Behind the Name: hesione's Personal Name List

Žydrė

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Lithuanian

From Lithuanian žydra meaning "light blue".

Zitkala

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Sioux

From Lakota zitkála meaning "bird".

Ziaeddin

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Persian

Other Scripts: ضیاءالدین(Persian)

Persian form of Ziya ad-Din.

Xiana

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Galician

Pronounced: shee-A-nu

From Xuliana, the Galician form of Juliana.

Xaime

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Galician

Galician form of Iacomus (see James).

Vytautė

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Lithuanian

Feminine form of Vytautas.

Voski

Gender: Feminine & Masculine

Usage: Armenian

Other Scripts: Ոսկի(Armenian)

Pronounced: vaws-KEE(Eastern Armenian) vaws-GEE(Western Armenian)

Means "gold" in Armenian.

Viorica

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Romanian

Pronounced: vee-o-REE-ka

Derived from Romanian viorea (see Viorel).

Viorel

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Romanian

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".

Veriko

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Georgian

Other Scripts: ვერიკო(Georgian)

Georgian diminutive of Vera 1.

Verdandi

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Norse Mythology

From Old Norse Verðandi meaning "becoming, happening". Verdandi was one of the three Norns, or goddesses of destiny, in Norse mythology. She was responsible for the present.

Vasso

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek

Other Scripts: Βάσω(Greek)

Alternate transcription of Greek Βάσω (see Vaso 2).

Vasiliki

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek

Other Scripts: Βασιλική(Greek)

Pronounced: va-see-lee-KYEE

Modern Greek feminine form of Basil 1.

Vasia

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek

Other Scripts: Βάσια(Greek)

Diminutive of Vasiliki.

Vaitiare

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Tahitian

From Tahitian vai "water" and tiare "flower".

Vaihere

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Tahitian

From Tahitian vai "water" and here "loved, dear".

Tyche

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek Mythology

Other Scripts: Τύχη(Ancient Greek)

Pronounced: TUY-KEH(Classical Greek) TIE-kee(English)

Means "chance, luck, fortune" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of fortune, luck and fate.

Tonalli

Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: Nahuatl

Means "day, warmth of the sun" in Nahuatl [1].

Tionge

Gender: Feminine & Masculine

Usage: Chewa, Tumbuka

Means "we thank" in Chewa and Tumbuka.

Tiare

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Tahitian

Means "flower" in Tahitian, also specifically referring to the species Gardenia taitensis.

Thandiwe

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele

Pronounced: tan-DEE-weh

Means "loving one" in Xhosa, Zulu and Ndebele, from thanda "to love".

Tesfaye

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Amharic

Other Scripts: ተስፋዬ(Amharic)

From Amharic ተስፋ (tasfa) meaning "hope".

Suvi

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Finnish

Pronounced: SOO-vee

Means "summer" in Finnish.

Sohvi

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Finnish

Pronounced: SOKH-vee

Finnish form of Sophia.

Skenandoa

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Oneida (Anglicized)

Possibly from Oneida oskanutú meaning "deer". This was the name of an 18th-century Oneida chief. According to some sources the Shenandoah River in Virginia was named after him, though the river seems to have borne this name from before his birth. It is possible that he was named after the river, or that the similarity in spellings is a coincidence.

Renza

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Italian

Pronounced: REHN-tsa

Short form of Lorenza.

Remei

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Catalan

Pronounced: rə-MAY

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

Rahela

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Romanian, Croatian, Serbian

Other Scripts: Рахела(Serbian)

Romanian, Croatian and Serbian form of Rachel.

Parvaneh

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Persian

Other Scripts: پروانه(Persian)

Pronounced: par-vaw-NEH

Means "butterfly" in Persian.

Päivi

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Finnish

Pronounced: PAY-vee

Derived from Finnish päivä meaning "day".

Njeri

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Kikuyu

Means "travelling one" in Kikuyu. Njeri (or Wanjeri) is the name of one of the nine daughters of Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin legend.

