Adva f HebrewMeans
"small wave, ripple" in Hebrew.
Ava 1 f EnglishVariant of
Eve. A famous bearer was the American actress Ava Gardner (1922-1990). This name became very popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 21st century, entering the top ten for girls in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It began to rise sharply after 1997, possibly inspired by the actress Heather Locklear and musician Richie Sambora when they used it for their baby daughter that year.
Ava 3 f German, GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
awi, of unknown meaning. This was the name of a 9th-century Frankish saint. It was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Melk, Austria.
Ave f Italian, EstonianPossibly from the name of the prayer
Ave Maria, in which
Ave is Latin meaning
"greetings, salutations". In Estonian it is also associated with the word
ava meaning "open".
Avis f EnglishProbably a Latinized form of the Germanic name
Aveza, which was derived from the element
awi, of unknown meaning. The Normans introduced this name to England and it became moderately common during the Middle Ages, at which time it was associated with Latin
avis "bird".
Clover f English (Modern)From the English word for the wild flower, ultimately deriving from Old English
clafre.
Davaa m & f MongolianMeans
"Monday" or
"threshold, mountain pass" in Mongolian.
Denver m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was from a place name meaning
"Dane ford" in Old English. This is the name of the capital city of Colorado, which was named for the politician James W. Denver (1817-1892).
Devon m & f EnglishVariant of
Devin. It may also be partly inspired by the name of the county of Devon in England, which got its name from the Dumnonii, a Celtic tribe.
Eva f Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian, Danish, Icelandic, Faroese, Romanian, Greek, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Russian, Georgian, Armenian, Biblical Latin, Old Church SlavicForm of
Eve used in various languages. This form is used in the Latin translation of the New Testament, while
Hava is used in the Latin Old Testament. A notable bearer was the Argentine first lady Eva Perón (1919-1952), the subject of the musical
Evita. The name also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.
... [more] Evelyn f & m English, GermanFrom an English surname that was derived from the given name
Aveline. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as almost entirely feminine, probably in part because of its similarity to
Eve and
Evelina.
... [more] Evren m & f TurkishMeans
"cosmos, the universe" in Turkish. In Turkic mythology the Evren is a gigantic snake-like dragon.
Favour m & f English (African)From the English word
favour, ultimately from Latin
faveo "to favour". This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
Geneviève f FrenchFrom the medieval name
Genovefa, which is of uncertain origin. It could be derived from the Germanic elements *
kunją "clan, family, lineage" and *
wībą "wife, woman". Alternatively it could be of Gaulish origin, from the related Celtic element *
genos "kin, family" combined with a second element of unknown meaning. This name was borne by Saint Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, who inspired the city to resist the Huns in the 5th century.
Gyöngyvér f HungarianMeans
"sister of pearl", from Hungarian
gyöngy "pearl" and
testvér "sibling". This name was created by the Hungarian poet János Arany for a character in his poem
The Death of King Buda (1864).
Haven f & m EnglishFrom the English word for a safe place, derived ultimately from Old English
hæfen.
Heaven f English (Modern)From the English vocabulary word meaning
"paradise". It is derived via Middle English
hevene from Old English
heofon "sky".
Ivory m & f African AmericanFrom the English word for the hard, creamy-white substance that comes from elephant tusks and was formerly used to produce piano keys.
Ivy f EnglishFrom the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English
ifig.
Laverne f & m EnglishFrom a French surname that was derived from a place name, ultimately from the Gaulish word
vern "alder". It is sometimes associated with the Roman goddess
Laverna or the Latin word
vernus "of spring".
Majvor f SwedishFrom Swedish
maj meaning "May (month)" combined with
vår meaning "spring" or the Old Norse name element
vǫr meaning "vigilant, cautious". This name was first used in the early 20th century.
Marvel f EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"a miracle, a wonder", derived from Old French
merveille, from Latin
mirabilis meaning "wonderful".
Mavis f EnglishFrom the name of the type of bird, also called the song thrush, derived from Old French
mauvis, of uncertain origin. It was first used as a given name by the British author Marie Corelli, who used it for a character in her novel
The Sorrows of Satan (1895).
Mervi f FinnishFrom the name of a Finnish village (now a part of the municipality of Hattula).
Milvi f EstonianCoined by Estonian writer Mats Tõnisson in 1914, of uncertain meaning.
Morven f ScottishFrom the name of a region in western Scotland, also called
Morvern or in Gaelic
A' Mhorbhairne, meaning
"the big gap". This is the location of Fingal's kingdom in James Macpherson's 18th-century poems.
Navy f & m English (Modern)From the English word meaning
"sea force, fleet, armed forces of the sea". It is derived from Old French
navie, from Latin
navigia, the plural of
navigium "boat, vessel". It also refers to a shade of dark blue, a colour traditionally associated with naval uniforms.
Nieves f SpanishMeans
"snows" in Spanish, derived from the title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora de las Nieves meaning "Our Lady of the Snows".
