la-petite-rachel's Personal Name List
Abha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: आभा(Hindi)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
From Sanskrit
आभा (ābhā) meaning
"splendour, light".
Abigail
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Italian, Biblical Portuguese, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: אֲבִיגַיִל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AB-i-gayl(English)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
From the Hebrew name
אֲבִיגָיִל (ʾAviḡayil) meaning
"my father is joy", derived from the roots
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and
גִּיל (gil) meaning "joy". In the
Old Testament this is the name of Nabal's wife. After Nabal's death she became the third wife of King
David.
As an English name, Abigail first became common after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the Puritans. The biblical Abigail refers to herself as a servant, and beginning in the 17th century the name became a slang term for a servant, especially after the release of the play The Scornful Lady (1616), which featured a character named Abigail. The name went out of fashion at that point, but it was revived in the 20th century.
Adélaïde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-DEH-LA-EED
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Adelaide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: A-də-layd(English) a-deh-LIE-deh(Italian) a-di-LIE-di(European Portuguese) a-di-LIED(European Portuguese) a-deh-LIE-jee(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Means
"nobleness, nobility", from the French form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis, which was composed of
adal "noble" and the suffix
heit "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by
Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great.
In Britain the parallel form Alice, derived via Old French, has historically been more common than Adelaide, though this form did gain some currency in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.
Adrienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: A-DREE-YEHN(French)
French feminine form of
Adrian.
Agatha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀγαθή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AG-ə-thə(English) a-GHA-ta(Dutch)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Latinized form of the Greek name
Ἀγαθή (Agathe), derived from Greek
ἀγαθός (agathos) meaning
"good".
Saint Agatha was a 3rd-century martyr from Sicily who was tortured and killed after spurning the advances of a Roman official. The saint was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). The mystery writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a famous modern bearer of this name.
Aglaia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἀγλαΐα(Ancient Greek) Αγλαΐα(Greek)
Pronounced: ə-GLIE-ə(English)
Personal remark: Pron. either a-GLAH-ee-a (or) a-GLAY-a
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Means
"splendour, beauty" in Greek. In Greek
mythology she was one of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites). This name was also borne by a 4th-century
saint from Rome.
Aglaya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Аглая(Russian)
Pronounced: u-GLA-yə
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Agnessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Агнесса(Russian)
Pronounced: ug-NYEHS-sə
Agnieszka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: ag-NYEH-shka
Ahava
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַהֲבָה(Hebrew)
Personal remark: Means "love" in Hebrew
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Means "love" in Hebrew.
Ahurani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Near Eastern Mythology, Persian Mythology
Means "she who belongs to Ahura" in Avestan, from the name
Ahura, referring to either the creator god Ahura Mazda or the various other ahuras of the Avesta, combined with the feminine suffix
-ani meaning "companion, wife, mate". In ancient Persian mythology this referred to a class of female water divinity.
Áine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: A-nyə(Irish)
Personal remark: AHN-ya; means 'radiance' in Irish
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Means
"radiance, brilliance" in Irish. This was the name of a goddess of love and fertility in Irish legend, thought to dwell at the hill of Cnoc Áine in Limerick. It has sometimes been Anglicized as
Anne.
Akiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 晶子, 明子, 秋子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あきこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KYEE-KO
From Japanese
晶 (aki) meaning "clear, crystal",
明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear" or
秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
Akira
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 昭, 明, 亮, 晶, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あきら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KYEE-RA
From Japanese
昭 (akira) meaning "bright",
明 (akira) meaning "bright" or
亮 (akira) meaning "clear". Other kanji with the same pronunciation can also form this name. A famous bearer was the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), given name written
明.
Alastríona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: ə-ləs-TRYEE-nə, A-ləs-tryee-nə
Alessandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: a-lehs-SAN-dra
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Althaea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Αλθαια(Ancient Greek)
Althea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀλθαία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From the Greek name
Ἀλθαία (Althaia), perhaps related to Greek
ἄλθος (althos) meaning
"healing". In Greek
myth she was the mother of Meleager. Soon after her son was born she was told that he would die as soon as a piece of wood that was burning on her fire was fully consumed. She immediately extinguished the piece of wood and sealed it in a chest, but in a fit of rage many years later she took it out and set it alight, thereby killing her son.
Alya 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Turkish
Other Scripts: علياء(Arabic)
Pronounced: ‘al-YA(Arabic)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Means "sky, heaven, loftiness" in Arabic.
Amabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Amalthea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀμάλθεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: am-əl-THEE-ə(English)
From the Greek
Ἀμάλθεια (Amaltheia), derived from
μαλθάσσω (malthasso) meaning
"to soften, to soothe". In Greek
myth she was a nymph (in some sources a goat) who nursed the infant
Zeus.
Amaranta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Rare), Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: a-ma-RAN-ta
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Amarantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From the name of the amaranth flower, which is derived from Greek
ἀμάραντος (amarantos) meaning "unfading".
Ἀμάραντος (Amarantos) was also an Ancient Greek given name.
Amata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Amaterasu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese Mythology
Other Scripts: 天照(Japanese Kanji) あまてらす(Japanese Hiragana) アマテラス(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: A-MA-TEH-RA-SOO(Japanese)
Means
"shining over heaven", from Japanese
天 (ama) meaning "heaven, sky" and
照 (terasu) meaning "shine". This was the name of the Japanese sun goddess, the ruler of the heavens. She was born when
Izanagi washed his left eye after returning from the underworld. At one time the Japanese royal family claimed descent from her.
Ameretat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian Mythology
Other Scripts: 𐬀𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬙𐬁𐬙(Avestan)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Means
"immortality" in Avestan. This was the name of a Zoroastrian goddess (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with plants and long life. She was often mentioned with
Haurvatat.
America
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ə-MEHR-i-kə
Personal remark: The name of one of my great-great grandmothers!
In the English-speaking world, this name is usually given in reference to the United States of America (see
Amerigo). It came into use as an American name in the 19th century.
Amethyst
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AM-ə-thist
From the name of the purple semi-precious stone, which is derived from the Greek negative prefix
ἀ (a) and
μέθυστος (methystos) meaning "intoxicated, drunk", as it was believed to be a remedy against drunkenness. It is the traditional birthstone of February.
Amira 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַמִירָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ah-MEER-ah
Personal remark: Hebrew name unrelated to the Arabic name; means 'treetop'
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Amirah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Malay
Other Scripts: أميرة(Arabic)
Pronounced: a-MEE-ra(Arabic)
Personal remark: Arabic name unrelated to the Hebrew name; from 'amir', meaning 'commander' or 'prince'
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Alternate transcription of Arabic
أميرة (see
Amira 1), as well as the usual Malay form.
Anaïs
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-NA-EES
Meaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of
Anne 1 or
Agnès. It was used in Jean-Henri Guy's opera
Anacréon chez Polycrate (1798), where it is borne by the daughter (otherwise unnamed in history) of the 6th-century BC tyrant
Polycrates of Samos. Guy could have adapted it from a classical name such as
Anaitis or
Athénaïs.
A famous bearer was the Cuban-French writer Anaïs Nin (1903-1977), known for her diaries.
Anastasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, English, Spanish, Italian, Georgian, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Αναστασία(Greek) Анастасия(Russian) Анастасія(Ukrainian, Belarusian) ანასტასია(Georgian) Ἀναστασία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-na-sta-SEE-a(Greek) u-nu-stu-SYEE-yə(Russian) u-nu-stu-SYEE-yu(Ukrainian) a-na-sta-SYEE-ya(Belarusian) an-ə-STAY-zhə(English) a-na-STA-sya(Spanish) a-na-STA-zya(Italian) A-NA-STA-SEE-A(Classical Greek)
Personal remark: Ah-nah-stay-zha. Nickname: Ana (Ah-na) or also possibly Anya.
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Anastasius. This was the name of a 4th-century Dalmatian
saint who was martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Due to her, the name has been common in Eastern Orthodox Christianity (in various spellings). As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the youngest daughter of the last Russian tsar Nicholas II, who was rumoured to have escaped the execution of her family in 1918.
Angélique
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: AHN-ZHEH-LEEK
Anna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Armenian, Icelandic, Faroese, Catalan, Occitan, Breton, Scottish Gaelic, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Άννα(Greek) Анна(Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Church Slavic) Աննա(Armenian) Ἄννα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-ə(English) AN-na(Italian, Polish, Icelandic) A-na(German, Swedish, Danish, Greek, Czech) AH-na(Dutch) AHN-nah(Norwegian, Finnish, Armenian) AWN-naw(Hungarian) AN-nə(Russian, Catalan) ahn-NAH(Armenian)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Form of
Hannah used in the Greek and Latin
Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the
Hannah spelling instead of
Anna. The name appears briefly in the
New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized
Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of
Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin
Mary.
In England, this Latin form has been used alongside the vernacular forms Ann and Anne since the late Middle Ages. Anna is currently the most common of these spellings in all English-speaking countries (since the 1970s), however the biblical form Hannah is presently more popular than all three.
The name was borne by several Russian royals, including an 18th-century empress of Russia. It is also the name of the main character in Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina (1877), about a married aristocrat who begins an ultimately tragic relationship with Count Vronsky.
Anneliese
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: A-nə-lee-zə(German) ah-nə-LEE-sə(Dutch)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Annunciata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Annunziata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: an-noon-TSYA-ta
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Means
"announced" in Italian, referring to the event in the
New Testament in which the angel Gabriel tells the Virgin
Mary of the imminent birth of
Jesus.
Annushka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Аннушка(Russian)
Antonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Romanian, Greek, Croatian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Αντωνία(Greek) Антония(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: an-TO-nya(Italian, Spanish, German) an-TO-nee-ə(English) ahn-TO-nee-a(Dutch) an-TO-nee-a(Latin)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Antonius (see
Anthony).
Anya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, English
Other Scripts: Аня(Russian)
Pronounced: A-nyə(Russian) AN-yə(English)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Apollonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Italian
Other Scripts: Ἀπολλωνία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-POL-LAW-NEE-A(Classical Greek)
Feminine form of
Apollonios. This was the name of a 3rd-century
saint and martyr from Alexandria.
Arabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ar-ə-BEHL-ə
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Medieval Scottish name, probably a variant of
Annabel. It has long been associated with Latin
orabilis meaning "invokable, yielding to prayer", and the name was often recorded in forms resembling this.
Unrelated, this was an older name of the city of Irbid in Jordan, from Greek Ἄρβηλα (Arbela).
Araceli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: a-ra-THEH-lee(European Spanish) a-ra-SEH-lee(Latin American Spanish)
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.
Aradhana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: आराधना(Hindi)
Means "worship" in Sanskrit.
Araminta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Meaning unknown. This name was (first?) used by William Congreve in his comedy The Old Bachelor (1693) and later by John Vanbrugh in his comedy The Confederacy (1705). This was the original given name of abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), who was born Araminta Ross.
Ariadne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀριάδνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-REE-AD-NEH(Classical Greek) ar-ee-AD-nee(English)
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.
Arianna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, English (Modern)
Pronounced: a-RYAN-na(Italian) ar-ee-AN-ə(English) ar-ee-AHN-ə(English)
Arianrhod
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: ar-YAN-rawd(Welsh)
Probably means
"silver wheel" from Welsh
arian "silver" and
rhod "wheel". According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], Arianrhod was the mother of the twins
Dylan and
Lleu Llaw Gyffes, whom she spontaneously birthed when she stepped over a magical wand. It is speculated that in earlier myths she may have been a goddess of the moon.
Arianwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: ar-YAN-wehn
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Derived from Welsh
arian "silver" and
gwen "white, blessed". This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh
saint, one of the supposed daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Ariella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ar-ee-EHL-ə, ehr-ee-EHL-ə
Strictly feminine form of
Ariel.
Arielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: A-RYEHL(French)
French feminine form of
Ariel, as well as an English variant.
Artemis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἄρτεμις(Ancient Greek) Άρτεμις(Greek)
Pronounced: AR-TEH-MEES(Classical Greek) AHR-tə-mis(American English) AH-tə-mis(British English)
Meaning unknown, possibly related either to Greek
ἀρτεμής (artemes) meaning
"safe" or
ἄρταμος (artamos) meaning
"a butcher". Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon and hunting, the twin of
Apollo and the daughter of
Zeus and
Leto. She was known as
Diana to the Romans.
Artemisia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀρτεμισία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Artemisios. This was the name of the 4th-century BC builder of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. She built it in memory of her husband, the Carian prince Mausolus.
Aruzhan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kazakh
Other Scripts: Аружан(Kazakh)
Means "beautiful soul" in Kazakh.
Arwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Means
"noble maiden" in the fictional language Sindarin. In
The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Arwen was the daughter of
Elrond and the lover of
Aragorn.
Arya 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Hindi, Malayalam
Other Scripts: آریا(Persian) आर्य, आर्या(Hindi) ആര്യ, ആര്യാ(Malayalam)
Pronounced: aw-ree-YAW(Persian) awr-YAW(Persian) AR-yə(Hindi) AR-ya(Hindi, Malayalam) AR-yu(Malayalam)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From an old Indo-Iranian root meaning "Aryan, noble". In India, this is a transcription of both the masculine form
आर्य and the feminine form
आर्या. In Iran it is only a masculine name.
Asha 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam
Other Scripts: आशा(Hindi, Marathi) ಆಶಾ(Kannada) ആശാ(Malayalam)
Derived from Sanskrit
आशा (āśā) meaning
"wish, desire, hope".
