thesnowwhiterose's Personal Name List
Zvonimira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian
Zuzanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Latvian (Rare)
Pronounced: zoo-ZAN-na(Polish)
Polish and Latvian form of
Susanna.
Zlatan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Slovene
Other Scripts: Златан(Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ZLA-tan(Croatian, Serbian)
Derived from South Slavic
zlato meaning
"gold", a derivative of Old Slavic
zolto.
Živa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Slavic Mythology, Slovene, Serbian
Other Scripts: Жива(Serbian)
From the Old Slavic word
živŭ meaning
"alive, living". According to the 12th-century Saxon priest Helmold, this was the name of a Slavic goddess possibly associated with life or fertility.
Zita 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, German, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian, Latvian
Pronounced: DZEE-ta(Italian) TSEE-ta(German) ZI-ta(Czech) ZEE-ta(Slovak) zyi-TU(Lithuanian)
Means
"little girl" in Tuscan Italian. This was the name of a 13th-century
saint, the patron saint of servants.
Zeynab
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Azerbaijani
Other Scripts: زینب(Persian)
Zenovia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ζηνοβία(Greek)
Zénobie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Archaic)
Zeno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized), Italian
Other Scripts: Ζήνων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DZEH-no(Italian)
From the Greek name
Ζήνων (Zenon), which was derived from the name of the Greek god
Zeus (the poetic form of his name being
Ζήν). Zeno was the name of two famous Greek philosophers: Zeno of Elea and Zeno of Citium, the founder of the Stoic school in Athens.
Zebedee
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: Ζεβεδαῖος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZEHB-ə-dee(English)
Zardeenah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Zardeenah, the Lady of the Night, was a goddess honored by the Calormenes in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by C.S. Lewis
Yuzuki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 柚希, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆずき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-ZOO-KYEE
From Japanese
柚 (yuzu) meaning "grapefruit, pomelo, citrus fruit" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
Yumiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 弓子, 由美子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆみこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-MEE-KO
From Japanese
弓 (yumi) meaning "archery bow" or
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Yukiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 幸子, 雪子, 由喜子, 由貴子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆきこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-KYEE-KO
From Japanese
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or
雪 (yuki) meaning "snow" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Alternatively, it can come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" with
喜 (ki) meaning "joy" or
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Yuki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 幸, 雪, 由貴, 由紀, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-KYEE
From Japanese
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or
雪 (yuki) meaning "snow". It can also come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" combined with
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" or
紀 (ki) meaning "chronicle". Other kanji or kanji combinations are also possible.
Yua
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 結愛, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆあ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-A
From Japanese
結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" and
愛 (a) meaning "love, affection". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Yu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 玉, 愉, 雨, 宇, 裕, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: UY
From Chinese
玉 (yù) meaning "jade, precious stone, gem",
愉 (yú) meaning "pleasant, delightful" or
雨 (yǔ) meaning "rain". Other characters can form this name as well.
Ysolt
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Old French form of
Iseult, appearing in the 12th-century Old French poem
Tristan by Thomas of Britain.
Yori
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 頼, etc.(Japanese Kanji) より(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YO-REE
From Japanese
頼 (yori) meaning "rely" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Yonit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יוֹנִית(Hebrew)
Yonca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: yon-JA
Means "clover" in Turkish.
Yi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 宜, 毅, 义, 益, 艺, 怡, 仪, etc.(Chinese) 宜, 毅, 義, 益, 藝, 怡, 儀, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: EE
From Chinese
宜 (yí) meaning "suitable, proper",
毅 (yì) meaning "resolute, decisive, firm",
义 (yì) meaning "justice, righteousness",
益 (yì) meaning "profit, benefit",
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" (which is usually only feminine) or
仪 (yí) meaning "ceremony, rites" (also usually feminine). Other characters can also form this name.
Yewande
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yoruba
Means "mother has found me" in Yoruba.
Yeruslan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Folklore
Other Scripts: Еруслан(Russian) Єруслан(Ukrainian)
From Tatar
Уруслан (Uruslan), which was possibly from Turkic
arslan meaning
"lion". Yeruslan Lazarevich is the name of a hero in Russian and Tatar folktales. These tales were based on (or at least influenced by) Persian tales of their hero
Rostam.
Yeong
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 영(Korean Hangul) 英, 榮, 永, 映, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: YUNG
From Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero", as well as other hanja characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name. This name was borne by Jang Yeong-sil (where
Jang is the surname), a 15th-century Korean scientist and inventor.
Yannick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton, French
Pronounced: YA-NEEK(French)
Yafa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יָפָה(Hebrew)
Derived from Hebrew
יָפֶה (yafe) meaning
"beautiful".
Xenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Spanish, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ξένια(Greek) Ξενία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SEH-nya(Spanish)
Means
"hospitality" in Greek, a derivative of
ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreigner, guest". This was the name of a 5th-century
saint who is venerated in the Eastern Church.
Vjekoslava
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian
Višnja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Вишња(Serbian)
Pronounced: VEESH-nya
Means "sour cherry" in Croatian and Serbian.
Vincenza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: veen-CHEHN-tsa
Vinay
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil
Other Scripts: विनय(Hindi, Marathi) ವಿನಯ್(Kannada) വിനയ്(Malayalam) வினய்(Tamil)
From Sanskrit
विनय (vinaya) meaning
"leading, guidance, modesty".
Vienna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: vee-EHN-ə
From the name of the capital city of Austria,
Vienna.
Viên
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: VEEYN, VEEYNG, YEEYNG
Means "round, full, complete" in Vietnamese.
Viator
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Late Latin name (see
Beatrix). This was the name of a 4th-century Italian
saint.
Vena
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism
Other Scripts: वेन(Sanskrit)
Means "yearning, desire" in Sanskrit. According to Hindu scripture this was the name of an evil and irreligious king.
Varda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: וַרְדָה(Hebrew)
Vanna 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Khmer
Other Scripts: វណ្ណា(Khmer)
Pronounced: van-NA
From Khmer
វណ្ណ (von) meaning
"colour", ultimately from Sanskrit
वर्ण (varṇa).
Valeska
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Vadim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Вадим(Russian)
Pronounced: vu-DYEEM
Meaning uncertain. It is used as a Russian form of the saintly name
Bademus. Alternatively it may be derived from Slavic
vaditi "to accuse, to argue" or from an Old Norse source. According to legend, this was the name of a legendary leader of the Ilmen Slavs who fought against the Varangians.
Uxue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: oo-SHOO-eh
From the Basque name of the Spanish town of Ujué where there is a church dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. Its name is derived from Basque
usoa "dove".
Ursula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Late Roman
Pronounced: UR-sə-lə(American English) U-syuw-lə(British English) U-sə-lə(British English) UWR-zoo-la(German) OOR-soo-lah(Finnish)
Means
"little bear", derived from a
diminutive form of the Latin word
ursa "she-bear".
Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.
Unn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian
Undine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: UN-deen(English) un-DEEN(English)
Derived from Latin unda meaning "wave". The word undine was created by the 16th-century Swiss author Paracelsus, who used it for female water spirits.
Ume
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 梅, etc.(Japanese Kanji) うめ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: OO-MEH
From Japanese
梅 (ume) meaning "Japanese apricot, plum" (refers specifically to the species Prunus mume). In Japan the ume blossom is regarded as a symbol of spring and a ward against evil. Different kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
Ulrika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: uyl-REE-ka
Swedish feminine form of
Ulrich. This was the name of two queens of Sweden.
Ulloriaq
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Greenlandic
Means
"star" in Greenlandic
[1].
Ulf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German
From the Old Norse byname Úlfr meaning "wolf".
Ugnė
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Derived from Lithuanian ugnis meaning "fire".
Ualan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic (Rare)
Tzofiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew (Rare)
Other Scripts: צוֹפִיָה(Hebrew)
Means "watching" in Hebrew.
Tzahala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew (Modern)
Other Scripts: צהלה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: tza ha la
Means "happiness, revelry, merriment" in Hebrew.
Tuyến
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: TWEEYN, TWEEYNG
From Sino-Vietnamese
線 (tuyến) meaning
"thread, line, ray".
Turquoise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
From the opaque blue-green mineral whose name is derived from French
pierre turquois "Turkish stone".
In the English-speaking world, it was occasionally used from the late 19th century onwards.
Trúc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: CHUWKP, TUWKP
From Sino-Vietnamese
竹 (trúc) meaning
"bamboo".
Trendafilka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Macedonian
Other Scripts: Трендафилка(Macedonian)
Derived from Macedonian
трендафил (trendafil) meaning
"eglantine, sweet briar".
Torquil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Tod
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TAHD(American English) TAWD(British English)
Tisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Тиса(Serbian)
Of debated origin and meaning. Theories include a derivation from the name of the river flowing through Ukraine, Romania, Hungary and Serbia and a derivation from tisa "yew tree".
Tim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Slovene, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: TIM(English, German, Dutch, Slovene)
Short form of
Timothy or (in Germany)
Dietmar. It is borne by the fictional character Tiny Tim, the ill son of Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel
A Christmas Carol (1843).
Tigris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical), Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend, Literature
Saint Tigris of Britain is traditionally recorded as a sister of Saint Patrick.
The origin and meaning of her name are unknown; however, Saint Patrick (and thus his family, too) is thought to be of either Breton or Welsh heritage and so it has been suggested that Saint Tigris's name might be of Celtic origin. One theory tries to connect her name to Celtic
*tigir which may or may not be related to Gaelic
tigern "lord".
Things are further complicated by the existence of 10th-century Spanish saint Tigrida or Tigridia with whom she is sometimes confused. Concerning her name, early 20th-century Irish historian and language scholar Helena Concannon theorized that it suggests a Gallic origin.
Tigris is a cousin of president Snow in 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins.
