protobo998's Personal Name List
Abigail
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Italian, Biblical Portuguese, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: אֲבִיגַיִל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AB-i-gayl(English)
Rating: 78% based on 5 votes
From the Hebrew name
אֲבִיגָיִל ('Avigayil) meaning
"my father is joy", derived from the roots
אָב ('av) meaning "father" and
גִּיל (gil) meaning "joy". In the
Old Testament this is the name of Nabal's wife. After Nabal's death she became the third wife of King
David.
As an English name, Abigail first became common after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the Puritans. The biblical Abigail refers to herself as a servant, and beginning in the 17th century the name became a slang term for a servant, especially after the release of the play The Scornful Lady (1616), which featured a character named Abigail. The name went out of fashion at that point, but it was revived in the 20th century.
Ace 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AYS
Personal remark: Companion of the Seventh Doctor
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
From the English word meaning "highest rank". More commonly a nickname, it is occasionally used as a given name.
Addison
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AD-i-sən
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
From an English surname meaning
"son of Adam". Its recent popularity as a feminine name stems from its similarity in sound to
Madison.
Adelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: AD-ə-lin
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Variant of
Adeline using the popular name suffix
lyn.
Adriana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Slovak, Czech, Bulgarian, English, Dutch
Other Scripts: Адриана(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: a-dree-A-na(Italian, Dutch) a-DHRYA-na(Spanish) a-DRYA-na(Polish) ay-dree-AN-ə(English) ay-dree-AHN-ə(English)
Rating: 51% based on 8 votes
Feminine form of
Adrian. A famous bearer is the Brazilian model Adriana Lima (1981-).
Aida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Bosnian, Albanian, Literature
Other Scripts: عائدة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ‘A-ee-dah(Arabic) ah-EE-də(English)
Rating: 66% based on 5 votes
Variant of
Ayda. This name was used in Verdi's opera
Aida (1871), where it belongs to an Ethiopian princess held captive in Egypt.
Aiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 愛子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あいこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-EE-KO
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
From Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other character combinations.
Ainsley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: AYNZ-lee(English)
Rating: 26% based on 7 votes
From an English surname that was from a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English
anne "alone, solitary" or
ansetl "hermitage" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
In America, this name received a boost of popularity in 2000 when a character bearing it began appearing on the television series The West Wing.
Aisling
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: ASH-lyən
Rating: 59% based on 7 votes
Means "dream" or "vision" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.
Akane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 茜, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あかね(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KA-NEH
Rating: 54% based on 5 votes
From Japanese
茜 (akane) meaning "deep red, dye from the rubia plant". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
Akari
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 明里, 朱里, 朱莉, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あかり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KA-REE
Rating: 48% based on 5 votes
From Japanese
明 (aka) meaning "bright" or
朱 (aka) meaning "vermilion red" combined with
里 (ri) meaning "village" or
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Alanis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-LAN-is
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
Feminine form of
Alan. Canadian musician Alanis Morissette (1974-) was named after her father Alan. Her parents apparently decided to use this particular spelling after seeing this word in a Greek newspaper.
Alexandria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: al-ig-ZAN-dree-ə
Rating: 63% based on 6 votes
Feminine form of
Alexander. Alexander the Great founded several cities by this name (or renamed them) as he extended his empire eastward. The most notable of these is Alexandria in Egypt, founded by Alexander in 331 BC.
Alexia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, French, Spanish, English (Modern)
Other Scripts: Αλεξία(Greek)
Pronounced: A-LEHK-SEE-A(French) ə-LEHK-see-ə(English)
Rating: 53% based on 6 votes
Alexis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Greek, Spanish, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Αλέξης(Greek) Ἄλεξις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-LEHK-SEE(French) ə-LEHK-sis(English)
Rating: 58% based on 8 votes
From the Greek name
Ἄλεξις (Alexis) meaning
"helper" or
"defender", derived from Greek
ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, to help". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek comic poet, and also of several
saints. It is used somewhat interchangeably with the related name
Ἀλέξιος or
Alexius, borne by five Byzantine emperors.
In the English-speaking world this name is more commonly given to girls. This is due to the American actress Alexis Smith (1921-1993), who began appearing in movies in the early 1940s. It got a boost in popularity in the 1980s from a character on the soap opera Dynasty.
Alice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Czech, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch
Pronounced: AL-is(English) A-LEES(French) u-LEE-si(European Portuguese) a-LEE-see(Brazilian Portuguese) a-LEE-cheh(Italian) a-LEES(German) A-li-tseh(Czech)
Rating: 73% based on 6 votes
From the Old French name
Aalis, a short form of
Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis (see
Adelaide). This name became popular in France and England in the 12th century. It was among the most common names in England until the 16th century, when it began to decline. It was revived in the 19th century.
This name was borne by the heroine of Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871).
Alicia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Swedish, French
Pronounced: a-LEE-thya(European Spanish) a-LEE-sya(Latin American Spanish) ə-LEE-shə(English) ə-LEE-see-ə(English)
Rating: 56% based on 8 votes
Allie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AL-ee
Rating: 52% based on 6 votes
Diminutive of
Alison 1,
Alexandra and other names beginning with the same sound. After a 34-year absence from the American top 1000 chart this name began growing in popularity after the premiere of the sitcom
Kate and Allie in 1984.
Alyx
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AL-iks
Rating: 34% based on 5 votes
Feminine variant of
Alex.
Amber
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: AM-bər(English) AHM-bər(Dutch)
Rating: 60% based on 7 votes
From the English word
amber that denotes either the gemstone, which is formed from fossil resin, or the orange-yellow colour. The word ultimately derives from Arabic
عنبر ('anbar). It began to be used as a given name in the late 19th century, but it only became popular after the release of Kathleen Winsor's novel
Forever Amber (1944).
Amelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Medieval French
Pronounced: ə-MEE-lee-ə(English) ə-MEEL-yə(English) a-MEH-lya(Spanish, Italian, Polish)
Rating: 59% based on 7 votes
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.
Amity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: A-mi-tee
Rating: 60% based on 6 votes
From the English word meaning "friendship", ultimately deriving from Latin amicitia.
Amy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-mee
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
English form of the Old French name Amée meaning "beloved" (modern French aimée), a vernacular form of the Latin Amata. As an English name, it was in use in the Middle Ages (though not common) and was revived in the 19th century.
Anaïs
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-NA-EES
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Meaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of
Anne 1 or
Agnès. It was used in Jean-Henri Guy's opera
Anacréon chez Polycrate (1798), where it is borne by the daughter (otherwise unnamed in history) of the 6th-century BC tyrant
Polycrates of Samos. Guy could have adapted it from a classical name such as
Anaitis or
Athénaïs.
A famous bearer was the Cuban-French writer Anaïs Nin (1903-1977), known for her diaries.
Anastasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, English, Spanish, Italian, Georgian, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Αναστασία(Greek) Анастасия(Russian) Анастасія(Ukrainian, Belarusian) ანასტასია(Georgian) Ἀναστασία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-na-sta-SEE-a(Greek) u-nu-stu-SYEE-yə(Russian) u-nu-stu-SYEE-yu(Ukrainian) a-na-sta-SYEE-ya(Belarusian) an-ə-STAY-zhə(English) a-na-STA-sya(Spanish) a-na-STA-zya(Italian) A-NA-STA-SEE-A(Classical Greek)
Rating: 71% based on 7 votes
Feminine form of
Anastasius. This was the name of a 4th-century Dalmatian
saint who was martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Due to her, the name has been common in Eastern Orthodox Christianity (in various spellings). As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the youngest daughter of the last Russian tsar Nicholas II, who was rumoured to have escaped the execution of her family in 1918.
Andromeda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀνδρομέδα, Ἀνδρομέδη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-DRO-MEH-DA(Classical Greek) an-DRAH-mi-də(English)
Rating: 48% based on 6 votes
Derived from Greek
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός) combined with one of the related words
μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of, to provide for, to think on" or
μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek
mythology Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess rescued from sacrifice by the hero
Perseus. A constellation in the northern sky is named for her. This is also the name of a nearby galaxy, given because it resides (from our point of view) within the constellation.
Angelica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Romanian, Carolingian Cycle
Pronounced: an-JEHL-i-kə(English) an-JEH-lee-ka(Italian)
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
Derived from Latin
angelicus meaning
"angelic", ultimately related to Greek
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger". The poets Boiardo and Ariosto used this name in their
Orlando poems (1483 and 1532), where she is the love interest of both
Orlando and
Rinaldo. It has been used as a given name since the 18th century.
Anise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AN-is, a-NEES
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
From the English word for the herb, also called aniseed.
Anita 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Slovene, English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Latvian, Hungarian
Pronounced: a-NEE-ta(Spanish, Dutch, German) ə-NEET-ə(English) AH-nee-tah(Finnish) a-NYEE-ta(Polish) AW-nee-taw(Hungarian)
Rating: 49% based on 7 votes
Annalise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, English (Modern)
Rating: 55% based on 6 votes
Annette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch
Pronounced: A-NEHT(French) ə-NEHT(English) a-NEH-tə(German)
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
French
diminutive of
Anne 1. It has also been widely used in the English-speaking world, and it became popular in America in the late 1950s due to the fame of actress Annette Funicello (1942-2013).
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)
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
Antonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Romanian, Greek, Croatian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Αντωνία(Greek) Антония(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: an-TO-nya(Italian, Spanish, German) an-TO-nee-ə(English) ahn-TO-nee-a(Dutch) an-TO-nee-a(Latin)
Rating: 53% based on 8 votes
Feminine form of
Antonius (see
Anthony).
Anwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Means
"very beautiful" in Welsh, from the intensive prefix
an- combined with
gwen "white, blessed".
Aoi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 葵, 碧, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あおい(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-O-EE
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
葵 (aoi) meaning "hollyhock, althea" or an adjectival form of
碧 (ao) meaning "green, blue". Other kanji with the same reading can form this name as well.
Aoide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀοιδή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ay-EE-dee(English)
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Means
"song" in Greek. In Greek
mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.
April
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-prəl
Rating: 64% based on 5 votes
From the name of the month, probably originally derived from Latin aperire "to open", referring to the opening of flowers. It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 1940s.
Arabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ar-ə-BEHL-ə
Rating: 56% based on 5 votes
Medieval Scottish name, probably a variant of
Annabel. It has long been associated with Latin
orabilis meaning "invokable, yielding to prayer", and the name was often recorded in forms resembling this.
Unrelated, this was an older name of the city of Irbid in Jordan, from Greek Ἄρβηλα (Arbela).
Aria 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: AHR-ee-ə
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
Means "song, melody" in Italian (literally means "air"). An aria is an elaborate vocal solo, the type usually performed in operas. As an English name, it has only been in use since the 20th century, its rise in popularity accelerating after the 2010 premier of the television drama Pretty Little Liars, featuring a character by this name. It is not traditionally used in Italy.
Ariella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ar-ee-EHL-ə, ehr-ee-EHL-ə
Rating: 48% based on 6 votes
Strictly feminine form of
Ariel.
Arline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ahr-LEEN
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
Meaning unknown, possibly invented by Michael William Balfe for the main character in his opera The Bohemian Girl (1843).
Artemis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἄρτεμις(Ancient Greek) Άρτεμις(Greek)
Pronounced: AR-TEH-MEES(Classical Greek) AHR-tə-mis(English)
Rating: 58% based on 5 votes
Meaning unknown, possibly related either to Greek
ἀρτεμής (artemes) meaning
"safe" or
ἄρταμος (artamos) meaning
"a butcher". Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon and hunting, the twin of
Apollo and the daughter of
Zeus and
Leto. She was known as
Diana to the Romans.
Arwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
Means
"noble maiden" in the fictional language Sindarin. In
The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Arwen was the daughter of
Elrond and the lover of
Aragorn.
Áshildr
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse
Rating: 50% based on 4 votes
Aspen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: AS-pən
Rating: 46% based on 7 votes
From the English word for a variety of deciduous trees in the genus Populus, derived from Old English æspe. It is also the name of a ski resort in Colorado.
Astra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AS-trə
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
Means
"star", ultimately from Greek
ἀστήρ (aster). This name has only been (rarely) used since the 20th century.
Asuka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 明日香, 飛鳥, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あすか(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-SOO-KA, A-SKA
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
From Japanese
明日 (asu) meaning "tomorrow" and
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance", or from
飛 (asu) meaning "to fly" and
鳥 (ka) meaning "bird". Other kanji combinations can be possible as well.
Athena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Ἀθηνᾶ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-TEH-NA(Classical Greek) ə-THEE-nə(English)
Rating: 57% based on 7 votes
Meaning unknown. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare and the patron goddess of the city of Athens in Greece. It is likely that her name is derived from that of the city, not vice versa. The earliest mention of her seems to be a 15th-century BC Mycenaean Greek inscription from Knossos on Crete.
The daughter of Zeus, she was said to have sprung from his head fully grown after he impregnated and swallowed her mother Metis. Athena is associated with the olive tree and the owl.
Audrey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AWD-ree(English) O-DREH(French)
Rating: 78% based on 6 votes
Medieval
diminutive of
Æðelþryð. This was the name of a 7th-century
saint, a princess of East Anglia who founded a monastery at Ely. It was also used by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
As You Like It (1599). At the end of the Middle Ages the name became rare due to association with the word
tawdry (which was derived from
St. Audrey, the name of a fair where cheap lace was sold), but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
Augusta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, English, German, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ow-GOOS-ta(Italian) ə-GUS-tə(English) ow-GUWS-ta(German)
Rating: 68% based on 5 votes
Feminine form of
Augustus. It was introduced to Britain when King George III, a member of the German House of Hanover, gave this name to his second daughter in 1768.
Aurelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Polish
Pronounced: ow-REH-lee-a(Latin) ow-REH-lya(Italian, Spanish, Polish)
Rating: 74% based on 5 votes
Aurora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Romanian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: ow-RAW-ra(Italian) ow-RO-ra(Spanish, Latin) ə-RAWR-ə(English) OW-ro-rah(Finnish)
Rating: 67% based on 6 votes
Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.
Ava 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-və
Rating: 68% based on 6 votes
Variant of
Eve. A famous bearer was the American actress Ava Gardner (1922-1990). This name became very popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 21st century, entering the top ten for girls in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It began to rise sharply after 1997, possibly inspired by the actress Heather Locklear and musician Richie Sambora when they used it for their baby daughter that year.
Aveline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AV-ə-lien, AV-ə-leen
Rating: 55% based on 6 votes
From the Norman French form of the Germanic name
Avelina, a
diminutive of
Avila. The
Normans introduced this name to Britain. After the Middle Ages it became rare as an English name, though it persisted in America until the 19th century
[1].
Avery
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-və-ree, AYV-ree
Rating: 57% based on 6 votes
From an English surname that was itself derived from the Norman French form of the given names
Alberich or
Alfred.
As a given name, it was used on the American sitcom Murphy Brown (1988-1998) for both the mother and son of the main character. By 1998 it was more popular as a name for girls in the United States, perhaps further inspired by a character from the movie Jerry Maguire (1996).
Avia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֲבִיָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Avis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-vis
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
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".
Ayaka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 彩花, 彩華, 彩香, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あやか(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-YA-KA
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
From Japanese
彩 (aya) meaning "colour" combined with
花 (ka) or
華 (ka) both meaning "flower". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Azalea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ə-ZAY-lee-ə
Rating: 68% based on 5 votes
From the name of the flower (shrubs of the genus Rhododendron), ultimately derived from Greek
ἀζαλέος (azaleos) meaning "dry".
Azura
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-ZHUWR-ə, AZH-rə
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Bailey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BAY-lee
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
From an English surname derived from Middle English
baili meaning
"bailiff", originally denoting one who was a bailiff.
Already an uncommon masculine name, it slowly grew in popularity for American girls beginning in 1978 after the start of the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, which featured a character with this name. Though it remained more common as a feminine name, it got a boost for boys in 1994 from another television character on the drama Party of Five. In the United Kingdom and Australia it has always been more popular for boys.
Belle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHL
Rating: 65% based on 4 votes
Short form of
Isabella or names ending in
belle. It is also associated with the French word
belle meaning "beautiful". A famous bearer was Belle Starr (1848-1889), an outlaw of the American west, whose real given name was Maybelle.
Bianca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Romanian
Pronounced: BYANG-ka
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
Italian
cognate of
Blanche. Shakespeare had characters named Bianca in
The Taming of the Shrew (1593) and
Othello (1603).
Blaire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BLEHR
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Blake
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BLAYK
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that was derived from Old English blæc "black" or blac "pale". A famous bearer of the surname was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827). It was originally a mainly masculine name but in 2007 actress Blake Lively (1987-) began starring in the television series Gossip Girl, after which time it increased in popularity for girls.
Blanche
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: BLAHNSH(French) BLANCH(English)
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
From a medieval French nickname meaning
"white, fair-coloured". This word and its cognates in other languages are ultimately derived from the Germanic word *
blankaz. An early bearer was the 12th-century Blanca of Navarre, the wife of Sancho III of Castile. Her granddaughter of the same name married Louis VIII of France, with the result that the name became more common in France.
Branwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: BRAN-wehn(Welsh)
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
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.
Bree
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BREE
Rating: 65% based on 4 votes
Anglicized form of
Brígh. It can also be a short form of
Brianna,
Gabriella and other names containing
bri.
Breeze
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BREEZ
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
From the English word "breeze" referring to "a light, gentle wind". From the Dutch bries 'breeze', from the Eastern Frisian brîse 'breeze', from brisen 'to blow fresh and strong'.
Bridget
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: BRIJ-it(English)
Rating: 72% based on 5 votes
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.
Brielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: bree-EHL
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
Short form of
Gabrielle. This is also the name of towns in the Netherlands and New Jersey, though their names derive from a different source.
Briley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIE-lee
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
Modern name, probably based on the sounds found in other names such as
Bryson and
Riley. It also coincides with the surname
Briley.
Brinley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIN-lee
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Combination of
Bryn and the popular phonetic suffix
lee. It also coincides with an English surname, which was derived from the name of a town meaning
"burned clearing" in Old English.
Briony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BRIE-ə-nee
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
Bristol
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIS-təl
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
From the name of the city in southwestern England that means "the site of the bridge".
Brittany
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRIT-ə-nee, BRIT-nee
Rating: 64% based on 5 votes
From the name of the region of
Brittany in the northwest of France, called in French
Bretagne. It was named for the Britons who settled there after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the invasions of the Anglo-Saxons.
As a given name, it first came into common use in America in the early 1970s, reaching the third ranked spot for girls by 1989. This was an extraordinary increase over only two decades, though it has since fallen almost as dramatically as it climbed.
Brooke
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRUWK
Rating: 56% based on 7 votes
Variant of
Brook. The name came into use in the 1950s, probably influenced by American socialite Brooke Astor (1902-2007). It was further popularized by actress Brooke Shields (1965-).
Brooklyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRUWK-lən
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
From the name of a borough of New York City, originally named after the Dutch town of
Breukelen, itself meaning either "broken land" (from Dutch
breuk) or "marsh land" (from Dutch
broek). It can also be viewed as a combination of
Brook and the popular name suffix
lyn. It is considered a feminine name in the United States, but is more common as a masculine name in the United Kingdom.
Brynhild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Norse Mythology
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Brynhildr
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Old Norse [1]
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Old Norse
cognate of
Brunhild. In the Norse epic the
Völsungasaga Brynhildr was rescued by the hero
Sigurd in the guise of
Gunnar. Brynhildr and Gunnar were married, but when Sigurd's wife
Gudrun let slip that it was in fact Sigurd who had rescued her, Brynhildr plotted against him. She accused Sigurd of taking her virginity, spurring Gunnar to arrange Sigurd's murder.
Brynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIN
Rating: 65% based on 4 votes
Feminine variant of
Bryn. It was brought to limited public attention in 1978 when the actress Brynn Thayer (1949-) began appearing on the American soap opera
One Life to Live [1].
Cadence
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAY-dəns
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
From an English word meaning "rhythm, flow". It has been in use only since the 20th century.
Caesonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Caesonius. This name was borne by Milonia Caesonia, the last wife of the Roman emperor
Caligula.
Callie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAL-ee
Rating: 70% based on 5 votes
Candace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: KAN-dis(English) KAN-də-see(English)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
From the hereditary title of the queens of Ethiopia, as mentioned in Acts in the
New Testament. It is apparently derived from Cushitic
kdke meaning
"queen mother". In some versions of the Bible it is spelled
Kandake, reflecting the Greek spelling
Κανδάκη. It was used as a given name by the
Puritans after the
Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 20th century by a character in the 1942 movie
Meet the Stewarts [1].
Capri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAP-ree, kə-PREE
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
From the name of the picturesque Italian island of Capri. It is likely from Greek
κάπρος (kapros) meaning "wild boar", though it could also be of Etruscan origin or from Latin
capri meaning "goats".
Carlisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kahr-LEE-sə
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Carmella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: kahr-MEHL-ə
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Carmen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Italian, French, Romanian, German
Pronounced: KAR-mehn(Spanish, Italian) KAHR-mən(English)
Rating: 77% based on 3 votes
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).
Caroline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: KA-RAW-LEEN(French) KAR-ə-lien(English) KAR-ə-lin(English) ka-ro-LEE-nə(German)
Rating: 58% based on 5 votes
Carolyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAR-ə-lin
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
Carrie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAR-ee, KEHR-ee
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Diminutive of
Caroline. This name declined in use shortly after the 1976 release of the horror movie
Carrie, which was based on a 1974 novel by Stephen King.
Cassandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κασσάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-SAN-drə(English) kə-SAHN-drə(English)
Rating: 74% based on 5 votes
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.
Cassiopeia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κασσιόπεια, Κασσιέπεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kas-ee-ə-PEE-ə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Latinized form of Greek
Κασσιόπεια (Kassiopeia) or
Κασσιέπεια (Kassiepeia), possibly meaning
"cassia juice". In Greek
myth Cassiopeia was the wife of
Cepheus and the mother of
Andromeda. She was changed into a constellation and placed in the northern sky after she died.
Cece
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SEE-see
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
Cedar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SEE-dər
Rating: 23% based on 3 votes
From the English word for the coniferous tree, derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek
κέδρος (kedros).
Celeste
Gender: Feminine
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 6 votes
Italian feminine and masculine form of
Caelestis. It is also the Portuguese, Spanish and English feminine form.
Celica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
Means "heavenly, celestial", from Latin coelica, from caelicus 'heavenly, celestial'.
Cerise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SU-REEZ
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Means "cherry" in French.
Chanelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: shə-NEHL
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Charity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHEHR-ə-tee, CHAR-ə-tee
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
From the English word
charity, ultimately derived from Late Latin
caritas "generous love", from Latin
carus "dear, beloved".
