thesnowwhiterose's Personal Name List

Means "servant of Nebo" in Akkadian, Nebo being the Babylonian god of wisdom. In the Old Testament Abednego is the Babylonian name given to Azariah, one of the three men cast into a blazing furnace but saved from harm by God, as told in the Book of Daniel.

Means "born on a festival" in Yoruba.

Means "anklet, bangle" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the daughter of Caleb.

Means "boundless, entire" or "freedom, security" in Sanskrit. This is the name of an ancient Hindu goddess of the sky and fertility. According to the Vedas she is the mother of the gods.

Means "whirlwind" in Greek. In Greek myth this was the name of an Amazon warrior killed by Herakles during his quest for Hippolyta's girdle.

Polish form of Agnes.

Meaning unknown. This is the name of the Finnish god of the ocean, rivers and fishing.

From Chinese 爱 (ài) meaning "love, affection", 蔼 (ǎi) meaning "friendly, lush", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Means "born in the morning" in Luo.

From Japanese 昭 (aki) meaning "bright, luminous" combined with 夫 (o) meaning "man, husband", 男 (o) meaning "male, man" or 雄 (o) meaning "hero, manly". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Variant of Akilina.

Middle English form of Ealdgyð.

Derived from Italian alta, the feminine form of the adjective alto, meaning "high; deep; big; towering; elevated" and, when used in a poetic context, "grand; sublime; noble" and luna "moon".

A known bearer of this name was Altaluna della Scala, daughter of Mastino II della Scala, a 14th-cenutry lord of Verona, sister of Viridis and wife of Louis V, Duke of Bavaria.

Whether Altalune, the name Uma Thurman gave her daughter born in 2012, is a medieval variant of this name, is still debated.

Italian cognate of Amber.

Old French form of Aimée.

Means "immortality" in Avestan. This was the name of a Zoroastrian goddess (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with plants and long life. She was often mentioned with Haurvatat.

Possibly means "the surrounding sea" or "the surrounding third", from Greek ἀμφίς (amphis) meaning "surrounding, around, between" and the same root found in the name of Triton. In Greek mythology she was a goddess of the sea and salt water, the wife of Poseidon and the mother of Triton.

Means "immortal" from Sanskrit अ (a) meaning "not" and मृत (mrta) meaning "dead". In Hindu texts it refers to a drink that gives immortality.

Combination of Anna and Lisa.

Combination of Anne 1 and Grete.

Medieval English form of Agnes.

Greek form of Anthea.

Feminine diminutive of Antoine. This name was borne by Marie Antoinette, the queen of France during the French Revolution. She was executed by guillotine.

Latinized form of Ἄνουβις (Anoubis), the Greek form of Egyptian jnpw (reconstructed as Anapa and other forms), which coincided with a word meaning "royal child, prince". However, it might alternatively be derived from the root jnp meaning "to decay". Anubis was the Egyptian god who led the dead to the underworld. He was often depicted as a man with the head of a jackal. The Greeks equated him with their god Hermes.

Means "snowflake" in Greenlandic.

From Japanese 新 (arata) meaning "fresh, new". Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.

Means "noble elf" in Sindarin. This was the name of an Elf in Tolkien's book 'The Silmarillion'.

Icelandic variant form of Andor 1.

Occurs in the medieval Norwegian ballad 'Bendik og Årolilja', where it belongs to a princess who dies of heartache when her lover is hanged under her father's orders.

Means "brightness" in Arabic.

Short form of Astrid.

Derived from Kurdish stêrk meaning "star".

Greek form of Astraea.

French form of Athenais.

Feminine form of Audo (see Otto).

German, Polish, Scandinavian and Catalan form of Augustus. This was the name of three Polish kings.

As an English name it can also derive from the month of August, which was named for the Roman emperor Augustus.

Auva is the medieval name of Delta Virginis, a star in the zodiac constellation of Virgo.
The name is derived from Arabic عوى ((c)awwa’), meaning "barking (dog)".

From the name of an ancient kingdom of central India that had its capital at Ujjain.

Slovene and Russian feminine form of Augustus.

Variant of Aviaaja.

Scottish Gaelic form of Barbara.

A significant supporting character in The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, Bard the Bowman (abbreviated to Bard) of Esgaroth was a skilled archer and the heir of Girion, the last king of old Dale. He was described as "grim faced" and while a guardsman of Esgaroth he was often predicting floods and poisoned fish. He rallied the guards to defend the town when the Dragon came. Bard was able to slay the dragon Smaug with the Black Arrow after a tip from the old thrush (who had overheard Bilbo Baggins' description of Smaug) had revealed an unarmoured spot on the dragon's underside. Bard claimed a fourteenth of the treasure amassed by the dragon, which he subsequently shared with the Master of Esgaroth to rebuild the town, but the Master stole the money and ran off into the wild where he died. After its rebuilding, Bard was the first king of restored Dale, followed by his son Bain, grandson Brand, and great-grandson Bard II.

Means "strong joy" in Mongolian, from бат (batu) meaning "strong, firm" and баяр (bayar) meaning "joy".

