Schezar's Personal Name List
Adam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Catalan, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Georgian, Malay, Indonesian, Dhivehi, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Hebrew [2]
Other Scripts: Адам(Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Macedonian) Αδάμ, Άνταμ(Greek) אָדָם(Hebrew) آدم(Arabic) ადამ(Georgian) އާދަމް(Dhivehi) Ἀδάμ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AD-əm(English) A-DAHN(French) A-dam(German, Polish, Czech, Arabic, Indonesian) A-dahm(Dutch) AH-dam(Swedish) u-DAM(Russian, Ukrainian) ə-DHAM(Catalan)
Rating: 66% based on 9 votes
This is the Hebrew word for
"man". It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew
אדם (ʾaḏam) meaning
"to be red", referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Akkadian
adamu meaning
"to make".
According to Genesis in the Old Testament Adam was created from the earth by God (there is a word play on Hebrew אֲדָמָה (ʾaḏama) meaning "earth"). He and Eve were supposedly the first humans, living happily in the Garden of Eden until they ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result they were expelled from Eden to the lands to the east, where they gave birth to the second generation, including Cain, Abel and Seth.
As an English Christian name, Adam has been common since the Middle Ages, and it received a boost after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).
Adelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Germanic (Latinized) [1]
Other Scripts: Аделина(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: a-deh-LEE-na(Italian) a-dheh-LEE-na(Spanish)
Rating: 74% based on 8 votes
From a Germanic name that was derived from the element
adal meaning
"noble" (Proto-Germanic *
aþalaz).
Akiva
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: עֲקִיבָא(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ah-KEE-vah
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
From an Aramaic form of
Yaakov. Akiva (or Akiba) ben Joseph was a prominent 1st-century Jewish rabbi.
Alaric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gothic (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃(Gothic)
Pronounced: AL-ə-rik(English)
Rating: 56% based on 7 votes
From the Gothic name *
Alareiks meaning
"ruler of all", derived from the element
alls "all" combined with
reiks "ruler, king". This was the name of a king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in the 5th century.
Alberta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Pronounced: al-BUR-tə(American English) al-BU-tə(British English) al-BEHR-ta(Italian, Spanish) al-BEHR-tu(European Portuguese) ow-BEKH-tu(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
Feminine form of
Albert. This is the name of a Canadian province, which was named in honour of a daughter of Queen Victoria.
Alejandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: a-leh-KHAN-dra
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
Alessandro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: a-lehs-SAN-dro
Rating: 63% based on 6 votes
Italian form of
Alexander. A famous bearer was Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), the Italian physicist who invented the battery.
Aliz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: AW-leez
Rating: 50% based on 6 votes
América
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Pronounced: a-MEH-ree-ka(Spanish)
Rating: 33% based on 6 votes
Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of
Amerigo.
Ami 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: אָמִי(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AY-mie(English)
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Means
"trustworthy, reliable" in Hebrew. This is the name of a servant of King
Solomon in the
Old Testament.
Amir 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אָמִיר(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ah-MEER
Rating: 35% based on 6 votes
Means "treetop" in Hebrew.
Amity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: A-mi-tee
Rating: 51% based on 8 votes
From the English word meaning "friendship", ultimately deriving from Latin amicitia.
Anahera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Maori
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Means "angel" in Maori.
Andréa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Pronounced: AHN-DREH-A(French)
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
French and Portuguese feminine form of
Andrew.
Andreas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Greek, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Welsh, Ancient Greek [1], Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [2]
Other Scripts: Ανδρέας(Greek) Ἀνδρέας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: an-DREH-as(German, Swedish) ahn-DREH-ahs(Dutch) AN-DREH-AS(Classical Greek)
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
Ancient Greek and Latin form of
Andrew. It is also the form used in Modern Greek, German and Welsh.
Apolena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: A-po-leh-na(Czech)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Araceli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: a-ra-THEH-lee(European Spanish) a-ra-SEH-lee(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 45% based on 6 votes
Means
"altar of the sky" from Latin
ara "altar" and
coeli "sky". This is an epithet of the Virgin
Mary in her role as the patron
saint of Lucena, Spain.
Arachne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀράχνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-RA-KNEH(Classical Greek) ə-RAK-nee(English)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Means
"spider" in Greek. In Greek
myth Arachne was a mortal woman who defeated
Athena in a weaving contest. After this Arachne hanged herself, but Athena brought her back to life in the form of a spider.
Arcadia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: ar-KA-dhya
Rating: 58% based on 5 votes
Feminine form of
Arcadius. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.
Archimedes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀρχιμήδης(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AR-KEE-MEH-DEHS(Classical Greek) ahr-ki-MEE-deez(American English) ah-ki-MEE-deez(British English)
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
Derived from the Greek elements
ἀρχός (archos) meaning "master" and
μήδεα (medea) meaning "plans, counsel, cunning". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek mathematician, astronomer and inventor.
Ariadne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀριάδνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-REE-AD-NEH(Classical Greek) ar-ee-AD-nee(English)
Rating: 65% based on 11 votes
Means
"most holy", composed of the Greek prefix
ἀρι (ari) meaning "most" combined with Cretan Greek
ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". In Greek
mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King
Minos. She fell in love with
Theseus and helped him to escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, but was later abandoned by him. Eventually she married the god
Dionysus.
Ariel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Polish, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֲרִיאֵל(Hebrew) Ἀριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-ree-EHL(Hebrew) EHR-ee-əl(English) AR-ee-əl(English) A-RYEHL(French) a-RYEHL(Spanish) A-ryehl(Polish)
Rating: 56% based on 8 votes
Means
"lion of God" in Hebrew, from
אֲרִי (ʾari) meaning "lion" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the
Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare utilized it for a spirit in his play
The Tempest (1611) and Alexander Pope utilized it for a sylph in his poem
The Rape of the Lock (1712), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Disney film
The Little Mermaid (1989).
