Xbalanque m Mayan MythologyPossibly from Classic Maya
balam "jaguar" and
k'in "sun" or
kej "deer". In the
Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the K'iche' Maya, Xbalanque and his twin brother
Hunahpu avenge their father's death at the hands of the underworld gods.
Xena f Popular CultureProbably a variant of
Xenia. This was the name of the main character in the 1990s television series
Xena: Warrior Princess.
Xenia f Greek, Spanish, Ancient GreekMeans
"hospitality" in Greek, a derivative of
ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreigner, guest". This was the name of a 5th-century saint who is venerated in the Eastern Church.
Xia m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
夏 (xià) meaning "summer, great, grand",
霞 (xiá) meaning "rosy clouds", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Xiadani f ZapotecMeaning uncertain, said to mean
"the flower that arrived" in Zapotec.
Xiang m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
翔 (xiáng) meaning "soar, glide",
祥 (xiáng) meaning "good luck, good omen",
香 (xiāng) meaning "fragrant" (which is usually only feminine) or
湘 (xiāng), which refers to the Xiang River in southern China. This name can also be formed from other characters.
Xiulan f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with
兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
Xquenda f & m ZapotecFrom Zapotec
guenda "spirit, soul, essence" combined with the possessive prefix
x-.
Ya f ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.
Yaa f AkanMeans
"born on Thursday" in Akan.
Yaara f HebrewMeans
"honeycomb" and
"honeysuckle" in Hebrew.
Yadira f Spanish (Latin American), American (Hispanic)Meaning unknown, possibly derived from an Arabic name. It has been used in Mexico since at least the 1940s, perhaps inspired by the Colombian actress Yadira Jiménez (1928-?), who performed in Mexican films beginning in 1946.
Yaeko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
八 (ya) and
重 (e) meaning "multilayered" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji characters can also form this name.
Yago m SpanishSpanish form of
Iacobus (see
James). The form
Santiago refers more specifically to the New Testament apostles.
Yahui f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
惠 (huì) meaning "favour, benefit". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Yahweh m TheologyA name of the Hebrew God, represented in Hebrew by the Tetragrammaton ("four letters")
יהוה (Yod Heh Vav Heh), which was transliterated into Roman script as
Y H W H. Because it was considered blasphemous to utter the name of God, it was only written and never spoken, which resulted in the original pronunciation becoming lost. The name may have originally been derived from the Hebrew root
הָוָה (hawa) meaning
"to be, to exist, to become".
Yaiza f SpanishFrom the name of a town in the Canary Islands, Spain. It was used by the novelist Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa for the main character in his
Ocean trilogy of books (beginning 1984).
Yale m English (Rare)From a Welsh surname, which was itself derived from a place name meaning
"fertile upland" (from Welsh
ial).
Yaling f ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
玲 (líng) meaning "tinkling of jade". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
Yam m Semitic MythologyMeans
"sea" in Ugaritic. Yam was the Ugaritic god of the sea, also associated with chaos, storms and destruction. He was a son of the chief god
El.
Yama 1 m HinduismMeans
"twin" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu god of death. According to the Vedas he was the first mortal being, or in other words, the first person to die. This name is related to Persian
Jam.
Yamato m JapaneseFrom
Yamato, an ancient name for Japan. It can also refer to the Yamato period in Japanese history, which lasted into the 8th century. The individual kanji are
大 meaning "great" and
和 meaning "harmony".
Yami f HinduismMeans
"twin" in Sanskrit. According to the Vedas this was the name of the first woman, the twin sister of
Yama, later equated with the river goddess
Yamuna.
Yamuna f Hinduism, Tamil, TeluguFrom the name of an Indian river, a major tributary of the Ganges, derived from Sanskrit
यम (yama) meaning
"twin". As a Hindu goddess, she is a personification of the river.
Yan 2 f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
艳 (yàn) meaning "beautiful, gorgeous" (which is usually only feminine) or
岩 (yán) meaning "cliff, rocks", as well as other Chinese characters pronounced in a similar fashion.
Yancy m & f EnglishFrom a surname, which was an Americanized form of the Dutch surname
Jansen meaning
"Jan 1's son".
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.
Yanni m Greek (Expatriate)Diminutive of
Yiannis. A famous bearer is the Greek-American musician Yiannis Chryssomallis (1954-), who goes by the single name Yanni.
Yared m Biblical Hebrew, EthiopianHebrew form of
Jared. This form is also used in Ethiopia. It was borne by a semi-legendary 6th-century Ethiopian musician who is considered a saint in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Yaropolk m Russian (Rare)Derived from the Slavic elements
jarŭ "fierce, energetic" and
pŭlkŭ "people, host". This name was borne by two rulers of Kievan Rus (10th and 12th centuries).
Yaroslav m Russian, UkrainianMeans
"fierce and glorious", derived from the Slavic elements
jarŭ "fierce, energetic" and
slava "glory". Yaroslav the Wise was an 11th-century grand prince of Kyiv who expanded Kievan Rus to its greatest extent.
Yasen m BulgarianMeans both
"ash tree" and
"clear, serene" in Bulgarian.
Yasin m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, TurkishFrom the Arabic letters
ي (called
ya) and
س (called
sin). These letters begin the 36th chapter of the Quran (surah Ya Sin).
