Francesca's Personal Name List

Possibly a variant of چوبین (see Chobin).

Means "blessed, happy" in Yiddish, a vernacular form of Asher.

Old Church Slavic form of Zechariah and Zacharias.

From Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (Zarathushtra), in which the second element is 𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (ushtra) meaning "camel". Proposed meanings for the first element include "old", "moving", "angry" and "yellow". Zarathustra was an Iranian prophet who founded the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism around the 10th century BC. He is also called Zoroaster in English, from the Greek form of his name Ζωροάστρης (Zoroastres).

Variant of Owain.

From the Yukon River or Territory, Canada, meaning "Great River" in Gwich’in. Yukon Cornelius is a character in the 1964 Christmas movie, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

Welsh form of Honorius.

Ukrainian form of Eugene.

Russian form of Helen.

Alternate transcription of Greek Γιάννης (see Giannis).

Greek form of the Old Persian name 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 (Xšayarša), which meant "ruler over heroes". This was the name of a 5th-century BC king of Persia, the son of Darius the Great. He attempted an invasion of Greece, which ended unsuccessfully at the battle of Salamis.

Derived from Greek ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreign, strange" and φωνή (phone) meaning "voice". This was the name of a 4th-century BC Greek military commander and historian. This name was also borne by a 5th-century saint from Constantinople.

From the Greek name Ξενοκράτης (Xenokrates), which was derived from ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreigner, guest" and κράτος (kratos) meaning "power". This was the name of a 4th-century BC Greek philosopher.

From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "riverbank with a windlass" in Old English (a windlass is a lifting apparatus). This has been the surname of the royal family of the United Kingdom since 1917.

From an English surname that was originally derived from the nickname Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English. This name was borne by Wilbur Wright (1867-1912), one half of the Wright brothers, who together invented the first successful airplane. Wright was named after the Methodist minister Wilbur Fisk (1792-1839). A famous fictional bearer is the main character (a pig) in the children's novel Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.

Means "bright will", derived from the Old German elements willo "will, desire" and beraht "bright".

German cognate of Wayland.

Variant of Westcott.

English form of Václav, via the Latinized form Venceslaus.

From a surname that was derived from the name of a town in England, itself from Old English wer "weir, dam" and wic "settlement".

From a surname that was a variant of Warwick.

Polish diminutive of Waldemar.

Contraction of Vladimir Lenin, the name of the founder of the former Soviet state (see Vladimir and Lenin).

Contraction of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the name of the founder of the former Soviet state (see Vladimir and Lenin).

From the Slavic element volděti meaning "to rule, to control", originally a diminutive of names containing that element.

Variant masculine version of Vivion. Vivion de Valera (b. 1910) was a son of Irish politician Eamon de Valera, named after his Cuban grandfather Juan Vivion de Valera.

Latin form of Vitale.

Feminine form of Viridianus.

From the Latin name Viriathus or Viriatus, which was derived from viriae "bracelets" (of Celtic origin). Viriathus was a leader of the Lusitani (a tribe of Portugal) who rebelled against Roman rule in the 2nd century BC.

Derived from viorea, the Romanian word for the alpine squill flower (species Scilla bifolia) or the sweet violet flower (species Viola odorata). It is derived from Latin viola "violet".

From the Old Norse name Víkingr meaning "viking, raider", ultimately from vík "cove, inlet".

Italian form of Vespasianus (see Vespasian).

Derived from Serbo-Croatian vesel meaning "cheerful".

Derived from South Slavic vesel meaning "cheerful".

From a Norman surname, which was from a French place name, which was itself derived from a Gaulish word meaning "alder".

Means "king over warriors" from Gaulish wer "on, over" combined with kingeto "marching men, warriors" and rix "king". This name was borne by a 1st-century BC chieftain of the Gaulish tribe the Arverni. He led the resistance against Julius Caesar's attempts to conquer Gaul, but he was eventually defeated, brought to Rome, and executed.

Finnish feminine form of Wendel.

Possibly derived from Old Slavic volŭ meaning "ox" or velĭ meaning "great". Veles or Volos was the Slavic god of cattle, also associated with the earth, wealth and the underworld.

Limburgish short form of Vera 1.

Croatian, Serbian and Slovene (masculine and feminine) form of Vanya. It is also used in Scandinavia, where it is primarily feminine.

Roman cognomen (see Valentine 1). This name was borne by a 4th-century Roman emperor.

Galician form of Eugene.

German feminine form of Ulrich.

Swedish feminine form of Ulrich. This was the name of two queens of Sweden.

Scandinavian form of Ulrich.

Means "star" in Greenlandic [1].

Latinized form of Tyge. This name was used by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), who was born as Tyge.

Variant of Tutankhamun.

Derived from Greek τρυφή (tryphe) meaning "softness, delicacy". Saint Tryphon, a gooseherder from Syria, was martyred in the 3rd century.

Derived from Old Norse tryggr meaning "trustworthy".

From the English word true, itself from Old English trīewe meaning "trusty, faithful".

Variant of True as well as a short form of Gertrude and given names that start with Tru-, such as Trudy and Truman.

In popular culture, a known bearer of this name is Tru Davies, the heroine of the American television series Tru Calling (2003-2005).

Swedish form of Troy, the name of the ancient city in Turkey that appears in Homer's 'Iliad'.

Danish form of Þórgísl.

From a surname that was derived from a Cornish place name meaning "homestead on the hill".

Means "all saints" in French. This is the name of a Christian festival celebrated on November 1 (All Saints' Day).

Diminutive of Salvatore, Victoria, and other names containing the same sound.

Meaning unknown. It has been suggested that it is of Irish origin, though no suitable derivation can be found.

From the Old Norse name Þórhildr, which meant "Thor's battle" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with hildr "battle".

Norwegian form of Þórarinn.

From the Old Norse name Þórleikr, which meant "Thor's play" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with leikr "play, game (involving weapons)".

Short form of Martijn or Augustijn.

