Lado_Hokma's Personal Name List

Russian form of Agapios.

Of uncertain meaning, possibly a corruption of Alethea (compare Alethaire). In the United States, this name was first found in 1768; in the United Kingdom, there were several uses throughout the 1800s (and most likely before that as well). While the background of the American bearers of this name is unknown, almost all British bearers were born to traveling Romani families.

Means "protector" in Tamazight [1].

Feminine form of Angelus (see Angel). As an English name, it came into use in the 18th century. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).

Meaning unknown, of Persian origin. This was the name of an 8th-century Georgian noble who was executed for refusing to convert to Islam.

The meaning of this name is unknown. It could be derived from the Celtic elements *artos "bear" (Old Welsh arth) combined with *wiros "man" (Old Welsh gur) or *rīxs "king" (Old Welsh ri). Alternatively it could be related to an obscure Roman family name Artorius.

Arthur is the name of the central character in Arthurian legend, a 6th-century king of the Britons who resisted Saxon invaders. He may or may not have been based on a real person. He first appears in Welsh poems and chronicles (perhaps briefly in the 7th-century poem Y Gododdin and more definitively and extensively in the 9th-century History of the Britons [1]). However, his character was not developed until the chronicles of the 12th-century Geoffrey of Monmouth [2]. His tales were later taken up and expanded by French and English writers.

The name came into general use in England in the Middle Ages due to the prevalence of Arthurian romances, and it enjoyed a surge of popularity in the 19th century. Famous bearers include German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), mystery author and Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), and science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008).

Hebrew form of Ashtoreth.

Hebrew form of Abiram.

Means "moon flood" in Turkish and Azerbaijani, derived from ay "moon" and sel "flood, stream" (of Arabic origin).

From the Georgian name for the buttercup flower (or any flowering plant from the genus Ranunculus).

Derived from the Old German element brunna meaning "armour, protection" (Proto-Germanic *brunjǭ) or brun meaning "brown" (Proto-Germanic *brūnaz). Saint Bruno of Cologne was a German monk of the 11th century who founded the Carthusian Order. The surname has belonged to Giordano Bruno, a philosopher burned at the stake by the Inquisition. A modern bearer is the American singer Bruno Mars (1985-), born Peter Gene Hernandez.

Means "uncle" in Svan. In other words: this name is basically the Svan equivalent of Bidzina.

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.

Diminutive of Cynthia or Lucinda. Like Cynthia, it peaked in popularity in the United States in 1957.

Means "divine, goddesslike", a derivative of Latin dia or diva meaning "goddess". It is ultimately related to the same Indo-European root *dyew- found in Zeus. Diana was a Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests and childbirth, often identified with the Greek goddess Artemis.

As a given name, Diana has been regularly used since the Renaissance. It became more common in the English-speaking world following Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy (1817), which featured a character named Diana Vernon. It also appeared in George Meredith's novel Diana of the Crossways (1885). A notable bearer was the British royal Diana Spencer (1961-1997), the Princess of Wales.

Ossetian form of Dmitry.

Means "girl" or "daughter" in Svan. In Georgia, this name is also the Georgian form of Dinah and can also be a short form of Dinara.

Form of Helen used in various languages, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Елена (see Yelena).

Means "hope" in Greek. In Greek mythology Elpis was the personification of hope. She was the last spirit to remain in the jar after Pandora unleashed the evils that were in it.

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

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

Form of Eter with the nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.

Russian diminutive of Agrafena, Feodosiya, Feofaniya, Ifigeniya, Trifena and possibly also Yevgeniya. Also compare Genya and Zhenya.

As an Armenian name, it might possibly be a diminutive of Yevgenya.

Lastly, in addition to all of the aforementioned, the name Fenya could possibly also be the Armenian and Russian form of the Greek given name Fenia.

A known bearer of this name was Fenia Chertkoff (1869-1927), a Russian-Argentine educator, feminist and political activist. Please note that Fenia is a variant transcription here: her original name would have been either Феня (Fenya) or Фения (Feniya).

German form of Frederick. This was the name of several rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Austria and Prussia. The philosophers Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) are two other famous bearers of this name.

Short form of Giorgi.

