thesnowwhiterose's Personal Name List

Derived from the Old English elements æðele "noble" and noð "boldness, daring".

Means "daybreak, morning" in Albanian, from afër "nearby, close" and ditë "day". It is also used as an Albanian form of Aphrodite.

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

Greek form of Aegle.

From Japanese 愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.

From Sanskrit अखिल (akhila) meaning "whole, complete".

Irish form of Alexander.

French feminine form of Alban.

Spanish form of Alexandra.

Bosnian form of Alim.

French variant of Alexandra.

Alternate transcription of Russian Алексей (see Aleksey).

Means "lofty, sublime" in Arabic, from the root علا (ʿalā) meaning "to be high". Ali ibn Abi Talib was a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and the fourth caliph to rule the Muslim world. His followers were the original Shia Muslims, who regard him as the first rightful caliph.

This name is borne by the hero in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, the tale of a man who finds the treasure trove of a band of thieves. Another famous bearer was the boxer Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), who changed his name from Cassius Clay upon his conversion to Islam.

Originally a Russian diminutive of Yelena. It is now used independently.

Diminutive of Aleksey.

Variant of Alison 1.

Lithuanian, Slovene and Croatian form of Amalia.

Form of Amina 1 used in West Africa.

Means "friend" in Hebrew.

Means "he will remember, he will commemorate" in Azerbaijani.

From Kazakh and Kyrgyz анар (anar) meaning "pomegranate", a word ultimately derived from Persian.

Means "blooming pomegranate tree" in Kazakh.

French form of Anastasia (feminine) and Romanian form of Anastasius (masculine).

Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of Anastasia. This name was borne by the wife of the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible.

Feminine form of Aneirin, also considered a combination of Welsh an, an intensifying prefix, and eira "snow" (see Eira 1), with the intended meaning of "much snow" or "very snowy". It was first used in the late 19th century.

Polish form of Angela.

Possibly from Sanskrit अनीत (anīta) meaning "not guided".

French form of Antonius (see Anthony). A famous bearer was the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), the author of The Little Prince.

Means "song" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.

French form of Apollonia.

Greek form of a Hebrew name that possibly meant "increasing". This is a name mentioned in Paul's epistle to Philemon in the New Testament.

Feminine form of Aqil.

Feminine form of Arcadius. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.

Latinized form of Arkadios.

French and Catalan form of Herman.

Possibly a variant of Harriet. This is the name of a character from 'The Borrowers' by Mary Norton.

From the English word arrow, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European *h₂érkʷo- "bow, arrow".

From the Old Norse name Arnviðr, derived from the elements ǫrn "eagle" and viðr "tree".

From the Greek Ἀταλάντη (Atalante) meaning "equal in weight", derived from ἀτάλαντος (atalantos), a word related to τάλαντον (talanton) meaning "a scale, a balance". In Greek legend she was a fast-footed maiden who refused to marry anyone who could not beat her in a race. She was eventually defeated by Hippomenes, who dropped three golden apples during the race causing her to stop to pick them up.

Original Greek form of Atalanta. This was borne by a sister of the 4th-century BC Macedonian general Perdiccas.

Finnish form of Augustus.

Means "dawn" in Lithuanian.

Means "to weave" in Lithuanian. This was the name of the Lithuanian goddess of bees.

Russian form of Eudocia.

Feminine variant of Aviv.

From Japanese 彩 (aya) meaning "colour", 綾 (aya) meaning "design" or 絢 (aya) meaning "brilliant fabric design, kimono design" combined with 音 (ne) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Derived from the Turkic element ay meaning "moon" combined with Persian گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose". In some languages this is also a name for a variety of flowering plant that grows in central Asia (species Fritillaria eduardii).

Elaborated form of Turkish or Azerbaijani ay meaning "moon".

Means "moonlight" in Turkish, Azerbaijani and Uyghur, ultimately from Turkic ay meaning "moon" and Arabic نور (nūr) meaning "light".

Means "joy has come home" in Yoruba.

Feminine form of Aziz.

Transferred use of the surname Banjo. Occasionally used in homage to various persons using the byname, such as Australian poet Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson or American race car driver Edwin “Banjo” Matthews.

Perhaps a short form of Bardolph or other Germanic names containing the element bard meaning "small axe" (in some cases "beard"). It was borne by a saint, an 11th-century archbishop of Mainz whom Pope Saint Leo IX advised to "lighten his duties and relax some of his personal austerities and mortifications".

Spanish and Portuguese form of Beatrix.

Polish form of Beatrix.

From the Hebrew name בֶּן־אוֹנִי (Ben-'oniy) meaning "son of my sorrow". This was the original name of Benjamin ("son of the right hand"), whose father, Jacob, renamed him in Genesis 35:18 (the name Benoni having been given by his mother, Rachel).

Latinized form of Βερενίκη (Berenike), the Macedonian form of the Greek name Φερενίκη (Pherenike), which meant "bringing victory" from φέρω (phero) meaning "to bring" and νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". This name was common among the Ptolemy ruling family of Egypt, a dynasty that was originally from Macedon. It occurs briefly in Acts in the New Testament (in most English Bibles it is spelled Bernice) belonging to a sister of King Herod Agrippa II. As an English name, Berenice came into use after the Protestant Reformation.