Olive f English, FrenchFrom the English and French word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin
oliva.
Raven f & m EnglishFrom the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English
hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god
Odin.
River m & f English (Modern)From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin
ripa "riverbank".
Rover m & f PetFrom an English word, the agent noun of the verb
rove meaning "roam, wander". This a stereotypical name for a dog.
Sevan f & m ArmenianFrom the name of the largest lake in Armenia, which may be from the Urartian word
suinia simply meaning "lake".
Sevda f Turkish, AzerbaijaniMeans
"love, infatuation" in Turkish and Azerbaijani, ultimately from Arabic
سوداء (sawdāʾ) meaning "black bile, melancholy, sadness".
Seven m & f English (Modern)From the English word for the number, derived from Old English
seofon (from an Indo-European root shared by Latin
septem and Greek
ἑπτά (hepta)).
Silver m & f English (Rare)From the English word for the precious metal or the colour, ultimately derived from Old English
seolfor.
Silvia f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, German, Dutch, English, Late Roman, Roman MythologyFeminine form of
Silvius.
Rhea Silvia was the mother of
Romulus and
Remus, the founders of Rome. This was also the name of a 6th-century saint, the mother of the pope Gregory the Great. It has been a common name in Italy since the Middle Ages. It was introduced to England by Shakespeare, who used it for a character in his play
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594). It is now more commonly spelled
Sylvia in the English-speaking world.
Solveig f Norwegian, Swedish, DanishFrom an Old Norse name, which was derived from the elements
sól "sun" and
veig "strength". This is the name of the heroine in Henrik Ibsen's play
Peer Gynt (1876).
Svea f SwedishFrom a personification of the country of Sweden, in use since the 17th century. It is a derivative of
Svear, the Swedish name for the North Germanic tribe the Swedes. The Swedish name of the country of Sweden is
Sverige, a newer form of
Svear rike meaning "the realm of the Svear".
Sveva f ItalianPossibly from the name of the Germanic tribe of the Suebi (
svevo in Italian).
Tatev f ArmenianFrom the name of the Tatev monastery in southern Armenia.
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.
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.
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.
Velvet f EnglishFrom the English word for the soft fabric. It became used as a given name after the main character in Enid Bagnold's book
National Velvet (1935) and the movie (1944) and television (1960) adaptations.
Venka f EsperantoMeans
"victorious", from Esperanto
venki "to conquer", ultimately from Latin
vincere.
Venus f Roman MythologyMeans
"love, sexual desire" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of love and sex. Her character was assimilated with that of the Greek goddess
Aphrodite. As the mother of
Aeneas she was considered an ancestor of the Roman people. The second planet from the sun is named after her.
Vera 1 f Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, GeorgianMeans
"faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word
verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Verna f EnglishFeminine form of
Vernon, sometimes associated with the Latin word
vernus "spring". It has been in use since the 19th century.
Vesper m & f Roman Mythology, Dutch (Modern)Latin cognate of
Hesperos. This name was used by the British author Ian Fleming for a female character, a love interest of James Bond, in his novel
Casino Royale (1953). She also appears in the film adaptations of 1967 and 2006.
Vesta f Roman MythologyProbably a Roman cognate of
Hestia. Vesta was the Roman goddess of the hearth. A continuous fire, tended by the Vestal Virgins, was burned in the Temple of Vesta in Rome.
Vilja f Finnish, EstonianPossibly from the Finnish word
vilja meaning
"cereal, grain" or the Swedish word
vilja meaning
"will, intent".
Vilma f Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, CroatianForm of
Wilma in several languages.
Vinyet f CatalanMeans
"vineyard" in Catalan. It is from a devotional title of the Virgin
Mary,
Mare de Déu del Vinyet, meaning "Mother of God of the Vineyard". This is the name of a sanctuary in Sitges, Spain.
Viola f English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, SlovakMeans
"violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke
Orsino, she attempts to convince
Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.
Violet f EnglishFrom the English word
violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin
viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.
Virgo f AstronomyMeans
"maiden, virgin" in Latin. This is the name of a constellation and the sixth sign of the zodiac.
Virva f FinnishPossibly derived from Finnish
virvatuli meaning
"will o' the wisp". In folklore, will o' the wisp is a floating ball of light that appears over water.
Virve f Estonian, FinnishFrom Estonian
virves meaning
"sprout, shoot" or
virve meaning
"ripple, shimmer".
Vlasta f & m Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, SloveneOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Slavic element
volstĭ meaning
"power, rule, sovereignty". Descendants of this word include Czech
vlast "homeland" and Serbo-Croatian
vlast "power". It is sometimes masculine in Czech and Serbian.
Yvelise f FrenchFeminine form of
Yves (or an elaboration using
Élise). It was (first?) borne by the title character in the Italian novel
Yvelise (1923) by Guido da Verona. It later appeared in the photonovel
Yvelise devant l'amour published in the French magazine
Nous Deux in 1950.