Morgan1599's Personal Name List
Zoya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Зоя(Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ZO-yə(Russian)
Rating: 64% based on 5 votes
Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Bulgarian form of
Zoe.
Zosime
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ζωσίμη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 5% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Zosimos (see
Zosimus).
Zosima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized), Italian
Rating: 5% based on 2 votes
Latinized form of
Zosime and Italian feminine form of
Zosimo.
Zoe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, German, Czech, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ζώη, Ζωή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZO-ee(English) DZAW-eh(Italian) THO-eh(European Spanish) SO-eh(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 80% based on 1 vote
Means
"life" in Greek. From early times it was adopted by Hellenized Jews as a translation of
Eve. It was borne by two early Christian
saints, one martyred under Emperor Hadrian, the other martyred under Diocletian. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by a ruling empress of the 11th century.
As an English name, Zoe (sometimes with a diaeresis as Zoë) has only been in use since the 19th century. It has generally been more common among Eastern Christians (in various spellings).
Zipporah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew
Other Scripts: צִפּוֹרָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: zi-PAWR-ə(English) ZIP-ə-rə(English)
Rating: 5% based on 2 votes
Zephyria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ζεφυρια(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 5% based on 2 votes
Derived from Greek ζεφύριος (zephyrios) "of the West". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
Zéphine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Literature
Pronounced: ZAY-FEEN(French) zay-FEEN(Literature)
Rating: 5% based on 2 votes
Short form of
Joséphine. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel 'Les Misérables' (1862).
Zenaida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Greek
Other Scripts: Ζηναΐδα(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 10% based on 2 votes
Apparently a Greek derivative of
Ζηναΐς (Zenais), which was derived from the name of the Greek god
Zeus. This was the name of a 1st-century
saint who was a doctor with her sister Philonella.
Yonit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יוֹנִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Yonina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יוֹנִינָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Yevgeniya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Евгения(Russian)
Pronounced: yiv-GYEH-nyi-yə, iv-GYEH-nyi-yə
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Yelizaveta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Елизавета(Russian)
Pronounced: yi-lyi-zu-VYEH-tə, i-lyi-zu-VYEH-tə
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Russian form of
Elizabeth. This was the name of an 18th-century Russian empress.
Yelena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Елена(Russian)
Pronounced: yi-LYEH-nə, i-LYEH-nə
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Yekaterina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Екатерина(Russian)
Pronounced: yi-kə-tyi-RYEE-nə, i-kə-tyi-RYEE-nə
Rating: 87% based on 3 votes
Russian form of
Katherine. This name was adopted by the German princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst in 1744 shortly before she married the future Russian emperor Peter III. She later overthrew her husband and ruled as empress, known as Catherine the Great in English.
Yarona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יָרוֹנָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Yardena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יַרְדֵנָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Hebrew feminine form of
Jordan.
Yamit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יַמִּית, ימית(Hebrew)
Pronounced: yah-MEET
Rating: 10% based on 3 votes
Strictly feminine form of
Yam.
Yaliya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian (Rare)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Yaffa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יָפָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Alternate transcription of Hebrew
יָפָה (see
Yafa).
Willow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIL-o
Rating: 68% based on 4 votes
From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.
Wilfrida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon (Latinized)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Latin form of the Old English name
Wulfþryð meaning "wolf strength". This was the name of the mother of Saint Eadgyð (
Edith) by King Edgar the Peaceful.
Wendy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEHN-dee
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
In the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play
Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname
fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name
Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element
gwen meaning "white, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.
Viviana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Late Roman
Pronounced: vee-VYA-na(Italian) bee-BYA-na(Spanish)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Vivianus (see
Vivian).
Saint Viviana (also known as Bibiana) was a Roman saint and martyr of the 4th century.
Virginia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Βιργινία(Greek)
Pronounced: vər-JIN-yə(American English) və-JIN-yə(British English) veer-JEE-nya(Italian) beer-KHEE-nya(Spanish)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of the Roman family name
Verginius or
Virginius, which is of unknown meaning, but long associated with Latin
virgo "maid, virgin". According to a legend, it was the name of a Roman woman killed by her father so as to save her from the clutches of a crooked official.
This was the name of the first English baby born in the New World: Virginia Dare in 1587 on Roanoke Island. Perhaps because of this, the name has generally been more popular in America than elsewhere in the English-speaking world, though in both Britain and America it was not often used until the 19th century. The baby was named after the Colony of Virginia, which was itself named for Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen. A more recent bearer was the English novelist Virginia Woolf (1882-1941).
Violet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VIE-lit, VIE-ə-lit
Rating: 90% based on 6 votes
From the English word violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.
Victoria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, French, Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: vik-TAWR-ee-ə(English) beek-TO-rya(Spanish) vik-TO-rya(German) VEEK-TAW-RYA(French) week-TO-ree-a(Latin)
Rating: 90% based on 4 votes
Means
"victory" in Latin, being borne by the Roman goddess of victory. It is also a feminine form of
Victorius. This name was borne by a 4th-century
saint and martyr from North Africa.
Though in use elsewhere in Europe, the name was very rare in the English-speaking world until the 19th century, when Queen Victoria began her long rule of Britain. She was named after her mother, who was of German royalty. Many geographic areas are named after the queen, including an Australian state and a Canadian city.
Veronica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Romanian, Late Roman
Pronounced: və-RAHN-i-kə(American English) və-RAWN-i-kə(British English) veh-RAW-nee-ka(Italian)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Latin alteration of
Berenice, the spelling influenced by the ecclesiastical Latin phrase
vera icon meaning
"true image". This was the name of a legendary
saint who wiped
Jesus' face with a towel and then found his image imprinted upon it. Due to popular stories about her, the name was occasionally used in the Christian world in the Middle Ages. It was borne by the Italian saint and mystic Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727). As an English name, it was not common until the 19th century, when it was imported from France and Scotland.
Verity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VEHR-i-tee
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the English word meaning
"verity, truth", from Latin
verus "true, real". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Vered
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: וֶרֶד(Hebrew)
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
Means "rose" in Hebrew, originally a borrowing from an Iranian language.
Vera 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Вера(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian) ვერა(Georgian)
Pronounced: VYEH-rə(Russian) VIR-ə(English) VEHR-ə(English) VEH-ra(German, Dutch) VEH-rah(Swedish) BEH-ra(Spanish) VEH-raw(Hungarian)
Rating: 73% based on 4 votes
Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Vasilisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Василиса(Russian)
Pronounced: və-syi-LYEE-sə
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Valerie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Czech
Pronounced: VAL-ə-ree(English) VA-lə-ree(German)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
English and German form of
Valeria, as well as a Czech variant of
Valérie.
Valentina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Валентина(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) Βαλεντίνα(Greek)
Pronounced: va-lehn-TEE-na(Italian) və-lyin-TYEE-nə(Russian) vu-lyehn-tyi-NU(Lithuanian) ba-lehn-TEE-na(Spanish)
Rating: 75% based on 4 votes
Feminine form of
Valentinus (see
Valentine 1). A famous bearer is the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (1937-), who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space.
Ursa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Ursus. This is the name of two constellations in the northern sky: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
Undine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: UN-deen(English) un-DEEN(English)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Derived from Latin unda meaning "wave". The word undine was created by the 16th-century Swiss author Paracelsus, who used it for female water spirits.
Tzivia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: צִבְיָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Tryphena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: Τρύφαινα(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Tryphaina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Greek [1], Ancient Greek [2]
Other Scripts: Τρύφαινα(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Tovah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: טוֹבָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Tova 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: טוֹבָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means "good" in Hebrew.
Theresa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: tə-REE-sə(English) tə-REE-zə(English) teh-REH-za(German)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Spanish and Portuguese name
Teresa. It was first recorded as
Therasia, being borne by the Spanish wife of
Saint Paulinus of Nola in the 4th century. The meaning is uncertain, but it could be derived from Greek
θέρος (theros) meaning
"summer", from Greek
θερίζω (therizo) meaning
"to harvest", or from the name of the Greek island of Therasia (the western island of Santorini).
The name was mainly confined to Spain and Portugal during the Middle Ages. After the 16th century it was spread to other parts of the Christian world, due to the fame of the Spanish nun and reformer Saint Teresa of Ávila. Another famous bearer was the Austrian Habsburg queen Maria Theresa (1717-1780), who inherited the domains of her father, the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI, beginning the War of the Austrian Succession.
Therasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Theophania
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θεοφάνια(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Theodosia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Greek
Other Scripts: Θεοδοσία(Greek)
Pronounced: TEH-O-DO-SEE-A(Classical Greek) thee-ə-DO-see-ə(English) thee-ə-DO-shə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Theodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θεοδώρα(Greek)
Pronounced: thee-ə-DAWR-ə(English)
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
Feminine form of
Theodore. This name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by several empresses including the influential wife of Justinian in the 6th century.
Thekla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare), Greek (Rare), Late Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θέκλα(Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the ancient Greek name
Θεόκλεια (Theokleia), which meant
"glory of God" from the Greek elements
θεός (theos) meaning "god" and
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 1st-century
saint, appearing (as
Θέκλα) in the apocryphal
Acts of Paul and Thecla. The story tells how Thecla listens to
Paul speak about the virtues of chastity and decides to remain a virgin, angering both her mother and her suitor.
Thalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Greek
Other Scripts: Θάλεια(Greek)
Pronounced: THAY-lee-ə(English) thə-LIE-ə(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Greek name
Θάλεια (Thaleia), derived from
θάλλω (thallo) meaning
"to blossom". In Greek
mythology she was one of the nine Muses, presiding over comedy and pastoral poetry. This was also the name of one of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites).
Thaleia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Θάλεια(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Thaïs
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], French
Other Scripts: Θαΐς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TA-EES(French)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Possibly means
"bandage" in Greek. This was the name of a companion of Alexander the Great. It was also borne by a 4th-century
saint from Alexandria, a wealthy socialite who became a Christian convert, though in her case the name may have had a distinct Coptic origin. She has been a popular subject of art and literature, including an 1891 novel by Anatole France and an 1894 opera by Jules Massenet.
Tatiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, French, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Greek, Georgian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Τατιάνα(Greek) ტატიანა(Georgian) Татьяна(Russian) Татяна(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ta-TYA-na(Italian, Spanish, Polish, German) TAH-tee-ah-nah(Finnish) ta-TYAHN-ə(English) tu-TYA-nə(Russian)
Rating: 95% based on 4 votes
Feminine form of the Roman name
Tatianus, a derivative of the Roman name
Tatius. This was the name of a 3rd-century
saint who was martyred in Rome under the emperor Alexander Severus. She was especially venerated in Orthodox Christianity, and the name has been common in Russia (as
Татьяна) and Eastern Europe. It was not regularly used in the English-speaking world until the 1980s.
Tamara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Hungarian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Тамара(Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian) თამარა(Georgian)
Pronounced: tu-MA-rə(Russian) TA-ma-ra(Czech, Slovak) ta-MA-ra(Polish, Dutch, Spanish, Italian) TAW-maw-raw(Hungarian) tə-MAR-ə(English) tə-MAHR-ə(English) TAM-ə-rə(English) tu-mu-RU(Lithuanian)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Russian form of
Tamar. Russian performers such as Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978), Tamara Drasin (1905-1943), Tamara Geva (1907-1997) and Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) introduced it to the English-speaking world. It rapidly grew in popularity in the United States starting in 1957. Another famous bearer was the Polish cubist painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980).
Tamar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: תָּמָר(Hebrew) თამარ(Georgian)
Pronounced: TA-MAR(Georgian) TAHM-ahr(American English) TAY-mahr(American English) TAHM-ah(British English) TAY-mah(British English)
Rating: 13% based on 3 votes
Means
"date palm" in Hebrew. According to the
Old Testament Tamar was the daughter-in-law of
Judah and later his wife. This was also the name of a daughter of King
David. She was raped by her half-brother
Amnon, leading to his murder by her brother
Absalom. The name was borne by a 12th-century ruling queen of Georgia who presided over the kingdom at the peak of its power.
Talya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: טַלְיָה, טַלְיָא(Hebrew)
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Taliya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Талия(Russian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Talitha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Pronounced: TAL-i-thə(English) tə-LEE-thə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Means
"little girl" in Aramaic. The name is taken from the phrase
talitha cumi meaning "little girl arise" spoken by
Jesus in order to restore a young girl to life (see
Mark 5:41).
Talia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: טַלְיָה, טַלְיָא(Hebrew)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Means
"dew from God" in Hebrew, from
טַל (ṭal) meaning "dew" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.
Tali
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: טַלִי(Hebrew)
Rating: 13% based on 3 votes
Means "my dew" in Hebrew.
Taisiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Таисия(Russian) Таїсія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: tu-EE-syi-yə(Russian)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Russian and Ukrainian form of
Thaïs (referring to the
saint).
Tabitha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ταβιθά(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TAB-i-thə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Means
"gazelle" in Aramaic. Tabitha in the
New Testament was a woman restored to life by
Saint Peter. Her name is translated into Greek as
Dorcas (see
Acts 9:36). As an English name,
Tabitha became common after the
Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the television show
Bewitched, in which Tabitha (sometimes spelled Tabatha) is the daughter of the main character.
Svetlana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Armenian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Светлана(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) Սվետլանա(Armenian) სვეტლანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: svyit-LA-nə(Russian) svyeht-lu-NU(Lithuanian)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Derived from Russian
свет (svet) meaning
"light, world". It was popularized by the poem
Svetlana (1813) by the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. It is sometimes used as a translation of
Photine.
Susanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, Dutch, English, Armenian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Сусанна(Russian, Ukrainian) Սուսաննա(Armenian) שׁוֹשַׁנָּה(Ancient Hebrew) Сꙋсанна(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: soo-ZAN-na(Italian) soo-ZAN-nə(Catalan) suy-SAN-na(Swedish) SOO-sahn-nah(Finnish) suw-SAN-nə(Russian) suw-SAN-nu(Ukrainian) suy-SAH-na(Dutch) soo-ZAN-ə(English)
Rating: 78% based on 5 votes
From
Σουσάννα (Sousanna), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshanna). This was derived from the Hebrew word
שׁוֹשָׁן (shoshan) meaning
"lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means
"rose"), perhaps ultimately from Egyptian
sšn "lotus". In the
Old Testament Apocrypha this is the name of a woman falsely accused of adultery. The prophet
Daniel clears her name by tricking her accusers, who end up being condemned themselves. It also occurs in the
New Testament belonging to a woman who ministers to
Jesus.
As an English name, it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Old Testament heroine. It did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation, at which time it was often spelled Susan.
