mairinn's Personal Name List

Finnish short form of Aleksanteri or Aleksi, an Italian short form of Alessandro, and a Spanish short form of Alejandro or Alejandra.

Short form of Alexander.

Spanish form of Alexander. This was the most popular name for boys in Spain from the 1990s until 2006 (and again in 2011).

Diminutive of Aleksander.

Diminutive of Aleksandar.

Diminutive of Alexandros.

Short form of Aleksey, Aleksandr or Aleksandra.

Form of Alexander in several languages.

Form of Alexander in several languages.

Russian and Armenian form of Alexander. This name was borne by the Russian writer Aleksandr Pushkin (1799-1837).

Form of Alexandra in several languages.

Diminutive of Aleksandra.

Variant of Aleksander inspired by Alexandros.

Finnish form of Alexander.

Alternate transcription of Russian Алексей (see Aleksey).

Polish form of Alexius.

Italian form of Alexandra.

Italian form of Alexander. A famous bearer was Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), the Italian physicist who invented the battery.

Italian feminine form of Alexius.

Italian form of Alexius.

Short form of Alexander, Alexandra and other names beginning with Alex.

Variant of Alicia. The spelling has probably been influenced by that of the alyssum flower, the name of which is derived from Greek ἀ (a), a negative prefix, combined with λύσσα (lyssa) meaning "madness, rabies", since it was believed to cure madness.

Feminine variant of Alex.

Medieval feminine form of Amabilis.

Feminine form of Amabilis.

Late Latin name meaning "lovable". Saint Amabilis was a 5th-century priest in Riom, central France.

Polish form of Amadeus.

Kashubian short form of Andżelika as well as a cognate of Angela.

Diminutive of Angelo or Ángel.

French form of Angelica.

Dutch form of Angélique.

Spanish diminutive of Angela.

Feminine variant of Angel.

Portuguese form of Angelus (see Angel).

Italian form of Angelus (see Angel).

Greek form of Angelus (see Angel).

Latin form of Angel.

From an Old Welsh name recorded in various forms such as Acgarat and Ancarat. It means "much loved", from the intensive prefix an- combined with a mutated form of caru "to love". In the medieval Welsh romance Peredur son of Efrawg, Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of the knight Peredur.

Romanian form of Angelus (see Angel).

Sardinian form of Angela.

Sardinian form of Angelus (see Angel).

Macedonian diminutive of Angel.

Late Latin form of England (and also of Angel).

Russian and Bulgarian form of England.

Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Angelina.

Belarusian form of Angelina.

Old Norse variant of Ánn.

Variant of Ane.

Means "beautiful" in Hawaiian.

Variant of Ahuña.

Diminutive of Ana.

From the name of an old Armenian city, of unknown meaning. Now in eastern Turkey, in the 10th and 11th centuries it was the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, though it was later abandoned and is now only ruins.

Polish diminutive of Anna, and an alternate transcription of Russian Аня (see Anya).

Polish form of Angela.

Possibly an early variant of Viviana. Alternatively, it may be a feminine derivative of the earlier Roman cognomen Vibianus.

Diminutive of Bridget.

Short form of William. This spelling was not commonly used before the 19th century. The change in the initial consonant may have been influenced by an earlier Irish pronunciation of the name. Famous bearers include basketball player Bill Russell (1934-2022), comedian Bill Cosby (1937-), American president Bill Clinton (1946-), and Microsoft founder Bill Gates (1955-), all of whom were born with the name William.

Diminutive of Bill. It is also used as a feminine form of William.

Diminutive of Bill. A notable bearer was the American outlaw Billy the Kid (1859-1881), whose real name was William H. Bonney. Others include filmmaker Billy Wilder (1906-2002), actor Billy Crystal (1948-), and musician Billy Joel (1949-).

Diminutive of names like Birgitta and Britt-Marie (see Brittmarie).

Diminutive of Sabina and Sabrina.

From a French surname that meant either "channel", indicating a person who lived near a channel of water, or "jug, jar, bottle", indicating a manufacturer of jugs. It has been used as an American given name since 1970s, influenced by the Chanel brand name (a line of women's clothing and perfume), which was named for French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971).

Variant of Chanel.

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".

Variant of Chantal.

Variant of Chantal.

