Browse Names

This is a list of names in which the origin is Ancient; and the community's impression is refined; and the order is random.
gender
usage
origin
impression
Francisco m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Franciscus (see Francis). This is the Spanish name of Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552). Other notable bearers include the Spanish painter and engraver Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) and the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (1892-1975).
Talitha f Biblical
Means "little girl" in Aramaic. The name is taken from the phrase talitha cumi meaning "little girl arise" spoken by Jesus in order to restore a young girl to life (see Mark 5:41).
Larisa f Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovene, Greek Mythology
Possibly derived from the name of the ancient city of Larisa in Thessaly, which meant "citadel". In Greek legends, the nymph Larisa was either a daughter or mother of Pelasgus, the ancestor of the mythical Pelasgians. This name was later borne by a 4th-century Greek martyr who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Church. The name (of the city, nymph and saint) is commonly Latinized as Larissa, with a double s. As a Ukrainian name, it is more commonly transcribed Larysa.
Quentin m French, English
French form of the Roman name Quintinus. It was borne by a 3rd-century saint, a missionary who was martyred in Gaul. The Normans introduced this name to England. In America it was brought to public attention by president Theodore Roosevelt's son Quentin Roosevelt (1897-1918), who was killed in World War I. A famous bearer is the American movie director Quentin Tarantino (1963-).
Lila 1 f Hindi
Means "play, amusement" in Sanskrit.
Mahalia f English
Variant of Mahala.
Kate f English, Croatian
Short form of Katherine, often used independently. It is short for Katherina in Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew (1593). It has been used in England since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer is the British actress Kate Winslet (1975-).
Juli f Hungarian
Hungarian short form of Julia.
Céleste f & m French
French feminine and masculine form of Caelestis.
Delores f English
Variant of Dolores.
Caerwyn m Welsh
Derived from the Welsh elements caer "fortress" and gwyn "white, blessed".
Elene f Georgian, Sardinian, Basque
Georgian, Sardinian and Basque form of Helen.
Eléonore f French
French form of Eleanor.
Shea m & f Irish
Anglicized form of Séaghdha, sometimes used as a feminine name.
Milada f Czech, Slovak
Originally a diminutive of names containing the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear". It can also be derived from Czech and Slovak mladá meaning "young", ultimately from Old Slavic *moldŭ.
Lóegaire m Irish Mythology, Old Irish
Means "calf herder", derived from Old Irish lóeg "calf". In Irish legend Lóegaire Búadach was an Ulster warrior. He saved the life of the poet Áed, but died in the process. This was also the name of several Irish high kings.
Carmen f Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, French, Romanian, German
Medieval Spanish form of Carmel, appearing in the devotional title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora del Carmen meaning "Our Lady of Mount Carmel". The spelling has been altered through association with the Latin word carmen meaning "song". This was the name of the main character in George Bizet's opera Carmen (1875).
Findlay m Scottish
Anglicized form of Fionnlagh.
Hildebert m German (Rare)
Means "bright battle" from the Old German elements hilt "battle" and beraht "bright". This name was borne by four early Frankish kings, usually called Childebert.
Liberty f & m English
Simply from the English word liberty, derived from Latin libertas, a derivative of liber "free". Interestingly, since 1880 this name has charted on the American popularity lists in three different periods: in 1918 (at the end of World War I), in 1976 (the American bicentennial), and after 2001 (during the War on Terrorism).
Thera f Dutch
Diminutive of Theresia.
Fidelia f Spanish (Latin American)
Feminine form of Fidel. It appears in the epic poem The Faerie Queene (1590) belonging to the sister of Speranza.
Preeti f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Alternate transcription of Hindi प्रीति or प्रीती, Marathi प्रीती or Gujarati પ્રીતિ (see Priti).
Veeti m Finnish
Finnish diminutive of Fredrik or Ferdinand.
Lenuța f Romanian
Romanian diminutive of Elena.
Mădălina f Romanian
Romanian form of Magdalene.
Frances f English
Feminine form of Francis. The distinction between Francis as a masculine name and Frances as a feminine name did not arise until the 17th century. A notable bearer was Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), a social worker and the first American to be canonized.
Bénédicte f French
French feminine form of Benedict.
