Wisenheimer's Personal Name List

From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.

Meaning unknown. Perhaps based on the English word twilight, or maybe from a Cajun pronunciation of French étoile "star" [1]. It came into use as an American given name in the late 19th century.

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.

Means "star" in Welsh. This is a recently created Welsh name.

Perhaps intended to be a feminine form of Samuel, using the name suffix antha (possibly inspired by Greek ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). It originated in America in the 18th century but was fairly uncommon until 1964, when it was popularized by the main character on the television show Bewitched.

Short form of Miroslava and other names beginning with Mir (often the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace, world").

From the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear", originally a short form of names containing that element.

Variant of May. A famous bearer was the American actress Mae West (1893-1980), whose birth name was Mary.

Means "my light" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and אוֹר (ʾor) "light".

French form of Isabel.

From the Hebrew name אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah.

This name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. In America it received a boost in popularity after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893-1980), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland [1].

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

Medieval short form of Adeline. As an English name, in modern times it has sometimes been regarded as a variant of Eileen. This was the name of a popular 1965 song by the French singer Christophe.

Means "noble" in Hebrew.