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.
Fiore f & m ItalianMeans
"flower" in Italian. It can also be considered an Italian form of the Latin names
Flora and
Florus.
Firouzeh f PersianMeans
"turquoise (gemstone)" in Persian. Alternatively, it may be a feminine form of
Firouz.
Flann m & f Irish, Old IrishMeans
"blood red" in Irish. This was the name of a 9th-century high king of Ireland.
Flannery f English (Rare)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Flannghaile, derived from the given name
Flannghal meaning "red valour". A famous bearer was American author Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964).
Fleur f French, Dutch, English (British)Means
"flower" in French. Saint Fleur of Issendolus (
Flor in Gascon) was a 14th-century nun from Maurs, France. This was also the name of a character in John Galsworthy's novels
The Forsyte Saga (1922).
Flora f English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, French, Greek, Albanian, Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
flos meaning
"flower" (genitive case
floris). Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, the wife of Zephyr the west wind. It has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, starting in France. In Scotland it was sometimes used as an Anglicized form of
Fionnghuala.
Florence f & m English, FrenchFrom the Latin name
Florentius or the feminine form
Florentia, which were derived from
florens "prosperous, flourishing".
Florentius was borne by many early Christian saints, and it was occasionally used in their honour through the Middle Ages. In modern times it is mostly feminine.
... [more] Florica f RomanianDerived from Romanian
floricea, itself a diminutive of
floare "flower".
Fortuna f Roman MythologyMeans
"luck" in Latin. In Roman mythology this was the name of the personification of luck.
France 1 f FrenchFrom the name of the country, sometimes considered a feminine form of
Frank or short form of
Françoise, both of which are ultimately related to the name of the country.
Frances f EnglishFeminine form of
Francis. The distinction between
Francis as a masculine name and
Frances as a feminine name did not arise until the 17th century. A notable bearer was Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), a social worker and the first American to be canonized.
Francis m & f English, FrenchEnglish form of the Late Latin name
Franciscus meaning
"Frenchman", ultimately from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were named for a type of spear that they used (Proto-Germanic *
frankô). This name was borne by the 13th-century Saint Francis of Assisi, who was originally named Giovanni but was given the nickname Francesco by his father, an admirer of the French. Francis went on to renounce his father's wealth and devote his life to the poor, founding the Franciscan order of friars. Later in his life he apparently received the stigmata.
... [more] Freddie m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Frederick or
Freda. A noteworthy bearer was the musician Freddie Mercury (1946-1991), born Farrokh Bulsara, the lead vocalist of the British rock band Queen.
Freya f Norse Mythology, English (Modern), GermanFrom Old Norse
Freyja meaning
"lady". This is the name of a goddess associated with love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology. She claims half of the heroes who are slain in battle and brings them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother
Freyr and father
Njord, she is one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess
Frigg.
... [more] Frida 1 f German, GermanicOriginally a short form of names containing the Old German element
fridu meaning
"peace" (Proto-Germanic *
friþuz). A famous bearer was the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).
Frideswide f History (Ecclesiastical)Modern form of the Old English name
Friðuswiþ, formed of the elements
friþ "peace" and
swiþ "strong". Saint Frideswide was an 8th-century English princess who became a nun. She is credited with establishing Christ Church in Oxford.
Frigg f Norse MythologyMeans
"beloved", from Proto-Germanic *
Frijjō, derived from the root *
frijōną meaning "to love". In Norse mythology she was the wife of
Odin and the mother of
Balder. Some scholars believe that she and the goddess
Freya share a common origin (though their names are not linguistically related).
Fruma f YiddishFrom Yiddish
פֿרום (frum) meaning
"pious". This is the name of a character (appearing as a ghost) in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964).
Fuensanta f SpanishFrom Spanish
fuente santa meaning
"holy fountain, holy spring". This is a title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de la Fuensanta, meaning "Our Lady of the Holy Fountain". She is the patron saint of the city of Murcia in Spain.
Fuku m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
福 (fuku) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing". This name can also be formed by other kanji or combinations of kanji.
Fulgora f Roman MythologyFrom Latin
fulgur meaning
"lightning", derived from
fulgeo "to flash, to shine". In Roman mythology this was the name of a goddess who presided over lightning, equivalent to the Greek goddess
Astrape.
Fumi f JapaneseFrom Japanese
文 (fumi) meaning "writing",
史 (fumi) meaning "history", or other kanji or combinations of kanji that are read the same way. It is often written in hiragana or katakana.
Fumiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
文 (fumi) meaning "writing" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Furiosa f Popular CultureMeans
"full of rage, furious" in Latin. This is the name of a warrior who turns against the evil Immortan Joe in the movie
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
Fuyuko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
冬 (fuyu) meaning "winter" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other combinations of kanji.
Gabija f Lithuanian, Baltic MythologyProbably from Lithuanian
gaubti meaning
"to cover". In Lithuanian mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire and the home.
Gaia f Greek Mythology, ItalianFrom the Greek word
γαῖα (gaia), a parallel form of
γῆ (ge) meaning
"earth". In Greek mythology Gaia was the mother goddess who presided over the earth. She was the mate of
Uranus and the mother of the Titans and the Cyclopes.