Arkadi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Аркадий(Russian)
Pronounced: ur-KA-dyee
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Ásdís
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic, Old Norse [1]
Pronounced: OWS-tees(Icelandic)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Derived from the Old Norse elements
áss "god" and
dís "goddess".
Asha 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam
Other Scripts: आशा(Hindi, Marathi) ಆಶಾ(Kannada) ആശാ(Malayalam)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Derived from Sanskrit
आशा (āśā) meaning
"wish, desire, hope".
Athene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀθήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-TEH-NEH(Classical Greek)
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Azar
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: آذر(Persian)
Pronounced: aw-ZAR
Rating: 41% based on 7 votes
Means "fire" in Persian.
Basma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: بسمة(Arabic)
Pronounced: BAS-ma
Rating: 28% based on 6 votes
Means
"smile" in Arabic, from the root
بسم (basama) meaning "to smile".
Belphoebe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 18% based on 5 votes
Combination of Old French
bele "beautiful" and the name
Phoebe. This name was first used by Edmund Spenser in his poem
The Faerie Queene (1590).
Blerta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Pronounced: BLEHR-tah
Rating: 36% based on 5 votes
Derived from Albanian blertë meaning "green".
Bryony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BRIE-ə-nee
Rating: 77% based on 7 votes
From the name of a type of Eurasian vine, formerly used as medicine. It ultimately derives from Greek
βρύω (bryo) meaning "to swell".
Cecily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SEHS-ə-lee
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
English form of
Cecilia. This was the usual English form during the Middle Ages.
Cedric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SEHD-rik
Rating: 48% based on 5 votes
Invented by Walter Scott for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819). Apparently he based it on the actual name
Cerdic, the name of the semi-legendary founder of the kingdom of Wessex in the 6th century. The meaning of
Cerdic is uncertain, but it does not appear to be Old English in origin. It could be connected to the Brythonic name
Caratācos. The name was also used by Frances Hodgson Burnett for the main character in her novel
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886).
César
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: SEH-ZAR(French) THEH-sar(European Spanish) SEH-sar(Latin American Spanish) SEH-zur(European Portuguese) SEH-zukh(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
French, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Caesar. A famous bearer was the American labour organizer César Chávez (1927-1993).
Citra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indonesian
Pronounced: CHEET-ra
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Means
"image" in Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit
चित्र (citra).
Cruz
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: KROOTH(European Spanish) KROOS(Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese) KROOSH(European Portuguese)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Means "cross" in Spanish or Portuguese, referring to the cross of the crucifixion.
Cymbeline
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: SIM-bə-leen(English)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Form of
Cunobelinus used by Shakespeare in his play
Cymbeline (1609).
Dagny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: DAHNG-nuy(Swedish)
Rating: 37% based on 6 votes
From the Old Norse name
Dagný, which was derived from the elements
dagr "day" and
nýr "new".
Daniel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Finnish, Estonian, Armenian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: דָּנִיֵּאל(Hebrew) Даниел(Bulgarian, Macedonian) Դանիէլ(Armenian) დანიელ(Georgian) Δανιήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAN-yəl(English) DA-NYEHL(French) DA-nyehl(German) DA-nee-ehl(German, Slovak) DAH-ni-yəl(Norwegian) DA-nyəl(Danish) DA-nyehl(Polish) DA-ni-yehl(Czech) da-NYEHL(Spanish) du-nee-EHL(European Portuguese) du-nee-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) də-nee-EHL(Catalan) da-nee-EHL(Romanian)
Rating: 50% based on 7 votes
From the Hebrew name
דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning
"God is my judge", from the roots
דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the
Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.
Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).
Decima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: DEH-kee-ma
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Desmond
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: DEHZ-mənd(English)
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
Anglicized form of Irish Deasmhumhain meaning "south Munster", referring to the region of Desmond in southern Ireland, formerly a kingdom. It can also come from the related surname (an Anglicized form of Ó Deasmhumhnaigh), which indicated a person who came from that region. A famous bearer is the South African archbishop and activist Desmond Tutu (1931-2021).
Ea 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Short form of names ending in ea.
Eden
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, English (Modern), French (Modern)
Other Scripts: עֵדֶן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: EE-dən(English)
Rating: 69% based on 11 votes
From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן (ʿeḏen) meaning "pleasure, delight"
[1], or perhaps derived from Sumerian
𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the
Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
Edith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: EE-dith(English) EH-dit(German, Swedish, Dutch)
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
From the Old English name
Eadgyð, derived from the elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
guð "battle". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by
Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. It was also borne by the Anglo-Saxon wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. The name remained common after the
Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.
Effie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: EHF-ee(English)
Rating: 40% based on 8 votes
Eli 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Hebrew [2]
Other Scripts: עֵלִי(Hebrew) Ἠλί, Ἡλί(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EE-lie(English)
Rating: 59% based on 7 votes
Means
"ascension" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָלָה (ʿala) meaning "to ascend". In the Books of Samuel in the
Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young
Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.
Eli has been used as an English Christian given name since the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer was the American inventor of the cotton gin Eli Whitney (1765-1825).
Ethan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: אֵיתָן(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: EE-thən(English) EH-TAN(French)
Rating: 74% based on 8 votes
From the Hebrew name
אֵיתָן (ʾEṯan) meaning
"solid, enduring, firm". In the
Old Testament this name is borne by a few minor characters, including the wise man Ethan the Ezrahite, supposedly the author of Psalm 89.
