zeesqueere's Personal Name List
Aara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Sanskrit, Hindi, Indian, Hinduism, Marathi, Nepali, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu
Other Scripts: आरा(Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali)
Pronounced: ArA(Sanskrit) aaraa(Hindi)
Personal remark: beautifier
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
Means "saw, awl, shoemaker's knife" in Sanskrit.
Acacia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-KAY-shə
Personal remark: name of tree (Greek "thorny")
Rating: 53% based on 6 votes
From the name of a type of tree, ultimately derived from Greek
ἀκή (ake) meaning "thorn, point".
Acanthe
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Gallicized)
Personal remark: name of Apollo's nymph lover (Greek "thorny")
Rating: 43% based on 6 votes
Achlys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀχλύς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AK-lis(English)
Rating: 50% based on 3 votes
Means
"mist, darkness" in Greek. According to a poem by Hesiod, she was one of the figures portrayed on the shield of
Herakles. She is described as a wraithlike woman personifying death and sorrow.
Adalyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: AD-ə-lin
Personal remark: noble lake
Rating: 75% based on 6 votes
Variant of
Adeline using the popular name suffix
lyn.
Adhara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: ə-DEHR-ə(English)
Personal remark: name of star in Canis Major
Rating: 27% based on 3 votes
Derived from Arabic
عذارى (ʿadhārā) meaning
"maidens". This is the name of the second brightest star (after
Sirius) in the constellation Canis Major.
Adorestine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Acadian), Louisiana Creole
Personal remark: to worship lovingly, to pray
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
Aëlla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Personal remark: whirlwind, name of mythological figure
Rating: 66% based on 5 votes
Agape
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀγάπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-GA-PEH
Personal remark: love of a higher sort
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Derived from Greek
ἀγάπη (agape) meaning
"love". This name was borne by at least two early
saints.
Agathe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, German, Norwegian (Rare), Danish (Rare), Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀγάθη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-GAT(French) a-GA-tə(German) A-GA-TEH(Classical Greek)
Personal remark: good
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Form of
Agatha in several languages.
Aglaya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Аглая(Russian)
Pronounced: u-GLA-yə
Personal remark: splendorous beauty
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Ahlam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: أحلام(Arabic)
Pronounced: ah-LAM
Personal remark: dreams
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Means "dreams" in Arabic, the plural of حلم (ḥulm) meaning "dream".
Aibhne
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: EHV-neh
Personal remark: river
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From Irish abhainn meaning "river".
Aïda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Personal remark: noble type, returning visitor, echo, little fire, name of literary figure
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
In former times, this name was a diminutive of
Adélaïde. Nowadays, however, it is usually used as the Gallicized form of
Aida.
Ailsa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: AYL-sə(English)
Personal remark: name of island in Scotland
Rating: 58% based on 5 votes
From Ailsa Craig, the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland, which is of uncertain derivation.
Aintzane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: ien-TSA-neh
Personal remark: glory
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Airelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), English (Rare), Literature
Personal remark: dark black, gloomy, name of plant
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Derived from airelle, the French name for the plant genus Vaccinium. The French derived the name from Portuguese airella, which in turn was derived from Latin atra "dark, black, gloomy".
Aithne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Personal remark: grain kernel
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Aithra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Greek (Rare)
Other Scripts: Αιθρα, Αιθρη(Greek)
Personal remark: brightly shining, pure air, sky, name of mythological figure
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Original Greek form of
Aethra.
Akantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄκανθα(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: thorny prickle, name of nymph
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Alaia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Personal remark: joyful happiness
Rating: 60% based on 5 votes
Means "joyful, happy" from Basque alai.
Alanis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-LAN-is
Personal remark: handsome, little rock, name of Iranian tribe
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Feminine form of
Alan. Canadian musician Alanis Morissette (1974-) was named after her father Alan. Her parents apparently decided to use this particular spelling after seeing this word in a Greek newspaper.
Alastríona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: ə-ləs-TRYEE-nə, A-ləs-tryee-nə
Personal remark: defender of man
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
Alcmene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀλκμήνη(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: strength of the moon, name of mythological figure
Rating: 95% based on 2 votes
From Greek
Ἀλκμήνη (Alkmene), derived from
ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength, prowess" combined with
μήνη (mene) meaning "moon" or
μῆνις (menis) meaning "wrath". In Greek
mythology Alcmene was the wife of Amphitryon. She was the mother of
Herakles by
Zeus, who bedded her by disguising himself as her absent husband.
Aldith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Personal remark: old battle
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Alethea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: al-ə-THEE-ə, ə-LEE-thee-ə
Personal remark: truth
Rating: 67% based on 6 votes
Derived from Greek
ἀλήθεια (aletheia) meaning
"truth". This name was coined in the 16th century.
Alexandria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: al-ig-ZAN-dree-ə(American English) al-ig-ZAHN-dree-ə(British English)
Personal remark: defender of man
Rating: 75% based on 6 votes
Feminine form of
Alexander. Alexander the Great founded several cities by this name (or renamed them) as he extended his empire eastward. The most notable of these is Alexandria in Egypt, founded by Alexander in 331 BC.
Aliénor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-LYEH-NAWR
Personal remark: the other Aenor
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
Alkina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indigenous Australian, Yawaru
Personal remark: unknown meaning
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Means "moon" in the Yawaru language.
Alma 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Albanian, Slovene, Croatian
Pronounced: AL-mə(English) AL-ma(Spanish) AHL-ma(Dutch)
Personal remark: nourishing, soul, young woman, name of river in Crimea
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
This name became popular after the Battle of Alma (1854), which took place near the River Alma in Crimea and ended in a victory for Britain and France. However, the name was in rare use before the battle; it was probably inspired by Latin
almus "nourishing". It also coincides with the Spanish word meaning
"the soul".
Alodia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gothic (Latinized)
Personal remark: foreign wealth
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Possibly from a Visigothic name, maybe from Gothic elements such as
alls "all" or
aljis "other" combined with
auds "riches, wealth".
Saint Alodia was a 9th-century Spanish martyr with her sister Nunilo.
Aloisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Archaic), German (Bessarabian)
Pronounced: a-lo-EE-za(Italian)
Personal remark: famous battle
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
Althea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀλθαία(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: healing, name of mythological figure
Rating: 65% based on 4 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.
Alverdine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Personal remark: elf counsel
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Apparently a feminized form of
Alfred via the Latin
Alvredus. 'Used from time to time in the 19th century, and has been noted in the 20th century as
Alvedine.'
Alyssa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ə-LIS-ə
Personal remark: name of flower, sane, noble kind
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
Variant of
Alicia. The spelling has probably been influenced by that of the alyssum flower, the name of which is derived from Greek
ἀ (a), a negative prefix, combined with
λύσσα (lyssa) meaning "madness, rabies", since it was believed to cure madness.
Amabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Personal remark: loveable
Rating: 48% based on 5 votes
Amalasuintha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gothic (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: 𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐌰(Gothic)
Personal remark: strong work, name of historical figure
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Amalthea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀμάλθεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: am-əl-THEE-ə(English)
Personal remark: to soothe softly
Rating: 48% based on 5 votes
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.
Amberly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: AM-bər-lee(American English) AM-bə-lee(British English)
Personal remark: amber
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
Elaboration of
Amber, influenced by the spelling of the name
Kimberly.
Amphelise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Personal remark: lucky friend
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Meaning unknown. It is attested from the 12th century in the Latin form Amphelisia and the vernacular form Anflis.
Amphiro
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Personal remark: name of goddess
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
The name of one of the Okeanides and a minor goddess of the rising tide.
Anahita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Persian Mythology
Other Scripts: آناهیتا(Persian) 𐎠𐎴𐏃𐎡𐎫(Old Persian)
Pronounced: aw-naw-hee-TAW(Persian)
Personal remark: immaculate, name of goddess
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
Means
"immaculate, undefiled" in Old Persian, from the Old Iranian prefix *
an- "not" combined with *
āhita "unclean, dirty". This was the name of an Iranian goddess of fertility and water. In the Zoroastrian religious texts the
Avesta she is called
𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬛𐬎𐬎𐬍 (Arəduuī) in Avestan, with
𐬀𐬥𐬁𐬵𐬌𐬙𐬀 (anāhita) appearing only as a descriptive epithet
[1]. In origin she is possibly identical to the Indian goddess
Saraswati. She has historically been identified with the Semitic goddess
Ishtar and the Greek goddess
Artemis.