From the English word charity, ultimately derived from Late Latin caritas "generous love", from Latin carus "dear, beloved". Caritas was in use as a Roman Christian name. The English name Charity came into use among the Puritans after the Protestant Reformation. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.

From Old French Charles le Magne meaning "Charles the Great". This is the name by which the Frankish king Charles the Great (742-814) is commonly known.

Diminutive or feminine form of Charles.

Variant of Charlie, typically feminine.

Diminutive or feminine form of Charles. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). It is also borne by Charlie Brown, the main character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz.

Feminine form of Charles using the popular Afrikaans name suffix ize. This name was popularized by South African actress Charlize Theron (1975-), who was named after her father Charles.

Swedish variant of Charlotte.

French feminine diminutive of Charles. It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. It was the name of a German-born 18th-century queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Another notable bearer was Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), the eldest of the three Brontë sisters and the author of Jane Eyre and Villette. A famous fictional bearer is the spider in the children's novel Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.

This name was fairly common in France, England and the United States in the early 20th century. It became quite popular in France and England at the end of the 20th century, just when it was at a low point in the United States. It quickly climbed the American charts and entered the top ten in 2014.

Yiddish variant of Ezekiel.

Hebrew form of Hazael.

Diminutive of Michelle.

From the name of a district in London, originally derived from Old English and meaning "landing place for chalk or limestone". It has been in general use as an English given name since the 1970s.

Variant of Chelsea.

Short form of Chester, or sometimes Francesca.

Short form of Cleopatra, Cleon or Cleopas.

Spanish and Italian form of Chloe.

Short form of Nicolette. Saint Colette was a 15th-century French nun who gave her money to the poor. This was also the pen name of the French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954).

Variant of Colleen or Colin 2.

From the Roman family name Cyprianus, which meant "from Cyprus". Saint Cyprian was a 3rd-century bishop of Carthage who was martyred under the Roman emperor Valerian.

From the Greek name Κύριλλος (Kyrillos), which was derived from Greek κύριος (kyrios) meaning "lord", a word used frequently in the Greek Bible to refer to God or Jesus.

This name was borne by a number of important saints, including Cyril of Jerusalem, a 4th-century bishop and Doctor of the Church, and Cyril of Alexandria, a 5th-century theologian. Another Saint Cyril was a 9th-century Greek missionary to the Slavs, who is credited with creating the Glagolitic alphabet with his brother Methodius in order to translate the Bible into Slavic. The Cyrillic alphabet, named after him, is descended from Glagolitic.

This name has been especially well-used in Eastern Europe and other places where Orthodox Christianity is prevalent. It came into general use in England in the 19th century.

Latinized form of Kyrillos.

Occupational surname meaning "dean", referring to a person who either was a dean or worked for one. It is from Middle English deen (ultimately from Latin decanus meaning "chief of ten").

Combination of the popular name prefix de and Angelo.

Diminutive of Deborah.

Short form of Declan.

Anglicized form of Irish Deaglán, Old Irish Declán, which is of unknown meaning. Saint Declan was a 5th-century missionary to the Déisi peoples of Ireland and the founder of the monastery at Ardmore.

In America, this name received boosts in popularity from main characters in the movies The Jackal (1997) and Leap Year (2010).

Originally a nickname, typically for names beginning with D. It can be spelled Deedee, DeeDee or Dee Dee.

From the Old Irish name Derdriu, meaning unknown, possibly derived from der meaning "daughter". This was the name of a tragic character in Irish legend who died of a broken heart after Conchobar, the king of Ulster, forced her to be his bride and killed her lover Naoise.

It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 20th century, influenced by two plays featuring the character: William Butler Yeats' Deirdre (1907) and J. M. Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows (1910).

Truncated form of Adéla.

Means "god, deity" in Chechen. In Chechen mythology, Dela was the supreme god who created the earth. In modern times, his name is sometimes used to refer to Allah, the Islamic God.

Dela. in Zulu it means to become whole, to feel complete and satisfied.

Dela is a name of Ghanaian origin. It can be used for both sexes. Dela has a strong meaning, that is “Savior". Used by the people of the Volta region.

Means "dolphin" in Latin. Delphinus is a constellation of a dolphin located on the northern sky near the celestial equator.