After the Protestant Reformation it was occasionally used as a given name in the English-speaking world, and it became somewhat common in America due to the fame of the revolutionary Ethan Allen (1738-1789). It only became popular towards the end of the 20th century. It is the name of the main character in Edith Wharton's novel Ethan Frome (1911), about a man in love with his wife's cousin.
Evander 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὔανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: i-VAN-dər(American English) i-VAN-də(British English)
Rating: 62% based on 9 votes
Variant of
Evandrus, the Latin form of the Greek name
Εὔανδρος (Euandros) meaning
"good of man", derived from
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Roman
mythology Evander was an Arcadian hero of the Trojan War who founded the city of Pallantium near the spot where Rome was later built.
Evelyn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: EHV-ə-lin(English) EEV-lin(British English) EEV-ə-lin(British English) EH-və-leen(German)
Rating: 65% based on 11 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Aveline. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as almost entirely feminine, probably in part because of its similarity to
Eve and
Evelina.
This name was popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 20th century. It staged a comeback in the early 21st century, returning to the American top ten in 2017.
Fabrizio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: fa-BREET-tsyo
Rating: 18% based on 5 votes
Italian form of
Fabricius (see
Fabrice).
Femke
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Frisian, Dutch
Pronounced: FEHM-kə(Dutch)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Fiera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Esperanto
Pronounced: fee-EH-ra
Rating: 35% based on 4 votes
Means "proud" in Esperanto.
Finley
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FIN-lee
Rating: 63% based on 9 votes
Variant of
Finlay. This is by far the preferred spelling in the United States, where it has lately been more common as a feminine name.
Francesca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan
Pronounced: fran-CHEHS-ka(Italian) frən-SEHS-kə(Catalan)
Rating: 57% based on 6 votes
Italian and Catalan feminine form of
Franciscus (see
Francis).
Francisca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Late Roman
Pronounced: fran-THEES-ka(European Spanish) fran-SEES-ka(Latin American Spanish) frun-SEESH-ku(European Portuguese) frun-SEES-ku(Brazilian Portuguese) frahn-SIS-ka(Dutch)
Rating: 57% based on 6 votes
Feminine form of
Franciscus (see
Francis).
Freya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, English (Modern), German
Pronounced: FRAY-ə(English) FRAY-a(German)
Rating: 59% based on 7 votes
From Old Norse
Freyja meaning
"lady". This is the name of a goddess associated with love, beauty, war and death in Norse
mythology. She claims half of the heroes who are slain in battle and brings them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother
Freyr and father
Njord, she is one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess
Frigg.
This is not the usual spelling in any of the Scandinavian languages (in Sweden and Denmark it is Freja and in Norway it is Frøja) but it is the common spelling of the goddess's name in English. In the 2000s it became popular in Britain.
Gabriel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: გაბრიელ(Georgian) גַּבְרִיאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Γαβριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: GA-BREE-YEHL(French) ga-BRYEHL(Spanish) ga-bree-EHL(European Portuguese, Romanian) ga-bree-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) GA-bree-ehl(German, Slovak, Latin) GAH-bri-ehl(Swedish) GAH-bree-ehl(Finnish) gə-bree-EHL(Catalan) GAY-bree-əl(English) GAB-ryehl(Polish) GA-bri-yehl(Czech)
Rating: 57% based on 7 votes
From the Hebrew name
גַבְרִיאֵל (Ḡavriʾel) meaning
"God is my strong man", derived from
גֶּבֶר (gever) meaning "strong man, hero" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Gabriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition, often appearing as a messenger of God. In the
Old Testament he is sent to interpret the visions of the prophet
Daniel, while in the
New Testament he serves as the announcer of the births of
John to
Zechariah and
Jesus to
Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the
Quran to
Muhammad.
This name has been used occasionally in England since the 12th century. It was not common in the English-speaking world until the end of the 20th century.
Gareth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English (British), Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GAR-əth(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
Meaning uncertain. It appears in this form in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends
Le Morte d'Arthur, in which the knight Gareth (also named
Beaumains) is a brother of
Gawain. He goes with
Lynet to rescue her sister
Lyonesse from the Red Knight. Malory based the name on
Gaheriet or
Guerrehet, which was the name of a similar character in French sources. It may ultimately have a Welsh origin, possibly from the name
Gwrhyd meaning
"valour" (found in the tale
Culhwch and Olwen) or
Gwairydd meaning
"hay lord" (found in the chronicle
Brut y Brenhinedd).
Ginevra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jee-NEH-vra
Rating: 71% based on 7 votes
Italian form of
Guinevere. This is also the Italian name for the city of Geneva, Switzerland. It is also sometimes associated with the Italian word
ginepro meaning "juniper".
Gregory
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GREHG-ə-ree
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
English form of Latin
Gregorius, which was from the Late Greek name
Γρηγόριος (Gregorios), derived from
γρήγορος (gregoros) meaning
"watchful, alert". This name was popular among early Christians, being borne by a number of important
saints including Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus (3rd century), Saint Gregory the Illuminator (4th century), Saint Gregory of Nyssa (4th century), Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (4th century), and Saint Gregory of Tours (6th century). It was also borne by the 6th-century pope Saint Gregory I the Great, a reformer and Doctor of the Church, as well as 15 subsequent popes.
Due to the renown of the saints by this name, Gregory (in various spellings) has remained common in the Christian world through the Middle Ages and to the present day. It has been used in England since the 12th century. A famous bearer from the modern era was American actor Gregory Peck (1916-2003).
