Balthasar's Personal Name List
Abdiou
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Ἀβδιού(Ancient Greek)
Acanthe
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Gallicized)
Aciano
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ah-see-AH-no
Means "the blue bottle flower" in Spanish.
Adalhard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Derived from the Old German elements
adal "noble" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy".
Saint Adalhard or Adalard was a cousin of
Charlemagne who became an abbot of Corbie.
Adaline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AD-ə-lien
Adán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: a-DHAN
Adea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Emilian-Romagnol
Adelaide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: A-də-layd(English) a-deh-LIE-deh(Italian) a-di-LIE-di(European Portuguese) a-di-LIED(European Portuguese) a-deh-LIE-dee(Brazilian Portuguese)
Means
"nobleness, nobility", from the French form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis, which was composed of
adal "noble" and the suffix
heit "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by
Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great.
In Britain the parallel form Alice, derived via Old French, has historically been more common than Adelaide, though this form did gain some currency in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.
Adelmar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Aderyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Means "bird" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
Adhelm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the Old German elements
atto meaning "father" and
helm meaning "helmet, protection".
Aeneas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: ie-NEH-as(Latin) i-NEE-əs(English)
Latin form of the Greek name
Αἰνείας (Aineias), derived from Greek
αἴνη (aine) meaning
"praise". In Greek legend he was a son of
Aphrodite and was one of the chief heroes who defended Troy from the Greeks. The Roman poet
Virgil continued his story in the
Aeneid, in which Aeneas travels to Italy and founds the Roman state.
Aeres
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: Similar to English Iris
Allegedly directly taken from Welsh aeres "heiress". Seems restricted to the Carmarthen district, in South Wales.
Agnabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Friulian (Archaic), Hungarian (Rare)
Aistė
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
From the name of the Baltic tribe of the Aesti, mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus, called the Aisçiai in Lithuanian.
Alafair
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Romani
Pronounced: AL-ə-fer(English)
Alastríona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: ə-ləs-TRYEE-nə, A-ləs-tryee-nə
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Alban
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, French, Albanian, English (Rare)
Pronounced: AL-ban(German) AL-BAHN(French) AL-bən(English) AWL-bən(English)
From the Roman
cognomen Albanus, which meant
"from Alba". Alba (from Latin
albus "white") was the name of various places within the Roman Empire, including the city Alba Longa. This name was borne by
Saint Alban, the first British martyr (4th century). According to tradition, he sheltered a fugitive priest in his house. When his house was searched, he disguised himself as the priest, was arrested in his stead, and was beheaded. Another 4th-century martyr by this name was Saint Alban of Mainz.
As an English name, Alban was occasionally used in the Middle Ages and was revived in the 18th century, though it is now uncommon.
Alcibiades
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀλκιβιάδης(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: al-kee-BEE-a-dehs(Latin) al-sə-BIE-ə-deez(English)
Latinized form of the Greek name
Ἀλκιβιάδης (Alkibiades), derived from
ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength, prowess" and
βία (bia) meaning "force" with the patronymic suffix
ἴδης (ides). This was the name of a notable Greek statesman and general during the Peloponnesian War. He changed allegiance from Athens to Sparta and back again during the course of the war. He features in Shakespeare's tragedy
Timon of Athens (1607).
Aldara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Galician
Galician form of the Visigothic name *
Hildiwara, which was composed of the Gothic elements
hilds "battle" and
wars "aware, cautious". This was the name of the 7th-century wife of the Visigothic king Gundemar. It was also borne by the mother of
Saint Rosendo (10th century).
Aldric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare), Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AL-DREEK(French)
From a Germanic name, derived from the elements
alt "old" and
rih "ruler, king".
Saint Aldric was a 9th-century bishop of Le Mans.
Alistair
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: AL-i-stər(English)
Alix
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-LEEKS
Medieval French variant of
Alice, also sometimes used as a masculine name. This is the name of the hero (a young Gaulish man) of a French comic book series, which debuted in 1948.
Alizée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Modern)
Pronounced: A-LEE-ZEH
From French alizé meaning "trade wind".
Alois
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Czech
Pronounced: A-lois
Aloys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, German, German (Silesian)
Pronounced: AH-lois(German, Silesian German)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
German variant and Silesian German form of
Alois, and Dutch short form of
Aloysius.
Alzina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare, Archaic)
From the Catalan word alzina, meaning "holm oak".
Amalric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gothic (Anglicized) [1]
Other Scripts: 𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃(Gothic)
Pronounced: AM-əl-rik(English) ə-MAL-rik(English)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
From the Visigothic name *
Amalareiks, derived from the Gothic element
amals meaning "unceasing, vigorous, brave", also referring to the royal dynasty of the Amali, combined with
reiks meaning "ruler, king". This was the name of a 6th-century king of the Visigoths, as well as two 12th-century rulers of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Amaya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque, Spanish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: a-MA-ya(Spanish) ə-MIE-ə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Variant of
Amaia.
In America, this name was popularized in 1999 by a contestant on the reality television series The Real World [1].
Ambrose
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AM-broz
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the Late Latin name
Ambrosius, which was derived from the Greek name
Ἀμβρόσιος (Ambrosios) meaning
"immortal".
Saint Ambrose was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Milan, who is considered a Doctor of the Church. Due to the saint, the name came into general use in Christian Europe, though it was never particularly common in England.
Amelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic (Maghrebi, Gallicized), French
Gallicized feminine form of
Amel 2, ultimately from the Arabic
Amal 1.
Andrada
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Possibly a feminine form of
Andrei.
Andrea 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Croatian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Андреа(Serbian)
Pronounced: AN-dree-ə(English) an-DREH-a(German, Spanish) AN-dreh-a(Czech, Slovak) AWN-dreh-aw(Hungarian)
Feminine form of
Andrew. As an English name, it has been used since the 17th century, though it was not common until the 20th century.
Annika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Dutch, Finnish, Estonian, German, English (Modern)
Pronounced: AN-ni-ka(Swedish) AH-nee-ka(Dutch) AHN-nee-kah(Finnish) A-nee-ka(German) AN-i-kə(English) AHN-i-kə(English)
Ann-Kristin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian
Anselm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English (Rare), Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AN-zelm(German) AN-selm(English)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Derived from the Old German elements
ansi "god" and
helm "helmet, protection". This name was brought to England in the late 11th century by
Saint Anselm, who was born in northern Italy. He was archbishop of Canterbury and a Doctor of the Church.
Anwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Means
"very beautiful" in Welsh, from the intensive prefix
an- combined with
gwen "white, blessed".
Anwyll
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Obscure (Modern, Rare)
From the Welsh word annwyl, which means "dear" or "darling".
Aoife
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: EE-fyə(Irish)
From Old Irish
Aífe, derived from
oíph meaning
"beauty" (modern Irish
aoibh). This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including a woman at war with
Scáthach (her sister in some versions). She was defeated in single combat by the hero
Cúchulainn, who spared her life on the condition that she bear him a child (
Connla). Another legendary figure by this name appears in the
Children of Lir as the jealous third wife of
Lir.
This name is sometimes Anglicized as Eve or Eva.
Ardalion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Greek, Georgian (Rare), Russian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Ἀρδάλιον(Ancient Greek) არდალიონ(Georgian) Ардалион(Russian)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Probably derived from Greek
ἀρδάλιον (ardalion) meaning
"water pot". This was the name of a 4th-century
saint and martyr from Asia Minor.
Arena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Modern, Rare), Catalan (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: a-REH-na(Spanish) ə-REH-nə(Catalan)
Means "sand" in Spanish and Catalan. The word is derived from Latin arēna, harēna, from the earlier form *hasēna, which may be Etruscan in origin.
Arianwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: ar-YAN-wehn
Derived from Welsh
arian "silver" and
gwen "white, blessed". This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh
saint, one of the supposed daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Arkady
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Аркадий(Russian)
Pronounced: ur-KA-dyee
Armand
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Catalan
Pronounced: AR-MAHN(French) ər-MAN(Catalan)
French and Catalan form of
Herman.
Armas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: AHR-mahs
Means "beloved" in Finnish (an archaic poetic word).
Armelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AR-MEHL
Árpád
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: AR-pad
From Hungarian árpa meaning "barley". This was the name of a 9th-century Magyar ruler who led his people into Hungary. He is considered a Hungarian national hero.
Åse
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
Pronounced: O-seh(Swedish)
Norwegian form of
Åsa, as well as a Swedish and Danish variant. It was used by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen in his play
Peer Gynt (1867), where it belongs to the mother of the title character.
Asena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romani
Either an adoption of Turkish
Asena or a corruption of
Asenath.
Asier
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: a-SEE-ehr
Means "the beginning", from Basque hasi.
Asimina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ασημίνα(Greek)
Derived from Greek ασήμι
(asemi) meaning "silver", literally "without mark" from α
(a), a negative prefix, combined with σῆμα
(sema) "sign, mark, token". This name is sometimes regarded as a feminine form of
Asimakis.
Åsmund
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
Pronounced: AWS-moond
From the Old Norse name
Ásmundr, derived from the elements
áss "god" and
mundr "protection" (a
cognate of
Osmond).
Astrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, French, English
Pronounced: AS-strid(Swedish) AHS-tri(Norwegian) AS-trit(German) AS-TREED(French) AS-trid(English)
Modern Scandinavian form of
Ástríðr. This name was borne by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), the author of
Pippi Longstocking. It was also borne by a Swedish princess (1905-1935) who became the queen of Belgium as the wife of Leopold III.
August
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English
Pronounced: OW-guwst(German) OW-goost(Polish, Norwegian) OW-guyst(Swedish) AW-gəst(English)
German, Polish, Scandinavian and Catalan form of
Augustus. This was the name of three Polish kings.
As an English name it can also derive from the month of August, which was named for the Roman emperor Augustus.
Aurel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, German (Rare)
Pronounced: ow-REHL(German)
Aveza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Avis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-vis
Probably a Latinized form of the Germanic name
Aveza, which was derived from the element
awi, of unknown meaning. The
Normans introduced this name to England and it became moderately common during the Middle Ages, at which time it was associated with Latin
avis "bird".
Aymon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French, Medieval Occitan, Carolingian Cycle, Literature, French (Rare), Guernésiais
Pronounced: EH-MAWN(French)
French form of
Haimo. Also compare
Hamon.
However, it should be noted that there are sources that claim that the name Aymon is either a medieval French form of Raymond or the Occitan form of Raymond.
In medieval French literature, duke Aymon of Dordone is a fictional character who appears in several 'chansons de geste', such as Quatre Fils Aymon ("Four Sons of Aymon") from the late 12th century. He also appears in the Italian epic poem Orlando furioso (16th century), albeit under the name Amone.
Ayshea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: IE-shə(British English)
Possibly a variant transcription of
Aisha.
In Britain, this name was popularised in the early and mid 1970s by singer and actress Ayshea, also known as Ayshea Brough (1948-), who, at the time, appeared in the science fiction series 'UFO' (1970-71) and had her own TV show called 'Lift Off with Ayshea' (originally just 'Lift Off'), which lasted until 1974.
Azahar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Rare)
Pronounced: a-tha-AR(European Spanish) a-sa-AR(Latin American Spanish)
Means
"orange blossom" in Spanish, ultimately from Arabic
زهرة (zahrah) meaning "flower". It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora del Azahar, meaning "Our Lady of the Orange Blossom", because of the citrus trees that surround a church devoted to her near Murcia.
