ayasmina's Personal Name List

From the Egyptian word referring to the palm branch.

It is celebrated on Palm Sunday (Κυριακή των Βαΐων), which is the Sunday before Easter.

Means "water cave" or "rock water" in Tahitian, from the phrase vai ana o te mato teitei meaning "water from the cave of the high rock".

Means "sparkling water" in Tahitian.

Means "clear water"; a combination of Tahitian vai meaning "water" and tea meaning "white, clear".

From Tahitian vai "water" and tiare "flower".

Derived from the Tahitian vai meaning "water" and archaic 'ura meaning "red".

From the name of cities in Spain and Venezuela, both derived from Latin valentia meaning "strength, vigour".

Feminine form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1). A famous bearer is the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (1937-), who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space.

From the Roman cognomen Valentinus, which was itself a derivative of the cognomen Valens meaning "strong, vigorous, healthy" in Latin. Saint Valentine was a 3rd-century martyr. His feast day was the same as the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, which resulted in the association between Valentine's day and love.

As an English name, it has been used occasionally since the 12th century. It is the name of a central character in Shakespeare's play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).

Italian form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1).

Feminine form of Valerius. This was the name of a 2nd-century Roman saint and martyr.

From the Roman cognomen Valerianus, which was itself derived from the Roman name Valerius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Roman emperor (Publius Licinius Valerianus) who was captured by the Persians. Several saints have also borne this name, including a 2nd-century martyr of Lyons.

Feminine form of Valerianus (see Valerian).

Italian and Spanish form of Valerianus (see Valerian).

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

Feminine form of Valèri.

Italian and Spanish form of Valerius.

In Bulgaria and Russia, this name is a variant transcription of the unisex name Valya.

In Georgia, this name is a diminutive of Valentina and Valerian, though there can certainly be cases where it is the georgianized form of the aforementioned Valya. In this day and age, Valia is primarily used on women in Georgia.

In Greece, this name is strictly feminine and is a pet form of Vasilia and Vasiliki.

Known bearers of this name include the Georgian revolutionary Valerian "Valia" Bakhtadze (1896-1930) and the Greek model Valia Kakouti (b. 1981).

Feminine form of Valiancin.

From the English word valiant, which denotes a person who has and shows courage. The word is derived from Anglo-French vaillant "brave, strong, worthy", which itself is ultimately derived from Latin valens meaning "strong, vigorous, powerful". In literature, this is the name of the main character in the comic strip "Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur", created by Hal Foster (1892-1982). It was later adapted into an animated television series called "The Legend of Prince Valiant", which ran from 1991 to 1993. The comic and the animated series have inspired people in some countries to name their son Valiant. The Netherlands is one of those countries, as in 2010, there was a total of 26 bearers (of all ages) in the entire country. Also, in popular culture, Valiant is the name of a wood pigeon in the 2005 computer-animated film of the same name.

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.

Means "valuable" in Esperanto.

From an English surname that was derived from Old English fenn meaning "marsh, fen".

Invented by author Jonathan Swift for his 1726 poem Cadenus and Vanessa [1]. He arrived at it by rearranging the initial syllables of the first name and surname of Esther Vanhomrigh, his close friend. Vanessa was later used as the name of a genus of butterfly. It was a rare given name until the mid-20th century, at which point it became fairly popular.

My name also resembles butterfly in Greek and star in the book of Hebrew

From the English word vanilla referring to "the fruit or bean of the vanilla plant, or the extract made from it, or the distinctive fragrant flavour/flavor characteristic of vanilla extract". The word is derived from Spanish vainilla, literally "little pod", a diminutive form of vaina "pod, scabbard, sheath", from Latin vagina "sheath (of an ear of grain), husk, hull of a plant".

Short form of Giovanna.

Short form of Giovanni.

Feminine form of Vanyo.

Variant transliteration of Варя (see Varya).

English form of Varianus.

