AGNES f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
‘Αγνη (Hagne), derived from Greek
‘αγνος (hagnos) meaning "chaste". Saint Agnes was a virgin martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The name became associated with Latin
agnus "lamb", resulting in the saint's frequent depiction with a lamb by her side. Due to her renown, the name became common in Christian Europe, being especially popular in England in the Middle Ages.
ASTRAEA f Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek
Αστραια (Astraia), derived from Greek
αστηρ (aster) meaning "star". Astraea was a Greek goddess of justice and innocence. After wickedness took root in the world she left the earth and became the constellation Virgo.
BAI m & f ChineseFrom 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.
BELPHOEBE f LiteratureCombination of
belle "beautiful" and the name
PHOEBE. This name was first used by Edmund Spenser in his poem 'The Faerie Queene' (1590).
DIDO f Roman MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly "virgin" in Phoenician. Dido, also called
Elissa, was the queen of Carthage in
Virgil's 'Aeneid'. She burned herself to death after Aeneas left her.
GLENDA f Welsh, EnglishA name created in the 20th century from the Welsh elements
glân "pure, clean" and
da "good".
JUN (2) m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
淳 (jun) meaning "pure",
潤 (jun) meaning "moisture",
純 (jun) meaning "pure, clean, simple", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
JUNKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
順 (jun) meaning "obedience" or
純 (jun) meaning "pure" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters are also possible.
KASUMI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
霞 (kasumi) meaning "mist". It can also come from
花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" combined with
澄 (sumi) meaning "clear, pure". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
KIYOKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
清 (kiyo) meaning "clear, pure, clean" or
聖 (kiyo) meaning "holy" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
LILY f EnglishFrom the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin
lilium.
MI-SUK f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming", as well as other combinations of hanja characters with the same pronunciations.
PHOEBE f English, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Biblical, Biblical LatinLatinized form of the Greek name
Φοιβη (Phoibe), which meant "bright, pure" from Greek
φοιβος (phoibos). In Greek mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess
Artemis. The name appears in
Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae. In England, it began to be used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. A moon of Saturn bears this name (in honour of the Titan).
ROSAMUND f English (Rare)Derived from the Germanic elements
hros "horse" and
mund "protection". The Normans introduced this name to England. It was subsequently influenced by the Latin phrase
rosa munda "pure rose". This was the name of the mistress of Henry II, the king of England in the 12th century. She was possibly murdered by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
SHUFEN f ChineseFrom Chinese
淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming" combined with
芬 (fēn) meaning "fragrance, aroma, perfume". Other character combinations are possible as well.
THEKLA f German (Rare), Greek (Rare), Late GreekFrom the ancient Greek name
Θεοκλεια (Theokleia), which meant "glory of God" from the Greek elements
θεος (theos) meaning "god" and
κλεος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 1st-century saint, appearing (as
Θεκλα) in the apocryphal 'Acts of Paul and Thecla'. The story tells how Thecla listens to Paul speak about the virtues of chastity and decides to remain a virgin, angering both her mother and her suitor.
YEONG-SUK f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" and
淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
ZACCAI m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
זַכָּי (Zakkai) meaning "pure". This is the name of a minor character in the Old Testament.
ZACCHAEUS m BiblicalFrom
Ζακχαιος (Zakchaios), the Greek form of
ZACCAI. In the New Testament he is a tax collector in Jericho who gives half his possessions to charity.