Anaitis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian Mythology (Hellenized)
Other Scripts: Ἀναῗτις(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Ananke
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀνάγκη(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: necessary constraint of destiny, name of mythological figure
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Meaning "force, constraint, necessity." Ananke was the personification of destiny, necessity and fate, depicted as holding a spindle. She marks the beginning of the cosmos, along with
Chronos.
Andromache
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀνδρομάχη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-DRO-MA-KEH(Classical Greek)
Personal remark: battling man, name of mythological figure
Rating: 27% based on 3 votes
Derived from the Greek elements
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός) and
μάχη (mache) meaning "battle". In Greek legend she was the wife of the Trojan hero
Hector. After the fall of Troy
Neoptolemus killed her son Astyanax and took her as a concubine.
Annora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Personal remark: honor
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Medieval English variant of
Honora.
Anthea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἄνθεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-thee-ə(English)
Personal remark: flower, name of goddess
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
From the Greek
Ἄνθεια (Antheia), derived from
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning
"flower, blossom". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Hera.
Antigone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀντιγόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-TEE-GO-NEH(Classical Greek) an-TIG-ə-nee(English)
Personal remark: against offspring, name of mythological figure
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Derived from Greek
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and
γονή (gone) meaning "birth, offspring". In Greek legend Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. King Creon of Thebes declared that her slain brother Polynices was to remain unburied, a great dishonour. She disobeyed and gave him a proper burial, and for this she was sealed alive in a cave.
Aoide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀοιδή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ay-EE-dee(English)
Personal remark: song
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Means
"song" in Greek. In Greek
mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.
Aoife
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: EE-fyə(Irish)
Personal remark: beauty, to breathe
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From Old Irish
Aífe, derived from
oíph meaning
"beauty" (modern Irish
aoibh). This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including a woman at war with
Scáthach (her sister in some versions). She was defeated in single combat by the hero
Cúchulainn, who spared her life on the condition that she bear him a child (
Connla). Another legendary figure by this name appears in the
Children of Lir as the jealous third wife of
Lir.
This name is sometimes Anglicized as Eve or Eva.
Apollonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Italian
Other Scripts: Ἀπολλωνία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-POL-LAW-NEE-A(Classical Greek)
Personal remark: destructive strength, father light, father lion, name of god
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Feminine form of
Apollonios. This was the name of a 3rd-century
saint and martyr from Alexandria.
Araceli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: a-ra-THEH-lee(European Spanish) a-ra-SEH-lee(Latin American Spanish)
Personal remark: sky altar
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Means
"altar of the sky" from Latin
ara "altar" and
coeli "sky". This is an epithet of the Virgin
Mary in her role as the patron
saint of Lucena, Spain.
Araminta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Personal remark: name of literary character, name of historical figure
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
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.
Arethusa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀρέθουσα(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: nimble water, name of nymph
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From Greek
Ἀρέθουσα (Arethousa) meaning
"quick water", which is possibly derived from
ἄρδω (ardo) meaning "water" and
θοός (thoos) meaning "quick, nimble". This was the name of a nymph in Greek
mythology who was transformed into a fountain.
Ariadne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀριάδνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-REE-AD-NEH(Classical Greek) ar-ee-AD-nee(English)
Personal remark: most holy, name of mythological figure
Rating: 63% based on 4 votes
Means
"most holy", composed of the Greek prefix
ἀρι (ari) meaning "most" combined with Cretan Greek
ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". In Greek
mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King
Minos. She fell in love with
Theseus and helped him to escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, but was later abandoned by him. Eventually she married the god
Dionysus.
Arianrhod
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: ar-YAN-rawd(Welsh)
Personal remark: round silver wheel, name of goddess
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
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.
Artemisia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀρτεμισία(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: safe butcher, name of goddess
Rating: 45% 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.
Astarte
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology (Hellenized), Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Ἀστάρτη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: as-TAHR-tee(American English) as-TAH-tee(British English)
Personal remark: name of goddess
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Aster
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Judeo-French, Judeo-Spanish, Judeo-Catalan
Personal remark: name of flower ("star"), name of goddess
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Old Judeo-Spanish form and Judeo-French variant of
Esther via Greek
aster, "star". It was already used in Judeo-Latin.
Astraea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀστραία(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: star, name of goddess
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
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.
Atalanta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀταλάντη(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: equal in weight, name of mythological figure
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From the Greek
Ἀταλάντη (Atalante) meaning
"equal in weight", derived from
ἀτάλαντος (atalantos), a word related to
τάλαντον (talanton) meaning "a scale, a balance". In Greek legend she was a fast-footed maiden who refused to marry anyone who could not beat her in a race. She was eventually defeated by Hippomenes, who dropped three golden apples during the race causing her to stop to pick them up.
Athena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Ἀθηνᾶ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-TEH-NA(Classical Greek) ə-THEE-nə(English)
Personal remark: sharp praise, name of goddess
Rating: 93% based on 6 votes
Meaning unknown. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare and the patron goddess of the city of Athens in Greece. It is likely that her name is derived from that of the city, not vice versa. The earliest mention of her seems to be a 15th-century BC Mycenaean Greek inscription from Knossos on Crete.
The daughter of Zeus, she was said to have sprung from his head fully grown after he impregnated and swallowed her mother Metis. Athena is associated with the olive tree and the owl.
Atropos
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄτροπος(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: inevitable, name of mythological figure
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means
"inevitable, inflexible" in Greek, derived from the negative prefix
ἀ (a) combined with
τρόπος (tropos) meaning "direction, manner, fashion". Atropos was one of the three Fates or
Μοῖραι (Moirai) in Greek
mythology. When her sister Lachesis decided that a person's life was at an end, Atropos would choose the manner of death and cut the person's life thread.
Atsiylah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Obscure
Personal remark: unknown meaning
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
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)
Personal remark: dawn
Rating: 63% based on 3 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.
Aveza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Personal remark: desired, bird
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Aya 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 彩, 綾, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あや(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-YA
Personal remark: dawn, name of goddess
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Japanese
彩 (aya) meaning "colour",
綾 (aya) meaning "design", or other kanji characters with the same pronunciation.
Azucena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: a-thoo-THEH-na(European Spanish) a-soo-SEH-na(Latin American Spanish)
Personal remark: madonna lily
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "madonna lily" in Spanish.
Bahija
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: بهيجة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ba-HEE-ja
Personal remark: happy
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means
"happy, joyous, delightful" in Arabic, from the verb
بهج (bahija) meaning "to be happy, to rejoice in".
Bec
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology (?)
Pronounced: BECK
Personal remark: small, name of one of the Tuatha Dé Danann
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Allegedly an older form of Irish
beag "small".
In Irish mythology, Bec is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
"She was known for having a magic well, guarded by her three daughters. When Fionn mac Cumhaill approached the well to ask for a drink, her daughters tried to prevent him from getting the water; 'one of them threw water over him to scare him away and some of it went into his mouth. From the water he gained wisdom.'"
Begonia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Spanish (Rare), Romani (Archaic)
Personal remark: name of flower
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From the name of a flowering plant, which was named for the French botanist Michel
Bégon. In some cases it may be a variant of the Spanish
Begoña.
Bendis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Thracian Mythology
Personal remark: name of goddess
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Thracian goddess of the moon and the hunt.
