This is a list of submitted names in which the gender is feminine; and the usage is English or American.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Passion f English (Rare)First recorded as a given name in the 16th century, the name Passion was originally used by Christian parents in reference to the "Passion of Christ", a term denoting the suffering of Jesus. The word itself is derived from Latin
passio "suffering", ultimately from Latin
patior "to suffer; to endure" and was originally used to describe any suffering or pain concerning the body... [
more]
Pastel f EnglishFrom mid 17th century: via French from Italian
pastello, diminutive of
pasta ‘paste’.
Patchouli f Popular Culture, English (Rare)Patchouli comes from the bushy herb of the mint family and bears tiny pink-white flowers. A bearer of this name is Patchouli Knowledge, a character from the Touhou Project.
Patina f English (Modern, Rare)Patina is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of stone, on copper, bronze and similar metals, on wooden furniture or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure.
Pavia f English (Rare), Medieval EnglishMedieval English name of uncertain origin and meaning. Current theories include a derivation from Old French
pavie "peach" and a derivation from Old French
Pavie "woman from
Pavia", a historic city in Italy... [
more]
Paw f EnglishPaw refers to the soft foot of a mammal or other animal, generally a quadruped, that has claws or nails; comparable to a human hand or foot. It is a modern name in the US and first appeared in the name records in 2008.
Peach f English (Modern), Popular CultureDerived from the name of the fruit, which itself derived its name from Late Latin
persica, which came from older Latin
malum persicum meaning "Persian fruit." In popular culture, this is the name of the Nintendo video game character Princess Peach, whom Mario often rescues from the evil Bowser.
Peaches f English (Rare)Literally derived from the English word
peaches, which is the plural form of
peach, the fruit. It is derived from Late Middle English from Old French
pesche, from medieval Latin
persica, from Latin
persicum, meaning "Persian apple".
Peanut m & f English (Rare)Back-formation from
pease, originally an uncountable noun meaning "peas" that was construed as a plural, combined with Middle English
nute, note, from Old English
hnutu, from Proto-Germanic
*hnuts (“nut”) (compare West Frisian
nút, Dutch
noot, German
Nuss, Danish
nød, Swedish
nöt, Norwegian
nøtt), from Proto-Indo-European
*knew- (compare Irish
cnó, Latin
nux (“walnut”), Albanian
nyç (“a gnarl”)).
Pearlette f English (Rare)Anglicized form of
Perlette. A known bearer of this name is Pearlette Louisy (b. 1946), the Governor-General of the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.
Pebbles f Popular Culture, English (Modern, Rare)Pebbles Flintstone is a character in the classic American cartoon series
The Flintstones (1960-1966). The series and the character are largely responsible for the occasional use of this name from the latter 20th century onwards.
Pecola f African American, American (South)Meaning unknown, perhaps an invented name. The American author Toni Morrison used it in her novel
The Bluest Eye (1970) for the protagonist, a young African-American girl named Pecola Breedlove who descends into madness as a result of abuse.
Penna f AmericanThe Latin word for "feather, wing". American actor Ian Ziering has a daughter named Penna, born 2013.
Pentecost f & m English (Puritan, Archaic)From the name of the Christian festival which commemorates the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles, celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter, ultimately deriving from Greek
pentekoste (hemera) "fiftieth (day)"... [
more]
Peola f African AmericanUsed in Fannie Hurst's novel
Imitation of Life (1933) and its 1934 film adaptation, where it belongs to a young light-skinned African-American woman who decides to pass as white.
Perenelle f French, English, Literature, Medieval FrenchOld French form of
Petronilla borne by Perenelle Flamel (1320-1402), wife and fellow alchemist of Nicolas Flamel. They are known for their quest to discover the philosopher's stone, a legendary substance said to turn any metal into gold and to make its owner immortal.... [
more]
Perian f English (Rare), American (South)Combination of
Perry and
Ann. It was brought to some public attention in 1959 by Perian Conerly, a Mississippi-born sports columnist for
The New York Times and the wife of New York Giants quarterback Charlie Conerly; in late 1959, she appeared as a contestant on the American game show
What's My Line?... [
more]
Peridot f & m English (Rare)Taken from the name of the gemstone, whose name is of uncertain origin and meaning. A current theory, however, derives it from Anglo-Norman
pedoretés, ultimately from Greek
paiderôs (via Latin
paederos):
pais "child" and
erôs "love".... [
more]
Periwinkle f English (Rare)From the English word for the color "periwinkle", from Middle English
parwynke, referring to a "light blue and purple shade". It's also the name of a flower.
Pernie f American (South)This appears sporadically outside the U.S. Top 1000 and was found mainly in Southern States. My speculation is that it is an offshoot of
Calpurnia, but I cannot verify if this is the source of the name.
