Ava 3fGerman, Ancient Germanic Originally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element avi, of unknown meaning, possibly "desired". This was the name of a 9th-century Frankish saint. It was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Melk, Austria.
AvilafAncient Germanic Derived from the Germanic element avi, of unknown meaning, possibly "desired". Rarely, this name may be given in honour of the 16th-century mystic Saint Teresa of Ávila, Ávila being the name of the town in Spain where she was born.
AvisfEnglish Probably a Latinized form of the Germanic name Aveza, which was derived from the element avi, of unknown meaning, possibly "desired". The Normans introduced this name to England and it became moderately common during the Middle Ages, at which time it was associated with Latin avis"bird".
ClytemnestrafGreek Mythology (Latinized) Latinized form of Greek Κλυταιμνήστρα (Klytaimnestra), from κλυτός (klytos) meaning "famous, noble" and μνηστήρ (mnester) meaning "courter, wooer". In Greek legend Clytemnestra was the wife of Agamemnon and the mother of Orestes and Electra. While her husband was away during the Trojan War she took a lover, and upon his return she had him murdered. She was subsequently killed by Orestes.
CupidmRoman Mythology (Anglicized) From the Latin Cupido meaning "desire". This was the name of the Roman god of love, the son of Venus and Mars. He was portrayed as a winged, blindfolded boy, armed with a bow and arrows, which caused the victim to fall in love. His Greek equivalent was Eros.
Desim & fEnglish Diminutive of Desmond, Desiree and other names beginning with a similar sound. In the case of musician and actor Desi Arnaz (1917-1986) it was a diminutive of Desiderio.
DesideriusmLate Roman Derived from Latin desiderium meaning "longing, desire". It was the name of several early saints. It was also borne in the 8th century by the last king of the Lombard Kingdom.
İradəfAzerbaijani Means "will, determination, decree" in Azerbaijani, derived from Arabic إرادة (iradah).
IrodafUzbek Means "will, determination, decree" in Uzbek, derived from Arabic إرادة (iradah).
KamamHinduism Means "love, desire" in Sanskrit. Kama is the winged Hindu god of love, the son of Lakshmi.
KamakshifHinduism, Indian, Hindi From Sanskrit काम (kama) meaning "love, desire" and अक्षि (akshi) meaning "eye". This is the name of a Hindu fertility goddess. She is considered to be an incarnation of Parvati.
Kantaf & mIndian, Hindi, Bengali Means "desired, beautiful" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form कान्ता and the masculine form कान्त.
LalitafHinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Thai Means "playful, charming, desirable" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of one of the playmates of the young Krishna. It is also another name of the goddess Parvati.
Lois 1fEnglish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek Possibly derived from Greek λωίων (loion) meaning "more desirable" or "better". Lois is mentioned in the New Testament as the mother of Eunice and the grandmother of Timothy. As an English name, it came into use after the Protestant Reformation. In fiction, this is the name of the girlfriend of the comic book hero Superman.
MireillefFrench, Dutch From the Occitan name Mirèio, which was first used by the poet Frédéric Mistral for the main character in his poem Mirèio (1859). He probably derived it from the Occitan word mirar meaning "to admire". It is spelled Mirèlha in classical Occitan orthography. A notable bearer is the French singer Mireille Mathieu (1946-).
Mohanam & fHinduism Means "bewitching, infatuating, charming" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form मोहन (an epithet of the Hindu gods Shiva, Krishna and Kama) and the feminine form मोहना.
Mum & fChinese From Chinese 慕 (mù) meaning "admire, desire", 木 (mù) meaning "tree, wood", or other characters with similar pronunciations.
MunafArabic Means "wishes, desires", from the plural of Arabic منية (munyah).
NahiafBasque From Basque nahi meaning "desire, wish".
OwainmWelsh, Arthurian Romance From an Old Welsh name (Ougein, Eugein and other spellings), which was possibly from the Latin name Eugenius. Other theories connect it to the Celtic roots *owi- "sheep", *wesu- "good" or *awi- "desire" combined with the Old Welsh suffix gen "born of". This is the name of several figures from British history, including Owain mab Urien, a 6th-century prince of Rheged who fought against the Angles. The 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes adapted him into Yvain for his Arthurian romance Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Regarded as one of the Knights of the Round Table, Yvain or Owain has since appeared in many other Arthurian tales, typically being the son of King Urien of Gore, and the errant husband of Laudine, the Lady of the Fountain.... [more]
VenusfRoman Mythology Means "love, sexual desire" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of love and sex. Her character was assimilated with that of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. As the mother of Aeneas she was considered an ancestor of the Roman people. The second planet from the sun is named after her.
WilfredmEnglish Means "desiring peace" from Old English wil "will, desire" and friþ "peace". Saint Wilfrid was a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon bishop. The name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest, but it was revived in the 19th century.
WilhelmmGerman, Polish, Ancient Germanic German cognate of William. This was the name of two German emperors. It was also the middle name of several philosophers from Germany: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), and Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716), who was also a notable mathematician.
WillardmEnglish From an English surname that was derived from the Germanic given name Willihard (or the Old English cognate Wilheard).
WilliammEnglish From the Germanic name Willahelm meaning "will helmet", composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection". An early saint by this name was the 8th-century William of Gellone, a cousin of Charlemagne who became a monk. The name was common among the Normans, and it became extremely popular in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England in the 11th century. From then until the modern era it has been among the most common of English names (with John, Thomas and Robert).... [more]
WillihadmAncient Germanic Germanic name derived from the elements wil "will, desire" and hadu "battle, combat". This was the name of an 8th-century saint active in Frisia and Saxony.