Berenice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Βερενίκη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: bər-NEES(American English) bə-NEES(British English) behr-ə-NIE-see(English) behr-ə-NEE-see(English) beh-reh-NEE-cheh(Italian)
Personal remark: bringing victory
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Latinized form of
Βερενίκη (Berenike), the Macedonian form of the Greek name
Φερενίκη (Pherenike), which meant
"bringing victory" from
φέρω (phero) meaning "to bring" and
νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". This name was common among the Ptolemy ruling family of Egypt, a dynasty that was originally from Macedon. It occurs briefly in Acts in the
New Testament (in most English Bibles it is spelled
Bernice) belonging to a sister of King Herod Agrippa II. As an English name,
Berenice came into use after the
Protestant Reformation.
Betony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BEHT-nee, BEHT-ə-nee
Personal remark: name of plant
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From the name of the minty medicinal herb.
Bilqis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Other Scripts: بلقيس(Arabic)
Personal remark: Queen of Sheba
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain. According to Islamic tradition this was the name of the Queen of Sheba. She (but not her name) appears in the
Quran.
Branwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: BRAN-wehn(Welsh)
Personal remark: white raven
Rating: 35% based on 2 votes
Means
"white raven" from Old Welsh
bran "raven" and
gwen "white, blessed". According to the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi [1] she was the daughter of
Llŷr. After she was mistreated by her husband Matholwch, the king of Ireland, she managed to get a message to her brother
Brân, the king of Britain. Brân launched a costly invasion to rescue her, but she died of grief shortly after her return.
Briallen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Pronounced: bri-A-shehn
Personal remark: primrose
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Derived from Welsh briallu meaning "primrose". This is a modern Welsh name.
Bronwyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Personal remark: white-breasted
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Bronwen used in the English-speaking world (especially Australia and New Zealand).
Brynja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic, Old Norse
Pronounced: PRIN-ya(Icelandic)
Personal remark: armor
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "armour" in Old Norse.
Cadence
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAY-dəns
Personal remark: flowing rhythm
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From an English word meaning "rhythm, flow". It has been in use only since the 20th century.
Calanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LAN-thee
Personal remark: name of orchid ("beautiful flower")
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
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
Personal remark: name of orchid ("beautiful flower")
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Calliope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Καλλιόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-LIE-ə-pee(English)
Personal remark: beautiful voice, name of goddess
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Callista
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LIS-tə
Personal remark: most beautiful, Ursa Major
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
Calypso
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Καλυψώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-LIP-so(English)
Personal remark: she that conceals, name of mythological figure
Rating: 30% 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.
Capucine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KA-PUY-SEEN
Personal remark: nasturtium
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means
"nasturtium" in French. This was the
stage name of the French actress and model Capucine (1928-1990).
Carina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Late Roman
Pronounced: kə-REE-nə(English) ka-REE-na(Spanish, German)
Personal remark: dearly beloved, ship keel, a pair, torture, pure, consecrated name, far off
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Late Latin name derived from
cara meaning
"dear, beloved". This was the name of a 4th-century
saint and martyr. It is also the name of a constellation in the southern sky, though in this case it means "keel" in Latin, referring to a part of
Jason's ship the Argo.
Carita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: ka-REE-ta
Personal remark: dearly esteemed love
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Derived from Latin caritas meaning "dearness, esteem, love".
Carmilla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Personal remark: garden, name of literary character
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Used by Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu for the title character of his Gothic novella 'Carmilla' (1872), about a lesbian vampire. Le Fanu probably based the name on
Carmella.
Casmira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Obscure
Personal remark: unknown meaning
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Cassandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κασσάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-SAN-drə(English) kə-SAHN-drə(English)
Personal remark: excellently shining man, name of mythological figure
Rating: 60% based on 2 votes
From the Greek name
Κασσάνδρα (Kassandra), possibly derived from
κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning "to excel, to shine" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Greek
myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of
Priam and
Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by
Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.
In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.
Celandine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SEHL-ən-deen, SEHL-ən-dien
Personal remark: name of flower ("swallow" [bird])
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
From the name of the flower, which is derived from Greek
χελιδών (chelidon) meaning "swallow (bird)".
Celosia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare, Archaic)
Personal remark: name of flower ("burned")
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Taken from the name of the flower, whose name is derived from Greek κηλος (kelos) "burned".
Cerise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SU-REEZ
Personal remark: cherry
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "cherry" in French.
Chamomile
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: KA-mo-miel(American English)
Personal remark: name of flower ("earth apple")
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
After the herb used for tea. Ultimately from Greek khamaimēlon "earth apple", because the flowers smell reminiscent of apples.
Chantal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: SHAHN-TAL(French) shahn-TAHL(English, Dutch) shahn-TAL(English)
Personal remark: song, stony
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
From a French surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"stony". It was originally given in honour of
Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, the founder of the Visitation Order in the 17th century. It has become associated with French
chant "song".
Chryseis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Χρυσηΐς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KRUY-SEH-EES(Classical Greek) krie-SEE-is(English)
Personal remark: golden, name of mythological figure
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Patronymic derived from
Chryses. In Greek legend she was the daughter of Chryses, a priest of
Apollo. After she was taken prisoner by the Greeks besieging Troy, Apollo sent a plague into their camp, forcing the Greeks to release her.
Clematis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KLEHM-ə-tis, klə-MAT-is
Personal remark: name of plant ("branch, twig")
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the English word for a type of flowering vine, ultimately derived from Greek
κλήμα (klema) meaning "twig, branch".
Corina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, German
Pronounced: ko-REE-na(Spanish) ko-RI-na(German)
Personal remark: maiden
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Romanian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Corinna, as well as a German variant.
Corisande
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Theatre, French (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Personal remark: name of literary character
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
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).
Cressida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: KREHS-i-də(English)
Personal remark: name of mythological figure, name of literary character ("golden")
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Form of
Criseida used by Shakespeare in his play
Troilus and Cressida (1602).
Cynthia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κυνθία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SIN-thee-ə(English) SEEN-TYA(French)
Personal remark: name of goddess (Artemis: "woman from Kynthos")
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Κυνθία (Kynthia), which means
"woman from Cynthus". This was an epithet of the Greek moon goddess
Artemis, given because Cynthus was the mountain on Delos on which she and her twin brother
Apollo were born. It was not used as a given name until the Renaissance, and it did not become common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century. It reached a peak of popularity in the United States in 1957 and has declined steadily since then.
Dafina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Дафина(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Personal remark: laurel, name of nymph
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "laurel" in Albanian, Bulgarian and Macedonian, of Greek origin.
Danaë
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Δανάη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DA-NA-EH(Classical Greek) DAN-ay-ee(English)
Personal remark: name of mythological figure ("Greek")
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
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.
Daniyah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: دانية(Arabic)
Pronounced: DA-nee-ya
Personal remark: near
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Darina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Personal remark: fertile, gift, possessed of good
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Diantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch (Rare), English (Rare)
Pronounced: die-AN-thə(English)
Personal remark: name of flower ("heavenly flower")
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
From dianthus, the name of a type of flower (ultimately from Greek meaning "heavenly flower").
Dionysia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Διονυσία(Greek)
Personal remark: shining tree, name of god
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Dolores
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English
Pronounced: do-LO-rehs(Spanish) də-LAWR-is(English)
Personal remark: sorrows
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Means
"sorrows", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, meaning "Our Lady of Sorrows". It has been used in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in America during the 1920s and 30s.
Dorothea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, English, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Δωροθέα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: do-ro-TEH-a(German, Dutch) dawr-ə-THEE-ə(English)
Personal remark: gift of god
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of the Greek name
Δωρόθεος (Dorotheos), which meant
"gift of god" from Greek
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift" and
θεός (theos) meaning "god". The name
Theodore is composed of the same elements in reverse order. Dorothea was the name of two early
saints, notably the 4th-century martyr Dorothea of Caesarea. It was also borne by the 14th-century Saint Dorothea of Montau, who was the patron saint of Prussia.
Dulcinea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: dool-thee-NEH-a(European Spanish) dool-see-NEH-a(Latin American Spanish) dul-si-NEE-ə(English)
Personal remark: name of literary character ("sweet")
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Derived from Spanish dulce meaning "sweet". This name was (first?) used by Miguel de Cervantes in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it belongs to the love interest of the main character, though she never actually appears in the story.
