Mog-Log's Personal Name List
Zoraida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: tho-RIE-dha(European Spanish) so-RIE-dha(Latin American Spanish)
Perhaps means
"enchanting" or
"dawn" in Arabic. This was the name of a minor 12th-century Spanish
saint, a convert from Islam. The name was used by Cervantes for a character in his novel
Don Quixote (1606), in which Zoraida is a beautiful Moorish woman of Algiers who converts to Christianity and elopes with a Spanish officer.
Zophia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare), Danish (Modern, Rare), Polish (Archaic)
English and Danish variant of
Sophia as well as an archaic Polish variant of
Zofia.
Zlata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Злата(Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian)
Pronounced: ZLA-ta(Czech) ZLA-tə(Russian)
Zina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Зина(Russian)
Zia
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu, Bengali
Other Scripts: ضياء(Arabic) ضیاء(Urdu) জিয়া(Bengali)
Pronounced: dee-YA(Arabic)
Alternate transcription of Arabic
ضياء (see
Ziya), as well as the usual Urdu and Bengali transcription.
Zendaya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Modern)
Pronounced: zən-DAY-ə(English)
Borne by the American actress Zendaya Coleman (1996-), known simply as Zendaya. Her name was apparently inspired by the Shona name
Tendai.
Zelda 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish
Other Scripts: זעלדאַ(Yiddish)
Possibly a feminine form of
Zelig.
Zachària
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Corsican
Pronounced: tsa-KA-rya
Yina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 宜娜, 毅娜, 义娜, 益娜, 怡娜, 仪娜, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: EE-NAH
Combination of the names
Yi and
Na, can be also form of
Ina.
Yevgeniya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Евгения(Russian)
Pronounced: yiv-GYEH-nyi-yə, iv-GYEH-nyi-yə
Yara 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tupi
Xophia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Obscure
Xi
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 曦(Chinese)
Pronounced: SHEE
From Chinese 曦 (xī) meaning "sunshine" or "dawn sunlight."
Wonder
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American)
From the English word, "Wonder."
Wolf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Jewish, English (Rare), Germanic [1]
Other Scripts: װאָלףֿ(Yiddish)
Pronounced: VAWLF(German) WUWLF(English)
Short form of
Wolfgang,
Wolfram and other names containing the Old German element
wolf meaning
"wolf" (Proto-Germanic *
wulfaz). It can also be simply from the German or English word. As a Jewish name it can be considered a vernacular form of
Zeev.
Wish
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Meaning "a desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen". From Middle English wisshen, from Old English wȳscan "to wish", from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną "to wish", from Proto-Indo-European *wun-, *wenh₁- "to wish, love". Cognate with Scots wis "to wish", Saterland Frisian wonskje "to wish", West Frisian winskje "to wish", Dutch wensen "to wish", German wünschen "to wish", Danish ønske "to wish", Icelandic óska "to wish", Latin Venus, veneror "venerate, honour, love".
Wisdom
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: WIZ-dəm
Simply from the English word, a derivative of Old English wis "wise".
Winter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIN-tər
From the English word for the season, derived from Old English winter.
Willow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIL-o
From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.
Wilbur
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIL-bər
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.
Walter
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Italian, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: WAWL-tər(English) VAL-tu(German) VAL-tehr(Swedish, Italian)
From the Germanic name
Waltheri meaning
"power of the army", from the elements
walt "power, authority" and
heri "army". In medieval German tales (notably
Waltharius by Ekkehard of
Saint Gall) Walter of Aquitaine is a heroic king of the Visigoths. The name was also borne by an 11th-century French saint, Walter of Pontoise. The
Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English
cognate Wealdhere.
A famous bearer of the name was the English courtier, poet and explorer Walter Raleigh (1552-1618). It was also borne by Walter Scott (1771-1832), a Scottish novelist who wrote Ivanhoe and other notable works.
Walker
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WAWK-ər
From an English surname that referred to the medieval occupational of a walker, also known as a fuller. Walkers would tread on wet, unprocessed wool in order to clean and thicken it. The word ultimately derives from Old English wealcan "to walk".
Virtue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan)
This name was very occasionally used by Puritan parents in 17th century England. It ltimately derived from Latin virtus "manliness; valor; worth".
