These
names occur in folklore and fairy tales.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Abricotine f FolkloreMeans "apricot-plum" in French. This is the name of a character in Madame d'Aulnoy's fairy tale "The Imp Prince" (1697). Abricotine is a fairy who is the beloved of the protagonist,
Léandre.
Aethenoth m Folklore, PetLikely a variant or corruption of
Æthelnoð. This was the name of the horse of Lady
Godiva who rode down the streets of Coventry, England in the nude.
Ainsel f FolkloreUsed for a fairy in Thomas Keightley's
The Fairy Mythology, released in 1870. Ainsel was a fairy who came down the chimney to play with a little boy.
Ale m Swedish, Old Norse, FolkloreProbably a short form of various Old Norse names, for example
Áleifr and
Alríkr. Oldest known usage of the name is from a runic inscription from the 9th century.
Allerleirauh f Folklore (Germanized)Means "all kinds of fur" in German. This is the name of the title character of a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. Allerleirauh is a princess who flees from her father, who wants to marry her, and brings three dresses and a coat with all kinds of furs with her... [
more]
Anguillette f FolkloreMeans "little eel" in French (a diminutive of French
anguille "eel"). This name is borne by the titular character of the fairy tale "Anguillette" (1697) by Henriette-Julie de Murat. Anguillette is a fairy who takes the form of an eel, and is rescued by a princess while in this form.
Aoibheall f Irish Mythology, FolkloreProbably from Old Irish
óibell "spark, fire". In Irish legend this is the name of a banshee or goddess who appeared to the Irish king Brian Boru on the eve of the Battle of Clontarf (1014). She is still said to dwell in the fairy mound of Craig Liath in County Clare.
Aradia f Folklore (Italianized, ?)Allegedly a Tuscan dialectical form of
Erodiade. According to 'Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches' (1899), a book composed by American folklorist Charles Leland, she was a goddess in regional Italian folklore, who gave the knowledge of witchcraft to women.
Badroulbadour f Literature, FolkloreFrom Arabic بدر البدور
(Badr ul-Budūr) meaning "full moon of full moons" (see also
Budur). This is the name of the princess in the Middle Eastern fairy tale 'Aladdin', one of the tales in the 'Arabian Nights'.
Balanice f FolkloreMeaning unknown. This name appears in the French fairy tale "Rosanella", where it belongs to the queen who is the title character's mother.
Bensiabel m FolklorePossibly connected to the Italian words
ben meaning "well" and
bel meaning "nice". In the Italian fairy tale Prunella, he was the benevolent son of the witch, and love interest of Prunella.
Beržas m Lithuanian, Folklore, Popular CultureDerived from the Lithuanian noun
beržas meaning "birch tree". In Lithuanian folklore and popular culture, Beržas is the name of one of the three sons of the titular character of the folk tale
Eglė žalčių karalienė, which translates to English as
Eglė, the Queen of Serpents.
Biancabella f FolkloreCombination of
Bianca and Italian
bella, meaning "white-beautiful" in Italian. This is the name of the title character of the Italian fairy tale Biancabella and the Snake, written by Giovanni Francesco Straparola.
Blondine f FolkloreMeans "blonde" in French, combined with a diminutive suffix. This is the name of two characters in Madame d'Aulnoy's fairy tales: Belle-Etoile's mother in "Princess Belle-Etoile" and a minor character in "The Imp Prince"... [
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Ciccu m Sicilian (Rare), Folklore, LiteraturePossibly a Sicilian diminutive of
Francesco. This name is borne by the titular character of the Sicilian fairy tale 'The Story of Ciccu'. Ciccu is a young man who obtains a magic coverlet, purse, and horn from fairies, and later enters the service of a greedy king, whom he outwits and later gains his throne after the king's death... [
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Cleolinda f FolklorePossibly a contracted form of
Cleodolinda, which is of uncertain meaning. This is the name of the princess in some medieval Italian versions of the legend of Saint George and the dragon. (Saint George rescues Princess Cleolinda from being sacrificed to a dragon by taming the dragon and then killing it in exchange for the kingdom's conversion to Christianity.) This is also the pen name of Cleolinda Jones (1978-), an American blogger and author.