Caritas was in use as a Roman Christian name. The English name
Charity came into use among the
Puritans after the
Protestant Reformation. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Chastity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHAS-ti-tee
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
From the English word chastity, which is ultimately from Latin castus "pure". It was borne by the child of Sonny Bono and Cher, which probably led to the name's increase in popularity during the 1970s.
Cherish
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHEHR-ish
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
From the English word meaning "to treasure".
Cheryl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHEHR-əl
Rating: 23% based on 3 votes
Elaboration of
Cherie, perhaps influenced by
Beryl. This name was very rare before the 20th century. It seems to have been popularized in America by the actress Cheryl Walker (1918-1971), who had a prominent role in the 1943 movie
Stage Door Canteen. After peaking in the 1950s the name has subsequently faded from the popularity charts.
Cheyenne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: shie-AN
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Derived from the Lakota word šahiyena meaning "red speakers". This is the name of a Native American people of the Great Plains. The name was supposedly given to the Cheyenne by the Lakota because their language was unrelated to their own. As a given name, it has been in use since the 1950s.
Chloe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Χλόη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KLO-ee(English)
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
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.
Chrissy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KRIS-ee
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
Diminutive of
Christine or
Christina. This name briefly jumped in popularity after the 1977 premiere of the American sitcom
Three's Company, featuring a character by this name.
Christina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Greek
Other Scripts: Χριστίνα(Greek)
Pronounced: kris-TEE-nə(English) kris-TEE-na(German, Swedish, Dutch)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From
Christiana, the Latin feminine form of
Christian. This was the name of an early, possibly legendary,
saint who was tormented by her pagan father. It was also borne by a 17th-century Swedish queen and patron the arts who gave up her crown in order to become a Roman Catholic.
In the English-speaking world the form Christine was more popular for most of the 20th century, though Christina eventually overtook it. Famous bearers include actress Christina Ricci (1980-) and singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).
Cinder
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American)
Pronounced: SIN-der(American English)
Rating: 17% based on 3 votes
Representing the residue of combustion; ashes.
Cindy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SIN-dee
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Circe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κίρκη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SUR-see(English)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Latinized form of Greek
Κίρκη (Kirke), possibly from
κίρκος (kirkos) meaning
"hawk". In Greek
mythology Circe was a sorceress who changed
Odysseus's crew into hogs, as told in Homer's
Odyssey. Odysseus forced her to change them back, then stayed with her for a year before continuing his voyage.
Claire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KLEHR
Rating: 58% based on 6 votes
French form of
Clara. This was a common name in France throughout the 20th century, though it has since been eclipsed there by
Clara. It was also very popular in the United Kingdom, especially in the 1970s.
Clara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Catalan, Romanian, English, Swedish, Danish, Late Roman
Pronounced: KLA-ra(German, Spanish, Italian) KLA-ru(Portuguese) KLA-RA(French) KLEHR-ə(American English) KLAR-ə(American English) KLAH-rə(British English)
Personal remark: Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor companion
Rating: 62% based on 5 votes
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Clarus, which meant
"clear, bright, famous". The name
Clarus was borne by a few early
saints. The feminine form was popularized by the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi (called
Chiara in Italian), a friend and follower of Saint Francis, who left her wealthy family to found the order of nuns known as the Poor Clares.
As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages, originally in the form Clare, though the Latinate spelling Clara overtook it in the 19th century and became very popular. It declined through most of the 20th century (being eclipsed by the French form Claire in English-speaking countries), though it has since recovered somewhat.
Clarisse
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KLA-REES
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
Clarity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KLAR-i-tee
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Simply means "clarity, lucidity" from the English word, ultimately from Latin clarus "clear".
Clementine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHM-ən-teen, KLEHM-ən-tien
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Cleo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEE-o
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Comfort
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: KUM-fərt
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
From the English word
comfort, ultimately from Latin
confortare "to strengthen greatly", a derivative of
fortis "strong". It was used as a given name after the
Protestant Reformation. It is now most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Coralie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KAW-RA-LEE
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Either a French form of
Koralia, or a derivative of Latin
corallium "coral" (see
Coral).
Cordelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: kawr-DEE-lee-ə(English) kawr-DEEL-yə(English)
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
From
Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles
[1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King
Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of
Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.
The spelling was later altered to Cordelia when Geoffrey's story was adapted by others, including Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590) and Shakespeare in his tragedy King Lear (1606).
Cornelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Romanian, Italian, Dutch, English, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: kawr-NEH-lya(German) kor-NEH-lya(Italian) kawr-NEH-lee-a(Dutch) kawr-NEE-lee-ə(English) kor-NEH-lee-a(Latin)
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
Feminine form of
Cornelius. In the 2nd century BC it was borne by Cornelia Scipionis Africana (the daughter of the military hero Scipio Africanus), the mother of the two reformers known as the Gracchi. After her death she was regarded as an example of the ideal Roman woman. The name was revived in the 18th century.
Crescentia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare), Late Roman
Rating: 77% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Crescentius.
Saint Crescentia was a 4th-century companion of Saint
Vitus. This is also the name of the eponymous heroine of a 12th-century German romance.
Crystal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KRIS-təl
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
From the English word
crystal for the clear, colourless glass, sometimes cut into the shape of a gemstone. The English word derives ultimately from Greek
κρύσταλλος (krystallos) meaning "ice". It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.
Cynthia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κυνθία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SIN-thee-ə(English) SEEN-TYA(French)
Rating: 57% based on 7 votes
Latinized form of Greek
Κυνθία (Kynthia), which means
"woman from Cynthus". This was an epithet of the Greek moon goddess
Artemis, given because Cynthus was the mountain on Delos on which she and her twin brother
Apollo were born. It was not used as a given name until the Renaissance, and it did not become common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century. It reached a peak of popularity in the United States in 1957 and has declined steadily since then.
Dani 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAN-ee
Rating: 35% based on 4 votes
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)
Rating: 54% based on 5 votes
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.
Danielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: DA-NYEHL(French) dan-YEHL(English)
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
French feminine form of
Daniel. It has been commonly used in the English-speaking world only since the 20th century.
Dawn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAWN
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
From the English word dawn, ultimately derived from Old English dagung.
Decima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: DEH-kee-ma
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Deitra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 17% based on 3 votes
Delaney
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: di-LAYN-ee
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Delight
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: də-LIET
Rating: 7% based on 3 votes
Means simply "delight, happiness" from the English word.
Delphina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of the Latin name
Delphinus, which meant
"of Delphi". Delphi was a city in ancient Greece, the name of which is possibly related to Greek
δελφύς (delphys) meaning "womb". The Blessed Delphina was a 14th-century Provençal nun.
Delta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHL-tə
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
From the name of the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet,
Δ. It is also the name for an island formed at the mouth of a river.
Demetria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek, English
Other Scripts: Δημητρία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Demi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, English (Modern)
Other Scripts: Δήμη, Ντίμι, Ντίμη(Greek)
Pronounced: də-MEE(English) DEHM-ee(English)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Alternate transcription of Greek
Δήμη or
Ντίμι or
Ντίμη (see
Dimi), as well as a short form of
Demetria. A famous bearer is American actress Demi Moore (1962-), and it is because of her that the name rose in popularity in the United States in the late 1980s. Though some sources claim Moore's birth name is Demetria, the actress herself has said she was born as Demi and named after a makeup product. The name received a further boost after 2008 with the release of the debut album by the singer Demi Lovato (1992-), who pronounces the name differently than the older actress. Lovato's birth name is Demetria.
Désirée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Dutch, German
Pronounced: DEH-ZEE-REH(French)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
French form of
Desiderata. In part it is directly from the French word meaning "desired, wished".
Destiny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHS-ti-nee
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Means simply "destiny, fate" from the English word, ultimately from Latin destinare "to determine", a derivative of stare "to stand". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the last half of the 20th century.
Dinah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Hebrew, English
Other Scripts: דִּינָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: DIE-nə(English) DEE-nə(English)
Rating: 48% based on 5 votes
Dione 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEE-ahn
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Domenica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: do-MEH-nee-ka
Rating: 48% based on 5 votes
Italian feminine form of
Dominicus (see
Dominic).
Dominica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Late Roman
Pronounced: dahm-i-NEE-kə(English) də-MIN-i-kə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Domitia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: do-MEE-tee-a
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Doria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Possibly a feminine form of
Dorian or an elaboration of
Dora.
Dory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAWR-ee
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Dottie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHT-ee
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Dream
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: DREEM
Rating: 23% based on 3 votes
From the English word dream referring to imaginary events seen in the mind while sleeping or a hope or wish.
Eartha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: UR-thə
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Combination of the English word earth with the feminine name suffix a. It has been used in honour of African-American philanthropist Eartha M. M. White (1876-1974). Another famous bearer was American singer and actress Eartha Kitt (1927-2008).
Echo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἠχώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EH-ko(English)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
From the Greek word
ἠχώ (echo) meaning
"echo, reflected sound", related to
ἠχή (eche) meaning "sound". In Greek
mythology Echo was a nymph given a speech impediment by
Hera, so that she could only repeat what others said. She fell in love with
Narcissus, but her love was not returned, and she pined away until nothing remained of her except her voice.
Edelgard
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
From an Old German name, which was derived from the elements
adal "noble" and
gart "enclosure, yard".
Eden
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English (Modern), French (Modern)
Other Scripts: עֵדֶן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: EE-dən(English)
Rating: 64% based on 5 votes
From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן ('eden) meaning "pleasure, delight", or perhaps derived from Sumerian
𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the
Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
Edie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EE-dee
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Edwina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ehd-WEEN-ə, ehd-WIN-ə
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Eileen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: ie-LEEN(English) IE-leen(English)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Anglicized form of
Eibhlín. It is also sometimes considered an Irish form of
Helen. It first became popular in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland near the end of the 19th century.
Éireann
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: EH-ryən
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
From
Éireann, the genitive case of Irish Gaelic
Éire, meaning "Ireland". It is commonly Anglicized as
Erin.
Elaine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: i-LAYN(English) ee-LAYN(English)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
From an Old French form of
Helen. It appears in Arthurian legend; in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation
Le Morte d'Arthur Elaine was the daughter of
Pelles, the lover of
Lancelot, and the mother of
Galahad. It was not commonly used as an English given name until after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian epic
Idylls of the King (1859).
Eleanor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ə-nawr
Rating: 75% based on 4 votes
From the Old French form of the Occitan name
Alienòr. Among the name's earliest bearers was the influential Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century), who was the queen of Louis VII, the king of France, and later Henry II, the king of England. She was named
Aenor after her mother, and was called by the Occitan phrase
alia Aenor "the other Aenor" in order to distinguish her from her mother. However, there appear to be examples of bearers prior to Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is not clear whether they were in fact Aenors who were retroactively recorded as having the name Eleanor, or whether there is an alternative explanation for the name's origin.
The popularity of the name Eleanor in England during the Middle Ages was due to the fame of Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as two queens of the following century: Eleanor of Provence, the wife of Henry III, and Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I. More recently, it was borne by first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), the wife of American president Franklin Roosevelt.
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: 70% based on 4 votes
Form of
Helen used in various languages, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian
Елена (see
Yelena).
Elesa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical), Greek
Other Scripts: Ελέσα(Greek)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Elise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English
Pronounced: eh-LEE-zə(German) eh-LEE-seh(Norwegian, Danish, Swedish) i-LEES(English) EE-lees(English)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Elm
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan, English
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
Catalan form of
Elmo, as well as a short form of
Elmer. The name may also be taken directly from the English word
elm, a type of tree.