Tiger
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TIE-gər(American English) TIE-gə(British English)
From the name of the large striped cat, derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek
τίγρις (tigris), ultimately of Iranian origin. A famous bearer is American golfer Tiger Woods (1975-).
Tiên
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: TEEYN, TEEYNG
From Sino-Vietnamese
仙 (tiên) meaning
"immortal, transcendent, celestial being, fairy".
Tibor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian, Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: TEE-bor(Hungarian) TI-bor(Czech) TEE-bawr(Slovak)
Hungarian, Czech and Slovak form of
Tiburtius (see
Tiburcio).
Thurayya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: ثريّا, ثريّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: thoo-RIE-ya
Means "the Pleiades" in Arabic. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus.
Thranduil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: THRAN-dooh-eel
King Thranduil is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is a supporting character in The Hobbit, and is referenced in The Lord of the Rings. Means "harsh spring" in Sindarin Elvish.
Thoth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
Other Scripts: Θώθ(Ancient Greek)
Greek form of Egyptian
ḏḥwtj (reconstructed as
Djehuti), which is of uncertain meaning. In Egyptian
mythology Thoth was the god of the moon, science, magic, speech and writing. He was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis.
Theone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Archaic), Dutch (Rare)
Thanh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: TIENG, TAN
From Sino-Vietnamese
青 (thanh) meaning
"blue, green, young" or
聲 (thanh) meaning
"sound, voice, tone".
Thalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Greek
Other Scripts: Θάλεια(Greek)
Pronounced: THAY-lee-ə(English) thə-LIE-ə(English)
From the Greek name
Θάλεια (Thaleia), derived from
θάλλω (thallo) meaning
"to blossom". In Greek
mythology she was one of the nine Muses, presiding over comedy and pastoral poetry. This was also the name of one of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites).
Thalassa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Θάλασσα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TA-LAS-SA(Classical Greek)
Means
"sea" in Greek. In Greek
mythology she was the personification of the sea. A small moon of Neptune is named for her.
Thais
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Spanish
Other Scripts: Θαΐς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TIES(Spanish)
Alternate transcription of Ancient Greek
Θαΐς (see
Thaïs), as well as the usual Spanish form.
Terpsichore
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Τερψιχόρη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TEHR-PSEE-KO-REH(Classical Greek) tərp-SIK-ə-ree(American English) təp-SIK-ə-ree(British English)
Means
"enjoying the dance" from Greek
τέρψις (terpsis) meaning "delight" and
χορός (choros) meaning "dance". In Greek
mythology she was the goddess of dance and dramatic chorus, one of the nine Muses.
Telesphorus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Τελεσφόρος(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of the Greek name
Telesphoros (see
Télesphore).
Tatyana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Татьяна(Russian) Татяна(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: tu-TYA-nə(Russian)
Russian and Bulgarian form of
Tatiana.
Tasoula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Τασούλα(Greek)
Tarquin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: TAHR-kwin(American English) TAH-kwin(British English)
From Tarquinius, a Roman name of unknown meaning, possibly Etruscan in origin. This was the name of two early kings of Rome.
Tansy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TAN-zee
From the name of the flower, which is derived via Old French from Late Latin tanacita.
Tanith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Other Scripts: 𐤕𐤍𐤕(Phoenician)
Meaning unknown. This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars. She was particularly associated with the city of Carthage, being the consort of
Ba'al Hammon.
Tamya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Quechua
Means "rain" in Quechua.
Takumi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 匠, 巧, 拓海, 拓実, etc.(Japanese Kanji) たくみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TA-KOO-MEE
From Japanese
匠 (takumi) meaning "artisan" or
巧 (takumi) meaning "skillful". It can also come from
拓 (taku) meaning "expand, open, support" combined with
海 (mi) meaning "sea, ocean" or
実 (mi) meaning "fruit, good result, truth". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations.
Tadhg
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: TIEG(Irish)
From Old Irish
Tadg meaning
"poet" [1]. This was the name of an 11th-century king of Connacht, as well as several other kings and chieftains of medieval Ireland. According to Irish
mythology it was the name of the grandfather of
Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Svjetlana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Свјетлана(Serbian)
Suzanne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: SUY-ZAN(French) soo-ZAN(English) suy-ZAH-nə(Dutch)
Sung
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 성(Korean Hangul) 成, 盛, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: SUNG
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul
성 (see
Seong).
Sunflower
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Rare)
Pronounced: SUN-flow-er
From the English word, sunflower.
Sulo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SOO-lo
Means "charm, grace" in Finnish.
Sukhon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Thai
Other Scripts: สุคนธ์(Thai)
Pronounced: soo-KON
Means "fragrance, pleasant smell" in Thai, ultimately of Pali origin.
Su 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 素, 肃, etc.(Chinese) 素, 肅, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: SOO
From Chinese
素 (sù) meaning "plain, simple" or
肃 (sù) meaning "respectful", besides other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Sten
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Estonian
Derived from the Old Norse name Steinn meaning "stone".
Staffan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish
Spencer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SPEHN-sər(American English) SPEHN-sə(British English)
From an English surname that meant "dispenser of provisions", derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry". A famous bearer was American actor Spencer Tracy (1900-1967). It was also the surname of Princess Diana (1961-1997).
Souma
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 颯真, etc.(Japanese Kanji) そうま(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SO-MA
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
颯真 (see
Sōma).
Sohrab
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian, Persian Mythology
Other Scripts: سهراب(Persian)
Pronounced: soh-RAWB(Persian)
From Persian
سهر (sohr) meaning "red" and
آب (āb) meaning "water". In the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh this is the name of the son of the hero
Rostam. He was tragically slain in battle by his father, who was unaware he was fighting his own son.
Siv
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Norse Mythology
Pronounced: SEEV(Swedish)
From Old Norse
Sif, which meant
"bride, kinswoman". In Norse
mythology she was the wife of
Thor. After the trickster
Loki cut off her golden hair, an angry Thor forced him to create a replacement.
Sirpa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SEER-pah
Derived from Finnish sirpale meaning "small piece, fragment".
Simo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Serbian
Other Scripts: Симо(Serbian)
Pronounced: SEE-mo(Finnish)
Finnish and Serbian form of
Simon 1.
Silvano
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: seel-VA-no
Shyam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Nepali
Other Scripts: श्याम(Hindi, Marathi, Nepali) శ్యామ్(Telugu) ശ്യാം(Malayalam) சியாம்(Tamil) ಶ್ಯಾಮ್(Kannada) শ্যাম(Bengali)
Modern masculine form of
Shyama.
Shui
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 水, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: SHWAY
From Chinese
水 (shuǐ) meaning "water", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Shu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 淑, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: SHOO
From Chinese
淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming", besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Shama
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Urdu, Marathi
Other Scripts: शमा(Hindi, Marathi) شمع(Urdu)
Means
"lamp, candle" in Hindi and other Indian languages, ultimately from Arabic
شمْع (shamʿ).
Shakeisha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern)
Variant of
Chekesha, or simply a combination of the popular phonetic prefix
sha and the name
Keisha.
Shaimaa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: شيماء(Arabic)
Pronounced: shie-MA
Şenay
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Means "merry moon" in Turkish.
Semyon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Семён(Russian)
Pronounced: syi-MYUYN
Sekai
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Shona
From Shona
seka meaning
"laugh" [1].
Seija
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SAY-yah
Derived from Finnish seijas meaning "tranquil, serene".
Seetha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tamil
Other Scripts: சீதா, சீதை(Tamil)
Tamil form of
Sita. The name of the mythological figures is
சீதை, while
சீதா is the spelling used for people.
Savitri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi
Other Scripts: सावित्री(Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi)
Means
"of the sun" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a hymn in the
Rigveda dedicated to
Savitr, a sun god. This is also the name of Savitr's daughter, a wife of
Brahma, considered an aspect of
Saraswati. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata it is borne by King Satyavan's wife, who successfully pleas with
Yama, the god of death, to restore her husband to life.
Sassa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish (Rare)
Saronda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Rare)
Meaning unknown. 97 people in the U.S. have this name.
Sarala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada
Other Scripts: சரளா(Tamil) సరళ(Telugu) ಸರಳಾ(Kannada)
Sarabi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swahili, Popular Culture
Pronounced: Sah-rah-bee(Swahili)
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).
Sanura
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Sinhalese
Sanne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, Danish
Pronounced: SAH-nə(Dutch)
Dutch and Danish short form of
Susanna.
Sandrine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SAHN-DREEN
Sandalio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: san-DA-lyo
Spanish form of
Sandalius, possibly a Latinized form of a Gothic name composed of the elements
swinþs "strong" and
wulfs "wolf". It also nearly coincides with Latin
sandalium "sandal". This was the name of a 9th-century Spanish
saint martyred by the Moors.
Sancha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Rare), Portuguese (Rare)
Pronounced: SAN-cha(Spanish) SUN-shu(Portuguese)
Salome
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: სალომე(Georgian) Σαλώμη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: sə-LO-mee(English)
Personal remark: sa-LOHM
From an Aramaic name that was related to the Hebrew word
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning
"peace". According to the historian Josephus this was the name of the daughter of
Herodias (the consort of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee). In the
New Testament, though a specific name is not given, it was a daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod and was rewarded with the head of
John the Baptist, and thus Salome and the dancer have traditionally been equated.
As a Christian given name, Salome has been in occasional use since the Protestant Reformation. This was due to a second person of this name in the New Testament: one of the women who witnessed the crucifixion and later discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty. It is used in Georgia due to the 4th-century Salome of Ujarma, who is considered a saint in the Georgian Church.
Saga
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Swedish, Icelandic
Pronounced: SAH-gah(Swedish) SA-gha(Icelandic)
From Old Norse
Sága, possibly meaning
"seeing one", derived from
sjá "to see". This is the name of a Norse goddess, possibly connected to
Frigg. As a Swedish and Icelandic name, it is also derived from the unrelated word
saga "story, fairy tale, saga".
Sachiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 幸子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) さちこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SA-CHEE-KO
From Japanese
幸 (sachi) meaning "happiness, good luck" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Ruslan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Tatar, Bashkir, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Turkmen, Azerbaijani, Ossetian, Chechen, Ingush, Avar, Circassian, Indonesian, Malay
Other Scripts: Руслан(Russian, Tatar, Bashkir, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Ossetian, Chechen, Ingush, Avar) Руслъан(Western Circassian, Eastern Circassian)
Pronounced: ruws-LAN(Russian)
Form of
Yeruslan used by Aleksandr Pushkin in his poem
Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), which was loosely based on Russian and Tatar folktales of Yeruslan Lazarevich.
Runako
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Shona
Means "beauty" in Shona.
Roshanara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian (Archaic)
Other Scripts: روشنآرا(Persian)
From Persian
روشن (rōshan) meaning "light" and
آرا (ārā) meaning "decorate, adorn". This was the name of the second daughter of the 17th-century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
Rosenrot
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Means
"rose red" in German, used in the Brothers Grimm folktale
Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot (English translation
Snow-White and Rose-Red). In the tale Rosenrot and her sister
Schneeweißchen befriend a bear who has been cursed by an evil dwarf.
Rosa 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, German, English
Pronounced: RO-sa(Spanish, Dutch) RAW-za(Italian) RAW-zu(European Portuguese) HAW-zu(Brazilian Portuguese) RAW-zə(Catalan) RO-za(German) RO-zə(English)
Generally this can be considered to be from Latin
rosa meaning
"rose", though originally it may have come from the unrelated Germanic name
Roza 2. This was the name of a 13th-century
saint from Viterbo in Italy. In the English-speaking world it was first used in the 19th century. Famous bearers include the Polish-German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) and the American civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005).
Rónán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: RO-nan(Irish)
Means
"little seal", derived from Old Irish
rón "seal" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early Irish
saints, including a pilgrim to Brittany who founded the hermitage at Locronan in the 6th century.
Roghayeh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: رقیه(Persian)
Robin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Swedish, Czech
Pronounced: RAHB-in(American English) RAWB-in(British English) RAW-BEHN(French) RAW-bin(Dutch) RO-bin(Czech)
Medieval English
diminutive of
Robert, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.
Rishda
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
A Calormene Tarkaan, or noble, who tries to take over Narnia in 'The Last Battle' by C.S. Lewis.
Rin
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 凛, etc.(Japanese Kanji) りん(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: REEN
From Japanese
凛 (rin) meaning "dignified, severe, cold" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Rilian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: RIL-ee-un
The name of the Prince in C. S. Lewis' 'The Silver Chair'. He is Caspian X's son, his mother is a star, known as Lilliandil.
Rhea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Ῥέα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: REH-A(Classical Greek) REE-ə(English) REH-a(Latin)
Rebecca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: רִבְקָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: rə-BEHK-ə(English) reh-BEHK-ka(Italian) rə-BEH-ka(Dutch)
Personal remark: RayBECca
From the Hebrew name
רִבְקָה (Rivqa), probably from a Semitic root meaning
"join, tie, snare". This is the name of the wife of
Isaac and the mother of
Esau and
Jacob in the
Old Testament. It came into use as an English Christian name after the
Protestant Reformation, and it was popular with the
Puritans in the 17th century. It has been consistently used since then, becoming especially common in the second half of the 20th century.
This name is borne by a Jewish woman in Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), as well as the title character (who is deceased and unseen) in Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca (1938).
Quyền
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: KWEEYN, KWEEYNG, WEEYNG
From Sino-Vietnamese
權 (quyền) meaning
"power, right, authority".
Qasim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: قاسم(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: KA-seem(Arabic)
Means
"one who divides goods among people" in Arabic, derived from
قسم (qasama) meaning "to divide, to distribute". This was the name of a son of the Prophet
Muhammad who died while young.
Purnima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada
Other Scripts: पूर्णिमा(Hindi, Marathi) পূর্ণিমা(Bengali) பூர்ணிமா(Tamil) ಪೂರ್ಣಿಮಾ(Kannada)
Puanani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: poo-a-NA-nee
Means "beautiful flower" or "beautiful offspring" from Hawaiian pua "flower, offspring" and nani "beauty, glory".
Psyche
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ψυχή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PSUY-KEH(Classical Greek) SIE-kee(English)
Means
"the soul", derived from Greek
ψύχω (psycho) meaning "to breathe". The Greeks thought that the breath was the soul. In Greek
mythology Psyche was a beautiful maiden who was beloved by Eros (or Cupid in Roman mythology). She is the subject of Keats's poem
Ode to Psyche (1819).
Promise
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: PRAWM-is
From the English word promise, from Latin promissum. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Priya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali
Other Scripts: प्रिया(Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi) பிரியா(Tamil) ప్రియ(Telugu) പ്രിയാ(Malayalam) ಪ್ರಿಯಾ(Kannada) প্রিয়া(Bengali)
Means
"beloved" in Sanskrit. It appears briefly in the
Puranas belonging to a daughter of King
Daksha.
Pranvera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Pronounced: prahn-VEHR-ah
Derived from Albanian pranverë meaning "spring", itself from pranë "nearby, close" and verë "summer".
Praise
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: PRAYZ
From the English word praise, which is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Late Latin preciare, a derivative of Latin pretium "price, worth". This name is most common in English-speaking Africa.
Piroska
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: PEE-rosh-kaw
Hungarian form of
Prisca, influenced by the Hungarian word
piros meaning "red".
Piet
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: PEET
Short form of
Pieter. Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was a Dutch abstract painter.
Photine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Φωτίνη(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
φῶς (phos) meaning
"light" (genitive
φωτός (photos)). This is the name traditionally given to the Samaritan woman
Jesus met at the well (see
John 4:7). She is venerated as a
saint by the Eastern Church.
Philomène
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: FEE-LAW-MEHN
Petunia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: pə-TOON-yə
From the name of the flower, derived ultimately from a Tupi (South American) word.
Persis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Περσίς(Ancient Greek)
Greek name meaning
"Persian woman". This is the name of a woman mentioned in
Paul's epistle to the Romans in the
New Testament.
Persia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PUR-zhə
From the name of the Middle Eastern country
Persia, now referred to as Iran. Its name is derived from Avestan
Parsa, the ancient tribal name of the people ruled by Cyrus the Great.
As a given name, it has been occasionally found in the English-speaking world from the early 19th century onwards.
Pernel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Peninnah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: פְּנִנָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: pi-NIN-ə(English) pi-NEE-nə(English)
Means
"pearl, coral, precious stone" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of one of the wives of
Elkanah, the other being
Hannah.
Pauline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: PAW-LEEN(French) paw-LEEN(English) pow-LEE-nə(German)
French feminine form of
Paulinus (see
Paulino).
Pasqualina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Italian feminine form of
Pascal.
Parvati
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi
Other Scripts: पार्वती(Sanskrit, Hindi)
Pronounced: PAHR-və-tee(American English) PAH-və-tee(British English)
Means
"of the mountains", derived from Sanskrit
पर्वत (parvata) meaning "mountain". Parvati is a Hindu goddess of love and power, the benign form of the wife of
Shiva. A daughter of the mountain god Himavat, she was a reincarnation of Shiva's first wife
Sati. She is the mother of
Ganesha and
Skanda.
Parvaneh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: پروانه(Persian)
Pronounced: par-vaw-NEH
Means "butterfly" in Persian.
Parisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: پریسا(Persian)
Means
"like a fairy" in Persian, derived from
پری (parī) meaning "fairy, sprite, supernatural being".
Panther
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Πάνθηρ(Ancient Greek)
Ancient Greek name meaning "panther".
Pansy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAN-zee
From the English word for a type of flower, ultimately deriving from Old French pensee "thought".
Pace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PAYS
From an English surname that was derived from the Middle English word pace meaning "peace".
Ozoro
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Eastern African
Amharic name, said to come from a biblical name meaning "strength of the Lord" (in which case it is partly from Hebrew
’az "force, strength" and a relative of
Oz 2).
Øydis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian (Rare)
Ove
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: OO-veh(Swedish)
Probably a modern form of the Old Danish name
Aghi, originally a short form of names that contain the Old Norse element
egg "edge of a sword" or
agi "awe, fear".
Ottavio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: ot-TA-vyo
Orange
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AWR-inj
First found as a feminine given name in medieval times, in the forms
Orenge and
Orengia. The etymology is uncertain, and may be after the place in France named
Orange. This is a corruption of
Arausio, the name of a Celtic water god which possibly meant "temple (of the forehead)". Later it was conflated with the name of the fruit, which comes from the Sanskrit for "orange tree",
naranga. The word was used to describe the fruit's colour in the 16th century.
Orange is also a surname, which may be derived from the medieval feminine name, or directly from the French place name. First used with the modern spelling in the 17th century, apparently due to William, Prince of Orange, who later became William III. His title is from the French place name.
Oni
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Yoruba
Means "today" in Yoruba.
Olof
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: OO-lawf
Olga
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovene, Serbian, Bulgarian, Greek
Other Scripts: Ольга(Russian, Ukrainian) Олга(Serbian, Bulgarian) Όλγα(Greek)
Pronounced: OL-gə(Russian) AWL-ga(Polish, German) AWL-ka(Icelandic) OL-gaw(Hungarian) OL-gha(Spanish) OL-ga(Czech)
Russian form of the Old Norse name
Helga. The 10th-century
Saint Olga was the wife of
Igor I, the ruler of Kievan Rus (a state based around the city of Kyiv). Like her husband she was probably a Varangian, who were Norse people who settled in Eastern Europe beginning in the 9th century. Following Igor's death she ruled as regent for her son
Svyatoslav for 18 years. After she was baptized in Constantinople she attempted to convert her subjects to Christianity, though this goal was only achieved by her grandson
Vladimir.
