Akari f JapaneseFrom Japanese
明 (aka) meaning "bright" or
朱 (aka) meaning "vermilion red" combined with
里 (ri) meaning "village" or
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Amy f EnglishEnglish form of the Old French name
Amée meaning
"beloved" (modern French
aimée), a vernacular form of the Latin
Amata. As an English name, it was in use in the Middle Ages (though not common) and was revived in the 19th century.
Austin m EnglishMedieval contracted form of
Augustine 1. Modern use of the name is probably also partly inspired by the common surname
Austin, which is of the same origin. This is also the name of a city in Texas.
Bertha f German, English, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
beraht meaning
"bright, famous". It was borne by the mother of
Charlemagne in the 8th century, and it was popularized in England by the Normans. It died out as an English name after the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. The name also appears in southern Germanic legends (often spelled
Perchta or
Berchta) belonging to a goddess of animals and weaving.
Bill m EnglishShort form of
William. This spelling was first used in the 19th century. The change in the initial consonant may have been influenced by an earlier Irish pronunciation of the name. Famous bearers include basketball player Bill Russell (1934-), comedian Bill Cosby (1937-), American president Bill Clinton (1946-), and Microsoft founder Bill Gates (1955-).
Brody m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It probably means "ditch, mire" in Gaelic.
Cecilia f English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Romanian, FinnishLatinate feminine form of the Roman family name
Caecilius, which was derived from Latin
caecus meaning
"blind". Saint Cecilia was a semi-legendary 2nd- or 3rd-century martyr who was sentenced to die because she refused to worship the Roman gods. After attempts to suffocate her failed, she was beheaded. She was later regarded as the patron saint of music and musicians.
... [more] Chester m EnglishFrom a surname that originally belonged to a person who came from Chester, an old Roman settlement in Britain. The name of the settlement came from Latin
castrum "camp, fortress".
Chuck m EnglishDiminutive of
Charles. It originated in America in the early 20th century. Two famous bearers of this name were pilot Chuck Yeager (1923-), the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound, and the musician Chuck Berry (1926-2017), one of the pioneers of rock music.
Cletus m EnglishShort form of
Anacletus. This name is sometimes used to refer to the third pope, Saint Anacletus. It can also function as an Anglicized form of
Kleitos.
Clover f English (Rare)From the English word for the wild flower, ultimately deriving from Old English
clafre.
Cooper m EnglishFrom a surname meaning
"barrel maker", from Middle English
couper.
Crystal f EnglishFrom the English word
crystal for the clear, colourless glass, sometimes cut into the shape of a gemstone. The English word derives ultimately from Greek
κρύσταλλος (krystallos) meaning "ice". It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.
Daniela f Italian, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Hebrew, EnglishFeminine form of
Daniel.
Elle f English (Modern)Diminutive of
Eleanor and other names beginning with
El. This name can also be given in reference to the French pronoun
elle meaning "she".
Evelyn f & m English, GermanFrom an English surname that was derived from the given name
Aveline. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as mainly feminine due to association with the related name
Evelina.
Fitz m English (Rare)Short form of various given names that are derived from surnames beginning with Norman French
fitz meaning
"son of" (for example
Fitzroy).
Gino m ItalianItalian short form of names ending in
gino.
Hank m EnglishOriginally a short form of
Hankin, which was a medieval diminutive of
John. Since the 17th century in the United States this name has also been used as a diminutive of
Henry, probably under the influence of the Dutch diminutive
Henk. A famous bearer is the American former baseball player Hank Aaron (1934-).
Hope f EnglishFrom the English word
hope, ultimately from Old English
hopian. This name was first used by the Puritans in the 17th century.
Hugo m Spanish, Portuguese, English, Dutch, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Ancient Germanic (Latinized)Latinized form of
Hugh. As a surname it has belonged to the French author Victor Hugo (1802-1885), the writer of
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and
Les Misérables.
Indigo f & m English (Rare)From the English word
indigo for the purplish-blue dye or the colour. It is ultimately derived from Greek
Ἰνδικὸν (Indikon) meaning "Indic, from India".
Ivy f EnglishFrom the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English
ifig.
James m English, BiblicalEnglish 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] Johnny m EnglishDiminutive of
John. A famous bearer is American actor Johnny Depp (1963-).
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.
Kayla f EnglishCombination of
Kay 1 and the popular name suffix
la. Use of the name was greatly increased in the 1980s after the character Kayla Brady began appearing on the American soap opera
Days of Our Lives.
Kenji m JapaneseFrom Japanese
健 (ken) meaning "healthy, strong" or
研 (ken) meaning "study, sharpen" combined with
二 (ji) meaning "two". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
Kenton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from an English place name meaning either "town on the River Kenn" or "royal town" in Old English.