From the Welsh name Bedwyr, possibly from bedwen "birch" and gwr "man". In Arthurian legends Bedivere was one of the original companions of King Arthur. He first appears in early Welsh tales, and his story was later expanded by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century. He is the one who throws the sword Excalibur into the lake at the request of the dying Arthur.

From Italian bella "beautiful, fair" and donna "lady". This is the name of a toxic plant, also called deadly nightshade (species Atropa belladonna).

Possibly means "bee wolf" (in effect equal to "bear") from Old English beo "bee" and wulf "wolf". Alternatively, the first element may be beadu "battle". This is the name of the main character in the anonymous 8th-century epic poem Beowulf. Set in Denmark, the poem tells how he slays the monster Grendel and its mother at the request of King Hroðgar. After this Beowulf becomes the king of the Geats. The conclusion of the poem tells how Beowulf, in his old age, slays a dragon but is himself mortally wounded in the act.

See Denethor.

Meaning uncertain, possibly from Greek βῆσσα (bessa) meaning "wooded valley". This was the name of a 5th-century Egyptian hermit who was a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great. It was later adopted by the scholar Basilios Bessarion (1403-1472), a Greek born in Byzantine Anatolia who became a Roman Catholic bishop.

From the name of the minty medicinal herb.

Means "wetting, moistening" in Arabic. This was the name of a companion of the Prophet Muhammad.

Means "bashful" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the handmaid given to Jacob by his wife Rachel. By him she was the mother of Dan and Naphtali.

Variant of Vipin.

From an English surname that was derived from the Old Norse given name Brandr. This is also the name for a variety of wild geese.

Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either "king, prince" or "raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.

Portuguese form of Brennus.

From Old Welsh Catigirn meaning "battle king", derived from cat "battle" and tigirn "king, monarch". This was the name of a 5th-century king of Powys in Wales, the son of Vortigern.

From Latin Capricornus meaning "horned like a goat" (from caper, genitive capri "goat" and cornu "horn"), a loan-translation of Greek Aigokheros, the name of the constellation. This is also the name of the tenth sign of the zodiac.

After the brownish red mineral of the same name, of which the name is a corruption of cornelian, which in turn is derived from Latin cornelianus (see Cornelianus).

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.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Cathasaigh, a patronymic derived from the given name Cathassach. This name can be given in honour of Casey Jones (1863-1900), a train engineer who sacrificed his life to save his passengers. In his case, Casey was a nickname acquired because he was raised in the town of Cayce, Kentucky.

From a place name mentioned only by the Old Testament prophet Ezra, said to be a corruption of Caspian. Otherwise it may mean "place of the treasury" from Hebrew keceph "silver, money".

Means "vigilant" in Irish.

From the English word for the coniferous tree, derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek κέδρος (kedros).

Derived from Welsh cain "good, lovely" and gwen "white, blessed". This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh saint also known as Cain or Keyne.

Means "beloved by the moon", derived from Sanskrit चन्द्र (chandra) meaning "moon" and कान्त (kanta) meaning "desired, beloved". This is another name for the moonstone.

Feminine form of Chandrakant.

From Chinese 成 (chéng) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or 诚 (chéng) meaning "sincere, honest, true", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.

From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who came from Chester, an old Roman settlement in Britain. The name of the settlement came from Latin castrum "camp, fortress".

Means "God is the king" in Igbo.

Means "God created" in Igbo.

Means "God is answering" in Igbo.

Combination of Christina and the name suffix bel (inspired by Latin bella "beautiful"). This name occurs in medieval literature, and was later used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his 1816 poem Christabel [1].

Patronymic derived from Chryses. In Greek legend she was the daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo. After she was taken prisoner by the Greeks besieging Troy, Apollo sent a plague into their camp, forcing the Greeks to release her.

Possibly from Old Irish cin "respect, esteem, affection" or cinid "be born, come into being" combined with áed "fire", though it might actually be of Pictish origin. This was the name of the first king of the Scots and Picts (9th century). It is often Anglicized as Kenneth. The originally unrelated name Coinneach is sometimes used as the modern Scottish Gaelic form.

Latinized form of Greek Κλυταιμνήστρα (Klytaimnestra) and Κλυταιμήστρα (Klytaimestra), in which the first element is κλυτός (klytos) meaning "famous, noble". The spelling Klytaimnestra would suggest the second element is μνηστήρ (mnester) meaning "courter, wooer", while Klytaimestra would suggest a connection to μήδομαι (medomai) meaning "to plan, to intend". There is debate over which spelling is earlier or more authentic [1], since the ancient texts seem to make puns based on both etymologies. Klytaimestra appears in the works of the Greek tragedians such as Aeschylus, while Klytaimnestra appears in Homer's poems (the earliest extant copy dating from the post-classical period).

In Greek legend Clytemnestra was the wife of Agamemnon and the mother of Orestes and Electra. While her husband was away during the Trojan War she took a lover, and upon his return she had Agamemnon murdered. She was subsequently killed by her son Orestes.

Anglicized form of the Old Irish name Conláed, possibly meaning "constant fire" from cunnail "prudent, constant" and áed "fire". Saint Conláed was a 5th-century bishop of Kildare.

