ratz's Personal Name List

Variant or feminine form of Aaron.

Finnish and Estonian form of Arne 1.

From the English word meaning "highest rank". More commonly a nickname, it is occasionally used as a given name.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Edgar.

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

Spanish form of Adelaide.

Elaborated form of Adela.

From a Germanic name that was derived from the element adal meaning "noble" (Proto-Germanic *aþalaz).

French and English form of Adelina.

Spanish diminutive of Adela. It is used especially in Mexico, where it is the name of a folk song about a female soldier.

Means "fair, honest, just" in Arabic, from the root عدل ('adala) meaning "to act justly". This name was borne by several sultans of Bijapur.

Means "justice" in Kyrgyz and Kazakh, ultimately from Arabic عدل ('adala) meaning "to act justly".

From Hebrew עֲדִינָא ('adina') meaning "delicate". This name is borne by a soldier in the Old Testament. It is also used in modern Hebrew as a feminine name, typically spelled עֲדִינָה.

French form of Adrian.

Hungarian feminine form of Adrian.

Variant of Afua.

Possibly means "my moon" in Kazakh, from ай (ay) meaning "moon" and the Persian possessive من (man) meaning "my". Aiman and Sholpan are sisters in a 19th-century Kazakh epic poem, later adapted into the 1934 play Aiman-Sholpan by Mukhtar Auezov.

From Japanese 昭 (aki) meaning "bright, luminous" combined with 夫 (o) meaning "man, husband", 男 (o) meaning "male, man" or 雄 (o) meaning "hero, manly". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

French form of Alan. A notable bearer is the French actor Alain Delon (1935-).

Alternate transcription of Arabic علياء (see Alya 1).

German variant of Amelia.

Form of Amyntas used by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso for his play Aminta (1573). In the play Aminta is a shepherd who falls in love with a nymph.

In Latin America this is typically used as a feminine name.

Variant of Annika.

Swedish diminutive of Anna.

Finnish diminutive of Anna.

From an English surname meaning "son of Agnes".

Diminutive of Antonia.

From Greek Ἀπόλλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to the Indo-European root *apelo- meaning "strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means "father lion" or "father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) meaning "to destroy". In Greek mythology Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin of Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.

Meaning unknown. This name was (first?) used by William Congreve in his comedy The Old Bachelor (1693) and later by John Vanbrugh in his comedy The Confederacy (1705). This was the original given name of abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), who was born Araminta Ross.

Means "lion of God, hero" in Hebrew. This was the name of a son of Gad in the Old Testament.

Meaning unknown, possibly invented by Michael William Balfe for the main character in his opera The Bohemian Girl (1843).

Modern form of Arminius.

From Auberi, an Old French form of Alberich brought to England by the Normans. It was common in the Middle Ages, and was revived in the 19th century. Since the mid-1970s it has more frequently been given to girls, due to Bread's 1972 song Aubrey along with its similarity to the established feminine name Audrey.

Variant of Aubrey.

From the name of the season, ultimately from Latin autumnus. This name has been in general use since the 1960s.

Variant of Aveline.

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).

Means "scapegoat" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, this is the name of the recipient of a sacrificial goat. The identity of Azazel is not clear; it may in fact be the name of the place where the goat is to be sacrificed, or it may be the name of some sort of evil desert demon.

English form of Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaios), which was the Greek form of an Aramaic name meaning "son of Talmai". In the New Testament Bartholomew is the byname of an apostle, possibly the same person as the apostle Nathanael. According to tradition he was a missionary to India before returning westward to Armenia, where he was martyred by flaying. Due to the popularity of this saint the name became common in England during the Middle Ages.

German form of Beata.

Scottish Gaelic form of Beatrice.

The meaning of this name is not known for certain. The first element could be related to Italian bella meaning "beautiful". The second element could be Old German lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender" (and by extension "snake, serpent"). This name first arose in the 17th century, and was subsequently used by Alexander Pope in his poem The Rape of the Lock (1712).

From a surname that was derived from a place name, composed of Old English beonet "bent grass" and tun "enclosure".

From the name of the city in Germany, which is of uncertain meaning.

French form of Bertha.

From the English word for the clear or pale green precious stone, ultimately deriving from Sanskrit. As a given name, it first came into use in the 19th century.

