PurpleManners's Personal Name List

Serbian and Slovene form of Zvjezdana.

Derived from zvezda meaning "star".

Means "sweet" in Yiddish.

Urdu form of Zohreh.

Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Bulgarian form of Zoe.

Bulgarian, Croatian, Russian, Serbian, Slovene and Ukrainian form of Zosimos (see Zosimus).

Masculine form of Zora.

Form of Zoe in several languages.

Diminutive of Zlatan.

From an Old Slavic word meaning "winter". This may have been a nickname for a person with a chilly personality.

Dutch cognate of Silver.

From the Greek Ζέφυρος (Zephyros) meaning "west wind". Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind.

From the Greek name Ζήνων (Zenon), which was derived from the name of the Greek god Zeus (the poetic form of his name being Ζήν). Zeno was the name of two famous Greek philosophers: Zeno of Elea and Zeno of Citium, the founder of the Stoic school in Athens.

This name is derived from either the word that is the Japanese on'yomi/reading of the Chinese word chán (禅), which is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, meaning 'absorption, meditative state' or, in the case of U.S. soccer/football defender Zen Luzniak, a shortened form of Zenon.

Zen is a school of Buddhism which originated in China during the 7th century, and spread to Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. It emphasises rigorous meditation practices, and favours direct personal understanding rather than knowledge of doctrine.

Zen meditation became known in the West at the end of the 19th century, and at this time it became used as an English name, albeit sporadically. Interest in the practice and philosophy of Zen grew during the 1950s and '60s, though the name's usage remained sporadic and it wasn't until the late 1990s and 2000s that this name began to be used more frequently.

From Greek ζαφείρι ή σαπφειρός meaning "sapphire".

Transferred use of the surname Yule, given for someone who was born on Christmas Day or had some other connection with this time of year, from Middle English yule ‘Christmastide’ (Old English geol, reinforced by the cognate Old Norse term jól).

Variant of Eula or a feminine form of Yul and Yule (the latter of the two, as evidence shows, was used as a given name in the Middle Ages).
It has also been speculated that a woman named Yula possibly gave her name to the Scottish island of Islay.

Maybe from Adriel with an initial Y added.

Derived from the Old German elements wolf meaning "wolf" and gang meaning "path, way". Saint Wolfgang was a 10th-century bishop of Regensburg. Two other famous bearers of this name were Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and German novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).

Short form of Wolfgang, Wolfram and other names containing the Old German element wolf meaning "wolf" (Proto-Germanic *wulfaz). It can also be simply from the German or English word. As a Jewish name it can be considered a vernacular form of Zeev.

From the English word for the season, derived from Old English winter.

Derived from South Slavic vuk "wolf".

Derived from Serbian vuk "wolf".

One of the many Serbian names derived from the element vuk, meaning "wolf".
In the Serbian epic poem of the same name, Stari Vujadin is a hajduk who, together with his two sons, heroically defies being tortured by the enemy and refuses to betray his comrades.

Diminutive of Vladimir.

Short form of Vladimir and other names beginning with the Slavic element volděti (South Slavic vladati) meaning "to rule, to control".

From the Old Slavic name *Voldiměrŭ, derived from the elements volděti meaning "to rule" and měrŭ meaning "great, famous". The second element has also been associated with mirŭ meaning "peace, world".

This was the name of a 9th-century ruler of Bulgaria. It was also borne by an 11th-century grand prince of Kyiv, Vladimir the Great, who is venerated as a saint because of his efforts to Christianize his realm. Other notable bearers include the revolutionary and first leader of the Soviet state Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924), the Russian author Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), and the Russian president and prime minister Vladimir Putin (1952-).

Derived from the Slavic element vladati, meaning "to rule". A famous bearer is Vladeta Jerotić, Serbian writer, psychiatrist, Jungian psychologist and erudite.

From the Latin name Viriathus or Viriatus, which was derived from viriae "bracelets" (of Celtic origin). Viriathus was a leader of the Lusitani (a tribe of Portugal) who rebelled against Roman rule in the 2nd century BC.

Form of Violet in several languages.

Means "violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke Orsino, she attempts to convince Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.

The Slavic name for "otter", an animal traditionally associated with great agility and swiftness of movement.

Derived from Венелин (Venelin), the surname of the Russian slavist and philologist Yuriy Venelin (1802-1839), who is best known for his research on the language, history and culture of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people. One of his published works has been credited with popularizing the Bulgarian culture and history in the Russian Empire as well as with influencing the national feelings of many Bulgarian expatriates.

His surname is said to be derived from the Russian noun венец (venets) meaning "crown, wreath, garland", which ultimately comes from Old Church Slavonic вѣньць (věnĭcĭ) meaning "crown".

This name was first used in Bulgaria towards the end of Ottoman rule in the 1870s. Known bearers include the Bulgarian politician Venelin Ganev (1880-1966) and the Bulgarian soccer player Venelin Filipov (b. 1990).

Derived from Slavic veli meaning "great".

Derived from the Slavic elements velĭ "great" and mirŭ "peace, world".

From ватрен (vatren) meaning "fiery, passionate".

Means "valuable" in Esperanto.

From the Roman cognomen Valerianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name Valerius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Roman emperor (Publius Licinius Valerianus) who was captured by the Persians. Several saints have also borne this name, including a 2nd-century martyr of Lyons.

From the Roman cognomen Valentinus, which was itself a derivative of the cognomen Valens meaning "strong, vigorous, healthy" in Latin. Saint Valentine was a 3rd-century martyr. His feast day was the same as the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, which resulted in the association between Valentine's Day and love.

As an English name, it has been used occasionally since the 12th century. It is the name of a central character in Shakespeare's play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).

Form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1) in several languages.

Croatian short form of Valentin.

Meaning uncertain. It is used as a Russian form of the saintly name Bademus. Alternatively it may be derived from Slavic vaditi "to accuse, to argue" or from an Old Norse source. According to legend, this was the name of a legendary leader of the Ilmen Slavs who fought against the Varangians.

Feminine form of Tullius (see Tullio).

