Anna the singer's Personal Name List

Meaning unknown. It has been in use since the 19th century. It is possibly related to the name of the African tribe that lives largely in South Africa, the Zulus. In the 19th century the Zulus were a powerful nation under their leader Shaka.

Variant of Xenia.

Meaning unknown, possibly an invented name. It arose in the 19th century.

Short form of Griselda. This is the name of a princess in the Legend of Zelda video games, debuting in 1986 and called ゼルダ (Zeruda) in Japanese. According to creator Shigeru Miyamoto she was named after the American socialite Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948).

From Chinese 泽 (zé) meaning "moist, grace, brilliance" combined with 东 (dōng) meaning "east", as well as other character combinations. A notable bearer was the founder of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong (1893-1976).

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 優花 or 有香 (see Yūka).

From Japanese 優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness", 悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" or 裕 (yū) meaning "abundant" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed of different kanji characters as well.

From Japanese 靖 (yasu), 泰 (yasu) or 康 (yasu) all meaning "peaceful" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.

From Chinese 翔 (xiáng) meaning "soar, glide", 祥 (xiáng) meaning "good luck, good omen", 香 (xiāng) meaning "fragrant" (which is usually only feminine) or 湘 (xiāng), which refers to the Xiang River in southern China. This name can also be formed from other characters.

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

Means "firstborn daughter" in Dakota or Lakota. According to folklore, this was the name of a daughter of a Dakota chief (possibly Wapasha III) who leapt from a cliff to her death rather than marry a man she hated. Numerous places in the United States have been named after her. The actress Winona Ryder (1971-) was named after the city in Minnesota where she was born.

Variant of Winona.

From Chinese 文 (wén) meaning "literature, culture, writing", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation. A famous bearer was the 2nd-century BC Emperor Wen of Han (posthumous name).

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

Scandinavian diminutive of names beginning with Vi, as well as Olivia and Sofia.

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).

Diminutive of Virginia.

Possibly a variant of Fiona influenced by Viola.

Short form of Genoveva.

French form of Veronica.

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.

Invented by author Jonathan Swift for his 1726 poem Cadenus and Vanessa [1]. He arrived at it by rearranging the initial syllables of the first name and surname of Esther Vanhomrigh, his close friend. Vanessa was later used as the name of a genus of butterfly. It was a rare given name until the mid-20th century, at which point it became fairly popular.

Variant of Valerie.

French feminine form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1).

Feminine form of Ulysses.

Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Juliana.

Feminine form of Tyler, or a combination of the popular phonetic elements ty and la.

Means "trinity" in Spanish, referring to the Holy Trinity. An island in the West Indies bears this name.

Feminine variant of Tracy.

Short form of Victoria.

Variant of Tonya.

Spanish feminine form of Thomas.

From the English word for a semicircle crown, ultimately of Greek origin.

Variant of Tiana.

Variant of Thirza.

Meaning unknown. It was a rare name when British author Marie Corelli used it for the Norwegian heroine of her novel Thelma (1887). The name became popular around the end of the 19th century after the novel was published. It is sometimes claimed to derive from Greek θέλημα (thelema) meaning "will", though this seems unlikely.

From Sino-Vietnamese 草 (thảo) meaning "grass, herbs".

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

Either a feminine variant of Terry 1 or a diminutive of Theresa.

Form of Theresa used in several languages. Saint Teresa of Ávila was a 16th-century Spanish nun who reformed the Carmelite monasteries and wrote several spiritual books. It was also borne by the Albanian missionary Saint Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), better known as Mother Teresa, who worked with the poor in India. She adopted the name in honour of the French saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who is the patron of missionaries.

Probably a feminine form of Taylor influenced by similar-sounding names such as Kayla.

Variant of Tatiana.

Variant of Tatiana.

Perhaps an elaborated form of Tara 1.

Variant of Sylvaine.

French diminutive of Suzanne.

French form of Susanna.

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.

From the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".

From Japanese 菫 (sumire) meaning "violet (flower)". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.

From Sino-Korean 淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming" and 子 (ja) meaning "child". Other hanja characters can form this name as well. Korean feminine names ending with the character 子 (a fashionable name suffix in Japan, read as -ko in Japanese) declined in popularity after 1945 when Korea was liberated from Japanese rule.