Anglicized form of Brígh. It can also be a short form of Brianna, Gabriella and other names containing bri.

Anglicized form of Bríd.

Anglicized diminutive of Bríd.

Variant of Bryony.

From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "birch wood" in Old Norse.

Feminine form of Bruno.

Anglicized form of Caolán.

Feminine form of Camillus. This was the name of a legendary warrior maiden of the Volsci, as told by Virgil in the Aeneid. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Fanny Burney's novel Camilla (1796).

English form of the Polish name Kazimierz, derived from the Slavic element kaziti "to destroy" combined with mirŭ "peace, world". Four kings of Poland have borne this name, including Casimir III the Great, who greatly strengthened the Polish state in the 14th century. It was also borne Saint Casimir, a 15th-century Polish prince and a patron saint of Poland and Lithuania. The name was imported into Western Europe via Germany, where it was borne by some royalty.

Derived from Old Irish cath "battle" and fal "rule". This was the name of a 7th-century Irish saint. It was also borne by several Irish kings. It has sometimes been Anglicized as Charles.

Feminine form of the Roman family name Caelius. Shakespeare used it in his play As You Like It (1599), which introduced the name to the English-speaking public at large. It is sometimes used as a short form of Cecilia.

From a French surname that was derived from a place name meaning "stony". It was originally given in honour of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, the founder of the Visitation Order in the 17th century. It has become associated with French chant "song".

Feminine form of Charles using the popular Afrikaans name suffix ize. This name was popularized by South African actress Charlize Theron (1975-), who was named after her father Charles.

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

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

Meaning unknown, perhaps a combination of Charmian or the English word charm with the aine suffix from Lorraine. It was (first?) used for a character in the play What Price Glory (1924), which was made into a popular movie in 1926.

Diminutive of Michelle.

From the name of a district in London, originally derived from Old English and meaning "landing place for chalk or limestone". It has been in general use as an English given name since the 1970s.

Variant of Chelsea.

Variant of Shavonne.

Italian form of Clara. Saint Chiara (commonly called Clare in English) was a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Means "God exists" in Igbo, derived from Chi 2, referring to God, and dị meaning "is". It is also a short form of Igbo names beginning with Chidi.

Combination of Christina and the name suffix bel (inspired by Latin bella "beautiful"). This name occurs in medieval literature, and was later used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his 1816 poem Christabel [1].

Derived from Irish ciar meaning "black". In Irish legend Ciar was a son of Fergus mac Róich and Medb, and the ancestor of the tribe of the Ciarraige (after whom County Kerry is named). As a feminine name, it was borne by an Irish nun (also called Ciara) who established a monastery in Tipperary in the 7th century.

Feminine form of Ciar. This is another name for Saint Ciar.

Roman cognomen derived from Latin cicer meaning "chickpea". Marcus Tullius Cicero (now known simply as Cicero) was a statesman, orator and author of the 1st century BC. He was a political enemy of Mark Antony, who eventually had him executed.

Means "sky" in French. It is not used as a given name in France itself.

Anglicized form of Clíodhna.

Feminine form of Clementius (see Clement). It has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it became rare after the 17th century.

Portuguese and Spanish form of Cosmas.

From the Greek name Κύριλλος (Kyrillos), which was derived from Greek κύριος (kyrios) meaning "lord", a word used frequently in the Greek Bible to refer to God or Jesus.

This name was borne by a number of important saints, including Cyril of Jerusalem, a 4th-century bishop and Doctor of the Church, and Cyril of Alexandria, a 5th-century theologian. Another Saint Cyril was a 9th-century Greek missionary to the Slavs, who is credited with creating the Glagolitic alphabet with his brother Methodius in order to translate the Bible into Slavic. The Cyrillic alphabet, named after him, is descended from Glagolitic.

This name has been especially well-used in Eastern Europe and other places where Orthodox Christianity is prevalent. It came into general use in England in the 19th century.

Derived from Greek δαμάζω (damazo) meaning "to tame". According to Greek legend, Damon and Pythias were friends who lived on Syracuse in the 4th century BC. When Pythias was sentenced to death, he was allowed to temporarily go free on the condition that Damon take his place in prison. Pythias returned just before Damon was to be executed in his place, and the king was so impressed with their loyalty to one another that he pardoned Pythias. As an English given name, it has only been regularly used since the 20th century.

