Adallinda f GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
adal "noble" and
lind "soft, flexible, tender". Adallinda (or Adalindis or Ethelind) was the name of one of the concubines of
Charlemagne, with whom she had at least two children.
Aleyna f Turkish (Modern)Possibly from Arabic
علينا (ʿalaynā) meaning
"to us". Alternatively, it could be from Arabic
أليناء (ʾalaynāʾ), a plural form of
ليّن (layyin) meaning
"gentle, soft".
Belinda f EnglishThe meaning of this name is not known for certain. The first element could be related to Italian
bella meaning "beautiful". The second element could be Old German
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender" (and by extension "snake, serpent"). This name first arose in the 17th century, and was subsequently used by Alexander Pope in his poem
The Rape of the Lock (1712).
Caoimhe f IrishDerived from Irish
caomh meaning
"dear, beloved, gentle".
Clemence f EnglishFeminine form of
Clementius (see
Clement). It has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it became rare after the 17th century.
Clemency f English (Rare)Medieval variant of
Clemence. It can also simply mean "clemency, mercy" from the English word, ultimately from Latin
clemens "merciful".
Delilah f Biblical, EnglishMeans
"delicate, weak, languishing" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament she is the lover of
Samson, whom she betrays to the Philistines by cutting his hair, which is the source of his power. Despite her character flaws, the name began to be used by the Puritans in the 17th century. It has been used occasionally in the English-speaking world since that time.
Dietlinde f GermanFrom the Germanic name
Theodelinda, derived from the elements
theod meaning "people" (Old High German
diota, Old Frankish
þeoda) and
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". Theodelinda was a 6th-century Bavarian princess who became queen of the Lombards.
Ermelinde f GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
irmin "whole, great" and
lind "soft, flexible, tender". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish saint from Meldert, Flanders.
Gerlinde f German, DutchDerived from the Old German element
ger meaning "spear" combined with
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender".
Jeong f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
靜 (jeong) meaning "quiet, still, gentle" or
貞 (jeong) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.
Jeong-Hui f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
正 (jeong) meaning "right, proper, correct" or
靜 (jeong) meaning "quiet, still, gentle" combined with
姬 (hui) meaning "beauty" or
熙 (hui) meaning "bright, splendid, glorious". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.
Ji-Min f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
志 (ji) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or
智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" combined with
旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable",
敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or
珉 (min) meaning "jade, stone resembling jade". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
Jing f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle",
精 (jīng) meaning "essence, spirit",
晶 (jīng) meaning "clear, crystal" or
京 (jīng) meaning "capital city". Other characters can also form this name.
Jingyi m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle" combined with
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". Other character combinations are possible as well.
Kyo m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
協 or
京 or
郷 or
杏 (see
Kyō).
Kyou m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
協 or
京 or
郷 or
杏 (see
Kyō).
Layan f ArabicMeans
"soft, delicate" in Arabic, from the root
لان (lāna) meaning "to be soft".
Lina 1 f ArabicMeans
"soft, tender" in Arabic, derived from
لان (lāna) meaning "to be soft". It can also be from Arabic
لينة (līna), a type of palm tree, likely derived from the same root.
Linda f English, German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, French, Latvian, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, GermanicOriginally a medieval short form of Germanic names containing the element
lind meaning
"soft, flexible, tender" (Proto-Germanic *
linþaz). It also coincides with the Spanish and Portuguese word
linda meaning
"beautiful". In the English-speaking world this name experienced a spike in popularity beginning in the 1930s, peaking in the late 1940s, and declining shortly after that. It was the most popular name for girls in the United States from 1947 to 1952.
Mildburg f Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
milde "gentle" and
burg "fortress". Saint Mildburg or Milburga, the sister of Saint
Mildred, was a daughter of a 7th-century Mercian king. She was supposedly in possession of magical powers.
Mildgyð f Anglo-SaxonOld English name derived from the elements
milde "gentle" and
guð "battle". This was the name of a 7th-century saint, the sister of Saint Mildred.
Mildred f EnglishFrom the Old English name
Mildþryð meaning
"gentle strength", derived from the elements
milde "gentle" and
þryþ "strength". Saint Mildred was a 7th-century abbess, the daughter of the Kentish princess Saint Ermenburga. After the Norman Conquest this name became rare, but it was revived in the 19th century.
Miyu f JapaneseFrom Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or
実 (mi) meaning "fruit, good result, truth" combined with
優 (yu) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" or
夕 (yu) meaning "evening". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Myfanwy f WelshFrom the Welsh prefix
my- meaning "my, belonging to me" (an older form of
fy) combined with either
manwy meaning "fine, delicate" or
banwy meaning "woman" (a variant of
banw). This was the name of an 1875 Welsh song composed by Joseph Parry.
Nadiyya f ArabicMeans
"announcement, call" in Arabic, derived from
نادى (nādā) meaning "to call, to announce, to invite".
Narin f TurkishMeans
"slender, delicate, fragile" in Turkish.
Näzik f TurkmenMeans
"gentle, tender, delicate" in Turkmen, ultimately from Persian
نازک (nāzok).
Neasa f Irish, Irish MythologyFrom Old Irish
Ness, meaning uncertain. In Irish legend she was the mother of
Conchobar. She installed her son as king of Ulster by convincing
Fergus mac Róich (her husband and Conchobar's stepfather) to give up his throne to the boy for a year and then helping him rule so astutely that the Ulstermen demanded that he remain as king. According to some versions of the legend she was originally named
Assa "gentle", but was renamed
Ní-assa "not gentle" after she sought to avenge the murders of her foster fathers.
Rosalind f EnglishDerived from the Old German elements
hros meaning "horse" and
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase
rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy
As You Like It (1599).
Rosaline f EnglishMedieval variant of
Rosalind. This is the name of characters in Shakespeare's
Love's Labour's Lost (1594) and
Romeo and Juliet (1596).
Ségolène f FrenchFrom the Germanic name
Sigilina, itself a diminutive derivative of the element
sigu meaning
"victory" (Proto-Germanic *
segiz). This was the name of a 7th-century saint from Albi, France.
Tryphena f BiblicalFrom the Greek name
Τρύφαινα (Tryphaina), derived from Greek
τρυφή (tryphe) meaning
"softness, delicacy". This name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament.
Yang m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
洋 (yáng) meaning "ocean" or
阳 (yáng) meaning "light, sun, male" (which is typically only masculine), as well as other Chinese characters pronounced similarly.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yuu m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
優 or
悠 or
勇 (see
Yū).
Yuuki m & f JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
優希 or
悠希 or
優輝 or
悠生 (see
Yūki).
Zeltzin f NahuatlNahuatl name of uncertain meaning, said to mean
"delicate".
Zilpah f BiblicalMeans
"frailty" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the handmaid who was given to
Jacob by
Leah.