Yong m & f Chinese, KoreanFrom Chinese
勇 (yǒng) meaning "brave" or
永 (yǒng) meaning "perpetual, eternal". This can also be a single-character Korean name, for example from the hanja
勇 meaning "brave". It can be formed by other characters besides those listed here.
Yoshi m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck",
義 (yoshi) meaning "righteous", or
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable", as well as other kanji with the same reading.
Yoshie f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or
由 (yoshi) meaning "reason, case" combined with
恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit". Other kanji combinations with the same reading can also form this name.
Yoshiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable",
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or
悦 (yoshi) meaning "joy, pleased" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other kanji combinations as well.
Yu f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
玉 (yù) meaning "jade, precious stone, gem",
愉 (yú) meaning "pleasant, delightful" or
雨 (yǔ) meaning "rain". Other characters can form this name as well.
Yū m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness",
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence",
勇 (yū) meaning "brave", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Yua f JapaneseFrom Japanese
結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" and
愛 (a) meaning "love, affection". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Yuan m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
元 (yuán) meaning "first, origin",
原 (yuán) meaning "source, origin", or
媛 (yuàn) meaning "beautiful woman" (which is usually only feminine). Other characters are also possible.
Yue f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
越 (yuè) meaning "cross, surpass", also referring to the Yue people, or
月 (yuè) meaning "moon". Other characters can form this name as well.
Yui f JapaneseFrom Japanese
結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" or
優 (yu) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" combined with
衣 (i) meaning "clothing, garment". It can also come from stand-alone
結 (yui) using a different nanori reading. This name can be formed of other kanji or kanji combinations as well.
Yuina f JapaneseFrom Japanese
結 (yui) meaning "tie, bind" and
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Yūka f JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" and
花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom". It can also be composed of different kanji that have the same pronunciations.
Yuka f JapaneseFrom Japanese
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" combined with
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance" or
佳 (ka) meaning "good, beautiful". It can also be formed from different kanji that have similar pronunciations.
Yūki m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" combined with
希 (ki) meaning "hope",
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness" or
生 (ki) meaning "living". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
Yuki f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or
雪 (yuki) meaning "snow". It can also come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" combined with
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" or
紀 (ki) meaning "chronicle". Other kanji or kanji combinations are also possible.
Yukiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or
雪 (yuki) meaning "snow" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Alternatively, it can come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" with
喜 (ki) meaning "joy" or
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Yūko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness",
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" or
裕 (yū) meaning "abundant" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed of different kanji characters as well.
Yuko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yu) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other combinations of kanji.
Yume f JapaneseFrom Japanese
夢 (yume) meaning "dream, vision". It can also come from
裕 (yu) meaning "abundant, rich, plentiful" and
芽 (me) meaning "bud, sprout", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations.
Yu-Mi f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
有 (yu) meaning "have, possess" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other hanja character combinations can also form this name.
Yumi f JapaneseFrom Japanese
弓 (yumi) meaning "archery bow". It can also come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause",
友 (yu) meaning "friend" or a nanori reading of
弓 (yu) meaning "archery bow" combined with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji or kanji combinations are also possible.
Yumiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
弓 (yumi) meaning "archery bow" or
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Yun f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
云 (yún) meaning "cloud" or
允 (yǔn) meaning "allow, consent", as well as other Chinese characters that are pronounced in a similar way.
Yūna f JapaneseFrom Japanese
優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
柚 (yū) meaning "grapefruit, pomelo, citrus fruit" combined with
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" or
奈 (na), a phonetic character. Other combinations of kanji are also possible.
Yun-Seo f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
尹 (yun) meaning "govern" or
允 (yun) meaning "allow, consent" combined with
序 (seo) meaning "series, sequence", as well as other hanja character combinations.
Yurena f Spanish (Canarian)Canarian Spanish name of recent origin, derived from the Guanche word
yruene meaning
"demon, evil spirit". This word was first recorded incorrectly as
yurena by the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent in 1803.
Yūri f JapaneseFrom Japanese
悠 (yū) meaning "permanence" and
里 (ri) meaning "village". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji.
Yuri 2 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Yusra f ArabicMeans
"wealth, ease" in Arabic, a derivative of
يسر (yasira) meaning "to be easy, to be rich".
Yuzuki f JapaneseFrom Japanese
柚 (yuzu) meaning "grapefruit, pomelo, citrus fruit" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
Yvelise f FrenchFeminine form of
Yves (or an elaboration using
Élise). It was (first?) borne by the title character in the Italian novel
Yvelise (1923) by Guido da Verona. It later appeared in the photonovel
Yvelise devant l'amour published in the French magazine
Nous Deux in 1950.
Zan f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
赞 (zàn) meaning "help, support", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Zanokuhle f & m Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"come with goodness" in Zulu and Xhosa, from the roots
za "to come, to approach" and
hle "beautiful, good".
Zarina f Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik, Urdu, MalayFrom Persian
زرین (zarīn) meaning
"golden". According to the 5th-century BC Greek historian Ctesias, this was the name of a Scythian queen.
Zawadi f & m SwahiliMeans
"gift" in Swahili, derived from Arabic
زواد (zawād) meaning "provisions".