Elvina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ehl-VEEN-ə
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
Elyse
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Diminutive of
Elizabeth. It was popularized in the early 1980s by a character from the television comedy
Family Ties.
Emery
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-ree
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Norman French form of
Emmerich. The
Normans introduced it to England, and though it was never popular, it survived until the end of the Middle Ages. As a modern given name, now typically feminine, it is likely inspired by the surname
Emery, which was itself derived from the medieval given name. It can also be given in reference to the hard black substance called emery.
Emmie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ee
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Enyo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἐνυώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: i-NIE-o(English)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Meaning unknown. She was a bloodthirsty Greek war goddess and a companion of
Ares.
Epiphany
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: i-PIF-ə-nee
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
From the name of the Christian festival (January 6) that commemorates the visit of the Magi to the infant
Jesus. It is also an English word meaning "sudden appearance" or "sudden perception", ultimately deriving from Greek
ἐπιφάνεια (epiphaneia) meaning "manifestation".
Erie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: IR-ee(American English)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Possibly a transferred use of the name of Lake Erie or of the famous Erie Canal. In rare use in the US from the late 1800s to the 1910s and again briefly in the 1960s and 1970s.
Erin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: EHR-in(English)
Rating: 68% based on 5 votes
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.
Eris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἔρις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EHR-is(English)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Means
"strife, discord" in Greek. In Greek
mythology Eris was the goddess of discord. She was the sister and companion of
Ares.
Esmae
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHZ-may
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
Essence
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHS-əns
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
From the English word essence, which means either "odour, scent" or else "fundamental quality". Ultimately it derives from Latin esse "to be".
Ethelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ETH-ə-lin
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Eudoxia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Εὐδοξία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
From Greek
εὐδοξία (eudoxia) meaning
"good repute, good judgement", itself from
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
δόξα (doxa) meaning "notion, reputation, honour".
Eugenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εὐγένεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ew-JEH-nya(Italian) ew-KHEH-nya(Spanish) eh-oo-JEH-nee-a(Romanian) ew-GEH-nya(Polish) yoo-JEE-nee-ə(English) yoo-JEEN-yə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Eugenius (see
Eugene). It was borne by a semi-legendary 3rd-century
saint who escaped persecution by disguising herself as a man. The name was occasionally found in England during the Middle Ages, but it was not regularly used until the 19th century.
Eva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian, Danish, Icelandic, Faroese, Romanian, Greek, Slovene, Bulgarian, Croatian, Russian, Georgian, Armenian, Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Εύα(Greek) Ева(Bulgarian, Russian, Church Slavic) ევა(Georgian) Էվա(Armenian)
Pronounced: EH-ba(Spanish) EH-va(Italian, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Swedish, Icelandic, Greek) EE-və(English) EH-fa(German) EH-vah(Danish) YEH-və(Russian) EH-VAH(Georgian) EH-wa(Latin)
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
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).
Evangeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: i-VAN-jə-leen, i-VAN-jə-lien
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Means
"good news" from Greek
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
ἄγγελμα (angelma) meaning "news, message". It was (first?) used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1847 epic poem
Evangeline [1][2]. It also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) as the full name of the character Eva.
Eve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Estonian, Biblical
Other Scripts: חַוָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: EEV(English)
Rating: 64% based on 5 votes
From the Hebrew name
חַוָּה (Chawwah), which was derived from the Hebrew word
חָוָה (chawah) meaning
"to breathe" or the related word
חָיָה (chayah) meaning
"to live". According to the
Old Testament Book of Genesis, Eve and
Adam were the first humans. God created her from one of Adam's ribs to be his companion. At the urging of a serpent she ate the forbidden fruit and shared some with Adam, causing their expulsion from the Garden of
Eden.
Despite this potentially negative association, the name was occasionally used by Christians during the Middle Ages. In the English-speaking world both Eve and the Latin form Eva were revived in the 19th century, with the latter being more common.
Evelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, Lithuanian, Greek, Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Εβελίνα(Greek) Эвелина(Russian) Евелина(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ehv-ə-LEE-nə(English) eh-veh-LEE-na(Italian, Swedish)
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Latinate form of
Aveline. It was revived by the author Fanny Burney for the heroine of her first novel
Evelina (1778). It is often regarded as a variant of the related name
Evelyn or an elaboration of
Eve.
Evelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: EHV-ə-lin(English) EEV-lin(British English) EEV-ə-lin(British English) EH-və-leen(German)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Aveline. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as almost entirely feminine, probably in part because of its similarity to
Eve and
Evelina.
This name was popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 20th century. It staged a comeback in the early 21st century, returning to the American top ten in 2017.
Everly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHV-ər-lee
Rating: 30% based on 4 votes
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.
Evie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EE-vee, EHV-ee
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Faith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAYTH
Rating: 60% based on 5 votes
Simply from the English word
faith, ultimately from Latin
fidere "to trust". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Favour
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: FAY-vər
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
From the English word favour, ultimately from Latin faveo "to favour". This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
Faye
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAY
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Fern
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FURN
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
From the English word for the plant, ultimately from Old English fearn. It has been used as a given name since the late 19th century.
Fortune
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English (Rare)
Pronounced: FAWR-TUYN(French) FAWR-chən(English)
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
Simply from the word fortune, ultimately from Latin fortuna, a derivative of fors "luck".
Freya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, English (Modern), German
Pronounced: FRAY-ə(English) FRAY-a(German)
Rating: 75% based on 4 votes
From Old Norse
Freyja meaning
"lady". This is the name of a goddess associated with love, beauty, war and death in Norse
mythology. She claims half of the heroes who are slain in battle and brings them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother
Freyr and father
Njord, she is one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess
Frigg.
This is not the usual spelling in any of the Scandinavian languages (in Sweden and Denmark it is Freja and in Norway it is Frøja) but it is the common spelling of the goddess's name in English. In the 2000s it became popular in Britain.
Gabby
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAB-ee
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Gabriella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Hungarian, English, Swedish
Pronounced: ga-bree-EHL-la(Italian) GAWB-ree-ehl-law(Hungarian) ga-bree-EHL-ə(English) gah-bree-EHL-lah(Swedish)
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Gail
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAYL
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Gardenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: gahr-DEEN-ee-ə
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
From the name of the tropical flower, which was named for the Scottish naturalist Alexander Garden (1730-1791).
Garnet 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAHR-nət
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
From the English word garnet for the precious stone, the birthstone of January. The word is derived from Middle English gernet meaning "dark red".
Genesis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JEHN-ə-sis
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Means
"birth, origin" in Greek. This is the name of the first book of the
Old Testament in the Bible. It tells of the creation of the world, the expulsion of
Adam and
Eve,
Noah and the great flood, and the three patriarchs.
Genie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEE-nee
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Ginger
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIN-jər
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
From the English word
ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a
diminutive of
Virginia, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.
Glory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: GLAWR-ee
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
Simply from the English word glory, ultimately from Latin gloria.
Gracie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRAY-see
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Guinevere
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GWIN-ə-vir(English)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
From the Norman French form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar meaning
"white phantom", ultimately from the old Celtic roots *
windos meaning "white" (modern Welsh
gwen) and *
sēbros meaning "phantom, magical being"
[1]. In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King
Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by
Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir
Lancelot.
The Cornish form of this name, Jennifer, has become popular in the English-speaking world.
Hadyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: HAY-dən
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Hailey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HAY-lee
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
Variant of
Hayley. This is currently the most common spelling in the United States, surpassing
Haley in 2001 and attaining a high rank of 19th in 2010.
Harley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-lee
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English
hara "hare" or
hær "rock, heap of stones" and
leah "woodland, clearing". An American name for boys since the 19th century, it began to be used for girls after a character with the name began appearing on the soap opera
Guiding Light in 1987.
Harmonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἁρμονία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HAR-MO-NEE-A(Classical Greek) hahr-MO-nee-ə(English)
Rating: 77% based on 3 votes
Means
"harmony, agreement" in Greek. She was the daughter of
Ares and
Aphrodite, given by
Zeus to
Cadmus to be his wife.
Harmony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-mə-nee
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
From the English word
harmony, ultimately deriving from Greek
ἁρμονία (harmonia).
Harper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-pər
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who played or made harps (Old English hearpe). A notable bearer was the American author Harper Lee (1926-2016), who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. It rapidly gained popularity in the 2000s and 2010s, entering the American top ten for girls in 2015.
Haruka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 遥, 春花, 晴香, etc.(Japanese Kanji) はるか(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: HA-ROO-KA
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
From Japanese
遥 (haruka) meaning "distant, remote". It can also come from
春 (haru) meaning "spring" or
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather" combined with
花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" or
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance". Additionally, other kanji combinations can form this name.
Hayden
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAY-dən
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
From an English surname that was derived from place names meaning either
"hay valley" or
"hay hill", derived from Old English
heg "hay" and
denu "valley" or
dun "hill". Its popularity at the end of the 20th century was due to the sound it shared with other trendy names of the time, such as
Braden and
Aidan.
Hera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἥρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEH-RA(Classical Greek) HEHR-ə(English) HEE-rə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
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.
Hermina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, Slovene, Hungarian, Croatian
Pronounced: HEHR-mee-naw(Hungarian)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Dutch, Slovene, Hungarian and Croatian form of
Hermine.
Hestia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἑστία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHS-TEE-A(Classical Greek) HEHS-tee-ə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Derived from Greek
ἑστία (hestia) meaning
"hearth, fireside". In Greek
mythology Hestia was the goddess of the hearth and domestic activity.
Hina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 陽菜, 日菜, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ひな(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-NA
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From Japanese
陽 (hi) meaning "light, sun" or
日 (hi) meaning "sun, day" combined with
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Holly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHL-ee
Rating: 73% based on 4 votes
From the English word for the holly tree, ultimately derived from Old English holen. Holly Golightly is the main character in the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) by Truman Capote.
Honor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AHN-ər
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Honour, using the American spelling.
Honour
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AHN-ər
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
From the English word
honour, which is of Latin origin. This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century. It can also be viewed as a form of
Honoria or
Honorata, which are ultimately derived from the same source.
Hope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HOP
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
From the English word
hope, ultimately from Old English
hopian. This name was first used by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Hrǫnn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Means
"wave" in Old Norse. In Norse
mythology she was one of the nine daughters of
Ægir and
Rán.
Imogen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: IM-ə-jehn
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
The name of the daughter of King
Cymbeline in the play
Cymbeline (1609) by William Shakespeare. He based her on a legendary character named
Innogen, but it was printed incorrectly and never emended.
Innogen is probably derived from Gaelic
inghean meaning
"maiden". As a given name it is chiefly British and Australian.
Indiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: in-dee-AN-ə
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
From the name of the American state, which means "land of the Indians". This is the name of the hero in the Indiana Jones series of movies, starring Harrison Ford.
Inez
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: i-NEHZ, ee-NEHZ, ie-NEHZ
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Inga
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Estonian, Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian, German, Polish, Russian, Old Norse [1][2], Germanic [3]
Other Scripts: Инга(Russian)
Pronounced: ING-ah(Swedish) ING-ga(German) EENG-ga(Polish) EEN-gə(Russian)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Strictly feminine form of
Inge.
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: 30% based on 3 votes
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).
Ingríðr
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse [1]
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Ingvild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian
Rating: 27% based on 3 votes
From the Old Norse name
Yngvildr, derived from the name of the Norse god
Yngvi combined with
hildr "battle".
