Quicksilver's Personal Name List

Old French form of Alice.

Means "nobleness, nobility", from the French form of the Germanic name Adalheidis, which was composed of adal "noble" and the suffix heit "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great.

In Britain the parallel form Alice, derived via Old French, has historically been more common than Adelaide, though this form did gain some currency in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.

Elaborated form of Adela.

Feminine form of Aelius.

Means "splendour, beauty" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the three Graces or Χάριτες (Charites). This name was also borne by a 4th-century saint from Rome.

Variant of Ayda. This name was used in Verdi's opera Aida (1871), where it belongs to an Ethiopian princess held captive in Egypt.

From Ailsa Craig, the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland, which is of uncertain derivation.

From Japanese 愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" combined with 莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or 梨 (ri) meaning "pear". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.

Means "joyful, happy" from Basque alai.

From Aleut alaxsxaq "object to which the action of the sea is directed" or "mainland". It is the name of a US state.

Italian form of Alexandra.

Italian feminine form of Alexius.

Feminine form of Alexander. In Greek mythology this was a Mycenaean epithet of the goddess Hera, and an alternate name of Cassandra. It was borne by several early Christian saints, and also by the wife of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia. She was from Germany and had the birth name Alix, but was renamed Александра (Aleksandra) upon joining the Russian Church.

From the Old French name Aalis, a short form of Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic name Adalheidis (see Adelaide). This name became popular in France and England in the 12th century. It was among the most common names in England until the 16th century, when it began to decline. It was revived in the 19th century.

This name was borne by the heroine of Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871).

Greek form of Alice. It also corresponds with the Greek word άλικη meaning "scarlet".

Variant of Alyssa.

Variant of Elizabeth.

Means "cheerful, lively" in Italian. It was borne by a short-lived illegitimate daughter of Lord Byron (1817-1822).

Means "cheerfulness, joy" in Italian.

Variant of Alison 1.

German feminine form of Aloysius.

Possibly from the (medieval) Hebrew word אֲלוּמָה (aluma) meaning "strong, brave" (which, in modern Hebrew, sounds like the word אֲלֻמָּה (alma) "sheaf"). It is sometimes associated with the word עלמה (alma) "a young girl, a damsel".

Variant of Olivia.

Feminine variant of Alex.

Feminine form of Ambrosios (see Ambrose).

From the name of the purple semi-precious stone, which is derived from the Greek negative prefix ἀ (a) and μέθυστος (methystos) meaning "intoxicated, drunk", as it was believed to be a remedy against drunkenness. It is the traditional birthstone of February.

Derived from Greek ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός) combined with one of the related words μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of, to provide for, to think on" or μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek mythology Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess rescued from sacrifice by the hero Perseus. A constellation in the northern sky is named for her. This is also the name of a nearby galaxy, given because it resides (from our point of view) within the constellation.

Variant of Annabel. It can also be interpreted as a combination of Anna and French belle "beautiful".

German diminutive of Anna or short form of Anneliese.

From the name of the month, probably originally derived from Latin aperire "to open", referring to the opening of flowers. It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 1940s.

From a Roman cognomen meaning "eagle" in Latin. In Acts in the New Testament Paul lives with Aquila and his wife Priscilla (or Prisca) for a time.

Meaning unknown, possibly of Sumerian origin. In Armenian legend this was the name of an Armenian king who was so handsome that the Assyrian queen Semiramis went to war to capture him. During the war Ara was slain.

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.

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.

Diminutive of Arantzazu.

From the name of an Armenian river, also called the Aras.

Means "song, melody" in Italian (literally means "air"). An aria is an elaborate vocal solo, the type usually performed in operas. As an English name, it has only been in use since the 20th century, its rise in popularity accelerating after the 2010 premier of the television drama Pretty Little Liars, featuring a character by this name. It is not traditionally used in Italy.

Means "ear of grain" in Latin. This is the name of a star, also known as Spica, in the constellation Virgo.

The name of a star (also called Alcor), which was named after a type of climbing plant, meaning "not restrained" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief it is the name of the sage Vasishtha's wife, who is identified with the star.

Derived from Greek ἀσπάσιος (aspasios) meaning "welcome, embrace". This was the name of the lover of Pericles (5th century BC).

From the name of the flower, which is derived via Latin from Greek ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star".

Means "star", ultimately from Greek ἀστήρ (aster). This name has only been (rarely) used since the 20th century.

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.

Modern Scandinavian form of Ástríðr. This name was borne by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), the author of Pippi Longstocking. It was also borne by a Swedish princess (1905-1935) who became the queen of Belgium as the wife of Leopold III.

Modern Hebrew transcription of Athaliah.

Variant of Athaliah.

Both a French elaboration of Aude and a variant of Odélia. In the Jewish community, however, this name is considered and used as a variant of Odelia 2.

Early vernacular form of Eulalia, which survives in the French place name Saint-Aulaire, given in reference to the popular Spanish saint Eulalia of Mérida.

Late Latin name that was derived from aureus "golden". This was the name of a 3rd-century saint from Ostia (near Rome), as well as an 11th-century Spanish saint.