Bacchus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Βάκχος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: BAK-əs(English)
From Greek
Βάκχος (Bakchos), derived from
ἰάχω (iacho) meaning
"to shout". This was another name of the Greek god
Dionysos, and it was also the name that the Romans commonly used for him.
Beatrice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, English, Swedish, Romanian
Pronounced: beh-a-TREE-cheh(Italian) BEE-ə-tris(English) BEET-ris(English) BEH-ah-trees(Swedish) beh-ah-TREES(Swedish)
Italian form of
Beatrix. Beatrice Portinari (1266-1290) was the woman who was loved by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. She serves as Dante's guide through paradise in his epic poem the
Divine Comedy (1321). This is also the name of a character in Shakespeare's comedy
Much Ado About Nothing (1599), in which Beatrice and
Benedick are fooled into confessing their love for one another.
Bedivere
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
From the Welsh name
Bedwyr, possibly from
bedwen "birch" and
gwr "man". In Arthurian legends Bedivere was one of the original companions of King
Arthur. He first appears in early Welsh tales, and his story was later expanded by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century. He is the one who throws the sword Excalibur into the lake at the request of the dying Arthur.
Belén
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: beh-LEHN
Spanish form of
Bethlehem, the name of the town in Judah where King
David and
Jesus were born. The town's name is from Hebrew
בֵּית־לֶחֶם (Beit-lechem) meaning "house of bread".
Bellamy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
From an English surname derived from Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".
Bereza
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Slavic
Other Scripts: Береза(Church Slavic)
Derived from medieval Slavic береза (bereza) meaning "birch tree".
Bernard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Polish, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: bər-NAHRD(American English) BU-nəd(British English) BEHR-NAR(French) BEHR-nahrt(Dutch) BEHR-nart(Polish, Croatian, Czech)
Derived from the Old German element
bern "bear" combined with
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". The
Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English
cognate Beornheard. This was the name of several
saints, including Saint Bernard of Menthon who built hospices in the Swiss Alps in the 10th century, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century theologian and Doctor of the Church. Other famous bearers include the Irish playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and the British World War II field marshal Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976).
Beryoza
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Soviet, Russian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Берёза(Russian)
Pronounced: byi-RYUY-zə(Russian)
Derived from the Russian noun берёза
(beryoza) meaning "birch tree". Also compare
Bereza, which is a medieval first name of the same etymological origin.
Originally predominantly a surname, Beryoza increased in popularity as a first name during the Soviet era, since a lot of Communist parents were eager to reject traditional names.
Bessarion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Greek
Other Scripts: Βησσαρίων(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Greek
βῆσσα (bessa) meaning
"wooded valley". This was the name of a 5th-century Egyptian hermit who was a disciple of
Saint Anthony the Great. It was later adopted by the scholar Basilios Bessarion (1403-1472), a Greek born in Byzantine Anatolia who became a Roman Catholic bishop.
Bisera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Бисера(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Derived from the South Slavic word
бисер (biser) meaning
"pearl" (ultimately of Arabic origin).
Bleddyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BLEDH-in
From Welsh
blaidd "wolf" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 11th-century king of Gwynedd and Powys.
Blythe
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BLIEDH
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From a surname meaning "cheerful" in Old English.
Boudicca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Brythonic (Latinized)
Pronounced: BOO-di-kə(English)
Derived from Brythonic
boud meaning
"victory" [1]. This was the name of a 1st-century queen of the Iceni who led the Britons in revolt against the Romans. Eventually her forces were defeated and she committed suicide. Her name is first recorded in Roman histories, as
Boudicca by Tacitus
[2] and
Βουδουῖκα (Boudouika) by Cassius Dio
[3].
Branwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: BRAN-wehn(Welsh)
Means
"white raven" from Old Welsh
bran "raven" and
gwen "white, blessed". According to the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi [1] she was the daughter of
Llŷr. After she was mistreated by her husband Matholwch, the king of Ireland, she managed to get a message to her brother
Brân, the king of Britain. Brân launched a costly invasion to rescue her, but she died of grief shortly after her return.
Breeshey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Manx
Pronounced: BREE-shə
Bridget
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: BRIJ-it(English)
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Brighid, Old Irish
Brigit, from old Celtic *
Brigantī meaning
"the exalted one". In Irish
mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom, the daughter of the god
Dagda. In the 5th century it was borne by
Saint Brigid, the founder of a monastery at Kildare and a patron saint of Ireland. Because of the saint, the name was considered sacred in Ireland, and it did not come into general use there until the 17th century. In the form
Birgitta this name has been common in Scandinavia, made popular by the 14th-century Saint Birgitta of Sweden, patron saint of Europe.
Brin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Slovene
Pronounced: BREEN
Means "juniper" in Slovene.
Bronwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BRAWN-wehn
Seemingly derived from Welsh
bron "breast" and
gwen "white, blessed", though it has sometimes occurred as a variant spelling of the legendary name
Branwen [1]. It has been used as a given name in Wales since the 19th century. It is borne by a character in Richard Llewellyn's 1939 novel
How Green Was My Valley, as well as the 1941 movie adaptation.
Brunhild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Germanic Mythology, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: BROON-hilt(German)
Derived from the Old German elements
brunna "armour, protection" and
hilt "battle". It is
cognate with the Old Norse name
Brynhildr (from the elements
brynja and
hildr). In Norse legend Brynhildr was the queen of the valkyries who was rescued by the hero
Sigurd. In the medieval German saga the
Nibelungenlied she was a queen of Iceland and the wife of
Gunther. Both of these characters were probably inspired by the eventful life of the 6th-century Frankish queen Brunhilda (of Visigothic birth).
In German, this name is spelled Brünhild in the Nibelungenlied, but normally Brunhild or Brunhilde when used as a given name.
Cadell
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare) [1]
From Old Welsh
Catell, derived from
cat "battle" and a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of two early kings of Powys in Wales.
Cadogan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Calix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare, Archaic)
Pronounced: KAY-liks
Callisto 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: kal-LEE-sto
Camané
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese
Pronounced: kah-mə-NEH
Short form of the compound name
Carlos Manuel, composed of
Ca- and
Mané. A known bearer is the Portuguese fado singer Camané (1966-), who was born Carlos Manuel Moutinho Paiva dos Santos Duarte.
Camilla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, German, Ancient Roman, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: kə-MIL-ə(English) ka-MEEL-la(Italian) kah-MEEL-lah(Danish) KAH-meel-lah(Finnish) ka-MI-la(German)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Camillus. This was the name of a legendary warrior maiden of the Volsci, as told by
Virgil in the
Aeneid. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Fanny Burney's novel
Camilla (1796).
Camino
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ka-MEE-no
Means "way, route; road; path" in Spanish, taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, La Virgen del Camino, meaning "The Virgin of the Way." She is the patroness of the region of León and the city of Pamplona in Navarra, forming part of the French Way to Santiago de Compostela.
Caramella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Feminine name derived from the word "caramel". Possibly also from the Italian surname
Caramella.
Caravanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romani (Archaic)
Carlotta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: kar-LAWT-ta
Carly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHR-lee
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Carl. A famous bearer is the American singer Carly Simon (1945-), who inspired a rise in popularity in this name in the 1970s.
Carmen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Italian, French, Romanian, German
Pronounced: KAR-mehn(Spanish, Italian) KAHR-mən(English)
Medieval Spanish form of
Carmel, appearing in the devotional title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora del Carmen meaning "Our Lady of Mount Carmel". The spelling has been altered through association with the Latin word
carmen meaning
"song". This was the name of the main character in George Bizet's opera
Carmen (1875).
Cassandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κασσάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-SAN-drə(English) kə-SAHN-drə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
From the Greek name
Κασσάνδρα (Kassandra), possibly derived from
κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning "to excel, to shine" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek
myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of
Priam and
Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by
Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.
In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.
Cassia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: KAS-see-a(Latin) KA-shə(English) KAS-ee-ə(English)
Rating: 80% based on 1 vote
Cassidy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAS-i-dee
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Caiside), which is derived from the byname
Caiside. Very rare as a given name before the 1970s, it established itself in the 80s and then surged in popularity during the 90s.
Cathalán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish
Ceallach
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: KYA-ləkh
From Old Irish
Cellach, of uncertain origin, traditionally said to mean
"bright-headed". Alternatively it could be derived from Old Irish
cellach "war, strife" or
cell "church". This name was borne by several early Irish kings and by a 12th-century
saint, an archbishop of Armagh.
Celeste
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, English
Pronounced: cheh-LEH-steh(Italian) theh-LEHS-teh(European Spanish) seh-LEHS-teh(Latin American Spanish) sə-LEST(English)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Italian feminine and masculine form of
Caelestis. It is also the Portuguese, Spanish and English feminine form.
Celyn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Means
"holly" in Welsh. It appears briefly in the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen [1], belonging to a son of Caw, but was not typically used as a given name until the 20th century.
Ceridwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: keh-RID-wehn
Possibly from
cyrrid "bent, crooked" (a derivative of Old Welsh
cwrr "corner") combined with
ben "woman" or
gwen "white, blessed". According to the medieval Welsh legend the
Tale of Taliesin (recorded by Elis Gruffyd in the 16th century) this was the name of a sorceress who created a potion that would grant wisdom to her son Morfan. The potion was instead consumed by her servant Gwion Bach, who was subsequently reborn as the renowned bard
Taliesin.
This name appears briefly in a poem in the Black Book of Carmarthen in the form Kyrridven [1] and in a poem in the Book of Taliesin in the form Kerrituen [2]. Some theories connect her to an otherwise unattested Celtic goddess of inspiration, and suppose her name is related to Welsh cerdd "poetry".
Chloe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Χλόη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KLO-ee(English)
Means
"green shoot" in Greek, referring to new plant growth in the spring. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Demeter. The name is also mentioned by
Paul in one of his epistles in the
New Testament.
As an English name, Chloe has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. It started getting more popular in the 1980s in the United Kingdom and then the United States. It was the most popular name for girls in England and Wales from 1997 to 2002. This is one of the few English-language names that is often written with a diaeresis, as Chloë.
Chrysanthemum
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: kris-AN-the-mum
Taken directly from the name of the flower, which is derived from Greek khrusos "gold" and anthemon "flower".
This name has been in occasional use from the 19th century onwards, making it one of the many Victorian flower names.
Citrine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare), French
Pronounced: sit-REEN(English) SIT-reen(English) SIT-REEN(French)
From the English word for a pale yellow variety of quartz that resembles topaz. From Old French
citrin, ultimately from Latin
citrus, "citron tree". It may also be related to the Yiddish
tsitrin, for "lemon tree."
It is one of the birthstones for November.
Claude
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KLOD(French) KLAWD(English)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
French masculine and feminine form of
Claudius. In France the masculine name has been common since the Middle Ages due to the 7th-century
Saint Claude of Besançon. It was imported to Britain in the 16th century by the aristocratic Hamilton family, who had French connections. A famous bearer of this name was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).
Clémentine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KLEH-MAHN-TEEN
French feminine form of
Clement. This is also the name of a variety of orange (fruit).
Colby
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KOL-bee
From an English surname, originally from various place names, derived from the Old Norse nickname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "town". As a given name, its popularity spiked in the United States and Canada in 2001 when Colby Donaldson (1974-) appeared on the reality television show Survivor.
