kahn's Personal Name List

Alternate transcription of Arabic آمنة (see Aminah 1), as well as the Somali form.

Means "anklet, bangle" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the daughter of Caleb.

Originally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element adal meaning "noble" (Proto-Germanic *aþalaz). Saint Adela was a 7th-century Frankish princess who founded a monastery at Pfazel in France. This name was also borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror.

Latinized form of the Greek name Ἁγνή (Hagne), derived from Greek ἁγνός (hagnos) meaning "chaste". Saint Agnes was a virgin martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The name became associated with Latin agnus "lamb", resulting in the saint's frequent depiction with a lamb by her side. Due to her renown, the name became common in Christian Europe.

As an English name it was highly popular from the Middle Ages until the 17th century. It was revived in the 19th century and was common into the 20th, but it fell into decline after the 1930s. It last appeared on the American top 1000 rankings in 1972.

Indonesian form of Aisha.

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).

Variant of Alicia.

Dutch short form of Adelaide.

Short form of Alessandra.

Italian form of Alexandra.

Feminine form of Alexis.

Variant of Alice.

This name became popular after the Battle of Alma (1854), which took place near the River Alma in Crimea and ended in a victory for Britain and France. However, the name was in rare use before the battle; it was probably inspired by Latin almus "nourishing". It also coincides with the Spanish word meaning "the soul".

Originally a Russian diminutive of Yelena. It is now used independently.

Medieval feminine form of Amabilis.

Means "the beautiful ones" in Zulu.

Means "wishes" in Arabic.

Variant of Amalia, though it is sometimes confused with Emilia, which has a different origin. The name became popular in England after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century — it was borne by daughters of both George II and George III. The author Henry Fielding used it for the title character in his novel Amelia (1751). Another famous bearer was Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), the first woman to make a solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean.

This name experienced a rise in popularity at the end of the 20th century. It was the most popular name for girls in England and Wales from 2011 to 2015.

Alternate transcription of Arabic Aminah 1 or Aminah 2, as well as the form in several other languages.

Portuguese feminine form of Andrew.

Feminine form of Antonius (see Anthony).

Means "honey" in Persian (of Arabic origin).

French feminine form of Aldo.

Slovak, Hungarian and Portuguese feminine form of Aurelius, as well as a French variant of Aurélie.

Form of Hawa typical of West Africa.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew אֵלָה (see Ela 3).

Variant of Ayelen.

Means "virgin, maiden" in Arabic.

Elaboration of Azure.

From Egyptian bꜣstt, which was possibly derived from bꜣs meaning "ointment jar" and a feminine t suffix. In Egyptian mythology Bastet was a goddess of cats, fertility and the sun who was considered a protector of Lower Egypt. In early times she was typically depicted with the head of a lioness. By the New Kingdom period she was more associated with domestic cats, while the similar cat goddess Sekhmet took on the fierce lioness aspect.

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".

Short form of Isabelluccia, which is a diminutive of Isabella.

Danish feminine form of Benedict.

Portuguese variant form of Bethany.

Diminutive of Beatriz.

Feminine form of Latin Bricius.

Feminine form of Bruno.

From an Italian word meaning "beloved" or an Irish word meaning "friend". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century, though it did not become popular until after the 1950s.

Feminine form of Carlo, Carlos or Carl.

Italian form of Charlotte.

Latinate feminine form of Carolus. This is the name of two American states: North and South Carolina. They were named for Charles I, king of England.

French feminine diminutive of Charles. It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. It was the name of a German-born 18th-century queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Another notable bearer was Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), the eldest of the three Brontë sisters and the author of Jane Eyre and Villette. A famous fictional bearer is the spider in the children's novel Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.

This name was fairly common in France, England and the United States in the early 20th century. It became quite popular in France and England at the end of the 20th century, just when it was at a low point in the United States. It quickly climbed the American charts and entered the top ten in 2014.

Means "sky, heaven" in Spanish. In Mexico this name was popularized by a character named María del Cielo, called Cielo, on the telenovela Por tu amor (1999).

Portuguese form and French variant of Chloe.

Means "wind" in Hmong.