Derived from Macedonian трендафил (trendafil) meaning "eglantine, sweet briar".

From the English word for the yellow precious stone, the traditional birthstone of November, ultimately derived from Greek τόπαζος (topazos).

Vlach form of Thomas.

Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian form of Theodore.

From Greek Τωβίθ (Tobith), from the Hebrew name טוֹבִיה (Ṭovi) meaning "my good", a possessive form of טוֹב (ṭov) meaning "good". The apocryphal Book of Tobit, which is canonical in many Christian traditions but not in Judaism, tells the story of Tobit's son Tobias. He is sent by his father to collect money in Media, aided by the angel Raphael in the guise of a man. At the end of the story Tobit's blindness is cured.

Hungarian form of Theodore.

Derived from the Slavic elements tixŭ "quiet" and mirŭ "peace, world".

Means "earth" in Spanish.

Portuguese form of James, derived from Santiago.

Modern form of Þóra.

From the name of an ancient Greek town in Boeotia, itself supposedly named after a nymph. In a Greek legend (the oldest surviving version appearing in Latin in Ovid's Metamorphoses) this is the name of a young woman from Babylon. Believing her to be dead, her lover Pyramus kills himself, after which she does the same to herself. The splashes of blood from their suicides is the reason mulberry fruit are red.

Latinized form of the Greek name Θεόφιλος (Theophilos) meaning "friend of god", derived from θεός (theos) meaning "god" and φίλος (philos) meaning "friend". In the New Testament the evangelist Luke addresses his gospel and the Book of Acts to a man named Theophilus.

Variant of Théodorine.

From the Greek name Θεόδωρος (Theodoros), which meant "gift of god" from Greek θεός (theos) meaning "god" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". The name Dorothea is derived from the same roots in reverse order. This was the name of several saints, including Theodore of Amasea, a 4th-century Greek soldier; Theodore of Tarsus, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury; and Theodore the Studite, a 9th-century Byzantine monk. It was also borne by two popes.

This was a common name in classical Greece, and, due to both the saints who carried it and the favourable meaning, it came into general use in the Christian world, being especially popular among Eastern Christians. It was however rare in Britain before the 19th century. Famous bearers include three tsars of Russia (in the Russian form Fyodor) and American president Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919).

Means "warmth" in Welsh.

From a Greek word meaning "broad leather strap". According to Greek mythology he was a king of Salamis and the father of the heroes Ajax and Teucer.

Means "thunder" in Welsh, from the old Celtic root *toranos. It appears briefly in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi [1]. The name is cognate to that of the Gaulish god Taranis. It was also borne by the 7th-century Pictish king Taran mac Ainftech.

Means "my dew" in Hebrew.

Short form of Taisiya.

From Serbian свила (svila) meaning "silk".

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.

From the Old Norse byname Sveinn meaning "boy". This was the name of kings of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Derived from the Celtic name Sulgen meaning "born from the sun". This was the name of a Celtic sun god. It was borne by several early saints.

Variant of Stribog.

From Middle English storie, storye, from Anglo-Norman estorie, from Late Latin storia meaning "history."

From the vocabulary word, ultimately from Old English or Old Dutch storm, or in the case of the Scandinavian name, from Old Norse stormr. It is unisex as an English name, but typically masculine elsewhere.

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.

From Esperanto stelaro meaning "constellation", ultimately from Latin stella "star".

Means "hope" in Latin. In Roman mythology this was the name of the personification of hope.

Transferred use of the surname Soul. May also be used in reference to the word soul, from Old English sāwol, sāw(e)l, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ziel and German Seele.

Possibly derived from Romanian soare meaning "sun".

Means "radiant, bright" in Irish. It has been in use since late medieval times [2]. It is sometimes Anglicized as Sarah (in Ireland) and Clara (in Scotland).

From Japanese 空 (sora) or 昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.

Means "judge, lawyer" in Khmer.

Form of Sonya in various languages.

Means "sun" in Spanish or Portuguese.

Form of Sophia in several languages.

Form of Sophia used in various languages.

Simply from the English word sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse ský "cloud".

Means "star" in Urdu, ultimately from Persian.

Means "spearhead" in Arabic.

Means "silvery" in Persian.

From the English word for the precious metal or the colour, ultimately derived from Old English seolfor.

German form of Silvanus.

From the Arabic name of a type of tree, known as the lote tree (or "lotus tree") in English, which is given in reference to an Islamic symbol of the upper limit of heaven. When the prophet Muhammad ascended to Paradise, saw at the end of the seventh, highest heaven a lote tree, marking the place "beyond which neither prophets nor angels may pass" (only Allah), which he called سدرة المنتهى‎ (sidra-tul-muntaha) "lote tree of the utmost boundary, of the last frontier".

From the name of the largest lake in Armenia, which may be from the Urartian word suinia simply meaning "lake".

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

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.

From Japanese 小 (sa) meaning "small" and 百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". This name can also be composed of other kanji combinations.

From the name of the gemstone, typically blue, which is the traditional birthstone of September. It is derived from Greek σάπφειρος (sappheiros), ultimately from the Hebrew word סַפִּיר (sappir).

Derived from Old Norse rún meaning "secret lore, rune".

Bulgarian, Croatian, French, Provençal, Polish, Russian and Serbian form of Rufinus.

From Esperanto rubeno meaning "ruby", ultimately from Latin ruber "red".

Means "rose" in Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian. It is a cognate of Rosa 1.

Anglicized form of the Irish name Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).

Derived from Bulgarian росен (rosen) "dittany (a type of flower)". This name is borne by Rosen Plevneliev (1964-), the fourth president of Bulgaria.

Latinate form of Rosaline.

Italian name meaning "white rose", derived from Latin rosa "rose" and alba "white". A famous bearer was the Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757).

Derived from Hebrew רֹן (ron) meaning "song, joy".

Means "little seal", derived from Old Irish rón "seal" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early Irish saints, including a pilgrim to Brittany who founded the hermitage at Locronan in the 6th century.

Bosnian, Croatian and Romanian form of Romulus.

From the Late Latin name Romanus meaning "Roman". This name was borne by several early saints including a 7th-century bishop of Rouen, as well as medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia.

