X-Mar's Personal Name List

From the English word amber that denotes either the gemstone, which is formed from fossil resin, or the orange-yellow colour. The word ultimately derives from Arabic عنبر ('anbar). It began to be used as a given name in the late 19th century, but it only became popular after the release of Kathleen Winsor's novel Forever Amber (1944).

Dutch variant of Anemone.

Means "song, melody" in Italian (literally means "air"). An aria is an elaborate vocal solo, the type usually performed in operas. As an English name, it has only been in use since the 20th century, its rise in popularity accelerating after the 2010 premier of the television drama Pretty Little Liars, featuring a character by this name. It is not traditionally used in Italy.

From the name of the island paradise to which King Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh afal meaning "apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.

Feminine variant of Aviv.

From the name of the flower (shrubs of the genus Rhododendron), ultimately derived from Greek ἀζαλέος (azaleos) meaning "dry".

Diminutive of Elizabeth. A famous bearer was American actress Bette Davis (1908-1989).

From the name of two types of plants, the true calla (species Calla palustris) and the calla lily (species Calla aethiopica), both having white flowers and growing in marshy areas. Use of the name may also be inspired by Greek κάλλος (kallos) meaning "beauty".

Medieval Spanish form of Carmel, appearing in the devotional title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora del Carmen meaning "Our Lady of Mount Carmel". The spelling has been altered through association with the Latin word carmen meaning "song". This was the name of the main character in George Bizet's opera Carmen (1875).

Short form of Caroline or other names that begin with caro, commonly used in Great Britain (England).

Diminutive of Catharina.

Means "wise" in Persian.

French feminine form of Fabianus (see Fabian).

In part from the English word fay meaning "fairy", derived from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles in the name of Morgan le Fay. In some cases it may be used as a short form of Faith. It has been used as a feminine given name since the 19th century.

As a rarer (but older) masculine name it is probably derived from a surname: see Fay 1 or Fay 2.

Variant of Fay.

Feminine form of Feie.

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).

Latinate form of Helen. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's play All's Well That Ends Well (1603).

German, Dutch and Norwegian variant of Hilda.

Means "rainbow" in Greek. Iris was the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow, also serving as a messenger to the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek source) for the iris flower or the coloured part of the eye.

Late Latin name meaning "from Isauria". Isauria was the name of a region in Asia Minor.

Means "willow tree" in South Slavic.

Short form of Henriëtte or Mariëtte.

Danish short form of Henriette.

Short form of Johanna.

Serbian and Macedonian feminine form of John.

Feminine form of Iulianus (see Julian).

Feminine form of Junius. This was the name of an early Christian mentioned in the New Testament (there is some debate about whether the name belongs to a man or a woman).

Means "love" in Cornish.

Variant of Kerensa.

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.

Meaning unknown. In Greek myth she was a Spartan queen and the mother of Castor, Pollux, Helen and Clytemnestra by the god Zeus, who came upon her in the form of a swan.

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.

Feminine form of Leon.

Spanish and Italian form of Lily, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Лилия or Ukrainian Лілія (see Liliya).

Combination of Lisa and Anne 1.

Feminine form of Livius. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus, Livia Drusilla.

Means "white" in Hebrew.

Variant of Lovisa.

Swedish feminine form of Louis.

Feminine form of Morgan 1.

From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of Odysseus.

Dutch feminine form of Quirinus.

Feminine form of Ramón. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel Ramona (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.

Either an elaboration of Raven, or else from the name of the city of Ravenna in Italy.

Late Latin name derived from rosa "rose". This was the name of a 12th-century Sicilian saint.

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.

Medieval variant of Rosalind. This is the name of characters in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost (1594) and Romeo and Juliet (1596).

Dutch form of Rosemary as well as a direct derivation from Dutch rozemarijn "rosemary".

Feminine form of Rune.

Short form of Isabella.

Dutch and Limburgish short form of Sander and Sanne.

Means "sky," from Japanese 空 (sora). It is often romanized as Sora rather than Sola, but both ways are correct.

From Japanese 空 (sora) or 昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.

Variant of Sovann.

Means "star" in Latin. This name was created by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney for the subject of his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella. It was a nickname of a lover of Jonathan Swift, real name Esther Johnson (1681-1728), though it was not commonly used as a given name until the 19th century. It appears in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), belonging to the sister of Blanche DuBois and the wife of Stanley Kowalski.

Scandinavian form of the Old English name Sunngifu, which meant "sun gift" from the Old English elements sunne "sun" and giefu "gift". This was the name of a legendary English saint who was shipwrecked in Norway and killed by the inhabitants.

From a personification of the country of Sweden, in use since the 17th century. It is a derivative of Svear, the Swedish name for the North Germanic tribe the Swedes. The Swedish name of the country of Sweden is Sverige, a newer form of Svear rike meaning "the realm of the Svear".

German feminine form of Sven.

Variant of Tara 1, perhaps influenced by the Latin word terra meaning "land, earth".

Perhaps a diminutive of Theresia or Telse, or a shortned form of Tesselschade. This was the name of a character in the Dutch TV series 'SpangaS'.

Swedish variant of Tove.

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.

Means "knowledge" in Sanskrit.

Limburgish short form of Vera 1.

Dutch (mainly Flemish) form of Pharaildis.

Finnish feminine form of Wendel.

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.

Derived from Albanian verë meaning "summer".

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.

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

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

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.

Variant of Viviane.

French form of Viviana.

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

Meaning unknown, perhaps an invented name. It has been in occasional use in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. It coincides with an Italian surname, a famous bearer being the French-Italian author Émile Zola (1840-1902).

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