Diminutive of Corinna, Cora, Cornelia, and other names starting with Cor. Since the 1970s it has also been used as a feminine form of Corey.

Variant of Corey.

Feminine form of Crispinus. A notable bearer was the 2nd-century Roman empress Bruttia Crispina, the wife of Emperor Commodus. This name was also borne by a 4th-century Christian martyr from North Africa.

From the English word crystal for the clear, colourless glass, sometimes cut into the shape of a gemstone. The English word derives ultimately from Greek κρύσταλλος (krystallos) meaning "ice". It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.

Possibly derived from Hungarian cseng meaning "to ring, to clang".

Meaning unknown, possibly from Phrygian roots meaning either "stone" or "hair". This was the name of the Phrygian mother goddess associated with fertility and nature. She was later worshipped by the Greeks and Romans.

Cornish form of David.

Feminine form of David.

Means "daughter of a poet" from Old Irish der "daughter" and fili "poet" (genitive filed). This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint, also called Dervla.

Means "lion of the people", derived from Greek δημος (demos) "the people" combined with Greek λεων (leon) "lion". In Greek mythology, Demoleon is the name of a centaur.

Variant of Diamanto.

Probably an Anglicized form of Degaré. Sir Degaré was the subject of a medieval poem set in Brittany. The name may mean "lost one" from French égaré.

Feminine form of Dragan.

Diminutive of Avdotya.

Old Norse name meaning "the one slumbering". Possibly derived from the same word as Swedish dvala and Danish and Norwegian dvale, meaning "sleep, hibernation".

Dvalinn is one of the four stags in Norse mythology who ate the buds off of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. He is also a dwarf and a smith that made a necklace worn by Freyja.

Possibly from the name of the Celtic god of love, Dwyn combined with the Welsh element gwyn "blessed, white, fair"; or derived from Welsh dwyn "to lead (a life)", in which case it means "to a lead a blessed life".

This name was borne by Saint Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers. According to legend she was a beautiful princess who was visited by an angel.

Derived from Greek dys "bad, wrong, difficult" and Greek nomos "custom, tradition, moral law". In Greek mythology, Dysnomia is the personification of lawlessness.

Derived from the Old English element eard "land" combined with wulf "wolf".

From Turkic el meaning "country, society" combined with the Persian suffix دار (dar) meaning "possessor".

From an English surname that was derived from Ealdræd.

Derived from Cornish elester meaning "iris flower". This is a recently coined Cornish name.

Literature name from J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings', which means 'Elf-man'. Elladan was one of the twin sons of Lord Elrond.

Means "foam of stars" or "star-spray" from Sindarin êl "star" and gwing "foam, spindrift, spume, (flying) spray blown off wave-tops". In 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) J. R. R. Tolkien, Elwing was a daughter of Dior, named for the waterfall of Lanthir Lamath in Ossiriand; she was also the mother of Elrond and grandmother of Arwen.

From Elysium, the name of the realm of the dead in Greek and Roman mythology, which means "blissful".

Polish form of Elizabeth.

The name of one of the three Beten (or Bethen, Beden), a German group of three saints. They are adored in minor churches and chapels in South Tyrol (Italy), Upper Bavaria, Baden and the Rhineland. Although the cult of the ''Three Virgins' is known since the late Middle Ages, it is only distributed regionally and not contained in the official lists of saints of the Catholic church. St. Einbeth (Embeth) is known in Strasbourg already in the second half of the 12th century. In the second half of the 14th century she is accompanied by Wilbeth and Borbeth. The origin of the three names is unknown. In the time of Romanticism in the 19th century speculation arose that the Three Virgins could be some kind of Christianized pagan Germanic, Celtic or Roman goddesses. Some theorize three saints are from a Germanic or Indo-European Triple Goddess, similar to the Fates of Greece.

Derived from the Old English elements eofor "boar" and hild "battle". This name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.

From the Hebrew name אֶפְרָיִם ('Efrayim) meaning "fruitful". In the Old Testament Ephraim is a son of Joseph and Asenath and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This name was also borne by two early saints: Ephraim or Ephrem the Syrian, a 4th-century theologian, and Ephraim of Antioch, a 6th-century patriarch of Antioch.

Cornish form of Iseult.

French form of Euphrasia.

From Everardus, the Latinized form of Eberhard. The Normans introduced it to England, where it joined the Old English cognate Eoforheard. It has only been rarely used since the Middle Ages. Modern use of the name may be inspired by the surname Everard, itself derived from the medieval name.

Latinized form of Eoforhild. This was the name of a 7th-century English saint.

Icelandic form of Eyvindr (see Øyvind).

Means "help" in Hebrew. Ezra is a prophet of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a famous bearer.

From the bird "Falcon" Falco

Anglicized form of Forbflaith.

Means "flag" in Albanian.

Polish form of Flavia.

Russian form of Theodore. It was borne by three tsars of Russia. Another notable bearer was Fyodor Dostoyevsky (or Dostoevsky; 1821-1881), the Russian author of such works as Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.