Nicte

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Mayan (Hispanicized)

From Yucatec Maya nikte' meaning "flower" or specifically "plumeria flower". It is derived from Classic Maya nich "flower" and te' "tree" [1].

Nazaret

Gender: Feminine & Masculine

Usage: Spanish, Armenian

Other Scripts: Նազարեթ(Armenian)

Pronounced: na-tha-REHT(European Spanish) na-sa-REHT(Latin American Spanish) nah-zah-REHT(Armenian)

From Nazareth, the town in Galilee where Jesus lived. This name is primarily feminine in Spanish and primarily masculine in Armenian.

Nayeli

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Zapotec (Hispanicized), Spanish (Mexican)

Pronounced: na-YEH-lee(Spanish)

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

Nanabah

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Navajo

Means "returning warrior" in Navajo, derived from nááná "again" and baa' "warrior, heroine, raid, battle".

Naiche

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Apache

Means "mischief maker" in Apache. This name was borne by a 19th-century Chiricahua Apache chief, the son of Cochise.

Mozhdeh

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Persian

Other Scripts: مژده(Persian)

Pronounced: mozh-DEH

Means "good news" in Persian.

Mervi

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Finnish

Pronounced: MEHR-vee

From the name of a Finnish village (now a part of the municipality of Hattula).

Maruxa

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Galician

Pronounced: ma-ROO-shu

Galician diminutive of Maria.

Mariyan

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Bulgarian

Other Scripts: Мариян(Bulgarian)

Bulgarian form of Marianus.

Marilag

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Tagalog

Pronounced: ma-ree-LAG

Means "beautiful, gorgeous" in Tagalog.

Marikit

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Tagalog

Pronounced: ma-ree-KEET

Means "beautiful, pretty" in Tagalog.

Malinalli

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Nahuatl

Means "tall grass" in Nahuatl [1].

Maina

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Kikuyu

Means "sing, dance" in Kikuyu. Kikuyu males were traditionally organized into age sets or generations, each lasting about 30 years. The Maina generation occupied the last part of the 19th century.

Magdalini

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek

Other Scripts: Μαγδαληνή(Greek)

Modern Greek transcription of Magdalene.

Madina

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Tajik, Uzbek, Kazakh, Avar, Chechen

Other Scripts: Мадина(Tajik, Uzbek, Avar, Chechen) Мәдина(Kazakh)

From the name of the city of Medina, Arabic المدينة (al-Madīna), which means "the city". The Saudi city is considered an Islamic holy site because the Prophet Muhammad was based there for a period.

Lyssa 2

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek Mythology

Other Scripts: Λύσσα(Ancient Greek)

Means "rage, fury, anger" in Greek. In Greek mythology Lyssa is a goddess associated with uncontrolled rage.

Lishan

Gender: Feminine & Masculine

Usage: Amharic

Other Scripts: ሊሻን(Amharic)

Means "award" in Amharic.

Kylli

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Finnish

Pronounced: KUYL-lee

Short form of Kyllikki.

Kirsi

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Finnish

Pronounced: KEER-see

Finnish form of Christina, or a short form of Kirsikka. It also means "frost" in Finnish.

Katrė

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Lithuanian

Lithuanian short form of Kotryna.

Katayun

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Persian

Other Scripts: کتایون(Persian)

Pronounced: ka-taw-YOON

Alternate transcription of Persian کتایون (see Katayoun).

Kaiti

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek

Other Scripts: Καίτη(Greek)

Pronounced: KEH-tee

Alternate transcription of Greek Καίτη (see Keti 2).

Itoro

Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: Ibibio

Means "praise, glory" in Ibibio.

Ismini

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek

Other Scripts: Ισμήνη(Greek)

Modern Greek form of Ismene.

Iracema

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Tupi

Means "honey lips" in Tupi, from yra "honey" and tembe "lips". This is the name of an 1865 novel by José de Alencar, about the relationship between a Tupi woman and a Portuguese man during the early colonial period. Alencar may have constructed the name so that it would be an anagram of America.

Inyene

Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: Ibibio

Means "wealth" in Ibibio.