From Old Irish Tigernán meaning "little lord", from tigerna "lord" combined with a diminutive suffix. It was borne by a 6th-century saint who founded a monastery at Errew. It was also the name of a 12th-century king of Breifne.

Anglicized form of Tighearnach.

Anglicized form of Tighearnán.

Portuguese form of James, derived from Santiago.

Greek form of Egyptian ḏḥwtj (reconstructed as Djehuti), which is of uncertain meaning. In Egyptian mythology Thoth was the god of the moon, science, magic, speech and writing. He was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis.

From the name of an ancient Greek town in Boeotia, itself supposedly named after a nymph. In a Greek legend (the oldest surviving version appearing in Latin in Ovid's Metamorphoses) this is the name of a young woman from Babylon. Believing her to be dead, her lover Pyramus kills himself, after which she does the same to herself. The splashes of blood from their suicides is the reason mulberry fruit are red.

Possibly derived from Greek θεά (thea) meaning "goddess". In Greek myth this was the name of a Titan goddess of light, glittering and glory. She was the wife of Hyperion and the mother of the sun god Helios, the moon goddess Selene, and the dawn goddess Eos.

Derived from Greek τήθη (tethe) meaning "grandmother". In Greek mythology this was the name of a Titan associated with the sea. She was the wife of Oceanus.

Variant of Tara 1, perhaps influenced by the Latin word terra meaning "land, earth".

Russian form of Terentius (see Terence).

Presumably it is a combination of teg "fair" and gwared "deliverance." The eldest natural son of Llywelyn the Great was named Tegwared, born c. 1210.

Anglicized form of Tadhg. This name is also used as a slang term for an Irish Catholic.

Means "tall" in Turkish.

Anglicized form of a Thàmhais, vocative case of Tàmhas. Alternatively it could be taken from the Scottish surname McTavish, Anglicized form of Mac Tàmhais, meaning "son of Tàmhas".

Diminutive of Natasha.

From Tarquinius, a Roman name of unknown meaning, possibly Etruscan in origin. This was the name of two early kings of Rome.

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

Name of the title character in Henry Williamson's novel 'Tarka the Otter' (1927) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1979). In the book the (male) character's name is said to mean "wandering as water"; perhaps the author based it on Welsh dwrgi "otter", literally "water dog", or on its Cornish cognate dowrgi.

This is occasionally used as a masculine and feminine given name, and was most notably borne by Tarka Cordell (1966-2008), a British musician, writer, record producer, and sometime model. This also coincides with a Sanskrit word meaning "reasoning, logic".

Finnish form of Daria.

Derived from the old Celtic root *toranos meaning "thunder", cognate with Þórr (see Thor). This was the name of the Gaulish thunder god, who was often identified with the Roman god Jupiter.

Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Təranə.

Meaning unknown. Tapio was the Finnish god of forests, animals, and hunting.

Meaning unknown. This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars. She was particularly associated with the city of Carthage, being the consort of Ba'al Hammon.

Means "man" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian mythology Tāne was the god of forests and light. He was the son of the sky god Rangi and the earth goddess Papa, who were locked in an embrace and finally separated by their son. He created the tui bird and, by some accounts, man.

Means "rain" in Quechua.

Scottish Gaelic form of Thomas.

Means "little girl" in Aramaic. The name is taken from the phrase talitha cumi meaning "little girl arise" spoken by Jesus in order to restore a young girl to life (see Mark 5:41).

Derived from Hebrew טַל (ṭal) meaning "dew".

From Japanese 孝 (takashi) meaning "filial piety", 隆 (takashi) meaning "noble, prosperous" or 崇 (takashi) meaning "esteem, honour, venerate", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that result in the same pronunciation.

Simply from the English word, ultimately deriving from Greek σύμφωνος (symphonos) meaning "concordant in sound".

From the Old Norse name Sverrir meaning "wild, swinging, spinning".

From a personification of the country of Sweden, in use since the 17th century. It is a derivative of Svear, the Swedish name for the North Germanic tribe the Swedes. The Swedish name of the country of Sweden is Sverige, a newer form of Svear rike meaning "the realm of the Svear".

Icelandic form of Svanhild.

Reconstructed Egyptian form of Seth 2.

From Sanskrit सु (su) meaning "good, very" combined with नील (nīla) meaning "dark blue".

From the name of the day of the week, which ultimately derives from Old English sunnandæg, which was composed of the elements sunne "sun" and dæg "day". This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

Means "charm, grace" in Finnish.

Derived from Arabic سهل (sahl) meaning "level, even, smooth" [1]. This is the Arabic name of the second brightest star in the sky, known in the western world as Canopus. It is also the official (IAU) name of the third brightest star in the constellation Vela.

Derived from Greek στρατός (stratos) meaning "army". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek philosopher.

Derived from Bulgarian стоя (stoya) meaning "to stand, to stay".

From Middle English storie, storye, from Anglo-Norman estorie, from Late Latin storia meaning "history."

Short form of Constantijn or Augustijn.

Short form of Stanislava.

Late Greek name derived from Greek σπυρίδιον (spyridion) meaning "basket" or Latin spiritus meaning "spirit". Saint Spyridon was a 4th-century sheep farmer who became the bishop of Tremithus and suffered during the persecutions of Diocletian.

Anglicized form of Spyros.

From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English spearwa.

Variant of Sotirios.

Anglicized form of Somhairle.

Diminutive of Italian sonetto - song, sound; little song. Also the term for a short lyric poem, usually with eight line stanzas, followed by six line
stanzas.

The sonnets of William Shakespeare, on the other hand, are typically three Sicilian quatrains, followed by an heroic couplet.

The name of an English county used as a personal name. It is derived from Old English and may mean “the people of the summer settlement” or “settlers by the sea-lakes”. It is often translated as "the land of the summer people".

Diminutive of Solomon.

Latin form of Solange.

Alternate transcription of Urdu سہیل (see Suhail).