Means "son of Luca 1".

From an elaboration of Welsh del "pretty". This is a recently created name.

Breton form of Daniel.

Spanish feminine form of Adelmar.

Spanish form of Adelmar.

Younger form of Adeltraud.

Variant of Edeltraud.

Finnish form of Emil.

Diminutive for names that starting with "Ef" like Efraim and Efrat

Variant of Effie.

Diminutive of Eilionoir, also taken to be a Gaelic form of Helen.

Variant of Eiðvør and Eyðvør as well as a younger form of Eyvǫr. Eivør Pálsdóttir is a well-known Faroese singer and songwriter.

Means "God is an eternity" in Hebrew, from אֵל (ʾēl) "God, the supreme deity, esp. the God of Israel" and עַד (ʿaḏ) "an eternity".

See also the Hebrew name Adel, which uses the same elements but in reverse order (cf. Nathanael and Elnathan for another Hebrew example of this phenomenon).

In the Bible ʾElʿāḏ was a member of the Tribe of Ephraim who was murdered by the Gat people.

Elad is also the name of a large settlement in central Israel.

Means "terebinth tree" in Hebrew. This was the name of the fourth king of Israel, as told in the Old Testament. He was murdered by Zimri, who succeeded him.

Variant of Ella 1 or Ella 2. This name was given to 33 girls born in the United States in 2015.

Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Elçin.

Possibly means "ambassador" in Azerbaijani [1].

The first element of this name is derived from Azerbaijani el meaning "people" or "nation, country". The second element is derived from Azerbaijani güc meaning "power, strength, force". As such, the meaning of this name is roughly "power of the people" or "power of the country".

Georgian form of Elgüc. Known bearers of this name include the Georgian politician Elguja Gvazava (b. 1952) and the Georgian scientist and military figure Elguja Medzmariashvili (b. 1946).

In Georgian literature, this is the name of the eponymous character of the novel Elguja (1881) written by Aleksandre Qazbegi (1848-1893).

Variant of Alicia.

Turkish form of Alif, the name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, ا. It also means "slender", from the Turkish phrase elif gibi, literally "shaped like elif".

Feminine form of Eligius.

Italian and Spanish form of Eligius.

Late Latin name derived from Latin eligere "to choose". The 7th-century Saint Eligius is the patron saint of metalworkers.

Hungarian form of Eligius.

Polish form of Eligius.

Italian form of Aelius or Helios.

Form of Elisha used in the Greek Old Testament.

Italian and Spanish form of Elisha.

Portuguese form of Elisha.

Latin form of Elisha.

From the Hebrew name אֱלִישַׁע (ʾElishaʿ), a contracted form of אֱלִישׁוּעַ (ʾElishuaʿ) meaning "my God is salvation", derived from אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God" and יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save, to deliver". According to the Old Testament, Elisha was a prophet and miracle worker. He was the attendant of Elijah and succeeded him after his ascension to heaven.

From Hebrew אֱלִישׁוּעַ (ʾElishuaʿ), an extended form of אֱלִישַׁע (see Elisha). In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of King David.

Macedonian form of Elisha.

Derived from Bulgarian елица, itself a diminutive form of Bulgarian ела "fir tree; spruce".

Modern form of Elah.

Norman name, originally a short form of Germanic names containing the element alles meaning "other" (Proto-Germanic *aljaz). It was introduced to England by the Normans and used until the 14th century, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the American singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996).

Modern Greek form of Helle 2.

Means "old age" in Old Norse. In the Prose Edda this is the name of an old woman (old age personified) who wrestles with and defeats the god Thor.

Modern German form of Adelmar or Egilmar.

Latvian form of Elmar.

From Turkic el meaning "people, country, nation" and Persian انار (anâr) meaning "pomegranate".

Means "light of the people" in Azerbaijani, ultimately derived from Turkic el meaning "country, society" and Arabic نور (nūr) meaning "light".

French form of Eligius.

Catalan form of Eligius.

Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.

Variant of Elowen.

Spanish form of Eligius.

From Azerbaijani el meaning "country, society" and şən meaning "happy, cheerful" (of Armenian origin).

Variant of Elşən.

Alternate transcription of Elşən.

Variant of Alvin.

