ALBA (1) f Italian, Spanish, CatalanThis name is derived from two distinct names,
ALBA (2) and
ALBA (3), with distinct origins, Latin and Germanic. Over time these names have become confused with one another. To further complicate the matter,
alba means "dawn" in Italian, Spanish and Catalan. This may be the main inspiration behind its use in Italy and Spain.
ANNAGÜL f TurkmenDerived from Turkmen
anna "Friday" and
gül "flower, rose".
APRIL f EnglishFrom 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.
ARUSHI f Hinduism, Indian, HindiFrom Sanskrit
अरुष (arusha) meaning "reddish, dawn", a word used in the Rigveda to describe the red horses of
Agni. This name also appears in the Hindu epic the 'Mahabharata' belonging to a daughter of
Manu and the wife of Chyavana, though in this case it might derive from Sanskrit
आरुषी (arushi) meaning "hitting, killing".
ASUKA f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
明日 (asu) meaning "tomorrow" and
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance", or from
飛 (asu) meaning "to fly" and
鳥 (ka) meaning "bird". Other kanji combinations can be possible as well.
ATHANARIC m Ancient GermanicFrom the Gothic name
Athanareiks, derived from the Germanic element
athana meaning "year" combined with
ric meaning "power, ruler". Athanaric was a 4th-century ruler of the Visigoths.
AUTUMN f EnglishFrom the name of the season, ultimately from Latin
autumnus. This name has been in general use since the 1960s.
BAHARGÜL f TurkmenDerived from Turkmen
bahar meaning "spring" and
gül meaning "flower, rose" (both roots ultimately of Persian origin).
BEHAR m AlbanianFrom the archaic Albanian word
behar meaning "summer".
CHEN (1) m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
晨 (chén) or
辰 (chén), both meaning "morning". The character
辰 also refers to the fifth Earthly Branch (7 AM to 9 AM), which is itself associated with the dragon of the Chinese zodiac. This name can be formed from other characters as well.
CHUN f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
春 (chūn) meaning "spring (the season)" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
DAGRUN f NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Dagrún, which was derived from the Old Norse elements
dagr "day" and
rún "secret lore".
DAWN f EnglishFrom the English word
dawn, ultimately derived from Old English
dagung.
EOS f Greek MythologyMeans "dawn" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the dawn.
ESTELLE f English, FrenchFrom an Old French name that was derived from Latin
stella meaning "star". It was rare in the English-speaking world in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due to the character Estella Havisham in Charles Dickens' novel 'Great Expectations' (1860).
FUYUKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
冬 (fuyu) meaning "winter" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other combinations of kanji.
GWALCHMEI m Welsh MythologyDerived from Welsh
gwalch "hawk", possibly combined with
mei "May (the month)". This is the name of a character in Welsh legend. He is probably the antecedent of
Gawain from Arthurian romance.
HAJNA f HungarianShortened form of
HAJNAL. The Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty used it in his epic poem 'Zalán Futása' (1825).
HARU m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male",
春 (haru) meaning "spring" or
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.
HARUKA f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
遥 (haruka) meaning "distant, remote". It can also come from
春 (haru) meaning "spring" or
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather" combined with
花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" or
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance". Additionally, other kanji combinations can form this name.
HARUKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
春 (haru) meaning "spring" or
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
HARUNA f JapaneseFrom Japanese
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather",
遥 (haru) meaning "distant, remote" or
春 (haru) meaning "spring" combined with
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
HEMERA f Greek MythologyMeans "day" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess who personified the daytime. According to Hesiod she was the daughter of
Nyx, the personification of the night.
HESPEROS m Ancient GreekMeans "evening" in Greek. This was the name of the personification of the Evening Star (the planet Venus) in Greek mythology.
HINA f JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (hi) meaning "light, sun, male" or
日 (hi) meaning "sun, day" combined with
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
HORATIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was possibly derived from Latin
hora "hour, time, season", though the name may actually be of Etruscan origin. A famous bearer was Quintus Horatius Flaccus, a Roman lyric poet of the 1st century BC who is better known as Horace in the English-speaking world.