Feminine form of Stephen.

Latinate feminine form of Stephen.

Persian form of Thurayya. It became popular in some parts of Europe because of the fame of Princess Soraya (1932-2001), wife of the last Shah of Iran, who became a European socialite.

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-).

Variant of Sandra. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character in Theodore Dreiser's novel An American Tragedy (1925) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1931).

Form of Sophie in several languages.

Form of Sophia used in various languages.

French feminine form of Sixtus.

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.

From Chinese 顺 (shùn) meaning "obey, submit" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

From Japanese 静 (shizu) meaning "quiet" combined with 夏 (ka) meaning "summer" or 香 (ka) meaning "fragrance". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 紫苑 (shion) meaning "aster". It can also come from 詩 (shi) meaning "poem" and 音 (on) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.

Variant of Sherry.

From an English surname, which was possibly a variant of Selby. Though previously in use as a rare masculine name, it was popularized as a feminine name by the main character in the movie The Woman in Red (1935). It was later reinforced by the movie Steel Magnolias (1989) in which Julia Roberts played a character by this name.

From an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew שָׁרוֹן (Sharon) meaning "plain", referring to a fertile plain on the central west coast of Israel. This is also the name of a flowering plant in the Bible, the rose of Sharon, a term now used to refer to several different species of flowers.

It has been in use as a feminine given name in the English-speaking world since the 1920s, possibly inspired by the heroine in the serial novel The Skyrocket (1925) by Adela Rogers St. Johns [1]. As a Hebrew name it is unisex.

Variant of Charisse.

Variant of Chantel.

Variant of Shanna.

From Sino-Korean 昇 (seung) meaning "rise, ascend", 勝 (seung) meaning "victory" or 承 (seung) meaning "inherit", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.

From the English word meaning "serenity, tranquility", ultimately from Latin serenus meaning "clear, calm".

French form of Seraphina.

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Seraphina.

French form of Scholastica. It is more common in French-speaking Africa than France.

Variant of Scarlett.

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

Variant of Savannah.

Diminutive of Sara, or sometimes a variant of Serena.

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).

Variant of Sandy.

From Japanese 咲 (sa) meaning "blossom" and 希 (ki) meaning "hope", besides other combinations of kanji characters.

Feminine form of Ryan.

Variant of Royal.

Variant of Roxana.

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.

Probably derived from an unattested Celtic name *Rīgantonā meaning "great queen" (Celtic *rīganī "queen" and the divine or augmentative suffix -on). It is speculated that Rigantona was an old Celtic goddess, perhaps associated with fertility and horses like the Gaulish Epona. As Rhiannon, she appears in Welsh legend in the Mabinogi [1] as a beautiful magical woman who rides a white horse. She was betrothed against her will to Gwawl, but cunningly broke off that engagement and married Pwyll instead. Their son was Pryderi.

As an English name, it became popular due to the Fleetwood Mac song Rhiannon (1976), especially in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Feminine form of Rhett.

From the English word meaning "daydream, fanciful musing", derived from Old French resverie, itself from resver meaning "to dream, to rave".

Latinate feminine form of René.

Variant of Rhianna.

From Sino-Vietnamese 瓊 (quỳnh) meaning "deep red". This is also the Vietnamese name for a variety of flowering plant (genus Epiphyllum).

From Sino-Vietnamese 光 (quang) meaning "bright, clear".

Short form of Prudence.

Spanish feminine form of Prudentius.

From the name of a genus of several species of flowers, including the primrose. It is derived from the Latin word primulus meaning "very first".

From the medieval name Plaisance, which meant "pleasant" in Old French.

Feminine diminutive of Pierre.

From the name of the flower, derived ultimately from a Tupi (South American) word.

Latinate feminine diminutive of Paul.

Originally a variant of Matty, a 17th-century diminutive of Martha. It is now commonly used as a diminutive of Patricia.

Feminine form of Pascal.

Simply from the English word ocean for a large body of water. It is ultimately derived from Greek Ὠκεανός (Okeanos), the name of the body of water thought to surround the Earth.

Probably a feminine form of Niles. It gained popularity in the early 2000s, influenced by similar-sounding names such as Kyla.