Either from Latin deliciae "delight, pleasure" or a variant of the English word delicious. It has been used since the 17th century (rarely).

English form of Désirée. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the movie Désirée (1954).

Short form of Dionysios and other Greek names beginning with the Greek element Διός (Dios) meaning "of Zeus". This was the name of a 4th-century BC tyrant of Syracuse. It has been used as an American given name since the middle of the 20th century.

Croatian and Serbian form of Demetrius.

From the Late Latin name Dominicus meaning "of the Lord". This name was traditionally given to a child born on Sunday. Several saints have borne this name, including the 13th-century founder of the Dominican order of friars. It was in this saint's honour that the name was first used in England, starting around the 13th century. It is primarily used by Catholics.

Short form of Andre. A famous bearer is the American rapper and music producer Dr. Dre (1965-), born Andre Young.

From the Old English name Æbbe, meaning unknown, perhaps a contracted form of a longer name. Saint Ebba was a 7th-century daughter of King Æthelfrith of Bernicia and the founder of monasteries in Scotland. Another saint named Ebba was a 9th-century abbess and martyr who mutilated her own face so that she would not be raped by the invading Danes.

Danish short form of Asbjørn.

Means "queen" or "beautiful woman" in Turkish.

Variant of Alicia.

From an English surname that was originally derived from the medieval masculine name Hilary.

Variant of Eli 1.

From the Roman family name Aemilius, which was derived from Latin aemulus meaning "rival".

Variant of Emmeline.

Variant of Emery.

Means "strife, discord" in Greek. In Greek mythology Eris was the goddess of discord. She was the sister and companion of Ares.

From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from village by this name in Perthshire. It was popularized as a given name by the Australian actor Errol Flynn (1909-1959).

Diminutive of Estelle or Esther.

French form of the Roman family name Fabricius, which was derived from Latin faber meaning "craftsman". Gaius Fabricius Luscinus was a 3rd-century BC Roman general and statesman.

Russian form of Thaddeus.

Means "victorious" in Arabic.

Means "joy, happiness" in Arabic.

German form of Felicia.

Feminine form of Felinus.

Spanish feminine form of Philip.

Alternate transcription of Urdu فیروز (see Feroz).

From a surname that meant "blacksmith" in Catalan. This name is often given in honour of Saint Vicente Ferrer, a 14th-century missionary who is the patron saint of builders.

Derived from the Late Latin name Ferrutius, a derivative of ferrum meaning "iron, sword". Saint Ferrutius was a 3rd-century martyr with his brother Ferreolus.

Means "proud" in Esperanto.

Created by playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais for the central character in his plays The Barber of Seville (1775), The Marriage of Figaro (1784) and The Guilty Mother (1792). Beaumarchais may have based the character's name on the French phrase fils Caron meaning "son of Caron", which was his own nickname and would have been pronounced in a similar way. In modern French the word figaro has acquired the meaning "barber", reflecting the character's profession.

Form of Philip in various languages.

Variant of Finlay. This is by far the preferred spelling in the United States, where it has lately been more common as a feminine name.

Derived from Old Irish finn "white, blessed". This was the name of several Irish saints, including the founders of monasteries at Clonard and Movilla (both 6th century).

Possibly means either "white fire" or "white ancient" in Irish. According to legend this was the name of the only Irish person to survive the great flood. This name was also borne by many Irish saints.

Means "flower" in French. Saint Fleur of Issendolus (Flor in Gascon) was a 14th-century nun from Maurs, France. This was also the name of a character in John Galsworthy's novels The Forsyte Saga (1922).

Romanian form of Florinus.

Diminutive of Florence or Flora.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Floinn, which was derived from the given name or byname Flann. A famous bearer of the surname was American actor Errol Flynn (1909-1959). As a given name, it grew in popularity after it was featured as a character in the Disney movie Tangled in 2010.

Originally a short form of names containing the Old German element fridu meaning "peace" (Proto-Germanic *friþuz). A famous bearer was the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).

Variant of Frida 1.

Dutch diminutive of Frederik.

German diminutive of Friedrich.

German diminutive of Friederike.

Feminine form of Fulvius (see Fulvio).