Feminine form of Varinius.

Truncated form of Evarista.

From the English word for the soft fabric. It became used as a given name after the main character in Enid Bagnold's book National Velvet (1935) and the movie (1944) and television (1960) adaptations.

Form of Venus, from the genitive form Veneris. This name was borne by a 2nd-century saint who was martyred in Rome or Sicily.

Feminine form of Venerio.

From the Latin name of the Italian region of Veneto and the city of Venice (see the place name Venetia). This name was borne by the celebrated English beauty Venetia Stanley (1600-1633), though in her case the name may have been a Latinized form of the Welsh name Gwynedd [1]. Benjamin Disraeli used it for the heroine of his novel Venetia (1837).

Variant of Venetia. It also coincides with the Italian name of the city Venice.

Tuscan feminine form of Venerio.

Means "love, sexual desire" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of love and sex. Her character was assimilated with that of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. As the mother of Aeneas she was considered an ancestor of the Roman people. The second planet from the sun is named after her.

Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.

Possibly a contraction of Vera 1 and Alicia. It is mainly used in El Salvador.

Combination of Vera 1 and Lynn.

Masculine form of Vera 1, meaning "faith". Also associated with the adjective veran, pronounced with a stress on the first syllable, meaning "loyal, faithful".

Provençal form of Vérane.

Russian diminutive of Vera 1.

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.

Variant of Verena.

Diminutive of Vera 1.

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.

From the genus of flowering plants also known as ironweed.

From the name of the city in Italy, which is itself of unknown meaning.

Latin alteration of Berenice, the spelling influenced by the ecclesiastical Latin phrase vera icon meaning "true image". This was the name of a legendary saint who wiped Jesus' face with a towel and then found his image imprinted upon it. Due to popular stories about her, the name was occasionally used in the Christian world in the Middle Ages. It was borne by the Italian saint and mystic Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727). As an English name, it was not common until the 19th century, when it was imported from France and Scotland.

French form of Veronica.

Verissa came from the city of Berissa in Italy and became the name of a few people in america and Italy

Latin cognate of Hesperos. This name was used by the British author Ian Fleming for a female character, a love interest of James Bond, in his novel Casino Royale (1953). She also appears in the film adaptations of 1967 and 2006.

Means "of the evening", derived from Esperanto vespero "evening", ultimately from Latin vesper.

Probably a Roman cognate of Hestia. Vesta was the Roman goddess of the hearth. A continuous fire, tended by the Vestal Virgins, was burned in the Temple of Vesta in Rome.

Elaboration of Vesta with the suffix -ia

Short form of names ending in -via. In the USA the popularity of this name was triggered by the movie Wonder (2017) where the main character Olivia goes by Via.

Short form of Viviana.

Variant of Bianca.

Belarusian form of Venera.

Latinate form of Vianne.

Meaning unknown, perhaps a combination of Vi and Anne 1 or a short form of Vivianne.

Earlier form of Beatrix.

Aragonese feminine form of Vincent.

Feminine form of Vincent.

Spanish feminine form of Vincent.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Vincent.

Galician feminine form of Vicenzo and Sicilian feminine form of Vicenzu.

Means "victory" in Latin, being borne by the Roman goddess of victory. It is also a feminine form of Victorius. This name was borne by a 4th-century saint and martyr from North Africa.

Though in use elsewhere in Europe, the name was very rare in the English-speaking world until the 19th century, when Queen Victoria began her long rule of Britain. She was named after her mother, who was of German royalty. Many geographic areas are named after the queen, including an Australian state and a Canadian city.

Feminine form of Victorianus.

Spanish form of Victorianus.

French form of Victorianus.

Feminine form of Victorien

From the name of the capital city of Austria, Vienna.

Slovak form of Vera 1, as well as an alternate transcription of Belarusian Вера (see Vera 1).

Means "garland, wreath" in Latvian.

Diminutive of Lavinia.

