Olvido f SpanishMeans
"oblivion, forgetting" in Spanish, taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora del Olvido, Triunfo y Misericordias meaning "Our Lady of Oblivion, Triumph and Mercies". It commemorates an 1831 vision of Mary by the Spanish nun Sor Patrocinio.
Olwen f Welsh, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian CycleMeans
"white footprint" from Welsh
ol "footprint, track" and
gwen "white, blessed". In the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen she was a beautiful maiden, the lover of
Culhwch and the daughter of the giant Yspaddaden. Her father insisted that Culhwch complete several seemingly impossible tasks before he would allow them to marry.
Olympias f Ancient GreekFeminine form of
Olympos. This was the name of the mother of Alexander the Great. It was also borne by a 4th-century saint.
Ombeline f FrenchFeminine form of
Humbelin, a medieval diminutive of
Humbert. The Blessed Humbeline (known as Hombeline or Ombeline in French) was a 12th-century nun, the sister of Saint
Bernard of Clairvaux.
Omega m & f VariousFrom the name of the last letter in the Greek alphabet,
Ω. It is often seen as a symbol of completion.
Omer m & f HebrewMeans
"sheaf of wheat" in Hebrew.
Oneida f EnglishFrom the name of a Native American tribe, perhaps meaning "standing rock".
Onyx m & f EnglishFrom the English word for the gemstone (a variety of chalcedony), which can be black, red or other colours. It is derived from Greek
ὄνυξ (onyx) meaning "claw, nail".
Opal f EnglishFrom the English word
opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit
उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".
Opeyemi f & m YorubaMeans
"gratitude is suitable for me" in Yoruba.
Ophelia f English, Literature, Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
ὠφέλεια (opheleia) meaning
"help, advantage". This was a rare ancient Greek name, which was either rediscovered or recreated by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro for a character in his poem
Arcadia (1480). It was borrowed by Shakespeare for his play
Hamlet (1600), in which it belongs to the daughter of
Polonius and the potential love interest of
Hamlet. She eventually goes insane and drowns herself after Hamlet kills her father. In spite of this negative association, the name has been in use since the 19th century.
Ophir m & f Biblical, HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
אוֹפִיר (ʾOfir), meaning unknown. This is the name of a son of
Joktan in the Old Testament (where it is also used as a place name).
Oprah f Various (Rare)In the case of television personality Oprah Winfrey (1954-), it was a childhood mispronunciation of her real name
Orpah that became permanent.
Ora 1 f & m EnglishPerhaps based on Latin
oro "to pray". It was first used in America in the 19th century.
Orabela f EsperantoMeans
"golden-beautiful" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin
aurea "gold" and
bella "beautiful".
Oriana f Italian, SpanishPossibly derived from Latin
aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish
oro or French
or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight
Amadis.
Orinda f English (Rare)Probably an elaboration of Spanish
oro "gold". This was the pseudonym of the English poet Katherine Philips (1631-1664).
Orinthia f LiteraturePossibly related to Greek
ὀρίνω (orino) meaning
"to excite, to agitate". George Bernard Shaw used this name in his play
The Apple Cart (1929).
Órlaith f Irish, Old IrishMeans
"golden ruler", from Old Irish
ór "gold" combined with
flaith "ruler, sovereign, princess". This name was borne by several medieval Irish royals, including a sister of the king
Brian Boru.
Ornella f ItalianCreated by the Italian author Gabriele d'Annunzio for his novel
La Figlia di Jorio (1904). It is derived from Tuscan Italian
ornello meaning "flowering ash tree".
Orpah f BiblicalMeans
"back of the neck" in Hebrew. Orpah is
Naomi's second daughter-in-law in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament.
Osane f BasqueMeans
"cure, remedy" in Basque. It is an equivalent of
Remedios, proposed by Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque saints names.
Osanna f ItalianItalian form of
Hosanna. This was the name of a 15th-century Italian saint and mystic, as well as a 16th-century Montenegrin saint.
