ABILENEfEnglishFrom a place name mentioned briefly in the New Testament. It is probably from Hebrew
אָבֵל ('avel) meaning "meadow, grassy area". It has occasionally been used as a given name in modern times.
ÆSCmAnglo-SaxonMeans "ash tree" in Old English. This was the nickname of a 5th-century king of Kent, whose birth name was Oeric.
AI (1)fJapaneseFrom Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection",
藍 (ai) meaning "indigo", or other kanji with the same pronunciation.
AINA (3)fJapaneseFrom Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens", as well as other character combinations.
AIRIfJapaneseFrom Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" combined with
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or
梨 (ri) meaning "pear". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
AKANEfJapaneseFrom Japanese
茜 (akane) meaning "deep red, dye from the rubia plant". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
ALBENAfBulgarianCreated by Bulgarian writer Yordan Yovkov for the heroine in his drama 'Albena' (1930). He may have based it on
ablen, the name of a type of peony (a flowering plant).
ALLONmBiblicalMeans "oak" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
ALYSSAfEnglishVariant of
ALICIA. The spelling has probably been influenced by that of the alyssum flower, the name of which is derived from Greek
α (a), a negative prefix, combined with
λυσσα (lyssa) "madness, rabies", since it was believed to cure madness.
AMARANTHAfVariousFrom the name of the amaranth flower, which is derived from Greek
αμαραντος (amarantos) meaning "unfading".
Αμαραντος (Amarantos) was also an Ancient Greek given name.
AMARYLLISfLiteratureDerived from Greek
αμαρυσσω (amarysso) "to sparkle". This was the name of a heroine in
Virgil's epic poem 'Eclogues'. The amaryllis flower is named for her.
AMERETATfPersian MythologyMeans "immortality" in Avestan. This was the name of a Zoroastrian goddess (one of the Amesha Spenta) of plants and long life.
ANARAfKazakh, KyrgyzMeans "pomegranate" in Kazakh and Kyrgyz, ultimately from Persian.
ANFISAfRussianRussian form of the Greek name
Ανθουσα (Anthousa), which was derived from Greek
ανθος (anthos) "flower". This was the name of a 9th-century Byzantine saint.
ANNAGÜLfTurkmenDerived from Turkmen
anna "Friday" and
gül "flower, rose".
AOIf & mJapaneseFrom Japanese
葵 (aoi) meaning "hollyhock, althea" or an adjectival form of
碧 (ao) meaning "green, blue". Other kanji with the same reading can form this name as well.
APRILfEnglishFrom the name of the month, probably originally derived from Latin
aperire "to open", referring to the opening of flowers. It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 1940s.
ARANTZAZUfBasqueFrom the name of a place near the Spanish town of Oñati where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. Its name is derived from Basque
arantza "thornbush".
ARISTAfAstronomyMeans "ear of corn" in Latin. This is the name of a star, also known as Spica, in the constellation Virgo.
ARTEMISIAfAncient GreekFeminine form of
ARTEMISIOS. This was the name of the 4th-century BC builder of the Mausoleum, one of the seven wonders of the world. She built it in memory of her husband, the Carian prince Mausolus.
ASHm & fEnglishShort form of
ASHLEY. It can also come directly from the English word denoting either the tree or the residue of fire.
ASHLEYf & mEnglishFrom an English surname which was originally derived from place names meaning "ash tree clearing", from a combination of Old English
æsc and
leah. Until the 1960s it was more commonly given to boys in the United States, but it is now most often used on girls.
ASHTONm & fEnglishFrom a surname which was originally derived from a place name which meant "ash tree town" in Old English.
ASKmNorse MythologyDerived from Old Norse
askr "ash tree". In Norse mythology Ask and his wife
Embla were the first humans created by the gods.
ASPENfEnglish (Modern)From the English word for the tree, derived from Old English
æspe. It is also the name of a ski resort in Colorado.
ASSEmFrisianOriginally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
asc meaning "ash tree" or
ans meaning "god".
AVELINEfEnglish (Rare)From the Norman French form of the Germanic name
Avelina, a diminutive of
AVILA. The Normans introduced this name to Britain. After the Middle Ages it became rare as an English name, though it persisted in America until the 19th century.
AYAKAfJapaneseFrom Japanese
彩 (aya) meaning "colour" combined with
花 (ka) or
華 (ka) which both mean "flower". Other kanji combinations are possible.
AYAMEfJapaneseFrom Japanese
菖蒲 (ayame) meaning "iris". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can also form this name.