Ojo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Yoruba
Pronounced: O-JO
This name is given when a child is born with the umbilical cord around their neck.
Oihana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: oi-A-na
Odion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Western African, Esan
Means "the elder twin" in Esan.
Octavius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ok-TA-wee-oos(Latin) ahk-TAY-vee-əs(American English) awk-TAY-vee-əs(British English)
Roman family name derived from Latin
octavus meaning
"eighth". This was the original family name of the emperor Augustus (born Gaius Octavius). It was also rarely used as a Roman
praenomen, or given name.
Oak
Topographic surname for someone who lived near an oak tree or in an oak wood, from Middle English oke "oak".
Nyssa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
From the name of an ancient town of Asia Minor where
Saint Gregory was bishop in the 4th century. Nyssa is also the genus name of a type of tree, also called the Tupelo.
Nyasha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Shona
Pronounced: nie-ay-sha
Means "merciful" in Shona.
Nyarai
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Shona
From Shona
nyara meaning
"be shy, be quiet, be humble" [1].
Nyala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
From the name of a type of African antelope, ultimately derived from the Bantu word nyálà.
Nurit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: נוּרִית(Hebrew)
Means "buttercup (flower)" in Hebrew (genus Ranunculus).
Nuria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: NOO-rya
Novella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: no-VEHL-la
Derived from Latin
novellus meaning
"new, young, novel", a
diminutive of
novus "new". This name was borne by the 14th-century Italian scholar Novella d'Andrea, who taught law at the University of Bologna.
Noriko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 典子, 紀子, 法子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) のりこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: NO-REE-KO
From Japanese
典 (nori) meaning "rule, ceremony" or
紀 (nori) meaning "chronicle" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Nontle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Xhosa
Nogah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: נֹגַהּ(Ancient Hebrew)
Means
"brightness" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of King
David in the
Old Testament.
Njála
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic
Icelandic feminine form of
Njáll.
Niusha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: نیوشا(Persian)
Pronounced: nee-yoo-SHAW
Means "good listener" in Persian.
Nisha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Nepali
Other Scripts: निशा(Hindi, Marathi, Nepali) ನಿಶಾ(Kannada) നിഷാ(Malayalam) நிஷா(Tamil) నిషా(Telugu) નિશા(Gujarati) নিশা(Bengali)
From Sanskrit
निशा (niśā) meaning
"night".
Nirmala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Nepali, Indonesian
Other Scripts: निर्मला(Hindi, Marathi, Nepali) நிர்மலா(Tamil) నిర్మలా(Telugu) ನಿರ್ಮಲಾ(Kannada)
Pronounced: nir-MA-la(Indonesian)
Niobe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Νιόβη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NEE-O-BEH(Classical Greek) NIE-o-bee(English)
Meaning unknown. In Greek
mythology Niobe was the daughter of Tantalos, a king of Asia Minor. Because she boasted that she was superior to
Leto, Leto's children
Apollo and
Artemis killed her 14 children with poison arrows. In grief, Niobe was turned to stone by
Zeus.
Nile
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Possibly a variant of
Niles or after the river Nile.
Niilo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: NEE-lo
Nicola 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English
Pronounced: NI-ko-la(German) NIK-ə-lə(English)
Feminine form of
Nicholas. In the English-speaking world this name is more common outside of America, where
Nicole is more usual.
Nicasio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Galician
Italian, Spanish and Galician form of
Nicasius.
Ngọc
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: NGOWKP
From Sino-Vietnamese
玉 (ngọc) meaning
"jade, precious stone, gem".
Neža
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Slovene
Neus
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: NEWS
Nerida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indigenous Australian
Possibly means "water lily" in an Australian Aboriginal language.
Nephthys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
Other Scripts: Νέφθυς(Ancient Greek)
Greek form of Egyptian
nbt-ḥwt (reconstructed as
Nebet-Hut) meaning
"lady of the house", derived from
nbt "lady" and
ḥwt "house". This was the name of an Egyptian goddess associated with the air, death and mourning. She was wife of the desert god
Seth.
Neige
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare), French (Quebec)
Pronounced: NEZH(French, Belgian French) NIEZH(Quebec French)
Derived from French
neige "snow". The name is ultimately derived from the title of the Virgin Mary
Notre-Dame des Neiges "Our Lady of the Snows" (compare
Nieves).
Neassa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Navin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam
Other Scripts: नवीन(Hindi, Marathi) ನವೀನ್(Kannada) నవీన్(Telugu) நவீன்(Tamil) നവീൻ(Malayalam)
From Sanskrit
नव (nava) meaning
"new, fresh".
Natsumi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 夏美, 菜摘, etc.(Japanese Kanji) なつみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: NA-TSOO-MEE
From Japanese
夏 (natsu) meaning "summer" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". It can also come from
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" and
摘 (tsumi) meaning "pick, pluck". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Natsuko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 夏子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) なつこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: NA-TSOO-KO, NATS-KO
From Japanese
夏 (natsu) meaning "summer" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
Narda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Rare)
Naor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: נאור(Hebrew)
Pronounced: Naor, nah-OR
Means "enlightened" in Hebrew.
Naoki
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 直樹, etc.(Japanese Kanji) なおき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: NA-O-KYEE
From Japanese
直 (nao) meaning "straight, direct" and
樹 (ki) meaning "tree", as well as other combinations of different kanji with the same pronunciations.
Naoise
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: NEE-shə(Irish)
Meaning unknown, presumably of Irish origin. In Irish legend he was the young man who fled to Scotland with
Deirdre, who was due to marry
Conchobar the king of Ulster. Conchobar eventually succeeded in capturing Deirdre and killing Naoise, which caused Deirdre to die of grief.
Nanuli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Georgian
Other Scripts: ნანული(Georgian)
Nanami
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 七海, 菜々美(Japanese Kanji) ななみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: NA-NA-MEE
From Japanese
七 (nana) meaning "seven" and
海 (mi) meaning "sea". It can also come from
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" duplicated and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Naila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: نائلة(Arabic) نائلہ(Urdu)
Pronounced: NA-ee-la(Arabic)
Feminine form of
Nail. This was the name of the wife of
Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. She tried in vain to prevent a mob from murdering her husband, and had several fingers cut off in the process.
Nagendra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Kannada, Telugu
Other Scripts: नागेन्द्र, नागेंद्र(Sanskrit) ನಾಗೇಂದ್ರ(Kannada) నాగేంద్ర(Telugu)
Means
"lord of snakes" from Sanskrit
नाग (nāga) meaning "snake" (also "elephant") combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "lord". This is another name for Vasuki, the king of snakes, in Hindu
mythology.
Nabil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: نبيل(Arabic)
Pronounced: na-BEEL
Means "noble" in Arabic.
Morten
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: MO-dehn(Danish) MAWR-tən(Norwegian)
Danish and Norwegian form of
Martin.
Moriko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 森子(Japanese Kanji) もりこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MO-REE-KO
From Japanese
森 (mori) meaning "forest" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Montserrat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: moon-sə-RAT
From the name of a mountain near Barcelona, the site of a monastery founded in the 10th century. The mountain gets its name from Latin mons serratus meaning "jagged mountain".
Mojisola
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yoruba
Means "I wake up to wealth" in Yoruba.
Mishayla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Obscure (Modern)
Variant of
Michaela reflecting a different pronunciation or a combination of
Shayla with the prefix Mi-.
Ming
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 明, 铭, etc.(Chinese) 明, 銘, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: MEENG
From Chinese
明 (míng) meaning "bright, light, clear" or
铭 (míng) meaning "inscribe, engrave", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Minali
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: मीनाली(Hindi)
Means "fish catcher" in Sanskrit.
Min 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese, Korean
Other Scripts: 敏, 民, etc.(Chinese) 민(Korean Hangul) 敏, 旼, 民, 旻, 珉, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: MEEN
From
敏 (mǐn) meaning "quick, clever, sharp",
民 (mín) meaning "people, citizens", or other Chinese/Sino-Korean characters that are pronounced similarly.
Millaray
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Mapuche
Means "golden flower" in Mapuche, from milla "gold" and rayen "flower".
Miklós
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: MEEK-losh
Miguela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Pronounced: mee-GHEH-la(Spanish)
Mercè
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: mər-SEH
Meraud
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Meaning unknown, perhaps based on Cornish mor "sea".
Menahem
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew
Other Scripts: מְנַחֵם(Hebrew)
From the Hebrew name
מְנַחֵם (Menaḥem) meaning
"comforter", a derivative of
נָחַם (naḥam) meaning "to comfort". This was the name of a king of Israel, appearing in the
Old Testament. His reign was noted for its brutality.
Mehitabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: מְהֵיטַבְאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: mə-HIT-ə-behl(English)
Mehetav'el
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: מְהֵיטַבְאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Mehdi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian, Azerbaijani, Arabic (Maghrebi)
Other Scripts: مهدی(Persian) مهدي(Arabic)
Pronounced: mehh-DEE(Persian) MAH-dee(Arabic) MEH-DEE(French)
Persian, Azerbaijani and North African form of
Mahdi.
Megara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Popular Culture
Other Scripts: Μεγάρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: meg-AH-rah(Greek Mythology) MEG-AH-RA(Greek Mythology)
Either a variant of
Megaera or derived from either the Ancient Greek city Megara in West Attica, Greece, or the Ancient Greek colony in Sicily Megara Hyblaea, both derived from
megaron, from
megas 'large, great, marvelous', referring to a large hall.
In Greek mythology, Megara was the oldest daughter of Creon, king of Thebes. In reward for Heracles' defending Thebes from the Minyans at Orchomenus in single-handed battle, Creon offered his daughter Megara to Heracles. She bore him a son and a daughter, whom Heracles killed when Hera struck him with temporary madness. In some sources Heracles slew Megara too, in others, she was given to Iolaus when Heracles left Thebes forever.