Virginia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Βιργινία(Greek)
Pronounced: vər-JIN-yə(English) veer-JEE-nya(Italian) beer-KHEE-nya(Spanish)
Feminine form of the Roman family name
Verginius or
Virginius, which is of unknown meaning, but long associated with Latin
virgo "maid, virgin". According to a legend, it was the name of a Roman woman killed by her father so as to save her from the clutches of a crooked official.
This was the name of the first English baby born in the New World: Virginia Dare in 1587 on Roanoke Island. Perhaps because of this, the name has generally been more popular in America than elsewhere in the English-speaking world, though in both Britain and America it was not often used until the 19th century. The baby was named after the Colony of Virginia, which was itself named for Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen. A more recent bearer was the English novelist Virginia Woolf (1882-1941).
Violette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: VYAW-LEHT
Violet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VIE-lit, VIE-ə-lit
From the English word violet for the purple flower, ultimately derived from Latin viola. It was common in Scotland from the 16th century, and it came into general use as an English given name during the 19th century.
Vilhelmiina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: VEEL-hehl-mee-nah
Victoria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, French, Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: vik-TAWR-ee-ə(English) beek-TO-rya(Spanish) vik-TO-rya(German) VEEK-TAW-RYA(French) week-TO-ree-a(Latin)
Means
"victory" in Latin, being borne by the Roman goddess of victory. It is also a feminine form of
Victorius. This name was borne by a 4th-century
saint and martyr from North Africa.
Though in use elsewhere in Europe, the name was very rare in the English-speaking world until the 19th century, when Queen Victoria began her long rule of Britain. She was named after her mother, who was of German royalty. Many geographic areas are named after the queen, including an Australian state and a Canadian city.
Via
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Modern), Popular Culture
Short form of names ending in -via. In the USA the popularity of this name was triggered by the movie Wonder (2017) where the main character Olivia goes by Via.
Verbena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Pronounced: vər-BEEN-ə(English)
From the name of the verbena plant, which is derived from Latin verbena meaning "leaves, twigs".
Venus
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: WEH-noos(Latin) VEE-nəs(English)
Means
"love, sexual desire" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of love and sex. Her character was assimilated with that of the Greek goddess
Aphrodite. As the mother of
Aeneas she was considered an ancestor of the Roman people. The second planet from the sun is named after her.
Usagi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: OO-SA-GYEE(Japanese)
Means "rabbit" in Japanese. This name was used on the Japanese television show Sailor Moon, which first aired in the 1990s.
Unity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: YOO-ni-tee
From the English word unity, which is ultimately derived from Latin unitas.
Unique
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: yoo-NEEK
From the English word unique, ultimately derived from Latin unicus.
Twilight
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: TWIE-liet
From the English word referring to the time of day when the sun is just below the horizon. Ultimately from Old English
twi- "half" +
līht "light".
As a given name, it has been in rare use from the early 20th century onwards.
Tulip
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TOO-lip, TYOO-lip
From the name of the flower. Ultimately from Persian
dulband, "turban", from the shape of the opened flower.
As a given name, it has been occasionally used from the 19th century onwards.
Tsunami
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Various
Other Scripts: つなみ(Japanese Hiragana) 維美, 紀三, 純美, 津波, 純魅, 津奈美, 津那実, 津名魅, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: tsoo-NAH-mee(English) soo-NAH-mee(English)
From Japanese 津波 (tsunami) meaning "a tsunami, a tidal wave", which is a compound 津 (tsu) meaning "harbor" and 波 (nami) meaning "wave". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Trust
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare, Archaic)
Middle English from Old Norse traust, from traustr ‘strong’; the verb from Old Norse treysta, assimilated to the noun.
Trixie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TRIK-see
Trees
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: TREHS
Tom 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: TAHM(American English) TAWM(British English, Dutch, Norwegian)
Short form of
Thomas. Tom Sawyer is the main character in several of Mark Twain's novels, first appearing in
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Other famous bearers include American actors Tom Hanks (1956-) and Tom Cruise (1962-), as well as American football player Tom Brady (1977-).
Todd
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TAHD(American English) TAWD(British English)
From an English surname meaning "fox", derived from Middle English todde. As a given name it was rare before 1930. It peaked in popularity in most parts of the English-speaking world in the 1960s or 70s, but it has since declined.