Derived from Sanskrit रोहण (rohaṇa) meaning "ascension".

Originally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element hraban meaning "raven".

Variant form of Revomir. A known bearer of this name is the Russian former sambo wrestler Remir Solnitsev (b. 1933).

Means "queen" in Spanish.

Roman cognomen meaning "prince, little king", a diminutive of Latin rex "king". This was the cognomen of several 3rd-century BC consuls from the gens Atilia. It was also the name of several early saints. A star in the constellation Leo bears this name as well.

Means "my secret is God" in Hebrew. This is the name of an archangel in Jewish tradition.

From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god Odin.

Means "lovely, delightful" in Esperanto.

Probably a Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Herais.

One of the wizards in the books by J.R.R. Tolkien. His name may mean "tender of beasts" in Adûnaic.

Likely to come from "храбар" ("hrabrar"), which means "brave".

Derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pravьda meaning "truth; justice" in many Slavic languages.

Means "flame, fire" in South Slavic.

Means "friendliness, kindliness" in Greek, a derivative of φίλος (philos) meaning "friend, lover" and φρήν (phren) meaning "mind, heart". In Greek mythology this was the name of the personification of welcome and friendliness.

From Greek Φιλουμένη (Philoumene) meaning "to be loved", an inflection of φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love". This was the name of an obscure early saint and martyr. The name came to public attention in 1802 after a tomb seemingly marked with the name Filumena was found in Rome, supposedly belonging to another martyr named Philomena. This may have in fact been a representation of the Greek word φιλουμένη, not a name.

From the Greek name Φίλων (Philon), which was derived from φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend". This was the name of a 1st-century Hellenistic Jewish philosopher and theologian from Alexandria.

Derived from Bulgarian Петък (Petak) or Macedonian Петок (Petok) meaning "Friday". This is a vernacular form of Paraskeve.

Feminine form of Petko. Saint Paraskeva of the Balkans is known by this name in Serbia and Bulgaria.

Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Peter.

From Old Slavic perunŭ meaning "thunder". In Slavic mythology Perun was the god of lightning and the sky, sometimes considered to be the supreme god. Oak trees were sacred to him.

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.

Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian and Georgian form of Paul.

Means "all gifts", derived from a combination of Greek πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". In Greek mythology Pandora was the first mortal woman. Zeus gave her a jar containing all of the troubles and ills that mankind now knows, and told her not to open it. Unfortunately her curiosity got the best of her and she opened it, unleashing the evil spirits into the world.

Possibly from the Indo-European root *peh- meaning "shepherd, protect". In Greek mythology Pan was a half-man, half-goat god associated with shepherds, flocks and pastures.

Derived from the passive voice of an older Slavic verb ozreti se meaning "to look, glance".
This is the name of three mountains, two in Serbia and one in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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From Serbian озарити/ozariti meaning "to make radiant".

Anglicized form of Owain.

From the Roman family name Ovidius, which was possibly derived from Latin ovis "a sheep". Alternatively, it could have a Sabellic origin. Publius Ovidius Naso, better known as Ovid, was a 1st-century BC Roman poet who is best known as the author of the Metamorphoses. He was sent into exile on the coast of the Black Sea by Emperor Augustus for no apparent reason.

Derived from Bulgarian орел (orel) "eagle".

Russian and Ukrainian form of Orithyia. According to Greek mythology, upon the death of her mother, she became the new queen of the Amazons. She was famous for her perpetual virginity. Her war techniques were outstanding and brought much honor to the Amazon empire.

Means "golden-beautiful" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin aurea "gold" and bella "beautiful".

From the English word opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".

From Old French Olivier, which was possibly derived from Latin oliva "olive tree" [1]. Alternatively there could be an underlying Germanic name, such as Old Norse Áleifr (see Olaf) or Frankish Alawar (see Álvaro), with the spelling altered by association with the Latin word. In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier is a friend and advisor to the hero Roland.

In England Oliver was a common medieval name, however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due in part to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1838), about a poor orphan living on the streets of London. It became very popular at the beginning of the 21st century, reaching the top rank for boys in England and Wales in 2009 and entering the top ten in the United States in 2017.

Ukrainian form of Eleutherius. Olefir (or Olifer) Holub was an early XVII-century Cossack hetman.

The name Oleander originated as an Greek name. In Greek, the name Oleander means "an evergreen tree."
The origin of the name was said to have come from a young man whose ardour to his Lady Love ended in a tragedy. The young man was named Leander, and his precious lady longing for his love shouting with such forlorn “O Leander!”, “O Leander!” in the banks, until finally he was found. And clasped in his hands were sweet flowers, who have become a symbol of everlasting love, known as oleanders.

Possibly taken from the plant family, Nerium oleander (flowering shrub known as oleanders), Cascabela thevetia (yellow oleander), Acacia neriifolia (oleander wattle); or a species of moth, Daphnis nerii (oleander hawk-moth).

In the complex language of love practiced during the time of Queen Victoria, the Oleander flower means caution.

A diminutive use of Oleander could be Ollie, Lee, Lee-Ann, or Anders.

From Tibetan ཉི་མ (nyi-ma) meaning "sun, day".

Derived from Latin novus meaning "new". It was first used as a name in the 19th century.

Short form of Honora or Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen used it for a character in his play A Doll's House (1879).

Anglicized form of Naomhán.

Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Nikephoros.

Variant of Nicander.

Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Neophytos.

The name of a naiad of the springs of the town of Nemea in Argolis, and a daughter of Asopos. Her name is taken from that place. Alternatively, Nemea may have been another name for Pandeia, a daughter of Zeus and Selene.

Latinate form of Natalia (see Natalie).

Means "wave, sea foam" in Basque.

Modern Persian form of Anahita. This is also the Persian name for the planet Venus.

Means "born of the sea" in Irish. In Irish legend this was the name of a woman (originally named Lí Ban) who was transformed into a mermaid. After 300 years she was brought to shore, baptized, and transformed back into a woman.

From the Old Welsh masculine name Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh mor "sea" and cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).