Western Armenian transcription of Perchuhi.

From Turkish berk meaning "mighty, firm, solid" and ant meaning "oath".

Derived from the South Slavic word бисер (biser) meaning "pearl" (ultimately of Arabic origin).

From the name of the flower, used to some extent as a first name when flower names were in vogue at the end of the 19th century.

Derived from Irish brecc "freckled, speckled" combined with a diminutive suffix, making it a cognate of Brychan. This was a common name in early Ireland, borne by at least 13 saints.

From the Latin name of Scotland, itself derived from Caledones, the Latin name of a tribe that inhabited the region during the Roman era, which is of unknown origin, though it may possibly come from Proto-Celtic *kaletos meaning "hard" and *ɸēdo- meaning "foot", alluding to standfastness or endurance.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Camilla.

Derived from Latin cardo meaning "hinge, axis". This was the name of the Roman goddess of thresholds, door pivots, and change.

Diminutive of Caroline. This name declined in use shortly after the 1976 release of the horror movie Carrie, which was based on a 1974 novel by Stephen King.

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.

Latinate feminine form of Caelestinus.

French feminine form of Caelinus. This name can also function as a short form of Marceline.

Taken from the name of the flower, whose name is derived from Greek κηλος (kelos) "burned".

Means "moon-faced girl" from Khmer ចន្ទ (chan) meaning "moon" and នារី (neari) meaning "woman, girl".

Means "kindness, goodness" in Hebrew.

Means "God knows" in Igbo, derived from Chi 2, referring to God, and má meaning "know".

From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and 夏 (natsu) meaning "summer", as well as other kanji combinations.

Biblical Hebrew form of Huldah.

From Chinese 春 (chūn) meaning "spring (season)" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.

From the English word cinnamon, denoting a type of spice obtained from the bark of several tree species belonging to the genus Cinnamomum. It is derived from Latin cinnamomum "cinnamon", which was also used as a term of endearment. It began to be used in the United States after the debut of the television series Mission: Impossible (1966-1973), which featured the character Cinnamon Carter.

Portuguese form of Cynthia.

Slovene feminine form of Cyril.

Variant of Citlalli.

French feminine form of Clement. This is also the name of a variety of orange (fruit).

From the name of a bay and seaside town in Conwy, Wales.

French form of Cordelia.

From the English vocabulary word cove, which refers to a small coastal inlet.

Italian form of Crescentius.

Means "public, people" in Turkish.

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

French feminine form of Cyril.

Dain II Ironfoot was the Lord of the Iron Hills and King Under the Mountain in J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Tolkien derived it from Dáinn, the name of a dwarf in Norse mythology.

Means "rejoice" in Shona.

Means "sea, ocean" in Persian.

Russian diminutive of Darya 1.

Breton form of Daniel.

From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "Dane ford" in Old English. This is the name of the capital city of Colorado, which was named for the politician James W. Denver (1817-1892).

Anglicized form of Damhnait.

Variant of Diarmaid.

French form of Desiderius.

Spanish name, possibly a shortened form of Santiago. In medieval records Diego was Latinized as Didacus, and it has been suggested that it in fact derives from Greek διδαχή (didache) meaning "teaching". Saint Didacus (or Diego) was a 15th-century Franciscan brother based in Alcalá, Spain.

Other famous bearers of this name include Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (1886-1957) and Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona (1960-2020).

From Sino-Vietnamese 廷 (đình) meaning "courtyard".

From a medieval Swedish form of the Old Norse name Dísa, a short form of other feminine names containing the element dís "goddess". This is the name of a genus of South African orchids, which honours a heroine in Swedish legend. Disa has also been used as a Swedish short form of Desideria.

Reconstructed Egyptian form of Thoth.

Means "bear" in Hebrew.

From a Scottish or Irish surname, derived from Anglicized spellings of Gaelic dubh meaning "dark".

From the Old English elements dunn "dark" and stan "stone". This name was borne by a 10th-century saint, the archbishop of Canterbury. It was occasionally used in the Middle Ages, though it died out after the 16th century. It was revived by the Tractarian movement in the 19th century.

Derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and gar "spear". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, Edgar the Peaceful. The name did not survive long after the Norman Conquest, but it was revived in the 18th century, in part due to a character by this name in Walter Scott's novel The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), which tells of the tragic love between Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton [1]. Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).

Spanish and Portuguese form of Edmund.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Edward.

Finnish and Estonian form of Eric. A famous bearer was the architect Eero Saarinen (1910-1961).

Modern Greek form of Euthalia.

Means "dusk" in Estonian.

Means "delicate" in Yiddish.

Norwegian form of Eiríkr (see Eric).

Means "God raises" in Hebrew, from the roots אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God" and קוּם (qum) meaning "to raise". In the Old Testament this is the name of the master of Hezekiah's household.

Catalan form of Elmo, as well as a short form of Elmer. The name may also be taken directly from the English word elm, a type of tree.

Middle English form of either of the Old English names Ælfric or Æðelric. Both were rarely used after the Norman Conquest.

Literature name from J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings', which means 'Elf-knight'. Elrohir was one of the twin sons of Lord Elrond.