İLKAY f & m TurkishMeans "new moon" in Turkish, derived from
ilk "first" and
ay "moon".
IL-SEONG m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
日 (il) meaning "sun, day" and
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded". Other hanja character combinations are possible. A notable bearer was Kim Il-sung (1912-1994), the first leader of North Korea.
JANVIER m FrenchFrench form of
JANUARIUS. Though now rare in France, it is more common in French-speaking parts of Africa.
JULY f English (Rare)From the name of the month, which was originally named for Julius Caesar.
JUNE f EnglishFrom the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess
Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
LI (1) f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic",
立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish",
黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn",
力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or
丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.
MADHAVA m Sanskrit, HinduismMeans "vernal, of the springtime" in Sanskrit. This is an epithet of several Hindu gods. It was also the name of a 14th-century Hindu scholar.
MAY f EnglishDerived from the name of the month of May, which derives from
Maia, the name of a Roman goddess. May is also another name of the hawthorn flower. It is also used as a diminutive of
MARY,
MARGARET or
MABEL.
MİRAY f TurkishMeaning unknown, possibly from an uncertain Persian element combined with Turkish
ay meaning "moon, month".
MIYAKO f JapaneseFrom Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful",
夜 (ya) meaning "night" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other combinations of kanji as well.
MONDAY f English (Rare)From the English word for the day of the week, which was derived from Old English
mona "moon" and
dæg "day". This was formerly given to girls born on Monday.
NATSUKI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" and
月 (tsuki) meaning "moon". Alternatively, it can come from
夏 (natsu) meaning "summer" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.
NATSUMI f JapaneseFrom Japanese
夏 (natsu) meaning "summer" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". It can also come from
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" and
摘 (tsumi) meaning "pick, pluck". Other kanji combinations are possible.
NYX f Greek MythologyMeans "night" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the night, the daughter of Khaos and the wife of Erebos.
PRANVERA f AlbanianDerived from Albanian
pranverë meaning "spring", itself from
pranë "nearby, close" and
verë "summer".
QIU m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
秋 (qiū) meaning "autumn",
丘 (qiū) meaning "hill, mound", or other characters with a similar pronunciation. The given name of the philosopher
Confucius was
丘.
RATREE f ThaiFrom the name of a variety of jasmine flower, the night jasmine, ultimately from a poetic word meaning "night".
ROXANA f English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latin form of
Ρωξανη (Roxane), the Greek form of the Persian or Bactrian name
روشنک (Roshanak), which meant "bright" or "dawn". This was the name of Alexander the Great's first wife, a daughter of the Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes. In the modern era it came into use during the 17th century. In the English-speaking world it was popularized by Daniel Defoe, who used it in his novel 'Roxana' (1724).
SEPTEMBER f & m English (Rare)From the name of the ninth month (though it means "seventh month" in Latin, since it was originally the seventh month of the Roman year), which is sometimes used as a given name for someone born in September.
SHIZUKA f JapaneseFrom Japanese
静 (shizu) meaning "quiet" combined with
夏 (ka) meaning "summer" or
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance". Other kanji combinations are possible.
SOSIGENES m Ancient GreekMeans "born safely" from Greek
σως (sos) "safe, whole, unwounded" and
γενης (genes) "born". This was the name of an astronomer from Alexandria employed by Julius Caesar to correct the Roman calendar.
SPRING f EnglishFrom the name of the season, ultimately from Old English
springan "to leap, to burst forth".
SUMMER f EnglishFrom the name of the season, ultimately from Old English
sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.
SUNDAY f EnglishFrom the name of the day of the week, which ultimately derives from Old English
sunnandæg, which was composed of the elements
sunne "sun" and
dæg "day".
USHAS f HinduismMeans "dawn" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of the dawn, considered the daughter of heaven.
VERNA f EnglishFeminine form of
VERNON, sometimes associated with the Latin word
vernus "spring". It has been in use since the 19th century.
VESPASIAN m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Vespasianus, derived either from Latin
vesper meaning "west" or "evening" or
vespa meaning "wasp". This was the name of a 1st-century Roman emperor, Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the founder of the Flavian dynasty.