YA f ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
YAARA f HebrewMeans
"honeycomb" and
"honeysuckle" in Hebrew.
YADIRA f Spanish (Latin American), American (Hispanic)Meaning unknown, possibly derived from an Arabic name. It has been used in Mexico since at least the 1940s, perhaps inspired by the Colombian actress Yadira Jiménez (1928-?), who performed in Mexican films beginning in 1946.
YAEKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
八 (ya) and
重 (e) meaning "multilayered" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji characters can also form this name.
YAHUI f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
惠 (huì) meaning "favour, benefit". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
YAHWEH m TheologyA name of the Hebrew God, represented in Hebrew by the Tetragrammaton ("four letters")
יהוה (Yod Heh Vav Heh), which was transliterated into Roman script as
Y H W H. Because it was considered blasphemous to utter the name of God, it was only written and never spoken, which resulted in the original pronunciation becoming lost. The name may have originally been derived from the old Semitic root
הוה (hawah) meaning
"to be" or
"to become".
YAIZA f SpanishFrom the name of a town in the Canary Islands, Spain. It was used by the novelist Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa for the main character in his
Ocean trilogy of books (beginning 1984).
YALE m WelshFrom a Welsh surname, which was itself derived from a place name meaning
"fertile upland" (from Welsh
ial).
YALING f ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
玲 (líng) meaning "tinkling of jade". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
YAM m Semitic MythologyMeans
"sea" in Ugaritic. Yam was the Ugaritic god of the sea, also associated with chaos, storms and destruction. He was a son of the chief god
El.
YAMA (1) m HinduismMeans
"twin" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu god of death. He is also regarded as the first mortal being, or in other words, the first person to die. This name is related to Persian
Jam.
YAMATO m JapaneseFrom
YAMATO, an ancient name for Japan. It can also refer to the Yamato period in Japanese history, which lasted into the 8th century. The individual kanji are
大 meaning "great" and
和 meaning "harmony".
YAMI f HinduismMeans
"twin, pair" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of the first woman, the twin sister of the first man
Yama.
YAN (2) f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
艳 (yàn) meaning "beautiful, gorgeous" (which is usually only feminine) or
岩 (yán) meaning "cliff, rocks", as well as other Chinese characters pronounced in a similar fashion.
YANCY m & f EnglishFrom a surname, which was an Americanized form of the Dutch surname
Jansen meaning
"JAN (1)'s son".
YANG m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
洋 (yáng) meaning "ocean" or
阳 (yáng) meaning "light, sun, male" (which is typically only masculine), as well as other Chinese characters pronounced similarly.
YASEN m BulgarianMeans both
"ash tree" and
"clear, serene" in Bulgarian.
YASIN m Arabic, Persian, UrduFrom the Arabic letters
ي (called
ya) and
س (called
sin). These letters begin the 36th chapter of the Quran (surah Ya Sin).
YASIR m Arabic, UrduMeans
"to be rich", derived from Arabic
يسر (yasira) meaning "to become easy". This was the name of an early Islamic martyr. It was also borne by Yasir Arafat (1929-2004), a leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
YASU f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
安 (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet",
康 (yasu) meaning "peaceful" or
坦 (yasu) meaning "flat, smooth, level", as well as other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
YATING f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
婷 (tíng) meaning "pretty, graceful". Other character combinations are possible.
YAWEN f ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
雯 (wén) meaning "cloud patterns". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
YAZHU f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
筑 (zhù) meaning "lute, zither, build". Other character combinations are also possible.
YE-JUN m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
藝 (ye) meaning "art, talent, craft" combined with
俊 (jun) meaning "talented, handsome", as well as other hanja combinations.
YENTE f Yiddish (Rare)From French
gentille meaning
"noble, aristocratic". This is the name of a gossipy matchmaker in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on late 19th-century stories by Sholem Aleichem. Due to the character, this name has also acquired the meaning "gossiper".
YEONG f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero", as well as other hanja characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name. This name was borne by Jang Yeong-sil (where
Jang is the surname), a 15th-century Korean scientist and inventor.
YEONG-CHEOL m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
永 (yeong) meaning "perpetual, eternal" combined with
哲 (cheol) meaning "wise, sage". Other hanja combinations are possible.
YEONG-GI m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
榮 (yeong) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper" and
起 (gi) meaning "rise, stand up, begin". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
YEONG-HO m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero",
映 (yeong) meaning "reflect light" or
泳 (yeong) meaning "dive, swim" combined with
浩 (ho) meaning "great, numerous, vast" or
皓 (ho) meaning "bright, luminous, clear, hoary". Other hanja combinations are possible.