In the Disney animated film Hercules, Megara, also called Meg, is a young woman who was a pawn for the Lord of the Underworld, Hades. Sometime during the events of Hercules, Meg went to Hades and sold her soul to revive a lover of hers who had died. Hades agreed on the condition that she serve him forever, which she accepted. However, shortly after her lover was revived, he fell in love with someone else and ungratefully left Meg locked in servitude to Hades. This background story of the character alludes to the myth of Alcestis, who dies by proxy for her husband Admetus.
Megaera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Μέγαιρα(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of Greek
Μέγαιρα (Megaira), which was derived from
μεγαίρω (megairo) meaning
"to grudge". This was the name of one of the Furies or
Ἐρινύες (Erinyes) in Greek
mythology. The name is used as a word in several European languages to denote a shrewish, ill-tempered woman (for example, French
mégère and Italian
megera).
Medea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Georgian
Other Scripts: Μήδεια(Ancient Greek) მედეა(Georgian)
Pronounced: mə-DEE-ə(English) MEH-DEH-AH(Georgian)
From Greek
Μήδεια (Medeia), derived from
μήδεα (medea) meaning
"plans, counsel, cunning". In Greek
mythology Medea was a sorceress from Colchis (modern Georgia) who helped
Jason gain the Golden Fleece. They were married, but eventually Jason left her for another woman. For revenge Medea slew Jason's new lover and also had her own children by Jason killed.
Mayamiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chewa
Pronounced: mah-yah-MEE-ko
Means "praise, gratitude" in Chewa.
Maurycy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: mow-RI-tsi
Matleena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: MAHT-leh-nah
Marzia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: MAR-tsya
Martitia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Rare, Archaic)
Pronounced: mahr-TISH-ə
19th-century coinage of unknown origin and meaning. It may be a blend of
Mary or
Martha and
Letitia.
Martina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Hungarian, English, Swedish, Dutch, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Мартина(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: mar-TEE-na(German, Italian, Spanish) mər-TEE-nə(Catalan) MAR-kyi-na(Czech) MAR-tee-na(Slovak) MAWR-tee-naw(Hungarian) mahr-TEEN-ə(English) mahr-TEE-na(Dutch)
Feminine form of
Martinus (see
Martin).
Saint Martina was a 3rd-century martyr who is one of the patron saints of Rome.
Marsaili
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Pronounced: MAR-si-li
Mariko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 真里子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) まりこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MA-REE-KO
From Japanese
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine",
里 (ri) meaning "village" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Many different combinations of kanji characters can form this name.
Malai
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Thai
Other Scripts: มาลัย(Thai)
Pronounced: ma-LIE
Means "garland of flowers" in Thai.
Maeva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tahitian, French
Pronounced: MA-EH-VA(French)
Means "welcome" in Tahitian. It gained popularity in France during the 1980s.
Luxa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
The name of a young queen in 'The Underland Chronicles' by Suzanne Collins. Probably a feminized version of
Lux.
Lusineh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Լուսինե(Armenian)
Pronounced: loo-see-NEH
Lule
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Means "flower" in Albanian.
Lotte
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, German
Pronounced: LAW-tə(Dutch, German)
Lórien
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Literature, English (Modern)
Pronounced: LAH-ree-en(British English) LOR-ee-en(American English)
From the Sindarin name Lothlórien, an Elven city in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Named for a land called Lórien in Aman, from which Galadriel had been exiled, Lothlórien means Lórien of the Blossom. Often shortened to Lórien, which means "Land of Gold," although it often carries with it the meaning "dream." (Treebeard referred to it as "The Dreamflower.")
In Tolkien's Silmarillion, Lórien, also known as Irmo, is one of the two Valar brothers known as Feanturi (the root of which is 'fëa'). Irmo resides and keeps the garden of Lórien, in Valinor, which was known as the fairest of all places in the world and filled with many spirits of beauty and power. His wife is Estë the gentle.
Llyan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
The name of a giant cat in 'The Chronicles of Prydain' by Lloyd Alexander. Possibly a Welsh name.
Liliosa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical), Spanish (Philippines)
Feminine diminutive of Latin lilium "lily". This name belonged to an Iberian Christian woman martyred in Córdoba, Andalusia c.852 under Emir Abd ar-Rahman II, along with her husband Felix, his cousin Aurelius and Aurelius' wife Natalia.
Lileas
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic
Liborio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Italian (particularly Sicilian) form of
Liborius.
Lasaraleen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Aravis's friend in 'The Horse and His Boy' by C.S. Lewis.
Laoise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: LEE-shə
Possibly a newer form of
Luigsech, or from the name of the county of Laois in central Ireland. It is also used as an Irish form of
Lucy or
Louise.
Kyo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 協, 京, 郷, 杏, etc.(Japanese Kanji) きょう(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KYO
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
協 or
京 or
郷 or
杏 (see
Kyō).
Kun
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 坤, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: KWUN
From Chinese
坤 (kūn) meaning "earth, female", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Kumari
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Telugu
Other Scripts: कुमारी(Sanskrit, Hindi) కుమారి(Telugu)
Pronounced: kuw-MAH-ree(Hindi)
Feminine form of
Kumara. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata Kumari is the wife of the warrior
Bhima. This is also another name of the Hindu goddess
Durga.
Kreskes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Κρήσκης(Ancient Greek)
Kresimir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Slavic (Hypothetical) [1]
Kotryna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Kornél
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: KOR-nehl
Kohaku
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 琥珀(Japanese Kanji) こはく(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KO-HA-KOO
From Japanese
琥珀 (kohaku) meaning "amber".
Kofi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Akan
Means "born on Friday" in Akan.
Kleio
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Greek
Other Scripts: Κλειώ(Greek)
Pronounced: KLEH-AW(Classical Greek)
Derived from Greek
κλέος (kleos) meaning
"glory". In Greek
mythology she was the goddess of history and heroic poetry, one of the nine Muses. She was said to have introduced the alphabet to Greece.
Klahan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Thai
Other Scripts: กล้าหาญ(Thai)
Pronounced: kla-HAN
Means "brave" in Thai.
Kiyoko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 清子, 聖子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) きよこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KYEE-YO-KO
From Japanese
清 (kiyo) meaning "clear, pure, clean" or
聖 (kiyo) meaning "holy" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
Kirsikka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: KEER-seek-kah
Means "cherry" in Finnish.
Kinga
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Hungarian
Pronounced: KEENG-ga(Polish) KEENG-gaw(Hungarian)
Khalil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Urdu
Other Scripts: خليل(Arabic) خلیل(Persian, Urdu)
Pronounced: kha-LEEL(Arabic)
Means "friend" in Arabic.
Keone
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: keh-O-neh
Means "the homeland" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and one "sand, homeland".
Keelin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: KEE-lin(English)
Kazuki
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 一輝, 一樹, 和希, 和樹, etc.(Japanese Kanji) かずき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KA-ZOO-KYEE
From Japanese
一 (kazu) meaning "one" or
和 (kazu) meaning "harmony, peace" combined with
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness",
希 (ki) meaning "hope" or
樹 (ki) meaning "tree", as well as other combinations of kanji characters.
Kayla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY-lə
Combination of the popular phonetic elements
kay and
la. Use of the name greatly increased after 1982 when the character Kayla Brady began appearing on the American soap opera
Days of Our Lives [1].
Kaveh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Persian, Persian Mythology
Other Scripts: کاوه(Persian)
Pronounced: kaw-VEH(Persian)
Meaning unknown. In the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh Kaveh is a blacksmith who leads a rebellion against the evil ruler Zahhak.
Kauko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: KOW-ko
Means "far away" in Finnish.
Katinka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Hungarian, Dutch
Pronounced: ka-TING-ka(German, Dutch) KAW-teeng-kaw(Hungarian)
Katida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Esperanto
Pronounced: ka-TEE-da
From Esperanto katido meaning "kitten", ultimately from Latin cattus.
Kasumi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 霞, 花澄, etc.(Japanese Kanji) かすみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KA-SOO-MEE
From Japanese
霞 (kasumi) meaning "mist". It can also come from
花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" combined with
澄 (sumi) meaning "clear, pure". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Kasım
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: ka-SUM
Kanya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Thai
Other Scripts: กัญญา(Thai)
Pronounced: kan-YA
Means "young woman" in Thai.
Kambujiya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Persian
Other Scripts: 𐎣𐎲𐎢𐎪𐎡𐎹(Old Persian)
Kaisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: KIE-sah(Finnish)
Kagome
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese, Popular Culture
Other Scripts: 籠目, 香籠(Japanese Kanji) かごめ(Japanese Hiragana)
From Japanese kanji 籠目 (
kagome) that indicates the shape of the holes in a traditional basket (hexagon), the woven material and the basket itself which was often used as a birdcage. Kagome can derive also from 香籠 (
kagome) an obsolete combination meaning "fragrance; incense".
Other kanji combinations are possible.
Kagome Kagome (かごめかごめ, or 籠目籠目) is a Japanese children's game and the song associated with it.
Kagome Higurashi is the main character in the famous franchise 'Inuyasha'. Her name was referred to the caged bird in the traditional song.
Ju
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 菊, 巨, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: CHUY
From Chinese
菊 (jú) meaning "chrysanthemum" (which is usually only feminine) or
巨 (jù) meaning "big, enormous" (usually only masculine), besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Johann
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: YO-han
German form of
Iohannes (see
John). Famous bearers include German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), German novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), and Austrian composers Johann Strauss the Elder (1804-1849) and his son Johann Strauss the Younger (1825-1899).
Jing
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 静, 精, 晶, 京, etc.(Chinese) 靜, 精, 晶, 京, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: CHEENG
From Chinese
静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle",
精 (jīng) meaning "essence, spirit",
晶 (jīng) meaning "clear, crystal" or
京 (jīng) meaning "capital city". Other characters can also form this name.
