Luxiana's Personal Name List
Zoe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, German, Czech, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ζώη, Ζωή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZO-ee(English) DZAW-eh(Italian) THO-eh(European Spanish) SO-eh(Latin American Spanish)
Personal remark: Zoe Clementine, Zoe Ayla Montserrat, Zoe Ayla Clementine, Zoe Ayla Sirena
Means
"life" in Greek. From early times it was adopted by Hellenized Jews as a translation of
Eve. It was borne by two early Christian
saints, one martyred under Emperor Hadrian, the other martyred under Diocletian. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by a ruling empress of the 11th century.
As an English name, Zoe (sometimes with a diaeresis as Zoë) has only been in use since the 19th century. It has generally been more common among Eastern Christians (in various spellings).
Zinnia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ZIN-ee-ə
Personal remark: Zinnia Montserrat, Zinnia Maeve Sonnet, Zinnia Pomeline Honey, Zinnia Maeve Sonora
From the name of the flower, which was itself named for the German botanist Johann Zinn.
Zenaida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Greek
Other Scripts: Ζηναΐδα(Ancient Greek)
Apparently a Greek derivative of
Ζηναΐς (Zenais), which was derived from the name of the Greek god
Zeus. This was the name of a 1st-century
saint who was a doctor with her sister Philonella.
Xiomara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: syo-MA-ra
Personal remark: Paloma Xiomara nn Mora
Possibly a Spanish form of
Guiomar.
Wolfgang
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: VAWLF-gang(German) WUWLF-gang(English)
Personal remark: Benicio Wolfgang
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).
Winter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIN-tər
From the English word for the season, derived from Old English winter.
Willow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIL-o
From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.
Wilhelmina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, German (Rare), English
Pronounced: vil-hehl-MEE-na(Dutch, German) wil-ə-MEEN-ə(English) wil-hehl-MEEN-ə(English)
Dutch and German feminine form of
Wilhelm. This name was borne by a queen of the Netherlands (1880-1962).
Wilda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIL-də
Personal remark: Wilda Marigold, Wilda Coralie
Meaning uncertain, perhaps from a German surname, or perhaps from the English word wild. It has been in use since the 19th century.
Westley
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEST-lee
From a surname that was a variant of
Wesley.
Vivienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: VEE-VYEHN
Personal remark: Vivienne Pegasus
Virginie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: VEER-ZHEE-NEE
Virginia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Βιργινία(Greek)
Pronounced: vər-JIN-yə(English) veer-JEE-nya(Italian) beer-KHEE-nya(Spanish)
Personal remark: Virginia Clementine
Feminine form of the Roman family name
Verginius or
Virginius, which is of unknown meaning, but long associated with Latin
virgo "maid, virgin". According to a legend, it was the name of a Roman woman killed by her father so as to save her from the clutches of a crooked official.
This was the name of the first English baby born in the New World: Virginia Dare in 1587 on Roanoke Island. Perhaps because of this, the name has generally been more popular in America than elsewhere in the English-speaking world, though in both Britain and America it was not often used until the 19th century. The baby was named after the Colony of Virginia, which was itself named for Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen. A more recent bearer was the English novelist Virginia Woolf (1882-1941).
Violet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VIE-lit, VIE-ə-lit
Personal remark: Violet Helianthe, Violet Sunniva, twin sister to Ione
From the English word violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.
Vienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Pronounced: VYEHN(French)
Personal remark: Sailor Vienne
From the French name for
Vienna, the capital city of Austria.
Veva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: BEH-ba(Spanish)
Veronica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Romanian, Late Roman
Pronounced: və-RAHN-i-kə(American English) və-RAWN-i-kə(British English) veh-RAW-nee-ka(Italian)
Personal remark: Veronica Pegasus, Veronica Maeve Pegasus, Veronica Lucia
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.
Vega 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Personal remark: my name day
The name of a star in the constellation Lyra. Its name is from Arabic
الواقع (al-Wāqiʿ) meaning "the swooping (eagle)".
Vanessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Dutch
Pronounced: və-NEHS-ə(English) VA-NEH-SA(French) va-NEHS-sa(Italian) vu-NEH-su(European Portuguese) va-NEH-su(Brazilian Portuguese) ba-NEH-sa(Spanish) va-NEH-sa(German) vah-NEH-sa(Dutch)
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.
Vanamo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish (Modern)
Pronounced: VAH-nah-mo
Personal remark: meaning twinflower
Means "twinflower" in Finnish.
Valentine 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: VA-LAHN-TEEN
Personal remark: Simona Valentine, Juliana Valentine
Valentina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Валентина(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) Βαλεντίνα(Greek)
Pronounced: va-lehn-TEE-na(Italian) və-lyin-TYEE-nə(Russian) vu-lyehn-tyi-NU(Lithuanian) ba-lehn-TEE-na(Spanish)
Personal remark: Valentina Helena, Valentina Lior, Valentina Aurora Lior
Feminine form of
Valentinus (see
Valentine 1). A famous bearer is the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (1937-), who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space.
Uxía
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Galician
Pronounced: oo-SHEE-u
Twyla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TWIE-lə
Personal remark: Twyla Zenaide, Twyla Clementine
Tove
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: TOO-veh(Norwegian, Swedish) TO-və(Danish)
Modern form of the Old Norse name
Tófa, a short form of
Þórfríðr.