Guilherme
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese
Pronounced: gee-LYEHR-mi(European Portuguese) gee-LYEHR-mee(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
Gunnar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Norse Mythology
Pronounced: GUYN-nar(Swedish, Icelandic) GOON-nahr(Norwegian)
Rating: 35% based on 6 votes
From the Old Norse name
Gunnarr, which was derived from the elements
gunnr "war" and
herr "army, warrior" (making it a
cognate of
Gunther). In Norse legend Gunnar was the husband of
Brynhildr. He had his brother-in-law
Sigurd murdered based on his wife's false accusations that Sigurd had taken her virginity.
Hadrian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: HAY-dree-ən(English)
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
From the Roman
cognomen Hadrianus, which meant
"from Hadria" in Latin. Hadria was the name of two Roman settlements. The first (modern Adria) is in northern Italy and was an important Etruscan port town. The second (modern Atri) is in central Italy and was named after the northern town. The Adriatic Sea is also named after the northern town.
A famous bearer of the name was Publius Aelius Hadrianus, better known as Hadrian, a 2nd-century Roman emperor who built a wall across northern Britain. His family came from the town of Atri in central Italy.
Harriet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAR-ee-it, HEHR-ee-it
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
English form of
Henriette, and thus a feminine form of
Harry. It was first used in the 17th century, becoming very common in the English-speaking world by the 18th century. Famous bearers include the Americans Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), the author of
Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913).
Helena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Finnish, Estonian, Slovene, Croatian, Sorbian, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἑλένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEH-leh-na(German, Czech) heh-LEH-na(German, Dutch) heh-LEH-nah(Swedish, Danish, Norwegian) i-LEH-nu(European Portuguese) eh-LEH-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) ə-LEH-nə(Catalan) kheh-LEH-na(Polish) HEH-leh-nah(Finnish) HEHL-ə-nə(English) hə-LAYN-ə(English) hə-LEEN-ə(English)
Rating: 82% based on 12 votes
Latinate form of
Helen. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's play
All's Well That Ends Well (1603).
Helle 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian, Estonian
Pronounced: HEH-lə(Danish) HEHL-leh(Norwegian)
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
Hillel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: הִלֵּל(Hebrew)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Derived from Hebrew
הָלַל (halal) meaning
"praise". This name is mentioned briefly in the
Old Testament as the father of the judge Abdon. It was also borne by the 1st-century BC Jewish scholar Hillel the Elder.
Holly
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHL-ee(American English) HAWL-ee(British English)
Rating: 55% based on 6 votes
From the English word for the holly tree, ultimately derived from Old English holen. Holly Golightly is the main character in the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) by Truman Capote.
Icarus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἴκαρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: IK-ə-rəs(English)
Rating: 61% based on 8 votes
From the Greek
Ἴκαρος (Ikaros), of unknown meaning. In Greek
myth Icarus was the son of
Daedalus, locked with his father inside the Labyrinth by
Minos. They escaped from the maze using wings devised from wax, but Icarus flew too close to the sun and the wax melted, plunging him to his death.
Idony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Medieval English vernacular form of
Idonea.
Idril
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Means
"sparkle brilliance" in the fictional language Sindarin. In the
Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Idril was the daughter of Turgon, the king of Gondolin. She escaped the destruction of that place with her husband
Tuor and sailed with him into the west.
Ileana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian, Spanish, Italian
Pronounced: ee-LYA-na(Romanian) ee-leh-A-na(Spanish)
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
Possibly a Romanian variant of
Elena. In Romanian folklore this is the name of a princess kidnapped by monsters and rescued by a heroic knight.
Imogen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: IM-ə-jehn
Rating: 77% based on 9 votes
The name of the daughter of King
Cymbeline in the play
Cymbeline (1609) by William Shakespeare. He based her on a legendary character named
Innogen, but it was printed incorrectly and never emended.
Innogen is probably derived from Gaelic
inghean meaning
"maiden". As a given name it is chiefly British and Australian.
India
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish (Modern)
Pronounced: IN-dee-ə(English) EEN-dya(Spanish)
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
From the name of the country, which is itself derived from the name of the Indus River. The river's name is ultimately from Sanskrit
सिन्धु (Sindhu) meaning "body of trembling water, river". India Wilkes is a character in the novel
Gone with the Wind (1936) by Margaret Mitchell.
Ines
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, Swedish
Rating: 43% based on 6 votes
Inka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish, Frisian, German
Pronounced: EENG-kah(Finnish) ING-ka(German)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Finnish and Frisian feminine form of
Inge.
Ireland
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: IER-lənd(American English) IE-ə-lənd(British English)
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
From the name of the European island country, derived from Irish Gaelic Éire, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.
Irenka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Czech
Pronounced: ee-RENG-ka(Polish) I-reng-ka(Czech)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Isla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: IE-lə
Rating: 79% based on 9 votes
Variant of
Islay, typically used as a feminine name. It also coincides with the Spanish word
isla meaning "island".
Isobel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 60% based on 8 votes
Israel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Jewish, English, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: יִשְׂרָאֵל(Hebrew) Ἰσραήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: IZ-ray-əl(English) IZ-ree-əl(English) eez-ra-EHL(Spanish)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
From the Hebrew name
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) meaning
"God contends", from the roots
שָׂרָה (sara) meaning "to contend, to fight" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the
Old Testament, Israel (who was formerly named
Jacob; see
Genesis 32:28) wrestles with an angel. The ancient and modern states of Israel took their names from him.
Itzel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Mayan
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Classic Maya
itz meaning
"resin, nectar, dew, liquid, enchanted". Otherwise, it might be a variant of
Ixchel.