Derived from Old Norse snerra "attack, onslaught". This name was borne by Snorri Sturluson, a 13th-century Icelandic historian and poet, the author of the Prose Edda.

Means "damage, harm" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology she was a giantess (jǫtunn) associated with the winter, skiing and mountains. After the gods killed her father, they offered her a husband from among them as compensation. She ended up marrying Njord.

The name of a Celtic goddess mainly worshipped in middle Europe and the region of the Danube. She was associated with healing, wolves, and children.

The name comes from a combination of Gaulish roots - ser- or ster- meaning "star" (cognate with the first element in Welsh Seren) plus the -ona termination common to the names of female deities (as in Epona, Angerona.)

The Gaulish goddess of astronomy, and goddess of the Mosel Valley.

Welsh form of George.

Elaborated form of Sini, also meaning "bluebird".

Means "blue" in Finnish. More specifically, sini is a poetic term for the colour blue.

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.

Means "feather" in Choctaw.

Hebrew form of Seth 1.

From an English place name (or from a surname that was derived from it) meaning "bright forest". This was the name of the forest in which the legendary outlaw Robin Hood made his home.

This name is used in the English Bible to represent two unrelated Hebrew names: שֵׁלָה (see Shela) and שֵׁלָח (see Shelach).

Russian form of Sebastian.

Scottish Gaelic form of James.

From Egyptian stẖj meaning "of Seth 2" [1]. This was the name of two pharaohs of the 19th dynasty (13th century BC).

Variant of Seth 2.

Irish form of George.

A Celtic goddess worshipped in Roman Britain. Her name is possibly related to the Proto-Celtic 'seno' meaning "old". Some academics have associated the name to the ancient river Senua that was once located in southern Britain, which may have also been known as Alde, from the Anglo-Saxon 'ald' meaning old.

Not much is known of Senuna though correlations have been drawn between her and Minerva due to the few representations of her iconography that exist. Some items have been found which portray classical images of Minerva with her sword, shield, and owl but which are inscribed with Senuna's name. From this we can deduce that she may have been a goddess of wisdom and defense.

Yiddish form of Alexander.

Variant of Zelig.

From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "willow farm" in Old Norse.

From a Hebrew musical term that occurs many times in the Old Testament Psalms. It was probably meant to indicate a musical pause.

Irish form of Charles.

Means "fairy tale, fable" in Finnish.

Meaning unknown. In Greek legend Sarpedon was the son of Zeus and Laodamia, and the king of the Lycians. He was one of the chief warriors who fought against the Greeks in defence of Troy, but he was killed by Patroclus. Another Sarpedon was the son of Zeus and Europa.

From a phrase used by members of the Candomblé religion (an African religion that was taken to Brazil by African slaves), which means "good luck".

Means "righteousness" in Arabic.

Means "patient" in Arabic, a derivative of صبر (ṣabara) meaning "to bind, to be patient".

From the English word meaning "black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.

From a surname that was originally taken from an Old English place name meaning "town of Royse". The given name Royse was a medieval variant of Rose.

Variant of Roly.

From a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning "horse spring".

Probably means "great provider" from Gaulish ro, an intensive prefix (hence "very, most, great"), combined with smert "purveyor, carer" and the feminine name suffix a. This was the name of an obscure Gallo-Roman goddess of fertility, abundance and prosperity. The author J. K. Rowling borrowed the name for a witch in her 'Harry Potter' series.

Invented by Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren, who based it on the middle portion of Juronjaure, the name of a lake in Sweden. Lindgren used it in her 1981 book Ronia the Robber's Daughter (Ronia is the English translation).

Means "dew" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary María del Rocío meaning "Mary of the Dew".

Modern Norwegian form of Hróarr.

Short form of Caterina or Catharina as well as other names ending in rina.

Derived from Arabic الرجل (al-Rijl) meaning "foot". This is the name of the star that forms the left foot of the constellation Orion.

Means "kings" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, La Virgen de los Reyes, meaning "The Virgin of the Kings". According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to King Ferdinand III of Castile and told him his armies would defeat those of the Moors in Seville.

Late Latin name meaning "born again".

From a French surname meaning "ruler" in Occitan. This name is often given in honour of Saint Jean-François Régis (1597-1640), a French Jesuit priest.

Anglicized form of Raghnall.

From Japanese 雷 (rai) meaning "thunder" and 電 (den) meaning "lightning". This is a regional epithet of the Japanese god Raijin.

From an Irish surname, itself derived from the given name Rabhartach meaning "flood tide".

From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "stream where deer drink" (from Scots rae "roe deer" and burn "stream"). A famous bearer of the surname was Scottish portrait painter Henry Raeburn (1756-1823).

Originally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element radŭ meaning "happy, willing". In Poland it is usually a diminutive of Radosław.

Feminine diminutive of Quintus.

Means "feathered snake" in Nahuatl, derived from quetzalli "quetzal feather, precious thing" and cōātl "snake" [1]. In Aztec and other Mesoamerican mythology he was the god of the sky, wind, and knowledge, also associated with the morning star. According to one legend he created the humans of this age using the bones of humans from the previous age and adding his own blood.

Derived from Pythios, a name of Apollo, combined with Greek ἀγορά (agora) meaning "assembly, marketplace". This was the name of a 6th-century BC Greek philosopher and mathematician from Samos. He was the founder of a school of philosophy whose members believed that numbers described the universe.

Means "snowstorm, blizzard" in Finnish.

Derived from Greek προμήθεια (prometheia) meaning "foresight, forethought". In Greek myth he was the Titan who gave the knowledge of fire to mankind. For doing this he was punished by Zeus, who had him chained to a rock and caused an eagle to feast daily on his liver, which regenerated itself each night. Herakles eventually freed him.

Means "beloved" in Sanskrit. It appears briefly in the Puranas belonging to a daughter of King Daksha.