Medieval form of Gawain. Though it died out in England, it was reintroduced from Scotland in the 20th century.

Variant of Gina.

Variant of Jeannette.

Possibly a shortened form of Genevieve. It could also be inspired by the name of the city in Switzerland. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.

Variant of Gytha.

German short form of Brigitta and a Hungarian short form of Margit.

Diminutive of Augusta.

From Gyða, an Old Norse diminutive of Guðríðr. It was borne by a Danish noblewoman who married the English lord Godwin of Wessex in the 11th century. The name was used in England for a short time after that, and was revived in the 19th century.

From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "nook, retreat" from Old English healh.

Means "earth" or "speech" in Sanskrit.

Short form of Marjorie.

French feminine form of Iulianus (see Julian).

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Caoimh, derived from the given name or byname Caomh.

From a surname that was a variant of Kerr.

Variant of Kieran.

Variant of Cian.

Means "born on Friday" in Akan.

From Japanese 久 (ku) meaning "long time", 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Original Latin form of Letitia, as well as a French variant. This name began rising in popularity in France around the same time that Serge Gainsbourg released his 1963 song Elaeudanla Téïtéïa (this title is a phonetic rendering of the letters in the name Lætitia). It peaked in 1982 as the fourth most common name for girls.

Diminutive of Lalage.

Diminutive of Lalage.

From a French and English surname, originally from a place name in Normandy, which was derived from Old French la mare meaning "the pool". In the second half of the 20th century this name has been well-used in the African-American community, probably because of its popular phonetic components la and mar.

Meaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.

Latinized form of the Greek name Λέανδρος (Leandros), derived from λέων (leon) meaning "lion" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.

From the Old Norse name Leifr meaning "descendant, heir". Leif Eriksson was a Norse explorer who reached North America in the early 11th century. He was the son of Erik the Red.

From a surname, originally from the name of a Scottish town (now a district of Edinburgh), which is derived from Gaelic lìte "wet, damp". It is also the name of the river that flows though Edinburgh.

From a surname, originally from an English place name, which meant "fallow land" in Old English. A famous bearer was the politician, businessman and Stanford University founder Leland Stanford (1824-1893).

From a French surname meaning "the monk" in French.

From a Scottish surname that was derived from the name of a district in Scotland. The district, called Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly means "place of elms". This name steadily rose in popularity in the 2000s, at the same time as the similar-sounding (but unrelated) names Lennon and Knox.

Medieval form of Letitia.

Diminutive of Lettice.

Short form of Juliane.

From a surname that was a variant of Lyndon.

Unaccented variant of Llŷr.

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).

Variant of Lorne.

French form of the Roman name Lupus meaning "wolf". Lupus was the name of several early saints, including a 5th-century bishop of Troyes who apparently convinced Attila to spare the city.

Means simply "lyric, songlike" from the English word, ultimately derived from Greek λυρικός (lyrikos).

Frisian diminutive of Elisabeth. It also coincides with the French word for "lily".

Diminutive of Margaret.

Anglicized form of the Irish name Medb meaning "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. She and her husband Ailill fought against the Ulster king Conchobar and the hero Cúchulainn, as told in the Irish epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley.

From the Hebrew name מַלְאָכִי (Mal'akhi) meaning "my messenger" or "my angel". This is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Malachi, which some claim foretells the coming of Christ. In England the name came into use after the Protestant Reformation.

Diminutive of Mary or Margaret.

French form of Margaret. This is also the French word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).

Means "of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".

Russian form of Matthew.

Acronym of Russian Маркс Энгельс Ленин Октябрьская Революция (Marx, Engels, Lenin, October Revolution). This name commemorates the creation of the former Soviet state. It was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.

Means "bitter" in Hebrew. This is the name of the youngest son of Levi in the Old Testament.

Means "sweet" in Esperanto, derived from mielo "honey", ultimately from Latin mel.

Diminutive of Araminta.

From the Occitan name Mirèio, which was first used by the poet Frédéric Mistral for the main character in his poem Mirèio (1859). He probably derived it from the Occitan word mirar meaning "to admire". It is spelled Mirèlha in classical Occitan orthography. A notable bearer is the French singer Mireille Mathieu (1946-).