Serbian form of Mojmír.

Alternate transcription of Arabic محسن (see Muhsin), as well as the usual Urdu transcription.

From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and 代 (yo) meaning "generation", or other kanji combinations having the same reading.

From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful", 夜 (ya) meaning "night" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other combinations of kanji as well.

This name can be used as 美海, 美羽奈, 美羽菜, 美羽南, 美羽名, 美生菜, 美生奈, 美宇名, 海羽奈, 海羽菜, 海羽南, 未羽奈, 未羽那 or 未生奈 with 美 (bi, mi, utsuku.shii) meaning "beautiful, beauty," 海 (kai, umi, mi, una) meaning "ocean, sea," 未 (bi, mi, ima.da, hitsuji, ma.da) meaning "even now, hitherto, not yet, still, sign of the ram (8th sign of Chinese zodiac)," 羽 (u, ha, hane, wa) meaning "feathers," 生 (shou, sei, i.kiru, i.keru, -u, u.mare, o.u, ki, na.ru, ha.eru) meaning "birth, genuine, life," 宇 (u) meaning "eaves, heaven, house, roof," 奈 (dai, na, nai, ikan, karanashi) meaning "Nara, what?," 菜 (sai, na) meaning "greens, side dish, vegetable," 南 (na, nan, minami, nami) meaning "south," 名 (myou, mei, na, -na) meaning "distinguished, name, noted, reputation" and 那 (na, da, nani, nanzo, ikan) meaning "what?"

One bearer of this name is pop singer and former member of Country Musume, Miuna Saitō (斉藤 美海) (1987-).

This name is rarely given to girls, if given at all.

Russian form of Metrophanes.

Short form of Dimitar.

Unknown. Possibly derived from Dimitra or Mitrodora, or female form of Mitre. Seems to be related to Mithra.

From Sanskrit मीर (mīra) meaning "sea, ocean". This was the name of a 16th-century Indian princess who devoted her life to the god Krishna.

Derived from the name Milna, through the process of L-vocalization, by which the lateral "l" is replaced by the vowel "o". The root of this name is verb milovati, meaning "to caress", to "love", as well as the adjective mil, meaning "dear, beloved".

Derived from the element mio, a Serbian form of the Slavic element milŭ meaning "dear", combined with mirŭ meaning "peace" or "world".

Diminutive of Miodrag, Milan, and other names containing the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear". It is often used independently.

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

Czech form of Nicholas.

Means "sweet" in Esperanto, derived from mielo "honey", ultimately from Latin mel.

Means "power of the moon" in Omaha-Ponca, from Omaha miⁿ "moon, sun" and akoⁿda "power".

Diminutive of Maria. It coincides with the Italian word mia meaning "mine".

This name was common in Sweden and Denmark in the 1970s [1]. It rose in popularity in the English-speaking world in the 1990s, entering the top ten for girls in the United States in 2009. It was also popular in many other countries at that time. Famous bearers include American actress Mia Farrow (1945-) and American soccer player Mia Hamm (1972-), birth names Maria and Mariel respectively.

Derived from Greek μήτηρ (meter) meaning "mother" (genitive μητρός) and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr who was killed with her sisters Menodora and Nymphodora.

Short form of Clement (Dutch) or a variant of Meine (West Frisian).

Means "gift of the moon", derived from Greek μήνη (mene) meaning "moon" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a 4th-century saint who was martyred with her sisters Metrodora and Nymphodora.

Latinized form of Menon, in the case of the philosopher Plato's dialogue Meno.

Albanian, Latvian, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovene, Polish and Estonian form of Melitta.

Derived from Latin melior meaning "better".

Elaboration of Mel, either from names such as Melissa or from Greek μέλι (meli) meaning "honey". A famous bearer was Greek-American actress Melina Mercouri (1920-1994), who was born Maria Amalia Mercouris.

Means "ash tree" in Greek, a derivative of μέλι (meli) meaning "honey". This was the name of a nymph in Greek myth, the daughter of the Greek god Okeanos.

Feminine form of Meir.

From Japanese 恵 (megumi) meaning "favour, benefit" or 愛 (megumi) meaning "love, affection", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that have the same reading. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.

Means "cloud roar, thunder" from Sanskrit मेघ (megha) meaning "cloud" and नाद (nāda) meaning "sound, roar". This is the name of a powerful son of the demon king Ravana in the Hindu epic the Ramayana, where he is also called Indrajit.

Created by Lord Byron for a character in his poem The Corsair (1814). It is not known what inspired Byron to use this name. The year the poem was published, it was used as the middle name of Elizabeth Medora Leigh (1814-1849), a niece and rumoured daughter of Byron.

Variant of Maia 1. This name can also be given in reference to the Maya, an indigenous people of southern Mexico and parts of Central America whose civilization flourished between the 3rd and 8th centuries. A famous bearer was the American poet and author Maya Angelou (1928-2014).

Modern Greek form of Maura 1, which has spread to Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region via the Eastern Orthodox Church.

In theatre, this is the name of a 1922 comic opera composed by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971).

From Greek Ματθίας (Matthias), a variant of Ματθαῖος (see Matthew). This form appears in the New Testament as the name of the apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot. This was also the name of kings of Hungary (spelled Mátyás in Hungarian), including Matthias I who made important reforms to the kingdom in the 15th century.

Slovene, Croatian and Serbian form of Matthias, used to refer to the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. It is occasionally used as a feminine name.

Spanish form of Matthew. This form is also sometimes used in Croatia, from the Italian form Matteo.

Serbian variant of Matija.

Croatian form of Marius or Marianus.

Short form of María Soledad. It is sometimes considered a combination of María and Sol 1, or from Spanish mar y sol "sea and sun".

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.

Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian and French form of Marinus.

Blend of Maria and Luna.

Dutch diminutive of Maria.

Diminutive of Maria and other names beginning with Mari.

From the name of the flower, which comes from a combination of Mary and the English word gold.

Diminutive of Maria and other names beginning with Mar.

Means "made of the sea" in Esperanto, a derivative of maro "sea", ultimately from Latin mare.