Conrad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: KAHN-rad(English) KAWN-rat(German)
Means
"brave counsel", derived from the Old German elements
kuoni "brave" and
rat "counsel, advice". This was the name of a 10th-century
saint and bishop of Konstanz, in southern Germany. It was also borne by several medieval German kings and dukes, notably Conrad II, the first of the Holy Roman Emperors from the Salic dynasty. In England it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, but has only been common since the 19th century when it was reintroduced from Germany.
Constance
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: KAHN-stəns(English) KAWNS-TAHNS(French)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Medieval form of
Constantia. The
Normans introduced this name to England (it was the name of a daughter of William the Conqueror).
Coraline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, French
Pronounced: KAWR-ə-lien(English) KAW-RA-LEEN(French)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Created by the French composer Adolphe Adam for one of the main characters in his opera
Le Toréador (1849). He probably based it on the name
Coralie. It was also used by the author Neil Gaiman for the young heroine in his novel
Coraline (2002). Gaiman has stated that in this case the name began as a typo of
Caroline.
Corius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gaulish
Of unknown origin and meaning.
Cyneric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1][2]
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from Old English
cyne "royal" and
ric "ruler, king".
Cyprian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish, History (Ecclesiastical)
Pronounced: TSI-pryan(Polish) SIP-ree-ən(English)
From the Roman family name
Cyprianus, which meant
"from Cyprus".
Saint Cyprian was a 3rd-century bishop of Carthage and a martyr under the emperor Valerian.
Dacian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: da-chee-AN
Derived from Dacia, the old Roman name for the region that is now Romania and Moldova.
Dana 2
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAY-nə
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From a surname that is of unknown origin. It was originally given in honour of American lawyer Richard Henry Dana Jr. (1815-1882), the author of the memoir Two Years Before the Mast.
Danica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, English
Other Scripts: Даница(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: DA-nee-tsa(Serbian, Croatian) DA-nyee-tsa(Slovak) DAN-i-kə(English)
From a Slavic word meaning "morning star, Venus". This name occurs in Slavic folklore as a personification of the morning star. It has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world since the 1970s.
Deirdre
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: DIR-drə(English) DIR-dree(English) DYEHR-dryə(Irish)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Old Irish name
Derdriu, meaning unknown, possibly derived from
der meaning
"daughter". This was the name of a tragic character in Irish legend who died of a broken heart after
Conchobar, the king of Ulster, forced her to be his bride and killed her lover
Naoise.
It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 20th century, influenced by two plays featuring the character: William Butler Yeats' Deirdre (1907) and J. M. Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows (1910).
Delia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Δηλία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DEE-lee-ə(English) DEH-lya(Italian, Spanish) DEH-lee-a(Romanian)
Means
"of Delos" in Greek. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Artemis, given because she and her twin brother
Apollo were born on the island of Delos. The name appeared in several poems of the 16th and 17th centuries, and it has occasionally been used as a given name since that time.
Delphi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare, Archaic), Romani (Archaic)
Perhaps a diminutive of
Delphine or
Delphia, or a direct borrowing of the ancient Greek place name.
Demetria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek, English
Other Scripts: Δημητρία(Ancient Greek)
Derek
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHR-ik
From the older English name
Dederick, which was in origin a Low German form of
Theodoric. It was imported to England from the Low Countries in the 15th century.
Desdemona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: dehz-də-MO-nə(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek
δυσδαίμων (dysdaimon) meaning
"ill-fated". This is the name of the wife of
Othello in Shakespeare's play
Othello (1603).
Désirée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Dutch, German
Pronounced: DEH-ZEE-REH(French)
French form of
Desiderata. In part it is directly from the French word meaning "desired, wished".
Deva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Asturian, Galician, Spanish (Modern), Celtic Mythology
Pronounced: DEH-va(Asturian, Galician, Spanish) DEE-va(Celtic Mythology)
From the name of a river that flows through Asturias. It was named after Deva, the Celtic goddess of waters. Her name is derived from Celtic deva "goddess" or "divine", itself derived from Proto-Celtic *dēwā “goddess”.
Dolores
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English
Pronounced: do-LO-rehs(Spanish) də-LAWR-is(English)
Means
"sorrows", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, meaning "Our Lady of Sorrows". It has been used in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in America during the 1920s and 30s.
Dorin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: DO-reen
Dysmenziane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History, Thracian (Hellenized, ?)
Other Scripts: Δυσμενζιανή(Ancient Greek)
Etymology uncertain, possibly a Hellenized form (or corruption) of a Thracian name. This was one of the names attributed to the mother of the Byzantine emperor
Phocas, whose family were likely of Thraco-Roman origin.
Ebbot
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish (Modern)
Pronounced: EHB-ott
Ebbot is
Tobbe spelled backwards. It was popularized in Sweden by artist Ebbot Lundberg whose real name is
Torbjörn.
Eberhard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: EH-bu-hart(German)
Old German name meaning
"brave boar", derived from the elements
ebur "wild boar" and
hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This name was borne by an influential 9th-century Duke of Friuli. It was also the name of a 12th-century German
saint, an archbishop of Salzburg.
Edera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Albanian (Rare), Romanian (Rare), Maltese (Rare)
Means "ivy" in Italian, from Latin hedera "ivy", perhaps related to the Latin root -hendere "to grasp; to take; to cling onto".
Edgar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, German
Pronounced: EHD-gər(English) EHD-GAR(French)
Derived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
gar "spear". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, Edgar the Peaceful. The name did not survive long after the
Norman Conquest, but it was revived in the 18th century, in part due to a character by this name in Walter Scott's novel
The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), which tells of the tragic love between Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton
[1]. Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).
Edurne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: eh-DHOOR-neh
Means
"snow" in Basque, from
edur, a variant of
elur "snow". It is an equivalent of
Nieves, proposed by the writer Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque
saints names.
Edward
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Polish
Pronounced: EHD-wərd(English) EHD-vart(Polish)
Means
"rich guard", derived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
weard "guard". This was the name of several Anglo-Saxon kings, the last being
Saint Edward the Confessor shortly before the
Norman Conquest in the 11th century. He was known as a just ruler, and because of his popularity his name remained in use after the conquest when most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. The 13th-century Plantagenet king Henry III named his son and successor after the saint, and seven subsequent kings of England were also named Edward.
This is one of the few Old English names to be used throughout Europe (in various spellings). A famous bearer was the British composer Edward Elgar (1857-1934). It was also used by author Charlotte Brontë for the character Edward Rochester, the main love interest of the title character in her novel Jane Eyre (1847).
Eike
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Low German, German
Pronounced: IE-kə(German)
Originally a short form of
Ekkehard and other names beginning with the Old High German element
ekka, Old Saxon
eggia meaning
"edge, blade". This name was borne by Eike of Repgow, who compiled the law book the
Sachsenspiegel in the 13th century.
Eilís
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: EH-lyeesh
Èinsa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Emilian-Romagnol
Emilian form of
Enza. The name coincides with the name of the river
Èinsa.
Eirian
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Means
"bright, beautiful" in Welsh
[1].
Eisenhart
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: IE-zən-hart
A 20th century coinage from the German words
Eisen "iron" and
hart "hard".
Eisenhart von Loeper is a German lawyer and speaker of the activists against the railway project Suttgart 21.
Eldis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian (Rare)
Combination of eld meaning "fire" and dis meaning "goddess, wise woman".
Elen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Armenian, Czech
Other Scripts: Էլեն(Armenian)
Pronounced: EHL-ehn(Welsh)
Welsh and modern Armenian form of
Helen, as well as a Czech variant form. This was the name of a 4th-century Welsh
saint, traditionally said to be the wife of the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus. According to the Welsh legend
The Dream of Macsen Wledig (
Macsen Wledig being the Welsh form of
Magnus Maximus), she convinced her husband to build the roads in Wales.
Elena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovak, Czech, Lithuanian, Estonian, Finnish, Russian, Greek, German, English
Other Scripts: Елена(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian) Έλενα(Greek)
Pronounced: EH-leh-na(Italian, Czech, German) eh-LEH-na(Spanish) eh-lyeh-NU(Lithuanian) yi-LYEH-nə(Russian) i-LYEH-nə(Russian) EHL-ə-nə(English) ə-LAY-nə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Form of
Helen used in various languages, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian
Елена (see
Yelena).
Eligio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: eh-LEE-jo(Italian) eh-LEE-khyo(Spanish)
Italian and Spanish form of
Eligius.
Elouan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton, French
Pronounced: eh-LOO-an(Breton) EH-LOO-AHN(French)
Possibly from a Breton word meaning
"light". This name was borne by an obscure 6th-century
saint who is now venerated mainly in Brittany and Cornwall.
Elowen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.
Elwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-win
Emerencia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian, Spanish (Rare)
Emilian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, Polish
Pronounced: eh-MEE-lyan(Polish)
Romanian and Polish form of
Aemilianus (see
Emiliano).
Emilija
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Емилија(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: eh-MYI-lyi-yu(Lithuanian) EH-mee-lee-ya(Serbian, Croatian)
Feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emily).
Emmerich
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: EH-mə-rikh(German)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Germanic name, in which the second element is
rih "ruler, king". The first element may be
irmin "whole, great" (making it a relative of
Ermenrich),
amal "unceasing, vigorous, brave" (making it a relative of
Amalric) or
heim "home" (making it a relative of
Henry). It is likely that several forms merged into a single name.
Encarna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: eng-KAR-na
Erin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: EHR-in(English)
Anglicized form of
Éireann. It was initially used by people of Irish heritage in America, Canada and Australia. It was rare until the mid-1950s.
Esperanza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ehs-peh-RAN-tha(European Spanish) ehs-peh-RAN-sa(Latin American Spanish)
Spanish form of the Late Latin name Sperantia, which was derived from sperare "to hope".
Esyllt
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EH-sisht
Euric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gothic (Anglicized) [1]
Other Scripts: 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃(Gothic)
From the Gothic name *
Aiwareiks, derived from
aiws "eternity, age" and
reiks "ruler, king". This was the name of a 5th-century king of the Visigoths.
Felix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Romanian, Ancient Roman, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: FEH-liks(German, Dutch, Swedish) FEE-liks(English) FEH-leeks(Latin)
From a Roman
cognomen meaning
"lucky, successful" in Latin. It was acquired as an
agnomen, or nickname, by the 1st-century BC Roman general Sulla. It also appears in the
New Testament belonging to the governor of Judea who imprisoned
Saint Paul.
Due to its favourable meaning, this name was popular among early Christians, being borne by many early saints and four popes. It has been used in England since the Middle Ages, though it has been more popular in continental Europe. A notable bearer was the German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847).
Fenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Frisian, Dutch
Fiammetta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: fyam-MEHT-ta
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Finbar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: FIN-bahr(English)
Anglicized form of Irish
Fionnbharr, Old Irish
Finnbarr, derived from
finn "white, blessed" and
barr "top, head".
Saint Finbar of Cork was a 6th-century bishop who supposedly performed miraculous cures. The Isle of Barra off Scotland was (probably) named for him.
Fiorella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: fyo-REHL-la
From Italian
fiore "flower" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Florence
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: FLAWR-əns(English) FLAW-RAHNS(French)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
From the Latin name
Florentius or the feminine form
Florentia, which were derived from
florens "prosperous, flourishing".
Florentius was borne by many early Christian
saints, and it was occasionally used in their honour through the Middle Ages. In modern times it is mostly feminine.
This name can also be given in reference to the city in Italy, as in the case of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), who was born there to British parents. She was a nurse in military hospitals during the Crimean War and is usually considered the founder of modern nursing.