Derived from Georgian ვინ არის (vin aris) meaning "who is", which in turn is derived from the Georgian pronoun ვინ (vin) meaning "who" and the Georgian verb არის (aris) meaning "to be".

This is an independent name that is likely intended to mean something along the lines of "Who could ever be like you?" (as in: no one can ever compare to the bearer of the name). However, it is possible that in some cases, Vinari is a short form of Mzevinar.

Of Sanskrit and Pāli origin, meaning "leading out; education; discipline".

The core meaning of Vinaya is a set of rules known as Patimokkha (Pāli), or Pratimoksha (Sanskrit).They were formulated by Goutam Buddha for the good behaviour of his disciples.
The Vinaya Piṭaka is a Buddhist scripture , one of the three parts that make up the Tripitaka.

In the literary world, Vinaya Patrika (Humble Petition to Lord Rama in English) is a 16th-century devotional poem.

From the Roman name Vincentius, which was derived from Latin vincere meaning "to conquer". This name was popular among early Christians, and it was borne by many saints. As an English name, Vincent has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 19th century. Famous bearers include the French priest Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).

Lithuanian and Croatian feminine form of Vincent.

Feminine form of Vincentius.

Italian feminine form of Vincent.

Feminine form of Vinicio.

Italian and Spanish form of the Roman family name Vinicius, which was possibly derived from Latin vinum "wine".

Means "violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke Orsino, she attempts to convince Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.

Variant of Violanta.

Likely an elaboration of Violanda (a form of Violante) using the suffix andra (from names such as Alexandra and Cassandra). This was the name of a princess in the comedy Absurda Comica oder Herr Peter Squentz (1658) by Andreas Gryphius.

Italian variant and Romansh form of Violante.

Latin form of Yolanda.

From the English word violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.

Italian, Russian and Hungarian form of Violet.

Diminutive of Viola.

Possibly a variant of Fiona influenced by Viola.

Derived from viorea, the Romanian word for the alpine squill flower (species Scilla bifolia) or the sweet violet flower (species Viola odorata). It is derived from Latin viola "violet".

Feminine form of Viorel.

Derived from Romanian viorea (see Viorel).

Diminutive of Elvira.

Variant of Verena.

From Sanskrit वीर (vira) meaning "hero, man, brave" combined with the name of the Hindu god Indra.

From the Latin name Viriathus or Viriatus, which was derived from viriae "bracelets" (of Celtic origin). Viriathus was a leader of the Lusitani (a tribe of Portugal) who rebelled against Roman rule in the 2nd century BC.

Feminine form of Viridius.

Viridian is a blue-green pigment, a hydrated chromium oxide, of medium saturation and relatively dark in value. It is composed more of green than blue.

Feminine form of Viridianus.

Feminine form of Vitus.

Feminine form of Vitale.

Russian, Ukranian, Italian, and Ancient Roman feminine form of Vitale.

Italian and Spanish form of Vitus. A notable fictional bearer is Vito Corleone from The Godfather novel (1969) and movie (1972).

Italian form of Victoria.

Feminine form of Ancient Roman Vivus. In English-speaking countries, it may also be used as a diminutive of Vivian.

Swedish form of Vibeke.

Scandinavian diminutive of names beginning with Vi, as well as Olivia and Sofia.

From the Latin name Vivianus, which was derived from Latin vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of Bébinn or a variant of Vivien 2.

Feminine form of Vivianus (see Vivian). Saint Viviana (also known as Bibiana) was a Roman saint and martyr of the 4th century.

French form of Viviana.

Italian variant of Wivina.

From Tamil வீயா (vīyā) meaning "wealth".

Means "wisdom", "sensibility".

From Cherokee ᏩᎴᎳ (walela) meaning "hummingbird".

Means "wind, air" in Quechua.

Short form of Wesley.

From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.