Torvald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian
From the Old Norse name
Þórvaldr, which meant
"Thor's ruler" from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor) combined with
valdr "ruler".
Tomás
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Irish
Pronounced: to-MAS(Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese) too-MASH(European Portuguese) TUW-mas(Irish) TAW-mas(Irish) tə-MAS(Irish)
Personal remark: Benicio Tomas
Spanish, Portuguese and Irish form of
Thomas.
Tobias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, English, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Τωβίας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: to-BEE-as(German) tuw-BEE-as(Swedish) tə-BIE-əs(English)
Greek form of
Tobiah. This is the name of the hero of the apocryphal Book of Tobit, which appears in many English versions of the
Old Testament. It relates how
Tobit's son Tobias, with the help of the angel
Raphael, is able to drive away a demon who has plagued Sarah, who subsequently becomes his wife. This story was popular in the Middle Ages, and the name came into occasional use in parts of Europe at that time. In England it became common after the
Protestant Reformation.
Timoteo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Pronounced: tee-mo-TEH-o(Spanish) tee-MAW-teh-o(Italian)
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of
Timothy.
Timotej
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Slovene, Macedonian, Slovak
Other Scripts: Тимотеј(Macedonian)
Pronounced: TEE-maw-tay(Slovak)
Slovene, Macedonian and Slovak form of
Timothy.
Thora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish
Personal remark: Thora Appolonia, Thora Imogen Lux, Thora Augustina, Thora Cecilia Estrella, Thora Cecilia Pegasus
Theodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θεοδώρα(Greek)
Pronounced: thee-ə-DAWR-ə(English)
Personal remark: with nn Tea or Thora
Feminine form of
Theodore. This name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by several empresses including the influential wife of Justinian in the 6th century.
Teodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Swedish
Other Scripts: Теодора(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian)
Pronounced: teh-o-DAW-ra(Italian) teh-o-DHO-ra(Spanish) teh-o-DO-ra(Romanian) teh-aw-DAW-ra(Polish)
Personal remark: Maeve Teodora, Teodora Mina, Teodora Pegasus Maeve, Teodora Amina
Feminine form of
Theodoros (see
Theodore).
Tegwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Personal remark: Tegwen Sailor
Derived from the Welsh elements
teg "beautiful, pretty" and
gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the 19th century
[1].
Teague
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: TAYG(English) TEEG(English)
Personal remark: Benicio Teague Andes, Benicio Teague Savio, Teague Savio Cruz
Anglicized form of
Tadhg. This name is also used as a slang term for an Irish Catholic.
Tea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Slovene, Finnish, Georgian
Other Scripts: თეა(Georgian)
Pronounced: TEH-ah(Finnish)
Personal remark: Tea Eulalie
Talulla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Anglicized form of the Old Irish name
Taileflaith,
Tuileflaith or
Tuilelaith, probably from
tuile "abundance" and
flaith "ruler, sovereign, princess". This was the name of an early
saint, an abbess of Kildare.
Tabitha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ταβιθά(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TAB-i-thə(English)
Means
"gazelle" in Aramaic. Tabitha in the
New Testament was a woman restored to life by
Saint Peter. Her name is translated into Greek as
Dorcas (see
Acts 9:36). As an English name,
Tabitha became common after the
Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the television show
Bewitched, in which Tabitha (sometimes spelled Tabatha) is the daughter of the main character.
Svenja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: SVEHN-ya
German feminine form of
Sven.
Sven
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: SVEHN(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch)
Personal remark: Sven Carlos Hermes, Sven Carlos Cruz, Sven Carlos Eliot
From the Old Norse byname Sveinn meaning "boy". This was the name of kings of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Svea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: SVEH-ah
Personal remark: Lucia Violet Svea, Svea Helvetica
From a personification of the country of Sweden, in use since the 17th century. It is a derivative of Svear, the Swedish name for the North Germanic tribe the Swedes. The Swedish name of the country of Sweden is Sverige, a newer form of Svear rike meaning "the realm of the Svear".
Sunniva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian
Personal remark: Ulla Sunniva, Nola Sunniva, nn Nova, sister to Annika
Scandinavian form of the Old English name
Sunngifu, which meant
"sun gift" from the Old English elements
sunne "sun" and
giefu "gift". This was the name of a legendary English
saint who was shipwrecked in Norway and killed by the inhabitants.
Stig
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: STEEG(Swedish)
Sora
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 空, 昊, etc.(Japanese Kanji) そら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SO-RA
Personal remark: meaning sky
From Japanese
空 (sora) or
昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.
Sofía
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Galician
Pronounced: so-FEE-a(Spanish)
Personal remark: Sofia Vienne Milou, Sofia Estrella Milou
Spanish and Galician form of
Sophia.
Sinjin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (British, Rare)
Pronounced: SIN-jin
Sindri
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Old Norse [1], Icelandic
Means
"sparkle" in Old Norse. In Norse
mythology this was the name of a dwarf, also named Eitri. With his brother
Brokkr he made several magical items for the gods, including
Odin's ring Draupnir and
Thor's hammer Mjölnir.