Ingvildr
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse [1]
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Ione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Ἰόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-O-nee(English)
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
From Ancient Greek
ἴον (ion) meaning
"violet flower". This was the name of a sea nymph in Greek
mythology. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, though perhaps based on the Greek place name
Ionia, a region on the west coast of Asia Minor.
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)
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
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.
Irmhild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: IRM-hilt
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Isadora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese
Pronounced: iz-ə-DAWR-ə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Variant of
Isidora. A famous bearer was the American dancer Isadora Duncan (1877-1927).
Iselin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian
Pronounced: is-e-LEEN
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
Norwegian adoption of an originally German short form of Old High German names containing the element
isarn meaning "iron" (e.g.,
Isengard,
Iselinde,
Isburg), as well as an adoption of an obsolete German diminutive of
Isa 2 and a Norwegian adoption and adaption of the Irish name
Aisling (compare
Isleen).
Iseult
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: i-SOOLT(English) i-ZOOLT(English) EE-ZUU(French)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
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).
Isolda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: i-SOL-də(English) i-ZOL-də(English)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Iðunn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Old Norse [1], Icelandic
Pronounced: I-dhuyn(Icelandic)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Probably derived from the Old Norse prefix
ið- "again, repeated" and
unna "to love". In Norse
mythology Iðunn was the goddess of spring and immortality whose responsibility it was to guard the gods' apples of youth.
Ivanka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Other Scripts: Иванка(Bulgarian, Serbian)
Pronounced: I-vang-ka(Czech)
Rating: 10% based on 4 votes
Ivayla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Ивайла(Bulgarian)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Izzy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: IZ-ee
Jaci 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Janeka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Janessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: jə-NEHS-ə
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Janis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAN-is
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Jaquelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: JAK-ə-lin, JAK-wə-lin
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Jasmine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAZ-min(English) ZHAS-MEEN(French)
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
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.
Jazmyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JAZ-min
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Jazz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Diminutive of
Jazmine/
Jasmine or
Jazper/
Jasper, or possibly given in reference to "jazz", the genre of music, or the English word
jazz meaning "energy, excitement, excitability; very lively; of excellent quality, the genuine article".
Jeanie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEE-nee
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Jenessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: jə-NEHS-ə
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Combination of
Jen and the popular name suffix
essa.
Jenny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, German, Dutch, French, Spanish
Pronounced: JEHN-ee(English) YEH-nuy(Swedish) YEH-nee(German)
Personal remark: The Doctor's daughter
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Originally a medieval English
diminutive of
Jane. Since the middle of the 20th century it has been primarily considered a diminutive of
Jennifer.
Jerilyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEHR-ə-lin
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Elaboration of
Jerry using the popular name suffix
lyn.
Jessalyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: JEHS-ə-lin
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Combination of
Jessie 1 and the popular name suffix
lyn.
Jessamine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: JEHS-ə-min
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
From a variant spelling of the English word
jasmine (see
Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.
Jessi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JEHS-ee
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Jillian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIL-ee-ən
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Jinx
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Popular Culture
Pronounced: JINGKS
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Jynx, or else directly from the American English word meaning "a charm, a spell", which is ultimately derived from the same source (Greek
iynx "wryneck", a bird used in witchcraft and divination). This was the name of Halle Berry's character in the James Bond film 'Die Another Day' (2002), in which case it was a diminutive of
Giacinta.
Jocelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAHS-lin(English) JAHS-ə-lin(English) ZHO-SEH-LEHN(French)
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
From a Frankish masculine name, variously written as
Gaudelenus,
Gautselin,
Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element *
gautaz, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats, combined with a Latin
diminutive suffix. The
Normans brought this name to England in the form
Goscelin or
Joscelin, and it was common until the 14th century. It was revived in the 20th century primarily as a feminine name, perhaps an adaptation of the surname
Jocelyn (a medieval derivative of the given name). In France this is a masculine name only.
Jodie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JO-dee
Personal remark: Thirteenth Doctor played by Jodie Whittaker, the series' first ever female Doctor
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Feminine variant of
Jody.
Joséphine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHO-ZEH-FEEN
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
French feminine form of
Joseph. A notable bearer of this name was the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814).
Joslyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JAHS-lin
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Journey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JUR-nee
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
From the English word, derived via Old French from Latin diurnus "of the day".
Juliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: yuy-lee-A-na(Dutch) yoo-lee-A-na(German) joo-lee-AN-ə(English) joo-lee-AHN-ə(English) khoo-LYA-na(Spanish) YOO-lee-a-na(Slovak)
Rating: 63% based on 6 votes
Feminine form of
Iulianus (see
Julian). This was the name of a 4th-century
saint and martyr from Nicomedia, and also of the Blessed Juliana of Norwich, also called Julian, a 14th-century mystic and author. The name was also borne by a 20th-century queen of the Netherlands. In England, this form has been in use since the 18th century, alongside the older form
Gillian.
Juliet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: joo-lee-EHT, JOOL-yət
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
Anglicized form of
Giulietta or
Juliette. This spelling was used for the ill-fated lover of
Romeo in the play
Romeo and Juliet (1596) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare based his story on earlier Italian tales such as
Giulietta e Romeo (1524) by Luigi Da Porto.
June
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOON
Rating: 77% based on 3 votes
From the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess
Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Juniper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JOON-i-pər
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From the English word for the type of tree, derived ultimately from Latin iuniperus.
Justina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovene, Lithuanian, Late Roman
Pronounced: jus-TEE-nə(English) khoos-TEE-na(Spanish) zhoosh-TEE-nu(European Portuguese) zhoos-CHEE-nu(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
From Latin
Iustina, the feminine form of
Iustinus (see
Justin). This name was borne by several early
saints and martyrs.
Kacey
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAY-see
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Kaede
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 楓, etc.(Japanese Kanji) かえで(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KA-EH-DEH
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
From Japanese
楓 (kaede) meaning "maple" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Kailyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAY-lin
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Kaitlyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAYT-lin
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Kara 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHR-ə, KEHR-ə, KAR-ə
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Karina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Polish, German, Russian, English, Latvian, Spanish
Other Scripts: Карина(Russian)
Pronounced: ka-REE-na(Swedish, Polish, German) ku-RYEE-nə(Russian) kə-REE-nə(English)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Elaborated form of
Karin.
Katrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: kə-TREE-nə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Kay 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Short form of
Katherine and other names beginning with
K.
Kaya 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KIE-ə
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Possibly from the Scandinavian name
Kaia, or simply an invented name based on the sounds found in other names such as
Maya.
Keiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 慶子, 敬子, 啓子, 恵子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) けいこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KEH-KO
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From Japanese
慶 (kei) meaning "celebration",
敬 (kei) meaning "respect",
啓 (kei) meaning "open, begin" or
恵 (kei) meaning "favour, benefit" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Keisha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American
Pronounced: KEE-shə(English)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Possibly invented, or possibly based on
Keziah. It began to be used in the 1960s.
Kelila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: כְּלִילָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From Hebrew
כְּלִיל (kelil) meaning
"crown, wreath".
Kelsey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHL-see
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
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".
Kelsi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KEHL-see
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Kenzie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHN-zee
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Kia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: KEE-ah
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Kierra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: kee-EHR-ə
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Kiersten
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KIR-stən, KEER-stən
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Kiley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIE-lee
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Kimberly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIM-bər-lee
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
From the name of the city of
Kimberley in South Africa, which was named after Lord
Kimberley (1826-1902). The city came to prominence in the late 19th century during the Boer War.
Kimberly has been used as a given name since the mid-20th century, eventually becoming very popular as a feminine name.
Kinsey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KIN-zee
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Cynesige. This name is borne by Kinsey Millhone, the heroine in a series of mystery novels by author Sue Grafton, beginning in 1982.
Kinsley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KINZ-lee
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From a surname that was derived from an English place name, itself meaning
"clearing belonging to Cyne". The Old English given name
Cyne is a short form of longer names beginning with
cyne meaning "royal".
As an American name for girls, Kinsley was very rare before 1990. It has steadily grown in popularity since then, perhaps inspired by similar-sounding names such as Kinsey and Ainsley (both of which it has surpassed).
Kira 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEER-ə
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Kizzy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIZ-ee
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Diminutive of
Keziah. This particular spelling was repopularized in the late 1970s by a character in the book and miniseries
Roots (1977).
Korrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Corinna. This name is borne by the Fighting-type Gym Leader in the video games Pokemon X and Y.
Kristin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, German, Estonian, English
Pronounced: kris-TEEN(Swedish, German) KRIS-tin(English)
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
Kylie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIE-lee
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
This name arose in Australia, where it is said to mean "boomerang" in the Australian Aboriginal language Nyungar. An early bearer was the author Kylie Tennant (1912-1988). It was among the most popular names in Australia in the 1970s and early 80s. It can also be considered a feminine form of
Kyle, or a combination of the popular sounds
ky and
lee, and it is likely in those capacities that it began to be used in America in the late 1970s. A famous bearer is the Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue (1968-).
Kyra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEER-ə, KIE-rə
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Kira 2, sometimes considered a feminine form of
Cyrus.
Lacey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAY-see
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Variant of
Lacy. This is currently the most popular spelling of this name.
Lainey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LAY-nee
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Lara 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, Croatian
Other Scripts: Лара(Russian)
Pronounced: LAHR-ə(English) LA-ra(German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch) LA-RA(French) LA-ru(Portuguese) LAW-raw(Hungarian)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Russian short form of
Larisa. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by a character from Boris Pasternak's novel
Doctor Zhivago (1957) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1965). Between 1965 and 1969 it increased by almost 2,000 percent in the United States, however it is currently much more popular in the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. Another famous fictional bearer is Lara Croft, first appearing in video games in 1996 and movies in 2001.
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)
Rating: 50% based on 4 votes
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.
Lark
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LAHRK
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From the English word for the type of songbird.
Layla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, English
Other Scripts: ليلى(Arabic)
Pronounced: LIE-la(Arabic) LAY-lə(English)
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Means
"night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet
Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem
Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song
Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.
Leafy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan)
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Lenae
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: lə-NAY
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Respelling of
Linnaea influenced by the English pronunciation of
Renée.
Leslie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHZ-lee, LEHS-lee
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
From a Scottish surname that was derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In America it was more common as a feminine name after the 1940s.
Lexa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHK-sə
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Lexi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHK-see
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Liberty
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIB-ər-tee
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Simply from the English word
liberty, derived from Latin
libertas, a derivative of
liber "free". Interestingly, since 1880 this name has charted on the American popularity lists in three different periods: in 1918 (at the end of World War I), in 1976 (the American bicentennial), and after 2001 (during the War on Terrorism)
[1].
Lileas
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Lilibet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Lilith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Other Scripts: לילית(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: LIL-ith(English)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Derived from Akkadian
lilitu meaning
"of the night". This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish tradition she was
Adam's first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by
Eve because she would not submit to him. The offspring of Adam (or
Samael) and Lilith were the evil spirits of the world.
Lillian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIL-ee-ən
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
Probably originally a
diminutive of
Elizabeth. It may also be considered an elaborated form of
Lily, from the Latin word for "lily"
lilium. This name has been used in England since the 16th century.
Lillie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIL-ee
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
Lina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: لينا(Arabic)
Pronounced: LEE-na
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Means either "palm tree" or "tender" in Arabic.
Lina 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Lithuanian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Slovene
Pronounced: LEE-nə(English) LEE-na(Spanish)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Short form of names ending in lina.
Lissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIS-ə
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Lizzie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIZ-ee
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Lizzy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIZ-ee
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Lorelai
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LAWR-ə-lie
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Lorelei. This name featured on the television series
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) where it was borne by the two main characters (the younger one went by the nickname
Rory).
