Tina f English, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, GeorgianShort form of
Christina,
Martina and other names ending in
tina. In addition to these names, it is also used in Dutch as a short form of
Catharina, in Swedish and Croatian as a short form of
Katarina, and in Georgian as a short form of
Tinatin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.
Titty f EnglishDiminutive of
Letitia. This is now a slang word for the female breast, and the name has subsequently dropped out of common use.
Toby m & f EnglishMedieval form of
Tobias. It was sometimes used as a feminine name in the 1930s and 40s due to the influence of American actress Toby Wing (1915-2001).
Topaz f English (Rare)From the English word for the yellow precious stone, the traditional birthstone of November, ultimately derived from Greek
τόπαζος (topazos).
Topsy f English (Rare)From a nickname that is of unknown meaning, perhaps deriving from the English word
top. This is the name of a young slave in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852).
Tracy f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was taken from a Norman French place name meaning
"domain belonging to Thracius". Charles Dickens used it for a male character in his novel
The Pickwick Papers (1837). It was later popularized as a feminine name by the main character Tracy Lord in the movie
The Philadelphia Story (1940). This name is also sometimes used as a diminutive of
Theresa.
Tuesday f English (Rare)From the English word for the day of the week, which derives from Old English
tiwesdæg meaning "
Tiw's day".
Twila f EnglishMeaning unknown. Perhaps based on the English word
twilight, or maybe from a Cajun pronunciation of French
étoile "star". It came into use as an American given name in the late 19th century.
Tyra f Swedish, English, African AmericanFrom the Old Norse name
Þýri, a variant of the Norse names
Þórví or
Þórveig. Use of the name in the English-speaking world (especially among African Americans) may be in part from the Swedish name, though it is probably also viewed as a feminine form of
Tyrone or
Tyree. A famous bearer is the American model and actress Tyra Banks (1973-).
Una f EnglishAnglicized form of Irish
Úna or Scottish
Ùna. It is also associated with Latin
una, feminine form of
unus meaning
"one". The name features in Edmund Spenser's poem
The Faerie Queene (1590).
Velda f EnglishMeaning unknown, possibly a derivative of the Old German element
walt meaning
"power, authority".
Velma f EnglishProbably a variant of
Wilma, the spelling with an
e perhaps due to the influence of
Selma 1. This name has been in use since the 19th century.
Velvet f EnglishFrom the English word for the soft fabric. It became used as a given name after the main character in Enid Bagnold's book
National Velvet (1935) and the movie (1944) and television (1960) adaptations.
Vera 1 f Russian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belarusian, GeorgianMeans
"faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word
verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.
Verna f EnglishFeminine form of
Vernon, sometimes associated with the Latin word
vernus "spring". It has been in use since the 19th century.
Violet f EnglishFrom the English word
violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin
viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.
Wallis m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was a variant of
Wallace. Wallis Simpson (1895-1986) was the divorced woman whom Edward VIII married, which forced him to abdicate the British throne.
Wanda f Polish, English, German, FrenchPossibly from a Germanic name meaning
"a Wend", referring to the Slavic people who inhabited eastern Germany. In Polish legends this was the name of the daughter of King Krak, the legendary founder of Krakow. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by the author Ouida, who used it for the heroine in her novel
Wanda (1883).
Wendy f EnglishIn the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play
Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname
fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name
Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element
gwen meaning "white, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.
Whitney f & m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"white island" in Old English. Its popular use as a feminine name was initiated by actress Whitney Blake (1925-2002) in the 1960s, and further boosted in the 1980s by singer Whitney Houston (1963-2012).
Wilda f EnglishMeaning uncertain, perhaps from a German surname, or perhaps from the English word
wild. It has been in use since the 19th century.
Willie m & f EnglishMasculine or feminine diminutive of
William. Notable bearers include the retired American baseball player Willie Mays (1931-) and the musician Willie Nelson (1933-).
Windsor m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was from a place name meaning
"riverbank with a windlass" in Old English (a windlass is a lifting apparatus). This has been the surname of the royal family of the United Kingdom since 1917.
Winnie f EnglishDiminutive of
Winifred. Winnie-the-Pooh, a stuffed bear in children's books by A. A. Milne, was named after a real bear named
Winnipeg who lived at the London Zoo.
Winslow m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning
"hill belonging to Wine". A famous bearer of this name was American painter Winslow Homer (1836-1910).
Yancy m & f EnglishFrom a surname, which was an Americanized form of the Dutch surname
Jansen meaning
"Jan 1's son".
Zara 1 f Literature, EnglishUsed by William Congreve for a character in his tragedy
The Mourning Bride (1697), where it belongs to a captive North African queen. Congreve may have based it on the Arabic name
Zahra 1. In 1736 the English writer Aaron Hill used it to translate
Zaïre for his popular adaptation of Voltaire's French play
Zaïre (1732).
... [more] Zelda 2 f EnglishShort form of
Griselda. This is the name of a princess in the
Legend of Zelda video games, debuting in 1986 and called
ゼルダ (Zeruda) in Japanese. According to creator Shigeru Miyamoto she was named after the American socialite Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948).
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] 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).
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.