Peggy f EnglishMedieval variant of
Meggy, a diminutive of
Margaret. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is unknown.
Peninnah f BiblicalMeans
"precious stone, pearl" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the wives of
Elkanah, the other being
Hannah.
Rhonwen f WelshWelsh form of
Rowena, appearing in medieval Welsh poems and stories as a personification of the English people.
Riko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or
理 (ri) meaning "reason, logic" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Rim f ArabicMeans
"white antelope" in Arabic.
Rina 4 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or
里 (ri) meaning "village" combined with
奈 (na), a phonetic character, or
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Rio 2 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or
里 (ri) meaning "village" combined with
央 (o) meaning "center",
緒 (o) meaning "thread" or
桜 (o) meaning "cherry blossom". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Rita f Italian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese, Latvian, LithuanianShort form of
Margherita and other names ending in
rita. Saint Rita (born Margherita Lotti) was a 15th-century nun from Cascia, Italy. Another famous bearer was the American actress Rita Hayworth (1918-1987).
Rosalba f ItalianItalian name meaning
"white rose", derived from Latin
rosa "rose" and
alba "white". A famous bearer was the Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757).
Rowena f EnglishMeaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements
hroð "fame" and
wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements
ron "spear" and
gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819).
Sadaf f ArabicMeans
"seashell, mother-of-pearl" in Arabic.
Salacia f Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
sal meaning
"salt". This was the name of the Roman goddess of salt water.
Sarolt f Hungarian (Rare)From the Old Hungarian name
Saroldu, probably of Turkic origin meaning
"white weasel, ermine". This was the wife of the 10th-century Hungarian grand prince
Géza.
Schneeweißchen f LiteratureMeans
"snow white" in High German, thus a cognate of Low German
Sneewittchen (see
Snow White). This is the name of a peasant girl in the German folktale
Snow-White and Rose-Red, recorded by the Brothers Grimm in 1837. Her sister is
Rosenrot, translated into English as
Rose-Red. This story is distinct from the Grimms' earlier tale
Snow White.
Smiltė f LithuanianMeans
"sandwort" in Lithuanian, referring to flowering plants from the genus Arenaria.
Snieguolė f LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
sniegas meaning
"snow" and a diminutive suffix. As a word,
snieguolė can also mean
"snowdrop flower", while
Snieguolė is also the Lithuanian name for
Snow White.
Snow White f LiteratureEnglish translation of German
Sneewittchen, derived from Low German
Snee "snow" and
witt "white" combined with the diminutive suffix
-chen. This is the name of a girl who escapes her evil stepmother and takes refuge with seven dwarfs in an 1812 story recorded by the Brothers Grimm, who based it on earlier European folktales. The High German translation would be
Schneeweißchen, but this was used by the Grimms for an unrelated character in another story (
Snow-White and Rose-Red). The modern German form is typically the hybrid
Schneewittchen. The story was adapted into a film by Walt Disney in 1937.
Swanhild f German (Rare)Derived from the Old German elements
swan "swan" and
hilt "battle". Swanhild (or Swanachild) was the second wife of the Frankish ruler Charles Martel in the 8th century.
Tegan f Welsh, English (Modern)Means
"darling" in Welsh, derived from a diminutive of Welsh
teg "beautiful, pretty". It was somewhat common in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada in the 1980s and 90s. It was borne by an Australian character on the television series
Doctor Who from 1981 to 1984.
Tegwen f WelshDerived from the Welsh elements
teg "beautiful, pretty" and
gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the 19th century.
Tsubaki f JapaneseFrom Japanese
椿 (tsubaki) meaning "camellia (flower)", as well as other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Uxue f BasqueFrom the Basque name of the Spanish town of Ujué where there is a church dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. Its name is derived from Basque
usoa "dove".
Voestaa'e f CheyenneMeans
"white bison calf woman" in Cheyenne, derived from
vóésta "white bison calf" and the feminine suffix
-e'é. Because white bison calves were rare they were considered sacred.
Wambui f KikuyuMeans
"zebra" in Kikuyu. This is one of
Mumbi's nine daughters in the Kikuyu origin legend.
Wendy f EnglishIn the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play
Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname
fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name
Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element
gwen meaning "white, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.
Whitney f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"white island" in Old English. Its popular use as a feminine name was initiated by actress Whitney Blake (1925-2002) in the 1960s, and further boosted in the 1980s by singer Whitney Houston (1963-2012).
Winifred f English, WelshFrom Latin
Winifreda, possibly from a Welsh name
Gwenfrewi (maybe influenced by the Old English masculine name
Winfred). Saint Winifred was a 7th-century Welsh martyr, probably legendary. According to the story, she was decapitated by a prince after she spurned his advances. Where her head fell there arose a healing spring, which has been a pilgrimage site since medieval times. Her story was recorded in the 12th century by Robert of Shrewsbury, and she has been historically more widely venerated in England than in Wales. The name has been used in England since at least the 16th century.
Xue f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
雪 (xuě) meaning "snow" or
学 (xué) meaning "study, learning, school", besides other characters pronounced similarly.
Xun m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
勋 (xūn) meaning "meritorious deed, rank" or
迅 (xùn) meaning "fast, sudden", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Yuki f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or
雪 (yuki) meaning "snow". It can also come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" combined with
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" or
紀 (ki) meaning "chronicle". Other kanji or kanji combinations are also possible.
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.