Simona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Lithuanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Симона(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: see-MO-na(Italian) SI-mo-na(Czech) SEE-maw-na(Slovak)
Personal remark: Simona Valentine, Simona Francesca Estrella, Simona Jacinth, Simona Amelie, Simona Coralie
Seve
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: SEH-beh
Sebastián
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Czech
Pronounced: seh-bas-TYAN(Spanish) SEH-bas-ti-yan(Czech)
Spanish and Czech form of
Sebastianus (see
Sebastian).
Scarlet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKAHR-lit
Personal remark: Indira Scarlet
Either a variant of
Scarlett or else from the English word for the red colour (both of the same origin, a type of cloth).
Savio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: SA-vyo
Personal remark: Teague Savio, Benicio Teague Savio - blessed bright poet
Means "wise" in Italian.
Rune
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: ROO-nə(Norwegian) ROO-neh(Danish, Swedish)
Personal remark: meaning secret lore
Derived from Old Norse
rún meaning
"secret lore, rune".
Rosabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Personal remark: Coco Rosabella nn CocoRosie
Rocío
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ro-THEE-o(European Spanish) ro-SEE-o(Latin American Spanish)
Means
"dew" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary María del Rocío meaning "Mary of the Dew".
Renato
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Croatian
Pronounced: reh-NA-to(Italian, Spanish) ri-NA-too(European Portuguese) heh-NA-too(Brazilian Portuguese)
Italian, Portuguese and Spanish form of
Renatus.
Quinn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KWIN
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Cuinn, itself derived from the given name
Conn. In the United States it was more common as a name for boys until 2010, the year after the female character Quinn Fabray began appearing on the television series
Glee.
Puck
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon Mythology, Dutch
Pronounced: PUK(English) PUYK(Dutch)
Meaning unknown, from Old English puca. It could ultimately be of either Germanic or Celtic origin. In English legend this was the name of a mischievous spirit, also known as Robin Goodfellow. He appears in Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). It is used in the Netherlands as mainly a feminine name.
Poppy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHP-ee
From the word for the red flower, derived from Old English popæg.
Phoebe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: Φοίβη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: FEE-bee(English)
Personal remark: Phoebe Adelaide
Latinized form of the Greek name
Φοίβη (Phoibe), which meant
"bright, pure" from Greek
φοῖβος (phoibos). In Greek
mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess
Artemis. The name appears in
Paul's epistle to the Romans in the
New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae.
In England, it began to be used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately common in the 19th century. It began to rise in popularity again in the late 1980s, probably helped along by characters on the American television shows Friends (1994-2004) and Charmed (1998-2006). It is currently much more common in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand than the United States.
A moon of Saturn bears this name, in honour of the Titan.
Petra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, English
Other Scripts: Петра(Bulgarian) Πέτρα(Greek)
Pronounced: PEH-tra(German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak) PEH-traw(Hungarian) PEHT-rah(Finnish) PEHT-rə(English)
Personal remark: Petra + Nella = ! , Petra Olivette
Feminine form of
Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.
Percival
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle, English
Pronounced: PUR-si-vəl(English)
Created by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for his poem
Perceval, the Story of the Grail. Chrétien may have derived the name from Old French
perce val "pierce the valley", or he may have based it loosely on the Welsh name
Peredur [1]. In the poem Perceval is a boy from Wales who hopes to become a knight under King
Arthur. Setting out to prove himself, he eventually comes to the castle of the Fisher King and is given a glimpse of the Grail.
Penelope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Πηνελόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEH-NEH-LO-PEH(Classical Greek) pə-NEHL-ə-pee(English)
Personal remark: with nn Pony!
Probably derived from Greek
πηνέλοψ (penelops), a type of duck. Alternatively it could be from
πήνη (pene) meaning "threads, weft" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". In
Homer's epic the
Odyssey this is the name of the wife of
Odysseus, forced to fend off suitors while her husband is away fighting at Troy.
It has occasionally been used as an English given name since the 16th century. It was moderately popular in the 1940s, but had a more notable upswing in the early 2000s. This may have been inspired by the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz (1974-), who gained prominence in English-language movies at that time. It was already rapidly rising when celebrities Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick gave it to their baby daughter in 2012.
Pegasus
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Πήγασος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEHG-ə-səs(English)
Personal remark: love as a feminine mn, Pegasus Inez, Pegasus Maeve
From the Greek
Πήγασος (Pegasos), possibly either from
πηγός (pegos) meaning
"strong" or
πηγαῖος (pegaios) meaning
"from a water spring". In Greek
mythology Pegasus was the winged horse that sprang from the blood of Medusa after she was killed by
Perseus. There is a constellation in the northern sky named after the horse.
Pearl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PURL
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.
Paloma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: pa-LO-ma
Personal remark: Paloma Lucia, Paloma Xiomara, Mora Paloma
Means "dove, pigeon" in Spanish.
Ovid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: AHV-id(English)
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.
Olivette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: ahl-i-VEHT(English)
Personal remark: Petra Olivette, Petranella Olivette
Feminine form of
Oliver. This was the name of the title character in the French opera
Les noces d'Olivette (1879) by Edmond Audran.
