ThatOneAuthorGirl's Personal Name List

Alternate transcription of Arabic ضياء (see Ziya), as well as the usual Urdu and Bengali transcription.

Means "life of Zeus", derived from Greek Ζηνός (Zenos) meaning "of Zeus" and βίος (bios) meaning "life". This was the name of the queen of the Palmyrene Empire, which broke away from Rome in the 3rd-century and began expanding into Roman territory. She was eventually defeated by the emperor Aurelian. Her Greek name was used as an approximation of her native Aramaic name.

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).

From an English surname of unknown meaning. It was introduced as a given name by American author Zane Grey (1872-1939). Zane was in fact his middle name — it had been his mother's maiden name.

Variant of Xandria.

From Chinese 欣 (xīn) meaning "happy, joyous, delighted" or 心 (xīn) meaning "heart, mind, soul" combined with 怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.

From Chinese 夏 (xià) meaning "summer, great, grand", 霞 (xiá) meaning "rosy clouds", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

English translation of Latin quod vult Deus meaning "whatever God wants", referring to the will of God. Also see Quodvultdeus.

Old diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element wentil (see Wendel). Saint Wendelin was a 6th-century hermit of Trier in Germany.

Short form of Sylvester.

The name of a star in the constellation Lyra. Its name is from Arabic الواقع (al-Wāqiʿ) meaning "the swooping (eagle)".

Probably of Persian origin, possibly a superlative form of 𐎺𐎢 (vahu) meaning "good". According to the Old Testament this was the name of the first wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia before he married Esther.

Derived from Greek τρυφή (tryphe) meaning "softness, delicacy". In the New Testament this name is mentioned briefly as belonging to a companion of Tryphena.

From the Hebrew name תִּרְצָה (Tirtsa) meaning "favourable". Tirzah is the name of one of the daughters of Zelophehad in the Old Testament. It also occurs in the Old Testament as a place name, the early residence of the kings of the northern kingdom.

Means "quiet, peaceful" in Zulu.

Variant of Théodorine.

Short form of Theodore, Theobald and other names that begin with Theo.

English Puritan name meaning 'firm' and 'fast'.

Directly taken from the English word sun which is ultimately derived from Middle English sunne. From Old English sunne (“sun; the Sun”), from Proto-Germanic *sunnǭ, from the heteroclitic inanimate Proto-Indo-European *sh̥₂uén (“sun; the Sun”), oblique form of *sóh₂wl̥.

In the USA, 14 boys and 5 girls were named SUN in 2018.

Simply from the English word silence, from Middle English from Old French, from Latin silentium, from silere "be silent". A popular virtue name amongst the Puritans in the 17th century, it was usually given to girls (very occasionally to boys), ultimately taken from the admonition of Saint Paul: "Let the women learn in silence, with all subjection." Translated into Latin it became Tace, which "in its turn developed into Tacey". It was used by Pamela Belle for a Puritan character in her novels Wintercombe, Herald of Joy and Treason's Gift.

Derived from Sanskrit शिव (śiva) meaning "benign, kind, auspicious". Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction and restoration, the husband of the mother goddess Parvati. Though he does not appear in the Vedas, Shiva nevertheless incorporates elements of Vedic deities such as the storm god Rudra. He is often depicted with four arms and a third eye, and has both fierce and gentle aspects.

In Shaivism, a Hindu denomination, he is regarded as the supreme god. The other major sect, Vaishnavism, views Vishnu and his avatars as supreme.

Feminine form of the Late Latin name Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word seraphim, which was Hebrew in origin and meant "fiery ones". The seraphim were an order of angels, described by Isaiah in the Bible as having six wings each.

This was the name of a 13th-century Italian saint who made clothes for the poor. As an English name, it has never been common.

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Seraphina.

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

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Sebastianus (see Sebastian).

Variant form of Scott.

Means "venom of God" in Hebrew. This is the name of an archangel in Jewish tradition, described as a destructive angel of death.

Latinized form of Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque Comus (1634).

