fishl_x's Personal Name List
Ada 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Finnish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AY-də(English) A-dha(Spanish) A-da(Dutch, Polish) AH-dah(Finnish)
Rating: 74% based on 14 votes
Originally a short form of Germanic names such as
Adelaide or
Adelina that begin with the element
adal meaning "noble".
Saint Ada was a 7th-century Frankish abbess at Le Mans. This name was also borne by Augusta Ada King (1815-1852), the Countess of Lovelace (known as Ada Lovelace), a daughter of Lord Byron. She was an assistant to Charles Babbage, the inventor of an early mechanical computer.
Aelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: IE-lee-a
Personal remark: fav december 2011
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
Aidan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: AY-dən(English)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
Anglicized form of
Aodhán. In the latter part of the 20th century it became popular in America due to its sound, since it shares a sound with such names as
Braden and
Hayden. It peaked ranked 39th for boys in 2003.
Aimée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-MEH
Rating: 56% based on 11 votes
Alazne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: a-LAS-neh
Rating: 42% based on 10 votes
From Basque
alatz meaning
"miracle". It is an equivalent of
Milagros, proposed by Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque
saints names.
Alice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Czech, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch
Pronounced: AL-is(English) A-LEES(French) u-LEE-si(European Portuguese) a-LEE-see(Brazilian Portuguese) a-LEE-cheh(Italian) a-LEES(German) A-li-tseh(Czech)
Rating: 79% based on 17 votes
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).
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)
Rating: 37% 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".
Amaury
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-MAW-REE
Rating: 49% based on 9 votes
Arcadia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: ar-KA-dhya
Personal remark: fav december 2011
Rating: 58% based on 6 votes
Feminine form of
Arcadius. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.
Aria 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: AHR-ee-ə
Personal remark: fav march 2011
Rating: 71% based on 13 votes
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.
Arlo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AHR-lo(American English) AH-lo(British English)
Rating: 59% based on 11 votes
Meaning uncertain. It was perhaps inspired by the fictional place name Arlo Hill from the poem The Faerie Queene (1590) by Edmund Spenser. Spenser probably got Arlo by altering the real Irish place name Aherlow, meaning "between two highlands".
Asha 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam
Other Scripts: आशा(Hindi, Marathi) ಆಶಾ(Kannada) ആശാ(Malayalam)
Personal remark: fav august 2011
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
Derived from Sanskrit
आशा (āśā) meaning
"wish, desire, hope".
Athena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Ἀθηνᾶ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-TEH-NA(Classical Greek) ə-THEE-nə(English)
Rating: 86% based on 14 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.
Audra 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Pronounced: OW-dru
Rating: 69% based on 11 votes
Means "storm" in Lithuanian.
Audrey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AWD-ree(English) O-DREH(French)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 81% based on 12 votes
Medieval
diminutive of
Æðelþryð. This was the name of a 7th-century
saint, a princess of East Anglia who founded a monastery at Ely. It was also used by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
As You Like It (1599). At the end of the Middle Ages the name became rare due to association with the word
tawdry (which was derived from
St. Audrey, the name of a fair where cheap lace was sold), but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
Augustine 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: O-GUYS-TEEN
Personal remark: combo: Ever Augustina
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
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: old fav
Rating: 81% based on 14 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.
Ava 3
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: A-va(German)
Rating: 77% based on 13 votes
Originally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
awi, of unknown meaning. This was the name of a 9th-century Frankish
saint. It was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Melk, Austria.
Berry 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BEHR-ee
Personal remark: gp
Rating: 28% based on 9 votes
From the English word referring to the small fruit. It is ultimately derived from Old English berie. This name has only been in use since the 20th century.
Boaz
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Dutch, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: בֹּעַז(Hebrew)
Pronounced: BO-az(English) BO-ahz(Dutch)
Rating: 29% based on 8 votes
Means
"swiftness" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of the man who marries
Ruth. This was also the name of one of the two pillars that stood outside Solomon's Temple (with
Jachin).
Calanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LAN-thee
Rating: 55% based on 6 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".
Calisto
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese (Rare), Spanish (Rare)
Pronounced: ka-LEES-to(Spanish)
Rating: 46% based on 7 votes
Callisto 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Καλλιστώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-LIS-to(English)
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
Latinized form of
Kallisto. A moon of Jupiter bears this name.
Casimir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: KAZ-i-mir(American English) KAZ-i-meey(British English) KA-ZEE-MEER(French)
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
English form of the Polish name
Kazimierz, derived from the Slavic element
kaziti "to destroy" combined with
mirŭ "peace, world". Four kings of Poland have borne this name, including Casimir III the Great, who greatly strengthened the Polish state in the 14th century. It was also borne
Saint Casimir, a 15th-century Polish prince and a patron saint of Poland and Lithuania. The name was imported into Western Europe via Germany, where it was borne by some royalty.
Cecelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: seh-SEE-lee-ə, seh-SEEL-yə
Rating: 64% based on 10 votes
Cedar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SEE-dər(American English) SEE-də(British English)
Personal remark: fav april 2012, tree names
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
From the English word for the coniferous tree, derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek
κέδρος (kedros). Besides the true cedars from the genus Cedrus, it is also used to refer to some tree species in the cypress family.
Clemence
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHM-əns
Rating: 46% based on 8 votes
Feminine form of
Clementius (see
Clement). It has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it became rare after the 17th century.
Cliff
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLIF
Personal remark: nn of Clifton
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Clifton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLIF-tən
Personal remark: fav march 2011
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "settlement by a cliff" in Old English.
Clover
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KLO-vər(American English) KLO-və(British English)
Personal remark: gp-ish
Rating: 48% based on 8 votes
From the English word for the wild flower, ultimately deriving from Old English clafre.
Constance
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: KAHN-stəns(American English) KAWN-stəns(British English) KAWNS-TAHNS(French)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 51% based on 11 votes
Medieval form of
Constantia. The
Normans introduced this name to England (it was the name of a daughter of William the Conqueror).
Cora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κόρη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KAWR-ə(English) KO-ra(German)
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Latinized form of
Kore. It was not used as a given name in the English-speaking world until after it was employed by James Fenimore Cooper for a character in his novel
The Last of the Mohicans (1826). In some cases it may be a short form of
Cordula,
Corinna and other names beginning with a similar sound.
Coralie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KAW-RA-LEE
Rating: 70% based on 10 votes
Either a French form of
Koralia, or a derivative of Latin
corallium "coral" (see
Coral).
Cordelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: kawr-DEEL-ee-ə(American English) kaw-DEE-lee-ə(British English)
Rating: 79% based on 8 votes
From
Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles
[1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King
Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of
Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.
The spelling was later altered to Cordelia when Geoffrey's story was adapted by others, including Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590) and Shakespeare in his tragedy King Lear (1606).
Coriander
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KAWR-ee-an-dər(American English) kawr-ee-AN-dər(American English) kawr-ee-AN-də(British English)
Rating: 51% based on 9 votes
From the name of the spice, also called cilantro, which may ultimately be of Phoenician origin (via Latin and Greek).
Damaris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Δάμαρις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAM-ə-ris(English)
Personal remark: may 2014
Rating: 50% based on 4 votes
Probably means
"calf, heifer, girl" from Greek
δάμαλις (damalis). In the
New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by
Saint Paul.
Dante
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: DAN-teh(Italian) DAHN-tay(English) DAN-tee(English)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
Medieval short form of
Durante. The most notable bearer of this name was Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), the Italian poet who wrote the
Divine Comedy.
Diot
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Donovan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHN-ə-vən(American English) DAWN-ə-vən(British English)
Rating: 54% based on 7 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Donndubháin, itself derived from the given name
Donndubán. This name is borne by the Scottish folk musician Donovan Leitch (1946-), known simply as Donovan.
Elena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovak, Czech, Lithuanian, Estonian, Finnish, Russian, Greek, German, English
Other Scripts: Елена(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian) Έλενα(Greek)
Pronounced: EH-leh-na(Italian, Slovak, Czech, German) eh-LEH-na(Spanish, Romanian, German) eh-LEH-nu(Bulgarian) eh-lyeh-NU(Lithuanian) EH-leh-nah(Finnish) yi-LYEH-nə(Russian) i-LYEH-nə(Russian) EHL-ə-nə(English) ə-LAY-nə(English)
Rating: 64% based on 12 votes
Form of
Helen used in various languages, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian
Елена (see
Yelena).
Eliza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian
Other Scripts: ელიზა(Georgian)
Pronounced: i-LIE-zə(English) eh-LEE-za(Polish) EH-lee-zaw(Hungarian)
Rating: 63% based on 10 votes
Short form of
Elizabeth. It was borne by the character Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's play
Pygmalion (1913) and the subsequent musical adaptation
My Fair Lady (1956).
Eluned
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: ehl-IN-ehd, ehl-EEN-ehd
Rating: 30% based on 8 votes
Derived from Welsh
eilun meaning
"image, likeness, idol". This was the name of a legendary 5th-century Welsh
saint, also known as Eiliwedd, one of the supposed daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Emer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Pronounced: EE-mər(American English) EE-mə(British English)
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Meaning unknown. In Irish legend she was the wife of
Cúchulainn. She was said to possess the six gifts of womanhood: beauty, voice, speech, needlework, wisdom and chastity.
Epona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gaulish Mythology
Rating: 40% based on 8 votes
Derived from Gaulish epos meaning "horse" with the divine or augmentative suffix -on. This was the name of a Gaulish goddess of horses and fertility. She was worshipped not only in Gaul, but elsewhere in the Roman Empire.