Anglicized form of Máire. It also coincides with Greek Μοῖρα (Moira) meaning "fate, destiny", the singular of Μοῖραι, the Greek name for the Fates. They were the three female personifications of destiny in Greek mythology.

Irish form of Maurice.

The word heaven spelled backwards. It became popular after the musician Sonny Sandoval from the rock group P.O.D. gave it to his daughter in 2000. Over the next few years it rapidly climbed the rankings in America, peaking at the 25th rank for girls in 2010.

From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "new town" in Norman French. As a given name it is chiefly British and Australian.

Italian form of Nicholas. A notable bearer was the 13th-century sculptor Nicola Pisano.

Diminutive of Nina 1.

Spanish feminine form of the Late Latin name Pacificus meaning "peacemaker".

Contracted form of Petronel. In the later Middle Ages it became a slang term for a promiscuous woman, and the name subsequently fell out of use.

From the Late Latin name Paschalis, which meant "relating to Easter" from Latin Pascha "Easter", which was in turn from Hebrew פֶּסַח (pesach) meaning "Passover". Passover is the ancient Hebrew holiday celebrating the liberation from Egypt. Because it coincided closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the same Latin word was used for both. The name Pascal can also function as a surname, as in the case of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French philosopher, mathematician and inventor.

Feminine form of Pascal.

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

Swedish diminutive of Per.

Scandinavian and Breton form of Peter.

Italian and Spanish cognate of Pearl.

Contracted form of Petronel.

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.

Feminine form of Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.

Medieval English form of Petronilla.

From a Latin name, a diminutive of Petronia, the feminine form of Petronius. This was the name of an obscure 1st-century Roman saint, later believed to be a daughter of Saint Peter.

Roman family name that was possibly derived from Latin petro, petronis meaning "yokel".

From the English word meaning "piety, devoutness". This was a rare virtue name used by the Puritans in the 17th century.

Finnish form of Birgitta.

Short form of Priscilla.

From Chinese 青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green, young", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Variant of Ralph. This form became common during the 17th century, reflecting the usual pronunciation.

Feminine form of Ramón. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel Ramona (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.

French form of Roderick.

French feminine form of Romanus (see Roman).

French diminutive of Rose.

Anglicized form of Róisín.

Means "rosy-beautiful" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin rosa "rose" and bella "beautiful".

From Esperanto rubeno meaning "ruby", ultimately from Latin ruber "red".

French diminutive of Sandra.

Means "blue" in Finnish. More specifically, sini is a poetic term for the colour blue.

From an English surname that was derived from Old English slæd meaning "valley".

From Japanese 空 (sora) or 昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.

From Esperanto stelaro meaning "constellation", ultimately from Latin stella "star".

Diminutive of Susanna or Susan.

Meaning unknown. This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars. She was particularly associated with the city of Carthage, being the consort of Ba'al Hammon.

Short form of Thomas.

Diminutive of Tabitha or Theobald.

Diminutive of Matilda.

Alternate transcription of Russian Тимофей (see Timofey).

From the name of a picturesque Italian town, used as a summer resort by the ancient Romans.

Swedish variant of Tove.

Means "my light" in Hebrew. This is the name of the father of Bezalel in the Old Testament.

From a Norman surname, which was from a French place name, which was itself derived from a Gaulish word meaning "alder".

French feminine form of Victorinus.

Short form of Vincent.

Italian form of Victor.

French form of Vivianus (see Vivian).

From Japanese 幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or 雪 (yuki) meaning "snow". It can also come from 由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" combined with 貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" or 紀 (ki) meaning "chronicle". Other kanji or kanji combinations are also possible.

Greek form of Zechariah. This form of the name is used in most English versions of the New Testament to refer to the father of John the Baptist. It was also borne by an 8th-century pope (called Zachary in English).

Used by William Congreve for a character in his tragedy The Mourning Bride (1697), where it belongs to a captive North African queen. Congreve may have based it on the Arabic name Zahra. In 1736 the English writer Aaron Hill used it to translate Zaïre for his popular adaptation of Voltaire's French play Zaïre (1732).

In England the name was popularized when Princess Anne gave it to her daughter in 1981. Use of the name may also be influenced by the trendy Spanish clothing retailer Zara.

Means "sky" in Basque.

From the name of the flower, which was itself named for the German botanist Johann Zinn.