Styliani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Στυλιανή(Greek)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Stella 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Dutch, German
Pronounced: STEHL-ə(English) STEHL-la(Italian) STEH-la(Dutch)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means "star" in Latin. This name was created by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney for the subject of his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella. It was a nickname of a lover of Jonathan Swift, real name Esther Johnson (1681-1728), though it was not commonly used as a given name until the 19th century. It appears in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), belonging to the sister of Blanche DuBois and the wife of Stanley Kowalski.
Steliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Sophia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek, German, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σοφία(Greek)
Pronounced: so-FEE-ə(English) sə-FIE-ə(British English) so-FEE-a(Greek) zo-FEE-a(German)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means
"wisdom" in Greek. This was the name of an early, probably mythical,
saint who died of grief after her three daughters were martyred during the reign of the emperor Hadrian. Legends about her probably arose as a result of a medieval misunderstanding of the phrase
Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom", which is the name of a large basilica in Constantinople.
This name was common among continental European royalty during the Middle Ages, and it was popularized in Britain by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century. It was the name of characters in the novels Tom Jones (1749) by Henry Fielding and The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) by Oliver Goldsmith.
In the United States this name was only moderately common until the 1990s when it began rising in popularity, eventually becoming the most popular for girls from 2011 to 2013. A famous bearer is the Italian actress Sophia Loren (1934-).
Simona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Lithuanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Симона(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: see-MO-na(Italian) SI-mo-na(Czech) SEE-maw-na(Slovak)
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
Silvie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: SIL-vi-yeh
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Silvia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, German, Dutch, English, Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: SEEL-vya(Italian) SEEL-bya(Spanish) SEEL-vyu(European Portuguese) SEEW-vyu(Brazilian Portuguese) ZIL-vya(German) SIL-vee-a(Dutch) SIL-vee-ə(English)
Rating: 68% based on 6 votes
Feminine form of
Silvius.
Rhea Silvia was the mother of
Romulus and
Remus, the founders of Rome. This was also the name of a 6th-century
saint, the mother of the pope Gregory the Great. It has been a common name in Italy since the Middle Ages. It was introduced to England by Shakespeare, who used it for a character in his play
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594). It is now more commonly spelled
Sylvia in the English-speaking world.
Sigreda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Sigal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: סִיגָל(Hebrew)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means "violet flower" in Hebrew.
Sibylla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman, German
Other Scripts: Σίβυλλα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: zee-BI-la(German)
Rating: 70% based on 5 votes
Sibyl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SIB-əl
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
From Greek
Σίβυλλα (Sibylla), meaning
"prophetess, sibyl". In Greek and Roman legend the sibyls were female prophets who practiced at different holy sites in the ancient world. In later Christian theology, the sibyls were thought to have divine knowledge and were revered in much the same way as the
Old Testament prophets. Because of this, the name came into general use in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The
Normans imported it to England, where it was spelled both
Sibyl and
Sybil. It became rare after the
Protestant Reformation, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps helped by Benjamin Disraeli's novel
Sybil (1845).
Shiri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שׁירי(Hebrew)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Means "my song" in Hebrew.
Shira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שִׁירָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Means "singing" in Hebrew.
Shiphrah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: שִׁפְרָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Means
"beautiful" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of one of the midwives (the other being
Puah) who disobeys the Pharaoh's order to kill any Hebrew boys they deliver.
Shifra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: שִׁפְרָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Séraphine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SEH-RA-FEEN
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Seraphina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Late Roman
Pronounced: sehr-ə-FEEN-ə(English) zeh-ra-FEE-na(German)
Rating: 56% based on 5 votes
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word
seraphim, which was Hebrew in origin and meant
"fiery ones". The seraphim were an order of angels, described by Isaiah in the Bible as having six wings each.
This was the name of a 13th-century Italian saint who made clothes for the poor. As an English name, it has never been common.
Seigiv
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Medieval form of
Sægiefu. It was mentioned by the 12th-century historian Reginald of Durham as belonging to a 7th-century Christian woman from Hawick who, with
Rosfrith, had worshipped at the lost chapel of St Cuthbert in the Slitrig valley.
Sayeva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Medieval English form of Old English
Sægiefu.
Savannah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: sə-VAN-ə
Rating: 65% based on 6 votes
From the English word for the large grassy plain, ultimately deriving from the Taino (Native American) word zabana. It came into use as a given name in America in the 19th century. It was revived in the 1980s by the movie Savannah Smiles (1982).
Sarit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שָׂרִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Sarah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical
Other Scripts: שָׂרָה(Hebrew) سارة(Arabic)
Pronounced: SEHR-ə(English) SAR-ə(English) SA-RA(French) ZA-ra(German) SA-ra(Danish, Dutch, Arabic)
Rating: 54% based on 5 votes
From the Hebrew name
שָׂרָה (Sara) meaning
"lady, princess, noblewoman". In the
Old Testament this is the name of
Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with
Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally
Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see
Genesis 17:15).
In England, Sarah came into use after the Protestant Reformation. It was consistently popular in the 20th century throughout the English-speaking world, reaching the top of the charts for England and Wales in the 1970s and 80s.
Notable bearers include Sarah Churchill (1660-1744), an influential British duchess and a close friend of Queen Anne, and the French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923).
Samantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Dutch
Pronounced: sə-MAN-thə(English) sa-MAN-ta(Italian) sa-MAHN-ta(Dutch)
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
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.
Salome
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: სალომე(Georgian) Σαλώμη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: sə-LO-mee(English)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
From an Aramaic name that was related to the Hebrew word
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning
"peace". According to the historian Josephus this was the name of the daughter of
Herodias (the consort of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee). In the
New Testament, though a specific name is not given, it was a daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod and was rewarded with the head of
John the Baptist, and thus Salome and the dancer have traditionally been equated.
As a Christian given name, Salome has been in occasional use since the Protestant Reformation. This was due to a second person of this name in the New Testament: one of the women who witnessed the crucifixion and later discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty. It is used in Georgia due to the 4th-century Salome of Ujarma, who is considered a saint in the Georgian Church.
Ruthie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROO-thee
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Ruth 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: רוּת(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: ROOTH(English) ROOT(German, Spanish)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
From the Hebrew name
רוּת (Ruṯ), probably derived from the word
רְעוּת (reʿuṯ) meaning
"female friend". This is the name of the central character in the Book of Ruth in the
Old Testament. She was a Moabite woman who accompanied her mother-in-law
Naomi back to Bethlehem after Ruth's husband died. There she met and married
Boaz. She was an ancestor of King
David.
As a Christian name, Ruth has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. In England it was associated with the archaic word ruth meaning "pity, compassion" (now only commonly seen in the word ruthless). The name became very popular in America following the birth of "Baby" Ruth Cleveland (1891-1904), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland.
Ruby
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROO-bee
Rating: 70% based on 7 votes
Simply from the name of the precious stone (which ultimately derives from Latin
ruber "red"), which is the traditional birthstone of July. It came into use as a given name in the 16th century
[1].
Roxanne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: rahk-SAN(American English) rawk-SAN(British English) RAWK-SAN(French)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Roxane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: RAWK-SAN(French) rahk-SAN(American English) rawk-SAN(British English)
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
French and English form of
Roxana. This is the name of Cyrano's love interest in the play
Cyrano de Bergerac (1897).
Roxana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ῥωξάνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: rahk-SAN-ə(American English) rawk-SAN-ə(British English) rok-SA-na(Spanish)
Rating: 68% based on 6 votes
Latin form of
Ῥωξάνη (Rhoxane), the Greek form of an Old Persian or Bactrian name, from Old Iranian *
rauxšnā meaning
"bright, shining" [1]. This was the name of Alexander the Great's first wife, a daughter of the Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes. In the modern era it came into use during the 17th century. In the English-speaking world it was popularized by Daniel Defoe, who used it in his novel
Roxana (1724).
Rosine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: RO-ZEEN
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Rosfrith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British, Rare), Medieval English
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Possibly derived from the Old English elements
hroð "glory, fame" and
friþ "peace, happiness". It was mentioned by the 12th-century English historian Reginald of Durham as belonging to a 7th-century Christian woman from Hawick who, with
Seigiv, had worshiped at the lost chapel of Saint
Cuthbert in the Slitrig Valley.
James A. H. Murray, founder of the Oxford English Dictionary, gave this name to his fourth daughter in 1884.
Rosemary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROZ-mə-ree, ROZ-mehr-ee
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Combination of
Rose and
Mary. This name can also be given in reference to the herb, which gets its name from Latin
ros marinus meaning "dew of the sea". It came into use as a given name in the 19th century.
Roselle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Diminutive of
Rose. This is the name of a type of flowering shrub (species Hibiscus sabdariffa) native to Africa but now grown in many places, used to make hibiscus tea.
Rosella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
Rose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: ROZ
Rating: 82% based on 5 votes
Originally a Norman French form of the Germanic name
Hrodohaidis meaning
"famous type", composed of the elements
hruod "fame" and
heit "kind, sort, type". The
Normans introduced it to England in the forms
Roese and
Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower
rose (derived from Latin
rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.
Rosanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, English
Pronounced: ro-ZAN-na(Italian) ro-ZAN-ə(English)
Rating: 58% based on 6 votes
Rosamund
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RO-zə-mənd(English) RAHZ-ə-mənd(American English) RAWZ-ə-mənd(British English)
Rating: 73% based on 7 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
hros "horse" and
munt "protection". This name was borne by the wife of the Lombard king Alboin in the 6th century. The
Normans introduced it to England. It was subsequently interpreted as coming from Latin
rosa munda "pure rose" or
rosa mundi "rose of the world". This was the name of the mistress of Henry II, the king of England in the 12th century. According to legends she was murdered by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Rosalinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian
Pronounced: ro-sa-LEEN-da(Spanish) ro-za-LEEN-da(Italian)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Rosalind
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHZ-ə-lind(American English) RAWZ-ə-lind(British English)
Rating: 60% based on 6 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
hros meaning "horse" and
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The
Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase
rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy
As You Like It (1599).
Rosalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, German, Dutch, English
Pronounced: RAW-ZA-LEE(French) ro-za-LEE(German, Dutch) RO-sa-lee(Dutch) ro-sa-LEE(Dutch) RO-za-lee(Dutch) RO-zə-lee(English)
Rating: 87% based on 7 votes
French, German and Dutch form of
Rosalia. In the English-speaking this name received a boost after the release of the movie
Rosalie (1938), which was based on an earlier musical.
Rosabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RO-zə-behl
Rating: 53% based on 6 votes
Combination of
Rosa 1 and the common name suffix
bel, inspired by Latin
bella "beautiful". This name was created in the 18th century.
Rosa 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, German, English
Pronounced: RO-sa(Spanish, Dutch) RAW-za(Italian) RAW-zu(European Portuguese) HAW-zu(Brazilian Portuguese) RAW-zə(Catalan) RO-za(German) RO-zə(English)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Generally this can be considered to be from Latin
rosa meaning
"rose", though originally it may have come from the unrelated Germanic name
Roza 2. This was the name of a 13th-century
saint from Viterbo in Italy. In the English-speaking world it was first used in the 19th century. Famous bearers include the Polish-German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) and the American civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005).
Ronit 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: רוֹנִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Strictly feminine form of
Ron 2.
Rona 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: רוֹנָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Romilda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Germanic (Latinized) [1]
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Means
"famous battle" from the Germanic elements
hruom "fame, glory" and
hilt "battle".
Rinat 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: רִינָת(Hebrew)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Renée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Dutch
Pronounced: RU-NEH(French) rə-NEH(Dutch) reh-NEH(Dutch)
Rating: 34% based on 5 votes
French feminine form of
René.
Rebecca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: רִבְקָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: rə-BEHK-ə(English) reh-BEHK-ka(Italian) rə-BEH-ka(Dutch)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From the Hebrew name
רִבְקָה (Rivqa), probably from a Semitic root meaning
"join, tie, snare". This is the name of the wife of
Isaac and the mother of
Esau and
Jacob in the
Old Testament. It came into use as an English Christian name after the
Protestant Reformation, and it was popular with the
Puritans in the 17th century. It has been consistently used since then, becoming especially common in the second half of the 20th century.
This name is borne by a Jewish woman in Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), as well as the title character (who is deceased and unseen) in Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca (1938).
Ravenilda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English (Latinized)
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Latinized form of
Rauenilde or
Ravenild, the medieval English forms of
Hrafnhildr.
Raphaela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: ra-fa-EH-la
Rating: 60% based on 5 votes
Radmila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Czech
Other Scripts: Радмила(Serbian)
Pronounced: RAD-mi-la(Czech)
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Serbian, Croatian and Czech feminine form of
Radomil.
Rachel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: רָחֵל(Hebrew)
Pronounced: RAY-chəl(English) RA-SHEHL(French) RAH-khəl(Dutch) RA-khəl(German)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
From the Hebrew name
רָחֵל (Raḥel) meaning
"ewe". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of
Jacob. Her father
Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister
Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid
Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of
Joseph and
Benjamin.
The name was common among Jews in the Middle Ages, but it was not generally used as a Christian name in the English-speaking world until after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately popular in the first half of the 20th century, but starting in the 1960s it steadily rose, reaching highs in the 1980s and 90s. The character Rachel Green on the American sitcom Friends (1994-2004) may have only helped delay its downswing.
Notable bearers include American conservationist Rachel Carson (1907-1964), British actress Rachel Weisz (1970-), and Canadian actress Rachel McAdams (1978-).
Praskovya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Прасковья(Russian)
Pronounced: pru-SKO-vyə
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Poppy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHP-ee(American English) PAWP-ee(British English)
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
From the word for the red flower, derived from Old English popæg.
Philippa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British), German
Pronounced: FI-li-pə(British English)
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Latinate feminine form of
Philip. As an English name, it is chiefly British.
Petra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, English
Other Scripts: Петра(Bulgarian) Πέτρα(Greek)
Pronounced: PEH-tra(German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak) PEH-traw(Hungarian) PEHT-rah(Finnish) PEHT-rə(English)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.
Persephone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Περσεφόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEHR-SEH-PO-NEH(Classical Greek) pər-SEHF-ə-nee(American English) pə-SEHF-ə-nee(British English)
Rating: 74% based on 5 votes
Meaning unknown, probably of Pre-Greek origin, but perhaps related to Greek
πέρθω (pertho) meaning "to destroy" and
φόνος (phonos) meaning "murder". In Greek
myth she was the daughter of
Demeter and
Zeus. She was abducted to the underworld by
Hades, but was eventually allowed to return to the surface for part of the year. The result of her comings and goings is the changing of the seasons. With her mother she was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites practiced at the city of Eleusis near Athens.
Peninnah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: פְּנִנָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: pi-NIN-ə(English) pi-NEE-nə(English)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Means
"pearl, coral, precious stone" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of one of the wives of
Elkanah, the other being
Hannah.
