ÆLFGIFU f Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ælf "elf" and
giefu "gift". This was the name of the first wife of the English king Æðelræd II.
ARTEMIDOROS m Ancient GreekMeans
"gift of Artemis" from the name of the goddess
ARTEMIS combined with Greek
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a Greek author of the 2nd century who wrote about the interpretation of dreams.
CSABA m HungarianPossibly means either
"shepherd" or
"gift" in Hungarian. According to legend this was the name of a son of
Attila the Hun.
DONATO m Italian, Spanish, PortugueseFrom the Late Latin name
Donatus meaning
"given". Several early saints had this name. The name was also borne by two Renaissance masters: the sculptor Donato di Niccolo di Bette Bardi (also known as Donatello), and the architect Donato Bramante.
DOROTHEA f German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, English, Late GreekFeminine form of the Late Greek name
Δωρόθεος (Dorotheos), which meant
"gift of God" from Greek
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift" and
θεός (theos) meaning "god". The name
Theodore is composed of the same elements in reverse order. Dorothea was the name of two early saints, notably the 4th-century martyr Dorothea of Caesarea. It was also borne by the 14th-century Saint Dorothea of Montau, who was the patron saint of Prussia.
DOROTHY f EnglishUsual English form of
DOROTHEA. It has been in use since the 16th century. The author L. Frank Baum used it for the central character in his fantasy novel
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and several of its sequels.
EUDORA f Greek MythologyMeans
"good gift" in Greek, from the elements
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a nymph, one of the Hyades, in Greek mythology.
GERASIMOS m Greek, Late GreekDerived from Greek
γέρας (geras) meaning
"honour, gift". Saint Gerasimus was a 5th-century hermit who lived near the Jordan River.
GISELLE f French, English (Modern)Derived from the Germanic word
gisil meaning
"hostage, pledge". This name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for a child given as a pledge to a foreign court. It was borne by a daughter of the French king Charles III who married the Norman leader Rollo in the 10th century. The name was popular in France during the Middle Ages (the more common French form is
Gisèle). Though it became known in the English-speaking world due to Adolphe Adam's ballet
Giselle (1841), it was not regularly used until the 20th century.
GODIVA f Anglo-Saxon (Latinized)Latinized form of the Old English name
Godgifu meaning
"gift of god", from the elements
god and
giefu "gift". Lady Godiva was an 11th-century English noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry to protest the high taxes imposed by her husband upon the townspeople.
JESSE m English, Dutch, Finnish, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יִשַׁי (Yishai), which possibly means
"gift". In the Old Testament Jesse is the father of King
David. It began to be used as an English given name after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Jesse James (1847-1882), an American outlaw who held up banks and stagecoaches. He was eventually shot by a fellow gang member for a reward. Another famous bearer was the American athlete Jesse Owens (1913-1980), whose real name was James Cleveland (or J. C.) Owens.
JOASH m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יוֹאָשׁ (Yo'ash), possibly meaning
"fire of YAHWEH". In the Old Testament this name was borne by several characters including the father of
Gideon, a king of Judah, and a son of King
Ahab of Israel.
JONATHAN m English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְהוֹנָתָן (Yehonatan), contracted to
יוֹנָתָן (Yonatan), meaning
"YAHWEH has given", derived from the roots
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
נָתַן (natan) meaning "to give". According to the Old Testament, Jonathan was the eldest son of
Saul. His relationship with his father was strained due to his close friendship with his father's rival
David. Along with Saul he was killed in battle with the Philistines.
... [more] LEMUEL m Biblical, Mormon, Biblical HebrewMeans
"for God" in Hebrew. This was the name of a king briefly mentioned in Proverbs in the Old Testament. In the Book of Mormon it is the name of a son of Lehi and Sariah. It is also borne by the hero of Jonathan Swift's novel
Gulliver's Travels (1726).
MATTANIAH m BiblicalMeans
"gift of YAHWEH" in Hebrew. This was the original name of Zedekiah, a king of Judah, in the Old Testament.
MATTHEW m English, BiblicalEnglish form of
Ματθαῖος (Matthaios), which was a Greek form of the Hebrew name
מַתִּתְיָהוּ (Mattityahu) meaning
"gift of YAHWEH", from the roots
מַתָּן (mattan) meaning "gift" and
יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. Matthew, also called
Levi, was one of the twelve apostles. He was a tax collector, and supposedly the author of the first gospel in the New Testament. He is considered a saint in many Christian traditions. The variant
Matthias also occurs in the New Testament belonging to a separate apostle. The name appears in the Old Testament as
Mattithiah.
... [more] MENODORA f Ancient GreekMeans
"gift of the moon", derived from Greek
μήνη (mene) meaning "moon" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a 4th-century saint who was martyred with her sisters Metrodora and Nymphodora.
PANDORA f Greek MythologyMeans
"all gifts", derived from a combination of Greek
πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". In Greek mythology Pandora was the first mortal woman.
Zeus gave her a jar containing all of the troubles and ills that mankind now knows, and told her not to open it. Unfortunately her curiosity got the best of her and she opened it, unleashing the evil spirits into the world.
SHAI m & f HebrewEither from Hebrew
שַׁי (Shai) meaning
"gift" or else a Hebrew diminutive of
ISAIAH.
SUNNIVA f NorwegianScandinavian form of the Old English name
Sunngifu, which meant
"sun gift" from the Old English elements
sunne "sun" and
giefu "gift". This was the name of a legendary English saint who was shipwrecked in Norway and killed by the inhabitants.
THEODORA f English, Greek, Ancient GreekFeminine form of
THEODORE. This name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by several empresses including the influential wife of Justinian in the 6th century.
THEODORE m EnglishFrom the Greek name
Θεόδωρος (Theodoros), which meant
"gift of god" from Greek
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". The name
Dorothea is derived from the same roots in reverse order. This was the name of several saints, including Theodore of Amasea, a 4th-century Greek soldier; Theodore of Tarsus, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury; and Theodore the Studite, a 9th-century Byzantine monk. It was also borne by two popes.
... [more] ZEBULUN m BiblicalPossibly derived from Ugartic
zbl meaning
"prince". In the Old Testament Zebulun is the tenth son of
Jacob (his sixth son by
Leah) and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Genesis 30:20 implies two different roots for the name:
זָבַל (zaval) meaning "to dwell" and
זֵבֵד (zeved) meaning "gift, dowry". These are probably only folk etymologies.