AKIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
晶 (aki) meaning "clear, crystal",
明 (aki) meaning "bright" or
秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
ALANIS f English (Rare)Feminine form of
ALAN. Canadian musician Alanis Morissette (1974-) was named after her father Alan. Her parents apparently decided to use this particular spelling after seeing this word in a Greek newspaper.
ARETHA f EnglishPossibly derived from Greek
ἀρετή (arete) meaning
"virtue". This name was popularized in the 1960s by American singer Aretha Franklin (1942-).
ATHOL m & f ScottishFrom the name of a district in Scotland that was derived from Gaelic
ath Fodhla "new Ireland".
BLONDIE f English (Rare)From a nickname for a person with blond hair. This is the name of the title character in a comic strip by Chic Young.
BRUNO m German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Croatian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Latvian, Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic element
brun "armour, protection" or
brun "brown". Saint Bruno of Cologne was a German monk of the 11th century who founded the Carthusian Order. The surname has belonged to Giordano Bruno, a philosopher burned at the stake by the Inquisition.
CHAE-WON f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
采 (chae) meaning "collect, gather, pluck" or
彩 (chae) meaning "colour" combined with
原 (won) meaning "source, origin, beginning". Other hanja combinations can also form this name.
CHER f EnglishShort form of
CHERYL. In the case of the American musician Cher (1946-), it is short for her real name
CHERILYN.
CHRISTINA f English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, GreekFrom
Christiana, the Latin feminine form of
CHRISTIAN. This was the name of an early, possibly legendary, saint who was tormented by her pagan father. It was also borne by a 17th-century Swedish queen and patron the arts who gave up her crown in order to become a Roman Catholic.
DELTA f EnglishFrom the name of the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet,
Δ. It is also the name for an island formed at the mouth of a river.
DUSTY m & f EnglishFrom a nickname originally given to people perceived as being dusty. It is also used a diminutive of
DUSTIN. A famous bearer was British singer Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), who acquired her nickname as a child.
EARTHA f EnglishCombination of the English word
earth with the feminine name suffix
a. It has been used in honour of African-American philanthropist Eartha M. M. White (1876-1974). Another famous bearer was American singer and actress Eartha Kitt (1927-2008).
ELI (1) m English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek, Biblical HebrewMeans
"ascension" in Hebrew. In the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young
Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.
... [more] ELTON m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"Ella's town" in Old English. A famous bearer of this name is British musician Elton John (1947-), born Reginald Dwight, who adopted his stage name in honour of his former bandmate Elton Dean (1945-2006).
ELVIS m EnglishMeaning unknown. It could possibly be a derivative of
ALVIS or
ELWIN. More likely, it is from the rare surname
Elvis, a variant of
Elwes, which is ultimately derived from the given name
ELOISE. The name was brought to public attention by the singer Elvis Presley (1935-1977), whose name came from his father's middle name.
... [more] EMMA f English, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Dutch, German, Hungarian, Ancient GermanicOriginally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element
ermen meaning
"whole" or
"universal". It was introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, who was the wife both of King Ethelred II (and by him the mother of Edward the Confessor) and later of King Canute. It was also borne by an 11th-century Austrian saint, who is sometimes called
Hemma.
... [more] GERALDINE f EnglishFeminine form of
GERALD. This name was created by the poet Henry Howard for use in a 1537 sonnet praising Lady Elizabeth FitzGerald, whom he terms
The Geraldine.
HARRY m EnglishMedieval English form of
HENRY. In modern times it is used as a diminutive of both
Henry and
HAROLD. A famous bearer was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972). It is also the name of the boy wizard in J. K. Rowling's
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
HIKARU m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
光 (hikaru) meaning "light" or
輝 (hikaru) meaning "brightness". Other kanji can also form this name.
JENNIFER f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, SpanishFrom a Cornish form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar (see
GUINEVERE). This name has only been common outside of Cornwall since the beginning of the 20th century, after it was featured in George Bernard Shaw's play
The Doctor's Dilemma (1906). It barely ranked in the United until the late 1930s, when it began steadily growing in popularity, accelerating into the early 1970s. It was the most popular name for girls in America between 1970 and 1984, though it was not as common in the United Kingdom.
... [more] JESSICA f English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, SpanishThis name was first used in this form by Shakespeare in his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name
ISCAH, which would have been spelled
Jescha in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century. It reached its peak of popularity in the United States in 1987, and was the top ranked name for girls between 1985 and 1995, excepting 1991 and 1992 (when it was unseated by
Ashley). Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) and Jessica Lange (1949-).
JI-MIN f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
志 (ji) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or
智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" combined with
旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable",
敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or
珉 (min) meaning "jade, stone resembling jade". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
JOSHUA m English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshu'a) meaning
"YAHWEH is salvation", from the roots
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
יָשַׁע (yasha') meaning "to save". As told in the Old Testament, Joshua was a companion of
Moses. He went up Mount Sinai with Moses when he received the Ten Commandments from God, and later he was one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan. After Moses died Joshua succeeded him as leader of the Israelites and he led the conquest of Canaan. His original name was
Hoshea.
