blackelectric's Personal Name List

The name of a woman in 'A genuine account of the life and transactions of H. ap D. Price ... Written by himself' (1752).

Variant of Zaria or Sariah.

Obscure medieval English name of uncertain etymology, though it may be related to the Latin name Isaura, which originated as an ethnic byname and derives from the place name Isauria.

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

Diminutive of names beginning with Wilf-, like Wilfred.

Short form of Wesley.

Diminutive of Vivienne. William John Locke used this name for the title character in his novel Viviette (1910).

Created by Roald Dahl for a character in his book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, published in 1964. He based the name on the Italian and Latin word verruca, meaning "wart", used in English to refer to the plantar wart.

Feminine form of Tristan.

Diminutive of Charlotte.

Short form of Thomas. Tom Sawyer is the main character in several of Mark Twain's novels, first appearing in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Other famous bearers include American actors Tom Hanks (1956-) and Tom Cruise (1962-), as well as American football player Tom Brady (1977-).

Short form of Tatiana or Christiana. It was rare in the United States until it jumped in popularity in 1975, perhaps due to the Vietnamese-American actress Tiana Alexandra (1956-), who had some exposure at that time. It was used as the name of the princess in the Disney movie The Princess and the Frog (2009).

Often a contracted form of Theodora, but there are also instances where it is actually a name on its own, then derived from Greek theorein "to watch, to look at."

Anglicized variant of Théodorine, or an elaborated form of Theodora.

Contracted form of Theodora or a shortened form of Cathedra.

From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who was associated with the Knights Templar, a medieval religious military order.

From the English word, ultimately deriving from Old French tané, which means "light brown".

From the name of a town in South Australia, perhaps meaning "near water" in an Australian Aboriginal language.

Diminutive of Sullivan and other names with a similar sound.

From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Súileabháin, itself from the given name Súileabhán, which was derived from Irish súil "eye" and dubh "dark, black" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name has achieved a moderate level of popularity in France since the 1970s. In the United States it was rare before the 1990s, after which it began climbing steadily. A famous fictional bearer of the surname was James P. Sullivan from the animated movie Monsters, Inc. (2001).

From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English springan "to leap, to burst forth".

Elaboration on Sorrel adding the suffix -lia.

Variant of Summer, coinciding with the German word for summer.

Diminutive of Solomon.

Variant of Sheila, or a combination of the popular phonetic elements shy and la.

Probably inspired by the French word chérie meaning "darling" or the English word sherry, a type of fortified wine named from the Spanish town of Jerez. This name came into popular use during the 1920s, inspired by other similar-sounding names and by Collette's novels Chéri (1920, English translation 1929) and The Last of Chéri (1926, English translation 1932), in which it is a masculine name.

This also coincides with an Irish surname (an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mac Searraigh), derived from the byname Searrach meaning "foal".

20th-century adoption of the name of Mount Shasta in Northern California (or the Shasta daisy, named after the mountain), which comes from the name of a Native American tribe that lived in the area; its origin and meaning is lost to time.

While the main character Shasta in the 1954 C. S. Lewis novel The Horse and His Boy was male, this is now generally considered a feminine name in the English-speaking world.

From the English word sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.

Diminutive of names beginning with a similar sound, such as Saffron (as used in the children's novel Saffy's Angel (2001) by Hilary McKay). It was also used as an Anglicized form of Sadbh in Ella Griffin's novel Postcards from the Heart (2011).

From the English word that refers either to a spice, the crocus flower from which it is harvested, or the yellow-orange colour of the spice. It is derived via Old French from Arabic زعفران (zaʿfarān), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".

Combination of the names Ruth 1 and Anne 1.

Diminutive of Rudolf.

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.

Variant of Josephine, influenced by Rose or Rosa 1.

Possibly an elaborated form of Rosa 1 or Rosalie.

Variant of Rosabel.

Combination of Rosa 1 and the common name suffix bel, inspired by Latin bella "beautiful". This name was created in the 18th century.

From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".

From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series Charmed, which debuted in 1998 [1].

Meaning unknown, possibly an early American alteration of Pamela.

Elaborated form of Opal. This is also an English and French word meaning "resembling an opal".

From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of Odysseus.

Short form of names that end in nina, such as Antonina or Giannina. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word niña meaning "little girl" (the word is pronounced differently than the name).

A famous bearer was the American jazz musician Nina Simone (1933-2003).

Short form of Antonia, Sidonia and other names ending in nia.

Possibly an elaboration of Nell using the popular phonetic suffix da.

Diminutive of Edward and Edmund.