Ignat

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Russian, Bulgarian

Other Scripts: Игнат(Russian, Bulgarian)

Russian and Bulgarian form of Ignatius.

Heli 2

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Finnish, Estonian

Pronounced: HEH-lee(Finnish)

Diminutive of Helena. In Estonian this coincides with the word heli meaning "sound".

Heitiare

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Tahitian

From Tahitian hei "crown, garland" and tiare "flower".

Foteini

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek

Other Scripts: Φωτεινή(Greek)

Alternate transcription of Greek Φωτεινή (see Fotini).

Enyonam

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Ewe

Means "it is good for me" in Ewe.

Ennis

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

From an Irish surname that was derived from inis meaning "island".

Enitan

Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: Yoruba

Means "person with a story, storied person" in Yoruba.

Endrit

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Albanian

From Albanian dritë meaning "light".

Emiel

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Dutch

Pronounced: eh-MEEL

Dutch form of Aemilius (see Emil).

Drury

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: DREW-ree

Transferred use of the surname Drury. Drury Lane is a famous street in London, home to the Theatre Royal, and well known as the nursery rhyme locale of The Muffin Man.

Danai 1

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek

Other Scripts: Δανάη(Greek)

Pronounced: dha-NA-ee

Modern Greek transcription of Danaë.

Cochise

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Apache (Anglicized)

Meaning uncertain, possibly from Apache go-chizh "his firewood" or go-chįh "his nose". This was the name of a 19th-century chief of the Chiricahua Apache.

Berhane

Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: Amharic

Other Scripts: ብርሃኔ(Amharic)

Means "my light" in Amharic.

Aýna

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Turkmen

Means "mirror" in Turkmen, ultimately from Persian آینه (āyneh).

Auli

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Finnish

Pronounced: OW-lee

Short form of Aulikki.

Asya 1

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Russian, Bulgarian

Other Scripts: Ася(Russian, Bulgarian)

Pronounced: A-syə(Russian)

Diminutive of Anastasiya or Aleksandra.

Aronne

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Italian, Biblical Italian

Pronounced: a-RAWN-neh(Italian)

Italian form of Aaron.

Anuki

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Georgian

Other Scripts: ანუკი(Georgian)

Diminutive of Ana.

Antoniu

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Romanian

Romanian form of Antonius (see Anthony).

Annick

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Breton, French

French form of Breton Annaig, a diminutive of Anna.

Anara

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Kazakh, Kyrgyz

Other Scripts: Анара(Kazakh, Kyrgyz)

Pronounced: ah-nah-RAH(Kazakh)

From Kazakh and Kyrgyz анар (anar) meaning "pomegranate", a word ultimately derived from Persian.

Amaru

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Quechua

Means "snake" in Quechua. It was borne by Tupaq Amaru and Tupaq Amaru II, two Inca leaders after the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire (in the 16th and 18th centuries).

Amahle

Gender: Masculine & Feminine

Usage: Zulu

Means "the beautiful ones" in Zulu.

Amadou

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Western African

Form of Ahmad used in parts of French-influenced West Africa.

Alon 2

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Tagalog

Pronounced: A-lon

Means "wave" in Tagalog.

Alheri

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Hausa

Means "the charitable, the good" in Hausa, from Arabic خير (khayr).

Alexandrie

Gender: Feminine

Usage: French (Rare)

Pronounced: A-LEHK-SAHN-DREE

French variant of Alexandra.

Aleka

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek

Other Scripts: Αλέκα(Greek)

Diminutive of Alexandra.

Ainārs

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Latvian

From Latvian aina meaning "scene, sight".

Aili

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Finnish, Estonian

Pronounced: IE-lee(Finnish)

Finnish and Estonian form of Áile.

Adva

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Hebrew

Other Scripts: אַדְוָה(Hebrew)

Pronounced: ahd-VAH

Means "small wave, ripple" in Hebrew.

Adsila

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Cherokee

From Cherokee ᎠᏥᎳ (atsila) "fire" or ᎠᏥᎸᏍᎩ (atsilunsgi) "flower, blossom".