Asra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: أسرى(Arabic)
Pronounced: AS-ra
Means "travel at night" in Arabic.
Asteria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀστερία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Astraea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀστραία(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of the Greek
Ἀστραία (Astraia), derived from Greek
ἀστήρ (aster) meaning
"star". Astraea was a Greek goddess of justice and innocence. After wickedness took root in the world she left the earth and became the constellation Virgo.
Astrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, French, English
Pronounced: AS-strid(Swedish) AHS-tri(Norwegian) AS-trit(German) AS-TREED(French) AS-trid(English)
Modern Scandinavian form of
Ástríðr. This name was borne by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), the author of
Pippi Longstocking. It was also borne by a Swedish princess (1905-1935) who became the queen of Belgium as the wife of Leopold III.
Åsvi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish (Rare, Archaic)
Swedish form of the Old Norse name
Ásví, which was derived from
áss "god" combined with an unknown second element, possibly
vé "devoted, dedicated" (from
vīgja or
vígja "to consecrate (in heathen sense)"; compare
Véfreyja).
Athénaïs
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-TEH-NA-EES
Personal remark: ah-tay-na-EES or ah-TAY-na-ees
Atsuko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 温子, 篤子, 敦子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あつこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-TSOO-KO
From Japanese
温 (atsu) meaning "warm",
篤 (atsu) meaning "deep, true, sincere" or
敦 (atsu) meaning "honest" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Aurelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Polish
Pronounced: ow-REH-lee-a(Latin) ow-REH-lya(Italian, Spanish, Polish)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Aureliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare), Ancient Roman
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Aurélie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: O-REH-LEE
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Aurélienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare)
Aurora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Romanian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: ow-RAW-ra(Italian) ow-RO-ra(Spanish, Latin) ə-RAWR-ə(English) OW-ro-rah(Finnish)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.
Aušra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Means "dawn" in Lithuanian.
Austėja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian, Baltic Mythology
Means "to weave" in Lithuanian. This was the name of the Lithuanian goddess of bees.
Autumn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AW-təm
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
From the name of the season, ultimately from Latin autumnus. This name has been in general use since the 1960s.
Avalon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AV-ə-lahn(American English) AV-ə-lawn(British English)
From the name of the island paradise to which King
Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh
afal meaning "apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.
Azura
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-ZHUWR-ə, AZH-rə
Balsamie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Quebec, Rare, Archaic), French (Rare, Archaic)
Personal remark: The name of an obscure 6th century saint, the wet-nurse of Saint Remi. It is apparently derived from the word 'balsam' meaning a healing balm/ointment, ultimately from Hebrew 'basam'-- 'spice'.
Béatrice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: BEH-A-TREES
Personal remark: bay-ah-TREES
Beatrix
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Hungarian, Dutch, English, Late Roman
Pronounced: beh-A-triks(German) BEH-a-triks(German, Dutch) BEH-aw-treeks(Hungarian) BEE-ə-triks(English) BEE-triks(English)
Rating: 85% based on 2 votes
Probably from
Viatrix, a feminine form of the Late Latin name
Viator meaning
"voyager, traveller". It was a common name amongst early Christians, and the spelling was altered by association with Latin
beatus "blessed, happy". Viatrix or Beatrix was a 4th-century
saint who was strangled to death during the persecutions of Diocletian.
In England the name became rare after the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, more commonly in the spelling Beatrice. Famous bearers include the British author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), the creator of Peter Rabbit, and Beatrix of the Netherlands (1938-), the former queen.
Belén
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: beh-LEHN
Personal remark: be-LEN
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Spanish form of
Bethlehem, the name of the town in Judah where King
David and
Jesus were born. The town's name is from Hebrew
בֵּית־לֶחֶם (Beṯ-leḥem) meaning "house of bread".
Brighid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: BRYEED(Irish)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Newer Irish form of
Brigit (see
Bridget). Since the 1948 spelling reform, this name is spelled
Bríd.
Brigid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Personal remark: Pronounced either BRIGG-id or BREE-id.
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Irish variant of
Brighid (see
Bridget).
Brigitta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Hungarian
Pronounced: bree-GI-ta(German) BREE-geet-taw(Hungarian)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
German, Dutch and Hungarian form of
Bridget.
Bronwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BRAWN-wehn
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Seemingly derived from Welsh
bron "breast" and
gwen "white, blessed", though it has sometimes occurred as a variant spelling of the legendary name
Branwen [1]. It has been used as a given name in Wales since the 19th century. It is borne by a character in Richard Llewellyn's 1939 novel
How Green Was My Valley, as well as the 1941 movie adaptation.
Calanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LAN-thee
From the name of a type of orchid, ultimately meaning "beautiful flower", derived from Greek
καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful" and
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower".
Calanthia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LAN-thee-ə
Caliadne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Καλιαδν(Ancient Greek)
Means "beautiful and holy". From the Greek
kalos (καλή) 'beautiful' and
adnos (αδνος) 'holy'. In Greek mythology she is a naiad of the river Nile in Egypt, a daughter of the god of the Nile,
Neilus. She was one of the wives of
Aegyptus, and bore him twelve sons.
Calliope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Καλλιόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-LIE-ə-pee(English)
Callista
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LIS-tə
Calypso
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Καλυψώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-LIP-so(English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
From Greek
Καλυψώ (Kalypso), which probably meant
"she that conceals", derived from
καλύπτω (kalypto) meaning "to cover, to conceal". In Greek
myth this was the name of the nymph who fell in love with
Odysseus after he was shipwrecked on her island of Ogygia. When he refused to stay with her she detained him for seven years until
Zeus ordered her to release him.
Candelaria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: kan-deh-LA-rya
Means
"Candlemas" in Spanish, ultimately derived from Spanish
candela "candle". This name is given in honour of the church festival of Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of Christ in the temple and the purification of the Virgin
Mary.
Capucine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KA-PUY-SEEN
Means
"nasturtium" in French. This was the
stage name of the French actress and model Capucine (1928-1990).
Carmelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), French (Quebec, Rare), French (Belgian, Rare), English (Rare)
Personal remark: I especially like this as Marie-Carmelle.
Carmen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, French, Romanian, German
Pronounced: KAR-mehn(Spanish, Italian) KAHR-mən(American English) KAH-mən(British English)
Medieval Spanish form of
Carmel, appearing in the devotional title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora del Carmen meaning "Our Lady of Mount Carmel". The spelling has been altered through association with the Latin word
carmen meaning
"song". This was the name of the main character in George Bizet's opera
Carmen (1875).
Catriona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Scottish
Pronounced: kə-TREE-nə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Cecilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Romanian, Finnish
Pronounced: seh-SEE-lee-ə(English) seh-SEEL-yə(English) cheh-CHEE-lya(Italian) theh-THEE-lya(European Spanish) seh-SEE-lya(Latin American Spanish) seh-SEEL-yah(Danish, Norwegian) sə-SEE-lee-a(Dutch)
Personal remark: Other legitimate (and more positive/less negative) meanings of its Latin root include 'hidden' and 'secret'.
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Latinate feminine form of the Roman family name
Caecilius, which was derived from Latin
caecus meaning
"blind".
Saint Cecilia was a semi-legendary 2nd or 3rd-century martyr who was sentenced to die because she refused to worship the Roman gods. After attempts to suffocate her failed, she was beheaded. She was later regarded as the patron saint of music and musicians.
Due to the popularity of the saint, the name became common in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The Normans brought it to England, where it was commonly spelled Cecily — the Latinate form Cecilia came into use in the 18th century.
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)
Celynwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Combination of Welsh celyn "holly" and gwen "white, fair, blessed".
Ceridwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: keh-RID-wehn
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Possibly from
cyrrid "bent, crooked" (a derivative of Old Welsh
cwrr "corner") combined with
ben "woman" or
gwen "white, blessed". According to the medieval Welsh legend the
Tale of Taliesin (recorded by Elis Gruffyd in the 16th century) this was the name of a sorceress who created a potion that would grant wisdom to her son Morfan. The potion was instead consumed by her servant Gwion Bach, who was subsequently reborn as the renowned bard
Taliesin.
This name appears briefly in a poem in the Black Book of Carmarthen in the form Kyrridven [1] and in a poem in the Book of Taliesin in the form Kerrituen [2]. Some theories connect her to an otherwise unattested Celtic goddess of inspiration, and suppose her name is related to Welsh cerdd "poetry".
Chandani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Sanskrit
Pronounced: chan-dan-ee
Means "moonlight, silver, luminous" in Sanskrit.
Chandni
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indian, Hindi
Other Scripts: चाँदनी(Hindi)
Pronounced: chahn-DI-nee(Indian)
From Hindi चाँदनी (cā̃dnī) meaning "moonlight".
Chandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Nepali
Other Scripts: चन्द्र, चन्द्रा(Sanskrit, Hindi, Nepali) চন্দ্র(Bengali) চন্দ্ৰ(Assamese) चंद्रा(Marathi) చంద్ర(Telugu) சந்திரா(Tamil) ಚಂದ್ರ(Kannada)
Pronounced: CHUN-dru(Sanskrit, Kannada) CHAWN-dro(Bengali) CHUN-drə(Hindi, Marathi) TSUN-dru(Nepali)
Means
"moon" in Sanskrit, derived from
चन्द (cand) meaning "to shine". This is a transcription of both the masculine form
चण्ड (the god of the moon personified) as well as the feminine form
चण्डा (spelled with a long final vowel).
Chava
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: חַוָּה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: kha-VA
Personal remark: hah-va
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Modern Hebrew form of
Eve.
Chiara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: KYA-ra
Italian form of
Clara.
Saint Chiara (commonly called
Clare in English) was a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Christa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Danish, English
Pronounced: KRIS-ta(German) KRIS-tə(English)
Christabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-tə-behl
Combination of
Christina and the name suffix
bel (inspired by Latin
bella "beautiful"). This name occurs in medieval literature, and was later used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his 1816 poem
Christabel [1].
Christabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-tə-behl
Christelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KREES-TEHL
Personal remark: krees-TEL
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Christiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Late Roman
Pronounced: kris-tee-AN-ə(English) kris-tee-AHN-ə(English)
Personal remark: Acceptable nicknames: Chrissie or Christelle; also Christabel or Christa. *maybe* Tiana. maybe.
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Chrysanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Χρυσάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Chryssa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Χρύσα(Greek)
Clara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Catalan, Romanian, English, Swedish, Danish, Late Roman
Pronounced: KLA-ra(German, Spanish, Italian) KLA-ru(Portuguese) KLA-RA(French) KLEHR-ə(American English) KLAR-ə(American English) KLAH-rə(British English)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Clarus, which meant
"clear, bright, famous". The name
Clarus was borne by a few early
saints. The feminine form was popularized by the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi (called
Chiara in Italian), a friend and follower of Saint Francis, who left her wealthy family to found the order of nuns known as the Poor Clares.
As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages, originally in the form Clare, though the Latinate spelling Clara overtook it in the 19th century and became very popular. It declined through most of the 20th century (being eclipsed by the French form Claire in English-speaking countries), though it has since recovered somewhat.
Clare
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHR(American English) KLEH(British English)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Medieval English form of
Clara. The preferred spelling in the English-speaking world is now the French form
Claire, though
Clare has been fairly popular in the United Kingdom and Australia.
This is also the name of an Irish county, which was itself probably derived from Irish clár meaning "plank, level surface".
Clarissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian
Pronounced: klə-RIS-ə(English)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Latinate form of
Clarice. This is the name of the title character in a 1748 novel by Samuel Richardson. In the novel Clarissa Harlowe is a virtuous woman who is tragically exploited by her family and her lover. Another literary character by this name is Clarissa Dalloway from the novel
Mrs. Dalloway (1925) by Virginia Woolf.
Clémence
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KLEH-MAHNS
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
French feminine form of
Clementius (see
Clement).
Clementia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: kleh-MEHN-tee-a(Latin)
Feminine form of
Clemens or
Clementius (see
Clement). In Roman
mythology this was the name of the personification of mercy and clemency.
Clemenzia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Corsican
Clíodhna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: KLYEE-nə(Irish)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Meaning unknown. In Irish legend this was the name of a beautiful goddess. She fell in love with a mortal named Ciabhán and left the Land of Promise with him, but when she arrived on the other shore she was swept to sea by a great wave.
Clytemnestra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κλυταιμνήστρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: klie-təm-NEHS-trə(English)
Latinized form of Greek
Κλυταιμνήστρα (Klytaimnestra) and
Κλυταιμήστρα (Klytaimestra), in which the first element is
κλυτός (klytos) meaning "famous, noble". The spelling
Klytaimnestra would suggest the second element is
μνηστήρ (mnester) meaning "courter, wooer", while
Klytaimestra would suggest a connection to
μήδομαι (medomai) meaning "to plan, to intend". There is debate over which spelling is earlier or more authentic
[1], since the ancient texts seem to make puns based on both etymologies.
Klytaimestra appears in the works of the Greek tragedians such as Aeschylus, while
Klytaimnestra appears in Homer's poems (the earliest extant copy dating from the post-classical period).
In Greek legend Clytemnestra was the wife of Agamemnon and the mother of Orestes and Electra. While her husband was away during the Trojan War she took a lover, and upon his return she had Agamemnon murdered. She was subsequently killed by her son Orestes.
Consolata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: kon-so-LA-ta
Means
"consoled" in Italian. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Maria Consolata.