... [more] JUSTIN m English, French, SloveneFrom the Latin name
Iustinus, which was derived from
JUSTUS. This was the name of several early saints including Justin Martyr, a Christian philosopher of the 2nd century who was beheaded in Rome. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors. As an English name, it has occasionally been used since the late Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 20th century. Famous modern bearers include pop stars Justin Timberlake (1981-) and Justin Bieber (1994-).
KELLY m & f Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of the Irish given name
CEALLACH or the surname derived from it
Ó Ceallaigh. As a surname, it has been borne by actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).
KEN (2) m JapaneseFrom Japanese
健 (ken) meaning "healthy, strong" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
KYLIE f EnglishThis name arose in Australia, where it is said to mean "boomerang" in an Australian Aboriginal language. It is more likely a feminine form of
KYLE, and it is in this capacity that it began to be used in America in the 1970s. A famous bearer is the Australian singer Kylie Minogue (1968-).
LANCE m EnglishFrom the Germanic name
Lanzo, originally a short form of names that began with the element
landa meaning
"land". During the Middle Ages it became associated with Old French
lance "spear, lance". A famous bearer is American cyclist Lance Armstrong (1971-).
LILY f EnglishFrom the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin
lilium.
LOREDANA f Italian, RomanianUsed by the French author George Sand for a character in her novel
Mattea (1833) and later by the Italian author Luciano Zuccoli in his novel
L'amore de Loredana (1908). It was possibly based on the Venetian surname
Loredan, which was derived from the place name
Loreo.
LOUIS m French, English, DutchFrench form of
Ludovicus, the Latinized form of
LUDWIG. This was the name of 18 kings of France, starting with Louis I the son of
Charlemagne. Others include Louis IX (Saint Louis) who led two crusades and Louis XIV (called the Sun King) who was the ruler of France during the height of its power, the builder of the Palace of Versailles, and the longest reigning monarch in the history of Europe. It was also borne by kings of Germany (as
Ludwig), Hungary (as
Lajos), and other places.
... [more] MADONNA f EnglishFrom a title of the Virgin
Mary meaning "my lady" in Italian. A famous bearer of the name is American singer Madonna Ciccone (1958-), known simply as Madonna.
MAMI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" or
麻 (ma) meaning "flax" combined with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
MARIAH f EnglishVariant of
MARIA. It is usually pronounced in a way that reflects an older English pronunciation of
Maria. The name was popularized in the early 1990s by the American singer Mariah Carey (1970-).
MELANIE f English, German, DutchFrom
Mélanie, the French form of the Latin name
Melania, derived from Greek
μέλαινα (melaina) meaning
"black, dark". This was the name of a Roman saint who gave all her wealth to charity in the 5th century. Her grandmother was also a saint with the same name.
... [more] MICHAEL m English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom the Hebrew name
מִיכָאֵל (Mikha'el) meaning
"who is like God?". This is a rhetorical question, implying no person is like God. Michael is one of the archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament he is named as a protector of Israel. In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven's armies in the war against Satan, and is thus considered the patron saint of soldiers in Christianity.
... [more] MILEY f English (Modern)In the case of actress and singer Miley Cyrus (1992-), it is a shortened form of the nickname
Smiley, given to her by her father because she often smiled. Although it was not at all common before she brought it to public attention, there are some examples of its use before her time, most likely as a diminutive of
MILES.
ORNELLA f ItalianCreated by the Italian author Gabriele d'Annunzio for his novel
La Figlia di Jorio (1904). It is derived from Tuscan Italian
ornello meaning "flowering ash tree".
PAULA f German, English, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Croatian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Paulus (see
PAUL). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman saint who was a companion of Saint
Jerome.
PETULA f English (Rare)Meaning unknown, created in the 20th century. The name is borne by the British singer Petula Clark (1932-), whose name was invented by her father.
PRINCE m EnglishFrom the English word
prince, a royal title, which comes ultimately from Latin
princeps. This name was borne by the American musician Prince Rogers Nelson (1958-2016), who is known simply as Prince.
RYAN m Irish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from
Ó Riain meaning
"descendant of Rían". The given name
Rían probably means
"little king" (from Irish
rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix).
SHANIA f English (Modern)In the case of singer Shania Twain (1965-), who chose it as her stage name, she has claimed it was based on an Ojibwe phrase meaning
"on my way". This appears to be untrue.
SHIRLEY f & m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"bright clearing" in Old English. This is the name of a main character in Charlotte Brontë's semi-autobiographical novel
Shirley (1849). The child actress Shirley Temple (1928-2014) helped to popularize this name.
SOLANGE f FrenchFrench form of the Late Latin name
Sollemnia, which was derived from Latin
sollemnis "religious". This was the name of a French shepherdess who became a saint after she was killed by her master.
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).
VERNON m EnglishFrom a Norman surname, which was from a French place name, ultimately derived from the Gaulish word
vern meaning
"alder".
VESNA f Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, MacedonianMeans
"spring" in many Slavic languages. This was the name of a Slavic spirit associated with the springtime. It has been used as a given name only since the 20th century.
YOSHIKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable",
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or
悦 (yoshi) meaning "joy, pleased" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other kanji combinations as well.