ÆLFGIFUfAnglo-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.
ARTEMIDOROSmAncient GreekMeans "gift of Artemis" from the name of the goddess
ARTEMIS combined with Greek
δωρον (doron) "gift". This was the name of a Greek author of the 2nd century who wrote about the interpretation of dreams.
CSABAmHungarianPossibly means either "shepherd" or "gift" in Hungarian. According to legend this was the name of the son of
Attila the Hun.
DOROTHEAfGerman, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, English, Late GreekFeminine form of the Late Greek name
Δωροθεος (Dorotheos), which meant "gift of God" from Greek
δωρον (doron) "gift" and
θεος (theos) "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.
EUDORAfGreek MythologyMeans "good gift" in Greek, from the elements
ευ (eu) "good" and
δωρον (doron) "gift". This was the name of a nymph, one of the Hyades, in Greek mythology.
GODIVAfAnglo-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.
JESSEmEnglish, Dutch, 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.
JOASHmBiblicalFrom 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.
MATTANIAHmBiblicalMeans "gift of
YAHWEH" in Hebrew. This was the original name of Zedekiah, a king of Judah, in the Old Testament.
MATTHEWmEnglish, BiblicalEnglish form of
Ματθαιος (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] PANDORAfGreek MythologyMeans "all gifts", derived from a combination of Greek
παν (pan) "all" and
δωρον (doron) "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.
SUNNIVAfNorwegianScandinavian 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.
THEODORAfEnglish, 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.
THEODOREmEnglishFrom the Greek name
Θεοδωρος (Theodoros), which meant "gift of god" from Greek
θεος (theos) "god" and
δωρον (doron) "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] ZEBULUNmBiblicalPossibly 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.