Roman form of Greek Πολυδεύκης (Polydeukes) meaning "very sweet", from Greek πολύς (polys) meaning "much" and δευκής (deukes) meaning "sweet". In mythology he was the twin brother of Castor and a son of Zeus. The constellation Gemini, which represents the two brothers, contains a star by this name.

Italian form of the Late Latin name Placidus meaning "quiet, calm". Saint Placidus was a 6th-century Italian saint, a disciple of Saint Benedict.

Means "sweet little thing who belongs to me" in Greenlandic [1].

Polish and Belarusian form of Peter.

Breton diminutive of Pierre.

From the Greek Φρίξος (Phrixos) meaning "thrilling, causing shivers", derived from φρίξ (phrix) meaning "ripple, shiver". In Greek myth Phrixus was the son of Athamus and Nephele. He was to be sacrificed to Zeus, but he escaped with his sister Helle on the back of the ram with the Golden Fleece.

Elaborated form of Petra and Romanian variant of Petre.

Scandinavian and Breton form of Peter.

Swedish diminutive of Per.

From the Greek Πήγασος (Pegasos), possibly either from πηγός (pegos) meaning "strong" or πηγαῖος (pegaios) meaning "from a water spring". In Greek mythology Pegasus was the winged horse that sprang from the blood of Medusa after she was killed by Perseus. There is a constellation in the northern sky named after the horse.

Basque form of Francis.

Polish form of Patricius (see Patrick).

Derived from Greek πάνθηρ (panther) meaning "panther", a word ultimately of Sanskrit origin, though folk etymology connects it to Greek πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and θηράω (therao) meaning "to hunt". According to some legends a Roman soldier named Panthera was the father of Jesus.

Swedish and Norwegian form of Paul.

Diminutive of Oswald, Osborn and other names beginning with a similar sound.

Short form of Oswald, Osborn and other names beginning with a similar sound.

Derived from Old English os "god" and ric "power, rule". This name was borne by several Anglo-Saxon kings, one of the earliest being Osric of Deira (7th century AD).

In literature, Osric is the name of a courtier in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.

From a surname that was a variant of Osborn.

This name was invented by the 18th-century writer Fanny Burney, who perhaps intended it to mean "golden city" in French. Orville Wright (1871-1948), together with his brother Wilbur, invented the first successful airplane.

Feminine variant as well as masculine form of Oline.

Galician variant of Eulalia.

Hungarian form of Eugene or Edmund.

Diminutive of Ödön.

Means "great lady", from Sumerian 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lady" and 𒃲 (gal) meaning "big, great". This was the name of a goddess of reeds in Sumerian mythology. She was the daughter of Enki and the wife of Nanna.

Derived from Greek νίκη (nike) meaning "victory".

Short form of Newton.

Italian form of the Roman family name Naevius, which was derived from Latin naevus "mole (on the body)". A famous bearer was the 3rd-century BC Roman poet Gnaeus Naevius.

Derived from Greek νηρός (neros) meaning "water". In Greek myth this was the name of a god of the sea, the father of the Nereids. It is mentioned briefly in the New Testament, belonging to a Christian in Rome. This was also the name of a Roman saint of the 1st century, a member of the army, who was martyred with his companion Achilleus because they refused to execute Christians.

Old Irish form of Neasa.

Possibly derived from Old Norse nanþ meaning "daring, brave". In Norse mythology she was a goddess who died of grief when her husband Balder was killed.

Bosnian hypocoristic of Najla or Najila.

Means "comforter" in Hebrew, from the root נָחַם (naḥam) meaning "to comfort, to console". Nahum is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. He authored the Book of Nahum in which the downfall of Nineveh is foretold.

Means "incantation, dirge" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of funerals.

Anglicized form of Muireadhach.

From the name of a town in northern Wales, which is probably derived from Old English elements meaning "moss town".

From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "moor town" in Old English.

From a surname that was originally from an Old English place name meaning "marsh clearing".

From the English word for the day of the week, which was derived from Old English mona "moon" and dæg "day". This can be given to children born on Monday, especially in Nigeria.

Means "ocean, wide expanse of water, deep sea" in Maori, Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages.

Romani name of uncertain origin and meaning.
It might be a corruption of Marcella or Michelle (compare the entry for Mizela) or else a 19th-century creation combining the name element -ella with the English word mizzle describing a light, misty rain.
This name has been recorded from the mid-1800s onward.

Short form of Miroslav and other names beginning with Mir (often the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace, world").

Catalan form of Michael.

Derived from Greek μίλτος (miltos) meaning "red earth" and the patronymic suffix ἴδης (ides). This was the name of the general who led the Greek forces to victory against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.

Polish form of Nicholas.

Anglicized form of Myrddin used by author Ken Follett for a character in his novel 'World Without End'.

Medieval Low German variant of Martin.

From an English surname that was derived either from the given name Muriel or from place names meaning "pleasant hill".

From a surname meaning "happy weather" in Middle English, originally belonging to a cheery person. A notable bearer of the name was Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809), who, with William Clark, explored the west of North America.

Medieval Danish variant of Margrethe.

From the Latin Mercurius, probably derived from Latin mercari "to trade" or merces "wages". This was the name of the Roman god of trade, merchants, and travellers, later equated with the Greek god Hermes. This is also the name of the first planet in the solar system and a metallic chemical element, both named for the god.

Latinate form of Mercy. This was also the name of an old Anglo-Saxon kingdom, though it has a different origin.

Variant of Merari.

Habitational namefor a place near Galashiels in the Scottish borders, so named from British words that were ansetors of Welsh moel 'bare', 'barren' rhos 'heath'.
The British and Irish equvilents 'promontory this may also make sense in this specific case.
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Name of a town in the Scottish Borders, renowned for its Abbey which is the burial site of the heart of King Robert I of Scotland (the Bruce).

From the name of the Welsh county of Meirionnydd, formerly a part of the kingdom of Gwynedd. It is probably derived from the Roman name Marianus.

