Agrona f Celtic Mythology (Hypothetical)Perhaps derived from the old Celtic root *
agro- meaning
"battle, slaughter". This is possibly the name of a Brythonic goddess for whom the River Ayr in Scotland and River Aeron in Wales were named.
Aldona f Lithuanian, PolishMeaning unknown. This was the name of a 14th-century Polish queen, the daughter of a Grand Duke of Lithuania.
Angerona f Roman MythologyPossibly from Latin
angor "strangulation, torment" or
angustus "narrow, constricted". Angerona was the Roman goddess of the winter solstice, death, and silence.
Anona f EnglishMeaning unknown. It was possibly inspired by an American song by this name written by Vivian Grey in 1903 and recorded by musician Vess Ossman. The lyrics tell of a Native American woman named Anona from Arizona.
Begoña f Spanish, BasqueFrom a title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de Begoña, meaning "Our Lady of Begoña", the patron saint of Biscay, Spain. Begoña is a district and basilica in the city of Bilbao.
Belladonna f VariousFrom the name of a toxic plant, also called deadly nightshade (species Atropa belladonna). The plant's name is of Italian origin, probably derived from Latin
bladona "mullein plant" and altered through association with the Italian words
bella "beautiful, fair" and
donna "lady".
Bellona f Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
bello meaning
"to fight". This was the name of the Roman goddess of war, a companion of
Mars.
Borna m CroatianDerived from the Slavic element
borti meaning
"fight, battle". This was the name of a 9th-century duke of Croatia.
Clíodhna f Irish, Irish MythologyMeaning unknown. In Irish legend this was the name of a beautiful goddess. She fell in love with a mortal named Ciabhán and left the Land of Promise with him, but when she arrived on the other shore she was swept to sea by a great wave.
Colombina f Italian (Rare), TheatreItalian feminine diminutive of
Columba. In traditional Italian theatre (commedia dell'arte) this is the name of a stock character, a female servant who was often the lover of Arlecchino (
Harlequin). This is also the Italian word for the columbine flower.
Corinna f German, Italian, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Κόριννα (Korinna), which was derived from
κόρη (kore) meaning
"maiden". This was the name of a Greek lyric poet of the 5th century BC. The Roman poet
Ovid used it for the main female character in his book
Amores. In the modern era it has been in use since the 17th century, when Robert Herrick used it in his poem
Corinna's going a-Maying.
Despoina f Greek Mythology, GreekMeans
"mistress, lady" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon. She was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites practiced at Eleusis near Athens.
Domna f Late Roman, GreekFeminine form of
Domnus. Saint Domna of Nicomedia was martyred during the persecutions of the early 4th century. However, in the case of Julia Domna, the Syrian wife of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, it seems her name was actually of Semitic origin.
Donna f EnglishFrom Italian
donna meaning
"lady". It is also used as a feminine form of
Donald.
Durdona f UzbekMeans
"pearl" in Uzbek (a word of Arabic origin).
Duryodhana m HinduismMeans
"difficult to defeat" from the Sanskrit prefix
दुस् (dus) meaning "difficult, bad" and
योधन (yodhana) meaning "fighting". This is the name of the leader of the Kauravas in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata, which tells of the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Duryodhana, a powerful warrior, was eventually defeated by the Pandava brother
Bhima.
Epona f Gaulish MythologyDerived from Gaulish
epos meaning
"horse" with the divine or augmentative suffix
-on. This was the name of a Gaulish goddess of horses and fertility. She was worshipped not only in Gaul, but elsewhere in the Roman Empire.
Epponina f Gaulish (Latinized)Probably related to the name of the goddess
Epona. Epponina was the virtuous wife of the 1st-century Gallo-Roman rebel Julius Sabinus.
Fíona f IrishDerived from Irish
fíon meaning
"wine".
Fiona f Scottish, EnglishFeminine form of
Fionn. This name was (first?) used by the Scottish poet James Macpherson in his poem
Fingal (1761), in which it is spelled as
Fióna.
Fortuna f Roman MythologyMeans
"luck" in Latin. In Roman mythology this was the name of the personification of luck.
Gloriana f English (Rare)Elaborated form of Latin
gloria meaning
"glory". In Edmund Spenser's poem
The Faerie Queene (1590) this was the name of the title character, a representation of Queen Elizabeth I.
Hosanna f BiblicalFrom the Aramaic religious expression
הושע נא (Hoshaʿ na) meaning
"deliver us" in Hebrew. In the New Testament this is exclaimed by those around
Jesus when he first enters Jerusalem.
Iona 1 f English, ScottishFrom the name of the island off Scotland where Saint Columba founded a monastery. The name of the island is Old Norse in origin, and apparently derives simply from
ey meaning "island".
Joanna f English, Polish, BiblicalEnglish and Polish form of Latin
Iohanna, which was derived from Greek
Ἰωάννα (Ioanna), the feminine form of
Ioannes (see
John). This is the spelling used in the English New Testament, where it belongs to a follower of
Jesus who is regarded as a saint. In the Middle Ages in England it was used as a Latinized form of
Joan (the usual feminine form of
John) and it became common as a given name in the 19th century.
Karolina f Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Hungarian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Russian, Lithuanian, GermanFeminine form of
Carolus.
Loredana f Italian, RomanianUsed by the French author George Sand for a character in her novel
Mattea (1833) and later by the Italian author Luciano Zuccoli in his novel
L'amore de Loredana (1908). It was possibly based on the Venetian surname
Loredan, which was derived from the place name
Loreo.
Lorena 2 f EnglishLatinized form of
Lauren. This name was first brought to public attention in America by the song
Lorena (1856), written by Joseph Webster, who was said to have created the name as an anagram of
Lenore (from the character in Poe's poem
The Raven).
