AwkwardElephant's Personal Name List

Supposedly an Italian form of Selinde, itself a German variant of Sieglinde, as well as a Hungarian borrowing of this name. This name is borne by the titular character of the Italian folk tale 'Zelinda and the monster'.

Short form of Griselda. This is the name of a princess in the Legend of Zelda video games, debuting in 1986 and called ゼルダ (Zeruda) in Japanese. According to creator Shigeru Miyamoto she was named after the American socialite Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948).

From an English surname that was originally derived from a diminutive of the given name William.

From an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself meaning "west meadow" from Old English west "west" and leah "woodland, clearing". It has been sometimes given in honour of John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of Methodism.

Russian form and Modern Greek transcription of Bessarion.

Earlier form of Beatrix.

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.

Alternate transcription of Russian Валерий, Ukrainian Валерій or Belarusian Валерый (see Valeriy).

Modern Hebrew form of Zipporah.

From a surname that was derived from a Cornish place name meaning "homestead on the hill".

Variant of Sibyl. This spelling variation has existed since the Middle Ages.

Variant of Sonya.

From a Scottish surname that was derived from a Norman French town called "Saint Clair". A notable bearer was the American author Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951).

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.

French feminine form of Paulinus (see Paulino).

Diminutive of Ottilie. A famous bearer was the British socialite Lady Ottoline Morrell (1873-1938).

French form of Odilo.

From an English and Scots surname meaning "linen keeper" in Middle English, from Old French nappe "table cloth".

French diminutive of Nadia 1.

Variant of Nadya 1 used in Western Europe, as well as an alternate transcription of the Slavic name. It began to be used in France in the 19th century [1]. The name received a boost in popularity from the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci (1961-) [2].

Meaning unknown, perhaps based on Cornish mor "sea".

Danish and Norwegian form of Margaret. This is the name of the current queen of Denmark (1940-).

The etymology of this name is widely debated. However, the name may be of Celtic origin: Lus and Tanus, "tribe of Lusus", connecting the name with the personal Celtic name Luso and with the god Lugh.

Romanian and English form of Lucianus. Lucian is the usual name of Lucianus of Samosata in English.

Transferred use of the surname Lovelace.

French feminine form of Louis.

Diminutive of Lorenzo.

English variant of Lillian, as well as a French and Romanian masculine form.

Medieval Anglicization of Llywelyn which has been documented from the 13th century onwards. (Cf. Leolin.) It was borne by Welsh politician Sir Leoline Jenkins (1625-1685). In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'Christabel' (1797-1801) this name belongs to Christabel's father, Sir Leoline, Baron of Langdale Hall.

Due to similar-looking names like Leontine and Caroline, it has also been used as a feminine name from at least the mid-1800s onwards.

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.

German form of Iseult, appearing in the 13th-century German poem Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg. In 1865 the German composer Richard Wagner debuted his popular opera Tristan und Isolde and also used the name for his first daughter.

Anglicized form of Iseabail.

From the Greek name Ἰσίδωρος (Isidoros) meaning "gift of Isis", derived from the name of the Egyptian goddess Isis combined with Greek δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". Saint Isidore of Seville was a 6th-century archbishop, historian and theologian.

Though it has never been popular in the English-speaking world among Christians, it has historically been a common name for Jews, who have used it as an Americanized form of names such as Isaac, Israel and Isaiah.

Russian form of Hippolytos.

Indrid Cold is the name of a being originating in North American folklore, whose appearance usually coincides with sightings of UFOs or other cryptids.

Variant of Ilse.

Derived from the Old German elements hilt "battle" and gart "enclosure, yard". This was the name of the second wife of Charlemagne (8th century). Also, Saint Hildegard was a 12th-century mystic from Bingen in Germany who was famous for her writings and poetry and also for her prophetic visions.

Italian form of Felix.

Form of Eve used in various languages. This form is used in the Latin translation of the New Testament, while Hava is used in the Latin Old Testament. A notable bearer was the Argentine first lady Eva Perón (1919-1952), the subject of the musical Evita. The name also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.

This is also an alternate transcription of Russian Ева (see Yeva).

Means "mirth, merriment, cheerfulness" in Greek, a derivative of εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and φρήν (phren) meaning "mind, heart". She was one of the three Graces or Χάριτες (Charites) in Greek mythology.