From the Greek Μέδουσα (Medousa), which was derived from μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek myth this was the name of one of the three Gorgons, ugly women who had snakes for hair. She was so hideous that anyone who gazed upon her was turned to stone, so the hero Perseus had to look using the reflection in his shield in order to slay her.

Latin form of Maxence.

French form of the Roman name Maxentius, a derivative of Latin maximus "greatest". This was the agnomen of an early 4th-century Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius, a rival of Constantine. It was also borne by a 6th-century saint from Agde in France.

Russian form of Matthew.

Slovak form of Matthias, used to refer to the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. Also the Slovene, Croatian and Macedonian form of Matthew, used to refer to the evangelist and apostle also known as Levi.

From the Roman cognomen Martialis, which was derived from the name of the Roman god Mars. The name was borne by Marcus Valerius Martialis, now commonly known as Martial, a Roman poet of the 1st century.

Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian and French form of Marinus.

Danish and Norwegian form of Margaret. This is the name of the current queen of Denmark (1940-).

Anglicized form of Mainchín.

Variant of Malte.

Danish short form of the Old German name Helmold. This name was used by the Austrian author Rainer Maria Rilke for the title character in his novel The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (1910).

From an English surname that was originally derived from the given name Mauger, a Norman French form of the Germanic name Malger meaning "council spear". The name can also be given in reference to the English word major.

Danish and Swedish diminutive of Maria.

Danish and Norwegian diminutive of Maria.

French form of Breton Mael meaning "prince, chieftain, lord". Saint Mael was a 5th-century Breton hermit who lived in Wales.

Means "good fortune, happiness" in Danish.

German diminutive of Ludwig.

Short form of Ludovicus or Ludolf.

Slovene form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).

Unaccented variant of Llŷr.

Short form of Liselotte.

Derived from Czech libý meaning "pleasant, nice", from the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love". According to Czech legend Libuše was the founder of Prague.

Derived from Czech libý meaning "pleasant, nice", from the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love".

Originally a medieval diminutive of Ibb, itself a diminutive of Isabel. It is also used as a diminutive of Elizabeth.

Old Hungarian name, possibly of Slavic origin, or possibly from Hungarian lesz "will be". This name was used by the Árpád royal family since at least the 10th century.

Russian and Ukrainian form of Leonidas.

Swedish and Low German form of Leonard.

Variant of Lisa.

Greek form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).

Danish and Norwegian form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).

Hungarian form of Vladislav. Saint László was an 11th-century king of Hungary, looked upon as the embodiment of Christian virtue and bravery.

Means "boy" in Hindi, derived from Sanskrit लल (lala) meaning "playing, caressing".

Derived from Hebrew לָבָן (lavan) meaning "white". In the Old Testament this is the name of the father of Rachel and Leah.

Scandinavian form of Christopher.

Form of Constantine in several languages.

Diminutive of Nikolai.

Means "warrior, koa tree" in Hawaiian.

Russian form of Cyril.

From the animated movie "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" where it was short for Kidagakash.

From Lithuanian kęsti meaning "to cope, to endure" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 14th-century ruler of Lithuania.

From a surname that was a variant of Kerr.

From an Irish surname, a variant of Kane.

From the Mohawk pronunciation of Katherine. This was the name adopted by the 17th-century Mohawk saint Tekakwitha upon her baptism.

Derived from Greek κάλλος (kallos) meaning "beauty". This was the name of an Athenian who fought at Marathon who later became an ambassador to the Persians.

Swedish diminutive of Karl. It is used in Finland and Estonia as a full name.

Hawaiian form of Charles.

Telugu and Malayalam form of Jyoti.

Latvian form of George.

Medieval form of Julian. The author John Galsworthy used it for a character in his Forsyte Saga novels (published between 1906 and 1922).

From Chinese 建 (jiàn) meaning "build, establish", 健 (jiàn) meaning "strong, healthy", or other characters that are pronounced in a similar fashion.

From the name of a city in Israel that is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain, but it may be related to the Hebrew word יָרֵחַ (yareaḥ) meaning "moon" [1], or otherwise to the Hebrew word רֵיחַ (reyaḥ) meaning "fragrance" [2].

Diminutive of Jakob.

Old French form of Iohannes (see John).

Diminutive of Jaakko.

Variant of Jared.

Danish diminutive of Jan 1.

Cornish form of Jacob.

Polish feminine form of Yvon.

Bulgarian and Catalan form of Yvette.

From the Semitic root ʿṯtr, which possibly relates to the Evening Star. Ishtar was an Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian goddess who presided over love, war and fertility. She was cognate with the Canaanite and Phoenician Ashtoreth, and she was also identified with the Sumerian goddess Inanna. Her name in Akkadian cuneiform 𒀭𒈹 was the same as the Sumerian cuneiform for Inanna.

This was the name of a character in the Disney Tinker Bell film series. Perhaps based on the English word iridescent, which is derived from the Latin elements iris meaning "rainbow" (see Iris) and the suffix -escent "resembling".

Means "violet" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was a woman beloved by Herakles.

Probably a variant of Iole.

From the Late Latin name Innocentius, which was derived from innocens "innocent". This was the name of several early saints. It was also borne by 13 popes including Innocent III, a politically powerful ruler and organizer of the Fourth Crusade.

As an English-language name in the modern era, it is most common in Africa.

Possibly derived from Sumerian nin-an-a(k) meaning "lady of the heavens", from 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lady" and the genitive form of 𒀭 (an) meaning "heaven, sky". Inanna was the Sumerian goddess of love, fertility and war. She descended into the underworld where the ruler of that place, her sister Ereshkigal, had her killed. The god Enki interceded, and Inanna was allowed to leave the underworld as long as her husband Dumuzi took her place.

Inanna was later conflated with the Semitic (Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian) deity Ishtar.

Hungarian form of Emmerich. This was the name of an 11th-century Hungarian saint, the son of Saint Istvan. He is also known as Emeric.