Probably from Lithuanian gaubti meaning "to cover". In Lithuanian mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire and the home.

French feminine form of Caietanus (see Gaetano).

This is the name of a character in Arthurian tales, a brother of Gawain (as well as Gareth, Mordred and Agravain), and the son of King Lot and either Belisent or Morgause. 'The earliest form of his name is so similar to the earliest form of Gareth (Gahariet) that the two brothers may have originally been the same character.' First mentioned by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, although scholars have suggested a derivation from the Welsh name Gweir, which belongs to a number of warriors in Welsh legends and can mean "hay", "collar", "circle", "loop" or "bend".

Means "steel courage" in Mongolian, from ган (gan) meaning "steel" and зориг (zorig) meaning "courage".

Feminine form of Gennadiy.

French feminine form of George.

Means "light" in Mongolian.

Means "spear of strength", derived from the Old German elements ger "spear" and drud "strength". Saint Gertrude the Great was a 13th-century nun and mystic writer from Thuringia. It was probably introduced to England by settlers from the Low Countries in the 15th century. Shakespeare used the name in his play Hamlet (1600) for the mother of Hamlet. Another famous bearer was the American writer Gertrude Stein (1874-1946).

Italian feminine form of Hyacinthus.

Means "amber" in Lithuanian.

Means "lord of the mountain" in Sanskrit. This is a name of the Hindu god Shiva, given because of his abode in the Himalayan Mountains.

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).

Means "flower, rose" in Persian.

From the Roman name Gratianus, which meant "grace" from Latin gratus. Saint Gratian was the first bishop of Tours (4th century). This was also the name of a Roman emperor.

Possibly means "white ring", derived from Welsh gwen meaning "white, blessed" and dolen meaning "ring, loop". This name appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century chronicles, written in the Latin form Guendoloena, where it belongs to an ancient queen of the Britons who defeats her ex-husband in battle [1]. Geoffrey later used it in Vita Merlini for the wife of the prophet Merlin [2]. An alternate theory claims that the name arose from a misreading of the masculine name Guendoleu by Geoffrey [3].

This name was not regularly given to people until the 19th century [4][3]. It was used by George Eliot for a character in her novel Daniel Deronda (1876).

From the Old Norse name Hallþórr, which meant "Thor's rock" from hallr "rock" combined with the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor).

From Japanese 晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather", 遥 (haru) meaning "distant, remote" or 春 (haru) meaning "spring" combined with 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Means "God sees" in Hebrew. This is the name of a king of Aram in the Old Testament.

Means "autumn" in Turkish.

Variant of Hazel.

From Japanese 秀 (hide) meaning "excellent, outstanding" or 英 (hide) meaning "excellent, fine" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.

From Japanese 寛 (hiro) meaning "tolerant, generous", 裕 (hiro) meaning "abundant" or 浩 (hiro) meaning "prosperous" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 瞳 (hitomi) meaning "pupil of the eye". It can also come from 史 (hito) meaning "history" and 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful", as well as other kanji combinations. This name is often written with the hiragana writing system.

From the Old German elements hun "bear cub" and fridu "peace". The Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Hunfrith, and it was regularly used through the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the American actor Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957), who starred in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca.

Derived from the Germanic element id possibly meaning "work, labour" (Proto-Germanic *idiz). The Normans brought this name to England, though it eventually died out there in the Middle Ages. It was strongly revived in the 19th century, in part due to the heroine in Alfred Tennyson's poem The Princess (1847), which was later adapted into the play Princess Ida (1884) by Gilbert and Sullivan.

Though the etymology is unrelated, this is the name of a mountain on the island of Crete where, according to Greek myth, the god Zeus was born.

Feminine form of Illyrios.

Means "evening" in Finnish.

Finnish form of Ingrid or Inger.

Probably derived from Old Irish ingen meaning "daughter" or "girl" (see Imogen).
This was the form of Ignoge used by Milton. (According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Ignoge was the name of a princess who was given in marriage by her father, King Pandrasus of Greece, to the Trojan exile Brutus in exchange for Pandrasus' freedom. In Britain, she became the mother of Locrine, Albanact and Humber.)
The spelling Inogen was used by Richard Hole in his prose Arthur (1789), where the name belonged to the daughter of Merlin, later the wife of Arthur.

From Greek Εἰρήνη (Eirene), derived from a word meaning "peace". This was the name of the Greek goddess who personified peace, one of the Ὥραι (Horai). It was also borne by several early Christian saints. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, notably being borne by an 8th-century empress, who was the first woman to lead the empire. She originally served as regent for her son, but later had him killed and ruled alone.

This name has traditionally been more popular among Eastern Christians. In the English-speaking world it was not regularly used until the 19th century.

From the Semitic root 'ṯtr, which possibly relates to the Evening Star. Ishtar was an Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian goddess who presided over love, war and fertility. She was cognate with the Canaanite and Phoenician Ashtoreth, and she was also identified with the Sumerian goddess Inanna. Her name in Akkadian cuneiform 𒀭𒈹 was the same as the Sumerian cuneiform for Inanna.

Means "deer" in Choctaw.

Means "spark" in South Slavic.