Means "firstborn daughter" in Dakota or Lakota. According to folklore, this was the name of a daughter of a Dakota chief (possibly Wapasha III) who leapt from a cliff to her death rather than marry a man she hated. Numerous places in the United States have been named after her. The actress Winona Ryder (1971-) was named after the city in Minnesota where she was born.

From the English word for the season, derived from Old English winter.

Combination of the English words/names, Winter and Rose. There is also a flower called winter rose.

From the name of the flowering plant, which was named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar.

From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.

Elaborated form of Wren. It coincides with Old English wrenna meaning "(male) wren".

Blend of Xavier and Adriana.

Diminutive of Alexandra.

Short form of Alexandra.

Modern elaborated form of Xanthe.

Xantiana is a latinised adjective derived from the originally Hungarian surname Xántus. It is used in the name of some flowering plants, notably Clarkia xantiana and Chaenactis xantiana.

Czech and Dutch feminine form of Xavier.

Modern feminine form of Xavier.

Derived from the name Xavier.

Derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria meaning "the new house". This was the surname of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552) who was born in a village by this name. He was a missionary to India, Japan, China, and other areas in East Asia, and he is the patron saint of the Orient and missionaries. His surname has since been adopted as a given name in his honour, chiefly among Catholics.

Feminine form of Xavier.

Means "cliff" in Tuvan.

Means "wealth, treasure trove" in Uzbek.

Short form of Ánxela.

Probably a variant of Xenia. This was the name of the main character in the 1990s television series Xena: Warrior Princess.

Means "hospitality" in Greek, a derivative of ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreigner, guest". This was the name of a 5th-century saint who is venerated in the Eastern Church.

Perhaps a variant of Zeno or maybe a Latinized form of Xenon.

A notable male bearer was a a Swiss rower and Olympic gold medallist: Xeno Müller. He's Born on August 7th 1972.
Recently used first in 2017 with 7 baby boys born with this name.

Meaning uncertain, said to mean "the flower that arrived" in Zapotec.

Means "joyful deer" in Aramaic.

From Xuliana, the Galician form of Juliana.

Means "right hand" in Arabic.

Derived from Arabic يمين (yamin) meaning "right hand, oath".

Diminutive of Yana.

From Persian یار (yar) meaning "friend, helper".

Variant of Yasmin.

Variant of Jasmira

Yasu (" Peaceful, Cheap, Relaxed "), (" Peace and Quiet "), (" Flat, Smooth "), (" Respectful "), and Na , ( " Vegetables, Greens "), etc.

From Jessenia, the genus name of a variety of palm trees found in South America. As a given name, it was popularized by the writer Yolanda Vargas Dulché in the 1970 Mexican telenovela Yesenia and the 1971 film adaptation [1].

Alternate transcription of Greek Γιάννα (see Gianna).

Yuna is a supporting character in the videogame Final Fantasy X as well as the main character of Final Fantasy X-2. She was the High Summoner who defeated Sin and brought the Eternal Calm. She was named for Yunalesca, who was the first Summoner to defeat Sin according to the franchise mythology.

Lady Yunalesca is a non-player character and antagonist from Final Fantasy X, who also appears in Final Fantasy X-2. She was the first summoner to defeat Sin and bring forth the Calm. According to the game's lore, Summoner Yuna was named after Yunalesca.

The exact meaning of this name is unknown. Tetsuya Nomura, the character designer of Yunalesca and Yuna, said that Yuna’s dress and necklace bear images of the "Sea Hibiscus" flower also called Yuuna, and that her name carries the meaning of “night” (夕な) in Okinawan.

As for 'lesca', it may have a Greek origin from the diminutive Leska, which means "defender of men".

Variant transcription of Yuuno.

Russian form of Juno.

From Japanese kanji 悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" combined with 良 (ra) meaning "good". It can be also the combination of 夢 (yu) meaning "dream" or 結 (yu) meaning "tie" and 羅 (ra) meaning "lightweight fabric; silk gauze".

