WillowBelle's Personal Name List

Derived from звезда (zvezda) meaning "star". In Russia, this name was used mostly during the Soviet era as a communist name referencing the red star.

Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Зоряна (see Zoryana).

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

Means "girdle, belt" in Greek. This name was made popular by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and poet Zona Gale (1874-1938).

Derived from Mongolian зол (zol) meaning "fortune, luck, blessing" and заяа (zayaa) meaning "future, fate, destiny".

Means "life of Zeus", derived from Greek Ζηνός (Zenos) meaning "of Zeus" and βίος (bios) meaning "life". This was the name of the queen of the Palmyrene Empire, which broke away from Rome in the 3rd-century and began expanding into Roman territory. She was eventually defeated by the emperor Aurelian. Her Greek name was used as an approximation of her native Aramaic name.

Meaning unknown, possibly an invented name. It arose in the 19th century.

Latinized form of Hyssop. In medieval England this spelling appears in Latin documents.

Means "she-wolf", a derivative of Old Norse úlfr "wolf".

Old German or Old English name derived from the elements willo "will, desire" and hadu "battle, combat". This was the name of an 8th-century Northumbrian saint active in Frisia and Saxony.

English form of Václav, via the Latinized form Venceslaus.

Means "anemone (flower)" in Finnish.

Derived from Romanian viorea (see Viorel).

Possibly a variant of Fiona influenced by Viola.

Norwegian form of the Old Norse name Vetrliði meaning "winter traveller", and by extension "bear cub".

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

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.

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.

Finnish feminine form of Wendel.

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

Medieval Spanish form of Vasco.

Probably of Persian origin, possibly a superlative form of 𐎺𐎢 (vahu) meaning "good". According to the Old Testament this was the name of the first wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia before he married Esther.

Feminine form of Varinius.

Means "twinflower" in Finnish.

Taken from the name of a small island off the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is a traditional Shetlandic girls' name.

Meaning unknown, most likely of Etruscan origin. This name was borne by a noblewoman who was a close friend of the empress Livia 1.

Means "dream" in Finnish.

Italian form of Ulysses.

Derived from the Germanic name elements ulfr "wolf" and ǫrn "eagle".

Variant of Iara.

Latinized form of Tyge. This name was used by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), who was born as Tyge.

Greek form of Tobiah. This is the name of the hero of the apocryphal Book of Tobit, which appears in many English versions of the Old Testament. It relates how Tobit's son Tobias, with the help of the angel Raphael, is able to drive away a demon who has plagued Sarah, who subsequently becomes his wife. This story was popular in the Middle Ages, and the name came into occasional use in parts of Europe at that time. In England it became common after the Protestant Reformation.

Possibly inspired by the Norwegian poem Lokkende Toner (1859) by Johan Sebastian Welhaven, which features the folk heroine Tirilil Tove.

Created by the Hungarian author Mór Jókai for a character in his novel The Golden Man (1873). The name is apparently based on the Greek word εὐθυμία (euthymia) meaning "good spirits, cheerfulness".

Spanish form of the Roman cognomen Tiburtius meaning "of Tibur". Tibur (now called Tivoli) was a resort town near Rome. Saint Tiburtius was a 3rd-century martyr from Rome.

Means "the Pleiades" in Arabic. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus.

French form of Theodoric. It was very popular in France from the 1950s, peaking in the mid-1960s before falling away. A famous bearer is the French former soccer player Thierry Henry (1977-).

French form of Theotimus.

Latinized form of the Greek name Θεόφιλος (Theophilos) meaning "friend of god", derived from θεός (theos) meaning "god" and φίλος (philos) meaning "friend". In the New Testament the evangelist Luke addresses his gospel and the Book of Acts to a man named Theophilus.

From the Gothic name *Þiudareiks meaning "ruler of the people", derived from the elements þiuda "people" and reiks "ruler, king". It was notably borne by Theodoric the Great, a 6th-century king of the Ostrogoths who eventually became the ruler of Italy. By Theodoric's time the Ostrogoths were partially Romanized and his name was regularly recorded as Theodoricus. This was also the name of two earlier (5th century) Visigothic kings.

