lacey24's Personal Name List

Alana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Breton
Pronounced: ə-LAN-ə(English) a-LAHN-a(Breton)
Feminine form of Alan.
Alisha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ə-LISH-ə, ə-LEE-shə
Variant of Alicia.
Ashlyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ASH-lin
Combination of Ashley and the popular name suffix lyn.
Brooklyn
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRUWK-lən
From the name of a borough of New York City, originally named after the Dutch town of Breukelen, itself meaning either "broken land" (from Dutch breuk) or "marsh land" (from Dutch broek). It can also be viewed as a combination of Brook and the popular name suffix lyn. It is considered a feminine name in the United States, but is more common as a masculine name in the United Kingdom.
Caoimhe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: KEE-vyə
Derived from Irish caomh meaning "dear, beloved, gentle".
Carrie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAR-ee, KEHR-ee
Diminutive of Caroline. This name declined in use shortly after the 1976 release of the horror movie Carrie, which was based on a 1974 novel by Stephen King.
Charlie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHAHR-lee
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.
Coco
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: KO-ko(English)
Diminutive of names beginning with Co, influenced by the word cocoa. However, this was not the case for French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971; real name Gabrielle), whose nickname came from the name of a song she performed while working as a cabaret singer.
Cruz
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: KROOTH(European Spanish) KROOS(Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese) KROOSH(European Portuguese)
Means "cross" in Spanish or Portuguese, referring to the cross of the crucifixion.
Dakota
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: də-KO-tə
From the name of the Native American people of the northern Mississippi Valley, or from the two American states that were named for them: North and South Dakota (until 1889 unified as the Dakota Territory). The tribal name means "allies, friends" in the Dakota language.

It was rare as an American given name before 1975. In the mid-1980s it began growing in popularity for boys after a character by this name began appearing on the soap opera Ryan's Hope. It is now more common as a feminine name, probably due to the fame of the actress Dakota Fanning (1994-).

Damian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Polish, Romanian, Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: DAY-mee-ən(English) DA-myan(Polish)
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.
Daniel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Finnish, Estonian, Armenian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: דָּנִיֵּאל(Hebrew) Даниел(Bulgarian, Macedonian) Դանիէլ(Armenian) დანიელ(Georgian) Δανιήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAN-yəl(English) DA-NYEHL(French) DA-nyehl(German) DA-nee-ehl(German, Slovak) DAH-ni-yəl(Norwegian) DA-nyəl(Danish) DA-nyehl(Polish) DA-ni-yehl(Czech) da-NYEHL(Spanish) du-nee-EHL(European Portuguese) du-nee-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) də-nee-EHL(Catalan) da-nee-EHL(Romanian)
From the Hebrew name דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge", from the roots דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.

Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).

Dawn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAWN
From the English word dawn, ultimately derived from Old English dagung.
Dean
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEEN
From a surname, see Dean 1 and Dean 2. The actor James Dean (1931-1955) was a famous bearer of the surname.
Demi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, English (Modern)
Other Scripts: Δήμη, Ντίμι, Ντίμη(Greek)
Pronounced: də-MEE(English) DEHM-ee(English)
Alternate transcription of Greek Δήμη or Ντίμι or Ντίμη (see Dimi), as well as a short form of Demetria. A famous bearer is American actress Demi Moore (1962-), and it is because of her that the name rose in popularity in the United States in the late 1980s. Though some sources claim Moore's birth name is Demetria, the actress herself has said she was born as Demi and named after a makeup product. The name received a further boost after 2008 with the release of the debut album by the singer Demi Lovato (1992-), who pronounces the name differently than the older actress. Lovato's birth name is Demetria.
Destiny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHS-ti-nee
Means simply "destiny, fate" from the English word, ultimately from Latin destinare "to determine", a derivative of stare "to stand". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the last half of the 20th century.
Devon
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHV-ən
Variant of Devin. It may also be partly inspired by the name of the county of Devon in England, which got its name from the Dumnonii, a Celtic tribe.
Elise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English
Pronounced: eh-LEE-zə(German) eh-LEE-seh(Norwegian, Danish, Swedish) i-LEES(English) EE-lees(English)
Short form of Elizabeth.
Eloise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-o-eez, ehl-o-EEZ
From the Old French name Héloïse, which was probably from the Germanic name Helewidis, composed of the elements heil meaning "healthy, whole" and wit meaning "wide". It is sometimes associated with the Greek word ἥλιος (helios) meaning "sun" or the name Louise, though there is no etymological connection. This name was borne by the 12th-century French scholar and philosopher Héloïse. Secretly marrying the theologian Peter Abelard at a young age, she became a nun (and eventually an abbess) after Abelard was violently castrated by order of her uncle Fulbert.

