Wisenheimer's Personal Name List

Acacia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-KAY-shə
Personal remark: Means "thorn, point" in Greek
From the name of a type of tree, ultimately derived from Greek ἀκή (ake) meaning "thorn, point".
Adah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: עָדָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AY-də(English)
Personal remark: Means "adornment" in Hebrew
Means "adornment, ornament" in Hebrew. This is the name of the wives of both Lamech and Esau in the Old Testament.
Adela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, Slovak, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: ə-DEHL-ə(English) a-DHEH-la(Spanish) a-DEH-la(Polish) A-deh-la(Slovak)
Personal remark: Means "noble" in many languages.
Originally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element adal meaning "noble" (Proto-Germanic *aþalaz). Saint Adela was a 7th-century Frankish princess who founded a monastery at Pfazel in France. This name was also borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror.
Aldona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian, Polish
Pronounced: ul-do-NU(Lithuanian) al-DAW-na(Polish)
Personal remark: Of unknown meaning
Meaning unknown. This was the name of a 14th-century Polish queen, the daughter of a Grand Duke of Lithuania.
Amethyst
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AM-ə-thist
Personal remark: From the name of the precious stone, which is Greek in origin and means "not drunk"
From the name of the purple semi-precious stone, which is derived from the Greek negative prefix (a) and μέθυστος (methystos) meaning "intoxicated, drunk", as it was believed to be a remedy against drunkenness. It is the traditional birthstone of February.
Amity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: A-mi-tee
Personal remark: Means "friendship" in English (rare)
From the English word meaning "friendship", ultimately deriving from Latin amicitia.
Ariel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Polish, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֲרִיאֵל(Hebrew) Ἀριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-ree-EHL(Hebrew) EHR-ee-əl(English) AR-ee-əl(English) A-RYEHL(French) a-RYEHL(Spanish) A-ryehl(Polish)
Personal remark: Means "lion of God" in Hebrew
Means "lion of God" in Hebrew, from אֲרִי (ʾari) meaning "lion" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare utilized it for a spirit in his play The Tempest (1611) and Alexander Pope utilized it for a sylph in his poem The Rape of the Lock (1712), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Disney film The Little Mermaid (1989).
Arlette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AR-LEHT
Personal remark: French form of Herleva, which means "honorable or noble army" in German
French form of Herleva.
Artemis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἄρτεμις(Ancient Greek) Άρτεμις(Greek)
Pronounced: AR-TEH-MEES(Classical Greek) AHR-tə-mis(English)
Personal remark: Of unknown meaning
Meaning unknown, possibly related either to Greek ἀρτεμής (artemes) meaning "safe" or ἄρταμος (artamos) meaning "a butcher". Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon and hunting, the twin of Apollo and the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was known as Diana to the Romans.
Ava 3
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: A-va(German)
Personal remark: Means "desired" in Ancient German
Originally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element awi, of unknown meaning. This was the name of a 9th-century Frankish saint. It was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Melk, Austria.
Avra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Αύρα(Greek)
Personal remark: Possibly a feminine form of Abraham meaning "father of many"
Greek form of Aura.
Bryony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BRIE-ə-nee
Personal remark: Means "to swell" in Greek
From the name of a type of Eurasian vine, formerly used as medicine. It ultimately derives from Greek βρύω (bryo) meaning "to swell".
Calypso
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Καλυψώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-LIP-so(English)
Personal remark: Means "she that conceals" in Greek
From Greek Καλυψώ (Kalypso), which probably meant "she that conceals", derived from καλύπτω (kalypto) meaning "to cover, to conceal". In Greek myth this was the name of the nymph who fell in love with Odysseus after he was shipwrecked on her island of Ogygia. When he refused to stay with her she detained him for seven years until Zeus ordered her to release him.
Carys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: KA-ris
Personal remark: Derived from Welsh caru meaning "love"
Derived from Welsh caru meaning "love". This is a relatively modern Welsh name, in common use only since the middle of the 20th century.
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: Means "blind" in latin
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.

Cerise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SU-REEZ
Personal remark: Means "cherry" in French
Means "cherry" in French.
Chantal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: SHAHN-TAL(French) shahn-TAHL(English, Dutch) shahn-TAL(English)
Personal remark: Means "stony" in French
From a French surname that was derived from a place name meaning "stony". It was originally given in honour of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, the founder of the Visitation Order in the 17th century. It has become associated with French chant "song".
Cleo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEE-o
Personal remark: Short form of Cleopatra meaning "glory of the father" in Greek
Short form of Cleopatra, Cleon or Cleopas.
Clytemnestra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κλυταιμνήστρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: klie-təm-NEHS-trə(English)
Personal remark: Means "famous, noble" and "courter, wooer" in Greek
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.

