Estonian Origin Names - Behind the Name

Aigar m Estonian
Possibly from the Finnic root aika meaning "time" (Estonian aeg).

Arvo m Finnish, Estonian
Means "value, worth" in Finnish and Estonian.

Ave f Italian, Estonian
Possibly from the name of the prayer Ave Maria, in which Ave is Latin meaning "greetings, salutations". In Estonian it is also associated with the word ava meaning "open".

Eha f Estonian
Means "dusk" in Estonian.

Endel m Estonian
Masculine form of Endla.

Endla f Estonian
From the name of an Estonian lake, which often appears in folk poetry. The lake's name is ultimately derived from the medieval personal name Ent or Endo.

Helve f Estonian
Means "flake, snowflake" in Estonian.

Hilja f Finnish, Estonian
Means "silent, quiet" in Finnish and Estonian (a rare poetic word).

Ilme f Estonian
Estonian form of Ilma 1.

Imbi f Estonian
Estonian cognate of Impi.

Kaja 3 f Estonian
Means "echo" in Estonian.

Kalju m Estonian
Means "rock, boulder" in Estonian.

Koit m Estonian
Means "dawn" in Estonian.

Lagle f Estonian
Means "goose" in Estonian.

Laine f Estonian
Means "wave" in Estonian.

Leelo f Estonian
Means "folk song" in Estonian.

Leida f Estonian
Meaning unknown. It was popularized by a character in Estonian writer Andres Saal's historical stories Vambola (1889) and Aita (1891). Saal associated it with Estonian leidma "to find".

Leili 1 f Estonian
Probably from Laila 2, but also associated with Estonian leil meaning "vapour, steam". It became popular due to Andres Saal's novel Leili (1892).

Luule f Estonian
Means "poetry" in Estonian.

Maimu f Estonian
Means "little" in Estonian. This is the name of a girl in the story Maimu (1889) by the Estonian writer August Kitzberg.

Meeli f Estonian
Feminine form of Meelis.

Meelis m Estonian
From Estonian meel meaning "mind, mood".

Merike f Estonian
From Estonian meri "sea" with a diminutive suffix.

Milvi f Estonian
Coined by Estonian writer Mats Tõnisson in 1914, of uncertain meaning.

Õie f Estonian
Derived from Estonian õis meaning "flower".

Pilvi f Finnish, Estonian
Means "cloud" in Finnish and Estonian.

Salme f Estonian
From Estonian salm meaning "poem, verse". This name appears in the Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg (1857) by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald.

Sirje f Estonian
Possibly from Estonian sinisirje meaning "blue-feathered", a word associated with a magical bird in the Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg (1857) by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald. Apparently this name was suggested by the linguist Julius Mägiste in the 1920s. It was subsequently used in the 1945 opera Tasuleegid by Eugen Kapp.

Tähti f Finnish (Rare), Estonian (Rare)
Means "star" in Finnish and Estonian.

Taimi f Finnish, Estonian
From Finnish taimi meaning "sapling, young tree" or Estonian taim meaning "plant" (words from a common origin).

Taimo m Estonian
From Estonian taim meaning "plant".

Talvi f Estonian
Derived from Estonian talv meaning "winter".

Tarmo m Estonian, Finnish
Means "vigour, energy, drive" in Estonian and Finnish.

Tuule f Estonian (Rare)
Estonian variant of Tuuli.

Tuuli f Finnish, Estonian
Means "wind" in Finnish and Estonian.

Ülle f Estonian
Feminine form of Ülo.

Ülo m Estonian
From the Livonian name Ilo or Ylo meaning "joy", a name appearing in the 13th-century Livonian Chronicle of Henry. It is now associated with the Estonian word ülev meaning "noble".

Urmas m Estonian
Possibly from the dialectal Estonian word urm meaning "frost" or "catkin".

Urve f Estonian
From Estonian urb meaning "catkin".

Vaike f Estonian
From Estonian vaikus meaning "silence, calm". This name was coined by Andres Saal for a character in his story Vambola (1889).

Veiko m Estonian
Estonian form of Veikko.

Vello m Estonian
From a diminutive form of the Estonian word veli meaning "brother".

Vilja f Finnish, Estonian
Possibly from the Finnish word vilja meaning "cereal, grain" or the Swedish word vilja meaning "will, intent".

Viljar 1 m Estonian
Estonian masculine form of Vilja.

Virve f Estonian, Finnish
From Estonian virves meaning "sprout, shoot" or virve meaning "ripple, shimmer".

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