ToniV's Personal Name List

Late Latin name that was derived from aureus "golden". This was the name of a 3rd-century saint from Ostia (near Rome), as well as an 11th-century Spanish saint.

Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.

From a surname meaning "cheerful" in Old English.

Irish form of Katherine.

Feminine form of Callistus. As an English name it might also be a variant of Kallisto.

French feminine and masculine form of Camilla. It is also used in the English-speaking world, where it is generally only feminine.

Derived from Irish caomh meaning "dear, beloved, gentle".

From the Greek name Κασσάνδρα (Kassandra), possibly derived from κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning "to excel, to shine" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.

In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.

Portuguese, Occitan and Galician form of Katherine.

Medieval French form of Katherine.

Italian and Catalan form of Katherine.

Anglicized form of Caitríona (Irish) or Caitrìona (Scottish Gaelic).

From an occupational surname that meant "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately from Latin candela via Old French. It surged in popularity after the 1994 debut of the American sitcom Friends, featuring a character by this name.

Medieval vernacular form of the Late Latin name Claritia, which was a derivative of Clara.

Means "conception" in Spanish. This name is given in reference to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. A city in Chile bears this name.

From the Greek name Δαμιανός (Damianos), which was derived from Greek δαμάζω (damazo) meaning "to tame". Saint Damian was martyred with his twin brother Cosmas in Syria early in the 4th century. They are the patron saints of physicians. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in Christian Europe. Another saint by this name was Peter Damian, an 11th-century cardinal and theologian from Italy.

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).

Anglicized form of Diarmaid.

Portuguese and Spanish form of Estelle.

Latinized form of the Greek name Εὐνίκη (Eunike) meaning "good victory", derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". The New Testament mentions her as the mother of Timothy. As an English name, it was first used after the Protestant Reformation.

From the name of a town in Portugal, which was derived from the Arabic feminine name Fatima, apparently after a Moorish princess who converted to Christianity during the Reconquista. The town became an important Christian pilgrimage center after 1917 when three local children reported witnessing repeated apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

Variant of Fay.

From the Roman cognomen Florianus, a derivative of Florus. This was the name of a short-lived Roman emperor of the 3rd century, Marcus Annius Florianus. It was also borne by Saint Florian, a martyr of the 3rd century, the patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria.

Short form of Abigail.

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

From the Norman French form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar meaning "white phantom", ultimately from the old Celtic roots *windos meaning "white" (modern Welsh gwen) and *sēbros meaning "phantom, magical being" [1]. In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir Lancelot.

The Cornish form of this name, Jennifer, has become popular in the English-speaking world.

English form of Henriette, and thus a feminine form of Harry. It was first used in the 17th century, becoming very common in the English-speaking world by the 18th century. Famous bearers include the Americans Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913).

German form of Iseult, appearing in the 13th-century German poem Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg. In 1865 the German composer Richard Wagner debuted his popular opera Tristan und Isolde and also used the name for his first daughter.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Hyacinthus.

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

Variant of Janice.

Hungarian and Basque form of Katherine.

Diminutive of Christopher or Katherine. A notable bearer was Kit Carson (1809-1868), an American frontiersman and explorer.

Possibly an Old French diminutive of Lanzo (see Lance). In Arthurian legend Lancelot was the bravest of the Knights of the Round Table. He became the lover of Arthur's wife Guinevere, ultimately causing the destruction of Arthur's kingdom. His earliest appearance is in the works of the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes: briefly in Erec and Enide and then as a main character in Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart.

From the name of the laurel tree, ultimately from Latin laurus.

This name was used by J.R.R. Tolkien in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was the name of one of the Two Trees of Valinor. Laurelin was the gold and green tree. Laurelin means "Land of the Valley of Singing Gold".

Feminine form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).

Feminine form of Laurentinus.

French feminine form of Laurentinus.

Hispanicized form of Mapuche Lef-Traru meaning "swift hawk", derived from lef "swift" and traru "hawk". This name was borne by a 16th-century Mapuche military leader who fought against the Spanish conquistadors in Chile.

Means "night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.

Form of Leah used in several languages.

Means "you are mine" in Hebrew.

