thesnowwhiterose's Personal Name List
Zuriñe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Derived from Basque
zuri "white". This is a Basque equivalent of
Blanca.
Zephyr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Ζέφυρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZEHF-ər(English)
From the Greek
Ζέφυρος (Zephyros) meaning
"west wind". Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind.
Zebulon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: זְבוּלֻן(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: ZEHB-yə-lən(English)
Yocheved
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: יוֹכֶבֶד(Hebrew)
Pronounced: yo-KHEH-vehd(Hebrew)
Yo'ash
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: יוֹאָשׁ(Ancient Hebrew)
Yima
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian Mythology
Other Scripts: 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀(Avestan)
Yaron
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יָרוֹן(Hebrew)
Means "to sing, to shout" in Hebrew.
Wolfram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: VAWL-fram
Derived from the Old German element
wolf meaning "wolf" combined with
hram meaning "raven".
Saint Wolfram (or Wulfram) was a 7th-century archbishop of Sens. This name was also borne by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the author of
Parzival.
Wapasha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Sioux
Means "red leaf" in Dakota, from waȟpé "leaf" and šá "red". This was the name of several Dakota chiefs.
Violeta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Albanian, Lithuanian
Other Scripts: Виолета(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian)
Pronounced: byo-LEH-ta(Spanish)
Form of
Violet in several languages.
Vindemiatrix
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: vin-dee-mee-AY-triks
Means "(female) grape harvester" in Latin. This is the name of the third brightest star in the constellation Virgo, and is so named because it rises in early autumn, the beginning of the wine harvesting season.
Varvara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Greek, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Варвара(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) Βαρβάρα(Greek)
Pronounced: vur-VA-rə(Russian)
Russian, Greek, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of
Barbara.
Valko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Вълко(Bulgarian)
Derived from Bulgarian
вълк (valk) meaning
"wolf".
Uriah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: אוּרִיָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: yuw-RIE-ə(English)
From the Hebrew name
אוּרִיָה (ʾUriya) meaning
"Yahweh is my light", from the roots
אוּר (ʾur) meaning "light, flame" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the
Old Testament this is the name of a Hittite warrior in King
David's army, the first husband of
Bathsheba. David desired Bathsheba so he placed Uriah in the forefront of battle so he would be killed.
Unathi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Xhosa
Means "he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix u- meaning "he, she" and nathi meaning "with us".
Ùna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic
Pronounced: OO-nə
Scottish Gaelic form of
Úna.
Tömörbaatar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Төмөрбаатар(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Pronounced: tuy-moor-PA-tar
Tiamat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Other Scripts: 𒀭𒋾𒊩𒆳, 𒀭𒌓𒌈(Akkadian Cuneiform)
Pronounced: TEE-ə-maht(English)
From Akkadian
tâmtu meaning
"sea". In Babylonian
myth Tiamat was the personification of the sea, appearing in the form of a huge dragon. By Apsu she gave birth to the first of the gods. Later, the god
Marduk (her great-grandson) defeated her, cut her in half, and used the pieces of her body to make the earth and the sky.
Thingmund
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic
The first element of this Germanic name is derived from Anglo-Saxon thing, which can have several meanings: "thing," "cause," "gathering" or "council." As such, thing is related to Old High German dingôn "to judge, to condemn" and dingjan "to hope." The second element in this name comes from Old High German mund "protection."
Thi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: TEE
From Sino-Vietnamese
詩 (thi) meaning
"poetry, poem, verse".
Terah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: תֶּרַח(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: TEE-rə(English) TEHR-ə(English)
Possibly means
"station" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament Terah is the father of
Abraham. He led his people out of Ur and towards Canaan, but died along the way.
Tellervo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: TEHL-lehr-vo(Finnish)
Meaning unknown. Tellervo was a Finnish forest goddess. She is variously described as either the wife or daughter of Tapio.
Tarja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: TAHR-yah
Tarana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani
Təranə.
Tanaquil
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Etruscan (Latinized), Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: 𐌈𐌀𐌍𐌙𐌅𐌉𐌋(Etruscan)
Pronounced: TA-na-kweel(Classical Latin)
Latinized form of the Etruscan name
Thanchvil which meant "gift of
Thana 1", composed of the name of the goddess Thana and
cvil meaning "gift". This was the name of the wife of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of Rome in the 7th century BC. In modern times it was borne by prima ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq (1929-2000).
Tamar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: תָּמָר(Hebrew) თამარ(Georgian)
Pronounced: TA-MAR(Georgian) TAHM-ahr(English) TAY-mahr(English)
Means
"date palm" in Hebrew. According to the
Old Testament Tamar was the daughter-in-law of
Judah and later his wife. This was also the name of a daughter of King
David. She was raped by her half-brother
Amnon, leading to his murder by her brother
Absalom. The name was borne by a 12th-century ruling queen of Georgia who presided over the kingdom at the peak of its power.
Taj
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: تاج(Arabic)
Pronounced: TAJ
Means "crown" in Arabic.
Swithin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
From the Old English name
Swiðhun or
Swiþhun, derived from
swiþ "strong" and perhaps
hun "bear cub".
Saint Swithin was a 9th-century bishop of Winchester.
Suoma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SOO-mah
Derived from Finnish Suomi meaning "Finland".
Suniti
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: सुनीती(Hindi)
Means
"good conduct" from the Sanskrit prefix
सु (su) meaning "good" combined with
नीति (nīti) meaning "guidance, moral conduct".
Sumiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 澄子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) すみこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SOO-MEE-KO
From Japanese
澄 (sumi) meaning "clear" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Sotiria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Σωτηρία(Greek)
Sonal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Other Scripts: सोनल(Hindi, Marathi) સોનલ(Gujarati)
From Hindi
सोना (sonā), Marathi
सोन (son) or Gujarati
સોનું (sonum) meaning
"gold", all derived from Sanskrit
सुवर्ण (suvarṇa) meaning literally "good colour".
Somchai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Thai
Other Scripts: สมชาย, สมชัย(Thai)
Pronounced: som-CHIE
Derived from Thai
สม (som) meaning "worthy" combined with
ชาย (chai) meaning "man" or
ชัย (chai) meaning "victory".
Solveig
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
Pronounced: SOOL-vie(Norwegian) SOOL-vay(Swedish)
From an Old Norse name, which was derived from the elements
sól "sun" and
veig "strength". This is the name of the heroine in Henrik Ibsen's play
Peer Gynt (1876).
Snowdrop
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SNO-drahp
The name of the flower used as a first name, mainly between the 1890s and 1920s, but never one of the more popular names of this kind.
Sioned
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: SHO-nehd
Sìneag
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Pronounced: SHEE-nyak
Silvius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: SEEL-wee-oos(Latin) SIL-vee-əs(English)
Derived from Latin
silva meaning
"wood, forest". This was the family name of several of the legendary kings of Alba Longa. It was also the name of an early
saint martyred in Alexandria.
Silver
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SIL-vər
From the English word for the precious metal or the colour, ultimately derived from Old English seolfor.
Sidonius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Latin name meaning
"of Sidon". Sidon was an ancient Phoenician city corresponding to modern-day Saida in Lebanon. This name was borne by the 5th-century
saint Sidonius Apollinaris, a 5th-century bishop of Clermont.
Shulamit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שׁוּלַמִּית(Hebrew)
Shqipe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
From Albanian shqip meaning "Albanian". Additionally, the word shqipe means "eagle" in modern Albanian, a variant of older shkabë. These interrelated words are often the subject of competing claims that the one is derived from the other. The ultimate origin of shqip "Albanian" is uncertain, but it may be from shqipoj meaning "to say clearly".
Shoshanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Hebrew
Other Scripts: שׁוֹשַׁנָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Shanthi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada
Other Scripts: சாந்தி(Tamil) ശാന്തി(Malayalam) ಶಾಂತಿ(Kannada)
Southern Indian form of
Shanti.
Shahnoza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Uzbek, Tajik
Other Scripts: Шаҳноза(Uzbek, Tajik)
Sévérine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Sevda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Azerbaijani
Pronounced: sehv-DA(Turkish) sehv-DAH(Azerbaijani)
Means
"love, infatuation" in Turkish and Azerbaijani, ultimately from Arabic
سوداء (sawdāʾ) meaning "black bile, melancholy, sadness"
[1].
Serkan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Means "leader, chief" from Turkish ser "head, top" and kan "blood".
Selvaggia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: sehl-VAD-ja
Means "wild" in Italian.
Seiji
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 誠二, 誠治, 誠司, 清二, 清治, etc.(Japanese Kanji) せいじ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SEH-JEE
From Japanese 誠
(sei) meaning "sincerity, truth, fidelity" or 清
(sei) meaning "clear, pure, clean" combined with 二
(ji) meaning "two", 治
(ji) meaning "reign, rule, calm, peace" or 司
(ji) meaning "officer, boss". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Seema
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi
Other Scripts: सीमा(Hindi, Marathi)
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi
सीमा (see
Sima 2).
Scaevola
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: SKIE-wo-la
Saule 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Latvian, Baltic Mythology
Pronounced: SOW-leh(Latvian)
Sarnai
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Сарнай(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Means "rose" in Mongolian.
Saraswati
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi
Other Scripts: सरस्वती(Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi)
Pronounced: sə-RUS-və-tee(Hindi)
Means
"possessing water" from Sanskrit
सरस् (saras) meaning "fluid, water, lake" and
वती (vatī) meaning "having". This is the name of a Hindu river goddess, also associated with learning and the arts, who is the wife of
Brahma. She appears in the
Vedas.
Sarabi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swahili, Popular Culture
Pronounced: Sah-rah-bee(Swahili)
Means "mirage" in Swahili. This is the name of the mother of
Simba and mate of
Mufasa and in the Disney movie
The Lion King (1994).
Sanjeet
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: संजीत(Hindi)
Sanjaya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism
Other Scripts: संजय(Sanskrit)
Means
"completely victorious, triumphant" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a royal official in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata.
Sampo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: SAHM-po(Finnish)
Meaning unknown. In Finnish
mythology this is the name of a magical artifact (perhaps a mill) created by the smith god
Ilmarinen.
Sagramore
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle, Popular Culture
An Old French variant of the Old French
sicamor meaning "sycamore", as in the tree.
Sir Sagramore of Hungary (or Sagremor) is a Knight of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. His characterization varies from story to story, though he is surprisingly prolific; he appears in a number of early stories, such as Chrétien de Troyes' works, and he turns up in all the cyclical versions. He gains a number of nicknames, including 'The Impetuous' and 'le Desirous'.
In Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Merlin and Vivien", one of the Idylls of the King, he makes an appearance. The knight appears in the musical Camelot, and was played by Peter Bromilow in the film version. Sagramore was portrayed by William Bendix in the 1949 film version of 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'. In Bernard Cornwell's 'The Winter King', Sagramor is a fierce Numidian veteran of the old Roman army, and follows Arthur to Britain after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.
Sagittarius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: saj-i-TEH-ri-əs(British English) saj-i-TEHR-ee-əs(American English) sa-git-TA-ree-uws(Classical Latin)
Means "archer" in Latin. It is the name of one of the constellations of the zodiac, commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow, derived from its representation in Greek mythology.
Safiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hausa, Kazakh, Arabic
Other Scripts: Сафия(Kazakh) صفيّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: sa-FEE-ya(Arabic)
Hausa and Kazakh form of
Safiyya. It is also an alternate transcription of the Arabic name.
Rowena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ro-EEN-ə
Meaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements
hroð "fame" and
wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements
ron "spear" and
gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819).
Roosje
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: RO-shə
Ronald
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English, Dutch, German
Pronounced: RAHN-əld(English) RO-nahlt(Dutch)
Scottish form of
Ragnvaldr, a name introduced to Britain by Scandinavian settlers and invaders. It became popular outside Scotland during the 20th century. A famous bearer was the American actor and president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004). It is also associated with Ronald McDonald, the clown mascot for the McDonald's chain of restaurants, first appearing in 1963.
Roger
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: RAHJ-ər(American English) RAWJ-ə(British English) RAW-ZHEH(French) roo-ZHEH(Catalan) RO-gu(German) ro-ZHEH(Dutch)
From the Germanic name
Hrodger meaning
"famous spear", derived from the elements
hruod "fame" and
ger "spear". The
Normans brought this name to England, where it replaced the Old English
cognate Hroðgar (the name of the Danish king in the Anglo-Saxon epic
Beowulf). It was a common name in England during the Middle Ages. By the 18th century it was rare, but it was revived in following years. The name was borne by the Norman lords Roger I, who conquered Sicily in the 11th century, and his son Roger II, who ruled Sicily as a king.
This name was very popular in France in the first half of the 20th century. In the English-speaking world it was popular especially from the 1930s to the 50s. Famous bearers include British actor Roger Moore (1927-2017) and Swiss tennis player Roger Federer (1981-).
River
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RIV-ər
From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".
Rhonwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Welsh form of
Rowena, appearing in medieval Welsh poems and stories as a personification of the English people.
Rhian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: REE-an
Derived from Welsh rhiain meaning "maiden, young woman".
Reviva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: רְבִיבָה, רביבה(Hebrew)
Remus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Romanian
Pronounced: REH-moos(Latin) REE-məs(English)
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Old Latin *
yemos meaning
"twin" with the initial consonant altered due to the influence of
Romulus. In Roman legend the twin brothers
Romulus and Remus were the founders of the city of Rome. Remus was later slain by his brother.
Redmond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Quilla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (South, Rare)
Qamar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: قمر(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: KA-mar(Arabic)
Means "moon" in Arabic.
Primula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: PRIM-yuw-lə(English) PREE-moo-la(Italian)
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".
Praskovya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Прасковья(Russian)
Pronounced: pru-SKO-vyə
Peronel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Perla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: PEHR-la
Pellinore
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Possibly from Welsh
Beli Mawr meaning
"Beli the Great". In Arthurian romance this was the name of a king of Listenois, a son of
Pellehan who pursued the elusive Questing Beast and later joined
Arthur's court. He first appears in the 13th-century
Lancelot-Grail Cycle.
Peio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: PAY-o
Payam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: پیام(Persian)
Pronounced: pa-YAWM
Means "message" in Persian.
Pau
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Catalan, Occitan
Pronounced: POW
Catalan and Occitan form of
Paul. It also coincides with the Catalan word for
"peace".
Parvaiz
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Urdu
Other Scripts: پرویز(Urdu)
Parthenope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Παρθενόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: pahr-THEHN-ə-pee(English)
Means
"maiden's voice", derived from Greek
παρθένος (parthenos) meaning "maiden, virgin" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". In Greek legend this is the name of one of the Sirens who enticed
Odysseus.
Paraskeve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Παρασκευή(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
παρασκευή (paraskeue) meaning
"preparation" or
"Friday" (being the day of preparation). This was the name of a 2nd-century
saint who was martyred in Rome.
Padmini
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kannada, Tamil, Telugu
Other Scripts: ಪದ್ಮಿನಿ(Kannada) பத்மினி(Tamil) పద్మిని(Telugu)
Means
"multitude of lotuses", a derivative of Sanskrit
पद्म (padma) meaning "lotus".