From Sino-Korean 靜 (jeong) meaning "quiet, still, gentle" or 貞 (jeong) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.

The name Jezreel means "God sows," or "planted by God" this was the name of Hosea's first son. It is also a place in Isreal; Jezreel Valley.

From Chinese 佳 (jiā) meaning "good, auspicious, beautiful", 家 (jiā) meaning "home, family", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Czech and Slovak form of Yolanda.

French feminine form of Iulianus (see Julian).

From the name of the month, which was originally named for Julius Caesar.

From an occupational surname meaning "judge, officer of justice" in Old French. This name can also be given in direct reference to the English word justice.

From Latin Iustina, the feminine form of Iustinus (see Justin). This name was borne by several early saints and martyrs.

Variant of Gaja 1.

From Arabic qamar meaning "moon", also the root of the name of the island country of the Comoros.

Alternate transcription of Persian کتایون (see Katayoun).

Breton form of Katherine.

From Japanese 勝 (katsu) meaning "victory" and 雄 (o) meaning "hero, manly". Other combinations of kanji are also possible.

Means "poem" in Sanskrit.

Alternate transcription of Persian خورشید (see Khurshid).

Means "onager, wild donkey" in Mongolian. This was the name of a wife of Genghis Khan.

From Japanese 貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" with 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or 君 (kimi) meaning "lord, noble" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 清 (kiyoshi) or 淳 (kiyoshi) both meaning "pure". Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.

Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of Claudia.

Feminine form of Klaas.

From Japanese 琴 (koto), which refers to a type of musical instrument similar to a harp, combined with 音 (ne) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Variant of Kriemhild.

Means "lizard" in Latin (the feminine form of lacertus). Lacerta is the name of a constellation created in 1687 by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius. It is located between Cygnus, Cassiopeia and Andromeda on the northern celestial sphere. The northern part lies on the Milky Way.

Means "soft" in Arabic.

Possibly connected to Greek λαλέω (laleo) meaning "to talk, to chatter", or the Latin term Lares referring to minor guardian gods. In Roman mythology Larunda or Lara was a water nymph who was overly talkative. She revealed to Juno that her husband Jupiter was having an affair with Juturna, so Jupiter had Larunda's tongue removed. By the god Mercury she had two children, who were Lares.

Feminine form of Lashaun.

French form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).

Means "pearl lei" or "pearl child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and momi "pearl".

Short form of Eleanor. This is the name of the departed love of the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven (1845).

Feminine form of Leon.

Means "love" in Sotho.

Means "light" in Tswana.

Means "eternal, abiding" in Indonesian.

From Chinese 理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic", 立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish", 黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn", 力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or 丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.

From the name of a flower, also known as the twinflower. The Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus named it after himself, it being his favourite flower.

Old German form of Linda.

Means "linnet, finch" in Welsh. The linnet (species Linaria cannabina) is a small European bird in the finch family.

Italian form of Ludwig.

Limburgish short form of Laurens.

Variant of Lore 2.

Welsh form of Laura.

Latin diminutive of Lucia. This was the name of a 3rd-century saint martyred in Rome.

This is the name of a fictional character from the television series "Dexter".

Diminutive of Filomena.

Means "born face down" in Ewe.

Possibly formed from the Welsh masculine name Lyn (a short form of Llywelyn) or the initial sound in Lynette combined with the Welsh element gwen "white; fair; blessed". This name has been used occasionally in Wales since the early 20th century.

Lynx is a constellation in the northern sky, introduced in the 17th century by Johannes Hevelius. It is named after the lynx, a genus of cats.

Frisian diminutive of Elisabeth. It also coincides with the French word for "lily".

Means "spring of water" in Hebrew.

Derived from Dutch madeliefje meaning "daisy".

"Madrigal" comes from from the Venetian madregal "simple, ingenuous," from Late Latin matricalis "invented, original," literally "of or from the womb," from matrix (gen. matricis) "womb."

Form of Mahalath used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament.

Russian form of Muhammad, used particularly in the Caucasus.

Means "related to the moon" in Persian.

Means "moon-like" in Persian.

Polish form of Margaret.

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.

Means both "heather" and "manna, divine food" in Georgian.

Means "thinking, wise" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is a title of Svayambhuva, the progenitor of the human race, as well as several of his descendants.

From the English word for the tree, derived from Old English mapul. This is the name of a girl in Robert Frost's poem Maple (1923) who wonders about the origin of her unusual name.

From an Aramaic phrase in the New Testament, translated as "O Lord, come".

Variant of Maria. It is usually pronounced in a way that reflects an older English pronunciation of Maria. The name was popularized in the early 1990s by the American singer Mariah Carey (1970-).

Spanish diminutive of Mariana.

Feminine form of Marinus. This name was borne by a few early saints. This is also the name by which Saint Margaret of Antioch is known in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Roman family name that was derived either from Mars, the name of the Roman god of War, or else from the Latin root mas, maris meaning "male". Gaius Marius was a famous Roman consul of the 2nd century BC. Since the start of the Christian era, it has occasionally been used as a masculine form of Maria.