From the Old Welsh name Gwladus, probably derived from gwlad meaning "country". Alternatively, it may have been adopted as a Welsh form of Claudia. Saint Gwladus or Gwladys was the mother of Saint Cadoc. She was one of the daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog. This name became popular outside of Wales after it was used in Ouida's novel Puck (1870).

Russian form of Gourias (see Gurias). Since at least the 16th century, this name has been borne by various Russian bishops and archbishops.

Variant transcription of Gvantsa.

Refers to a person who has participated in the حجّ (ḥajj), the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that Muslims must undertake at least once in their lifetimes.

Anglicized form of Hänsel. This is the name of a boy in a German fairy tale, recorded in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm with the title Hänsel und Gretel. In the tale Hansel and his sister Gretel are abandoned in the woods by their parents, then taken captive by a witch.

Low German and Frisian diminutive of Henrik.

Feminine form of Ilan.

Georgian form of Elijah. It is also an alternate transcription of Russian Илья or Belarusian Ілья (see Ilya) or Bulgarian Илия (see Iliya).

Short form of names ending with or otherwise containing ina, such as Martina, Christina and Carolina.

Russian and Ukrainian form of Inés.

Contracted form of Irinola, which is used as an independent name in its own right.

Newer form of the Old Church Slavic name Іѡаннъ (Ioannŭ), which was derived from Greek Ioannes (see John). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.

Variant of Kakhi. This name is also frequently used as a short form of the related name Kakhaber, and sometimes also of unrelated names like Akaki and Aleksandre.

Notable Georgian bearers of this name include the politicians Kakha Bendukidze (1956-2014), Aleksandre "Kakha" Lomaia (b. 1963) and Kakhaber "Kakha" Kaladze (b. 1978), the latter of which was previously a successful professional soccer player.

Russian and Hungarian form of Camilla, as well as a Polish and Scandinavian variant. This is also the Hungarian word for the chamomile flower (species Matricaria chamomilla).

German form of Katherine.

Short form of Ekaterine.

Russian diminutive of Yekaterina.

Short form of Kesane and Kesaria, which is now primarily used as an independent name rather than as an unofficial nickname.

Diminutive of Nikolai.

Short form of Vladimer.

Variant of Layla, and the usual Persian transcription.

This spelling was used by Lord Byron for characters in The Giaour (1813) and Don Juan (1819), and it is through him that the name was introduced to the English-speaking world.

Variant of Leila.

As a Svan name, this name is strictly masculine. It comes from the name of the Svan sun god Lile, whose name is thought to be etymologically related to that of the Sumerian god Enlil.

As a Georgian name, Lile is unisex, but predominantly feminine. Male bearers are quite rare these days. For men, it might perhaps be a diminutive of names like Ilarion and Ilia, whilst for women, it is most likely a variant of Lili and/or a short form of Liliana.

A known bearer of this name was the Georgian (male) conductor Lile Kiladze (1928-1978).

Alternate transcription of Russian/Ukrainian Люба (see Lyuba).

Means "dancer" in Nahuatl.

From Greek μαῖα (maia) meaning "good mother, dame, foster mother", perhaps in origin a nursery form of μήτηρ (meter). In Greek and Roman mythology she was the eldest of the Pleiades, a group of stars in the constellation Taurus, who were the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Her son by Zeus was Hermes.

Variant of Margot.

German, Scandinavian, Finnish and Estonian form of Marcus (see Mark).

From the Roman name Martinus, which was derived from Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god Mars. Saint Martin of Tours was a 4th-century bishop who is the patron saint of France. According to legend, he came across a cold beggar in the middle of winter so he ripped his cloak in two and gave half of it to the beggar. He was a favourite saint during the Middle Ages, and his name has become common throughout the Christian world.

An influential bearer of the name was Martin Luther (1483-1546), the theologian who began the Protestant Reformation. The name was also borne by five popes (two of them more commonly known as Marinus). Other more recent bearers include the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), and the American filmmaker Martin Scorsese (1942-).

Belarusian variant transliteration of Maryia, Vilamovian form of Mary as well as an archaic Polish variant of Maria.

From Greek Μήδεια (Medeia), derived from μήδεα (medea) meaning "plans, counsel, cunning". In Greek mythology Medea was a sorceress from Colchis (modern Georgia) who helped Jason gain the Golden Fleece. They were married, but eventually Jason left her for another woman. For revenge Medea slew Jason's new lover and also had her own children by Jason killed.