Penelope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Πηνελόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEH-NEH-LO-PEH(Classical Greek) pə-NEHL-ə-pee(English)
Rating: 64% based on 7 votes
Probably derived from Greek
πηνέλοψ (penelops), a type of duck. Alternatively it could be from
πήνη (pene) meaning "threads, weft" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". In
Homer's epic the
Odyssey this is the name of the wife of
Odysseus, forced to fend off suitors while her husband is away fighting at Troy.
It has occasionally been used as an English given name since the 16th century. It was moderately popular in the 1940s, but had a more notable upswing in the early 2000s. This may have been inspired by the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz (1974-), who gained prominence in English-language movies at that time. It was already rapidly rising when celebrities Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick gave it to their baby daughter in 2012.
Penelopa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Russian, Polish, Macedonian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Georgian (Rare), Serbian
Other Scripts: Пенелопа(Russian) პენელოპა(Georgian)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Pearl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PURL(American English) PUL(British English)
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
From the English word pearl for the concretions formed in the shells of some mollusks, ultimately from Late Latin perla. Like other gemstone names, it has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. The pearl is the traditional birthstone for June, and it supposedly imparts health and wealth.
Paulina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Swedish, Lithuanian, English, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: pow-LEE-na(Spanish, Polish, Swedish) paw-LEE-nə(English)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Paulinus (see
Paulino).
Paula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Croatian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: POW-la(German, Spanish, Polish, Dutch) PAWL-ə(English) POW-lah(Finnish) POW-lu(Portuguese) PAW-oo-law(Hungarian)
Rating: 10% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Paulus (see
Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman
saint who was a companion of Saint
Jerome.
Parthenope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Παρθενόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: pahr-THEHN-ə-pee(American English) pah-THEHN-ə-pee(British English)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Means
"maiden's voice", derived from Greek
παρθένος (parthenos) meaning "maiden, virgin" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". In Greek legend this is the name of one of the Sirens who enticed
Odysseus.
Paraskovia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian (Archaic)
Rating: 10% based on 2 votes
Archaic Russian form of
Paraskeve and older transcription of
Praskovya. In the Russian Orthodox Church, Paraskovia is the patron saint of cloth as well as of spinning and weaving.
Paraskevi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Παρασκευή(Greek)
Rating: 10% based on 2 votes
Paraskeva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Параскева(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Opaline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), French (Rare)
Pronounced: O-pə-leen(English) AW-PA-LEEN(French)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Elaborated form of
Opal. This is also an English and French word meaning
"resembling an opal".
Opal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: O-pəl
Rating: 57% based on 6 votes
From the English word
opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit
उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".
Ondina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Italian
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Portuguese and Italian form of
Undine.
Olivia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: o-LIV-ee-ə(English) ə-LIV-ee-ə(English) o-LEE-vya(Italian, German) o-LEE-bya(Spanish) AW-LEE-VYA(French) O-lee-vee-ah(Finnish) o-LEE-vee-a(Dutch)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
This name was used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). This was a rare name in Shakespeare's time
[1] that may have been based on
Oliva or
Oliver, or directly on the Latin word
oliva meaning
"olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman wooed by Duke
Orsino. Instead she falls in love with his messenger Cesario, who is actually
Viola in disguise.
Olivia has been used in the English-speaking world since the 18th century, though it did not become overly popular until the last half of the 20th century. Its rise in popularity in the 1970s may have been inspired by a character on the television series The Waltons (1972-1982) [2] or the singer Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022). In 1989 it was borne by a young character on The Cosby Show, which likely accelerated its growth. It reached the top rank in England and Wales by 2008 and in the United States by 2019.
A famous bearer was the British-American actress Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020).
Olive
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AHL-iv(American English) AWL-iv(British English) AW-LEEV(French)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
From the English and French word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva.
Olena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Олена(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: aw-LEH-nu
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Odelia 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אוֹדֶלְיָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Means
"I will thank Yahweh" in Hebrew. This is a modern Hebrew name probably inspired by
Odelia 1.
Odalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Pronounced: O-DA-LEE
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Océane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AW-SEH-AN
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Derived from French océan meaning "ocean".
Noelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: no-EHL
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Nicole
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch, German
Pronounced: NEE-KAWL(French) ni-KOL(English) nee-KAWL(Dutch, German)
Rating: 30% based on 4 votes
French feminine form of
Nicholas, commonly used in the English-speaking world since the middle of the 20th century. A famous bearer is American-Australian actress Nicole Kidman (1967-).
Néphélie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Modern, Rare)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
French coinage based on
Néphélé as well as a Gallicized form of
Nefeli.
Nephele
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Νεφέλη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NEH-PEH-LEH(Classical Greek) NEHF-ə-lee(English)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
From Greek
νέφος (nephos) meaning
"cloud". In Greek legend Nephele was created from a cloud by
Zeus, who shaped the cloud to look like
Hera in order to trick Ixion, a mortal who desired her. Nephele was the mother of the centaurs by Ixion, and was also the mother of Phrixus and Helle by Athamus.
Natalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: NAT-ə-lee(English) NA-ta-lee(German, Dutch)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
From the Late Latin name
Natalia, which meant
"Christmas Day" from Latin
natale domini. This was the name of the wife of the 4th-century martyr
Saint Adrian of Nicomedia. She is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church, and the name has traditionally been more common among Eastern Christians than those in the West. It was popularized in America by actress Natalie Wood (1938-1981), who was born to Russian immigrants.
Natalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Greek, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Late Roman
Other Scripts: Ναταλία(Greek) ნატალია(Georgian) Наталия(Russian, Bulgarian) Наталія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: na-TA-lya(Polish, Italian, Spanish) na-ta-LEE-a(Italian) na-TA-lee-a(Romanian) nə-TAHL-ee-ə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
Latinate form of
Natalia (see
Natalie).
Nasrin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Bengali
Other Scripts: نسرین(Persian) নাসরীন(Bengali)
Pronounced: nas-REEN(Persian)
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
Means "wild rose" in Persian.
Naomi 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: נָעֳמִי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: nay-O-mee(English) nie-O-mee(English)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
From the Hebrew name
נָעֳמִי (Naʿomi) meaning
"my pleasantness", a derivative of
נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of
Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be
Mara because of her misfortune (see
Ruth 1:20).
Though long common as a Jewish name, Naomi was not typically used as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer is the British model Naomi Campbell (1970-).
Nadzeya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Belarusian
Other Scripts: Надзея(Belarusian)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Nadia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Надя(Russian, Bulgarian) Надія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: NA-DYA(French) NA-dya(Italian, Polish) NA-dhya(Spanish) NAD-ee-ə(English) NAHD-ee-ə(English) NA-dyə(Russian)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Variant of
Nadya 1 used in Western Europe, as well as an alternate transcription of the Slavic name. It began to be used in France in the 19th century
[1]. The name received a boost in popularity from the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci (1961-)
[2].
Nadezhda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Надежда(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: nu-DYEZH-də(Russian)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Means "hope" in Russian and Bulgarian.
Myrtis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek, English
Other Scripts: Μυρτίς(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Ancient Greek name derived from μύρτος
(myrtos) meaning "myrtle". This was borne by Myrtis of Anthedon (fl. 6th century BC), an early lyric poet and teacher, who was celebrated for being 'sweet-sounding' and 'clear-voiced' – but also criticized for being over-competitive with fellow poets. Her students purportedly included
Pindaros of Thebes and
Korinna of Tanagra.
Myrsine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Μυρσίνη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "myrtle" in Greek.
Myrrhine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Μυρρίνη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek
μύρρα (myrrha) meaning
"myrrh". This is the name of a character in the comedy
Lysistrata by the Greek playwright Aristophanes.
Myrophora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Greek, Greek
Other Scripts: Μυροφόρα(Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek Μυροφόροι
(Myrophóroi) meaning "Myrrhbearers", which in Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a term that refers to the women with myrrh who came to the tomb of Christ early in the morning, only to find it empty. The term is ultimately derived from Greek μυρον
(myron) meaning "myrrh" (also see
Myron) and Greek φορεύς
(phoreus) meaning "bearer, carrier".
Morgana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: mawr-GAN-ə(American English) maw-GAN-ə(British English)
Rating: 78% based on 4 votes
Morgan 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: MAWR-gən(American English) MAW-gən(British English)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Modern form of
Morgen, which was used by Geoffrey of Monmouth
[1] in the 12th century for the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, who was unnamed in earlier stories. Geoffrey probably did not derive it from the Welsh masculine name
Morgan, which would have been spelled
Morcant in his time. It is likely from Old Welsh
mor "sea" and the suffix
gen "born of"
[2].
Miriam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Biblical
Other Scripts: מִרְיָם(Hebrew)
Pronounced: MIR-ee-əm(English) MI-ryam(German) MI-ri-yam(Czech) MEE-ree-am(Slovak)
Rating: 78% based on 5 votes
Form of
Mary used in the
Old Testament, where it belongs to the elder sister of
Moses and
Aaron. She watched over the infant Moses as the pharaoh's daughter drew him from the Nile. The name has long been popular among Jews, and it has been used as an English Christian name (alongside
Mary) since the
Protestant Reformation.
Mirabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (African), English (Rare), Dutch (Rare), Medieval Italian, Judeo-Anglo-Norman
Pronounced: MEE-RA-BEHL(French) MIR-ə-behl(English)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Derived from Old French
mirable "wonderful; admirable", ultimately from Latin
mirabilis "wonderful, marvellous, astonishing, extraordinary, remarkable, amazing" (compare
Mirabelle).
Milena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Italian
Other Scripts: Милена(Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Russian)
Pronounced: MI-leh-na(Czech) MEE-leh-na(Slovak) mee-LEH-na(Polish, Italian) myi-LYEH-nə(Russian)
Rating: 68% based on 4 votes
Feminine form of
Milan. It began to be used in Italy in honour of Milena Vukotić (1847-1923), mother of Helen of Montenegro, the wife of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III. In Italy it can also be considered a combination of
Maria and
Elena.
Milana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Милана(Serbian, Russian) Мілана(Belarusian, Ukrainian)
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
Michaela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, English, Czech, Slovak, Greek, Hebrew
Other Scripts: Μιχαέλα(Greek) מִיכָאֵלָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: mi-kha-EH-la(German) mi-KAY-lə(English) MI-kha-eh-la(Czech) MEE-kha-eh-la(Slovak)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Merwenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Merewyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Mærwynn used by Anya Seton in her historical novel
Avalon (1965). In the story Merewyn is a niece of Merwinna, abbess of Romsey Abbey.
Mercy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-see(American English) MU-see(British English)
Rating: 68% based on 4 votes
From the English word
mercy, ultimately from Latin
merces "wages, reward", a derivative of
merx "goods, wares". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Merav
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: מֵרַב(Hebrew)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Merab 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: מֵרַב(Ancient Hebrew)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means
"abundant" in Hebrew. This is the name of a daughter of
Saul in the
Old Testament.
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Mélodie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MEH-LAW-DEE
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Melinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hungarian
Pronounced: mə-LIN-də(English) MEH-leen-daw(Hungarian)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Combination of
Mel (from names such as
Melanie or
Melissa) with the popular name suffix
inda [1]. It was created in the 18th century, and may have been inspired by the similar name
Belinda. In Hungary, the name was popularized by the 1819 play
Bánk Bán by József Katona.
Melantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: mə-LAN-thə
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Probably a combination of
Mel (from names such as
Melanie or
Melissa) with the suffix
antha (from Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). John Dryden used this name in his play
Marriage a la Mode (1672).
Melanie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-nee(English) MEH-la-nee(German) meh-la-NEE(German)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From
Mélanie, the French form of the Latin name
Melania, derived from Greek
μέλαινα (melaina) meaning
"black, dark". This was the name of a Roman
saint who gave all her wealth to charity in the 5th century. Her grandmother was also a saint with the same name.
The name was common in France during the Middle Ages, and was introduced from there to England, though it eventually became rare. Interest in it was revived by the character Melanie Wilkes from the novel Gone with the Wind (1936) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1939).
Melania
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Polish, Romanian, Late Roman
Pronounced: meh-LA-nya(Italian, Spanish, Polish)
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
Italian, Spanish, Polish and Romanian form of
Melanie.
Melaina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μέλαινα(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
Meital
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: מֵיטַל(Hebrew)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "dew drop" in Hebrew.
Meirit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: מֵאִירִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Mavis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-vis
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the name of the type of bird, also called the song thrush, derived from Old French mauvis, of uncertain origin. It was first used as a given name by the British author Marie Corelli, who used it for a character in her novel The Sorrows of Satan (1895).
Matilda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Finnish, Slovak, Slovene
Pronounced: mə-TIL-də(English) MAH-teel-dah(Finnish) MA-teel-da(Slovak)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
From the Germanic name
Mahthilt meaning
"strength in battle", from the elements
maht "might, strength" and
hilt "battle".
Saint Matilda was the wife of the 10th-century German king Henry I the Fowler. The name was common in many branches of European royalty in the Middle Ages. It was brought to England by the
Normans, being borne by the wife of William the Conqueror himself. Another notable royal by this name was a 12th-century daughter of Henry I of England, known as the Empress Matilda because of her first marriage to the Holy Roman emperor Henry V. She later invaded England, laying the foundations for the reign of her son Henry II.
The name was very popular until the 15th century in England, usually in the vernacular form Maud. Both forms were revived by the 19th century. This name appears in the popular Australian folk song Waltzing Matilda, written in 1895.
Marybeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mehr-i-BETH
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Mary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: MEHR-ee(English)
Rating: 73% based on 6 votes
Usual English form of
Maria, the Latin form of the
New Testament Greek names
Μαριάμ (Mariam) and
Μαρία (Maria) — the spellings are interchangeable — which were from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (Miryam), a name borne by the sister of
Moses in the
Old Testament. The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including
"sea of bitterness",
"rebelliousness", and
"wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from
mry "beloved" or
mr "love".
This is the name of several New Testament characters, most importantly Mary the mother of Jesus. According to the gospels, Jesus was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit while she remained a virgin. This name was also borne by Mary Magdalene, a woman cured of demons by Jesus. She became one of his followers and later witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection.
Due to the Virgin Mary this name has been very popular in the Christian world, though at certain times in some cultures it has been considered too holy for everyday use. In England it has been used since the 12th century, and it has been among the most common feminine names since the 16th century. In the United States in 1880 it was given more than twice as often as the next most popular name for girls (Anna). It remained in the top rank in America until 1946 when it was bumped to second (by Linda). Although it regained the top spot for a few more years in the 1950s it was already falling in usage, and has since dropped out of the top 100 names.