From Japanese 典 (nori) meaning "rule, ceremony" or 紀 (nori) meaning "chronicle" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

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

English form of Noëlle.

Spanish feminine form of Noël.

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).

Variant of Nicole.

Variant of Nieves.

Diminutive of Nicole.

From Sino-Vietnamese 絨 (nhung) meaning "velvet".

The word heaven spelled backwards. It became popular after the musician Sonny Sandoval from the rock group P.O.D. gave it to his daughter in 2000. Over the next few years it rapidly climbed the rankings in America, peaking at the 25th rank for girls in 2010.

Short form of names ending in netta.

Derived from Greek Νηρηΐδες (Nereides) meaning "nymphs, sea sprites", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god Nereus, who supposedly fathered them.

Diminutive of Nell and other names containing nel.

Russian diminutive of Natalya. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace (1865). It has been used in the English-speaking world only since the 20th century.

Means "lily" in Korean.

From Japanese 直 (nao) meaning "straight, direct" and 子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.

Possibly derived from Old Norse nanþ meaning "daring, brave". In Norse mythology she was a goddess who died of grief when her husband Balder was killed.

From Japanese 七 (nana) meaning "seven" and 海 (mi) meaning "sea". It can also come from 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" duplicated and 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

From Japanese 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" duplicated and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.

Variant of Miranda.

Variant of Miley.

From Sino-Korean 明 (myeong) meaning "bright, light, clear" or other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. Although it does appear rarely as a single-character name, it is more often used in combination with another character.

Variant of Maura 2.

Meaning unknown, most likely of Berber or Phoenician origin. In the 4th century this name was borne by a North African saint, the mother of Saint Augustine of Hippo, whom she converted to Christianity. Since the Middle Ages it has been associated with Latin moneo "advisor" and Greek μονός (monos) "one, single".

As an English name, Monica has been in general use since the 18th century. In America it reached the height of its popularity in the 1970s, declining since then. A famous bearer was the Yugoslavian tennis player Monica Seles (1973-).

From Japanese 百 (momo) meaning "hundred" or 桃 (momo) meaning "peach" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be constructed from other kanji combinations as well.

Anglicized form of Máire. It also coincides with Greek Μοῖρα (Moira) meaning "fate, destiny", the singular of Μοῖραι, the Greek name for the Fates. They were the three female personifications of destiny in Greek mythology.

Feminine form of Modestus.

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

From Japanese 光 (mitsu) meaning "light" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Sino-Korean 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and 淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming", as well as other combinations of hanja characters with the same pronunciations.

From Japanese 操 (misao) meaning "chastity, honour". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji.

Derived from Latin mirabilis meaning "wonderful". This name was coined during the Middle Ages, though it eventually died out. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.

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

In the case of actress and singer Miley Cyrus (1992-), it is a shortened form of the nickname Smiley, given to her by her father because she often smiled. Although it was not at all common before she brought it to public attention, there are some examples of its use before her time, most likely as a diminutive of Miles.

Danish and Norwegian diminutive of Marie.

Variant of Merle.

Perhaps a feminine form of Melvin.

Means "bee" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of a daughter of Procles, as well as an epithet of various Greek nymphs and priestesses. According to the early Christian writer Lactantius [2] this was the name of the sister of the nymph Amalthea, with whom she cared for the young Zeus. Later it appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1532 poem Orlando Furioso [3] belonging to the fairy who helps Ruggiero escape from the witch Alcina. As an English given name, Melissa has been used since the 18th century.

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.

Older form of Millicent.

Meaning unknown, perhaps a form of Millicent. It was borne by the Irish writer and socialite Melesina Trench (1768-1827).

From Japanese 芽 (me) meaning "bud, sprout" combined with 依 (i) meaning "rely on", 生 (i) meaning "life" or 衣 (i) meaning "clothing, garment". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Diminutive of Mabel. This is an American cosmetics company, which was named after the founder's sister Mabel in 1915.

Variant of Maureen.

French feminine form of Maurice.

Anglicized form of Máire. It has also been associated with Irish mór meaning "great". This was the name of an obscure 5th-century Irish martyr.

Diminutive of Matilda or Matthew.