Cormoran m Folklore, LiteratureName of a legendary giant in Cornish folklore; he appears in the fairy tale 'Jack the Giant Killer'. The name was also used for the main character, Cormoran Strike, in 'The Cuckoo's Calling' (2013) by Robert Galbraith (J... [
more]
Doruntina f Albanian, FolkloreThis name is best known as that of the heroine in the Albanian legend and ballad
Kostandini dhe Doruntina (
Constantin and Doruntine in English).
Duimelijntje f FolkloreDutch form of
Thumbelina, which is derived from Dutch
duim meaning "thumb" combined with the Dutch diminutive suffixes
-lijn and
-tje.
Fertram m Icelandic (Rare), Folklore, LiteratureMeaning uncertain, perhaps an invented name based on
Ferdinand and
Bertram. It occurs in the fairy tale
Sagan af Fertram og Ísól björtu (which translates to English as
The story of Fertram and bright Ísól) and in the 17th-century epic poem
Rímur af Fertram og Plató.
Flokarta f FolkloreDerived from Albanian
flokartë meaning "golden haired",
Flokarta dhe Tre Arinjtë is the Albanian title of
Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Gerakina f Greek, FolkloreDerived from Greek γερακίνα
(gerakina), which is the Greek word for the common buzzard (species Buteo buteo), a bird native to mainland Europe. It also occurs in Greek folklore as the name of a teenage girl of remarkable beauty.
Hagbarðr m Old Norse, Norse Mythology, FolkloreCombination of the Germanic elements
hag "enclosure" and
barta "little axe". Hagbarðr was a legendary Scandinavian sea-king mentioned in several Norse sagas. The tragic legend of him and his lover
Signý in Scandinavian folklore remained popular until late 17th century.
Herne m Literature, FolkloreHerne the Hunter is a ghost first mentioned in Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor".
Hófehérke f FolkloreHungarian name meaning "snow white". This is a literal translation of the German literary name
Schneewittchen (earlier
Sneewittchen), and was probably first used as a borrowing from the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
Hyacinthia f FolkloreVariant of
Hyacintha used by Andrew Lang for a character in his version of the Russian fairy tale King Kojata. It also coincides with the name of an ancient Spartan festival that celebrated the death of
Hyacinthus.
Indrid m Popular Culture, FolkloreIndrid Cold is the name of a being originating in North American folklore, whose appearance usually coincides with sightings of UFOs or other cryptids.
Isengrim m Literature, Folklore, GermanicA variant form of
Isangrim. This is the name of a wolf found in many medieval stories, most notably in the French folktale of Reynard the Fox. The author J. R. R. Tolkien used it as a hobbit name in 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954).
Jonay m Spanish (Canarian), FolkloreTaken from
Garajonay, a Canarian place name of Guanche origin. According to a local legend,
Gara and Jonay were a pair of young Guanche lovers who died together in a joint suicide at Garajonay peak, the highest mountain on the Canarian island of La Gomera... [
more]
Kasperl m Medieval German, Folklore, TheatreDiminutive of
Kasper. This name fell out of use a long time ago, possibly due to close association with the famous character from German puppet theatre. In this day and age, the name only survives as a patronymic surname.
Kopciuszek f FolkloreMeans "black redstart" in Polish - the black redstart being a type of small bird. This is the Polish name of the fairy tale character Cinderella. It is not used as a given name in Poland.
Locika f FolkloreFrom the Czech word for the Lactuca plant (lettuce). This is the Czech name for
Rapunzel (the fairy tale character). This isn't a personal name in Czech.
Lumisirkku f FolkloreMeans "snow bunting (a type of bird)" in Finnish, composed of
lumi "snow" (see
Lumi) and
sirkku "bunting" (referring to a bird of the genus Emberiza; see
Sirkku)... [
more]
Lutine f FolkloreThe name of a type of female imp in French folklore, by extension meaning "the tormentress", derived from
nuiton (probably altered to resemble
luitier "to fight"), from
netun (influenced by
nuit "night"), itself ultimately from
Neptune.