There was a medieval English form of this name, Helewis, though it died out after the 13th century. In the 19th century it was revived in the English-speaking world in the form Eloise.

Erin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: EHR-in(English)
Anglicized form of Éireann. It was initially used by people of Irish heritage in America, Canada and Australia. It was rare until the mid-1950s.
Ewan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: YOO-ən(English)
Anglicized form of Eòghann.
Hayley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HAY-lee
From an English surname that was originally derived from the name of an English town (meaning "hay clearing" from Old English heg "hay" and leah "clearing"). It was brought to public attention as a given name, especially in the United Kingdom, by the British child actress Hayley Mills (1946-) [1].

This is the most common spelling of this name in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand; in the United States the spellings Haley and Hailey are more popular.

Henry
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HEHN-ree
From the Germanic name Heimirich meaning "home ruler", composed of the elements heim "home" and rih "ruler". It was later commonly spelled Heinrich, with the spelling altered due to the influence of other Germanic names like Haganrich, in which the first element is hag "enclosure".

Heinrich was popular among continental royalty, being the name of seven German kings, starting with the 10th-century Henry I the Fowler (the first of the Saxon kings), and four French kings. In France it was usually rendered Henri from the Latin form Henricus.

The Normans introduced the French form to England, and it was subsequently used by eight kings, ending with the infamous Henry VIII in the 16th century. During the later Middle Ages it was fairly popular, and was generally rendered as Harry or Herry in English pronunciation. Notable bearers include arctic naval explorer Henry Hudson (1570-1611), American-British novelist Henry James (1843-1916), American automobile manufacturer Henry Ford (1863-1947), and American actor Henry Fonda (1905-1982).

Jaden
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JAY-dən
An invented name, using the popular den suffix sound found in such names as Braden, Hayden and Aidan. This name first became common in America in the 1990s when similar-sounding names were increasing in popularity. The spelling Jayden has been more popular since 2003. It is sometimes considered a variant of the biblical name Jadon.
Jamie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Scottish [1], English
Pronounced: JAY-mee
Originally a Lowland Scots diminutive of James. Since the late 19th century it has also been used as a feminine form.
Jennie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish
Pronounced: JEHN-ee(English) YEH-ni(Swedish)
Variant of Jenny. Before the 20th century this spelling was more common.
Junior
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOON-yər
From a nickname that was originally used for a boy who had the same name as his father.
Katie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY-tee
Diminutive of Kate.
Kelsey
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHL-see
From an English surname that is derived from town names in Lincolnshire. It may mean "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce" in combination with eg "island".
Kenzie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHN-zee
Short form of Mackenzie.
Kian 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Variant of Cian.
Lacey
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAY-see
Variant of Lacy. This is currently the most popular spelling of this name.
Laoise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: LEE-shə
Possibly a newer form of Luigsech, or from the name of the county of Laois in central Ireland. It is also used as an Irish form of Lucy or Louise.
Leah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: לֵאָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: LEE-ə(English)
From the Hebrew name לֵאָה (Leʾa), which was probably derived from the Hebrew word לָאָה (laʾa) meaning "weary, grieved" [1]. Alternatively it might be related to Akkadian littu meaning "cow". In the Old Testament Leah is the first wife of Jacob and the mother of seven of his children. Jacob's other wife was Leah's younger sister Rachel, whom he preferred. Leah later offered Jacob her handmaid Zilpah in order for him to conceive more children.

Although this name was used by Jews in the Middle Ages, it was not typical as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation, being common among the Puritans.

Lewis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LOO-is
Medieval English form of Louis. A famous bearer was Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This was also the surname of C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), the author of the Chronicles of Narnia series.
Louise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, German
Pronounced: LWEEZ(French) loo-EEZ(English) loo-EE-sə(Danish) loo-EE-zə(German)
French feminine form of Louis.
Lucas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: LOO-kəs(English) LUY-kahs(Dutch) LUY-KA(French) LOO-kush(European Portuguese) LOO-kus(Brazilian Portuguese) LOO-kas(Spanish, Swedish, Latin)
Latin form of Greek Λουκᾶς (see Luke), as well as the form used in several other languages.