Lorelei
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: LAWR-ə-lie(English)
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
From German
Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German
ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.
In the English-speaking world this name has been occasionally given since the early 20th century. It started rising in America after the variant Lorelai was used for the main character (and her daughter, nicknamed Rory) on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007).
Loretta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian
Pronounced: lə-REHT-ə(English) lo-REHT-ta(Italian)
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
Perhaps a variant of
Lauretta or
Loreto. A famous bearer was the American actress Loretta Young (1913-2000), whose birth name was Gretchen.
Lotus
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LO-təs
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
From the name of the lotus flower (species Nelumbo nucifera) or the mythological lotus tree. They are ultimately derived from Greek
λωτός (lotos). In Greek and Roman
mythology the lotus tree was said to produce a fruit causing sleepiness and forgetfulness.
Luana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: loo-AN-ə(English) LWA-na(Italian)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
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.
Luann
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: loo-AN
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Either a combination of
Lou and
Ann or a variant of
Luana. It was popularized in the 1950s by the singer Lu Ann Simms (1933-2003).
Lucia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, German, Dutch, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: loo-CHEE-a(Italian) LOO-tsya(German) loo-TSEE-a(German) LOO-shə(English) loo-SEE-ə(English) luy-SEE-a(Swedish) LOO-chya(Romanian) LOO-kee-a(Latin)
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Lucius.
Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings
Lucy or
Luce.
Lucille
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: LUY-SEEL(French) loo-SEEL(English)
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
French form of
Lucilla. A famous bearer was American comedienne Lucille Ball (1911-1989).
Lucina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: loo-KEE-na(Latin) loo-SIE-nə(English) loo-SEE-nə(English)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Derived from Latin lucus meaning "grove", but later associated with lux meaning "light". This was the name of a Roman goddess of childbirth.
Luella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: loo-EHL-ə
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Lumi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: LOO-mee
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Means "snow" in Finnish.
Luna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English
Pronounced: LOO-na(Latin, Spanish, Italian) LOO-nə(English)
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
Means "the moon" in Latin (as well as Italian, Spanish and other Romance languages). Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.
Lux
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: LUKS(English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Derived from Latin lux meaning "light".
Lyra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: LIE-rə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
The name of the constellation in the northern sky containing the star Vega. It is said to be shaped after the lyre of Orpheus. This is the name of the main character in the His Dark Materials series of books by Philip Pullman (beginning 1995).
Lyric
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LIR-ik
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Means simply
"lyric, songlike" from the English word, ultimately derived from Greek
λυρικός (lyrikos).
Mabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-bəl
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Medieval feminine form of
Amabilis. This spelling and
Amabel were common during the Middle Ages, though they became rare after the 15th century. It was revived in the 19th century after the publication of C. M. Yonge's 1854 novel
The Heir of Redclyffe [1], which featured a character named Mabel (as well as one named Amabel).
Macie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-see
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Madison
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAD-i-sən
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
From an English surname meaning
"son of Maud". It was not commonly used as a feminine name until after the movie
Splash (1984), in which the main character adopted it as her name after seeing a street sign for Madison Avenue in New York City. It was ranked second for girls in the United States by 2001. This rise from obscurity to prominence in only 18 years represents an unprecedented 550,000 percent increase in usage.
A famous bearer of the surname was James Madison (1751-1836), one of the authors of the American constitution who later served as president (and after whom Madison Avenue was named).
Màiri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Pronounced: MA-ryi
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Scottish Gaelic form of
Maria (see
Mary). The form
Moire is used to refer to the Virgin Mary.
Maisie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: MAY-zee(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
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.
Mallory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAL-ə-ree
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
From an English surname that meant "unfortunate" in Norman French. It first became common in the 1980s due to the American sitcom Family Ties (1982-1989), which featured a character by this name.
Maple
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-pəl
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the English word for the tree, derived from Old English mapul. This is the name of a girl in Robert Frost's poem Maple (1923) who wonders about the origin of her unusual name.
Marilyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAR-ə-lin, MAR-lin
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
Combination of
Mary and the common name suffix
lyn. It was very rare before the start of the 20th century. It was popularized in part by the American stage star Marilyn Miller (1898-1936), who was born Mary Ellen Reynolds and took her
stage name from a combination of her birth name and her mother's middle name
Lynn. It became popular in the United States during the 1920s, reaching a high point ranked 13th in 1936. Famous bearers include American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962; real name Norma Jeane Mortenson) and American opera singer Marilyn Horne (1934-).
Marina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Greek, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Georgian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Μαρίνα(Greek) Марина(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) მარინა(Georgian)
Pronounced: ma-REE-na(Italian, Spanish, German, Macedonian) mə-REE-nə(Catalan) mə-REEN-ə(English) mu-RYEE-nə(Russian) MA-ri-na(Czech)
Rating: 77% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Marinus. This name was borne by a few early
saints. This is also the name by which Saint
Margaret of Antioch is known in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Martha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, German, Greek, Biblical, Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Μάρθα(Greek) Марѳа(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: MAHR-thə(English) MAR-ta(German)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
From Aramaic
מַרְתָּא (marta') meaning
"the lady, the mistress", feminine form of
מַר (mar) meaning "master". In the
New Testament this is the name of the sister of
Lazarus and
Mary of Bethany (who is sometimes identified with Mary Magdalene). She was a witness to
Jesus restoring her dead brother to life.
The name was not used in England until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer was Martha Washington (1731-1802), the wife of the first American president George Washington. It is also borne by the media personality Martha Stewart (1941-).
Mavis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-vis
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
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).
Maylis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAY-LEES, MA-EE-LEES
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
From the name of a town in southern France, said to derive from Occitan
mair "mother" and French
lys "lily". It is also sometimes considered a combination of
Marie and
lys.
Megan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: MEHG-ən(English)
Rating: 56% based on 5 votes
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.
Mei 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 美, 梅, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: MAY
Rating: 66% based on 5 votes
From Chinese
美 (měi) meaning "beautiful" or
梅 (méi) meaning "Chinese plum" (species Prunus mume), as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Melesina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Meaning unknown, perhaps a form of
Millicent. It was borne by the Irish writer and socialite Melesina Trench (1768-1827).
Melina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek
Other Scripts: Μελίνα(Greek)
Pronounced: mə-LEE-nə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Elaboration of
Mel, either from names such as
Melissa or from Greek
μέλι (meli) meaning "honey". A famous bearer was Greek-American actress Melina Mercouri (1920-1994), who was born Maria Amalia Mercouris.
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
From the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Mercy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-see
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
From the English word
mercy, ultimately from Latin
merces "wages, reward", a derivative of
merx "goods, wares". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Mervi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: MEHR-vee
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
From the name of a Finnish village (now a part of the municipality of Hattula).
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: 60% based on 4 votes
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.
Miho 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美穂, 美保, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みほ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-HO
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
穂 (ho) meaning "grain" or
保 (ho) meaning "protect, maintain". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Mila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Ukrainian, Russian
Other Scripts: Мила(Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian) Міла(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: MYEE-lə(Russian)
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
From the Slavic element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear", originally a short form of names containing that element.
Mimi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEE-mee
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Mira 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Polish
Other Scripts: Мира(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: MEE-ra(Polish)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Short form of
Miroslava and other names beginning with
Mir (often the Slavic element
mirŭ meaning
"peace, world").
Miracle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MIR-ə-kəl
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
From the English word miracle for an extraordinary event, ultimately deriving from Latin miraculum "wonder, marvel".
Misty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MIS-tee
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
From the English word misty, ultimately derived from Old English. The jazz song Misty (1954) by Erroll Garner may have helped popularize the name.
Mitski
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Pronounced: MEE-TSKEE
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Miu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美羽, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みう(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-OO
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
羽 (u) meaning "feather". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Miyu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美優, 美結, 実優, 美夕, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みゆ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-YOO
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or
実 (mi) meaning "fruit, good result, truth" combined with
優 (yu) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" or
夕 (yu) meaning "evening". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Modesty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: MAHD-ə-stee
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
From the English word modesty, ultimately from Latin modestus "moderate", a derivative of modus "measure".
Mona 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: MO-nə(English)
Rating: 77% based on 3 votes
Anglicized form of
Muadhnait. It is also associated with Greek
monos "one" and Leonardo da Vinci's painting the
Mona Lisa (in which case it is a contraction of Italian
ma donna meaning "my lady").
Monica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Late Roman
Pronounced: MAHN-i-kə(English) MAW-nee-ka(Italian) mo-NEE-ka(Romanian)
Rating: 57% based on 6 votes
Meaning unknown, most likely of Berber or Phoenician origin. In the 4th century this name was borne by a North African
saint, the mother of Saint
Augustine of Hippo, whom she converted to Christianity. Since the Middle Ages it has been associated with Latin
moneo "advisor" and Greek
μονός (monos) "one, single".
As an English name, Monica has been in general use since the 18th century. In America it reached the height of its popularity in the 1970s, declining since then. A famous bearer was the Yugoslavian tennis player Monica Seles (1973-).
Monique
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: MAW-NEEK(French) mə-NEEK(English) mo-NEEK(English, Dutch)
Rating: 68% based on 4 votes
Morgana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: mawr-GAN-ə
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
Morven
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: MAWR-vehn
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
From the name of a region in western Scotland, also called Morvern or in Gaelic A' Mhorbhairne, meaning "the big gap". This is the location of Fingal's kingdom in James Macpherson's 18th-century poems.
Nadia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Italian, Spanish, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Надя(Russian, Bulgarian) Надія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: NA-DYA(French) NAD-ee-ə(English) NAHD-ee-ə(English) NA-dyə(Russian)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Nadya 1 used in Western Europe, as well as an alternate transcription of the Slavic name. It began to be used in France in the 19th century
[1]. The name received a boost in popularity from the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci (1961-)
[2].
Nadine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, German, English, Dutch
Pronounced: NA-DEEN(French) na-DEE-nə(German) na-DEEN(German) nay-DEEN(English)
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Nanami
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 七海, 菜々美(Japanese Kanji) ななみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: NA-NA-MEE
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
七 (nana) meaning "seven" and
海 (mi) meaning "sea". It can also come from
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" duplicated and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Naomi 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: נָעֳמִי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: nay-O-mee(English) nie-O-mee(English)
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
From the Hebrew name
נָעֳמִי (Na'omi) meaning
"pleasantness". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of
Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be
Mara because of her misfortune (see
Ruth 1:20).
Though long common as a Jewish name, Naomi was not typically used as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer is the British model Naomi Campbell (1970-).
Natalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: NAT-ə-lee(English) NA-ta-lee(German)
Rating: 66% based on 5 votes
From the Late Latin name
Natalia, which meant
"Christmas Day" from Latin
natale domini. This was the name of the wife of the 4th-century martyr
Saint Adrian of Nicomedia. She is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church, and the name has traditionally been more common among Eastern Christians than those in the West. It was popularized in America by actress Natalie Wood (1938-1981), who was born to Russian immigrants.
Navi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the companion fairy character from the video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Nessa 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NEHS-ə
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Short form of
Vanessa and other names ending in
nessa.
Niamh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: NYEEW(Irish) NYEEV(Irish)
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Means
"bright" in Irish. She was the daughter of the sea god
Manannán mac Lir in Irish legends. She fell in love with the poet
Oisín, the son of
Fionn mac Cumhaill. It has been used as a given name for people only since the early 20th century.