From Welsh tanc "peace" and gwystl "hostage, pledge". This name was borne by a mistress of the 13th-century Welsh ruler Llywelyn the Great.

Derived from Finnish talvi meaning "winter". This is also the Finnish word for the wintergreen plant (genus Pyrola).

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".

Means "dream, wish" in Lithuanian.

Feminine form of Sophronius. Torquato Tasso used it in his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1580), in which it is borne by the lover of Olindo.

From the Old Norse elements sól "sun" and fríðr "beautiful, beloved". This name was coined in the 19th century.

Finnish and Estonian diminutive of Cecilia.

From the Arabic name of a type of tree, known as the lote tree (or "lotus tree") in English, which is given in reference to an Islamic symbol of the upper limit of heaven. When the prophet Muhammad ascended to Paradise, saw at the end of the seventh, highest heaven a lote tree, marking the place "beyond which neither prophets nor angels may pass" (only Allah), which he called سدرة المنتهى‎ (sidra-tul-muntaha) "lote tree of the utmost boundary, of the last frontier".

Probably an Anglicized form of Gaelic sìoltaich meaning "sower, propagator". It has occasionally been used in the Douglas family since the 17th century, after David Hume of Godscroft claimed it was the name of the 7th-century founder of the clan [1].

Diminutive of Serena. It also coincides with one of the Italian words for "lilac".

Means "sun" in Lithuanian. This was the name of the Lithuanian sun goddess.

Feminine form of Saturninus. This was the name of a legendary saint who was supposedly martyred in northern France.

Elaboration of Ruzan, perhaps influenced by Rosanna.

Meaning unknown. It was used by the Armenian author Muratsan for the main character in his historical play Ruzan (1882).

Romanian form of Roxana.

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

Invented by Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren, who based it on the middle portion of Juronjaure, the name of a lake in Sweden. Lindgren used it in her 1981 book Ronia the Robber's Daughter (Ronia is the English translation).

From Roma, the Latin name of the city of Rome, combined with a diminutive suffix. In Roman legend Romulus and Remus were the twin sons of Rhea Silvia and the god Mars. Romulus killed his brother when they argued about where to found Rome. According to the tale he gave the city its name, though in reality it was likely the other way around.

Italian feminine form of Romulus.

French form of Rogatianus.

Meaning uncertain, possibly a combination of Richard and Mary. This name has been used since at least the late 18th century, mainly confined to the town of Bury in Lancashire.

Latinized form of Richild.

From Old Welsh Ris, probably meaning "ardour, enthusiasm". Several Welsh rulers have borne this name, including the 12th-century Rhys ap Gruffydd who fought against the invading Normans.

Dutch form of Rhoda.

Means "rose flower" from Greek ‘ροδον (rhodon) "rose" combined with ανθος (anthos) "flower, blossom". According to the 6th-century Byzantine poet and historian Agathias Scholasticus, this name was borne by a contemporary actress, who may have been his lover; in her case it was likely a stage name. It was later used by the 12th-century Byzantine writer Theodore Prodromos for the heroine of his romance 'Rhodanthe and Dosikles'.

I am uncertain of the meaning, but it might be etymologically related to Greek adámas "invincible, untamed" or Greek damázo "to overpower, to tame, to conquer." In Greek mythology, Rhadamanthos was a son of Zeus and Europa.

Roman name, a diminutive of Prisca. In Acts in the New Testament Paul lived with Priscilla (also known as Prisca) and her husband Aquila in Corinth for a while. It has been used as an English given name since the Protestant Reformation, being popular with the Puritans. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used it in his 1858 poem The Courtship of Miles Standish [1].

Ancient Greek nickname meaning "toad", literally "the brown animal". Phryne was a 4th-century BC hetaira or courtesan, famed for her beauty, whose stage name - like those of many hetairai - was based on a physical feature; she was called that either because of a dark complexion (*phrynos being cognate with brown) or because of a "snub nose" (phrynē "a kind of toad"). This stage name was borne by other hetairai also.