Frances
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FRAN-sis
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Francis. The distinction between
Francis as a masculine name and
Frances as a feminine name did not arise until the 17th century
[1]. A notable bearer was
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), a social worker and the first American to be canonized.
Francesca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan
Pronounced: fran-CHEHS-ka(Italian) frən-SEHS-kə(Catalan)
Italian and Catalan feminine form of
Franciscus (see
Francis).
Gabriel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: გაბრიელ(Georgian) גַּבְרִיאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Γαβριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: GA-BREE-YEHL(French) ga-BRYEHL(Spanish) ga-bree-EHL(European Portuguese, Romanian) ga-bree-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) GA-bree-ehl(German, Slovak, Latin) GAH-bri-ehl(Swedish) GAHB-ree-ehl(Finnish) gə-bree-EHL(Catalan) GAY-bree-əl(English) GAB-ryehl(Polish) GA-bri-yehl(Czech)
From the Hebrew name
גַבְרִיאֵל (Gavri'el) meaning
"God is my strong man", derived from
גֶּבֶר (gever) meaning "strong man, hero" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Gabriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition, often appearing as a messenger of God. In the
Old Testament he is sent to interpret the visions of the prophet
Daniel, while in the
New Testament he serves as the announcer of the births of
John to
Zechariah and
Jesus to
Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the Quran to
Muhammad.
This name has been used occasionally in England since the 12th century. It was not common in the English-speaking world until the end of the 20th century.
Gaiseric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Vandalic (Latinized)
From
Gaisericus, the Latin form of the Vandalic name *
Gaisarīx, derived from the Germanic elements *
gaizaz "spear" and *
rīks "ruler, king". This was the name of a 5th-century king of the Vandals, a Germanic tribe. He led his people through Hispania and established a kingdom in North Africa.
Gambara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lombardic
Possibly derives from the Old High German *gand-bera or gand-bara meaning "wand-bearer" (a term for seeresses or women that made prophecies). Another possible origin is from the Old High German gambar meaning "strenuous".
Gawain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: gə-WAYN(English) GAH-win(English)
Meaning uncertain, from the Latin form
Gualguainus used in the 12th-century chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth (appearing also as
Walganus,
Gwalguanus and other spellings in different copies of the text), where he is one of the knights who serve his uncle King
Arthur. He can be identified with the earlier Welsh hero Gwalchmai, and it is possible that the name derives from
Gwalchmai or a misreading of it.
Gawain was a popular hero in medieval tales such as those by Chrétien de Troyes, where his name appears in the French form Gauvain or Gauvains. He is the main character of the 14th-century anonymous poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which he accepts a potentially fatal challenge from the mysterious Green Knight.
Gemini
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Astronomy
Pronounced: GEH-mee-nee(Latin) JEHM-i-nie(English)
Means
"twins" in Latin. This is the name of the third sign of the zodiac. The two brightest stars in the constellation,
Castor and
Pollux, are named for the mythological twin sons of
Leda.
Génesis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Modern)
Pronounced: KHEH-neh-sees
Genovéva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian, Slovak (Archaic)
Pronounced: GEH-naw-veh-va(Slovak)
Georgia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek
Other Scripts: Γεωργία(Greek)
Pronounced: JAWR-jə(English) yeh-or-YEE-a(Greek)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Latinate feminine form of
George. This is the name of an American state, which was named after the British king George II. The country of Georgia has an unrelated etymology. A famous bearer was the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).
Gerulf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Derived from Old German
ger meaning "spear" and
wolf meaning "wolf". This was the name of an 8th-century
saint and martyr from Drongen, Belgium.
Gethin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Means "dark-skinned, swarthy" in Welsh.
Giacomo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: JA-ko-mo
Italian form of
Iacomus (see
James). Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) was an Italian composer of operas.
Gianna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Greek, English (Modern)
Other Scripts: Γιάννα(Greek)
Pronounced: JAN-na(Italian) YA-na(Greek) jee-AHN-ə(English) JAHN-ə(English)
Italian short form of
Giovanna and a Modern Greek variant of
Ioanna.
Its use in America started increasing in the late 20th century. It spiked in popularity in 2020 after the death of Gianna Bryant and her father, the basketball player Kobe Bryant, in a helicopter crash.
Giannino
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jan-NEE-no
Giles
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIELZ
From the Late Latin name
Aegidius, which is derived from Greek
αἰγίδιον (aigidion) meaning
"young goat".
Saint Giles was an 8th-century miracle worker who came to southern France from Greece. He is regarded as the patron saint of the crippled. In Old French the name
Aegidius became
Gidie and then
Gilles, at which point it was imported to England. Another famous bearer was the 13th-century philosopher and theologian Giles of Rome (
Egidio in Italian).
Godfrey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAHD-free
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Germanic name
Godefrid, which meant
"peace of god" from the Old German elements
got "god" and
fridu "peace". The
Normans brought this name to England, where it became common during the Middle Ages. A notable bearer was Godfrey of Bouillon, an 11th-century leader of the First Crusade and the first ruler of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Gosia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: GAW-sha
Gregor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Scottish, Slovak, Slovene
Pronounced: GREH-go(German) GREH-gawr(Slovak)
German, Scottish, Slovak and Slovene form of
Gregorius (see
Gregory). A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.
Gudrun
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German
Pronounced: GOO-droon(German)
From the Old Norse name
Guðrún meaning
"god's secret lore", derived from the elements
guð "god" and
rún "secret lore, rune". In Norse legend Gudrun was the wife of
Sigurd. After his death she married
Atli, but when he murdered her brothers, she killed her sons by him, fed him their hearts, and then slew him. Her story appears in Norse literature such as the
Eddas and the
Völsungasaga. She is called
Kriemhild in German versions of the tale. This is also an unrelated character in the medieval German epic
Kudrun.
Haizea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: ie-SEH-a
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means "wind" in Basque.
Halvard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
From the Old Norse name
Hallvarðr, which meant
"rock guardian" from
hallr "rock" combined with
vǫrðr "guard, guardian".
Hasmik
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Հասմիկ(Armenian)
Pronounced: hahs-MEEK
Means "jasmine" in Armenian.
Hector
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Arthurian Cycle
Other Scripts: Ἕκτωρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHK-tər(English) EHK-TAWR(French)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Ἕκτωρ (Hektor), which was derived from
ἕκτωρ (hektor) meaning
"holding fast", ultimately from
ἔχω (echo) meaning "to hold, to possess". In Greek legend Hector was one of the Trojan champions who fought against the Greeks. After he killed
Achilles' friend
Patroclus in battle, he was himself brutally slain by Achilles, who proceeded to tie his dead body to a chariot and drag it about. This name also appears in Arthurian legends where it belongs to King
Arthur's foster father.
Hector has occasionally been used as a given name since the Middle Ages, probably because of the noble character of the classical hero. It has been historically common in Scotland, where it was used as an Anglicized form of Eachann.
Heidi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, English
Pronounced: HIE-dee(German, English) HAY-dee(Finnish)
German
diminutive of
Adelheid. This is the name of the title character in the children's novel
Heidi (1880) by the Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The name began to be used in the English-speaking world shortly after the 1937 release of the movie adaptation, which starred Shirley Temple.
Heilyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Means
"winebearer, dispenser" in Welsh. According to the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi [1] he was one of only seven warriors to return from
Brân's invasion of Ireland.
Heinrich
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: HIEN-rikh(German)
German form of
Henry. This was the name of several German kings.
Helena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Finnish, Estonian, Slovene, Croatian, Sorbian, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἑλένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEH-leh-na(German, Czech) heh-LEH-na(German, Dutch) heh-LEH-nah(Swedish, Danish, Norwegian) i-LEH-nu(European Portuguese) eh-LEH-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) ə-LEH-nə(Catalan) kheh-LEH-na(Polish) HEH-leh-nah(Finnish) HEHL-ə-nə(English) hə-LAYN-ə(English) hə-LEEN-ə(English)
Latinate form of
Helen. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's play
All's Well That Ends Well (1603).
Helvius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Roman
cognomen derived from either Latin
helvus meaning
"honey-yellow, blond" or from the name of the Helvii, a Celtic tribe who lived west of the Rhône river. Gaius Helvius Cinna was a Roman poet of the 1st century BC.
Hieronymus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized), German (Archaic), Dutch (Archaic)
Other Scripts: Ἱερώνυμος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: hie-ə-RAHN-i-məs(English) hee-RO-nuy-muws(German) hyeh-RO-nuy-muws(German) hee-yeh-RO-nee-muyz(Dutch)
Latin form of
Jerome, formerly common in Germany and the Netherlands. Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) was a Dutch painter known for his depictions of the torments of hell.
Holger
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Carolingian Cycle
Pronounced: HAWL-gu(German)
From the Old Norse name
Hólmgeirr, derived from the elements
holmr "small island" and
geirr "spear". In Scandinavia and Germany this is the usual name for the hero
Ogier the Dane from medieval French romance.
Hyperion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὑπερίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HUY-PEH-REE-AWN(Classical Greek) hie-PEER-ee-ən(English)
Derived from Greek
ὑπέρ (hyper) meaning
"over". In Greek
myth this was the name of a Titan who presided over the sun and light. By
Theia he was the father of the sun god
Helios, the moon goddess
Selene, and the dawn goddess
Eos.
Ilmarinen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: EEL-mah-ree-nehn(Finnish)
Derived from Finnish
ilma meaning
"air". Ilmarinen is an immortal smith in Finnish
mythology, the creator of the sky and the magic mill known as the Sampo. He is one of the main characters in the Finnish epic the
Kalevala.
Immanuel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, German (Rare), Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: עִמָּנוּאֵל(Hebrew)
Pronounced: i-MA-nwehl(German)
Form of
Emmanuel used in most translations of the
Old Testament. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a German philosopher of the Enlightenment who is sometimes called the father of modern philosophy.
Ingrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: ING-rid(Swedish) ING-ri(Norwegian) ING-grit(German) ING-greet(German) ING-ghrit(Dutch)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Old Norse name
Ingríðr meaning
"Ing is beautiful", derived from the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with
fríðr "beautiful, beloved". A famous bearer was the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982).
Irais
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Ιραίς, Ἡραίς(Ancient Greek)
Modern form and variant of
Herais.
Irene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Dutch, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εἰρήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-REEN(English) ie-REE-nee(English) ee-REH-neh(Italian, Spanish) EE-reh-neh(Finnish) ee-REH-nə(German, Dutch)
From Greek
Εἰρήνη (Eirene), derived from a word meaning
"peace". This was the name of the Greek goddess who personified peace, one of the
Ὥραι (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.
This name has traditionally been more popular among Eastern Christians. In the English-speaking world it was not regularly used until the 19th century.
Irénée
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EE-REH-NEH
French form of
Irenaeus, also occasionally a feminine form.
Iris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, French, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἶρις(Ancient Greek) Ίρις(Greek)
Pronounced: IE-ris(English) EE-ris(German, Dutch) EE-rees(Finnish, Spanish, Catalan, Italian) EE-REES(French)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Means "rainbow" in Greek. Iris was the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow, also serving as a messenger to the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek source) for the iris flower or the coloured part of the eye.
Isabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, German, Dutch
Pronounced: ee-sa-BEHL(Spanish) ee-zu-BEHL(European Portuguese) ee-za-BEW(Brazilian Portuguese) IZ-ə-behl(English) EE-ZA-BEHL(French) ee-za-BEHL(German, Dutch)
Rating: 80% based on 1 vote
Medieval Occitan form of
Elizabeth. It spread throughout Spain, Portugal and France, becoming common among the royalty by the 12th century. It grew popular in England in the 13th century after Isabella of Angoulême married the English king John, and it was subsequently bolstered when Isabella of France married Edward II the following century.
This is the usual form of the name Elizabeth in Spain and Portugal, though elsewhere it is considered a parallel name, such as in France where it is used alongside Élisabeth. The name was borne by two Spanish ruling queens, including Isabel of Castile, who sponsored the explorations of Christopher Columbus.
Iseult
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: i-SOOLT(English) i-ZOOLT(English) EE-ZUU(French)
The origins of this name are uncertain, though some Celtic roots have been suggested. It is possible that the name is ultimately Germanic, from a hypothetical name like *
Ishild, composed of the elements
is "ice" and
hilt "battle".
According to tales first recorded in Old French in the 12th century, Yseut or Ysolt was an Irish princess betrothed to King Mark of Cornwall. After accidentally drinking a love potion, she became the lover of his nephew Tristan. Their tragic story, which was set in the Arthurian world, was popular during the Middle Ages and the name became relatively common in England at that time. It was rare by the 19th century, though some interest was generated by Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde (1865).
Isolde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: ee-ZAWL-də(German) i-SOL-də(English) i-ZOL-də(English) i-SOLD(English) i-ZOLD(English) EE-ZAWLD(French)
German form of
Iseult, appearing in the 13th-century German poem
Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg. In 1865 the German composer Richard Wagner debuted his popular opera
Tristan und Isolde and also used the name for his first daughter.
Itziar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque, Spanish
Pronounced: ee-TSEE-ar(Basque) ee-CHEE-ar(Spanish) ee-THEE-ar(Spanish)
From the name of a Basque village that contains an important shrine to the Virgin
Mary, possibly meaning "old stone".
Izaskun
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
From the name of a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin
Mary near Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, Spain. It possibly means "broom bush above the valley" in Basque.
Jasmine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAZ-min(English) ZHAS-MEEN(French)
From the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian
یاسمین (yasamin), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans
[1]. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie
Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.
Jessica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: JEHS-i-kə(English) ZHEH-SEE-KA(French) YEH-see-ka(German, Dutch) JEH-see-ka(German) YEHS-si-ka(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish)
This name was first used in this form by William 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. It reached its peak of popularity in the United States in 1987, and was the top ranked name for girls between 1985 and 1995, excepting 1991 and 1992 (when it was unseated by
Ashley). Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) and Jessica Lange (1949-).
Johanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian, English, Late Roman
Pronounced: yo-HA-na(German) yuw-HAN-na(Swedish) yo-HAHN-nah(Danish) yo-HAH-na(Dutch) YO-hawn-naw(Hungarian) YO-hahn-nah(Finnish) jo-HAN-ə(English) jo-AN-ə(English)
Latinate form of Greek
Ioanna (see
Joanna).
Jordan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French, Macedonian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Јордан(Macedonian, Serbian) יַרְדֵן(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JAWR-dən(American English) JAW-dən(British English) ZHAWR-DAHN(French)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
From the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is
יַרְדֵן (Yarden), and it is derived from
יָרַד (yarad) meaning
"descend" or
"flow down". In the
New Testament John the Baptist baptizes
Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Latin name
Jordanes, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.
This name died out after the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. In America and other countries it became fairly popular in the second half of the 20th century. A famous bearer of the surname is former basketball star Michael Jordan (1963-).
Jordanes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
The name of a 6th-century Roman author of Gothic background, who wrote a history of the Goths. His name is probably derived from that of the
Jordan River. However, some theories
[1][2] suggest that it could contain a trace of the Germanic root *
erþō meaning
"earth" (Gothic
airþa, Old Norse
jǫrð).
Jördis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare)
Pronounced: YUUR-dis
Jory
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Cornish
Josephine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: JO-sə-feen(English) yo-zeh-FEE-nə(German)
Judicaël
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Breton
Pronounced: ZHUY-DEE-KA-EHL(French)
French form of the Old Breton name
Iudicael, derived from the elements
iudd "lord" and
hael "generous". This was the name of a 7th-century Breton king, also regarded as a
saint.
Judoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton, Medieval Breton
Breton form of
Iudocus (see
Joyce).
Juno
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: YOO-no(Latin) JOO-no(English)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Meaning unknown, possibly related to an Indo-European root meaning
"young", or possibly of Etruscan origin. In Roman
mythology Juno was the wife of
Jupiter and the queen of the heavens. She was the protectress of marriage and women, and was also the goddess of finance.
Justine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: ZHUYS-TEEN(French) jus-TEEN(English)
French form of
Iustina (see
Justina). This is the name of the heroine in the novel
Justine (1791) by the Marquis de Sade.
Kajsa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: KIE-sa
Kalina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian, Polish
Other Scripts: Калина(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: ka-LEE-na(Polish)
Means "viburnum tree" in Bulgarian, Macedonian and Polish.
Kåre
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
Pronounced: KO-rə(Norwegian) KOR-eh(Swedish)
From the Old Norse name Kári meaning "curly, curved".
Kari 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: KAH-ree
Form of
Macarius (see
Macario) used by the Finnish author Juhani Aho in his novel
Panu (1897).
Kasiane
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Georgian (Archaic)
Other Scripts: კასიანე(Georgian)
Georgian form of
Cassianus (see
Cassian).
Katalin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian, Basque
Pronounced: KAW-taw-leen(Hungarian) ka-TA-leen(Basque)
Kira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Кира(Russian) Кіра(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: KYEE-rə(Russian)
Russian feminine form of
Cyrus.
Kirsi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: KEER-see
Finnish form of
Christina, or a short form of
Kirsikka. It also means "frost" in Finnish.
Kostas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, Lithuanian
Other Scripts: Κώστας(Greek)
Pronounced: KO-stas(Greek) KO-stus(Lithuanian)
Kristiani
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Kven
Ladislava
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: LA-gyi-sla-va(Czech) LA-gyee-sla-va(Slovak)
Larissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Portuguese (Brazilian), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Λάρισα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: lə-RIS-ə(English) la-RI-sa(German)
Variant of
Larisa. It has been commonly used as an English given name only since the 20th century, as a borrowing from Russian. In 1991 this name was given to one of the moons of Neptune, in honour of the mythological character.
Léan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Leda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Italian
Other Scripts: Λήδα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LEH-DA(Classical Greek) LEE-də(English) LAY-də(English) LEH-da(Italian)
Lenara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Soviet
Other Scripts: Ленара(Russian)
Derived as a contracted form of Ленинская армия (Leninskaya armya), meaning "Lenin's army". This name was used by Communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.
Líadan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: LYEE-dən
Possibly from Old Irish
líath meaning
"grey". According to an Irish tale this was the name of a poet who became a nun, but then missed her lover Cuirithir so much that she died of grief. The name was also borne by a 5th-century
saint, the mother of Saint Ciarán the Elder.
Liboria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Italian (particularly Sicilian) feminine form of
Liborius.
Lilias
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Form of
Lillian found in Scotland from about the 16th century
[1].
Linnea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish
Pronounced: lin-NEH-a(Swedish) LEEN-neh-ah(Finnish)
Livia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: LEE-vya(Italian)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Livius. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus, Livia Drusilla.
Lorea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: lo-REH-a
Loredana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Romanian
Used by the French author George Sand for a character in her novel Mattea (1833) and later by the Italian author Luciano Zuccoli in his novel L'amore de Loredana (1908). It was possibly based on the Venetian surname Loredan, which was derived from the place name Loreo.
Luana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: loo-AN-ə(English) LWA-na(Italian)
From the movie
Bird of Paradise (1932), in which it was borne by the main character, a Polynesian girl
[1]. The movie was based on a 1912 play of the same name set in Hawaii.
Luca 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Romanian
Pronounced: LOO-ka
Italian and Romanian form of
Lucas (see
Luke). This name was borne by Luca della Robbia, a Renaissance sculptor from Florence.
Lucita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: lu-ci-ta
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Luljeta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Means "flower of life" in Albanian, from lule "flower" and jetë "life".
Lydia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Λυδία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LID-ee-ə(English) LUY-dya(German)
Means
"from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king
Lydos. In the
New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by
Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the
Protestant Reformation.
Madeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAD-ə-lin, MAD-lin, MAD-ə-lien
English form of
Madeleine. This is the name of the heroine in a series of children's books by the Austrian-American author Ludwig Bemelmans, first published 1939.
Maeve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: MAYV(English)
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Medb meaning
"intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. She and her husband
Ailill fought against the Ulster king
Conchobar and the hero
Cúchulainn, as told in the Irish epic
The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
Maia 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: MIE-ya(Latin) MAY-ə(English) MIE-ə(English)
Probably from Latin
maior meaning
"greater". This was the name of a Roman goddess of spring, a companion (sometimes wife) of
Vulcan. She was later conflated with the Greek goddess
Maia. The month of May is named for her.
Maidlin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scots (Archaic), Medieval Scottish
Pronounced: MEHD-lin(Scots)
Máirín
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: MA-ryeen
Maisie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: MAY-zee(English)
Scottish
diminutive of
Mairead. It was long used in the United Kingdom and Australia, becoming popular at the end of the 20th century. In the United States it was brought to public attention by the British actress Maisie Williams (1997-), who played Arya Stark on the television series
Game of Thrones beginning 2011. Her birth name is Margaret.
Maleen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Hunsrik, Folklore
Pronounced: mah-LEN(German) mah-LEEN(German) ma-LEHN(Hunsrik)
German short form of
Magdalene and Hunsrik form of the related name
Marlene.
This name was used by the Brothers Grimm in their fairy tale Jungfrau Maleen ("Maid Maleen").
Malger
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Derived from the Old German elements
mahal meaning "meeting, assembly, court" and
ger meaning "spear".
Mariana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Мариана, Марияна(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: mu-ree-U-nu(European Portuguese) ma-ree-U-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) ma-RYA-na(Spanish)
Roman feminine form of
Marianus. After the classical era it was frequently interpreted as a combination of
Maria and
Ana. In Portuguese it is further used as a form of
Mariamne.
Marie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French, Czech, German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Albanian
Pronounced: MA-REE(French) MA-ri-yeh(Czech) ma-REE(German) mə-REE(English)
French and Czech form of
Maria. It has been very common in France since the 13th century. At the opening of the 20th century it was given to approximately 20 percent of French girls. This percentage has declined steadily over the course of the century, and it dropped from the top rank in 1958.
A notable bearer of this name was Marie Antoinette, a queen of France who was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. Another was Marie Curie (1867-1934), a physicist and chemist who studied radioactivity with her husband Pierre.
In France it is occasionally used as a masculine name in pairings such as Jean-Marie.
Marion 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: MA-RYAWN(French) MEHR-ee-ən(English) MAR-ee-ən(English)
Marisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English
Pronounced: ma-REE-za(Italian) ma-REE-sa(Spanish) mə-RIS-ə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese combination of
Maria and
Luisa.
Matteuccio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Italian
Medieval Italian diminutive of
Matteo, as
-uccio is an Italian masculine diminutive suffix.
A known bearer of this name was the Italian castrato singer Matteo "Matteuccio" Sassano (1667-1737).