Izumi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 泉, etc.(Japanese Kanji) いずみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: EE-ZOO-MEE
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
From Japanese
泉 (izumi) meaning "fountain, spring". This name can also be constructed from other combinations of kanji.
James
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JAYMZ(English)
Rating: 59% based on 8 votes
English form of the Late Latin name
Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form
Iacobus, from the Hebrew name
Yaʿaqov (see
Jacob). This was the name of two apostles in the
New Testament. The first was
Saint James the Greater, the apostle
John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of
Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of
Jesus.
This name has been used in England since the 13th century, though it became more common in Scotland where it was borne by several kings. In the 17th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. In American name statistics (recorded since 1880) this name has never been out of the top 20, making it arguably the era's most consistently popular name. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States from 1940 to 1952.
Famous bearers include the English explorer James Cook (1728-1779), the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819), and the Irish novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming in 1953.
Jane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAYN
Rating: 61% based on 10 votes
Medieval English form of
Jehanne, an Old French feminine form of
Iohannes (see
John). This became the most common feminine form of
John in the 17th century, surpassing
Joan. In the first half of the 20th century
Joan once again overtook
Jane for a few decades in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Famous bearers include the uncrowned English queen Lady Jane Grey (1536-1554), who ruled for only nine days, British novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817), who wrote Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, British primatologist Jane Goodall (1934-), and American actress Jane Fonda (1937-). This is also the name of the central character in Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre (1847), which tells of Jane's sad childhood and her relationship with Edward Rochester.
Jocelyn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAHS-lin(American English) JAHS-ə-lin(American English) JAWS-lin(British English) JAWS-ə-lin(British English) ZHO-SEH-LEHN(French)
Rating: 48% based on 6 votes
From a Frankish masculine name, variously written as
Gautselin,
Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element *
gautaz, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats, combined with a Latin
diminutive suffix. The
Normans brought this name to England in the form
Goscelin or
Joscelin, and it was common until the 14th century. It was revived in the 20th century primarily as a feminine name, perhaps an adaptation of the surname
Jocelyn (a medieval derivative of the given name). In France this is a masculine name only.
Jolánka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian (Rare)
Pronounced: YO-lang-kaw
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Created by the Hungarian writer András Dugonics for the main character in his novel
Jólánka, Etelkának Leánya (1803). He may have based it on Hungarian
jóleán meaning "good girl" or possibly on the name
Yolanda.
Judith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Jewish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish, French, Biblical
Other Scripts: יְהוּדִית(Hebrew)
Pronounced: JOO-dith(English) YOO-dit(German) YUY-dit(Dutch) khoo-DHEET(Spanish) ZHUY-DEET(French)
Rating: 20% based on 8 votes
From the Hebrew name
יְהוּדִית (Yehuḏiṯ) meaning
"Jewish woman", feminine of
יְהוּדִי (yehuḏi), ultimately referring to a person from the tribe of
Judah. In the
Old Testament Judith is one of the Hittite wives of
Esau. This is also the name of the main character of the apocryphal Book of Judith. She killed Holofernes, an invading Assyrian commander, by beheading him in his sleep.
As an English name it did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation, despite a handful of early examples during the Middle Ages. It was however used earlier on the European continent, being borne by several European royals, such as the 9th-century Judith of Bavaria.
Juliet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: joo-lee-EHT, JOOL-yət
Rating: 76% based on 9 votes
Anglicized form of
Giulietta or
Juliette. This spelling was used for the ill-fated lover of
Romeo in the play
Romeo and Juliet (1596) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare based his story on earlier Italian tales such as
Giulietta e Romeo (1524) by Luigi Da Porto.
Kamil 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Polish
Pronounced: KA-mil(Czech) KA-meel(Slovak, Polish)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Czech, Slovak and Polish form of
Camillus.
Kazimir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian, Slovene, Russian
Other Scripts: Казимир(Russian)
Pronounced: kə-zyi-MYEER(Russian)
Rating: 55% based on 6 votes
Croatian, Slovene and Russian form of
Casimir.
Kerenza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Khalil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Urdu
Other Scripts: خليل(Arabic) خلیل(Persian, Urdu)
Pronounced: kha-LEEL(Arabic)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Means "friend" in Arabic.
Kilian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Spanish, Irish, French
Pronounced: KEE-lee-an(German) KEE-lyan(Spanish)
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
German and Spanish form of
Cillian, as well as an Irish and French variant.
Kilikina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Leander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Λέανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: lee-AN-dər(American English) lee-AN-də(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Latinized form of the Greek name
Λέανδρος (Leandros), derived from
λέων (leon) meaning "lion" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.
Leandro
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Pronounced: leh-AN-dro(Spanish)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of
Leander.
Lenka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: LENG-ka
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Lilith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Other Scripts: לילית(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: LIL-ith(English)
Rating: 59% based on 8 votes
Derived from Akkadian
lilitu meaning
"of the night". This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish tradition she was
Adam's first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by
Eve because she would not submit to him. The offspring of Adam (or
Samael) and Lilith were the evil spirits of the world.
Lorelei
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: LAWR-ə-lie(English)
Rating: 55% based on 8 votes
From German
Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German
ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.
In the English-speaking world this name has been occasionally given since the early 20th century. It started rising in America after the variant Lorelai was used for the main character (and her daughter, nicknamed Rory) on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007).
Lucasta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
This name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called Lucasta (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, whom he called lux casta "pure light".
Luis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: LWEES
Rating: 27% based on 6 votes
Luz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: LOOTH(European Spanish) LOOS(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
Means
"light" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de la Luz, meaning "Our Lady of Light".