Earnestine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: UR-nis-teen(American English) U-nis-teen(British English)
Personal remark: sincerely serious
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Edana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Personal remark: jealousy, name of mythical figure
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of
Étaín. This was the name of an early Irish
saint.
Edith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: EE-dith(English) EH-dit(German, Swedish, Dutch)
Personal remark: spoils of war
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
From the Old English name
Eadgyð, derived from the elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
guð "battle". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by
Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. It was also borne by the Anglo-Saxon wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. The name remained common after the
Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.
Eira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: AY-ra
Personal remark: snow, mercy, name of goddess
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means "snow" in Welsh. This is a recently created name.
Eirini
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ειρήνη(Greek)
Pronounced: ee-REE-nee
Personal remark: name of goddess ("peace")
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Eithne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: EH-nyə(Irish)
Personal remark: grain kernel
Rating: 75% based on 2 votes
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.
Elara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἐλάρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EHL-ə-rə(English)
Personal remark: name of mythical figure
Rating: 90% based on 2 votes
Possibly derived from Greek
ἄλαρα (alara) meaning
"hazelnut, spear-shaft". In Greek
mythology Elara was one of
Zeus's mortal lovers and by him the mother of the giant Tityos. A moon of Jupiter bears this name in her honour.
Eleanor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ə-nawr(American English) EHL-ə-naw(British English)
Personal remark: the other Aenor
Rating: 84% based on 5 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.
Eleri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: eh-LEH-ri
Personal remark: name of mythological figure
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the name of a Welsh river, also called the Leri, of unknown meaning. This was also the name of a 7th-century Welsh
saint (masculine).
Elfrieda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Personal remark: elf strength
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Eligia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Polish (Rare), Late Roman
Pronounced: eh-LEE-khya(Spanish) eh-LEE-gya(Polish)
Personal remark: to choose
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Élodie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-LAW-DEE
Personal remark: foreign wealth
Rating: 85% based on 4 votes
Elowen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Personal remark: elm tree
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.
Elysia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ee-ə(English) i-LIS-ee-ə(English) i-LEE-zhə(English)
Personal remark: blissful
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
From
Elysium, the name of the realm of the dead in Greek and Roman
mythology.
Emerenciana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Medieval Flemish
Personal remark: unknown meaning
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese and medieval Flemish form of
Emerentiana.
Erianthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Obscure
Personal remark: lover of flowers, woolly-haired flower
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Popularly claimed to mean "lover of flowers" (apparently due to association with Greek eran "to love, to be in love with"), it may actually mean "woolly-haired flower" from the botanical name eriantha, ultimately from Greek ἔριον (erion) "wool" and ανθος (anthos) "flower".
Eridani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Spanish (Mexican, Rare), American (Hispanic, Rare), Astronomy
Personal remark: name of river constellation
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Epsilon Eridani is the fifth-brightest star in
Eridanus, a constellation in the southern sky.
Esmira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Azerbaijani
Personal remark: dark brown
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Derived from Arabic أَسْمَر (ʾasmar) meaning "dark-skinned, brown, brunette".
Estelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: ehs-TEHL(English) EHS-TEHL(French)
Personal remark: star
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
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).
Esteri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: EHS-teh-ree
Personal remark: star, name of goddess
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Eteri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Georgian
Other Scripts: ეთერი(Georgian)
Pronounced: EH-TEH-REE
Personal remark: ether
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Form of
Eter with the nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.
Ethel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ETH-əl
Personal remark: noble
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Short form of names beginning with the Old English element
æðele meaning
"noble". It was coined in the 19th century, when many Old English names were revived. It was popularized by the novels
The Newcomes (1855) by William Makepeace Thackeray and
The Daisy Chain (1856) by C. M. Yonge. A famous bearer was American actress and singer Ethel Merman (1908-1984).
Euanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὐάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: name of goddess ("flowery blooming")
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek
εὐανθής (euanthes) meaning
"blooming, flowery", a derivative of
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". According to some sources, this was the name of the mother of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites) in Greek
mythology.
Eudora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὐδώρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: yoo-DAWR-ə(English)
Personal remark: name of nymph ("good gift")
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"good gift" in Greek, from the elements
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a nymph, one of the Hyades, in Greek
mythology.
Eulalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: UU-LA-LEE
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Evadne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εὐάδνη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
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.
Evochilde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Frankish
Personal remark: unknown meaning
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Fairuz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: فيروز(Arabic)
Pronounced: fie-ROOZ
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Fardowsa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Somali
Personal remark: paradise
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Faustina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: fow-STEE-na(Italian) fows-TEE-na(Spanish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Faustinus (see
Faustino).
Faye
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAY
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Felicie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare)
Pronounced: feh-LEE-tsee-ə
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Fina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Occitan, Occitan
Personal remark: delicate, tender
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Derived from Old French fin "delicate, tender".
Finola
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Florimell
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Form of
Florimel used by Edmund Spenser in his poem
The Faerie Queene (1590-1596), in which she was a lady in love with the knight Marinell, who initially rejected her. Hearing he was wounded, she set out in search and faced various perils, culminating in her being captured by Proteus.
Florinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: flo-REEN-da(Spanish)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Elaborated form of Spanish or Portuguese flor meaning "flower".
Galatea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Γαλάτεια(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Γαλάτεια (Galateia), probably derived from
γάλα (gala) meaning
"milk". This was the name of several characters in Greek
mythology including a sea nymph who was the daughter of
Doris and
Nereus and the lover of Acis. According to some sources, this was also the name of the ivory statue carved by
Pygmalion that came to life.
Galene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Γαλήνη(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: calm, name of historical figure
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Ancient Greek feminine form of
Galen.
Gelsomina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jehl-so-MEE-na
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Genista
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Pronounced: jeh-NIS-tə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Latin name of the broom plant.
Ginevra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jee-NEH-vra
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Italian form of
Guinevere. This is also the Italian name for the city of Geneva, Switzerland. It is also sometimes associated with the Italian word
ginepro meaning "juniper".
Giselle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English (Modern)
Pronounced: ZHEE-ZEHL(French) ji-ZEHL(English)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Derived from the Old German element
gisal meaning
"hostage, pledge" (Proto-Germanic *
gīslaz). This name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for a child given as a pledge to a foreign court. This was the name of both a sister and daughter of
Charlemagne. It was also borne by a daughter of the French king Charles III who married the Norman leader Rollo in the 10th century. Another notable bearer was the 11th-century Gisela of Swabia, wife of the Holy Roman emperor Conrad II.
The name was popular in France during the Middle Ages (the more common French form is Gisèle). Though it became known in the English-speaking world due to Adolphe Adam's ballet Giselle (1841), it was not regularly used until the 20th century.
Gordana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Гордана(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: GOR-da-na(Serbian, Croatian)
Personal remark: dignified
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Guinevere
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GWIN-ə-vir(American English) GWIN-ə-veey(British English)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
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.
Gwendolyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GWEHN-də-lin
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Gwendolen. This is the usual spelling in the United States.
Gwenith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: GWEHN-ith
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Variant of
Gwyneth, influenced by the Welsh word
gwenith meaning "wheat".
Gwenllian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: gwehn-SHEE-an
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from the Welsh elements
gwen meaning "white, blessed" and possibly
lliain meaning "flaxen, made of linen" or
lliant meaning "flow, flood". This name was used by medieval Welsh royalty, notably by a 12th-century princess of Deheubarth who died in battle with the
Normans. It was also borne by the 13th-century daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last prince of Gwynedd.
Gwenn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Breton
Personal remark: white, blessed
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Gwennan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Breton
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Younger form of
Gwennant, itself derived from the Welsh elements
gwen "white, fair, blessed" and
nant "stream". This name was borne by a daughter of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Gwenola
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Breton
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Gwenvred
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Breton
Personal remark: blessed white
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Gwyneira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: gwi-NAY-ra
Personal remark: white snow
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Means
"white snow" from the Welsh element
gwyn meaning "white, blessed" combined with
eira meaning "snow". This is a recently created Welsh name.
