RachaelHanna's Personal Name List

From the English word violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.

Means "chooser of the slain", derived from Old Norse valr "the slain" and kyrja "chooser". In Norse myth the Valkyries were maidens who led heroes killed in battle to Valhalla.

From the English word meaning "wide river valley".

Derived from Old Norse valr meaning "the dead, the slain" and dís meaning "goddess".

Portuguese (especially Brazilian) form of Thaïs.

Means "dew from God" in Hebrew, from טַל (ṭal) meaning "dew" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.

20th-century adoption of the name of Mount Shasta in Northern California (or the Shasta daisy, named after the mountain), which comes from the name of a Native American tribe that lived in the area; its origin and meaning is lost to time.

While the main character Shasta in the 1954 C. S. Lewis novel The Horse and His Boy was male, this is now generally considered a feminine name in the English-speaking world.

Latinized form of Selene. This name was borne by popular Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla (1971-1995), who was known simply as Selena. Another famous bearer is the American actress and singer Selena Gomez (1992-).

From the English word for the large grassy plain, ultimately deriving from the Taino (Native American) word zabana. It came into use as a given name in America in the 19th century. It was revived in the 1980s by the movie Savannah Smiles (1982).

From the Old German element sahso meaning "a Saxon". The Saxons were a Germanic tribe, their name ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife". Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642) was the wife of the Dutch painter Rembrandt.

From the Greek name Σαπφείρη (Sappheire), which was from Greek σάπφειρος (sappheiros) meaning "sapphire" or "lapis lazuli" (ultimately derived from the Hebrew word סַפִּיר (sappir)). Sapphira is a character in Acts in the New Testament who is killed by God for lying.

Feminine form of Samir 1.

Alternate transcription of Arabic سالم (see Salim).

Variant of Róis.

From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god Odin.

Means "young gazelle" in Arabic.

Means "dew" in Lithuanian and Latvian.

Feminine form of Rais.

Means "night" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the night, the daughter of Khaos and the wife of Erebos.

Variant of Nicolina.

From the Late Latin name Natalia, which meant "Christmas Day" from Latin natale domini. This was the name of the wife of the 4th-century martyr Saint Adrian of Nicomedia. She is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church, and the name has traditionally been more common among Eastern Christians than those in the West. It was popularized in America by actress Natalie Wood (1938-1981), who was born to Russian immigrants.

From Old Cornish moroin meaning "maiden, girl" (related to the Welsh word morwyn [1]). This was the name of a 6th-century Cornish saint, said to be one of the daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog.

Feminine form of Morgan 1.

Possibly derived from the English word "minnow", a small fish.

Diminutive of Wilhelmina. This name was used by Walt Disney for the cartoon character Minnie Mouse, introduced 1928.

From the Arabic name of a fragrant plant. Al-Marwa is the name of one of the two sacred hills near Mecca.

From the Spanish word for "butterfly".

Combination of Maria and Elena.

French diminutive of Marie.

Combination of Mai 3 and Gwenn.

Scottish diminutive of Mairead. It was long used in the United Kingdom and Australia, becoming popular at the end of the 20th century. In the United States it was brought to public attention by the British actress Maisie Williams (1997-), who played Arya Stark on the television series Game of Thrones beginning 2011. Her birth name is Margaret.

Portuguese form of Magdalena.

From a Scottish surname, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Coinnich, itself derived from the given name Coinneach. As a feminine given name it was popularized by the American actress Mackenzie Phillips (1959-), especially after she began appearing on the television comedy One Day at a Time in 1975. In the United Kingdom it is more common as a masculine name.

From Armenian լուսին (lusin) meaning "moon".

Means "the moon" in Latin (as well as Italian, Spanish and other Romance languages). Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.

Feminine form of Lucianus.

Feminine form of Lucius. Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings Lucy or Luce.

Combination of Lisa and Anne 1.

Recent invented name, possibly an elaboration of Lisa.

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.

From the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin lilium. This is the name of the main character, Lily Bart, in the novel The House of Mirth (1905) by Edith Wharton. A famous bearer is the American actress Lily Tomlin (1939-).

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

Latinate form of Lillian.

Means "play, amusement" in Sanskrit.

Short form of names ending in lena, such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena. It is often used independently.

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

Variant of Lacy.

Latvian form of Christina.

Hawaiian form of Diana. It was brought to wider attention in the late 1980s, likely by the Hawaiian fitness instructor Kiana Tom (1965-), who had a television show on ESPN beginning in 1988 [1].

Variant of Casey.

From the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian یاسمین (yāsamīn), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans [1]. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.

Means "honey moon" in Tupi, from îasy "moon" and yra "honey".

From Tupi îasy meaning "moon".

Variant of Islay, typically used as a feminine name. It also coincides with the Spanish word isla meaning "island".

From Japanese 花 (hana) or 華 (hana) both meaning "flower". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.

From the English word halo meaning "luminous disc or ring", derived from Greek ἅλως (halos). Haloes often appear in religious art above the heads of holy people.

In the case of American actress Halle Berry (1966-), it is from the name of a department store in Cleveland where she was born (the store was founded by brothers bearing the German surname Halle, a cognate of Hall).

Medieval Italian nickname meaning "gem, precious stone". It was borne by the wife of the 13th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri.

Icelandic and Old Norse form of Freya.

Variant of Elowen.

Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Éliane.

Form of Helen used in various languages, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Елена (see Yelena).

Possibly derived from Greek ἄλαρα (alara) meaning "hazelnut, spear-shaft". In Greek mythology Elara was one of Zeus's mortal lovers and by him the mother of the giant Tityos. A moon of Jupiter bears this name in her honour.

Means "snow" in Welsh. This is a recently created name.

From the English word for the variety of bird, seen as a symbol of peace.

From Greek Διός (Dios) meaning "of Zeus". By extension, it means "goddess". This was the name of an obscure Greek goddess who, according to some legends, was the mother of Aphrodite.

French form of Desiderata. In part it is directly from the French word meaning "desired, wished".

Means "sky" in French. It is not used as a given name in France itself.

Feminine form of Ciar. This is another name for Saint Ciar.

Variant of Charisse.

Means "cherry" in French.

Feminine form of Caelinus. This name can also function as a short form of Marcelina.

From an Italian word meaning "beloved" or an Irish word meaning "friend". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century, though it did not become popular until after the 1950s.

Means "sign, evidence" or "verse" in Arabic, as in one of the passages that make up the Quran.

Short form of Old Norse feminine names beginning with the element áss "god".

Means "noble maiden" in the fictional language Sindarin. In The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Arwen was the daughter of Elrond and the lover of Aragorn.

French feminine form of Ariel, as well as an English variant.

Portuguese form of Ariadne. This name steadily grew in popularity in America in the last few decades of the 20th century. A famous bearer is the American pop singer Ariana Grande (1993-).

Means "most holy", composed of the Greek prefix ἀρι (ari) meaning "most" combined with Cretan Greek ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". In Greek mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos. She fell in love with Theseus and helped him to escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, but was later abandoned by him. Eventually she married the god Dionysus.

Means "very beautiful" in Welsh, from the intensive prefix an- combined with gwen "white, blessed".