AchlysfGreek Mythology Means "mist, darkness" in Greek. According to a poem by Hesiod, she was one of the figures portrayed on the shield of Herakles. She is described as a wraithlike woman personifying death and sorrow.
AddoloratafItalian Means "grieving" in Italian, from the title of the Virgin Mary, Maria Addolorata. It is most common in southern Italy. It is the equivalent of Spanish Dolores.
AngrboðafNorse Mythology Means "she who brings grief" in Old Norse, derived from angr "grief" and boða "to forebode, to proclaim". According to Norse mythology Angrboða was a giantess (jǫtunn) and the mother of three of Loki's children: Fenrir, Jörmungandr and Hel.
AngustiasfSpanish Means "anguishes", taken from a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de las Angustias, meaning "Our Lady of Anguishes". She is the patron saint of Granada, Spain.
AshokamSanskrit Means "without sorrow" in Sanskrit, from अ (a) meaning "not" and शोका (śokā) meaning "sorrow, grief". This name was borne by Ashoka (or Aśoka) the Great, a 3rd-century BC emperor of the Maurya Empire in northern India.
AsiyafArabic, Urdu Possibly from Arabic أسي (ʾasiya) meaning "to be distressed, to be grieved". According to Islamic tradition this was the name of the wife of the pharaoh at the time of Moses. She took care of the infant Moses and later accepted monotheism.
BethanyfEnglish From the name of a biblical town, Βηθανία (Bethania) in Greek, which is probably of Aramaic or Hebrew origin, possibly meaning "house of affliction" or "house of figs". In the New Testament the town of Bethany is the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. It has been in use as a rare given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, in honour of Mary of Bethany. In America it became moderately common after the 1950s.
BřetislavmCzech Possibly from Slavic bręcati "to make a sound, to buzz" combined with slava "glory". This name was borne by three medieval dukes of Bohemia.
BrónachfIrish Means "sad", derived from Irish brón meaning "sorrow". Saint Brónach was a 6th-century Irish mystic.
CianmIrish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish Means "ancient, enduring" in Irish. In Irish mythology this was the name of the father of Lugh Lámfada. It was also borne by the mythical ancestor of the Ciannachta and by a son-in-law of Brian Boru.
DavormCroatian, Serbian, Slovene Meaning uncertain, possibly from an old Slavic exclamation expressing joy or sorrow. This was the name of a supposed Slavic war god. His name was the basis for the word davorije, a type of patriotic war song popular in the 19th century.
DoinafRomanian Means "folk song", from Romanian doină.
DoloresfSpanish, English Means "sorrows", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin MaryNuestra Señora de los Dolores, meaning "Our Lady of Sorrows". It has been used in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in America during the 1920s and 30s.
GediminasmLithuanian Possibly from the Lithuanian roots ged- "to mourn, to long for" and min- "to think, to remember, to mention". This was the name of a 14th-century Grand Duke of Lithuania.
JabezmBiblical Means "sorrow" in Hebrew. This is the name of a character in the Old Testament who is blessed by God.
LolafSpanish, English, French Spanish diminutive of Dolores. A famous bearer was Lola Montez (1821-1861; birth name Eliza Gilbert), an Irish-born dancer, actress and courtesan.
MalalaifPashto Means "sad, grieved" in Pashto. This was the name of a Pashtun woman who encouraged the Afghan forces during the 1880 Battle of Maiwand against the British.
MelpomenefGreek Mythology Derived from Greek μέλπω (melpo) meaning "to sing, to celebrate with song". This was the name of one of the nine Muses in Greek mythology, the muse of tragedy.
MisericordiafSpanish Means "compassion, mercy" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin miser "poor, wretched" and cor "heart". It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, La Virgen de la Misericordia, meaning "The Virgin of Compassion".
NaeniafRoman Mythology Means "incantation, dirge" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of funerals.
NekanefBasque Means "sorrows" in Basque. It is an equivalent of Dolores, coined by Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque saints names.
NiobefGreek Mythology Meaning unknown. In Greek mythology Niobe was the daughter of Tantalos, a king of Asia Minor. Because she boasted that she was superior to Leto, Leto's children Apollo and Artemis killed her 14 children with poison arrows. In grief, Niobe was turned to stone by Zeus.
PausaniasmAncient Greek From the Greek word παυσανίας (pausanias) meaning "reliever of sorrow", itself from παῦσις (pausis) meaning "stopping" and ἀνία (ania) meaning "grief, sorrow". Notable bearers include the kings Pausanias of Sparta (5th century BC) and Pausanias of Macedon (4th century BC), as well as a 2nd-century geographer.
PejmanmPersian Means "sad, melancholy, mournful" in Persian.
TristanmEnglish, French, Arthurian Cycle Probably from the Celtic name Drustan, a diminutive of Drust, which occurs as Drystan in a few Welsh sources. As Tristan, it first appears in 12th-century French tales, probably altered by association with Old French triste "sad". According to the tales Tristan was sent to Ireland by his uncle King Mark of Cornwall in order to fetch Iseult, who was to be the king's bride. On the way back, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. Later versions of the tale make Tristan one of King Arthur's knights. His tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since then.
WednesdayfPopular Culture From the name of the day of the week, which was derived from Old English wodnesdæg meaning "Woden's day". On the Addams Family television series (1964-1966) this was the name of the daughter, based on an earlier unnamed character in Charles Addams' cartoons. Her name was inspired by the popular nursery rhyme line Wednesday's child is full of woe.