Variant of Alvina.

Meaning unknown. It could possibly be a derivative of Alvis or Elwin. More likely, it is from the rare surname Elvis, a variant of Elwes, which is ultimately derived from the given name Eloise. The name was brought to public attention by the singer Elvis Presley (1935-1977), whose name came from his father's middle name.

This name is also used as an Anglicized form of Irish Ailbhe.

Variant of Alvin.

Ukrainian form of Elizabeth.

Hungarian form of Emmanuel.

Form of Emmanuel in several languages.

Italian form of Emmanuel.

Italian and Spanish form of Aemilius (see Emil).

Form of Immanuel used in the Greek Bible.

Variant of Emanuele.

Feminine form of Erik. It also coincides with the word for "heather" in some languages.

Diminutive of Estelle or Esther.

Finnish diminutive of Ester and Estonian variant of Esta.

Recorded once in Paris of 1292. Possible masculine variation of Estee.

Haitian Creole form of Esther.

Fictional character in the Lord of the Rings universe and novels.

Polish, Slovak, Romanian and Lithuanian form of Esther.

From the Hebrew name אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah.

This name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. In America it received a boost in popularity after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893-1980), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland [1].

Middle English form of Æðelþryð.

Middle English form of Æðelþryð.

Feminine form of Evangelos.

Macedonian feminine form of Evangelos.

Latinate form of Evangeline.

Means "good news" from Greek εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἄγγελμα (angelma) meaning "news, message". It was (first?) used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1847 epic poem Evangeline [1][2]. It also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) as the full name of the character Eva.

Means "evangelist, preacher" in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, derived from Latin, ultimately from Greek εὐάγγελος (euangelos) meaning "bringing good news". It is often used in honour of the Four Evangelists (the authors of the gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). It is traditionally masculine, though occasionally given to girls. A famous bearer was the Italian physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647), who invented the barometer.

Bulgarian feminine form of Evangelos.

Means "bringing good news" from the Greek word εὐάγγελος (euangelos), a derivative of εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger".

From the Hebrew name יְחֶזְקֵאל (Yeḥezqel) meaning "God will strengthen", from the roots חָזַק (ḥazaq) meaning "to strengthen" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Ezekiel is a major prophet of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Ezekiel. He lived in Jerusalem until the Babylonian conquest and captivity of Israel, at which time he was taken to Babylon. The Book of Ezekiel describes his vivid symbolic visions that predict the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. As an English given name, Ezekiel has been used since the Protestant Reformation.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Ezekiel.

Diminutive of Frances, Françoise or Stéphanie. In the English-speaking world this has been a vulgar slang word since the late 19th century, and the name has subsequently dropped out of common use.

Short form of Felicia. In some cases it might also be a Dutch adaption of Fay.

As a full name it is derived directly from the German and Dutch word Fee meaning "fairy". It is also used as a nickname for Felicitas or Felicia. It was used on its own in Germany as early as in the 1920s.

Nickname for Fiona or other names that start with this sound.

Variant of Felicia.

Hungarian and Portuguese form of Felicia.

Feminine form of the Latin name Felicius, a derivative of Felix. As an English name, it has occasionally been used since the Middle Ages.

French form of Felicia.

German form of Felicia.

Polish form of Felicia.

Spanish form of Felicia.

Variant of Felicia.

Variant of Fluri.

Diminutive of Flora.

Derived from Albanian flori "gold; gold coin, florin; golden thread; (term of affectionate address to a child) dear, honey".

Portuguese form of Floria.

Feminine form of Florius.

Known bearers of this name include the Italian-born Canadian filmmaker Floria Sigismondi (b. 1965), the Venezuelan singer and actress Floria Márquez (b. 1950) and the Argentine actress Floria Bloise (1929-2012).

Floria Tosca is also the name of the main character in Puccini's opera 'Tosca' (1900).

Feminine form of Flori.

French form of Floria.

Feminine form of Flori.

Roman nomen gentile which was derived from Florus.

Romansh form of Florus.

French form of Frederick. A famous bearer was the Polish composer Fryderyk or Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849).

Catalan and Occitan form of Frederik. A notable bearer was the French/Occitan writer Frederic Mistral (1830-1914), whose name was written Frédéric in French.