Mahsuri f Malay, FolkloreFrom Malay
maha meaning "great" and
suri meaning "queen". This is the name of a legendary woman from the Malaysian island of Langkawi who was executed for adultery.
Malin Kundang m Indonesian, FolkloreFrom the folklore that is originated from West Sumatra, Indonesia. In the story, it is said that he was an ungrateful son who did not acknowledge his own mother, which made her curse her own son into a rock... [
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Marlinchen f Folklore (Anglicized)This name is used in the English translation of the Grimm Fairytale "The Juniper Tree". In the Low German original, the girl is named
Marleenken. In the fairytale, Marlinchen gathers her brother's bones after he has been eaten by their father, and buries them under the Juniper tree.
Mindia m Georgian, Folklore, LiteratureBasically means "I wanted you", derived from Georgian მინდია
(mindia) or მინდოდა
(mindoda) meaning "I wanted". This name literally refers to the fact that the child in question was desired by its parents.... [
more]
Mirliflor m FolkloreDerived from French
mirliflore meaning "dandy". This is the name of a prince in the fairy tale 'Rosanella'. He is known for his inconstancy.
Much m FolkloreIn the tales about the famous heroic outlaw Robin Hood, Much the Miller's Son was one of his Merry Men. In his case, Much is a nickname which he received because his abilities were apparently so unimpressive that it caused his parents to continually refer to him as "our son, though he's not much", which was ultimately shortened to Much.
Mutinosa f FolkloreDerived from French
mutin meaning "mischievous". This is the name of an evil princess in the fairy tale "An Impossible Enchantment" by the Comte de Caylus. (Mutinosa is the name used in Andrew Lang's translation; Mutine is her name in the original French version.)
Myrsina f FolkloreVariant of
Myrsine. This is the main character in the Greek fairy tale
Myrsina, which was collected by Georgios A. Megas in his
Folktales of Greece (1970).
Norcia f FolkloreNorcia is a female leprechaun in Tuscan folklore. Her name is a corruption of the Etruscan goddess
Nortia.
Onnolee f Folklore, Literature, English (American, Archaic)According to legend, Onnolee was the last survivor of the Munsee nation, which dwelt on the west shore of Canadice lake and near Bald Hill (in the Finger Lakes region, New York) during the latter part of the fourteenth century, and met their death by the hands of the Mengnees; all except Onnolee, who was taken, bound to the belt of the famous leader, Mickinac, and compelled to follow him... [
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Paribanou f FolkloreComposed of Persian پری
(pari) "fairy" and بانو
(bânu) "lady". This is the name of a female genie in the 'Arabian Nights' fairy tale 'The Story of Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou'.
Philonice f Ancient Greek (Latinized), FolkloreLatinized form of the Greek name Φιλονίκη
(Philonike), derived from φίλος
(philos) meaning "friend, lover" and νίκη
(nike) meaning "victory" (related to the Greek noun φιλονικία
(philonikia) meaning "love of victory, rivalry" and the Greek verb φιλονικέω
(philonikeo) meaning "to be fond of victory, to engage in rivalry")... [
more]
Pollicina f FolkloreThis name is one of the two Italian forms of
Thumbelina (the other is
Mignolina). It is derived from Italian
pollice meaning "thumb" combined with the Italian feminine diminutive suffix
-ina... [
more]
Roro Jonggrang f Javanese, Indonesian, FolkloreFrom the name of a princess that is featured in a Central Javanese folklore,
Roro Jonggrang. The story tells about the betrayal of the princess which broke the prince's love (Bandung Bondowoso)... [
more]
Roro Kidul f Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, Folklore, Indonesian MythologyFrom the name of the goddess Nyi Roro Kidul. Her name could mean "beautiful girl" (if the name is written as L/Rara Kidul) or "the sick one" (if the name is written as L/Roro Kidul). The term
Nyi or
Nyai is used as a term for a woman that is older than the caller... [
more]
Rosanie f FolkloreProbably an elaboration of
Rose. This is the name of a princess in the fairy tale 'Ricdin-Ricdon' by Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier. It was also used by the Comte de Caylus for the titular princess in his fairy tale 'Rosanie' (usually known in English as 'Rosanella').