The name was brought to public attention by Samuel A. Taylor's play Sabrina Fair (1953) and the movie adaptation Sabrina that followed it the next year. This is also the name of a comic book character, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, first introduced 1962 and with television adaptations in 1970-1974 and 1996-2003, both causing minor jumps in popularity. Another jump occurred in 1976, when it was used for a main character on the television series Charlie's Angels.

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 竜 or 龍 (see Ryū).

Meaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements hroð "fame" and wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements ron "spear" and gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel Ivanhoe (1819).

Anglicized form of the Irish name Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).

Perhaps a diminutive of Rosamund (compare Annemie, Rosemay), though it is claimed to be a combination of Rose with French amie "friend".

Latinized form of Roul, the Old French form of Rolf. Rollo (or Rolf) the Ganger was an exiled Viking who, in the 10th century, became the first Duke of Normandy. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.

Diminutive of Clarissa.

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.

From the English word rejoice meaning "feel or show great joy or delight".

Puritanical name.

Italian form of Prosper. This is the name of the main character, a shipwrecked magician, in The Tempest (1611) by William Shakespeare.

Means "like a fairy" in Persian, derived from پری (parī) meaning "fairy, sprite, supernatural being".

From the English word meaning "an adventurous voyage" and "a spiritual quest", derived from Greek Ὀδύσσεια (Odysseia), literally "of Odysseus". This is the name of the epic poem written by the Greek poet Homer around 8th century BC. Use of the name has been influenced by the 1981 Avon perfume called Odyssey.

Short form of Newton.

Feminine form of Nail. This was the name of the wife of Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. She tried in vain to prevent a mob from murdering her husband, and had several fingers cut off in the process.

Means "lord of snakes" from Sanskrit नाग (nāga) meaning "snake" (also "elephant") combined with the name of the Hindu god Indra, used here to mean "lord". This is another name for Vasuki, the king of snakes, in Hindu mythology.

German diminutive of Maria.

Form of Mary used in the Old Testament, where it belongs to the elder sister of Moses and Aaron. She watched over the infant Moses as the pharaoh's daughter drew him from the Nile. The name has long been popular among Jews, and it has been used as an English Christian name (alongside Mary) since the Protestant Reformation.

Variant of Madge.

Contracted form of Micaiah. Micah is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. He authored the Book of Micah, which alternates between prophesies of doom and prophesies of restoration. This is also the name of a separate person in the Book of Judges, the keeper of an idol. It was occasionally used as an English given name by the Puritans after the Protestant Reformation, but it did not become common until the end of the 20th century.

From the Roman name Maximilianus, which was derived from Maximus. It was borne by a 3rd-century saint and martyr. In the 15th century the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III gave this name to his son and eventual heir. In this case it was a blend of the names of the Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus (see Emiliano), whom Frederick admired. It was subsequently borne by a second Holy Roman emperor, two kings of Bavaria, and a short-lived Habsburg emperor of Mexico.

From the title of the Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea" in Latin. It can also be a combination of Maria and Estela.

Derived from Georgian მაყვალი (maqvali) meaning "blackberry".

Diminutive of Margaret.

French form of Magdalene.

From a Welsh surname meaning "son of Madoc". It was brought to public attention when the actress Angelina Jolie gave this name to her adopted son in 2002.

The name of the constellation in the northern sky containing the star Vega. It is said to be shaped after the lyre of Orpheus. This is the name of the main character in the His Dark Materials series of books by Philip Pullman (beginning 1995).

Means "from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king Lydos. In the New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the Protestant Reformation.

English form of Latin Lucas, from the Greek name Λουκᾶς (Loukas), probably a shortened form of Λουκανός (Loukanos) meaning "from Lucania", Lucania being a region in southern Italy. Luke was a doctor who travelled in the company of the apostle Paul. According to tradition, he was the author of the third gospel and Acts in the New Testament. He was probably of Greek ethnicity. He is considered a saint by many Christian denominations.

Due to the saint's renown, the name became common in the Christian world (in various spellings). As an English name, Luke has been in use since the 12th century alongside the Latin form Lucas. Both forms became popular throughout the English-speaking world towards the end of the 20th century. A famous fictional bearer was the hero Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movies, beginning in 1977.