Ọṣun f Yoruba MythologyPossibly related to
ṣán meaning
"flow". In traditional Yoruba belief this is the name of the patron goddess of the Osun River, also associated with wealth, beauty and love.
Ouida f HistoryUsed by the English author Ouida (1839-1908), born Marie Louise Ramé to a French father. Ouida was a pseudonym that arose from her own childhood pronunciation of her middle name
Louise.
Ourania f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
οὐράνιος (ouranios) meaning
"heavenly". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of astronomy and astrology, one of the nine Muses.
Pacey m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from the French place name
Pacy, itself derived from Gaulish given name of unknown meaning.
Pachamama f Inca MythologyMeans
"earth mother" in Quechua, from
pacha "world, time" and
mama "mother". This was the name of an Inca goddess of the earth and fertility.
Padmavati f HinduismMeans
"resembling lotuses", derived from the Sanskrit word
पद्म (padma) meaning "lotus" combined with
वती (vatī) meaning "resemblance". This is the name of a Hindu goddess, the wife of Venkateswara. She is considered an aspect of
Lakshmi. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 14th-century queen of Mewar.
Pahoevotona'e f CheyenneMeans
"attached feathers woman", from Cheyenne
pȧhoe- "attach to" and
voto "feather, plume" combined with the feminine suffix
-e'é.
Paige f EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"servant, page" in Middle English. It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek
παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".
... [more] Paisley f English (Modern)From a Scots surname, originally from the name of a town near Glasgow, maybe ultimately derived from Latin
basilica "church". This is also a word (derived from the name of that same town) for a type of pattern commonly found on fabrics.
Pallas 1 f Greek MythologyProbably derived from a Greek word meaning
"maiden, young woman". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Athena. According to some legends it was originally the name of a friend of the goddess. Athena accidentally killed her while sparring, so she took the name in honour of her friend.
Palmer m & f EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"pilgrim". It is ultimately from Latin
palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.
Pamela f EnglishThis name was invented in the late 16th century by the poet Philip Sidney for use in his romance
Arcadia (1593). He possibly intended it to mean
"all sweetness" from Greek
πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and
μέλι (meli) meaning "honey". It was later employed by author Samuel Richardson for the heroine in his novel
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740), after which time it became used as a given name. It did not become popular until the 20th century.
Pandora f Greek MythologyMeans
"all gifts", derived from a combination of Greek
πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". In Greek mythology Pandora was the first mortal woman.
Zeus gave her a jar containing all of the troubles and ills that mankind now knows, and told her not to open it. Unfortunately her curiosity got the best of her and she opened it, unleashing the evil spirits into the world.
Paninnguaq f GreenlandicMeans
"little daughter" in Greenlandic, from
panik "daughter" and the diminutive suffix
-nnguaq.
Pansy f EnglishFrom the English word for a type of flower, ultimately deriving from Old French
pensee "thought".
Papa f Polynesian MythologyMeans
"earth" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian mythology Papa or Papatuanuku was the goddess of the earth and the mother of many of the other gods. She and her husband
Rangi, the god of the sky, were locked in a tight embrace. Their children decided to separate them, a feat of strength accomplished by the god
Tāne.
Paraskeve f Late GreekDerived from Greek
παρασκευή (paraskeue) meaning
"preparation" or
"Friday" (being the day of preparation). This was the name of a 2nd-century saint who was martyred in Rome.
Paris 2 f VariousFrom the name of the capital city of France, which got its name from the Gaulish tribe known as the Parisii. In America the popularity of this name spiked up and then down between 2003 and 2006, around the time that the television personality and socialite Paris Hilton (1981-) was at the height of her fame.
Parisa f PersianMeans
"like a fairy" in Persian, derived from
پری (parī) meaning "fairy, sprite, supernatural being".
Parker m & f EnglishFrom an English occupational surname that meant
"keeper of the park".
Parnel f English (Archaic)Contracted form of
Petronel. In the later Middle Ages it became a slang term for a promiscuous woman, and the name subsequently fell out of use.
