AOIDE f Greek MythologyMeans
"song" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.
ARIA (1) f English (Modern)Means
"song, melody" in Italian (literally means "air"). An aria is an elaborate vocal solo, the type usually performed in operas. As an English name, it has only been in use since the 20th century. It is not common in Italy.
CADENCE f English (Modern)From an English word meaning
"rhythm, flow". It has been in use only since the 20th century.
CALYPSO f Greek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Καλυψω (Kalypso), which probably meant
"she that conceals", derived from
καλυπτω (kalypto) meaning "to cover, to conceal". In Greek myth this was the name of the nymph who fell in love with
Odysseus after he was shipwrecked on her island of Ogygia. When he refused to stay with her she detained him for seven years until
Zeus ordered her to release him.
CAROL (1) f & m EnglishShort form of
CAROLINE. It was formerly a masculine name, derived from
CAROLUS. The name can also be given in reference to the English vocabulary word, which means "song" or "hymn".
CECILIA f English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Romanian, Finnish, GermanLatinate 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] CHANTAL f French, English, DutchFrom a French surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"stony". It was originally given in honour of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, the founder of the Visitation Order in the 17th century. It has become associated with French
chant "song".
CONDOLEEZZA f VariousIn the case of the former American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (1954-) it is derived from the Italian musical term
con dolcezza meaning
"with sweetness".
EUTERPE f Greek MythologyMeans
"delight" in Greek, ultimately from
ευ (eu) meaning "good" and
τερπω (terpo) meaning "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.
FIFE m ScottishFrom a Scottish place name that was formerly the name of a kingdom in Scotland. It is said to be named for the legendary Pictish hero Fib.
GAYATRI f Hinduism, Indian, Marathi, HindiFrom Sanskrit
गायत्र (gayatra), which refers to a type of song or hymn with a particular meter. It is also the name of a Hindu goddess who is a personification of this song.
GITA f Indian, HindiMeans
"song" in Sanskrit. The word appears in the name of the
Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text of Hinduism (meaning "divine song").
GUIDO m Italian, GermanLatinized form of
WIDO. This was the name of two 11th-century saints. Other notable bearers include 11th-century music theorist Guido d'Arezzo, 13th-century poet Guido Cavalcanti, and 17th-century painter Guido Reni.
HARPER f & m EnglishFrom an Old English surname that originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps. A notable bearer was the American author Harper Lee (1926-2016), who wrote
To Kill a Mockingbird.
HEROD m BiblicalFrom the Greek name
‘Ηρωιδης (Heroides), which probably means
"song of the hero" from
‘ηρως (heros) meaning "hero, warrior" combined with
ωιδη (oide) meaning "song, ode". This was the name of several rulers of Judea during the period when it was part of the Roman Empire. This includes two who appear in the New Testament: Herod the Great, the king who ordered the slaughter of the children, and his son Herod Antipas, who had
John the Baptist beheaded.
JETHRO m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יִתְרוֹ (Yitro), which was derived from the Hebrew word
יֶתֶר (yeter) meaning
"abundance". According to the Old Testament, Jethro was a Midianite priest who sheltered
Moses when he fled Egypt. He was the father of
Zipporah, who became Moses's wife. A famous bearer of the name was Jethro Tull (1674-1741), an English inventor and agriculturist.
JUBAL m BiblicalMeans
"stream" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned in Genesis in the Old Testament as belonging to the first person to be a musician.
KAI (4) m ChineseFrom Chinese
凯 (kǎi) meaning "triumph, victory, music of triumph", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
KINNERET f HebrewFrom the name of a large lake in northern Israel, usually called the Sea of Galilee in English. Its name is derived from Hebrew
כִּנּוֹר (kinnor) meaning "harp" because of its shape.
KOTONE f JapaneseFrom Japanese
琴 (koto), which refers to a type of musical instrument similar to a harp, combined with
音 (ne) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
LIGEIA f Greek Mythology, Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
λιγυς (ligys) meaning
"clear-voiced, shrill, whistling". This was the name of one of the Sirens in Greek legend. It was also used by Edgar Allan Poe in his story
Ligeia (1838).
LING f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
灵 (líng) meaning "spirit, soul",
铃 (líng) meaning "bell, chime", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.
LIRON m & f HebrewMeans
"song for me" or
"joy for me" in Hebrew.
LORELEI f LiteratureFrom German
Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German
ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.
MAHALA f EnglishVariant of
MAHALAH or
MAHALATH. It has occasionally been used as an English Christian name since the Protestant Reformation.
MAINA m Eastern African, KikuyuMeans
"sing, dance" in Kikuyu. Kikuyu males were traditionally organized into age sets or generations, each lasting about 30 years. The
Maina generation occupied the last part of the 19th century.
MAJOR m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from the given name
Mauger, an Old French form of the Germanic name
Malger meaning "council spear". The name can also be given in reference to the English word
major.
MELE f HawaiianMeans
"song" in Hawaiian. This name is also used as a Hawaiian and Samoan form of
MARY.
MELODY f EnglishFrom the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μελος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
αειδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
MELPOMENE f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
μελπω (melpo) meaning
"to sing, to celebrate with song". This was the name of one of the nine Muses in Greek mythology, the muse of tragedy.
NAENIA f Roman MythologyMeans
"incantation, dirge" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of funerals.
PHILOMELA f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
φιλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend" and
μηλον (melon) meaning "fruit". The second element has also been interpreted as Greek
μελος (melos) meaning "song". In Greek myth Philomela was the sister-in-law of Tereus, who raped her and cut out her tongue. Prokne avenged her sister by killing her son by Tereus, after which Tereus attempted to kill Philomela. However, the gods intervened and transformed her into a nightingale.
PIPER f English (Modern)From a surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series
Charmed, which debuted in 1998.
POLYMNIA f Greek MythologyMeans
"abounding in song", derived from Greek
πολυς (polys) meaning "much" and
‘υμνος (hymnos) meaning "song, hymn". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of dance and sacred songs, one of the nine Muses.
REED m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from Old English
read meaning
"red", originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
REI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
鈴 (rei) meaning "bell",
麗 (rei) meaning "beautiful, lovely" or
玲 (rei) meaning "the tinkling of jade". This name can also be formed by other kanji with the same pronunciation.
RUBAB f ArabicFrom an Arabic word referring to a type of stringed musical instrument. This was the name of the wife of the Prophet
Muhammad's grandson
Husayn.
SANG m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
常 (sang) meaning "common, frequent, regular" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
SELAH f BiblicalFrom a Hebrew musical term that occurs many times in the Old Testament Psalms. It was probably meant to indicate a musical pause.
SETSUKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
節 (setsu) meaning "section, period, verse, melody" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also be possible.
TUBA f Arabic, TurkishFrom the name of a type of tree that is believed to grow in heaven in Islamic tradition. It means "blessedness" in Arabic.
WAKANA f JapaneseFrom Japanese
和 (wa) meaning "harmony" and
奏 (kana) meaning "play music, complete", as well as other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.
WREN f English (Modern)From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English
wrenna.
YAMATO m JapaneseFrom
YAMATO, an ancient name for Japan. It can also refer to the Yamato period in Japanese history, which lasted into the 8th century. The individual kanji are
大 meaning "great" and
和 meaning "harmony".
YIN f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
银 (yín) meaning "silver, money",
音 (yīn) meaning "sound, tone" or
荫 (yīn) meaning "shade, shelter, protect", as well as other Chinese characters pronounced similarly.
ZIMRI m BiblicalMeans
"my praise" or
"my music" in Hebrew. This is the name of a king of Israel in the Old Testament. He ruled for only seven days, when he was succeeded by the commander of the army
Omri.