Gaiana f Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Γαϊανή (Gaiane), a derivative of
Gaia. This was the name of a (perhaps fictional) martyr who was killed in Armenia during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian in the late 3rd century.
Galadriel f LiteratureMeans
"maiden crowned with a radiant garland" in the fictional language Sindarin. Galadriel was a Noldorin elf princess renowned for her beauty and wisdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The elements are
galad "radiant" and
riel "garlanded maiden".
Alatáriel is the Quenya form of her name.
Galatea f Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek
Γαλάτεια (Galateia), probably derived from
γάλα (gala) meaning
"milk". This was the name of several characters in Greek mythology including a sea nymph who was the daughter of
Doris and
Nereus and the lover of Acis. According to some sources, this was also the name of the ivory statue carved by
Pygmalion that came to life.
Gale 1 f EnglishVariant of
Gail. It also coincides with the English word
gale meaning
"storm".
Galia f HebrewElaboration of
Gal 1. It could also be considered a compound meaning
"wave from God", using the element
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.
Ganga f & m Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, TeluguFrom Sanskrit
गङ्गा (Gaṅgā), the name of the
Ganges River, derived from
गम् (gam) meaning "to go". In Hindu tradition this is a personification of the river, typically depicted as a fair-skinned goddess riding a sea creature. As a given name, it is used by males as well.
Garance f FrenchFrom the French name for a variety of flowering plant (genus Rubia; called
madder in English), which is used to make red dye. This name was borne by the central character in the French film
Les Enfants du Paradis (1945).
Gardenia f English (Rare)From the name of the tropical flower, which was named for the Scottish naturalist Alexander Garden (1730-1791).
Gargi f Hinduism, Hindi, BengaliMeaning unknown. This was the name of a 7th-century BC Indian philosopher who appears in the Upanishads, which are parts of Hindu scripture.
Garnet 1 f EnglishFrom the English word
garnet for the precious stone, the birthstone of January. The word is derived from Middle English
gernet meaning "dark red".
Gauri f Hinduism, Hindi, MarathiDerived from Sanskrit
गौर (gaura) meaning
"white, pale, yellow". This is a Hindu goddess, another name of
Parvati the wife of
Shiva, so named because of her fair complexion.
Gay f EnglishFrom the English word
gay meaning
"gay, happy". By the mid-20th century the word had acquired the additional meaning of "homosexual", and the name has subsequently dropped out of use.
Gayatri f Hinduism, Marathi, HindiFrom Sanskrit
गायत्र (gāyatra), which refers to a type of hymn or song with a particular meter, derived from
गै (gai) meaning "to sing". The original hymm, also called the
Savitri, is in the
Rigveda and is a dedication to the sun god
Savitr. As a goddess, Gayatri is a personification of this hymn. She is identified with
Saraswati.
Genesis f English (Modern)Means
"birth, origin" in Greek. This is the name of the first book of the Old Testament in the Bible. It tells of the creation of the world, the expulsion of
Adam and
Eve,
Noah and the great flood, and the three patriarchs.
Geneva f EnglishPossibly a shortened form of
Genevieve. It could also be inspired by the name of the city in Switzerland. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.
Geneviève f FrenchFrom the medieval name
Genovefa, which is of uncertain origin. It could be derived from the Germanic elements *
kunją "clan, family, lineage" and *
wībą "wife, woman". Alternatively it could be of Gaulish origin, from the related Celtic element *
genos "kin, family" combined with a second element of unknown meaning. This name was borne by Saint Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, who inspired the city to resist the Huns in the 5th century.
Georgia f English, GreekLatinate feminine form of
George. This is the name of an American state, which was named after the British king George II. The country of Georgia has an unrelated etymology. A famous bearer was the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).
Geraldine f EnglishFeminine form of
Gerald. This name was created by the poet Henry Howard for use in a 1537 sonnet praising Lady Elizabeth FitzGerald, whom he terms
The Geraldine.
Germaine f FrenchFrench feminine form of
Germain. Saint Germaine was a 16th-century peasant girl from France.
Gertrude f English, French, GermanMeans
"spear of strength", derived from the Old German elements
ger "spear" and
drud "strength". Saint Gertrude the Great was a 13th-century nun and mystic writer from Thuringia. It was probably introduced to England by settlers from the Low Countries in the 15th century. Shakespeare used the name in his play
Hamlet (1600) for the mother of
Hamlet. Another famous bearer was the American writer Gertrude Stein (1874-1946).
Gethsemane f Various (Rare)From a biblical place name, the garden where
Jesus was arrested, located on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. It is derived from
Γεθσημανί (Gethsemani), the Greek form of an Aramaic name meaning "oil vat". It is very rarely used as a given name.
Gift m & f English (African)From the English word
gift, of Old Norse origin. This name is most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Giiwedinokwe f OjibweMeans
"woman of the north" in Ojibwe, derived from
giiwedin "north" and
ikwe "woman".