Tina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Тина(Macedonian) თინა(Georgian)
Pronounced: TEE-nə(English) TEE-na(Italian, Dutch)
Short form of
Christina,
Martina and other names ending in
tina. In addition to these names, it is also used in Dutch as a short form of
Catharina, in Swedish and Croatian as a short form of
Katarina, and in Georgian as a short form of
Tinatin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.
Tigerlily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TIE-gər-lil-ee
From tiger lily, a name that has been applied to several orange varieties of lily (such as the species Lilium lancifolium). Tiger Lily is also the name of the Native American princess in J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan (1904).
Tia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEE-ə
Short form of names ending with
tia. It has been suggested that its use since the 1950s is the result of the brand name for the coffee liqueur Tia Maria
[1]. In the brand name,
Tia is not a given name; rather, it means "aunt" in Spanish or Portuguese.
Texas
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: TEHK-səs(English)
From the name of the state in the southern United States. It may be derived from Spanish Texas, itself from Hasinai Caddo táyshaʔ meaning "friend, ally", used to refer to the Caddo nation. Alternatively, it could be derived from Spanish tejo, meaning "yew tree".
Tex
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEHKS
From a nickname denoting a person who came from the state of Texas. A famous bearer was the American animator Tex Avery (1908-1980), real name Frederick, who was born in Texas.
Tess
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: TEHS
Short form of
Theresa. This is the name of the main character in Thomas Hardy's novel
Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891).
Terra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEHR-ə
Variant of
Tara 1, perhaps influenced by the Latin word
terra meaning "land, earth".
Teena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: tee-nuh
Tawny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: TAW-nee
From the English word, ultimately deriving from Old French tané, which means "light brown".
Tami
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TAM-ee
Tabitha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ταβιθά(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TAB-i-thə(English)
Means
"gazelle" in Aramaic. Tabitha in the
New Testament was a woman restored to life by
Saint Peter. Her name is translated into Greek as
Dorcas (see
Acts 9:36). As an English name,
Tabitha became common after the
Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the television show
Bewitched, in which Tabitha (sometimes spelled Tabatha) is the daughter of the main character.
Sylvia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
Pronounced: SIL-vee-ə(English) SIL-vee-ya(Dutch) SUYL-vee-ah(Finnish)
Variant of
Silvia. This has been the most common English spelling since the 19th century.
Susannah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: שׁוֹשַׁנָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: soo-ZAN-ə(English)
Sunset
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
From the English word "sunset" referring to the setting of the sun at the end of the day.
Sunrise
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
From the English word sunrise, referring to a time in the morning when the sun appears.
Sunny
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUN-ee
From the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".
Suma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Hindi, Odia
Other Scripts: ಸುಮಾ(Kannada) సుమ(Telugu) സുമ(Malayalam) সুমা(Bengali) सुमा(Hindi) ସୁମା(Odia)
Pronounced: Soo-muh(Kannada)
Derived from Sanskrit सुम (suma) meaning "flower" as well as "moon" or "camphor".
Sugar
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHUW-gər, SHUW-gə
Nickname derived from the English word, usually referring to someone with a sweet personality.
Starbuck
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare), Literature, Popular Culture
Transferred use of the surname
Starbuck.
Other sources say that a starbuck was someone who gathered willow-twigs and reed along the riverside for the weaving of baskets. Mostly, these people lived along those riversides as well. As such, it could very well be that these people were referred to as people from the (great) river, which would have been stor bokki during the time where the Vikings came to England. Over the years, language sound shifts probably resulted in them being called starbecks and finally starbucks.
In literature, Starbuck was the name of the chief mate in Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick (1851). Also, in popular culture, Starbuck was the callsign of a character in the TV series Battlestar Galactica. The character was male in the original series from 1978, but female in the re-imagined series from 2004.
A notable bearer of this name in real life is Gabriel Starbuck Brown (b. 1989), one of the people featured in the American reality television series Alaskan Bush People (2014).
Stara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: Star-uh
Star
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: STAHR
From the English word for the celestial body, ultimately from Old English steorra.
Stacey
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: STAY-see
Spring
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SPRING
From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English springan "to leap, to burst forth".
Spike
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SPIEK
From a nickname that may have originally been given to a person with spiky hair.
Sparkle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American, Trinidadian Creole
Pronounced: SPAHR-kəl(English)
Middle English frequentative (verb) or diminutive (noun) of spark.
