Alma 1 f English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Albanian, Slovene, CroatianThis name became popular after the Battle of Alma (1854), which took place near the River Alma in Crimea and ended in a victory for Britain and France. However, the name was in rare use before the battle; it was probably inspired by Latin
almus "nourishing". It also coincides with the Spanish word meaning
"the soul".
Alma 3 m MormonMeaning unknown. According to the Book of Mormon, this was the name of two prophets, father and son. Alma the Elder was a corrupt priest who repented after meeting the prophet Abinadi. Alma the Younger rebelled against the church, but repented and become a missionary and prophet.
Ama f AkanMeans
"born on Saturday" in Akan.
Anima 1 f HindiMeans
"minuteness" from Sanskrit
अणिमन (aṇiman). In yoga texts, this is the name of the ability to make oneself infinitely small so to be invisible.
Anima 2 f English (Rare)Means
"soul, spirit" in Latin. In Jungian psychology the anima is an individual's true inner self, or soul.
Asma f Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, MalayMeans
"supreme, higher" in Arabic, a derivative of the root
سما (samā) meaning "to be high". This was the name of a daughter of
Abu Bakr, the first caliph of the Muslims.
Aysima f TurkishDerived from Turkish
ay meaning "moon" and
sima meaning "face" (of Persian origin).
Balarama m HinduismFrom Sanskrit
बल (bala) meaning "strength, might" combined with the name
Rama 1. According to the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata he was the elder brother of
Krishna. He was associated with agriculture and used a plough as a weapon.
Bhima m HinduismMeans
"terrible, formidable" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata this is the name of the second son of
Pandu, and thus one of the five Pandavas. His true father was the wind god
Vayu. He was known for his terrific strength and skill as a warrior.
Bhishma m HinduismMeans
"terrible, dreadful, formidable" in Sanskrit. According to the
Mahabharata he was a son of
Shantanu and the river goddess
Ganga. He was originally named
Devavrata. He became an advisor to the kings of Kuru, and was renowned for his wisdom. He reluctantly helped lead the Kauravas in their war with the Pandavas, during which he was killed by the Pandava brother
Arjuna.
Brahma m HinduismMeans
"growth, expansion, creation" in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Brahma is the creator and director of the universe, the balance between the opposing forces of
Vishnu and
Shiva. After the classical period Brahma was no longer as highly revered as Vishnu and Shiva. He is often depicted with four heads and four arms.
Chima m & f IgboMeans
"God knows" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
má meaning "know".
Chioma f IgboMeans
"good God" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
ọ́má meaning "good, beautiful".
Dalma f HungarianCreated by the Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty for a male character in his epic poem
Zalán Futása (1825). It was used by later writers such as Mór Jókai for female characters.
Ema 2 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit" or
江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet" combined with
麻 (ma) meaning "flax". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Emma f English, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Latvian, Dutch, German, Hungarian, GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element
irmin meaning
"whole" or
"great" (Proto-Germanic *
ermunaz). It was introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, who was the wife both of King Ethelred II (and by him the mother of Edward the Confessor) and later of King Canute. It was also borne by an 11th-century Austrian saint, who is sometimes called
Hemma.
... [more] Erma f EnglishVariant of
Irma. It began to be used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century, along with
Irma.
Fátima f Portuguese, SpanishFrom the name of a town in Portugal, which was derived from the Arabic feminine name
Fatima, apparently after a Moorish princess who converted to Christianity during the Reconquista. The town became an important Christian pilgrimage center after 1917 when three local children reported witnessing repeated apparitions of the Virgin
Mary.
Fatima f Arabic, Urdu, BosnianDerived from Arabic
فطم (faṭama) meaning
"to abstain, to wean". Fatima was a daughter of the Prophet
Muhammad and the wife of
Ali, the fourth caliph. She is regarded as the exemplary Muslim woman, especially among Shias.
Fruma f YiddishFrom Yiddish
פֿרום (frum) meaning
"pious". This is the name of a character (appearing as a ghost) in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964).
Gautama m Sanskrit, BuddhismIn the case of Siddhartha Gautama, it was a patronymic form of
Gotama.
Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the
Buddha, was the founder of Buddhism. He was a 6th-century BC nobleman who left his family in order to lead a life of meditation and poverty.
Gotama m HinduismMeans
"the best ox" from Sanskrit
गो (go) meaning "ox, cow" and
तम (tama) meaning "best". It is best known in its patronymic form
Gautama (with the initial vowel lengthened), which was borne by the
Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. In Hindu texts this is also the name of one of the Saptarshis, or seven sages. Additionally it was borne by an early Indian philosopher who wrote the Nyaya Sutras.
Hama m Anglo-Saxon MythologyFrom Old English
ham meaning
"home". This is the name of a Gothic warrior who appears with his companion Wudga in some Anglo-Saxon tales (briefly in
Beowulf).
Ifeoma f IgboMeans
"good thing" in Igbo, derived from
ífé meaning "thing" and
ọ́má meaning "good, beautiful".
Ilma 2 f BosnianMeaning unknown, possibly from Arabic
علْم (ʿilm) meaning
"knowledge, learning".
Iracema f TupiMeans
"honey lips" in Tupi, from
yra "honey" and
tembe "lips". This is the name of an 1865 novel by José de Alencar, about the relationship between a Tupi woman and a Portuguese man during the early colonial period. Alencar may have constructed the name so that it would be an anagram of
America.