Oyunchimeg
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Оюунчимэг(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Osbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AHZ-bərt
Derived from the Old English elements
os "god" and
beorht "bright". After the
Norman Conquest, this Old English name was merged with its Norman
cognate. It was rare in the Middle Ages, and eventually died out. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.
Oriole
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
From the English word "oriole" referring to "any of various colorful passerine birds, the New World orioles from the family Icteridae and the Old World orioles from the family Oriolidae (typically yellow in color)". From the French oriole, from the Late Latin oriolus, from the Latin aureolus "made of gold, golden; adorned, covered, or decorated with gold, gilded; of the color gold, golden; golden, beautiful, splendid, magnificent, excellent".
Oona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Finnish
Pronounced: OO-nə(English) O-nah(Finnish)
Anglicized form of
Úna, as well as a Finnish form.
Olvin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, Central American
Olvin was a king of Archenland who won the hand of the Lady Liln in a tale alluded to in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by C.S. Lewis
Olufunmilayo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yoruba
Pronounced: O-LOO-FOO-MEE-LIE-O
Means "God gives me joy" in Yoruba.
Oktyabrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Октябрина(Russian)
Pronounced: uk-tyi-BRYEE-nə
Derived from Russian
октябрь (oktyabr) meaning
"October". This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names and commemorate the October Revolution of 1917.
Odtsetseg
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Одцэцэг(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Pronounced: AWT-tseh-tsək
Means
"star flower" in Mongolian, from
од (od) meaning "star" and
цэцэг (tsetseg) meaning "flower".
Odette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AW-DEHT
French
diminutive of
Oda or
Odilia. This is the name of a princess who has been transformed into a swan in the ballet
Swan Lake (1877) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Océane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AW-SEH-AN
Derived from French océan meaning "ocean".
Nynniaw
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Welsh
Probably a Welsh form of *
Ninniau (see
Ninian). This form is used for
Nennius in
Brut y Brenhinedd [1], the Middle Welsh translation of the 12th-century Latin chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth. The name also appears in the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen belonging to a man who is transformed into an ox
[2].
Nuru
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swahili
Means
"light" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nūr).
Nuan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 暖, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: NWAN
From Chinese
暖 (nuǎn) meaning "warm, genial" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Noêmia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of
Naomi 1.
Noelani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: no-eh-LA-nee
Means "heavenly mist" from Hawaiian noe "mist" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Nobuyuki
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 信行, 伸行, 信幸, 伸幸, 信之, 伸之, etc.(Japanese Kanji) のぶゆき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: NO-BOO-YOO-KYEE
From Japanese
信 (nobu) meaning "trust" or
伸 (nobu) meaning "extend, stretch, open" combined with
行 (yuki) meaning "row, line" or
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.
Nima 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: نیما(Persian)
Persian name of uncertain meaning, possibly "just, fair" or "half moon".
Niketa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Marathi, Hindi
Other Scripts: निकेता(Marathi, Hindi)
Nicasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized), Galician
Ness 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Nergüi
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Нэргүй(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Pronounced: NEHR-kooy
Means "no name" in Mongolian. This name was traditionally given in order to mislead bad spirits.
Neo 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Tswana
Means "gift" in Tswana, a derivative of naya "to give".
Nekane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: neh-KA-neh
Means
"sorrows" in Basque. It is an equivalent of
Dolores, coined by Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque
saints names.
Neemias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Νεεμίας(Ancient Greek)
Nayeli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Zapotec (Hispanicized), Spanish (Mexican)
Pronounced: na-YEH-lee(Spanish)
Possibly from Zapotec nadxiie lii meaning "I love you" or nayele' meaning "open".
Narges
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: نرگس(Persian)
Pronounced: nar-GEHS
Means
"daffodil, narcissus" in Persian, ultimately derived from Greek (see
Narcissus).
Naphtali
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: נַףְתָלִי(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: NAF-tə-lie(English)
Means
"my struggle, my strife" in Hebrew, a derivative of
פָּתַל (paṯal) meaning "to twist, to struggle, to wrestle". In the
Old Testament he is a son of
Jacob by
Rachel's servant
Bilhah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Naia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: NIE-a
Means "wave, sea foam" in Basque.
Naenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Means "incantation, dirge" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of funerals.
Myung
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 명(Korean Hangul) 明, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: MYUNG
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul
명 (see
Myeong).
Muriel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Irish, Scottish, Medieval Breton (Anglicized)
Pronounced: MYUWR-ee-əl(English) MUY-RYEHL(French)
Anglicized form of Irish
Muirgel and Scottish
Muireall. A form of this name was also used in Brittany, and it was first introduced to medieval England by Breton settlers in the wake of the
Norman Conquest. In the modern era it was popularized by a character from Dinah Craik's novel
John Halifax, Gentleman (1856).
Murdo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Munya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: منية(Arabic)
Pronounced: MOON-ya
Means
"wish, desire" in Arabic, related to the root
منا (manā) meaning "to tempt, to put to the test".
Morvarid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: مروارید(Persian)
Pronounced: mor-vaw-REED
Means "pearl" in Persian.
Morta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Moon 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 문(Korean Hangul) 文, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: MOON
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul
문 (see
Mun).
Momi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: MO-mee
Means "pearl" in Hawaiian.
Moana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Maori, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan
Pronounced: mo-A-na(Hawaiian)
Means "ocean, wide expanse of water, deep sea" in Maori, Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages.
Mizuki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 瑞希, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みずき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-ZOO-KYEE
From Japanese
瑞 (mizu) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope", besides other kanji combinations.
Miyu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美優, 美結, 実優, 美夕, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みゆ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-YOO
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or
実 (mi) meaning "fruit, good result, truth" combined with
優 (yu) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" or
夕 (yu) meaning "evening". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Minttu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: MEENT-too
Means "mint" in Finnish.
Minoo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: مینو(Persian)
Pronounced: mee-NOO
Means "heaven, paradise" in Persian.
Minh
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: MING, MIN
From Sino-Vietnamese
明 (minh) meaning
"bright". This was an adopted name of the communist revolutionary Hồ Chí Minh (1890-1969).
Milena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Italian
Other Scripts: Милена(Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Russian)
Pronounced: MI-leh-na(Czech) MEE-leh-na(Slovak) mee-LEH-na(Polish, Italian) myi-LYEH-nə(Russian)
Feminine form of
Milan. It began to be used in Italy in honour of Milena Vukotić (1847-1923), mother of Helen of Montenegro, the wife of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III. In Italy it can also be considered a combination of
Maria and
Elena.
Midori
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 緑, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みどり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-DO-REE
From Japanese
緑 (midori) meaning "green", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that have the same pronunciation.
Metrodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Μητροδώρα(Ancient Greek)
Methodios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Greek
Other Scripts: Μεθόδιος(Ancient Greek)
Meshach
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: מֵישַׁך(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: MEE-shak(English)
Possibly means
"who is what Aku is?" in Akkadian,
Aku being the name of the Babylonian god of the moon. In the Book of Daniel in the
Old Testament this is the Babylonian name of Mishael, one of the three men cast into a blazing furnace but saved from harm by God.
Merlin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle, English
Pronounced: MUR-lin(English)
Form of the Welsh name
Myrddin used by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 12th-century chronicle. Writing in Latin, he likely chose the form
Merlinus over
Merdinus in order to prevent associations with French
merde "excrement".
Geoffrey based parts of Merlin's character on Myrddin Wyllt, a legendary madman and prophet who lived in the Caledonian Forest. Other parts of his life were based on that of the historical 5th-century Romano-British military leader Ambrosius Aurelianus (also known as Emrys Wledig). In Geoffrey's version of the tales and later embellishments Merlin is a magician and counselor for King Arthur.
Meritxell
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: mə-ree-CHEHL
From the name of a village in Andorra where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. The name of the village may derive from Latin
meridies meaning "midday".