From Japanese 雅 (masa) meaning "elegant, graceful" or 正 (masa) meaning "right, proper" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Masako (1963-) is the current empress consort of Japan. This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji.

French, Dutch and Norwegian form of Martina.

Elaborated form of Marisa.

Catalan diminutive of Maria.

Diminutive of Maria.

Combination of Marie and Laure.

Combination of Marie and Ève.

French and Czech form of Maria. It has been very common in France since the 13th century. At the opening of the 20th century it was given to approximately 20 percent of French girls. This percentage has declined steadily over the course of the century, and it dropped from the top rank in 1958.

A notable bearer of this name was Marie Antoinette, a queen of France who was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. Another was Marie Curie (1867-1934), a physicist and chemist who studied radioactivity with her husband Pierre.

In France it is occasionally used as a masculine name in pairings such as Jean-Marie.

Diminutive of Marija (Croatian, Serbian and Slovene) or Mária (Hungarian).

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.

Roman feminine form of Marianus. After the classical era it was sometimes interpreted as a combination of Maria and Ana. In Portuguese it is further used as a form of Mariamne.

Combination of María and Josefa.

Latin form of Greek Μαρία, from Hebrew מִרְיָם (see Mary). Maria is the usual form of the name in many European languages, as well as a secondary form in other languages such as English (where the common spelling is Mary). In some countries, for example Germany, Poland and Italy, Maria is occasionally used as a masculine middle name.

This was the name of two ruling queens of Portugal. It was also borne by the Habsburg queen Maria Theresa (1717-1780), whose inheritance of the domains of her father, the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI, began the War of the Austrian Succession.

Feminine form of Marcellus.

Hungarian variant of Mária, and a Croatian and Serbian variant of Marija.

Diminutive of Amanda.

Created by the Scottish poet James MacPherson in the 18th century for a character in his Ossian poems. He probably intended it to mean "smooth brow", from Scottish Gaelic mala "brow" and mìn "smooth, fine" (lenited to mhìn and pronounced with a v sound).

Means "calm" in Hawaiian.

Means "jasmine" in Thai.

Hawaiian form of Matthew.

Variant of Maisie.

From Sino-Vietnamese 梅 (mai) meaning "plum, apricot" (refers specifically to the species Prunus mume).

Variant of Magdalene.

English form of Madeleine. This is the name of the heroine in a series of children's books by the Austrian-American author Ludwig Bemelmans, first published 1939.

Variant of Linda.

Variant of Lilou.

Variant of Luvenia.

Diminutive of Luisa.

Feminine form of Luis.

French form of Lucinda.

Variant of Luann.

Either a combination of Lou and Anna or a variant of Luana.

From the English word, which was originally borrowed from Old French loiauté, a derivative of loial "loyal", itself derived from Latin legalis "legal".

From the name of the state in the southern United States, named after the French king Louis XIV, who reigned over France from 1643 to 1715.

French feminine form of Louis.

Created by the author R. D. Blackmore for the title character in his novel Lorna Doone (1869), set in southern England, which describes the dangerous love between John Ridd and Lorna Doone. Blackmore may have based the name on the Scottish place name Lorne or on the title Marquis of Lorne (see Lorne).

Elaboration of Lori with the popular name suffix inda.

Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian form of Lorraine.

Variant of Lorraine.

Variant of Lorraine.

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

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

Short form of Elisabeth or Elizabeth.

Originally a medieval short form of Germanic names containing the element lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender" (Proto-Germanic *linþaz). It also coincides with the Spanish and Portuguese word linda meaning "beautiful". In the English-speaking world this name experienced a spike in popularity beginning in the 1930s, peaking in the late 1940s, and declining shortly after that. It was the most popular name for girls in the United States from 1947 to 1952.

Variant of Lily, or a diminutive of Lillian or Elizabeth.

Latinate form of Lillian.

Variant of Leila.

Variant of Leanne.

Diminutive of Lettice.

Spanish form of Letitia.

Possibly a short form of Aletha.

Short form of Alesia.

Feminine form of Leo.

Means "heavenly flowers" or "royal child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".

Variant of Lisa.

Short form of Alicia, Felicia or Letitia.

Form of Leah used in several languages.

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

Diminutive of Laura.

French diminutive of Laura.