Mavis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-vis
From the name of the type of bird, also called the song thrush, derived from Old French mauvis, of uncertain origin. It was first used as a given name by the British author Marie Corelli, who used it for a character in her novel The Sorrows of Satan (1895).
Maximilian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian (Rare), Danish (Rare)
Pronounced: mak-see-MEE-lee-an(German) mak-sə-MIL-yən(English)
From the Roman name
Maximilianus, which was derived from
Maximus. It was borne by a 3rd-century
saint and martyr. In the 15th century the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III gave this name to his son and eventual heir. In this case it was a blend of the names of the Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus (see
Emiliano), whom Frederick admired. It was subsequently borne by a second Holy Roman emperor, two kings of Bavaria, and a short-lived Habsburg emperor of Mexico.
Megaera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Μέγαιρα(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of Greek
Μέγαιρα (Megaira), which was derived from
μεγαίρω (megairo) meaning
"to grudge". This was the name of one of the Furies or
Ἐρινύες (Erinyes) in Greek
mythology. The name is used as a word in several European languages to denote a shrewish, ill-tempered woman (for example, French
mégère and Italian
megera).
Megan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: MEHG-ən(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Welsh
diminutive of
Margaret. In the English-speaking world outside of Wales it has only been regularly used since the middle of the 20th century.
Meja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish (Modern)
Pronounced: MAY-ah
Possibly from a Low German
diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element
megin meaning
"power, strength". It was popularized by the Swedish singer Meja (1969-), born Anna Pernilla Torndahl.
Melanie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-nee(English) MEH-la-nee(German) meh-la-NEE(German)
From
Mélanie, the French form of the Latin name
Melania, derived from Greek
μέλαινα (melaina) meaning
"black, dark". This was the name of a Roman
saint who gave all her wealth to charity in the 5th century. Her grandmother was also a saint with the same name.
The name was common in France during the Middle Ages, and was introduced from there to England, though it eventually became rare. Interest in it was revived by the character Melanie Wilkes from the novel Gone with the Wind (1936) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1939).
Mélisande
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
French form of
Millicent used by Maurice Maeterlinck in his play
Pelléas et Mélisande (1893). The play was later adapted by Claude Debussy into an opera (1902).
Melissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch, Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μέλισσα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: mə-LIS-ə(English) MEH-LEES-SA(Classical Greek)
Means
"bee" in Greek. In Greek
mythology this was the name of a daughter of Procles, as well as an epithet of various Greek nymphs and priestesses. According to the early Christian writer Lactantius
[2] this was the name of the sister of the nymph
Amalthea, with whom she cared for the young
Zeus. Later it appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1532 poem
Orlando Furioso [3] belonging to the fairy who helps
Ruggiero escape from the witch
Alcina. As an English given name,
Melissa has been used since the 18th century.
Mercedes
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: mehr-THEH-dhehs(European Spanish) mehr-SEH-dhehs(Latin American Spanish) mər-SAY-deez(English)
Means
"mercies" (that is, the plural of mercy), from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, meaning "Our Lady of Mercies". It is ultimately from the Latin word
merces meaning "wages, reward", which in Vulgar Latin acquired the meaning "favour, pity"
[1].
Meredith
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: MEHR-ə-dith(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the Welsh name
Maredudd or
Meredydd, from Old Welsh forms such as
Margetud, possibly from
mawredd "greatness, magnificence" combined with
iudd "lord". The Welsh forms of this name were well used through the Middle Ages. Since the mid-1920s it has been used more often for girls than for boys in English-speaking countries, though it is still a masculine name in Wales. A famous bearer of this name as surname was the English novelist and poet George Meredith (1828-1909).
Mia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, German, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, English
Pronounced: MEE-ah(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) MEE-a(Dutch, German, Italian) MEE-ə(English)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Diminutive of
Maria. It coincides with the Italian word
mia meaning
"mine".
This name was common in Sweden and Denmark in the 1970s [1]. It rose in popularity in the English-speaking world in the 1990s, entering the top ten for girls in the United States in 2009. It was also popular in many other countries at that time. Famous bearers include American actress Mia Farrow (1945-) and American soccer player Mia Hamm (1972-), birth names María and Mariel respectively.
Mirvana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Friulian
Of uncertain origin and meaning. This name has been in use from the 8th century onwards.
Mitja
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Slovene
Morwenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish, Welsh
From Old Cornish
moroin meaning
"maiden, girl" (related to the Welsh word
morwyn [1]). This was the name of a 6th-century Cornish
saint, said to be one of the daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Murphy
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-fee
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
From a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Murchadha, itself derived from the given name
Murchadh. As a given name, it has been borne by female characters on the American television series
Murphy Brown (1988-1998) and the movie
Interstellar (2014).
Naira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romansh, German (Swiss)
Pronounced: NIE-rah(Romansh, Swiss German)
Derived from the Surselvan Romansh word nair (ner in other Romansh variants) "black; dark".
Nanon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), Flemish (Rare), Dutch (Rare), Guernésiais
French and Guernésiais diminutive of
Anne 1 (compare
Nana).
Nayara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Naiara.
Nazaire
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French (Rare)
Pronounced: NA-ZEHR
Nazar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Turkmen, Armenian
Other Scripts: Назар(Russian, Ukrainian) Նազար(Armenian)
Pronounced: nah-ZAHR(Armenian)
Russian, Ukrainian, Turkmen and Armenian form of
Nazarius.
Neah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish (Modern), Norwegian (Rare)
Pronounced: NEH-a(Swedish)
Néhémie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Biblical French, French (Modern), French (Belgian, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: neh-eh-mee(Biblical French) NEH-EH-MEE(French, Belgian French)
French form of
Nehemiah. While this is originally a masculine name, it has also been used as a feminine name in recent years.
Neizan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish (Modern)
Pronounced: NAY-than(European Spanish)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Spanish form of
Nathan, reflecting the English pronunciation.
Nerea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque, Spanish
Pronounced: neh-REH-a
Possibly from Basque
nere, a dialectal variant of
nire meaning
"mine". Alternatively, it could be a feminine form of
Nereus. This name arose in Basque-speaking regions of Spain in the first half of the 20th century, though it is now popular throughout the country.
Neva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Friulian, Italian (Tuscan)
Ninian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
From the name of a 5th-century British
saint, known as the Apostle to the Picts, who was apparently responsible for many miracles and cures. He first appears briefly in the 8th-century Latin writings of the historian Bede, though his name is only written in the ablative case
Nynia [1]. This may represent a Brythonic name *
Ninniau [2][3].
Nino 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: NEE-no
Nora 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: NAWR-ə(English) NO-ra(German)
Short form of
Honora or
Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen used it for a character in his play
A Doll's House (1879).
Novella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: no-VEHL-la
Derived from Latin
novellus meaning
"new, young, novel", a
diminutive of
novus "new". This name was borne by the 14th-century Italian scholar Novella d'Andrea, who taught law at the University of Bologna.
Océlia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare), French (Caribbean, Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare)
Octavia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ahk-TAY-vee-ə(English) ok-TA-bya(Spanish) ok-TA-wee-a(Latin)
Feminine form of
Octavius. Octavia was the wife of Mark Antony and the sister of the Roman emperor Augustus. In 19th-century England it was sometimes given to the eighth-born child.
Olive
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AHL-iv(English) AW-LEEV(French)
From the English and French word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva.
Olwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: OL-wehn(English)
Means
"white footprint" from Welsh
ol "footprint, track" and
gwen "white, blessed". In the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen she was a beautiful maiden, the lover of
Culhwch and the daughter of the giant Yspaddaden. Her father insisted that Culhwch complete several seemingly impossible tasks before he would allow them to marry.
Orchid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the eponymous flowering plant. The plant's name derives from Latin orchis borrowed from Ancient Greek ὄρχις (órkhis) “testicle” (the name was given to the plant because of the testicle-shaped subterranean parts of some European orchids).
Orion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὠρίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AW-REE-AWN(Classical Greek) o-RIE-ən(English)
Rating: 80% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain, but possibly related to Greek
ὅριον (horion) meaning
"boundary, limit". Alternatively it may be derived from Akkadian
Uru-anna meaning
"light of the heavens". This is the name of a constellation, which gets its name from a legendary Greek hunter who was killed by a scorpion sent by the earth goddess
Gaia.
Orrin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Osanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Italian form of
Hosanna. This was the name of a 15th-century Italian
saint and mystic, as well as a 16th-century Montenegrin saint.
Osmond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AHZ-mənd
From the Old English elements
os "god" and
mund "protection". During the Anglo-Saxon period a Norse
cognate Ásmundr was also used in England, and another version was imported by the
Normans.
Saint Osmund was an 11th-century Norman nobleman who became an English bishop. Though it eventually became rare, it was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the given name.
Ostara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic Mythology (Hypothetical)
Hypothetical Old High German form of the name of a Germanic goddess of fertility and spring (probably originally of sunrise, whose feast was celebrated at the spring equinox), reconstructed by linguist Jacob Grimm. It derives from Proto-Germanic *Austron, ultimately from *austra- "east, toward the sunrise" (and related to the word east).
Oswald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: AHZ-wawld(English) AWS-valt(German)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Derived from the Old English elements
os "god" and
weald "powerful, mighty".
Saint Oswald was a king of Northumbria who introduced Christianity to northeastern England in the 7th century before being killed in battle. There was also an Old Norse
cognate Ásvaldr in use in England, being borne by the 10th-century Saint Oswald of Worcester, who was of Danish ancestry. Though the name had died out by the end of the Middle Ages, it was revived in the 19th century.
Oswin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AHZ-win
From the Old English elements
os "god" and
wine "friend".
Saint Oswin was a 7th-century king of Northumbria. After the
Norman Conquest this name was used less, and it died out after the 14th century. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.
Otokar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: O-to-kar
Panagiota
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Παναγιώτα(Greek)
Parsedia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lombard
Pronounced: par-SE-dya
Parthenope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Παρθενόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: pahr-THEHN-ə-pee(English)
Means
"maiden's voice", derived from Greek
παρθένος (parthenos) meaning "maiden, virgin" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". In Greek legend this is the name of one of the Sirens who enticed
Odysseus.
Patricia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, German, Late Roman
Pronounced: pə-TRISH-ə(English) pa-TREE-thya(European Spanish) pa-TREE-sya(Latin American Spanish) pa-TREE-tsya(German)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Patricius (see
Patrick). In medieval England this spelling appears in Latin documents, but this form was probably not used as the actual name until the 18th century, in Scotland
[1].
Penelope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Πηνελόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEH-NEH-LO-PEH(Classical Greek) pə-NEHL-ə-pee(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Probably derived from Greek
πηνέλοψ (penelops), a type of duck. Alternatively it could be from
πήνη (pene) meaning "threads, weft" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". In
Homer's epic the
Odyssey this is the name of the wife of
Odysseus, forced to fend off suitors while her husband is away fighting at Troy.
It has occasionally been used as an English given name since the 16th century. It was moderately popular in the 1940s, but had a more notable upswing in the early 2000s. This may have been inspired by the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz (1974-), who gained prominence in English-language movies at that time. It was already rapidly rising when celebrities Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick gave it to their baby daughter in 2012.
Percival
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle, English
Pronounced: PUR-si-vəl(English)
Created by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for his poem
Perceval, the Story of the Grail. Chrétien may have derived the name from Old French
perce val "pierce the valley", or he may have based it loosely on the Welsh name
Peredur [1]. In the poem Perceval is a boy from Wales who hopes to become a knight under King
Arthur. Setting out to prove himself, he eventually comes to the castle of the Fisher King and is given a glimpse of the Grail.