Feminine form of Aurelius.

Feminine form of Aurelianus.

Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.

From the name of the season, ultimately from Latin autumnus. This name has been in general use since the 1960s.

Combination of Ava 1 and Lena.

From the name of the island paradise to which King Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh afal meaning "apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.

Probably an elaboration of Ava 1, influenced by names such as Ariana. In some cases it could be inspired by the word avian meaning "bird" or "related to birds, bird-like".

Probably a Latinized form of the Germanic name Aveza, which was derived from the element awi, of unknown meaning. The Normans introduced this name to England and it became moderately common during the Middle Ages, at which time it was associated with Latin avis "bird".

Hebrew form of Abital, sometimes used as a masculine name in modern times.

Feminine variant of Aviv.

Created by L. M. Montgomery as the setting for her novel Anne of Green Gables (1908). She may have based the name on the Arthurian island of Avalon, though it also resembles the river name Avon and leah "woodland, clearing".

French form of April. A famous bearer is the Canadian musician Avril Lavigne (1984-).

Means "doe, female deer, gazelle". It is taken from the Hebrew phrase אַיֶלֶת הַשַׁחַר (ʾayeleṯ hashaḥar), literally "gazelle of dawn", which is a name of the morning star.

Means "female warrior" in Latin. This is the name of the star that marks the left shoulder of the constellation Orion.

From the English word for the thorny plant.

Anglicized form of the Irish name Brighid, Old Irish Brigit, from old Celtic *Brigantī meaning "the exalted one". In Irish mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom, the daughter of the god Dagda. In the 5th century it was borne by Saint Brigid, the founder of a monastery at Kildare and a patron saint of Ireland. Because of the saint, the name was considered sacred in Ireland, and it did not come into general use there until the 17th century. In the form Birgitta this name has been common in Scandinavia, made popular by the 14th-century Saint Birgitta of Sweden, patron saint of Europe.

Means "kiss" in Turkish, from Persian بوسه (būseh).

Original Latin form of Cecilia.

Feminine form of Caelius.

Anglicized form of Caitlín.

Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Calixtus.

Variant of Calista.

Feminine form of Calpurnius. This was the name of Julius Caesar's last wife.

Means "Candlemas" in Spanish, ultimately derived from Spanish candela "candle". This name is given in honour of the church festival of Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of Christ in the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary.

Derived from Irish caomh meaning "dear, beloved, gentle".

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

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.

Feminine form of Cassius.

Diminutive of Cassandra and other names beginning with Cass.

Variant of Kate. A famous bearer is Australian actress Cate Blanchett (1969-).

Anglicized form of Caitríona (Irish) or Caitrìona (Scottish Gaelic).

Italian feminine and masculine form of Caelestis. It is also the Portuguese, Spanish and English feminine form.

Latinate feminine form of Caelestinus.

Variant of Cecelia.

French feminine diminutive of Charles. It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. It was the name of a German-born 18th-century queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Another notable bearer was Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), the eldest of the three Brontë sisters and the author of Jane Eyre and Villette. A famous fictional bearer is the spider in the children's novel Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.

This name was fairly common in France, England and the United States in the early 20th century. It became quite popular in France and England at the end of the 20th century, just when it was at a low point in the United States. It quickly climbed the American charts and entered the top ten in 2014.

Means "green shoot" in Greek, referring to new plant growth in the spring. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Demeter. The name is also mentioned by Paul in one of his epistles in the New Testament.

As an English name, Chloe has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. It started getting more popular in the 1980s in the United Kingdom and then the United States. It was the most popular name for girls in England and Wales from 1997 to 2002. This is one of the few English-language names that is often written with a diaeresis, as Chloë.

Variant of Sierra.

Medieval English form of Clara. The preferred spelling in the English-speaking world is now the French form Claire, though Clare has been fairly popular in the United Kingdom and Australia.

This is also the name of an Irish county, which was itself probably derived from Irish clár meaning "plank, level surface".

Latinized form of Greek Κλυταιμνήστρα (Klytaimnestra) and Κλυταιμήστρα (Klytaimestra), in which the first element is κλυτός (klytos) meaning "famous, noble". The spelling Klytaimnestra would suggest the second element is μνηστήρ (mnester) meaning "courter, wooer", while Klytaimestra would suggest a connection to μήδομαι (medomai) meaning "to plan, to intend". There is debate over which spelling is earlier or more authentic [1], since the ancient texts seem to make puns based on both etymologies. Klytaimestra appears in the works of the Greek tragedians such as Aeschylus, while Klytaimnestra appears in Homer's poems (the earliest extant copy dating from the post-classical period).

In Greek legend Clytemnestra was the wife of Agamemnon and the mother of Orestes and Electra. While her husband was away during the Trojan War she took a lover, and upon his return she had Agamemnon murdered. She was subsequently killed by her son Orestes.

Latinized form of Kore. It was not used as a given name in the English-speaking world until after it was employed by James Fenimore Cooper for a character in his novel The Last of the Mohicans (1826). In some cases it may be a short form of Cordula, Corinna and other names beginning with a similar sound.

From Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles [1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.

The spelling was later altered to Cordelia when Geoffrey's story was adapted by others, including Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590) and Shakespeare in his tragedy King Lear (1606).

Feminine form of Cornelius. In the 2nd century BC it was borne by Cornelia Scipionis Africana (the daughter of the military hero Scipio Africanus), the mother of the two reformers known as the Gracchi. After her death she was regarded as an example of the ideal Roman woman. The name was revived in the 18th century.

Feminine form of Crescentius. Saint Crescentia was a 4th-century companion of Saint Vitus. This is also the name of the eponymous heroine of a 12th-century German romance.

Form of Criseida used by Shakespeare in his play Troilus and Cressida (1602).

From Irish croí meaning "heart". This name was used by Irish martial artist Conor McGregor for his daughter born 2019.

From the English word meaning "greenish blue, cyan", ultimately derived from Greek κύανος (kyanos).

Meaning unknown. Saint Cyra was a 5th-century Syrian hermit who was martyred with her companion Marana.

French form of Cyril, sometimes used as a feminine form.

Means "hanging branch" in Hebrew.

Form of Delilah used in the Latin Old Testament, as well as in French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

Variant transcription of Dafna.

Means "laurel" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was a nymph turned into a laurel tree by her father in order that she might escape the pursuit of Apollo. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the end of the 19th century.

Variant of Delaney.

From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew עֵדֶן (ʿeḏen) meaning "pleasure, delight" [1], or perhaps derived from Sumerian 𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people, Adam and Eve, lived before they were expelled.

Means "star sun" in the fictional language Sindarin. In The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien this is Sam's eldest daughter, named after a type of flower.

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.

Latinate form of Eleanor.

Latinized form of Greek Ἠλέκτρα (Elektra), derived from ἤλεκτρον (elektron) meaning "amber". In Greek myth she was the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra and the sister of Orestes. She helped her brother kill their mother and her lover Aegisthus in vengeance for Agamemnon's murder. Also in Greek mythology, this name was borne by one of the Pleiades, who were the daughters of Atlas and Pleione.

Modern Greek form of Helen.

Form of Eleanor in several languages.

Diminutive of Eleanor and other names beginning with El. This name can also be given in reference to the French pronoun elle meaning "she".

Already growing in popularity due to Australian model Elle Macpherson (1964-), this name received a boost in the United States after the release of the 2001 movie Legally Blonde featuring the main character Elle Woods. In the United Kingdom the name was already fairly common at the time the movie came out, and it actually started declining there shortly afterwards. A famous bearer is American actress Elle Fanning (1998-).

From an English surname that was originally derived from the medieval masculine name Hilary.

Variant of Elisa.

Italian form of Eloise.

From the Old French name Héloïse, which was probably from the Germanic name Helewidis, composed of the elements heil meaning "healthy, whole" and wit meaning "wide". It is sometimes associated with the Greek word ἥλιος (helios) meaning "sun" or the name Louise, though there is no etymological connection. This name was borne by the 12th-century French scholar and philosopher Héloïse. Secretly marrying the theologian Peter Abelard at a young age, she became a nun (and eventually an abbess) after Abelard was violently castrated by order of her uncle Fulbert.

There was a medieval English form of this name, Helewis, though it died out after the 13th century. In the 19th century it was revived in the English-speaking world in the form Eloise.

Probably an invented name. This is the name of an infant girl in the fantasy movie Willow (1988). Since the release of the movie the name has been steadily used, finally breaking into the top 1000 in the United States in 2015.

An Aboriginal name meaning "a pleasant place"

From the word for the green precious stone, which is the traditional birthstone of May. The emerald supposedly imparts love to the bearer. The word is ultimately from Greek σμάραγδος (smaragdos).

Feminine form of Aemilius (see Emily). In Shakespeare's tragedy Othello (1603) this is the name of the wife of Iago.

Middle English vernacular form of Emma. In modern times it is a variant of Em, i.e. used as a diminutive of Emma, Emily and other similar-sounding names.

Means "dawn" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the dawn.

Means "emerald" in Spanish and Portuguese. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), in which Esmeralda is the Romani girl who is loved by Quasimodo. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since that time.

Latinate form of Estelle. This is the name of the heroine, Estella Havisham, in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations (1860).

Finnish form of Esther.

From the Hebrew name אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah.

This name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. In America it received a boost in popularity after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893-1980), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland [1].

Form of Eve used in various languages. This form is used in the Latin translation of the New Testament, while Hava is used in the Latin Old Testament. A notable bearer was the Argentine first lady Eva Perón (1919-1952), the subject of the musical Evita. The name also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.

This is also an alternate transcription of Russian Ева (see Yeva).

From the Hebrew name חַוָּה (Ḥawwa), which was derived from the Hebrew word חָוָה (ḥawa) meaning "to breathe" or the related word חָיָה (ḥaya) meaning "to live". According to the Old Testament Book of Genesis, Eve and Adam were the first humans. God created her from one of Adam's ribs to be his companion. At the urging of a serpent she ate the forbidden fruit and shared some with Adam, causing their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

Despite this potentially negative association, the name was occasionally used by Christians during the Middle Ages. In the English-speaking world both Eve and the Latin form Eva were revived in the 19th century, with the latter being more common.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Aveline. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as almost entirely feminine, probably in part because of its similarity to Eve and Evelina.