From an English surname that was derived from the Welsh given name Merfyn or the Old English name Mærwine. As an American given name, it steadily rose in popularity through the beginnings of the 20th century and peaked in the early 1930s (closely mirroring the similar-sounding but unrelated name Melvin). A famous bearer was the American musician Marvin Gaye (1939-1984).

Anglicized form of Meidhbhín.

Diminutive of Meadhbh.

Feminine form of Meir.

Means "dew drop" in Hebrew.

Melilot Brandybuck was a hobbit in 'The Lord of the Rings' by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is a botanical name, like many female hobbit names.

The name of the main character in the Disney/Pixar movie Brave (2012) about a medieval Scottish princess. The meaning of her name is unexplained, though it could be based on the Spanish city of Mérida, derived from Latin Emerita Augusta meaning "veterans of Augustus", so named because it was founded by the emperor Augustus as a colony for his veterans.

From the name of a village in Andorra where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The name of the village may derive from Latin meridies meaning "midday".

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.

Possibly means "who is what Aku is?" in Akkadian, Aku being the name of the Babylonian god of the moon. In the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament this is the Babylonian name of Mishael, one of the three men cast into a blazing furnace but saved from harm by God.

Greek form of Methodius.

Derived from Greek μήτηρ (meter) meaning "mother" (genitive μητρός) and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr who was killed with her sisters Menodora and Nymphodora.

From Japanese 緑 (midori) meaning "green", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that have the same pronunciation.

Feminine form of Milan. It began to be used in Italy in honour of Milena Vukotić (1847-1923), mother of Helen of Montenegro, the wife of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III. In Italy it can also be considered a combination of Maria and Elena.

From Sino-Vietnamese 明 (minh) meaning "bright". This was an adopted name of the communist revolutionary Hồ Chí Minh (1890-1969).

Means "heaven, paradise" in Persian.

Means "mint" in Finnish.

From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or 実 (mi) meaning "fruit, good result, truth" combined with 優 (yu) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or 結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" or 夕 (yu) meaning "evening". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 瑞 (mizu) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" and 希 (ki) meaning "hope", besides other kanji combinations.

Means "ocean, wide expanse of water, deep sea" in Maori, Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages.

Means "pearl" in Hawaiian.

From Old English mōna, from Proto-Germanic *mēnô.

Lithuanian form of Martha.

Means "pearl" in Persian.

Means "wish, desire" in Arabic.

Anglicized form of Murchadh.

Anglicized form of Irish Muirgel and Scottish Muireall. A form of this name was also used in Brittany, and it was first introduced to medieval England by Breton settlers in the wake of the Norman Conquest. In the modern era it was popularized by a character from Dinah Craik's novel John Halifax, Gentleman (1856).

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 명 (see Myeong).

Means "incantation, dirge" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of funerals.

Means "wave, sea foam" in Basque.

Means "my struggle, my strife" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is a son of Jacob by Rachel's servant Bilhah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Means "daffodil, narcissus" in Persian, ultimately derived from Greek (see Narcissus).

Possibly from Zapotec nadxiie lii meaning "I love you" or nayele' meaning "open".

Form of Nehemiah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament.

Means "sorrows" in Basque. It is an equivalent of Dolores, coined by Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque saints names.

Means "gift" in Tswana, a derivative of naya "to give".

Means "no name" in Mongolian. This name was traditionally given in order to mislead bad spirits.

Old Irish form of Neasa.

Feminine form of Nicasius.

Variant of Nikita 2.

Persian name of uncertain meaning, possibly "just, fair" or "half moon".

From Japanese 信 (nobu) meaning "trust" or 伸 (nobu) meaning "extend, stretch, open" combined with 行 (yuki) meaning "row, line" or 幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.

Means "heavenly mist" from Hawaiian noe "mist" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".

Brazilian Portuguese form of Naomi 1.

From Chinese 暖 (nuǎn) meaning "warm, genial" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.

Means "light" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic نور (nur).

Probably a Welsh form of *Ninniau (see Ninian). This form is used for Nennius in Brut y Brenhinedd [1], the Middle Welsh translation of the 12th-century Latin chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth. The name also appears in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen belonging to a man who is transformed into an ox [2].

Derived from French océan meaning "ocean".

French diminutive of Oda or Odilia. This is the name of a princess who has been transformed into a swan in the ballet Swan Lake (1877) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Means "star flower" in Mongolian, from од (od) meaning "star" and цэцэг (tsetseg) meaning "flower".

Derived from Russian октябрь (oktyabr) meaning "October". This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names and commemorate the October Revolution of 1917.

Means "God gives me joy" in Yoruba.

Olvin was a king of Archenland who won the hand of the Lady Liln in a tale alluded to in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by C.S. Lewis

Anglicized form of Úna, as well as a Finnish form.

From the English word "oriole" referring to "any of various colorful passerine birds, the New World orioles from the family Icteridae and the Old World orioles from the family Oriolidae (typically yellow in color)". From the French oriole, from the Late Latin oriolus, from the Latin aureolus "made of gold, golden; adorned, covered, or decorated with gold, gilded; of the color gold, golden; golden, beautiful, splendid, magnificent, excellent".