Octavia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ahk-TAY-vee-ə(English) ok-TA-bya(Spanish) ok-TA-wee-a(Latin)
Personal remark: Octavia Sandrine, Octavia Pegasus
Feminine form of
Octavius. Octavia was the wife of Mark Antony and the sister of the Roman emperor Augustus. In 19th-century England it was sometimes given to the eighth-born child.
Océane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AW-SEH-AN
Derived from French océan meaning "ocean".
Obi
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Igbo
Means "heart" in Igbo.
Oberon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: O-bər-ahn(English)
Variant of
Auberon. Oberon and
Titania are the king and queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's comedy
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). A moon of Uranus bears this name in his honour.
Nura
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: نورة, نورا(Arabic)
Pronounced: NOO-ra
Strictly feminine form of
Nur.
Nova
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish (Modern), Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: NO-və(English) NO-va(Swedish, Dutch)
Personal remark: Nova Sky, Nova Imogen Sky, Nova Eulalie, Nova Clementine
Derived from Latin novus meaning "new". It was first used as a name in the 19th century.
Noor 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: نور(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: NOOR(Arabic)
Alternate transcription of Arabic/Urdu
نور (see
Nur).
Nola
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NO-lə
Personal remark: Nola Sunniva, Nola Gem, Nola Maeve, Nola Pomeline Honey
Meaning uncertain, possibly a feminine form of
Noll inspired by
Lola. It has been most common in Australia and New Zealand, especially in the first half of the 20th century.
Nico
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: NEE-ko(Italian, Dutch, Spanish)
Personal remark: as a nn for Benicio
Nia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: NEE-a
Personal remark: Nia Laurentine
Welsh form of
Niamh. The Welsh poet T. Gwynn Jones used it in his long poem
Tir na n-Óg (1916), referring to the lover of
Oisín.
Nia 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swahili, African American
Personal remark: Nia Laurentine
Means
"purpose, aim" in Swahili, borrowed from Arabic
نيّة (nīya) [1].
Neve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Personal remark: meaning bright
Anglicized form of
Niamh.
Natasha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Belarusian, English
Other Scripts: Наташа(Russian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: nu-TA-shə(Russian) nə-TAHSH-ə(English)
Personal remark: Natasha Valentine
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.
Nadia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Italian, Spanish, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Надя(Russian, Bulgarian) Надія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: NA-DYA(French) NA-dya(Italian) NA-dhya(Spanish) NAD-ee-ə(English) NAHD-ee-ə(English) NA-dyə(Russian)
Variant of
Nadya 1 used in Western Europe, as well as an alternate transcription of the Slavic name. It began to be used in France in the 19th century
[1]. The name received a boost in popularity from the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci (1961-)
[2].
My
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: MUY
Mora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: MAWR-ə
Personal remark: Mora Paloma, Spanish for blackberry and Swedish town
Montserrat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: moon-sə-RAT
Personal remark: Zinnia Montserrat
From the name of a mountain near Barcelona, the site of a monastery founded in the 10th century. The mountain gets its name from Latin mons serratus meaning "jagged mountain".
Miranda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: mi-RAN-də(English) mee-RAHN-da(Dutch)
Personal remark: meaning admirable, wonderful
Derived from Latin
mirandus meaning
"admirable, worthy of being admired". The name was created by Shakespeare for the heroine in his play
The Tempest (1611), in which Miranda and her father
Prospero are stranded on an island. It did not become a common English given name until the 20th century. This is also the name of one of the moons of Uranus, named after the Shakespearean character.
Mirabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), English (Rare)
Personal remark: meaning wonderful
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.
Mina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: MEE-nə(English) MEE-na(Dutch)
Personal remark: Estrella Mina, Stella Mina
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.
Mateo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Croatian
Pronounced: ma-TEH-o(Spanish)
Spanish form of
Matthew. This form is also sometimes used in Croatia, from the Italian form
Matteo.
Maristela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Spanish (Rare)
Pronounced: mu-reesh-TEH-lu(European Portuguese) ma-rees-TEH-lu(Brazilian Portuguese) ma-rees-TEH-la(Spanish)
From the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Stella Maris, meaning
"star of the sea" in Latin. It can also be a combination of
Maria and
Estela.
Marija
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Slovene, Serbian, Macedonian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Maltese
Other Scripts: Марија(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: ma-REE-ya(Slovene, Maltese) mu-ryi-YU(Lithuanian)
Personal remark: Giacinta Marija
Form of
Maria in several languages.
Magnolia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mag-NO-lee-ə
Personal remark: with nn Nola
From the English word magnolia for the flower, which was named for the French botanist Pierre Magnol.
Magdalena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Lithuanian, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Slovene, Czech, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian, Romanian, English
Other Scripts: Магдалена(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian)
Pronounced: mag-da-LEH-na(Polish) mak-da-LEH-na(German) mahgh-da-LEH-na(Dutch) magh-dha-LEH-na(Spanish) məg-də-LEH-nə(Catalan) MAG-da-leh-na(Czech) mag-də-LAY-nə(English)
Maeve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: MAYV(English)
Personal remark: Maeve Estella Pegasus, Maeve Teodora Sonnet, Georgiana Maeve, Maeve Augustina Lior
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Medb meaning
"intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. She and her husband
Ailill fought against the Ulster king
Conchobar and the hero
Cúchulainn, as told in the Irish epic
The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
Lux
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: LUKS(English)
Personal remark: Georgine Lux Antonia, Lux Anthea
Derived from Latin lux meaning "light".