This name has been borne by two queens of England, as well as a queen of Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots. Another notable bearer was Mary Shelley (1797-1851), the author of Frankenstein. A famous fictional character by this name is Mary Poppins from the children's books by P. L. Travers, first published in 1934.
The Latinized form of this name, Maria, is also used in English as well as in several other languages.
Martha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, German, Greek, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Μάρθα(Greek) Марѳа(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: MAHR-thə(American English) MAH-thə(British English) MAHR-ta(Dutch) MAR-ta(German)
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
From Aramaic
מַרְתָּא (marta) meaning
"the lady, the mistress", feminine form of
מַר (mar) meaning "master". In the
New Testament this is the name of the sister of
Lazarus and
Mary of Bethany (who is sometimes identified with Mary Magdalene). She was a witness to
Jesus restoring her dead brother to life.
The name was not used in England until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer was Martha Washington (1731-1802), the wife of the first American president George Washington. It is also borne by the media personality Martha Stewart (1941-).
Marjorie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAHR-jə-ree(American English) MAH-jə-ree(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Medieval variant of
Margery, influenced by the name of the herb
marjoram. After the Middle Ages this name was rare, but it was revived at the end of the 19th century.
Maristella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Maris 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: MEHR-is, MAR-is
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Means
"of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin
Mary,
Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".
Mariona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: mə-ree-O-nə
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Marine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Armenian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Մարինէ(Armenian) მარინე(Georgian)
Pronounced: MA-REEN(French)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
French, Armenian and Georgian form of
Marina.
Marina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Greek, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Georgian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Μαρίνα(Greek) Марина(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) მარინა(Georgian)
Pronounced: ma-REE-na(Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Macedonian) mə-REE-nə(Catalan) mə-REEN-ə(English) mu-RYEE-nə(Russian) MA-ri-na(Czech)
Rating: 87% based on 6 votes
Feminine form of
Marinus. This name was borne by a few early
saints. This is also the name by which Saint
Margaret of Antioch is known in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Mariève
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Quebec)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Mariella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: ma-RYEHL-la
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Marianne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
Pronounced: MA-RYAN(French) mar-ee-AN(English) ma-RYA-nə(German) ma-ree-YAH-nə(Dutch) MAH-ree-ahn-neh(Finnish)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Combination of
Marie and
Anne 1, though it could also be considered a variant of
Mariana or
Mariamne. Shortly after the formation of the French Republic in 1792, a female figure by this name was adopted as the symbol of the state.
Marianna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Hungarian, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Russian, Greek, English
Other Scripts: Марианна(Russian) Μαριάννα(Greek)
Pronounced: ma-ree-AN-na(Italian) MAW-ree-awn-naw(Hungarian) MA-ree-a-na(Slovak) ma-RYAN-na(Polish) MAH-ree-ahn-nah(Finnish) mahr-ee-AHN-ə(English) mar-ee-AN-ə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Combination of
Maria and
Anna. It can also be regarded as a variant of the Roman name
Mariana, or as a Latinized form of
Mariamne.
Mariane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese (Brazilian), French (Rare), English (Rare)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Variant of
Marianne, mostly used in Brazil. A notable bearer is French journalist and reporter Mariane Pearl.
Marian 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHR-ee-ən, MAR-ee-ən
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Marion 1. This name was borne in English legend by Maid Marian, Robin Hood's love. It is sometimes considered a combination of
Mary and
Ann.
This name spiked in popularity in several places around the world in 1954 after Pope Pius declared it to be a Marian year, in honour of the Virgin Mary. A similar declaration in 1987 did not have as marked an effect.
Margaret
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAHR-grit(American English) MAHR-gə-rit(American English) MAH-grit(British English) MAH-gə-rit(British English)
Rating: 88% based on 5 votes
Derived from Latin
Margarita, which was from Greek
μαργαρίτης (margarites) meaning
"pearl", a word that was probably ultimately a borrowing from an Indo-Iranian language.
Saint Margaret, the patron of expectant mothers, was martyred at Antioch in the 4th century. Later legends told of her escape from a dragon, with which she was often depicted in medieval art. The saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and her name has been widely used in the Christian world.
As an English name it has been very popular since the Middle Ages. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, but it declined in the latter half of the 20th century.
Other saints by this name include a queen of Scotland and a princess of Hungary. It was also borne by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, who united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in the 14th century. Famous literary bearers include American writer Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949), the author of Gone with the Wind, and Canadian writer Margaret Atwood (1939-). Others include American anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).
Margalit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: מַרְגָלִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Marcelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAR-SEHL
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Marcella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, German, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: mar-CHEHL-la(Italian) mar-KEHL-la(Latin)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Mallory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAL-ə-ree
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
From an English surname was derived from Old French
maleüré meaning
"unfortunate" [1]. It first became common in the 1980s due to the American sitcom
Family Ties (1982-1989), which featured a character by this name.
Magnolia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mag-NO-lee-ə
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
From the English word magnolia for the flower, which was named for the French botanist Pierre Magnol.
Magdalina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Church Slavic, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Магдалина(Church Slavic, Bulgarian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Old Church Slavic form of
Magdalene, as well as a Bulgarian variant form.
Magdalene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Μαγδαληνή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: mak-da-LEH-nə(German) MAG-də-lin(English)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
From a title meaning
"of Magdala".
Mary Magdalene, a character in the
New Testament, was named thus because she was from Magdala — a village on the Sea of Galilee whose name meant "tower" in Hebrew. She was cleaned of evil spirits by
Jesus and then remained with him during his ministry, witnessing the crucifixion and the resurrection. She was a popular
saint in the Middle Ages, and the name became common then. In England it is traditionally rendered
Madeline, while
Magdalene or
Magdalen is the learned form.
Magdalena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Lithuanian, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Slovene, Czech, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian, Romanian, English
Other Scripts: Магдалена(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian)
Pronounced: mag-da-LEH-na(Polish) mak-da-LEH-na(German) mahgh-da-LEH-na(Dutch) magh-dha-LEH-na(Spanish) məg-də-LEH-nə(Catalan) MAG-da-leh-na(Czech) mag-də-LAY-nə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Magdalen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAG-də-lən
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Lydie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Czech
Pronounced: LEE-DEE(French)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
French and Czech form of
Lydia.
Lydia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λυδία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LID-ee-ə(English) LUY-dya(German) LEE-dee-a(Dutch)
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Means
"from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king
Lydos. In the
New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by
Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the
Protestant Reformation.
Luna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English
Pronounced: LOO-na(Latin, Spanish, Italian) LOO-nə(English)
Rating: 75% based on 4 votes
Means "the moon" in Latin (as well as Italian, Spanish and other Romance languages). Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.
Lorelei
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: LAWR-ə-lie(English)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
From German
Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German
ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.
In the English-speaking world this name has been occasionally given since the early 20th century. It started rising in America after the variant Lorelai was used for the main character (and her daughter, nicknamed Rory) on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007).
Liorit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: לִיאוֹרִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Strictly feminine form of
Lior.
Liora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: לִיאוֹרָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
Strictly feminine form of
Lior.
Lily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIL-ee
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
From the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin lilium. This is the name of the main character, Lily Bart, in the novel The House of Mirth (1905) by Edith Wharton. A famous bearer is the American actress Lily Tomlin (1939-).
Lillian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIL-ee-ən
Rating: 64% based on 5 votes
Probably originally a
diminutive of
Elizabeth. It may also be considered an elaborated form of
Lily, from the Latin word for "lily"
lilium. This name has been used in England since the 16th century.
Lilac
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LIE-lək
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the English word for the shrub with purple or white flowers (genus Syringa). It is derived via Arabic from Persian.
Lidiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Лидия(Russian, Bulgarian) Лідія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: LYEE-dyi-yə(Russian) LYEE-dyee-yu(Ukrainian)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of
Lydia.
Leonie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: LEH-o-nee(German) leh-o-NEE(Dutch)
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
German and Dutch feminine form of
Leonius.
Leona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Czech
Pronounced: lee-O-nə(English) LEH-o-na(Czech)
Rating: 68% based on 5 votes
Leofe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Derived from Old English
leof meaning "dear, beloved". It is a feminine equivalent of
Leofa.
Lenore
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: lə-NAWR(American English) lə-NAW(British English)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Short form of
Eleanor. This is the name of the departed love of the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's poem
The Raven (1845).
Lenora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Leah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: לֵאָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: LEE-ə(English)
Rating: 85% based on 4 votes
From the Hebrew name
לֵאָה (Leʾa), which was probably derived from the Hebrew word
לָאָה (laʾa) meaning
"weary, grieved" [1]. Alternatively it might be related to Akkadian
littu meaning
"cow". In the
Old Testament Leah is the first wife of
Jacob and the mother of seven of his children. Jacob's other wife was Leah's younger sister
Rachel, whom he preferred. Leah later offered Jacob her handmaid
Zilpah in order for him to conceive more children.
Although this name was used by Jews in the Middle Ages, it was not typical as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation, being common among the Puritans.
Layla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, English
Other Scripts: ليلى(Arabic)
Pronounced: LIE-la(Arabic) LAY-lə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Means
"night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet
Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem
Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song
Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.
Laura
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, French, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Lithuanian, Latvian, Late Roman
Pronounced: LAWR-ə(English) LOW-ra(Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch) LOW-ru(Portuguese) LOW-rə(Catalan) LAW-RA(French) LOW-rah(Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) LAW-oo-raw(Hungarian)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Laurus, which meant
"laurel". This meaning was favourable, since in ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors' garlands. The name was borne by the 9th-century Spanish martyr
Saint Laura, who was a nun thrown into a vat of molten lead by the Moors. It was also the name of the subject of poems by the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch.
As an English name, Laura has been used since the 13th century. Famous bearers include Laura Secord (1775-1868), a Canadian heroine during the War of 1812, and Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), an American author who wrote the Little House on the Prairie series of novels.
Larisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovene, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Лариса(Russian, Ukrainian) Λάρισα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: lu-RYEE-sə(Russian) lu-ryi-SU(Lithuanian)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Possibly derived from the name of the ancient city of Larisa in Thessaly, which meant
"citadel". In Greek legends, the nymph Larisa was either a daughter or mother of Pelasgus, the ancestor of the mythical Pelasgians. This name was later borne by a 4th-century Greek martyr who is venerated as a
saint in the Eastern Church. The name (of the city, nymph and saint) is commonly Latinized as
Larissa, with a double
s. As a Ukrainian name, it is more commonly transcribed
Larysa.
Kohava
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: כוכבה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ko-KHAH-vah
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Kirsten
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian, English
Pronounced: KEEWS-dən(Danish) KHISH-tən(Norwegian) KUR-stən(American English) KIR-stən(American English) KU-stən(British English) KEEY-stən(British English)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Kiriena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian (Rare)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Kira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Кира(Russian) Кіра(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: KYEE-rə(Russian)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Russian feminine form of
Cyrus.
Khloya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Хлоя(Russian, Ukrainian, Kyrgyz) Цхлое, Кхлое(Serbian)
Pronounced: KHLAW-ya
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Kasyniya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ukrainian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Касинія(Ukrainian)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Kalisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian (Archaic)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Kalina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian, Polish
Other Scripts: Калина(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: ka-LEE-na(Polish)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Means "viburnum tree" in Bulgarian, Macedonian and Polish.
Kalea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: ka-LEH-a
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Means "joy, happiness" in Hawaiian.
Kainani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian (Rare)
Pronounced: kie-NA-nee
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "beautiful sea," "glorious sea" or "sea of splendour," from kai meaning "sea, sea water" and nani meaning "beauty, glory, splendour."
Justine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: ZHUYS-TEEN(French) jus-TEEN(English)
Rating: 65% based on 4 votes
French form of
Iustina (see
Justina). This is the name of the heroine in the novel
Justine (1791) by the Marquis de Sade.
Judith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Jewish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish, French, Biblical
Other Scripts: יְהוּדִית(Hebrew)
Pronounced: JOO-dith(English) YOO-dit(German) YUY-dit(Dutch) khoo-DHEET(Spanish) ZHUY-DEET(French)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
From the Hebrew name
יְהוּדִית (Yehuḏiṯ) meaning
"Jewish woman", feminine of
יְהוּדִי (yehuḏi), ultimately referring to a person from the tribe of
Judah. In the
Old Testament Judith is one of the Hittite wives of
Esau. This is also the name of the main character of the apocryphal Book of Judith. She killed Holofernes, an invading Assyrian commander, by beheading him in his sleep.
As an English name it did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation, despite a handful of early examples during the Middle Ages. It was however used earlier on the European continent, being borne by several European royals, such as the 9th-century Judith of Bavaria.
Joy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOI
Rating: 63% based on 7 votes
Simply from the English word joy, ultimately derived from Norman French joie, Latin gaudium. It has been regularly used as a given name since the late 19th century.
Josiane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHO-ZYAN
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Josette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHAW-ZEHT
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Joséphine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHO-ZEH-FEEN
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
French feminine form of
Joseph. A notable bearer of this name was the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814).
Josephine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: JO-sə-feen(English) yo-zeh-FEE-nə(German)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Josephina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: jo-sə-FEEN-ə
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Josepha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, German (Archaic), English (Rare)
Pronounced: yo-SEH-fa(Dutch) YO-sə-fa(Dutch) yo-ZEH-fa(German)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Josée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHO-ZEH
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
French feminine form of
Joseph.
Joanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Polish, Biblical
Pronounced: jo-AN-ə(English) yaw-AN-na(Polish)
Rating: 74% based on 5 votes
English and Polish form of Latin
Iohanna, which was derived from Greek
Ἰωάννα (Ioanna), the feminine form of
Ioannes (see
John). This is the spelling used in the English
New Testament, where it belongs to a follower of
Jesus who is regarded as a
saint. In the Middle Ages in England it was used as a Latinized form of
Joan (the usual feminine form of
John) and it became common as a given name in the 19th century.
Jessie 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish [1], English
Pronounced: JEHS-ee(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Jessica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: JEHS-i-kə(English) ZHEH-SEE-KA(French) YEH-see-ka(German, Dutch) JEH-see-ka(German) YEHS-si-ka(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) GYEH-see-ka(Spanish)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
This name was first used in this form by William Shakespeare in his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of
Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name
Iscah, which would have been spelled
Jescha in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century. It reached its peak of popularity in the United States in 1987, and was the top ranked name for girls between 1985 and 1995, excepting 1991 and 1992 (when it was unseated by
Ashley). Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) and Jessica Lange (1949-).
Jessamine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: JEHS-ə-min
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From a variant spelling of the English word
jasmine (see
Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.
Jasmine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAZ-min(English) ZHAS-MEEN(French)
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
From the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian
یاسمین (yāsamīn), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans
[1]. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie
Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.