Derived from the Old English elements os "god" and beorht "bright". After the Norman Conquest, this Old English name was merged with its Norman cognate. It was rare in the Middle Ages, and eventually died out. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.

Alternate transcription of Mongolian Cyrillic Оюунчимэг (see Oyuunchimeg).

Means "multitude of lotuses", a derivative of Sanskrit पद्म (padma) meaning "lotus".

Derived from Greek παρασκευή (paraskeue) meaning "preparation" or "Friday" (being the day of preparation). This was the name of a 2nd-century saint who was martyred in Rome.

Means "maiden's voice", derived from Greek παρθένος (parthenos) meaning "maiden, virgin" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". In Greek legend this is the name of one of the Sirens who enticed Odysseus.

Alternate transcription of Persian پرویز (see Parviz).

Catalan and Occitan form of Paul. It also coincides with the Catalan word for "peace".

Means "message" in Persian.

Basque form of Peter.

Possibly from Welsh Beli Mawr meaning "Beli the Great". In Arthurian romance this was the name of a king of Listenois, a son of Pellehan who pursued the elusive Questing Beast and later joined Arthur's court. He first appears in the 13th-century Lancelot-Grail Cycle.

Italian and Spanish cognate of Pearl.

Contracted form of Petronel.

Russian form of Paraskeve.

From the name of a genus of several species of flowers, including the primrose. It is derived from the Latin word primulus meaning "very first".

Means "moon" in Arabic.

Short form of Tranquilla.

Anglicized form of Réamonn.

Meaning uncertain, possibly from Old Latin *yemos meaning "twin" with the initial consonant altered due to the influence of Romulus. In Roman legend the twin brothers Romulus and Remus were the founders of the city of Rome. Remus was later slain by his brother.

Feminine form of Raviv.

Derived from Welsh rhiain meaning "maiden, young woman".

Welsh form of Rowena, appearing in medieval Welsh poems and stories as a personification of the English people.

From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".

From the Germanic name Hrodger meaning "famous spear", derived from the elements hruod "fame" and ger "spear". The Normans brought this name to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Hroðgar (the name of the Danish king in the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf). It was a common name in England during the Middle Ages. By the 18th century it was rare, but it was revived in following years. The name was borne by the Norman lords Roger I, who conquered Sicily in the 11th century, and his son Roger II, who ruled Sicily as a king.

This name was very popular in France in the first half of the 20th century. In the English-speaking world it was popular especially from the 1930s to the 50s. Famous bearers include British actor Roger Moore (1927-2017) and Swiss tennis player Roger Federer (1981-).

Scottish form of Ragnvaldr, a name introduced to Britain by Scandinavian settlers and invaders. It became popular outside Scotland during the 20th century. A famous bearer was the American actor and president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004). It is also associated with Ronald McDonald, the clown mascot for the McDonald's chain of restaurants, first appearing in 1963.

Diminutive of Rosa 1.

Meaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements hroð "fame" and wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements ron "spear" and gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel Ivanhoe (1819).

Hausa and Kazakh form of Safiyyah. It is also an alternate transcription of the Arabic name.

Means "archer" in Latin. It is the name of one of the constellations of the zodiac, commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow, derived from its representation in Greek mythology.

An Old French variant of the Old French sicamor meaning "sycamore", as in the tree.

Sir Sagramore of Hungary (or Sagremor) is a Knight of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. His characterization varies from story to story, though he is surprisingly prolific; he appears in a number of early stories, such as Chrétien de Troyes' works, and he turns up in all the cyclical versions. He gains a number of nicknames, including 'The Impetuous' and 'le Desirous'.

In Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Merlin and Vivien", one of the Idylls of the King, he makes an appearance. The knight appears in the musical Camelot, and was played by Peter Bromilow in the film version. Sagramore was portrayed by William Bendix in the 1949 film version of 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'. In Bernard Cornwell's 'The Winter King', Sagramor is a fierce Numidian veteran of the old Roman army, and follows Arthur to Britain after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.

Meaning unknown. In Finnish mythology this is the name of a magical artifact (perhaps a mill) created by the smith god Ilmarinen.

Means "completely victorious, triumphant" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a royal official in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata.

Alternate transcription of Hindi संजीत (see Sanjit).

Means "mirage" in Swahili. This is the name of the mother of Simba and mate of Mufasa and in the Disney movie The Lion King (1994).

Means "possessing water" from Sanskrit सरस् (saras) meaning "fluid, water, lake" and वती (vati) meaning "having". This is the name of a Hindu river goddess, also associated with learning and the arts, who is the wife of Brahma.

Means "rose" in Mongolian.

Latvian form of Saulė.

Latin form of Scevola.

Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi सीमा (see Sima 2).

From Japanese 誠 (sei) meaning "sincerity, truth, fidelity" or 清 (sei) meaning "clear, pure, clean" combined with 二 (ji) meaning "two", 治 (ji) meaning "reign, rule, calm, peace" or 司 (ji) meaning "officer, boss". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.

Means "wild" in Italian.

Means "leader, chief" from Turkish ser "head, top" and kan "blood".