Tamazight feminine given name, an alternative possible given name of the Berber warrior-queen and leader Kahina.

Probably an elaboration of Davina. About 1980 this name jumped in popularity in Spain, possibly due to the main character on the British television series The Foundation (1977-1979), which was broadcast in Spain as La Fundación.

Diminutive of Adela or Adelaide. A famous bearer was American actress and singer Della Reese (1931-2017).

Means "joy" in Amharic.

Means "goddess" in Persian.

Short form of Eleanor. This was also the name of an ancient Italian town (modern Velia) that is well known for being the home of the philosopher Parmenides and his student Zeno of Elea, who was famous for his paradoxes.

Finnish, Estonian and Swedish form of Helen.

Feminine form of Emiliano.

Feminine form of Aemilius (see Emily).

Means "swallow (bird)" in Basque.

Breton form of Honoria, or directly from Breton enor "honour" (a word of Latin origin). This was the name of a 6th-century saint, the wife of Saint Efflamm.

Form of Eve used in various languages. This form is used in the Latin translation of the New Testament, while Hava is used in the Latin Old Testament. A notable bearer was the Argentine first lady Eva Perón (1919-1952), the subject of the musical Evita. The name also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.

This is also an alternate transcription of Russian Ева (see Yeva).

From an English surname that was from a place name, itself derived from Old English eofor "boar" and leah "woodland, clearing". Notable bearers of the surname were the musical duo the Everly Brothers, Don (1937-2021) and Phil (1939-2014).

This name began rising on the American popularity charts in 2008, slowly until 2012 and then rapidly after that. This might have been triggered by the folk band Everly (not associated with the Everly Brothers), which had music featured on the television series One Tree Hill in that period. It also might have simply been inspired by similar-sounding names like Everett, Evelyn and Beverly.

Feminine form of Fabius.

Variant of Fayruz.

Means "joy, happiness" in Arabic.

Derived from Latin flos meaning "flower" (genitive case floris). Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, the wife of Zephyr the west wind. It has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, starting in France. In Scotland it was sometimes used as an Anglicized form of Fionnghuala.

Combination of Francesca and Pia.

From the Greek word γαῖα (gaia), a parallel form of γῆ (ge) meaning "earth". In Greek mythology Gaia was the mother goddess who presided over the earth. She was the mate of Uranus and the mother of the Titans and the Cyclopes.

Variant of Georgiana.

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).

Variant of Giovanna mainly used in Brazil.

Italian form of Jade.

Diminutive of Grazia.

Means "beautiful" in Tatar and Bashkir.

From Hebrew הֲדַס (hadas) meaning "myrtle tree". In the Old Testament this is the Hebrew name of Queen Esther.

Alternate transcription of Arabic هادية (see Hadiya).

Means "gathering" in Arabic. This was the name of the daughter of Umar, the second caliph, and a wife of Muhammad. It was also borne by the influential mother of Süleyman the Magnificent.

Alternate transcription of Arabic حفصة (see Hafsa).

Alternate transcription of Arabic هيفاء (see Hayfa).

Means "halo around the moon" in Arabic. This was the name of a sister-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

Alternate transcription of Arabic حليمة (see Halimah), as well as the usual form in several other languages.

Transferred use of the surname Halston. May also be a variation of Halsten.

Uncertain meaning, possibly from Greek ἥρως (heros) meaning "hero, warrior"; ὥρα (hora) meaning "period of time"; or αἱρέω (haireo) meaning "to be chosen". In Greek mythology Hera was the queen of the gods, the sister and wife of Zeus. She presided over marriage and childbirth.

Derived from Sanskrit हीर (hira) meaning "diamond". It is typically feminine in Pakistan and unisex in India and Nepal.

Strictly feminine form of Husni.

Means "faith" in Swahili, ultimately of Arabic origin.

Means "beauty" in Sanskrit. This is another name of Lakshmi, the wife of the Hindu god Vishnu. A notable bearer was India's first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi (1917-1984).

Portuguese form of Agnes.

Means "wealth" in Ibibio.

Medieval French variant of Isabel. A famous bearer of this name was Isabeau of Bavaria (1385-1422), wife of the French king Charles VI.