Nicole
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch, German
Pronounced: NEE-KAWL(French) ni-KOL(English) nee-KOL(Dutch) nee-KAWL(German)
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
French feminine form of
Nicholas, commonly used in the English-speaking world since the middle of the 20th century. A famous bearer is American-Australian actress Nicole Kidman (1967-).
Nikki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NIK-ee
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Nimue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: NIM-ə-way(English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Meaning unknown. In Arthurian legends this is the name of a sorceress, also known as the Lady of the Lake, Vivien, or Niniane. Various versions of the tales have
Merlin falling in love with her and becoming imprisoned by her magic. She first appears in the medieval French
Lancelot-Grail Cycle.
Nina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Italian, English, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Lithuanian, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Нина(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian) Ніна(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: NYEE-nə(Russian) NEE-na(Italian, German, Slovak) NEE-nə(English) NEE-NA(French) NEE-nah(Finnish) nyi-NU(Lithuanian) NYEE-na(Polish) NI-na(Czech)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
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).
Nora 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: NAWR-ə(English) NO-ra(German)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
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
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
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.
Nyssa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
From the name of an ancient town of Asia Minor where
Saint Gregory was bishop in the 4th century. Nyssa is also the genus name of a type of tree, also called the Tupelo.
Nyx
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Νύξ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NUYKS(Classical Greek) NIKS(English)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Means "night" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the night, the daughter of Khaos and the wife of Erebos.
Oaklynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: OK-lin
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Océane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AW-SEH-AN
Rating: 5% based on 2 votes
Derived from French océan meaning "ocean".
Octavia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ahk-TAY-vee-ə(English) ok-TA-bya(Spanish) ok-TA-wee-a(Latin)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
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.
October
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ahk-TO-bər
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
From the name of the tenth month. It is derived from Latin octo meaning "eight", because it was originally the eighth month of the Roman year.
Odessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of
Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of
Odysseus.
Olivia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: o-LIV-ee-ə(English) ə-LIV-ee-ə(English) o-LEE-vya(Italian, German) o-LEE-bya(Spanish) AW-LEE-VYA(French) O-lee-vee-ah(Finnish)
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
This name was used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). This was a rare name in Shakespeare's time
[1] that may have been based on
Oliva or
Oliver, or directly from the Latin word
oliva meaning
"olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman who is wooed by Duke
Orsino but instead falls in love with his messenger Cesario, who is actually
Viola in disguise.
Olivia has been used in the English-speaking world since the 18th century, though it did not become overly popular until the last half of the 20th century. Its rise in popularity in the 1970s may have been inspired by a character on the television series The Waltons (1972-1982) [2] or the singer Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022). In 1989 it was borne by a young character on The Cosby Show, which likely accelerated its growth. It reached the top rank in England and Wales by 2008 and in the United States by 2019.
A famous bearer was the British-American actress Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020).
Olwyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Ophelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Literature, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Ὠφελία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: o-FEEL-ee-ə(English) o-FEEL-yə(English)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Derived from Greek
ὠφέλεια (opheleia) meaning
"help, advantage". This was a rare ancient Greek name, which was either rediscovered or recreated by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro for a character in his poem
Arcadia (1480). It was borrowed by Shakespeare for his play
Hamlet (1600), in which it belongs to the daughter of
Polonius and the potential love interest of
Hamlet. She eventually goes insane and drowns herself after Hamlet kills her father. In spite of this negative association, the name has been in use since the 19th century.
Oriana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: o-RYA-na
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Possibly derived from Latin
aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish
oro or French
or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight
Amadis.
Osaka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 修香, 修加, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: O-SAH-KAH
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
From Japanese 修 (osa) meaning "discipline, study" combined with 香 (ka) meaning "fragrance". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
Pacífica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Rare)
Pronounced: pa-THEE-fee-ka(European Spanish) pa-SEE-fee-ka(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Spanish feminine form of the Late Latin name Pacificus meaning "peacemaker".
Paige
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAYJ
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
From an English surname meaning
"servant, page" in Middle English. It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek
παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".
As a given name for girls, it received some public attention from a character in the 1958 novel Parrish and the 1961 movie adaptation [1]. It experienced a larger surge in popularity in the 1980s, probably due to the character Paige Matheson from the American soap opera Knots Landing.
Paislee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PAYZ-lee
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Paisley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PAYZ-lee
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
From a Scots surname, originally from the name of a town near Glasgow, maybe ultimately derived from Latin basilica "church". This is also a word (derived from the name of that same town) for a type of pattern commonly found on fabrics.
Patience
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAY-shəns
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From the English word
patience, ultimately from Latin
patientia, a derivative of
pati "to suffer". This was one of the virtue names coined by the
Puritans in the 17th century. It is now most commonly used in African countries where English is widely understood, such as Nigeria and Ghana.
Paz 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: פָּז(Hebrew)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Means "gold" in Hebrew.
Peace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: PEES
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
From the English word peace, ultimately derived from Latin pax. This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
Peggy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PEHG-ee
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Medieval variant of
Meggy, a
diminutive of
Margaret. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is unknown.
Pepper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PEHP-ər
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the English word for the spice, which is prepared from the dried berries of the pepper plant. The word is derived from Latin piper, ultimately from an Indo-Aryan source. In popular culture, Pepper is the nickname of Virginia Potts from the Iron Man series of comic books and movies, created 1963.
Peri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Personal remark: Companion of the Fifth Doctor
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Persephone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Περσεφόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEHR-SEH-PO-NEH(Classical Greek) pər-SEHF-ə-nee(English)
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
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.
Philomela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Φιλομήλη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: fil-ə-MEE-lə(English)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
From Greek
Φιλομήλη (Philomele), derived from
φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend" and
μῆλον (melon) meaning "fruit". The second element has also been interpreted as Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song". In Greek
myth Philomela was the sister-in-law of Tereus, who raped her and cut out her tongue. Prokne avenged her sister by killing her son by Tereus, after which Tereus attempted to kill Philomela. However, the gods intervened and transformed her into a nightingale.
Philomena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Φιλουμένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: fil-ə-MEE-nə(English)
Rating: 77% based on 3 votes
From Greek
Φιλουμένη (Philoumene) meaning
"to be loved", an inflection of
φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love". This was the name of an obscure early
saint and martyr. The name came to public attention in 1802 after a tomb seemingly marked with the name
Filumena was found in Rome, supposedly belonging to another martyr named Philomena. This may have in fact been a representation of the Greek word
φιλουμένη, not a name.
Phoebe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: Φοίβη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: FEE-bee(English)
Rating: 75% based on 4 votes
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.
Piper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PIE-pər
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series
Charmed, which debuted in 1998
[1].
Polly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHL-ee
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
Medieval variant of
Molly. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is unknown.
Poppy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHP-ee
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
From the word for the red flower, derived from Old English popæg.
Priscilla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, French, Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, Biblical
Pronounced: pri-SIL-ə(English) preesh-SHEEL-la(Italian)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Pyrrha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Rating: 65% based on 4 votes
Feminine of
Pyrrhos.
In Greek mythology, Pyrrha and her husband, Deucalion, built an arc to survive a great flood created by Zeus. When they reached land, they threw rocks over their shoulders, and the rocks became men and women.
Rachel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: רָחֵל(Hebrew)
Pronounced: RAY-chəl(English) RA-SHEHL(French) RAH-khəl(Dutch) RA-khəl(German)
Rating: 64% based on 5 votes
From the Hebrew name
רָחֵל (Rachel) meaning
"ewe". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of
Jacob. Her father
Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister
Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid
Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of
Joseph and
Benjamin.
The name was common among Jews in the Middle Ages, but it was not generally used as a Christian name in the English-speaking world until after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately popular in the first half of the 20th century, but starting in the 1960s it steadily rose, reaching highs in the 1980s and 90s. The character Rachel Green on the American sitcom Friends (1994-2004) may have only helped delay its downswing.
Notable bearers include American conservationist Rachel Carson (1907-1964), British actress Rachel Weisz (1970-), and Canadian actress Rachel McAdams (1978-).
Ragna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Old Norse [1]
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Short form of Old Norse names beginning with the element
regin "advice, counsel".
Ragnhild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From the Old Norse name
Ragnhildr, composed of the elements
regin "advice, counsel" and
hildr "battle" (a
cognate of
Reinhild).
Rain 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RAYN
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Simply from the English word rain, derived from Old English regn.
Ravyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ray-vin
Personal remark: I like this spelling better than Raven
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
Rena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Latinate feminine form of
René.
Rhea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Ῥέα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: REH-A(Classical Greek) REE-ə(English) REH-a(Latin)
Rating: 68% based on 4 votes
Rhiannon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: ri-AN-awn(Welsh) ree-AN-ən(English)
Rating: 64% based on 5 votes
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.
Rielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
Short form of names ending in -rielle.
Rika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 理香, 梨花, 里香, 理花, 里佳, 利香, 梨加, 梨華, 理化, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: RYEE-KA
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
From Japanese 理
(ri) meaning "reason, logic", 梨
(ri) meaning "pear", 里
(ri) meaning "village", or 利
(ri) meaning "profit, benefit" and 香
(ka) meaning "fragrance", 花 or 華
(ka) both meaning "flower", 佳
(ka) meaning "good, beautiful", 加
(ka) meaning "increase", or 化
(ka) meaning "to change, to influence". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Robina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Robin. It originated in Scotland in the 17th century.
Robyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHB-in(American English) RAWB-in(British English)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Feminine variant of
Robin.
Romana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Late Roman
Pronounced: ro-MA-na(Italian) RO-ma-na(Czech) RAW-ma-na(Slovak)
Personal remark: Companion of the Fourth Doctor
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Romanus (see
Roman).
Rosalyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RO-zə-lin, RAHZ-ə-lin
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
Variant of
Rosaline. It can also be considered an elaboration of
Rose with the common name suffix
lyn.
Rowena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ro-EEN-ə
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Meaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements
hroð "fame" and
wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements
ron "spear" and
gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819).
Roxanne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: rahk-SAN(English) RAWK-SAN(French)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Roxie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHK-see
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Ruby
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROO-bee
Simply from the name of the precious stone (which ultimately derives from Latin
ruber "red"), which is the traditional birthstone of July. It came into use as a given name in the 16th century
[1].
Sable
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAY-bəl
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
From the English word meaning "black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.
Sabrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: sə-BREEN-ə(English) sa-BREE-na(Italian, Spanish) za-BREE-na(German) SA-BREE-NA(French) su-BREE-nu(European Portuguese) sa-BREE-nu(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Latinized form of
Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque
Comus (1634).
The name was brought to public attention by Samuel A. Taylor's play Sabrina Fair (1953) and the movie adaptation Sabrina that followed it the next year. This is also the name of a comic book character, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, first introduced 1962 and with television adaptations in 1970-1974 and 1996-2003, both causing minor jumps in popularity. Another jump occurred in 1976, when it was used for a main character on the television series Charlie's Angels.
Sachi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 幸(Japanese Kanji)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
From Japanese kanji 幸 (sachi) meaning "happiness; good luck".
Saoirse
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SEER-shə
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
Means "freedom" in Irish Gaelic. It was first used as a given name in the 20th century.
Sapphira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: Σαπφείρη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: sə-FIE-rə(English)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
From the Greek name
Σαπφείρη (Sappheire), which was from Greek
σάπφειρος (sappheiros) meaning
"sapphire" or
"lapis lazuli" (ultimately derived from the Hebrew word
סַפִּיר (sappir)). Sapphira is a character in Acts in the
New Testament who is killed by God for lying.