Rosaspina f Folklore (Italianized)From Italian
rosa meaning "rose" and
spina "thorn, spine", used as a translation of German
Dornröschen, the title character of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale (known as Briar Rose in English).
Rose Red f FolkloreEnglish translation of German
Rosenrot. This name was featured on the German fairy tale
Snow-White and Rose-Red by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.
Roszpunka f FolklorePolish name for
Rapunzel, which is taken from their word for corn salad, also known as the Valerianella plant. This is also how the original German
Rapunzel is named... [
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Rougarou m FolkloreThe name of a werewolf-like creature in Laurentian French. It is derived from standard French
loup garou "werewolf" (where
loup means "wolf" and
garou is a borrowed word from Germanic
were-wolf via Frankish
garulf).
Ruusunen f FolkloreDerived from Finnish
ruusu meaning "rose" and the diminutive suffix -
nen. This is the Finnish name for
Briar Rose, or Sleeping Beauty. This is not a given name in Finland, but is occasionally found as a surname.
Saurimonda f Folklore, Medieval OccitanFrom Old Occitan
saur "blond" and
mond "world". This is the name of an evil entity who manifested herself as a girl with fair hair and blue eyes.
Shulgan m FolkloreTheorised to be derived from Chinese 水
(shuǐ) meaning "water" combined with 龍
(lóng) meaning "dragon" and 王
(wáng) "king". In Bashkir and Turkic folklore, Shulgan is the mythical ruler of an underwater realm... [
more]
Snegurka f FolkloreThis is the name of the popular Russian fairy tale character
Snegurochka "The Snow Maiden". The name comes from Russian
снег (
sneg) which means "snow".
Tähkäpää f FolkloreFrom Finnish
tähkä meaning "ear of grain", and
pää meaning "head". It is the Finnish name for
Rapunzel and not used as a given name in Finland.
Tannakin f Folklore, LiteratureTannakin Skinker is a pig-faced woman in A Certaine Relation of the Hog-faced Gentlewoman called Mistris Tannakin Skinker, a 1640 chapbook.
Þyrnirós f FolkloreMeans "burnet rose" (literally "thorn-rose") in Icelandic. This is used as the Icelandic name for the fairy tale character Sleeping Beauty, being the Icelandic translation of German
Dornröschen, the title character of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale (known as
Briar Rose in English).
Timun Mas f Indonesian, FolkloreMeans "golden cucumber", ultimately derived from Indonesian words
ketimun meaning "cucumber" and
emas meaning "gold".... [
more]
Torghva m Georgian (Rare), FolkloreMeaning unknown. In Georgian folklore, this is the name of a Khevsur hero from the village of Mutso in the historical Georgian province of Khevsureti.
Udea f FolkloreThis is the name of the protagonist of the North African fairy tale "Udea and her Seven Brothers".... [
more]
Uosis m Lithuanian, Folklore, Popular CultureDerived from the Lithuanian noun
uosis meaning "ash tree". In Lithuanian folklore and popular culture, Uosis is the name of one of the three sons of the titular character of the folk tale
Eglė žalčių karalienė, which translates to English as
Eglė, the Queen of Serpents.
Veslefrikk m Literature, FolkloreMeans "little Frikk" from Norwegian
vesle "little" combined with the name
Frikk. This is the main character in the Norwegian folktale
Veslefrikk med fela, which translates to English as
Little Freddie with his Fiddle.
Viribunda f FolkloreFrom a Swedish fairy tale by Anna Maria Roos 'Prins Florestan eller sagan om jätten Bam-Bam och feen Viribunda' "Prince Florestan or the saga of he giant Bam Bam and the fairy Viribunda" that inspired Astrid Lindgren's novel 'Mio, my son'.... [
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Žilvinas m Lithuanian, Folklore, Popular CultureDerived from either the old Lithuanian noun
žilvis meaning "child, offspring" as well as "offshoot, sprout", or from old Lithuanian
želvys meaning "unripe, immature, young". In Lithuanian folklore and popular culture, Žilvinas is the name of the husband of the titular character of the folk tale
Eglė žalčių karalienė, which translates to English as
Eglė, the Queen of Serpents.