From Japanese 愛 (mana) meaning "love, affection" combined with 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or 海 (mi) meaning "sea, ocean". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Means "raspberry" in several Slavic languages.

Backformation from Malina 2.

Form of Maia 1 in various languages.

Combination of Mair and Welsh gwen meaning "white, blessed".

From Greek μαρμαίρω (marmairo) meaning "sparkle, gleam, flash". This name was borne by several characters in Greek mythology, including one of the Nereids.

From Tupi maya arya meaning "great-grandmother".

Basque form of Magdalene.

From Greek μαῖα (maia) meaning "good mother, dame, foster mother", perhaps in origin a nursery form of μήτηρ (meter). In Greek and Roman mythology she was the eldest of the Pleiades, a group of stars in the constellation Taurus, who were the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Her son by Zeus was Hermes.

Probably from Latin maior meaning "greater". This was the name of a Roman goddess of spring, a companion (sometimes wife) of Vulcan. She was later conflated with the Greek goddess Maia. The month of May is named for her.

Estonian and Basque form of Maria.

Late Latin name meaning "great". It was borne by a 7th-century saint who was a missionary in Germany. It became popular in Scandinavia after the time of the 11th-century Norwegian king Magnus I, who was said to have been named after Charlemagne, or Carolus Magnus in Latin (however there was also a Norse name Magni). The name was borne by six subsequent kings of Norway as well as three kings of Sweden. It was imported to Scotland and Ireland during the Middle Ages.

Latinate form of Magdalene.

Latinized form of Maira.

French form of Breton Mael meaning "prince, chieftain, lord". Saint Mael was a 5th-century Breton hermit who lived in Wales.

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.

From Armenian լուսին (lusin) meaning "moon".

Variant of Lur. A feminine, positive entity that relates to fecundity. Unlimited in all directions, she includes the stars, moon and sun inside her borders. The Earth is alive: she gives birth to the mountains, that grow and rise towards the sky, whilst other places subside. It is believed that inside the Earth, there are subterranean milk streams, inaccessible to men unless they find one of the caverns and gorges that link those places to the surface. Sometimes, great winds and stormy clouds arise from those caverns. As Lurbira, Lurra (or Lur) she has two daughters: Ilazki, the Moon, and Ekhi, the Sun. Sometimes, the Earth is linked to or merged with other spirits, receiving the name of Amalur, Mayi, Maya or Mari.

Form of Lunete used in the Welsh tale Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain (which was based on Chrétien's poem).

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.

Roman praenomen, or given name, which was derived from Latin lux "light". This was the most popular of the praenomina. Two Etruscan kings of early Rome had this name as well as several prominent later Romans, including Lucius Annaeus Seneca (known simply as Seneca), a statesman, philosopher, orator and tragedian. The name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament belonging to a Christian in Antioch. It was also borne by three popes, including the 3rd-century Saint Lucius. Despite this, the name was not regularly used in the Christian world until after the Renaissance.

Alternate transcription of Armenian Լուսինե (see Lusine).

Romanian and English form of Lucianus. Lucian is the usual name of Lucianus of Samosata in English.

Feminine form of Lucius. Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings Lucy or Luce.

This name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called Lucasta (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, whom he called lux casta "pure light".

From the Roman cognomen Lucanus, which was derived from the name of the city of Luca in Tuscany (modern Lucca). Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, commonly called Lucan, was a 1st-century Roman poet.

Diminutive of Lola. This is the name of a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov.

Spanish diminutive of Dolores. A famous bearer was Lola Montez (1821-1861; birth name Eliza Gilbert), an Irish-born dancer, actress and courtesan.

Unaccented variant of Llŷr.

Feminine form of Livius. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus, Livia Drusilla.

Diminutive of Aglaia (via its diminutive Aglaitsa), Apostolia (via its diminutive Apostolitsa), Emmanouella (via its diminutive Manolitsa), Evangelia (via its diminutives Evangelitsa and Vagelitsa), Garifallia (via its diminutive Filitsa), Michaela (via its diminutive Michalitsa), Natalia (via its diminutive Natalitsa), Pantelina (via its diminutive Pantelitsa), Stavroula (via its diminutive Stavroulitsa), Styliani (via its diminutive Stelitsa), Vasiliki (via its diminutive Vasilitsa), Violeta (via its diminutive Violitsa), and any other pet forms that end in -litsa.

From a German and Dutch surname that was derived from Old High German linta meaning "linden tree".

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.

Short form of Lillian or an elaborated form of Lily.

Latvian form of Lilith.

English variant of Lillian, as well as a French and Romanian masculine form.

Means "play, amusement" in Sanskrit.

Form of Lydia in several languages.

Variant transcription of Lesya. A known bearer of this name is the Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko (b. 1989).

Italian short form of Eleanor.

Feminine form of Leo.

Late Latin name that might be derived from the name of the Greek island of Leucadia or from Greek λευκός (leukos) meaning "bright, clear, white" (which is also the root of the island's name). Saint Leocadia was a 3rd-century martyr from Spain.

Originally a diminutive of Magdaléna or Helena. It is now used as an independent name.

Transferred use of the surname Lenin after Vladimir Lenin, Russian revolutionist and founder of the Soviet Union.

Bosnian form of Layla.

Latinized form of the Greek name Λέανδρος (Leandros), derived from λέων (leon) meaning "lion" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.

From the English word for the aromatic flower or the pale purple colour.

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.

Bosnian variant spelling of Lejla and Scandinavian variant of Laila 2.

Feminine form of Laelius, a Roman family name of unknown meaning. This is also the name of a type of flower, an orchid found in Mexico and Central America.

Swedish variant form of Christopher.

Means "lily", from Ancient Greek κρίνον (krínon).

Slavic god associated with fire, the summer solstice, and storms. Kresnik was worshipped among the Slavic population of the eastern Alps. He is probably the same deity as Svarožič, son of the Slavic sun god, Svarog, described as having golden hair and golden hands. The idea of him gradually evolved into a Slovenian national hero who lives on a golden mountain, sometimes as a deer with golden antlers, associated with the summer solstice. He became known as a mythical king with strong magic, yet still a farmer.