Halcyone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀλκυόνη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Ἀλκυόνη (see
Alcyone), via the misspelled variant
Ἁλκυόνη (Halkyone). The spelling variation was due to a false association with
ἅλς (hals) meaning "salt, sea".
Hawwa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dhivehi
Other Scripts: ޙައްވާ(Dhivehi)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Dhivehi form of
Hawa (see
Eve).
Hazel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAY-zəl
Rating: 93% based on 3 votes
From the English word hazel for the tree or the light brown colour, derived ultimately from Old English hæsel. It was coined as a given name in the 19th century and quickly became popular, reaching the 18th place for girls in the United States by 1897. It fell out of fashion in the second half of the 20th century, but has since recovered.
Helen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Ἑλένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHL-ən(English)
Personal remark: torch, moon, electrical fire, name of mythological figure
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
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.
Herleva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic (Latinized)
Personal remark: honorable army, honorable noble
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Possibly from the Old German elements
heri "army" and
leiba "remainder, remnant, legacy" (or the Old Norse cognates
herr and
leif, see
Herleif). This was the name of the mother of William the Conqueror, who, according to tradition, was a commoner.
Hero 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἡρώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HIR-o(English)
Personal remark: hero, army, name of mythological figure
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek
ἥρως (heros) meaning
"hero". In Greek legend she was the lover of
Leander, who would swim across the Hellespont each night to meet her. He was killed on one such occasion when he got caught in a storm while in the water, and when Hero saw his dead body she drowned herself. This is also the name of a character in Shakespeare's play
Much Ado About Nothing (1599).
Hestia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἑστία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHS-TEE-A(Classical Greek) HEHS-tee-ə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek
ἑστία (hestia) meaning
"hearth, fireside". In Greek
mythology Hestia was the goddess of the hearth and domestic activity.
Hildred
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HIL-drid
Personal remark: battle counsel
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Possibly from the Old English masculine name
Hildræd, which was composed of the elements
hild "battle" and
ræd "counsel, advice". This name was revived in the late 19th century, probably because of its similarity to the popular names
Hilda and
Mildred.
Hyacintha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinate feminine form of
Hyacinthus, used to refer to the 17th-century Italian
saint Hyacintha Mariscotti (real name Giacinta).
Hypatia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ὑπατία(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: supreme, name of historical figure
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek
ὕπατος (hypatos) meaning
"highest, supreme". Hypatia of Alexandria was a 5th-century philosopher and mathematician, daughter of the mathematician Theon.
Ianthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἰάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"violet flower", derived from Greek
ἴον (ion) meaning "violet" and
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". This was the name of an ocean nymph in Greek
mythology.
Idalma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Caribbean), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Pronounced: ee-DAL-ma(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Elaboration of
Idalia, probably influenced by the word
alma "soul".
Idonea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Personal remark: suitable, love again, name of goddess
Rating: 90% based on 2 votes
Medieval English name, probably a Latinized form of
Iðunn. The spelling may have been influenced by Latin
idonea "suitable". It was common in England from the 12th century
[1].
Igraine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Personal remark: name of literary figure
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Meaning unknown, from
Igerna, the Latinized form of Welsh
Eigyr. In Arthurian legend she is the mother of King
Arthur by Uther Pendragon and the mother of
Morgan le Fay by Gorlois. The Welsh form
Eigyr or
Eigr was rendered into Latin as
Igerna by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth.
Ilmatar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: EEL-mah-tahr(Finnish)
Personal remark: air, name of goddess
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Imelda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: ee-MEHL-da
Italian and Spanish form of
Irmhild. The Blessed Imelda Lambertini was a young 14th-century nun from Bologna.
Inas
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: إيناس(Arabic)
Pronounced: ee-NAS
Means
"friendliness" in Arabic, from the root
أنس (ʾanisa) meaning "to be friendly".
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).
Iolanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Pronounced: ie-o-LAN-thee(English)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Probably a variant of
Yolanda influenced by the Greek words
ἰόλη (iole) meaning "violet" and
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". This name was (first?) used by Gilbert and Sullivan in their comic opera
Iolanthe (1882).
Ione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Ἰόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-O-nee(English)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
From Ancient Greek
ἴον (ion) meaning
"violet flower". This was the name of a sea nymph in Greek
mythology. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, though perhaps based on the Greek place name
Ionia, a region on the west coast of Asia Minor.
Iphigeneia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἰφιγένεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EE-PEE-GEH-NEH-A(Classical Greek)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Derived from Greek
ἴφιος (iphios) meaning "strong, stout" and
γενής (genes) meaning "born". In Greek
myth Iphigenia was the daughter of King
Agamemnon. When her father offended
Artemis it was divined that the only way to appease the goddess was to sacrifice Iphigenia. Just as Agamemnon was about to sacrifice his daughter she was magically transported to the city of Taurus.
In Christian tradition this was also the name of a legendary early saint, the daughter of an Ethiopian king Egippus.
Iria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Galician
Pronounced: EE-ryu(Galician)
Possibly a Portuguese and Galician form of
Irene. This was the name of a 7th-century
saint (also known as Irene) from Tomar in Portugal. This is also the name of an ancient town in Galicia (now a district of Padrón).
Isis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
Other Scripts: Ἶσις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: IE-sis(English)
Personal remark: name of goddess ("the throne")
Greek form of Egyptian
ꜣst (reconstructed as
Iset,
Aset or
Ueset), possibly from
st meaning
"throne". In Egyptian
mythology Isis was the goddess of the sky and nature, the wife of
Osiris and the mother of
Horus. She was originally depicted wearing a throne-shaped headdress, but in later times she was conflated with the goddess
Hathor and depicted having the horns of a cow on her head. She was also worshipped by people outside of Egypt, such as the Greeks and Romans.
Ismahan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Somali, Persian (Rare), Arabic (Rare)
Personal remark: excellence-seeker
Variant of
Asmahan. This spelling is more typically used within the Somali diaspora.
Isolde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: ee-ZAWL-də(German) i-SOL-də(English) i-ZOL-də(English) i-SOLD(English) i-ZOLD(English) EE-ZAWLD(French)
German form of
Iseult, appearing in the 13th-century German poem
Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg. In 1865 the German composer Richard Wagner debuted his popular opera
Tristan und Isolde and also used the name for his first daughter.
Jacintha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: ya-SIN-ta
Jadirah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Muslim (Rare)
Personal remark: deserving, essence, nature
Janis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAN-is
Jessaline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Filipino (Rare)
Jumanah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: جمانة(Arabic)
Pronounced: joo-MA-na
Personal remark: unknown meaning
Katherine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KATH-ə-rin, KATH-rin
Rating: 77% based on 3 votes
From the Greek name
Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from an earlier Greek name
Ἑκατερινη (Hekaterine), itself from
ἑκάτερος (hekateros) meaning
"each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the goddess
Hecate; it could be related to Greek
αἰκία (aikia) meaning
"torture"; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning
"my consecration of your name". In the early Christian era it became associated with Greek
καθαρός (katharos) meaning
"pure", and the Latin spelling was changed from
Katerina to
Katharina to reflect this.
The name was borne by a semi-legendary 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on a spiked wheel. The saint was initially venerated in Syria, and returning crusaders introduced the name to Western Europe. It has been common in England since the 12th century in many different spellings, with Katherine and Catherine becoming standard in the later Middle Ages. To this day both spellings are regularly used in the English-speaking world. In the United States the spelling Katherine has been more popular since 1973.
Famous bearers of the name include Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century mystic, and Catherine de' Medici, a 16th-century French queen. It was also borne by three of Henry VIII's wives, including Katherine of Aragon, and by two empresses of Russia, including Catherine the Great.
Kendra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHN-drə
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Kenina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Kerensa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Means "love" in Cornish.
Koralia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Late Greek
Other Scripts: Κοραλία(Greek)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Derived from Ancient Greek
κοράλλιον (korallion) meaning
"coral" (in Modern Greek
κοράλλι). This was the name of an obscure 4th-century
saint and martyr from Thrace.