Jiang
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 江, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: CHYANG
From Chinese
江 (jiāng) meaning "river, Yangtze", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Jesper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: YEHS-bu(Danish) YEHS-pehr(Swedish)
Jens
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic
Pronounced: YEHNS(Danish) YENS(Swedish)
Jennet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic), Medieval English, Medieval Scottish, Scottish (Archaic)
Variant of
Janet found in medieval documents from England, Scotland and Ireland.
Jenifry
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Pronounced: JEN-i-free
Jenica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Jengo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swahili (Rare)
Means "building" in Swahili.
Jeffrey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEHF-ree
Medieval variant of
Geoffrey. In America,
Jeffrey has been more common than
Geoffrey, though this is not true in Britain.
Jarl
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Norse Mythology, Old Norse [1]
Pronounced: YAHRL(Norwegian, Swedish, Danish)
Means
"chieftain, nobleman" in Old Norse (a
cognate of the English word
earl). In the Norse poem
Rígsþula Jarl is the son of the god Ríg and the founder of the race of warriors.
January
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish (Rare)
Pronounced: ya-noo-WA-ri
Jameela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: جميلة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ja-MEE-la
Izumi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 泉, etc.(Japanese Kanji) いずみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: EE-ZOO-MEE
From Japanese
泉 (izumi) meaning "fountain, spring". This name can also be constructed from other combinations of kanji.
Iulia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: YOO-lee-a
Latin and Romanian form of
Julia.
Ishbel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Iseul
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 이슬(Korean Hangul)
Pronounced: EE-SUL
Means "dew" in Korean.
Iole
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἰόλη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EE-O-LEH(Classical Greek) IE-ə-lee(English)
Ioanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ιωάννα(Greek) Ἰωάννα(Ancient Greek)
Imelda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: ee-MEHL-da
Italian and Spanish form of
Irmhild. The Blessed Imelda Lambertini was a young 14th-century nun from Bologna.
Ila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Inuit
Yupik word for "companion" or "associate."
Ignatius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Pronounced: ig-NAY-shəs(English)
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.
Hyun
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 현(Korean Hangul) 賢, 顯, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: KHYUN
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul
현 (see
Hyeon).
Hypatia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ὑπατία(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
ὕπατος (hypatos) meaning
"highest, supreme". Hypatia of Alexandria was a 5th-century philosopher and mathematician, daughter of the mathematician Theon.
Huan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 欢, etc.(Chinese) 歡, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: KHWAN
From Chinese
欢 (huān) meaning "happy, pleased", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Hristina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Христина(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian)
Pronounced: khree-STEE-nə(Bulgarian) khrees-TEE-na(Macedonian)
Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian form of
Christina.
Hotaru
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 蛍(Japanese Kanji) ほたる(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: HO-TA-ROO
From Japanese
蛍 (hotaru) meaning "firefly".
Hinata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 日向, 陽向, 向日葵, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ひなた(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-NA-TA
From Japanese
日向 (hinata) meaning "sunny place",
陽向 (hinata) meaning "toward the sun", or a non-standard reading of
向日葵 (himawari) meaning "sunflower". Other kanji compounds are also possible. Because of the irregular readings, this name is often written using the hiragana writing system.
Hildegarde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Pronounced: EEL-DU-GARD
Hilary
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HIL-ə-ree
Medieval English form of
Hilarius or
Hilaria. During the Middle Ages it was primarily a masculine name. It was revived in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century as a predominantly feminine name. In America, this name and the variant
Hillary seemed to drop in popularity after Hillary Clinton (1947-) became the first lady in 1993. Famous bearers include American actresses Hilary Swank (1974-) and Hilary Duff (1987-).
Hibiki
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 響(Japanese Kanji) ひびき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-BEE-KYEE
From Japanese
響 (hibiki) meaning "sound, echo".
Henda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: הענדע, הענדאַ(Yiddish)
Hemming
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish (Rare), Norwegian (Rare), Danish (Rare)
Perhaps derived from Old Norse hamr "shape", and possibly originally a nickname for a person believed to be a shape changer.
Heliodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Rare), Portuguese (Rare), Polish (Rare)
Pronounced: e-lyo-DHO-a(Spanish, Portuguese)
Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of
Heliodoro and Polish feminine form of
Heliodor.
Haralamb
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian (Rare)
Hannele
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: HAHN-neh-leh
Hanifa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: حنيفة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ha-NEE-fa
Hande
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
From Persian
خنده (khandeh) meaning
"laughter, smile".
Halina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Галіна(Belarusian)
Pronounced: kha-LEE-na(Polish) gha-LYEE-na(Belarusian)
Polish and Belarusian form of
Galina.
Hajnal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: HIE-nawl
Means "dawn" in Hungarian.
Hagar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: הָגָר(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: HAY-gahr(American English) HAY-gah(British English)
Possibly means
"flight" in Hebrew, though it could also be of unknown Egyptian origin. According to the
Old Testament she was the second wife of
Abraham and the mother of
Ishmael, the founder of the Arab people. After Abraham's first wife
Sarah finally gave birth to a child, she had Hagar and Ishmael expelled into the desert. However, God heard their crying and saved them.
Gyöngyi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: GYUUN-gyee
From Hungarian gyöngy meaning "pearl", of Turkic origin.
Gyneth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Perhaps a variant of
Gwyneth, used by Walter Scott for the daughter of King
Arthur and
Guendolen in his poem
The Bridal of Triermain (1813).
Gyeong
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Korean
Other Scripts: 경(Korean Hangul) 京, 景, 敬, etc.(Korean Hanja)
Pronounced: KYUNG
From Sino-Korean
京 (gyeong) meaning "capital city",
景 (gyeong) meaning "scenery, view",
敬 (gyeong) meaning "respect, honour", or other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.
Gwandoya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ganda
Means "met with misery" in Luganda.
Gustav
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German, Czech
Pronounced: GUYS-stav(Swedish) GUWS-taf(German) GOOS-taf(Czech)
Possibly means
"staff of the Geats", derived from the Old Norse elements
gautr meaning "Geat" and
stafr meaning "staff". However, the root name
Gautstafr is not well attested in the Old Norse period. Alternatively, it might be derived from the Old Slavic name
Gostislav.
This name has been borne by six kings of Sweden, including the 16th-century Gustav I Vasa. Another notable bearer was the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt (1862-1918).
Günel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Azerbaijani
Derived from the Turkic elements
gün "sun" and
el "country, society".
Gulnora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Uzbek
Other Scripts: Гулнора(Uzbek)
Gulnara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Georgian, Azerbaijani
Other Scripts: Гүлнара(Kazakh, Kyrgyz) გულნარა(Georgian) Гульнара(Russian)
Pronounced: guyl-nah-RAH(Kazakh)
Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Georgian form of
Golnar, as well as a simplified Azerbaijani variant.
Gulnar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kazakh
Other Scripts: Гүлнар(Kazakh)
Pronounced: guyl-NAHR
Gracia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: GRA-thya(European Spanish) GRA-sya(Latin American Spanish)
Golnar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: گلنار(Persian)
Means
"pomegranate flower", derived from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower" and
نار (nār) meaning "pomegranate".
Glimmer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: GLIM-ər
From the English word meaning "to shine". This name was used in Suzanne Collins' popular book, 'The Hunger Games'.
Glenda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GLEHN-də
Probably a feminine form of
Glenn using the suffix
da (from names such as
Linda and
Wanda). This name was not regularly used until the 20th century.
Gillian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIL-ee-ən, GIL-ee-ən
Medieval English feminine form of
Julian. This spelling has been in use since the 13th century, though it was not declared a distinct name from
Julian until the 17th century
[1].
Ghoncheh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: غنچه(Persian)
Pronounced: kon-CHEH
Means "flower bud" in Persian.
Geraint
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GEHR-ient(Welsh) jə-RAYNT(English)
Meaning unknown, possibly a Welsh form of
Gerontius. This was the name of a figure in various Welsh legends. He was also incorporated into Arthurian tales (the romance
Geraint and Enid) as one of the Knights of the Round Table and the husband of
Enid.
Geoffrey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JEHF-ree(English) ZHAW-FREH(French)
From a Norman French form of a Frankish name. The second element is Old German
fridu "peace", while the first element could be *
gautaz "Geat" (a North Germanic tribe),
gawi "territory" or
walah "foreigner". It is possible that two or more names merged into a single form. In the later Middle Ages
Geoffrey was further confused with the distinct name
Godfrey.
The Normans introduced this name to England where it became common among the nobility. Famous medieval literary bearers include the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth and the 14th-century poet Geoffrey Chaucer, writer of The Canterbury Tales. By the end of the Middle Ages it had become uncommon, but it was revived in the 20th century, often in the spelling Jeffrey.
Gavriela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Hebrew
Other Scripts: Γαβριέλα(Greek)
Pronounced: gahv-ree-YE-lah(Greek) gohv-ree-el-ah(Hebrew)
Hebrew feminine form of
Gabriel. It is rarely used as Greek female form of
Gavriil.
Gavrail
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Гавраил(Bulgarian)
Gautier
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: GO-TYEH
Galina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Галина(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: gu-LYEE-nə(Russian)
Russian and Bulgarian feminine form of
Galenos (see
Galen).
Fridenot
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Derived from the Old German elements
fridu "peace" and
not "need".
Françoise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: FRAHN-SWAZ
Forsythia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: fawr-SITH-ee-ə, for-SIDH-ee-ə
From the name of
forsythia, any of a genus of shrubs that produce yellow flowers in spring. They were named in honour of the British botanist William Forsyth (1737-1804), whose surname was derived from Gaelic
Fearsithe, a personal name meaning literally "man of peace" (cf.
Fearsithe,
Forsythe).
Fionnuala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Means
"white shoulder" from Old Irish
finn "white, blessed" and
gúala "shoulder". In Irish legend Fionnuala was one of the four children of
Lir who were transformed into swans for a period of 900 years.