Erato
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἐρατώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EH-RA-TAW(Classical Greek) EHR-ə-to(English)
Rating: 34% based on 7 votes
Means
"lovely" in Greek. In Greek
mythology she was one of the nine Muses, the muse of lyric poetry.
Esyllt
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EH-sisht
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Étiennette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Rating: 53% based on 6 votes
Euanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὐάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
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.
Eudoxia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Εὐδοξία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 43% based on 6 votes
From Greek
εὐδοξία (eudoxia) meaning
"good repute, good judgement", itself from
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
δόξα (doxa) meaning "notion, reputation, honour".
Evadne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εὐάδνη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 56% based on 8 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.
Evander 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: i-VAN-dər(American English) i-VAN-də(British English)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 53% based on 7 votes
Everett
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHV-ə-rit, EHV-rit
Personal remark: fav december 2011
Rating: 54% based on 5 votes
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Everard.
Ewan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: YOO-ən(English)
Personal remark: fav january 2012
Rating: 30% based on 4 votes
Felicity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: fə-LIS-i-tee
Rating: 68% based on 13 votes
From the English word
felicity meaning
"happiness", which ultimately derives from Latin
felicitas "good luck". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans around the 17th century. It can sometimes be used as an English form of the Latin name
Felicitas. This name jumped in popularity in the United States after the premiere of the television series
Felicity in 1998. It is more common in the United Kingdom.
Fenton
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FEHN-tən
Rating: 41% based on 7 votes
From a surname that was originally taken from a place name meaning "marsh town" in Old English.
Fionnbharr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: FYIN-ə-wər
Rating: 29% based on 7 votes
Modern Irish Gaelic form of
Finbar.
Flannery
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: FLAN-ə-ree
Rating: 18% based on 8 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Flannghaile, derived from the given name Flannghal meaning "red valour". A famous bearer was American author Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964).
Flick
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: FLIK
Personal remark: old fav, short for Felicity
Rating: 26% based on 7 votes
Forrest
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAWR-ist(American English, British English)
Personal remark: fav july 2015
Rating: 47% based on 3 votes
From an English surname meaning "forest", originally belonging to a person who lived near a forest. In America it has sometimes been used in honour of the Confederate Civil War general Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877). This name was borne by the title character in the movie Forrest Gump (1994) about a loveable simpleton. Use of the name increased when the movie was released, but has since faded away.
Foster 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAWS-tər(American English) FAWS-tə(British English)
Personal remark: fav july 2015
Rating: 40% based on 3 votes
Gene
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEEN
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Georgie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAWR-jee(American English) JAW-jee(British English)
Personal remark: gp (pet's name)
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
Ginger
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIN-jər(American English) JIN-jə(British English)
Rating: 38% based on 8 votes
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.
Grace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRAYS
Rating: 76% based on 14 votes
From the English word
grace, which ultimately derives from Latin
gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the
Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.
This name was very popular in the English-speaking world at the end of the 19th century. Though it declined in use over the next 100 years, it staged a successful comeback at the end of the 20th century. The American sitcom Will and Grace (1998-2006) may have helped, though the name was already strongly rising when it premiered. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in 2006.
Graham
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: GRAY-əm(English) GRAM(English)
Rating: 58% based on 8 votes
From a Scottish surname, originally derived from the English place name
Grantham, which probably meant
"gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by the Norman baron William de Graham
[1]. A famous bearer of the surname was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-Canadian-American inventor who devised the telephone. A famous bearer of the given name was the British author Graham Greene (1904-1991).
During the 20th century, Graham was more common in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada than it was in the United States. However, it has been rising on the American charts since around 2006.
Grey
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: GRAY
Personal remark: mn used as cn
Rating: 53% based on 9 votes
Haniyya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: هنيّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ha-NEE-ya
Rating: 36% based on 8 votes
From Arabic
هنيء (hanīʾ) meaning
"pleasant, beneficial", from the root
هنأ (hanaʾa) meaning "to gladden, to enjoy".
Hannelore
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: HA-nə-lo-rə
Rating: 61% based on 9 votes
Hazel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAY-zəl
Rating: 70% based on 7 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.
Heath
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HEETH
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 46% based on 8 votes
From an English surname that denoted one who lived on a heath. It was popularized as a given name by the character Heath Barkley from the 1960s television series
The Big Valley [1].
Heather
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HEDH-ər(American English) HEDH-ə(British English)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 54% based on 5 votes
From the English word heather for the variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers, which commonly grow in rocky areas. It is derived from Middle English hather. It was first used as a given name in the late 19th century, though it did not become popular until the last half of the 20th century.
Hemi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Maori
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Hero 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἡρώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HIR-o(English)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 47% based on 7 votes
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).