Derived from Old Norse fríðr meaning "beautiful, beloved".

Variant of Gabriel.

Russian and Bulgarian feminine form of Galenos (see Galen).

Combination of Gianni and Luca 1.

Dutch (Flemish) form of Godeliva.

Feminine form of Goteleib. This was the name of an 11th-century Flemish saint who was murdered on her husband's orders.

Old German name derived from the elements got "god" and liob "dear, beloved". This is a German translation of Theophilus.

Possibly derived from the Old German elements gris "grey" and hilt "battle". It is not attested as a Germanic name. This was the name of a patient wife in medieval folklore, adapted into tales by Boccaccio (in The Decameron) and Chaucer (in The Canterbury Tales).

Scots form of Griselda.

Diminutive of Gruffudd and Gruffydd.

Swedish variant of Gunhild.

Means "gesture, style, manner, appearance" in Burmese.

Short form of Johannes or Hanne 1.

Short form of Hannah.

Variant of John. A bearer of this name is Han Solo a hero from the 'Star Wars' movies.

Means "lively" in Lao.

Means "brave, daring" in Thai.

From a Turkic title meaning "leader, ruler". The title is usually translated into English as "khan".

From Chinese 汉 (hàn) meaning "man", also referring to the Han Chinese people, or 翰 (hàn) meaning "writing, painting". Other characters can form this name as well.

Short form of Johanna.

Combination of Hanne 1 and Eleonore.

Malay and Indonesian form of Harith.

Yiddish variant of Ezekiel.

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.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew הֶבֶל (see Hevel).

German diminutive of Adelheid. This is the name of the title character in the children's novel Heidi (1880) by the Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The name began to be used in the English-speaking world shortly after the 1937 release of the movie adaptation, which starred Shirley Temple.

Portuguese feminine form of Helios.

Feminine form of Helios. This name was borne by one of the Heliades, daughters of the sun god Helios by Clymene the Oceanid and sisters of the ill-fated Phaethon. (However, only Hyginus gives Helia as one of the Heliades; other sources give different names to the sisters, all omitting Helia as one of them.)

Diminutive of Anhielina.

Portuguese form of Helios.

Means "sun" in Greek. This was the name of the young Greek sun god, a Titan, who rode across the sky each day in a chariot pulled by four horses. His sister was the moon goddess Selene.

Short form of Heléna and, to a lesser degree, Helga. Occasionally used as a given name in its own right.

Means "gentle, tender" in Finnish.

Frisian short form of names that contain the element hildr (such as Hildebrand) or heil (such as Heilbert).

Variant of Helena. This name is also associated with Estonian hell “tender” (compare Hellä).

Meaning unknown. In Greek mythology Helle was the daughter of Athamus and Nephele. She and her brother Phrixus escaped sacrifice by fleeing on the back of a golden ram, but during their flight she fell off and drowned in the strait that connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara, which was thereafter called the Hellespont ("the sea of Helle").

Variant of Hephzibah.

Form of Ezekiel found in Swedish and Finnish Bibles, as well as in German Protestant Bibles.

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

Hebrew form of Abel.

Biblical Latin form of Ezekiel.

Derived from the Old German elements hilt "battle" and gart "enclosure, yard". This was the name of the second wife of Charlemagne (8th century). Also, Saint Hildegard was a 12th-century mystic from Bingen in Germany who was famous for her writings and poetry and also for her prophetic visions.

Variant of Hildegard.

Possibly a variant of Helma or a feminine form of Hilmar.

Variant transcription of Yelizaveta.

Biblical Greek form of Ezekiel.

Elaborated form of Jane, created by Paul Leicester Ford for his novel Janice Meredith (1899).

Short form of Javier.

From a Cornish form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar (see Guinevere). This name has only been common outside of Cornwall since the beginning of the 20th century, after it was featured in George Bernard Shaw's play The Doctor's Dilemma (1906). It barely ranked in the United until the late 1930s, when it began steadily growing in popularity, accelerating into the early 1970s. It was the most popular name for girls in America between 1970 and 1984, though it was not as common in the United Kingdom.

Famous bearers include the American actresses Jennifer Aniston (1969-), Jennifer Garner (1972-) and Jennifer Lawrence (1990-), as well as the singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (1969-).