From the Greek name Λίνος (Linos) meaning "flax". In Greek legend he was the son of the god Apollo, who accidentally killed him in a contest. Another son of Apollo by this name was the music teacher of Herakles. The name was also borne by the second pope, serving after Saint Peter in the 1st century. In modern times this was the name of a character in Charles Schulz's comic strip Peanuts.

From a German and Dutch surname that was derived from Old High German linta meaning "linden tree".

From Chinese 林 (lín) meaning "forest" or 琳 (lín) meaning "fine jade, gem". Other characters can also form this name.

Variant of Lily, or a diminutive of Lillian or Elizabeth.

Variant of Léopoldine influenced by Pauline.

Variant of Layla, and the usual Persian transcription.

This spelling was used by Lord Byron for characters in The Giaour (1813) and Don Juan (1819), and it is through him that the name was introduced to the English-speaking world.

Possibly derived from the name of the ancient city of Larisa in Thessaly, which meant "citadel". In Greek legends, the nymph Larisa was either a daughter or mother of Pelasgus, the ancestor of the mythical Pelasgians. This name was later borne by a 4th-century Greek martyr who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Church. The name (of the city, nymph and saint) is commonly Latinized as Larissa, with a double s. As a Ukrainian name, it is more commonly transcribed Larysa.

Diminutive of Elaine.

Anglicized form of Geier.

As a feminine name, it combines 喜 (ki, yoroko.basu, yoroko.bu) meaning "rejoice, pleasure" and 多 (ta, oo.i, masa.ni, masa.ru) meaning "frequent, many, much" with 江 (kou, e) meaning "bay, inlet" or 恵 (e, kei, megu.mi, megu.mu) meaning "blessing, favour, grace, kindness."
As a masculine name, it is used as 鍛 (tan, kita.eru) meaning "discipline, forge, train."

Kitae is very rarely given to both boys and girls, if given at all.

Anglicized form of Cillian, also used in France.

Means "premature child" in Arabic. This was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's first wife and the mother of all of his children, with the exception of one. She was a wealthy merchant and a widow when they married in the year 595. Muhammad received his first revelation 15 years after their marriage, and she was the first person to convert to Islam.

Means "love" in Cornish.

From Japanese 海 (kai) meaning "sea, ocean" combined with 斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation, or 翔 (to) meaning "soar, fly". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

From 右衛門/右エ門 (emon), shortened from Uemon, prefixed with a ka kanji, like 嘉 meaning "praise, esteem" or 加 meaning "addition."

English and Polish form of Latin Iohanna, which was derived from Greek Ἰωάννα (Ioanna), the feminine form of Ioannes (see John). This is the spelling used in the English New Testament, where it belongs to a follower of Jesus who is regarded as a saint. In the Middle Ages in England it was used as a Latinized form of Joan (the usual feminine form of John) and it became common as a given name in the 19th century.

From Chinese 佳 (jiā) meaning "good, auspicious, beautiful", 家 (jiā) meaning "home, family", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

English variant of Jennica, as well as a Swedish diminutive of Jenny, influenced by Annika.

Variant of Jenny Flore, a combination of Jenny and Flore probably modelled on Jennifer.

French cognate of Hyacinth 2.

Variant of Jason.

From Japanese 泉 (izumi) meaning "fountain, spring". This name can also be constructed from other combinations of kanji.

German form of Iseult, appearing in the 13th-century German poem Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg. In 1865 the German composer Richard Wagner debuted his popular opera Tristan und Isolde and also used the name for his first daughter.

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.

Means "beauty" in Sanskrit. This is another name of Lakshmi, the wife of the Hindu god Vishnu. A notable bearer was India's first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi (1917-1984).

Derived from the Germanic element id possibly meaning "work, labour" (Proto-Germanic *idiz). The Normans brought this name to England, though it eventually died out there in the Middle Ages. It was strongly revived in the 19th century, in part due to the heroine in Alfred Tennyson's poem The Princess (1847), which was later adapted into the play Princess Ida (1884) by Gilbert and Sullivan.

Though the etymology is unrelated, this is the name of a mountain on the island of Crete where, according to Greek myth, the god Zeus was born.