Kriemhilde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare)
Pronounced: kreem-HIL-də
Personal remark: name of mythological figure
Laila 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu, English
Other Scripts: ليلى(Arabic) لیلیٰ(Urdu)
Pronounced: LIE-la(Arabic) LAY-lə(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Lalage
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Personal remark: babbling
Derived from Greek
λαλαγέω (lalageo) meaning
"to babble, to prattle". The Roman poet Horace used this name in one of his odes.
Lamya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: لمياء(Arabic)
Pronounced: lam-YA
Derived from the poetic Arabic word
لمى (lamā) meaning
"dark red lips".
Leatrice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Possibly a combination of
Leah and
Beatrice. This name was first brought to public attention by the American actress Leatrice Joy (1893-1985).
Leocadia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Late Roman
Pronounced: leh-o-KA-dhya(Spanish)
Rating: 70% based on 1 vote
Late Latin name that might be derived from the name of the Greek island of
Leucadia or from Greek
λευκός (leukos) meaning
"bright, clear, white" (which is also the root of the island's name).
Saint Leocadia was a 3rd-century martyr from Spain.
Letitia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: li-TISH-ə
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
From the Late Latin name
Laetitia meaning
"joy, happiness". This was the name of an obscure
saint, who is revered mainly in Spain. It was in use in England during the Middle Ages, usually in the spelling
Lettice, and it was revived in the 18th century.
Lina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: لينا(Arabic)
Pronounced: LEE-na
Personal remark: tender, palm tree, united, flax
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Means
"soft, tender" in Arabic, derived from
لان (lāna) meaning "to be soft". It can also be from Arabic
لينة (līna), a type of palm tree, likely derived from the same root.
Liv 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
Pronounced: LEEV
Personal remark: protection, life, olive, name of mythological figure
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Derived from the Old Norse name Hlíf meaning "protection". Its use has been influenced by the modern Scandinavian word liv meaning "life".
Lorelei
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: LAWR-ə-lie(English)
Rating: 75% 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).
Lorena 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: law-REHN-ə
Latinized form of
Lauren. This name was first brought to public attention in America by the song
Lorena (1856), written by Joseph Webster, who was said to have created the name as an anagram of
Lenore (from the character in Poe's poem
The Raven)
[1].
Lyssa 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Λύσσα(Ancient Greek)
Personal remark: rage, fury, name of flower, noble kind
Means
"rage, fury, anger" in Greek. In Greek
mythology Lyssa is a goddess associated with uncontrolled rage.
Macha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: MAH-khah
Possibly from Proto-Celtic
*makajā "plain (level country)". In Irish legend this was the name of a war goddess, sister of the
Morrígan and the
Badb. She was the legendary founder of Eṁain Ṁacha, seat of the Ulster king Conchobar mac Nessa, and her name survives in the Irish place name
Armagh which was originally
Ard Mhacha "Macha's height".
Maëlys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MA-EH-LEES
Feminine form of
Maël, possibly influenced by the spelling of
Mailys.
Maia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology, Portuguese, Georgian
Other Scripts: Μαῖα(Ancient Greek) მაია(Georgian)
Pronounced: MIE-A(Classical Greek) MAY-ə(English) MIE-ə(English) MIE-ya(Latin) MAH-EE-AH(Georgian)
Personal remark: the Pleiades, bright, May, love, great, illusion
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
From Greek
μαῖα (maia) meaning
"good mother, dame, foster mother", perhaps in origin a nursery form of
μήτηρ (meter). In Greek and Roman
mythology she was the eldest of the Pleiades, a group of stars in the constellation Taurus, who were the daughters of
Atlas and
Pleione. Her son by
Zeus was
Hermes.
Maïlys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Breton, French
Pronounced: Mah-ee-lees(Breton)
Either a blend of
Maï, a Breton short form or contraction of
Mary (compare
Maïwenn), and
Maëlys or a variant spelling of
Mailys.
Mairwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Combination of
Mair and Welsh
gwen meaning "white, blessed".
Maite 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: MIE-teh
Personal remark: loveable
Means "beloved" in Basque.
Malandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Personal remark: bad male
Invented name using the popular name suffix
andra, from names such as
Sandra or
Alexandra.
Malvina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English, Italian, French
Created by the Scottish poet James MacPherson in the 18th century for a character in his Ossian poems. He probably intended it to mean "smooth brow", from Scottish Gaelic mala "brow" and mìn "smooth, fine" (lenited to mhìn and pronounced with a v sound).
Maple
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-pəl
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the English word for the tree (comprising the genus Acer), derived from Old English mapul. This is the name of a girl in Robert Frost's poem Maple (1923) who wonders about the origin of her unusual name.
Marcela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: mar-THEH-la(European Spanish) mar-SEH-la(Latin American Spanish) mur-SEH-lu(European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese) mar-TSEH-la(Polish) mar-CHEH-la(Romanian) MAR-tseh-la(Czech, Slovak)
Personal remark: male, Mars
Margery
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAHR-jə-ree(American English) MAH-jə-ree(British English)
Personal remark: pearl, daisy, marjory
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Mari 3
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque Mythology
Personal remark: donation, mother, name of goddess
Possibly from Basque
emari meaning
"donation" or
amari meaning
"mother". This was the name of a goddess of nature and fertility in Basque
mythology.
Marigold
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAR-i-gold, MEHR-i-gold
Rating: 90% based on 2 votes
From the name of the flower, which comes from a combination of
Mary and the English word
gold.
Marjolaine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAR-ZHAW-LEHN
Personal remark: marjoram
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Means "marjoram" in French, from Latin maiorana. Marjoram is a minty herb.
Marsaili
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Pronounced: MAR-si-li
Mavourneen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Personal remark: my darling
Derived from the Irish phrase mo mhúirnín meaning "my darling".
Maya 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Buddhism, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
Other Scripts: माया(Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali)
Pronounced: MAH-yah(Sanskrit, Hindi)
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Means
"illusion, magic" in Sanskrit. In Buddhist tradition this is the name of the mother of Siddhartha Gautama (the
Buddha). This is also another name of the Hindu goddess
Durga.
Melantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: mə-LAN-thə
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Probably a combination of
Mel (from names such as
Melanie or
Melissa) with the suffix
antha (from Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). John Dryden used this name in his play
Marriage a la Mode (1672).
Melisandre
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Popular Culture
Pronounced: mel-i-SAHN-drə(Literature)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
The name of a witch, known as the Red Priestess, in George R. R. Martin's book series "A Song of Ice and Fire." He likely based her name off the French name
Mélisande.
Melitta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], German
Other Scripts: Μέλιττα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: meh-LI-ta(German)
Ancient Attic Greek variant of
Melissa.
Melusine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Mythology
Meaning unknown. In European folklore Melusine was a water fairy who turned into a serpent from the waist down every Saturday. She made her husband, Raymond of Poitou, promise that he would never see her on that day, and when he broke his word she left him forever.
Merete
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian
Minerva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, English, Spanish
Pronounced: mee-NEHR-wa(Latin) mi-NUR-və(American English) mi-NU-və(British English) mee-NEHR-ba(Spanish)
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Possibly derived from Latin
mens meaning
"intellect", but more likely of Etruscan origin. Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, approximately equivalent to the Greek goddess
Athena. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since after the Renaissance.
Minodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Miranda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: mi-RAN-də(English) mee-RAHN-da(Dutch)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
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.
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-).
Mirèio
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Occitan
Miryam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Spanish, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: מִרְיָם(Hebrew)
Hebrew form of
Miriam, as well as a Spanish variant.
Moira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, English
Pronounced: MOI-rə(English)
Personal remark: name of mythological figures ("fate, destiny")
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Anglicized form of
Máire. It also coincides with Greek
Μοῖρα (Moira) meaning "fate, destiny", the singular of
Μοῖραι, the Greek name for the Fates. They were the three female personifications of destiny in Greek
mythology.
Mordad
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian Mythology
Other Scripts: مرداد(Persian)
Pronounced: mor-DAWD(Persian)
Modern Persian form of
Amordad. This is the name of the fifth month in the Iranian calendar.