Contracted form of Jehoiachin or Jehoiakim. According to the apocryphal Gospel of James, Saint Joachim was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of the Virgin Mary. Due to his popularity in the Middle Ages, the name came into general use in Christian Europe (though it was never common in England).

Scandinavian, Macedonian and Serbian form of Joachim.

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

Unaccented form of Joaquín used mainly in America.

Variant of Jocelyn.

French feminine form of Joscelin (see Jocelyn).

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

French feminine form of Joscelin (see Jocelyn).

Variant of Jocelyn.

Variant of Jocelyn.

Variant of Jocelyn.

French variant of Jocelyn.

French feminine variant of Jocelyn.

Variant of Jocelyn.

Diminutive of Judlin, recorded in Frankfurt, Germany.

As a Basque name, Jule was coined by Sabino Arana Goiri and Koldo Elizalde as a Basque equivalent of Julia, while as a German name, Jule is a short form and diminutive of both Julia and Juliane that has seen some usage as a given name in its own right in recent years.

Slovene form of Julius.

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

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

English variant of Katherine and German variant of Katharina. A famous bearer was American actress Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003).

Anglicized form of Caitlín.

Anglicized form of Caitlín.

Diminutive of Katherine.

Danish and Norwegian contracted form of Katherine.

Anglicized form of Caoimhe.

Variant of Kelly.

Variant of Kelly.

Variant of Kelly 1.

Variant of Kelly.

Variant of Kelly.

Anglicized form of the Irish given name Ceallach or the surname derived from it Ó Ceallaigh. As a surname, it has been borne by actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).

As a given name it was mostly masculine before 1940, but it rose in popularity as a name for girls during the 40s and 50s, probably due both to Grace Kelly (who married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956) and a female character on the 1957 television series Bachelor Father [1]. By the end of the 1970s it was on the decline.

Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ceallaigh meaning "descendant of Ceallach". Famous bearers include actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).

From a Scottish place name derived from coille meaning "grove".

Swedish form of Christina.

At the present it is usually considered a short form of Kimberly, but it in fact predates it as a given name. The author Rudyard Kipling used it for the title hero of his novel Kim (1901), though in this case it was short for Kimball. In her novel Show Boat (1926) Edna Ferber used it for a female character who was born on the Mississippi River and was named from the initials of the states Kentucky, Illinois and Mississippi. The name was popularized in America by the actresses Kim Hunter (1922-2002) and Kim Novak (1933-), both of whom assumed it as a stage name.

Icelandic form of Coco.

A Japanese name that can have different meanings depending on the kanji used to write it.

Noted bearers include Emperor Kōkō (830 - 887), the 58th emperor of Japan, and Koko Tsurumi (b.1992), a Japanese Olympic medalist for the women's gymnastics team.

Diminutive of Kokoete and Kokoeka.

Derived from Mongolian хөх (khökh) meaning "blue".

Means "cute" in Pashto. It is used as a nickname in Afghanistan, often together with Gul.

Diminutive of Kristiina (Estonian) or Christina (Dutch).

Scandinavian form of Christina.

Polish form of Xavier.

From an English surname, meaning "lane, path", which originally belonged to a person who lived near a lane.

Diminutive of Elaine.

Derived from the given name László.

Hungarian form of Vladislav. Saint László was an 11th-century king of Hungary, looked upon as the embodiment of Christian virtue and bravery.

Feminine form of Leander.

French form of Leander.

Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Leander.

Greek form of Leander.

Feminine form of Lel.

Diminutive of Manuela.

Meaning uncertain, possibly from the name of a type of plant.

Diminutive of Lettice.

Galician form of Leah.

Sicilian form of Lia 1.

Greenlandic from of Lea.

Of unknown origin and meaning.

Italian, Portuguese, Georgian and Greek form of Leah.

Short form of Rosalia, Julia and other names ending in lia.

Variant of Lia.

Originally a medieval diminutive of Ibb, itself a diminutive of Isabel. It is also used as a diminutive of Elizabeth.

Scottish form of Lily.

Variant of Lillian.

Diminutive of Elisabeth and Melissa.

Short form of Lovisa and other names beginning with Lo.

Limburgish short form of Laurens.