Means "love, infatuation" in Turkish and Azerbaijani, ultimately from Arabic سوداء (sawda) meaning "black bile, melancholy, sadness".

Variant of Séverine.

Uzbek and Tajik form of Shahnaz.

Southern Indian form of Shanti.

Biblical Hebrew form of Susanna.

From Albanian shqip meaning "Albanian". Additionally, the word shqipe means "eagle" in modern Albanian, a variant of older shkabë. These interrelated words are often the subject of competing claims that the one is derived from the other. The ultimate origin of shqip "Albanian" is uncertain, but it may be from shqipoj meaning "to say clearly".

Modern Hebrew form of Shulammite.

Latin name meaning "of Sidon". Sidon was an ancient Phoenician city corresponding to modern-day Saida in Lebanon. This name was borne by the 5th-century saint Sidonius Apollinaris, a 5th-century bishop of Clermont.

From the English word for the precious metal or the colour, ultimately derived from Old English seolfor.

Derived from Latin silva meaning "wood, forest". This was the family name of several of the legendary kings of Alba Longa. It was also the name of an early saint martyred in Alexandria.

Diminutive of Sìne.

Welsh form of Janet.

The name of the flower used as a first name, mainly between the 1890s and 1920s, but never one of the more popular names of this kind.

From an Old Norse name, which was derived from the elements sól "sun" and veig "strength". This is the name of the heroine in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt (1876).

Derived from Thai สม (som) meaning "worthy" combined with ชาย (chai) meaning "man" or ชัย (chai) meaning "victory".

From Hindi सोना (sona), Marathi सोन (son) or Gujarati સોનું (sonum) meaning "gold", all derived from Sanskrit सुवर्ण (suvarna) meaning literally "good colour".

Feminine form of Sotirios.

From Japanese 澄 (sumi) meaning "clear" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Means "good conduct" from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good" combined with नीति (niti) meaning "guidance, moral conduct".

Derived from Finnish Suomi meaning "Finland".

From the Old English name Swiðhun or Swiþhun, derived from swiþ "strong" and perhaps hun "bear cub". Saint Swithin was a 9th-century bishop of Winchester.

Means "crown" in Arabic.

Means "date palm" in Hebrew. According to the Old Testament Tamar was the daughter-in-law of Judah and later his wife. This was also the name of a daughter of King David. She was raped by her half-brother Amnon, leading to his murder by her brother Absalom. The name was borne by a 12th-century ruling queen of Georgia who presided over the kingdom at the peak of its power.

Latinized form of the Etruscan name Thanchvil which meant "gift of Thana 1", composed of the name of the goddess Thana and cvil meaning "gift". This was the name of the wife of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of Rome in the 7th century BC. In modern times it was borne by prima ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq (1929-2000).

Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Təranə.

Finnish form of Daria.

Meaning unknown. Tellervo was a Finnish forest goddess. She is variously described as either the wife or daughter of Tapio.

Possibly means "station" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Terah is the father of Abraham. He led his people out of Ur and towards Canaan, but died along the way.

From Sino-Vietnamese 詩 (thi) meaning "poetry, poem, verse".

The first element of this Germanic name is derived from Anglo-Saxon thing, which can have several meanings: "thing," "cause," "gathering" or "council." As such, thing is related to Old High German dingôn "to judge, to condemn" and dingjan "to hope." The second element in this name comes from Old High German mund "protection."

From Akkadian tâmtu meaning "sea". In Babylonian myth Tiamat was the personification of the sea, appearing in the form of a huge dragon. By Apsu she gave birth to the first of the gods. Later, the god Marduk (her great-grandson) defeated her, cut her in half, and used the pieces of her body to make the earth and the sky.

Means "iron hero" in Mongolian, from төмөр (tömör) meaning "iron" and баатар (baatar) meaning "hero".

Scottish Gaelic form of Úna.

Means "he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix u- meaning "he, she" and nathi meaning "with us".

From the Hebrew name אוּרִיָה ('Uriyah) meaning "Yahweh is my light", from the roots אוּר ('ur) meaning "light, flame" and יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of a Hittite warrior in King David's army, the first husband of Bathsheba. David desired Bathsheba so he placed Uriah in the forefront of battle so he would be killed.

Derived from Bulgarian вълк (valk) meaning "wolf".

Russian, Greek, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Barbara.

Means "(female) grape harvester" in Latin. This is the name of the third brightest star in the constellation Virgo, and is so named because it rises in early autumn, the beginning of the wine harvesting season.

Form of Violet in several languages.

Means "red leaf" in Dakota, from waȟpé "leaf" and šá "red". This was the name of several Dakota chiefs.

Derived from the Old German element wolf meaning "wolf" combined with hram meaning "raven". Saint Wolfram (or Wulfram) was a 7th-century archbishop of Sens. This name was also borne by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the author of Parzival.

Means "to sing, to shout" in Hebrew.

Avestan form of Jam.

Hebrew form of Joash.

Hebrew form of Jochebed.

Variant of Zebulun.

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

Derived from Basque zuri "white". This is a Basque equivalent of Blanca.