From the Slavic elements krěsiti "to spark, to flare up, to bring to life, to resurrect" and mirŭ "peace, world". This was the name of four kings of Croatia in the 10th and 11th centuries. Their names were recorded in Latin as Cresimirus.

Croatian, Polish and Serbian form of Coriolanus.

Diminutive of Kornélie and Kornélia, rarely used as a given name in its own right.

Diminutive of Kyriaki. It is the feminine equivalent of Kitsos, which is a diminutive of Kyriakos.

This could also be a diminutive of Evdokia, via its diminutive Evdokitsa.

Russian form of Cyriacus.

Form of Kavita.

From a title for a poet, meaning "wise man, sage, poet" in Sanskrit.

From Esperanto katido meaning "kitten", ultimately from Latin cattus.

From the Greek name Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from an earlier Greek name Ἑκατερινη (Hekaterine), itself from ἑκάτερος (hekateros) meaning "each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the goddess Hecate; it could be related to Greek αἰκία (aikia) meaning "torture"; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name". In the early Christian era it became associated with Greek καθαρός (katharos) meaning "pure", and the Latin spelling was changed from Katerina to Katharina to reflect this.

The name was borne by a semi-legendary 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on a spiked wheel. The saint was initially venerated in Syria, and returning crusaders introduced the name to Western Europe. It has been common in England since the 12th century in many different spellings, with Katherine and Catherine becoming standard in the later Middle Ages. To this day both spellings are regularly used in the English-speaking world. In the United States the spelling Katherine has been more popular since 1973.

Famous bearers of the name include Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century mystic, and Catherine de' Medici, a 16th-century French queen. It was also borne by three of Henry VIII's wives, including Katherine of Aragon, and by two empresses of Russia, including Catherine the Great.

Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian and Serbian form of Cassiodorus.

Croatian form of Carmela.

Original Hebrew form of Carmel, also used in other languages. In Basque, it is exclusively a masculine name.

Means "viburnum tree" in Bulgarian, Macedonian and Polish.

From Japanese 海 (kai) meaning "sea, ocean" combined with 斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation, or 翔 (to) meaning "soar, fly". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

From Esperanto juvelo meaning "jewel".

Slovene and Croatian form of George.

Feminine form of the Roman family name Julius. Among the notable women from this family were Julia Augusta (also known as Livia Drusilla), the wife of Emperor Augustus, and Julia the Elder, the daughter of Augustus and the wife of Tiberius. A person by this name has a brief mention in the New Testament. It was also borne by a few early saints and martyrs, including the patron saint of Corsica. Additionally, Shakespeare used it in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).

It has been common as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the 18th century. A famous modern bearer is American actress Julia Roberts (1967-).

Dutch form of Joshua.

English, German and Dutch form of Joséphine.

Serbian form of Hierotheos. A notable bearer of this name was the Serbian writer Jerotej Račanin (born c. 1650, died after 1727).

Croatian form of Hieronymos (see Jerome).

Form of Yelena in several languages. In Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia it is also associated with the South Slavic words jelen meaning "deer, stag" and jela meaning "fir tree".

Short form of Jelena or Jelisaveta. It also means "fir tree" in Serbian and Croatian.

Bulgarian variant transcription of Ясен (see Yasen) as well as a derivation from Serbo-Croatian jasen "ash tree".

Wendish and Polabian form of Jarylo.

Means "honeycomb" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a descendant of Saul.

Means "strawberry" in South Slavic, and "berry" in Polish. Also in Poland, this can be a diminutive of Jadwiga.

From the name of the precious stone that is often used in carvings. It is derived from Spanish (piedra de la) ijada meaning "(stone of the) flank", relating to the belief that jade could cure renal colic. As a given name, it came into general use during the 1970s. It was initially unisex, though it is now mostly feminine.

Newer form of the Old Church Slavic name Іѡаннъ (Ioannŭ), which was derived from Greek Ioannes (see John). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.

Means "nocturnal journey" in Arabic, derived from سرى (sarā) meaning "to travel by night". According to Islamic tradition, the Isra was a miraculous journey undertaken by the Prophet Muhammad.

Polish form of Ismene.

Variant of Islay, typically used as a feminine name. It also coincides with the Spanish word isla meaning "island".

Derived from Bulgarian and Serbian искрен (iskren) "sincere, honest; true, devoted". This name is borne by Bulgarian soccer player Iskren Pisarov (b. 1985).

Means "spark" in South Slavic.

From the Greek name Ἰσίδωρος (Isidoros) meaning "gift of Isis", derived from the name of the Egyptian goddess Isis combined with Greek δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". Saint Isidore of Seville was a 6th-century archbishop, historian and theologian.

Though it has never been popular in the English-speaking world among Christians, it has historically been a common name for Jews, who have used it as an Americanized form of names such as Isaac, Israel and Isaiah.

Feminine form of Isidore. This was the name of a 4th-century Egyptian saint and hermitess.

From the Hebrew name יִץְחָק (Yitsḥaq) meaning "he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from צָחַק (tsaḥaq) meaning "to laugh". The Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see Genesis 17:17), and later Sarah laughed when overhearing the same prophecy (see Genesis 18:12). When Isaac was a boy, God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, though an angel prevented the act at the last moment. Isaac went on to become the father of Esau and Jacob with his wife Rebecca.

As an English Christian name, Isaac was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, though it was more common among Jews. It became more widespread after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers include the physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton (1643-1727) and the science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992).

Cognate of Iris.

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.

Form of Irene in several languages.

Diminutive form of Ioana. Also compare Ionică. In the Netherlands, a known bearer of this name is the Dutch mathematician and science journalist Ionica Smeets (b. 1979). She is not of Romanian descent, but was named after a Romanian woman whom her parents had met during a journey in Romania.

Originally a diminutive of Ingeborg and other names beginning with the element ing, which refers to the Germanic god Ing.

From the English word indigo for the purplish-blue dye or the colour. It is ultimately derived from Greek Ἰνδικόν (Indikon) meaning "Indic, from India".