Constanza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: kons-TAN-tha(European Spanish) kons-TAN-sa(Latin American Spanish)
Cora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κόρη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KAWR-ə(English) KO-ra(German)
Personal remark: With this spelling, I think it is commonly understood to be derived from Latin 'cor', meaning 'heart'.
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Latinized form of
Kore. It was not used as a given name in the English-speaking world until after it was employed by James Fenimore Cooper for a character in his novel
The Last of the Mohicans (1826). In some cases it may be a short form of
Cordula,
Corinna and other names beginning with a similar sound.
Coralie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KAW-RA-LEE
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Either a French form of
Koralia, or a derivative of Latin
corallium "coral" (see
Coral).
Cordelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: kawr-DEEL-ee-ə(American English) kaw-DEE-lee-ə(British English)
Personal remark: Alternatively: derived from Latin 'cordis', 'of the heart' or 'corde', 'by/with/in the heart'; a combination of Latin 'cor' w/ Greek 'delia' (ultimately meaning 'revealed'), thus "revealed heart".
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
From
Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles
[1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King
Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of
Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.
The spelling was later altered to Cordelia when Geoffrey's story was adapted by others, including Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590) and Shakespeare in his tragedy King Lear (1606).
Corisande
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Theatre, French (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Meaning uncertain, from the name of a character in medieval legend, possibly first recorded by Spanish writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. Perhaps it was derived from an older form of Spanish
corazón "heart" (e.g., Old Spanish
coraçon; ultimately from Latin
cor "heart", with the hypothetic Vulgar Latin root
*coratione,
*coraceone) or the Greek name
Chrysanthe. As a nickname it was used by a mistress of King Henry IV of France: Diane d'Andoins (1554-1620),
la Belle Corisande. Some usage may be generated by Jean-Baptiste Lully's opera
Amadis (1684; based on Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo), in which it belongs to the lover of the prince Florestan. The name was also used by Benjamin Disraeli for a character in his play
Lothair (1870).
Cosima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: KAW-zee-ma
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Italian feminine form of
Cosimo.
Cosmina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: kos-MEE-na
Crescentia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare), Late Roman
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Crescentius.
Saint Crescentia was a 4th-century companion of Saint
Vitus. This is also the name of the eponymous heroine of a 12th-century German romance.
Crescenzia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Cypriana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch (Rare), English (Rare), German (Rare), Romansh (Rare), Ancient Roman
Danaë
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Δανάη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DA-NA-EH(Classical Greek) DAN-ay-ee(English)
Personal remark: dah-nah-ee
From
Δαναοί (Danaoi), a word used by
Homer to designate the Greeks. In Greek
mythology Danaë was the daughter of the Argive king Acrisius. It had been prophesied to her father that he would one day be killed by Danaë's son, so he attempted to keep his daughter childless. However,
Zeus came to her in the form of a shower of gold, and she became the mother of
Perseus. Eventually the prophecy was fulfilled and Perseus killed Acrisius, albeit accidentally.
Daphne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English, Dutch
Other Scripts: Δάφνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DA-PNEH(Classical Greek) DAF-nee(English) DAHF-nə(Dutch)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Means
"laurel" in Greek. In Greek
mythology she was a nymph turned into a laurel tree by her father in order that she might escape the pursuit of
Apollo. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the end of the 19th century.
Dariana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Pronounced: DAR-Y-AHNA
Dariya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Дарія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: DA-ryee-yu
Deirdre
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: DIR-drə(American English) DIR-dree(American English) DEEY-drə(British English) DEEY-dree(British English) DYEHR-dryə(Irish)
From the Old Irish name
Derdriu, meaning unknown, possibly derived from
der meaning
"daughter". This was the name of a tragic character in Irish legend who died of a broken heart after
Conchobar, the king of Ulster, forced her to be his bride and killed her lover
Naoise.
It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 20th century, influenced by two plays featuring the character: William Butler Yeats' Deirdre (1907) and J. M. Synge's Deirdre of the Sorrows (1910).
Delphine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: DEHL-FEEN
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Demeter 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Δημήτηρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DEH-MEH-TEHR(Classical Greek) də-MEET-ər(American English) də-MEET-ə(British English)
Possibly means
"earth mother", derived from Greek
δᾶ (da) meaning "earth" and
μήτηρ (meter) meaning "mother". In Greek
mythology Demeter was the goddess of agriculture, the daughter of
Cronus, the sister of
Zeus, and the mother of
Persephone. She was an important figure in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites performed at Eleusis near Athens.
Dominique
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: DAW-MEE-NEEK
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
French feminine and masculine form of
Dominicus (see
Dominic).
Dorothy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAWR-ə-thee(American English, British English) DAWR-thee(American English)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Usual English form of
Dorothea. It has been in use since the 16th century. The author L. Frank Baum used it for the central character, Dorothy Gale, in his fantasy novel
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and several of its sequels.
Eden
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English (Modern), French (Modern)
Other Scripts: עֵדֶן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: EE-dən(English)
Rating: 30% based on 2 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)
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.
Eira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: AY-ra
Means "snow" in Welsh. This is a recently created name.
Eira 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: AY-rah(Swedish)
Eirian
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Means
"bright, beautiful" in Welsh
[1].
Eirianwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: ayr-YAHN-wen
From Welsh eirian "shining, bright" and gwen "holy, white, pure".
Eithne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: EH-nyə(Irish)
Possibly from Old Irish
etne meaning
"kernel, grain". In Irish
mythology Eithne or Ethniu was a Fomorian and the mother of
Lugh Lámfada. It was borne by several other legendary and historical figures, including a few early
saints.
Elaine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: i-LAYN(English) ee-LAYN(English)
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
From an Old French form of
Helen. It appears in Arthurian legend; in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation
Le Morte d'Arthur Elaine was the daughter of
Pelles, the lover of
Lancelot, and the mother of
Galahad. It was not commonly used as an English given name until after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian epic
Idylls of the King (1859).
Elanor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Means "star sun" in the fictional language Sindarin. In The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien this is Sam's eldest daughter, named after a type of flower.
Elbereth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Means "queen of the stars" in Sindarin, composed of êl "star" and bereth "queen, spouse". In 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, this was an epithet of Varda, the deity to whom the Elvish hymn 'A Elbereth Gilthoniel' was directed.
Eleanor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ə-nawr(American English) EHL-ə-naw(British English)
Rating: 90% based on 2 votes
From the Old French form of the Occitan name
Alienòr. Among the name's earliest bearers was the influential Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century), who was the queen of Louis VII, the king of France, and later Henry II, the king of England. She was named
Aenor after her mother, and was called by the Occitan phrase
alia Aenor "the other Aenor" in order to distinguish her from her mother. However, there appear to be examples of bearers prior to Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is not clear whether they were in fact Aenors who were retroactively recorded as having the name Eleanor, or whether there is an alternative explanation for the name's origin.
The popularity of the name Eleanor in England during the Middle Ages was due to the fame of Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as two queens of the following century: Eleanor of Provence, the wife of Henry III, and Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I. More recently, it was borne by first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), the wife of American president Franklin Roosevelt.
Elena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovak, Czech, Lithuanian, Estonian, Finnish, Russian, Greek, German, English
Other Scripts: Елена(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian) Έλενα(Greek)
Pronounced: EH-leh-na(Italian, Slovak, Czech, German) eh-LEH-na(Spanish, Romanian, German) eh-LEH-nu(Bulgarian) eh-lyeh-NU(Lithuanian) EH-leh-nah(Finnish) yi-LYEH-nə(Russian) i-LYEH-nə(Russian) EHL-ə-nə(English) ə-LAY-nə(English)
Personal remark: eh-LAY-na
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Form of
Helen used in various languages, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian
Елена (see
Yelena).
Eliana 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English (Modern)
Pronounced: eh-LYA-na(Italian, Spanish) ehl-lee-AN-ə(English) ehl-lee-AHN-ə(English)
Rating: 90% based on 2 votes
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Éliane.
Elinor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ə-nawr(American English) EHL-ə-naw(British English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Eliora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֱלִיאוֹרָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Élisabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-LEE-ZA-BEHT
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Elisabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: eh-LEE-za-beht(German) eh-LEE-sa-beht(Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian) eh-LEE-sa-behd(Danish) i-LIZ-ə-bəth(English)
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
German and Dutch form of
Elizabeth. It is also a variant English form, reflecting the spelling used in the Authorized Version of the
New Testament.
Elisabetta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: eh-lee-za-BEHT-ta
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Élise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-LEEZ
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Elisheva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: אֱלִישֶׁבַע(Hebrew)
Eliška
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: EH-lish-ka(Czech) EH-leesh-ka(Slovak)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Eliza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian
Other Scripts: ელიზა(Georgian)
Pronounced: i-LIE-zə(English) eh-LEE-za(Polish) EH-lee-zaw(Hungarian)
Short form of
Elizabeth. It was borne by the character Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's play
Pygmalion (1913) and the subsequent musical adaptation
My Fair Lady (1956).
Élodie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-LAW-DEE
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Elowen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.
Elspeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: EHLS-peth
Personal remark: EL-speth
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Eluned
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: ehl-IN-ehd, ehl-EEN-ehd
Derived from Welsh
eilun meaning
"image, likeness, idol". This was the name of a legendary 5th-century Welsh
saint, also known as Eiliwedd, one of the supposed daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Emerentia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman, Dutch, German (Rare), Swedish (Rare), Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Feminine form of
Emerentius. This name belonged to an early Christian martyr, and is also assigned to the mother of Saint Anna and grandmother of the Virgin Mary in some late 15th-century European traditions.
Emiliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: eh-mee-LYA-na(Italian, Spanish)
Emmanuelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-MA-NWEHL
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Éowyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: AY-ə-win(English)
Means "horse joy" in Old English. This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel The Lord of the Rings (1954) Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden of Rohan. She slays the Lord of the Nazgul in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Epiphania
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical), Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἐπιφάνεια(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of the Greek name Ἐπιφάνεια
(Epiphaneia), a feminine form of
Epiphanes. This name was borne by an 8th-century Italian saint from
Pavia. Also compare
Epifania.
Esmée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British), Dutch
Pronounced: EHZ-may(British English) EHZ-mee(British English) ehs-MEH(Dutch)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Esmeralda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, English, Albanian, Literature
Pronounced: ehz-meh-RAL-da(Spanish) izh-mi-RAL-du(European Portuguese) ehz-meh-ROW-du(Brazilian Portuguese) ehz-mə-RAHL-də(English)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Means "emerald" in Spanish and Portuguese. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), in which Esmeralda is the Romani girl who is loved by Quasimodo. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since that time.
Esperanza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ehs-peh-RAN-tha(European Spanish) ehs-peh-RAN-sa(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Spanish form of the Late Latin name Sperantia, which was derived from sperare "to hope".
Estella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ehs-TEHL-ə
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Latinate form of
Estelle. This is the name of the heroine, Estella Havisham, in Charles Dickens' novel
Great Expectations (1860).
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).
Esther
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֶסְתֵר(Hebrew) Ἐσθήρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EHS-tər(American English, Dutch) EHS-tə(British English) EHS-TEHR(French) ehs-TEHR(Spanish) EHS-tu(German)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From the Hebrew name
אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which possibly means
"star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess
Ishtar. The Book of Esther in the
Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor
Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin
Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was
Hadassah.
This name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. In America it received a boost in popularity after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893-1980), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland [1].
Estrella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ehs-TREH-ya
Spanish form of
Stella 1, coinciding with the Spanish word meaning "star".
Eugénie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: UU-ZHEH-NEE
French form of
Eugenia. This was the name of the wife of Napoleon III.
Euphrasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Εὐφρασία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
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.
Euphrosyne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὐφροσύνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: yoo-FRAH-si-nee(American English) yoo-FRAW-si-nee(British English)
Means
"mirth, merriment, cheerfulness" in Greek, a derivative of
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
φρήν (phren) meaning "mind, heart". She was one of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites) in Greek
mythology.
Eurydice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εὐρυδίκη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ew-RUY-dee-keh(Latin) yuw-RID-i-see(English)
From the Greek
Εὐρυδίκη (Eurydike) meaning
"wide justice", derived from
εὐρύς (eurys) meaning "wide" and
δίκη (dike) meaning "justice, custom, order". In Greek
myth she was the wife of Orpheus. Her husband tried to rescue her from Hades, but he failed when he disobeyed the condition that he not look back upon her on their way out.
Evadne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εὐάδνη(Ancient Greek)
From Greek
Εὐάδνη (Euadne), from
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" possibly combined with Cretan Greek
ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". This name was borne by several characters in Greek legend, including the wife of Capaneus. After Capaneus was killed by a lightning bolt sent from
Zeus she committed suicide by throwing herself onto his burning body.
Evangeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: i-VAN-jə-leen, i-VAN-jə-lien
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Means
"good news" from Greek
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
ἄγγελμα (angelma) meaning "news, message". It was (first?) used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1847 epic poem
Evangeline [1][2]. It also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) as the full name of the character Eva.
Evelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, Lithuanian, Greek, Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Εβελίνα(Greek) Эвелина(Russian) Евелина(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ehv-ə-LEE-nə(English) eh-veh-LEE-na(Italian, Swedish)
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Latinate form of
Aveline. It was revived by the author Fanny Burney for the heroine of her first novel
Evelina (1778). It is often regarded as a variant of the related name
Evelyn or an elaboration of
Eve.
Evelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: EHV-ə-lin(English) EEV-lin(British English) EEV-ə-lin(British English) EH-və-leen(German)
Rating: 80% based on 2 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.
Farah
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Malay
Other Scripts: فرح(Arabic, Persian, Urdu)
Pronounced: FA-rah(Arabic)
Means
"joy, happiness" in Arabic, from the root
فرح (fariḥa) meaning "to be happy".
Felicity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: fə-LIS-i-tee
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
From the English word
felicity meaning
"happiness", which ultimately derives from Latin
felicitas "good luck". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans around the 17th century. It can sometimes be used as an English form of the Latin name
Felicitas. This name jumped in popularity in the United States after the premiere of the television series
Felicity in 1998. It is more common in the United Kingdom.
Fiammetta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: fyam-MEHT-ta
Diminutive of
Fiamma. This is the name of a character appearing in several works by the 14th-century Italian author Boccaccio. She was probably based on the Neapolitan noblewoman Maria d'Aquino.
Fiona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: fee-O-nə(English)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Fionn. This name was (first?) used by the Scottish poet James Macpherson in his poem
Fingal (1761), in which it is spelled as
Fióna.
Fiorenza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: fyo-REHN-tsa
Italian feminine form of
Florentius (see
Florence).
Floriana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Personal remark: Just pretty, wouldn't actually use.
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Florianus (see
Florian).
Fortune
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English (Rare)
Pronounced: FAWR-TUYN(French) FAWR-chən(American English) FAW-choon(British English)
Personal remark: potential middle name only (family name)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Simply from the word fortune, ultimately from Latin fortuna, a derivative of fors "luck".
Francesca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan
Pronounced: fran-CHEHS-ka(Italian) frən-SEHS-kə(Catalan)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Italian and Catalan feminine form of
Franciscus (see
Francis).
Françoise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: FRAHN-SWAZ
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Freya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, English (Modern), German
Pronounced: FRAY-ə(English) FRAY-a(German)
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.
Gaia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Italian
Other Scripts: Γαῖα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: GIE-A(Classical Greek) GIE-ə(English) GAY-ə(English) GA-ya(Italian)
From the Greek word
γαῖα (gaia), a parallel form of
γῆ (ge) meaning
"earth". In Greek
mythology Gaia was the mother goddess who presided over the earth. She was the mate of
Uranus and the mother of the Titans and the Cyclopes.
Gaiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Γαϊανή(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of the Greek name
Γαϊανή (Gaiane), a derivative of
Gaia. This was the name of a (perhaps fictional) martyr who was killed in Armenia during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian in the late 3rd century.
Galadriel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: gə-LAD-ree-əl(English)
Means "maiden crowned with a radiant garland" in the fictional language Sindarin. Galadriel was a Noldorin elf princess renowned for her beauty and wisdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The elements are galad "radiant" and riel "garlanded maiden". Alatáriel is the Quenya form of her name.
Gemma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan, English (British), Dutch
Pronounced: JEHM-ma(Italian) ZHEHM-mə(Catalan) JEHM-ə(British English) GHEH-ma(Dutch)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Medieval Italian nickname meaning "gem, precious stone". It was borne by the wife of the 13th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri.
Geneviève
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHU-NU-VYEHV, ZHUN-VYEHV
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From the medieval name
Genovefa, which is of uncertain origin. It could be derived from the Germanic elements *
kunją "clan, family, lineage" and *
wībą "wife, woman". Alternatively it could be of Gaulish origin, from the related Celtic element *
genos "kin, family" combined with a second element of unknown meaning. This name was borne by
Saint Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, who inspired the city to resist the Huns in the 5th century.
Genevieve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEHN-ə-veev
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Georgiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Romanian
Pronounced: jawr-JAY-nə(American English) jawr-jee-AN-ə(American English) jaw-JAY-nə(British English) jaw-jee-AN-ə(British English)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
George. This form of the name has been in use in the English-speaking world since the 18th century.
Gianna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Greek, English (Modern)
Other Scripts: Γιάννα(Greek)
Pronounced: JAN-na(Italian) YA-na(Greek) jee-AHN-ə(English) JAHN-ə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Italian short form of
Giovanna and a Modern Greek variant of
Ioanna.
Its use in America started increasing in the late 20th century. It spiked in popularity in 2020 after the death of Gianna Bryant and her father, the basketball player Kobe Bryant, in a helicopter crash.
Gioia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: JAW-ya
Means "joy" in Italian.
Gloriana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: glawr-ee-AN-ə
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Elaborated form of Latin gloria meaning "glory". In Edmund Spenser's poem The Faerie Queene (1590) this was the name of the title character, a representation of Queen Elizabeth I.
Grace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRAYS
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From the English word
grace, which ultimately derives from Latin
gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the
Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.
This name was very popular in the English-speaking world at the end of the 19th century. Though it declined in use over the next 100 years, it staged a successful comeback at the end of the 20th century. The American sitcom Will and Grace (1998-2006) may have helped, though the name was already strongly rising when it premiered. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in 2006.
Graciela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: gra-THYEH-la(European Spanish) gra-SYEH-la(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Guenevere
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Guinevere
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GWIN-ə-vir(American English) GWIN-ə-veey(British English)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From the Norman French form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar meaning
"white phantom", ultimately from the old Celtic roots *
windos meaning "white" (modern Welsh
gwen) and *
sēbros meaning "phantom, magical being"
[1]. In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King
Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by
Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir
Lancelot.
The Cornish form of this name, Jennifer, has become popular in the English-speaking world.
Gwendolen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: GWEHN-də-lin(English)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Possibly means
"white ring", derived from Welsh
gwen meaning "white, blessed" and
dolen meaning "ring, loop". This name appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century chronicles, written in the Latin form
Guendoloena, where it belongs to an ancient queen of the Britons who defeats her ex-husband in battle
[1]. Geoffrey later used it in
Vita Merlini for the wife of the prophet
Merlin [2]. An alternate theory claims that the name arose from a misreading of the masculine name
Guendoleu by Geoffrey
[3].
This name was not regularly given to people until the 19th century [4][3]. It was used by George Eliot for a character in her novel Daniel Deronda (1876).
Gwendolyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GWEHN-də-lin
Rating: 90% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Gwendolen. This is the usual spelling in the United States.
Gwenhwyfar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Personal remark: gwen-hwee-var
Gwyneira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: gwi-NAY-ra
Means
"white snow" from the Welsh element
gwyn meaning "white, blessed" combined with
eira meaning "snow". This is a recently created Welsh name.
Hadassah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew
Other Scripts: הֲדַסָּה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: hə-DAS-ə(English)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Hannah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, German, Dutch, Arabic, Biblical
Other Scripts: חַנָּה(Hebrew) حنّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: HAN-ə(English) HA-na(German) HAH-na(Dutch) HAN-na(Arabic)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From the Hebrew name
חַנָּה (Ḥanna) meaning
"favour, grace", derived from the root
חָנַן (ḥanan) meaning "to be gracious". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the wife of
Elkanah. Her rival was Elkanah's other wife
Peninnah, who had children while Hannah remained barren. After a blessing from
Eli she finally became pregnant with
Samuel.
As an English name, Hannah was not regularly used until after the Protestant Reformation, unlike the vernacular forms Anne and Ann and the Latin form Anna, which were used from the late Middle Ages. In the last half of the 20th century Hannah surged in popularity and neared the top of the name rankings for both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Helen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Ἑλένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHL-ən(English)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
English form of the Greek
Ἑλένη (Helene), probably from Greek
ἑλένη (helene) meaning
"torch" or
"corposant", or possibly related to
σελήνη (selene) meaning
"moon". In Greek
mythology Helen was the daughter of
Zeus and
Leda, whose kidnapping by
Paris was the cause of the Trojan War. The name was also borne by the 4th-century
Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor
Constantine, who supposedly found the True Cross during a trip to Jerusalem.
The name was originally used among early Christians in honour of the saint, as opposed to the classical character. In England it was commonly spelled Ellen during the Middle Ages, and the spelling Helen was not regularly used until after the Renaissance. A famous bearer was Helen Keller (1880-1968), an American author and lecturer who was both blind and deaf.
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: 70% based on 2 votes
Latinate form of
Helen. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's play
All's Well That Ends Well (1603).
Hélène
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-LEHN
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Helianthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Derived from Hélianthe, the French name for Helianthus, which is a genus of plants. It is ultimately derived from Greek helianthos meaning "sun-flower", from Greek helios "sun" and anthos "flower".
Hermione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἑρμιόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHR-MEE-O-NEH(Classical Greek) hər-MIE-ə-nee(American English) hə-MIE-ə-nee(British English)
Personal remark: Derived from Hermes, yes, but I find it more convincing that Hermes means "translator" or "communicator" instead. Besides being a better meaning. ;)
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Derived from the name of the Greek messenger god
Hermes. In Greek
myth Hermione was the daughter of
Menelaus and
Helen. This is also the name of the wife of
Leontes in Shakespeare's play
The Winter's Tale (1610). It is now closely associated with the character Hermione Granger from the
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Hesperia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Spanish
Other Scripts: Ἑσπερια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: hes-PEER-ee-ə(Greek Mythology)
Derived from Greek
hesperos "evening" (see
Hesperos). In Greek myth this was the name of one of the three Hesperides, goddesses of the evening and sunsets. Hesperia was also a Greek name of Italy, meaning "the land where the sun sets" (as in the case of asteroid 69 Hesperia).
Hestia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἑστία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHS-TEE-A(Classical Greek) HEHS-tee-ə(English)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Derived from Greek
ἑστία (hestia) meaning
"hearth, fireside". In Greek
mythology Hestia was the goddess of the hearth and domestic activity.
Hikari
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 光, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ひかり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-KA-REE
From Japanese
光 (hikari) meaning "light". Other kanji can also form this name. It is often written with the hiragana writing system.
Hikaru
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 光, 輝, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ひかる(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-KA-ROO
From Japanese
光 (hikaru) meaning "light" or
輝 (hikaru) meaning "brightness". Other kanji can also form this name.
Honoria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Feminine form of
Honorius. This name was borne by the sister of the Western Roman emperor Valentinian III. After her brother had her engaged to a man she did not like, she wrote to
Attila the Hun asking for help. Attila interpreted this as a marriage proposal and subsequently invaded.
Illuminata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Means
"illuminated, brightened, filled with light" in Latin. This name was borne by a 4th-century
saint from Todi, Italy.
India
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish (Modern)
Pronounced: IN-dee-ə(English) EEN-dya(Spanish)
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.
Indigo
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: IN-di-go
From the English word
indigo for the purplish-blue dye or the colour. It is ultimately derived from Greek
Ἰνδικόν (Indikon) meaning "Indic, from India".
Indira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil
Other Scripts: इन्दिरा(Sanskrit) इन्दिरा, इंदिरा(Hindi) इंदिरा(Marathi) ಇಂದಿರಾ(Kannada) இந்திரா(Tamil)
Pronounced: IN-di-ra(Hindi)
Means
"beauty" in Sanskrit. This is another name of
Lakshmi, the wife of the Hindu god
Vishnu. A notable bearer was India's first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi (1917-1984).
Inés
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ee-NEHS
Ingrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: ING-rid(Swedish) ING-ri(Norwegian) ING-grit(German) ING-greet(German) ING-ghrit(Dutch)
From the Old Norse name
Ingríðr meaning
"Ing is beautiful", derived from the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with
fríðr "beautiful, beloved". A famous bearer was the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982).
Irena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Albanian, Bulgarian, Slovak, Lithuanian
Other Scripts: Ирена(Serbian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ee-REH-na(Polish) I-reh-na(Czech) EE-reh-na(Slovak) i-ryeh-NU(Lithuanian)
Personal remark: ee-RAY-na
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Form of
Irene in several languages.
Isabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, German, Dutch
Pronounced: ee-sa-BEHL(Spanish) ee-zu-BEHL(European Portuguese) ee-za-BEW(Brazilian Portuguese) IZ-ə-behl(English) EE-ZA-BEHL(French) ee-za-BEHL(German, Dutch)
Rating: 85% based on 2 votes
Medieval Occitan form of
Elizabeth. It spread throughout Spain, Portugal and France, becoming common among the royalty by the 12th century. It grew popular in England in the 13th century after Isabella of Angoulême married the English king John, and it was subsequently bolstered when Isabella of France married Edward II the following century.
This is the usual form of the name Elizabeth in Spain and Portugal, though elsewhere it is considered a parallel name, such as in France where it is used alongside Élisabeth. The name was borne by two Spanish ruling queens, including Isabel of Castile, who sponsored the explorations of Christopher Columbus.
Isabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, German, English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, Romanian
Pronounced: ee-za-BEHL-la(Italian) ee-za-BEH-la(German, Dutch) iz-ə-BEHL-ə(English) is-a-BEHL-la(Swedish) EE-sah-behl-lah(Finnish)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Latinate form of
Isabel. This name was borne by many medieval royals, including queens consort of England, France, Portugal, the Holy Roman Empire and Hungary, as well as the powerful ruling queen Isabella of Castile (properly called
Isabel).
In the United States this form was much less common than Isabel until the early 1990s, when it began rapidly rising in popularity. It reached a peak in 2009 and 2010, when it was the most popular name for girls in America, an astounding rise over only 20 years.
A famous bearer is the Italian actress Isabella Rossellini (1952-).
Isabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish
Pronounced: EE-ZA-BEHL(French) IZ-ə-behl(English) ee-za-BEH-lə(German, Dutch)
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Isadora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese
Pronounced: iz-ə-DAWR-ə(English)
Variant of
Isidora. A famous bearer was the American dancer Isadora Duncan (1877-1927).
Isobel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 85% based on 2 votes
Isolina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan, Galician
Personal remark: Another site said this name is probably a form of Isolde.
Diminutive of Italian
Isola and Catalan and Galician
Isolda.
Isra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: إسراء(Arabic)
Pronounced: ees-RA
Means
"nocturnal journey" in Arabic, derived from
سرى (sarā) meaning "to travel by night". According to Islamic tradition, the
Isra was a miraculous journey undertaken by the Prophet
Muhammad.
Ivanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Іванна(Ukrainian)
Ukrainian feminine form of
Ivan.
Ivy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: IE-vee
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
From the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English ifig.
Jacinta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: kha-THEEN-ta(European Spanish) kha-SEEN-ta(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of
Hyacinthus.
Jane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAYN
Rating: 50% based on 2 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.
Jasmina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Јасмина(Serbian, Macedonian)
Form of
Jasmine in several languages.
Jasmine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAZ-min(English) ZHAS-MEEN(French)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
From the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian
یاسمین (yāsamīn), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans
[1]. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie
Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.
Jeanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEE-nə
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Jeannette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: ZHA-NEHT(French) jə-NEHT(English)
Jehanne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval French
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Old French feminine form of
Iohannes (see
John).
Jessamine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: JEHS-ə-min
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
From a variant spelling of the English word
jasmine (see
Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.
Joanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Polish, Biblical
Pronounced: jo-AN-ə(English) yaw-AN-na(Polish)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
English and Polish form of Latin
Iohanna, which was derived from Greek
Ἰωάννα (Ioanna), the feminine form of
Ioannes (see
John). This is the spelling used in the English
New Testament, where it belongs to a follower of
Jesus who is regarded as a
saint. In the Middle Ages in England it was used as a Latinized form of
Joan (the usual feminine form of
John) and it became common as a given name in the 19th century.
Johanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian, English, Late Roman
Pronounced: yo-HA-na(German) yuw-HAN-na(Swedish) yo-HAHN-nah(Danish) yo-HAH-na(Dutch) YO-hawn-naw(Hungarian) YO-hahn-nah(Finnish) jo-HAN-ə(English) jo-AN-ə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Latinate form of Greek
Ioanna (see
Joanna).
Josefina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish
Pronounced: kho-seh-FEE-na(Spanish) zhoo-zə-FEE-nə(Portuguese) yoo-seh-FEE-nah(Swedish)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Spanish, Portuguese and Swedish feminine form of
Joseph.
Josephine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: JO-sə-feen(English) yo-zeh-FEE-nə(German)
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Josette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHAW-ZEHT
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Josiane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHO-ZYAN
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: 30% based on 2 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.
Juliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: yuy-lee-A-na(Dutch) yoo-lee-A-na(German) joo-lee-AN-ə(English) joo-lee-AHN-ə(English) khoo-LYA-na(Spanish) YOO-lee-a-na(Slovak)
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Iulianus (see
Julian). This was the name of a 4th-century
saint and martyr from Nicomedia, and also of the Blessed Juliana of Norwich, also called Julian, a 14th-century mystic and author. The name was also borne by a 20th-century queen of the Netherlands. In England, this form has been in use since the 18th century, alongside the older form
Gillian.
Juliet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: joo-lee-EHT, JOOL-yət
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.
Juliska
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian (Archaic)
Pronounced: YOO-lee-shkaw
Jumana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: جمانة(Arabic)
Pronounced: joo-MA-na
Means "pearl" in Arabic.
Karima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: كريمة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ka-REE-ma
Karishma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: करिश्मा(Hindi)
Means "miracle" in Hindi.
Kassiani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Κασσιανή(Greek)
Personal remark: I also like Kassiana.
Feminine form of
Kassianos. This was the name of a 9th-century Byzantine saint famous as a hymnographer, who supposedly fell in love with the emperor Theophilos but was rejected when she proved to be more intelligent than he.
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.
Katya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Катя(Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: KA-tyə(Russian)
Keiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 慶子, 敬子, 啓子, 恵子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) けいこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KEH-KO
From Japanese
慶 (kei) meaning "celebration",
敬 (kei) meaning "respect",
啓 (kei) meaning "open, begin" or
恵 (kei) meaning "favour, benefit" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Kerensa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Means "love" in Cornish.
Khalida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: خالدة(Arabic)
Pronounced: KHA-lee-da
Kirsten
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian, English
Pronounced: KEEWS-dən(Danish) KHISH-tən(Norwegian) KUR-stən(American English) KIR-stən(American English) KU-stən(British English) KEEY-stən(British English)
Personal remark: I only like it pronounced KEER-sten. (*not* KUR-sten)
Laila 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu, English
Other Scripts: ليلى(Arabic) لیلیٰ(Urdu)
Pronounced: LIE-la(Arabic) LAY-lə(English)
Lakshmi
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi, Odia
Other Scripts: लक्ष्मी(Sanskrit, Marathi, Hindi, Nepali) లక్ష్మి(Telugu) ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀ(Kannada) லட்சுமி(Tamil) ലക്ഷ്മി(Malayalam) ଲକ୍ଷ୍ମୀ(Odia)
Pronounced: LUK-shmee(Sanskrit, English, Hindi) lək-SHMEE(Marathi)
Means
"sign, mark" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of prosperity, good luck, and beauty. She is the wife of
Vishnu and her symbol is the lotus flower, with which she is often depicted.
Lamiya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: لامعة, لمياء(Arabic)
Leilani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: lay-LA-nee
Means "heavenly flowers" or "royal child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Léonie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LEH-AW-NEE
Lesedi
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Tswana
Means "light" in Tswana.
Lestari
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indonesian
Pronounced: ləs-TA-ree
Means "eternal, abiding" in Indonesian.
Letizia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: leh-TEET-tsya
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Italian form of
Letitia. It was borne by Napoleon Bonaparte's mother.
Liesl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: LEE-zəl
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Lilavati
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Sanskrit
Other Scripts: लीलावती(Sanskrit)
Personal remark: Lee-la-vah-tee
Means "amusing, charming, graceful" in Sanskrit. The 12th-century mathematician Bhaskara gave this name to one of his books on mathematics, possibly after his daughter. This was also the name of a 13th-century queen of Sri Lanka.
Lilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Лилия(Russian) Лілія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: LEE-lya(Spanish) LYEE-lyi-yə(Russian)
Latinate form of
Lily, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian
Лилия or Ukrainian
Лілія (see
Liliya).
Liliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, English
Pronounced: lee-LYA-na(Italian, Spanish, Polish) lil-ee-AN-ə(English) lil-ee-AHN-ə(English)
Rating: 85% based on 2 votes
Liliya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Лилия(Russian, Bulgarian) Лілія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: LYEE-lyi-yə(Russian)
Lily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIL-ee
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
From the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin lilium. This is the name of the main character, Lily Bart, in the novel The House of Mirth (1905) by Edith Wharton. A famous bearer is the American actress Lily Tomlin (1939-).
Lisette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: LEE-ZEHT(French)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Lorelei
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: LAWR-ə-lie(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 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).
Louisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: loo-EEZ-ə(English) loo-EE-za(German)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Latinate feminine form of
Louis. A famous bearer was the American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), the author of
Little Women.
Louise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, German
Pronounced: LWEEZ(French) loo-EEZ(English) loo-EE-sə(Danish) loo-EE-zə(German)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
French feminine form of
Louis.
Luciana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: loo-CHA-na(Italian) loo-THYA-na(European Spanish) loo-SYA-na(Latin American Spanish) loo-SYU-nu(European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese)
Lucy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LOO-see
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
English form of
Lucia, in use since the Middle Ages.
Lumi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: LOO-mee
Means "snow" in Finnish.
Lumina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Pronounced: LOO-mi-nə, loo-MEE-nə
Derived from Latin lumina "lights", ultimately from Latin lumen "light". In the English-speaking world, this name was first recorded in the 1800s.
Luna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English
Pronounced: LOO-na(Latin, Spanish, Italian) LOO-nə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Means "the moon" in Latin (as well as Italian, Spanish and other Romance languages). Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.
Lúthien
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: loo-thee-an
Means "daughter of flowers" in a Beleriandic dialect of Sindarin. his was the real name of
Tinúviel in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels.
Lydia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λυδία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LID-ee-ə(English) LUY-dya(German) LEE-dee-a(Dutch)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Means
"from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king
Lydos. In the
New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by
Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the
Protestant Reformation.
Madeleine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Swedish
Pronounced: MAD-LEHN(French) MAD-ə-lin(English) MAD-ə-lien(English) MAD-lin(English) mahd-eh-LEHN(Swedish)
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Madhavi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi
Other Scripts: माधवी(Sanskrit, Marathi, Hindi) మాధవి(Telugu)
Feminine form of
Madhava. This is another name of the Hindu goddess
Lakshmi.
Madhuri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Marathi, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada
Other Scripts: माधुरी(Marathi, Hindi) మాధురి(Telugu) മാധുരി(Malayalam) ಮಾಧುರಿ(Kannada)
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
From Sanskrit
माधुर (mādhura) meaning
"sweetness", a derivative of
मधु (madhu) meaning
"honey, sweet".
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)
Personal remark: Mag-da-LAY-na; possible nickname: Alena (sort of like Elena)
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Mairéad
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: MA-ryehd, ma-RYEHD
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Mairwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Combination of
Mair and Welsh
gwen meaning "white, blessed".
Malati
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: मालती(Hindi)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Means "jasmine" in Sanskrit.
Marcelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: mar-tseh-LEE-na(Polish) mar-theh-LEE-na(European Spanish) mar-seh-LEE-na(Latin American Spanish)
Polish, Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of
Marcellinus.
Marceline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAR-SU-LEEN
Margareta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, Romanian, Slovene, Finnish, Croatian
Pronounced: mar-ga-REH-ta(German) MAHR-gah-reh-tah(Finnish)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Marguerite
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAR-GU-REET
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
French form of
Margaret. This is also the French word for the daisy flower (species Leucanthemum vulgare).
Maria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Faroese, Dutch, Frisian, Greek, Polish, Romanian, English, Finnish, Estonian, Corsican, Sardinian, Basque, Armenian, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Μαρία(Greek) Մարիա(Armenian) Мария(Russian, Bulgarian) Марія(Ukrainian) Маріа(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: ma-REE-a(Italian, German, Swedish, Dutch, Greek, Romanian, Basque) mu-REE-u(European Portuguese) ma-REE-u(Brazilian Portuguese) mə-REE-ə(Catalan, English) mah-REE-ah(Norwegian, Danish) MAR-ya(Polish) MAH-ree-ah(Finnish) mu-RYEE-yə(Russian) mu-RYEE-yu(Ukrainian)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Latin form of Greek
Μαρία, from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (see
Mary).
Maria is the usual form of the name in many European languages, as well as a secondary form in other languages such as English (where the common spelling is
Mary). In some countries, for example Germany, Poland and Italy,
Maria is occasionally used as a masculine middle name.
This was the name of two ruling queens of Portugal. It was also borne by the Habsburg queen Maria Theresa (1717-1780), whose inheritance of the domains of her father, the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI, began the War of the Austrian Succession.
Mariam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Greek [1], Georgian, Armenian, Malay, Arabic
Other Scripts: Μαριάμ(Ancient Greek) მარიამ(Georgian) Մարիամ(Armenian) مريم(Arabic)
Pronounced: MA-REE-AM(Georgian) mah-ree-AHM(Armenian) MAR-yam(Arabic)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Form of
Maria used in the Greek
Old Testament. In the Greek
New Testament both this spelling and
Μαρία (Maria) are used. It is also the Georgian, Armenian and Malay form, as well as an alternate transcription of Arabic
مريم (see
Maryam).
Mariana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Мариана, Марияна(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: mu-RYU-nu(European Portuguese) ma-RYU-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) ma-RYA-na(Spanish)
Roman feminine form of
Marianus. After the classical era it was sometimes interpreted as a combination of
Maria and
Ana. In Portuguese it is further used as a form of
Mariamne.
Marianne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
Pronounced: MA-RYAN(French) mar-ee-AN(English) ma-RYA-nə(German) ma-ree-YAH-nə(Dutch) MAH-ree-ahn-neh(Finnish)
Combination of
Marie and
Anne 1, though it could also be considered a variant of
Mariana or
Mariamne. Shortly after the formation of the French Republic in 1792, a female figure by this name was adopted as the symbol of the state.
Marielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MA-RYEHL
Marietta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Greek, Hungarian, German, Polish
Other Scripts: Μαριέττα(Greek)
Pronounced: MAW-ree-eht-taw(Hungarian)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Mariluna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American, Modern)
Pronounced: mah-ree-loo-nah(Latin American Spanish)
Personal remark: I don't know why this says it's French, this name is Spanish, Maria+Luna. French would be Marie-Lune or Marilune.
Marisol
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ma-ree-SOL
Short form of
María Soledad. It is sometimes considered a combination of
María and
Sol 1, or from Spanish
mar y sol "sea and sun".
Marisoleil
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Quebec, Modern, Rare)
Combination of
Marie and
Soleil, possibly created as a French equivalent of Spanish
Marisol.
Maristella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Maritza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: ma-REET-sa
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Elaboration of
Maria used particularly in Latin America. The suffix could be inspired by the name of the Itza people of Central America (as seen in the name of the old Maya city of Chichen Itza, Mexico). It also nearly coincides with the name of the Maritsa River in southeastern Europe.