Diminutive of Imogen.

Means "patience" in Ibibio.

Lithuanian and Latvian form of Eve. This is also the Lithuanian and Latvian word for a type of cherry tree (species Prunus padus).

Scottish Gaelic form of Iohannes (see John).

Derived from Greek ὑπέρ (hyper) meaning "over". In Greek myth this was the name of a Titan who presided over the sun and light. By Theia he was the father of the sun god Helios, the moon goddess Selene, and the dawn goddess Eos.

Derived from Greek ὕπατος (hypatos) meaning "highest, supreme". Hypatia of Alexandria was a 5th-century philosopher and mathematician, daughter of the mathematician Theon.

Welsh form of Hugh.

From the Old German elements hun "bear cub" and fridu "peace". The Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Hunfrith, and it was regularly used through the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the American actor Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957), who starred in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca.

Variant of Hughie.

Means "raven" in Old Norse.

Means "sun" in Greek. This was the name of the young Greek sun god, a Titan, who rode across the sky each day in a chariot pulled by four horses. His sister was the moon goddess Selene.

Short form of Hendrik.

From an English surname that denoted one who lived on a heath. It was popularized as a given name by the character Heath Barkley from the 1960s television series The Big Valley [1].

Arabic form of Eve.

Turkish form of Eve (via Arabic Ḥawāʾ).

Greek form of Egyptian ḥwt-ḥrw (reconstructed as Hut-Heru) meaning "the house of Horus", derived from Egyptian ḥwt "house" combined with the god Horus. In Egyptian mythology she was the goddess of love, often depicted with the head of a cow.

From a surname that was derived from the given name Herman.

Icelandic cognate of Harold.

From an English surname that was derived from either the Norman given name Hamo or the Old Norse given name Hámundr.

Means "to dawn" in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish.

Norwegian form of Gróa.

Old German form of Kriemhild.

From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "grazing homestead" in Old English.

From an English surname that was derived from a Norman place name Grainville.

Means "complete" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of both a grandson of Noah and the unfaithful wife of the prophet Hosea.

Elaborated form of Latin gloria meaning "glory". In Edmund Spenser's poem The Faerie Queene (1590) this was the name of the title character, a representation of Queen Elizabeth I.

Variant of Gladwin.

Anglicized form of Gilleasbuig.

Welsh form of Gerald.

Diminutive of Gennadiy, Yevgeniy or Yevgeniya.

Derived from the Old Norse element geirr meaning "spear".

Meaning uncertain, from the Latin form Gualguainus used in the 12th-century chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth (appearing also as Walganus, Gwalguanus and other spellings in different copies of the text), where he is one of the knights who serve his uncle King Arthur. He can be identified with the earlier Welsh hero Gwalchmai, and it is possible that the name derives from Gwalchmai or a misreading of it.

Gawain was a popular hero in medieval tales such as those by Chrétien de Troyes, where his name appears in the French form Gauvain or Gauvains. He is the main character of the 14th-century anonymous poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which he accepts a potentially fatal challenge from the mysterious Green Knight.

Roman praenomen, or given name, of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from Latin gaudere "to rejoice", though it may be of unknown Etruscan origin. This was a very common Roman praenomen, the most famous bearers being Gaius Julius Caesar, the great leader of the Roman Republic, and his adopted son Gaius Octavius (later known as Augustus), the first Roman emperor. This name also appears in the New Testament belonging to a bishop of Ephesus who is regarded as a saint.

From the Greek word γαῖα (gaia), a parallel form of γῆ (ge) meaning "earth". In Greek mythology Gaia was the mother goddess who presided over the earth. She was the mate of Uranus and the mother of the Titans and the Cyclopes.

Old Norse form of Frida 2.

Russian form of Thomas.

Dutch form of Florentius (see Florence).

French masculine form of Florentius (see Florence).

Means "son of Simon 1" in Anglo-Norman French.

From an English surname meaning "son of the king" in Old French, originally given to illegitimate sons of monarchs.

Means "son of Gerald" in Anglo-Norman French. It was brought to Ireland with William the Conqueror. A famous bearer was Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), an American jazz singer.

Short form of various given names that are derived from surnames beginning with Norman French fitz meaning "son of" (for example Fitzroy).

From the name of an Italian city, commonly called Florence in English.

From Arabic فراسة (firāsa) meaning "acumen, keenness" [1].

Means "white stranger", derived from the Old Irish elements finn "white, blessed" and gall "foreigner, stranger". This was the name of the hero in the Scottish author James Macpherson's 1761 poem Fingal [1], which he claimed to have based on early Gaelic legends about Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Form of Phinehas used in the Latin Old Testament.

Original form of Fidel.

Anglicized form of Forbflaith.

French form of Felicianus (see Feliciano).

Modern Irish Gaelic form of Feidlimid.

Modern Irish Gaelic form of Fergal.

From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "fern clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer of this name was Canadian author Farley Mowat (1921-2014).

Polish form of Eve.

Czech form of Eugene.

Means "cosmos, the universe" in Turkish. In Turkic mythology the Evren is a gigantic snake-like dragon.

Diminutive of Eva.

Hungarian diminutive of Eve.

Bulgarian and Georgian form of Eugene, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Евгений (see Yevgeniy).

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Aveline. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as almost entirely feminine, probably in part because of its similarity to Eve and Evelina.

This name was popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 20th century. It staged a comeback in the early 21st century, returning to the American top ten in 2017.

Either a diminutive of Eve or a variant of Evelyn.

Variant of Esmé.

Means "esteemed" or "loved" in Old French. It was first recorded in Scotland, being borne by the first Duke of Lennox in the 16th century. It is now more common as a feminine name.

Means "love" in Greek. In Greek mythology he was a young god, the son of Aphrodite, who was armed with arrows that caused the victim to fall in love.