Ibb
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Ilaria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: ee-LA-rya
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
Ilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Georgian, Russian, Bulgarian, Belarusian, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: ილია(Georgian) Илья(Russian) Илия(Bulgarian) Ілья(Belarusian) Илїа(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: EE-LEE-AH(Georgian) i-LYA(Russian)
Personal remark: fav march 2011
Rating: 56% based on 8 votes
Georgian form of
Elijah. It is also an alternate transcription of Russian
Илья or Belarusian
Ілья (see
Ilya) or Bulgarian
Илия (see
Iliya).
Ilya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Илья(Russian) Ілья(Belarusian)
Pronounced: i-LYA(Russian)
Rating: 49% based on 7 votes
Russian and Belarusian form of
Elijah.
Ione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Ἰόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-O-nee(English)
Personal remark: fav december 2011, mn Laurentia
Rating: 70% based on 10 votes
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.
Iria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Galician
Pronounced: EE-ryu(Galician)
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
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).
James
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JAYMZ(English)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 73% based on 12 votes
English form of the Late Latin name
Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form
Iacobus, from the Hebrew name
Yaʿaqov (see
Jacob). This was the name of two apostles in the
New Testament. The first was
Saint James the Greater, the apostle
John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of
Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of
Jesus.
This name has been used in England since the 13th century, though it became more common in Scotland where it was borne by several kings. In the 17th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. In American name statistics (recorded since 1880) this name has never been out of the top 20, making it arguably the era's most consistently popular name. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States from 1940 to 1952.
Famous bearers include the English explorer James Cook (1728-1779), the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819), and the Irish novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming in 1953.
Jasper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Pronounced: JAS-pər(American English) JAS-pə(British English) YAHS-pər(Dutch)
Personal remark: nn Jazz
Rating: 64% based on 7 votes
From Latin
Gaspar, perhaps from the Biblical Hebrew word
גִּזְבָּר (gizbar) meaning
"treasurer" [1], derived from Old Persian
ganzabarah. This name was traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who were said to have visited the newborn
Jesus. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since the Middle Ages. The name can also be given in reference to the English word for the gemstone.
Kai 3
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: KIE
Personal remark: fav march 2011
Rating: 48% based on 8 votes
Means "sea" in Hawaiian.
Kale
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: KA-leh
Rating: 23% based on 3 votes
Kali 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Bengali, Tamil
Other Scripts: काली(Sanskrit) কালী(Bengali) காளி(Tamil)
Pronounced: KAH-lee(Sanskrit, English) KA-li(Tamil)
Rating: 38% based on 8 votes
Means
"the black one", derived from Sanskrit
काल (kāla) meaning "black". The Hindu goddess Kali is the fierce destructive form of the wife of
Shiva. According to stories in the
Puranas, she springs from the forehead of
Durga in order to defeat various demons. She is typically depicted with black skin and four arms, holding a severed head and brandishing a sword. As a personal name, it is generally masculine in India.
Kallisto
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Καλλιστώ(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 44% based on 8 votes
Derived from Greek
κάλλιστος (kallistos) meaning
"most beautiful", a derivative of
καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful". In Greek
mythology Kallisto was a nymph who was loved by
Zeus. She was changed into a she-bear by
Hera, and subsequently became the Great Bear constellation. This was also an ancient Greek personal name.
Kåre
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
Pronounced: KO-rə(Norwegian) KOR-eh(Swedish)
Rating: 33% based on 7 votes
From the Old Norse name Kári meaning "curly, curved".
Katarzyna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: ka-ta-ZHI-na
Rating: 41% based on 8 votes
Keeley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KEE-lee
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Kerensa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Personal remark: fav march 2011
Rating: 51% based on 9 votes
Means "love" in Cornish.
Kriemhild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare), Germanic Mythology
Pronounced: KREEM-hilt(German)
Rating: 26% based on 7 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
grimo "mask" and
hilt "battle". Kriemhild was a beautiful heroine in the medieval German saga the
Nibelungenlied, where she is the sister of
Gunther and the wife of
Siegfried. After her husband is killed by
Hagen with the consent of Gunther, Kriemhild tragically exacts her revenge. She is called
Gudrun in Norse versions of the tale.
Kurt
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: KUWRT(German) KURT(American English) KUT(British English)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
German contracted form of
Conrad. A famous bearer was the American musician Kurt Cobain (1967-1994).
Lachlan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: LAKH-lən(Scottish) LAWK-lən(British English) LAK-lən(American English)
Rating: 45% based on 8 votes
Anglicized form of
Lachlann, the Scottish Gaelic form of
Lochlainn. In the English-speaking world, this name was especially popular in Australia towards the end of the 20th century.
Laelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: LIE-lee-a
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
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.
Lark
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LAHRK(American English) LAHK(British English)
Personal remark: fav july 2015
Rating: 40% based on 7 votes
From the English word for the type of songbird.