Briseis f Greek Mythology
Patronymic derived from Βρισεύς (Briseus), a Greek name of unknown meaning. In Greek mythology Briseis (real name Hippodameia) was the daughter of Briseus. She was captured during the Trojan War by Achilles. After Agamemnon took her away from him, Achilles refused to fight in the war.
Maryana f Ukrainian, Russian
Ukrainian form of Marianna, and a Russian variant.
Merit 2 f Estonian, Swedish (Rare)
Variant of Maret (Estonian) or Marit (Swedish).
Lowell m English
From an English surname that was derived from a Norman French nickname, from lou "wolf" and a diminutive suffix. The surname was borne by American poet and satirist James Russell Lowell (1819-1891).
Fionnuala f Irish, Irish Mythology
Means "white shoulder" from Old Irish finn "white, blessed" and gúala "shoulder". In Irish legend Fionnuala was one of the four children of Lir who were transformed into swans for a period of 900 years.
Atarah f Biblical
Means "crown" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Atarah is a minor character, the wife of Jerahmeel.
Pasqualina f Italian
Italian feminine form of Pascal.
Odelia 2 f Hebrew
Means "I will thank Yahweh" in Hebrew. This is a modern Hebrew name probably inspired by Odelia 1.
Kallias m Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek κάλλος (kallos) meaning "beauty". This was the name of an Athenian who fought at Marathon who later became an ambassador to the Persians.
Reina 1 f Spanish
Means "queen" in Spanish.
Félicienne f French
French feminine form of Felicianus (see Feliciano).
Regina f English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late Roman
Means "queen" in Latin (or Italian). It was in use as a Christian name from early times, and was borne by a 2nd-century saint. In England it was used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Virgin Mary, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A city in Canada bears this name, in honour of Queen Victoria.
Nicolae m Romanian
Romanian form of Nicholas. A notable bearer was the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu (1918-1989).
Gianna f Italian, Greek, English (Modern)
Italian short form of Giovanna and a Modern Greek variant of Ioanna.... [more]
Noa 1 f Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Biblical
Modern Hebrew form of Noah 2, the daughter of Zelophehad in the Bible. It is also the form used in several other languages, as well as the spelling used in some English versions of the Old Testament.
Thierry m French
French form of Theodoric. It was very popular in France from the 1950s, peaking in the mid-1960s before falling away. A famous bearer is the French former soccer player Thierry Henry (1977-).
Idonea f English (Archaic)
Medieval English name, probably a Latinized form of Iðunn. The spelling may have been influenced by Latin idonea "suitable". It was common in England from the 12th century.
Arsène m French
French form of Arsenios. A notable fictional bearer is Arsène Lupin, a gentleman burglar in novels by Maurice Leblanc, beginning 1907.
Leanna f English
Probably this was originally a variant of Liana. It is now often considered a combination of Lee and Anna.
Callistus m Late Roman
Late Latin name that was derived from the Greek name Κάλλιστος (Kallistos) meaning "most beautiful". This was the name of three popes (also known as Callixtus), including the 3rd-century Callistus I who is regarded as a saint.
Vianne f English (Rare)
Meaning unknown, perhaps a combination of Vi and Anne 1 or a short form of Vivianne.
Lillia f English
Short form of Lillian or an elaborated form of Lily.
Théodore m French
French form of Theodore.
Sonya f Russian, English
Russian diminutive of Sophia. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace (1869, English translation 1886).
Lijsbeth f Dutch
Dutch form of Elizabeth.
Sima 2 f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
From Sanskrit सीम (sīma) meaning "boundary, limit".
Theophanes m Ancient Greek
Means "manifestation of God" from Greek θεός (theos) meaning "god" and φανής (phanes) meaning "appearing". This name was borne by a few saints, including an 8th-century chronicler from Constantinople and a 19th-century Russian Orthodox saint, Theophanes the Recluse, who is Феофан (Feofan) in Russian. Another famous bearer was a 14th-century Byzantine icon painter active in Moscow.
Annabel f English, Dutch
Variant of Amabel, with the spelling altered as if it were a combination of Anna and French belle "beautiful". This name appears to have arisen in Scotland in the Middle Ages.
Gratiana f Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Gratianus (see Gratian).