German form of Ethelinda. Ethelinde of Northeim was the oldest daughter of Otto of Northeim, duke of Bavaria (r.1060-1070).

Anglicized form of Endelienta, the Latin form of a Welsh or Cornish name. It was borne by a 5th or 6th-century Cornish saint whose birth name is lost. According to some traditions she was a daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog (identifying her with Cynheiddon).

Means "noble guest", derived from the Middle Dutch adjective edel meaning "noble" combined with the Middle Dutch noun gast meaning "guest".

In medieval Dutch literature, this is the name of the eponymous character of Karel ende Elegast ("Charles and Elegast"), a 13th-century epic poem about Charlemagne and his friend, the noble knight Elegast.

Means "rich friend", from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and wine "friend". This was the name of a 7th-century Northumbrian king, regarded as a saint. After the Norman Conquest the name was not popular, but it was eventually revived in the 19th century. A notable bearer was the astronaut Edwin Aldrin (1930-), also known as Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon.

French form of Delphina.

Feminine form of Dacian.

From the Roman family name Cyprianus, which meant "from Cyprus". Saint Cyprian was a 3rd-century bishop of Carthage who was martyred under the Roman emperor Valerian.

This name is found in generations of families. Clusters of the name can be found in Louisiana, in particular, but remains rare. It is said to be terminology to refer to royal members, similar to King or Duke would be used.

Combination of Clara and the common name suffix bel, from Latin bella "beautiful". This name was used by Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590; in the form Claribell) and by Shakespeare in his play The Tempest (1611). Alfred Tennyson also wrote a poem entitled Claribel (1830).

German and French feminine form of Christian.

Polish form of Caelestinus.

Variant of Casilda. It appears in 'The King in Yellow' (1895), a book of short stories by American writer Robert W. Chambers.

Masculine form of Candelaria.

From the Latin name of Scotland, itself derived from Caledones, the Latin name of a tribe that inhabited the region during the Roman era, which is of unknown origin, though it may possibly come from Proto-Celtic *kaletos meaning "hard" and *ɸēdo- meaning "foot", alluding to standfastness or endurance.

The meaning of this name is not known for certain. The first element could be related to Italian bella meaning "beautiful". The second element could be Old German lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender" (and by extension "snake, serpent"). This name first arose in the 17th century, and was subsequently used by Alexander Pope in his poem The Rape of the Lock (1712).

Latin form of Balthazar. Shakespeare used it for minor characters in Romeo and Juliet (1596) and Much Ado About Nothing (1599).

From the Roman name Augustinus, itself derived from the Roman name Augustus. Saint Augustine of Hippo was a 5th-century Christian theologian and author from North Africa. For his contributions to Christian philosophy he is known as a Doctor of the Church. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world. It became popular in England in the Middle Ages partly because of a second saint by this name, Augustine of Canterbury, a 6th-century Italian monk sent to England to convert the Anglo-Saxons.

Medieval Breton form of Aodren which was revived in the 1970s. While this name was strictly masculine in medieval times, in modern times it is used on men and women alike.
In Breton legend, this name was borne by Saint Audren, a son of the legendary Breton king Salomon I.

From a diminutive form of Auberi, an Old French form of Alberich. It is the name of the fairy king in the 13th-century epic Huon de Bordeaux.

Means "belonging to the goddess Neith" in Ancient Egyptian. In the Old Testament this is the name of Joseph's Egyptian wife. She was the mother of Manasseh and Ephraim.

Variant of Arline. Since the onset of the 20th century, this is the most common spelling of this name.

Alternate transcription of Russian Аркадий (see Arkadiy).

French and Italian form of Aristides.

French form of Antonius (see Anthony). A famous bearer was the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), the author of The Little Prince.

Meaning uncertain, probably from Scythian. This was the name of a Scythian prince and philosopher from the 6th century BC, included among the Seven Sages of Greece. It is also self-given name of the French revolutionary and anarchist Anacharsis Cloots (1755–1794).

Variant of Alison 1.

Derived from Arabic الدبران (al-Dabarān) meaning "follower" (from دبر (dábar) "to turn one's back"). This is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Taurus, presumably so named because it appears to follow the Pleiades rightward across the night sky. The apocryphal Book of Enoch describes Aldebaran as a fallen angel, who attempted to seduce an Assyrian queen in the form of a bull.

Means "justice" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic عدل (ʿadala) meaning "to act justly".