Laurentia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
Lawrence
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-əns(American English, British English)
Rating: 63% based on 10 votes
Variant of
Laurence 1. This spelling of the name is now more common than
Laurence in the English-speaking world, probably because
Lawrence is the usual spelling of the surname. The surname was borne by the author and poet D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930), as well as the revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935), who was known as Lawrence of Arabia.
Lawson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAW-sən
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
From an English surname meaning
"son of Laurence 1".
Leila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Arabic, Kurdish, English, French, Georgian
Other Scripts: لیلا(Persian) ليلى(Arabic) لەیلا(Kurdish Sorani) ლეილა(Georgian)
Pronounced: lay-LAW(Persian) LIE-la(Arabic) LAY-lə(English) LEE-lə(English) LIE-lə(English) LAY-LA(French)
Rating: 59% based on 10 votes
Variant of
Layla, and the usual Persian transcription.
This spelling was used by Lord Byron for characters in The Giaour (1813) and Don Juan (1819), and it is through him that the name was introduced to the English-speaking world.
Leith
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LEETH
Rating: 30% based on 3 votes
From a surname, originally from the name of a Scottish town (now a district of Edinburgh), which is derived from Gaelic lìte "wet, damp". It is also the name of the river that flows though Edinburgh.
Lena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Polish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, English, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Georgian, Armenian
Other Scripts: Лена(Russian, Ukrainian) Λένα(Greek) ლენა(Georgian) Լենա(Armenian)
Pronounced: LEH-na(Swedish, German, Dutch, Polish, Italian) LYEH-nə(Russian) LEE-nə(English) LEH-NA(Georgian) leh-NAH(Armenian)
Rating: 58% based on 8 votes
Liam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, French (Modern), Dutch (Modern), German (Modern), Swedish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern)
Pronounced: LYEEYM(Irish) LEE-əm(English) LYAM(French) LEE-ahm(Dutch)
Personal remark: fav march 2011
Rating: 63% based on 8 votes
Irish short form of
William. It became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, and elsewhere in Europe and the Americas after that. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States beginning in 2017. Famous bearers include British actor Liam Neeson (1952-), British musician Liam Gallagher (1972-), and Australian actor Liam Hemsworth (1990-).
Lilac
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LIE-lək
Personal remark: fav april 2012, tree names
Rating: 50% based on 8 votes
From the English word for the shrub with purple or white flowers (genus Syringa). It is derived via Arabic from Persian.
Lile
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
Linnéa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: lin-NEH-a
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
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.
Lone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish
Pronounced: LO-neh
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
Louhi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: LO-hee(Finnish)
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
Variant of
Loviatar. In Finnish
mythology Louhi was another name of the death goddess Loviatar. She appears in the Finnish epic the
Kalevala as a witch ruling the northern area known as Pohjola. She is the primary antagonist to the hero
Väinämöinen.
Lovre
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Lucienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LUY-SYEHN
Personal remark: fav sept 2012
Rating: 53% based on 9 votes
Lydia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λυδία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LID-ee-ə(English) LUY-dya(German) LEE-dee-a(Dutch)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 82% based on 12 votes
Means
"from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king
Lydos. In the
New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by
Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the
Protestant Reformation.
Lyle
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIEL, LIE-əl
Personal remark: fav august 2011
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
From an English surname that was derived from Norman French l'isle meaning "island".
Malin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: MAH-lin
Rating: 46% based on 7 votes
Swedish and Norwegian short form of
Magdalene.
Marcelline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAR-SU-LEEN
Rating: 56% based on 5 votes
Marley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAHR-lee(American English) MAH-lee(British English)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 29% based on 8 votes
From an English surname that was taken from a place name meaning either "pleasant wood", "boundary wood" or "marten wood" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the Jamaican musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
Marsaili
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Pronounced: MAR-si-li
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
Masterman
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: MAS-tər-mən(American English) MAS-tə-mən(British English)
Rating: 21% based on 8 votes
From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who worked as a servant.
Mercia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 23% based on 3 votes
Latinate form of
Mercy. This was also the name of an old Anglo-Saxon kingdom, though it has a different origin.
Miles
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MIELZ
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 72% based on 9 votes
From the Germanic name
Milo, introduced by the
Normans to England in the form
Miles. The meaning is not known for certain. It is possibly connected to the Slavic name element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear". From an early date it was associated with Latin
miles meaning
"soldier".
A notable bearer was the American musician Miles Davis (1926-1991). In Scotland this name was historically used to Anglicize Maoilios.
Milo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: MIE-lo(English)
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
Old German form of
Miles, as well as the Latinized form. This form was revived as an English name in the 19th century
[2].
Modestus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 26% based on 7 votes
Means
"moderate, restrained" in Late Latin. This was the name of several
saints.