Late Latin name meaning "from Isauria". Isauria was the name of a region in Asia Minor.

Means "dew" in Korean.

Italian form of Iseult.

From the name of a district of Babylon, mentioned in the Old Testament.

From the English word for the hard, creamy-white substance that comes from elephant tusks and was formerly used to produce piano keys.

Means "melody" in Tamazight.

Derived from Sanskrit जय (jaya) meaning "victory". This is a transcription of both the feminine form जया (an epithet of the Hindu goddess Durga) and the masculine form जय (borne by several characters in Hindu texts). As a modern personal name, this transcription is both feminine and masculine in southern India, but typically only feminine in the north.

Diminutive of Josephine.

French, Danish, Norwegian and Czech form of Julia. It has spread to many other regions as well. It has been common in the English-speaking world since the early 20th century.

Derived from Arabic الكاهِنة (al-Kahinah) meaning "the diviner, the fortuneteller". This was a title applied to the 7th-century Berber queen Dihya, who resisted the Arab expansion into North Africa.

Means "joy, happiness" in Hawaiian.

From the name of a holy city in India, famous for its many temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Its name is derived from Sanskrit काशि (kashi) meaning "shining".

Means "love" in Malay and Indonesian.

From an English surname that is derived from town names in Lincolnshire. It may mean "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce" in combination with eg "island".

From the Hebrew name קְצִיעָה (Qetzi'ah) meaning "cassia, cinnamon", from the name of the spice tree. In the Old Testament she is a daughter of Job.

Alternate transcription of Lila 1.

Medieval Italian diminutive of names ending in ella. It can also be used as a diminutive of Elena and other names beginning with or containing el. This was borne by Italian opera singer Adelaide 'Lella' Ricci (1850-1871) as well as Italian actress Elena 'Lella' Fabrizi (1915-1993), Italian designer Elena 'Lella' Vignelli (1934-2016) and Italian racing driver Maria Grazia 'Lella' Lombardi (1941-1992).

As an English name, it has also been used as a contraction of Louella and similar names, as in the case of American novelist and short story writer Lee Ella 'Lella' Warren (1899-1982). Other known bearers of this name include American temperance leader Eleanor 'Lella' A. Dillard (1863-1935) and American feminist Lella Secor Florence (1887-1966).

Portuguese form of Leocadia.

Diminutive of Alexandra or Alexis.

Short form of names ending in lina.

Italian and Spanish feminine form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).

Diminutive of Charlotte or Liselotte.

From the name of a French town. It became a popular center of pilgrimage after a young girl from the town had visions of the Virgin Mary in a nearby grotto.

From Spanish luz divina meaning "divine light", a combination of Luz and Divina. It may be modeled on Ludivina.

Italian form of Magdalene.

French form of Magdalene.

Feminine form of Maël.

Means "welcome" in Tahitian. It gained popularity in France during the 1980s.

Originally a medieval Portuguese form of Matilda. This name was borne by the wife of Afonso, the first king of Portugal. In modern times it was the name of the titular character in a popular Argentine comic strip (published from 1964 to 1973) by Quino.

From a title meaning "of Magdala". Mary Magdalene, a character in the New Testament, was named thus because she was from Magdala — a village on the Sea of Galilee whose name meant "tower" in Hebrew. She was cleaned of evil spirits by Jesus and then remained with him during his ministry, witnessing the crucifixion and the resurrection. She was a popular saint in the Middle Ages, and the name became common then. In England it is traditionally rendered Madeline, while Magdalene or Magdalen is the learned form.

From Tupi maya arya meaning "great-grandmother".

Combination of María and Teresa.

Means "angel" in Swahili, derived from Arabic ملك (malak).

Variant of Malia.

Swedish and Spanish short form of Magdalena.

Means "jasmine" in Thai.

Means "salmon going fast up a rippling stream" in the Miwok language

Feminine form of Malcolm.

Short form of Marie-Louise.

Variant of Malve.

Created by the Scottish poet James MacPherson in the 18th century for a character in his Ossian poems. He probably intended it to mean "smooth brow", from Scottish Gaelic mala "brow" and mìn "smooth, fine" (lenited to mhìn and pronounced with a v sound).