Variant of Hiram. This name was borne by Hyrum Smith (1800-1844), an early leader within the Mormon Church.

Meaning, "humaneness; benevolence."

Variant spelling of Hennessy.

Variant of Gwendolen.

Diminutive of Virginia.

English form of Geneviève.

From the name Gaynor, meaning "white, smooth, soft, gentle".

From a Scottish surname that was originally taken from the name of a village in Aberdeenshire, which means "field, area of land" in Gaelic.

From a Roman cognomen meaning "lucky, successful" in Latin. It was acquired as an agnomen, or nickname, by the 1st-century BC Roman general Sulla. It also appears in the New Testament belonging to the governor of Judea who imprisoned Saint Paul.

Due to its favourable meaning, this name was popular among early Christians, being borne by many early saints and four popes. It has been used in England since the Middle Ages, though it has been more popular in continental Europe. A notable bearer was the German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847).

Latinized form of Eridanos. This is the name of a constellation in the southern hemisphere named for a river god in Greek mythology.

Feminine form of Eliezer.

From the Greek word ἠχώ (echo) meaning "echo, reflected sound", related to ἠχή (eche) meaning "sound". In Greek mythology Echo was a nymph given a speech impediment by Hera, so that she could only repeat what others said. She fell in love with Narcissus, but her love was not returned, and she pined away until nothing remained of her except her voice.

Derived from Spanish dulce meaning "sweet". This name was (first?) used by Miguel de Cervantes in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it belongs to the love interest of the main character, though she never actually appears in the story.

From the Late Latin name Dominicus meaning "of the Lord". This name was traditionally given to a child born on Sunday. Several saints have borne this name, including the 13th-century founder of the Dominican order of friars. It was in this saint's honour that the name was first used in England, starting around the 13th century. It has historically seen more use among Catholics.

Means "joy" in Amharic.

From a surname that was originally taken from a place name meaning "valley island" in Old English.

A combination of Dell and Selena.

In the case of American author Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) it was from his mother's surname, which was possibly an Anglicized form of French de Chiel, of unknown meaning.

Feminine form of Dacian.

Possibly a variant of Caelan or Kylen.

Transferred use of the surname Corliss.

From Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles [1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.

The spelling was later altered to Cordelia when Geoffrey's story was adapted by others, including Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590) and Shakespeare in his tragedy King Lear (1606).

Either a French form of Koralia, or a derivative of Latin corallium "coral" (see Coral).

From a Welsh surname that was derived from the name of the River Conwy, which possibly means "foremost water" in Welsh.

Means "brave counsel", derived from the Old German elements kuoni "brave" and rat "counsel, advice". This was the name of a 10th-century saint and bishop of Konstanz, in southern Germany. It was also borne by several medieval German kings and dukes, notably Conrad II, the first of the Holy Roman Emperors from the Salic dynasty. In England it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, but has only been common since the 19th century when it was reintroduced from Germany.

Derived from the name of the flowering plants cleome, commonly known as "spider flowers, spider plants, spider weeds, bee plants".

Latinate form of Clarice. This is the name of the title character in a 1748 novel by Samuel Richardson. In the novel Clarissa Harlowe is a virtuous woman who is tragically exploited by her family and her lover. Another literary character by this name is Clarissa Dalloway from the novel Mrs. Dalloway (1925) by Virginia Woolf.

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

Allegedly means "affliction, sorrow". According to Irish legend Cessair was a granddaughter of Noah who died in the great flood. The name also belonged to a Gaulish princess who married the Irish high king Úgaine Mór in the 5th or 6th century BC.

Short form of Cassandra, Cassidy and other names beginning with Cass.

From an English surname that meant "one who uses a cart". A famous bearer of the surname is former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).

From a surname that was derived from the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.

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.

Latin form of Καμβύσης (Kambyses), the Greek form of the Old Persian name 𐎣𐎲𐎢𐎪𐎡𐎹 (Kabujiya), which is of uncertain meaning, possibly related to the geographical name Kamboja, a historical region in Central Asia [1]. Two Persian kings bore this name, including Cambyses II, the second ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, who conquered Egypt.

From a Middle English surname meaning "a Breton", referring to an inhabitant of Brittany. A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Brett Favre (1969-).