This name was popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 20th century. It staged a comeback in the early 21st century, returning to the American top ten in 2017.

Diminutive of Eve or Evelyn.

It has been suggested that the name was created from an elaboration of love as a palindrome, or from the backwards spelling of t(h)e love with the h omitted for the sake of aesthetics, or from evolve as an incomplete anagram. It could also be used as a combination of the names Eve and Violet.

The name of a prehistoric woman in the 2008 film 10,000 B.C. directed by Roland Emmerich, meaning "the promise of life" in the fictitious language spoken by the character's adopted tribe, the Yaghal.

Means "cosmos, the universe" in Turkish. In Turkic mythology the Evren is a gigantic snake-like dragon.

Feminine variant of Evan.

Simply from the English word faith, ultimately from Latin fidere "to trust". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century.

Feminine form of the Latin name Felicius, a derivative of Felix. As an English name, it has occasionally been used since the Middle Ages.

From the English word felicity meaning "happiness", which ultimately derives from Latin felicitas "good luck". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans around the 17th century. It can sometimes be used as an English form of the Latin name Felicitas. This name jumped in popularity in the United States after the premiere of the television series Felicity in 1998. It is more common in the United Kingdom.

From Italian fiore "flower" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Means "flower" in French. Saint Fleur of Issendolus (Flor in Gascon) was a 14th-century nun from Maurs, France. This was also the name of a character in John Galsworthy's novels The Forsyte Saga (1922).

Derived from Latin flos meaning "flower" (genitive case floris). Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, the wife of Zephyr the west wind. It has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, starting in France. In Scotland it was sometimes used as an Anglicized form of Fionnghuala.

English form of Geneviève.

Latinate feminine form of George. This is the name of an American state, which was named after the British king George II. The country of Georgia has an unrelated etymology. A famous bearer was the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).

Italian short form of Giovanna and a Modern Greek variant of Ioanna.

Its use in America started increasing in the late 20th century. It spiked in popularity in 2020 after the death of Gianna Bryant and her father, the basketball player Kobe Bryant, in a helicopter crash.

From the English word ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a diminutive of Virginia, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.

From the English word grace, which ultimately derives from Latin gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.

This name was very popular in the English-speaking world at the end of the 19th century. Though it declined in use over the next 100 years, it staged a successful comeback at the end of the 20th century. The American sitcom Will and Grace (1998-2006) may have helped, though the name was already strongly rising when it premiered. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in 2006.

Elaboration of Grace using the popular name suffix lyn.

Diminutive of Grace.

From Welsh gwen, the feminine form of gwyn meaning "white, blessed". It can also be a short form of Gwendolen, Gwenllian and other names beginning with Gwen.

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

Diminutive of Harriet.

Latinate form of Helen. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's play All's Well That Ends Well (1603).

Meaning unknown. In Greek mythology Helle was the daughter of Athamus and Nephele. She and her brother Phrixus escaped sacrifice by fleeing on the back of a golden ram, but during their flight she fell off and drowned in the strait that connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara, which was thereafter called the Hellespont ("the sea of Helle").

Derived from the name of the Greek messenger god Hermes. In Greek myth Hermione was the daughter of Menelaus and Helen. This is also the name of the wife of Leontes in Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale (1610). It is now closely associated with the character Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.

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.

Means "lady of the water" in Tupi, from y "water" and îara "lady, mistress". In Brazilian folklore this is the name of a beautiful river nymph who would lure men into the water. She may have been based upon earlier Tupi legends.

Derived from the Germanic element id possibly meaning "work, labour" (Proto-Germanic *idiz). The Normans brought this name to England, though it eventually died out there in the Middle Ages. It was strongly revived in the 19th century, in part due to the heroine in Alfred Tennyson's poem The Princess (1847), which was later adapted into the play Princess Ida (1884) by Gilbert and Sullivan.

Though the etymology is unrelated, this is the name of a mountain on the island of Crete where, according to Greek myth, the god Zeus was born.

Latinized form of Idaia.

Means "of Mount Ida, Idaean" in Greek (see Ida). Also see the masculine form Idaios. In Greek mythology this was the name of several characters, including a minor nymph.

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].

Form of Idris 1 common in West Africa.

Possibly a Romanian variant of Elena. In Romanian folklore this is the name of a princess kidnapped by monsters and rescued by a heroic knight.

Means "illuminated, brightened, filled with light" in Latin. This name was borne by a 4th-century saint from Todi, Italy.

From the English word indigo for the purplish-blue dye or the colour. It is ultimately derived from Greek Ἰνδικόν (Indikon) meaning "Indic, from India".

Meaning unknown. In Greek mythology Io was a princess loved by Zeus, who changed her into a heifer in order to hide her from Hera. A moon of Jupiter bears this name in her honour.

Means "exalted hawk" in Hawaiian.