Feminine form of Manuel.

Means "bitter" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is a name that Naomi calls herself after the death of her husband and sons (see Ruth 1:20).

Diminutive of Marina.

Feminine form of Marek as well as a diminutive of Margorzata.

Clearly feminine form of Martel/Martell.

Feminine form of Martinus (see Martin). Saint Martina was a 3rd-century martyr who is one of the patron saints of Rome.

French diminutive of Marie.

Derived from Arabic مرضية (mardiyah) meaning "satisfactory, pleasing".

Slovene, Croatian and Serbian form of Matthias, used to refer to the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. It is occasionally used as a feminine name.

Variant of Maia 1. This name can also be given in reference to the Maya, an indigenous people of southern Mexico and parts of Central America whose civilization flourished between the 3rd and 8th centuries. A famous bearer was the American poet and author Maya Angelou (1928-2014).

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.

Feminine form of Milan. It began to be used in Italy in honour of Milena Vukotić (1847-1923), mother of Helen of Montenegro, the wife of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III. In Italy it can also be considered a combination of Maria and Elena.

Means "fish" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the daughter of the Hindu goddess Ushas as well as the daughter of the god Kubera.

Means "sea, ocean" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a 16th-century Indian princess who devoted her life to the god Krishna.

Romanian, Croatian and Albanian form of Mireille.

Feminine form of Nabil.

Alternate transcription of Arabic ناديّة (see Nadiyya).

Feminine form of Nail. This was the name of the wife of Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. She tried in vain to prevent a mob from murdering her husband, and had several fingers cut off in the process.

Derived from Sanskrit नलिनी (nalini) meaning "lotus". It is a masculine name in Sri Lanka and India while it is unisex in Thailand.

Latinate form of Natalia (see Natalie).

From Persian نازی (nazi) meaning "sweet, coy".

Means "water lily" in Persian.

Short form of names that end in nina, such as Antonina or Giannina. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word niña meaning "little girl" (the word is pronounced differently than the name).

A famous bearer was the American jazz musician Nina Simone (1933-2003).

Short form of Honora or Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen used it for a character in his play A Doll's House (1879).

Alternate transcription of Arabic نور (see Nur).

Spanish, Catalan, Italian and Croatian word for "palm". This name typically referred to Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, and was historically given to girls born on this day.

Feminine form of Palmiro.

Feminine form of Paulus (see Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman saint who was a companion of Saint Jerome.

Feminine form of Rahim.

Means "mercy, compassion" in Arabic.

Portuguese form of Herais, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Раиса, Ukrainian Раїса or Belarusian Раіса (see Raisa 1).

Feminine form of Rama.

Means "eye-catching object" from Arabic رنا (rana) meaning "to gaze".

Means "petal" in Quechua.

Latinate feminine form of René.

Feminine form of Renatus.

Means "one that moves" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess Rati.

Possibly a variant of Romana.

Italian name meaning "white rose", derived from Latin rosa "rose" and alba "white". A famous bearer was the Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757).

From the English word meaning "black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.

Short form of Folasade.

It became famous because of the Nigerian-born British singer Sade Adu (born Helen Folasade Adu) and her eponymous smooth jazz band Sade.

Portuguese form of Sapphira. It coincides with the Portuguese word for "sapphire".

Means "dawn" in Arabic.

Form of Sa'ida used in Northern Africa and other French-influenced regions of the continent.

Variant of Sage.

Feminine form of Samir 2.

Feminine form of Sancho.

Italian feminine form of Xavier.

Meaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of Mapuche ayün "love".

From a Hebrew musical term that occurs many times in the Old Testament Psalms. It was probably meant to indicate a musical pause.

Means "star" in Latin. This name was created by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney for the subject of his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella. It was a nickname of a lover of Jonathan Swift, real name Esther Johnson (1681-1728), though it was not commonly used as a given name until the 19th century. It appears in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), belonging to the sister of Blanche DuBois and the wife of Stanley Kowalski.

Spanish feminine form of Thomas.

Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.

Feminine form of William.

From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.