Lorna f EnglishCreated by the author R. D. Blackmore for the title character in his novel
Lorna Doone (1869), set in southern England, which describes the dangerous love between John Ridd and Lorna Doone. Blackmore may have based the name on the Scottish place name
Lorne or on the title
Marquis of Lorne (see
Lorne).
Madonna f EnglishFrom a title of the Virgin
Mary meaning "my lady" in Italian. A famous bearer of the name is American singer Madonna Ciccone (1958-), known simply as Madonna.
Matrona 2 f Celtic MythologyMeans
"great mother", from Celtic *
mātīr meaning "mother" and the divine or augmentative suffix
-on. This was the name of a Gaulish and Brythonic mother goddess, the namesake of the River Marne.
Mohana m & f HinduismMeans
"bewitching, infatuating, charming" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
मोहन (an epithet of the Hindu gods
Shiva and
Krishna) and the feminine form
मोहना (spelled with a long final vowel).
Mona 1 f Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Muadhnait. It is also associated with Greek
monos "one" and Leonardo da Vinci's painting the
Mona Lisa (in which case it is a contraction of Italian
ma donna meaning "my lady").
Morana f Slavic Mythology, CroatianFrom Old Slavic
morŭ meaning
"death, plague". In Slavic mythology this was the name of a goddess associated with winter and death.
Morna f ScottishAnglicized form of
Muirne used by James Macpherson in his poem
Fingal (1761), in which it is borne by the mother of the hero
Fingal.
Morwenna f Cornish, WelshFrom Old Cornish
moroin meaning
"maiden, girl" (related to the Welsh word
morwyn). This was the name of a 6th-century Cornish saint, said to be one of the daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Nona 1 f Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
nonus meaning
"ninth", referring to the nine months of pregnancy. This was the name of a Roman goddess of pregnancy. She was also one of the three Fates (or Parcae).
Nona 2 f English, Ancient Roman (Rare)Feminine form of
Nonus. It was also used in 19th-century England, derived directly from Latin
nonus "ninth" and traditionally given to the ninth-born child.
Nonna f Late Greek, RussianFeminine form of
Nonnos. This was the name of a 4th-century saint from Nazianzus in Cappadocia. She was the mother of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus.
Noyabrina f Russian (Rare)Derived from Russian
ноябрь (noyabr) meaning
"November". It was coined by communist parents in order to commemorate the October Revolution of 1917, which according to the Gregorian calendar (not in use in Russia at the time) actually took place in November 1917.
Obinna m IgboMeans
"heart of the father" in Igbo, from
óbì "heart, mind" and
ńnà "father".
Oktyabrina f Russian (Rare)Derived from Russian
октябрь (oktyabr) meaning
"October". This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names and commemorate the October Revolution of 1917.
Oriana f Italian, SpanishPossibly derived from Latin
aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish
oro or French
or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight
Amadis.
Osanna f ItalianItalian form of
Hosanna. This was the name of a 15th-century Italian saint and mystic, as well as a 16th-century Montenegrin saint.
Philomena f English, German, Ancient Greek (Latinized)From Greek
Φιλουμένη (Philoumene) meaning
"to be loved", an inflection of
φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love". This was the name of an obscure early saint and martyr. The name came to public attention in 1802 after a tomb seemingly marked with the name
Filumena was found in Rome, supposedly belonging to another martyr named Philomena. This may have in fact been a representation of the Greek word
φιλουμένη, not a name.
Pomona f Roman MythologyFrom Latin
pomus "fruit tree". This was the name of the Roman goddess of fruit trees.
Ramona f Spanish, Romanian, EnglishFeminine form of
Ramón. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel
Ramona (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.
Rhona f ScottishPossibly derived from the name of either of the two Hebridean islands called
Rona, which means
"rough island" in Old Norse.
Rosina f ItalianItalian diminutive of
Rosa 1. This is the name of a character in Rossini's opera
The Barber of Seville (1816).
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).
Roxana f English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latin form of
Ῥωξάνη (Rhoxane), the Greek form of an Old Persian or Bactrian name, from Old Iranian *
rauxšnā meaning
"bright, shining". This was the name of Alexander the Great's first wife, a daughter of the Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes. In the modern era it came into use during the 17th century. In the English-speaking world it was popularized by Daniel Defoe, who used it in his novel
Roxana (1724).
Roxelana f HistoryFrom a Turkish nickname meaning
"Ruthenian". This referred to the region of Ruthenia, covering Belarus, Ukraine and western Russia. Roxelana (1504-1558), also called
Hürrem, was a slave and then concubine of
Süleyman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottoman Empire. She eventually became his wife and produced his heir, Selim II.
Shona f ScottishAnglicized form of
Seonag or
Seònaid. Though unconnected, this is also the name of an ethnic group who live in the south of Africa, mainly Zimbabwe.
Tichaona m ShonaMeans
"we will see" from Shona
ticha "we will" and
ona "see".
Valbona f AlbanianFrom
Valbona (or
Valbonë), the name of a mountain valley and river in northern Albania.
Verona f VariousFrom the name of the city in Italy, which is itself of unknown meaning.
Winona f English, SiouxMeans
"firstborn daughter" in Dakota or Lakota. According to folklore, this was the name of a daughter of a Dakota chief (possibly
Wapasha III) who leapt from a cliff to her death rather than marry a man she hated. Numerous places in the United States have been named after her. The actress Winona Ryder (1971-) was named after the city in Minnesota where she was born.
Zona f VariousMeans
"girdle, belt" in Greek. This name was made popular by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and poet Zona Gale (1874-1938).