Previously a medieval diminutive of Annis, though since the 18th century it has been a diminutive of Ann. It is now usually regarded as an independent name. During the 20th century it became very popular in the United States. A city in the Lorraine region of France bears this name, though it derives from a different source.

Simply from the English word myrtle for the evergreen shrub, ultimately from Greek μύρτος (myrtos). It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.

French form of Monica.

Diminutive of Wilhelmina. This name was used by Walt Disney for the cartoon character Minnie Mouse, introduced 1928.

Short form of Wilhelmina and other names ending in mina. This was the name of a character in the novel Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker.

Variant of Madge.

Variant of Muriel. A famous bearer is American actress Meryl Streep (1949-), whose real name is Mary Louise Streep.

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".

Derived from Latin melior meaning "better".

From the English words meadow and lark ("small singing bird"). Meadowlark is the common name for several species songbirds of the genera Sturnella and Leistes, native to the Americas. This was the name of American basketball player Meadowlark Lemon (1932-2015), who changed his legal name from Meadow to Meadowlark in 1969.

From the English word meadow, ultimately from Old English mædwe. Previously very rare, it rose in popularity after it was used as the name of Tony Soprano's daughter on the television series The Sopranos (1999-2007).

Possibly a combination of Mary and Will.

Combination of Mary and Michael used as a feminine given name.

Possibly a diminutive of Marina. This name was brought to public attention by Alfred Hitchcock's movie Marnie (1964), itself based on a 1961 novel by Winston Graham.

Transferred use of the surname Marlette which was derived from the nickname Marlet or Merlet, a diminutive of merle "blackbird". As a feminine given name, it may sometimes be regarded as an elaborated form of Marla. A known bearer of the surname was Doug Marlette (1949-2007), a Pulitzer Prize-winning American cartoonist.

Variant of Marlette.

Latinate form of Marlene.

Variant of Marlene using the suffix la.

Means "of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".

Combination of Mary and the common name suffix lyn. It was very rare before the start of the 20th century. It was popularized in part by the American stage star Marilyn Miller (1898-1936), who was born Mary Ellen Reynolds and took her stage name from a combination of her birth name and her mother's middle name Lynn. It became popular in the United States during the 1920s, reaching a high point ranked 13th in 1936. Famous bearers include American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962; real name Norma Jeane Mortenson) and American opera singer Marilyn Horne (1934-).

In the case of English-born American actress Margalo Gillmore (1897-1986), it appears to be a combination of Margaret and Lorraine, her given names (compare Marga, Lo). The author E. B. White used this name in his children's novel 'Stuart Little' (1945).

Diminutive of Marcia.

Diminutive of Maggie and Margaret, from the English word for the common European bird, known for its chattering, before c.1600 known simply as pie. The first element is from Mag, short for Margaret, long used in proverbial and slang English for qualities associated generally with women, especially in this case "idle chattering" (see Magge tales "tall tales, nonsense," early 15c.; also French margot "magpie," from Margot, pet form of Marguerite). Second element, pie, is the earlier name of the bird, from Old French pie, from Latin pica "magpie," feminine of picus "woodpecker," possibly from Proto-Indo-European base *pi-, denoting pointedness, of the beak, perhaps, but the magpie also has a long, pointed tail. The birds are proverbial for pilfering and hoarding, can be taught to speak, and have been regarded since the Middle Ages as a bird of ill omen.

From the English word magnolia for the flower, which was named for the French botanist Pierre Magnol.

Short form of Magdalena.

Diminutive of Margaret.

Means "son of oak" in Irish. This was the name of a 6th-century saint from Connemara.

Elaboration of Lynn, using the popular feminine suffix -essa.

Variant of Lydia, occasionally used in Norway as a masculine form. In some cases it may be directly from the word which means "of ancient Lydia" (and also refers to "a mode of ancient Greek music, reputed to be light and effeminate").

Diminutive of Charlotte or Liselotte.

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

Short form of Elizabeth. This is the familiar name of actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).

Short form of Alicia, Felicia and other names ending with the same sound.

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.

Diminutive of Leonard.

Possibly a combination of Leah and Beatrice. This name was first brought to public attention by the American actress Leatrice Joy (1893-1985).

From a French surname that was derived from a place name, ultimately from the Gaulish word vern "alder". It is sometimes associated with the Roman goddess Laverna or the Latin word vernus "of spring".

Short form of Alana (English) or Svetlana (Russian). In the English-speaking world it was popularized by actress Lana Turner (1921-1995), who was born Julia Jean Turner.

At least in part inspired by the name of a character from the animated movie Brother Bear (2003). The moviemakers apparently took it from Lakota or Dakota koda meaning "friend, companion".

Variant of Kay 1.