BAHARGÜLfTurkmenDerived from Turkmen
bahar meaning "spring" and
gül meaning "flower, rose" (both roots ultimately of Persian origin).
BAIm & fChineseFrom Chinese
白 (bái) meaning "white, pure",
百 (bǎi) meaning "one hundred, many" or
柏 (bǎi) meaning "cypress tree, cedar" (which is usually only masculine). Other Chinese characters can form this name as well. This name was borne in the 8th century by the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, whose given was
白.
BARCLAYmScottish, English (Rare)From a Scottish surname which was likely derived from the English place name
Berkeley, meaning "birch wood" in Old English.
BASIL (1)mEnglishFrom the Greek name
Βασιλειος (Basileios) which was derived from
βασιλευς (basileus) meaning "king". Saint Basil the Great was a 4th-century bishop of Caesarea and one of the fathers of the early Christian church. Due to him, the name (in various spellings) has come into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors.
BAYARDmLiteratureDerived from Old French
baiart meaning "bay coloured". In medieval French poetry Bayard was a bay horse owned by Renaud de Montauban and his brothers. The horse could magically adjust its size to carry multiple riders.
BENTLEYmEnglishFrom a surname which was from a place name, itself derived from Old English
beonet "bent grass" and
leah "woodland, clearing". Various towns in England bear this name.
BENTONmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from a place name, composed of Old English
beonet "bent grass" and
tun "enclosure".
BERRY (2)fEnglish (Rare)From the English word referring to the small fruit. It is ultimately derived from Old English
berie. This name has only been in use since the 20th century.
BETHANYfEnglishFrom the name of a biblical town,
Βηθανια (Bethania) in Greek, which is probably of Aramaic or Hebrew origin, possibly meaning "house of affliction" or "house of figs". In the New Testament the town of Bethany is the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. It has been in use as a rare given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, used primarily by Catholics in honour of Mary of Bethany. In America it became moderately common after the 1950s.
BLÁTHNATfIrish, Irish MythologyMeans "little flower" from the Irish word
blath "flower" combined with a diminutive suffix. In Irish legend she was a maiden abducted and married by Cú Roí. She was rescued by
Cúchulainn, who killed her husband, but she was in turn murdered by one of Cú Roí's loyal servants.
BLODEUWEDDfWelsh, Welsh MythologyMeans "face of flowers" in Welsh. In a story in the Mabinogion, she is created out of flowers by
Gwydion to be the wife of his nephew
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. She is eventually changed into an owl for her infidelity.
BLODWENfWelshMeans "white flowers" from Welsh
blodau "flowers" combined with
gwen "white, fair, blessed".
BLOSSOMfEnglishFrom the English word
blossom, ultimately from Old English
blóstm. It came into use as a rare given name in the 19th century.
BOGLÁRKAfHungarianMeans "buttercup" in Hungarian, derived from the archaic word
boglár meaning "ornament".
BOPHAfKhmerMeans "flower" in Khmer, ultimately from Pali.
BORmSloveneShort form of names containing
bor, such as
BORISLAV or
BORIS. It is also a South Slavic word meaning "pine tree".
BRIALLENfWelshDerived from Welsh
briallu meaning "primrose". This is a modern Welsh name.
BRISCOEmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "birch wood" in Old Norse.
BRYONYfEnglish (Rare)From the name of a type of Eurasian vine, formerly used as medicine. It ultimately derives from Greek
βρυω (bryo) "to swell".
CALLAfEnglishFrom the name of a type of lily. Use of the name may also be inspired by Greek
καλλος (kallos) meaning "beauty".
CAMELLIAfEnglish (Rare)From the name of the flowering shrub, which was named for the botanist and missionary Georg Josef Kamel.
CAPUCINEfFrenchMeans "nasturtium" in French. This was the stage name of the French actress and model Capucine (1928-1990).
CARMELfEnglish, JewishFrom the title of the Virgin
Mary Our Lady of Carmel.
כַּרְמֶל (Karmel) (meaning "garden" in Hebrew) is a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the site of several early Christian monasteries. As an English given name, it has mainly been used by Catholics.
CEDARf & mEnglish (Rare)From the English word for the coniferous tree, derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek
κεδρος (kedros).
CELINDAfEnglish (Rare)Probably a blend of
CELIA and
LINDA. This is also the Spanish name for a variety of shrub with white flowers, known as sweet mock-orange in English (species Philadelphus coronarius).