Merida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
The name of the main character in the Disney/Pixar movie
Brave (2012) about a medieval Scottish princess. The meaning of her name is unexplained, though it could be based on the Spanish city of Mérida, derived from Latin
Emerita Augusta meaning "veterans of
Augustus", so named because it was founded by the emperor Augustus as a colony for his veterans.
Melilot
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Melilot Brandybuck was a hobbit in 'The Lord of the Rings' by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is a botanical name, like many female hobbit names.
Meital
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: מֵיטַל(Hebrew)
Means "dew drop" in Hebrew.
Meirit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: מֵאִירִית(Hebrew)
Meidhbhín
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Maven
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish (Anglicized)
Marvin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: MAHR-vin(English, Dutch) MAR-vin(German)
From an English surname that was derived from the Welsh given name
Merfyn or the Old English name
Mærwine. As an American given name, it steadily rose in popularity through the beginnings of the 20th century and peaked in the early 1930s (closely mirroring the similar-sounding but unrelated name
Melvin). A famous bearer was the American musician Marvin Gaye (1939-1984).
Marius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Romanian, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, French, Lithuanian
Pronounced: MA-ree-oos(Latin) MEHR-ee-əs(English) MAR-ee-əs(English) MA-ree-uws(German) MA-ree-uys(Dutch) MA-RYUYS(French)
Roman family name that was derived either from
Mars, the name of the Roman god of War, or else from the Latin root
mas, maris meaning
"male". Gaius Marius was a famous Roman consul of the 2nd century BC. Since the start of the Christian era, it has occasionally been used as a masculine form of
Maria.
Marina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Greek, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Georgian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Μαρίνα(Greek) Марина(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) მარინა(Georgian)
Pronounced: ma-REE-na(Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Macedonian) mə-REE-nə(Catalan) mə-REEN-ə(English) mu-RYEE-nə(Russian) MA-ri-na(Czech)
Feminine form of
Marinus. This name was borne by a few early
saints. This is also the name by which Saint
Margaret of Antioch is known in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Marianita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ma-rya-NEE-ta
Mariah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mə-RIE-ə
Variant of
Maria. It is usually pronounced in a way that reflects an older English pronunciation of
Maria. The name was popularized in the early 1990s by the American singer Mariah Carey (1970-).
Maranatha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare), Haitian Creole
From an Aramaic phrase in the New Testament, translated as "O Lord, come".
Maple
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-pəl
From the English word for the tree (comprising the genus Acer), derived from Old English mapul. This is the name of a girl in Robert Frost's poem Maple (1923) who wonders about the origin of her unusual name.
Manu 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Kannada
Other Scripts: मनु(Sanskrit, Hindi) ಮನು(Kannada)
Means "thinking, wise" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is a title of Swayambhuva, the progenitor of the human race, as well as several of his descendants.
Manana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Georgian
Other Scripts: მანანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: MAH-NAH-NAH
Means both "heather" and "manna, divine food" in Georgian.
Mallory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAL-ə-ree
From an English surname that meant "unfortunate" in Norman French. It first became common in the 1980s due to the American sitcom Family Ties (1982-1989), which featured a character by this name.
Małgorzata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: mow-gaw-ZHA-ta
Mahvash
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: مهوش(Persian)
Pronounced: mah-VASH
Means "moon-like" in Persian.
Mahin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: مهین(Persian)
Means "related to the moon" in Persian.
Magomet
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Avar (Russified), Chechen (Russified), Ossetian (Russified)
Other Scripts: Магомет(Russian)
Russian form of
Muhammad, used particularly in the Caucasus.
Maeleth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Μαελέθ(Ancient Greek)
Madrigal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ma-dree-GAL
"Madrigal" comes from from the Venetian madregal "simple, ingenuous," from Late Latin matricalis "invented, original," literally "of or from the womb," from matrix (gen. matricis) "womb."
Madelief
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: ma-də-LEEF
Derived from Dutch madeliefje meaning "daisy".
Maayan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: מַעֲיָן(Hebrew)
Means "spring of water" in Hebrew.
Lys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Pronounced: LEES
Lynx
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Lynx is a constellation in the northern sky, introduced in the 17th century by Johannes Hevelius. It is named after the lynx, a genus of cats.
Lynwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Possibly formed from the Welsh masculine name
Lyn (a short form of
Llywelyn) or the initial sound in
Lynette combined with the Welsh element
gwen "white; fair; blessed". This name has been used occasionally in Wales since the early 20th century.
Lumusi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ewe
Means "born face down" in Ewe.
Lumena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese
Lumen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
This is the name of a fictional character from the television series "Dexter".
Lucilla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Ancient Roman
Lowri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: LOW-ri
Lorea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: lo-REH-a
Lor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Limburgish
Pronounced: LOR
Lodovico
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: lo-do-VEE-ko
Llinos
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: SHEE-naws, SHI-naws
Means "linnet, finch" in Welsh. The linnet (species Linaria cannabina) is a small European bird in the finch family.
Linza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Old German form of
Linda.
Linnéa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: lin-NEH-a
From the name of a flower, also known as the twinflower. The Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus named it after himself, it being his favourite flower.
Li 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 理, 立, 黎, 力, 丽, etc.(Chinese) 理, 立, 黎, 力, 麗, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: LEE
From Chinese
理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic",
立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish",
黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn",
力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or
丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.
Lestari
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indonesian
Pronounced: ləs-TA-ree
Means "eternal, abiding" in Indonesian.
Lesedi
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Tswana
Means "light" in Tswana.
Lerato
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Sotho
Means "love" in Sotho.
Leona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Czech
Pronounced: lee-O-nə(English) LEH-o-na(Czech)
Lenore
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: lə-NAWR
Short form of
Eleanor. This is the name of the departed love of the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's poem
The Raven (1845).
Leimomi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: lay-MO-mee
Means "pearl lei" or "pearl child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and momi "pearl".
Laurent
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LAW-RAHN
Lashauna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern)
Larunda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: la-ROON-da(Latin)
Possibly connected to Greek
λαλέω (laleo) meaning
"to talk, to chatter", or the Latin term
Lares referring to minor guardian gods. In Roman
mythology Larunda or Lara was a water nymph who was overly talkative. She revealed to
Juno that her husband
Jupiter was having an affair with
Juturna, so Jupiter had Larunda's tongue removed. By the god
Mercury she had two children, who were Lares.
Lamis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: لميس(Arabic)
Pronounced: la-MEES
Means "soft" in Arabic.
Lacerta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Means "lizard" in Latin (the feminine form of
lacertus). Lacerta is the name of a constellation created in 1687 by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius. It is located between
Cygnus,
Cassiopeia and
Andromeda on the northern celestial sphere. The northern part lies on the Milky Way.
Krimhilde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare)
Pronounced: kreem-HIL-də
Kotone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 琴音, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ことね(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KO-TO-NEH
From Japanese
琴 (koto), which refers to a type of musical instrument similar to a harp, combined with
音 (ne) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Klazina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: kla-ZEE-na
Klavdiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Клавдия(Russian, Bulgarian) Клавдія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: KLAV-dyi-yə(Russian)
Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of
Claudia.
Kiyoshi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 清, 淳, etc.(Japanese Kanji) きよし(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KYEE-YO-SHEE
From Japanese
清 (kiyoshi) or
淳 (kiyoshi) both meaning "pure". Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
Kimiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 貴美子, 君子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) きみこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KYEE-MEE-KO
From Japanese
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or
君 (kimi) meaning "lord, noble" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Khulan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Хулан(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Means "onager, wild donkey" in Mongolian. This was the name of a wife of Genghis Khan.