Zaynab f ArabicMeaning uncertain. It is possibly related to Arabic
زين (zayn) meaning "beauty"; it could be from the name of a fragrant flowering tree; or it could be an Arabic form of
Zenobia, a name borne by a pre-Islamic queen of Palmyra. Zaynab was the name of a daughter, a granddaughter, and two wives of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Zazil f MayanMeans
"clear, light, clarity" in Yucatec Maya. Zazil Há was a 16th-century Maya woman who married the Spanish shipwreck survivor Gonzalo Guerrero.
Zedong m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
泽 (zé) meaning "moist, grace, brilliance" combined with
东 (dōng) meaning "east", as well as other character combinations. A notable bearer was the founder of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong (1893-1976).
Zeltzin f NahuatlNahuatl name of uncertain meaning, said to mean
"delicate".
Zenobia f Ancient GreekMeans
"life of Zeus", derived from Greek
Ζηνός (Zenos) meaning "of
Zeus" and
βίος (bios) meaning "life". This was the name of the queen of the Palmyrene Empire, which broke away from Rome in the 3rd-century and began expanding into Roman territory. She was eventually defeated by the emperor
Aurelian. Her Greek name was used as an approximation of her native Aramaic name.
Zhansaya f KazakhFrom Kazakh
жан (zhan) meaning "soul" and
сая (saya) meaning "shadow, shade, protection, comfort" (both words of Persian origin).
Zhen f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
珍 (zhēn) meaning "precious, rare",
真 (zhēn) meaning "real, genuine",
贞 (zhēn) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal", or other Chinese characters that are pronounced similarly.
Zheng m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
正 (zhèng) meaning "right, proper, correct" or
政 (zhèng) meaning "government", as well as other hanja characters with a similar pronunciation.
Zhi m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
志 (zhì) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or
智 (zhì) meaning "wisdom, intellect", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Zhihao m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
志 (zhì) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or
智 (zhì) meaning "wisdom, intellect" combined with
豪 (háo) meaning "brave, heroic, chivalrous". Many other character combinations are possible.
Zhong m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
中 (zhōng) meaning "middle" or
忠 (zhōng) meaning "loyalty, devotion". Other characters can form this name as well.
Zhou m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
舟 (zhōu) meaning "boat, ship", in addition to other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Zibiah f BiblicalMeans
"female gazelle" in Hebrew, the feminine form of the word
צְבִי (tsevi). In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother of King
Joash of Judah.
Zihan f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
子 (zǐ) meaning "child" or
梓 (zǐ) meaning "catalpa tree" combined with
涵 (hán) meaning "contain, include". Other character combinations are possible.
Zikomo m & f ChewaMeans
"thank you, greeting" in Chewa.
Zilpah f BiblicalMeans
"frailty" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the handmaid who was given to
Jacob by
Leah.
Zinnia f English (Rare)From the name of the flower, which was itself named for the German botanist Johann Zinn.
Ziv m & f HebrewMeans
"bright, radiant" in Hebrew. This was the ancient name of the second month of the Jewish calendar.
Živa f Slavic Mythology, Slovene, SerbianFrom the Old Slavic word
živŭ meaning
"alive, living". According to the 12th-century Saxon priest Helmold, this was the name of a Slavic goddess possibly associated with life or fertility.
Zoe f English, Italian, Spanish, German, Czech, Ancient GreekMeans
"life" in Greek. From early times it was adopted by Hellenized Jews as a translation of
Eve. It was borne by two early Christian saints, one martyred under Emperor Hadrian, the other martyred under Diocletian. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by a ruling empress of the 11th century.
... [more] Zohreh f PersianMeans
"Venus (planet)" in Persian, borrowed from Arabic
الزهرة (al-Zuhara), derived from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".
Zola 1 f EnglishMeaning unknown, perhaps an invented name. It has been in occasional use in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. It coincides with an Italian surname, a famous bearer being the French-Italian author Émile Zola (1840-1902).
Zola 2 f & m XhosaFrom the Xhosa root
-zola meaning
"calm".
Zona f VariousMeans
"girdle, belt" in Greek. This name was made popular by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and poet Zona Gale (1874-1938).
Zoraida f SpanishPerhaps means
"enchanting" or
"dawn" in Arabic. This was the name of a minor 12th-century Spanish saint, a convert from Islam. The name was used by Cervantes for a character in his novel
Don Quixote (1606), in which Zoraida is a beautiful Moorish woman of Algiers who converts to Christianity and elopes with a Spanish officer.
Zubaida f Arabic, UrduMeans
"elite, prime, cream" in Arabic. This was the name of a 9th-century wife of Harun ar-Rashid, the Abbasid caliph featured in the stories of
The 1001 Nights.
Zuhra 2 f Arabic (Rare)Means
"brilliancy, light" in Arabic, derived from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine". This name is written identically to the related name
Zahra, though it is pronounced differently.
Zuhura f Swahili, DhivehiMeans
"Venus (planet)" in Swahili and Dhivehi. Both are borrowed from Arabic
الزهرة (al-Zuhara), derived from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".
Zula 2 f EnglishMeaning unknown. It has been in use since the 19th century. It is possibly related to the name of the African tribe that lives largely in South Africa, the Zulus. In the 19th century the Zulus were a powerful nation under their leader Shaka.
Zuleika f LiteratureMeaning uncertain, possibly of Arabic origin. According to medieval tradition, notably related by the 15th-century Persian poet Jami, this was the name of the biblical Potiphar's wife. She has been a frequent subject of poems and tales.
Zyanya f ZapotecPossibly means
"forever, always" in Zapotec. It appears in the novel
Aztec (1980) by the American author Gary Jennings.