Popularly claimed to mean "lover of flowers" (apparently due to association with Greek eran "to love, to be in love with"), it may actually mean "woolly-haired flower" from the botanical name eriantha, ultimately from Greek ἔριον (erion) "wool" and ανθος (anthos) "flower".

Means "lady of the great earth", from Sumerian 𒊩𒌆 (ereš) meaning "lady, queen" combined with 𒆠 (ki) meaning "earth" and 𒃲 (gal) meaning "great, big". In Sumerian mythology she was the goddess of death and the underworld.

Means "watchful, vigilant" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is a grandson of Ephraim.

Derived from Greek ἐπιμήθεια (epimetheia) meaning "hindsight, hindthought". In Greek mythology he was a Titan, the brother of the god of forethought Prometheus.

Irish form of Iohannes (see John) used in the Bible.

From Sumerian 𒂗 (en) meaning "lord" and 𒆠 (ki) meaning "earth, ground" (though maybe originally from 𒆳 (kur) meaning "underworld, mountain"). Enki, called Ea by the Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians, was the Sumerian god of water and wisdom and the keeper of the Me, the divine laws.

From the name of an ancient region of southwestern Wales, its name meaning "around the valley" from Welsh am "around" and glyn "valley". It has also been suggested that this name is a Welsh form of Latin Aemilianus (see Emiliano), though this appears to be unfounded.

Dutch form of Emerentius.

Scottish form of Elizabeth.

Short form of Elisabeth, used independently.

Of uncertain origin and meaning. It might be a variant of Elora or an adoption of the name of the Ellora Caves of India, an ancient network of caverns containing hieroglyphic writings archeologists still have not deciphered the meaning of.

Middle English form of both the Old English names Æðelflæd and Ælfflæd. These names became rare after the Norman Conquest, but Elfleda was briefly revived in the 19th century.

From the Old Norse name Einarr, derived from the elements einn "one, alone" and herr "army, warrior". This name shares the same roots as einherjar, the word for the slain warriors in Valhalla.

From Welsh eilon meaning "deer, stag" or "song, melody". This name was used by Lloyd Alexander in his book series The Chronicles of Prydain (1964-1968) as well as the Disney film adaptation The Black Cauldron (1985).

Welsh form of Eva.

Finnish and Estonian form of Eva.

Finnish and Estonian form of Eva.

From the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and ric "ruler, king". After the Norman Conquest this Old English name was not commonly used. It has occasionally been revived in modern times.

Possibly from Old Norse meaning "great-grandmother". This was the name of two 13th-century Icelandic literary works: the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. This is also the name of a character in the Poetic Edda, though it is unclear if her name is connected to the name of the collection.

Macedonian form of Zvonimir.

Derived from Slavic duša meaning "soul, spirit".

From an Irish surname that was an Anglicized form of Ó hEidirsceóil meaning "descendant of the messenger".

Derived from the Slavic element dorgŭ (South Slavic drag) meaning "precious", originally a diminutive of names beginning with that element.

From a surname (of unknown meaning) that was used in the movie The Crow (1994).

Derived from the Slavic element dorgŭ (South Slavic drag) meaning "precious".

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Dubhghaill, itself derived from the given name Dubhghall. A famous bearer of the surname was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.

Alternate transcription of Serbian Ђуро (see Đuro).

Derived from Slavic elements, possibly desiti "to find, to encounter" or desętĭ "ten", combined with slava "glory".

From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "Dane ford" in Old English. This is the name of the capital city of Colorado, which was named for the politician James W. Denver (1817-1892).

Derived from Sanskrit दया (dayā) meaning "compassion, mercy".

Means "from Artagnan" in French, Artagnan being a town in southwestern France. This was the name of a character in the novel The Three Musketeers (1884) by Alexandre Dumas. In the novel D'Artagnan is an aspiring musketeer who first duels with the three title characters and then becomes their friend.

Variant of Darren. This was the adopted surname of the singer Bobby Darin (1936-1973), who was born Robert Cassotto and chose his stage name from a street sign.

Possibly derived from the Slavic elements danŭ "given" and mirŭ "peace, world". Otherwise, it might be of Turkic or Russian origin (see Damir 2). It was popularized by a character from Marija Jurić Zagorka's novel Gordana (1935).

Variant of Dáithí.

From the Old Norse name Dagfinnr, which was composed of the elements dagr "day" and finnr "Sámi, person from Finland".

Latinized form of the Greek Δαίδαλος (Daidalos), which was derived from δαιδάλλω (daidallo) meaning "to work cunningly". In Greek myth Daedalus was an Athenian inventor who was banished to Crete. There he designed the Labyrinth for King Minos, but he and his son Icarus were eventually imprisoned inside it because he had aided Theseus in his quest against the Minotaur. Daedalus and Icarus escaped using wings fashioned from wax, but Icarus fell from the sky to his death.

Polish form of Cyril.

Means "hound of Culann" in Irish. This was the usual name of the warrior hero who was named Sétanta at birth, given to him because he took the place of one of Culann's hounds after he accidentally killed it. The Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology tells of Cúchulainn's many adventures, including his single-handed defence of Ulster against the army of Queen Medb.

Latin name that was derived from crescere "to grow". This name is mentioned briefly in one of Paul's epistles in the New Testament.

From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "crow ford" in Old English.

Romanian diminutive of Constantin.

From an English surname, derived from Old French cordoan "leather", ultimately from the name of the Spanish city of Cordova.

French form of the Breton name Kaourintin, possibly from korventenn meaning "hurricane, storm". Alternatively, it could be connected to the Brythonic root *karid meaning "love" (modern Breton karout). This was the name of a 5th-century bishop of Quimper in Brittany.

Feminine form of the Late Latin name Constantius, which was itself derived from Constans.

Means "harmony" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of harmony and peace.

From an English surname, originally from various place names, derived from the Old Norse byname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "farm, settlement". As a given name, its popularity spiked in the United States and Canada in 2001 when Colby Donaldson (1974-) appeared on the reality television show Survivor.