Coralie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KAW-RA-LEE
Personal remark: Derived from Greek Koralia meaning "coral"
Either a French form of Koralia, or a derivative of Latin corallium "coral" (see Coral).
Cordelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: kawr-DEE-lee-ə(English) kawr-DEEL-yə(English)
Personal remark: Of unknown meaning
From Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles [1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.

The spelling was later altered to Cordelia when Geoffrey's story was adapted by others, including Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590) and Shakespeare in his tragedy King Lear (1606).

Cordula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Personal remark: Late Latin name meaning "heart"
Late Latin name meaning "heart" from Latin cor (genitive cordis). Saint Cordula was one of the 4th-century companions of Saint Ursula.
Delilah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: דְּלִילָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: di-LIE-lə(English)
Personal remark: Means "delicate, weak, languishing" in Hebrew.
Means "delicate, weak, languishing" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament she is the lover of Samson, whom she betrays to the Philistines by cutting his hair, which is the source of his power. Despite her character flaws, the name began to be used by the Puritans in the 17th century. It has been used occasionally in the English-speaking world since that time.
Emery
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-ree
Personal remark: Norman form of Emmerich meaning "power"
Norman French form of Emmerich. The Normans introduced it to England, and though it was never popular, it survived until the end of the Middle Ages. As a modern given name, now typically feminine, it is likely inspired by the surname Emery, which was itself derived from the medieval given name. It can also be given in reference to the hard black substance called emery.
Estelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: ehs-TEHL(English) EHS-TEHL(French)
Personal remark: Means "star" in French
From an Old French name meaning "star", ultimately derived from Latin stella. It was rare in the English-speaking world in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due to the character Estella Havisham in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations (1860).
Felicity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: fə-LIS-i-tee
Personal remark: From the English word felicity meaning "happiness", which ultimately derives from Latin felicitas "good luck"
From the English word felicity meaning "happiness", which ultimately derives from Latin felicitas "good luck". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans around the 17th century. It can sometimes be used as an English form of the Latin name Felicitas. This name jumped in popularity in the United States after the premiere of the television series Felicity in 1998. It is more common in the United Kingdom.
Garnet 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAHR-nət
Personal remark: Means "dark red" in Middle English
From the English word garnet for the precious stone, the birthstone of January. The word is derived from Middle English gernet meaning "dark red".
Gry
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Personal remark: Means "dawn" in Norwegian
Means "to dawn" in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish.
Halcyon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Pronounced: HAL-see-ən(English)
Personal remark: From the name of a genus of kingfisher birds
From the name of a genus of kingfisher birds, derived from Greek ἀλκυών (from the same source as Alcyone).
Idony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Personal remark: Medieval English vernacular form of Idonea which means "to love again" in Old Norse
Medieval English vernacular form of Idonea.
Lalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Personal remark: Short form of Eulalia which is from a Greek name meaning "to talk well"
Short form of Eulalia.
Lavinia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Romanian, Italian
Pronounced: la-WEE-nee-a(Latin) lə-VIN-ee-ə(English) la-VEE-nya(Italian)
Personal remark: Of unknown meaning
Meaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.
Leda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Italian
Other Scripts: Λήδα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LEH-DA(Classical Greek) LEE-də(English) LAY-də(English) LEH-da(Italian)
Personal remark: Possibly means "woman" from Greek
Meaning unknown. In Greek myth she was a Spartan queen and the mother of Castor, Pollux, Helen and Clytemnestra by the god Zeus, who came upon her in the form of a swan.
Lilith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Other Scripts: לילית(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: LIL-ith(English)
Personal remark: Derived from Akkadian lilitu meaning "of the night"
Derived from Akkadian lilitu meaning "of the night". This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish tradition she was Adam's first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by Eve because she would not submit to him. The offspring of Adam (or Samael) and Lilith were the evil spirits of the world.
Lyric
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LIR-ik
Personal remark: Means simply "lyric, songlike" from the English word
Means simply "lyric, songlike" from the English word, ultimately derived from Greek λυρικός (lyrikos).
Maela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Breton
Personal remark: Breton form of Mael, which is derived from a Celtic word meaning "chief" or "prince".
Feminine form of Maël.
Maeve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: MAYV(English)
Personal remark: Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Medb meaning "intoxicating".
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.
Mailys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAY-LEES, MA-EE-LEES
Personal remark: From the name of a town in southern France, possibly derived from Occitan mair "mother" and French lys "lily".
Variant of Maylis.
Mara 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Hebrew [1], Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Other Scripts: מָרָא(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: MAHR-ə(English) MAR-ə(English) MEHR-ə(English) MA-ra(Spanish)
Personal remark: Means "bitter" in Hebrew
Means "bitter" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is a name that Naomi calls herself after the death of her husband and sons (see Ruth 1:20).
Marisol
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ma-ree-SOL
Personal remark: May be representative of a Spanish phrase meaning "sea and sun"
Short form of María Soledad. It is sometimes considered a combination of María and Sol 1, or from Spanish mar y sol "sea and sun".
Meital
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: מֵיטַל(Hebrew)
Personal remark: Means "dew drop" in Hebrew
Means "dew drop" in Hebrew.
Mia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, German, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, English
Pronounced: MEE-ah(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) MEE-a(Dutch, German, Italian) MEE-ə(English)
Personal remark: Diminutive of Maria and Mary. The meaning is not known, but there are several theories including "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness", and "wished for child". Could have meant "love"
Diminutive of Maria. It coincides with the Italian word mia meaning "mine".