It is also the name of the detective in Australian author Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mystery series, beginning in 1989.

Means "friendliness, kindliness" in Greek, a derivative of φίλος (philos) meaning "friend, lover" and φρήν (phren) meaning "mind, heart". In Greek mythology this was the name of the personification of welcome and friendliness.

Meaning uncertain. It possibly means "hard spears" from Welsh peri "spears" and dur "hard, steel" [1]. In early Welsh poetry and histories, the brothers Peredur and Gwrgi were chieftains in Cumbria who defeated Gwenddoleu at the Battle of Arfderydd. This name was later used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth in the Latin form Peredurus for an early (fictitious) king of Britain. Entering into Arthurian romance, Peredur is an aspiring knight in the 14th-century Welsh tale Peredur son of Efrawg (an adaptation or parallel of Chrétien de Troyes' hero Percival).

Derived from Latin perditus meaning "lost". Shakespeare created this name for the daughter of Hermione and Leontes in his play The Winter's Tale (1610). Abandoned as an infant by her father the king, she grows up to be a shepherdess and falls in love with with Florizel.

Finnish form of Peter.

French form of Palmira. This also coincides with the French name of the ancient oasis city of Syria, known in English as Palmyra.

Portuguese form of Ovidius (see Ovid).

Roman cognomen of unknown meaning. This was the name of a short-lived 1st-century Roman emperor (born as Marcus Salvius Otho).

Means "pansy, violet" in Finnish.

From a Norman nickname derived from a diminutive of Norman French ors "bear", ultimately from Latin ursus. American actor and director Orson Welles (1915-1985) was a famous bearer of this name.

Italian form of Roland, as used in the epic poems Orlando Innamorato (1483) by Matteo Maria Boiardo and the continuation Orlando Furioso (1532) by Ludovico Ariosto. In the poems, Orlando is a knight in Charlemagne's army who battles against the invading Saracens. A character in Shakespeare's play As You Like It (1599) also bears this name, as does a city in Florida.

Latinized form of the Greek name Ὀνησίφορος (Onesiphoros), which meant "bringing advantage, beneficial". This name is mentioned briefly in Paul's second epistle to Timothy in the New Testament. According to tradition he was martyred by being tied to horses and then torn apart.

Derived from Estonian õis meaning "flower".

Variant of Odoacer.

Variant of Norna.

Latinate form of Norbert.

Derived from the Old German elements nord meaning "north" and beraht meaning "bright". This was the name of an 11th-century German saint who made many reforms within the Church.

Greenlandic younger form of Nivtailánguaĸ.

From Sanskrit निशान्त (niśānta) meaning "night's end, dawn".

Means "snows" in Spanish, derived from the title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de las Nieves meaning "Our Lady of the Snows".

Diminutive of names ending in nette, such as Annette or Jeanette.

Created by Shakespeare for a character in his play The Merchant of Venice (1596). He possibly took it from Greek Νηρηΐς (Nereis) meaning "nymph, sea sprite", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god Nereus, who supposedly fathered them.

Meaning unknown. It was borne by the wife of Umbarra, who was a 19th-century leader of the Yuin, an Australian Aboriginal people.

Feminine form of Naël.

Latin natalis "natal, of birth" + Proto-Germanic linþaz "gentle, sweet, mild".

Derived from Greek μύρρα (myrrha) meaning "myrrh". This is the name of a character in the comedy Lysistrata by the Greek playwright Aristophanes.

Means "mint" in Danish.

Variant of Mildburg.

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".

Latinized form of Melite. However, in the case of Queen Victoria's granddaughter Princess Victoria Melita (1876-1936), it was derived from Melita, the Latin name of the island country of Malta where she was born.

Elaboration of Max using the popular name suffix ton.

Middle English name used during the early 14th century, it is derived from the Old French name Madelaine.

Once a flower name, Maudelen Wort was an alternative name for the Great Daisy.

Variant of Maud.

Scandinavian variant of Marcellia.

Dutch cognate of Marjolaine.

Roman family name that was originally a diminutive of Marcus. This was the name of two popes.