Magdalena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Lithuanian, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Slovene, Czech, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian, Romanian, English
Other Scripts: Магдалена(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian)
Pronounced: mag-da-LEH-na(Polish) mak-da-LEH-na(German) mahgh-da-LEH-na(Dutch) magh-dha-LEH-na(Spanish) məg-də-LEH-nə(Catalan) MAG-da-leh-na(Czech) mag-də-LAY-nə(English)
Rating: 80% based on 10 votes
Maren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: MAH-rehn(Danish)
Rating: 61% based on 10 votes
Mariska
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian, Dutch
Pronounced: MAW-ree-shkaw(Hungarian) ma-RIS-ka(Dutch)
Rating: 57% based on 7 votes
Markéta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: MAR-keh-ta
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
Maurice
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: MAW-REES(French) maw-REES(American English) MAWR-is(British English)
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
From the Roman name
Mauritius, a derivative of
Maurus.
Saint Maurice was a 3rd-century Roman soldier from Egypt. He and the other Christians in his legion were supposedly massacred on the orders of Emperor Maximian for refusing to worship Roman gods. Thus, he is the patron saint of infantry soldiers.
This name was borne by a 6th-century Byzantine emperor. Another notable bearer was Maurice of Nassau (called Maurits in Dutch), a 17th-century prince of Orange who helped establish the Dutch Republic. The name has been used in England since the Norman Conquest, usually in the spelling Morris or Moris.
Merav
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: מֵרַב(Hebrew)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Meredith
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: MEHR-ə-dith(English)
Rating: 56% based on 7 votes
From the Welsh name
Maredudd or
Meredydd, from Old Welsh forms such as
Margetud, possibly from
mawredd "greatness, magnificence" combined with
iudd "lord". The Welsh forms of this name were well used through the Middle Ages. Since the mid-1920s it has been used more often for girls than for boys in English-speaking countries, though it is still a masculine name in Wales. A famous bearer of this name as surname was the English novelist and poet George Meredith (1828-1909).
Miléna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: MEE-leh-naw
Rating: 50% based on 6 votes
Mina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: MEE-nə(English) MEE-na(Dutch)
Rating: 74% based on 9 votes
Short form of
Wilhelmina and other names ending in
mina. This was the name of a character in the novel
Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker.
Minerva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, English, Spanish
Pronounced: mee-NEHR-wa(Latin) mi-NUR-və(American English) mi-NU-və(British English) mee-NEHR-ba(Spanish)
Rating: 48% based on 5 votes
Possibly derived from Latin
mens meaning
"intellect", but more likely of Etruscan origin. Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, approximately equivalent to the Greek goddess
Athena. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since after the Renaissance.
Montserrat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: moon-sə-RAT
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
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".
Nasrin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Bengali
Other Scripts: نسرین(Persian) নাসরীন(Bengali)
Pronounced: nas-REEN(Persian)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Means "wild rose" in Persian.
Nikolai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Николай(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: nyi-ku-LIE(Russian)
Rating: 59% based on 8 votes
Noor 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Malay, Indonesian
Other Scripts: نور(Arabic, Urdu) নূর(Bengali)
Pronounced: NOOR(Arabic)
Rating: 55% based on 6 votes
Alternate transcription of Arabic/Urdu
نور or Bengali
নূর (see
Nur), as well as a Malay and Indonesian variant.
Nyx
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Νύξ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NUYKS(Classical Greek) NIKS(English)
Rating: 60% based on 6 votes
Means "night" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the night, the daughter of Khaos and the wife of Erebos.
Océane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AW-SEH-AN
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
Derived from French océan meaning "ocean".
Pallas 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Παλλάς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PAL-LAS(Classical Greek) PAL-əs(English)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Probably derived from a Greek word meaning
"maiden, young woman". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Athena. According to some legends it was originally the name of a friend of the goddess. Athena accidentally killed her while sparring, so she took the name in honour of her friend.
Paris 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Πάρις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PA-REES(Classical Greek) PAR-is(English) PEHR-is(English)
Rating: 34% based on 7 votes
Meaning unknown, possibly of Luwian or Hittite origin. In Greek
mythology he was the Trojan prince who kidnapped
Helen and began the Trojan War. Though presented as a somewhat of a coward in the
Iliad, he did manage to slay the great hero
Achilles. He was himself eventually slain in battle by Philoctetes.
Parisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: پریسا(Persian)
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
Means
"like a fairy" in Persian, derived from
پری (parī) meaning "fairy, sprite, supernatural being".
Pavel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Czech, Bulgarian, Slovene, Macedonian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Павел(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: PA-vyil(Russian) PA-vehl(Czech)
Rating: 36% based on 5 votes
Russian, Czech, Bulgarian, Slovene, Macedonian and Belarusian form of
Paul.
Penelope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Πηνελόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEH-NEH-LO-PEH(Classical Greek) pə-NEHL-ə-pee(English)
Rating: 59% based on 9 votes
Probably derived from Greek
πηνέλοψ (penelops), a type of duck. Alternatively it could be from
πήνη (pene) meaning "threads, weft" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". In
Homer's epic the
Odyssey this is the name of the wife of
Odysseus, forced to fend off suitors while her husband is away fighting at Troy.
It has occasionally been used as an English given name since the 16th century. It was moderately popular in the 1940s, but had a more notable upswing in the early 2000s. This may have been inspired by the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz (1974-), who gained prominence in English-language movies at that time. It was already rapidly rising when celebrities Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick gave it to their baby daughter in 2012.
Pilar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: pee-LAR
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
Means
"pillar" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
María del Pilar, meaning "Mary of the Pillar". According to legend, when
Saint James the Greater was in Saragossa in Spain, the Virgin Mary appeared on a pillar.