Perrine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: PEH-REEN
Persephone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Περσεφόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEHR-SEH-PO-NEH(Classical Greek) pər-SEHF-ə-nee(English)
Meaning unknown, probably of Pre-Greek origin, but perhaps related to Greek
πέρθω (pertho) meaning "to destroy" and
φόνος (phonos) meaning "murder". In Greek
myth she was the daughter of
Demeter and
Zeus. She was abducted to the underworld by
Hades, but was eventually allowed to return to the surface for part of the year. The result of her comings and goings is the changing of the seasons. With her mother she was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites practiced at the city of Eleusis near Athens.
Petra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, English
Other Scripts: Петра(Bulgarian) Πέτρα(Greek)
Pronounced: PEH-tra(German, Dutch, Czech, Slovak) PEH-traw(Hungarian) PEHT-rah(Finnish) PEHT-rə(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.
Phoebe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: Φοίβη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: FEE-bee(English)
Latinized form of the Greek name
Φοίβη (Phoibe), which meant
"bright, pure" from Greek
φοῖβος (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. It was moderately common in the 19th century. It began to rise in popularity again in the late 1980s, probably helped along by characters on the American television shows Friends (1994-2004) and Charmed (1998-2006). It is currently much more common in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand than the United States.
A moon of Saturn bears this name, in honour of the Titan.
Plácido
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: PLA-thee-dho(European Spanish) PLA-see-dho(Latin American Spanish)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Placidus (see
Placido).
Priscus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Raban
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Ralph
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Swedish
Pronounced: RALF(English, German) RAYF(British English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Contracted form of the Old Norse name
Ráðúlfr (or its Norman form
Radulf). Scandinavian settlers introduced it to England before the
Norman Conquest, though afterwards it was bolstered by Norman influence. In the Middle Ages it was variously spelled
Rauf,
Rafe or
Ralf reflecting the usual pronunciation. The
Ralph spelling became more common in the 18th century. A famous bearer of the name was Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American poet and author who wrote on transcendentalism.
Ramira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Ramiro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: ra-MEE-ro(Spanish) ra-MEE-roo(European Portuguese) ha-MEE-roo(Brazilian Portuguese)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Ramirus, earlier
Ranimirus, a Latinized form of a Visigothic name derived from the Gothic element
rana "wedge" or perhaps
ragin "law, decree, assessment, responsibility" combined with
mers "famous".
Saint Ramirus was a 6th-century prior of the Saint Claudius Monastery in León. He and several others were executed by the Arian Visigoths, who opposed orthodox Christianity. This name was subsequently borne by kings of León, Asturias and Aragon.
Ramona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Romanian, English
Pronounced: ra-MO-na(Spanish) rə-MON-ə(English)
Feminine form of
Ramón. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel
Ramona (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.
Rannveig
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse, Danish (Rare), Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish (Rare)
The first element of this name is either derived from Old Norse regin or rögn "advice", or from Old Norse rann "house." The second element is derived from Old Norse veig "strength".
Rayner
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Pronounced: RAY-nər
From the Germanic name
Raginheri, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
heri "army".
Saint Rainerius was a 12th-century hermit from Pisa. The
Normans brought this name to England where it came into general use, though it was rare by the end of the Middle Ages.
Reinhild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: RIEN-hilt
From the Germanic name
Raginhild, which was composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel, decision" and
hilt "battle". This was the name of a 7th-century Frankish
saint who was martyred by the Huns. It is a
cognate of the Norse name
Ragnhild.
Reto
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Swiss)
Means "of Rhaetia". Rhaetia is a region in eastern Switzerland that got its name from the Rhaeti, a Celtic tribe who originally inhabited the area.
Reyes
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: REH-yehs
Means
"kings" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
La Virgen de los Reyes, meaning "The Virgin of the Kings". According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to King Ferdinand III of Castile and told him his armies would defeat those of the Moors in Seville.
Rhea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Ῥέα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: REH-A(Classical Greek) REE-ə(English) REH-a(Latin)
Rhett
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: REHT
From a surname, an Anglicized form of the Dutch de Raedt, derived from raet "advice, counsel". Margaret Mitchell used this name for the character Rhett Butler in her novel Gone with the Wind (1936).
Rhiannon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: ri-AN-awn(Welsh) ree-AN-ən(English)
Probably derived from an unattested Celtic name *
Rīgantonā meaning
"great queen" (Celtic *
rīganī "queen" and the divine or augmentative suffix
-on). It is speculated that Rigantona was an old Celtic goddess, perhaps associated with fertility and horses like the Gaulish
Epona. As
Rhiannon, she appears in Welsh legend in the
Mabinogi [1] as a beautiful magical woman who rides a white horse. She was betrothed against her will to
Gwawl, but cunningly broke off that engagement and married
Pwyll instead. Their son was
Pryderi.
As an English name, it became popular due to the Fleetwood Mac song Rhiannon (1976), especially in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Rhoswen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: HRAWS-wehn
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Derived from the Welsh elements
rhos "rose" (cf.
Rhosyn) and
gwen "white, pure, holy, fair".
Rhosyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Means "rose" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
Ríona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Robin
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Swedish, Czech
Pronounced: RAHB-in(American English) RAWB-in(British English) RAW-BEHN(French) RAW-bin(Dutch) RO-bin(Czech)
Medieval English
diminutive of
Robert, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.
Roderick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish, Welsh
Pronounced: RAHD-ə-rik(English) RAHD-rik(English)
Means
"famous ruler" from the Old German elements
hruod "fame" and
rih "ruler, king". This name was in use among the Visigoths; it was borne by their last king (Gothic form *
Hroþireiks, also known by the Spanish form
Rodrigo), who died fighting the Muslim invaders of Spain in the 8th century. It also had cognates in Old Norse and West Germanic, and Scandinavian settlers and
Normans introduced it to England, though it died out after the Middle Ages. It was revived in the English-speaking world by Walter Scott's 1811 poem
The Vision of Don Roderick [1].
This name has also functioned as an Anglicized form of Scottish Ruaridh or Welsh Rhydderch.
Rodion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Родион(Russian)
Pronounced: rə-dyi-ON
Russian form of
Ῥοδίων (Rhodion), a short form of
Herodion, referring to
Saint Herodion of Patras.
Roger
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: RAHJ-ər(American English) RAWJ-ə(British English) RAW-ZHEH(French) roo-ZHEH(Catalan) RO-gu(German)
From the Germanic name
Hrodger meaning
"famous spear", derived from the elements
hruod "fame" and
ger "spear". The
Normans brought this name to England, where it replaced the Old English
cognate Hroðgar (the name of the Danish king in the Anglo-Saxon epic
Beowulf). It was a common name in England during the Middle Ages. By the 18th century it was rare, but it was revived in following years. The name was borne by the Norman lords Roger I, who conquered Sicily in the 11th century, and his son Roger II, who ruled Sicily as a king.
This name was very popular in France in the first half of the 20th century. In the English-speaking world it was popular especially from the 1930s to the 50s. Famous bearers include British actor Roger Moore (1927-2017) and Swiss tennis player Roger Federer (1981-).
Rohesia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English (Latinized)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of the medieval name
Rohese (see
Rose).
Róisín
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: ro-SHEEN
Diminutive of
Róis or the Irish word
rós meaning
"rose" (of Latin origin). It appears in the 17th-century song
Róisín Dubh.
Romilly
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (British, Rare)
From an English surname that was derived from the name of various Norman towns, themselves from the given name
Romilius.
Rosaire
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: RO-ZEHR
Means "rosary" in French.
Rosamée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare), Luxembourgish (Rare)
Of uncertain origin and meaning. Theories include a contraction of
Rose and
Aimée via the form
Amée.
Rosendo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ro-SEHN-do
Spanish form of the Visigothic name *
Hroþisinþs, composed of the Gothic elements
hroþs "fame" and
sinþs "time". This was the name of a 10th-century Galician
saint, also known as Rudesind.
Rosewinter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: roz-WIN-tər
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Roswitha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: raws-VEE-ta
Derived from the Old German elements
hruod "fame" and
swind "strong". This was the name of a 10th-century nun from Saxony who wrote several notable poems and dramas.
Roxanne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: rahk-SAN(English) RAWK-SAN(French)
Rue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROO
From the name of the bitter medicinal herb, ultimately deriving from Greek
ῥυτή (rhyte). This is also sometimes used as a short form of
Ruth 1.
Rusnė
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Pronounced: RUWS-nyeh
From the name of an island in the Neman River delta in southwestern Lithuania.
Sabine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, German, Dutch, Danish
Pronounced: SA-BEEN(French) za-BEE-nə(German)
French, German, Dutch and Danish form of
Sabina.
Sable
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAY-bəl
From the English word meaning "black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.
Sachairi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic (Rare)
Sahak
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Սահակ(Armenian)
Pronounced: sah-HAHK
Armenian form of
Isaac. This was the name of a 5th-century patriarch of the Armenian Church.
Sakke
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SAHK-keh
Samantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Dutch
Pronounced: sə-MAN-thə(English) sa-MAN-ta(Italian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Perhaps intended to be a feminine form of
Samuel, using the name suffix
antha (possibly inspired by Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). It originated in America in the 18th century but was fairly uncommon until 1964, when it was popularized by the main character on the television show
Bewitched.
Scyld
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon Mythology, Literature
Variant of
Skjǫldr used in the Old English poem
Beowulf.
Ségolène
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SEH-GAW-LEHN
From the Germanic name
Sigilina, itself a
diminutive derivative of the element
sigu meaning
"victory" (Proto-Germanic *
segiz). This was the name of a 7th-century
saint from Albi, France.
Senna
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Dutch (Modern)
Meaning uncertain. In some cases it is given in honour of the Brazilian racecar driver Ayrton Senna (1960-1994). It could also be inspired by the senna plant.
Senta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Serafino
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Seraphina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Late Roman
Pronounced: sehr-ə-FEEN-ə(English) zeh-ra-FEE-na(German)
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word
seraphim, which was Hebrew in origin and meant
"fiery ones". The seraphim were an order of angels, described by Isaiah in the Bible as having six wings each.
This was the name of a 13th-century Italian saint who made clothes for the poor. As an English name, it has never been common.
Seren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: SEH-rehn
Means "star" in Welsh. This is a recently created Welsh name.
Shea
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHAY(English)
Anglicized form of
Séaghdha, sometimes used as a feminine name.
Siegfried
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic Mythology
Pronounced: ZEEK-freet(German)
Derived from the Old German elements
sigu "victory" and
fridu "peace". Siegfried was a hero from German legend, the chief character in the
Nibelungenlied. He secretly helped the Burgundian king
Gunther overcome the challenges set out by the Icelandic queen
Brunhild so that Gunther might win her hand. In exchange, Gunther consented to the marriage of Siegfried and his sister
Kriemhild. Years later, after a dispute between Brunhild and Kriemhild, Siegfried was murdered by
Hagen with Gunther's consent. He was stabbed in his one vulnerable spot on the small of his back, which had been covered by a leaf while he bathed in dragon's blood. He is a parallel to the Norse hero
Sigurd. The story was later adapted by Richard Wagner to form part of his opera
The Ring of the Nibelung (1876).
Sigdís
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic
Combination of the Old Norse name elements sigr "victory" and dís "goddess; woman, lady; sister" or dis "wise woman, seeress; woman, virgin".