Mariya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Мария(Russian, Bulgarian) Марія(Ukrainian) Марыя(Belarusian)
Pronounced: mu-RYEE-yə(Russian) mu-RYEE-yu(Ukrainian)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of
Maria, as well as an alternate transcription of Belarusian
Марыя (see
Maryia).
Marjolaine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAR-ZHAW-LEHN
Personal remark: mar-zho-LEN or mar-jo-LEN
Means "marjoram" in French, from Latin maiorana. Marjoram is a minty herb.
Marlena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, English
Pronounced: mar-LEH-na(Polish) mahr-LEEN-ə(American English) mah-LEEN-ə(British English)
Marta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian, Swedish, Icelandic, Latvian, Estonian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Марта(Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian) მართა(Georgian)
Pronounced: MAR-ta(Spanish, Italian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German) MAR-tu(European Portuguese) MAKH-tu(Brazilian Portuguese) MAR-tə(Catalan) MAHR-ta(Dutch) MAHR-TAH(Georgian)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Form of
Martha used in various languages.
Martha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, German, Greek, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Μάρθα(Greek) Марѳа(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: MAHR-thə(American English) MAH-thə(British English) MAHR-ta(Dutch) MAR-ta(German)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
From Aramaic
מַרְתָּא (marta) meaning
"the lady, the mistress", feminine form of
מַר (mar) meaning "master". In the
New Testament this is the name of the sister of
Lazarus and
Mary of Bethany (who is sometimes identified with Mary Magdalene). She was a witness to
Jesus restoring her dead brother to life.
The name was not used in England until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer was Martha Washington (1731-1802), the wife of the first American president George Washington. It is also borne by the media personality Martha Stewart (1941-).
Mary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: MEHR-ee(English)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Usual English form of
Maria, the Latin form of the
New Testament Greek names
Μαριάμ (Mariam) and
Μαρία (Maria) — the spellings are interchangeable — which were from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (Miryam), a name borne by the sister of
Moses in the
Old Testament. The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including
"sea of bitterness",
"rebelliousness", and
"wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from
mry "beloved" or
mr "love".
This is the name of several New Testament characters, most importantly Mary the mother of Jesus. According to the gospels, Jesus was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit while she remained a virgin. This name was also borne by Mary Magdalene, a woman cured of demons by Jesus. She became one of his followers and later witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection.
Due to the Virgin Mary this name has been very popular in the Christian world, though at certain times in some cultures it has been considered too holy for everyday use. In England it has been used since the 12th century, and it has been among the most common feminine names since the 16th century. In the United States in 1880 it was given more than twice as often as the next most popular name for girls (Anna). It remained in the top rank in America until 1946 when it was bumped to second (by Linda). Although it regained the top spot for a few more years in the 1950s it was already falling in usage, and has since dropped out of the top 100 names.
This name has been borne by two queens of England, as well as a queen of Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots. Another notable bearer was Mary Shelley (1797-1851), the author of Frankenstein. A famous fictional character by this name is Mary Poppins from the children's books by P. L. Travers, first published in 1934.
The Latinized form of this name, Maria, is also used in English as well as in several other languages.
Maryam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Indonesian, Bashkir, Tatar
Other Scripts: مريم(Arabic) مریم(Persian, Urdu) Мәрйәм(Bashkir) Мәрьям(Tatar)
Pronounced: MAR-yam(Arabic) mar-YAM(Persian) MUR-yəm(Urdu)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Arabic form of
Miryam (see
Mary) appearing in the
Quran. It is also the form used in several other languages. In Iran it is also the name of a flower, the tuberose, which is named after the Virgin Mary.
Masuma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Pashto, Urdu
Other Scripts: معصومة(Arabic) معصومه(Pashto) معصومہ(Urdu)
Pronounced: ma‘-SOO-ma(Arabic)
Means
"innocent, sinless" in Arabic, derived from the root
عصم (ʿaṣama) meaning "to protect". After her death, this name was applied to Fatima, a daughter of the 9th-century Shia imam Musa al-Kazim.
Mathilda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Dutch
Pronounced: mə-TIL-də(English) mah-TIL-dah(Swedish) ma-TIL-da(Dutch)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Maureen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: maw-REEN(English)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Meira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: מֵאִירָה(Hebrew)
Personal remark: meh-ee-ra
Melinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hungarian
Pronounced: mə-LIN-də(English) MEH-leen-daw(Hungarian)
Personal remark: Could be understood as derived from/an elaborated form of Greek 'meli', meaning 'honey, sweet' (as in Melissa), and perhaps influenced by Spanish 'linda', meaning 'beautiful'.
Combination of
Mel (from names such as
Melanie or
Melissa) with the popular name suffix
inda [1]. It was created in the 18th century, and may have been inspired by the similar name
Belinda. In Hungary, the name was popularized by the 1819 play
Bánk Bán by József Katona.
Mélisande
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
French form of
Millicent used by Maurice Maeterlinck in his play
Pelléas et Mélisande (1893). The play was later adapted by Claude Debussy into an opera (1902).
Melissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch, Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μέλισσα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: mə-LIS-ə(English) MEH-LEES-SA(Classical Greek)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Means
"bee" in Greek. In Greek
mythology this was the name of a daughter of Procles, as well as an epithet of various Greek nymphs and priestesses. According to the early Christian writer Lactantius
[2] this was the name of the sister of the nymph
Amalthea, with whom she cared for the young
Zeus. Later it appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1532 poem
Orlando Furioso [3] belonging to the fairy who helps
Ruggiero escape from the witch
Alcina. As an English given name,
Melissa has been used since the 18th century.
Melissanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek (Rare)
Other Scripts: Μελισσάνθη(Greek)
Composed of Greek μελισσα
(melissa) "honeybee" and ανθος
(anthos) "flower". It is used as a Graecized form of
Mélisande (e.g., the 12th-century queen
Melisende of Jerusalem is known as Melissanthe in Greek). This was the pen name of Greek poet Eve Chougia-Skandalaki (1910-1991).
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
From the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Melpomene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μελπομένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: MEHL-PO-MEH-NEH(Classical Greek) mehl-PAHM-ə-nee(American English) mehl-PAWM-ə-nee(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Derived from Greek
μέλπω (melpo) meaning
"to sing, to celebrate with song". This was the name of one of the nine Muses in Greek
mythology, the muse of tragedy.
Mercy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-see(American English) MU-see(British English)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
From the English word
mercy, ultimately from Latin
merces "wages, reward", a derivative of
merx "goods, wares". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Meridiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), American (Hispanic, Rare), Literature
Personal remark: I don't think this name is Maria+Diana, that would be Maridiana. It appears to be derived from the word 'meridian', meaning 'midday' or 'noon'.
According to Walter Map's 12th-century work
De nugis curialium (
Courtiers' Trifles), Pope Sylvester II owed his powerful position in the Catholic Church to the influence of a succubus named Meridiana.
Perhaps relatedly,
Meridian was used as a name for the Devil in the early 15th century.
Mirabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Mirabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), English (Rare)
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Derived from Latin mirabilis meaning "wonderful". This name was coined during the Middle Ages, though it eventually died out. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.
Miranda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: mi-RAN-də(English) mee-RAHN-da(Dutch)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Derived from Latin
mirandus meaning
"admirable, worthy of being admired". The name was created by Shakespeare for the heroine in his play
The Tempest (1611), in which Miranda and her father
Prospero are stranded on an island. It did not become a common English given name until the 20th century. This is also the name of one of the moons of Uranus, named after the Shakespearean character.
Mireia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan, Spanish
Pronounced: mee-REH-yə(Catalan) mee-REH-ya(Spanish)
Mireille
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Dutch
Pronounced: MEE-RAY(French)
From the Occitan name Mirèio, which was first used by the poet Frédéric Mistral for the main character in his poem Mirèio (1859). He probably derived it from the Occitan word mirar meaning "to admire". It is spelled Mirèlha in classical Occitan orthography. A notable bearer is the French singer Mireille Mathieu (1946-).
Mireya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: mee-REH-ya
Miryam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Spanish, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: מִרְיָם(Hebrew)
Hebrew form of
Miriam, as well as a Spanish variant.
Misaki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美咲, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みさき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-SA-KYEE
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
咲 (saki) meaning "blossom". This name can be formed from other combinations of kanji as well.
Mitsuki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美月, 光希, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みつき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-TSOO-KYEE, MEETS-KYEE
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
月 (tsuki) meaning "moon". It can also come from
光 (mitsu) meaning "light" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope", as well as several other kanji combinations.
Mitsuko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 光子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みつこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-TSOO-KO, MEETS-KO
From Japanese
光 (mitsu) meaning "light" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Miyako
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美夜子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みやこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-YA-KO
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful",
夜 (ya) meaning "night" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other combinations of kanji as well.
Mizuki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 瑞希, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みずき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-ZOO-KYEE
From Japanese
瑞 (mizu) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope", besides other kanji combinations.
Mnemosyne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μνημοσύνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: MNEH-MO-SUY-NEH(Classical Greek) ni-MAHS-i-nee(American English) ni-MAWS-i-nee(British English)
Means
"remembrance" in Greek. In Greek
mythology Mnemosyne was a Titan goddess of memory. She was the mother by
Zeus of the nine Muses.
Mohana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism
Other Scripts: मोहन, मोहना(Sanskrit)
Means
"bewitching, infatuating, charming" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
मोहन (an epithet of the Hindu gods
Shiva and
Krishna) and the feminine form
मोहना (spelled with a long final vowel).
Morwenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish, Welsh
Personal remark: I prefer the spelling Merewen or Merewenna
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From Old Cornish
moroin meaning
"maiden, girl" (related to the Welsh word
morwyn [1]). This was the name of a 6th-century Cornish
saint, said to be one of the daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Munira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: منيرة(Arabic)
Pronounced: moo-NEE-ra
Murielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MUY-RYEHL
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Nadezhda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Надежда(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: nu-DYEZH-də(Russian)
Means "hope" in Russian and Bulgarian.
Nadra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: نضرة(Arabic)
Pronounced: NAD-ra
Means "radiance" in Arabic.
Nancy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NAN-see
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Previously a medieval
diminutive of
Annis, though since the 18th century it has been a diminutive of
Ann. It is now usually regarded as an independent name. During the 20th century it became very popular in the United States. A city in the Lorraine region of France bears this name, though it derives from a different source.
Naomi 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: נָעֳמִי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: nay-O-mee(English) nie-O-mee(English)
Rating: 90% based on 2 votes
From the Hebrew name
נָעֳמִי (Naʿomi) meaning
"my pleasantness", a derivative of
נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of
Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be
Mara because of her misfortune (see
Ruth 1:20).
Though long common as a Jewish name, Naomi was not typically used as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer is the British model Naomi Campbell (1970-).
Natalya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Наталья(Russian)
Pronounced: nu-TA-lyə
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Russian form of
Natalia (see
Natalie).
Natasha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Belarusian, English
Other Scripts: Наташа(Russian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: nu-TA-shə(Russian) nə-TAHSH-ə(English)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Russian
diminutive of
Natalya. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel
War and Peace (1865). It has been used in the English-speaking world only since the 20th century.
Natela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Georgian
Other Scripts: ნათელა(Georgian)
Pronounced: NAH-TEH-LAH
Derived from Georgian
ნათელი (nateli) meaning
"light, bright".
Nefertari
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Egyptian
Pronounced: nehf-ər-TAHR-ee(American English) nehf-ə-TAHR-ee(British English)
From Egyptian
nfrt-jrj meaning
"the most beautiful" [1]. This was the name of an Egyptian queen of the New Kingdom (13th century BC), the favourite wife of
Ramesses II.
Nefertiti
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Egyptian
Pronounced: nehf-ər-TEE-tee(American English) nehf-ə-TEE-tee(British English)
From Egyptian
nfrt-jjtj meaning
"the beautiful one has come" [1]. Nefertiti was a powerful Egyptian queen of the New Kingdom (14th century BC), the principal wife of
Akhenaton, the pharaoh that briefly imposed a monotheistic religion centered around the sun god
Aton.
Nevenka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Other Scripts: Невенка(Serbian)
Nicoletta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: nee-ko-LEHT-ta
Nienna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: nee-EN-nah
Means "she who weeps" from Quenya nie "tear". According to 'The Silmarillion', Nienna is a Vala (angelic being) who constantly mourns all terrible things, though from her is learned not despair but mercy, compassion and hope. It has also been suggested that her name consists of two elements, nie combined with anna "gift", in which case it may refer to the charismatic "gift of tears" in Catholic theology.
Nilima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Marathi, Hindi, Telugu
Other Scripts: नीलिमा(Marathi, Hindi) నీలిమ(Telugu)
From Sanskrit
नील (nīla) meaning
"dark blue".
Nimue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: NIM-ə-way(English)
Personal remark: NIM-yoo-ay
Meaning unknown. In Arthurian legends this is the name of a sorceress, also known as the Lady of the Lake, Vivien, or Niniane. Various versions of the tales have
Merlin falling in love with her and becoming imprisoned by her magic. She first appears in the medieval French
Lancelot-Grail Cycle.
Noelani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: no-eh-LA-nee
Means "heavenly mist" from Hawaiian noe "mist" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Noëlle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Dutch
Pronounced: NAW-EHL(French)
Noémie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: NAW-EH-MEE
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Odessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of
Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of
Odysseus.
