BobmEnglish, Dutch Short form of Robert. It arose later than Dob, Hob and Nob, which were medieval rhyming nicknames of Robert. It was borne by the character Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol (1843). Other famous bearers include American folk musician Bob Dylan (1941-) and Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
DorindafEnglish Combination of Dora and the name suffix inda. It was apparently coined by the English writers John Dryden and William D'Avenant for their play The Enchanted Island (1667). In the play, a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest, Dorinda is the sister of Miranda.
EdithfEnglish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch From the Old English name Eadgyð, derived from the elements ead "wealth, fortune" and gyð "war". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. It was also borne by the Anglo-Saxon wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. The name remained common after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.
GingerfEnglish From the English word ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a diminutive of Virginia, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.
GregorymEnglish English form of Latin Gregorius, which was from the Late Greek name Γρηγόριος (Gregorios), derived from γρήγορος (gregoros) meaning "watchful, alert". This name was popular among early Christians, being borne by a number of important saints including Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus (3rd century), Saint Gregory the Illuminator (4th century), Saint Gregory of Nyssa (4th century), Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (4th century), and Saint Gregory of Tours (6th century). It was also borne by the 6th-century pope Saint Gregory I the Great, a reformer and Doctor of the Church, as well as 15 subsequent popes.... [more]
JamesmEnglish, Biblical English form of the Late Latin name Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form Iacobus, from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov (see Jacob). This was the name of two apostles in the New Testament. The first was Saint James the Greater, the apostle John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of Jesus.... [more]
JustinmEnglish, French, Slovene From the Latin name Iustinus, which was derived from Justus. This was the name of several early saints including Justin Martyr, a Christian philosopher of the 2nd century who was beheaded in Rome. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors. As an English name, it has occasionally been used since the late Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the second half of the 20th century. Famous modern bearers include pop stars Justin Timberlake (1981-) and Justin Bieber (1994-).
Kim 1f & mEnglish At the present it is usually considered a short form of Kimberly, but it in fact predates it as a given name. The author Rudyard Kipling used it for the title hero of his novel Kim (1901), though in this case it was short for Kimball. In her novel Show Boat (1926) Edna Ferber used it for a female character who was born on the Mississippi River and was named from the initials of the states Kentucky, Illinois and Mississippi. The name was popularized in America by the actresses Kim Hunter (1922-2002) and Kim Novak (1933-), both of whom assumed it as a stage name.
KimberlyfEnglish From the name of the city of Kimberley in South Africa, which was named after Lord Kimberley (1826-1902). The city came to prominence in the late 19th century during the Boer War. Kimberly has been used as a given name since the mid-20th century, eventually becoming very popular as a feminine name.
KoharufJapanese From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" or 心 (ko) meaning "heart" combined with 春 (haru) meaning "spring". The compound word 小春 means "late summer". Other combinations of kanji characters can form this name as well.
KyliefEnglish This name arose in Australia, where it is said to mean "boomerang" in the Australian Aboriginal language Nyungar. An early bearer was the author Kylie Tennant (1912-1988). It was among the most popular names in Australia in the 1970s and early 80s. It can also be considered a feminine form of Kyle, or a combination of the popular sounds ky and lee, and it is likely in those capacities that it began to be used in America in the late 1970s. A famous bearer is the Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue (1968-).
MadonnafEnglish From 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.
Maia 1fGreek Mythology, Roman Mythology, Portuguese, Georgian From Greek μαῖα (maia) meaning "good mother, dame, foster mother", perhaps in origin a nursery form of μήτηρ (meter). In Greek and Roman mythology she was the eldest of the Pleiades, a group of stars in the constellation Taurus, who were the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Her son by Zeus was Hermes.
Maya 1fHinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi Means "illusion" in Sanskrit. In Buddhist tradition this is the name of the mother of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). This is also another name of the Hindu goddess Durga.
MerylfEnglish Variant of Muriel. A famous bearer is American actress Meryl Streep (1949-), whose real name is Mary Louise Streep.
MikhailmRussian, Belarusian, Bulgarian Russian and Belarusian form of Michael, and an alternate transcription of Bulgarian Михаил (see Mihail). This was the name of two Russian tsars. Other notable bearers include the poet Mikhail Lermontov (1814-1841) and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-).
MissyfEnglish Diminutive of Melissa. This is also a slang term meaning "young woman".
MistyfEnglish From the English word misty, ultimately derived from Old English. The jazz song Misty (1954) by Erroll Garner may have helped popularize the name.
Nālanif & mHawaiian Means "the heavens" or "the chiefs" from Hawaiian nā, a definite article, and lani "heaven, sky, chief".
PualanifHawaiian Means "heavenly flower" or "royal offspring" from Hawaiian pua "flower, offspring" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
PuananifHawaiian Means "beautiful flower" or "beautiful offspring" from Hawaiian pua "flower, offspring" and nani "beauty, glory".
RudolfmGerman, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Dutch, Russian, Armenian From the Germanic name Hrodulf, which was derived from the elements hrod "fame" and wulf "wolf". It was borne by three kings of Burgundy, as well as several Habsburg rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria. Anthony Hope used this name for the hero in his popular novel The Prisoner of Zenda (1894).
SabrinafEnglish, Italian, German, French, Spanish Latinized form of Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque Comus (1634).... [more]
TanithfSemitic Mythology Meaning unknown. This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars. She was particularly associated with the city of Carthage, being the consort of Ba'al Hammon.
Zelda 2fEnglish Short form of Griselda. This is the name of a princess in the Legend of Zelda video games, debuting in 1986. According to creator Shigeru Miyamoto she was named after the American socialite Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948).