Khorshid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian, Persian Mythology
Other Scripts: خورشید(Persian)
Pronounced: khor-SHEED(Persian)
Modern Persian form of Avestan
𐬵𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆⸱𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬀 (Huuarə Xshaēta) meaning
"shining sun". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a Yazata (a holy being) who was associated with the sun.
Kavita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi
Other Scripts: कविता(Hindi, Marathi)
Katsuo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 勝雄, etc.(Japanese Kanji) かつお(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KA-TSOO-O
From Japanese
勝 (katsu) meaning "victory" and
雄 (o) meaning "hero, manly". Other combinations of kanji are also possible.
Katell
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Breton
Katayun
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: کتایون(Persian)
Pronounced: ka-taw-YOON
Kamaria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Comorian
From Arabic
qamar meaning
"moon", also the root of the name of the island country of the Comoros.
Kaja 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Slovene
Pronounced: KA-ya(Polish)
Justina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovene, Lithuanian, Late Roman
Pronounced: jus-TEE-nə(English) khoos-TEE-na(Spanish) zhoosh-TEE-nu(European Portuguese) zhoos-CHEE-nu(Brazilian Portuguese)
From Latin
Iustina, the feminine form of
Iustinus (see
Justin). This name was borne by several early
saints and martyrs.
Justice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JUS-tis
From an occupational surname meaning "judge, officer of justice" in Old French. This name can also be given in direct reference to the English word justice.
July
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: juw-LIE
From the name of the month, which was originally named for Julius Caesar.
Julienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHUY-LYEHN
French feminine form of
Iulianus (see
Julian).
Jolana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: YO-la-na(Czech) YAW-la-na(Slovak)
Jia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 佳, 家, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: CHYA
From Chinese
佳 (jiā) meaning "good, auspicious, beautiful",
家 (jiā) meaning "home, family", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Jezreel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
The name Jezreel means "God sows," or "planted by God" this was the name of Hosea's first son. It is also a place in Isreal; Jezreel Valley.
Jeong
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 정(Korean Hangul) 靜, 貞, 正, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: CHUNG
From Sino-Korean
靜 (jeong) meaning "quiet, still, gentle" or
貞 (jeong) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.
Iskra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian
Other Scripts: Искра(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: EES-kru(Bulgarian) EES-kra(Macedonian, Croatian)
Means "spark" in South Slavic.
Isi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Choctaw
Means "deer" in Choctaw.
Ishtar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Other Scripts: 𒀭𒈹, 𒌋𒁯(Akkadian Cuneiform)
Pronounced: ISH-tahr(English)
From the Semitic root
ʿṯtr, which possibly relates to the Evening Star. Ishtar was an Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian goddess who presided over love, war and fertility. She was
cognate with the Canaanite and Phoenician
Ashtoreth, and she was also identified with the Sumerian goddess
Inanna. Her name in Akkadian cuneiform
𒀭𒈹 was the same as the Sumerian cuneiform for Inanna.
Irene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Dutch, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εἰρήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-REEN(English) ie-REE-nee(English) ee-REH-neh(Italian, Spanish) EE-reh-neh(Finnish) ee-REH-nə(German, Dutch)
From Greek
Εἰρήνη (Eirene), derived from a word meaning
"peace". This was the name of the Greek goddess who personified peace, one of the
Ὥραι (Horai). It was also borne by several early Christian
saints. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, notably being borne by an 8th-century empress, who was the first woman to lead the empire. She originally served as regent for her son, but later had him killed and ruled alone.
This name has traditionally been more popular among Eastern Christians. In the English-speaking world it was not regularly used until the 19th century.
Innogen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Probably derived from Old Irish
ingen meaning "daughter" or "girl" (see
Imogen).
This was the form of
Ignoge used by Milton. (According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Ignoge was the name of a princess who was given in marriage by her father, King Pandrasus of Greece, to the Trojan exile Brutus in exchange for Pandrasus' freedom. In Britain, she became the mother of Locrine, Albanact and Humber.)
The spelling
Inogen was used by Richard Hole in his prose
Arthur (1789), where the name belonged to the daughter of Merlin, later the wife of Arthur.
Inkeri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: EENG-keh-ree
Ilta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: EEL-tah
Means "evening" in Finnish.
Illyria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek, Various (Rare)
Other Scripts: Ίλλυρία(Ancient Greek)
Ida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, French, Polish, Finnish, Hungarian, Slovak, Slovene, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: IE-də(English) EE-da(German, Dutch, Italian, Polish) EE-dah(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) EE-daw(Hungarian)
Derived from the Germanic element
id possibly meaning
"work, labour" (Proto-Germanic *
idiz). The
Normans brought this name to England, though it eventually died out there in the Middle Ages. It was strongly revived in the 19th century, in part due to the heroine in Alfred Tennyson's poem
The Princess (1847), which was later adapted into the play
Princess Ida (1884) by Gilbert and Sullivan.
Though the etymology is unrelated, this is the name of a mountain on the island of Crete where, according to Greek myth, the god Zeus was born.
Humphrey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HUM-free
From the Old German elements
hun "bear cub" and
fridu "peace". The
Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced the Old English
cognate Hunfrith, and it was regularly used through the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the American actor Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957), who starred in
The Maltese Falcon and
Casablanca.
Hitomi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 瞳, 史美, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ひとみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-TO-MEE
From Japanese
瞳 (hitomi) meaning "pupil of the eye". It can also come from
史 (hito) meaning "history" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful", as well as other kanji combinations. This name is often written with the hiragana writing system.
Hiroko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 寛子, 裕子, 浩子, 弘子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ひろこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-RO-KO
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.
Hideko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 秀子, 英子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ひでこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-DEH-KO
From Japanese
秀 (hide) meaning "excellent, outstanding" or
英 (hide) meaning "excellent, fine" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
Hazelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Archaic), Filipino
Pronounced: HAY-zel(American)
Personal remark: ha-ZELL
Hazan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Means "autumn" in Turkish.
Hazael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: חֲזָאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: HAY-zee-əl(English) HAZ-ee-əl(English)
Means
"God sees" in Hebrew, from
חָזָה (ḥaza) meaning "to see" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is the name of a king of Aram in the
Old Testament.
Haruna 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 晴菜, 遥菜, 春菜, etc.(Japanese Kanji) はるな(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: HA-ROO-NA
From Japanese
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather",
遥 (haru) meaning "distant, remote" or
春 (haru) meaning "spring" combined with
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Haldor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
From the Old Norse name
Hallþórr, which meant
"Thor's rock" from
hallr "rock" combined with the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor).
Gwendolen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: GWEHN-də-lin(English)
Personal remark: Gwen-DOL-en
Possibly means
"white ring", derived from Welsh
gwen meaning "white, blessed" and
dolen meaning "ring, loop". This name appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century chronicles, written in the Latin form
Guendoloena, where it belongs to an ancient queen of the Britons who defeats her ex-husband in battle
[1]. Geoffrey later used it in
Vita Merlini for the wife of the prophet
Merlin [2]. An alternate theory claims that the name arose from a misreading of the masculine name
Guendoleu by Geoffrey
[3].
This name was not regularly given to people until the 19th century [4][3]. It was used by George Eliot for a character in her novel Daniel Deronda (1876).
Gratian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: GRAY-shən(English)
From the Roman name
Gratianus, which meant
"grace" from Latin
gratus.
Saint Gratian was the first bishop of Tours (4th century). This was also the name of a Roman emperor.
Gol
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: گل(Persian)
Pronounced: GOL
Means "flower, rose" in Persian.
Gladys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, French, Spanish
Pronounced: GLAD-is(English) GLA-DEES(French) GLA-dhees(Spanish)
From the Old Welsh name
Gwladus, probably derived from
gwlad meaning
"country". Alternatively, it may have been adopted as a Welsh form of
Claudia.