Irma f German, English, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Spanish, Italian, Georgian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Slovene, GermanicGerman short form of names beginning with the Old German element
irmin meaning
"whole, great" (Proto-Germanic *
ermunaz). It is thus related to
Emma. It began to be regularly used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century.
Jemima f Biblical, EnglishTraditionally said to mean
"dove", it may actually be related to Hebrew
יוֹמָם (yomam) meaning
"daytime". This was the oldest of the three daughters of
Job in the Old Testament. As an English name,
Jemima first became common during the Puritan era.
Jorma m FinnishFinnish (allegedly Karelian) form of
Jeremiah. This was the name of a character in Juhani Aho's novel
Panu (1897).
Kama m HinduismMeans
"love, desire" in Sanskrit. Kama is the Hindu god of love and pleasure, typically depicted as a young man armed with a bow and riding on the back of a giant parrot. His wife is
Rati.
Laima f Lithuanian, Latvian, Baltic MythologyFrom Latvian
laime and Lithuanian
laimė, which mean
"luck, fate". This was the name of the Latvian and Lithuanian goddess of fate, luck, pregnancy and childbirth. She was the sister of the goddesses Dēkla and Kārta, who were also associated with fate.
Lauma f Latvian, Baltic MythologyMeaning unknown. In Latvian mythology this is the name of a forest spirit sometimes associated with childbirth and weaving.
Mahatma m HistoryFrom the Indian title
महात्मा (Mahātmā) meaning
"great soul", derived from Sanskrit
महा (mahā) meaning "great" and
आत्मन् (ātman) meaning "soul, spirit, life". This title was given to, among others, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948).
Masuma f Arabic, Pashto, UrduMeans
"innocent, sinless" in Arabic, derived from the root
عصم (ʿaṣama) meaning "to protect". After her death, this name was applied to Fatima, a daughter of the 9th-century Shia imam Musa al-Kazim.
Motecuhzoma m NahuatlMeans
"he becomes angry like a lord" in Nahuatl, from
mo- "himself",
tēcu- "lord" and
zōma "become angry, frown". This name was borne by two emperors of the Aztec Empire.
Nima 2 m PersianPersian name of uncertain meaning, possibly
"just, fair" or
"half moon".
Nkruma m & f AkanMeans
"ninth born child" in Akan.
Nonhelema f ShawneePossibly means
"not a man" in Shawnee. This was the name of an 18th-century Shawnee chief, the sister of
Hokolesqua.
Norma f English, Italian, LiteratureCreated by Felice Romani for the main character in the opera
Norma (1831). He may have based it on Latin
norma "rule". This name is also frequently used as a feminine form of
Norman.
Pachamama f Inca MythologyMeans
"earth mother" in Quechua, from
pacha "world, time" and
mama "mother". This was the name of an Inca goddess of the earth and fertility.
Palma f ItalianMeans
"palm tree" in Italian, referring to Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter.
Rama 1 m Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, MalayalamMeans
"pleasing, beautiful" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of an incarnation of the god
Vishnu. He is the hero of the
Ramayana, a Hindu epic, which tells of the abduction of his wife
Sita by the demon king
Ravana, and his efforts to recapture her.
... [more] Roma 2 f VariousFrom the Italian name of the Italian capital city, called
Rome in English.
Saima 2 f Finnish, EstonianFrom
Saimaa, the name of the largest lake in Finland. The etymology of the lake's name is unknown.
Saramama f Inca MythologyMeans
"corn mother" in Quechua, from
sara "corn, maize" and
mama "mother". This was the name of the Inca goddess of grain.
Shaima f ArabicPossibly means
"beauty marks" in Arabic. This was the name of the daughter of
Halima, the foster mother of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Sōma m JapaneseFrom Japanese
颯 (sō) meaning "sudden, sound of the wind" and
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Soma 2 m & f Hinduism, Bengali, HindiFrom Sanskrit
सोम (soma), the name of a ritual drink appearing in the Vedas. It is probably derived from an Indo-Iranian root meaning "to press out, to extract". As a Vedic god, Soma is a personification of this drink. He is sometimes equated with the moon god
Chandra.
... [more] Suoma f FinnishDerived from Finnish
Suomi meaning
"Finland".
Takuma m JapaneseFrom Japanese
拓 (taku) meaning "expand, open, support" and
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Thelma f EnglishMeaning unknown. It was a rare name when British author Marie Corelli used it for the Norwegian heroine of her novel
Thelma (1887). The name became popular around the end of the 19th century after the novel was published. It is sometimes claimed to derive from Greek
θέλημα (thelema) meaning "will", though this seems unlikely.
Uma f Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, HindiMeans
"flax" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess
Parvati. In Hindu texts it is said to derive from the Sanskrit exclamation
उ मा (u mā) meaning "O do not (practice austerities)!", which was addressed to Parvati by her mother.
Umayma f ArabicMeans
"little mother" in Arabic, from a diminutive of
أمّ (ʾumm) "mother". This was the name of an aunt of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Uzma f ArabicMeans
"supreme, greatest" in Arabic, a derivative of
عظم (ʿaẓuma) meaning "to be great".
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.
Vikrama m HinduismMeans
"stride, pace" or
"valour" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Vishnu. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 1st-century BC king (full name Vikramaditya) of Ujjain in India.
Vilma f Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, CroatianForm of
Wilma in several languages.
Yama 1 m HinduismMeans
"twin" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu god of death. According to the Vedas he was the first mortal being, or in other words, the first person to die. This name is related to Persian
Jam.
Yūma m JapaneseFrom Japanese
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" or
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" combined with
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.