CHESLEYmEnglishFrom a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "camp meadow" in Old English.
CHIKA (2)fJapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand",
智 (chi) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or
散 (chi) meaning "scatter" combined with
佳 (ka) meaning "good, beautiful" or
花 (ka) meaning "flower". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
CHRYSANTAfEnglish (Rare)Shortened form of the word
chrysanthemum, the name of a flowering plant, which means "golden flower" in Greek.
CICEROmAncient RomanRoman cognomen which meant "chickpea" from Latin
cicer. Marcus Tullius Cicero (known simply as Cicero) was a statesman, orator and author of the 1st century BC.
CLOVERfEnglish (Rare)From the English word for the wild flower, ultimately deriving from Old English
clafre.
COLOMBINAfItalianItalian feminine diminutive of
COLUMBA. In traditional Italian pantomimes this is the name of a stock character, the female counterpart of Arlecchino (also called Harlequin). This is also the Italian word for the columbine flower.
CONSUSmRoman MythologyPossibly derived from Latin
conserere meaning "to sow, to plant". Consus was a Roman god of the harvest and grain.
CORAfEnglish, German, Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of
KORE. It was not used as a given name in the English-speaking world until after it was employed by James Fenimore Cooper for a character in his novel 'The Last of the Mohicans' (1826). In some cases it may be a short form of
CORDULA,
CORINNA or other names beginning with a similar sound.
CORIANDERfEnglish (Rare)From the name of the spice, also called cilantro, which may ultimately be of Phoenician origin (via Latin and Greek).
COSMOmItalian, EnglishItalian variant of
COSIMO. It was introduced to Britain in the 18th century by the second Scottish Duke of Gordon, who named his son and successor after his friend Cosimo III de' Medici.
CVETKAfSloveneDerived from Slovene
cvet meaning "blossom, flower".
DAFFODILfEnglish (Rare)From the name of the flower, ultimately derived from Dutch
de affodil meaning "the asphodel".
DAIKImJapaneseFrom Japanese
大 (dai) meaning "big, great" combined with
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness",
樹 (ki) meaning "tree" or
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable". Other combinations of kanji can also form this name.
DAISYfEnglishSimply from the English word for the white flower, ultimately derived from Old English
dægeseage meaning "day eye". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
DALLASm & fEnglishFrom a surname which was originally taken from a Scottish place name meaning "meadow dwelling". A city in Texas bears this name, probably in honour of American Vice President George Mifflin Dallas (1792-1864).
DAPHNEfGreek Mythology, English, DutchMeans "laurel" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was a nymph turned into a laurel tree by her father in order that she might escape the pursuit of
Apollo. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the end of the 19th century.
DARA (1)mIrishFrom the Irish
Mac Dara which means "oak tree". This was the name of a 6th-century saint from Connemara. It is also used as an Anglicized form of
DÁIRE.
DARNELLmEnglishFrom a surname, possibly derived from Old French
darnel, a type of grass. Alternatively it may be derived from Old English
derne "hidden" and
halh "nook".
DEFORESTmEnglishFrom a French surname meaning "from the forest". It was originally given in honour of American author John Deforest (1826-1906).
DELANOmEnglishFrom a surname, recorded as
de la Noye in French, indicating that the bearer was from a place called La Noue (ultimately Gaulish meaning "wetland, swamp"). It has been used in honour of American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), whose middle name came from his mother's maiden name.
DIKLAHm & fHebrew, Biblical, Biblical HebrewPossibly means "palm grove" in Hebrew or Aramaic. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Joktan. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name.
EBONYfEnglishFrom the English word
ebony for the black wood which comes from the ebony tree. It is ultimately from the Egyptian word
hbnj. In America this name is most often used by black parents.
EGLANTINEfEnglish (Rare)From the English word for the flower also known as sweetbrier. It was first used as a given name (in the form
Eglentyne) in Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century story 'The Prioress's Tale'.
EGLĖfLithuanianMeans "spruce tree" in Lithuanian. In a Lithuanian legend Eglė was a young woman who married a sea snake.
ELAHf & mHebrew, Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans "oak tree" or "terebinth tree" in Hebrew. This was the name of the fourth king of Israel, as told in the Old Testament. He was murdered by
Zimri, who succeeded him. In modern Hebrew this is typically a feminine name.
ELANORfLiteratureMeans "star sun" in Sindarin. In 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien this is Sam's eldest daughter, named after a type of flower.