Italian form of Hypatia.

From the name of the European island country, derived from Irish Gaelic Éire, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.

Form of Irene in several languages.

Means "rainbow" in Greek. Iris was the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow, also serving as a messenger to the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek source) for the iris flower or the coloured part of the eye.

Cognate of Iris.

Medieval French variant of Isabel. A famous bearer of this name was Isabeau of Bavaria (1385-1422), wife of the French king Charles VI.

French form of Isabel.

Means "deer" in Choctaw.

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

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.

Modern Greek form of Hebe. This is borne by Greek Cypriot singer Ivi Adamou (1993-).

From the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English ifig.

Possibly means "rainbow lady", from Classic Maya ix "lady" and chel "rainbow". Ixchel was a Maya goddess associated with the earth, jaguars, medicine and childbirth. She was often depicted with a snake in her hair and crossbones embroidered on her skirt.

From a variant spelling of the English word jasmine (see Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.

Simply from the English word joy, ultimately derived from Norman French joie, Latin gaudium. It has been regularly used as a given name since the late 19th century.

Anglicized form of Giulietta or Juliette. This spelling was used for the ill-fated lover of Romeo in the play Romeo and Juliet (1596) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare based his story on earlier Italian tales such as Giulietta e Romeo (1524) by Luigi Da Porto.

From the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.

From the English word for the type of tree, derived ultimately from Latin iuniperus.

Meaning unknown. Juturna was the Roman goddess of fountains and springs. According to Virgil she was the sister of Turnus.

Variant of Kaylyn.

A possible feminization or elaboration of Kalei.

Variant of Cassia.

Diminutive of Katherine.

Short form of Katherine and other names beginning with K.

Means "the path" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and ala "path".

From Hebrew ךְּלִיל (kelil) meaning "crown, wreath, garland" or "complete, perfect".

Variant of Ciara 1 or Chiara. This name was brought to public attention in 1988 after the singing duo Kiara released their song This Time. It was further popularized by a character in the animated movie The Lion King II (1998).

Anglicized form of Caoimhe.

Greek form of Clytemnestra.

Strictly feminine variant of Kochav.

Feminine form of Laelius, a Roman family name of unknown meaning. This is also the name of a type of flower, an orchid found in Mexico and Central America.

Catalan diminutive of Eulalia.

From the English word for the type of songbird.

From the English word for the flowering plant with many purplish-blue flowers, which is so called (1578) from its resemblance to the lark's large hind claws. Other names for it are lark's heel (Shakespeare), lark's claw and knight's spur. See Lark.

From the name of the laurel tree, ultimately from Latin laurus.

From the English word for the aromatic flower or the pale purple colour.

Meaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.

Means "night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.

Latinized form of the Greek name Λέανδρος (Leandros), derived from λέων (leon) meaning "lion" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.

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

Spanish and Portuguese form of Eleanor. It was brought to Spain in the 12th-century by Eleanor of England, who married King Alfonso VIII of Castile.

Anglicized variant of Liora.
In some cases, however, it might have been given as a contracted form of Leonora.

Diminutive of Oleksandra.

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.

Hebrew form of Lebanah. In modern Hebrew it is typically a feminine name.

Diminutive of Alexandra or Alexis.

Originally a medieval diminutive of Ibb, itself a diminutive of Isabel. It is also used as a diminutive of Elizabeth.

Derived from Greek λιγύς (ligys) meaning "clear-voiced, shrill, whistling". This was the name of one of the Sirens in Greek legend. It was also used by Edgar Allan Poe in his story Ligeia (1838).

From the English word for the shrub with purple or white flowers (genus Syringa). It is derived via Arabic from Persian.

Scottish Gaelic of Lillian [1].

Either a diminutive of French names containing the sound lee or a combination of Lili and Louise.

From the name of a flower, also known as the twinflower. The Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus named it after himself, it being his favourite flower.

Means "my light" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and אוֹר (ʾor) "light".

Strictly feminine form of Lior.

Means "my song, my joy" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and רֹן (ron) "joy, song".

Derived from the Old Norse name Hlíf meaning "protection". Its use has been influenced by the modern Scandinavian word liv meaning "life".

Feminine form of Livius. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus, Livia Drusilla.

Short form of Olivia.

Feminine form of the Roman family name Livianus, which was itself derived from the family name Livius.

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain. As a surname it was borne by the American author Jack London (1876-1916).

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).

Means "cistus" in Hebrew. The cistus is a type of mountain flower that grows mainly in northern Israel, also known as rockrose.

Swedish feminine form of Louis.

In Roman mythology, Lua was a goddess to whom soldiers sacrificed captured weapons. Her name is thought to be derived from Latin luo "to set free".
As a given name, Lua has been in occasional use in the English-speaking world since the 1800s.

From the movie Bird of Paradise (1932), in which it was borne by the main character, a Polynesian girl [1]. The movie was based on a 1912 play of the same name set in Hawaii.

Variant of Luanne.

This name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called Lucasta (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, whom he called lux casta "pure light".

Diminutive of Luce. Shakespeare used this name for a character in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).