Yasir m Arabic, UrduMeans
"easy, wealthy" in Arabic, derived from the root
يسر (yasira) meaning "to be easy, to be rich". This was the name of an early Islamic martyr. It was also borne by Yasir Arafat (1929-2004), a leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Yasu 1 f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
安 (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet",
康 (yasu) meaning "peaceful" or
坦 (yasu) meaning "flat, smooth, level", as well as other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Yasuko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
靖 (yasu),
泰 (yasu) or
康 (yasu) all meaning "peaceful" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Yating f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
婷 (tíng) meaning "pretty, graceful". Other character combinations are possible.
Yatzil f MayanMeans
"love, mercy, charity" in Yucatec Maya.
Yaw m AkanMeans
"born on Thursday" in Akan.
Yawen f ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
雯 (wén) meaning "cloud patterns". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
Yaxkin f & m MayanFrom
Yaxk'in, the name of the seventh month in the Maya calendar, derived from Classic Maya
yax "green, first" and
k'in "sun, day".
Yazhu f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
筑 (zhù) meaning "lute, zither, build". Other character combinations are also possible.
Yekaterina f RussianRussian form of
Katherine. This name was adopted by the German princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst in 1744 shortly before she married the future Russian emperor Peter III. She later overthrew her husband and ruled as empress, known as Catherine the Great in English.
Yemayá f Afro-American MythologySpanish form of
Yemọja, used in various Afro-American syncretic religions in the Caribbean and South America. In Cuba she is identified with Our Lady of
Regla, an aspect of the Virgin
Mary.
Yemọja f Yoruba MythologyMeans
"mother of fish" in Yoruba, derived from
iye "mother",
ọmọ "child" and
ẹja "fish". In traditional Yoruba religion she is the goddess of the Ogun River, pregnancy and motherhood.
Yeong-Hwan m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
永 (yeong) meaning "perpetual, eternal" or
泳 (yeong) meaning "dive, swim" combined with
煥 (hwan) meaning "shining, brilliant, lustrous". Other hanja combinations are possible as well.
Yeong-Ja f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" and
子 (ja) meaning "child". Other hanja character combinations can form this name as well. Feminine names ending with the character
子 (a fashionable name suffix in Japan, read as
-ko in Japanese) were popular in Korea during the period of Japanese rule (1910-1945). After liberation this name and others like it declined in popularity.
Yeray m Spanish (Canarian)Canarian Spanish name of recent origin, possibly from a Guanche word or place name meaning
"big, grand".
Yeruslan m FolkloreFrom Tatar
Уруслан (Uruslan), which was possibly from Turkic
arslan meaning
"lion". Yeruslan Lazarevich is the name of a hero in Russian and Tatar folktales. These tales were based on (or at least influenced by) Persian tales of their hero
Rostam.
Yesenia f Spanish (Latin American)From
Jessenia, the genus name of a variety of palm trees found in South America. As a given name, it was popularized by the writer Yolanda Vargas Dulché in the 1970 Mexican telenovela
Yesenia and the 1971 film adaptation.
Yeshua m Biblical Hebrew, Ancient AramaicContracted form of
Yehoshuaʿ (see
Joshua) used in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible. The form was also used in Aramaic, and was most likely the name represented by Greek
Iesous (see
Jesus) in the New Testament. This means it was probably the real name of Jesus.
Yevpraksiya f Russian (Rare)Russian form of
Eupraxia. This was the name of a daughter of Vsevolod I, grand prince of Kyiv, who became the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Henry IV.
Yewubdar f AmharicMeans
"beautiful beyond limits" from Amharic
ውብ (wb) meaning "beautiful" and
ዳር (dar) meaning "limit, horizon, frontier, shore".
Yihan f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
一 (yī) meaning "one" or
艺 (yì) meaning "art, talent, craft" combined with
涵 (hán) meaning "contain, include". This name can also be formed from other combinations of similar-sounding characters.
Yitzhak m HebrewHebrew form of
Isaac. This was the name of two recent Israeli prime ministers.
Yoda m Popular CultureThe name of a short green alien in the
Star Wars series of movies, first appearing in the second movie
The Empire Strikes Back (1980). The name has no meaning; it was devised for its sound by creator George Lucas.
Yolanda f Spanish, EnglishFrom the medieval French name
Yolande, which was probably a form of the name
Violante, which was itself a derivative of Latin
viola "violet". Alternatively it could be of Germanic origin.
... [more] Yolande f FrenchFrench form of
Yolanda. A notable bearer of the 15th century was Yolande of Aragon, who acted as regent for the French king Charles VII, her son-in-law. She was a supporter of Joan of Arc.
Yonaguska m CherokeeMeans
"drowning bear" from Cherokee
ᏲᎾ (yona) "bear" and possibly
ᎫᏂᏍᎧ (guniska) "drown". This was the name of a 19th-century Eastern Cherokee chief.
Yōta m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" and
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". Other character combinations are possible.
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.
Yūdai m JapaneseFrom Japanese
雄 (yū) meaning "hero, manly" and
大 (dai) meaning "big, great, vast", besides other combinations of kanji.