AELIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was possibly derived from the Greek word
‘ηλιος (helios) meaning "sun". This was the family name of the Roman emperor Hadrian.
AMBER f English, DutchFrom the English word
amber that denotes either the gemstone, which is formed from fossil resin, or the orange-yellow colour. The word ultimately derives from Arabic
عنبر ('anbar). It began to be used as a given name in the late 19th century, but it only became popular after the release of Kathleen Winsor's novel 'Forever Amber' (1944).
AUREA f Late RomanLate Latin name that was derived from
aureus "golden". This was the name of a 3rd-century saint from Ostia (near Rome), as well as an 11th-century Spanish saint.
AURELIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was derived from Latin
aureus "golden, gilded". Marcus Aurelius was a 2nd-century Roman emperor and philosophical writer. This was also the name of several early saints.
AUREOLE f English (Rare)From the English word meaning "radiant halo", ultimately derived from Latin
aureolus "golden".
BLAINE m EnglishFrom a Scottish surname that was derived from the given name
Bláán, which meant "yellow" in Gaelic. Saint Bláán was a 6th-century missionary to the Picts.
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.
BOGLÁRKA f HungarianMeans "buttercup" in Hungarian, derived from the archaic word
boglár meaning "ornament".
CAPUCINE f FrenchMeans "nasturtium" in French. This was the stage name of the French actress and model Capucine (1928-1990).
CRESSIDA f LiteratureMedieval form of
CHRYSEIS. Various medieval tales describe her as a woman of Troy, daughter of Calchus, who leaves her Trojan lover Troilus for the Greek hero Diomedes. Shakespeare's play 'Troilus and Cressida' (1602) was based on these tales.
DAFFODIL f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, ultimately derived from Dutch
de affodil meaning "the asphodel".
DARDAN m AlbanianFrom the name of the Dardani, an Illyrian tribe who lived on the Balkan Peninsula. Their name may derive from an Illyrian word meaning "pear". They were unrelated to the ancient people who were also called the Dardans who lived near Troy.
ELECTRA f Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Ηλεκτρα (Elektra), derived from
ηλεκτρον (elektron) meaning "amber". In Greek myth she was the daughter of
Agamemnon and
Clytemnestra and the sister of
Orestes. She helped her brother kill their mother and her lover Aegisthus in vengeance for Agamemnon's murder. Also in Greek mythology, this name was borne by one of the Pleiades, who were the daughters of
Atlas and Pleione.
EURWEN f WelshDerived from Welsh
aur "gold" and
gwen "white, fair, blessed".
FLAVIUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name meaning "golden" or "yellow-haired" from Latin
flavus "yellow, golden". Flavius was the family name of the 1st-century Roman emperors Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. It was used as a personal name by several later emperors, notably by
Constantine.
FULVIO m ItalianItalian form of the Roman family name
Fulvius, which was derived from Latin
fulvus "yellow, tawny".
GARDENIA f English (Rare)From the name of the tropical flower, which was named for the Scottish naturalist Alexander Garden (1730-1791).
GOLDA f YiddishFrom Yiddish
גאָלד (gold) meaning "gold". This is the name of Tevye's wife in the musical 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1964). It was also borne by the Israeli prime minister Golda Meir (1898-1978).
GOLDIE (1) f EnglishFrom a nickname for a person with blond hair, from the English word
gold.
GWENLLIAN f WelshDerived from the Welsh elements
gwen meaning "white, fair, blessed" and
llian meaning "flaxen". This name was popular among medieval Welsh royalty. It was borne by the 14th-century daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.
HARI m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, NepaliMeans "brown, yellow, tawny" in Sanskrit, and by extension "monkey, horse, lion". This is another name of the Hindu god
Vishnu, and sometimes of
Krishna. It is also borne by the son of the Garuda, the bird-like mount of Vishnu.
HELIOS m Greek MythologyMeans "sun" in Greek. This was the name of the young Greek sun god, a Titan, who rode across the sky each day in a chariot pulled by four horses. His sister was the moon goddess
Selene.
JONQUIL f English (Rare)From the English word for the type of flower, derived ultimately from Latin
iuncus "reed".
KETUT m & f Indonesian, BalinesePossibly from a Balinese word meaning "small banana". This name is traditionally given to the fourth child.
KEZIAH f BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
קְצִיעָה (Qetzi'ah) meaning "cassia, cinnamon", from the name of the spice tree. In the Old Testament she is a daughter of Job.
KIZZY f EnglishDiminutive of
KEZIAH. This particular spelling was repopularized in the late 1970s by a character in the book and miniseries 'Roots'.
NARCISSE m & f FrenchFrench masculine and feminine form of
NARCISSUS. This is also the French word for the narcissus flower.
NGAIRE f MaoriPossibly from the name of the town of
Ngaere in New Zealand, of Maori origin meaning "wetland".
NUBIA f VariousFrom the name of the ancient region and kingdom in Africa, south of Egypt. It possibly derives from the Egyptian word
nbw meaning "gold".
NURIT f HebrewMeans "buttercup flower" in Hebrew (genus Ranunculus).
ODELL m & f EnglishFrom a surname that was originally from an English place name, itself derived from Old English
wad "woad" (a plant that produces a blue dye) and
hyll "hill".
ODHRÁN m IrishMeans "little pale green one", derived from Irish
odhra "pale green, sallow" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a saint who travelled with Saint Columba through Scotland.
ORIANA f Italian, SpanishPossibly derived from Latin
aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish
oro or French
or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight Amadis.
PITAMBARA m HinduismDerived from Sanskrit
पीत (pita) meaning "yellow" and
अम्बर (ambara) meaning "garment". This is another name of the Hindu gods
Vishnu or
Krishna, given to them because yellow clothing is traditionally worn at religious events.
SAFFRON f English (Rare)From the English word that refers either to a spice, the crocus flower from which it is harvested, or the yellow-orange colour of the spice. It is derived via Old French from Arabic
زعفران (za'faran), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".
SORIN m RomanianPossibly derived from Romanian
soare meaning "sun".
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.
SUNNY f & m EnglishFrom the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".
TANSY f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, which is derived via Old French from Late Latin
tanacita.
TAWNY f English (Modern)From the English word, ultimately deriving from Old French
tané, which means "light brown".
TOPAZ f English (Rare)From the English word for the yellow precious stone, the birthstone of November, ultimately derived from Greek
τοπαζος (topazos).
VANNA (2) f & m KhmerMeans "golden" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit.
XANTHIPPE f Ancient GreekFeminine form of
XANTHIPPOS. This was the name of the wife of
Socrates. Because of her supposedly argumentative nature, the name has been adopted (in the modern era) as a word for a scolding, ill-tempered woman.
ZARATHUSTRA m HistoryPossibly means "golden camel" in Old Iranian, derived from
zarat meaning "golden" combined with
ushtra meaning "camel". Zarathustra was the Persian prophet who founded the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism about the 10th century BC.