, and in Georgian as a short form of
Tinatin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.
Tinashe m & f ShonaMeans
"we are with God", from Shona
ti "we",
na "with" and
ishe "lord, God".
Tinatin f Georgian, LiteraturePossibly related to Georgian
სინათლე (sinatle) meaning
"light". The name was devised by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for his 12th-century epic poem
The Knight in the Panther's Skin, in which Tinatin is the ruler of Arabia and the lover of
Avtandil.
Tirzah f BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
תִּרְצָה (Tirtsa) meaning
"favourable". Tirzah is the name of one of the daughters of
Zelophehad in the Old Testament. It also occurs in the Old Testament as a place name, the early residence of the kings of the northern kingdom.
Titania f LiteraturePerhaps based on Latin
Titanius meaning
"of the Titans". This name was (first?) used by William Shakespeare in his comedy
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595) where it belongs to the queen of the fairies, the wife of
Oberon. This is also a moon of Uranus, named after the Shakespearean character.
Togzhan f KazakhPossibly from Kazakh
тоқ (toq) meaning "full, well-fed, prosperous" and
жан (zhan) meaning "soul".
Tola 1 m & f KhmerMeans
"October" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit
तुल (tula), referring to the constellation Libra.
Tondra f EsperantoMeans
"thunderous", from Esperanto
tondro meaning "thunder".
Topaz f English (Rare)From the English word for the yellow precious stone, the traditional birthstone of November, ultimately derived from Greek
τόπαζος (topazos).
Tracy f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was taken from a Norman French place name meaning
"domain belonging to Thracius". Charles Dickens used it for a male character in his novel
The Pickwick Papers (1837). It was later popularized as a feminine name by the main character Tracy Lord in the movie
The Philadelphia Story (1940). This name is also sometimes used as a diminutive of
Theresa.
Tránsito f & m SpanishMeans
"transit, travel" in Spanish. This name is given in reference to the movement of the Virgin
Mary into heaven.
Treasa f IrishPossibly from Irish
treise meaning
"strength" or
treas meaning
"battle". It is also used as an Irish form of
Theresa.
Trinidad f & m SpanishMeans
"trinity" in Spanish, referring to the Holy Trinity. An island in the West Indies bears this name.
Tryphena f BiblicalFrom the Greek name
Τρύφαινα (Tryphaina), derived from Greek
τρυφή (tryphe) meaning
"softness, delicacy". This name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament.
Tsisana f GeorgianProbably derived from Georgian
ცის (tsis) meaning
"of the sky", the genitive case of
ცა (tsa) meaning "sky, heaven". This is also an alternative Georgian word for the forget-me-not flower.
Tsisia f GeorgianDerived from Georgian
ცის (tsis) meaning
"of the sky", the genitive case of
ცა (tsa) meaning "sky, heaven".
Tsubaki f JapaneseFrom Japanese
椿 (tsubaki) meaning "camellia (flower)", as well as other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Tsubasa m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
翼 (tsubasa) meaning "wing", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.
Tuba f Arabic, TurkishFrom the name of a type of tree that is believed to grow in heaven in Islamic tradition. It means "blessedness" in Arabic.
Tuesday f English (Rare)From the English word for the day of the week, which derives from Old English
tiwesdæg meaning "
Tiw's day".
Tumaini f & m SwahiliMeans
"wish, hope" in Swahili, from Arabic
طمع (ṭamiʿa) meaning "to desire".
Turan m & f Turkish, AzerbaijaniFrom Persian
توران (Tūrān), a historical region in Central Asia, originally inhabited by nomadic Iranian peoples. It is traditionally said to mean
"land of Tur". The place is mentioned frequently in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Türkan f TurkishPossibly from the old title
tarkhan (spelled
tarkan in Turkish), which was used in Central Asia and is of uncertain origin (possibly Iranian or Mongolian).
Twila f EnglishMeaning unknown. Perhaps based on the English word
twilight, or maybe from a Cajun pronunciation of French
étoile "star". It came into use as an American given name in the late 19th century.
Tyra f Swedish, English, African AmericanFrom the Old Norse name
Þýri, a variant of the Norse names
Þórví or
Þórveig. Use of the name in the English-speaking world (especially among African Americans) may be in part from the Swedish name, though it is probably also viewed as a feminine form of
Tyrone or
Tyree. A famous bearer is the American model and actress Tyra Banks (1973-).
Uchenna m & f IgboMeans
"wisdom of the father, sense of the father" in Igbo.
Udane f BasqueDerived from Basque
uda meaning
"summer".
Uʻilani f & m HawaiianMeans
"heavenly beauty" or
"royal beauty" from Hawaiian
uʻi "youth, beauty" and
lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Uma f Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, HindiMeans
"flax" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess
Parvati. In Hindu texts it is said to derive from the Sanskrit exclamation
उ मा (u mā) meaning "O do not (practice austerities)!", which was addressed to Parvati by her mother.
Umay f Mythology, TurkishFrom a Turkic word meaning
"womb" or
"placenta". This was the name of a Turkic and Mongolian goddess associated with childbirth.
Umayma f ArabicMeans
"little mother" in Arabic, from a diminutive of
أمّ (ʾumm) "mother". This was the name of an aunt of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Úna f Irish, Medieval IrishProbably derived from Old Irish
úan meaning
"lamb". This was a common name in medieval Ireland.
Una f EnglishAnglicized form of Irish
Úna or Scottish
Ùna. It is also associated with Latin
una, feminine form of
unus meaning
"one". The name features in Edmund Spenser's poem
The Faerie Queene (1590).