Feminine form of Laurentinus.

Feminine form of Laurence 1.

Variant of Lorraine influenced by the spelling of Laura.

Combination of the popular prefix la with the name Donna.

Variant of Kira 2, sometimes considered a feminine form of Cyrus.

Variant of Crystal. This particular spelling was popularized by the character Krystle Carrington from the American soap opera Dynasty (1981-1989).

Variant of Crystal.

Diminutive of Christina or Christine.

From Japanese 清 (kiyo) meaning "clear, pure, clean" or 聖 (kiyo) meaning "holy" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.

From the name of the city of Kimberley in South Africa, which was named after Lord Kimberley (1826-1902). The city came to prominence in the late 19th century during the Boer War. Kimberly has been used as a given name since the mid-20th century, eventually becoming very popular as a feminine name.

Variant of Kimberly.

Variant of Kylie.

Variant of Kiara influenced by the spelling of Sierra.

Anglicized form of Ciara 1.

From Japanese 一 (kazu) meaning "one" or 和 (kazu) meaning "harmony, peace" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can also be formed from other kanji combinations.

Anglicized form of Caitlín.

English variant and Polish form of Cassandra.

Means "young woman" in Thai.

Variant of Candy.

Variant of Casey.

English form of Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name Ἰωάννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yoḥanan). It means "Yahweh is gracious", from the roots יוֹ (yo) referring to the Hebrew God and חָנַן (ḥanan) meaning "to be gracious". The Hebrew form occurs in the Old Testament (spelled Johanan or Jehohanan in the English version), but this name owes its popularity to two New Testament characters, both highly revered saints. The first is John the Baptist, a Jewish ascetic who is considered the forerunner of Jesus. He baptized Jesus and was later executed by Herod Antipas. The second is the apostle John, who is traditionally regarded as the author of the fourth gospel and Revelation. With the apostles Peter and James (John's brother), he was part of the inner circle of Jesus.

This name was initially more common among Eastern Christians in the Byzantine Empire, but it flourished in Western Europe after the First Crusade. In England it became extremely popular, typically being the most common male name from the 13th to the 20th century (but sometimes outpaced by William). During the later Middle Ages it was given to approximately a fifth of all English boys. In the United States it was the most common name for boys until 1923.

The name (in various spellings) has been borne by 21 popes and eight Byzantine emperors, as well as rulers of England, France, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Russia and Hungary. It was also borne by the poet John Milton (1608-1674), philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), American founding father and president John Adams (1735-1826), and poet John Keats (1795-1821). Famous bearers of the 20th century include author John Steinbeck (1902-1968), assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), and musician John Lennon (1940-1980).

The forms Ian (Scottish), Sean (Irish) and Evan (Welsh) have also been frequently used in the English-speaking world, as has the medieval diminutive Jack.

Feminine form of Joel.

From a Frankish masculine name, variously written as Gautselin, Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element *gautaz, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats, combined with a Latin diminutive suffix. The Normans brought this name to England in the form Goscelin or Joscelin, and it was common until the 14th century. It was revived in the 20th century primarily as a feminine name, perhaps an adaptation of the surname Jocelyn (a medieval derivative of the given name). In France this is a masculine name only.

Combination of Jo and Beth.

Combination of Jo and Anne 1.

Variant of Joan 1 or Johanne. In some cases it might be considered a combination of Jo and Anne 1.

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 지우 (see Ji-U).

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.

Feminine form of Jesús.

Variant of Jesse.

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-).

Diminutive of Jessica.

Variant of Jenny. Before the 20th century this spelling was more common.

Short form of Jennifer.

Diminutive of Jennifer.

Diminutive of Jeanne.

Variant of Jaylynn popular in the Netherlands.

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.

From the name of the month, which was named for the Roman god Janus. This name briefly charted on the American top 1000 list for girls after it was borne by the protagonist of Jacqueline Susann's novel Once Is Not Enough (1973).

Variant of Janet.

Variant of Janelle.

Variant of Jamie.

Diminutive of Jacqueline.

Medieval variant of Jack. It is also sometimes used as a short form of Jacob.