Mumtaz
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: ممتاز(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: moom-TAZ(Arabic)
Personal remark: distinguished
Means
"distinguished, outstanding" in Arabic, derived from
امتاز (imtāza) meaning "to be distinguished". The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631).
Myrna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare), English
Pronounced: MUR-nə(American English) MU-nə(British English)
Anglicized form of
Muirne. The popularity of this name spiked in the United States in the 1930s due to the fame of the actress Myrna Loy (1905-1993).
Myrtle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-təl(American English) MU-təl(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Simply from the English word
myrtle for the evergreen shrub, ultimately from Greek
μύρτος (myrtos). It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
Nahida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bengali (Muslim), Indian (Muslim), Arabic
Other Scripts: নাহিদা(Bengali) ناہیدہ(Urdu) नाहिदा(Hindi) تهامي, ناهدة(Arabic)
Possibly a variant of
Nahid.
Naima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: نعيمة(Arabic)
Pronounced: na-‘EE-ma
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Najma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
Neasa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: NYA-sə(Irish)
Personal remark: not gentle, name of mythological figure
From Old Irish
Ness, meaning uncertain. In Irish legend she was the mother of
Conchobar. She installed her son as king of Ulster by convincing
Fergus mac Róich (her husband and Conchobar's stepfather) to give up his throne to the boy for a year and then helping him rule so astutely that the Ulstermen demanded that he remain as king. According to some versions of the legend she was originally named
Assa "gentle", but was renamed
Ní-assa "not gentle" after she sought to avenge the murders of her foster fathers.
Nerea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque, Spanish
Pronounced: neh-REH-a
Possibly from Basque
nere, a dialectal variant of
nire meaning
"mine". Alternatively, it could be a feminine form of
Nereus. This name arose in Basque-speaking regions of Spain in the first half of the 20th century, though it is now popular throughout the country.
Nereida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: neh-RAY-dha
Derived from Greek
Νηρηΐδες (Nereides) meaning
"nymphs, sea sprites", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god
Nereus, who supposedly fathered them.
Nerissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: nə-RIS-ə(English)
Created by Shakespeare for a character in his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596). He possibly took it from Greek
Νηρηΐς (Nereis) meaning "nymph, sea sprite", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god
Nereus, who supposedly fathered them.
Nigella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Nuala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: NWU-lə
Nuha 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: نهى(Arabic)
Pronounced: NOO-ha
Means "mind, wisdom" in Arabic.
Nymphodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Νυμφοδώρα(Ancient Greek)
Olalla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Galician, Spanish
Pronounced: o-LA-ya(Spanish)
Opal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: O-pəl
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
From the English word
opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit
उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".
Ornella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: or-NEHL-la
Created by the Italian author Gabriele d'Annunzio for his novel La Figlia di Jorio (1904). It is derived from Tuscan Italian ornello meaning "flowering ash tree".
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.
Pelageya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Пелагея(Russian)
Pronounced: pyi-lu-GYEH-yə
Personal remark: the sea
Petra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Swedish, Finnish, English
Other Scripts: Петра(Bulgarian) Πέτρα(Greek)
Pronounced: PEH-tra(German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Slovak) PEH-traw(Hungarian) PEHT-rah(Finnish) PEHT-rə(English)
Feminine form of
Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.
Phaedra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Φαίδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: FEED-rə(English) FEHD-rə(English)
Rating: 80% based on 1 vote
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)
Rating: 80% based on 1 vote
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).
Polymnia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Πολύμνια, Πολυύμνια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PO-LUYM-NEE-A(Classical Greek)
Means
"abounding in song", derived from Greek
πολύς (polys) meaning "much" and
ὕμνος (hymnos) meaning "song, hymn". In Greek
mythology she was the goddess of dance and sacred songs, one of the nine Muses.
Raisa 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Раиса(Russian) Раїса(Ukrainian) Раіса(Belarusian)
Pronounced: ru-EES-ə(Russian)
Probably a Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of
Herais.
Rayhana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: ريحانة(Arabic)
Pronounced: rie-HA-na
Personal remark: basil
Means
"basil" in Arabic. This was the name of a wife of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Rhiannon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: ri-AN-awn(Welsh) ree-AN-ən(English)
Rating: 85% based on 2 votes
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.
Romilda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Germanic (Latinized) [1]
Means
"famous battle" from the Germanic elements
hruom "fame, glory" and
hilt "battle".
Rosalinde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, French (Rare), Dutch, Flemish
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Rowena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ro-EEN-ə
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).
Rubena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Esperanto
Pronounced: roo-BEH-na
From Esperanto rubeno meaning "ruby", ultimately from Latin ruber "red".
Ruya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: رؤية(Arabic)
Pronounced: ROO-ya
Means
"vision, sight" in Arabic, a derivative of
رأى (raʾā) meaning "to see, to perceive".
Sable
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAY-bəl
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
From the English word meaning "black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.
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)
Personal remark: name of river in Wales, name of literary figure
Rating: 80% based on 1 vote
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.
Salome
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: სალომე(Georgian) Σαλώμη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: sə-LO-mee(English)
From an Aramaic name that was related to the Hebrew word
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning
"peace". According to the historian Josephus this was the name of the daughter of
Herodias (the consort of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee). In the
New Testament, though a specific name is not given, it was a daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod and was rewarded with the head of
John the Baptist, and thus Salome and the dancer have traditionally been equated.
As a Christian given name, Salome has been in occasional use since the Protestant Reformation. This was due to a second person of this name in the New Testament: one of the women who witnessed the crucifixion and later discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty. It is used in Georgia due to the 4th-century Salome of Ujarma, who is considered a saint in the Georgian Church.
Samira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Persian
Other Scripts: سميرة(Arabic) سمیرا(Persian)
Pronounced: sa-MEE-ra(Arabic) sa-mee-RAW(Persian)
Sappho
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σαπφώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SAP-PAW(Classical Greek) SA-fo(English)
Possibly from Greek
σάπφειρος (sappheiros) meaning
"sapphire" or
"lapis lazuli". This was the name of a 7th-century BC Greek poetess from Lesbos.
Selena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Σελήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: seh-LEH-na(Spanish) sə-LEEN-ə(English)
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of
Selene. This name was borne by popular Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla (1971-1995), who was known simply as Selena. Another famous bearer is the American actress and singer Selena Gomez (1992-).
September
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: sehp-TEHM-bər(American English) sehp-TEHM-bə(British English)
From the name of the ninth month (though it means "seventh month" in Latin, since it was originally the seventh month of the Roman year), which is sometimes used as a given name for someone born in September.
Serafina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Pronounced: seh-ra-FEE-na(Italian, Spanish)
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Seraphina.
Shana 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAN-ə
Shannon
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAN-ən
From the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called
an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure
Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish
sen "old, ancient"
[1]. As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.
Sharaya
Usage: Russian
Personal remark: unknown meaning
Sherida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Near Eastern Mythology, Dutch, Literature, Popular Culture
Sumerian goddess, consort of
Utu.
The name Sherida was used by Margaret Ferguson for a character in the mystery novel 'The sign of the Ram' (1944) that was turned into a film in 1948.
Sherida Spitse is a footballer playing for the Dutch 2019 FIFA women's world cup team.
Shirlea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American)
Pronounced: SHUR-lee(American English)
Shula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: شعلة(Arabic)
Pronounced: SHOO‘-la
Means "flame" in Arabic.
Siani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Personal remark: god is gracious
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".
Siham
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: سهام(Arabic)
Pronounced: see-HAM
Personal remark: arrows
Means "arrows" in Arabic, the plural of سهم (sahm) meaning "arrow, dart".
Síofra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHEE-frə
Personal remark: elf
Means "elf, sprite" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.
Siwa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Dutch
Personal remark: alive
Solange
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Portuguese
Pronounced: SAW-LAHNZH(French)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
French form of the Late Latin name
Sollemnia, which was derived from Latin
sollemnis "religious". This was the name of a French shepherdess who became a
saint after she was killed by her master.