From the name of an ancient region of southwestern Wales, its name meaning "around the valley" from Welsh am "around" and glyn "valley". It has also been suggested that this name is a Welsh form of Latin Aemilianus (see Emiliano), though this appears to be unfounded.

Feminine form of Enrico.

Means "the wind" in Turkish.

Means "product, achievement" in Turkish.

Turkish and Bosnian form of Asma.

From an Old French name meaning "star", ultimately derived from Latin stella. It was rare in the English-speaking world in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due to the character Estella Havisham in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations (1860).

Spanish form of Stella 1, coinciding with the Spanish word meaning "star".

Means "good cheer" in Greek, a derivative of εὐφραίνω (euphraino) meaning "to delight, to cheer". This name was borne by a 5th-century saint from Constantinople.

Means "flower, bloom" from the Greek word εὐθάλεια (euthaleia), itself derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and θάλλω (thallo) meaning "to blossom". This name was borne by a 3rd-century saint and martyr from Sicily.

Derived from the Old Norse elements ey "good fortune" or "island" and dís "goddess".

Variant of Fayruz.

Originally a Frisian short form of Ferdinand (and other names starting with the Old German element fridu "peace" and a second element beginning with n [1]).

Means "angel" in Persian.

From Old Irish Fiachrae, possibly from fiach "raven" or fích "battle" combined with rí "king". This was the name of several legendary figures, including one of the four children of Lir transformed into swans for a period of 900 years. This is also the name of the patron saint of gardeners: a 7th-century Irish abbot who settled in France, usually called Saint Fiacre.

Anglicized form of Fionnlagh. This spelling is more common in Scotland, though in England and Wales the variant Finley has been more popular since 2007.

From the Old Irish name Finn, derived from finn meaning "white, blessed". It occurs frequently in Irish history and legends, the most noteworthy bearer being Fionn mac Cumhaill, the central character of one of the four main cycles of Irish mythology, the Fenian Cycle. Fionn was born as Deimne, and acquired his nickname because of his fair hair. He grew all-wise by eating an enchanted salmon, and later became the leader of the Fianna after defeating the fire-breathing demon Áillen. He was the father of Oisín and grandfather of Oscar.

Means "white shoulder" from Old Irish finn "white, blessed" and gúala "shoulder". In Irish legend Fionnuala was one of the four children of Lir who were transformed into swans for a period of 900 years.

From the name of forsythia, any of a genus of shrubs that produce yellow flowers in spring. They were named in honour of the British botanist William Forsyth (1737-1804), whose surname was derived from Gaelic Fearsithe, a personal name meaning literally "man of peace" (cf. Fearsithe, Forsythe).

Feminine form of François.

Derived from the Old German elements fridu "peace" and not "need".

Russian and Bulgarian feminine form of Galenos (see Galen).

French form of Walter.

Bulgarian form of Gabriel.

Hebrew feminine form of Gabriel. It is rarely used as Greek female form of Gavriil.

From a Norman French form of a Frankish name. The second element is Old German fridu "peace", while the first element could be *gautaz "Geat" (a North Germanic tribe), gawi "territory" or walah "foreigner". It is possible that two or more names merged into a single form. In the later Middle Ages Geoffrey was further confused with the distinct name Godfrey.

The Normans introduced this name to England where it became common among the nobility. Famous medieval literary bearers include the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth and the 14th-century poet Geoffrey Chaucer, writer of The Canterbury Tales. By the end of the Middle Ages it had become uncommon, but it was revived in the 20th century, often in the spelling Jeffrey.

Meaning unknown, possibly a Welsh form of Gerontius. This was the name of a figure in various Welsh legends. He was also incorporated into Arthurian tales (the romance Geraint and Enid) as one of the Knights of the Round Table and the husband of Enid.

Means "flower bud" in Persian.

Medieval English feminine form of Julian. This spelling has been in use since the 13th century, though it was not declared a distinct name from Julian until the 17th century [1].

Probably a feminine form of Glenn using the suffix da (from names such as Linda and Wanda). This name was not regularly used until the 20th century.

From the English word meaning "to shine". This name was used in Suzanne Collins' popular book, 'The Hunger Games'.

Means "pomegranate flower", derived from Persian گل (gol) meaning "flower" and نار (nār) meaning "pomegranate".

Means "grace" in Spanish, making it a cognate of Grace.

Kazakh form of Golnar.

Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Georgian form of Golnar, as well as a simplified Azerbaijani variant.

Uzbek form of Golnar.

Derived from the Turkic elements gün "sun" and el "country, society".

Possibly means "staff of the Geats", derived from the Old Norse elements gautr meaning "Geat" and stafr meaning "staff". However, the root name Gautstafr is not well attested in the Old Norse period. Alternatively, it might be derived from the Old Slavic name Gostislav.

This name has been borne by six kings of Sweden, including the 16th-century Gustav I Vasa. Another notable bearer was the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt (1862-1918).

Means "met with misery" in Luganda.

From Sino-Korean 京 (gyeong) meaning "capital city", 景 (gyeong) meaning "scenery, view", 敬 (gyeong) meaning "respect, honour", or other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.