Variant of Malte.

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Máel Coluim, which means "disciple of Saint Columba". This was the name of four kings of Scotland starting in the 10th century, including Malcolm III, who became king after killing Macbeth, the usurper who had defeated his father Duncan. The character Malcolm in Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth (1606) is loosely based on him. Another famous bearer was Malcolm X (1925-1965), an American civil rights leader.

Latinate form of Magdalene.

Feminine form of Maël, possibly influenced by the spelling of Mailys.

From the Old Welsh name Matauc, derived from mad meaning "good, fortunate" combined with a diminutive suffix. This is the name of a warrior mentioned in the 7th-century Welsh poem Y Gododdin. It was also borne by several medieval rulers, including the 12th-century Madoc ap Maredudd, the last prince of Powys. Another bearer, according to later folklore, was a son of the 12th-century Owain the Great who sailed to the Americas.

Means "from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king Lydos. In the New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the Protestant Reformation.

From the Old German name Leutgard, which was derived from the elements liut "people" and gart "enclosure, yard". It was borne by Charlemagne's fifth and last wife. This was also the name of a 13th-century Flemish nun, the patron saint of easy deliveries.

Alternate transcription of Armenian Լուսինե (see Lusine).

An elaboration of Lucia created by Cervantes for his novel Don Quixote (1605). It was subsequently used by Molière in his play The Doctor in Spite of Himself (1666).

Derived from Latin lucus meaning "grove", but later associated with lux meaning "light". This was the name of a Roman goddess of childbirth.

Variant of Lucilia.

Variant of Luvenia.

Italian and Spanish form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1). Lorenzo de' Medici (1449-1492), known as the Magnificent, was a ruler of Florence during the Renaissance. He was also a great patron of the arts who employed Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli and other famous artists.

Spanish diminutive of Dolores. A famous bearer was Lola Montez (1821-1861; birth name Eliza Gilbert), an Irish-born dancer, actress and courtesan.

Italian short form of Eleanor.

Combination of Leo-, from names beginning with this pattern such as Leonardo and Leopoldo, and -mar, from names beginning in that pattern, e.g. María (Spanish)/Maria (Portuguese).

Known bearers of this name include the Brazilian politician Leomar Quintanilha (b. 1945), the Brazilian soccer player Leomar Francisco Rodrigues (b. 1987) and the Venezuelan soccer player Leomar Pinto (b. 1997).

Derived from the Old English element leof "dear, beloved" combined with ric "ruler, king".

Meaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.

Either derived from Gothic lauths "grand" or Gothic laudi "figure, size" and Old High German hiltja "battle".

Either a short form of Květoslava or directly from Czech květ "flower, blossom".

From the Swedish name for a type of mint, known as curly mint in English. This is one of the middle names of Pippi Långstrump (English: Pippi Longstocking), full name Pippilotta Viktualia Rullgardina Krusmynta Efraimsdotter Långstrump, a character invented by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.

Means "glorious flower" or "flower of glory", derived from Greek κλεος (kleos) "glory" combined with Greek ανθος (anthos) "flower, blossom".

From Akkadian kīttu meaning "truth", a derivative of kīnu "legitimate, true". This was the name of the Akkadian goddess of truth.

From the Old English name Cenhelm, which was composed of the elements cene "bold, keen" and helm "helmet". Saint Kenelm was a 9th-century martyr from Mercia, where he was a member of the royal family. The name was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, but has since become rare.

Possibly derived from Old Norse kildr meaning "a spring".

Finnish and Estonian diminutive of Katherine.

Norman form of Jocelyn.

From a variant spelling of the English word jasmine (see Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.

From a surname that was a variant of Garrett.

French cognate of Hyacinth 2.

Means "spark" in South Slavic.

Probably a variant of Yolanda influenced by the Greek words ἰόλη (iole) meaning "violet" and ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". This name was (first?) used by Gilbert and Sullivan in their comic opera Iolanthe (1882).

Meaning unknown. In Greek mythology Io was a princess loved by Zeus, who changed her into a heifer in order to hide her from Hera. A moon of Jupiter bears this name in her honour.