From Mélanie, the French form of the Latin name Melania, derived from Greek μέλαινα (melaina) meaning "black, dark". This was the name of a Roman saint who gave all her wealth to charity in the 5th century. Her grandmother was also a saint with the same name.

The name was common in France during the Middle Ages, and was introduced from there to England, though it eventually became rare. Interest in it was revived by the character Melanie Wilkes from the novel Gone with the Wind (1936) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1939).

From the English word melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".

Form of the Welsh name Myrddin used by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 12th-century chronicle. Writing in Latin, he likely chose the form Merlinus over Merdinus in order to prevent associations with French merde "excrement".

Geoffrey based parts of Merlin's character on Myrddin Wyllt, a legendary madman and prophet who lived in the Caledonian Forest. Other parts of his life were based on that of the historical 5th-century Romano-British military leader Ambrosius Aurelianus (also known as Emrys Wledig). In Geoffrey's version of the tales and later embellishments Merlin is a magician and counselor for King Arthur.

Diminutive of Maria and other names beginning with M.

Variant of Mariah.

Means "joy" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form नन्द and the feminine form नन्दा (spelled with a long final vowel).

In Hindu texts this is the name of the foster father of Krishna, as well as various other characters. In Buddhist texts this is the name of both a half-brother and half-sister of Buddha. Nanda was also a 4th-century BC king who founded a dynasty in Magadha in India.

In southern India this name is more common among males, while in the north it is typically feminine, with the form Nand being masculine.

Meaning organised or orderly. A famous bearer is Nazeem, a redguard from the game Skyrim.

Russian form of Nicodemus.

Russian and Bulgarian form of Nicholas. A notable bearer was the Russian-Ukrainian novelist Nikolay Gogol (1809-1852).

Short form of names that end in nina, such as Antonina or Giannina. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word niña meaning "little girl" (the word is pronounced differently than the name).

A famous bearer was the American jazz musician Nina Simone (1933-2003).

Meaning unknown, possibly from a Greek feminine form of Ninos. Saint Nino (sometimes called Nina) was a Greek-speaking woman from Asia Minor who introduced Christianity to Georgia in the 4th century.

Azerbaijani, Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of Ophelia.

Means "golden mouth" in Georgian, a translation of Greek Chrysostomos.

Russian form of the Old Norse name Helga. The 10th-century Saint Olga was the wife of Igor I, the ruler of Kievan Rus (a state based around the city of Kyiv). Like her husband she was probably a Varangian, who were Norse people who settled in Eastern Europe beginning in the 9th century. Following Igor's death she ruled as regent for her son Svyatoslav for 18 years. After she was baptized in Constantinople she attempted to convert her subjects to Christianity, though this goal was only achieved by her grandson Vladimir.

Form of Raphael in various languages. A famous bearer is the Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (1986-).

Avestan form of Rashn.

Means "rule" in Latin. This was the name of a 3rd-century Swiss martyr, the patron saint of Zurich.

Ossetian form of Roxelana.

Diminutive of Rudolf.

Means "pure" in Arabic. As-Safaa is the name of one of the two sacred hills near Mecca. This can also be an alternate transcription of Arabic صفاء (see Safaa').

Meaning unknown. This was the name of a 13th-century Georgian hero, considered a saint in the Georgian Church.

Biblical Hebrew form of Solomon.

Derived from the Slavic element stati "stand, become" (inflected forms in stan-) combined with slava "glory". This name was borne by a few medieval saints (typically called by the Polish form Stanisław or Latinized form Stanislaus), including a bishop of Krakow who was martyred in the 11th century.

Russian, Ukrainian and Armenian form of Stephanos (see Stephen).

Means "little soul" in Georgian. It is derived from the Georgian noun სული (suli) meaning "soul" combined with the Georgian diminutive suffix -კო (-ko).

In Georgian literature, this is the name of the eponymous character of the 1895 love poem Suliko written by the Georgian poet Akaki Tsereteli (1840-1915).

Short form of Svetlana.

Georgian form of Tahmasp.

Short form of Tamar and perhaps also of its diminutive Tamriko.

Feminine form of Itri.

Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Bulgarian form of Zoe.