Browse Names - Behind the Name

Asra f Arabic
Means "travel at night" in Arabic.

Blake m & f English
From an English surname that was derived from Old English blæc "black" or blac "pale". A famous bearer of the surname was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827). It was originally a mainly masculine name but in 2007 actress Blake Lively (1987-) began starring in the television series Gossip Girl, after which time it increased in popularity for girls.

Blakely f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was derived from Old English blæc "black" and leah "woodland clearing".

Cahya m & f Indonesian
Variant of Cahaya.

Charna f Yiddish (Rare)
From a Slavic word meaning "black".

Chausiku f Swahili
Means "born at night" in Swahili.

Ciar m & f Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish
Derived from Irish ciar meaning "black". In Irish legend Ciar was a son of Fergus mac Róich and Medb, and the ancestor of the tribe of the Ciarraige (after whom County Kerry is named). As a feminine name, it was borne by an Irish nun (also called Ciara) who established a monastery in Tipperary in the 7th century.

Inola f Cherokee
Derived from Cherokee ᎢᏃᎵ (inoli) meaning "black fox".

Itzal f Basque
Means "shadow, protection" in Basque.

Kali 1 f & m Hinduism, Bengali, Tamil
Means "the black one", derived from Sanskrit काल (kāla) meaning "black". The Hindu goddess Kali is the fierce destructive form of the wife of Shiva. According to stories in the Puranas, she springs from the forehead of Durga in order to defeat various demons. She is typically depicted with black skin and four arms, holding a severed head and brandishing a sword. As a personal name, it is generally masculine in India.

Lamya f Arabic
Derived from the poetic Arabic word لمى (lamā) meaning "dark red lips".

Layla f Arabic, English
Means "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.

Li 1 f & m Chinese
From Chinese 理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic", 立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish", 黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn", 力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or 丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.

Lilith f Semitic Mythology, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Derived from Akkadian lilitu meaning "of the night". This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish tradition she was Adam's first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by Eve because she would not submit to him. The offspring of Adam (or Samael) and Lilith were the evil spirits of the world.

Melaina f Greek Mythology
Derived from Greek μέλαινα (melaina) meaning "black, dark". This was the name of a nymph in Greek mythology.

Melanie f English, German, Dutch
From Mélanie, the French form of the Latin name Melania, derived from Greek μέλαινα (melaina) meaning "black, dark". This was the name of a Roman saint who gave all her wealth to charity in the 5th century. Her grandmother was also a saint with the same name.... [more]

Miyako f Japanese
From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful", 夜 (ya) meaning "night" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can be formed from other combinations of kanji as well.

Nila f Tamil, Hindi, Indonesian, Burmese
From Sanskrit नील (nīla) meaning "dark blue".

Nilam f & m Hindi, Marathi
From Sanskrit नील (nīla) meaning "dark blue".

Nilima f Marathi, Hindi, Telugu
From Sanskrit नील (nīla) meaning "dark blue".

Nisha f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Nepali
From Sanskrit निशा (niśā) meaning "night".

Nox f Roman Mythology
Means "night" in Latin. Nox is the Roman goddess of the night, the equivalent of the Greek goddess Nyx.

Nyx f Greek Mythology
Means "night" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the night, the daughter of Khaos and the wife of Erebos.

Pittiulaaq f & m Inuit
Means "black guillemot" in Inuktitut (a guillemot is a type of sea bird; species Cepphus grylle).

Pomare m & f Tahitian
Means "night cough", from Tahitian pō "night" and mare "cough". This name was borne by four kings and a queen of Tahiti. The first king adopted the name after his child died of a cough in the night.

Rajani f & m Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Nepali
Means "dark, night" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess Durga.

Ratree f Thai
From the name of a variety of jasmine flower, the night jasmine, ultimately from a poetic word meaning "night".

Sable f English (Modern)
From the English word meaning "black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.

Sawda f Arabic
Means "black" in Arabic. This was the name of a wife of the Prophet Muhammad. She was said to have lived for a time in Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia and Eritrea).

Senka f Serbian, Croatian
Means "shadow, shade" in Serbian and Croatian. It can also be a diminutive of Ksenija.

Shyama m & f Hinduism, Hindi
Derived from Sanskrit श्याम (śyāma) meaning "dark, black, blue". This is a transcription of both the masculine form श्याम (another name of the Hindu god Krishna) and the feminine form श्यामा (another name of the goddess Kali).

Shyamala f Tamil, Telugu, Marathi
Feminine form of Shyamal.

Tuta f Quechua
Means "night" in Quechua.

Ying f & m Chinese
From Chinese 英 (yīng) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero", 颖 (yǐng) meaning "clever", or 影 (yǐng) meaning "image, shadow", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Zhansaya f Kazakh
From Kazakh жан (zhan) meaning "soul" and сая (saya) meaning "shadow, shade, protection, comfort" (both words of Persian origin).

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