Jane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAYN
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Medieval English form of
Jehanne, an Old French feminine form of
Iohannes (see
John). This became the most common feminine form of
John in the 17th century, surpassing
Joan. In the first half of the 20th century
Joan once again overtook
Jane for a few decades in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Famous bearers include the uncrowned English queen Lady Jane Grey (1536-1554), who ruled for only nine days, British novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817), who wrote Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, British primatologist Jane Goodall (1934-), and American actress Jane Fonda (1937-). This is also the name of the central character in Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre (1847), which tells of Jane's sad childhood and her relationship with Edward Rochester.
Ivka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Bulgarian, Slovak, Czech
Other Scripts: Ивка(Bulgarian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Iva 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Ива(Bulgarian, Serbian)
Rating: 65% based on 4 votes
Means "willow tree" in South Slavic.
Isolde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: ee-ZAWL-də(German) i-SOL-də(English) i-ZOL-də(English) i-SOLD(English) i-ZOLD(English) EE-ZAWLD(French)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
German form of
Iseult, appearing in the 13th-century German poem
Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg. In 1865 the German composer Richard Wagner debuted his popular opera
Tristan und Isolde and also used the name for his first daughter.
Iscah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: יִסְכָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
From the Hebrew name
יִסְכָּה (Yiska) meaning
"to behold". In the
Old Testament this is the name of
Abraham's niece, mentioned only briefly. This is the basis of the English name
Jessica.
Isabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, German, Dutch
Pronounced: ee-sa-BEHL(Spanish) ee-zu-BEHL(European Portuguese) ee-za-BEW(Brazilian Portuguese) IZ-ə-behl(English) EE-ZA-BEHL(French) ee-za-BEHL(German, Dutch)
Rating: 76% based on 5 votes
Medieval Occitan form of
Elizabeth. It spread throughout Spain, Portugal and France, becoming common among the royalty by the 12th century. It grew popular in England in the 13th century after Isabella of Angoulême married the English king John, and it was subsequently bolstered when Isabella of France married Edward II the following century.
This is the usual form of the name Elizabeth in Spain and Portugal, though elsewhere it is considered a parallel name, such as in France where it is used alongside Élisabeth. The name was borne by two Spanish ruling queens, including Isabel of Castile, who sponsored the explorations of Christopher Columbus.
Irit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: עִירִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "asphodel (flower)" in Hebrew.
Iris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, French, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἶρις(Ancient Greek) Ίρις(Greek)
Pronounced: IE-ris(English) EE-ris(German, Dutch) EE-rees(Finnish, Spanish, Catalan, Italian) EE-REES(French)
Rating: 83% based on 4 votes
Means "rainbow" in Greek. Iris was the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow, also serving as a messenger to the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek source) for the iris flower or the coloured part of the eye.
Irene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Dutch, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εἰρήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-REEN(English) ie-REE-nee(English) ee-REH-neh(Italian, Spanish) EE-reh-neh(Finnish) ee-REH-nə(German, Dutch)
Rating: 85% based on 4 votes
From Greek
Εἰρήνη (Eirene), derived from a word meaning
"peace". This was the name of the Greek goddess who personified peace, one of the
Ὥραι (Horai). It was also borne by several early Christian
saints. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, notably being borne by an 8th-century empress, who was the first woman to lead the empire. She originally served as regent for her son, but later had him killed and ruled alone.
This name has traditionally been more popular among Eastern Christians. In the English-speaking world it was not regularly used until the 19th century.
Ione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Ἰόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-O-nee(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From Ancient Greek
ἴον (ion) meaning
"violet flower". This was the name of a sea nymph in Greek
mythology. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, though perhaps based on the Greek place name
Ionia, a region on the west coast of Asia Minor.
Inbar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: עִנְבָּר, עִינְבָּר(Hebrew)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "amber" in Hebrew.
Iliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Ηλιάνα(Greek) Илиана(Bulgarian)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Ilias (Greek) or
Iliya (Bulgarian).
Ilanit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אִילָנִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Idra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Aramaic
Pronounced: ih-DRA(Aramaic)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Means "fig tree" in Aramaic.
Ianthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἰάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means
"violet flower", derived from Greek
ἴον (ion) meaning "violet" and
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". This was the name of an ocean nymph in Greek
mythology.
Hope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HOP
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
From the English word
hope, ultimately from Old English
hopian. This name was first used by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Helena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Finnish, Estonian, Slovene, Croatian, Sorbian, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἑλένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEH-leh-na(German, Czech) heh-LEH-na(German, Dutch) heh-LEH-nah(Swedish, Danish, Norwegian) i-LEH-nu(European Portuguese) eh-LEH-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) ə-LEH-nə(Catalan) kheh-LEH-na(Polish) HEH-leh-nah(Finnish) HEHL-ə-nə(English) hə-LAYN-ə(English) hə-LEEN-ə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Latinate form of
Helen. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's play
All's Well That Ends Well (1603).
Helen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Ἑλένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHL-ən(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
English form of the Greek
Ἑλένη (Helene), probably from Greek
ἑλένη (helene) meaning
"torch" or
"corposant", or possibly related to
σελήνη (selene) meaning
"moon". In Greek
mythology Helen was the daughter of
Zeus and
Leda, whose kidnapping by
Paris was the cause of the Trojan War. The name was also borne by the 4th-century
Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor
Constantine, who supposedly found the True Cross during a trip to Jerusalem.
The name was originally used among early Christians in honour of the saint, as opposed to the classical character. In England it was commonly spelled Ellen during the Middle Ages, and the spelling Helen was not regularly used until after the Renaissance. A famous bearer was Helen Keller (1880-1968), an American author and lecturer who was both blind and deaf.
Hava
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: חַוָּה(Hebrew)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Hannah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, German, Dutch, Arabic, Biblical
Other Scripts: חַנָּה(Hebrew) حنّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: HAN-ə(English) HA-na(German) HAH-na(Dutch) HAN-na(Arabic)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
From the Hebrew name
חַנָּה (Ḥanna) meaning
"favour, grace", derived from the root
חָנַן (ḥanan) meaning "to be gracious". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the wife of
Elkanah. Her rival was Elkanah's other wife
Peninnah, who had children while Hannah remained barren. After a blessing from
Eli she finally became pregnant with
Samuel.
As an English name, Hannah was not regularly used until after the Protestant Reformation, unlike the vernacular forms Anne and Ann and the Latin form Anna, which were used from the late Middle Ages. In the last half of the 20th century Hannah surged in popularity and neared the top of the name rankings for both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Halani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means "breath of heaven" in Hawaiian.
Gracelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: GRAYS-lin
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Elaboration of
Grace using the popular name suffix
lyn.
Grace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRAYS
Rating: 78% based on 4 votes
From the English word
grace, which ultimately derives from Latin
gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the
Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.
This name was very popular in the English-speaking world at the end of the 19th century. Though it declined in use over the next 100 years, it staged a successful comeback at the end of the 20th century. The American sitcom Will and Grace (1998-2006) may have helped, though the name was already strongly rising when it premiered. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in 2006.
Giselle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English (Modern)
Pronounced: ZHEE-ZEHL(French) ji-ZEHL(English)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Derived from the Old German element
gisal meaning
"hostage, pledge" (Proto-Germanic *
gīslaz). This name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for a child given as a pledge to a foreign court. This was the name of both a sister and daughter of
Charlemagne. It was also borne by a daughter of the French king Charles III who married the Norman leader Rollo in the 10th century. Another notable bearer was the 11th-century Gisela of Swabia, wife of the Holy Roman emperor Conrad II.
The name was popular in France during the Middle Ages (the more common French form is Gisèle). Though it became known in the English-speaking world due to Adolphe Adam's ballet Giselle (1841), it was not regularly used until the 20th century.
Ginger
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIN-jər(American English) JIN-jə(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From the English word
ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a
diminutive of
Virginia, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.
Georgine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHAWR-ZHEEN
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
French feminine form of
George.
Georgina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Hungarian
Pronounced: jawr-JEE-nə(American English) jaw-JEE-nə(British English) kheh-or-KHEE-na(Spanish) GEH-or-gee-naw(Hungarian)
Rating: 78% based on 4 votes
Georgiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Romanian
Pronounced: jawr-JAY-nə(American English) jawr-jee-AN-ə(American English) jaw-JAY-nə(British English) jaw-jee-AN-ə(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
George. This form of the name has been in use in the English-speaking world since the 18th century.
Georgia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek
Other Scripts: Γεωργία(Greek)
Pronounced: JAWR-jə(American English) JAW-jə(British English) yeh-or-YEE-a(Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Latinate feminine form of
George. This is the name of an American state, which was named after the British king George II. The country of Georgia has an unrelated etymology. A famous bearer was the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).
Georgeta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Romanian feminine form of
George.
Genevieve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEHN-ə-veev
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Gemma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan, English (British), Dutch
Pronounced: JEHM-ma(Italian) ZHEHM-mə(Catalan) JEHM-ə(British English) GHEH-ma(Dutch)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Medieval Italian nickname meaning "gem, precious stone". It was borne by the wife of the 13th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri.
Galit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: גַּלִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Galina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Галина(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: gu-LYEE-nə(Russian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Russian and Bulgarian feminine form of
Galenos (see
Galen).
Galia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: גַּלְיָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Elaboration of
Gal 1. It could also be considered a compound meaning
"wave from God", using the element
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.
Gabrielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: GA-BREE-YEHL(French) gab-ree-EHL(English)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
French feminine form of
Gabriel. This was the real name of French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971).
Gabriella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Hungarian, English, Swedish
Pronounced: ga-bree-EHL-la(Italian) GAWB-ree-ehl-law(Hungarian) ga-bree-EHL-ə(English) gah-bree-EHL-lah(Swedish)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Gabriele 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: ga-bree-EH-lə
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Gabriela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Spanish, German, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Габриела(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: gab-RYEH-la(Polish) ga-BRYEH-la(Spanish) ga-bree-EH-la(German) GA-bri-yeh-la(Czech) GA-bree-eh-la(Slovak)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Fridoline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), French (African), French (Quebec, Rare), Dutch (Rare), Flemish (Rare), German (Rare)
Pronounced: FREE-DO-LEEN(French, Quebec French) free-do-LEEN(African French, Flemish) free-daw-LEEN(Dutch) free-daw-LEE-nə(Dutch)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Fridolina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare), Dutch (Rare), Flemish (Rare), Italian (Rare), Romanian (Rare), Swedish (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare), Romansh
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Fridolin. This name is borne by Swedish soccer player Fridolina Rolfö (b. 1993).
Frida 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Originally a short form of names containing the Old German element
fridu meaning
"peace" (Proto-Germanic *
friþuz). A famous bearer was the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).
Freya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, English (Modern), German
Pronounced: FRAY-ə(English) FRAY-a(German)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From Old Norse
Freyja meaning
"lady". This is the name of a goddess associated with love, beauty, war and death in Norse
mythology. She claims half of the heroes who are slain in battle and brings them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother
Freyr and father
Njord, she is one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess
Frigg.
This is not the usual spelling in any of the Scandinavian languages (in Sweden and Denmark it is Freja and in Norway it is Frøja) but it is the common spelling of the goddess's name in English. In the 2000s it became popular in Britain.
Frederica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, English
Pronounced: fri-di-REE-ku(European Portuguese) freh-deh-REE-ku(Brazilian Portuguese) frehd-ə-REE-kə(English) frehd-REE-kə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Felicity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: fə-LIS-i-tee
Rating: 72% based on 5 votes
From the English word
felicity meaning
"happiness", which ultimately derives from Latin
felicitas "good luck". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans around the 17th century. It can sometimes be used as an English form of the Latin name
Felicitas. This name jumped in popularity in the United States after the premiere of the television series
Felicity in 1998. It is more common in the United Kingdom.
Faye
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAY
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
Eveline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Dutch
Pronounced: EHV-ə-leen(English) EHV-ə-lien(English) EHV-LEEN(French) eh-və-LEE-nə(Dutch) eh-və-LEEN(Dutch)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Evelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, Lithuanian, Greek, Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Εβελίνα(Greek) Эвелина(Russian) Евелина(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ehv-ə-LEE-nə(English) eh-veh-LEE-na(Italian, Swedish)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Latinate form of
Aveline. It was revived by the author Fanny Burney for the heroine of her first novel
Evelina (1778). It is often regarded as a variant of the related name
Evelyn or an elaboration of
Eve.
Eve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Estonian, Biblical
Other Scripts: חַוָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: EEV(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From the Hebrew name
חַוָּה (Ḥawwa), which was derived from the Hebrew word
חָוָה (ḥawa) meaning
"to breathe" or the related word
חָיָה (ḥaya) meaning
"to live". According to the
Old Testament Book of Genesis, Eve and
Adam were the first humans. God created her from one of Adam's ribs to be his companion. At the urging of a serpent she ate the forbidden fruit and shared some with Adam, causing their expulsion from the Garden of
Eden.
Despite this potentially negative association, the name was occasionally used by Christians during the Middle Ages. In the English-speaking world both Eve and the Latin form Eva were revived in the 19th century, with the latter being more common.
Evangeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: i-VAN-jə-leen, i-VAN-jə-lien
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
Means
"good news" from Greek
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
ἄγγελμα (angelma) meaning "news, message". It was (first?) used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1847 epic poem
Evangeline [1][2]. It also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) as the full name of the character Eva.
Evangelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ευαγγελία(Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Eva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian, Danish, Icelandic, Faroese, Romanian, Greek, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Russian, Georgian, Armenian, Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Εύα(Greek) Ева(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Church Slavic) ევა(Georgian) Էվա(Armenian)
Pronounced: EH-ba(Spanish) EH-va(Italian, Czech, Slovak, Dutch, Swedish, Icelandic, Greek) EE-və(English) EH-fa(German) EH-vah(Danish) YEH-və(Russian) EH-VAH(Georgian) EH-wa(Latin)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Form of
Eve used in various languages. This form is used in the Latin translation of the
New Testament, while
Hava is used in the Latin
Old Testament. A notable bearer was the Argentine first lady Eva Perón (1919-1952), the subject of the musical
Evita. The name also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.
This is also an alternate transcription of Russian Ева (see Yeva).
Euthalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Greek
Other Scripts: Εὐθαλία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means
"flower, bloom" from the Greek word
εὐθάλεια (euthaleia), itself derived from
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
θάλλω (thallo) meaning "to blossom". This name was borne by a 3rd-century
saint and martyr from Sicily.
Eustacia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Eulalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: UU-LA-LEE
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Eulalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Polish, English, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Εὐλαλία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ew-LA-lya(Spanish, Italian) yoo-LAY-lee-ə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Derived from Greek
εὔλαλος (eulalos) meaning
"sweetly-speaking", itself from
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
λαλέω (laleo) meaning "to talk". This was the name of an early 4th-century
saint and martyr from Mérida in Spain. Another martyr by this name, living at the same time, is a patron saint of Barcelona. These two saints might be the same person.
Eugenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εὐγένεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ew-JEH-nya(Italian) ew-KHEH-nya(Spanish) eh-oo-JEH-nee-a(Romanian) ew-GEH-nya(Polish) yoo-JEE-nee-ə(English) yoo-JEEN-yə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Eugenius (see
Eugene). It was borne by a semi-legendary 3rd-century
saint who escaped persecution by disguising herself as a man. The name was occasionally found in England during the Middle Ages, but it was not regularly used until the 19th century.
Eugeneia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Εὐγένεια(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Ancient Greek feminine form of
Eugene.
Eudora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὐδώρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: yoo-DAWR-ə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Means
"good gift" in Greek, from the elements
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a nymph, one of the Hyades, in Greek
mythology.
Ethelinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
English form of the Germanic name
Adallinda. The name was very rare in medieval times, but it was revived in the early 19th century.
Ethel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ETH-əl
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
Short form of names beginning with the Old English element
æðele meaning
"noble". It was coined in the 19th century, when many Old English names were revived. It was popularized by the novels
The Newcomes (1855) by William Makepeace Thackeray and
The Daisy Chain (1856) by C. M. Yonge. A famous bearer was American actress and singer Ethel Merman (1908-1984).
Etelvina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: eh-tehl-BEE-na(Spanish)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of
Adalwin.
Esther
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֶסְתֵר(Hebrew) Ἐσθήρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EHS-tər(American English, Dutch) EHS-tə(British English) EHS-TEHR(French) ehs-TEHR(Spanish) EHS-tu(German)
Rating: 56% based on 7 votes
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].
Esmeralda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, English, Albanian, Literature
Pronounced: ehz-meh-RAL-da(Spanish) izh-mi-RAL-du(European Portuguese) ehz-meh-ROW-du(Brazilian Portuguese) ehz-mə-RAHL-də(English)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Means "emerald" in Spanish and Portuguese. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), in which Esmeralda is the Romani girl who is loved by Quasimodo. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since that time.
Erica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Italian
Pronounced: EHR-i-kə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Eric. It was first used in the 18th century. It also coincides with the Latin word for
"heather".
Eponine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: ehp-ə-NEEN(English)
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
Emmylou
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ehm-ee-LOO
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Emmeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-leen, EHM-ə-lien
Personal remark: “em-eh-leen”
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From Old French
Emeline, a
diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element
amal meaning
"unceasing, vigorous, brave". The
Normans introduced this name to England.
Emma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Latvian, Dutch, German, Hungarian, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: EHM-ə(English) EH-MA(French) EHM-ma(Spanish) EHM-mah(Finnish) EH-ma(Dutch, German) EHM-maw(Hungarian)
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Originally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element
irmin meaning
"whole" or
"great" (Proto-Germanic *
ermunaz). It was introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, who was the wife both of King Ethelred II (and by him the mother of Edward the Confessor) and later of King Canute. It was also borne by an 11th-century Austrian
saint, who is sometimes called
Hemma.
After the Norman Conquest this name became common in England. It was revived in the 18th century, perhaps in part due to Matthew Prior's 1709 poem Henry and Emma [2]. It was also used by Jane Austen for the central character, the matchmaker Emma Woodhouse, in her novel Emma (1816).
In the United States, it was third in rank in 1880 (behind only the ubiquitous Mary and Anna). It declined steadily over the next century, beginning another rise in the 1980s and eventually becoming the most popular name for girls in 2008. At this time it also experienced similar levels of popularity elsewhere, including the United Kingdom (where it began rising a decade earlier), Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. Famous bearers include the actresses Emma Thompson (1959-), Emma Stone (1988-) and Emma Watson (1990-).
Emily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-lee
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
English feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emil). In the English-speaking world it was not common until after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century; the princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was commonly known as
Emily in English, even though
Amelia is an unrelated name.
This name was moderately popular through most of the 20th century, and became very popular around the turn of the 21st century. It was the highest ranked name for girls in the United States from 1996 to 2007, attaining similar levels in other English-speaking countries around the same time.
Famous bearers include the British author Emily Brontë (1818-1848), known for the novel Wuthering Heights, and the American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886).
Emilie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Czech
Pronounced: eh-MEE-lyə(German) eh-MEE-lee-eh(Norwegian) EHM-i-lee(Swedish)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
German, Scandinavian and Czech feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emily).
Emilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Finnish, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Greek, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Αιμιλία(Greek) Емилия(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: eh-MEE-lya(Italian, Spanish, Polish) EH-mee-lee-ah(Finnish) eh-MEE-lee-ah(Swedish) i-MEE-lee-ə(English) eh-mee-LEE-a(Greek)
Rating: 80% based on 4 votes
Feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emily). In Shakespeare's tragedy
Othello (1603) this is the name of the wife of
Iago.
Elvira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Hungarian, Russian
Other Scripts: Эльвира(Russian)
Pronounced: ehl-BEE-ra(Spanish) ehl-VEE-ra(Italian, Dutch)
Personal remark: “el-veer-uh”
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Spanish form of a Visigothic name, recorded from the 10th century in forms such as
Geloyra or
Giluira. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly composed of the Gothic element
gails "happy" or
gails "spear" combined with
wers "friendly, agreeable, true". The name was borne by members of the royal families of León and Castille. This is also the name of a character in Mozart's opera
Don Giovanni (1787).
Eloise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-o-eez, ehl-o-EEZ
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
From the Old French name
Héloïse, which was probably from the Germanic name
Helewidis, composed of the elements
heil meaning "healthy, whole" and
wit meaning "wide". It is sometimes associated with the Greek word
ἥλιος (helios) meaning "sun" or the name
Louise, though there is no etymological connection. This name was borne by the 12th-century French scholar and philosopher Héloïse. Secretly marrying the theologian Peter Abelard at a young age, she became a nun (and eventually an abbess) after Abelard was violently castrated by order of her uncle Fulbert.
There was a medieval English form of this name, Helewis, though it died out after the 13th century. In the 19th century it was revived in the English-speaking world in the form Eloise.
Elmira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: ehl-MIE-rə(English) ehl-MIR-ə(English)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Possibly a shortened form of
Edelmira. It appears in the play
Tartuffe (1664) by the French playwright Molière (often spelled in the French style
Elmire).
Ella 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ə
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Norman name, originally a short form of Germanic names containing the element
alles meaning
"other" (Proto-Germanic *
aljaz). It was introduced to England by the
Normans and used until the 14th century, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the American singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996).
Elizabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ə-bəth(English)
Rating: 92% based on 5 votes
From
Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾElishevaʿ) meaning
"my God is an oath", derived from the roots
אֵל (ʾel) referring to the Hebrew God and
שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the
Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of
Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the
New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of
John the Baptist.
Among Christians, this name was originally more common in Eastern Europe. It was borne in the 12th century by Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a daughter of King Andrew II who used her wealth to help the poor. In medieval England it was occasionally used in honour of the saint, though the form Isabel (from Occitan and Spanish) was more common. It has been very popular in England since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. In American name statistics (as recorded since 1880) it has never ranked lower than 30, making it the most consistently popular name for girls in the United States.
Besides Elizabeth I, this name has been borne (in various spellings) by many other European royals, including a ruling empress of Russia in the 18th century. Famous modern bearers include the British queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).
Eliza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian
Other Scripts: ელიზა(Georgian)
Pronounced: i-LIE-zə(English) eh-LEE-za(Polish) EH-lee-zaw(Hungarian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Short form of
Elizabeth. It was borne by the character Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's play
Pygmalion (1913) and the subsequent musical adaptation
My Fair Lady (1956).
Eliora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֱלִיאוֹרָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Eliana 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֶלִיעַנָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Means "my God has answered" in Hebrew.
Elfrida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Elenora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ehl-ə-NAWR-ə
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Eleanora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ehl-ə-NAWR-ə
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Eleanor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ə-nawr(American English) EHL-ə-naw(British English)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
From the Old French form of the Occitan name
Alienòr. Among the name's earliest bearers was the influential Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century), who was the queen of Louis VII, the king of France, and later Henry II, the king of England. She was named
Aenor after her mother, and was called by the Occitan phrase
alia Aenor "the other Aenor" in order to distinguish her from her mother. However, there appear to be examples of bearers prior to Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is not clear whether they were in fact Aenors who were retroactively recorded as having the name Eleanor, or whether there is an alternative explanation for the name's origin.
The popularity of the name Eleanor in England during the Middle Ages was due to the fame of Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as two queens of the following century: Eleanor of Provence, the wife of Henry III, and Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I. More recently, it was borne by first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), the wife of American president Franklin Roosevelt.
Elaine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: i-LAYN(English) ee-LAYN(English)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
From an Old French form of
Helen. It appears in Arthurian legend; in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation
Le Morte d'Arthur Elaine was the daughter of
Pelles, the lover of
Lancelot, and the mother of
Galahad. It was not commonly used as an English given name until after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian epic
Idylls of the King (1859).
Elaina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: i-LAYN-ə
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Edith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: EE-dith(English) EH-dit(German, Swedish, Dutch)
Rating: 70% based on 5 votes
From the Old English name
Eadgyð, derived from the elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
guð "battle". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by
Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. It was also borne by the Anglo-Saxon wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. The name remained common after the
Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.
Edelmira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: eh-dhehl-MEE-ra
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Dominika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Slovak, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Slovene, Russian
Other Scripts: Доминика(Russian)
Pronounced: DAW-mee-nee-ka(Slovak) DO-mi-ni-ka(Czech) daw-mee-NYEE-ka(Polish) DO-mee-nee-kaw(Hungarian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Diana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Armenian, Georgian, Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Диана(Russian, Bulgarian) Діана(Ukrainian) Դիանա(Armenian) დიანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: die-AN-ə(English) DYA-na(Spanish, Italian, Polish) dee-U-nu(European Portuguese) jee-U-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) dee-A-na(Romanian, German, Dutch, Latin) dee-A-nə(Catalan) dyee-A-nu(Ukrainian) DI-ya-na(Czech) DEE-a-na(Slovak)
Rating: 80% based on 5 votes
Means
"divine, goddesslike", a derivative of Latin
dia or
diva meaning
"goddess". It is ultimately related to the same Indo-European root *
dyew- found in
Zeus. Diana was a Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests and childbirth, often identified with the Greek goddess
Artemis.
As a given name, Diana has been regularly used since the Renaissance. It became more common in the English-speaking world following Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy (1817), which featured a character named Diana Vernon. It also appeared in George Meredith's novel Diana of the Crossways (1885). A notable bearer was the British royal Diana Spencer (1961-1997), the Princess of Wales.
Delilah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: דְּלִילָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: di-LIE-lə(English)
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
Means
"delicate, weak, languishing" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament she is the lover of
Samson, whom she betrays to the Philistines by cutting his hair, which is the source of his power. Despite her character flaws, the name began to be used by the
Puritans in the 17th century. It has been used occasionally in the English-speaking world since that time.
Daria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Polish, Romanian, English, Croatian, Russian, Late Roman
Other Scripts: Дарья(Russian) Δαρεία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DA-rya(Italian, Polish, Romanian) DAHR-ee-ə(English) DAR-ee-ə(English)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Darius.
Saint Daria was a 3rd-century woman who was martyred with her husband Chrysanthus under the Roman emperor Numerian. It has never been a particularly common English given name. As a Russian name, it is more commonly transcribed
Darya.
Daphne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English, Dutch
Other Scripts: Δάφνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DA-PNEH(Classical Greek) DAF-nee(English) DAHF-nə(Dutch)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Means
"laurel" in Greek. In Greek
mythology she was a nymph turned into a laurel tree by her father in order that she might escape the pursuit of
Apollo. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the end of the 19th century.
Daniela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Hebrew, English
Other Scripts: Даниела(Bulgarian, Macedonian) דניאלה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: da-NYEH-la(Italian, Spanish) da-nee-EH-la(German, Romanian) da-NYEH-la(Polish) DA-ni-yeh-la(Czech) DA-nee-eh-la(Slovak) dan-YEHL-ə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Daisy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAY-zee
Rating: 77% based on 6 votes
Simply from the English word for the white flower, ultimately derived from Old English
dægeseage meaning "day eye". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
This name was fairly popular at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. The American author F. Scott Fitzgerald used it for the character of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby (1925). The Walt Disney cartoon character Daisy Duck was created in 1940 as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. It was at a low in popularity in the United States in the 1970s when it got a small boost from a character on the television series The Dukes of Hazzard in 1979.
Cyrilla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Corisande
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Theatre, French (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain, from the name of a character in medieval legend, possibly first recorded by Spanish writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. Perhaps it was derived from an older form of Spanish
corazón "heart" (e.g., Old Spanish
coraçon; ultimately from Latin
cor "heart", with the hypothetic Vulgar Latin root
*coratione,
*coraceone) or the Greek name
Chrysanthe. As a nickname it was used by a mistress of King Henry IV of France: Diane d'Andoins (1554-1620),
la Belle Corisande. Some usage may be generated by Jean-Baptiste Lully's opera
Amadis (1684; based on Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo), in which it belongs to the lover of the prince Florestan. The name was also used by Benjamin Disraeli for a character in his play
Lothair (1870).
Corinne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KAW-REEN(French) kə-REEN(English) kə-RIN(English)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
French form of
Corinna. The French-Swiss author Madame de Staël used it for her novel
Corinne (1807).
Corinna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Italian, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κόριννα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ko-RI-na(German) kə-REEN-ə(English) kə-RIN-ə(English)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Latinized form of the Greek name
Κόριννα (Korinna), which was derived from
κόρη (kore) meaning
"maiden". This was the name of a Greek lyric poet of the 5th century BC. The Roman poet
Ovid used it for the main female character in his book
Amores [1]. In the modern era it has been in use since the 17th century, when Robert Herrick used it in his poem
Corinna's going a-Maying [2].
Corine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, French
Pronounced: ko-REE-nə(Dutch) KAW-REEN(French)
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
Dutch form of
Corinne, as well as a French variant.
Cordelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: kawr-DEEL-ee-ə(American English) kaw-DEE-lee-ə(British English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
From
Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles
[1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King
Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of
Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.
The spelling was later altered to Cordelia when Geoffrey's story was adapted by others, including Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590) and Shakespeare in his tragedy King Lear (1606).
Clementina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: kleh-mehn-TEE-na(Italian, Spanish) kli-mehn-TEE-nu(European Portuguese) kleh-mehn-CHEE-nu(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Claudie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KLO-DEE
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
French feminine variant of
Claude.