Perhaps a variant of Gwyneth, used by Walter Scott for the daughter of King Arthur and Guendolen in his poem The Bridal of Triermain (1813).

From Hungarian gyöngy meaning "pearl", of Turkic origin.

Possibly means "flight" in Hebrew, though it could also be of unknown Egyptian origin. According to the Old Testament she was the second wife of Abraham and the mother of Ishmael, the founder of the Arab people. After Abraham's first wife Sarah finally gave birth to a child, she had Hagar and Ishmael expelled into the desert. However, God heard their crying and saved them.

Means "dawn" in Hungarian.

Polish and Belarusian form of Galina.

From Persian خنده (khandeh) meaning "laughter, smile".

Feminine form of Hanif.

Finnish diminutive of Johanna or Hannah.

Romanian form of Charalampos.

Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Heliodoro and Polish feminine form of Heliodor.

Perhaps derived from Old Norse hamr "shape", and possibly originally a nickname for a person believed to be a shape changer.

Yiddish variant of Hannah.

From Japanese 響 (hibiki) meaning "sound, echo".

Medieval English form of Hilarius or Hilaria. During the Middle Ages it was primarily a masculine name. It was revived in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century as a predominantly feminine name. In America, this name and the variant Hillary seemed to drop in popularity after Hillary Clinton (1947-) became the first lady in 1993. Famous bearers include American actresses Hilary Swank (1974-) and Hilary Duff (1987-).

French form of Hildegard.

From Japanese 日向 (hinata) meaning "sunny place", 陽向 (hinata) meaning "toward the sun", or a non-standard reading of 向日葵 (himawari) meaning "sunflower". Other kanji compounds are also possible. Because of the irregular readings, this name is often written using the hiragana writing system.

From Japanese 蛍 (hotaru) meaning "firefly".

Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian form of Christina.

From Chinese 欢 (huān) meaning "happy, pleased", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Derived from Greek ὕπατος (hypatos) meaning "highest, supreme". Hypatia of Alexandria was a 5th-century philosopher and mathematician, daughter of the mathematician Theon.

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 현 (see Hyeon).

From the Roman family name Egnatius, meaning unknown, of Etruscan origin. The spelling was later altered to resemble Latin ignis "fire". This was the name of several saints, including the third bishop of Antioch who was thrown to wild beasts by Emperor Trajan, and by Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits, whose real birth name was in fact Íñigo.

Yupik word for "companion" or "associate."

Italian and Spanish form of Irmhild. The Blessed Imelda Lambertini was a young 14th-century nun from Bologna.

Greek form of Joanna.

Means "violet" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was a woman beloved by Herakles.

Means "dew" in Korean.

Anglicized form of Iseabail.

Latin and Romanian form of Julia.

From Japanese 泉 (izumi) meaning "fountain, spring". This name can also be constructed from other combinations of kanji.

Alternate transcription of Arabic جميلة (see Jamila).

Polish form of Januarius.

Means "chieftain, nobleman" in Old Norse (a cognate of the English word earl). In the Norse poem Rígsþula Jarl is the son of the god Ríg and the founder of the race of warriors.

Medieval variant of Geoffrey. In America, Jeffrey has been more common than Geoffrey, though this is not true in Britain.

Means "building" in Swahili.

Variant of Jennica.

Cornish form of Gwenfrewi.

Variant of Janet found in medieval documents from England, Scotland and Ireland.

Danish form of John.

Danish form of Jasper.

From Chinese 江 (jiāng) meaning "river, Yangtze", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.

From Chinese 静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle", 精 (jīng) meaning "essence, spirit", 晶 (jīng) meaning "clear, crystal" or 京 (jīng) meaning "capital city". Other characters can also form this name.

German form of Iohannes (see John). Famous bearers include German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), German novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), and Austrian composers Johann Strauss the Elder (1804-1849) and his son Johann Strauss the Younger (1825-1899).

From Chinese 菊 (jú) meaning "chrysanthemum" (which is usually only feminine) or 巨 (jù) meaning "big, enormous" (usually only masculine), besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.

From Japanese kanji 籠目 (kagome) that indicates the shape of the holes in a traditional basket (hexagon), the woven material and the basket itself which was often used as a birdcage. Kagome can derive also from 香籠 (kagome) an obsolete combination meaning "fragrance; incense".

Other kanji combinations are possible.

Kagome Kagome (かごめかごめ, or 籠目籠目) is a Japanese children's game and the song associated with it.

Kagome Higurashi is the main character in the famous franchise 'Inuyasha'. Her name was referred to the caged bird in the traditional song.

Finnish and Estonian diminutive of Katherine.

Alternate transcription of Old Persian 𐎣𐎲𐎢𐎪𐎡𐎹 (see Kabujiya).

Means "young woman" in Thai.

Turkish form of Qasim.

From Japanese 霞 (kasumi) meaning "mist". It can also come from 花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" combined with 澄 (sumi) meaning "clear, pure". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

From Esperanto katido meaning "kitten", ultimately from Latin cattus.

German diminutive of Katharina, a Hungarian diminutive of Katalin and a Dutch diminutive of Catharina.

Means "far away" in Finnish.

Meaning unknown. In the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh Kaveh is a blacksmith who leads a rebellion against the evil ruler Zahhak.