Nadezhda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Надежда(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: nu-DYEZH-də(Russian)
Rating: 38% based on 8 votes
Means "hope" in Russian and Bulgarian.
Nasrin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Bengali
Other Scripts: نسرین(Persian) নাসরীন(Bengali)
Pronounced: nas-REEN(Persian)
Rating: 30% based on 7 votes
Means "wild rose" in Persian.
Nine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Frisian
Pronounced: NEE-nə
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
Noah 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch (Modern), French (Modern), Biblical
Other Scripts: נֹחַ, נוֹחַ(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: NO-ə(English) NO-a(German)
Rating: 61% based on 10 votes
From the Hebrew name
נֹחַ (Noaḥ) meaning
"rest, repose", derived from the root
נוּחַ (nuaḥ). According to the
Old Testament, Noah was the builder of the Ark that allowed him, his family, and animals of each species to survive the Great Flood. After the flood he received the sign of the rainbow as a covenant from God. He was the father of
Shem,
Ham and
Japheth.
As an English Christian name, Noah has been used since the Protestant Reformation, being common among the Puritans. In the United States it was not overly popular in the 19th and 20th centuries, but it began slowly growing in the 1970s. Starting 1994 it increased rapidly — this was when actor Noah Wyle (1971-) began starring on the television series ER. A further boost in 2004 from the main character in the movie The Notebook helped it eventually become the most popular name for boys in America between 2013 and 2016. At the same time it has also been heavily used in other English-speaking countries, as well as Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and France.
A famous bearer was the American lexicographer Noah Webster (1758-1843).
Oliver
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Catalan, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Carolingian Cycle
Other Scripts: Оливер(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: AHL-i-vər(American English) AWL-i-və(British English) O-lee-vu(German) O-lee-vehr(Finnish) oo-lee-BEH(Catalan) O-li-vehr(Czech) AW-lee-vehr(Slovak)
Personal remark: fav march 2011
Rating: 58% based on 5 votes
From Old French
Olivier, which was possibly derived from Latin
oliva "olive tree" [1]. Alternatively there could be an underlying Germanic name, such as Old Norse
Áleifr (see
Olaf) or Frankish
Alawar (see
Álvaro), with the spelling altered by association with the Latin word. In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic
La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier is a friend and advisor to the hero
Roland.
In England Oliver was a common medieval name, however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due in part to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1838), about a poor orphan living on the streets of London. It became very popular at the beginning of the 21st century, reaching the top rank for boys in England and Wales in 2009 and entering the top ten in the United States in 2017.
Opal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: O-pəl
Personal remark: combo: Ruth Opaline
Rating: 63% based on 6 votes
From the English word
opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit
उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".
Orlando
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Carolingian Cycle
Pronounced: or-LAN-do(Italian, Spanish)
Rating: 24% based on 7 votes
Italian form of
Roland, as used in the epic poems
Orlando Innamorato (1483) by Matteo Maria Boiardo and the continuation
Orlando Furioso (1532) by Ludovico Ariosto. In the poems, Orlando is a knight in
Charlemagne's army who battles against the invading Saracens. A character in Shakespeare's play
As You Like It (1599) also bears this name, as does a city in Florida.
Orrin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 34% based on 8 votes
Otho
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
Roman
cognomen of unknown meaning. This was the name of a short-lived 1st-century Roman emperor (born as Marcus Salvius Otho).
Owain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: O-wien(Welsh)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
From an Old Welsh name (
Ougein,
Eugein and other spellings), which was possibly from the Latin name
Eugenius. Other theories connect it to the Celtic roots *
owi- "sheep", *
wesu- "good" or *
awi- "desire" combined with the Old Welsh suffix
gen "born of". This is the name of several figures from British history, including Owain mab Urien, a 6th-century prince of Rheged who fought against the Angles. The 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes adapted him into
Yvain for his Arthurian romance
Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Regarded as one of the Knights of the Round Table, Yvain or Owain has since appeared in many other Arthurian tales, typically being the son of King
Urien of Gore, and the errant husband of
Laudine, the Lady of the Fountain.
Other notable bearers include Owain the Great, a 12th-century king of Gwynedd, and Owain Glyndwr, a 14th-century leader of the Welsh resistance to English rule.
Pancho
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: PAN-cho
Rating: 16% based on 7 votes
Spanish
diminutive of
Francisco. This name was borne by Pancho Villa (1878-1923), a Mexican bandit and revolutionary.
Piotr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Пётр(Belarusian)
Pronounced: PYAWTR(Polish)
Rating: 37% based on 7 votes
Polish and Belarusian form of
Peter.
Pipaluk
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greenlandic
Rating: 21% based on 7 votes
Means
"sweet little thing who belongs to me" in Greenlandic
[1].