Lulu 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: لؤلؤ(Arabic)
Pronounced: LOO-loo
Means "pearls" in Arabic.
Luke
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: LOOK(English)
English form of Latin
Lucas, from the Greek name
Λουκᾶς (Loukas), probably a shortened form of
Λουκανός (Loukanos) meaning
"from Lucania", Lucania being a region in southern Italy. Luke was a doctor who travelled in the company of the apostle
Paul. According to tradition, he was the author of the third gospel and Acts in the
New Testament. He was probably of Greek ethnicity. He is considered a
saint by many Christian denominations.
Due to the saint's renown, the name became common in the Christian world (in various spellings). As an English name, Luke has been in use since the 12th century alongside the Latin form Lucas. Both forms became popular throughout the English-speaking world towards the end of the 20th century. A famous fictional bearer was the hero Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movies, beginning in 1977.
Ludo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Flemish
Pronounced: LUY-do
Lucía
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: loo-THEE-a(European Spanish) loo-SEE-a(Latin American Spanish)
Personal remark: Lucia Violet Mora, Lucia Indira, Lucia Eulalie, Lucia Xiomara, Lucia Helvetica, Lucia Vespertine Inez, Lucia Adora
Spanish form of
Lucia. This is the most popular name for girls in Spain beginning in 2003.
Lovisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: loo-VEE-sah
Swedish feminine form of
Louis.
Lore 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: lo-REH
Means "flower" in Basque.
Lorcán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: LAWR-kan
Personal remark: Lorcan Cruz, Lorcan Rune, Benicio Lorcan Rune
Means
"little fierce one", derived from Old Irish
lorcc "fierce" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Saint Lorcán was a 12th-century archbishop of Dublin.
Lior
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: לִיאוֹר(Hebrew)
Personal remark: Valentine Lior
Means
"my light" in Hebrew, from
לִי (li) "for me" and
אוֹר (ʾor) "light".
Leopold
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, English, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Polish
Pronounced: LEH-o-pawlt(German, Dutch) LEE-ə-pold(English) LEH-o-polt(Czech) LEH-aw-pawld(Slovak) leh-AW-pawlt(Polish)
Derived from the Old German elements
liut "people" and
bald "bold, brave". The spelling was altered due to association with Latin
leo "lion". This name was common among German royalty, first with the Babenbergs and then the Habsburgs.
Saint Leopold was a 12th-century Babenberg margrave of Austria, who is now considered the patron of that country. It was also borne by two Habsburg Holy Roman emperors, as well as three kings of Belgium. Since the 19th century this name has been occasionally used in England, originally in honour of Queen Victoria's uncle, a king of Belgium, after whom she named one of her sons. It was later used by James Joyce for the main character, Leopold Bloom, in his novel
Ulysses (1922).
Layla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, English
Other Scripts: ليلى(Arabic)
Pronounced: LIE-la(Arabic) LAY-lə(English)
Means
"night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet
Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem
Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song
Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.
Laurentine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Personal remark: Nia Laurentine
Laure
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LAWR
Personal remark: Valentina Laure
Lark
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LAHRK
Personal remark: meaning songbird
From the English word for the type of songbird.
Kiran
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Gujarati, Nepali, Urdu
Other Scripts: किरण(Hindi, Marathi, Nepali) ಕಿರಣ್(Kannada) కిరణ్(Telugu) കിരൺ(Malayalam) கிரண்(Tamil) કિરણ(Gujarati) کرن(Urdu)
Personal remark: Estrella Kiran = star dust, meaning dust, thread or sunbeam
Derived from Sanskrit
किरण (kiraṇa), which can mean
"dust" or
"thread" or
"sunbeam".
Kallisto
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Καλλιστώ(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
κάλλιστος (kallistos) meaning
"most beautiful", a derivative of
καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful". In Greek
mythology Kallisto was a nymph who was loved by
Zeus. She was changed into a she-bear by
Hera, and subsequently became the Great Bear constellation. This was also an ancient Greek personal name.
June
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOON
From the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess
Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Juliet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: joo-lee-EHT, JOOL-yət
Personal remark: Juliet Maeve
Anglicized form of
Giulietta or
Juliette. This spelling was used for the ill-fated lover of
Romeo in the play
Romeo and Juliet (1596) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare based his story on earlier Italian tales such as
Giulietta e Romeo (1524) by Luigi Da Porto.
Juliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: yuy-lee-A-na(Dutch) yoo-lee-A-na(German) joo-lee-AN-ə(English) joo-lee-AHN-ə(English) khoo-LYA-na(Spanish) YOO-lee-a-na(Slovak)
Personal remark: Juliana Valentine
Feminine form of
Iulianus (see
Julian). This was the name of a 4th-century
saint and martyr from Nicomedia, and also of the Blessed Juliana of Norwich, also called Julian, a 14th-century mystic and author. The name was also borne by a 20th-century queen of the Netherlands. In England, this form has been in use since the 18th century, alongside the older form
Gillian.
Jules 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHUYL
French form of
Julius. A notable bearer of this name was the French novelist Jules Verne (1828-1905), author of
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and other works of science fiction.