Combination of the popular phonetic elements kay and la. Use of the name greatly increased after 1982 when the character Kayla Brady began appearing on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives [1].

From Japanese 一 (kazu) meaning "one" or 和 (kazu) meaning "harmony, peace" combined with 輝 (ki) meaning "brightness", 希 (ki) meaning "hope" or 樹 (ki) meaning "tree", as well as other combinations of kanji characters.

Anglicized form of Caoilfhionn.

Means "the homeland" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and one "sand, homeland".

Means "friend" in Arabic.

Polish and Hungarian diminutive of Kunigunde.

Means "cherry" in Finnish.

From Japanese 清 (kiyo) meaning "clear, pure, clean" or 聖 (kiyo) meaning "holy" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.

Means "brave" in Thai.

Derived from Greek κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of history and heroic poetry, one of the nine Muses. She was said to have introduced the alphabet to Greece.

Means "born on Friday" in Akan.

From Japanese 琥珀 (kohaku) meaning "amber".

Hungarian form of Cornelius.

Lithuanian form of Katherine.

Earlier form of Krešimir.

Form of Crescens used in the Greek New Testament.

Feminine form of Kumara. In the Hindu epic the Mahabharata Kumari is the wife of the warrior Bhima. This is also another name of the Hindu goddess Durga.

From Chinese 坤 (kūn) meaning "earth, female", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 協 or 京 or 郷 or 杏 (see Kyō).

Possibly a newer form of Luigsech, or from the name of the county of Laois in central Ireland. It is also used as an Irish form of Lucy or Louise.

Aravis's friend in 'The Horse and His Boy' by C.S. Lewis.

Italian (particularly Sicilian) form of Liborius.

Scottish Gaelic of Lillian [1].

Feminine diminutive of Latin lilium "lily". This name belonged to an Iberian Christian woman martyred in Córdoba, Andalusia c.852 under Emir Abd ar-Rahman II, along with her husband Felix, his cousin Aurelius and Aurelius' wife Natalia.

The name of a giant cat in 'The Chronicles of Prydain' by Lloyd Alexander. Possibly a Welsh name.

From the Sindarin name Lothlórien, an Elven city in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Named for a land called Lórien in Aman, from which Galadriel had been exiled, Lothlórien means Lórien of the Blossom. Often shortened to Lórien, which means "Land of Gold," although it often carries with it the meaning "dream." (Treebeard referred to it as "The Dreamflower.")

In Tolkien's Silmarillion, Lórien, also known as Irmo, is one of the two Valar brothers known as Feanturi (the root of which is 'fëa'). Irmo resides and keeps the garden of Lórien, in Valinor, which was known as the fairest of all places in the world and filled with many spirits of beauty and power. His wife is Estë the gentle.

Short form of Charlotte or Liselotte.

Means "flower" in Albanian.

Alternate transcription of Armenian Լուսինե (see Lusine).

The name of a young queen in 'The Underland Chronicles' by Suzanne Collins. Probably a feminized version of Lux.

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

Means "garland of flowers" in Thai.

From Japanese 真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine", 里 (ri) meaning "village" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Many different combinations of kanji characters can form this name.

Scottish Gaelic form of Marcella, now also associated with Marjorie.

Feminine form of Martinus (see Martin). Saint Martina was a 3rd-century martyr who is one of the patron saints of Rome.

19th-century coinage of unknown origin and meaning. It may be a blend of Mary or Martha and Letitia.

Italian form of Marcia.

Finnish form of Magdalene.

Polish form of Maurice.

Means "praise, gratitude" in Chewa.

From Greek Μήδεια (Medeia), derived from μήδεα (medea) meaning "plans, counsel, cunning". In Greek mythology Medea was a sorceress from Colchis (modern Georgia) who helped Jason gain the Golden Fleece. They were married, but eventually Jason left her for another woman. For revenge Medea slew Jason's new lover and also had her own children by Jason killed.

Latinized form of Greek Μέγαιρα (Megaira), which was derived from μεγαίρω (megairo) meaning "to grudge". This was the name of one of the Furies or Ἐρινύες (Erinyes) in Greek mythology. The name is used as a word in several European languages to denote a shrewish, ill-tempered woman (for example, French mégère and Italian megera).

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.

Persian, Azerbaijani and North African form of Mahdi.

Hebrew form of Mehetabel.

Variant of Mehetabel.

From the Hebrew name מְנַחֵם (Menaḥem) meaning "comforter", a derivative of נָחַם (naḥam) meaning "to comfort". This was the name of a king of Israel, appearing in the Old Testament. His reign was noted for its brutality.

Meaning unknown, perhaps based on Cornish mor "sea".

Catalan form of Mercedes.

Feminine form of Miguel.

Hungarian form of Nicholas.

Means "golden flower" in Mapuche, from milla "gold" and rayen "flower".

From 敏 (mǐn) meaning "quick, clever, sharp", 民 (mín) meaning "people, citizens", or other Chinese/Sino-Korean characters that are pronounced similarly.

Means "fish catcher" in Sanskrit.

From Chinese 明 (míng) meaning "bright, light, clear" or 铭 (míng) meaning "inscribe, engrave", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Variant of Michaela reflecting a different pronunciation or a combination of Shayla with the prefix Mi-.

Means "I wake up to wealth" in Yoruba.

From the name of a mountain near Barcelona, the site of a monastery founded in the 10th century. The mountain gets its name from Latin mons serratus meaning "jagged mountain".

From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Danish and Norwegian form of Martin.

Means "noble" in Arabic.

Means "lord of snakes" from Sanskrit नाग (nāga) meaning "snake" (also "elephant") combined with the name of the Hindu god Indra, used here to mean "lord". This is another name for Vasuki, the king of snakes, in Hindu mythology.

Feminine form of Nail. This was the name of the wife of Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. She tried in vain to prevent a mob from murdering her husband, and had several fingers cut off in the process.

From Japanese 七 (nana) meaning "seven" and 海 (mi) meaning "sea". It can also come from 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" duplicated and 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Diminutive of Nana 3.

Meaning unknown, presumably of Irish origin. In Irish legend he was the young man who fled to Scotland with Deirdre, who was due to marry Conchobar the king of Ulster. Conchobar eventually succeeded in capturing Deirdre and killing Naoise, which caused Deirdre to die of grief.

From Japanese 直 (nao) meaning "straight, direct" and 樹 (ki) meaning "tree", as well as other combinations of different kanji with the same pronunciations.

Means "enlightened" in Hebrew.

From Japanese 夏 (natsu) meaning "summer" and 子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.

From Japanese 夏 (natsu) meaning "summer" and 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". It can also come from 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" and 摘 (tsumi) meaning "pick, pluck". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Sanskrit नव (nava) meaning "new, fresh".

Variant of Neasa.

Derived from French neige "snow". The name is ultimately derived from the title of the Virgin Mary Notre-Dame des Neiges "Our Lady of the Snows" (compare Nieves).

Greek form of Egyptian nbt-ḥwt (reconstructed as Nebet-Hut) meaning "lady of the house", derived from nbt "lady" and ḥwt "house". This was the name of an Egyptian goddess associated with the air, death and mourning. She was wife of the desert god Seth.

Possibly means "water lily" in an Australian Aboriginal language.

Catalan cognate of Nieves.

Slovene form of Agnes.

From Sino-Vietnamese 玉 (ngọc) meaning "jade, precious stone, gem".

Italian, Spanish and Galician form of Nicasius.

Feminine form of Nicholas. In the English-speaking world this name is more common outside of America, where Nicole is more usual.

Finnish form of Nicholas.

Possibly a variant of Niles or after the river Nile.

Meaning unknown. In Greek mythology Niobe was the daughter of Tantalos, a king of Asia Minor. Because she boasted that she was superior to Leto, Leto's children Apollo and Artemis killed her 14 children with poison arrows. In grief, Niobe was turned to stone by Zeus.

Feminine form of Nirmal.

From Sanskrit निशा (niśā) meaning "night".

Means "good listener" in Persian.

Icelandic feminine form of Njáll.

Means "brightness" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of King David in the Old Testament.

Variant of Nonhle.

From Japanese 典 (nori) meaning "rule, ceremony" or 紀 (nori) meaning "chronicle" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Derived from Latin novellus meaning "new, young, novel", a diminutive of novus "new". This name was borne by the 14th-century Italian scholar Novella d'Andrea, who taught law at the University of Bologna.

Spanish form of Núria.

Means "buttercup (flower)" in Hebrew (genus Ranunculus).

From the name of a type of African antelope, ultimately derived from the Bantu word nyálà.

From Shona nyara meaning "be shy, be quiet, be humble" [1].

Means "merciful" in Shona.

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.

Topographic surname for someone who lived near an oak tree or in an oak wood, from Middle English oke "oak".

Roman family name derived from Latin octavus meaning "eighth". This was the original family name of the emperor Augustus (born Gaius Octavius). It was also rarely used as a Roman praenomen, or given name.

Means "the elder twin" in Esan.

Feminine form of Oihan.

This name is given when a child is born with the umbilical cord around their neck.

Russian form of the Old Norse name Helga. The 10th-century Saint Olga was the wife of Igor I, the ruler of Kievan Rus (a state based around the city of Kyiv). Like her husband she was probably a Varangian, who were Norse people who settled in Eastern Europe beginning in the 9th century. Following Igor's death she ruled as regent for her son Svyatoslav for 18 years. After she was baptized in Constantinople she attempted to convert her subjects to Christianity, though this goal was only achieved by her grandson Vladimir.

Swedish form of Olaf.

Means "today" in Yoruba.

First found as a feminine given name in medieval times, in the forms Orenge and Orengia. The etymology is uncertain, and may be after the place in France named Orange. This is a corruption of Arausio, the name of a Celtic water god which possibly meant "temple (of the forehead)". Later it was conflated with the name of the fruit, which comes from the Sanskrit for "orange tree", naranga. The word was used to describe the fruit's colour in the 16th century.

Orange is also a surname, which may be derived from the medieval feminine name, or directly from the French place name. First used with the modern spelling in the 17th century, apparently due to William, Prince of Orange, who later became William III. His title is from the French place name.

Italian form of Octavius.