Fionn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: FYIN(Irish) FYUWN(Irish) FYOON(Irish) FIN(English)
From the Old Irish name
Finn, derived from
finn meaning
"white, blessed". It occurs frequently in Irish history and legends, the most noteworthy bearer being Fionn mac Cumhaill, the central character of one of the four main cycles of Irish
mythology, the Fenian Cycle. Fionn was born as
Deimne, and acquired his nickname because of his fair hair. He grew all-wise by eating an enchanted salmon, and later became the leader of the Fianna after defeating the fire-breathing demon Áillen. He was the father of
Oisín and grandfather of
Oscar.
Finlay
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: FIN-lee(English)
Anglicized form of
Fionnlagh. This spelling is more common in Scotland, though in England and Wales the variant
Finley has been more popular since 2007.
Fiachra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: FYEEYKH-rə(Irish)
From Old Irish
Fiachrae, possibly from
fiach "raven" or
fích "battle" combined with
rí "king". This was the name of several legendary figures, including one of the four children of
Lir transformed into swans for a period of 900 years. This is also the name of the patron
saint of gardeners: a 7th-century Irish abbot who settled in France, usually called Saint Fiacre.
Fereshteh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: فرشته(Persian)
Pronounced: feh-resh-TEH
Means "angel" in Persian.
Fen 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian
Originally a Frisian short form of
Ferdinand (and other names starting with the Old German element
fridu "peace" and a second element beginning with
n [1]).
Fairuza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic (Rare)
Eydís
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse [1], Icelandic
Derived from the Old Norse elements
ey "good fortune" or "island" and
dís "goddess".
Euthalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Greek
Other Scripts: Εὐθαλία(Ancient Greek)
Means
"flower, bloom" from the Greek word
εὐθάλεια (euthaleia), itself derived from
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
θάλλω (thallo) meaning "to blossom". This name was borne by a 3rd-century
saint and martyr from Sicily.
Euphrasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Εὐφρασία(Ancient Greek)
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.
Estrella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ehs-TREH-ya
Personal remark: Correct Spanish pronunciation
Spanish form of
Stella 1, coinciding with the Spanish word meaning "star".
Estelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: ehs-TEHL(English) EHS-TEHL(French)
From an Old French name meaning
"star", ultimately derived from Latin
stella. It was rare in the English-speaking world in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due to the character Estella Havisham in Charles Dickens' novel
Great Expectations (1860).
Esma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Bosnian
Turkish and Bosnian form of
Asma.
Eser
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: eh-SEHR
Means "product, achievement" in Turkish.
Esen
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: eh-SEHN
Means "the wind" in Turkish.
Enrica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: ehn-REE-ka
Emlyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EHM-lin
From the name of an ancient region of southwestern Wales, its name meaning
"around the valley" from Welsh
am "around" and
glyn "valley". It has also been suggested that this name is a Welsh form of Latin
Aemilianus (see
Emiliano), though this appears to be unfounded.
Elrohir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Literature name from J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings', which means 'Elf-knight'. Elrohir was one of the twin sons of Lord Elrond.
Elric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English
Pronounced: EHL-rik(English)
Elm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Catalan, English
Catalan form of
Elmo, as well as a short form of
Elmer. The name may also be taken directly from the English word
elm, a type of tree.
Eliakim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: אֶלְיָקִים(Ancient Hebrew)
Means
"God raises" in Hebrew, from the roots
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God" and
קוּם (qum) meaning "to raise". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the master of
Hezekiah's household.
Eirik
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
Pronounced: AY-rik
Norwegian form of
Eiríkr (see
Eric).
Eidel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: איידל(Yiddish)
Means "delicate" in Yiddish.
Eha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Estonian
Means "dusk" in Estonian.
Efthalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ευθαλία(Greek)
Eero
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: EH-ro(Finnish)
Finnish and Estonian form of
Eric. A famous bearer was the architect Eero Saarinen (1910-1961).
Eduardo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: eh-DHWAR-dho(Spanish)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Edward.
Edmundo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: edh-MOON-do(Spanish)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Edmund.
Edgar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, German
Pronounced: EHD-gər(American English) EHD-gə(British English) EHD-GAR(French)
Derived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
gar "spear". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, Edgar the Peaceful. The name did not survive long after the
Norman Conquest, but it was revived in the 18th century, in part due to a character by this name in Walter Scott's novel
The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), which tells of the tragic love between Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton
[1]. Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).
Dunstan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare), Anglo-Saxon [1]
Pronounced: DUN-stən(English)
From the Old English elements
dunn "dark" and
stan "stone". This name was borne by a 10th-century
saint, the archbishop of Canterbury. It was occasionally used in the Middle Ages, though it died out after the 16th century. It was revived by the Tractarian movement in the 19th century.
Duff
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: DUF
From a Scottish or Irish surname, derived from Anglicized spellings of Gaelic dubh meaning "dark".
Dov
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: דּוֹב(Hebrew)
Pronounced: DOV
Means "bear" in Hebrew.
Djehuti
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Hypothetical)
Reconstructed Egyptian form of
Thoth.
Disa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Old Swedish
Pronounced: DEE-sah(Swedish)
From a medieval Swedish form of the Old Norse name
Dísa, a short form of other feminine names containing the element
dís "goddess". This is the name of a genus of South African orchids, which honours a heroine in Swedish legend. Disa has also been used as a Swedish short form of
Desideria.
Đình
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: DING, DIN
From Sino-Vietnamese
廷 (đình) meaning
"courtyard".
Diego
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Italian
Pronounced: DYEH-gho(Spanish) DYEH-go(Italian)
Spanish name, possibly a shortened form of
Santiago. In medieval records
Diego was Latinized as
Didacus, and it has been suggested that it in fact derives from Greek
διδαχή (didache) meaning
"teaching".
Saint Didacus (or Diego) was a 15th-century Franciscan brother based in Alcalá, Spain.
Other famous bearers of this name include Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (1886-1957) and Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona (1960-2020).
Didier
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: DEE-DYEH
Diarmuid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Devnet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: DEHV-nət(English)
Denver
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHN-vər(American English) DEHN-və(British English)
From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "Dane ford" in Old English. This is the name of the capital city of Colorado, which was named for the politician James W. Denver (1817-1892).
Deniel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton
Dasha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Даша(Russian)
Pronounced: DA-shə
Darya 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: دریا(Persian)
Pronounced: dar-YAW
Means "sea, ocean" in Persian.
Dakarai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Shona
Means "rejoice" in Shona.
Dain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature, Norse Mythology
Dain II Ironfoot was the Lord of the Iron Hills and King Under the Mountain in J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Tolkien derived it from
Dáinn, the name of a dwarf in Norse mythology.
Cyrielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
French feminine form of
Cyril.
Cyra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Meaning unknown.
Saint Cyra was a 5th-century Syrian hermit who was martyred with her companion Marana.
Cumhur
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: joom-HOOR
Means "public, people" in Turkish.
Crescenzo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: kresh-SHEHN-tso
Cove
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KOV
From the English vocabulary word cove, which refers to a small coastal inlet.
Cordélie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Quebec, Rare)
Colwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
From the name of a bay and seaside town in Conwy, Wales.
Clémentine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KLEH-MAHN-TEEN
Personal remark: ending in tine like line not teen sound
French feminine form of
Clement. This is also the name of a variety of orange (fruit).
Citlali
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Nahuatl
Cirleia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese (Brazilian)
Cirila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Slovene
Slovene feminine form of
Cyril.
Cíntia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese
Cinnamon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SIN-ə-mən
From the English word cinnamon, denoting a type of spice obtained from the bark of several tree species belonging to the genus Cinnamomum. It is derived from Latin cinnamomum "cinnamon", which was also used as a term of endearment. It began to be used in the United States after the debut of the television series Mission: Impossible (1966-1973), which featured the character Cinnamon Carter.
Chun
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 春, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: CHWUN
From Chinese
春 (chūn) meaning "spring (season)" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Chulda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: חוּלְדָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Biblical Hebrew form of
Huldah.
Chinatsu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 千夏, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ちなつ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: CHEE-NA-TSOO
From Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and
夏 (natsu) meaning "summer", as well as other kanji combinations.
Chima
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Igbo
Means
"God knows" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
má meaning "know".
Chesed
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: חֶסֶד(Hebrew)
Means "kindness, goodness" in Hebrew.
Channary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Khmer
Means
"moon-faced girl" from Khmer
ចន្ទ (chan) meaning "moon" and
នារី (neari) meaning "woman, girl".
Chalisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Thai
Other Scripts: ชาลิสา(Thai)
Pronounced: cha-lee-SA
Celosia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare, Archaic)
Taken from the name of the flower, whose name is derived from Greek κηλος (kelos) "burned".
Céline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SEH-LEEN
French feminine form of
Caelinus. This name can also function as a short form of
Marceline.
Celestina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian
Pronounced: theh-lehs-TEE-na(European Spanish) seh-lehs-TEE-na(Latin American Spanish) cheh-leh-STEE-na(Italian)
Cassandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κασσάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-SAN-drə(English) kə-SAHN-drə(English)
From the Greek name
Κασσάνδρα (Kassandra), possibly derived from
κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning "to excel, to shine" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek
myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of
Priam and
Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by
Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.
In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.
Carrie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAR-ee, KEHR-ee
Diminutive of
Caroline. This name declined in use shortly after the 1976 release of the horror movie
Carrie, which was based on a 1974 novel by Stephen King.
Cardea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: KAR-deh-a(Latin)
Derived from Latin cardo meaning "hinge, axis". This was the name of the Roman goddess of thresholds, door pivots, and change.
Camila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: ka-MEE-la(Spanish)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Camilla.
Caledonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kal-i-DO-ni-ə
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.