Russian form of Heliodoros.

A known bearer of this name was Sergei Trufanov (1880-1952), a lapsed hieromonk (whose monastic name was Iliodor) who was one of the enemies of Rasputin.

Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Hilarion.

Variant of Horatius. Shakespeare used it for a character in his tragedy Hamlet (1600). It was borne by the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), famous for his defeat of Napoleon's forces in the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he was himself killed. Since his time the name has been occasionally used in his honour.

Derived from Greek ἑστία (hestia) meaning "hearth, fireside". In Greek mythology Hestia was the goddess of the hearth and domestic activity.

From the English word for a safe place, derived ultimately from Old English hæfen.

Probably means "born of trees" from Old Welsh guid "trees" and the suffix gen "born of". In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi [1], Gwydion is the nephew of King Math of Gwynedd, and like him a powerful magician. In an elaborate plot to give his brother a chance to rape his uncle's footbearer, he arranged a war between Gwynedd and the neighbouring kingdom of Dyfed. Gwydion himself killed King Pryderi of Dyfed at the end of the war. In punishment for the rape, Math transformed Gwydion and his brother into different animals over the course of three years. Gwydion was the uncle of Lleu Llaw Gyffes, whom he fostered. Math and Gwydion fashioned Lleu a wife, Blodeuwedd, out of flowers and they later aided him after her betrayal. Gwydion also appears in older Welsh poetry such as the Book of Taliesin.

Possibly means "white ring", derived from Welsh gwen meaning "white, blessed" and dolen meaning "ring, loop". This name appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century chronicles, written in the Latin form Guendoloena, where it belongs to an ancient queen of the Britons who defeats her ex-husband in battle [1]. Geoffrey later used it in Vita Merlini for the wife of the prophet Merlin [2]. An alternate theory claims that the name arose from a misreading of the masculine name Guendoleu by Geoffrey [3].

This name was not regularly given to people until the 19th century [4][3]. It was used by George Eliot for a character in her novel Daniel Deronda (1876).

From Welsh gwen, the feminine form of gwyn meaning "white, blessed". It can also be a short form of Gwendolen, Gwenllian and other names beginning with Gwen.

Medieval Italian nickname meaning "gem, precious stone". It was borne by the wife of the 13th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri.

Feminine form of Gabriel.

From the Hebrew name גַבְרִיאֵל (Ḡavriʾel) meaning "God is my strong man", derived from גֶּבֶר (gever) meaning "strong man, hero" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Gabriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition, often appearing as a messenger of God. In the Old Testament he is sent to interpret the visions of the prophet Daniel, while in the New Testament he serves as the announcer of the births of John to Zechariah and Jesus to Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the Quran to Muhammad.

This name has been used occasionally in England since the 12th century. It was not common in the English-speaking world until the end of the 20th century.

Bulgarian and Russian form of Φωτεινός (Photeinos) and Φωτίνος (Photinos).

From the Roman cognomen Florianus, a derivative of Florus. This was the name of a short-lived Roman emperor of the 3rd century, Marcus Annius Florianus. It was also borne by Saint Florian, a martyr of the 3rd century, the patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria.

From the Roman family name Flavianus, which was derived from Flavius. This was the name of several early saints including a 5th-century patriarch of Constantinople who was beaten to death.

A Russian form of Felicitas.

Feminine form of the Latin name Felicius, a derivative of Felix. As an English name, it has occasionally been used since the Middle Ages.

Russian hypochoristic form of Felizata.

Male name of Arabic derivation, from ezan, Islamic call to worship.

Means "cosmos, the universe" in Turkish. In Turkic mythology the Evren is a gigantic snake-like dragon.

Latinized form of Euanthe.

Variant of Evandrus, the Latin form of the Greek name Εὔανδρος (Euandros) meaning "good of man", derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Roman mythology Evander was an Arcadian hero of the Trojan War who founded the city of Pallantium near the spot where Rome was later built.

Anglicized form of Iomhar.

Anglicized form of Ifan, a Welsh form of John.

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.

Derived from the Greek noun εὔκλεια (eukleia) meaning "good repute, glory", which consists of Greek εὖ (eu) meaning "good, well" combined with the Greek noun κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". Also compare the masculine name Eukles, which is closely related.

In Greek mythology, Eukleia was the personification of good repute and glory, frequently depicted as an attendant of Aphrodite, in whose entourage she represented the good repute of a chaste bride. Eukleia was also an epithet of the goddess Artemis, under which she was worshipped in Boeotia.

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.

From the Hebrew name אֵיתָן (ʾEṯan) meaning "solid, enduring, firm". In the Old Testament this name is borne by a few minor characters, including the wise man Ethan the Ezrahite, supposedly the author of Psalm 89.

After the Protestant Reformation it was occasionally used as a given name in the English-speaking world, and it became somewhat common in America due to the fame of the revolutionary Ethan Allen (1738-1789). It only became popular towards the end of the 20th century. It is the name of the main character in Edith Wharton's novel Ethan Frome (1911), about a man in love with his wife's cousin.

Allegedly a borrowing of Ethel.

Modern Greek and Italian form of Hestia.

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

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

Means "bee" in Basque.

Feminine form of Aemilius (see Emily).

Diminutive of Ema 1.

Means "colours" in Turkish.

Variant of Elwen.

Anglicized form of Ailbhe.

Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.

German and Dutch form of Elizabeth. It is also a variant English form, reflecting the spelling used in the Authorized Version of the New Testament.

Feminine form of Elior.

Means "my God is my light" in Hebrew.

Croatian and Serbian form of Aelian.

Form of Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek New Testament, as well as some English translations.

Variant of Alianora.

Probably from Aeliana, the feminine form of the Roman name Aelianus, which was derived from the Roman family name Aelius. This was the name of an obscure early saint and martyr from Amasea.

Portuguese form of Éliane.

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Éliane.

Dutch variant of names beginning with Eli, such as Elijah or Elisabeth.

Italian form of Elijah.

Form of Eleanor in several languages.