From an English surname that was originally derived from towns named Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". A famous bearer of the surname is former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).

From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "settlement by a cliff" in Old English.

From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "ford by a cliff" in Old English.

French masculine and feminine form of Claudius. In France the masculine name has been common since the Middle Ages due to the 7th-century Saint Claude of Besançon. It was imported to Britain in the 16th century by the aristocratic Hamilton family, who had French connections. A famous bearer of this name was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).

Swedish short form of Nicholas.

Combination of Christina and the name suffix bel (inspired by Latin bella "beautiful"). This name occurs in medieval literature, and was later used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his 1816 poem Christabel [1].

Variant of Kyle.

From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "camp meadow" in Old English.

Means "the black god" from Old Slavic čĭrnŭ "black" and bogŭ "god". According to a few late sources, Chernobog was a Slavic god of misfortune.

Variant of Chelsea.

French diminutive of Charles.

From Old French Charles le Magne meaning "Charles the Great". This is the name by which the Frankish king Charles the Great (742-814) is commonly known.

Derived from Greek χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness". This was the name of a 1st-century Greek novelist.

From the English word meaning "gaping void," ultimately from the Greek khaos "abyss, that which gapes wide open, is vast and empty." In Hesiod's 'Theogeny,' Chaos is the primeval emptiness of the Universe, who gave birth to Gaea (Mother Earth), Tartarus (embodiment of the underworld), Eros (god of love), Erebus (embodiment of silence), and Nyx (embodiment of night).

A rare purple semi-precious stone.

From a surname that was derived from the name of towns in England, meaning "settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.

Spanish form of Cyprianus (see Cyprian).

Spanish form of Caietanus (see Gaetano).

Roman cognomen meaning "wise" in Latin. This name was bestowed upon Cato the Elder (Marcus Porcius Cato), a 2nd-century BC Roman statesman, author and censor, and was subsequently inherited by his descendants, including his great-grandson Cato the Younger (Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis), a politician and philosopher who opposed Julius Caesar.

Romanian masculine form of Katherine.

Possibly a variant of Cassiel. It is the name of an angel in the grimoire the Heptameron, a work that is sometimes (probably incorrectly) attributed to the 13th-century philosopher Pietro d'Abano. It was also the name of a character (an angel) on the American television series Supernatural (2005-2020). The creator Eric Kripke chose it after an internet search revealed that Castiel was an angel associated with Thursdays, the day the show aired [1].

Latinized form of the Greek Κασταλία (Kastalia), which is of uncertain origin, possibly related to Greek καθαρός (katharos) meaning "clean, spotless, pure" or κασσύω (kassuô) "to stitch". This was the name of a nymph of the prophetic springs of the Delphic oracle on Mount Parnassos. She may be the same as the nymph Κασσωτίς (Kassôtis) (see Cassotis).

Short form of Casper.

Means "vine" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of Reuben in the Old Testament.

Anglicized form of Cairbre.

Variant of Caradog.

Means "Candlemas" in Spanish, ultimately derived from Spanish candela "candle". This name is given in honour of the church festival of Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of Christ in the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary.

From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Ceallacháin, itself from the given name Cellachán.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Calixtus.

French form of Calixtus.

Short form of Calvin and other names beginning with Cal.

Derived from the Welsh elements caer "fortress" and gwyn "white, blessed".

From Old Irish cáel meaning "slender". In Irish legend Cáel was a warrior of the Fianna and the lover of Créd.

Old Norse form of Bo 1.

Diminutive of Elizabeth, from a child's pronunciation of the final syllable. It is now associated with the main character from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).

Derived from the Old Norse elements brynja "armour" and herr "army, warrior".

Means "armour" in Old Norse.

Variant of Brice.

From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "birch wood" in Old Norse.

Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either "king, prince" or "raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.

Derived from the Slavic element borti meaning "fight, battle". This was the name of a 9th-century duke of Croatia.

Croatian short form of Baltazar, cognate of Slovene Boltežar and Hungarian Boldizsár.

Means "swiftness" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the man who marries Ruth. This was also the name of one of the two pillars that stood outside Solomon's Temple (with Jachin).

Modern variant of Blaise influenced by the English word blaze.

Danish diminutive of Bjørn.

Means "white top" from the Welsh elements barr "top, head" and gwyn "white, blessed". This is the name of a mountain range in Wales.

Derived from Slavic bĭrati "to take, to gather" (in an inflected form) and slava "glory".

Meaning unknown.

From a French surname meaning "beautiful mountain".

Derived from a diminutive of Scottish Gaelic beatha meaning "life".

Polish form of Basil 1.

Means "smiling" in Arabic, from the root بسم (basama) meaning "to smile".

German and Icelandic form of Balder.

From Old Norse Baldr meaning "hero, lord, prince", derived from baldr meaning "brave, bold". In Norse mythology Balder was the handsome son of Odin and Frigg. Because of the disturbing dreams he had when he was young, his mother extracted an oath from every thing in the world that it would not harm him. However the devious god Loki learned that she had overlooked mistletoe. Being jealous, he tricked the blind god Hoder into throwing a branch of mistletoe at Balder, which killed him.

Breton form of Cecilia.

From the Hebrew name עֲזַרְיָה (ʿAzarya) meaning "Yahweh has helped", derived from עָזַר (ʿazar) meaning "help" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of many Old Testament characters including of one of the three men the Babylonian king ordered cast into a fiery furnace. His Babylonian name was Abednego.

This name was assumed by Ayn Rand (1905-1982), originally named Alice Rosenbaum, a Russian-American writer and philosopher. She apparently based it on a Finnish name she had heard, but never seen written.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew אֲבִיָה (see Avia).

A Gaulish goddess of birth and midwifery known from figurines and inscriptions found in the area of modern-day France, Germany and Switzerland.

Her name has been speculated to derive from Proto-Indo-European *-wet- "to turn to; to be acquainted with", which then evolved into Proto-Celtic wet-o "turn".