Variant of Jamie. The character Jaime Sommers from the television series The Bionic Woman (1976-1978) helped to popularize the name. It can sometimes be given in reference to the French phrase j'aime meaning "I love", though it is pronounced differently.

French feminine form of Jacques, also commonly used in the English-speaking world.

From the Latin Iacob, which was from the Greek Ἰακώβ (Iakob), which was from the Hebrew name יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿaqov). In the Old Testament Jacob (later called Israel) is the son of Isaac and Rebecca and the father of the twelve founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. He was born holding his twin brother Esau's heel, and his name is explained as meaning "holder of the heel" or "supplanter", because he twice deprived his brother of his rights as the firstborn son (see Genesis 27:36). Other theories claim that it is in fact derived from a hypothetical name like יַעֲקֹבְאֵל (Yaʿaqovʾel) meaning "may God protect".

The English names Jacob and James derive from the same source, with James coming from Latin Iacomus, a later variant of the Latin New Testament form Iacobus. Unlike English, many languages do not have separate spellings for the two names.

In England, Jacob was mainly regarded as a Jewish name during the Middle Ages [1], though the variant James was used among Christians. Jacob came into general use as a Christian name after the Protestant Reformation. In America, although already moderately common, it steadily grew in popularity from the early 1970s to the end of the 1990s, becoming the top ranked name from 1999 to 2012.

A famous bearer was Jacob Grimm (1785-1863), the German linguist and writer who was, with his brother Wilhelm, the author of Grimm's Fairy Tales.

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.

Derived from Jackin (earlier Jankin), a medieval diminutive of John [1]. There could be some early influence from the unrelated French name Jacques [2]. It is often regarded as an independent name. During the Middle Ages it was very common, and it became a slang word meaning "man", as seen in the terms jack-o'-lantern, jack-in-the-box, lumberjack and so on. It was frequently used in fairy tales and nursery rhymes, such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and Jill, Little Jack Horner, and Jack Sprat.

American writers Jack London (1876-1916) and Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) were two famous bearers of this name. It is also borne by the actor Jack Nicholson (1937-) and the golfer Jack Nicklaus (1940-). Apart from Nicklaus, none of these famous bearers were given the name Jack at birth.

In the United Kingdom this form has been bestowed more frequently than John since the 1990s, being the most popular name for boys from 1996 to 2008.

Variant of Jacinta.

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.

French form of Isaura.

German short form of names beginning with the Old German element irmin meaning "whole, great" (Proto-Germanic *ermunaz). It is thus related to Emma. It began to be regularly used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century.

Means "possessing drops of rain" from Sanskrit इन्दु (indu) meaning "a drop" and र (ra) meaning "acquiring, possessing". Indra is the name of the ancient Hindu warrior god of the sky and rain, frequently depicted riding the elephant Airavata. He is the chief god in the Rigveda.

Short form of names ending with or otherwise containing ina, such as Martina, Christina and Carolina.

Variant of Eileen.

Medieval English name, probably a Latinized form of Iðunn. The spelling may have been influenced by Latin idonea "suitable". It was common in England from the 12th century [1].

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 현주 (see Hyeon-Ju).

From Sino-Vietnamese 紅 (hồng) meaning "pink, rosy".

From Japanese 寛 (hiro) meaning "tolerant, generous", 裕 (hiro) meaning "abundant" or 浩 (hiro) meaning "prosperous" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 日向 (hinata) meaning "sunny place", 陽向 (hinata) meaning "toward the sun", or a non-standard reading of 向日葵 (himawari) meaning "sunflower". Other kanji compounds are also possible. Because of the irregular readings, this name is often written using the hiragana writing system.

From Japanese 陽 (hi) meaning "light, sun" or 日 (hi) meaning "sun, day" combined with 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 光 (hikaru) meaning "light" or 輝 (hikaru) meaning "brightness". Other kanji can also form this name.

From Japanese 響 (hibiki) meaning "sound, echo".

German diminutive of Adelheid.

From the English vocabulary word meaning "paradise". It is derived via Middle English hevene from Old English heofon "sky".

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.

Variant of Hayes, sometimes used as a short form of Hazel.

From Japanese 晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather" and 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful", as well as other kanji combinations that are read the same way.

From Japanese 陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male", 春 (haru) meaning "spring" or 晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.