Poppy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHP-ee(American English) PAWP-ee(British English)
Rating: 59% based on 8 votes
From the word for the red flower, derived from Old English popæg.
Raphael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Biblical
Other Scripts: רָפָאֵל, רְפָאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: RA-fa-ehl(German) RAF-ee-əl(English) RAF-ay-ehl(English) rah-fie-EHL(English)
Rating: 69% based on 11 votes
From the Hebrew name
רָפָאֵל (Rafaʾel) meaning
"God heals", from the roots
רָפָא (rafa) meaning "to heal" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In Hebrew tradition Raphael is the name of an archangel. He appears in the Book of Tobit, in which he disguises himself as a man named
Azarias and accompanies
Tobias on his journey to Media, aiding him along the way. In the end he cures Tobias's father
Tobit of his blindness. He is not mentioned in the
New Testament, though tradition identifies him with the angel troubling the water in
John 5:4.
This name has never been common in the English-speaking world, though it has been well-used elsewhere in Europe. A famous bearer was the Italian Renaissance master Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), usually known simply as Raphael in English.
Romeo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Romanian
Pronounced: ro-MEH-o(Italian) RO-mee-o(English)
Rating: 43% based on 8 votes
Italian form of the Late Latin
Romaeus or Late Greek
Ρωμαῖος (Romaios), which meant
"from Rome" or
"Roman". Romeo is best known as the lover of
Juliet in William Shakespeare's tragedy
Romeo and Juliet (1596). Shakespeare based his play on earlier Italian stories by Luigi Da Porto (1524) and Matteo Bandello (1554), which both featured characters named Giulietta and Romeo.
Rue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROO
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
From the name of the bitter medicinal herb, ultimately deriving from Greek
ῥυτή (rhyte). This is also sometimes used as a short form of
Ruth 1.
Salvador
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan
Pronounced: sal-ba-DHOR(Spanish) sal-vu-DOR(European Portuguese) sow-va-DOKH(Brazilian Portuguese) səl-bə-DHO(Catalan)
Rating: 40% based on 7 votes
Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan form of the Late Latin name
Salvator, which meant
"saviour", referring to
Jesus. A famous bearer of this name was the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).
Scheherazade
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: shə-HEHR-ə-zahd(English) shə-hehr-ə-ZAHD(English)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Sebastian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Romanian, Czech
Pronounced: zeh-BAS-tee-an(German) sə-BAS-chən(American English) sə-BAS-tee-ən(British English) seh-BAS-dyan(Danish) seh-BAS-tyan(Polish) SEH-bahs-tee-ahn(Finnish) seh-bas-tee-AN(Romanian) SEH-bas-ti-yan(Czech)
Rating: 74% based on 8 votes
From the Latin name
Sebastianus, which meant
"from Sebaste". Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, its name deriving from Greek
σεβαστός (sebastos) meaning "venerable" (a translation of Latin
Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors). According to Christian tradition,
Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Roman soldier martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian. After he was discovered to be a Christian, he was tied to a stake and shot with arrows. This however did not kill him. Saint Irene of Rome healed him and he returned to personally admonish Diocletian, whereupon the emperor had him beaten to death.
Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in medieval Europe, especially in Spain and France. It was also borne by a 16th-century king of Portugal who died in a crusade against Morocco.
Seija
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SAY-yah
Rating: 41% based on 7 votes
Derived from Finnish seijas meaning "tranquil, serene".
Seth 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: שֵׁת(Ancient Hebrew) Σήθ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SETH(English)
Rating: 65% based on 6 votes
Shachar
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שַׁחַר(Hebrew)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Means "dawn" in Hebrew.
Shalom
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שָׁלוֹם(Hebrew)
Pronounced: sha-LOM
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
Means "peace" in Hebrew.
Shannon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAN-ən
Rating: 53% based on 7 votes
From the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called
an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure
Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish
sen "old, ancient"
[1]. As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.
Sheridan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHEHR-i-dən
Rating: 37% based on 6 votes
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Sirideáin), which was derived from the given name Sirideán possibly meaning "searcher".
Sinéad
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHI-nyehd
Rating: 48% based on 6 votes
Sitara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Urdu
Other Scripts: ستارہ(Urdu)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Means "star" in Urdu, ultimately from Persian.
Soleil
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: SAW-LAY(French)
Rating: 59% based on 8 votes
Means "sun" in French. It is not commonly used as a name in France itself.
Solveig
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
Pronounced: SOOL-vie(Norwegian) SOOL-vay(Swedish)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
From an Old Norse name, which was derived from the elements
sól "sun" and
veig "strength". This is the name of the heroine in Henrik Ibsen's play
Peer Gynt (1876).
Stavros
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Σταύρος(Greek)
Pronounced: STAV-ros
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
Means "cross" in Greek, referring to the cross of the crucifixion.
Stella 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Dutch, German
Pronounced: STEHL-ə(English) STEHL-la(Italian) STEH-la(Dutch)
Rating: 66% based on 8 votes
Means "star" in Latin. This name was created by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney for the subject of his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella. It was a nickname of a lover of Jonathan Swift, real name Esther Johnson (1681-1728), though it was not commonly used as a given name until the 19th century. It appears in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), belonging to the sister of Blanche DuBois and the wife of Stanley Kowalski.
Stellan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: STEHL-lan
Rating: 75% based on 8 votes
Meaning unknown, perhaps related to Old Norse stilling "calm", or perhaps of German origin.