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

Millicent
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MIL-i-sənt
Personal remark: From the Germanic name Amalasuintha, composed of the elements amal "work, labour" and swinþ "strength"
From the Gothic name *Amalaswinþa, composed of the elements amals "unceasing, vigorous, brave" and swinþs "strong". Amalaswintha was a 6th-century queen of the Ostrogoths. The Normans introduced this name to England in the form Melisent or Melisende. Melisende was a 12th-century queen of Jerusalem, the daughter of Baldwin II.
Morana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Slavic Mythology, Croatian
Personal remark: Means "death" in Slavic.
From Old Slavic morŭ meaning "death, plague" [1]. In Slavic mythology this was the name of a goddess associated with winter and death.
Nerys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Personal remark: Perhaps an elaboration of Welsh ner "lord", with the intended meaning of "lady".
Probably a feminized form of Welsh nêr meaning "lord".
Nyx
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Νύξ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NUYKS(Classical Greek) NIKS(English)
Personal remark: Means "night" in Greek
Means "night" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the night, the daughter of Khaos and the wife of Erebos.
Sarah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical
Other Scripts: שָׂרָה(Hebrew) سارة(Arabic)
Pronounced: SEHR-ə(English) SAR-ə(English) SA-RA(French) ZA-ra(German) SA-ra(Danish, Dutch, Arabic)
Personal remark: Means "lady" or "princess" in Hebrew
From the Hebrew name שָׂרָה (Sara) meaning "lady, princess, noblewoman". In the Old Testament this is the name of Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see Genesis 17:15).

In England, Sarah came into use after the Protestant Reformation. It was consistently popular in the 20th century throughout the English-speaking world, reaching the top of the charts for England and Wales in the 1970s and 80s.

Notable bearers include Sarah Churchill (1660-1744), an influential British duchess and a close friend of Queen Anne, and the French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923).

Scholastica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Personal remark: From a Late Latin name which was derived from scholasticus meaning "rhetorician, orator"
From a Late Latin name that was derived from scholasticus meaning "rhetorician, orator". Saint Scholastica was a 6th-century Benedictine abbess, the sister of Saint Benedict of Nursia.
Seraphina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Late Roman
Pronounced: sehr-ə-FEEN-ə(English) zeh-ra-FEE-na(German)
Personal remark: Feminine form of the Late Latin name Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word seraphim which was Hebrew in origin and meant "fiery ones".
Feminine form of the Late Latin name Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word seraphim, which was Hebrew in origin and meant "fiery ones". The seraphim were an order of angels, described by Isaiah in the Bible as having six wings each.

This was the name of a 13th-century Italian saint who made clothes for the poor. As an English name, it has never been common.

Sloan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SLON
Personal remark: Derived from an Irish surname which meant "raid"
Variant of Sloane.
Sorrel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SAWR-əl
Personal remark: From the name of the sour tasting plant, which may ultimately derive from Germanic sur "sour"
From the name of the sour tasting plant, derived from Old French sur "sour", a word of Frankish origin.
Tansy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TAN-zee
Personal remark: From the name of the flower
From the name of the flower, which is derived via Old French from Late Latin tanacita.
Tiamat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Other Scripts: 𒀭𒋾𒊩𒆳, 𒀭𒌓𒌈(Akkadian Cuneiform)
Pronounced: TEE-ə-maht(English)
Personal remark: Means "sea" in Akkadian
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.
Verity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VEHR-i-tee
Personal remark: Means "verity, truth" in English.
From the English word meaning "verity, truth", from Latin verus "true, real". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century.
Viorica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: vee-o-REE-ka
Personal remark: Derived from Romanian viorea meaning "bluebell"
Derived from Romanian viorea (see Viorel).
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