ALLEGRA f Italian, English (Rare)Means "cheerful, lively" in Italian. It was borne by a short-lived illegitimate daughter of Lord Byron (1817-1822).
AMARO m Galician, Portuguese, SpanishPossibly from the Germanic name
ADELMAR, maybe influenced by Latin
amarus "bitter". This was the name of a legendary saint who was said to have sailed across the Atlantic to a paradise. He is especially popular in Galicia and Asturias in Spain.
AMUND m NorwegianDerived from the Old Norse name
Agmundr, from the element
egg "edge of a sword" or
agi "awe, terror" combined with
mundr "protection".
ASHOKA m SanskritMeans "without sorrow" in Sanskrit. This name was borne by Ashoka the Great, a 3rd-century BC emperor of India.
BRÓNACH f IrishDerived from Irish Gaelic
brón meaning "sorrow". Saint Brónach was a 6th-century mystic from Ireland.
CHARMION f Ancient GreekGreek name derived from
χαρμα (charma) meaning "delight". This was the name of one of Cleopatra's servants, as recorded by Plutarch.
DEIMOS m Greek MythologyMeans "terror" in Greek. This was one of the sons of the Greek god
Ares. Also, a moon of Mars bears this name.
DELICIA f English (Rare)Either from Latin
deliciae "delight, pleasure" or a variant of the English word
delicious. It has only been used since the 20th century (rarely).
DOLORES f Spanish, EnglishMeans "sorrows", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary María de los Dolores, meaning "Mary of Sorrows". It has been used in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in America during the 1920s and 30s.
EDEN f & m Hebrew, English (Modern)Possibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן ('eden) meaning "pleasure, delight", or perhaps derived from Sumerian
𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
EGIL m Norwegian, Swedish, DanishFrom the Old Norse name
Egill, a diminutive of names that began with the element
agi "awe, terror". This was the name of a semi-legendary Icelandic warrior.
ELYSIA f VariousFrom
Elysium, the name of the realm of the dead in Greek and Roman mythology, which means "blissful".
ÉOWYN f LiteratureMeans "horse joy" in Old English. This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden of Rohan. She slays the Lord of the Nazgul in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
ERNEST m English, French, Slovene, PolishDerived from Germanic
eornost meaning "serious". It was introduced to England by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century, though it did not become common until the following century. The American author and adventurer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was a famous bearer of the name. It was also used by Oscar Wilde for a character in his comedy 'The Importance of Being Earnest' (1895).
EUTERPE f Greek MythologyMeans "delight" in Greek, ultimately from
ευ (eu) "good" and
τερπω (terpo) "to satisfy, to cheer". In Greek mythology she was one of the nine Muses, the muse of music and joy. She was said to have invented the double flute.
FORTUNATO m Italian, Spanish, PortugueseItalian, Spanish and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name
Fortunatus meaning "fortunate, blessed, happy". This was the name of several early saints and martyrs.
GAIUS m Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, BiblicalRoman praenomen, or given name, of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from Latin
gaudere "to rejoice", though it may be of unknown Etruscan origin. This was a very common Roman praenomen, the most famous bearers being Gaius Julius Caesar, the great leader of the Roman Republic, and his adopted son Gaius Octavius (later known as Augustus), the first Roman emperor. This name also appears in the New Testament belonging to a bishop of Ephesus who is regarded as a saint.
GALE (2) m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Middle English
gaile "jovial".
GAY f EnglishFrom the English word
gay meaning "gay, happy". By the mid-20th century the word had acquired the additional meaning of "homosexual", and the name has subsequently dropped out of use.
HARSHA m Indian, Kannada, Telugu, SanskritMeans "happiness" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a 7th-century emperor of northern India. He was also noted as an author.
HILARIUS m Ancient RomanRoman name derived from Latin
hilaris meaning "cheerful". Alternatively, it could be derived from the Greek name
‘Ιλαρος (Hilaros) also meaning "cheerful" (the Greek word
‘ιλαρος was the source of the Latin word
hilaris). Saint Hilarius was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Poitiers. This was also the name of a 5th-century pope.
JABEZ m BiblicalMeans "sorrow" in Hebrew. This is the name of a character in the Old Testament who is blessed by God.
JOY f EnglishSimply from the English word
joy, ultimately derived from Norman French
joie, Latin
gaudia. It has been regularly used as a given name since the late 19th century.
JOYCE f & m EnglishFrom the medieval masculine name
Josse, which was derived from the earlier
Iudocus, which was a Latinized form of the Breton name
Judoc meaning "lord". The name belonged to a 7th-century Breton saint, and Breton settlers introduced it to England after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 14th century, but was later revived as a feminine name, perhaps because of similarity to the Middle English word
joise "to rejoice". This given name also formed the basis for a surname, as in the case of the Irish novelist James Joyce (1882-1941).
LETA f EnglishPossibly derived from Latin
laetus meaning "glad". Otherwise, it could be a short form of names ending in
leta.
LETITIA f EnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Laetitia meaning "joy, happiness". This was the name of an obscure saint, who is revered mainly in Spain. It was in use in England during the Middle Ages, usually in the spelling
Lettice, and it was revived in the 18th century.