YEONG-HUI f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" or
泳 (yeong) meaning "dive, swim" combined with
姬 (hui) meaning "beauty" or
嬉 (hui) meaning "enjoy, play". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.
YEONG-HWAN m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
永 (yeong) meaning "perpetual, eternal" or
泳 (yeong) meaning "dive, swim" combined with
煥 (hwan) meaning "shining, brilliant, lustrous". Other hanja combinations are possible as well.
YEONG-JA f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" and
子 (ja) meaning "child". Other hanja character combinations can form this name as well. Feminine names ending with the character
子 (a fashionable name suffix in Japan, read as
-ko in Japanese) were popular in Korea during the period of Japanese rule (1910-1945). After liberation this name and others like it declined in popularity.
YEONG-SU m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
永 (yeong) meaning "perpetual, eternal" and
壽 (su) meaning "long life, lifespan", as well as other hanja character combinations.
YEONG-SUK f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" and
淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
YERUSLAN m FolkloreFrom Tatar
Uruslan, which was possibly from Turkic
arslan meaning
"lion". Yeruslan Lazarevich is the name of a hero in Russian and Tatar folktales. These tales were based on (or at least influenced by) Persian tales of their hero
Rostam.
YESENIA f Spanish (Latin American)From
Jessenia, the genus name of a variety of palm trees found in South America. As a given name, it was popularized by the writer Yolanda Vargas Dulché in the Mexican telenovela
Yesenia (1970) and subsequent film adaptation (1971).
YESHUA m Biblical Hebrew, Ancient AramaicContracted form of
Yehoshu'a (see
JOSHUA) used in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible. The form was also used in Aramaic, and was most likely the name represented by Greek
Iesous (see
JESUS) in the New Testament. This means it was probably the real name of Jesus.
YEVPRAKSIYA f RussianRussian form of
EUPRAXIA. This was the name of a daughter of Vsevolod I, grand prince of Kiev, who became the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Henry IV.
YI f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
宜 (yí) meaning "suitable, proper",
毅 (yì) meaning "resolute, decisive, firm",
义 (yì) meaning "justice, righteousness",
益 (yì) meaning "profit, benefit",
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" (which is usually only feminine) or
仪 (yí) meaning "ceremony, rites" (also usually feminine). Other characters can also form this name.
YIJUN m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" combined with
君 (jūn) meaning "king, ruler". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
YIN f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
银 (yín) meaning "silver, money",
音 (yīn) meaning "sound, tone" or
荫 (yīn) meaning "shade, shelter, protect", as well as other Chinese characters pronounced similarly.
YNGVI m Norse MythologyPossibly an Old Norse cognate of
ING. This was an alternate name of the god
Freyr, who as Yngvi-Freyr was regarded as the ancestor of the Swedish royal family.
YŌKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" or
洋 (yō) meaning "ocean" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
YOLANDA f Spanish, EnglishFrom the medieval French name
Yolande, which was probably a form of the name
Violante, which was itself a derivative of Latin
viola "violet". Alternatively it could be of Germanic origin.
... [more] YOLANDE f FrenchFrench form of
YOLANDA. A notable bearer of the 15th century was Yolande of Aragon, who acted as regent for the French king Charles VII, her son-in-law. She was a supporter of Joan of Arc.
YONG m & f Chinese, KoreanFrom Chinese
勇 (yǒng) meaning "brave" or
永 (yǒng) meaning "perpetual, eternal". This can also be a single-character Korean name, for example from the hanja
勇 meaning "brave". This name can be formed by other characters besides those listed here.
YORI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
頼 (yori) meaning "rely" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
YORK m EnglishFrom a surname, which was derived from York, the name of a city in northern England. The city name was originally
Eburacon, Latinized as
Eboracum, meaning "yew" in Brythonic, but it was altered by association with Old English
Eoforwic, meaning "pig farm".
YOSHI m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck",
義 (yoshi) meaning "righteous", or
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable", as well as other kanji with the same reading.
YOSHIE f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or
由 (yoshi) meaning "reason, case" combined with
恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit". Other kanji combinations with the same reading can also form this name.
YOSHIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable",
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or
悦 (yoshi) meaning "joy, pleased" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other kanji combinations as well.
YOSHIRŌ m JapaneseFrom Japanese
義 (yoshi) meaning "righteous" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
YŌSUKE m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" or
洋 (yō) meaning "ocean" combined with
介 (suke) meaning "forerunner, herald". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
YŌTA m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" and
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big". Other character combinations are possible.