Other kanji combinations are possible.

Canarian Spanish name of recent origin, derived from the Guanche word yruene meaning "demon, evil spirit". This word was first recorded incorrectly as yurena by the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent in 1803.

From Japanese 柚 (yuzu) meaning "grapefruit, pomelo, citrus fruit" combined with 奈 (na) meaning "apple tree". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Feminine diminutive of Yves.

Feminine form of Yves (or an elaboration using Élise). It was (first?) borne by the title character in the Italian novel Yvelise (1923) by Guido da Verona. It later appeared in the photonovel Yvelise devant l'amour published in the French magazine Nous Deux in 1950.

Medieval French form of Ivo 1. This was the name of two French saints: an 11th-century bishop of Chartres and a 13th-century parish priest and lawyer, also known as Ivo of Kermartin, the patron saint of Brittany.

French feminine form of Yves.

French feminine form of Yvon. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.

Usual English form of Zacharias, used in some English versions of the New Testament. This form has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation. It was borne by American military commander and president Zachary Taylor (1784-1850).

Feminine form of Zohar.

Feminine form of Zahi.

Derived from Arabic ظهير (zahir) meaning "helper, supporter". This can also be an alternate transcription of Arabic زاهر (see Zaahir 1) or ظاهر (see Zaahir 2).

Feminine form of Zahir.

meaning: bright faced; beautiful

From Arabic زهراء (zahra), the feminine form of أزهر (azhar) meaning "shining, brilliant, bright". This is an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatimah.

It can also be an alternate transcription of Arabic زهرة (see Zahrah), a name derived from a related root.

Etymology unknown. In Mandaeism, a Gnostic religion, Zahreil is the daughter of Qin and mother of the creator of the material universe. She is believed to dwell in the bed of pregnant women, ensuring the safety of infants before and after birth.

Feminine form of Zayd. This was the name of a Muslim princess who took refuge at the court of (and perhaps married) Alfonso VI of León and Castile in the 11th century.

Alternate transcription of Arabic زين (see Zayn).

Alternate transcription of Arabic زينة (see Zayna).

Italian and Spanish form of Zaïre. It was used by Vincenzo Bellini for the heroine of his opera Zaira (1829), which was based on Voltaire's 1732 play Zaïre.

From the name of a country in Africa from 1971 to 1997, now called the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is said to be derived from Kikongo nzadi o nzere meaning "river swallowing rivers", referring to the Congo River.

Georgian, Malay and Indonesian form of Zechariah and Zacharias, as well as an alternate transcription of Arabic زَكَرِيّا (see Zakariyya).

Alternate transcription of Arabic زَكَرِيّا (see Zakariyya).

Short form of Azalia.

Derived from Persian زمین (zamin) meaning "earth, land, soil".

Means "mind, heart, conscience" in Arabic.

Feminine form of Zamir.

Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian short form of Suzana and Kashubian short form of Zuzana.

Short form of Alexandra.

From an English surname of unknown meaning. It was introduced as a given name by American author Zane Grey (1872-1939). Zane was in fact his middle name — it had been his mother's maiden name.

Means "intelligent", "sensible", "wise".

Presumably derived from Arabic زاوية (zāwiyah) "corner" (though Alhazen claimed that this word meant "harlot"). This was the medieval name for Eta Virginis, a star in the constellation Virgo.

Short form of Suzanna.

Used by William Congreve for a character in his tragedy The Mourning Bride (1697), where it belongs to a captive North African queen. Congreve may have based it on the Arabic name Zahra. In 1736 the English writer Aaron Hill used it to translate Zaïre for his popular adaptation of Voltaire's French play Zaïre (1732).

In England the name was popularized when Princess Anne gave it to her daughter in 1981. Use of the name may also be influenced by the trendy Spanish clothing retailer Zara.