LIRON m & f HebrewMeans "song for me" or "joy for me" in Hebrew.
LIVIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name that may be related to either Latin
liveo "to envy" or
lividus "blue, envious". Titus Livius, also known as Livy, was a Roman historian who wrote a history of the city of Rome.
LYKKE f DanishMeans "good fortune, happiness" in Danish.
LYSSA (2) f Greek MythologyMeans "rage, fury, anger" in Greek. In Greek mythology Lyssa is a goddess associated with uncontrolled rage.
MEHETABEL f BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
מְהֵיטַבְאֵל (Meheitav'el) meaning "God makes happy". This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
MERIWETHER m English (Rare)From a surname meaning "happy weather" in Middle English, originally belonging to a cheery person. A notable bearer of the name was Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809), who, with William Clark, explored the west of North America.
MERRY (1) f EnglishFrom the English word
merry, ultimately from Old English
myrige. This name appears in Charles Dickens' novel 'Martin Chuzzlewit' (1844), where it is a diminutive of
MERCY.
MERRY (2) m LiteratureThe name of a hobbit in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954). His full given name was
Meriadoc, a semi-translation into English of his true hobbit name
Kalimac meaning "jolly, merry".
MISTY f EnglishFrom the English word
misty, ultimately derived from Old English. The jazz song 'Misty' (1954) by Erroll Garner may have helped popularize the name.
NANDA m Hinduism, Indian, Kannada, TamilMeans "joy" in Sanskrit. In Hindu texts this is a name of both
Vishnu and the foster-father of
Krishna, as well as various other characters. In Buddhist texts this is the name of a god and a disciple of Buddha. Nanda was also the name of a 4th-century BC king who founded a dynasty in Magadha in India.
NOBLE m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning "noble, notable". The name can also be given in direct reference to the English word
noble.
NOBUYUKI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
信 (nobu) meaning "trust" or
伸 (nobu) meaning "extend, stretch, open" combined with
行 (yuki) meaning "row, line" or
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.
OBRAD m SerbianPossibly derived from Serbian
obradovati "to make happy".
ODIN m Norse Mythology, English (Modern)Anglicized form of Old Norse
Óðinn, which was derived from
óðr "inspiration, rage, frenzy". It ultimately developed from the early Germanic *
Woðanaz. The name appears as
Woden in Anglo-Saxon sources (for example, as the founder of several royal lineages in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) and in forms such as
Wotan,
Wuotan or
Wodan in continental Europe. However, Odin is best known from Norse mythology, as the highest of the gods, presiding over art, war, wisdom and death. He resided in Valhalla, where warriors went after they were slain.
OVE m Swedish, Norwegian, DanishProbably a modern form of the Old Danish name
Aghi, originally a short form of names that contain the Old Norse element
egg "edge of a sword" or
agi "terror".
PARVIZ m PersianMeans "fortunate, happy" in Persian. This name was borne by a son of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.
PHOBOS m Greek MythologyMeans "fear, panic" in Greek. This was one of the sons of
Ares in Greek mythology. Also, one of the moons of Mars bears this name.
RIDHA m ArabicMeans "satisfaction, contentment" in Arabic. This name was borne by Ali Musi al-Ridha, a 9th-century Shia imam.
ROWENA f EnglishMeaning uncertain, possibly a Latinized form of a Germanic name derived from the elements
hrod "fame" and
wunn "joy, bliss". According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. Alternatively, Geoffrey may have based it on a Welsh name. It was popularized by Sir Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel 'Ivanhoe' (1819).
SACHIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (sachi) meaning "happiness, good luck" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
SA'ID m ArabicMeans "happy, lucky" in Arabic. This was the name of a companion of the Prophet
Muhammad.
TRISTAN m Welsh, English, French, Arthurian RomanceOld French form of the Pictish name
Drustan, a diminutive of
DRUST. The spelling was altered by association with Latin
tristis "sad". Tristan is a character in medieval French tales, probably inspired by older Celtic legends, and ultimately merged into Arthurian legend. According to the story Tristan was sent to Ireland in order to fetch
Isolde, who was to be the bride of King Mark of Cornwall. On the way back, Tristan and Isolde accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. Their tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since that time.
WINSTON m EnglishFrom a surname derived from an English place name, which was in turn derived from the Old English given name
WYNNSTAN. A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II. This name was also borne by the fictional Winston Smith, the protagonist in George Orwell's 1949 novel '1984'.
XINYI m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
欣 (xīn) meaning "happy, joyous, delighted" or
心 (xīn) meaning "heart, mind, soul" combined with
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
YUKI f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or
雪 (yuki) meaning "snow". It can also come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" combined with
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" or
紀 (ki) meaning "chronicle". Other kanji or kanji combinations are also possible.
YUKIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or
雪 (yuki) meaning "snow" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Alternatively, it can come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" with
喜 (ki) meaning "joy" or
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
ZELOPHEHAD m BiblicalPossibly means either "first born" or "shadow from terror" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Zelophehad is a man who dies while the Israelites are wandering in the wilderness, leaving five daughters as heirs.