Saya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 沙耶(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: SIE-YAH
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
This is a Japanese name which refers to a scabbard or sheath for a sword. Beyond being a simple noun, Saya connotes peace because of the image of a sword that remains in its scabbard.
-------------------------------------
From 沙 (sa) "sand" and 耶 (ya), a kanji used exclusively in names meaning "question mark."
Sayuri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 小百合, etc.(Japanese Kanji) さゆり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SA-YOO-REE
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
From Japanese
小 (sa) meaning "small" and
百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". This name can also be composed of other kanji combinations.
September
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: sehp-TEHM-bər
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From the name of the ninth month (though it means "seventh month" in Latin, since it was originally the seventh month of the Roman year), which is sometimes used as a given name for someone born in September.
Seraphina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Late Roman
Pronounced: sehr-ə-FEEN-ə(English) zeh-ra-FEE-na(German)
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
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.
Serenity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: sə-REHN-ə-tee
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
From the English word meaning "serenity, tranquility", ultimately from Latin serenus meaning "clear, calm".
Severa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Late Greek, Italian, Russian (Rare), Spanish, Portuguese, Sardinian, Galician
Other Scripts: Σεβήρα(Ancient Greek) Севера(Russian)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Severus. This name was borne by Aquilia Severa, the second and fourth wife of the Roman emperor
Elagabalus (3rd century AD).
Sheena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: SHEE-nə(English)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Anglicized form of
Sìne. This name was popularized outside of Scotland in the 1980s by the singer Sheena Easton (1959-).
Shelby
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHEHL-bee
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
From an English surname, which was possibly a variant of
Selby. Though previously in use as a rare masculine name, it was popularized as a feminine name by the main character in the movie
The Woman in Red (1935). It was later reinforced by the movie
Steel Magnolias (1989) in which Julia Roberts played a character by this name.
Shelly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHEHL-ee
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Sienna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: see-EHN-ə
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
From the English word meaning "orange-red". It is ultimately from the name of the city of Siena in Italy, because of the colour of the clay there.
Sinéad
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHI-nyehd
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
Siobhán
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHI-wan, SHUW-wan, SHI-van, shə-VAN
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Irish form of
Jehanne, a Norman French variant of
Jeanne.
Skye
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKIE
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
From the name of the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. It is sometimes considered a variant of
Sky.
Skylar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKIE-lər
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
Variant of
Skyler. Originally more common for boys during the 1980s, it was popularized as a name for girls after it was used on the American soap opera
The Young and the Restless in 1989 and the movie
Good Will Hunting in 1997
[1]. Its sharp rise in the United States in 2011 might be attributed to the character Skyler White from the television series
Breaking Bad (2008-2013) or the singer Skylar Grey (1986-), who adopted this name in 2010 after previously going by Holly Brook.
Solana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American, Rare), Catalan (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Solano, a Spanish surname which is used as a given name in honour of Saint Francisco Solano (1549-1610).
Soleil
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: SAW-LAY(French)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Means "sun" in French. It is not commonly used as a name in France itself.
Sóley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic
Pronounced: SO-lay
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Means
"buttercup (flower)" in Icelandic (genus Ranunculus), derived from
sól "sun" and
ey "island".
Sophie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: SAW-FEE(French) SO-fee(English) zo-FEE(German) so-FEE(Dutch)
Rating: 68% based on 6 votes
Stormy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: STAWR-mee
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the English word meaning "stormy, wild, turbulent", ultimately from Old English stormig.
Sunniva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Scandinavian form of the Old English name
Sunngifu, which meant
"sun gift" from the Old English elements
sunne "sun" and
giefu "gift". This was the name of a legendary English
saint who was shipwrecked in Norway and killed by the inhabitants.
Suzume
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese (Rare)
Other Scripts: 雀, etc.(Japanese Kanji) すずめ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SOO-ZOO-MEH
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
From Japanese
雀 (suzume) meaning "sparrow", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that are pronounced the same way.
Svana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Svanhild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Norse Mythology
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
Svanhildr
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse [1], Norse Mythology
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Svetlana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Armenian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Светлана(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) Սվետլանա(Armenian) სვეტლანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: svyit-LA-nə(Russian) svyeht-lu-NU(Lithuanian)
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Derived from Russian
свет (svet) meaning
"light, world". It was popularized by the poem
Svetlana (1813) by the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. It is sometimes used as a translation of
Photine.
Symphony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SIM-fə-nee
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Simply from the English word, ultimately deriving from Greek
σύμφωνος (symphonos) meaning "concordant in sound".
Tamsin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: TAM-zin
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Contracted form of
Thomasina. It was traditionally used in Cornwall.
Taryn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TAR-in, TEHR-in
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Probably a feminine form of
Tyrone. Actors Tyrone Power and Linda Christian created it for their daughter Taryn Power (1953-).
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)
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
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.
Tempest
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TEHM-pist
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
From the English word meaning "storm". It appears in the title of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest (1611).
Terra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEHR-ə
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Variant of
Tara 1, perhaps influenced by the Latin word
terra meaning "land, earth".
Tiiu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Estonian
Pronounced: TYOO
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Estonian variant of
Tiia, possibly in part from an archaic dialectal form of the word
tihane "titmouse".
Titania
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: tie-TAY-nee-ə(American English) ti-TAH-nee-ə(British English)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Perhaps based on Latin
Titanius meaning
"of the Titans". This name was (first?) used by William Shakespeare in his comedy
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595) where it belongs to the queen of the fairies, the wife of
Oberon. This is also a moon of Uranus, named after the Shakespearean character.
Topaz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TO-paz
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
From the English word for the yellow precious stone, the traditional birthstone of November, ultimately derived from Greek
τόπαζος (topazos).
Topsy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TAHP-see
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From a nickname that is of unknown meaning, perhaps deriving from the English word top. This is the name of a young slave in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852).
Toshiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 敏子, 淑子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) としこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TO-SHEE-KO
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
From Japanese
敏 (toshi) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji characters can also form this name.
Treasure
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: TREZH-ər
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the English word, ultimately from Greek
θησαυρός (thesauros) meaning "treasure, collection".
Trinity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TRIN-i-tee
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
From the English word Trinity, given in honour of the Christian belief that God has one essence, but three distinct expressions of being: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It has only been in use as a given name since the 20th century.
Trivia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Derived from Latin
trivium meaning "a place where three roads meet, a crossroads". In Roman mythology this was the name of a goddess of the night and crossroads, usually associated with witchcraft and sorcery as well as ghosts and childbirth. She was the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess
Hecate (who was called in Greek Ἑκάτη Τριοδῖτις
(Hekate Trioditis) "Hecate of the crossroads", from τρίοδος
(triodos) "a meeting of three roads").
Unity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: YOO-ni-tee
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From the English word unity, which is ultimately derived from Latin unitas.
Vale
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: VAYL
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
From the English word meaning "wide river valley".
Valya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Валя(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: VA-lyə(Russian)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Vanessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Dutch
Pronounced: və-NEHS-ə(English) VA-NEH-SA(French) va-NEHS-sa(Italian) vu-NEH-su(European Portuguese) va-NEH-su(Brazilian Portuguese) ba-NEH-sa(Spanish) va-NEH-sa(German)
Rating: 50% based on 4 votes
Invented by author Jonathan Swift for his 1726 poem
Cadenus and Vanessa [1]. He arrived at it by rearranging the initial syllables of the first name and surname of
Esther Vanhomrigh, his close friend. Vanessa was later used as the name of a genus of butterfly. It was a rare given name until the mid-20th century, at which point it became fairly popular.
Venetia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Greek
Other Scripts: Βενετία(Greek)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
From the Latin name of the Italian region of Veneto and the city of Venice (see the place name
Venetia). This name was borne by the celebrated English beauty Venetia Stanley (1600-1633), though in her case the name may have been a Latinized form of the Welsh name
Gwynedd [1]. Benjamin Disraeli used it for the heroine of his novel
Venetia (1837).
Vera 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Вера(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian) ვერა(Georgian)
Pronounced: VYEH-rə(Russian) VEE-rə(English) VEHR-ə(English) VEH-ra(German, Dutch) VEH-rah(Swedish) BEH-ra(Spanish) VEH-raw(Hungarian)
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
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.
Verity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VEHR-i-tee
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
From the English word meaning
"verity, truth", from Latin
verus "true, real". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Verona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
From the name of the city in Italy, which is itself of unknown meaning.
Vi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VIE
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Wednesday
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: WENZ-day(English)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
From the name of the day of the week, which was derived from Old English
wodnesdæg meaning "
Woden's day". On the
Addams Family television series (1964-1966) this was the name of the daughter, based on an earlier unnamed character in Charles Addams' cartoons. Her name was inspired by the popular nursery rhyme line
Wednesday's child is full of woe.
Weiss
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: WIES, WISE
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Derived from German
weiß (which is also found spelled as
weiss) meaning "white".
In popular culture, Weiss is the name of one of the villains from the video game Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus as well as the name of Weiss Schnee, the main character of the popular web series RWBY.
Whitney
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIT-nee
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "white island" in Old English. Its popular use as a feminine name was initiated by actress Whitney Blake (1925-2002) in the 1960s, and further boosted in the 1980s by singer Whitney Houston (1963-2012).
Willow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIL-o
Rating: 67% based on 6 votes
From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.
Winona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Sioux
Pronounced: wi-NO-nə(English)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Means
"firstborn daughter" in Dakota or Lakota. According to folklore, this was the name of a daughter of a Dakota chief (possibly
Wapasha III) who leapt from a cliff to her death rather than marry a man she hated. Numerous places in the United States have been named after her. The actress Winona Ryder (1971-) was named after the city in Minnesota where she was born.
Wisteria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: wis-TEHR-ee-ə, wis-TEER-ee-ə
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
From the name of the flowering plant, which was named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar.
Wren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: REHN
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.
Wynona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: wi-NO-nə, wie-NO-nə
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Wynter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIN-tər
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Yasmin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, English (Modern), Spanish (Modern), Portuguese (Modern)
Other Scripts: ياسمين(Arabic) יַסְמִין(Hebrew) یاسمین(Urdu)
Pronounced: yas-MEEN(Arabic) YAZ-min(English)
Personal remark: Thirteenth Doctor companion
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Means
"jasmine" in Arabic and Hebrew, derived from Persian
یاسمین (yasamin). In modern times it has been used in the western world, as an Arabic-influenced variant of
Jasmine.
Yaz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Short form of various names, including
Yazmin.
Yōko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 陽子, 洋子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ようこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YO-KO
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" or
洋 (yō) meaning "ocean" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Yoshiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 良子, 芳子, 悦子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) よしこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YO-SHEE-KO, YO-SHKO
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
From Japanese
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable",
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or
悦 (yoshi) meaning "joy, pleased" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other kanji combinations as well.
Yui
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 結衣, 優衣, 結, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆい(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-EE
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
From Japanese
結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" or
優 (yu) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" combined with
衣 (i) meaning "clothing, garment". It can also come from stand-alone
結 (yui) using a different
nanori reading. This name can be formed of other kanji or kanji combinations as well.
Yūna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 優菜, 優奈, 柚菜, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆうな(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-NA
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
From Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
柚 (yū) meaning "grapefruit, pomelo, citrus fruit" combined with
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" or
奈 (na), a phonetic character. Other combinations of kanji are also possible.
Zenovia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ζηνοβία(Greek)
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Zinnia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ZIN-ee-ə
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
From the name of the flower, which was itself named for the German botanist Johann Zinn.
Zoey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ZO-ee
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
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