Means "hazel light", from Turkish ela meaning "hazel" combined with Arabic نور (nūr) meaning "light".

Feminine form of Eladio.

Means "white snow" from the Welsh elements eira "snow" and gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the early 20th century.

Means "bright, beautiful" in Welsh [1].

Hebrew form of Ephraim.

Italian form of the Late Latin name Durans, which meant "enduring".

Derived from the Slavic element dorgŭ (South Slavic drag) meaning "precious", originally a diminutive of names beginning with that element.

Derived from the Slavic element dorgŭ (South Slavic drag) meaning "precious".

Latinization of Dione 1 as well as the Albanian form of the name.

From dianthus, the name of a type of flower (ultimately from Greek meaning "heavenly flower").

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.

Perhaps originally a diminutive of Delphine, Delphia or Philadelphia, or a direct borrowing of the ancient Greek place name (see Delphi).

Means "adorning the heart", from Persian دل (del) meaning "heart" and آرا (ārā) meaning "decorate, adorn".

From the English word dawn, ultimately derived from Old English dagung.

From a surname that was derived from the Old English given name Deorwine. The surname was borne by the British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the man who first proposed the theory of natural selection and subsequently revolutionized biology.

Medieval short form of Durante. The most notable bearer of this name was Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), the Italian poet who wrote the Divine Comedy.

Form of Daniel in various languages.

Means "hanging branch" in Hebrew.

Late Latin name meaning "heart" from Latin cor (genitive cordis). Saint Cordula was one of the 4th-century companions of Saint Ursula.

After the drink, Cider. Means, "strong drink"

From the Late Greek name Χριστόφορος (Christophoros) meaning "bearing Christ", derived from Χριστός (Christos) combined with φέρω (phero) meaning "to bear, to carry". Early Christians used it as a metaphorical name, expressing that they carried Christ in their hearts. In the Middle Ages, literal interpretations of the name's etymology led to legends about a Saint Christopher who carried the young Jesus across a river. He has come to be regarded as the patron saint of travellers.

As an English given name, Christopher has been in general use since the 15th century. It became very popular in the second half of the 20th century, reaching the top of the charts for England and Wales in the 1980s, and nearing it in the United States.

In Denmark this name was borne by three kings (their names are usually spelled Christoffer), including the 15th-century Christopher of Bavaria who also ruled Norway and Sweden. Other famous bearers include Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), English playwright Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), English architect Christopher Wren (1632-1723) and the fictional character Christopher Robin from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books.

In Incan mythology, Ch'aska ("Venus") or Ch'aska Quyllur ("Venus star") was the goddess of dawn and twilight, the planet Venus, flowers, maidens, and sex. She protected virgin girls. This name is of a separate etmology, with the Quechua ch'aska referring to what they thought was the brightest star but was the planet Venus. The Quechue quyllur means 'star'.

Used by author C. S. Lewis for a character in his Chronicles of Narnia series, first appearing in 1950. Prince Caspian first appears in the fourth book, where he is the rightful king of Narnia driven into exile by his evil uncle Miraz. Lewis probably based the name on the Caspian Sea, which was named for the city of Qazvin, which was itself named for the ancient Cas tribe.

Derived from Welsh caru meaning "love". This is a relatively modern Welsh name, in common use only since the middle of the 20th century.

Derived from Welsh caru "to love" and gwyn "white, blessed". This name was created in the 20th century [1].

Spanish diminutive of Carmel.

Derived from Latin caritas meaning "dearness, esteem, love".

Derived from Irish caomh meaning "dear, beloved, gentle".

Means "white raven" from Old Welsh bran "raven" and gwen "white, blessed". According to the Second Branch of the Mabinogi [1] she was the daughter of Llŷr. After she was mistreated by her husband Matholwch, the king of Ireland, she managed to get a message to her brother Brân, the king of Britain. Brân launched a costly invasion to rescue her, but she died of grief shortly after her return.

Originally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element borna (South Slavic brana) meaning "protection".

From a Bulgar Turkic name, also recorded as Bogoris, perhaps meaning "short" or "wolf" or "snow leopard". It was borne by the 9th-century Boris I of Bulgaria, who converted his realm to Christianity and is thus regarded as a saint in the Orthodox Church. To the north in Kievan Rus it was the name of another saint, a son of Vladimir the Great who was murdered with his brother Gleb in the 11th century. His mother may have been Bulgarian.

Other notable bearers of the name include the Russian emperor Boris Godunov (1552-1605), later the subject of a play of that name by Aleksandr Pushkin, as well as the Russian author Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), the Bulgarian king Boris III (1894-1943), and the Russian president Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007).

Croatian and Serbian form of Bisera.

Derived from the South Slavic word бисер (biser) meaning "pearl" (ultimately of Arabic origin).

From Greek Βελισάριος (Belisarios), probably of Illyric origin. This was the name of a famed Byzantine general and war hero who served the emperor Justinian. He was possibly of Slavic ancestry which has led to speculation that the name derives from Slavonic Beli-tzar "white prince" (the -sarius element being interpreted as coming from the old Slavic word tsesar or tsesari, which was derived from Caesar, thus giving Belisarius a "princely" connotation), but this etymology has since been discounted as somewhat dubious.

From the name of the flower (shrubs of the genus Rhododendron), ultimately derived from Greek ἀζαλέος (azaleos) meaning "dry".

From a Roman family name that meant "ancestral" in Latin. This was the name of an emperor who briefly reigned over the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. It was also the name of several saints, including a 6th-century bishop of Vienne.

Feminine form of Avitus, meaning "ancestral". This name was used for a character in Caroline Lawrence's book series "The Roman Mysteries", first released in 2001. The little girl in the story was named after her father, Avitus.

From the Norman French form of the Germanic name Avelina, a diminutive of Avila. The Normans introduced this name to Britain. After the Middle Ages it became rare as an English name, though it persisted in America until the 19th century [1].

From a misapprehension of the spelling of the name Arthur or from the occupation.

Means "south" in Latin (descended from the Indo-European root *hews- meaning "dawn", making it related to the English word east). Auster was the Roman god of the south wind.

Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.

Feminine form of Aurelius.