Variant of Lorelei. This name featured on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) where it was borne by the two main characters (the younger one went by the nickname Rory).

From German Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.

In the English-speaking world this name has been occasionally given since the early 20th century. It started rising in America after the variant Lorelai was used for the main character (and her daughter, nicknamed Rory) on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007).

From the English word "lovely" meaning "beautiful; charming; very pleasing in form, looks, tone, or manner; very nice, wonderful". From the Middle English lovely, lufli, from Old English luflīc 'amiable, loving, lovable', equivalent to love +‎ -ly.

A noted bearer is Lovely A. Warren (b.1977), the current (as of 2014) mayor of Rochester, New York; the first woman to be mayor of Rochester.

From the movie Bird of Paradise (1932), in which it was borne by the main character, a Polynesian girl [1]. The movie was based on a 1912 play of the same name set in Hawaii.

Either a combination of Lou and Ann or a variant of Luana. It was popularized in the 1950s by the singer Lu Ann Simms (1933-2003).

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

Variant of Luann.

Alternate transcription of Armenian Լուսինե (see Lusine).

Alternate transcription of Armenian Լուսինե (see Lusine).

Kashubian feminine form of Lucjón and Polish feminine form of Lucjan.

Kashubian form of Lucianus.

Polish form of Luitgard.

Slovak form of Ludmila.

Polish form of Ludmila.

Means "favour of the people" from the Slavic elements ľudŭ "people" and milŭ "gracious, dear". Saint Ludmila was a 10th-century duchess of Bohemia, the grandmother of Saint Václav. She was murdered on the orders of her daughter-in-law Drahomíra.

As a Russian name, this is an alternate transcription of Людмила (usually rendered Lyudmila).

Alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Людмила (see Lyudmila).

Polish spelling of Lyudmyla.

Form of Ludmila.

The first element of this name is derived from Polish lud "people", which is ultimately derived from Slavic lyud and Proto-Slavic ljudъ "people". The second element is derived from Slavic mil "gracious, dear". As such, this name roughly means "dear people".

Feminine form of Ludomił.

From the Old German name Leutgard, which was derived from the elements liut "people" and gart "enclosure, yard". It was borne by Charlemagne's fifth and last wife. This was also the name of a 13th-century Flemish nun, the patron saint of easy deliveries.

More international spelling of Łukasz. 142 men bear this name in Poland.

Means "dewy jasmine," from (露) lu "dew, essence," and (莉) li "white jasmine."

From Armenian լուսին (lusin) meaning "moon".

Alternate transcription of Armenian Լուսինե (see Lusine).

Variant of Lutgarde.

Dutch (Flemish) form of Luitgard.

Latinized form of Leutgard (see Luitgard). In Flanders this form of the name is common on birth certificates, but it is usually rendered Lutgarde in daily life.

Variant of McConnell.

Ukrainian form of Magdalena.

Polish phonetic spelling of Michael.

Slovene and Croatian form of Maximilianus (see Maximilian).

Either derived from Arabic منحة (menhh) "gift" or else an alternate transcription of Arabic منال (See Manal).

Armenian form of Emmanuel.

Polish form of Martin.

Diminutive of Margaret.

Spanish and Bulgarian diminutive of Maria.

Diminutive of Mariya.

French form of Maximilianus (see Maximilian).

Means "illusion, magic" in Sanskrit. In Buddhist tradition this is the name of the mother of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). This is also another name of the Hindu goddess Durga.

Derived from Gaelic MacDhòmhnaill (see MacDonald).

Variant spelling of MacDonald. It is also an anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic surname Mac Domhnaill, which means "son of Donald".

Diminutive of Améla.

Diminutive of Melania, Amelia and other names beginning with or containing "-mel-".

Variant of Mila or diminutive of names ending or beginning in mela (Example Pamela or Melanie).

Hypocoristic of Carmela.

Italian, Spanish, Polish and Romanian form of Melanie.

Possibly from the Hebrew roots מֶלֶךְ (meleḵ) meaning "king" and אוֹר (ʾor) meaning "light". This was a name traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who were said to have visited the newborn Jesus. According to medieval tradition he was a king of Persia.

Italian form of Melchior.

Spanish form of Melchior.

Turkish form of Melissa.