This first name is predominantly found in South America, although it is not very common there: one is much more likely to encounter the name as a surname there instead. Because of that, it is possible that the bearers' parents were inspired to give their sons the surname as a first name, just like it is done in English-speaking countries these days. The surname is derived from the Spanish word zarco meaning "light blue" (ultimately from Andalusian Arabic zárqaʼ, which in turn is derived from Arabic ʼazraq "blue"), which is in reference to the eye colour of the surname's original bearer. However, given the fact that the word zarco is still in use in modern Spanish, it is also possible that in the case of some bearers, their parents deliberately named them after the colour (instead of after the surname). It ultimately doesn't matter either way, as the etymology is the same in both scenarios.

Possibly based on Zahrah or the Nigerian city of Zaria.

From Persian زرین (zarin) meaning "golden". According to the 5th-century BC Greek historian Ctesias, this was the name of a Scythian queen.

Derived from the Russian noun заря (zarya) meaning "dawn, daybreak". Also compare the related name Zorya.

This name was used by Communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names, possibly in the sense of красная заря (krasnaya zarya) meaning "red dawn" (i.e. the dawn of communism). Also note that Zarya was once the name of a Marxist publication as well as of several Soviet scientifically-inclined projects.

Modern feminine form of Xavier.

Variant of Xavier.

Feminine form of Zavier.

A Quranic name meaning "adorned" or "adorner".

Possibly an invented name formed using the phonetic elements zay and la, and sharing a sound with other popular names such as Kayla. In some cases it could be a short form of Azalea.

Means "beauty, grace" in Arabic. This was the name of a son of Husayn ibn Ali. Shia Muslims consider him to be the fourth imam.

This name is borne by the British singer Zayn Malik (1993-), formerly a member of the band One Direction. It gained popularity in America and parts of Europe after One Direction became well-known in 2011.

Feminine form of Zayn.

Truncated form of Azelia.

Feminine form of Želimir.

Variant of Žemyna.

Lithuanian goddess of the earth, her name deriving from Lithuanian žemė "earth".

Žemyna was first documented in the form Źęmîną by Martynas Mažvydas in his Latin introduction to Catechismusa Prasty Szadei (1547). Even though the spelling of her name kept slightly changing, over the centuries many historians, ranging from Mikalojus Daukša, Daniel Klein, Jan Łasicki, Matthäus Prätorius, Philipp Ruhig to Jakob Brodowski, corroborated her existence in the Baltic pantheon and her functions.
Modern-day academics agree that Žemyna was a mother goddess personifying the fertile earth and nourishing all life on earth, human, plant, and animal. When Christianity started to gain ground in Lithuania, her cult became influenced by the cult of the Virgin Mary.

"Prätorius described a ritual, called žemyneliauti, performed at major celebrations (e.g. weddings) or agricultural works (e.g. harvest). The head of the household would drink a cup of beer, but first he would spill some of the drink on the ground and say a short prayer. Then he would kill a rooster or a hen, which would be cooked and eaten by the entire family. Each family member would receive a loaf of bread and say prayers, blessings, and greetings. The bones and other scraps would be sacrificed to the goddess (burned or buried). Other recorded rites included burying bread baked from last crops of prior harvest in a field before new sowing and sacrifice of black piglet. People would also kiss the earth saying a short prayer thanking Žemyna for all her gifts and acknowledging that one day they will return to her."

This name is derived from either the word that is the Japanese on'yomi/reading of the Chinese word chán (禅), which is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, meaning 'absorption, meditative state' or, in the case of U.S. soccer/football defender Zen Luzniak, a shortened form of Zenon.

Zen is a school of Buddhism which originated in China during the 7th century, and spread to Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. It emphasises rigorous meditation practices, and favours direct personal understanding rather than knowledge of doctrine.

Zen meditation became known in the West at the end of the 19th century, and at this time it became used as an English name, albeit sporadically. Interest in the practice and philosophy of Zen grew during the 1950s and '60s, though the name's usage remained sporadic and it wasn't until the late 1990s and 2000s that this name began to be used more frequently.

