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.
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.
ALLERLEIRAUH f Folklore (German)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] 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 (Italian, ?)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'.
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.
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] DORNRÖSCHEN f Folklore (German)The name of the 'Sleeping Beauty' in the German fairy tale 'Little Briar Rose' by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, meaning "thorny little rose".
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 (Modern, Rare), FolkloreIcelandic name of unknown origin and meaning, invented for a fairy tale
Sagan af Fertram og Ísól björtu, which translates as
The story of Fertram and bright Ísól in English. The name is probably influenced by the names
Bertram and
Ferdinand.
GOLDILOCKS f Folklore, LiteratureFrom a nickname for a young girl with blond hair that originated from the English words
gold and
locks. This is best known as the name of the main character in the fairy tale 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears.' The name was also used by J. R. R. Tolkien in 'The Lord of the Rings,' where it belongs to one of
Samwise Gamgee's daughters.
HERNE m Literature, FolkloreHerne the Hunter is a ghost first mentioned in Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor".
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, Ancient 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).
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). This is the name of the main character in the fairy tale 'Prinsessa Lumisirkku ja kääpiöt', the Finnish 'Snow White', whose name was later simplified or modernized to
Lumikki.
MAHSURI f Malay, FolkloreFrom Malay
maha "great" and
suri "queen". This is the name of a figure of folklore on the Malaysian island of Langkawi.
MINDIA m Georgian, Folklore, LiteratureMeaning unknown. This is the name of a character from Khevsur folklore, whose story the Georgian poet Luka Razikashvili (1861-1915; better known under the pseudonym of Vazha-Pshavela) used as the basis for his poem
Snake-Eater (1901)...
[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.
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'.
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] ROSANELLA f Folklore (Anglicized)From the French name
Rosanie, which is probably an elaboration of
Rose. This is the titular character of the French fairy tale 'Rosanella'. Rosanella is a princess who is split into twelve identical forms, each with an aspect of her personality.
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 (Italian)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).
ROSENROT f Folklore (German)German form of
Rose Red, used in the 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. This isn't used as a given name in Poland.
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).
RUMPELSTILTSKIN m Folklore (Anglicized)English form of German
Rumpelstilzchen, which literally means "little rumble stilt" and later also became a synonym for a particular type of goblin. This name is well-known from the Grimm brothers' fairy tale about a poor miller's daughter and a dwarf who demands that she gives her first-born child to him after he helped her become a queen.
SCHNEEWEIßCHEN f Folklore (German)Means "snow white" in High German, thus a cognate of
Schneewittchen. This is the name of a peasant girl in the traditional German folktale "Snow-White and Rose-Red" or "The Ungrateful Dwarf".
SCHNEEWITTCHEN f Folklore (German), German (Modern, Rare)Means "snow white" in German. This is the name of an unfortunate princess hated by her stepmother in a traditional German folktale, immortalized first by the Brothers Grimm retelling in their "Grimms' Fairy Tales" (1812, 1854) and then by Walt Disney's animated film (1937)....
[more] 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] 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 Icelandic (Modern, Rare, ?), FolkloreMeans "thorned 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).
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.
YÁIZA f Spanish (Canarian), Folklore, LiteratureOrigin and meaning unknown, perhaps from the name of a village on the Canarian island of Lanzarote, which may be of indigenous Guanche origin. Allegedly Yáiza was the name of a Guanche princess who inhabited the Canary Islands in pre-colonial times...
[more] 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.