Sigilina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Sigrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, German, Estonian, Finnish (Archaic)
Pronounced: SEE-grid(Swedish) SEEG-reed(Finnish)
From the Old Norse name
Sigríðr, which was derived from the elements
sigr "victory" and
fríðr "beautiful, beloved".
Sigurd
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Norse Mythology
Pronounced: SEE-gurd(Swedish)
From the Old Norse name
Sigurðr, which was derived from the elements
sigr "victory" and
vǫrðr "guard, guardian". Sigurd was the hero of the Norse epic the
Völsungasaga, which tells how his foster-father Regin sent him to recover a hoard of gold guarded by the dragon Fafnir. After slaying the dragon Sigurd tasted some of its blood, enabling him to understand the language of birds, who told him that Regin was planning to betray him. In a later adventure, Sigurd disguised himself as
Gunnar (his wife
Gudrun's brother) and rescued the maiden
Brynhildr from a ring of fire, with the result that Gunnar and Brynhildr were married. When the truth eventually came out, Brynhildr took revenge upon Sigurd. The stories of the German hero
Siegfried were in part based on him.
Sláine
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Old Irish [1], Irish Mythology
Pronounced: SLA-nyə(Irish)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From Old Irish
slán meaning
"health, safety". This was the name of a legendary high king of Ireland, one of the Fir Bolg. It was also the name of a daughter of the 11th-century high king Brian Boru.
Solvej
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish
Sophie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: SAW-FEE(French) SO-fee(English) zo-FEE(German) so-FEE(Dutch)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Stasys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Lithuanian
Pronounced: stu-SYEES
Stephanie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: STEHF-ə-nee(English) SHTEH-fa-nee(German)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Sunyer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Carolingian Cycle, Medieval Catalan
Allegedly derived from Proto-Germanic *sunjō, meaning "truth, protest". It was borne by two counts of Empúries, modern-day Empordà, in Catalonia.
Svyatoslav
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Святослав(Russian, Ukrainian)
Pronounced: svyi-tu-SLAF(Russian)
Derived from the Slavic elements
svętŭ "sacred, holy" and
slava "glory". This was the name of a 10th-century ruler of Kievan Rus, the son of
Igor and
Olga, and the first to have a name of Slavic origin instead of Old Norse.
Sweetlove
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
From old English swet "sweet" and lufu "love".
Sylvia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
Pronounced: SIL-vee-ə(English) SUYL-vee-ah(Finnish)
Variant of
Silvia. This has been the most common English spelling since the 19th century.
Tamara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Hungarian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Тамара(Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian) თამარა(Georgian)
Pronounced: tu-MA-rə(Russian) TA-ma-ra(Czech, Slovak) ta-MA-ra(Polish, Spanish, Italian) TAW-maw-raw(Hungarian) tə-MAR-ə(English) tə-MAHR-ə(English) TAM-ə-rə(English) tu-mu-RU(Lithuanian) TA-MAR(Georgian)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Russian 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 rapidly grew in popularity in the United States starting in 1957. Another famous bearer was the Polish cubist painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980).
Tanwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: TAN-wen, TAHN-wen
Means "white fire" from Welsh
tan "fire" (compare
Tanguy) combined with
gwen "white, fair, blessed". This is a modern Welsh name, first used in the 1960s.
Taran
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology, Pictish
Means
"thunder" in Welsh, from the old Celtic root *
toranos. It appears briefly in the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi [1]. The name is
cognate to that of the Gaulish god
Taranis. It was also borne by the 7th-century Pictish king Taran mac Ainftech.
Tatiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, French, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Greek, Georgian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Τατιάνα(Greek) ტატიანა(Georgian) Татьяна(Russian) Татяна(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ta-TYA-na(Italian, Spanish, Polish, German) TAH-tee-ah-nah(Finnish) ta-TYAHN-ə(English) tu-TYA-nə(Russian)
Feminine form of the Roman name
Tatianus, a derivative of the Roman name
Tatius. This was the name of a 3rd-century
saint who was martyred in Rome under the emperor Alexander Severus. She was especially venerated in Orthodox Christianity, and the name has been common in Russia (as
Татьяна) and Eastern Europe. It was not regularly used in the English-speaking world until the 1980s.
Teague
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: TAYG(English) TEEG(English)
Anglicized form of
Tadhg. This name is also used as a slang term for an Irish Catholic.
Tessan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Thanatos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Θάνατος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TA-NA-TOS(Classical Greek) THAN-ə-tahs(English)
Means
"death" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek god of death who resided with
Hades in the underworld.
Tiffany
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TIF-ə-nee
Medieval form of
Theophania. This name was traditionally given to girls born on the Epiphany (January 6), the festival commemorating the visit of the Magi to the infant
Jesus. The name died out after the Middle Ages, but it was revived by the movie
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), the title of which refers to the Tiffany's jewelry store in New York.
Tonje
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian
Tova 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Tristan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: TRIS-tən(English) TREES-TAHN(French)
Probably from the Celtic name
Drustan, a
diminutive of
Drust, which occurs as
Drystan in a few Welsh sources. As
Tristan, it first appears in 12th-century French tales, probably altered by association with Old French
triste "sad". According to the tales Tristan was sent to Ireland by his uncle King Mark of Cornwall in order to fetch
Iseult, who was to be the king's bride. On the way back, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. Later versions of the tale make Tristan one of King
Arthur's knights. His tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since then.
Udane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Derived from Basque uda meaning "summer".
Urien
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
From the Old Welsh name
Urbgen, possibly from the Celtic root *
orbo- "heir" and the suffix
gen "born of". This was the name of a 6th-century king of Rheged. Passing into Arthurian tales, he became the king of Gore, the husband of
Morgan le Fay, and the father of
Owain.
Uther
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: OOTH-ər(English) YOOTH-ər(English)
From the Welsh name
Uthyr, derived from Welsh
uthr meaning
"terrible". In Arthurian legend Uther was the father of King
Arthur. He appears in some early Welsh texts, but is chiefly known from the 12th-century chronicles
[1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth.
Valentine 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: VA-LAHN-TEEN
Valquíria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese
Verily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Meaning, "certainly" or "truly."
Věroslav
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: VYEH-ros-laf
Combination of the Czech name
Věra or word
víra (both meaning "faith") with the Slavic element
slava meaning "glory".
Voltaire
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: VAWL-TEHR(French) vol-TEHR(English)
Pen name of François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), a French philosopher and writer, the author of Candide. It is not known how Arouet devised his name. He may have reversed the syllables of Airvault, a town where his family owned property; it may have been an anagram of the Latin spelling of his surname Arovet and LI standing for le jeune "the young"; or it may have come from French volontaire "determined".
Vuokko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: VOOK-ko
Means "anemone (flower)" in Finnish.
Wayland
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Anglo-Saxon Mythology
Pronounced: WAY-lənd(English)
From Old English Weland, probably derived from the Germanic root *wīlą meaning "craft, cunning". In Germanic legend Weland (called Vǫlundr in Old Norse) was a master smith and craftsman. He was captured and hamstrung by King Niðhad, but took revenge by killing the king's sons.
William
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIL-yəm
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
From the Germanic name
Willehelm meaning
"will helmet", composed of the elements
willo "will, desire" and
helm "helmet, protection". An early
saint by this name was the 8th-century William of Gellone, a cousin of
Charlemagne who became a monk. The name was common among the
Normans, and it became extremely popular in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England in the 11th century. From then until the modern era it has been among the most common of English names (with
John,
Thomas and
Robert).
This name was later borne by three other English kings, as well as rulers of Scotland, Sicily (of Norman origin), the Netherlands and Prussia. Other famous bearers include William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish hero, and William Tell, a legendary 14th-century Swiss hero (called Wilhelm in German, Guillaume in French and Guglielmo in Italian). In the literary world it was borne by dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616), poet William Blake (1757-1827), poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850), dramatist William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), author William Faulkner (1897-1962), and author William S. Burroughs (1914-1997).
In the American rankings (since 1880) this name has never been out of the top 20, making it one of the most consistently popular names (although it has never reached the top rank). In modern times its short form, Liam, has periodically been more popular than William itself, in the United Kingdom in the 1990s and the United States in the 2010s.
Williram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic, German
Derived from Gothic vilja "will, desire" combined with hraban or hramn "raven."
Winifred
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Welsh
Pronounced: WIN-ə-frid(English)
From Latin
Winifreda, possibly from a Welsh name
Gwenfrewi (maybe influenced by the Old English masculine name
Winfred).
Saint Winifred was a 7th-century Welsh martyr, probably legendary. According to the story, she was decapitated by a prince after she spurned his advances. Where her head fell there arose a healing spring, which has been a pilgrimage site since medieval times. Her story was recorded in the 12th century by Robert of Shrewsbury, and she has been historically more widely venerated in England than in Wales. The name has been used in England since at least the 16th century.
Xanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Ξανθή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KSAN-TEH(Classical Greek)
Derived from Greek
ξανθός (xanthos) meaning
"yellow, blond, fair-haired". This was the name of a few minor figures in Greek
mythology.
Yveta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech
Zabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Զաբել(Armenian)
Armenian form of
Isabel. A 13th-century ruling queen of Cilician Armenia bore this name.
Zara 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: ZAHR-ə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Used by William Congreve for a character in his tragedy
The Mourning Bride (1697), where it belongs to a captive North African queen. Congreve may have based it on the Arabic name
Zahra. In 1736 the English writer Aaron Hill used it to translate
Zaïre for his popular adaptation of Voltaire's French play
Zaïre (1732).
In England the name was popularized when Princess Anne gave it to her daughter in 1981. Use of the name may also be influenced by the trendy Spanish clothing retailer Zara.
Zawisza
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish (Archaic)
Pronounced: za-VEE-sha
Zeno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized), Italian
Other Scripts: Ζήνων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DZEH-no(Italian)
From the Greek name
Ζήνων (Zenon), which was derived from the name of the Greek god
Zeus (the poetic form of his name being
Ζήν). Zeno was the name of two famous Greek philosophers: Zeno of Elea and Zeno of Citium, the founder of the Stoic school in Athens.
Zoe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, German, Czech, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Ζωή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZO-ee(English) DZAW-eh(Italian)
Means
"life" in Greek. From early times it was adopted by Hellenized Jews as a translation of
Eve. It was borne by two early Christian
saints, one martyred under Emperor Hadrian, the other martyred under Diocletian. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by a ruling empress of the 11th century.
As an English name, Zoe (sometimes with a diaeresis as Zoë) has only been in use since the 19th century. It has generally been more common among Eastern Christians (in various spellings).
Zora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak
Other Scripts: Зора(Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: ZO-ra(Czech) ZAW-ra(Slovak)
Means "dawn, aurora" in the South Slavic languages, as well as Czech and Slovak.
Zoraida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: tho-RIE-dha(European Spanish) so-RIE-dha(Latin American Spanish)
Perhaps means
"enchanting" or
"dawn" in Arabic. This was the name of a minor 12th-century Spanish
saint, a convert from Islam. The name was used by Cervantes for a character in his novel
Don Quixote (1606), in which Zoraida is a beautiful Moorish woman of Algiers who converts to Christianity and elopes with a Spanish officer.
Zoryana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Зоряна(Ukrainian)
Derived from Ukrainian
зоря (zorya) meaning
"dawn, star".
Żywia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: ZHIV-yah
Modern Polish form of
Živa.
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