Ancient Attic Greek variant of Melissa.

Swedish form of Melchior.

Diminutive of names like Melissa, Melinda, Permelia and Melanie.

From the English word merry, ultimately from Old English myrige. This name appears in Charles Dickens' novel Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), where it is a diminutive of Mercy.

Feminine form of Michael.

Diminutive of Margaret, Miriam and Maria.

Diminutive of Melinda.

Diminutive of Miriam.

Popular name in Israel, it is came from the name Michel / Michelle

From Japanese 瑞 (mizu) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" and 洋 (yō) meaning "ocean". Other kanji combinations can be used.

Welsh form of Magdalene.

Ukrainian feminine form of Mykhailo.

Short form of Nathan, Nathaniel, Natalie and other names beginning with Nat.

Russian and Ukrainian form of Natalie.

Portuguese form of Nelia.

Short form of Cornelia.

Variant of Nélia.

Russian and Ukrainian diminutive of Nelli.

Variant of Nina 1, also coinciding with the Spanish word nena meaning "baby girl".

Possibly derived from Latin nonna meaning "nun". According to tradition, this was the name of the mother of Saint David.

Spanish and Italian form of Ophelia.

Azerbaijani, Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of Ophelia.

Derived from Greek ὠφέλεια (opheleia) meaning "help, advantage". This was a rare ancient Greek name, which was either rediscovered or recreated by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro for a character in his poem Arcadia (1480). It was borrowed by Shakespeare for his play Hamlet (1600), in which it belongs to the daughter of Polonius and the potential love interest of Hamlet. She eventually goes insane and drowns herself after Hamlet kills her father. In spite of this negative association, the name has been in use since the 19th century.

French form of Ophelia.

Italian form of Roland, as used in the epic poems Orlando Innamorato (1483) by Matteo Maria Boiardo and the continuation Orlando Furioso (1532) by Ludovico Ariosto. In the poems, Orlando is a knight in Charlemagne's army who battles against the invading Saracens. A character in Shakespeare's play As You Like It (1599) also bears this name, as does a city in Florida.

Ukrainian form of Paulina.

Welsh spelling of Penny.

Hawaiian form of Ben 1.

Meaning unknown, possibly an early American alteration of Pamela.

From the Old French rebelle, from the Latin rebellis 'waging war again; insurgent', from rebellō 'I wage war again, fight back', from re- 'again, back' and bellō 'I wage war'.

Danish short form of Frederikke.

Derived from Old Irish rígain meaning "queen". According to some sources, this was the name of a wife of the semi-legendary Irish king Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Diminutive of Rocco and other names beginning with a similar sound, or else a nickname referring to a tough person. This is the name of the boxer Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) in the movie Rocky (1976) and its sequels.

Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Roland.

Means "rose field" from Dutch roos "rose" and veld "field". This was the surname of American presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

Means "field of roses" in German. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

French form of Russell.

Variant of Russell.

From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.

From an English surname, of Norman origin, meaning "little red one" (a diminutive of Old French rous "red"). A notable bearer of the surname was the agnostic British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), who wrote on many subjects including logic, epistemology and mathematics. He was also a political activist for causes such as pacifism and women's rights.

This name was common throughout the English-speaking world for most of the 20th century, though in the 1960s it began a slow decline in most places.

French, German, Dutch and Danish form of Sabina.

Armenian form of Samuel.

Hungarian diminutive of Sarah.

Means "essence" in Indonesian.

Hungarian diminutive of Sarah.

Diminutive of Sara.

Means "blackbird" in Khmer, or possibly a Khmer version of Sarika.

Variant of Zelig.

From Turkish sel meaning "flood, torrent" (a word of Arabic origin).

Variant of Chanel.

In the case of singer Shania Twain (1965-), who chose it as her stage name, it was apparently based on an Ojibwe phrase meaning "on my way".

Variant of Shania, or simply a combination of the popular phonetic elements sha, ny and ya.

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

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

Variant of Chey. It can also be simply derived from the English word shy.

Welsh form of Janet.

Welsh form of Joan 1.

Armenian form of Sophie, as well as a Swedish and Spanish short form of Sofia.

Possibly from Finnish soilu meaning "glimmer, blaze".

Bernese German form of Sonja.