Oksana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ukrainian, Russian
Other Scripts: Оксана(Ukrainian, Russian)
Pronounced: uk-SA-nə(Russian)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Ophelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Literature, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ὠφελία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: o-FEEL-ee-ə(English) o-FEEL-yə(English)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Derived from Greek
ὠφέλεια (opheleia) meaning
"help, advantage". This was a rare ancient Greek name, which was either rediscovered or recreated by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro for a character in his poem
Arcadia (1480). It was borrowed by Shakespeare for his play
Hamlet (1600), in which it belongs to the daughter of
Polonius and the potential love interest of
Hamlet. She eventually goes insane and drowns herself after Hamlet kills her father. In spite of this negative association, the name has been in use since the 19th century.
Ourania
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Οὐρανία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: O-RA-NEE-A(Classical Greek)
Derived from Greek
οὐράνιος (ouranios) meaning
"heavenly". In Greek
mythology she was the goddess of astronomy and astrology, one of the nine Muses.
Padma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu
Other Scripts: पद्म, पद्मा(Sanskrit, Hindi) பத்மா(Tamil) ಪದ್ಮಾ(Kannada) పద్మా(Telugu)
Pronounced: pəd-MA(Hindi)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Means
"lotus" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form
पद्मा and the masculine form
पद्म.
According to some Hindu traditions a lotus holding the god Brahma arose from the navel of the god Vishnu. The name Padma is used in Hindu texts to refer to several characters, including the goddess Lakshmi and the hero Rama.
Padmavati
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism
Other Scripts: पद्मावती(Sanskrit)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Means
"resembling lotuses", derived from the Sanskrit word
पद्म (padma) meaning "lotus" combined with
वती (vatī) meaning "resemblance". This is the name of a Hindu goddess, the wife of Venkateswara. She is considered an aspect of
Lakshmi. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 14th-century queen of Mewar.
Parisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: پریسا(Persian)
Means
"like a fairy" in Persian, derived from
پری (parī) meaning "fairy, sprite, supernatural being".
Parvana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Azerbaijani
Pronounced: par-vah-NA
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani
Pərvanə.
Parvaneh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: پروانه(Persian)
Pronounced: par-vaw-NEH
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Means "butterfly" in Persian.
Parvati
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi
Other Scripts: पार्वती(Sanskrit, Hindi)
Pronounced: PAHR-və-tee(American English) PAH-və-tee(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
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.
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: 65% based on 2 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.
Perla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: PEHR-la
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Persephone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Περσεφόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEHR-SEH-PO-NEH(Classical Greek) pər-SEHF-ə-nee(American English) pə-SEHF-ə-nee(British English)
Personal remark: As a Greek commenter said, "the one who brings the light". But apparently the name is likely of pre-Greek origin, and thus its meaning is truly unknown (and not the horrid Greek theories given).
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Meaning unknown, probably of Pre-Greek origin, but perhaps related to Greek
πέρθω (pertho) meaning "to destroy" and
φόνος (phonos) meaning "murder". In Greek
myth she was the daughter of
Demeter and
Zeus. She was abducted to the underworld by
Hades, but was eventually allowed to return to the surface for part of the year. The result of her comings and goings is the changing of the seasons. With her mother she was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites practiced at the city of Eleusis near Athens.
Phaedra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Φαίδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: FEED-rə(English) FEHD-rə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From the Greek
Φαίδρα (Phaidra), derived from
φαιδρός (phaidros) meaning
"bright". Phaedra was the daughter of Minos and the wife of
Theseus in Greek
mythology.
Aphrodite caused her to fall in love with her stepson
Hippolytos, and after she was rejected by him she killed herself.
Phaenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Φαέννα(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
φαεινός (phaeinos) meaning
"shining". According to some Greek myths this was the name of one of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites).
Phoebe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: Φοίβη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: FEE-bee(English)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Latinized form of the Greek name
Φοίβη (Phoibe), which meant
"bright, pure" from Greek
φοῖβος (phoibos). In Greek
mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess
Artemis. The name appears in
Paul's epistle to the Romans in the
New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae.
In England, it began to be used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately common in the 19th century. It began to rise in popularity again in the late 1980s, probably helped along by characters on the American television shows Friends (1994-2004) and Charmed (1998-2006). It is currently much more common in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand than the United States.
A moon of Saturn bears this name, in honour of the Titan.
Pocahontas
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Powhatan (Anglicized)
Personal remark: I just like the name, wouldn't actually use it.
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Means
"little playful one" in Powhatan, an Algonquian language. This was the nickname of a 17th-century Powhatan woman, a daughter of the powerful chief
Wahunsenacawh. She married the white colonist John Rolfe and travelled with him to England, but died of illness before returning.
Primrose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PRIM-roz
From the English word for the flower, ultimately deriving from Latin prima rosa "first rose".
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)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Means
"beloved" in Sanskrit. It appears briefly in the
Puranas belonging to a daughter of King
Daksha.
Prospera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman, Italian, Portuguese
Rachel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: רָחֵל(Hebrew)
Pronounced: RAY-chəl(English) RA-SHEHL(French) RAH-khəl(Dutch) RA-khəl(German)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
From the Hebrew name
רָחֵל (Raḥel) meaning
"ewe". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of
Jacob. Her father
Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister
Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid
Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of
Joseph and
Benjamin.
The name was common among Jews in the Middle Ages, but it was not generally used as a Christian name in the English-speaking world until after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately popular in the first half of the 20th century, but starting in the 1960s it steadily rose, reaching highs in the 1980s and 90s. The character Rachel Green on the American sitcom Friends (1994-2004) may have only helped delay its downswing.
Notable bearers include American conservationist Rachel Carson (1907-1964), British actress Rachel Weisz (1970-), and Canadian actress Rachel McAdams (1978-).
Radana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: RA-da-na
Originally a short form of
Radovana, now used independently.
Radha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi
Other Scripts: राधा(Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi) రాధా(Telugu) ராதா(Tamil) ರಾಧಾ(Kannada) രാധാ(Malayalam)
Means
"success, prosperity" in Sanskrit. This was the name of the favourite consort of the Hindu deity
Krishna. She is associated with beauty and compassion, and is considered an avatar of
Lakshmi.
Raffaela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare)
Pronounced: ra-fa-EH-la
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Rani 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Telugu, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Urdu, Indonesian
Other Scripts: రాణీ(Telugu) रानी(Hindi) राणी(Marathi) রাণী(Bengali) റാണി(Malayalam) رانی(Urdu)
Pronounced: RAH-nee(Hindi)
Personal remark: Means 'queen' or 'princess', from Sanskrit
From Sanskrit
राणी (rāṇī) meaning
"queen".
Rani 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: רָנִּי(Hebrew)
Personal remark: Means 'my song' or 'my joy' in Hebrew
From Hebrew
רַן (ran) meaning
"to sing".
Raphaela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: ra-fa-EH-la
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Raphaëlle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: RA-FA-EHL
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Ravenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: rə-VEHN-ə
Either an elaboration of
Raven, or else from the name of the city of Ravenna in Italy.
Renata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Polish, Czech, Lithuanian, Croatian, Slovene, Romanian, Late Roman
Pronounced: reh-NA-ta(Italian, Spanish, German, Polish) REH-na-ta(Czech)
Rhiannon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: ri-AN-awn(Welsh) ree-AN-ən(English)
Probably derived from an unattested Celtic name *
Rīgantonā meaning
"great queen" (Celtic *
rīganī "queen" and the divine or augmentative suffix
-on). It is speculated that Rigantona was an old Celtic goddess, perhaps associated with fertility and horses like the Gaulish
Epona. As
Rhiannon, she appears in Welsh legend in the
Mabinogi [1] as a beautiful magical woman who rides a white horse. She was betrothed against her will to
Gwawl, but cunningly broke off that engagement and married
Pwyll instead. Their son was
Pryderi.
As an English name, it became popular due to the Fleetwood Mac song Rhiannon (1976), especially in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Rhianwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Combination of Welsh
rhiain "maiden" (compare
Rhian) and
gwen "white; fair; blessed".
Ríona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Róisín
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: ro-SHEEN
Diminutive of
Róis or the Irish word
rós meaning
"rose" (of Latin origin). It appears in the 17th-century song
Róisín Dubh.
Rosabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), French (Rare), Filipino (Rare)
Pronounced: ROZ-ə-bel(English)
Rosalba
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Italian name meaning
"white rose", derived from Latin
rosa "rose" and
alba "white". A famous bearer was the Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757).
Rosalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, German, Dutch, English
Pronounced: RAW-ZA-LEE(French) ro-za-LEE(German, Dutch) RO-sa-lee(Dutch) ro-sa-LEE(Dutch) RO-za-lee(Dutch) RO-zə-lee(English)
Rating: 95% based on 2 votes
French, German and Dutch form of
Rosalia. In the English-speaking this name received a boost after the release of the movie
Rosalie (1938), which was based on an earlier musical.
Rosalind
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHZ-ə-lind(American English) RAWZ-ə-lind(British English)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
hros meaning "horse" and
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The
Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase
rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy
As You Like It (1599).
Rosaline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RO-zə-leen(English) RAHZ-ə-lin(American English) RAHZ-ə-lien(American English) RAWZ-ə-lin(British English) RAWZ-ə-lien(British English)
Personal remark: the --line ending said as "leen", not "lyne"
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Medieval variant of
Rosalind. This is the name of characters in Shakespeare's
Love's Labour's Lost (1594) and
Romeo and Juliet (1596).
Rosamund
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RO-zə-mənd(English) RAHZ-ə-mənd(American English) RAWZ-ə-mənd(British English)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
hros "horse" and
munt "protection". This name was borne by the wife of the Lombard king Alboin in the 6th century. The
Normans introduced it to England. It was subsequently interpreted as coming from Latin
rosa munda "pure rose" or
rosa mundi "rose of the world". This was the name of the mistress of Henry II, the king of England in the 12th century. According to legends she was murdered by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Rosaria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: ro-ZA-rya
Rose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: ROZ
Rating: 90% based on 2 votes
Originally a Norman French form of the Germanic name
Hrodohaidis meaning
"famous type", composed of the elements
hruod "fame" and
heit "kind, sort, type". The
Normans introduced it to England in the forms
Roese and
Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower
rose (derived from Latin
rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.
Rosemary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROZ-mə-ree, ROZ-mehr-ee
Combination of
Rose and
Mary. This name can also be given in reference to the herb, which gets its name from Latin
ros marinus meaning "dew of the sea". It came into use as a given name in the 19th century.
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.
Roshni
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Marathi, Hindi
Other Scripts: रोशनी, रोश्नी(Marathi, Hindi)
From Hindi and Marathi
रौशनी (raushanī) meaning
"light, brightness", ultimately of Persian origin.
Rosiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Feminine form of
Rosianus. A bearer of this name was Rosiana Coleners, a Belgian poet from the 16th century AD.
Rowena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ro-EEN-ə
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Meaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements
hroð "fame" and
wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements
ron "spear" and
gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819).
Sabrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: sə-BREEN-ə(English) sa-BREE-na(Italian, Spanish) za-BREE-na(German) SA-BREE-NA(French) su-BREE-nu(European Portuguese) sa-BREE-nu(Brazilian Portuguese)
Latinized form of
Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque
Comus (1634).
The name was brought to public attention by Samuel A. Taylor's play Sabrina Fair (1953) and the movie adaptation Sabrina that followed it the next year. This is also the name of a comic book character, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, first introduced 1962 and with television adaptations in 1970-1974 and 1996-2003, both causing minor jumps in popularity. Another jump occurred in 1976, when it was used for a main character on the television series Charlie's Angels.
Sakura
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 桜, 咲良, etc.(Japanese Kanji) さくら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SA-KOO-RA
From Japanese
桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom", though it is often written using the hiragana writing system. It can also come from
咲 (saku) meaning "blossom" and
良 (ra) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable" as well as other kanji combinations.
Salomé
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: SA-LAW-MEH(French) sa-lo-MEH(Spanish) sə-loo-MEH(Portuguese)
Personal remark: SA-lo-may
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
French, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Salome.
Saoirse
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SEER-shə
Means "freedom" in Irish Gaelic. It was first used as a given name in the 20th century.
Sapphira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: Σαπφείρη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: sə-FIE-rə(English)
From the Greek name
Σαπφείρη (Sappheire), which was from Greek
σάπφειρος (sappheiros) meaning
"sapphire" or
"lapis lazuli" (ultimately derived from the Hebrew word
סַפִּיר (sappir)). Sapphira is a character in Acts in the
New Testament who is killed by God for lying.
Sapphire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAF-ie-ər(American English) SAF-ie-ə(British English)
From the name of the gemstone, typically blue, which is the traditional birthstone of September. It is derived from Greek
σάπφειρος (sappheiros), ultimately from the Hebrew word
סַפִּיר (sappir).
Sarangerel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Сарангэрэл(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Pronounced: sah-RAHN-geh-rehl
Means
"moonlight" in Mongolian, from
саран (saran) meaning "moon" and
гэрэл (gerel) meaning "light".
Sephora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Greek, English
Other Scripts: צִפוֹרָה(Hebrew)
Serafima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Серафима(Russian)
Pronounced: syi-ru-FYEE-mə
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Seraphina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Late Roman
Pronounced: sehr-ə-FEEN-ə(English) zeh-ra-FEE-na(German)
Rating: 95% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word
seraphim, which was Hebrew in origin and meant
"fiery ones". The seraphim were an order of angels, described by Isaiah in the Bible as having six wings each.