This name became very popular in the second half of the 20th century. It reached the top ten names for boys in France (by 1997), Belgium (1998), Denmark (2003), Canada (2008), the Netherlands (2009), New Zealand (2009), Australia (2010), Scotland (2013), Spain (2015) and the United States (2018).

Madeleine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Swedish
Pronounced: MAD-LEHN(French) MAD-ə-lin(English) MAD-ə-lien(English) MAD-lin(English) mahd-eh-LEHN(Swedish)
French form of Magdalene.
Madison
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAD-i-sən
From an English surname meaning "son of Maud". It was not commonly used as a feminine name until after the movie Splash (1984), in which the main character adopted it as her name after seeing a street sign for Madison Avenue in New York City. It was ranked second for girls in the United States by 2001. This rise from obscurity to prominence in only 18 years represents an unprecedented 550,000 percent increase in usage.

A famous bearer of the surname was James Madison (1751-1836), one of the authors of the American constitution who later served as president (and after whom Madison Avenue was named).

Maxine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mak-SEEN
Feminine form of Max. It has been commonly used only since the beginning of the 20th century.
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
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".
Oisín
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: aw-SHEEN(Irish) o-SHEEN(English)
Means "little deer", derived from Old Irish oss "deer, stag" combined with a diminutive suffix. In Irish legend Oisín was a warrior hero and a poet, the son of Fionn mac Cumhaill and the narrator in many of his tales.
Preston
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PREHS-tən
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "priest town" (Old English preost and tun).
Raven
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAY-vən
From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god Odin.
Reece
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Anglicized form of Rhys.
Reese
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Anglicized form of Rhys. It is also used as a feminine name, popularized by the American actress Reese Witherspoon (1976-).
Rhian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: REE-an
Derived from Welsh rhiain meaning "maiden, young woman".
Riley
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RIE-lee
From a surname that comes from two distinct sources. As an Irish surname it is a variant of Reilly. As an English surname it is derived from a place name meaning "rye clearing" in Old English.

Before 1980, this was an uncommon masculine name in America. During the 1980s and 90s this name steadily increased in popularity for both boys and girls, and from 2003 onwards it has been more common for girls in the United States. Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, it has remained largely masculine.

Romeo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Romanian
Pronounced: ro-MEH-o(Italian) RO-mee-o(English)
Italian form of the Late Latin Romaeus or Late Greek Ρωμαῖος (Romaios), which meant "from Rome" or "Roman". Romeo is best known as the lover of Juliet in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet (1596). Shakespeare based his play on earlier Italian stories by Luigi Da Porto (1524) and Matteo Bandello (1554), which both featured characters named Giulietta and Romeo.
Roz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHZ
Short form of Rosalind, Rosamund and other names beginning with the same sound.
Ryan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RIE-ən
From a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Riain. This patronymic derives from the given name Rian, which is of uncertain meaning. It is traditionally said to mean "little king", from Irish "king" combined with a diminutive suffix.

In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity through the 1950s and 60s. It shot up the charts after the release of the 1970 movie Ryan's Daughter. Within a few years it was in the top 20 names, where it would stay for over three decades. Famous bearers include the Canadian actors Ryan Reynolds (1976-) and Ryan Gosling (1980-).

Ryder
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RIE-dər
From an English occupational surname derived from Old English ridere meaning "mounted warrior" or "messenger". It has grown in popularity in the 2000s because it starts with the same sound found in other popular names like Ryan and Riley.
Sammie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SAM-ee
Diminutive of Samuel, Samson or Samantha.
Skye
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKIE
From the name of the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. It is sometimes considered a variant of Sky.
Summer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUM-ər
From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.
Taylor
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TAY-lər
From an English surname that originally denoted someone who was a tailor, from Norman French tailleur, ultimately from Latin taliare "to cut".

Its modern use as a feminine name may have been influenced by the British-American author Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985). Since 1990 it has been more popular for girls in the United States. Other England-speaking regions have followed suit, with the exception of England and Wales where it is still slightly more popular for boys. Its popularity peaked in America the mid-1990s for both genders, ranked sixth for girls and 51st for boys. A famous bearer is the American musician Taylor Swift (1989-).

Tyler
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TIE-lər
From an English surname meaning "tiler of roofs", derived from Old English tigele "tile". The surname was borne by American president John Tyler (1790-1862).
behindthename.com   ·   Copyright © 1996-2024