French form of Lucilla. A famous bearer was American comedienne Lucille Ball (1911-1989).

Derived from Latin lucus meaning "grove", but later associated with lux meaning "light". This was the name of a Roman goddess of childbirth.

An elaboration of Lucia created by Cervantes for his novel Don Quixote (1605). It was subsequently used by Molière in his play The Doctor in Spite of Himself (1666).

Feminine form of the Roman family name Lucretius, possibly from Latin lucrum meaning "profit, wealth". According Roman legend Lucretia was a maiden who was raped by the son of the king of Rome. This caused a great uproar among the Roman citizens, and the monarchy was overthrown. This name was also borne by a 4th-century saint and martyr from Mérida, Spain.

Italian form of Lucretia.

English form of Lucia, in use since the Middle Ages.

Variant of Louella.

Diminutive of names beginning with Lou or Lu, such as Louise or Lucinda.

Means "snow" in Finnish.

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

Possibly a form of Lavinia. It has been used in America since the 19th century.

Derived from Latin lux meaning "light".

The name of the constellation in the northern sky containing the star Vega. It is said to be shaped after the lyre of Orpheus. This is the name of the main character in the His Dark Materials series of books by Philip Pullman (beginning 1995).

Means simply "lyric, songlike" from the English word, ultimately derived from Greek λυρικός (lyrikos).

Diminutive of Élisabeth. It is also the French word for "lily".

Latinized form of the Greek name Λύσανδρος (Lysandros), derived from Greek λύσις (lysis) meaning "a release, loosening" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). This was the name of a notable 5th-century BC Spartan general and naval commander.

Feminine form of Lysandros (see Lysander).

Means "rage, fury, anger" in Greek. In Greek mythology Lyssa is a goddess associated with uncontrolled rage.

From the name of an ancient town of Asia Minor, the origins of which are uncertain. In Acts in the New Testament, Lystra (then a Roman colōnia) was "one chief scene of the preaching of Paul and Barnabas", as well as the likely hometown of Paul's "chosen companion and fellow missionary" Timothy. This was borne by Lystra Gretter (1858-1951), an American nurse and public health care innovator.

Medieval feminine form of Amabilis. This spelling and Amabel were common during the Middle Ages, though they became rare after the 15th century. It was revived in the 19th century after the publication of C. M. Yonge's 1854 novel The Heir of Redclyffe [1], which featured a character named Mabel (as well as one named Amabel).

Derived from Dutch madeliefje meaning "daisy".

Means "welcome" in Tahitian. It gained popularity in France during the 1980s.

Anglicized form of the Irish name Medb meaning "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. She and her husband Ailill fought against the Ulster king Conchobar and the hero Cúchulainn, as told in the Irish epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley.

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.

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

Swedish and Spanish contracted form of Magdalena. In Spanish it can also be a contracted form of María Elena.

Combination of Maria and Anna. It can also be regarded as a variant of the Roman name Mariana, or as a Latinized form of Mariamne.

From the name of the flower, which comes from a combination of Mary and the English word gold.

Short form of María Soledad. It is sometimes considered a combination of María and Sol 1, or from Spanish mar y sol "sea and sun".

From the title of the Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea" in Latin. It can also be a combination of Maria and Estela.

Baltic and Slavic goddess associated with seasonal agrarian rites based on the idea of death and rebirth of nature, Marzana is often referred to as a goddess of death.

In medieval (Christian) written sources, she is mentioned as early as the 9th century, although her exact function seems to be somewhat disputed. The medieval encyclopedical dictionary Mater Verborum (also called Glosa Salomonis), written around 1240, compares her to the Greek goddess Hecate, associating her with sorcery, while 15th-century Polish chronicler Jan Długosz likened her to Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture.
Either way, to this day in some regions of Poland, there is a festival held where an effigy of Marzanna is made in the month of March, and is burned to symbolize the triumph of springtime over winter. This is known as The Burning and Drowning Ritual of Marzanna.

The origin and meaning of her name is also a source of dispute.
Some scholars derive her name from the same Indo-European root word that gave us Latin mors "death" and Russian mor "pestilence", emphasizing the death aspect of the goddess.
Others argue that her name might be related to a Slavic root word meaning "to freeze" or "frozen", in accordance with her function as a goddess of winter, while some scholars point out that mara is a Russian dialect word meaning "phantom; vision; hallucination", linking her to mare, an evil spirit in Germanic and Slavic folklore, associated with nightmares and sleep paralysis.
Vyacheslav Vsevolodovich Ivanov and Vladimir Toporov, however, supposed that her name was derived from the same root as the name of the Roman god of war Mars, who was originally an agricultural deity (a theory that some academics like to back up by the fact that the Polish word for "(the month of) March" is marzec).

Derived from the name of the month of May, which derives from Maia, the name of a Roman goddess. May is also another name of the hawthorn flower. It is also used as a diminutive of Mary, Margaret or Mabel.

From the name of a town in southern France, said to derive from Occitan mair "mother" and French lys "lily". It is also sometimes considered a combination of Marie and lys.