Latinate form of Katherine. This is the name of the woman whom Petruchio marries and tries to tame in Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew (1593).

Short form of Katherine, often used independently. It is short for Katherina in Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew (1593). It has been used in England since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer is the British actress Kate Winslet (1975-).

From a Roman family name that was possibly derived from Greek ἴουλος (ioulos) meaning "downy-bearded". Alternatively, it could be related to the name of the Roman god Jupiter. This was a prominent patrician family of Rome, who claimed descent from the mythological Julus, son of Aeneas. Its most notable member was Gaius Julius Caesar, who gained renown as a military leader for his clever conquest of Gaul. After a civil war he became the dictator of the Roman Republic, but was eventually stabbed to death in the senate.

Although this name was borne by several early saints, including a pope, it was rare during the Middle Ages. It was revived in Italy and France during the Renaissance, and was subsequently imported to England.

Diminutive of Julia or Julian.

From the English word, derived via Old French from Latin diurnus "of the day".

Diminutive of John. A famous bearer is American actor Johnny Depp (1963-).

Diminutive of Joan 1.

In part from the English word jewel, a precious stone, derived from Old French jouel, which was possibly related to jeu "game". It is also in part from the surname Jewel or Jewell (a derivative of the Breton name Judicaël), which was sometimes used in honour of the 16th-century bishop of Salisbury John Jewel. It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.

Variant of Jacey.

Diminutive of Jack or Jacqueline. A notable bearer was baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.

Short form of Jason, sometimes used independently. It was brought to limited attention in America by the lead character in the western television series Tales of the Texas Rangers (1955-1958). Towards the end of the 20th century it began steadily increasing in popularity, reaching the 66th spot for boys in the United States in 2013.

From the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English ifig.

Old Latin form of a lost Celtic name which also gave modern Irish Erin and was corrupted to Hibernia. Therefore a rather esoteric reference to Ireland. Variant Juverna has also been used, but both forms are rare.

Transferred use of the surname Holiday.

Latin form of Esther. Like Esther, it has been used in England since the Protestant Reformation. Nathaniel Hawthorne used it for the heroine of his novel The Scarlet Letter (1850), Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman forced to wear a red letter A on her chest after giving birth to a child out of wedlock.

From the English word heather for the variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers, which commonly grow in rocky areas. It is derived from Middle English hather. It was first used as a given name in the late 19th century, though it did not become popular until the last half of the 20th century.

Diminutive of Harriet.

Medieval English form of Henry. In modern times it is used as a diminutive of both Henry and names beginning with Har. Famous bearers include the American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), who was named after his uncle Harrison, and the British royal Prince Harry (1984-), who is actually named Henry. It is also the name of the boy wizard in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.

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.

Feminine form of Gerald. This name was created by the poet Henry Howard for use in a 1537 sonnet praising Lady Elizabeth FitzGerald, whom he terms The Geraldine.

Means "birth, origin" in Greek. This is the name of the first book of the Old Testament in the Bible. It tells of the creation of the world, the expulsion of Adam and Eve, Noah and the great flood, and the three patriarchs.

Either from the English word fox or the surname Fox, which originally given as a nickname. The surname was borne by George Fox (1624-1691), the founder of the Quakers.

Derived from Latin flos meaning "flower" (genitive case floris). Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, the wife of Zephyr the west wind. It has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, starting in France. In Scotland it was sometimes used as an Anglicized form of Fionnghuala.

From the English word fawn for a young deer.

Variant of Fawn in the style of Fauna.

It has been suggested that the name was created from an elaboration of love as a palindrome, or from the backwards spelling of t(h)e love with the h omitted for the sake of aesthetics, or from evolve as an incomplete anagram. It could also be used as a combination of the names Eve and Violet.

The name of a prehistoric woman in the 2008 film 10,000 B.C. directed by Roland Emmerich, meaning "the promise of life" in the fictitious language spoken by the character's adopted tribe, the Yaghal.

Short form of Eulalia.

Short form of Henrietta and other names that end with etta. A famous bearer was the American singer Etta James (1938-2012), who took her stage name from her real given name Jamesetta.

Diminutive of Esther.

Derived from French word for emerald, émeraude, possibly influenced by Esmeralda (which also means "emerald"). This is the name of a member of the Black Moon Clan from the manga and anime 'Sailor Moon'.

Based on the biblical place name Endor, which is of uncertain meaning (see Endor). It was used for a character in the American television series 'Bewitched' (1964-1972), in which case it was presumably an allusion to the biblical Witch of Endor whom Saul consulted, according to the first Book of Samuel in the Old Testament. This name was later used in the American television series 'Passions' (1999-2008), where it belongs to the witch Endora Lenox.