Perrie f & m English (Rare)Variant of
Perry and
Perri. It can also be used as a diminutive of names that begin with Per- and have the 'per' sound within the name and at the ending of the name... [
more]
Perseverance f English (Puritan)From the English word meaning "steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success", referring to persevering through the trials and tribulations that may come as a believer of Christ.
Persia f English (Rare)From the name of the Middle Eastern country
Persia, now referred to as Iran. Its name is derived from Avestan
Parsa, the ancient tribal name of the people ruled by Cyrus the Great.... [
more]
Persimmon m & f English (Rare)From the name of the Persimmon, a brightly colored fruit. The word persimmon is derived from Powhatan, an Algonquian language of the eastern United States, meaning "a dry fruit".... [
more]
Petrichor f English (Canadian)The earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Greek petra (πέτρα), meaning "stone", and īchōr (ἰχώρ), the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology.... [
more]
Petrova f English, LiteratureRussian patronymic last name. Petrova is the name of one of the Fossil sisters in the book (and movie) 'Ballet Shoes' by Noel Streatfeild.
Pettifleur f EnglishA female English name. It is the first name of Real Housewife of Melbourne Pettifleur Berenger (1964-).
Pheraby f American (South, Archaic)Apparently a Southern U.S. invention. First appears in the mid-1700s in Virginia and North Carolina. Could be a variation of
Phoebe, although it is also curiously similar to the Arabic name
Fariba.... [
more]
Phila f EnglishFrom Ancient Greek φιλος
(philos) meaning "lover, friend", or a shortened form of names beginning with
Phila.
Phlox f English (Rare)Taken from the name of the flower, whose name is derived from Greek
phlox "flame". As a given name, it has been in occasional use in the English-speaking world from the late 19th century onwards.
Phronsie f EnglishDiminutive of Sophronia, the name of the youngest child in Margaret Sydney's "Five Little Peppers"
Piercy m & f English (British, Rare)A variant of Piers, a Middle English form of Peter. Peter is derived from the Greek petros, meaning "stone" or "rock".
Pimpernel f Literature, English (Rare), Dutch (Rare)From the flower Scarlet Pimpernel, a low growing annual plant. It is well known for being the emblem of the fictional hero of the same name. Tolkien used the name for one of the Took sisters.
Pirate m & f English (Rare)From the English word
pirate, from Latin
pirata, from Greek
peiratēs, from
peirein ‘to attempt, attack’ (from
peira ‘an attempt’).
Pixie f EnglishFrom the English word
pixie, referring to a playful sprite or elf/fairy-like creature, originating from Devon and Cornwall.
Platinum f English (American, Rare)From the metal
platinum, derived from Spanish
platina, a diminutive of
plata "silver". It can also be taken from the color
platinum, derived from the metal.
Plavka f American (Rare)In the case of American singer Plavka Coleridge (née Lonich) the name was derived from a Croatian worn meaning "blondie". It is not used as a name in Croatia.
Pleasure f & m English (African, Rare)From the English word
pleasrue meaning "A state of being pleased or contented; gratification." This name is most common in African countries like Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Uganda.
Plum f & m EnglishFrom Middle English
ploume, from Old English
plume "plum, plum tree," from an early Germanic borrowing (Middle Dutch
prume, Dutch
pruim, Old High German
pfluma, pfruma, German
Pflaume) from Vulgar Latin
*pruna, from Latin
prunum "plum," from Greek
prounon, a later form of
proumnon, a word of unknown origin, which is probably, like the tree itself, of Anatolian origin.
Plutina f American (South, Archaic)Probably an invented name, used primarily in the Southern United States in the 19th century. Plutina Cox is the heroine of Waldron Baily's novel 'The Heart of the Blue Ridge' (1915), set in Wilkes County, North Carolina.
Poem m & f EnglishFrom French
poème or Latin
poema, from Greek
poēma, early variant of
poiēma ‘fiction, poem,’ from
poiein ‘create.’ See also
Poema.
Poesy f American (South, Rare, Archaic)Originally a variant of
Posy, this name was sometimes associated with
poetry, from Old French
poesie, ultimately from Greek
poesis "composition, poetry," from
poein "to make or compose"
Poet f & m English (American, Modern, Rare)From the English word meaning "someone who writes poems". From the Old French
poete, from Latin
poēta 'poet, author', from Ancient Greek
poiētēs (ποιητής) 'creator, maker, author, poet', from
poieō (poieō) 'I make, compose'.
Poinsettia f English (Rare)From the flower
Euphorbia pulcherrima, which was named for an American Minister to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who discovered the flower in 1828.