Parris m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that originally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris (see
Paris 2).
Parvati f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"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.
Parvin f & m Persian, Urdu, HindiMeans
"the Pleiades" in Persian. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus. This name is typically feminine in Iran, but unisex in India.
Pat m & f EnglishShort form of
Patrick or
Patricia. A famous bearer of this name was Pat Garrett (1850-1908), the sheriff who shot Billy the Kid.
Patience f EnglishFrom the English word
patience, ultimately from Latin
patientia, a derivative of
pati "to suffer". This was one of the virtue names coined by the Puritans in the 17th century. It is now most commonly used in African countries where English is widely understood, such as Nigeria and Ghana.
Patigül f UyghurUyghur elaboration of
Patime using the suffix
گۈل (gül) meaning "flower, rose" (of Persian origin).
Patrocinio f & m SpanishMeans
"patronage, sponsorship" in Spanish, taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
La Virgen del Patrocinio, meaning "The Virgin of Patronage".
Patty f EnglishOriginally a variant of
Matty, a 17th-century diminutive of
Martha. It is now commonly used as a diminutive of
Patricia.
Paula f German, English, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Croatian, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Paulus (see
Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman saint who was a companion of Saint
Jerome.
Pax f Roman MythologyMeans
"peace" in Latin. In Roman mythology this was the name of the goddess of peace.
Paz 1 f SpanishMeans
"peace" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de la Paz, meaning "Our Lady of Peace".
Peace f English (African)From the English word
peace, ultimately derived from Latin
pax. This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
Pearl f EnglishFrom the English word
pearl for the concretions formed in the shells of some mollusks, ultimately from Late Latin
perla. Like other gemstone names, it has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. The pearl is the traditional birthstone for June, and it supposedly imparts health and wealth.
Peggy f EnglishMedieval variant of
Meggy, a diminutive of
Margaret. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is unknown.
Pele f Polynesian MythologyMeaning unknown. This was the name of the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire who is said to live in Kilauea. She is considered the creator of the Hawaiian Islands.
Pelin f TurkishMeans
"wormwood, absinthe" in Turkish, referring to the plant species Artemisia absinthium.
Penelope f Greek Mythology, EnglishProbably derived from Greek
πηνέλοψ (penelops), a type of duck. Alternatively it could be from
πήνη (pene) meaning "threads, weft" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". In
Homer's epic the
Odyssey this is the name of the wife of
Odysseus, forced to fend off suitors while her husband is away fighting at Troy.
... [more] Peninnah f BiblicalMeans
"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.
Penny f EnglishDiminutive of
Penelope. It can also be given in reference to the copper coin (a British pound or an American dollar are worth 100 of them), derived from Old English
penning.
Peony f English (Rare)From the English word for the type of flower. It was originally believed to have healing qualities, so it was named after the Greek medical god
Pæon.
Peppa f Popular CultureProbably from one of the English words
pepper or
pep (meaning "energy", itself derived from the name of the spice). Peppa Pig is a British animated television series for young children, debuting 2004.
Pepper f & m English (Modern)From the English word for the spice, which is prepared from the dried berries of the pepper plant. The word is derived from Latin
piper, ultimately from an Indo-Aryan source. In popular culture, Pepper is the nickname of Virginia Potts from the
Iron Man series of comic books and movies, created 1963.
Perchuhi f ArmenianMeans
"elegant lady", from Armenian
պերճ (perch) meaning "elegant, splendid" and the feminine suffix
ուհի (uhi).
Perdita f LiteratureDerived from Latin
perditus meaning
"lost". Shakespeare created this name for the daughter of
Hermione and
Leontes in his play
The Winter's Tale (1610). Abandoned as an infant by her father the king, she grows up to be a shepherdess and falls in love with with
Florizel.
Periboia f Greek MythologyFrom Greek
περί (peri) meaning "around, exceedingly" and
βοῦς (bous) meaning "ox, cow". This is the name of several minor characters in Greek mythology, including the mother of
Ajax Telamonian.