Medieval diminutive of Margaret. It is now also used as a short form of the related name Megan.

Welsh diminutive of Margaret. In the English-speaking world outside of Wales it has only been regularly used since the middle of the 20th century.

Either a variant of Megaera or derived from either the Ancient Greek city Megara in West Attica, Greece, or the Ancient Greek colony in Sicily Megara Hyblaea, both derived from megaron, from megas 'large, great, marvelous', referring to a large hall.

In Greek mythology, Megara was the oldest daughter of Creon, king of Thebes. In reward for Heracles' defending Thebes from the Minyans at Orchomenus in single-handed battle, Creon offered his daughter Megara to Heracles. She bore him a son and a daughter, whom Heracles killed when Hera struck him with temporary madness. In some sources Heracles slew Megara too, in others, she was given to Iolaus when Heracles left Thebes forever.

In the Disney animated film Hercules, Megara, also called Meg, is a young woman who was a pawn for the Lord of the Underworld, Hades. Sometime during the events of Hercules, Meg went to Hades and sold her soul to revive a lover of hers who had died. Hades agreed on the condition that she serve him forever, which she accepted. However, shortly after her lover was revived, he fell in love with someone else and ungratefully left Meg locked in servitude to Hades. This background story of the character alludes to the myth of Alcestis, who dies by proxy for her husband Admetus.

Meaning unknown, perhaps a form of Millicent. It was borne by the Irish writer and socialite Melesina Trench (1768-1827).

Derived from Latin melior meaning "better".

From the English word melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".

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.

From the English word merry, ultimately from Old English myrige. This name appears in Charles Dickens' novel Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), where it is a diminutive of Mercy.

Variant of Muriel. A famous bearer is American actress Meryl Streep (1949-), whose real name is Mary Louise Streep.

Diminutive of Maria. It coincides with the Italian word mia meaning "mine".

This name was common in Sweden and Denmark in the 1970s [1]. It rose in popularity in the English-speaking world in the 1990s, entering the top ten for girls in the United States in 2009. It was also popular in many other countries at that time. Famous bearers include American actress Mia Farrow (1945-) and American soccer player Mia Hamm (1972-), birth names Maria and Mariel respectively.

Feminine form of Milan. It began to be used in Italy in honour of Milena Vukotić (1847-1923), mother of Helen of Montenegro, the wife of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III. In Italy it can also be considered a combination of Maria and Elena.

Old German form of Miles, as well as the Latinized form. This form was revived as an English name in the 19th century [2].

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-).

Russian diminutive of Mikhail.

Means "remembrance" in Greek. In Greek mythology Mnemosyne was a Titan goddess of memory. She was the mother by Zeus of the nine Muses.

Feminine form of Morgan 1.

From Hebrew מֹרִיָה (Moriya) possibly meaning "seen by Yahweh". This is a place name in the Old Testament, both the land where Abraham is to sacrifice Isaac and the mountain upon which Solomon builds the temple. They may be the same place. Since the 1980s it has occasionally been used as a feminine given name in America.

Variant of Maya 2.

Means "wave, sea foam" in Basque.

Latinate form of Natalia (see Natalie).

Means "beautiful" in Hebrew.

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.

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.

Short form of Vanessa.

Feminine form of Niall.

Derived from Latin novus meaning "new". It was first used as a name in the 19th century.

Combination of Nova and the popular name suffix -lie (see also Novalee).

From the name of an ancient town of Asia Minor where Saint Gregory was bishop in the 4th century. Nyssa is also the genus name of a type of tree, also called the Tupelo.

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

Feminine form of Octavius. Octavia was the wife of Mark Antony and the sister of the Roman emperor Augustus. In 19th-century England it was sometimes given to the eighth-born child.

From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of Odysseus.

Spanish and Italian form of Ophelia.

Late Latin name meaning "olive". This was the name of a 2nd-century saint from Brescia.

From the English word opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".

Perhaps based on Latin oro "to pray". It was first used in America in the 19th century.

Derived from Greek οὐράνιος (ouranios) meaning "heavenly". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of astronomy and astrology, one of the nine Muses.

From an English surname meaning "servant, page" in Middle English. It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".

As a given name for girls, it received some public attention from a character in the 1958 novel Parrish and the 1961 movie adaptation [1]. It experienced a larger surge in popularity in the 1980s, probably due to the character Paige Matheson from the American soap opera Knots Landing.

From the name of the capital city of France, which got its name from the Gaulish tribe known as the Parisii. In America the popularity of this name spiked up and then down between 2003 and 2006, around the time that the television personality and socialite Paris Hilton (1981-) was at the height of her fame.

From the English word pearl for the concretions formed in the shells of some mollusks, ultimately from Late Latin perla. Like other gemstone names, it has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. The pearl is the traditional birthstone for June, and it supposedly imparts health and wealth.

Feminine form of Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.

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.

Variant of Phineas. Also compare Finneas and Phinnaeus.

Latinized form of the Greek name Φοίβη (Phoibe), which meant "bright, pure" from Greek φοῖβος (phoibos). In Greek mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess Artemis. The name appears in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae.