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).

Variant of Alvina.

From the name of the edelweiss flower (species Leontopodium alpinum). It is derived from the German elements edel "noble" and weiß "white." The name of the flower is spelled Edelweiß in German; Edelweiss is an Anglicized spelling.

From a nickname given to Americans of German descent (though nowadays it refers to a person from the Netherlands). It is related to deutsch, the German word meaning "German".

Short form of Drucilla.

From the name of a genus of about forty species of trees and succulent shrubs, which is the Latinized form of Greek δράκαινα (drakaina) meaning "she-dragon", the feminine form of δράκων (drakon) - compare Drakon. In Greek mythology a drakaina is a female dragon, sometimes with human-like features; the mythological characters of Ceto, Lamia, Echidna, and Scylla were all considered drakaina.

In the case of American author Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) it was from his mother's surname, which was possibly an Anglicized form of French de Chiel, of unknown meaning.

Feminine diminutive of Daniel.

From the name of the Native American people of the northern Mississippi Valley, or from the two American states that were named for them: North and South Dakota (until 1889 unified as the Dakota Territory). The tribal name means "allies, friends" in the Dakota language.

It was rare as an American given name before 1975. In the mid-1980s it began growing in popularity for boys after a character by this name began appearing on the soap opera Ryan's Hope. It is now more common as a feminine name, probably due to the fame of the actress Dakota Fanning (1994-).

Latinized form of Kore. It was not used as a given name in the English-speaking world until after it was employed by James Fenimore Cooper for a character in his novel The Last of the Mohicans (1826). In some cases it may be a short form of Cordula, Corinna and other names beginning with a similar sound.

Transferred use of the surname Collier.

Short form of Cleopatra, Cleon or Cleopas.

From the Latin title Clarensis, which belonged to members of the British royal family. The title ultimately derives from the name of the town of Clare in Suffolk. As a given name it has been in use since the 19th century.

Combination of Cindy and Sandra.

Derived from the Lakota word šahiyena meaning "red speakers". This is the name of a Native American people of the Great Plains. The name was supposedly given to the Cheyenne by the Lakota because their language was unrelated to their own. As a given name, it has been in use since the 1950s.

Variant of Charisse.

Meaning unknown, perhaps a combination of Charmian or the English word charm with the aine suffix from Lorraine. It was (first?) used for a character in the play What Price Glory (1924), which was made into a popular movie in 1926.

From a French surname of unknown meaning. It was used as a given name in honour of American actress and dancer Cyd Charisse (1921-2008).

Means "sung" in French.

Variant of Kate. A famous bearer is Australian actress Cate Blanchett (1969-).

Transferred use of the surname Carrick.

Diminutive of Agnes.

From ךְּנַעַן (Kenaʿan), the Hebrew name of the ancient region of Canaan, which was possibly derived from a root meaning "low, humble". In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Ham. He is said to be the ancestor and namesake of the Canaanite peoples.

Derived from a Middle English surname meaning "a Briton" (a Celt of England) or "a Breton" (an inhabitant of Brittany). Both ethnonyms are related to the place name Britain.

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.

From an English surname that could be derived from various sources, including from Middle English bec meaning "beak" or bekke meaning "stream, brook".

An informal nickname for Beatrice, Beatrix, Elizabeth and sometimes other names as well.

Elaboration of Azure.

In the case of the famed American soldier Audie Murphy (1925-1971), it is of uncertain meaning. As a feminine name, it can be a diminutive of Audrey.

From the name of the flower. J. R. R. Tolkien used this name on one of his characters in The Lord of the Rings.

Feminine form of Arcadius. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.

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).

Variant of Alicia.

Derived from French alouette "lark, skylark". Alouette is a popular Quebecois children's song, commonly thought to be about plucking the feathers from a lark. Although it is in French, it is well known among speakers of other languages as many US Marines and other Allied soldiers learned the song while serving in France during World War I and took it home with them, passing it on to their children and grandchildren.
This is a nickname used for Cosette as a young girl in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables (1862). As a given name, however, it is not used in France itself.

From the English word for the tree (comprising the genus Alnus), derived from Old English alor.

Feminine form of Adrian. A famous bearer is the Brazilian model Adriana Lima (1981-).

Form of Hadrianus (see Hadrian) used in several languages. Several saints and six popes have borne this name, including the only English pope, Adrian IV, and the only Dutch pope, Adrian VI. As an English name, it has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it was not popular until modern times.

Means "adored" in French. It is not commonly used as a name in France itself. Bearer Adorée Villany (born 1891) was a French dancer and dance theorist.