Breccán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Irish
Derived from Irish
brecc "freckled, speckled" combined with a diminutive suffix, making it a cognate of
Brychan. This was a common name in early Ireland, borne by at least 13 saints.
Bluebell
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Popular Culture
Pronounced: BLOO-bel(English)
From the name of the flower, used to some extent as a first name when flower names were in vogue at the end of the 19th century.
Bisera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Бисера(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Derived from the South Slavic word
бисер (biser) meaning
"pearl" (ultimately of Arabic origin).
Berkant
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
From Turkish berk meaning "mighty, firm, solid" and ant meaning "oath".
Berjouhi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Պերճուհի(Armenian)
Pronounced: behr-joo-HEE(Western Armenian)
Western Armenian transcription of
Perchuhi.
Berenice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Βερενίκη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: bər-NEES(American English) bə-NEES(British English) behr-ə-NIE-see(English) behr-ə-NEE-see(English) beh-reh-NEE-cheh(Italian)
Latinized form of
Βερενίκη (Berenike), the Macedonian form of the Greek name
Φερενίκη (Pherenike), which meant
"bringing victory" from
φέρω (phero) meaning "to bring" and
νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". This name was common among the Ptolemy ruling family of Egypt, a dynasty that was originally from Macedon. It occurs briefly in Acts in the
New Testament (in most English Bibles it is spelled
Bernice) belonging to a sister of King Herod Agrippa II. As an English name,
Berenice came into use after the
Protestant Reformation.
Benoni
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, French (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare), Flemish
Other Scripts: בֶּן־אוֹנִי(Ancient Hebrew)
From the Hebrew name בֶּן־אוֹנִי
(Ben-'oniy) meaning "son of my sorrow". This was the original name of
Benjamin ("son of the right hand"), whose father, Jacob, renamed him in Genesis 35:18 (the name Benoni having been given by his mother, Rachel).
Beatrycze
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish (Rare)
Pronounced: beh-a-TRI-cheh
Beatriz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: beh-a-TREETH(European Spanish) beh-a-TREES(Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese) byu-TREESH(European Portuguese)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Beatrix.
Bardo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic
Perhaps a short form of
Bardolph or other Germanic names containing the element
bard meaning "small axe" (in some cases "beard"). It was borne by a saint, an 11th-century archbishop of Mainz whom Pope Saint Leo IX advised to "lighten his duties and relax some of his personal austerities and mortifications".
Banjo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname
Banjo. Occasionally used in homage to various persons using the byname, such as Australian poet Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson or American race car driver Edwin “Banjo” Matthews.
Aziza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Uzbek, Kyrgyz
Other Scripts: عزيزة(Arabic) Азиза(Uzbek, Kyrgyz)
Pronounced: ‘a-ZEE-za(Arabic)
Ayodele
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yoruba
Means "joy has come home" in Yoruba.
Aynur
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Azerbaijani, Uyghur
Other Scripts: ئاينۇر(Uyghur Arabic)
Means
"moonlight" in Turkish, Azerbaijani and Uyghur, ultimately from Turkic
ay meaning "moon" and Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light".
Aylin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh
Other Scripts: Айлин(Kazakh)
Elaborated form of Turkish or Azerbaijani
ay meaning
"moon".
Aygül
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Uyghur, Azerbaijani
Other Scripts: ئايگۈل(Uyghur Arabic)
Derived from the Turkic element
ay meaning "moon" combined with Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose". In some languages this is also a name for a variety of flowering plant that grows in central Asia (species Fritillaria eduardii).
Ayane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 彩音, 綾音, 絢音, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あやね(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-YA-NEH
From Japanese
彩 (aya) meaning "colour",
綾 (aya) meaning "design" or
絢 (aya) meaning "brilliant fabric design, kimono design" combined with
音 (ne) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Aviva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֲבִיבָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ah-VEE-vah
Feminine variant of
Aviv.
Avdotya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Авдотья(Russian)
Austėja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian, Baltic Mythology
Means "to weave" in Lithuanian. This was the name of the Lithuanian goddess of bees.
Aušra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Means "dawn" in Lithuanian.
Aukusti
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: OW-koos-tee
Atalante
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Αταλαντη(Ancient Greek)
Original Greek form of
Atalanta. This was borne by a sister of the 4th-century BC Macedonian general Perdiccas.
Atalanta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀταλάντη(Ancient Greek)
From the Greek
Ἀταλάντη (Atalante) meaning
"equal in weight", derived from
ἀτάλαντος (atalantos), a word related to
τάλαντον (talanton) meaning "a scale, a balance". In Greek legend she was a fast-footed maiden who refused to marry anyone who could not beat her in a race. She was eventually defeated by Hippomenes, who dropped three golden apples during the race causing her to stop to pick them up.
Arvid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: AR-vid(Swedish)
From the Old Norse name
Arnviðr, derived from the elements
ǫrn "eagle" and
viðr "tree".
Arrow
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: AR-o, ER-o
From the English word arrow, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European *h₂érkʷo- "bow, arrow".
Arrietty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: ar-ee-EH-tee
Possibly a variant of
Harriet. This is the name of a character from 'The Borrowers' by Mary Norton.
Armand
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Catalan
Pronounced: AR-MAHN(French) ər-MAN(Catalan)
French and Catalan form of
Herman.
Arcadius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀρκάδιος(Ancient Greek)
Arcadia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: ar-KA-dhya
Feminine form of
Arcadius. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.
Aqila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: عقيلة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ‘a-KEE-la
Apphia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: Ἀπφία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AF-ee-ə(English) AP-fee-ə(English)
Greek form of a Hebrew name that possibly meant
"increasing". This is a name mentioned in
Paul's epistle to
Philemon in the
New Testament.
Apolline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-PAW-LEEN
Aoide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀοιδή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ay-EE-dee(English)
Means
"song" in Greek. In Greek
mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.
Antoine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, African American
Pronounced: AHN-TWAN(French) an-TWAWN(English)
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.
Anit
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: अनीत(Hindi)
Possibly from Sanskrit
अनीत (anīta) meaning
"not guided".
Aniela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: a-NYEH-la
Aneira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: a-NAY-ra
Feminine form of
Aneirin, also considered a combination of Welsh
an, an intensifying prefix, and
eira "snow" (see
Eira 1), with the intended meaning of "much snow" or "very snowy". It was first used in the late 19th century.
Anastasiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Анастасия(Russian, Bulgarian) Анастасія(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: u-nu-stu-SYEE-yə(Russian) u-nu-stu-SYEE-yu(Ukrainian) a-na-sta-SYEE-ya(Belarusian) a-na-sta-SEE-ya(Bulgarian)
Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of
Anastasia. This name was borne by the wife of the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible.
Anastasie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French, Romanian (Rare)
Pronounced: A-NAS-TA-ZEE(French)
Anargul
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kazakh
Other Scripts: Анаргүл(Kazakh)
Pronounced: ah-nahr-GUYL
Means "blooming pomegranate tree" in Kazakh.
Anara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kazakh, Kyrgyz
Other Scripts: Анара(Kazakh, Kyrgyz)
Pronounced: ah-nah-RAH(Kazakh)
From Kazakh and Kyrgyz
анар (anar) meaning
"pomegranate", a word ultimately derived from Persian.
Anar 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Azerbaijani
Means "he will remember, he will commemorate" in Azerbaijani.
Amit 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: עָמִית(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ah-MEET
Means "friend" in Hebrew.
Aminata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Western African
Form of
Amina 1 used in West Africa.
Amalija
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian, Slovene, Croatian
Lithuanian, Slovene and Croatian form of
Amalia.
Alyson
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AL-i-sən
Alyosha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Алёша(Russian)
Pronounced: u-LYUY-shə
Alyona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Алёна(Russian) Альона(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: u-LYUY-nə(Russian)
Ali 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Pashto, Indonesian, Malay, Avar, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, Dhivehi, Albanian, Bosnian
Other Scripts: عليّ(Arabic) علی(Persian, Urdu) علي(Pashto) ГӀали(Avar) Әли(Kazakh) Али(Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Russian) Алӣ(Tajik) ޢަލީ(Dhivehi)
Pronounced: ‘A-leey(Arabic) a-LEE(Persian, Turkish, Tajik Persian) A-lee(Indonesian, Malay) u-LYEE(Russian)
Means
"lofty, sublime" in Arabic, from the root
علا (ʿalā) meaning "to be high". Ali ibn Abi Talib was a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet
Muhammad and the fourth caliph to rule the Muslim world. His followers were the original Shia Muslims, who regard him as the first rightful caliph.
This name is borne by the hero in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, the tale of a man who finds the treasure trove of a band of thieves. Another famous bearer was the boxer Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), who changed his name from Cassius Clay upon his conversion to Islam.
Alexei
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Алексей(Russian)
Pronounced: u-lyi-KSYAY
Alexandrie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Pronounced: A-LEHK-SAHN-DREE
Alem
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bosnian
Alejandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: a-leh-KHAN-dra
Albane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
French feminine form of
Alban.
Alastar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: A-lə-stər
Akhil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam
Other Scripts: अखिल(Hindi) అఖిల్(Telugu) അഖിൽ(Malayalam)
From Sanskrit
अखिल (akhila) meaning
"whole, complete".
Aimi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 愛美, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あいみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-EE-MEE
From Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
Aigle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Αἴγλη(Ancient Greek)
Aida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Bosnian, Albanian, Literature
Other Scripts: عائدة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ‘A-ee-da(Arabic) ah-EE-də(English)
Variant of
Ayda. This name was used in Verdi's opera
Aida (1871), where it belongs to an Ethiopian princess held captive in Egypt.
Afërdita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Pronounced: ah-fər-DEET-ah
Means
"daybreak, morning" in Albanian, from
afër "nearby, close" and
ditë "day". It is also used as an Albanian form of
Aphrodite.
Æthelnoð
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1][2]
Derived from the Old English elements
æðele "noble" and
noð "boldness, daring".
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