Joaquín
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: kho-a-KEEN, khwa-KEEN
Personal remark: Joaquin Eliot Percival
Jeunesse
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Personal remark: means youth
Means "youth" in French. It is not used as a given name in France itself.
Jessamine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: JEHS-ə-min
Personal remark: Old French for Jasmin
From a variant spelling of the English word
jasmine (see
Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.
Jacinth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: JAY-sinth, JAS-inth
Personal remark: Simona Jacinth or Simona Jacinta
From the English word for the orange precious stone, originating from the same source as
Hyacinth.
Ivy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: IE-vee
Personal remark: Ivy Augustina
From the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English ifig.
Isidora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Serbian, Portuguese (Rare), Italian (Rare), English (Rare), Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Исидора(Serbian, Russian) Ἰσιδώρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ee-see-DHO-ra(Spanish) ee-zee-DAW-ra(Italian) iz-ə-DAWR-ə(English)
Feminine form of
Isidore. This was the name of a 4th-century Egyptian
saint and hermitess.
Isadora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese
Pronounced: iz-ə-DAWR-ə(English)
Personal remark: Isadora Amina
Variant of
Isidora. A famous bearer was the American dancer Isadora Duncan (1877-1927).
Inez
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: i-NEHZ, ee-NEHZ, ie-NEHZ
Personal remark: Jacinta Inez
Indra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Nepali, Indonesian
Other Scripts: इन्द्र(Sanskrit, Nepali) इन्द्र, इंद्र(Hindi)
Pronounced: IN-drə(English) EEN-dra(Indonesian)
Personal remark: meaning possesing drops of rain
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.
Indira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil
Other Scripts: इन्दिरा(Sanskrit) इन्दिरा, इंदिरा(Hindi) इंदिरा(Marathi) ಇಂದಿರಾ(Kannada) இந்திரா(Tamil)
Pronounced: IN-di-ra(Hindi)
Personal remark: Indira Scarlet, Indira Milou, Indira Mina, Sonora Indira
Means
"beauty" in Sanskrit. This is another name of
Lakshmi, the wife of the Hindu god
Vishnu. A notable bearer was India's first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi (1917-1984).
Imogen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: IM-ə-jehn
Personal remark: Imogen Pomeline Honey
The name of the daughter of King
Cymbeline in the play
Cymbeline (1609) by William Shakespeare. He based her on a legendary character named
Innogen, but it was printed incorrectly and never emended.
Innogen is probably derived from Gaelic
inghean meaning
"maiden". As a given name it is chiefly British and Australian.
Ilinca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Ignacio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: eegh-NA-thyo(European Spanish) eegh-NA-syo(Latin American Spanish)
Personal remark: Eliot Ignacio nn Iggy
Horatio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: hə-RAY-shee-o, hə-RAY-sho
Personal remark: Horatio Ever
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.
Honey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: HUN-ee
Simply from the English word honey, ultimately from Old English hunig. This was originally a nickname for a sweet person.
Hermes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1], Spanish
Other Scripts: Ἑρμῆς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHR-MEHS(Classical Greek) HUR-meez(English) EHR-mehs(Spanish)
Personal remark: Hermes Lorcan Cruz, Hermes Lorcan Rune
Probably from Greek
ἕρμα (herma) meaning
"cairn, pile of stones, boundary marker". Hermes was a Greek god associated with speed and good luck, who served as a messenger to
Zeus and the other gods. He was also the patron of travellers, writers, athletes, merchants, thieves and orators.
This was also used as a personal name, being borne for example by a 1st-century saint and martyr.
Henry
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HEHN-ree
From the Germanic name
Heimirich meaning
"home ruler", composed of the elements
heim "home" and
rih "ruler". It was later commonly spelled
Heinrich, with the spelling altered due to the influence of other Germanic names like
Haganrich, in which the first element is
hag "enclosure".
Heinrich was popular among continental royalty, being the name of seven German kings, starting with the 10th-century Henry I the Fowler (the first of the Saxon kings), and four French kings. In France it was usually rendered Henri from the Latin form Henricus.
The Normans introduced the French form to England, and it was subsequently used by eight kings, ending with the infamous Henry VIII in the 16th century. During the later Middle Ages it was fairly popular, and was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation. Notable bearers include arctic naval explorer Henry Hudson (1570-1611), American-British novelist Henry James (1843-1916), American automobile manufacturer Henry Ford (1863-1947), and American actor Henry Fonda (1905-1982).
Heliodoro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: eh-lyo-DHO-ro(Spanish)
From the Greek name
Ἡλιόδωρος (Heliodoros), derived from the elements
ἥλιος (helios) meaning "sun" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift".
Saint Heliodoro was a 4th-century bishop of Altino.
Helena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Finnish, Estonian, Slovene, Croatian, Sorbian, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἑλένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEH-leh-na(German, Czech) heh-LEH-na(German, Dutch) heh-LEH-nah(Swedish, Danish, Norwegian) i-LEH-nu(European Portuguese) eh-LEH-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) ə-LEH-nə(Catalan) kheh-LEH-na(Polish) HEH-leh-nah(Finnish) HEHL-ə-nə(English) hə-LAYN-ə(English) hə-LEEN-ə(English)
Personal remark: Helena Valentina, Helena Vivienne Milou, Helena Vivienne Gem, Helena Anthe, Helena Geneva, Helena Evita
Latinate form of
Helen. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's play
All's Well That Ends Well (1603).