Pippa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PIP-ə
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 55% based on 11 votes
Prairie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Rare)
Rating: 20% based on 3 votes
From the English word for a flat treeless grassland, taken from French prairie "meadow". This was used by Thomas Pynchon for a character in his novel 'Vineland' (1990).
Quinlan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KWIN-lən
Rating: 23% based on 7 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Caoindealbháin, itself from the given name
Caoindealbhán (Old Irish
Caíndelbán).
Rajani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Nepali
Other Scripts: रजनी(Sanskrit, Marathi, Hindi, Nepali) రజని(Telugu) ರಜನಿ(Kannada)
Rating: 26% based on 8 votes
Means
"dark, night" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess
Durga.
Raoul
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: RA-OOL
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
French form of
Radulf (see
Ralph).
Rocco
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: RAWK-ko(Italian)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 29% based on 7 votes
Germanic name possibly derived from
hruoh meaning
"crow, rook". This was the name of a 14th-century French
saint who nursed victims of the plague but eventually contracted the disease himself. He is the patron saint of the sick.
Rohan 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada
Other Scripts: रोहन(Hindi, Marathi) রোহন(Bengali) ರೋಹನ್(Kannada)
Rating: 63% based on 7 votes
Derived from Sanskrit
रोहण (rohaṇa) meaning
"ascension".
Rory
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, English
Pronounced: RAWR-ee(English)
Rating: 73% based on 10 votes
Anglicized form of
Ruaidhrí. Typically a masculine name, it gained some popularity for girls in the United States after it was used on the television series
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007), in this case as a nickname for
Lorelai. Despite this, the name has grown more common for boys in America, especially after 2011, perhaps due to Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy (1989-).
Roser
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: roo-ZEH
Rating: 26% based on 7 votes
Catalan (feminine) form of
Rosario.
Rowan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: RO-ən(English)
Personal remark: fav april 2012, tree names
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).
Rune
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: ROO-nə(Norwegian) ROO-neh(Danish, Swedish)
Rating: 54% based on 7 votes
Derived from Old Norse
rún meaning
"secret lore, rune".
Rupinder
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Indian (Sikh)
Other Scripts: ਰੁਪਿੰਦਰ(Gurmukhi)
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
Means
"greatest beauty" from Sanskrit
रूप (rūpa) meaning "beauty, form" combined with the name of the Hindu god
Indra, used here to mean "greatest".
Salut
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: sə-LOOT
Rating: 23% based on 7 votes
Means "health" or "cheers" in Catalan.
Saskia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, German
Pronounced: SAHS-kee-a(Dutch) ZAS-kya(German)
Personal remark: fav august 2014
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
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.
Scarlett
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SKAHR-lit(American English) SKAH-lit(British English)
Rating: 57% based on 9 votes
From an English surname that denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet (a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian
سقرلاط (saqrelāṭ)). Margaret Mitchell used it for the main character, Scarlett O'Hara, in her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936). Her name is explained as having come from her grandmother. Despite the fact that the book was adapted into a popular movie in 1939, the name was not common until the 21st century. It started rising around 2003, about the time that the career of American actress Scarlett Johansson (1984-) started taking off.
Secundus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: seh-KOON-doos
Rating: 35% based on 4 votes
Roman
praenomen, or given name, which meant
"second" in Latin. This name was borne by a few early
saints, including a 2nd-century martyr from Asti, Italy.
Seoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Rating: 21% based on 7 votes
Scottish Gaelic form of
Jack.
Septimus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: SEHP-tee-moos
Rating: 49% based on 8 votes
Roman
praenomen, or given name, which meant
"seventh" in Latin.
Serena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Late Roman
Pronounced: sə-REEN-ə(English) seh-REH-na(Italian)
Personal remark: fav march 2011
Rating: 63% based on 12 votes
From a Late Latin name that was derived from Latin
serenus meaning
"clear, tranquil, serene". This name was borne by an obscure early
saint. Edmund Spenser also used it in his poem
The Faerie Queene (1590). A famous bearer from the modern era is tennis player Serena Williams (1981-).
Shaw
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SHAW
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
From a surname. As an English surname it is derived from Old English sceaga meaning "thicket". As a Scottish surname it is derived from the Gaelic byname Sitheach meaning "wolf".
Sienna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: see-EHN-ə
Rating: 54% based on 8 votes
From the English word meaning "orange-red". It is ultimately from the name of the city of Siena in Italy, because of the colour of the clay there.
Silvia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, German, Dutch, English, Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: SEEL-vya(Italian) SEEL-bya(Spanish) SEEL-vyu(European Portuguese) SEEW-vyu(Brazilian Portuguese) ZIL-vya(German) SIL-vee-a(Dutch) SIL-vee-ə(English)
Personal remark: fave may 2014
Rating: 78% based on 5 votes
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.
Socorro
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: so-KO-ro
Rating: 33% based on 8 votes
Means
"succour, help, relief" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary María del Socorro meaning "Mary of Perpetual Succour".