Probably a modern form of the Old Danish name Aghi, originally a short form of names that contain the Old Norse element egg "edge of a sword" or agi "awe, fear".

Norwegian form of Eydís.

Amharic name, said to come from a biblical name meaning "strength of the Lord" (in which case it is partly from Hebrew ’az "force, strength" and a relative of Oz 2).

From an English surname that was derived from the Middle English word pace meaning "peace".

From the English word for a type of flower, ultimately deriving from Old French pensee "thought".

Ancient Greek name meaning "panther".

Means "like a fairy" in Persian, derived from پری (parī) meaning "fairy, sprite, supernatural being".

Means "butterfly" in Persian.

Means "of the mountains", derived from Sanskrit पर्वत (parvata) meaning "mountain". Parvati is a Hindu goddess of love and power, the benign form of the wife of Shiva. A daughter of the mountain god Himavat, she was a reincarnation of Shiva's first wife Sati. She is the mother of Ganesha and Skanda.

Italian feminine form of Pascal.

French feminine form of Paulinus (see Paulino).

Means "pearl, coral, precious stone" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the wives of Elkanah, the other being Hannah.

Variant of Parnel.

From the name of the Middle Eastern country Persia, now referred to as Iran. Its name is derived from Avestan Parsa, the ancient tribal name of the people ruled by Cyrus the Great.

As a given name, it has been occasionally found in the English-speaking world from the early 19th century onwards.

Greek name meaning "Persian woman". This is the name of a woman mentioned in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament.

From the name of the flower, derived ultimately from a Tupi (South American) word.

French form of Philomena.

Derived from Greek φῶς (phos) meaning "light" (genitive φωτός (photos)). This is the name traditionally given to the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well (see John 4:7). She is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Church.

Short form of Pieter. Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) was a Dutch abstract painter.

Hungarian form of Prisca, influenced by the Hungarian word piros meaning "red".

From the English word praise, which is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Late Latin preciare, a derivative of Latin pretium "price, worth". This name is most common in English-speaking Africa.

Derived from Albanian pranverë meaning "spring", itself from pranë "nearby, close" and verë "summer".

Means "beloved" in Sanskrit. It appears briefly in the Puranas belonging to a daughter of King Daksha.

From the English word promise, from Latin promissum. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.

Means "the soul", derived from Greek ψύχω (psycho) meaning "to breathe". The Greeks thought that the breath was the soul. In Greek mythology Psyche was a beautiful maiden who was beloved by Eros (or Cupid in Roman mythology). She is the subject of Keats's poem Ode to Psyche (1819).

Means "beautiful flower" or "beautiful offspring" from Hawaiian pua "flower, offspring" and nani "beauty, glory".

From Sanskrit पूर्णिमा (pūrṇimā) meaning "full moon".

Means "one who divides goods among people" in Arabic, derived from قسم (qasama) meaning "to divide, to distribute". This was the name of a son of the Prophet Muhammad who died while young.

From Sino-Vietnamese 權 (quyền) meaning "power, right, authority".

From the Hebrew name רִבְקָה (Rivqa), probably from a Semitic root meaning "join, tie, snare". This is the name of the wife of Isaac and the mother of Esau and Jacob in the Old Testament. It came into use as an English Christian name after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular with the Puritans in the 17th century. It has been consistently used since then, becoming especially common in the second half of the 20th century.

This name is borne by a Jewish woman in Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), as well as the title character (who is deceased and unseen) in Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca (1938).

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.

The name of the Prince in C. S. Lewis' 'The Silver Chair'. He is Caspian X's son, his mother is a star, known as Lilliandil.

From Japanese 凛 (rin) meaning "dignified, severe, cold" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.

A Calormene Tarkaan, or noble, who tries to take over Narnia in 'The Last Battle' by C.S. Lewis.

Medieval English diminutive of Robert, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.

Persian form of Ruqayya.

Means "little seal", derived from Old Irish rón "seal" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early Irish saints, including a pilgrim to Brittany who founded the hermitage at Locronan in the 6th century.

Generally this can be considered to be from Latin rosa meaning "rose", though originally it may have come from the unrelated Germanic name Roza 2. This was the name of a 13th-century saint from Viterbo in Italy. In the English-speaking world it was first used in the 19th century. Famous bearers include the Polish-German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) and the American civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005).

Means "rose red" in German, used in the Brothers Grimm folktale Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot (English translation Snow-White and Rose-Red). In the tale Rosenrot and her sister Schneeweißchen befriend a bear who has been cursed by an evil dwarf.

From Persian روشن (rōshan) meaning "light" and آرا (ārā) meaning "decorate, adorn". This was the name of the second daughter of the 17th-century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

Means "beauty" in Shona.

Form of Yeruslan used by Aleksandr Pushkin in his poem Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), which was loosely based on Russian and Tatar folktales of Yeruslan Lazarevich.

From Japanese 幸 (sachi) meaning "happiness, good luck" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Old Norse Sága, possibly meaning "seeing one", derived from sjá "to see". This is the name of a Norse goddess, possibly connected to Frigg. As a Swedish and Icelandic name, it is also derived from the unrelated word saga "story, fairy tale, saga".