From the English word for the shrub with purple or white flowers (genus Syringa). It is derived via Arabic from Persian.

Variant of Lindsay.

Short form of Olivia.

From the name of a French town. It became a popular center of pilgrimage after a young girl from the town had visions of the Virgin Mary in a nearby grotto.

From a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Luján, meaning "Our Lady of Luján". This is the name of a city in Argentina near Buenos Aires. Our Lady of Luján is a 17th-century statue of Mary. Supposedly the horses transporting the statue further into Argentina refused to pull the cart past Luján, so a shrine was built at the spot. She is regarded as a patron saint of Argentina.

Named for the mauvish-crimson colour. The dye to make the colour was discovered and named shortly after the Battle of Magenta in 1859 (the town is situated in northern Italy). The colour may have been inspired by the colour of the uniforms worn by the French troops, or by the colour of the land soaked in blood after the battle.

Magenta was a character in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” musical play and movie. She was a domestic maid played by Patricia Quinn.

Estonian diminutive of Maria or Maarja, now used independently. This was also a medieval English diminutive of Mary.

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.

Feminine form of Marcius. It was borne by a few very minor saints. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 18th century [1].

Variant of Margot influenced by the name of the wine-producing French town. It was borne by Margaux Hemingway (1954-1996), granddaughter of author Ernest Hemingway, who had it changed from Margot.

French short form of Margaret.

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese combination of Maria and Luisa.

From the Old English name Mildþryð meaning "gentle strength", derived from the elements milde "gentle" and þryþ "strength". Saint Mildred was a 7th-century abbess, the daughter of the Kentish princess Saint Ermenburga. After the Norman Conquest this name became rare, but it was revived in the 19th century.

Means "golden flower" in Mapuche, from milla "gold" and rayen "flower".

Simply from the English word myrtle for the evergreen shrub, ultimately from Greek μύρτος (myrtos). It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.

Variant of Natanael.

Latinate feminine form of Philip. As an English name, it is chiefly British.

Medieval English form of Prudentia, the feminine form of Prudentius. In France it is both the feminine form and a rare masculine form. In England it was used during the Middle Ages and was revived in the 17th century by the Puritans, in part from the English word prudence, ultimately of the same source.

Means "flower" in Mapuche.

French, German and Dutch form of Rosalia. In the English-speaking this name received a boost after the release of the movie Rosalie (1938), which was based on an earlier musical.

Derived from the Old German elements hros meaning "horse" and lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy As You Like It (1599).

Derived from the Old German elements hros "horse" and munt "protection". This name was borne by the wife of the Lombard king Alboin in the 6th century. The Normans introduced it to England. It was subsequently interpreted as coming from Latin rosa munda "pure rose" or rosa mundi "rose of the world". This was the name of the mistress of Henry II, the king of England in the 12th century. According to legends she was murdered by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

From an English surname meaning "sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Very rare as an American given name before 1980, it increased in popularity in the 1980s and 90s. It got a boost in 2004 after the debut of the television series Lost, which featured a character by this name.

From the English word meaning "orange-red". It is ultimately from the name of the city of Siena in Italy, because of the colour of the clay there.

Modern Scandinavian form of Signý.

From Turkish son meaning "last, final" and gül meaning "rose".

Contracted form of Thomasina. It was traditionally used in Cornwall.

Variant of Tamsin.

Variant of Tamsin.

From the English word for the yellow precious stone, the traditional birthstone of November, ultimately derived from Greek τόπαζος (topazos).

Spanish and Slovak form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1).

English and German form of Valeria, as well as a Czech variant of Valérie.

Means "chooser of the slain", derived from Old Norse valr "the slain" and kyrja "chooser". In Norse myth the Valkyries were maidens who led heroes killed in battle to Valhalla.

Possibly related to Latin verus "true". This might also be a Coptic form of the Ptolemaic name Berenice. Saint Verena was a 3rd-century Egyptian-born nurse who went with the Theban Legion to Switzerland. After the legion was massacred she settled near Zurich.

Czech form of Victoria.

Croatian feminine form of Vincent.

Spanish form of Iacobus (see James). The form Santiago refers more specifically to the New Testament apostles.