Ginger
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIN-jər
Personal remark: great nn for Georgiana or Virginia
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.
Giacinta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: ja-CHEEN-ta
Personal remark: Giacinta Marija
Georgie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAWR-jee
Personal remark: Georgiana Maeve nn Georgie Maeve
Gemma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan, English (British), Dutch
Pronounced: JEHM-ma(Italian) ZHEHM-mə(Catalan) JEHM-ə(British English) GHEH-ma(Dutch)
Personal remark: Gemma Elodie
Medieval Italian nickname meaning "gem, precious stone". It was borne by the wife of the 13th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri.
Fredrika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Finnish
Pronounced: frehd-REE-ka(Swedish) FREHD-ree-kah(Finnish)
Swedish and Finnish feminine form of
Frederick.
Fox
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: FAHKS
Personal remark: nn for Fiorella
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.
Fiorella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: fyo-REHL-la
Personal remark: Fiorella Xanthe Kiran, Fiorella Esen, Fiorella Eulalie
From Italian
fiore "flower" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Evita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Latvian
Pronounced: eh-BEE-ta(Spanish)
Personal remark: Evita Pegasus
Eulalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: UU-LA-LEE
Personal remark: Tea, Eulalie, Eulalie Nova
Estrella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ehs-TREH-ya
Personal remark: Estrella Mina, Estrella Mia, Estrella Kiran = star dust, for Nana, Sofia Estrella
Spanish form of
Stella 1, coinciding with the Spanish word meaning "star".
Estella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ehs-TEHL-ə
Personal remark: Estella Pegasus, Maeve Estella Pegasus
Latinate form of
Estelle. This is the name of the heroine, Estella Havisham, in Charles Dickens' novel
Great Expectations (1860).
Esmé
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHZ-may, EHZ-mee
Personal remark: meaning esteemed or loved
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.
Esen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: eh-SEHN
Personal remark: Fiorella Esen for meaning, Ayla Esen for sound
Means "the wind" in Turkish.
Endika
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: ehn-DEE-ka
Basque form of
Heinrich (see
Henry).
Emmerich
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: EH-mə-rikh(German)
Germanic name, in which the second element is
rih "ruler, king". The first element may be
irmin "whole, great" (making it a relative of
Ermenrich),
amal "unceasing, vigorous, brave" (making it a relative of
Amalric) or
heim "home" (making it a relative of
Henry). It is likely that several forms merged into a single name.
Élodie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-LAW-DEE
Personal remark: Gemma Elodie
Eliot
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ee-ət
Personal remark: Eliot Igancio nn Iggy, Eliot Horatio Ever
From a surname that was a variant of
Elliott. A famous bearer of the surname was T. S. Eliot (1888-1965), an Anglo-American poet and dramatist, the writer of
The Waste Land. As a given name, it was borne by the American mob-buster Eliot Ness (1903-1957).
Eli 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Hebrew [2]
Other Scripts: עֵלִי(Hebrew) Ἠλί, Ἡλί(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EE-lie(English)
Means
"ascension" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָלָה (ʿala) meaning "to ascend". In the Books of Samuel in the
Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young
Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.
Eli has been used as an English Christian given name since the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer was the American inventor of the cotton gin Eli Whitney (1765-1825).
Echo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἠχώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EH-ko(English)
Personal remark: Echo + Nella
From the Greek word
ἠχώ (echo) meaning
"echo, reflected sound", related to
ἠχή (eche) meaning "sound". In Greek
mythology Echo was a nymph given a speech impediment by
Hera, so that she could only repeat what others said. She fell in love with
Narcissus, but her love was not returned, and she pined away until nothing remained of her except her voice.
Domenica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: do-MEH-nee-ka
Italian feminine form of
Dominicus (see
Dominic).
Coralie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KAW-RA-LEE
Either a French form of
Koralia, or a derivative of Latin
corallium "coral" (see
Coral).
Coco
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: KO-ko(English)
Personal remark: Coco Rosabella nn CocoRosie
Diminutive of names beginning with
Co, influenced by the word
cocoa. However, this was not the case for French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971; real name Gabrielle), whose nickname came from the name of a song she performed while working as a cabaret singer.
Clover
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KLO-vər
From the English word for the wild flower, ultimately deriving from Old English clafre.
Clémentine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KLEH-MAHN-TEEN
Personal remark: Clementine Jacinta Inez, Zoe Clementine, Twyla Clementine, Rosario, Nova, Virginia
French feminine form of
Clement. This is also the name of a variety of orange (fruit).
Cecilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Romanian, Finnish
Pronounced: seh-SEE-lee-ə(English) seh-SEEL-yə(English) cheh-CHEE-lya(Italian) theh-THEE-lya(European Spanish) seh-SEE-lya(Latin American Spanish) seh-SEEL-yah(Danish, Norwegian)
Personal remark: with nn Cessie, Thora Cecilia Pegasus
Latinate feminine form of the Roman family name
Caecilius, which was derived from Latin
caecus meaning
"blind".