English form of Íñigo. It became well-known in Britain due to the English architect Inigo Jones (1573-1652). He was named after his father, a Catholic who was named for Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

Derived from the Old German elements is "ice" and brant "fire, torch, sword".

From Basque ihintz meaning "dew". It is a Basque equivalent of Rocío.

From the Roman family name Egnatius, meaning unknown, of Etruscan origin. The spelling was later altered to resemble Latin ignis "fire". This was the name of several saints, including the third bishop of Antioch who was thrown to wild beasts by Emperor Trajan, and by Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits, whose real birth name was in fact Íñigo.

Means "ardent lord" from Old Welsh iudd "lord" combined with ris "ardent, enthusiastic". This name was borne by Idris the Giant, a 7th-century king of Meirionnydd.

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.

Means "violet flower", derived from Greek ἴον (ion) meaning "violet" and ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". This was the name of an ocean nymph in Greek mythology.

Feminine form of Hugues.

Old German form of Hugh. As a surname it has belonged to the French author Victor Hugo (1802-1885), the writer of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables.

Variant of Hroðgar.

Icelandic form of Hrafnhildr.

Swedish form of the Old Norse name Hjǫrdís meaning "sword goddess", derived from the elements hjǫrr "sword" and dís "goddess".

Short form of names beginning with Hil. It also means "cloudberry" in Finnish.

Medieval English form of Eloise.

From Old Welsh Guorthigirn meaning "supreme king", from guor meaning "over" and tigirn meaning "king, monarch". It is possible that this is not a name, but a title. According to medieval chroniclers, Gwrtheyrn (also known as Vortigern) was a 5th-century king of the Britons. It was he who invited the brothers Hengist and Horsa to Britain, which eventually led to the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England.

Old Norse name derived from the elements guð "god" and fríðr "beautiful, beloved".

Means "to dawn" in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish.

Italian form of Guinevere. This is also the Italian name for the city of Geneva, Switzerland. It is also sometimes associated with the Italian word ginepro meaning "juniper".

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).

Possibly a shortened form of Genevieve. It could also be inspired by the name of the city in Switzerland. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.

Most likely derived from Latin Gemella. Compare the English name Gemelle.

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

Diminutive of Eufrozina, the Hungarian form of Euphrosyne.

Derived from the Old Norse elements frost "frost" and lilja "lily".

Old Norse form of Frida 2.

Anglicized form of Fríða.

Italian form of the Roman name Frigidianus, which was derived from Latin frigidus "cold". This was the name of a 6th-century Irish bishop who made a pilgrimage to Rome and settled as a hermit on Mount Pisano.

Feminine form of Francis. The distinction between Francis as a masculine name and Frances as a feminine name did not arise until the 17th century [1]. A notable bearer was Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), a social worker and the first American to be canonized.

Likely an elaboration of Frances influenced by Celia.

Derived from Latin flos meaning "flower" (genitive case floris). Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, the wife of Zephyr the west wind. It has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, starting in France. In Scotland it was sometimes used as an Anglicized form of Fionnghuala.

Elaborated form of Flo.

From Albanian fjollë meaning "fine snow".

Medieval Italian variant of Fiordalisa.

Anglicized form of Forbflaith.

French form of Euodia via its latinized form Evodia.

Elaboration of Evie with popular suffix -enne.

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 Euanthe.

Means "good cheer" in Greek, a derivative of εὐφραίνω (euphraino) meaning "to delight, to cheer". This name was borne by a 5th-century saint from Constantinople.

Means "to use words of good omen" from Greek εὐφημέω (euphemeo), a derivative of εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and φημί (phemi) meaning "to speak, to declare". Saint Euphemia was an early martyr from Chalcedon.

Derived from Greek εὔλαλος (eulalos) meaning "sweetly-speaking", itself from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and λαλέω (laleo) meaning "to talk". This was the name of an early 4th-century saint and martyr from Mérida in Spain. Another martyr by this name, living at the same time, is a patron saint of Barcelona. These two saints might be the same person.