From an Aramaic name that was related to the Hebrew word שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". According to the historian Josephus this was the name of the daughter of Herodias (the consort of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee). In the New Testament, though a specific name is not given, it was a daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod and was rewarded with the head of John the Baptist, and thus Salome and the dancer have traditionally been equated.

As a Christian given name, Salome has been in occasional use since the Protestant Reformation. This was due to a second person of this name in the New Testament: one of the women who witnessed the crucifixion and later discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty. It is used in Georgia due to the 4th-century Salome of Ujarma, who is considered a saint in the Georgian Church.

Feminine form of Sancho.

Spanish form of Sandalius, possibly a Latinized form of a Gothic name composed of the elements swinþs "strong" and wulfs "wolf". It also nearly coincides with Latin sandalium "sandal". This was the name of a 9th-century Spanish saint martyred by the Moors.

French diminutive of Sandra.

Dutch and Danish short form of Susanna.

Means "mirage" in Swahili. This is the name of the mother of Simba and mate of Mufasa and in the Disney movie The Lion King (1994).

Feminine form of Saral.

Meaning unknown. 97 people in the U.S. have this name.

Swedish diminutive of Astrid, Alexandra or Sara [1].

Means "of the sun" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a hymn in the Rigveda dedicated to Savitr, a sun god. This is also the name of Savitr's daughter, a wife of Brahma, considered an aspect of Saraswati. In the Hindu epic the Mahabharata it is borne by King Satyavan's wife, who successfully pleas with Yama, the god of death, to restore her husband to life.

Tamil form of Sita. The name of the mythological figures is சீதை, while சீதா is the spelling used for people.

Derived from Finnish seijas meaning "tranquil, serene".

From Shona seka meaning "laugh" [1].

Russian form of Simon 1.

Means "merry moon" in Turkish.

Alternate transcription of Arabic شيماء (see Shaima).

Variant of Chekesha, or simply a combination of the popular phonetic prefix sha and the name Keisha.

Means "lamp, candle" in Hindi and other Indian languages, ultimately from Arabic شمْع (shamʿ).

From Chinese 淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming", besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.

From Chinese 水 (shuǐ) meaning "water", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Modern masculine form of Shyama.

Italian form of Silvanus.

Finnish and Serbian form of Simon 1.

Derived from Finnish sirpale meaning "small piece, fragment".

From Old Norse Sif, which meant "bride, kinswoman". In Norse mythology she was the wife of Thor. After the trickster Loki cut off her golden hair, an angry Thor forced him to create a replacement.

From Persian سهر (sohr) meaning "red" and آب (āb) meaning "water". In the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh this is the name of the son of the hero Rostam. He was tragically slain in battle by his father, who was unaware he was fighting his own son.

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 颯真 (see Sōma).

From an English surname that meant "dispenser of provisions", derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry". A famous bearer was American actor Spencer Tracy (1900-1967). It was also the surname of Princess Diana (1961-1997).

Swedish variant form of Stephen.

Derived from the Old Norse name Steinn meaning "stone".

From Chinese 素 (sù) meaning "plain, simple" or 肃 (sù) meaning "respectful", besides other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Means "fragrance, pleasant smell" in Thai, ultimately of Pali origin.

Means "charm, grace" in Finnish.

From the English word, sunflower.

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 성 (see Seong).

French form of Susanna.

Croatian and Serbian form of Svetlana.

From Old Irish Tadg meaning "poet" [1]. This was the name of an 11th-century king of Connacht, as well as several other kings and chieftains of medieval Ireland. According to Irish mythology it was the name of the grandfather of Fionn mac Cumhaill.

From Japanese 匠 (takumi) meaning "artisan" or 巧 (takumi) meaning "skillful". It can also come from 拓 (taku) meaning "expand, open, support" combined with 海 (mi) meaning "sea, ocean" or 実 (mi) meaning "fruit, good result, truth". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations.

Means "rain" in Quechua.

Meaning unknown. This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars. She was particularly associated with the city of Carthage, being the consort of Ba'al Hammon.

From the name of the flower, which is derived via Old French from Late Latin tanacita.

From Tarquinius, a Roman name of unknown meaning, possibly Etruscan in origin. This was the name of two early kings of Rome.

Greek diminutive of Anastasia.

Russian and Bulgarian form of Tatiana.

Latinized form of the Greek name Telesphoros (see Télesphore).

Means "enjoying the dance" from Greek τέρψις (terpsis) meaning "delight" and χορός (choros) meaning "dance". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of dance and dramatic chorus, one of the nine Muses.

Alternate transcription of Ancient Greek Θαΐς (see Thaïs), as well as the usual Spanish form.

Means "sea" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was the personification of the sea. A small moon of Neptune is named for her.

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 Sino-Vietnamese 青 (thanh) meaning "blue, green, young" or 聲 (thanh) meaning "sound, voice, tone".

Feminine form of Theon.

Greek form of Egyptian ḏḥwtj (reconstructed as Djehuti), which is of uncertain meaning. In Egyptian mythology Thoth was the god of the moon, science, magic, speech and writing. He was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis.

King Thranduil is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is a supporting character in The Hobbit, and is referenced in The Lord of the Rings. Means "harsh spring" in Sindarin Elvish.

Means "the Pleiades" in Arabic. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus.