Madyson's Personal Name List

Means "my rock is God" in Hebrew, derived from צוּר (tsur) meaning "rock" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this name is borne by a chief of the Merarite Levites at the time of the Exodus.

Latinized form of the Greek name Ζωτικός (Zotikos), derived from ζωτικός (zotikos) meaning "full of life". This was the name of several early saints.

Means "happiness" in Basque.

From the Xhosa root -zola meaning "calm".

Means "light, brilliance" in Hebrew.

Probably means "my music" in Hebrew, a possessive form of זִםְרָה (zimra) meaning "music, song". This was the name of a king of Israel according to the Old Testament. He ruled for only seven days, when he was succeeded by the commander of the army Omri. Another Zimri in the Old Testament was the the lover of the Midianite woman Cozbi.

Means "dawning, shining" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of Judah and the twin of Perez in the Old Testament.

Hebrew feminine form of Jordan.

Probably a variant of Xenia. This was the name of the main character in the 1990s television series Xena: Warrior Princess.

Feminine form of Xanthippos. This was the name of the wife of Socrates. Because of her supposedly argumentative nature, the name has been adopted (in the modern era) as a word for a scolding, ill-tempered woman.

From the Old English name Wigstan, composed of the elements wig "battle" and stan "stone". This was the name of a 9th-century Anglo-Saxon saint. It became rare after the Norman Conquest, and in modern times it is chiefly known as the first name of the British poet W. H. Auden (1907-1973).

From the English word for the season, derived from Old English winter.

German cognate of Wayland.

Originally a short form of names beginning with Old Frankish waddi or Old High German wetti meaning "pledge" (Proto-Germanic *wadją), or alternatively war meaning "aware, cautious" (Proto-Germanic *waraz).

Diminutive of Valeria.

From the Hebrew name אוּרִיָה (ʾUriya) meaning "Yahweh is my light", from the roots אוּר (ʾur) meaning "light, flame" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of a Hittite warrior in King David's army, the first husband of Bathsheba. David desired Bathsheba so he placed Uriah in the forefront of battle so he would be killed.

Derived from Latin unda meaning "wave". The word undine was created by the 16th-century Swiss author Paracelsus, who used it for female water spirits.

Probably derived from Latin umbra meaning "shadow". This name was created by Alexander Pope for a "dusky, melancholy sprite" in his poem 'The Rape of the Lock' (1712). A moon of Uranus bears this name in his honour.

Means "peace" in Igbo.

Anglicized form of Toirdhealbhach.

Means "to be alive" in Azerbaijani.

Spanish feminine form of Thomas.

Feminine form of Tiziano.

Means "ermine, weasel" in Inuktitut.

From Sino-Vietnamese 仙 (tiên) meaning "immortal, transcendent, celestial being, fairy".

Earlier form of Till.

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.

Thessaly is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. This name is borne by Thessaly Lerner, American stage, film and voice actress.

Means "warmth" in Welsh.

From Tibetan བསྟན་འཛིན (bstan-'dzin) meaning "upholder of teachings". This is one of the given names of the current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (1935-).

French form of Tatiana.

Variant of Asgall, Scottish Gaelic form of Ásketill. It is used by the MacAskill family of the Hebrides.

Russian and Ukrainian form of Thaïs (referring to the saint).

Variant of Sibylla.

Means "witty, lively" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin spiritus "breath, energy".

Variant of Sovann.

From a musical term for a musical composition for one or a few instruments (piano frequently being one of them) in three or four movements that vary in key and tempo, derived from the feminine past participle of Italian verb sonare (modern suonare) meaning "to play (an instrument); to sound."

Diminutive of Solomon.

From the Old Norse name Sigsteinn, which was derived from the elements sigr "victory" and steinn "stone".

Phonetic variant of St John.

From Συμεών (Symeon), the Old Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name Shimʿon (see Simon 1). In the Old Testament this is the name of the second son of Jacob and Leah and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the New Testament the Greek rendering Σίμων (Simon) is more common, though Συμεών occurs belonging to a man who blessed the newborn Jesus. He is recognized as a saint in most Christian traditions.

This name was also borne by a powerful 10th-century ruler of Bulgaria who expanded the empire to its greatest extent.

From the Old Norse name Sigríðr, which was derived from the elements sigr "victory" and fríðr "beautiful, beloved".

Irish form of Isabel.

Modern Hebrew form of Susanna.

From a surname that was originally derived from an Old English given name, which was formed of the elements sele "manor" and wine "friend".

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

Meaning unknown. This is the name of the Inuit goddess of the sea, sea animals and the underworld. According to some legends Sedna was originally a beautiful woman thrown into the ocean by her father. A dwarf planet in the outer solar system was named for her in 2004.

Means "harvest" in Amharic.

Means "pure, virtuous" or "truthful, true" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form सत्य and the feminine form सत्या.

From the Old German element sahso meaning "a Saxon". The Saxons were a Germanic tribe, their name ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife". Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642) was the wife of the Dutch painter Rembrandt.

French diminutive of Sandra.

Italian feminine form of Samuel.

Feminine form of Sabri.

Galician form of Isabel.

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.

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

From the English word meaning "daydream, fanciful musing", derived from Old French resverie, itself from resver meaning "to dream, to rave".

Means "friend of God" in Hebrew, from רֵעַ (reaʿ) meaning "friend" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is another name for Jethro. The fantasy author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a famous bearer.

French form of Reynard. Because of the medieval character Reynard the Fox, renard became a French word meaning "fox".

Means "remedy" in Catalan, a Catalan equivalent of Remedios.

Feminine form of Raziel.

Means "basil" in Arabic. This was the name of a wife of the Prophet Muhammad.

Means "flower" in Mapuche.

From the Old German elements rant meaning "rim (of a shield)" and wolf meaning "wolf". The Normans brought this name to England, where there existed already an Old Norse cognate Randúlfr, which had been introduced by Scandinavian settlers. Randolf became rare after the Middle Ages, though it was revived in the 18th century (usually in the spelling Randolph).

Feminine form of Ramiro.

Variant of Rabia.

Possibly from Mapuche küde meaning "burning torch".

From the Greek name Πτολεμαῖος (Ptolemaios), derived from Greek πολεμήϊος (polemeios) meaning "aggressive, warlike". Ptolemy was the name of several Greco-Egyptian rulers of Egypt, all descendants of Ptolemy I Soter, one of the generals of Alexander the Great. This was also the name of a 2nd-century Greek astronomer.

From the English word for the type of flower, also called self-heal, ultimately a derivative of the Latin word pruna "plum".

Modern Danish form of the name Pridbjørn, which was an old Scandinavian form of the Slavic (Wendish) name Predbor or Pridbor, which was possibly derived from Slavic perdŭ "first, in front of" and borti "to fight". It was imported into Danish via the medieval Putbus family, who were Slavic nobles from Rügen in Pomerania.

From the English word for a flat treeless grassland, taken from French prairie "meadow". This was used by Thomas Pynchon for a character in his novel 'Vineland' (1990).

Variant form of Pomelline. This name is best known for being one of the middle names of Charlotte Casiraghi (b. 1986), who is the daughter of Princess Caroline of Hanover (formerly of Monaco). She was given this middle name in honour of her ancestor Pomellina Fregoso (c. 1387-1468), a Genovese noblewoman who was the wife of Jean I of Monaco (c. 1382-1454). Her name had been gallicized to Pomelline in Monaco, as it was (and still is) predominantly a French-speaking country.

Means "abounding in song", derived from Greek πολύς (polys) meaning "much" and ὕμνος (hymnos) meaning "song, hymn". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of dance and sacred songs, one of the nine Muses.

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.

From an English word meaning "nightingale" (ultimately from Philomela). It has been used frequently in poetry to denote the bird.

Manx form of Patrick.

"Persinette" is a 1698 French fairy-tale by novelist Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force adapted from earlier 'Petrosinella' by Giambattista Basil and later adapted by the Grimms brothers to become 'Rapunzel'. The name was revived in the title of a child opera by the Austrian composer Albin Fries in 2019.

Contracted form of Petronel.

Danish and Norwegian short form of Petronilla.

French form of Pepin.

Means "child is family" in Yoruba.

Latinized form of the Greek Οἰνώνη (Oinone), derived from οἶνος (oinos) meaning "wine". In Greek mythology Oenone was a mountain nymph who was married to Paris before he went after Helen.

Derived from the Old German element uodil meaning "heritage" or ot meaning "wealth, fortune". Saint Odilia (or Odila) was an 8th-century nun who is considered the patron saint of Alsace. She was apparently born blind but gained sight when she was baptized.

From a Catalan title of the Virgin Mary, Nostra Senyora de Núria, meaning "Our Lady of Nuria". Nuria is a sanctuary in Spain in which there is a shrine containing a famous statue of Mary.

Means "bright moon" in Turkish, Azerbaijani and Kazakh, ultimately from Arabic نور (nūr) meaning "light" and Turkic ay meaning "moon".

Means "mother's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's maternal grandmother.

From Navajo nizhóní meaning "beautiful" [1].

From Sanskrit नील (nīla) meaning "dark blue".

Dutch diminutive of Agnes.

Possibly means "water lily" in an Australian Aboriginal language.

Croatian form of Nancy.

Possibly from Zapotec nadxiie lii meaning "I love you" or nayele' meaning "open".

Means "wild rose" in Persian.

Combination of Marie and Hélène. It can also be used as a French form of Milena.

Means "viburnum shrub" in Hebrew.

Means "lies" in Tupí. This name appears in the poem Caramuru (1781) by the Brazilian poet Santa Rita Durão.

French diminutive of Modestus.

Possibly derived from Swedish moder meaning "mother". This was the pen name of the Swedish author Moa Martinson (real name Helga Maria Martinson).

Finnish form of Miriam.

Means "peace" in Luganda.

Romanian form of Menodora.

Means "fish catcher" in Sanskrit.

Dutch diminutive of Maria.

This was the name of various characters in Greek mythology, including the wife of the river god Asopus. It also coincides with an architectural term (though this word is spelled differently in Greek, as μετόπη).

From the name of a village in Andorra where there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The name of the village may derive from Latin meridies meaning "midday".

Medieval Danish variant of Margrethe.

Derived from Latin melior meaning "better".

Probably a combination of Mel (from names such as Melanie or Melissa) with the suffix antha (from Greek ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). John Dryden used this name in his play Marriage a la Mode (1672).

Means "flower" in Zulu.

Derived from the Irish phrase mo mhúirnín meaning "my darling".

Finnish form of Magdalene.

Russian diminutive of Mariya.

Probably originally a Polish diminutive of Maria or Małgorzata.

German variant of Marcellus.

Scottish Gaelic form of Marcella, now also associated with Marjorie.

From a Dutch surname, derived from the name of a village in Savoy, France. It is given in honour of the Flemish and Dutch statesman Philips of Marnix (1540-1598), also a notable writer.

Means "coral" in Swahili, originally a borrowing from Arabic مرْجان (marjān).

Contraction of María and Fe (or other names that begin with Fe, such as Felisa).

Means "pearl" in Hebrew, ultimately from Greek μαργαρίτης (margarites).

Means "wish, desire" in Arabic.

Means "deer" in Mongolian, Azerbaijani, Armenian and Turkmen, referring to the Caspian Red Deer.

Means "made of the sea" in Esperanto, a derivative of maro "sea", ultimately from Latin mare.

Means "you have been humbled" in Shona.

Means "fragrant" in Sanskrit.

From Tupi maya arya meaning "great-grandmother".

Basque form of Magdalene.

Variant of Magali.

Occitan form of Magdalene.

Feminine form of Macario.

Means "silver" in Arabic.

Diminutive of Lucía.

Diminutive of Lucie.

This name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called Lucasta (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, whom he called lux casta "pure light".

Hungarian form of Roland.

Strictly feminine form of Lior.

Either a variant of Lynette or else from the name of the small bird, a type of finch.

Means "the day is born" in Albanian, from lind "to give birth" and ditë "day".

Meaning uncertain, possibly from Etruscan lupu "dead". Libitina was the Roman goddess of funerals, corpses and death.

Means "love" in Sotho.

German and Dutch feminine form of Leonius.

Anglicized form of Llywelyn influenced by Latin leo "lion".

Short form of Lorenz. This is also a German poetic word referring to the springtime.

From the Roman cognomen Laurentius, which meant "from Laurentum". Laurentum was a city in ancient Italy, its name probably deriving from Latin laurus "laurel". Saint Laurence was a 3rd-century deacon and martyr from Rome. According to tradition he was roasted alive on a gridiron because, when ordered to hand over the church's treasures, he presented the sick and poor. Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in the Christian world (in various spellings).

In the Middle Ages this name was common in England, partly because of a second saint by this name, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury. Likewise it has been common in Ireland due to the 12th-century Saint Laurence O'Toole (whose real name was Lorcán). Since the 19th century the spelling Lawrence has been more common, especially in America. A famous bearer was the British actor Laurence Olivier (1907-1989).

Means "playful, charming, desirable" in Sanskrit. According to the Puranas this was the name of one of the gopis, who were milkmaids devoted to the young Krishna. Additionally, in Shaktism, this is the name of a goddess who is also called Tripura Sundari.

Feminine form of Laelius, a Roman family name of unknown meaning. This is also the name of a type of flower, an orchid found in Mexico and Central America.

Modern Greek form of Cybele.

Means "ember moon" in Turkish.

Means "coral" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin corallium.

Basque form of Christina.

Means "cherry" in Finnish.

Greek form of Circe.

From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "Cyppel's people". The surname was borne by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), a British novelist born in India who wrote The Jungle Book and other works.

Means "friend" in Arabic.

Means "rainbow" in Hebrew.

German, Swedish and Estonian short form of Katherine.

Anglicized form of Caolán. This is also the name of a type of clay.

From the name of the month, which was originally named for Julius Caesar.

Cornish form of John.

Diminutive of Jean 1.

Means "he shines" in Hebrew, a derivative of אוֹר (ʾor) meaning "to shine". In the Old Testament this is the name of both a son of Manasseh and one of the ruling judges of the Israelites.

Means "nocturnal journey" in Arabic, derived from سرى (sarā) meaning "to travel by night". According to Islamic tradition, the Isra was a miraculous journey undertaken by the Prophet Muhammad.

Possibly from Greek ἰσμή (isme) meaning "knowledge". This was the name of the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta in Greek legend.

From the Hebrew name יִסְכָּה (Yiska) meaning "to behold". In the Old Testament this is the name of Abraham's niece, mentioned only briefly. This is the basis of the English name Jessica.

From a Scottish surname that was derived from the town of Irvine in North Ayrshire, itself named for the River Irvine, which is derived from Brythonic elements meaning "green water". Historically this name has been relatively common among Jews, who have used it as an American-sounding form of Hebrew names beginning with I such as Isaac, Israel and Isaiah [1]. A famous bearer was the Russian-American songwriter and lyricist Irving Berlin (1888-1989), whose birth name was Israel Beilin.

Means "fern field" in Basque.

Romanian diminutive of John.

Probably a variant of Iole.

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.

Means "faith" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic إيمان (ʾīmān).

Diminutive of Ifan.

Possibly a regional (Hebridean) diminutive of Iain.

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

Means "water serpent" in Greek, related to ὕδωρ (hydor) meaning "water". In Greek myth this was the name of a many-headed Lernaean serpent slain by Herakles. It is also the name of a northern constellation, as well as a moon of Pluto.

Means "daydream" in Turkish.

Derived from Old Norse hulda meaning "hiding, secrecy". This was the name of a sorceress in Norse mythology. As a modern name, it can also derive from archaic Swedish huld meaning "gracious, sweet, lovable" [2].

From Japanese 蛍 (hotaru) meaning "firefly".

Meaning uncertain, perhaps related to Greek ἕρση (herse) meaning "dew". In Roman legend this was the name of a Sabine woman who became the wife of Romulus.

Transferred use of the surname Hawley.

From the Punic name 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋 meaning "my grace is Ba'al", derived from Phoenician 𐤇𐤍𐤍 (ḥann) meaning "grace, favour" combined with the name of the god Ba'al. This name occurs often in Carthaginian history. It was most notably borne by the famed general and tactician Hannibal Barca, who threatened Rome during the Second Punic War in the 3rd century BC. It is also associated with the fictional villain Hannibal Lecter from the books by Thomas Harris (debuting 1981) and subsequent movie adaptations.

Finnish diminutive of Johanna or Hannah.

Diminutive of Hann.

Means "gracious" in Hebrew. This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament.

Means "wind" in Basque.

Derived from South Slavic gora meaning "mountain". It was popularized by the Croatian poet Ivan Goran Kovačić (1913-1943), who got his middle name because of the mountain town where he was born.

Probably means "exile" in Hebrew, though the Bible explains that it derives from גֵּר שָׁם (ger sham) meaning "a stranger there" (see Exodus 18:3). This is the name of a son of Moses in the Old Testament.

Variant of Gerber.

Basque variant form of John.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Fionnagáin, itself derived from the given name Fionnagán, a diminutive of Fionn. This is the surname of a relatively minor character in James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake (1939), the title of which was based on a 19th-century Irish ballad called Finnegan's Wake.

Feminine form of Fidel. It appears in the epic poem The Faerie Queene (1590) belonging to the sister of Speranza.

Means "violet" in Czech, referring to the flower. It may have originally referred to a person who lived near a sign bearing violets, or it may have been given to a person who lived in a place where violets grew.

Hungarian form of Francis. This is the Hungarian name of the composer Franz Liszt (1811-1886).

Means "radiance of the moon" in Turkish.

Diminutive of Faivish.

Latinized form of Eoforhild. This was the name of a 7th-century English saint.

Dutch form of Evelina.

French form of Evaristus.

Latinized form of Euanthe.

From Greek Εὐάδνη (Euadne), from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" possibly combined with Cretan Greek ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". This name was borne by several characters in Greek legend, including the wife of Capaneus. After Capaneus was killed by a lightning bolt sent from Zeus she committed suicide by throwing herself onto his burning body.

Cornish form of Iseult.

From the Hebrew name עֵשָׂו (ʿEsaw), which possibly meant "hairy". In the Old Testament Esau is the elder of the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca. Once when he was very hungry he sold his birthright to his twin Jacob for a bowl of stew. Later Jacob disguised himself as Esau and received the elder son's blessing from the blind Isaac. Esau, also called Edom, was the ancestor of the Edomites.

Derived from Gaulish epos meaning "horse" with the divine or augmentative suffix -on. This was the name of a Gaulish goddess of horses and fertility. She was worshipped not only in Gaul, but elsewhere in the Roman Empire.

Meaning unknown. This name first appeared in the late 19th century. It is the name of the main character in the novel Enola; or, her Fatal Mistake (1886) by Mary Young Ridenbaugh. The aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was named Enola Gay after the mother of the pilot, who was herself named for the book character.

Means "snowdrop (flower)" in Georgian (genus Galanthus).

Derived from Greek ἐνδύω (endyo) meaning "to dive into, to enter". In Greek mythology he was an Aeolian mortal loved by the moon goddess Selene, who asked Zeus to grant him eternal life. Zeus complied by putting him into an eternal sleep in a cave on Mount Latmos.

Dutch form of Emerentius.

From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "Elli's valley" in Old English.

Derived from Welsh elus meaning "kind, benevolent". This was the name of two kings of Powys in Wales.

Javanese variant of Eka 1.

Means "white snow" from the Welsh elements eira "snow" and gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the early 20th century.

Means "here is my wealth" in Urhobo.

From Hebrew אָדֹם (ʾaḏom) meaning "red" [2]. According to the Old Testament, Esau, who is described as having red skin, was given this name because he traded his birthright for a helping of red broth. The bible goes on to tell that Esau was the founder of the ancient nation of Edom, located to the south of the kingdom of Judah.

From the Old English name Æbbe, meaning unknown, perhaps a contracted form of a longer name. Saint Ebba was a 7th-century daughter of King Æthelfrith of Bernicia and the founder of monasteries in Scotland. Another saint named Ebba was a 9th-century abbess and martyr who mutilated her own face so that she would not be raped by the invading Danes.

Derived from the Old English element ealh "temple" combined with stan "stone".

Feminine form of Drusus.

Means "revolution" in Turkish.

Means "joy" in Amharic.

Feminine form of Desiderio. This was the Latin name of a 19th-century queen of Sweden, the wife of Karl XIV. She was born in France with the name Désirée.

Means "sea, ocean" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.

From a surname, recorded as de la Noye in French, indicating that the bearer was from a place called La Noue (ultimately Gaulish meaning "wetland, swamp"). It has been used in honour of American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), whose middle name came from his mother's maiden name.

From the Roman family name Cyprianus, which meant "from Cyprus". Saint Cyprian was a 3rd-century bishop of Carthage who was martyred under the Roman emperor Valerian.

Meaning unknown, possibly from Phrygian roots meaning either "stone" or "hair". This was the name of the Phrygian mother goddess associated with fertility and nature. She was later worshipped by the Greeks and Romans.

English form of the Late Latin name Clemens (or sometimes of its derivative Clementius), which meant "merciful, gentle". This was the name of 14 popes, including Saint Clement I, the third pope, one of the Apostolic Fathers. Another saint by this name was Clement of Alexandria, a 3rd-century theologian and church father who attempted to reconcile Christian and Platonic philosophies. It has been in general as a given name in Christian Europe (in various spellings) since early times. In England it became rare after the Protestant Reformation, though it was revived in the 19th century.

Diminutive of Clara.

Variant of Citlalli.

Latinized form of Greek Κίρκη (Kirke), possibly from κίρκος (kirkos) meaning "hawk". In Greek mythology Circe was a sorceress who changed Odysseus's crew into hogs, as told in Homer's Odyssey. Odysseus forced her to change them back, then stayed with her for a year before continuing his voyage.

Shortened form of the word chrysanthemum, the name of a flowering plant, which means "golden flower" in Greek.

From the name of the holiday, which means "Christ festival".

Means "grace" in Chewa.

Means "kindness, goodness" in Hebrew.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew חַיִּים (see Chaim).

Alternate transcription of Hebrew חַיִּים (see Chaim).

Means "moonlight" in Khmer.

Means "moon-faced girl" from Khmer ចន្ទ (chan) meaning "moon" and នារី (neari) meaning "woman, girl".

Possibly from cyrrid "bent, crooked" (a derivative of Old Welsh cwrr "corner") combined with ben "woman" or gwen "white, blessed". According to the medieval Welsh legend the Tale of Taliesin (recorded by Elis Gruffyd in the 16th century) this was the name of a sorceress who created a potion that would grant wisdom to her son Morfan. The potion was instead consumed by her servant Gwion Bach, who was subsequently reborn as the renowned bard Taliesin.

This name appears briefly in a poem in the Black Book of Carmarthen in the form Kyrridven [1] and in a poem in the Book of Taliesin in the form Kerrituen [2]. Some theories connect her to an otherwise unattested Celtic goddess of inspiration, and suppose her name is related to Welsh cerdd "poetry".

From the name of the flower, which is derived from Greek χελιδών (chelidon) meaning "swallow (bird)".

Variant of cattleya, a genus of orchids native to Central and South America, which were named for the British horticulturist William Cattley. This name was popularized by the main character from the movie Colombiana (2011).

From the name of the flowering shrub, which was named for the botanist and missionary Georg Josef Kamel.

From the Old Irish name Broccán, derived from bróc "shoe, sandal, greave" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several Irish saints, including Saint Patrick's scribe.

Limburgish form of Bruno.

Form of Briseis used in medieval tales about the Trojan War.

Derived from Welsh briallu meaning "primrose". This is a modern Welsh name.

Galician form of Veríssimo.

Derived from the Slavic element borna "protection" combined with mirŭ "peace, world".

Meaning uncertain, perhaps from Welsh brith, braith meaning "speckled".

From Yiddish בלום (blum) meaning "flower".

Possibly an early variant of Viviana. Alternatively, it may be a feminine derivative of the earlier Roman cognomen Vibianus.

Welsh diminutive of Elizabeth.

Italian feminine form of Benedict.

Means "festival" in Turkish.

French form of Basil 1.

Polish diminutive of Barbara.

Means "peace" in Turkish.

Basque form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1).

Variant of Beyle.

Means "spring" in Persian, Turkish and Azerbaijani.

Means "reserved" in Hebrew. This is both the name of a minor character and a place name in the Old Testament.

Means "of the moon" in Turkish and Azerbaijani, from Turkic ay "moon".

From Sanskrit अवनी (avanī) meaning "earth".

From Egyptian jtn meaning "solar disk". Aton was an Egyptian god of the sun, depicted as a solar disk with long rays extending downwards. The worship of Aton was especially extensive during the 14th-century BC reign of the pharaoh Akhenaton, who proclaimed Aton was the only god.

From the Greek Ἀταλάντη (Atalante) meaning "equal in weight", derived from ἀτάλαντος (atalantos), a word related to τάλαντον (talanton) meaning "a scale, a balance". In Greek legend she was a fast-footed maiden who refused to marry anyone who could not beat her in a race. She was eventually defeated by Hippomenes, who dropped three golden apples during the race causing her to stop to pick them up.

Latinized form of the Greek Ἀστραία (Astraia), derived from Greek ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star". Astraea was a Greek goddess of justice and innocence. After wickedness took root in the world she left the earth and became the constellation Virgo.

Feminine form of Asterios (see Asterius). In Greek mythology Asteria was a daughter of the Titans Phoebe and Coeus.

Means "beautiful soul" in Kazakh.

Italian variant form of Heinrich (see Henry).

Means "love" in Maori.

Feminine form of Argi. This is a Basque equivalent of Luz.

From the name of a plain that appears in the apocryphal book of 2 Esdras (verse 9:26) in some versions of the Old Testament. This place name was used by Marie Corelli for the title of an 1889 novel, which is probably the reason it gained some currency as a given name just after this time.

Diminutive of Arantzazu.

Meaning unknown. This name was (first?) used by William Congreve in his comedy The Old Bachelor (1693) and later by John Vanbrugh in his comedy The Confederacy (1705). This was the original given name of abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), who was born Araminta Ross.

Means "altar of the sky" from Latin ara "altar" and coeli "sky". This is an epithet of the Virgin Mary in her role as the patron saint of Lucena, Spain.

Means "joy" in Igbo.

Ancient Greek form of Anfisa.

Yiddish form of Anselm, used as a vernacular form of Asher.

From Sanskrit अञ्जलि (añjali) meaning "salutation".

Russian form of the Greek name Ἀνθοῦσα (Anthousa), which was derived from Greek ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". This was the name of a 9th-century Byzantine saint.

Possibly means "invincible" in Celtic. According to the Greco-Roman historian Cassius Dio [1], this was the name of a Briton goddess of victory who was invoked by Boudicca before her revolt.

Means "angel" in Maori.

Means "exalted nation" in Hebrew, from עַם (ʿam) meaning "people, nation" and רוּם (rum) meaning "to exalt". In the Old Testament, Amram is the father of Moses.

Feminine form of Ambrosios (see Ambrose).

Italian form of Amatus.

From Sanskrit अमर (amara) meaning "immortal" and जिति (jiti) meaning "victory, conquering".

Derived from Arabic العذراء (al-ʿadhrāʾ) meaning "the maiden". This is the name of a star in the constellation Canis Major.

Means "red dawn" in Turkish.

From alizarin crimson, the English name of a shade of red. The color is named after a red dye originally obtained from the root of the madder plant, ultimately from Arabic al-usara meaning "the juice". This was used for a male character in the romance novel 'Pandora' by Jilly Cooper.

Means "learned, expert, scholar" in Arabic.

Means "born on Sunday" in Akan.

Russian form of Agrippina.

Means "approach" in Albanian.

Variant of Aeron.

Means "my lord is Yahweh" in Hebrew, from אָדוֹן (ʾaḏon) meaning "lord, master" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of King David's sons in the Old Testament. Though he was the eldest surviving son of David, he was passed over as heir to the throne in favour of Solomon.

Means "eagle" in German.

Means "eldest daughter of her father" in Igbo.

Means "justice" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic عدل (ʿadala) meaning "to act justly".