Unathi m & f XhosaMeans
"he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix
u- meaning "he, she" and
nathi meaning "with us".
Uria m & f HebrewModern Hebrew form of
Uriah, also used as a feminine name.
Ursa f Late RomanFeminine form of
Ursus. This is the name of two constellations in the northern sky: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
Ursula f English, Swedish, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Late RomanMeans
"little bear", derived from a diminutive form of the Latin word
ursa "she-bear". Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.
Urvashi f Hinduism, HindiPossibly means
"widely spreading", derived from Sanskrit
उरु (uru) meaning "wide" and
अश् (aś) meaning "to pervade". According to Hindu scripture this was the name of an apsara (a type of female spirit) who was the wife of Pururavas.
Usagi f Popular CultureMeans
"rabbit" in Japanese. This name was used on the Japanese television show
Sailor Moon, which first aired in the 1990s.
Ushas f HinduismMeans
"dawn" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of the dawn, considered the daughter of heaven.
Uttara m & f Hinduism, MarathiMeans
"north" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
उत्तर and the feminine form
उत्तरा (spelled with a long final vowel), both of which occur in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata belonging to the son and daughter of King Virata.
Uzma f ArabicMeans
"supreme, greatest" in Arabic, a derivative of
عظم (ʿaẓuma) meaning "to be great".
Vəfa f & m AzerbaijaniMeans
"loyalty" in Azerbaijani, ultimately from the Arabic root
وفى (wafā) meaning "to fulfill, to live up to a promise".
Vaike f EstonianFrom Estonian
vaikus meaning
"silence, calm". This name was coined by Andres Saal for a character in his story
Vambola (1889).
Valbona f AlbanianFrom
Valbona (or
Valbonë), the name of a mountain valley and river in northern Albania.
Valencia f VariousFrom the name of cities in Spain and Venezuela, both derived from Latin
valentia meaning "strength, vigour".
Valentina f Italian, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Valentinus (see
Valentine 1). A famous bearer is the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (1937-), who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space.
Valkyrie f Various (Rare)Means
"chooser of the slain", derived from Old Norse
valr "the slain" and
kyrja "chooser". In Norse myth the Valkyries were maidens who led heroes killed in battle to Valhalla.
Valli f HinduismMeans
"creeping plant" in Tamil. The Tamil Hindu goddess Valli is the wife of
Murugan.
Vanadís f Norse MythologyMeans
"goddess of the Vanir" in Old Norse. This was an epithet of the Norse goddess
Freya, given because she was a member of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir).
Vanessa f English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, DutchInvented by author Jonathan Swift for his 1726 poem
Cadenus and Vanessa. He arrived at it by rearranging the initial syllables of the first name and surname of
Esther Vanhomrigh, his close friend. Vanessa was later used as the name of a genus of butterfly. It was a rare given name until the mid-20th century, at which point it became fairly popular.
Vardo f GeorgianDerived from Georgian
ვარდი (vardi) meaning
"rose", ultimately from an Iranian language via Armenian.
Varpu f FinnishFrom the Finnish name for a type of berry bush.
Vashti f BiblicalProbably of Persian origin, possibly a superlative form of
𐎺𐎢 (vahu) meaning
"good". According to the Old Testament this was the name of the first wife of King
Ahasuerus of Persia before he married
Esther.
Vasuda f Hindi (Rare)Means
"granting wealth" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the earth.
Vasudha f HindiMeans
"holding wealth" in Sanskrit, used to refer to the earth.
Veasna m & f KhmerMeans
"fate, destiny" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit
वासना (vāsanā) meaning "imagination, impression".
Vega 1 f SpanishMeans
"meadow, plain" in Spanish. It is taken from a title of the Virgin
Mary,
La Virgen de la Vega, meaning "The Virgin of the Meadow". She is the patron saint of several Spanish municipalities, such as Salamanca.
Vega 2 f AstronomyThe name of a star in the constellation Lyra. Its name is from Arabic
الواقع (al-Wāqiʿ) meaning "the swooping (eagle)".
Ve'keseha'e f CheyenneMeans
"bird woman" in Cheyenne, derived from
vé'kėséhe- "bird" and the feminine suffix
-e'é.
Velda f EnglishMeaning unknown, possibly a derivative of the Old German element
walt meaning
"power, authority".
Velia f ItalianFrom the Roman family name
Velius, which possibly means
"concealed" in Latin.
Velma f EnglishProbably a variant of
Wilma, the spelling with an
e perhaps due to the influence of
Selma 1. This name has been in use since the 19th century.
Velta f LatvianDerived from Latvian
velte meaning
"gift, tribute". The Latvian playwright Aspazija used it for a character in her play
Zaudētās Tiesības (1894).
Venera 2 f ItalianDerived from the Latin name
Veneranda, from
venerandus meaning
"venerable, worthy of veneration". This was the name of a 2nd-century saint who was martyred in Rome or Sicily.
Venetia f English (Rare), GreekFrom the Latin name of the Italian region of Veneto and the city of Venice (see the place name
Venetia). This name was borne by the celebrated English beauty Venetia Stanley (1600-1633), though in her case the name may have been a Latinized form of the Welsh name
Gwynedd. Benjamin Disraeli used it for the heroine of his novel
Venetia (1837).
Venka f EsperantoMeans
"victorious", from Esperanto
venki "to conquer", ultimately from Latin
vinco.