In England, it began to be used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately common in the 19th century. It began to rise in popularity again in the late 1980s, probably helped along by characters on the American television shows Friends (1994-2004) and Charmed (1998-2006). It is currently much more common in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand than the United States.

A moon of Saturn bears this name, in honour of the Titan.

Variant of Qiana.

Variant of Quintella inspired by the word quintessence, meaning "the fifth element", "aether". According to Medieval science, the quintessence was the material that filled the region of the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere. Later the word came to mean "a thing that is the most perfect example of its type".

Short form of Rachel. It can also be used as a feminine form of Ray.

Variant of Reagan.

Combination of Rae and the popular name suffix lyn.

Combination of Rae and the popular name suffix lyn.

Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Райна (see Rayna 1).

Probably a Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Herais.

Poetic form of שמיים (shamayim) meaning "sky, heaven" in Hebrew.

Either an elaboration of Raven, or else from the name of the city of Ravenna in Italy.

Meaning unknown, perhaps related to ῥέω (rheo) meaning "to flow" or ἔρα (era) meaning "ground". In Greek mythology Rhea was a Titan, the wife of Cronus, and the mother of the Olympian gods Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. Also, in Roman mythology a woman named Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.

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.

French, German and Dutch form of Rosalia. In the English-speaking this name received a boost after the release of the movie Rosalie (1938), which was based on an earlier musical.

Derived from the Old German elements hros meaning "horse" and lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy As You Like It (1599).

Means "golden rose", derived from Latin rosa "rose" and aurea "golden". This name was (first?) used by Pedro Calderón de la Barca for a character in his play Life Is a Dream (1635).

Combination of Rose and Mary. This name can also be given in reference to the herb, which gets its name from Latin ros marinus meaning "dew of the sea". It came into use as a given name in the 19th century.

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).

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

From the name of the gemstone, typically blue, which is the traditional birthstone of September. It is derived from Greek σάπφειρος (sappheiros), ultimately from the Hebrew word סַפִּיר (sappir).

Possibly from Greek σάπφειρος (sappheiros) meaning "sapphire" or "lapis lazuli". This was the name of a 7th-century BC Greek poetess from Lesbos.

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

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

Turkish form of Samra.

From a Roman cognomen derived from Latin senectus meaning "old". This was the name of both a Roman orator (born in Spain) and also of his son, a philosopher and statesman.

This name also coincides with that of the Seneca, a Native American tribe that lived near the Great Lakes, whose name meant "place of stones".

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.

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

Means "singing" in Hebrew.

Feminine form of Silvius. Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. This was also the name of a 6th-century saint, the mother of the pope Gregory the Great. It has been a common name in Italy since the Middle Ages. It was introduced to England by Shakespeare, who used it for a character in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594). It is now more commonly spelled Sylvia in the English-speaking world.

Czech form of Silvia.

Simply from the English word sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse ský "cloud".

From the name of the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. It is sometimes considered a variant of Sky.

Means "succour, help, relief" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary María del Socorro meaning "Mary of Perpetual Succour".

Variant of Sonya.

From the Punic name 𐤑𐤐𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋 (Ṣapanbaʿl) probably meaning "Ba'al conceals", derived from Phoenician 𐤑𐤐𐤍 (ṣapan) possibly meaning "to hide, to conceal" combined with the name of the god Ba'al. Sophonisba was a 3rd-century BC Carthaginian princess who killed herself rather than surrender to the Romans. Her name was recorded in this form by Roman historians such as Livy. She later became a popular subject of plays from the 16th century onwards.

Feminine form of Sophronius. Torquato Tasso used it in his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1580), in which it is borne by the lover of Olindo.

Variant of Sovann.

Elaborated form of Star.

Variant of Star.

Means "star" in Latin. This name was created by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney for the subject of his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella. It was a nickname of a lover of Jonathan Swift, real name Esther Johnson (1681-1728), though it was not commonly used as a given name until the 19th century. It appears in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), belonging to the sister of Blanche DuBois and the wife of Stanley Kowalski.

From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.

Means "summer" in Finnish.

From a personification of the country of Sweden, in use since the 17th century. It is a derivative of Svear, the Swedish name for the North Germanic tribe the Swedes. The Swedish name of the country of Sweden is Sverige, a newer form of Svear rike meaning "the realm of the Svear".

French and Czech form of Silvia.

Short form of Theresa. This is the name of the main character in Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891).

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).

From the Spanish and Portuguese name Teresa. It was first recorded as Therasia, being borne by the Spanish wife of Saint Paulinus of Nola in the 4th century. The meaning is uncertain, but it could be derived from Greek θέρος (theros) meaning "summer", from Greek θερίζω (therizo) meaning "to harvest", or from the name of the Greek island of Therasia (the western island of Santorini).

The name was mainly confined to Spain and Portugal during the Middle Ages. After the 16th century it was spread to other parts of the Christian world, due to the fame of the Spanish nun and reformer Saint Teresa of Ávila. Another famous bearer was the Austrian Habsburg queen Maria Theresa (1717-1780), who inherited the domains of her father, the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI, beginning the War of the Austrian Succession.