Soraya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Spanish, French, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Other Scripts: ثریا(Persian)
Pronounced: so-ra-YAW(Persian) so-RA-ya(Spanish)
Personal remark: the Pleiades
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
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.
Styliani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Στυλιανή(Greek)
Sunniva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Scandinavian form of the Old English name
Sunngifu, which meant
"sun gift" from the Old English elements
sunne "sun" and
giefu "gift". This was the name of a legendary English
saint who was shipwrecked in Norway and killed by the inhabitants.
Sylviane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SEEL-VYAN
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Symra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian (Rare)
Norwegian variant of
Symre.
Tahira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: طاهرة(Arabic) طاہرہ(Urdu)
Pronounced: TA-hee-ra(Arabic)
Talulla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Personal remark: princess of abundance
Anglicized form of the Old Irish name
Taileflaith,
Tuileflaith or
Tuilelaith, probably from
tuile "abundance" and
flaith "ruler, sovereign, princess". This was the name of an early
saint, an abbess of Kildare.
Talya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: טַלְיָה, טַלְיָא(Hebrew)
Tamsin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: TAM-zin
Contracted form of
Thomasina. It was traditionally used in Cornwall.
Tanit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Other Scripts: 𐤕𐤍𐤕(Phoenician)
Teodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Swedish
Other Scripts: Теодора(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian)
Pronounced: teh-o-DAW-ra(Italian) teh-o-DHO-ra(Spanish) teh-o-DO-ra(Romanian) teh-aw-DAW-ra(Polish)
Feminine form of
Theodoros (see
Theodore).
Thalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Greek
Other Scripts: Θάλεια(Greek)
Pronounced: THAY-lee-ə(English) thə-LIE-ə(English)
Personal remark: name of goddesses ("to blossom")
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
From the Greek name
Θάλεια (Thaleia), derived from
θάλλω (thallo) meaning
"to blossom". In Greek
mythology she was one of the nine Muses, presiding over comedy and pastoral poetry. This was also the name of one of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites).
Theda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Short form of
Theodora. A famous bearer was actress Theda Bara (1885-1955), who was born Theodosia Goodman.
Themis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Θέμις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TEH-MEES(Classical Greek) THEE-mis(English)
Means
"law of nature, divine law, custom" in Greek. In Greek
mythology this was the name of a Titan who presided over custom and natural law. She was often depicted blindfolded and holding a pair of scales. By
Zeus she was the mother of many deities, including the three
Μοῖραι (Moirai) and the three
Ὥραι (Horai).
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)
Personal remark: giving to god
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Thomasina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: tahm-ə-SEE-nə(American English) tawm-ə-SEE-nə(British English)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Medieval feminine form of
Thomas.
Treasa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: TRA-sə
Personal remark: strength, summer, to harvest, name of island in Greece
Possibly from Irish
treise meaning
"strength" or
treas meaning
"battle". It is also used as an Irish form of
Theresa.
Tuesday
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TYOOZ-day, TOOZ-day, CHOOZ-day
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
From the English word for the day of the week, which derives from Old English
tiwesdæg meaning "
Tiw's day".
Tuuli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: TOO-lee(Finnish)
Means "wind" in Finnish and Estonian.
Ugnė
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Personal remark: fire
Derived from Lithuanian ugnis meaning "fire".
Una
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: OO-nə
Personal remark: one, lamb, name of river in Croatia, name of saint, name of literary character
Anglicized form of Irish
Úna or Scottish
Ùna. It is also associated with Latin
una, feminine form of
unus meaning
"one". The name features in Edmund Spenser's poem
The Faerie Queene (1590).
Urania
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Οὐρανία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: yuw-RAY-nee-ə(English)
Venera 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian, Albanian
Other Scripts: Венера(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: vyi-NYEH-rə(Russian)
Personal remark: name of goddess
Form of
Venus, from the genitive form
Veneris.
Vera 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 50% based on 1 vote
Derived from Albanian verë meaning "summer".
Verena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Late Roman
Pronounced: veh-REH-na(German)
Personal remark: true, bringing victory, name of historical figure
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Possibly related to Latin
verus "true". This might also be a Coptic form of the Ptolemaic name
Berenice.
Saint Verena was a 3rd-century Egyptian-born nurse who went with the Theban Legion to Switzerland. After the legion was massacred she settled near Zurich.
Vesna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Slavic Mythology
Other Scripts: Весна(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: VEHS-na(Croatian, Serbian)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
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.
Violet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VIE-lit, VIE-ə-lit
Rating: 85% based on 4 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.
Viridia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, English (Rare, Archaic), American (Hispanic, Rare)
Personal remark: green, he who has the truth
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Xanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ξάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KSAN-TEH(Classical Greek)
Rating: 80% based on 2 votes
Derived from Greek
ξανθός (xanthos) meaning
"yellow, blond, fair-haired". This was the name of a few minor figures in Greek
mythology.
Yolande
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: YAW-LAHND
French form of
Yolanda. A notable bearer of the 15th century was Yolande of Aragon, who acted as regent for the French king Charles VII, her son-in-law. She was a supporter of Joan of Arc.
Yvaine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Various
Pronounced: ee-VAYN(Literature)
It is most probable that it is the feminine form of the name
Yvain. Though, it is commonly thought of as a combination of
Yvonne and
Elaine.
The name is most popularly recognized as the name of the fallen star in Neil Gaiman's novella 'Stardust'.
Yvonne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: EE-VAWN(French) i-VAHN(American English) i-VAWN(British English) ee-VAWN(German) ee-VAW-nə(Dutch)
Personal remark: yew
French feminine form of
Yvon. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Zaahira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: زاهرة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ZA-hee-ra
Personal remark: shining radiance
Zainab
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu, Hausa, Malay, Indonesian
Other Scripts: زينب(Arabic) زینب(Urdu)
Pronounced: ZIE-nab(Arabic)
Personal remark: name of tree, beauty, life of the shining sky
Alternate transcription of Arabic
زينب (see
Zaynab), as well as the usual form in several languages.
Zaira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: DZIE-ra(Italian) dza-EE-ra(Italian) THIE-ra(European Spanish) SIE-ra(Latin American Spanish)
Personal remark: blooming flower, name of literary character
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Italian and Spanish form of
Zaïre. It was used by Vincenzo Bellini for the heroine of his opera
Zaira (1829), which was based on Voltaire's 1732 play
Zaïre.
Zareen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Urdu
Other Scripts: زرین(Urdu)
Personal remark: golden
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Zaria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ZAHR-ee-ə
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Possibly based on
Zahra 2 or the Nigerian city of Zaria.
Zenovia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ζηνοβία(Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Zinnia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ZIN-ee-ə
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
From the name of the flower, which was itself named for the German botanist Johann Zinn.
Zorae
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Personal remark: unknown meaning
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Zoraida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: tho-RIE-dha(European Spanish) so-RIE-dha(Latin American Spanish)
Personal remark: dawn, enchanting, name of literary character
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Perhaps means
"enchanting" or
"dawn" in Arabic. This was the name of a minor 12th-century Spanish
saint, a convert from Islam. The name was used by Cervantes for a character in his novel
Don Quixote (1606), in which Zoraida is a beautiful Moorish woman of Algiers who converts to Christianity and elopes with a Spanish officer.
Zorana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Зорана(Serbian)
Personal remark: dawn
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Zoraya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Personal remark: dawn, the Pleiades
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Zorione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Personal remark: happiness
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Zubaida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: زبيدة(Arabic) زبیدہ(Urdu)
Pronounced: zoo-BIE-da(Arabic)
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Means "elite, prime, cream" in Arabic. This was the name of a 9th-century wife of Harun ar-Rashid, the Abbasid caliph featured in the stories of The 1001 Nights.
Zuleika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: zoo-LAY-kə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Meaning uncertain, possibly of Arabic origin. According to medieval tradition, notably related by the 15th-century Persian poet Jami, this was the name of the biblical Potiphar's wife. She has been a frequent subject of poems and tales.
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