ELEONORAfItalian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, GreekCognate of
ELEANOR.
ELMOmEnglish, German, ItalianOriginally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element
helm meaning "helmet, protection". It is also a derivative of
ERASMUS, via the old Italian diminutive
Ermo. Saint Elmo, also known as Saint Erasmus, was a 4th-century martyr who is the patron of sailors. Saint Elmo's fire is said to be a sign of his protection.
EMIDIOmItalianFrom the Late Latin name
Emygdius, which was possibly a Latinized form of a Gaulish name (of unknown meaning). Saint Emygdius was a 3rd-century bishop and martyr, the patron saint against earthquakes.
EMILIANOmSpanish, ItalianSpanish and Italian form of the Roman cognomen
Aemilianus, which was itself derived from the family name
Aemilius (see
EMIL).
EMMAfEnglish, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Dutch, German, 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] ENNIOmItalianItalian form of the Roman family name
Ennius which is of unknown meaning. Quintus Ennius was an early Roman poet.
ENRICOmItalianItalian form of
HENRY. Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) was an Italian physicist who did work on the development of the nuclear bomb.
ENZOmItalianThe meaning of this name is uncertain. In some cases it seems to be an old Italian form of
HEINZ, though in other cases it could be a variant of the Germanic name
ANZO. In modern times it is also used as a short form of names ending in
enzo, such as
VINCENZO or
LORENZO.
EPIFANIOmSpanish, ItalianFrom the Latin name
Epiphanius, which was from the Greek name
Επιφανιος (Epiphanios), itself derived from the Greek word
επιφανεια (epiphaneia) meaning "appearance, manifestation". This name was borne by a few early saints. It is associated with the event known in English as the Epiphany (Spanish
Epifanía, Italian
Epifania, Latin
Epiphania), the coming of the three Magi to visit the infant
Jesus.
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.
ERMETEmItalianDerived from
Hermetis, the Latin genitive form of
HERMES, the name of the Greek messenger god.
EUSTORGIOmItalianFrom
Eustorgius, the Latin form of the Greek name
Ευστοργιος (Eustorgios), which was from the word
ευστοργος (eustorgos) meaning "content", a derivative of
ευ (eu) "good" and
στεργω (stergo) "to love, to be content". Saint Eustorgius was a 6th-century bishop of Milan.
EVAfSpanish, Italian, Portuguese, English, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Greek, Slovene, Bulgarian, Croatian, Russian, Georgian, Old Church Slavic, Biblical LatinLatinate form of
EVE. This form is used in the Latin translation of the New Testament, while
Hava is used in the Latin Old Testament. It is also a variant transcription of Russian
YEVA. This name appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.
FAUSTINOmSpanish, Italian, PortugueseSpanish, Italian and Portuguese form of the Roman cognomen
Faustinus, which was itself derived from the Roman name
FAUSTUS. Faustinus was the name of several early saints.
FEDERICOmSpanish, ItalianSpanish and Italian form of
FREDERICK. Spanish poet Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) and Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (1920-1993) are famous bearers of this name.
FERRUCCIOmItalianDerived from the Late Latin name
Ferrutius, a derivative of
ferrum meaning "iron, sword". Saint Ferrutius was a 3rd-century martyr with his brother Ferreolus.
FIAMMETTAfItalianDerived from Italian
fiamma "fire" combined with a diminutive suffix.
FINAfItalianShort form of
SERAFINA. Saint Fina, also known as Saint Serafina, was a 13th-century girl from the town of San Gimignano in Italy.
FIOREf & mItalianMeans "flower" in Italian. It can also be considered an Italian form of the Latin names
FLORA and
FLORUS.
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.
FORTUNATOmItalian, Spanish, PortugueseItalian, Spanish and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name
Fortunatus meaning "fortunate, blessed, happy". This was the name of several early saints and martyrs.
FREDIANOmItalianItalian form of the Roman name
Frigidianus, which was derived from Latin
frigidus "cold". This was the name of a 6th-century Irish bishop who made a pilgrimage to Rome and settled as a hermit on Mount Pisano.
FULVIOmItalianItalian form of the Roman family name
Fulvius, which was derived from Latin
fulvus "yellow, tawny".
GAETANOmItalianItalian form of the Latin name
Caietanus, which meant "from Caieta". Caieta (now called Gaeta) was a town in ancient Italy, its name deriving either from
Kaiadas, the name a Greek location where prisoners were executed, or else from
Caieta, the name of the nurse of Aeneas. Saint Gaetano was a 16th-century Italian priest who founded the Theatines.
GAIAfGreek Mythology, ItalianFrom the Greek word
γαια (gaia), a parallel form of
γη (ge) meaning "earth". In Greek mythology Gaia was the mother goddess who presided over the earth. She was the mate of
Uranus and the mother of the Titans and the Cyclopes.
GAVINOmItalianFrom the Late Latin name
Gabinus, which possibly referred to the ancient city of Gabii in central Italy. Saint Gavino was martyred in Sardinia in the 3rd century.
GILDAfItalian, PortugueseOriginally an Italian short form of names containing the Germanic element
gild meaning "sacrifice, value".
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".
GINOmItalianItalian short form of names ending in
gino.
