Names Categorized "music"

Ahuludegi m Cherokee
Means "he throws away the drum" from Cherokee ᎠᎱᎵ (ahuli) "drum" and ᎤᏕᎦ (udega) "throw". This was the name of a 19th-century Cherokee chief, also known as John Jolly.

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

Alta f Various
Possibly from Latin altus or Italian/Spanish alto meaning "high".

Aoede f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Aoide.

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

Apollo m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀπόλλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to the Indo-European root *apelo- meaning "strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means "father lion" or "father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) meaning "to destroy". In Greek mythology Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin of Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.

Aria 1 f English (Modern)
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.

Ava 2 f Persian
Means "voice, sound" in Persian.

Aziel m Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Probably a variant of Uzziel. This is the name of a musician (also called Jaaziel) in the Old Testament.

Beste f Turkish
Means "melody" in Turkish.

Blanche f French, English
From a medieval French nickname meaning "white, fair-coloured". This word and its cognates in other languages are ultimately derived from the Germanic word *blankaz. An early bearer was the 12th-century Blanca of Navarre, the wife of Sancho III of Castile. Her granddaughter of the same name married Louis VIII of France, with the result that the name became more common in France.

Blondie f English (Rare)
From a nickname for a person with blond hair. This is the name of the title character in a comic strip by Chic Young.

Cadence f English (Modern)
From an English word meaning "rhythm, flow". It has been in use only since the 20th century.

Calliope f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Kalliope.

Calypso f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Καλυψώ (Kalypso), which probably meant "she that conceals", derived from καλύπτω (kalypto) meaning "to cover, to conceal". In Greek myth this was the name of the nymph who fell in love with Odysseus after he was shipwrecked on her island of Ogygia. When he refused to stay with her she detained him for seven years until Zeus ordered her to release him.

Caprice f English
From the English word meaning "impulse", ultimately (via French) from Italian capriccio.

Carmen f Spanish, English, Italian, French, Romanian, German
Medieval Spanish form of Carmel, appearing in the devotional title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora del Carmen meaning "Our Lady of Mount Carmel". The spelling has been altered through association with the Latin word carmen meaning "song". This was the name of the main character in George Bizet's opera Carmen (1875).

Carol 1 f & m English
Short form of Caroline. It was formerly a masculine name, derived from Carolus. The name can also be given in reference to the English vocabulary word, which means "song" or "hymn".

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

Chantal f French, English, Dutch
From a French surname that was derived from a place name meaning "stony". It was originally given in honour of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, the founder of the Visitation Order in the 17th century. It has become associated with French chant "song".

Chanté f English (Modern)
Means "sung" in French.

Chantel f English
Variant of Chantal.

Chantelle f English
Variant of Chantal.

Climacus m Late Roman
Latin form of Clímaco.

Concordia f Roman Mythology
Means "harmony" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of harmony and peace.

Condoleezza f Various (Rare)
In the case of the former American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (1954-), it is derived from the Italian musical term con dolcezza meaning "with sweetness".

Coral f English, Spanish
From the English and Spanish word coral for the underwater skeletal deposits that can form reefs. It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek κοράλλιον (korallion).

Coyolxauhqui f Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "painted with bells" in Nahuatl, derived from coyolli "bell" and xuah "face painting". This was the name of an Aztec moon goddess, the daughter of Coatlicue. She was killed by her brother Huitzilopochtli after she led an attack on their mother.

Daina f Lithuanian, Latvian
Means "song" in Lithuanian and Latvian.

Deja f African American (Modern)
Means "already" from the French phrase déjà vu meaning "already seen". It received a popularity boost in 1995 when a character named Deja appeared in the movie Higher Learning.

Doina f Romanian
Means "folk song", from Romanian doină.

Dzvonimir m Macedonian
Macedonian form of Zvonimir.

Eilonwy f Literature
From Welsh eilon meaning "deer, stag" or "song, melody". This name was used by Lloyd Alexander in his book series The Chronicles of Prydain (1964-1968) as well as the Disney film adaptation The Black Cauldron (1985).

Ennio m Italian
Italian form of the Roman family name Ennius, which is of unknown meaning. Quintus Ennius was an early Roman poet.

Eumelia f Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek εὐμέλεια (eumeleia) meaning "melody".

Euterpe f Greek Mythology
Means "delight" in Greek, ultimately from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and τέρπω (terpo) meaning "to satisfy, to cheer". In Greek mythology she was one of the nine Muses, the muse of music and joy. She was said to have invented the double flute.

Ezgi f Turkish
Means "melody" in Turkish.

Fife m Scottish (Rare)
From a Scottish place name that was formerly the name of a kingdom in Scotland. It is said to be named for a Pictish kingdom called Fib.

Gayan m Sinhalese
Possibly from Sinhala ගයනවා (gayanava) meaning "sing".

Gayatri f Hinduism, Marathi, Hindi
From Sanskrit गायत्र (gayatra), which refers to a type of song or hymn with a particular meter. It is also the name of a Hindu goddess who is a personification of this song.

Geeta f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Nepali
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali गीता or Bengali গীতা (see Gita 1).

Geetha f Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
South Indian form of Gita 1.

Gita 1 f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Nepali
Means "song" in Sanskrit. The word appears in the name of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text of Hinduism (meaning "divine song").

Guido m Italian, German
Latinized form of Wido. Notable bearers include the music theorist Guido d'Arezzo (c. 991-1033), poet Guido Cavalcanti (c. 1250-1300), and Baroque painter Guido Reni (1575-1642).

Harmony f English
From the English word harmony, ultimately deriving from Greek ἁρμονία (harmonia).

Harper f & m English
From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who played or made harps (Old English hearpe). A notable bearer was the American author Harper Lee (1926-2016), who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. It rapidly gained popularity in the 2000s and 2010s, entering the American top ten for girls in 2015.

Heli 2 f Finnish, Estonian
Diminutive of Helena. In Estonian this coincides with the word heli meaning "sound".

Herod m Biblical
From the Greek name Ἡρῴδης (Herodes), which probably means "song of the hero" from ἥρως (heros) meaning "hero, warrior" combined with ᾠδή (ode) meaning "song, ode". This was the name of several rulers of Judea during the period when it was part of the Roman Empire. This includes two who appear in the New Testament: Herod the Great, the king who ordered the slaughter of the children, and his son Herod Antipas, who had John the Baptist beheaded.

Herodes m Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Latin form of Herod, as well as the usual Biblical Greek transcription of Ἡρῴδης: after the classical period, the ι in the sequence ωι (often written as a subscript like ῳ) was not pronounced.

Herodion m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Derivative of the Greek name Herodes (see Herod). This name is mentioned briefly in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament. According to tradition he was a bishop of Patras, Greece, and was later martyred in Rome with Saint Peter.

Heroides m Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek form of Herod.

Hesiod m Ancient Greek (Anglicized)
From the Greek name Ἡσίοδος (Hesiodos), which probably meant "to throw song" from ἵημι (hiemi) meaning "to throw, to speak" and ᾠδή (ode) meaning "song, ode". This was the name of an 8th-century BC Greek poet.

Hesiodos m Ancient Greek
Greek form of Hesiod.

Inbal f Hebrew
Means "tongue of a bell" in Hebrew.

Jamyang m & f Tibetan, Bhutanese
Means "gentle song" in Tibetan, from འཇམ ('jam) meaning "gentle, soft" and དབྱངས (dbyangs) meaning "song, voice".

Jethro m Biblical
From the Hebrew name יִתְרוֹ (Yitro), which was derived from the Hebrew word יֶתֶר (yeter) meaning "abundance". According to the Old Testament, Jethro was a Midianite priest who sheltered Moses when he fled Egypt. He was the father of Zipporah, who became Moses's wife. A famous bearer of the name was Jethro Tull (1674-1741), an English inventor and agriculturist.

Jubal m Biblical
Means "stream" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned in Genesis in the Old Testament as belonging to the first person to be a musician.

Kai 4 m Chinese
From Chinese 凯 (kǎi) meaning "triumph, victory, music of triumph", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Kalliope f Greek Mythology
Means "beautiful voice" from Greek κάλλος (kallos) meaning "beauty" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". In Greek mythology she was a goddess of epic poetry and eloquence, one of the nine Muses.

Kanata m & f Japanese
From Japanese 奏 (kana) meaning "play music, complete" and 多 (ta) meaning "many", as well as other combinations of kanji that have the same pronunciation.

Kinneret f Hebrew
From the name of a large lake in northern Israel, usually called the Sea of Galilee in English. Its name is derived from Hebrew כִּנּוֹר (kinnor) meaning "harp" because of its shape.

Kit m & f English
Diminutive of Christopher or Katherine. A notable bearer was Kit Carson (1809-1868), an American frontiersman and explorer.

Kora f German (Rare)
German variant of Cora.

Kotone f Japanese
From Japanese 琴 (koto), which refers to a type of musical instrument similar to a harp, combined with 音 (ne) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Leelo f Estonian
Means "folk song" in Estonian.

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

Lígia f Portuguese
Portuguese form of Ligeia.

Ligia f Romanian, Spanish
Romanian and Spanish form of Ligeia.