ELMERmEnglishFrom a surname which was derived from the Old English name
ÆÐELMÆR. In the United States it is sometimes given in honour of brothers Jonathan (1745-1817) and Ebenezer Elmer (1752-1843), who were active in early American politics.
ELONmBiblicalMeans "oak" in Hebrew. This was the name of one of the ruling judges of the Israelites according to the Old Testament.
ELOWENfCornishMeans "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.
ELWOODmEnglishFrom an English surname which was derived from a place name meaning "elder tree forest" in Old English.
EOGHANmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyPossibly means "born from the yew tree" in Irish, though it is possibly derived from
EUGENE. It was borne by several legendary or semi-legendary Irish figures, including a son of
Niall of the Nine Hostages.
ERIKAfSwedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, English, ItalianFeminine form of
ERIK. It also coincides with the word for "heather" in some languages.
EUN-YEONGfKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" and
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
FARLEYmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was originally from a place name meaning "fern clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer of this name is Canadian author Farley Mowat (1921-).
FERNfEnglishFrom the English word for the plant, ultimately from Old English
fearn. It has been used as a given name since the late 19th century.
FIORELLAfItalianFrom Italian
fiore "flower" combined with a diminutive suffix.
FLORAfEnglish, German, Italian, Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
flos meaning "flower". Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, the wife of Zephyr the west wind. It has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, starting in France. In Scotland it was sometimes used as an Anglicized form of
Fionnghuala.
FLORENCEf & mEnglish, FrenchFrom the Latin name
Florentius or the feminine form
Florentia, which were derived from
florens "prosperous, flourishing".
Florentius was borne by many early Christian saints, and it was occasionally used in their honour through the Middle Ages. In modern times it is mostly feminine.
... [more] FLORIANmGerman, Polish, FrenchFrom the Roman name
Florianus, a derivative of
FLORUS. Saint Florian, a martyr of the 3rd century, is the patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria.
FLOWERfEnglish (Rare)Simply from the English word
flower for the blossoming plant. It is derived (via Old French) from Latin
flos.
FORRESTmEnglishFrom an English surname meaning "forest", originally belonging to a person who lived near a forest. In America it has sometimes been used in honour of the Confederate Civil War general Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877). This name was borne by the title character in the movie 'Forrest Gump' (1994) about a loveable simpleton. Use of the name increased when the movie was released, but has since faded away.
FUm & fChineseFrom Chinese
富 (fù) meaning "abundant, rich, wealthy",
芙 (fú) meaning "hibiscus, lotus" or
甫 (fǔ) meaning "begin, man, father", in addition to other characters with a similar pronunciation. A famous bearer was the 8th-century Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, whose given was
甫.
GARDENIAfEnglish (Rare)From the name of the tropical flower, which was named for the Scottish naturalist Alexander Garden (1730-1791).
GARLANDmEnglishFrom a surname meaning "triangle land" from Old English
gara and
land. The surname originally belonged to a person who owned a triangle-shaped piece of land.
GARRICKmEnglishFrom a surname which was originally derived from Occitan
garric meaning "oak tree grove".
GARTHmEnglishFrom a surname meaning "garden" in Old Norse, originally denoting one who lived near or worked in a garden.
GENTIANmAlbanianFrom the name of the flowering plant called the gentian, the roots of which are used to create a tonic. It is derived from the name of the Illyrian king
GENTIUS, who supposedly discovered its medicinal properties.
GINEVRAfItalianItalian form of
GUINEVERE. This is also the Italian name for the city of Geneva, Switzerland. It is also sometimes associated with the Italian word
ginepro meaning "juniper".
GINGERfEnglishFrom the English word
ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a diminutive of
VIRGINIA, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.
GRESHAMmEnglish (Rare)From a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "grazing homestead" in Old English.
GROVERmEnglishFrom a surname meaning "grove of trees" from Old English
graf. A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), who popularized the name in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The name is now associated with a muppet character from the children's television program 'Sesame Street'.
GUIYINGm & fChineseFrom Chinese
桂 (guì) meaning "laurel, cassia, cinnamon" combined with
英 (yīng) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". This name can be formed from other character combinations as well.
GÜLfTurkishMeans "rose" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
GULm & fUrdu, PashtoMeans "flower, rose" in Urdu and Pashto, ultimately from Persian.
GULBADANfUrdu (Rare)Means "having a body like a rose" in Persian. This was the name of a daughter of the Mughal emperor Babur.
GULRUKHfUrduMeans "rose faced" in Persian. This was the name of a wife of the Mughal emperor Babur.