Saint Gwladus or Gwladys was the mother of Saint
Cadoc. She was one of the daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog. This name became popular outside of Wales after it was used in Ouida's novel
Puck (1870).
Girisha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism
Other Scripts: गिरीश(Sanskrit)
Means
"lord of the mountain" in Sanskrit. This is a name of the Hindu god
Shiva, given because of his abode in the Himalayan Mountains.
Gintaras
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Lithuanian
Means "amber" in Lithuanian.
Giacinta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: ja-CHEEN-ta
Gertrude
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, German
Pronounced: GUR-trood(English) ZHEHR-TRUYD(French) gehr-TROO-də(German)
Means
"spear of strength", derived from the Old German elements
ger "spear" and
drud "strength".
Saint Gertrude the Great was a 13th-century nun and mystic writer from Thuringia. It was probably introduced to England by settlers from the Low Countries in the 15th century. Shakespeare used the name in his play
Hamlet (1600) for the mother of
Hamlet. Another famous bearer was the American writer Gertrude Stein (1874-1946).
Gerel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Гэрэл(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Pronounced: KEH-rezh
Means "light" in Mongolian.
Georgette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHAWR-ZHEHT
French feminine form of
George.
Gennadiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Геннадия(Russian)
Pronounced: gyin-NA-dyi-yə
Ganzorig
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Ганзориг(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Pronounced: GANG-tsaw-ryəg
Means
"steel courage" in Mongolian, from
ган (gan) meaning "steel" and
зориг (zorig) meaning "courage".
Gaheris
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: gə-HE-ris
This is the name of a character in Arthurian tales, a brother of
Gawain (as well as
Gareth, Mordred and Agravain), and the son of King Lot and either
Belisent or
Morgause. 'The earliest form of his name is so similar to the earliest form of Gareth (
Gahariet) that the two brothers may have originally been the same character.' First mentioned by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, although scholars have suggested a derivation from the Welsh name
Gweir, which belongs to a number of warriors in Welsh legends and can mean "hay", "collar", "circle", "loop" or "bend".
Gaétane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: GA-EH-TAN
French feminine form of
Caietanus (see
Gaetano).
Gabija
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian, Baltic Mythology
Probably from Lithuanian
gaubti meaning
"to cover". In Lithuanian
mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire and the home.
Fyodor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Фёдор(Russian)
Pronounced: FYUY-dər
Russian form of
Theodore. It was borne by three tsars of Russia. Another notable bearer was Fyodor Dostoyevsky (or Dostoevsky; 1821-1881), the Russian author of such works as
Crime and Punishment and
The Brothers Karamazov.
Flawia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Flamur
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Albanian
Pronounced: fla-MOOR
Means "flag" in Albanian.
Ferelith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish (Rare), English (British, Rare)
Falcon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
From the bird "Falcon" Falco
Ezra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: עֶזְרָא(Hebrew)
Pronounced: EHZ-rə(English)
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.
Eyvindur
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Icelandic
Icelandic form of
Eyvindr (see
Øyvind).
Everild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Latinized form of
Eoforhild. This was the name of a 7th-century English
saint.
Everard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
From
Everardus, the Latinized form of
Eberhard. The
Normans introduced it to England, where it joined the Old English
cognate Eoforheard. It has only been rarely used since the Middle Ages. Modern use of the name may be inspired by the surname
Everard, itself derived from the medieval name.
Euphrasie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: UU-FRA-ZEE
Eseld
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Ephraim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֶףְרָיִם(Hebrew) Ἐφραίμ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EEF-ree-əm(English) EEF-rəm(English)
From the Hebrew name
אֶףְרָיִם (ʾEfrayim) meaning
"fruitful". In the
Old Testament Ephraim is a son of
Joseph and
Asenath and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This name was also borne by two early
saints: Ephraim or Ephrem the Syrian, a 4th-century theologian, and Ephraim of Antioch, a 6th-century patriarch of Antioch.
Eoforhild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements
eofor "boar" and
hild "battle". This name was rarely used after the
Norman Conquest.
Embeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic Mythology, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
The name of one of the three
Beten (or
Bethen,
Beden), a German group of three saints. They are adored in minor churches and chapels in South Tyrol (Italy), Upper Bavaria, Baden and the Rhineland. Although the cult of the ''Three Virgins' is known since the late Middle Ages, it is only distributed regionally and not contained in the official lists of saints of the Catholic church. St. Einbeth (Embeth) is known in Strasbourg already in the second half of the 12th century. In the second half of the 14th century she is accompanied by
Wilbeth and
Borbeth. The origin of the three names is unknown. In the time of Romanticism in the 19th century speculation arose that the Three Virgins could be some kind of Christianized pagan Germanic, Celtic or Roman goddesses. Some theorize three saints are from a Germanic or Indo-European Triple Goddess, similar to the Fates of Greece.
Elżbieta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: elzh-BYEH-ta
Elysia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ee-ə(English) i-LIS-ee-ə(English) i-LEE-zhə(English)
From
Elysium, the name of the realm of the dead in Greek and Roman
mythology.
Elwing
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Means "foam of stars" or "star-spray" from Sindarin êl "star" and gwing "foam, spindrift, spume, (flying) spray blown off wave-tops". In 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) J. R. R. Tolkien, Elwing was a daughter of Dior, named for the waterfall of Lanthir Lamath in Ossiriand; she was also the mother of Elrond and grandmother of Arwen.
Elladan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Literature name from J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings', which means 'Elf-man'. Elladan was one of the twin sons of Lord Elrond.
Elestren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish (Modern, Rare)
Derived from Cornish elester meaning "iris flower". This is a recently coined Cornish name.
Eldred
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-drid
From an English surname that was derived from
Ealdræd.
Eldar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Azerbaijani, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Georgian
Other Scripts: Элдар(Kyrgyz) Эльдар(Kazakh) ელდარ(Georgian)
From Turkic
el meaning "country, society" combined with the Persian suffix
دار (dār) meaning "possessor".
Eardwulf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1]
Derived from the Old English element
eard "land" combined with
wulf "wolf".
Dysnomia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Derived from Greek dys "bad, wrong, difficult" and Greek nomos "custom, tradition, moral law". In Greek mythology, Dysnomia is the personification of lawlessness.
Dwynwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Medieval Welsh
Pronounced: DWEEN-wehn(Welsh) DUWIN-wehn(Welsh)
Possibly from the name of the Celtic god of love,
Dwyn combined with the Welsh element
gwyn "blessed, white, fair"; or derived from Welsh
dwyn "to lead (a life)", in which case it means "to a lead a blessed life".
This name was borne by Saint Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers. According to legend she was a beautiful princess who was visited by an angel.
Dvalinn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology
Pronounced: DA-və-lin
Old Norse name meaning "the one slumbering". Possibly derived from the same word as Swedish
dvala and Danish and Norwegian
dvale, meaning "sleep, hibernation".
Dvalinn is one of the four stags in Norse mythology who ate the buds off of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. He is also a dwarf and a smith that made a necklace worn by Freyja.
Dunyasha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Дуняша(Russian)
Dragana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Драгана(Serbian, Macedonian)
Diggory
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: DIG-ə-ree
Probably an Anglicized form of Degaré. Sir Degaré was the subject of a medieval poem set in Brittany. The name may mean "lost one" from French égaré.
Diamantina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Διαμαντίνα(Greek)
Demoleon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Means "lion of the people", derived from Greek δημος (demos) "the people" combined with Greek λεων (leon) "lion". In Greek mythology, Demoleon is the name of a centaur.