From Chinese 海 (hǎi) meaning "sea, ocean" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

From Sino-Korean 夏 (ha) meaning "summer, great, grand" combined with 恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity". This name can also be formed by other hanja character combinations.

From Sino-Korean 京 (gyeong) meaning "capital city" and 淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming". Other hanja character combinations are possible.

From Chinese 桂 (guì) meaning "laurel, cassia, cinnamon" combined with 英 (yīng) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". This name can be formed from other character combinations as well.

Diminutive of Grace.

Means "grace" in Spanish, making it a cognate of Grace.

From a nickname for a person with blond hair, from the English word gold.

Simply from the English word glory, ultimately from Latin gloria.

Elaborated form of Latin gloria meaning "glory". In Edmund Spenser's poem The Faerie Queene (1590) this was the name of the title character, a representation of Queen Elizabeth I.

Variant of Giselle.

Diminutive of Virginia.

Short form of Georgina, Regina, Luigina and other names ending in gina. It can also be used as a diminutive of Virginia or Eugenia. It was popularized in the 1950s by Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida (1927-2023), whose birth name was Luigina.

From the English word gift, of Old Norse origin. This name is most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.

Variant of Gianna.

Diminutive of Eugenia.

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

Elaborated form of Gail.

French feminine form of Gabriel. This was the real name of French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971).

Feminine form of Frederico or Frederick.

Simply from the English word flower for the blossoming plant. It is derived (via Old French) from Latin flos.

Elaborated form of Spanish or Portuguese flor meaning "flower".

Feminine form of Flavius.

Dutch, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Phoebe.

Means "help" in Hebrew. Ezra is a prophet of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a famous bearer.

Latinate form of Evangeline.

Means "to use words of good omen" from Greek εὐφημέω (euphemeo), a derivative of εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and φημί (phemi) meaning "to speak, to declare". Saint Euphemia was an early martyr from Chalcedon.

From Sino-Korean 恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" combined with 宇 (u) meaning "house, universe" or 祐 (u) meaning "divine intervention, protection". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.

French form of Eugenia. This was the name of the wife of Napoleon III.

Italian and Spanish form of Euphemia.

French feminine form of Stephen.

Means "esteemed" or "loved" in Old French. It was first recorded in Scotland, being borne by the first Duke of Lennox in the 16th century. It is now more common as a feminine name.

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-).

French feminine form of Aemilianus (see Emiliano).

Feminine form of Aemilius (see Emily). In Shakespeare's tragedy Othello (1603) this is the name of the wife of Iago.

Variant of Emily.

Diminutive of Elisabet.

Dutch diminutive of Elisabeth or an English variant of Ellie.

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).

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).

Variant of Elisa.

Scandinavian and Finnish form of Elizabeth. It is also used in Spain alongside the traditional form Isabel.

Feminine form of Eligius.

Variant of Elfreda.

Latinate form of Eleanor.

Possibly a Spanish variant form of Alba 3.

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).

From Japanese 栄 (ei) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper" or 英 (ei) meaning "excellent, fine" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Diminutive of Euphemia. In Scotland it has been used as an Anglicized form of Oighrig.

Short form of Etheldreda.

Variant of Dorothy.

French feminine form of Dorian.

Variant of Dolly.

Possibly a diminutive of Theodosia.

Feminine form of Dieudonné.

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.

Short form of names that end in detta.

English form of Désirée. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the movie Désirée (1954).

Variant of Desiree.

French feminine form of Denis.

Possibly a short form of names ending with dena. It has also been used as a variant of Deanna.

Feminine form of Demetrius.

Variant of Dolores.

Altered form of Dolores.

Either from Latin deliciae "delight, pleasure" or a variant of the English word delicious. It has been used since the 17th century (rarely).

Diminutive of Deborah.

Variant of Deanna.

Feminine form of Daniel or Dan 1.

French feminine form of Daniel. It has been commonly used in the English-speaking world only since the 20th century.

From the English word crystal for the clear, colourless glass, sometimes cut into the shape of a gemstone. The English word derives ultimately from Greek κρύσταλλος (krystallos) meaning "ice". It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.

Diminutive of Cruz.

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.

Masculine or feminine diminutive of Jacob.

French feminine form of Claudius.