This was the name of a 13th-century Italian saint who made clothes for the poor. As an English name, it has never been common.
Séraphine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SEH-RA-FEEN
Rating: 85% based on 2 votes
Seren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: SEH-rehn
Personal remark: seh-ren
Means "star" in Welsh. This is a recently created Welsh name.
Shanti
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
Other Scripts: शान्ती, शांती(Hindi) शांती(Marathi) शान्ती(Nepali)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From Sanskrit
शान्ती (śāntī) meaning
"quiet, peace, tranquility".
Shiphrah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: שִׁפְרָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Means
"beautiful" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of one of the midwives (the other being
Puah) who disobeys the Pharaoh's order to kill any Hebrew boys they deliver.
Shira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שִׁירָה(Hebrew)
Means "singing" in Hebrew.
Shivali
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: शिवाली(Hindi)
Possibly means
"beloved of Shiva 1".
Shprintze
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: שפּרינצע(Yiddish)
Possibly a Yiddish form of
Esperanza. This is the name of Tevye's fourth daughter in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on the late 19th-century Yiddish stories of Sholem Aleichem.
Shreya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati
Other Scripts: श्रेया(Hindi, Marathi) শ্রেয়া(Bengali) શ્રેયા(Gujarati)
Sigrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, German, Estonian, Finnish (Archaic)
Pronounced: SEE-grid(Swedish) SEEG-reed(Finnish)
From the Old Norse name
Sigríðr, which was derived from the elements
sigr "victory" and
fríðr "beautiful, beloved".
Simcha
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שִׂמְחָה(Hebrew)
Means "happiness, joy" in Hebrew.
Sitara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Urdu
Other Scripts: ستارہ(Urdu)
Means "star" in Urdu, ultimately from Persian.
Sollemnia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Sophia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek, German, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σοφία(Greek)
Pronounced: so-FEE-ə(English) sə-FIE-ə(British English) so-FEE-a(Greek) zo-FEE-a(German)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Means
"wisdom" in Greek. This was the name of an early, probably mythical,
saint who died of grief after her three daughters were martyred during the reign of the emperor Hadrian. Legends about her probably arose as a result of a medieval misunderstanding of the phrase
Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom", which is the name of a large basilica in Constantinople.
This name was common among continental European royalty during the Middle Ages, and it was popularized in Britain by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century. It was the name of characters in the novels Tom Jones (1749) by Henry Fielding and The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) by Oliver Goldsmith.
In the United States this name was only moderately common until the 1990s when it began rising in popularity, eventually becoming the most popular for girls from 2011 to 2013. A famous bearer is the Italian actress Sophia Loren (1934-).
Sophie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: SAW-FEE(French) SO-fee(English) zo-FEE(German) so-FEE(Dutch)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Sophronia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Late Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σωφρονία(Ancient Greek)
Feminine form of
Sophronius. Torquato Tasso used it in his epic poem
Jerusalem Delivered (1580), in which it is borne by the lover of
Olindo.
Sophrosyne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Σωφροσύνη(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek σωφροσύνη
(sôphrosynê) meaning "moderation, prudence, self-control, temperance". Also compare
Sophron. She was the spirit or personification of moderation, self-control, temperance, restraint, and discretion in Greek mythology. In some tales Sophrosyne was one of the good spirits released from Pandora's box, but fled to Olympus and away from humankind.
Sora
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 空, 昊, etc.(Japanese Kanji) そら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SO-RA
From Japanese
空 (sora) or
昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.
Soraya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Spanish, French, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Other Scripts: ثریا(Persian)
Pronounced: so-ra-YAW(Persian) so-RA-ya(Spanish)
Persian form of
Thurayya. It became popular in some parts of Europe because of the fame of Princess Soraya (1932-2001), wife of the last Shah of Iran, who became a European socialite.
Sorcha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Scottish Gaelic [1]
Pronounced: SAWR-ə-khə(Irish) SAWR-kə(American English) SAWR-shə(American English) SAW-kə(British English) SAW-shə(British English) SAWR-aw-khə(Scottish Gaelic)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Means
"radiant, bright" in Irish. It has been in use since late medieval times
[2]. It is sometimes Anglicized as
Sarah (in Ireland) and
Clara (in Scotland).
Sperantia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Stella 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Dutch, German
Pronounced: STEHL-ə(English) STEHL-la(Italian) STEH-la(Dutch)
Rating: 55% based on 2 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.
Suraya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Malay
Other Scripts: ثريّا, ثريّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: thoo-RIE-ya(Arabic)
Alternate transcription of Arabic
ثريّا or
ثريّة (see
Thurayya), as well as the usual Malay form.
Susanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, Dutch, English, Armenian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Сусанна(Russian, Ukrainian) Սուսաննա(Armenian) שׁוֹשַׁנָּה(Ancient Hebrew) Сꙋсанна(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: soo-ZAN-na(Italian) soo-ZAN-nə(Catalan) suy-SAN-na(Swedish) SOO-sahn-nah(Finnish) suw-SAN-nə(Russian) suw-SAN-nu(Ukrainian) suy-SAH-na(Dutch) soo-ZAN-ə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
From
Σουσάννα (Sousanna), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshanna). This was derived from the Hebrew word
שׁוֹשָׁן (shoshan) meaning
"lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means
"rose"), perhaps ultimately from Egyptian
sšn "lotus". In the
Old Testament Apocrypha this is the name of a woman falsely accused of adultery. The prophet
Daniel clears her name by tricking her accusers, who end up being condemned themselves. It also occurs in the
New Testament belonging to a woman who ministers to
Jesus.
As an English name, it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Old Testament heroine. It did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation, at which time it was often spelled Susan.
Symphoriana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman, Dutch (Archaic), English (Archaic), German (Archaic)
Tabitha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ταβιθά(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TAB-i-thə(English)
Means
"gazelle" in Aramaic. Tabitha in the
New Testament was a woman restored to life by
Saint Peter. Her name is translated into Greek as
Dorcas (see
Acts 9:36). As an English name,
Tabitha became common after the
Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the television show
Bewitched, in which Tabitha (sometimes spelled Tabatha) is the daughter of the main character.
Tamara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Hungarian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Тамара(Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian) თამარა(Georgian)
Pronounced: tu-MA-rə(Russian) TA-ma-ra(Czech, Slovak) ta-MA-ra(Polish, Dutch, Spanish, Italian) TAW-maw-raw(Hungarian) tə-MAR-ə(English) tə-MAHR-ə(English) TAM-ə-rə(English) tu-mu-RU(Lithuanian)
Russian form of
Tamar. Russian performers such as Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978), Tamara Drasin (1905-1943), Tamara Geva (1907-1997) and Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) introduced it to the English-speaking world. It rapidly grew in popularity in the United States starting in 1957. Another famous bearer was the Polish cubist painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980).
Tamsin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: TAM-zin
Contracted form of
Thomasina. It was traditionally used in Cornwall.
Tanya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian, English
Other Scripts: Таня(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: TA-nyə(Russian) TAHN-yə(English) TAN-yə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
Russian
diminutive of
Tatiana. It began to be used in the English-speaking world during the 1930s.
Tatiana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, French, Slovak, Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Greek, Georgian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Τατιάνα(Greek) ტატიანა(Georgian) Татьяна(Russian) Татяна(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ta-TYA-na(Italian, Spanish, Polish, German) TAH-tee-ah-nah(Finnish) ta-TYAHN-ə(English) tu-TYA-nə(Russian)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of the Roman name
Tatianus, a derivative of the Roman name
Tatius. This was the name of a 3rd-century
saint who was martyred in Rome under the emperor Alexander Severus. She was especially venerated in Orthodox Christianity, and the name has been common in Russia (as
Татьяна) and Eastern Europe. It was not regularly used in the English-speaking world until the 1980s.
Tessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: TEHS-ə(English) TEH-sa(Dutch)
Personal remark: As a nickname only.
Theodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θεοδώρα(Greek)
Pronounced: thee-ə-DAWR-ə(English)
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.
Theodosia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Greek
Other Scripts: Θεοδοσία(Greek)
Pronounced: TEH-O-DO-SEE-A(Classical Greek) thee-ə-DO-see-ə(English) thee-ə-DO-shə(English)
Theokleia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θεόκλεια(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Theophania
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Θεοφάνια(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Theresa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: tə-REE-sə(English) tə-REE-zə(English) teh-REH-za(German)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From the Spanish and Portuguese name
Teresa. It was first recorded as
Therasia, being borne by the Spanish wife of
Saint Paulinus of Nola in the 4th century. The meaning is uncertain, but it could be derived from Greek
θέρος (theros) meaning
"summer", from Greek
θερίζω (therizo) meaning
"to harvest", or from the name of the Greek island of Therasia (the western island of Santorini).
The name was mainly confined to Spain and Portugal during the Middle Ages. After the 16th century it was spread to other parts of the Christian world, due to the fame of the Spanish nun and reformer Saint Teresa of Ávila. Another famous bearer was the Austrian Habsburg queen Maria Theresa (1717-1780), who inherited the domains of her father, the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI, beginning the War of the Austrian Succession.
Theresia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: teh-REH-zya(German) tə-REH-see-a(Dutch)
Personal remark: tə-RAY-see-ah
Tikva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: תִּקְוָה(Hebrew)
Personal remark: Means "hope" in Hebrew. I also like it spelled Tikvah.
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Means "hope" in Hebrew.
Titania
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: tie-TAY-nee-ə(American English) ti-TAH-nee-ə(British English)
Rating: 15% based on 2 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.
Tovah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: טוֹבָה(Hebrew)
Tzeitel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: צייטל(Yiddish)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Yiddish
diminutive of
Sarah. This is the name of Tevye's oldest daughter in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on Sholem Aleichem's stories from the late 19th century.
Utari
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indonesian
Pronounced: oo-TA-ree
From Indonesian
utara meaning
"north", derived from Sanskrit
उत्तर (uttara).
Valentina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Валентина(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) Βαλεντίνα(Greek)
Pronounced: va-lehn-TEE-na(Italian) və-lyin-TYEE-nə(Russian) vu-lyehn-tyi-NU(Lithuanian) ba-lehn-TEE-na(Spanish)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Valentinus (see
Valentine 1). A famous bearer is the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (1937-), who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space.
Valpuri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: VAHL-poo-ree
Vasanti
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Marathi
Other Scripts: वासंती(Marathi)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Vashti
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: וַשְׁתִּי(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: VASH-tee(English)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Probably of Persian origin, possibly a superlative form of
𐎺𐎢 (vahu) meaning
"good". According to the
Old Testament this was the name of the first wife of King
Ahasuerus of Persia before he married
Esther.
Vasiliki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Βασιλική(Greek)
Pronounced: va-see-lee-KYEE
Modern Greek feminine form of
Basil 1.
Vasilisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Василиса(Russian)
Pronounced: və-syi-LYEE-sə
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)
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.
Verity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VEHR-i-tee
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
From the English word meaning
"verity, truth", from Latin
verus "true, real". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Véronique
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: VEH-RAW-NEEK
Vesna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Slavic Mythology
Other Scripts: Весна(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: VEHS-na(Croatian, Serbian)
Means "spring" in many Slavic languages. This was the name of a Slavic spirit associated with the springtime. It has been used as a given name only since the 20th century.
Victoria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, French, Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: vik-TAWR-ee-ə(English) beek-TO-rya(Spanish) vik-TO-rya(German) VEEK-TAW-RYA(French) week-TO-ree-a(Latin)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Means
"victory" in Latin, being borne by the Roman goddess of victory. It is also a feminine form of
Victorius. This name was borne by a 4th-century
saint and martyr from North Africa.
Though in use elsewhere in Europe, the name was very rare in the English-speaking world until the 19th century, when Queen Victoria began her long rule of Britain. She was named after her mother, who was of German royalty. Many geographic areas are named after the queen, including an Australian state and a Canadian city.
Violet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VIE-lit, VIE-ə-lit
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From the English word violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.
Violetta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Russian, Hungarian
Other Scripts: Виолетта(Russian)
Pronounced: vyo-LEHT-ta(Italian) vyi-u-LYEHT-tə(Russian) VEE-o-leht-taw(Hungarian)
Italian, Russian and Hungarian form of
Violet.
Viviana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Late Roman
Pronounced: vee-VYA-na(Italian) bee-BYA-na(Spanish)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Vivianus (see
Vivian).
Saint Viviana (also known as Bibiana) was a Roman saint and martyr of the 4th century.
Vivienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: VEE-VYEHN
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Wendy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEHN-dee
In the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play
Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname
fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name
Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element
gwen meaning "white, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.
Willow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIL-o
From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.
Yavanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: yah-VAH-nah
Quenya (High-Elven) for "giver of fruits." Was the Valie (female "angelic spirit") of plants.
Character in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Silmarrilion."
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.
Yuriko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 百合子(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: YOO-REE-KO
From Japanese 百合 (yuri) meaning "lily" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
This is the real name of Princess Mikasa, the wife of Prince Takahito of Mikasa, the uncle of Japanese emperor Akihito.
Yvette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: EE-VEHT(French) ee-VEHT(English) i-VEHT(English)
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
French feminine form of
Yves.
Zénaïde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare)
Pronounced: ZEH-NA-EED
Zephyrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: zeh-fə-REE-nə
Feminine elaboration of
Zephyr.
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