Meaning unknown. It could be a variant of Xenia or a diminutive of names featuring this sound, such as Alexina, Rosina or Zenobia. This name has occasionally been used since the 19th century.

Apparently a Greek derivative of Ζηναΐς (Zenais), which was derived from the name of the Greek god Zeus. This was the name of a 1st-century saint who was a doctor with her sister Philonella.

Variant of Xenia.

From the Greek name Ζήνων (Zenon), which was derived from the name of the Greek god Zeus (the poetic form of his name being Ζήν). Zeno was the name of two famous Greek philosophers: Zeno of Elea and Zeno of Citium, the founder of the Stoic school in Athens.

Alternate transcription of Greek Ζηνοβία (see Zinovia).

Diminutive of Kreszenz.

From the Greek Ζέφυρος (Zephyros) meaning "west wind". Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind.

Feminine form of Zephyr.

Variant of Séraphine.

Means "victory" in Burmese, ultimately from Sanskrit जय (jaya).

Variant of Zhanar.

Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Jeanne.

From Kazakh жан (zhan) meaning "soul" and сая (saya) meaning "shadow, shade, protection, comfort" (both of Persian origin).

Alternate transcription of Arabic ضياء (see Ziya).

Means "adornment, decoration" in Arabic.

Perhaps a variant of Xiana. It was given to 33 girls in the USA in 2016.

It might have been influenced by a Malaysian pop, soft rock, ethnic, and folk music musician: Ziana Zain. Her real name is Siti Roziana binti Zain on May 2nd, 1968.

It means "forever loved" or "always loved"

Variation of the name Zyanya from the novel Aztec (1980) by the American author Gary Jennings.

An Arabic name meaning "visit" and "visitation".

Feminine form of either Zimri or Zimran. In the Netherlands, a known bearer of this name is the model and journalist Zimra Geurts (b. 1991).

From Arabic زينة (zīna) meaning "adornment, ornament, decoration".

Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian form of Zenaida.

Derived from Arabic نَار (nār) meaning "fire, flame, light".

From the name of the flower, which was itself named for the German botanist Johann Zinn.

From the name of a citadel that was in the center of Jerusalem. Zion is also used to refer to a Jewish homeland and to heaven.

Feminine form of Zion.

Feminine form of Zion combining Zion and the popular suffix -ira.

From the Hebrew name צִפּוֹרָה (Tzipporah), derived from צִפּוֹר (tzippor) meaning "bird". In the Old Testament this is the name of the Midianite wife of Moses. She was the daughter of the priest Jethro.

Derived from Arabic ضياء (diya) meaning "splendour, light, glow". This was the name of a 14th-century Islamic Indian historian.

Variant transcription of Zouina.

Means "light" in Urdu.

Feminine form of Zohan. Means “gift”

Strictly feminine form of Zohar.

Means "dawn, aurora" in the South Slavic languages, as well as Czech and Slovak.

Masculine form of Zora.

Variant of Zora.

Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Зоряна (see Zoryana).

Serbian, Croatian and Macedonian diminutive of Zora.

Derived from Ukrainian зоря (zorya) meaning "dawn, star".

Diminutive of Zofia.

Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Bulgarian form of Zoe.

Meaning uncertain, possibly of Arabic origin. According to medieval tradition, notably related by the 15th-century Persian poet Jami, this was the name of the biblical Potiphar's wife. She has been a frequent subject of poems and tales.

Means "guiding light"or "flower in paradise" in Urdu.

Either from Persian زور (zur) meaning "force, strength, power" or a form of the Arabic name Zahra.

Means "beautiful" in Swahili.

Feminine form of Zuriel.

Possibly means "forever, always" in Zapotec. It appears in the novel Aztec (1980) by the American author Gary Jennings.

Of unknown origin and meaning.

An elaboration of Zyria.