Sparrow
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SPAR-o, SPEHR-o
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 31% based on 8 votes
From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English spearwa.
Summer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUM-ər(American English) SUM-ə(British English)
Rating: 54% based on 9 votes
From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.
Suri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish
Other Scripts: שרה(Yiddish)
Rating: 41% based on 9 votes
Suvi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SOO-vee
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 33% based on 7 votes
Means "summer" in Finnish.
Tāne
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Maori, Polynesian Mythology
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Means
"man" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian
mythology Tāne was the god of forests and light. He was the son of the sky god
Rangi and the earth goddess
Papa, who were locked in an embrace and finally separated by their son. He created the tui bird and, by some accounts, man.
Tea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Slovene, Finnish, Georgian
Other Scripts: თეა(Georgian)
Pronounced: TEH-ah(Finnish)
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
Tempest
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TEHM-pist
Rating: 34% based on 8 votes
From the English word meaning "storm". It appears in the title of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest (1611).
Thalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Greek
Other Scripts: Θάλεια(Greek)
Pronounced: THAY-lee-ə(English) thə-LIE-ə(English)
Rating: 72% based on 6 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).
Thane
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: THAYN
Rating: 59% based on 7 votes
From the Scottish and English noble title, which was originally from Old English thegn.
Thor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: THAWR(American English) THAW(British English) TOOR(Norwegian, Swedish) TOR(Danish)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
From the Old Norse
Þórr meaning
"thunder", ultimately from Proto-Germanic *
Þunraz. In Norse
mythology Thor is a god of storms, thunder, war and strength, a son of
Odin. He is portrayed as red-bearded, short-tempered, armed with a powerful hammer called Mjölnir, and wearing an enchanted belt called Megingjörð that doubles his strength. During Ragnarök, the final battle at the end of the world, it is foretold that Thor will slay the monstrous sea serpent
Jörmungandr but be fatally poisoned by its venom.
Thracius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 41% based on 7 votes
From a Roman name meaning "of Thracia". Thracia was a region in southeastern Europe, now divided between Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey.
Tiamat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Other Scripts: 𒀭𒋾𒊩𒆳, 𒀭𒌓𒌈(Akkadian Cuneiform)
Pronounced: TEE-ə-maht(English)
Rating: 23% based on 7 votes
From Akkadian
tâmtu meaning
"sea". In Babylonian
myth Tiamat was the personification of the sea, appearing in the form of a huge dragon. By Apsu she gave birth to the first of the gods. Later, the god
Marduk (her great-grandson) defeated her, cut her in half, and used the pieces of her body to make the earth and the sky.
Torsten
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, German
Pronounced: TOSH-tehn(Swedish) TAWRS-tən(German)
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
From the Old Norse name
Þórsteinn, which meant
"Thor's stone" from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor) combined with
steinn "stone".
Vardo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Georgian
Other Scripts: ვარდო(Georgian)
Pronounced: VAHR-DAW
Rating: 40% based on 7 votes
Derived from Georgian
ვარდი (vardi) meaning
"rose", ultimately from an Iranian language via Armenian.
Vartan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Վարդան(Armenian)
Pronounced: vahr-TAHN(Western Armenian)
Rating: 39% based on 7 votes
Western Armenian transcription of
Vardan.
Vered
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: וֶרֶד(Hebrew)
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Means "rose" in Hebrew, originally a borrowing from an Iranian language.
Victoire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: VEEK-TWAR
Rating: 59% based on 8 votes
Viorel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian
Rating: 34% based on 5 votes
Derived from viorea, the Romanian word for the alpine squill flower (species Scilla bifolia) or the sweet violet flower (species Viola odorata). It is derived from Latin viola "violet".
Wendy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEHN-dee
Personal remark: gp
Rating: 38% based on 8 votes
In the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play
Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname
fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name
Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element
gwen meaning "white, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.
Westley
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEST-lee
Rating: 43% based on 8 votes
From a surname that was a variant of
Wesley.
Willow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIL-o
Personal remark: fav april 2012, tree names
Rating: 63% based on 6 votes
From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.
Winthrop
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: WIN-thrəp
Rating: 25% based on 8 votes
From a surname that was originally taken from town names meaning either "
Wine's village" or "
Wigmund's village" in Old English.
Wiremu
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Maori
Rating: 20% based on 7 votes
Wren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: REHN
Rating: 62% based on 9 votes
From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.
Xanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ξάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KSAN-TEH(Classical Greek)
Personal remark: old fav
Rating: 36% based on 8 votes
Derived from Greek
ξανθός (xanthos) meaning
"yellow, blond, fair-haired". This was the name of a few minor figures in Greek
mythology.
Zuri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swahili
Rating: 45% based on 8 votes
Means "beautiful" in Swahili.
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