Bambi f EnglishDerived from Italian
bambina meaning
"young girl". The American novelist Marjorie Benton Cooke used it in her novel
Bambi (1914). This was also the name of a male deer in a cartoon by Walt Disney, which was based on a 1923 novel by Swiss author Felix Salten.
Belle f EnglishShort form of
Isabella or names ending in
belle. It is also associated with the French word
belle meaning "beautiful". A famous bearer was Belle Starr (1848-1889), an outlaw of the American west, whose real given name was Maybelle.
Berry 2 f English (Rare)From the English word referring to the small fruit. It is ultimately derived from Old English
berie. This name has only been in use since the 20th century.
Birdie f EnglishDiminutive of
Bertha,
Bernice and other names with a similar sound, or sometimes simply from the English word
bird.
Blossom f EnglishFrom the English word
blossom, ultimately from Old English
blóstm. It came into use as a rare given name in the 19th century.
Camellia f English (Rare)From the name of the flowering shrub, which was named for the botanist and missionary Georg Josef Kamel.
Cecilia f English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Romanian, FinnishLatinate feminine form of the Roman family name
Caecilius, which was derived from Latin
caecus meaning
"blind". Saint Cecilia was a semi-legendary 2nd or 3rd-century martyr who was sentenced to die because she refused to worship the Roman gods. After attempts to suffocate her failed, she was beheaded. She was later regarded as the patron saint of music and musicians.
... [more] Celestine f & m EnglishEnglish form of
Caelestinus. It is more commonly used as a feminine name, from the French feminine form
Célestine.
Celinda f English (Rare)Probably a blend of
Celia and
Linda. This is also the Spanish name for a variety of shrub with white flowers, known as sweet mock-orange in English (species Philadelphus coronarius).
Charisse f EnglishFrom a French surname of unknown meaning. It was used as a given name in honour of American actress and dancer Cyd Charisse (1921-2008).
Cherie f EnglishDerived from French
chérie meaning
"darling". In America,
Cherie came into use shortly after the variant
Sherry, and has not been as common.
Claribel f EnglishCombination of
Clara and the common name suffix
bel, from Latin
bella "beautiful". This name was used by Edmund Spenser in his poem
The Faerie Queene (1590; in the form
Claribell) and by Shakespeare in his play
The Tempest (1611). Alfred Tennyson also wrote a poem entitled
Claribel (1830).
Clarity f English (Rare)Simply means "clarity, lucidity" from the English word, ultimately from Latin
clarus "clear".
Daffodil f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, ultimately derived from Dutch
de affodil meaning "the asphodel".
Daisy f EnglishSimply from the English word for the white flower, ultimately derived from Old English
dægeseage meaning "day eye". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
... [more] Dolly f EnglishDiminutive of
Dorothy.
Doll and
Dolly were used from the 16th century, and the common English word
doll (for the plaything) is derived from them. In modern times this name is also sometimes used as a diminutive of
Dolores.
Dove f EnglishFrom the English word for the variety of bird, seen as a symbol of peace.
Dulcie f EnglishFrom Latin
dulcis meaning
"sweet". It was used in the Middle Ages in the spellings
Dowse and
Duce, and was recoined in the 19th century.
Elora f Popular Culture, English (Modern)Probably an invented name. This is the name of an infant girl in the fantasy movie
Willow (1988). Since the release of the movie the name has been steadily used, finally breaking into the top 1000 in the United States in 2015.
Fancy f English (Rare)From the English word
fancy, which means either
"like, love, inclination" or
"ornamental". It is derived from Middle English
fantasie, which comes (via Norman French and Latin) from Greek
φαίνω (phaino) meaning "to show, to appear".
Fawn f EnglishFrom the English word
fawn for a young deer.
Flora f English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, French, Greek, Albanian, Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
flos meaning
"flower" (genitive case
floris). Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, the wife of Zephyr the west wind. It has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, starting in France. In Scotland it was sometimes used as an Anglicized form of
Fionnghuala.
Flower f English (Rare)Simply from the English word
flower for the blossoming plant. It is derived (via Old French) from Latin
flos.
Honey f English (Rare)Simply from the English word
honey, ultimately from Old English
hunig. This was originally a nickname for a sweet person.
Jessamine f English (Rare)From a variant spelling of the English word
jasmine (see
Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.
Juliet f EnglishAnglicized form of
Giulietta or
Juliette. This spelling was used for the ill-fated lover of
Romeo in the play
Romeo and Juliet (1596) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare based his story on earlier Italian tales such as
Giulietta e Romeo (1524) by Luigi Da Porto.
Lacy f & m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from
Lassy, the name of a town in Normandy. The name of the town was Gaulish in origin, perhaps deriving from a personal name that was Latinized as
Lascius. Formerly more common for boys in America, this name began to grow in popularity for girls in 1975.
Lilac f English (Rare)From the English word for the shrub with purple or white flowers (genus Syringa). It is derived via Arabic from Persian.
Lily f EnglishFrom the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin
lilium. This is the name of the main character, Lily Bart, in the novel
The House of Mirth (1905) by Edith Wharton. A famous bearer is the American actress Lily Tomlin (1939-).
Mabelle f EnglishVariant of
Mabel. It also coincides with the French phrase
ma belle meaning "my beautiful".
Maple f EnglishFrom the English word for the tree, derived from Old English
mapul. This is the name of a girl in Robert Frost's poem
Maple (1923) who wonders about the origin of her unusual name.
Milani f English (Modern)From the name of the Italian city of
Milan, as in the name of the American cosmetics company founded in 2002. It could also a variant of
Melanie.
Minnie f EnglishDiminutive of
Wilhelmina. This name was used by Walt Disney for the cartoon character Minnie Mouse, introduced 1928.
Mirabelle f French (Rare), English (Rare)Derived from Latin
mirabilis meaning
"wonderful". This name was coined during the Middle Ages, though it eventually died out. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.
Pansy f EnglishFrom the English word for a type of flower, ultimately deriving from Old French
pensee "thought".
Peony f English (Rare)From the English word for the type of flower. It was originally believed to have healing qualities, so it was named after the Greek medical god
Pæon.
Petunia f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, derived ultimately from a Tupi (South American) word.
Piety f English (Rare)From the English word meaning
"piety, devoutness". This was a rare virtue name used by the Puritans in the 17th century.
Poppy f EnglishFrom the word for the red flower, derived from Old English
popæg.
Posy f EnglishDiminutive of
Josephine. It can also be inspired by the English word
posy for a bunch of flowers.
Primrose f English (Rare)From the English word for the flower, ultimately deriving from Latin
prima rosa "first rose".
Rosabel f English (Rare)Combination of
Rosa 1 and the common name suffix
bel, inspired by Latin
bella "beautiful". This name was created in the 18th century.
Rosalie f French, German, Dutch, EnglishFrench, German and Dutch form of
Rosalia. In the English-speaking this name received a boost after the release of the movie
Rosalie (1938), which was based on an earlier musical.
Rosaline f EnglishMedieval variant of
Rosalind. This is the name of characters in Shakespeare's
Love's Labour's Lost (1594) and
Romeo and Juliet (1596).
Spring f EnglishFrom the name of the season, ultimately from Old English
springan "to leap, to burst forth".
Sunshine f EnglishFrom the English word, ultimately from Old English
sunne "sun" and
scinan "shine".
Tansy f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, which is derived via Old French from Late Latin
tanacita.
Wisteria f English (Rare)From the name of the flowering plant, which was named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar.