Abla f ArabicMeans
"full-figured" in Arabic. The 7th-century Arab poet Antara dedicated much of his poetry to a woman named Abla.
Adela f English, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, Slovak, GermanicOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element
adal meaning
"noble" (Proto-Germanic *
aþalaz). Saint Adela was a 7th-century Frankish princess who founded a monastery at Pfazel in France. This name was also borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror.
Adeola f & m YorubaMeans
"the crown of wealth" in Yoruba. It is also a surname.
Aella f Greek MythologyMeans
"whirlwind" in Greek. In Greek myth this was the name of an Amazon warrior killed by
Herakles during his quest for Hippolyta's girdle.
Ala 1 m ArabicMeans
"excellence, elevation" in Arabic, from the root
علا (ʿalā) meaning "to be high".
Ala 2 f Igbo MythologyMeans
"earth, land" in Igbo. In traditional Igbo religion Ala (called
Ani or
Ana in other dialects) is an earth goddess associated with fertility and ancestors.
Angela f English, Italian, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Slovak, Russian, Macedonian, Greek, Late RomanFeminine form of
Angelus (see
Angel). As an English name, it came into use in the 18th century. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).
Arabella f EnglishMedieval Scottish name, probably a variant of
Annabel. It has long been associated with Latin
orabilis meaning "invokable, yielding to prayer", and the name was often recorded in forms resembling this.
... [more] Attila m History, Hungarian, TurkishProbably means
"little father" from Gothic
atta "father" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 5th-century leader of the Huns, a nomadic people from Central Asia who had expanded into Eastern Europe by the 4th century.
Attila was likely the name given to him by his Gothic-speaking subjects in Eastern Europe; his real name may have been Avitohol.
Avila f GermanicDerived from the Old German element
awi, of unknown meaning. Rarely, this name may be given in honour of the 16th-century mystic Saint Teresa of Ávila,
Ávila being the name of the town in Spain where she was born.
Ayla 3 f Literature, English (Modern)Created for the novel
Clan of the Cave Bear (1980) by author Jean M. Auel. In the novel Ayla is an orphaned Cro-Magnon girl adopted by Neanderthals.
Ayla is the Neanderthal pronunciation of her real name, which is not given.
... [more] Béla m HungarianThe meaning of this name is not known for certain. It could be derived from Hungarian
bél meaning
"guts, bowel" or Old Slavic
bělŭ meaning
"white". This was the name of four Hungarian kings. It was also borne by the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881-1945).
Běla f CzechDerived from the Old Slavic word *
bělŭ meaning
"white".
Bella f EnglishShort form of
Isabella and other names ending in
bella. It is also associated with the Italian word
bella meaning
"beautiful". It was used by the American author Stephenie Meyer for the main character in her popular
Twilight series of novels, first released 2005, later adapted into a series of movies beginning 2008.
Caligula m HistoryMeans
"little boot" in Latin. This was a nickname for the 1st-century Roman emperor Gaius Caesar Germanicus given to him in his youth by his father's soldiers.
Calla f EnglishFrom the name of two types of plants, the true calla (species Calla palustris) and the calla lily (species Calla aethiopica), both having white flowers and growing in marshy areas. Use of the name may also be inspired by Greek
κάλλος (kallos) meaning
"beauty".
Caracalla m Ancient RomanFrom Latin
caracalla, which referred to a type of hooded tunic worn by the Gauls. This was the agnomen, or nickname, of a 3rd-century Roman emperor.
Ĉiela f EsperantoMeans
"heavenly, from the sky" in Esperanto, from
ĉielo "sky", ultimately derived from Latin
caelum.
Cinderella f LiteratureMeans
"little ashes", in part from the French name
Cendrillon. This is the main character in the folktale
Cinderella about a maltreated young woman who eventually marries a prince. This old story is best known in the English-speaking world from the French author Charles Perrault's 1697 version. She has other names in other languages, usually with the meaning "ashes", such as German
Aschenputtel and Italian
Cenerentola.
Cola m Anglo-SaxonOld English byname meaning
"charcoal", originally given to a person with dark features.
Connla m Irish MythologyFrom Old Irish
Conláech, derived from
cú "hound, dog, wolf" (genitive
con) and
láech "warrior". This was the name of several characters in Irish legend including the son of
Cúchulainn and
Aoife. When he finally met his father they fought because Connla would not identify himself, and the son was slain.
Cordula f GermanLate Latin name meaning
"heart" from Latin
cor (genitive
cordis). Saint Cordula was one of the 4th-century companions of Saint Ursula.
Cruella f Popular CultureFrom the English word
cruel, ultimately from Latin
crudelis "hard, severe, cruel". This is the name of the antagonist, Cruella de Vil, in the 1961 Disney movie
101 Dalmatians, based on a 1956 novel by Dodie Smith.
Csilla f HungarianDerived from Hungarian
csillag meaning
"star". This name was created by the Hungarian author András Dugonics for an 1803 novel and later used and popularized by the poet Mihály Vörösmarty.
Daniela f Italian, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Hebrew, EnglishFeminine form of
Daniel.
Domitilla f Italian, Ancient RomanFeminine diminutive of the Roman family name
Domitius. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Vespasian and the mother of emperors Titus and Domitian.
Dracula m History, LiteratureMeans "son of Dracul" in Romanian, with
Dracul being derived from Romanian
drac "dragon". It was a nickname of the 15th-century Wallachian prince Vlad III, called the Impaler, whose father was Vlad II Dracul. However, the name Dracula is now most known from the 1897 novel of the same name by Bram Stoker, which features the Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula, who was probably inspired in part by the historical Wallachian prince.
Dulcibella f English (Archaic)From Latin
dulcis "sweet" and
bella "beautiful". The usual medieval spelling of this name was
Dowsabel, and the Latinized form
Dulcibella was revived in the 18th century.
Eila f FinnishMeaning uncertain, possibly a variant of
Aila or a rare Norwegian diminutive of
Elin. It was used by the Finnish author Väinö Kataja for a character in his novel
Tuskaa (1907), and it became fairly popular in Finland in the first half of the 20th century.
Ella 1 f EnglishNorman name, originally a short form of Germanic names containing the element
alles meaning
"other" (Proto-Germanic *
aljaz). It was introduced to England by the Normans and used until the 14th century, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the American singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996).
Endla f EstonianFrom the name of an Estonian lake, which often appears in folk poetry. The lake's name is ultimately derived from the medieval personal name
Ent or
Endo.
Enola f EnglishMeaning unknown. This name first appeared in the late 19th century. It is the name of the main character in the novel
Enola; or, her Fatal Mistake (1886) by Mary Young Ridenbaugh. The aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was named
Enola Gay after the mother of the pilot, who was herself named for the book character.
Estella f EnglishLatinate form of
Estelle. This is the name of the heroine, Estella Havisham, in Charles Dickens' novel
Great Expectations (1860).
Fionnuala f Irish, Irish MythologyMeans
"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.
Fiorella f ItalianFrom Italian
fiore "flower" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Godzilla m Popular CultureFrom Japanese
ゴジラ (Gojira), a blend of
ゴリラ (gorira) meaning "gorilla" and
鯨 (kujira) meaning "whale". This is the name of a massive reptilian monster from a series of Japanese movies, starting 1954.
Gopala m HinduismMeans
"cow protector" from Sanskrit
गो (go) meaning "cow" and
पाल (pāla) meaning "guard, protector". This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna. It was also borne by the 8th-century founder of the Pala Empire in Bengal.
Gula f Sumerian MythologyMeans
"the great" in Sumerian. This may have originally been a title rather then a name. Gula was a Sumerian and Akkadian goddess of healing, medicine and midwifery. She was often depicted alongside dogs. In later periods she was equated with other healing goddesses such as
Ninisina.
Gyula m HungarianFrom a Hungarian royal title, which was probably of Turkic origin. This name is also used as a Hungarian form of
Julius.
Hala f ArabicMeans
"halo around the moon" in Arabic. This was the name of a sister-in-law of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Hekla f IcelandicFrom the name of an active Icelandic volcano, derived from Old Norse
hekla meaning "cloak".
Herla m Anglo-Saxon MythologyMeaning uncertain, though connections to various Germanic words have been proposed. According to the 12th-century author Walter Map, who was likely expanding on older Germanic tales, Herla was a king of the Britons who became the leader of the Wild Hunt.
Hila f HebrewMeans
"halo, aura" in Hebrew, from the root
הָלַל (halal) meaning "to praise, to shine".
Hilla f FinnishShort form of names beginning with
Hil. It also means "cloudberry" in Finnish.
Hla m & f BurmeseMeans
"pretty, favourable" in Burmese.
Ila f HindiMeans
"earth" or
"speech" in Sanskrit.
Ingela f SwedishOld variant of
Ingegerd. It can also be considered a diminutive of other names beginning with
Ing.
Isabella f Italian, German, English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, RomanianLatinate form of
Isabel. This name was borne by many medieval royals, including queens consort of England, France, Portugal, the Holy Roman Empire and Hungary, as well as the powerful ruling queen Isabella of Castile (properly called
Isabel).
... [more] Isla f Scottish, EnglishVariant of
Islay, typically used as a feminine name. It also coincides with the Spanish word
isla meaning "island".
Jaala m BiblicalMeans
"wild goat" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a servant of
Solomon.
Jarmila f Czech, SlovakDerived from Czech
jarý "young, fresh" and
milý "kind, dear". This is the name of a character in the Czech poem
Máj (1836) by Karel Hynek Mácha.
Kamala f & m Hinduism, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, NepaliMeans
"lotus" or
"pale red" in Sanskrit. In Sanskrit this is a transcription of both the feminine form
कमला and the masculine form
कमल, though in modern languages it is only a feminine form. In Tantric Hinduism and Shaktism this is the name of a goddess, also identified with the goddess
Lakshmi.
Kapila m Hinduism, SinhaleseMeans
"reddish brown" in Sanskrit, derived from
कपि (kapi) meaning "monkey". According to Hindu tradition this was the name of a sage who founded Samkhya philosophy. He is sometimes considered an incarnation of
Vishnu.
Kayla f EnglishCombination 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.
Keala f & m HawaiianMeans
"the path" from Hawaiian
ke, a definite article, and
ala "path".
Kelila f HebrewFrom Hebrew
כְּלִיל (kelil) meaning
"crown, wreath, garland" or
"complete, perfect".
Keola m HawaiianMeans
"the life" from Hawaiian
ke, a definite article, and
ola "life, health".
Kunala m SanskritMeans
"lotus" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a son of the 3rd-century BC Indian emperor
Ashoka.
Kyla f EnglishFeminine form of
Kyle, or a combination of the popular phonetic elements
ky and
la.
Lalla f LiteratureDerived from Persian
لاله (lāleh) meaning
"tulip". This was the name of the heroine of Thomas Moore's poem
Lalla Rookh (1817). In the poem, Lalla, the daughter of the emperor of Delhi, listens to a poet sing four tales.
Layla f Arabic, EnglishMeans
"night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet
Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem
Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song
Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.
Lela 1 f GeorgianMeaning uncertain, possibly from the name of a type of plant.
Lola f Spanish, English, FrenchSpanish diminutive of
Dolores. A famous bearer was Lola Montez (1821-1861; birth name Eliza Gilbert), an Irish-born dancer, actress and courtesan.
Ludmila f Czech, Latvian, RussianMeans
"favour of the people" from the Slavic elements
ľudŭ "people" and
milŭ "gracious, dear". Saint Ludmila was a 10th-century duchess of Bohemia, the grandmother of Saint Václav. She was murdered on the orders of her daughter-in-law Drahomíra.
... [more] Lyudmila f Russian, BulgarianRussian and Bulgarian form of
Ludmila. This was the name of a character in Aleksandr Pushkin's poem
Ruslan and Lyudmila (1820).
Mahala f EnglishVariant of
Mahalah or
Mahalath. It has occasionally been used as an English Christian name since the Protestant Reformation.
Mahershala m Various (Rare)From the longer name
Mahershalalhashbaz, which appears in the Old Testament at
Isaiah 8:1 in reference to
Isaiah's symbolic son. It is written in Hebrew as
מַהֵר שָׁלָל חָשׁ בַּז, and is composed of the two-word phrases
מַהֵר שָׁלָל (maher shalal) and
חָשׁ בַּז (ḥash baz), which both mean
"hurry to the plunder". A famous bearer is the American actor Mahershala Ali (1974-), whose full name is Mahershalalhashbaz.
Majella f IrishFrom the surname of the Italian saint Gerard Majella (1726-1755; called Gerardo Maiella in Italian), a miracle worker who is regarded as the patron saint of pregnancy and childbirth. His surname is derived from the name of the Maiella massif in Abruzzo, Italy.