Tamar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: תָּמָר(Hebrew) თამარ(Georgian)
Pronounced: TA-MAR(Georgian) TAHM-ahr(American English) TAY-mahr(American English) TAHM-ah(British English) TAY-mah(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Means
"date palm" in Hebrew. According to the
Old Testament Tamar was the daughter-in-law of
Judah and later his wife. This was also the name of a daughter of King
David. She was raped by her half-brother
Amnon, leading to his murder by her brother
Absalom. The name was borne by a 12th-century ruling queen of Georgia who presided over the kingdom at the peak of its power.
Theodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θεοδώρα(Greek)
Pronounced: thee-ə-DAWR-ə(English)
Rating: 55% based on 6 votes
Feminine form of
Theodore. This name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by several empresses including the influential wife of Justinian in the 6th century.
Titania
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: tie-TAY-nee-ə(American English) ti-TAH-nee-ə(British English)
Rating: 55% based on 6 votes
Perhaps based on Latin
Titanius meaning
"of the Titans". This name was (first?) used by William Shakespeare in his comedy
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595) where it belongs to the queen of the fairies, the wife of
Oberon. This is also a moon of Uranus, named after the Shakespearean character.
Vega 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
The name of a star in the constellation Lyra. Its name is from Arabic
الواقع (al-Wāqiʿ) meaning "the swooping (eagle)".
Vera 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Вера(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian) ვერა(Georgian)
Pronounced: VYEH-rə(Russian) VIR-ə(English) VEHR-ə(English) VEH-ra(German, Dutch) VEH-rah(Swedish) BEH-ra(Spanish) VEH-raw(Hungarian)
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Verona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Rating: 52% based on 6 votes
From the name of the city in Italy, which is itself of unknown meaning.
Veronika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian
Other Scripts: Вероника(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) Вероніка(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: vyi-ru-NYEE-kə(Russian) VEH-ro-ni-ka(Czech) VEH-raw-nee-ka(Slovak) veh-ro-NYEE-ku(Ukrainian) veh-RO-nee-ka(German, Croatian) VEH-ro-nee-kaw(Hungarian) veh-RAW-nee-ka(Macedonian) veh-raw-NEE-ka(Macedonian) vyeh-RAW-nyi-ku(Lithuanian)
Rating: 58% based on 8 votes
Vespera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Esperanto
Pronounced: vehs-PEH-ra
Rating: 38% based on 8 votes
Means "of the evening", derived from Esperanto vespero "evening", ultimately from Latin vesper.
Vienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Pronounced: VYEHN(French)
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
From the French name for
Vienna, the capital city of Austria.
Viktor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Greek
Other Scripts: Виктор(Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian, Macedonian) Віктор(Ukrainian) Βίκτωρ(Greek)
Pronounced: VIK-to(German) VEEK-tor(Hungarian) VIK-tor(Czech) VEEK-tawr(Slovak, Macedonian) VYEEK-tər(Russian) VYEEK-tawr(Ukrainian)
Rating: 53% based on 6 votes
Form of
Victor used in various languages.
Viola
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: vie-O-lə(English) vi-O-lə(English) VIE-ə-lə(English) VYAW-la(Italian) vi-OO-la(Swedish) VEE-o-la(German) vee-O-la(German) VEE-o-law(Hungarian) VI-o-la(Czech) VEE-aw-la(Slovak)
Rating: 33% based on 7 votes
Means
"violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke
Orsino, she attempts to convince
Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.
Virginia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Βιργινία(Greek)
Pronounced: vər-JIN-yə(American English) və-JIN-yə(British English) veer-JEE-nya(Italian) beer-KHEE-nya(Spanish)
Rating: 59% based on 7 votes
Feminine form of the Roman family name
Verginius or
Virginius, which is of unknown meaning, but long associated with Latin
virgo "maid, virgin". According to a legend, it was the name of a Roman woman killed by her father so as to save her from the clutches of a crooked official.
This was the name of the first English baby born in the New World: Virginia Dare in 1587 on Roanoke Island. Perhaps because of this, the name has generally been more popular in America than elsewhere in the English-speaking world, though in both Britain and America it was not often used until the 19th century. The baby was named after the Colony of Virginia, which was itself named for Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen. A more recent bearer was the English novelist Virginia Woolf (1882-1941).
Wesley
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEHS-lee, WEHZ-lee
Rating: 52% based on 10 votes
From an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself meaning
"west meadow" from Old English
west "west" and
leah "woodland, clearing". It has been sometimes given in honour of John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of Methodism.
Whitney
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIT-nee
Rating: 47% based on 9 votes
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "white island" in Old English. Its popular use as a feminine name was initiated by actress Whitney Blake (1925-2002) in the 1960s, and further boosted in the 1980s by singer Whitney Houston (1963-2012).
Wren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: REHN
Rating: 65% based on 10 votes
From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.
Yardena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יַרְדֵנָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 18% based on 5 votes
Hebrew feminine form of
Jordan.
Yasmin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, English (Modern), Spanish (Modern), Portuguese (Modern)
Other Scripts: ياسمين(Arabic) יַסְמִין(Hebrew) یاسمین(Urdu)
Pronounced: yas-MEEN(Arabic) YAZ-min(English) gyas-MEEN(Spanish)
Rating: 52% based on 6 votes
Means
"jasmine" in Arabic and Hebrew, derived from Persian
یاسمین (yāsamīn). In modern times it has been used in the western world, as an Arabic-influenced variant of
Jasmine.
Yesenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: gyeh-SEH-nya
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
From
Jessenia, the genus name of a variety of palm trees found in South America. As a given name, it was popularized by the writer Yolanda Vargas Dulché in the 1970 Mexican telenovela
Yesenia and the 1971 film adaptation
[1].
Yonca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: yon-JA
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Means "clover" in Turkish.
Yuri 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 百合, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-REE
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
From Japanese
百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can also form this name.
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