Claudia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: KLAW-dee-ə(English) KLOW-dya(German, Italian, Romanian) KLOW-dee-a(Dutch, Latin) KLOW-dhya(Spanish)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Claudius. It is mentioned briefly in the
New Testament. As a Christian name it was very rare until the 16th century.
Clarisse
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KLA-REES
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Clarice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: klə-REES, KLAR-is, KLEHR-is
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Medieval vernacular form of the Late Latin name
Claritia, which was a derivative of
Clara.
Clara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Catalan, Romanian, English, Swedish, Danish, Late Roman
Pronounced: KLA-ra(German, Spanish, Italian) KLA-ru(Portuguese) KLA-RA(French) KLEHR-ə(American English) KLAR-ə(American English) KLAH-rə(British English)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Clarus, which meant
"clear, bright, famous". The name
Clarus was borne by a few early
saints. The feminine form was popularized by the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi (called
Chiara in Italian), a friend and follower of Saint Francis, who left her wealthy family to found the order of nuns known as the Poor Clares.
As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages, originally in the form Clare, though the Latinate spelling Clara overtook it in the 19th century and became very popular. It declined through most of the 20th century (being eclipsed by the French form Claire in English-speaking countries), though it has since recovered somewhat.
Claire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KLEHR(French, American English) KLEH(British English)
Rating: 73% based on 4 votes
French form of
Clara. This was a common name in France throughout the 20th century, though it has since been eclipsed there by
Clara. It was also very popular in the United Kingdom, especially in the 1970s.
Cirila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Slovene
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Slovene feminine form of
Cyril.
Christine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Dutch
Pronounced: KREES-TEEN(French) kris-TEEN(English) kris-TEE-nə(German, Dutch)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
French form of
Christina, as well as a variant in other languages. It was used by the French author Gaston Leroux for the heroine, Christine Daaé, in his novel
The Phantom of the Opera (1910).
This was a popular name in the 20th century (especially the middle decades) in French, German, and English-speaking countries. In the United States Christina has been more common since 1973, though both forms are currently floundering on the charts.
Christiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Late Roman
Pronounced: kris-tee-AN-ə(English) kris-tee-AHN-ə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Christelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KREES-TEHL
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Christabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-tə-behl
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Combination of
Christina and the name suffix
bel (inspired by Latin
bella "beautiful"). This name occurs in medieval literature, and was later used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his 1816 poem
Christabel [1].
Chloe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1], Ancient Greek [2], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Χλόη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KLO-ee(English)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Means
"green shoot" in Greek, referring to new plant growth in the spring. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Demeter. The name is also mentioned by
Paul in one of his epistles in the
New Testament.
As an English name, Chloe has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. It started getting more popular in the 1980s in the United Kingdom and then the United States. It was the most popular name for girls in England and Wales from 1997 to 2002. This is one of the few English-language names that is often written with a diaeresis, as Chloë.
Charlotte
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: SHAR-LAWT(French) SHAHR-lət(American English) SHAH-lət(British English) shar-LAW-tə(German) sha-LOT(Swedish) shahr-LAW-tə(Dutch)
Rating: 86% based on 5 votes
French feminine
diminutive of
Charles. It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. It was the name of a German-born 18th-century queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Another notable bearer was Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), the eldest of the three Brontë sisters and the author of
Jane Eyre and
Villette. A famous fictional bearer is the spider in the children's novel
Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.
This name was fairly common in France, England and the United States in the early 20th century. It became quite popular in France and England at the end of the 20th century, just when it was at a low point in the United States. It quickly climbed the American charts and entered the top ten in 2014.
Charity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHEHR-ə-tee, CHAR-ə-tee
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
From the English word
charity, ultimately derived from Late Latin
caritas "generous love", from Latin
carus "dear, beloved".
Caritas was in use as a Roman Christian name. The English name
Charity came into use among the
Puritans after the
Protestant Reformation. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Charitine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Greek, History (Ecclesiastical)
Other Scripts: Χαριτίνη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek χαρις
(charis) meaning "grace, kindness". This name can be viewed as a feminine equivalent of
Chariton. This was the name of an early Christian martyr from Amisus, a city in Pontus in modern-day Turkey, also known as Saint Charitina.
Charitina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Greek (Latinized), History (Ecclesiastical)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of
Charitine. Saint Charitina of Amisus (also known as Charitina of Rome) was a virgin martyr from Asia Minor, distinguished by strict chastity and piety, while Charitina of Lithuania (died 1281) is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Chantal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: SHAHN-TAL(French) shahn-TAHL(English, Dutch) shahn-TAL(English)
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
From a French surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"stony". It was originally given in honour of
Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, the founder of the Visitation Order in the 17th century. It has become associated with French
chant "song".
Celestina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian
Pronounced: theh-lehs-TEE-na(European Spanish) seh-lehs-TEE-na(Latin American Spanish) cheh-leh-STEE-na(Italian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Catherine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KA-TU-REEN(French) KA-TREEN(French) KATH-ə-rin(English) KATH-rin(English)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
French form of
Katherine, and also a common English variant.
Cassandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κασσάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-SAN-drə(English) kə-SAHN-drə(English)
Rating: 77% based on 3 votes
From the Greek name
Κασσάνδρα (Kassandra), possibly derived from
κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning "to excel, to shine" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek
myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of
Priam and
Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by
Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.
In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.
Caroline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: KA-RAW-LEEN(French) KAR-ə-lien(English) KAR-ə-lin(English) ka-ro-LEE-nə(German, Dutch) ka-ro-LEEN(Dutch)
Rating: 85% based on 2 votes
Carolina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Swedish
Pronounced: ka-ro-LEE-na(Italian, Spanish) ka-roo-LEE-nu(European Portuguese) ka-ro-LEE-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) kar-ə-LIE-nə(English)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Latinate feminine form of
Carolus. This is the name of two American states: North and South Carolina. They were named for Charles I, king of England.
Carmen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, French, Romanian, German
Pronounced: KAR-mehn(Spanish, Italian) KAHR-mən(American English) KAH-mən(British English)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Medieval Spanish form of
Carmel, appearing in the devotional title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora del Carmen meaning "Our Lady of Mount Carmel". The spelling has been altered through association with the Latin word
carmen meaning
"song". This was the name of the main character in George Bizet's opera
Carmen (1875).
Callidora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Rare), American (Rare)
Pronounced: KAL-EE-DOR-A(Classical Greek) kal-ee-DOR-a(American)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Brenda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BREHN-də
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Possibly a feminine form of the Old Norse name
Brandr, meaning
"fire, torch, sword", which was brought to Britain in the Middle Ages. This name is sometimes used as a feminine form of
Brendan.
Bonnie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BAHN-ee(American English) BAWN-ee(British English)
Rating: 48% based on 5 votes
Means "pretty" from the Scottish word bonnie, which was itself derived from Middle French bon "good". It has been in use as an American given name since the 19th century, and it became especially popular after the movie Gone with the Wind (1939), in which it was the nickname of Scarlett's daughter.
Bethel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Other Scripts: בֵּית־אֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: BETH-əl
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
From an
Old Testament place name meaning
"house of God" in Hebrew. This was a town north of Jerusalem, where
Jacob saw his vision of the stairway. It is occasionally used as a given name.
Bethany
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BETH-ə-nee
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From the name of a biblical town,
Βηθανία (Bethania) in Greek, which is probably of Aramaic or Hebrew origin, possibly meaning "house of affliction" or "house of figs". In the
New Testament the town of Bethany is the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. It has been in use as a rare given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, in honour of Mary of Bethany. In America it became moderately common after the 1950s.
Bethan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BETH-an
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
Beth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BETH
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Belinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: bə-LIN-də
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
The meaning of this name is not known for certain. The first element could be related to Italian
bella meaning "beautiful". The second element could be Old German
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender" (and by extension "snake, serpent"). This name first arose in the 17th century, and was subsequently used by Alexander Pope in his poem
The Rape of the Lock (1712).
Belina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gascon, Italian
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Gascon diminutive of
Isabèl. Belina (known as
Béline in French, died 1153) was a Roman Catholic virgin martyr who was canonized by Pope Innocent III in 1203. Due to the saint, this name also saw some usage in Italy. However, in Italy it is also occasionally considered a feminine form of
Belenus, hiding behind a Christian guise.
Beatrice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, English, Swedish, Romanian
Pronounced: beh-a-TREE-cheh(Italian) BEE-ə-tris(English) BEET-ris(English) BEH-ah-trees(Swedish) beh-ah-TREES(Swedish)
Rating: 73% based on 4 votes
Italian form of
Beatrix. Beatrice Portinari (1266-1290) was the woman who was loved by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. She serves as Dante's guide through paradise in his epic poem the
Divine Comedy (1321). This is also the name of a character in Shakespeare's comedy
Much Ado About Nothing (1599), in which Beatrice and
Benedick are fooled into confessing their love for one another.
Batel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: בַּת־אֵל(Hebrew)
Pronounced: baht-EHL
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Means "daughter of God" in Hebrew.
Basilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Norman, Medieval English, Spanish, Spanish (Latin American), German (Rare), Italian (Rare), Romani (Archaic)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Basil 1 via its latinized form
Basilius. This was borne by an obscure early saint. As an English name it has long been obsolete, but was much used in the Middle Ages; perhaps a reference to Saint Veronica as Basilia in the medieval
Mors Pilati (
Death of Pilate) was responsible for the name's popularity.
Basileia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology, Theatre
Other Scripts: Βασίλεια(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Ayelet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַיֶלֶת(Hebrew)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means
"doe, female deer, gazelle". It is taken from the Hebrew phrase
אַיֶלֶת הַשַׁחַר (ʾayeleṯ hashaḥar), literally "gazelle of dawn", which is a name of the morning star.
Ayala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַיָּלָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ie-ah-LAH
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "doe, female deer" in Hebrew.
Avis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-vis
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Probably a Latinized form of the Germanic name
Aveza, which was derived from the element
awi, of unknown meaning. The
Normans introduced this name to England and it became moderately common during the Middle Ages, at which time it was associated with Latin
avis "bird".
Avelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare), Medieval English
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Variant of
Aveline first used in medieval England and eventually revived in the 20th century.
Avalon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AV-ə-lahn(American English) AV-ə-lawn(British English)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
From the name of the island paradise to which King
Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh
afal meaning "apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.
Ava 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-və
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Eve. A famous bearer was the American actress Ava Gardner (1922-1990). This name became very popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 21st century, entering the top ten for girls in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It began to rise sharply after 1997, possibly inspired by the actress Heather Locklear and musician Richie Sambora when they used it for their baby daughter that year.
Aurora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Romanian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: ow-RAW-ra(Italian) ow-RO-ra(Spanish, Latin) ə-RAWR-ə(English) OW-ro-rah(Finnish)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.
Audrey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AWD-ree(English) O-DREH(French)
Rating: 85% based on 4 votes
Medieval
diminutive of
Æðelþryð. This was the name of a 7th-century
saint, a princess of East Anglia who founded a monastery at Ely. It was also used by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
As You Like It (1599). At the end of the Middle Ages the name became rare due to association with the word
tawdry (which was derived from
St. Audrey, the name of a fair where cheap lace was sold), but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
Audeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), French (Belgian), Haitian Creole
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
French diminutive of
Aude.
Audélia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Jewish
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Both a French elaboration of
Aude and a variant of
Odélia. In the Jewish community, however, this name is considered and used as a variant of
Odelia 2.
Armista
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
From the word,
armistice, meaning "an agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; a truce." See also the name
Armistice.
Arminda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese, Galician, Filipino, Italian (Archaic), English (Rare)
Pronounced: ur-MEEN-du(European Portuguese) ar-MEEN-du(Brazilian Portuguese) ar-MEEN-da(Italian)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Arminda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Arienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Ariela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Albanian, Croatian, Italian (Rare), Polish
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
Hebrew variant of
Ariella, Polish feminine form of
Ariel, Italian feminine form of
Ariele as well as a Croatian and Albanian borrowing of the Italian name.
Arianne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Pronounced: A-RYAN
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Ariane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, German
Pronounced: A-RYAN(French)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Arialda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare), Spanish (Rare), Spanish (Latin American, Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare), Bosnian (Rare)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Ariadne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀριάδνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-REE-AD-NEH(Classical Greek) ar-ee-AD-nee(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Means
"most holy", composed of the Greek prefix
ἀρι (ari) meaning "most" combined with Cretan Greek
ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". In Greek
mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King
Minos. She fell in love with
Theseus and helped him to escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, but was later abandoned by him. Eventually she married the god
Dionysus.
Ariadna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Catalan, Russian, Polish
Other Scripts: Ариадна(Russian)
Pronounced: a-RYADH-na(Spanish) ə-RYADH-nə(Catalan) a-RYAD-na(Polish)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Spanish, Catalan, Russian and Polish form of
Ariadne.
Arava
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: עֲרָבָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ah-rah-vah
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Modern Hebrew name meaning both "willow tree" and "desert" or "savanna, prairie". Traditionally the ערבה (aravah), a leafy willow branch, is used in a waving ceremony during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. In Israel the name also refers to a geographical plain near the Jordan, appearing in Deuteronomy 3, 17 as Arabah. (Interestingly, the Hebrew word arabha "desert" may ultimately relate to English Arab.)
Aranka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: AW-rawng-kaw
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Derived from Hungarian
arany meaning
"gold". It is used as a vernacular form of
Aurélia.
Araceli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: a-ra-THEH-lee(European Spanish) a-ra-SEH-lee(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means
"altar of the sky" from Latin
ara "altar" and
coeli "sky". This is an epithet of the Virgin
Mary in her role as the patron
saint of Lucena, Spain.
Arabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare), English (Rare), Flemish (Rare)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Arabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ar-ə-BEHL-ə
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Medieval Scottish name, probably a variant of
Annabel. It has long been associated with Latin
orabilis meaning "invokable, yielding to prayer", and the name was often recorded in forms resembling this.
Unrelated, this was an older name of the city of Irbid in Jordan, from Greek Ἄρβηλα (Arbela).
Arabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Medieval English, English (British), Scottish
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Variant of
Arabella.
In medieval German literature, Arabel is the name of a character from the epic poem Willehalm (13th century) written by the German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach (died around 1220). She is the daughter of king Terramer and the wife of king Tybalt, who is wooed and won and eventually taken to wife by the protagonist Willehalm.
In her case, the name might possibly be a reference to Arabia, as she and her family are all Saracens. This would also add more significance to the fact that she changed her name to Gyburc (see Gyburg) after converting to Christianity for Willehalm.
Antheia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄνθεια(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Annie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Dutch
Pronounced: AN-ee(English) A-NEE(French) AH-nee(Dutch)
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
Anne 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, German, Dutch, Basque
Pronounced: AN(French, English) A-neh(Swedish) A-nə(Danish, German) AHN-neh(Finnish) AH-nə(Dutch)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
French form of
Anna. It was imported to England in the 13th century, but it did not become popular until three centuries later. The spelling variant
Ann was also commonly found from this period, and is still used to this day.
The name was borne by a 17th-century English queen and also by the second wife of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn (the mother of Queen Elizabeth I), who was eventually beheaded in the Tower of London. Another notable bearer was the German-Jewish diarist Anne (Annelies) Frank, a young victim of the Holocaust in 1945. This is also the name of the heroine in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Canadian author L. M. Montgomery.
Annabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: AN-ə-behl(English) ah-na-BEHL(Dutch)
Rating: 68% based on 5 votes
Variant of
Amabel, with the spelling altered as if it were a combination of
Anna and French
belle "beautiful". This name appears to have arisen in Scotland in the Middle Ages.
Anna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Armenian, Icelandic, Faroese, Catalan, Occitan, Breton, Scottish Gaelic, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Άννα(Greek) Анна(Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Church Slavic) Աննա(Armenian) Ἄννα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-ə(English) AN-na(Italian, Polish, Icelandic) A-na(German, Swedish, Danish, Greek, Czech) AH-na(Dutch) AHN-nah(Norwegian, Finnish, Armenian) AWN-naw(Hungarian) AN-nə(Russian, Catalan) ahn-NAH(Armenian)
Rating: 75% based on 4 votes
Form of
Hannah used in the Greek and Latin
Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the
Hannah spelling instead of
Anna. The name appears briefly in the
New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized
Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of
Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin
Mary.
In England, this Latin form has been used alongside the vernacular forms Ann and Anne since the late Middle Ages. Anna is currently the most common of these spellings in all English-speaking countries (since the 1970s), however the biblical form Hannah is presently more popular than all three.
The name was borne by several Russian royals, including an 18th-century empress of Russia. It is also the name of the main character in Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina (1877), about a married aristocrat who begins an ultimately tragic relationship with Count Vronsky.
Anisia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical), Romanian (Rare), German (Bessarabian), Various
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Form of
Anysia in various languages.
Anika 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Danish, Polish, Slovene
Pronounced: A-nee-ka(German, Dutch)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Angelise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ann-gel-lease
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Angelisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: an-jə-LEE-sə(English) an-je-LEE-za(Italian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Angeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AHN-ZHU-LEEN, AHN-ZHLEEN
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Angelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Armenian
Other Scripts: Ангелина(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) Αγγελίνα(Greek) Անգելինա(Armenian)
Pronounced: ang-jeh-LEE-na(Italian) an-jə-LEE-nə(English) un-gyi-LYEE-nə(Russian) ang-kheh-LEE-na(Spanish)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Latinate
diminutive of
Angela. A famous bearer is American actress Angelina Jolie (1975-).
Angelica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Romanian, Carolingian Cycle
Pronounced: an-JEHL-i-kə(English) an-JEH-lee-ka(Italian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Derived from Latin
angelicus meaning
"angelic", ultimately related to Greek
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger". The poets Boiardo and Ariosto used this name in their
Orlando poems (1483 and 1532), where she is the love interest of both
Orlando and
Rinaldo. It has been used as a given name since the 18th century.
Angelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: an-JEHL-ee-ə
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Ancelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Archaic), French (African, Rare), French (Quebec, Archaic), English (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: AN-SEL(French, Quebec French) an-SEL(African French) ahn-SEL-lə(Dutch) ahn-SEL(Dutch)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
French variant of
Ancille, which has also been used in non-francophone countries over time. Note that in the English-speaking world, there are very likely cases where this name is a feminization of
Ansel.
The name has always been extremely rare in the French-speaking world, which is probably because the association with the French word ancelle "female servant" is too close. It appears that (where the francophone world is concerned) the name is no longer in use in France itself these days, but predominantly in African countries where French is one of the official national languages, such as Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo.
Anceline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval French, French (Rare), English (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: AWN-SU-LEEN(French) an-sə-LEEN(English) ahn-sə-LEE-nə(Dutch) ahn-sə-LEEN(Dutch)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
French diminutive of
Ancelle. There are also instances where this name is the feminine form of
Ancelin, which is a French diminutive of
Anselme.
It is worth noting that in the English-speaking world, there are very likely cases where this name is a feminization of Ansel. Also, in (at least) the Netherlands, there have been cases where this name is a variant spelling of Angeline.
Anastasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, English, Spanish, Italian, Georgian, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Αναστασία(Greek) Анастасия(Russian) Анастасія(Ukrainian, Belarusian) ანასტასია(Georgian) Ἀναστασία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-na-sta-SEE-a(Greek) u-nu-stu-SYEE-yə(Russian) u-nu-stu-SYEE-yu(Ukrainian) a-na-sta-SYEE-ya(Belarusian) an-ə-STAY-zhə(English) a-na-STA-sya(Spanish) a-na-STA-zya(Italian) A-NA-STA-SEE-A(Classical Greek)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Anastasius. This was the name of a 4th-century Dalmatian
saint who was martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Due to her, the name has been common in Eastern Orthodox Christianity (in various spellings). As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the youngest daughter of the last Russian tsar Nicholas II, who was rumoured to have escaped the execution of her family in 1918.
Anaïs
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-NA-EES
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of
Anne 1 or
Agnès. It was used in Jean-Henri Guy's opera
Anacréon chez Polycrate (1798), where it is borne by the daughter (otherwise unnamed in history) of the 6th-century BC tyrant
Polycrates of Samos. Guy could have adapted it from a classical name such as
Anaitis or
Athénaïs.
A famous bearer was the Cuban-French writer Anaïs Nin (1903-1977), known for her diaries.
Amy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-mee
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
English form of the Old French name Amée meaning "beloved" (modern French aimée), a vernacular form of the Latin Amata. As an English name, it was in use in the Middle Ages (though not common) and was revived in the 19th century.
Amphelise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Meaning unknown. It is attested from the 12th century in the Latin form Amphelisia and the vernacular form Anflis.
Amphelisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Amity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: A-mi-tee
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
From the English word meaning "friendship", ultimately deriving from Latin amicitia.
Amira 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַמִירָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ah-MEER-ah
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Amika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Esperanto
Pronounced: a-MEE-ka
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Means "friendly" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin amicus "friend".
Amber
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: AM-bər(American English) AM-bə(British English) AHM-bər(Dutch)
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
From the English word
amber that denotes either the gemstone, which is formed from fossil resin, or the orange-yellow colour. The word ultimately derives from Arabic
عنبر (ʿanbar) meaning "ambergris". It began to be used as a given name in the late 19th century, but it only became popular after the release of Kathleen Winsor's novel
Forever Amber (1944).
Amaryllis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: am-ə-RIL-is(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek
ἀμαρύσσω (amarysso) meaning
"to sparkle". This is the name of a character appearing in
Virgil's pastoral poems
Eclogues [1]. The amaryllis flower is named for her.
Amaris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Pronounced: a-MARE-iss, OM-er-is
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Amalthea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀμάλθεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: am-əl-THEE-ə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the Greek
Ἀμάλθεια (Amaltheia), derived from
μαλθάσσω (malthasso) meaning
"to soften, to soothe". In Greek
myth she was a nymph (in some sources a goat) who nursed the infant
Zeus.
Amadora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare), Spanish (Rare), Galician, Portuguese (Rare)
Pronounced: ah-mah-DO-rah(Italian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Amadore (Italian) and
Amador (Spanish, Galician, Portuguese).
Amabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Alyona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Алёна(Russian) Альона(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: u-LYUY-nə(Russian)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Alvena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Altynai
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kazakh, Kyrgyz
Other Scripts: Алтынай(Kazakh, Kyrgyz) التىناي(Kazakh Arabic)
Pronounced: ahl-tu-NIE(Kazakh)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means "golden moon" from Kazakh and Kyrgyz алтын (altyn) meaning "gold" and ай (ay) meaning "moon".
Alona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַלוֹנָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Alkestis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄλκηστις(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Aliza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: עַלִיזָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ah-LEE-zah
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means "joyful" in Hebrew.
Alisiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Belarusian (Rare), Bulgarian (Rare), Azerbaijani
Other Scripts: Алисия(Bulgarian, Belarusian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Alice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Czech, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch
Pronounced: AL-is(English) A-LEES(French) u-LEE-si(European Portuguese) a-LEE-see(Brazilian Portuguese) a-LEE-cheh(Italian) a-LEES(German) A-li-tseh(Czech)
Rating: 89% based on 7 votes
From the Old French name
Aalis, a short form of
Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis (see
Adelaide). This name became popular in France and England in the 12th century. It was among the most common names in England until the 16th century, when it began to decline. It was revived in the 19th century.
This name was borne by the heroine of Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871).
Alexine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, French (Belgian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Alexiane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, French (Belgian)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Alexandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Catalan, Russian, Ukrainian, Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Αλεξάνδρα(Greek) Александра(Russian, Ukrainian) Ἀλεξάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: al-ig-ZAN-drə(American English) al-ig-ZAHN-drə(British English) a-leh-KSAN-dra(German, Romanian) a-lehk-SAHN-dra(Dutch) A-LEHK-ZAHN-DRA(French) a-leh-KSAN-dhra(Greek) u-li-SHUN-dru(European Portuguese) a-leh-SHUN-dru(Brazilian Portuguese) A-lehk-san-dra(Czech, Slovak) AW-lehk-sawn-draw(Hungarian) A-LEH-KSAN-DRA(Classical Greek)
Rating: 87% based on 6 votes
Feminine form of
Alexander. In Greek
mythology this was a Mycenaean epithet of the goddess
Hera, and an alternate name of
Cassandra. It was borne by several early Christian
saints, and also by the wife of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia. She was from Germany and had the birth name
Alix, but was renamed
Александра (Aleksandra) upon joining the Russian Church.
Alexa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Hungarian
Pronounced: ə-LEHK-sə(English) AW-lehk-saw(Hungarian)
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Aleka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Αλέκα(Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Aldith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Aldeva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Albreda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval German, Medieval English
Pronounced: ahl-BREH-dah(Medieval German)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Medieval German feminine form of
Alberich.
Albray
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Alamea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian (Rare)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
From Hawaiian ʻalamea meaning "precious".
Ailith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Pronounced: AY-lith(Middle English)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Aileva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Medieval English form of Old English
Æðelgifu.
Agnes
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Estonian, Late Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἅγνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AG-nis(English) AK-nəs(German) AHKH-nehs(Dutch) ANG-nehs(Swedish) OW-nes(Danish)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Latinized form of the Greek name
Ἅγνη (Hagne), derived from Greek
ἁγνός (hagnos) meaning
"chaste".
Saint Agnes was a virgin martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The name became associated with Latin
agnus "lamb", resulting in the saint's frequent depiction with a lamb by her side. Due to her renown, the name became common in Christian Europe.
As an English name it was highly popular from the Middle Ages until the 17th century. It was revived in the 19th century and was common into the 20th, but it fell into decline after the 1930s. It last appeared on the American top 1000 rankings in 1972.
Aglaia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἀγλαΐα(Ancient Greek) Αγλαΐα(Greek)
Pronounced: ə-GLIE-ə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means
"splendour, beauty" in Greek. In Greek
mythology she was one of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites). This name was also borne by a 4th-century
saint from Rome.
Adva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַדְוָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ahd-VAH
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Means "small wave, ripple" in Hebrew.
Adira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew (Rare), Arabic (Rare)
Pronounced: ah-DEER-ah(Arabic)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Adili
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew (Modern, Rare)
Other Scripts: עדילי, עדי-לי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ah-DEE-lee
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Combination of
Adi 1 and
Li 2 means "my jewel" or "my ornament" in Hebrew.
Aderyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Means "bird" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
Adena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew (Rare)
Other Scripts: עֲדִינָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Adelmara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Adeliza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English, Old Swedish
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Medieval English and Old Swedish form of
Adelais. The second wife of Henry I of England bore this name.
Adelise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian), Norman
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
Adelisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Elaboration of
Adele by way of adding the suffix
-isa.
Adeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: A-DU-LEEN(French) AD-ə-lien(English)
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
French and English form of
Adelina.
Adelinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare), English, Portuguese, South American, Hungarian (Rare), Italian, Polish
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
Adelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Germanic (Latinized) [1]
Other Scripts: Аделина(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: a-deh-LEE-na(Italian) a-dheh-LEE-na(Spanish)
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
From a Germanic name that was derived from the element
adal meaning
"noble" (Proto-Germanic *
aþalaz).
Adele
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English, Italian
Pronounced: a-DEH-lə(German) ə-DEHL(English) a-DEH-leh(Italian)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Form of
Adela used in several languages. A famous bearer was the dancer and actress Adele Astaire (1896-1981). It was also borne by the British singer Adele Adkins (1988-), known simply as Adele. Shortly after she released her debut album in 2008 the name reentered the American top 1000 chart after a 40-year absence.
Adela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, Slovak, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: ə-DEHL-ə(English) a-DHEH-la(Spanish) a-DEH-la(Polish) A-deh-la(Slovak)
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Originally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element
adal meaning
"noble" (Proto-Germanic *
aþalaz).
Saint Adela was a 7th-century Frankish princess who founded a monastery at Pfazel in France. This name was also borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror.
Adara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַדָרָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Means "noble" in Hebrew.
Adalind
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic (Anglicized), Hungarian (Rare), Popular Culture
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Anglicized form of
Adalindis.
The name came to prominence with Adalind Schade, a main character on the television show "Grim" (2011-2017).
Adaleta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Italian, Medieval Catalan
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Adaleta di Siena was the wife of Farinata degli Uberti (leader of the Ghibelline faction in Florence).
In 1283 Adaleta and Farinata were condemned as heretics by the inquisitor Fra Salomone of Lucca.
Lady Adaleta was the wife of Hug Dalmau de Cervera (son of Dalmau Vescomte de Berga and his wife Arsenda, 2nd Baron of Castellfollit).
They had one child Ponce de Cervera.
Aceline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval French, Medieval English
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Acelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 37% based on 3 votes
Abigail
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Italian, Biblical Portuguese, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: אֲבִיגַיִל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AB-i-gayl(English)
Rating: 57% based on 7 votes
From the Hebrew name
אֲבִיגָיִל (ʾAviḡayil) meaning
"my father is joy", derived from the roots
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and
גִּיל (gil) meaning "joy". In the
Old Testament this is the name of Nabal's wife. After Nabal's death she became the third wife of King
David.
As an English name, Abigail first became common after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the Puritans. The biblical Abigail refers to herself as a servant, and beginning in the 17th century the name became a slang term for a servant, especially after the release of the play The Scornful Lady (1616), which featured a character named Abigail. The name went out of fashion at that point, but it was revived in the 20th century.
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