GIOCONDAfItalianFrom the Late Latin name
Iucunda which meant "pleasant, delightful, happy". Leonardo da Vinci's painting the 'Mona Lisa' is also known as 'La Gioconda' because its subject is Lisa del Giocondo.
GIOTTOmItalianPossibly from
Ambrogiotto, a diminutive of
AMBROGIO, or
Angiolotto, a diminutive of
ANGIOLO. This name was borne by Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337), an Italian painter and architect.
GIOVANNImItalianItalian form of
Iohannes (see
JOHN). The Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516) and the painter and sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) were two famous bearers of this name.
GIUSEPPEmItalianItalian form of
JOSEPH. Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) was a military leader who united Italy in the 19th century.
GLORIAfEnglish, Spanish, Italian, GermanMeans "glory", from the Portuguese and Spanish titles of the Virgin
Mary Maria da Glória and
María de Gloria. Maria da Glória (1819-1853) was the daughter of the Brazilian emperor Pedro I, eventually becoming queen of Portugal as Maria II.
... [more] GUIDOmItalian, GermanLatinized form of
WIDO. This was the name of two 11th-century saints. Other notable bearers include 11th-century music theorist Guido d'Arezzo, 13th-century poet Guido Cavalcanti, and 17th-century painter Guido Reni.
IDAfEnglish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Slovene, Croatian, Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic element
id meaning "work, labour". The Normans brought this name to England, though it eventually died out there in the Middle Ages. It was strongly revived in the 19th century, in part due to the heroine in Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem 'The Princess' (1847), which was later adapted into the play 'Princess Ida' (1884) by Gilbert and Sullivan.
... [more] IGORm & fRussian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Italian, PortugueseRussian form of
Yngvarr (see
INGVAR). The Varangians brought it to Russia in the 10th century. It was borne by two grand princes of Kiev. Famous bearers include Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), a Russian composer whose most famous work is 'The Rite of Spring', and Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972), the Russian-American designer of the first successful helicopter.
ILEANAfRomanian, Spanish, ItalianPossibly a Romanian variant of
ELENA. In Romanian folklore this is the name of a princess kidnapped by monsters and rescued by a heroic knight.
IRENEfEnglish, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Dutch, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Ειρηνη (Eirene), derived from a word meaning "peace". This was the name of the Greek goddess who personified peace, one of the
‘Ωραι (Horai). It was also borne by several early Christian saints. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, notably being borne by an 8th-century empress, who was the first woman to lead the empire. She originally served as regent for her son, but later had him killed and ruled alone.
... [more] IRMAfGerman, English, Dutch, Finnish, Spanish, Italian, Georgian, Lithuanian, Hungarian (Rare), Ancient GermanicGerman short form of names beginning with the Germanic element
ermen, which meant "whole, universal". It is thus related to
EMMA. It began to be regularly used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century.
ISABELLAfItalian, German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, RomanianLatinate form of
ISABEL. This name was borne by many medieval royals, including queen consorts of England, France, Portugal, the Holy Roman Empire and Hungary, as well as the powerful ruling queen Isabella of Castile (properly called
Isabel).
IVANmRussian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Macedonian, Slovene, English, Italian, Danish, Swedish, NorwegianNewer form of the old Slavic name
Іѡаннъ (Ioannu), which was derived from Greek
Ioannes (see
JOHN). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote 'Fathers and Sons', and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.
IVO (1)mGerman, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Ancient GermanicGermanic name, originally a short form of names beginning with the Germanic element
iv meaning "yew". Alternative theories suggest that it may in fact be derived from a cognate Celtic element. This was the name of several saints (who are also commonly known as Saint
Yves or
Ives).
JESSICAfEnglish, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, 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. Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) and Jessica Lange (1949-).
LARA (1)fRussian, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, CroatianRussian short form of
LARISA. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by a character from Boris Pasternak's novel 'Doctor Zhivago' (1957) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1965).
LAURAfEnglish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Late RomanFeminine form of the Late Latin name
Laurus, which meant "laurel". This meaning was favourable, since in ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors' garlands. The name was borne by the 9th-century Spanish martyr Saint Laura, who was a nun thrown into a vat of molten lead by the Moors. It was also the name of the subject of poems by the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch.
... [more] LENAfSwedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Polish, Russian, English, Italian, Portuguese, GreekShort form of names ending in
lena, such as
HELENA,
MAGDALENA or
YELENA.
LEONARDOmItalian, Spanish, PortugueseItalian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
LEONARD. A notable bearer was Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), an Italian artist and scientist of the Renaissance. He is also known as the inventor of several contraptions, including flying machines, as well as the painter of the 'Mona Lisa'. Another famous bearer was Leonardo Fibonacci, a 13th-century Italian mathematician. A more recent bearer is American actor Leonardo DiCaprio (1974-).
LINDAfEnglish, Dutch, German, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, French, Latvian, Finnish, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Ancient GermanicOriginally a medieval short form of Germanic names containing the element
lind meaning "flexible, soft, mild". It also coincides with the Spanish and Portuguese word
linda meaning "beautiful".
LISAfEnglish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, ItalianShort form of
ELIZABETH,
ELISABETH,
ELISABET or
ELISABETTA. This is the name of the subject of one of the world's most famous paintings, the 'Mona Lisa', the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo by Leonardo da Vinci.