IshanamHinduism Means "commanding, ruling, owning, possessing" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu guardian god of the northeast, often considered a form of the god Shiva.
IsharafNear Eastern Mythology An ancient Hittite goddess associated with love and oaths. Her name possibly comes from the Hittite word for "treaty, binding promise", or may be related to the name of the goddess Ishtar.
Ishtar-deelamCaucasian Mythology Possibly from the name Ishtar combined with Chechen дела (dela) meaning “god, deity”. This is the name of the Vainakh god of death and ruler of the underworld.
IshtasapamSioux Means "dark eyed" in Lakota. From the Lakota ištá 'eye' and sápa "black'.
IskafBiblical Hebrew Iska is a feminine name of biblical origin that means "There is a strong woman" or "She has authority", but the name has many different meanings in other languages and cultures.... [more]
IsmaniafObscure (Archaic) The name of Ismania Whalesburgh, wife of Thomas Scales, 7th Baron Scales. Ismania's name was also recorded as Esmania and Emma Whalseborough. She served as a lady-in-waiting to Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England... [more]
IsmeriafMedieval English, Medieval German, Spanish Quasi-Marian name connected to the devotion of Notre Dame de Liesse in Picardy. According to the legend, Ismeria ("the Black Madonna") was a Moorish girl who converted to Christianity and released the crusaders captivated by her father because of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.... [more]
IsolafEnglish (Rare), Italian (Rare) Popularly claimed to be derived from the Italian word isola "island", this name might actually rather be a variant of Isolda.... [more]
IsolettafItalian, Theatre Diminutive of Isola. This name is borne by a character in Vincenzo Bellini's opera La straniera (1828).
IsonafCatalan From the name of the town in Catalonia, which is probably of Iberian origin, meaning unknown. A notable bearer is Catalan film director Isona Passola (1953-). This name was also borne by a character in the television series 'Ventdelplà' (2005-2010).
IšpakāyamScythian Akkadian rendering of the Scythian name Spakāya, which derives from the word *spaka ("dog"). This was the name of a Scythian king (fl. 7th century BCE).
Issam & fJapanese From Japanese 一 (is) meaning "one" combined with 砂 (sa) meaning "sand". Other kanji combinations are possible.
IssafPet During the 1st century, the Roman poet Martial addressed an epigram (or poem) to a lap dog named Issa owned by his friend Publius. The dog's name means "lady, mistress of the house" in Latin, a vulgar, assimilated form of the pronoun ipsa which often had a colloquial sense of "lady, mistress".
IssafAncient Greek, Greek Mythology The name of several characters in Greek mythology, including a princess of the Greek island Issa (now called Lesbos), a nymph from the same island, and a pseudonym of Achilles when he was disguised as a woman on Skyros... [more]
IssoriafGreek Mythology An epithet of the Greek goddess Artemis which derives from Issorion, the name of a mountain near Sparta on which there was a sanctuary dedicated to her... [more]
IštapariyafHittite Possibly deriving from the Luwian element tapar, meaning "strong, mighty". Name borne by a Hittite queen (fl. 15th Century BCE), who was possibly of Luwian origin. Queen Ištapariya was assassinated during a period of political intrigue by rivals to her husband's throne.
IstartafMordvin Means "skillfully embroidering, skillfully decorating" in Erzyan.
ItahisafGuanche, Spanish (Canarian) Derived from Guanche *tahighəssah meaning "skeleton" or "bones". This was recorded as the name of a 6-year-old Guanche girl who was sold as a slave in Valencia in 1494. The name was revived in the Canary Islands in the 1970s... [more]
Italia turritafObscure, Italian (?) Means "turreted Italy" in Italian. She is the national personification of Italy, which is represented with a woman wearing a turret crown. She might be a reference to the Greek goddess Cybele, whose represented wearing a wall crown... [more]
ItellafYiddish (Polish?) Yiddish elaboration of Itta (via its variant Ita), found in documents from the early 1800s regarding contemporary Yiddish-speakers in Poland.
ItokafJapanese From Japanese 愛 (ito) meaning "love, affection" combined with 佳 (ka) meaning "good, beautiful", 夏 (ka) meaning "summer", 歌 (ka) meaning "song", 花 (ka) and 華 (ka) both meaning "flower" or 香 (ka) meaning "fragrance"... [more]
ItonafJapanese From Japanese 愛 (ito) meaning "love, affection" combined with 夏 (na) meaning "summer". Other kanji combinations are possible.
ItoniafGreek Mythology Means "of Iton, Itonian" in Greek. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Athena originating in the ancient town of Iton (also known as Itonos), south of Phthiotis, in Thessaly. Some ancient sources say that Athena Itonia was given her epithet from a king or priest named Itonus.
ItsukafJapanese From Japanese 五 (itsu) meaning "five" combined with 郁 (ka) meaning "cultural progress, perfume, fragrance", 樺 (ka) meaning "birch", or 袈 (ka) meaning "Buddhist cassock"... [more]
ItzeafBasque (Modern, Rare) Possibly from Basque itzea meaning "the nail", itself from itze ("metal nail"). This is the name of a house in the Navarran town of Bera belonging to Spanish writer Pio Baroja (1872-1956).
IvernafEnglish (Rare), Dutch (Rare) Old Latin form of a lost Celtic name which also gave modern Irish Erin and was corrupted to Hibernia. Therefore a rather esoteric reference to Ireland... [more]
IvistafSoviet (Rare) Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin contracted, used by communists in the Soviet Union who wanted to use non-traditional names for their children.
IvriyafHebrew (Rare, Archaic) Derived from עִבְרִיָּה meaning "Hebrew (woman)". this name is relatively modern, first appearing in the first half of the 20th century in mandatory Palestine, it was used a few times but died out after the establishment of the Israeli state... [more]
IxlosafUzbek Derived from Uzbek ixlos meaning "devotion".
IxorafEnglish (American, Modern, Rare) From the name of a tropical flower (and genus) also known as West Indian jasmine. It is derived from Sanskrit ईश्वर (īśvara), itself derived from ईश् (īś) meaning "to rule" and वर (vará) meaning "best".
IyanlafAfrican American (Modern, Rare) Self given name of Iyanla Vazvant (birth Name Rhonda Eva Harris). The name is made up from the Yoruba words ìyá "mother" and nlá "big, great". It got traction in the USA after Iyanla's appearances in the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1998/1999.
Izanam & fJapanese (Rare), Popular Culture From the stem of verb 誘う (izanau) meaning "to invite, ask (someone to do), call (for); to tempt, lure, entice."... [more]
IzarafArabic (Maghrebi) Strictly feminine form of Izar which itself is another name for Mirak, a star in the constellation Boötes. This Izar has its origins in the Arabic word izar "shawl".
IzernafArthurian Cycle (Archaic) The name comes from the account of King Artus: a Hebrew Authurian Romance of 1279. The English version, published by Syracuse University Press in 2003, and was edited and translated by Curt Leviant.... [more]
IzettafAmerican (Rare, Archaic), English (American, Rare) This name was used at least as early as the 1870s in the Appalachian Mountain area of the eastern United States. Notable bearer is New Jersey born actress Izetta Jewel (1883-1978) who advocated for women's legal right to vote in the US.