Derived from Irish brecc "freckled, speckled" combined with a diminutive suffix, making it a cognate of Brychan. This was a common name in early Ireland, borne by at least 13 saints.

English form of Atsalyahu via its latinized form Aslia. This was the name of a character from the Old Testament, who appeared in 2 Kings 22:3 (also known as 4 Kings 22:3). He was a son of Meshullam and was himself the father of Shaphan the scribe.

Although this biblical bearer is male, the Puritans used it as a feminine name in the 1600s, probably due to its similarity to other feminine names in use at the time (see Azelia and Azalea).

Probably a Latinized form of the Germanic name Aveza, which was derived from the element awi, of unknown meaning. The Normans introduced this name to England and it became moderately common during the Middle Ages, at which time it was associated with Latin avis "bird".

Variant of Aviana.

From Sanskrit अवनी (avanī) meaning "earth".

Variant of Aveline.

Early vernacular form of Eulalia, which survives in the French place name Saint-Aulaire, given in reference to the popular Spanish saint Eulalia of Mérida.

From a surname that was originally derived from either a place name meaning "east town" in Old English or from the given name Æðelstan.

From an English surname, itself derived from a place name meaning "ash tree town" in Old English. This was a rare masculine name until the 1980s, when it gradually began becoming more common for both genders. Inspired by the female character Ashton Main from the 1985 miniseries North and South, parents in America gave it more frequently to girls than boys from 1986 to 1997 [1]. Since then it has been overwhelmingly masculine once again, perhaps due in part to the fame of the actor Ashton Kutcher (1978-).

Transferred use of the surname Ashby.

Combination of the prefix a and Shayla.

Means "ear of grain" in Latin. This is the name of a star, also known as Spica, in the constellation Virgo.

Medieval English variant of Honora.

Combination of Anna and Beth.

This name was first brought to public attention in 1966 by the child actress Anissa Jones (1958-1976) [1]. In her case it was a transcription of the Arabic name أنيسة (see Anisa), given to honour her Lebanese heritage. Other parents who have since used this name may view it simply as an elaboration of Anna using the popular name suffix issa.

Variant of Andreas.

From Ἄμμων (Ammon), the Greek form of Egyptian jmn (reconstructed as Yamanu) meaning "the hidden one". In early Egyptian mythology he was a god of the air, creativity and fertility, who was particularly revered in Thebes. Later, during the Middle Kingdom, his attributes were combined with those of the god Ra and he was worshipped as the supreme solar deity Amon-Ra.

Invented name, maybe based on Alyssa or Alethea

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

Latinized form of Aloys, an old Occitan form of Louis. This was the name of an Italian saint, Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591). The name has been in occasional use among Catholics since his time.

Variant of Alira.

Means "clear quartz crystal" from the word allirea in Wurundjeri, spoken near Melbourne, Australia.

Means "niece" in Arrernte, spoken in Alice Springs, central Australia. It can also mean "daughter" in other Aboriginal languages.

Means "living, alive" in Arabic. This was the name of Muhammad's third wife, the daughter of Abu Bakr. Some time after Muhammad's death she went to war against Ali, the fourth caliph, but was defeated. Her name is used more by Sunni Muslims and less by Shias.

This name began to be used in America in the 1970s, possibly inspired by Princess Aisha of Jordan (1968-), the daughter of King Hussein and his British-born wife. It received a boost in popularity after Stevie Wonder used it for his first daughter in 1975.

Old French form of Aimeric.

Transferred use of the surname Afton. It is also the name of a river in Scotland, and it coincides with the Swedish noun afton meaning "evening".

This name enjoyed a brief revival in the early 1980s, thanks to the character of Afton Cooper from the popular American television series Dallas (1978-1991).

Means "belonging to Aditi" in Sanskrit. This is a name for the seven (or more) Hindu gods who are the children of Aditi. It is also another name for the sun god Surya.

Means "eldest daughter of her father" in Igbo.

Means "eldest daughter of the king" in Igbo.

Means "born into royalty" in Yoruba.

Means "we prayed and we received" in Yoruba.

Means "replacement" in Arabic.