Saint Cecilia was a semi-legendary 2nd or 3rd-century martyr who was sentenced to die because she refused to worship the Roman gods. After attempts to suffocate her failed, she was beheaded. She was later regarded as the patron saint of music and musicians.
Due to the popularity of the saint, the name became common in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The Normans brought it to England, where it was commonly spelled Cecily — the Latinate form Cecilia came into use in the 18th century.
Catherina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kath-ə-REE-nə, ka-THREE-nə
Personal remark: Catherina Amelie, Amelie Catherina, Catherina Ameline
Carolina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Swedish
Pronounced: ka-ro-LEE-na(Italian, Spanish) ka-roo-LEE-nu(European Portuguese) ka-ro-LEE-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) kar-ə-LIE-nə(English)
Latinate feminine form of
Carolus. This is the name of two American states: North and South Carolina. They were named for Charles I, king of England.
Cairo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KIE-ro
From the name of the city in Egypt, called
القاهرة (al-Qāhira) in Arabic, meaning "the victorious"
[1].
Belle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHL
Short form of
Isabella or names ending in
belle. It is also associated with the French word
belle meaning "beautiful". A famous bearer was Belle Starr (1848-1889), an outlaw of the American west, whose real given name was Maybelle.
Beatrix
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Hungarian, Dutch, English, Late Roman
Pronounced: beh-A-triks(German) BEH-a-triks(German) BEH-aw-treeks(Hungarian) BEH-ya-triks(Dutch) BEE-ə-triks(English) BEE-triks(English)
Personal remark: meaning voyager, traveller, Beatrix Pomeline Honey
Probably from
Viatrix, a feminine form of the Late Latin name
Viator meaning
"voyager, traveller". It was a common name amongst early Christians, and the spelling was altered by association with Latin
beatus "blessed, happy". Viatrix or Beatrix was a 4th-century
saint who was strangled to death during the persecutions of Diocletian.
In England the name became rare after the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, more commonly in the spelling Beatrice. Famous bearers include the British author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), the creator of Peter Rabbit, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (1938-).
Ayla 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Azerbaijani
Personal remark: Ayla Esen, Zoe Ayla Montserrat
Means "moonlight, halo" in Turkish.
Aurora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Romanian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: ow-RAW-ra(Italian) ow-RO-ra(Spanish, Latin) ə-RAWR-ə(English) OW-ro-rah(Finnish)
Personal remark: Aurora Lior
Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.
Atalanta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀταλάντη(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: love the myth
From the Greek
Ἀταλάντη (Atalante) meaning
"equal in weight", derived from
ἀτάλαντος (atalantos), a word related to
τάλαντον (talanton) meaning "a scale, a balance". In Greek legend she was a fast-footed maiden who refused to marry anyone who could not beat her in a race. She was eventually defeated by Hippomenes, who dropped three golden apples during the race causing her to stop to pick them up.
Apollonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Italian
Other Scripts: Ἀπολλωνία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-POL-LAW-NEE-A(Classical Greek)
Personal remark: Thora Apollonia
Feminine form of
Apollonios. This was the name of a 3rd-century
saint and martyr from Alexandria.
Antonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Romanian, Greek, Croatian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Αντωνία(Greek) Антония(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: an-TO-nya(Italian, Spanish, German) an-TO-nee-ə(English) ahn-TO-nee-a(Dutch) an-TO-nee-a(Latin)
Personal remark: Lux Antonia, Antonia Pomeline Honey
Feminine form of
Antonius (see
Anthony).
Anthea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἄνθεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-thee-ə(English)
Personal remark: Lux Anthea, Anthea Pomeline Honey, Anthea Pegasus
From the Greek
Ἄνθεια (Antheia), derived from
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning
"flower, blossom". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Hera.
Annika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Dutch, Finnish, Estonian, German, English (Modern)
Pronounced: AN-ni-ka(Swedish) AH-nee-ka(Dutch) AHN-nee-kah(Finnish) A-nee-ka(German) AN-i-kə(English) AHN-i-kə(English)
Personal remark: Annika Sirena Helvetica, Annika Sirena Pomeline, Annika Amina, nn Nico, sister to Sunniva
Ander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: AN-dehr
Basque form of
Andreas (see
Andrew).
Anaïs
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-NA-EES
Meaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of
Anne 1 or
Agnès. It was used in Jean-Henri Guy's opera
Anacréon chez Polycrate (1798), where it is borne by the daughter (otherwise unnamed in history) of the 6th-century BC tyrant
Polycrates of Samos. Guy could have adapted it from a classical name such as
Anaitis or
Athénaïs.
A famous bearer was the Cuban-French writer Anaïs Nin (1903-1977), known for her diaries.
Aminah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Malay, Indonesian
Other Scripts: آمنة, أمينة(Arabic)
Pronounced: A-mee-na(Arabic) a-MEE-na(Arabic)
Personal remark: makes a good mn Veronica Amina, Annika Amina, Isadora Amina, Amina Eulalie
Alternate transcription of Arabic
Amina 1 or
Amina 2, as well as the usual form in Malay and Indonesian.
Amélie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-MEH-LEE
Personal remark: Simona Amelie, Amelie Catherina, Catherina Amelie
Agnessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Агнесса(Russian)
Pronounced: ug-NYEHS-sə
Personal remark: Veronica Agnessa
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