ApplefEnglish (Rare) From the English word for the fruit, derived from Middle English appel, Old English æppel. The American actress Gwenyth Paltrow and British musician Chris Martin gave this name to their daughter in 2004.
ArranmScottish From the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland in the Firth of Clyde.
AtlasmGreek Mythology Possibly means "enduring" from Greek τλάω (tlao) meaning "to endure". In Greek mythology he was a Titan punished by Zeus by being forced to support the heavens on his shoulders.
Bluem & fEnglish (Rare) From the English word for the colour, derived via Norman French from a Frankish word (replacing the native Old English cognate blaw). Despite the fact that this name was used by the American musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z in 2012 for their first daughter, it has not come into general use in the United States.
BurgundyfEnglish (Rare) This name can refer either to the region in France, the wine (which derives from the name of the region), or the colour (which derives from the name of the wine).
ButtercupfLiterature From the English word for the yellow flower (genus Ranunculus). Author William Goldman used it for Princess Buttercup in his book The Princess Bride (1973) and the subsequent film adaptation (1987).
CarafEnglish From an Italian word meaning "beloved" or an Irish word meaning "friend". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century, though it did not become popular until after the 1950s.
CharlottefFrench, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch French feminine diminutive of Charles. It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. It was the name of a German-born 18th-century queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Another notable bearer was Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), the eldest of the three Brontë sisters and the author of Jane Eyre and Villette. A famous fictional bearer is the spider in the children's novel Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.... [more]
CheriefEnglish Derived from French chérie meaning "darling". In America, Cherie came into use shortly after the variant Sherry, and has not been as common.
CheyennefEnglish Derived from the Lakota word šahiyena meaning "red speakers". This is the name of a Native American people of the Great Plains. The name was supposedly given to the Cheyenne by the Lakota because their language was unrelated to their own. As a given name, it has been in use since the 1950s.
CielofSpanish Means "sky, heaven" in Spanish. In Mexico this name was popularized by a character named María del Cielo, called Cielo, on the telenovela Por tu amor (1999).
ColettefFrench Short form of Nicolette. Saint Colette was a 15th-century French nun who gave her money to the poor. This was also the pen name of the French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954).
CyranomLiterature Possibly derived from the name of the ancient Greek city of Cyrene, which was located in North Africa. Edmond Rostand used this name in his play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897). He based his character upon a real person, the French satirist Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-1655).
EdwardmEnglish, Polish Means "rich guard", derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and weard "guard". This was the name of several Anglo-Saxon kings, the last being Saint Edward the Confessor shortly before the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. He was known as a just ruler, and because of his popularity his name remained in use after the conquest when most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. The 13th-century Plantagenet king Henry III named his son and successor after the saint, and seven subsequent kings of England were also named Edward.... [more]
FentonmEnglish From a surname that was originally taken from a place name meaning "marsh town" in Old English.
Finn 1mIrish Mythology, Old Irish, Irish, English, Dutch, German Old Irish form of Fionn, as well as the usual Anglicized spelling (with the Irish hero's name Anglicized as Finn McCool). As a surname it is borne by Huckleberry Finn, a character in Mark Twain's novels.
HannahfEnglish, Hebrew, German, Dutch, Arabic, Biblical From the Hebrew name חַנָּה (Ḥanna) meaning "favour, grace", derived from the root חָנַן (ḥanan) meaning "to be gracious". In the Old Testament this is the name of the wife of Elkanah. Her rival was Elkanah's other wife Peninnah, who had children while Hannah remained barren. After a blessing from Eli she finally became pregnant with Samuel.... [more]
HermesmGreek Mythology, Ancient Greek, Spanish Probably from Greek ἕρμα (herma) meaning "cairn, pile of stones, boundary marker". Hermes was a Greek god associated with speed and good luck, who served as a messenger to Zeus and the other gods. He was also the patron of travellers, writers, athletes, merchants, thieves and orators.... [more]
JammPersian Mythology Persian form of Avestan 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀 (Yima) meaning "twin" (related to Sanskrit Yama). This was the name of a mythological king, more commonly called Jamshid.
Jewelf & mEnglish In part from the English word jewel, a precious stone, derived from Old French jouel, which was possibly related to jeu "game". It is also in part from the surname Jewel or Jewell (a derivative of the Breton name Judicaël), which was sometimes used in honour of the 16th-century bishop of Salisbury John Jewel. It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.
Maris 2fEnglish (Rare) Means "of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".
MelodyfEnglish From the English word melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Nicola 2fGerman, English Feminine form of Nicholas. In the English-speaking world this name is more common outside of America, where Nicole is more usual.
PiperfEnglish (Modern) From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series Charmed, which debuted in 1998.
RedmEnglish From the English word for the colour, ultimately derived from Old English read. It was originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
RosefEnglish, French Originally a Norman French form of the Germanic name Hrodohaidis meaning "famous type", composed of the elements hruod "fame" and heit "kind, sort, type". The Normans introduced it to England in the forms Roese and Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower rose (derived from Latin rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.
Royalm & fEnglish From the English word royal, derived (via Old French) from Latin regalis, a derivative of rex "king". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century.
SapphirefEnglish (Modern) From the name of the gemstone, typically blue, which is the traditional birthstone of September. It is derived from Greek σάπφειρος (sappheiros), ultimately from the Hebrew word סַפִּיר (sappir).
SieglindefGerman, Germanic Mythology Derived from the Old German elements sigu "victory" and lind "soft, flexible, tender". Sieglinde was the mother of Siegfried in the medieval German saga the Nibelungenlied.
TysonmEnglish From an English surname, originally a nickname for a quarrelsome person, from Old French tison meaning "firebrand". A famous bearer of the surname is boxer Mike Tyson (1966-). This was a rare given name in America before 1960, but it increased in popularity through the 1960s and 70s, maybe because of its similarities with names such as Tyler and Tyrone.
ViolafEnglish, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak Means "violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke Orsino, she attempts to convince Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.