Deirbhile
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: DYEHR-ə-vyə-lyə
Means
"daughter of a poet" from Old Irish
der "daughter" and
fili "poet" (genitive
filed). This was the name of a 6th-century Irish
saint, also called Dervla.
Davida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Daveth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Cornish
Cybele
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Near Eastern Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κυβέλη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SIB-ə-lee(English)
Meaning unknown, possibly from Phrygian roots meaning either "stone" or "hair". This was the name of the Phrygian mother goddess associated with fertility and nature. She was later worshipped by the Greeks and Romans.
Csenge
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: CHENG-geh
Possibly derived from Hungarian cseng meaning "to ring, to clang".
Crystal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KRIS-təl
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.
Crispina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Sicilian, Medieval Latin
Feminine form of
Crispinus. A notable bearer was the 2nd-century Roman empress Bruttia Crispina, the wife of Emperor Commodus. This name was also borne by a 4th-century Christian martyr from North Africa.
Crimson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Cory
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAWR-ee
Corrie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: KAWR-ee(English) KAW-ree(Dutch)
Conleth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Anglicized form of the Old Irish name
Conláed, possibly meaning
"constant fire" from
cunnail "prudent, constant" and
áed "fire".
Saint Conláed was a 5th-century bishop of Kildare.
Clytemnestra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κλυταιμνήστρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: klie-təm-NEHS-trə(English)
Latinized form of Greek
Κλυταιμνήστρα (Klytaimnestra) and
Κλυταιμήστρα (Klytaimestra), in which the first element is
κλυτός (klytos) meaning "famous, noble". The spelling
Klytaimnestra would suggest the second element is
μνηστήρ (mnester) meaning "courter, wooer", while
Klytaimestra would suggest a connection to
μήδομαι (medomai) meaning "to plan, to intend". There is debate over which spelling is earlier or more authentic
[1], since the ancient texts seem to make puns based on both etymologies.
Klytaimestra appears in the works of the Greek tragedians such as Aeschylus, while
Klytaimnestra appears in Homer's poems (the earliest extant copy dating from the post-classical period).
In Greek legend Clytemnestra was the wife of Agamemnon and the mother of Orestes and Electra. While her husband was away during the Trojan War she took a lover, and upon his return she had Agamemnon murdered. She was subsequently killed by her son Orestes.
Cináed
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Scottish, Old Irish [1]
Possibly from Old Irish
cin "respect, esteem, affection" or
cinid "be born, come into being" combined with
áed "fire", though it might actually be of Pictish origin. This was the name of the first king of the Scots and Picts (9th century). It is often Anglicized as
Kenneth. The originally unrelated name
Coinneach is sometimes used as the modern Scottish Gaelic form.
Chryseis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Χρυσηΐς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KRUY-SEH-EES(Classical Greek) krie-SEE-is(English)
Patronymic derived from
Chryses. In Greek legend she was the daughter of Chryses, a priest of
Apollo. After she was taken prisoner by the Greeks besieging Troy, Apollo sent a plague into their camp, forcing the Greeks to release her.
Christabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-tə-behl
Combination of
Christina and the name suffix
bel (inspired by Latin
bella "beautiful"). This name occurs in medieval literature, and was later used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his 1816 poem
Christabel [1].
Chinasa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Igbo
Means "God is answering" in Igbo.
Chikere
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Igbo
Means "God created" in Igbo.
Chibueze
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Igbo
Means "God is the king" in Igbo.
Chester
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHEHS-tər
From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who came from Chester, an old Roman settlement in Britain. The name of the settlement came from Latin castrum "camp, fortress".
Cheng
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 成, 诚, etc.(Chinese) 成, 誠, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: CHUNG
From Chinese
成 (chéng) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
诚 (chéng) meaning "sincere, honest, true", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Chandrakanta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: चंद्रकांता, चन्द्रकान्ता(Hindi)
Chandrakant
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Marathi, Hindi
Other Scripts: चंद्रकांत(Marathi) चंद्रकांत, चन्द्रकान्त(Hindi)
Means
"beloved by the moon", derived from Sanskrit
चन्द्र (candra) meaning "moon" and
कान्त (kānta) meaning "desired, beloved". This is another name for the moonstone.
Ceinwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Derived from Welsh
cain "good, lovely" and
gwen "white, blessed". This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh
saint also known as
Cain or
Keyne.
Cedar
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SEE-dər
From the English word for the coniferous tree, derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek
κέδρος (kedros). Besides the true cedars from the genus Cedrus, it is also used to refer to some tree species in the cypress family.
Cathassach
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: KA-hə-səkh
Means "vigilant" in Irish.
Casiphia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, English (Rare, Archaic)
Pronounced: kas-i-FEE-ə(Biblical English) kə-SIF-ee-ə(Biblical English)
From a place name mentioned only by the Old Testament prophet Ezra, said to be a corruption of
Caspian. Otherwise it may mean "place of the treasury" from Hebrew
keceph "silver, money".
Casey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY-see
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Cathasaigh, a patronymic derived from the given name
Cathassach. This name can be given in honour of Casey Jones (1863-1900), a train engineer who sacrificed his life to save his passengers. In his case,
Casey was a nickname acquired because he was raised in the town of Cayce, Kentucky.
Carrie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAR-ee, KEHR-ee
Diminutive of
Caroline. This name declined in use shortly after the 1976 release of the horror movie
Carrie, which was based on a 1974 novel by Stephen King.
Carnelian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
After the brownish red mineral of the same name, of which the name is a corruption of
cornelian, which in turn is derived from Latin
cornelianus (see
Cornelianus).
Capricorn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: KAP-ri-kawn(British English) KAP-ri-kawrn(American English)
From Latin Capricornus meaning "horned like a goat" (from caper, genitive capri "goat" and cornu "horn"), a loan-translation of Greek Aigokheros, the name of the constellation. This is also the name of the tenth sign of the zodiac.
Cadeyrn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
From Old Welsh
Catigirn meaning
"battle king", derived from
cat "battle" and
tigirn "king, monarch". This was the name of a 5th-century king of Powys in Wales, the son of
Vortigern.
Breno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese
Pronounced: BREH-noo(European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese)
Brennus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gaulish (Latinized)
Pronounced: BREHN-əs(English)
Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either "king, prince" or "raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.
Brant
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRANT
From an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name
Brandr. This is also the name for a variety of wild geese.
Bipin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Marathi, Hindi
Other Scripts: बिपिन(Marathi, Hindi)
Bilhah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: בִּלְהָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: BIL-hə(English)
Bilal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Turkish, Urdu
Other Scripts: بلال(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: bee-LAL(Arabic)
Means
"wetting, moistening" in Arabic. This was the name of a companion of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Betony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BEHT-nee, BEHT-ə-nee
From the name of the minty medicinal herb.
Bessarion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Greek
Other Scripts: Βησσαρίων(Ancient Greek)
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Greek
βῆσσα (bessa) meaning
"wooded valley". This was the name of a 5th-century Egyptian hermit who was a disciple of
Saint Anthony the Great. It was later adopted by the scholar Basilios Bessarion (1403-1472), a Greek born in Byzantine Anatolia who became a Roman Catholic bishop.
Beregond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Beowulf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon Mythology
Pronounced: BAY-ə-wuwlf(English)
Possibly means
"bee wolf" (in effect equal to "bear") from Old English
beo "bee" and
wulf "wolf". Alternatively, the first element may be
beadu "battle". This is the name of the main character in the anonymous 8th-century epic poem
Beowulf. Set in Denmark, the poem tells how he slays the monster Grendel and its mother at the request of King
Hroðgar. After this Beowulf becomes the king of the Geats. The conclusion of the poem tells how Beowulf, in his old age, slays a dragon but is himself mortally wounded in the act.