Ling f & m Chinese
From Chinese 灵 (líng) meaning "spirit, soul", 铃 (líng) meaning "bell, chime", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.

Linh f & m Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 靈 (linh) meaning "spirit, soul".

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

Lorelei f Literature, English
From German Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.... [more]

Lygia f Portuguese (Brazilian)
Variant of Lígia.

Lyric f & m English (Modern)
Means simply "lyric, songlike" from the English word, ultimately derived from Greek λυρικός (lyrikos).

Machalat f Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Mahalath.

Maeleth f Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Form of Mahalath used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament.

Mahala f English
Variant of Mahalah or Mahalath. It has occasionally been used as an English Christian name since the Protestant Reformation.

Mahalath f Biblical
From the Hebrew name מָחֲלַת (Machalat) meaning "lyre". In the Old Testament she is the daughter of Ishmael and the wife of Esau.

Maina m Kikuyu
Means "sing, dance" in Kikuyu. Kikuyu males were traditionally organized into age sets or generations, each lasting about 30 years. The Maina generation occupied the last part of the 19th century.

Major m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from the given name Mauger, a Norman French form of the Germanic name Malger meaning "council spear". The name can also be given in reference to the English word major.

Maryvonne f French
Combination of Marie and Yvonne.

Mele f Hawaiian, Tongan, Samoan
Means "song" in Hawaiian. This is also the Hawaiian, Tongan and Samoan form of Mary.

Mélodie f French
French cognate of Melody.

Mélody f French
French variant of Melody.

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

Melpomene f Greek Mythology
Derived from Greek μέλπω (melpo) meaning "to sing, to celebrate with song". This was the name of one of the nine Muses in Greek mythology, the muse of tragedy.

Melpomeni f Greek
Modern Greek transcription of Melpomene.

Miillaaraq f Greenlandic
Possibly from Greenlandic millalaarpoq meaning "drone, hum (of an insect)" combined with the diminutive suffix -araq.

Murali m Hinduism, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi
Means "flute" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god Krishna, given to him because he played the flute.

Naenia f Roman Mythology
Means "incantation, dirge" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of funerals.

Nguyên m Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 元 (nguyên) meaning "original, first".

Nguyệt f Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 月 (nguyệt) meaning "moon".

Ninad m Marathi
Means "sound, hum" in Sanskrit.

Octave m French
French form of Octavius.

Ode m Medieval English
Medieval English form of Odo.

Ozan m Turkish
Means "bard" in Turkish.

Parthenope f Greek Mythology
Means "maiden's voice", derived from Greek παρθένος (parthenos) meaning "maiden, virgin" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". In Greek legend this is the name of one of the Sirens who enticed Odysseus.

Petula f English (Rare)
Meaning unknown, created in the 20th century. The name is borne by the British singer Petula Clark (1932-), whose name was invented by her father.

Philomela f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Φιλομήλη (Philomele), derived from φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend" and μῆλον (melon) meaning "fruit". The second element has also been interpreted as Greek μέλος (melos) meaning "song". In Greek myth Philomela was the sister-in-law of Tereus, who raped her and cut out her tongue. Prokne avenged her sister by killing her son by Tereus, after which Tereus attempted to kill Philomela. However, the gods intervened and transformed her into a nightingale.

Piper f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series Charmed, which debuted in 1998.

Polyhymnia f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Polymnia.

Polymnia f Greek Mythology
Means "abounding in song", derived from Greek πολύς (polys) meaning "much" and ὕμνος (hymnos) meaning "song, hymn". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of dance and sacred songs, one of the nine Muses.

Primo m Italian
Italian form of the Late Latin name Primus, which meant "first". This was the name of three early saints, each of whom was martyred.

Rabab f Arabic
Variant of Rubab.

Rani 2 m & f Hebrew
From Hebrew רַן (ran) meaning "to sing".

Reed m English
From an English surname that was derived from Old English read meaning "red", originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. Unconnected, this is also the English word for tall grass-like plants that grow in marshes.

Rei f Japanese
From Japanese 鈴 (rei) meaning "bell", 麗 (rei) meaning "beautiful, lovely" or 玲 (rei) meaning "the tinkling of jade". This name can also be formed by other kanji with the same pronunciation.

Rina 2 f Hebrew
Means "joy, singing" in Hebrew.

Riya f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
Means "singer" in Sanskrit.

Rodion m Russian
Russian form of Ῥοδίων (Rhodion), a short form of Herodion, referring to Saint Herodion of Patras.

Rodya m Russian
Diminutive of Rodion.

Ron 2 m Hebrew
Means "song, joy" in Hebrew.

Rona 2 f Hebrew
Feminine form of Ron 2.

Ronen m Hebrew
Derived from Hebrew רֹן (ron) meaning "song, joy".

Roni 1 f & m Hebrew
Means "my joy" or "my song" in Hebrew.

Ronit 2 f Hebrew
Strictly feminine form of Ron 2.

Rubab f Arabic
From an Arabic word referring to a type of stringed musical instrument. This was the name of the wife of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn.

Şadiye f Turkish
Turkish feminine form of Shadi 1.

Sang m & f Korean
From Sino-Korean 常 (sang) meaning "common, frequent, regular" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Saraswati f Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi
Means "possessing water" from Sanskrit सरस् (saras) meaning "fluid, water, lake" and वती (vati) meaning "having". This is the name of a Hindu river goddess, also associated with learning and the arts, who is the wife of Brahma.

Savitri f Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi
Means "relating to the sun" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a hymn dedicated to Savitr, a Hindu sun god, and it is also the name of his daughter. It is borne by several other characters in Hindu epics, including a wife of Brahma, a wife of Shiva, and a daughter of Daksha. 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.

Selah f Biblical
From a Hebrew musical term that occurs many times in the Old Testament Psalms. It was probably meant to indicate a musical pause.

Setsuko f Japanese
From Japanese 節 (setsu) meaning "section, period, verse, melody" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also be possible.

Shadi 1 m Arabic
Means "singer" in Arabic.

Shadiya f Arabic
Feminine form of Shadi 1.

Shadya f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic شادية (see Shadiya).

Shir 1 f Hebrew
Means "song" in Hebrew.

Shira f Hebrew
Means "singing" in Hebrew.

Shiri f Hebrew
Means "my song" in Hebrew.

Shirli f Hebrew
Means "song for me" in Hebrew.

Sol 1 f Spanish, Portuguese
Means "sun" in Spanish or Portuguese.

Symphony f English (Rare)
Simply from the English word, ultimately deriving from Greek σύμφωνος (symphonos) meaning "concordant in sound".

Təranə f Azerbaijani
Means "music, song" in Azerbaijani.

Tarana f Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Təranə.

Tekoa m Biblical
Possibly means either "stockade" or "horn, trumpet" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a both a city and a son of Ashhur.

Terpsichore f Greek Mythology
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.

Thanh f & m Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 青 (thanh) meaning "blue, green, young" or 聲 (thanh) meaning "sound, voice, tone".

Tinker Bell f Literature
Created by the writer J. M. Barrie for a fairy character, first introduced in his 1904 play Peter Pan. Her name refers to the fact that she is a mender of pots and kettles (a tinker) with a voice like a tinkling bell.

Tone 1 m Slovene
Short form of Anton.

Tone 2 f Norwegian
Newer form of Torny.

Tuba f Arabic, Turkish
From the name of a type of tree that is believed to grow in heaven in Islamic tradition. It means "blessedness" in Arabic.

Uyanga f Mongolian
Means "melody" in Mongolian.

Viola f English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak
Means "violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke Orsino, she attempts to convince Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.

Wakana f Japanese
From Japanese 和 (wa) meaning "harmony, peace" and 奏 (kana) meaning "play music, complete", as well as other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.

Wangui f Kikuyu
From Kikuyu ngũi meaning "song leader". This is one of Mumbi's nine daughters in the Kikuyu origin legend.

Wren f English (Modern)
From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.

Xochipilli m Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "flower prince" in Nahuatl, from xōchitl "flower" and pilli "noble child, prince". Xochipilli was the Aztec god of love, flowers, song and games, the twin brother of Xochiquetzal.

Yamato m Japanese
From Yamato, an ancient name for Japan. It can also refer to the Yamato period in Japanese history, which lasted into the 8th century. The individual kanji are 大 meaning "great" and 和 meaning "harmony".

Yaron m Hebrew
Means "to sing, to shout" in Hebrew.

Yin f & m Chinese
From Chinese 银 (yín) meaning "silver, money", 音 (yīn) meaning "sound, tone" or 荫 (yīn) meaning "shade, shelter, protect", as well as other Chinese characters pronounced similarly.

Zimri m Biblical
Means "my praise" or "my music" in Hebrew. This was the name of a king of Israel according to the Old Testament. He ruled for only seven days, when he was succeeded by the commander of the army Omri. Another Zimri in the Old Testament was the the lover of the Midianite woman Cozbi.

Zvonimir m Croatian
Derived from the Slavic elements zvonŭ "sound, chime" and mirŭ "peace, world". Dmitar Zvonimir was an 11th-century Croatian king.

Zvonimira f Croatian
Feminine form of Zvonimir.