Derived from Greek εὐανθής (euanthes) meaning "blooming, flowery", a derivative of εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". According to some sources, this was the name of the mother of the three Graces or Χάριτες (Charites) in Greek mythology.

Popularly claimed to mean "lover of flowers" (apparently due to association with Greek eran "to love, to be in love with"), it may actually mean "woolly-haired flower" from the botanical name eriantha, ultimately from Greek ἔριον (erion) "wool" and ανθος (anthos) "flower".

Created by the Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty in the 19th century. He based it on the name of the legendary mother of the Hungarian people, Enéh, of Turkic origin meaning "young hind" (modern Hungarian ünő).

From an English surname that was derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Emma.

Feminine form of Emiliano.

From the Roman family name Aemilius, which was derived from Latin aemulus meaning "rival".

Variant of Alvina.

Variant of Alvin.

Anglicized form of Ailbhe.

Feminine form of Alf 1.

From the name of Hamlet's castle, which is an anglicized form of Helsingør, a Danish place name meaning "neck, narrow strait" (see Elsinore). Use of this place name as a feminine personal name is likely due to its similarity to Eleanor and Elsa.

Contracted form of Eleanora.

Short form of Wilhelmine or names ending in elma, such as Anselma. It has also been recorded as a combination of Elizabeth and Mary, as in the case of the 19th-century daughter of the Earl of Elgin, who was named using her mother's first and middle names [1].

Perhaps a combination of Elnora and Dora. This is the name of a small former mining town in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, which was originally named El Dorado.

From the English word for the flower also known as sweetbrier. It is derived via Old French from Vulgar Latin *aquilentum meaning "prickly". It was early used as a given name (in the form Eglentyne) in Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century story The Prioress's Tale (one of The Canterbury Tales).

The name is derived from džiugus meaning "cheerful." Also see Džiugė

Polish, Czech and Slovak form of Dorothea.

French form of Donatianus.

From an elaboration of Welsh del "pretty". This is a recently created name.

French form of Delphina.

Means "Yahweh has drawn up" in Hebrew, from דָּלָה (dala) meaning "to draw up, to hang" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of several Old Testament characters.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name David. A famous bearer of the surname was Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), the only president of the Confederate States of America.

From the Old Norse name Dagný, which was derived from the elements dagr "day" and nýr "new".

Means "the good god" from the Old Irish prefix dag- "good" and día "god". In Irish myth Dagda (called also The Dagda) was the powerful god of the earth, knowledge, magic, abundance and treaties, a leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He was skilled in combat and healing and possessed a huge club, the handle of which could revive the dead.

Derived from Hungarian csillag meaning "star". This name was created by the Hungarian author András Dugonics for an 1803 novel and later used and popularized by the poet Mihály Vörösmarty.

Derived from Latin corvus "raven." Marcus Valerius Corvus was a Roman hero of the 4th century BC.

Latinized form of the Greek name Κόριννα (Korinna), which was derived from κόρη (kore) meaning "maiden". This was the name of a Greek lyric poet of the 5th century BC. The Roman poet Ovid used it for the main female character in his book Amores [1]. In the modern era it has been in use since the 17th century, when Robert Herrick used it in his poem Corinna's going a-Maying [2].

French form of Quirinus.

Feminine form of Corentin.

French form of the Breton name Kaourintin, possibly from korventenn meaning "hurricane, storm". Alternatively, it could be connected to the Brythonic root *karid meaning "love" (modern Breton karout). This was the name of a 5th-century bishop of Quimper in Brittany.

Feminine form of Cloelius. In Roman legend Cloelia was a maiden who was given to an Etruscan invader as a hostage. She managed to escape by swimming across the Tiber, at the same time helping some of the other captives to safety.

French form of Cloelia.

Latinized form of Kleanthes. A known bearer of this name was Cleanthes of Assos, a Greek Stoic philosopher from the 3rd century BC.

Possibly derived from Ceraelia, the name of the ancient Roman festival dedicated to the agricultural goddess Ceres.

