AISTĖ f LithuanianFrom the name of the Baltic tribe of the Aesti, mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus, called the
Aisçiai in Lithuanian.
ALBINA f Russian, Ukrainian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Slovene, Polish, German, Lithuanian, Belarusian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
ALBINUS. This was the name of a few early saints, including a 3rd-century martyr from Caesarea.
ALDONA f Lithuanian, PolishMeaning unknown. This was the name of a 14th-century Polish queen, the daughter of a Grand Duke of Lithuania.
ALEKSANDRA f Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Serbian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Estonian, Latvian, LithuanianForm of
ALEXANDRA in several languages.
ALGIRDAS m LithuanianPossibly from the Baltic elements
al "each" and
girdas "rumour, news". This was the name of a 14th-century Grand Duke of Lithuania.
ARŪNAS m LithuanianDerived from poetic Lithuanian
aras meaning "eagle" combined with the patronymic suffix
ūnas.
BIRUTĖ f LithuanianPossibly from Lithuanian
birti meaning
"to scatter, to pour out" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by the mother of the 15th-century Grand Duke
Vytautas of Lithuania.
DAIVA f LithuanianCreated by the Lithuanian writer Vydūnas, who possibly derived it from a Sanskrit word meaning
"destiny".
DALIA (2) f Lithuanian, Baltic MythologyMeans
"fate, luck" in Lithuanian. This was the name of the Lithuanian goddess of weaving, fate and childbirth, often associated with Laima.
DANUTĖ f LithuanianMeaning uncertain, possibly a feminine form of
DANIEL. It is found in Lithuania from at least 14th century, being borne by a sister of Vytautas the Great.
DARIUS m English, Lithuanian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical LatinRoman form of
Δαρεῖος (Dareios), which was the Greek form of the Persian name
Dārayavahush meaning
"possessing goodness", composed of the elements
dâraya "to possess" and
vahu "good". Three ancient kings of Persia bore this name, including Darius the Great who expanded the Achaemenid Empire to its greatest extent. His forces invaded Greece but were defeated in the Battle of Marathon.
... [more] DAUMANTAS m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
daug "much" and
mantus "intelligent". This name was borne by a 13th-century Lithuanian ruler of Pskov who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
DIANA f English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Roman MythologyProbably derived from an old Indo-European root meaning
"heavenly, divine", related to
dyeus (see
ZEUS). Diana was a Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests, and childbirth, often identified with the Greek goddess
Artemis.
... [more] EGLĖ f LithuanianMeans
"spruce tree" in Lithuanian. In a Lithuanian folk tale Eglė is a young woman who marries a grass snake. At the end of the tale she turns herself into a spruce.
ELENA f Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovak, Lithuanian, Russian, Greek, German, English, Medieval SlavicForm of
HELEN used in various languages, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian
Елена (see
YELENA).
GABIJA f Lithuanian, Baltic MythologyProbably from Lithuanian
gaubti meaning
"to cover". In Lithuanian mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire and the home.
GINTAUTAS m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
ginti meaning "to defend" and
tauta meaning "people, nation".
IEVA f Lithuanian, LatvianLithuanian and Latvian form of
EVE. This is also the Lithuanian and Latvian word for a type of cherry tree (species Prunus padus).
INGA f Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Estonian, Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian, German, Polish, Russian, Ancient Scandinavian, Ancient GermanicStrictly feminine form of
INGE.
IRMA f German, 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.
JŪRATĖ f LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
jūra meaning
"sea". This is the name of a sea goddess who falls in love with a fisherman in the Lithuanian folk tale
Jūratė and Kastytis.
KĘSTUTIS m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
kęsti meaning
"to cope, to endure" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 14th-century ruler of Lithuania.
KRISTINA f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian, German, Slovene, Czech, Lithuanian, Serbian, Croatian, Faroese, English, BulgarianForm of
CHRISTINA in several languages. It is also an English variant of
CHRISTINA and a Bulgarian variant of
HRISTINA.
LAIMA f Lithuanian, Latvian, Baltic MythologyFrom Latvian
laime and Lithuanian
laima, which mean
"luck, fate". This was the name of the Latvian and Lithuanian goddess of fate, luck, pregnancy and childbirth. She was the sister of the goddesses Dēkla and Kārta, who were also associated with fate.
LAURA f English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Lithuanian, Latvian, 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] LINAS m LithuanianLithuanian form of
LINUS. This is also the Lithuanian word for "flax" (a cognate of the name's root).
MANTAS m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
mantus meaning
"intelligent". Herkus Mantas was a 13th-century Prussian hero who fought against the Teutonic Knights.
MARIUS m Ancient Roman, Romanian, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, French, LithuanianRoman family name that was derived either from
MARS, the name of the Roman god of War, or else from the Latin root
mas, maris meaning
"male". Gaius Marius was a famous Roman consul of the 2nd century BC. Since the start of the Christian era, it has occasionally been used as a masculine form of
MARIA.
MINDAUGAS m LithuanianPossibly from Lithuanian
mintis "thought" or
minti "remember" combined with
daug "much". This was the name of a 13th-century ruler of Lithuania.
MONIKA f German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Lithuanian, LatvianForm of
MONICA used in various languages.
NIJOLĖ f LithuanianMeaning unknown. This was possibly the name of a Lithuanian goddess of the underworld (according to Teodor Narbutt).
RAMŪNAS m LithuanianDerived from Lithuanian
ramus meaning
"calm" combined with the patronymic suffix
ūnas.
REGINA f English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late RomanMeans
"queen" in Latin (or Italian). It was in use as a Christian name from early times, and was borne by a 2nd-century saint. In England it was used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Virgin
Mary, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A city in Canada bears this name, in honour of Queen Victoria.
RIMANTAS m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
rimti meaning "to calm" and
mantus meaning "intelligent".
RITA f Italian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese, Latvian, LithuanianShort form of
MARGHERITA and other names ending in
rita. A famous bearer was American actress Rita Hayworth (1918-1987).
RŪTA f Lithuanian, LatvianMeans
"rue" in Lithuanian, the rue plant being a bitter medicinal herb that is a national symbol of Lithuania. This is also the Lithuanian and Latvian form of
RUTH (1).
SANDRA f Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, RomanianShort form of
ALESSANDRA. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by author George Meredith, who used it for the heroine in his novel
Emilia in England (1864) and the reissued version
Sandra Belloni (1887). A famous bearer is the American actress Sandra Bullock (1964-).
SMILTĖ f LithuanianMeans
"sandwort" in Lithuanian, referring to flowering plants from the genus Arenaria.
TAMARA f Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Hungarian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, GeorgianRussian form of
TAMAR. Russian performers such as Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978), Tamara Drasin (1905-1943), Tamara Geva (1907-1997) and Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) introduced it to the English-speaking world. It was also borne by the Polish cubist painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980).
VERONIKA f Russian, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Lithuanian, LatvianForm of
VERONICA in several languages.
VYTAUTAS m LithuanianFrom the Baltic element
vyti- "chase, drive away" or
vyd- "see" combined with
tauta "people, nation". This was the name of a 15th-century Grand Duke of Lithuania, revered as a national hero in that country.
ŽYDRŪNAS m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
žydra meaning
"light blue" (using the patronymic suffix
ūnas).