Kingsley m English (Modern)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"king's wood" in Old English.
Mary f English, BiblicalUsual English form of
Maria, the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names
Μαριάμ (Mariam) and
Μαρία (Maria) - the spellings are interchangeable - which were from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (Miryam), a name borne by the sister of
Moses in the Old Testament. The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including
"sea of bitterness",
"rebelliousness", and
"wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from
mry "beloved" or
mr "love".
... [more] Nevada f & m EnglishFrom the name of the American state, which means
"snow-capped" in Spanish.
Olga f Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovene, Serbian, Bulgarian, GreekRussian form of
Helga. The Varangians brought it from Scandinavia to Russia. The 10th-century Saint Olga was the wife of Igor I, grand prince of Kievan Rus (a state based around the city of Kiev). Following his death she ruled as regent for her son for 18 years. After she was baptized in Constantinople she attempted to convert her subjects to Christianity.
Olivia f English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishThis name was used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). This was a rare name in Shakespeare's time that may have been based on
Oliva or
Oliver, or directly from the Latin word
oliva meaning
"olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman who is wooed by Duke Orsino but instead falls in love with his messenger Cesario.
... [more] Peggy f EnglishMedieval variant of
Meggy, a diminutive of
Margaret. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is unknown.
Prudence f & m English, FrenchMedieval English form of
Prudentia, the feminine form of
Prudentius. In France it is both the feminine form and a rare masculine form. In England it was used during the Middle Ages and was revived in the 17th century by the Puritans, in part from the English word
prudence, ultimately of the same source.
Quinn m & f Irish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Cuinn meaning
"descendant of Conn".
Rhonda f EnglishProbably intended to mean "good spear" from Welsh
rhon "spear" and
da "good", but possibly influenced by the name of the Rhondda Valley in South Wales, which means "noisy". It has been in use only since the 20th century. Its use may have been partially inspired by Margaret Mackworth, Viscountess Rhondda (1883-1956), a British feminist.
Ripley f & m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from the name of various English towns, from Old English
ripel "strip of land" and
leah "clearing". A famous fictional bearer was the character Ellen Ripley (usually only called by her surname) from the
Alien series of movies, beginning 1979.
Rita f Italian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese, Latvian, LithuanianShort form of
Margherita and other names ending in
rita. A famous bearer was American actress Rita Hayworth (1918-1987).
Roy m Scottish, English, DutchAnglicized form of
Ruadh. A notable bearer was the Scottish outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy (1671-1734). It is often associated with French
roi "king".
Scarlett f EnglishFrom a surname that denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet (a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian
سقرلاط (saghrelat)). Margaret Mitchell used this name for Scarlett O'Hara, the main character in her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936). Scarlett's name came from her grandmother's maiden name.
Scout f English (Rare)From the English word
scout meaning
"one who gathers information covertly", which is derived from Old French
escouter "to listen". Harper Lee used this name in her novel
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).
Shannon f & m EnglishFrom the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called
Abha an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the goddess
Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely the goddess was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish
sen "old, ancient". As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.
Sienna f English (Modern)From the English word meaning
"orange-red". It is ultimately from the name of the city of Siena in Italy, because of the colour of the clay there.
Steven m English, DutchMedieval English variant of
Stephen, and a Dutch variant of
Stefan. The filmmaker Steven Spielberg (1946-), director of
E.T. and
Indiana Jones, is a famous bearer of this name.
Taylor m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that originally denoted someone who was a tailor, from Norman French
tailleur, ultimately from Latin
taliare "to cut". Its modern use as a feminine name may have been influenced by the British-American author Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985).
Vincent m English, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, SlovakFrom the Roman name
Vincentius, which was derived from Latin
vincere meaning
"to conquer". This name was popular among early Christians, and it was borne by many saints. As an English name,
Vincent has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 19th century. Famous bearers include the French priest Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and the post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
Wendy f EnglishIn the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play
Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname
fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name
Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element
gwen meaning "white, fair, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.
Yui f JapaneseFrom Japanese
結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" or
優 (yu) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" combined with
衣 (i) meaning "clothing, garment". It can also come from standalone
結 (yui) using a different nanori reading. This name can be formed of other kanji or kanji combinations as well.
Zoe f English, Italian, German, Czech, Ancient GreekMeans
"life" in Greek. From early times it was adopted by Hellenized Jews as a translation of
Eve. It was borne by two early Christian saints, one martyred under Emperor Hadrian, the other martyred under Diocletian. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by a ruling empress of the 11th century.
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