Means "holly" in Welsh. It appears briefly in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen [1], belonging to a son of Caw, but was not typically used as a given name until the 20th century.

Probably a blend of Celia and Linda. This is also the Spanish name for a variety of shrub with white flowers, known as sweet mock-orange in English (species Philadelphus coronarius).

From the name of the flower, which is derived from Greek χελιδών (chelidon) meaning "swallow (bird)".

This name is best known for being the name of Cedella Booker (1926-2008), the mother of the Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley (1945-1981). Her full name at birth was Sidilla Editha Malcolm. Given how similar the name Sidilla is to her later name Cedella, it is possible that Cedella is a variant spelling or form of Sidilla. Sidilla itself may then possibly be a corrupted form of Sibylla (see Sibyl). Alternatively, the name Sidilla could be derived from the Spanish word cedilla meaning "small letter Z". It was then probably a misspelling, which her parents later changed to the slightly more correct spelling Cedella.

Cedella's son Bob later went on to name his first biological daughter (born in 1967) after her, who would go on to become a musician in her own right, most notably as part of the reggae band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.

Diminutive of Ecaterina.

Latinized form of Κασσανδάνη (Kassandanē), the Hellenized form of an uncertain Old Persian name. Cassandane was an Achaemenian Persian noblewoman and the "dearly loved" wife of Cyrus the Great.

From the genus name of common heather, a flowering shrub. It comes from the Greek verb καλλύνω (kalluno) meaning "to beautify, sweep clean", ultimately from καλός (kalos) "beautiful".

From the name of a type of orchid, ultimately meaning "beautiful flower", derived from Greek καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful" and ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower".

Probably invented by the 16th-century Spanish writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, who likely based it on califa, the Spanish form of Arabic خليفة (khalīfa), an Islamic title meaning "successor" (see Khalifa). In Montalvo's novel The Adventures of Esplandián it is borne by the queen of the island of California (the inspiration for the name of the American and Mexican states).

Anglicized form of Cadwaladr.

Latinized form of Greek Κάδμος (Kadmos), of uncertain meaning. In Greek mythology Cadmus was the son of the Phoenician king Agenor. He was sent by his father to rescue his sister Europa, who had been abducted by Zeus, although he did not succeed in retrieving her. According to legend, Cadmus founded the city of Thebes and introduced the alphabet to Greece.

Form of Briseis used in medieval tales about the Trojan War.

From a surname that was taken from the Basque place name Bolibar, which was derived from bolu "mill" and ibar "riverside". A famous bearer of the surname was Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), a South American revolutionary leader, after whom the country of Bolivia is named.

Means "buttercup (flower)" in Hungarian (genus Ranunculus), derived from the archaic word boglár meaning "ornament".

Derived from Old High German blich "lightning, glow" or blicchan "to flash, to shine" combined with þruþ "strength."

Meaning unknown, perhaps first used by Sir John Vanbrugh for a young widow in his play 'The Relapse' (1697). It was subsequently used by Richard Brinsley Sheridan for a widow in his play 'A Trip to Scarborough' (1777), and also appears in Dickens's 'Dombey and Son' (1848) belonging to Mrs Pipchin's niece.

French form of Berengaria.

Old German name derived from the elements bern "bear" and ger "spear". This was the name of two medieval kings of Italy and a Holy Roman emperor.

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.

From the Late Latin name Benedictus, which meant "blessed". Saint Benedict was an Italian monk who founded the Benedictines in the 6th century. After his time the name was common among Christians, being used by 16 popes. In England it did not come into use until the 12th century, at which point it became very popular. This name was also borne by the American general Benedict Arnold (1741-1801), who defected to Britain during the American Revolution.

Derived from a diminutive of Scottish Gaelic beatha meaning "life".

Hungarian, Czech and Slovak form of Beata.

Means "they are in order" in Setswana.

From Latin balsamum meaning "balsam; balm", from Ancient Greek βάλσαμον (balsamon) "balsam tree; fragrant oil of the balsam tree" (ultimately of Semitic origin). Saint Balsamia was the nurse of Saint Remigius (or Rémy) and the mother of Saint Celsinus. This name was sometimes given in honor of the Blessed Balsamo di Cava as well as Pietro Balsamo (known as Peter Balsamus and Peter Abselamus in English), and occasionally in honor of the Blessed Carino Pietro of Balsamo.

Occupational surname for a baker. Comes from baki, meaning "to bake" and -isto, a suffix used for professions.

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

Feminine form of Aurelius.

Feminine form of Augustus. It was introduced to Britain when King George III, a member of the German House of Hanover, gave this name to his second daughter in 1768.

French form of Albinus.

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).

Saint Arthelais (544–560) is venerated as a Christian saint.

Daughter of Roman imperial proconsul Lucius and Aithuesa. The emperor Justinian desired her, but she had taken vows of holy chastity and so fled to Benevento, Italy where she stayed with her uncle Narses Patricius. En route she was kidnapped by highway men, but was miraculously freed after three days.

Variant of Artemas.

Feminine form of Artemisios. This was the name of the 4th-century BC builder of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. She built it in memory of her husband, the Carian prince Mausolus.

Meaning unknown, possibly related either to Greek ἀρτεμής (artemes) meaning "safe" or ἄρταμος (artamos) meaning "a butcher". Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon and hunting, the twin of Apollo and the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was known as Diana to the Romans.

Means "gift of Artemis" from the name of the goddess Artemis combined with Greek δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a Greek author of the 2nd century who wrote about the interpretation of dreams.

Presumably a short form or contraction of Artemidoros (compare Zenas, Alexas, Phileas). This name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament, in Saint Paul's letter to Titus. According to George Rippey Stewart in American Given Names (1979): 'It is chiefly remembered from General Artemas Ward, of the Revolution (born 1727). But there are other examples. In the mid-19th century the humorist C. F. Browne took Artemus (thus spelled) as his pseudonym.'

Dutch and German variant form of Irmgard. This is one of the middle names of Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands (b. 1938), who was given this name in honour of her paternal grandmother.

Variant of Arlette in use in Latin America.

Meaning unknown. This name was (first?) used by William Congreve in his comedy The Old Bachelor (1693) and later by John Vanbrugh in his comedy The Confederacy (1705). This was the original given name of abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), who was born Araminta Ross.

Feminine form of Anselm.

Derived from the Old German elements ansi "god" and helm "helmet, protection". This name was brought to England in the late 11th century by Saint Anselm, who was born in northern Italy. He was archbishop of Canterbury and a Doctor of the Church.

Feminine form of Amrit.

Feminine form of Amant. This was the name of a French novelist, Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, who wrote under the pseudonym George Sand.

French diminutive of Amanda.

German feminine form of Aloysius.

Spanish variant of Alfonso.

Meaning unknown. It might possibly be a combination of Alma 1 with any feminine name that ends in -tine, such as Christine and Martine.

A notable bearer of this name is the Dutch theologian, preacher and writer Almatine Leene (b. 1984).

The name of a mineral belonging to the garnet group. It is an alteration of the French alabandine, from the Latin alabandina, from the ancient in Caria, Anatolia (modern day Turkey), Alabanda (Αλαβάνδα), which was known for producing dark marbles and garnet-like stones. The city's name is derived from the Carian hero of Greek mythology Alabandus (Ἀλάβανδος).

This name became popular after the Battle of Alma (1854), which took place near the River Alma in Crimea and ended in a victory for Britain and France. However, the name was in rare use before the battle; it was probably inspired by Latin almus "nourishing". It also coincides with the Spanish word meaning "the soul".

Latinized form of the Greek name Ἅγνη (Hagne), derived from Greek ἁγνός (hagnos) meaning "chaste". Saint Agnes was a virgin martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The name became associated with Latin agnus "lamb", resulting in the saint's frequent depiction with a lamb by her side. Due to her renown, the name became common in Christian Europe.

As an English name it was highly popular from the Middle Ages until the 17th century. It was revived in the 19th century and was common into the 20th, but it fell into decline after the 1930s. It last appeared on the American top 1000 rankings in 1972.