Belladonna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: behl-ə-DAHN-ə(English)
From the name of a toxic plant, also called deadly nightshade (species Atropa belladonna). The plant's name is of Italian origin, probably derived from Latin bladona "mullein plant" and altered through association with the Italian words bella "beautiful, fair" and donna "lady".
Bedivere
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
From the Welsh name
Bedwyr, possibly from
bedwen "birch" and
gwr "man". In Arthurian legends Bedivere was one of the original companions of King
Arthur. He first appears in early Welsh tales, and his story was later expanded by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century. He is the one who throws the sword Excalibur into the lake at the request of the dying Arthur.
Batbayar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Батбаяр(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Pronounced: PAT-pier
Means
"strong joy" in Mongolian, from
бат (batu) meaning "strong, firm" and
баяр (bayar) meaning "joy".
Bard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
A significant supporting character in The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, Bard the Bowman (abbreviated to Bard) of Esgaroth was a skilled archer and the heir of Girion, the last king of old Dale. He was described as "grim faced" and while a guardsman of Esgaroth he was often predicting floods and poisoned fish. He rallied the guards to defend the town when the Dragon came. Bard was able to slay the dragon Smaug with the Black Arrow after a tip from the old thrush (who had overheard Bilbo Baggins' description of Smaug) had revealed an unarmoured spot on the dragon's underside. Bard claimed a fourteenth of the treasure amassed by the dragon, which he subsequently shared with the Master of Esgaroth to rebuild the town, but the Master stole the money and ran off into the wild where he died. After its rebuilding, Bard was the first king of restored Dale, followed by his son Bain, grandson Brand, and great-grandson Bard II.
Barabal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic
Aviâja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greenlandic
Avgusta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Slovene, Russian
Other Scripts: Августа(Russian)
Slovene and Russian feminine form of
Augustus.
Avanti
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: अवन्ती(Hindi)
From the name of an ancient kingdom of central India that had its capital at Ujjain.
Auva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Auva is the medieval name of Delta Virginis, a star in the zodiac constellation of Virgo.
The name is derived from Arabic عوى ((c)awwa’), meaning "barking (dog)".
August
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English
Pronounced: OW-guwst(German) OW-goost(Polish, Norwegian) OW-guyst(Swedish) AW-gəst(English)
German, Polish, Scandinavian and Catalan form of
Augustus. This was the name of three Polish kings.
As an English name it can also derive from the month of August, which was named for the Roman emperor Augustus.
Auda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Feminine form of
Audo (see
Otto).
Athénaïs
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-TEH-NA-EES
Astraia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀστραία(Ancient Greek)
Astêr
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kurdish
Derived from Kurdish stêrk meaning "star".
Asta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: AHS-tah(Swedish, Norwegian)
Ashraqat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: أشراقات(Arabic)
Pronounced: ash-ra-KAT
Means
"brightness, splendour, dawn" in Arabic, derived from the root
شرق (sharaqa) meaning "to radiate, to shine, to rise".
Årolilja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Norwegian (Rare)
Occurs in the medieval Norwegian ballad 'Bendik og Årolilja', where it belongs to a princess who dies of heartache when her lover is hanged under her father's orders.
Arnór
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Icelandic
Aredhel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Means "noble elf" in Sindarin. This was the name of an Elf in Tolkien's book 'The Silmarillion'.
Arata
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 新, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あらた(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-RA-TA
From Japanese
新 (arata) meaning "fresh, new". Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
Aputsiaq
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greenlandic
Means "snowflake" in Greenlandic.
Anubis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἄνουβις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ə-NOO-bis(English)
Latinized form of
Ἄνουβις (Anoubis), the Greek form of Egyptian
jnpw (reconstructed as
Anapa and other forms), which coincided with a word meaning
"royal child, prince". However, it might alternatively be derived from the root
jnp meaning
"to decay". Anubis was the Egyptian god who led the dead to the underworld. He was often depicted as a man with the head of a jackal. The Greeks equated him with their god
Hermes.
Antoinette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AHN-TWA-NEHT
Feminine
diminutive of
Antoine. This name was borne by Marie Antoinette, the queen of France during the French Revolution. She was executed by guillotine.
Antheia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄνθεια(Ancient Greek)
Annis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AN-is
Medieval English form of
Agnes.
Annegret
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: A-nə-greht
Annalisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Amrit
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: अमृत(Hindi)
Means
"immortal" from Sanskrit
अ (a) meaning "not" and
मृत (mṛta) meaning "dead". In Hindu texts it refers to a drink that gives immortality.
Amphitrite
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀμφιτρίτη(Ancient Greek)
Possibly means
"the surrounding sea" or
"the surrounding third", from Greek
ἀμφίς (amphis) meaning "surrounding, around, between" and the same root found in the name of
Triton. In Greek
mythology she was a goddess of the sea and salt water, the wife of
Poseidon and the mother of Triton.
Ameretat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian Mythology
Other Scripts: 𐬀𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬙𐬁𐬙(Avestan)
Means
"immortality" in Avestan. This was the name of a Zoroastrian goddess (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with plants and long life. She was often mentioned with
Haurvatat.
Amée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval French
Old French form of
Aimée.
Ambra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: AM-bra
Altaluna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Italian
Derived from Italian
alta, the feminine form of the adjective
alto, meaning "high; deep; big; towering; elevated" and, when used in a poetic context, "grand; sublime; noble" and
luna "moon".
A known bearer of this name was Altaluna della Scala, daughter of Mastino II della Scala, a 14th-cenutry lord of Verona, sister of Viridis and wife of Louis V, Duke of Bavaria.
Whether Altalune, the name Uma Thurman gave her daughter born in 2012, is a medieval variant of this name, is still debated.
Aldith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Akulina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Акулина(Russian)
Akio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 昭夫, 昭男, 昭雄, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あきお(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KYEE-O
From Japanese
昭 (aki) meaning "bright, luminous" combined with
夫 (o) meaning "man, husband",
男 (o) meaning "male, man" or
雄 (o) meaning "hero, manly". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Akinyi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Luo
Means "born in the morning" in Luo.
Ai 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 爱, 蔼, etc.(Chinese) 愛, 藹, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: IE
From Chinese
爱 (ài) meaning "love, affection",
蔼 (ǎi) meaning "friendly, lush", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Ahti
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian, Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: AHH-tee(Finnish)
Meaning unknown. This is the name of the Finnish god of the ocean, rivers and fishing.
Agnieszka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: ag-NYEH-shka
Aella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄελλα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-EHL-LA(Classical Greek)
Means
"whirlwind" in Greek. In Greek
myth this was the name of an Amazon warrior killed by
Herakles during his quest for Hippolyta's girdle.
Aditi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada
Other Scripts: अदिति(Sanskrit, Hindi) अदिती(Marathi) অদিতি(Bengali) ಅದಿತಿ(Kannada)
Pronounced: U-dee-tee(Sanskrit)
Means
"boundless, entire" or
"freedom, security" in Sanskrit, derived from the negative prefix
अ (a) and
दिति (diti) meaning "giving". This is the name of a Hindu goddess of the cosmos, motherhood and fertility. According to the
Vedas she is the mother of several of the gods.
Achsah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: עַךְסָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AK-sə(English)
Means
"anklet, bangle" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of a daughter of
Caleb.
Abiodun
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Yoruba
Pronounced: A-BEE-AW-DOON
Means "born on a festival" in Yoruba.
Abednego
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: עֲבֵד־ןְגוֹ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: ə-BEHD-ni-go(English)
Means
"servant of Nebo" in Akkadian,
Nebo being the Babylonian god of wisdom. In the
Old Testament Abednego is the Babylonian name given to
Azariah, one of the three men cast into a blazing furnace but saved from harm by God, as told in the Book of Daniel.
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