Sophina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Sophie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: SAW-FEE(French) SO-fee(English) zo-FEE(German) so-FEE(Dutch)
Sophiane
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic (Maghrebi)
Sophia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek, German, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σοφία(Greek)
Pronounced: so-FEE-ə(English) sə-FIE-ə(British English) so-FEE-a(Greek) zo-FEE-a(German)
Means
"wisdom" in Greek. This was the name of an early, probably mythical,
saint who died of grief after her three daughters were martyred during the reign of the emperor Hadrian. Legends about her probably arose as a result of a medieval misunderstanding of the phrase
Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom", which is the name of a large basilica in Constantinople.
This name was common among continental European royalty during the Middle Ages, and it was popularized in Britain by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century. It was the name of characters in the novels Tom Jones (1749) by Henry Fielding and The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) by Oliver Goldsmith.
In the United States this name was only moderately common until the 1990s when it began rising in popularity, eventually becoming the most popular for girls from 2011 to 2013. A famous bearer is the Italian actress Sophia Loren (1934-).
Soph
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Sofianne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: so-fee-an
Snow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SNO
From the English word, derived from Old English snāw.
Snoopy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: SNOO-pee
In PEANUTS, Snoopy is the beagle. He is one of the major characters.
Skyler
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKIE-lər
Variant of
Schuyler, based on the pronunciation of the surname but respelled as if it was a blend of the English word
sky with names such as
Tyler. It was rare before 1980, and first gained popularity as a name for boys. It is now more common for girls, though it is more evenly unisex than the mostly feminine variant
Skylar.
Sirius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: SIR-ee-əs(English)
The name of a bright star in the constellation Canis Major, derived via Latin from Greek
σείριος (seirios) meaning
"burning".
Shiva 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Other Scripts: शिव(Sanskrit, Nepali) శివ(Telugu) சிவா(Tamil) ಶಿವ(Kannada) ശിവ(Malayalam)
Pronounced: SHEE-və(English)
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.
Shanta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
Other Scripts: शान्ता(Sanskrit, Nepali) शांता(Hindi, Marathi)
Means
"pacified, calm" in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the
Ramayana this is the name of a princess of Anga who marries Rishyasringa.
Shannon
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHAN-ən
From the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called
an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure
Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish
sen "old, ancient"
[1]. As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.
Shakira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: شاكرة(Arabic)
Pronounced: SHA-kee-ra
Feminine form of
Shakir. A famous bearer is the Colombian singer Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (1977-), known simply as Shakira.
September
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: sehp-TEHM-bər
From the name of the ninth month (though it means "seventh month" in Latin, since it was originally the seventh month of the Roman year), which is sometimes used as a given name for someone born in September.
Secret
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SEE-krit
From the English word secret, which is ultimately from Latin secretus "set apart, hidden, private".
Schneewittchen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Schneeweißchen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Means
"snow white" in High German, thus a
cognate of Low German
Sneewittchen (see
Snow White). This is the name of a peasant girl in the German folktale
Snow-White and Rose-Red, recorded by the Brothers Grimm in 1837. Her sister is
Rosenrot, translated into English as
Rose-Red. This story is distinct from the Grimms' earlier tale
Snow White.
Scarlett
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SKAHR-lit
From an English surname that denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet (a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian
سقرلاط (saqrelāṭ)). Margaret Mitchell used it for the main character, Scarlett O'Hara, in her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936). Her name is explained as having come from her grandmother. Despite the fact that the book was adapted into a popular movie in 1939, the name was not common until the 21st century. It started rising around 2003, about the time that the career of American actress Scarlett Johansson (1984-) started taking off.
Saraya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: sə-RIE-ə
Sapphire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAF-ie-ər
From the name of the gemstone, typically blue, which is the traditional birthstone of September. It is derived from Greek
σάπφειρος (sappheiros), ultimately from the Hebrew word
סַפִּיר (sappir).
Saira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Urdu
Other Scripts: سائرہ(Urdu)
Possibly means "traveller" in Arabic.
Saige
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAYJ
Sage
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAYJ
From the English word sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.
Sabrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: sə-BREEN-ə(English) sa-BREE-na(Italian, Spanish) za-BREE-na(German) SA-BREE-NA(French) su-BREE-nu(European Portuguese) sa-BREE-nu(Brazilian Portuguese)
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.
Sabina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Swedish, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Сабина(Russian)
Pronounced: sa-BEE-na(Italian, Spanish, Polish) SA-bi-na(Czech)
Feminine form of
Sabinus, a Roman
cognomen meaning
"a Sabine" in Latin. The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy, their lands eventually taken over by the Romans after several wars. According to legend, the Romans abducted several Sabine women during a raid, and when the men came to rescue them, the women were able to make peace between the two groups. This name was borne by several early
saints.
Ryohei
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Ryohei means "(imperial) dragon"; "even" (flatness) or "peace" depending of how its written
Roza 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Old German short form of feminine names beginning with Old Frankish
hroþi or Old High German
hruod meaning
"fame" (Proto-Germanic *
hrōþiz).
Rose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: ROZ
Originally a Norman French form of the Germanic name
Hrodohaidis meaning
"famous type", composed of the elements
hruod "fame" and
heit "kind, sort, type". The
Normans introduced it to England in the forms
Roese and
Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower
rose (derived from Latin
rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.
Rosa 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, German, English
Pronounced: RO-sa(Spanish, Dutch) RAW-za(Italian) RAW-zu(European Portuguese) HAW-zu(Brazilian Portuguese) RAW-zə(Catalan) RO-za(German) RO-zə(English)
Generally this can be considered to be from Latin
rosa meaning
"rose", though originally it may have come from the unrelated Germanic name
Roza 2. This was the name of a 13th-century
saint from Viterbo in Italy. In the English-speaking world it was first used in the 19th century. Famous bearers include the Polish-German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) and the American civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005).
Roope
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: RO-peh
Rivera
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare), American (Hispanic)
Pronounced: ri-vair-uh(Hispanic American)
Transferred use of the surname
Rivera or an elaboration of
River.
River
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RIV-ər
From the English word that denotes a flowing body of water. The word is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Latin ripa "riverbank".
Rina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Dutch
Pronounced: REE-na
Rina 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: רִינָה(Hebrew)
Means "joy, singing" in Hebrew.
Rifka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish
Other Scripts: ריפֿקאַ(Yiddish)
Yiddish variant of
Rivka.
Ria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: REE-a
Rhetta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: REHT-ə
Renee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: rə-NAY
Remus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Romanian
Pronounced: REH-moos(Latin) REE-məs(English)
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Old Latin *
yemos meaning
"twin" with the initial consonant altered due to the influence of
Romulus. In Roman legend the twin brothers
Romulus and Remus were the founders of the city of Rome. Remus was later slain by his brother.
Relief
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan)
Referring to the relief of Christ.
Regulus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Astronomy
Pronounced: REH-goo-loos(Latin)
Roman
cognomen meaning
"prince, little king", a
diminutive of Latin
rex "king". This was the cognomen of several 3rd-century BC consuls from the gens Atilia. It was also the name of several early
saints. A star in the constellation Leo bears this name as well.
Red
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: REHD
From the English word for the colour, ultimately derived from Old English read. It was originally a nickname given to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
Raine
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RAYN
From a surname derived from the Old French nickname
reine meaning
"queen". A famous bearer was the British socialite Raine Spencer (1929-2016), the stepmother of Princess Diana. In modern times it is also considered a variant of
Rain 1.
Rainbow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RAYN-bo
From the English word for the arc of multicoloured light that can appear in a misty sky.
Raina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Райна(Bulgarian)
Rain 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RAYN
Simply from the English word rain, derived from Old English regn.
Rachael
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAY-chəl
Variant of
Rachel, the spelling probably influenced by that of
Michael.
Quail
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname
Quail.
Puna
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian (Rare)
Pronounced: POO-na
From the word meaning "spring (of water)."
Psyche
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ψυχή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PSUY-KEH(Classical Greek) SIE-kee(English)
Means
"the soul", derived from Greek
ψύχω (psycho) meaning "to breathe". The Greeks thought that the breath was the soul. In Greek
mythology Psyche was a beautiful maiden who was beloved by Eros (or Cupid in Roman mythology). She is the subject of Keats's poem
Ode to Psyche (1819).
Priya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali
Other Scripts: प्रिया(Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi) பிரியா(Tamil) ప్రియ(Telugu) പ്രിയാ(Malayalam) ಪ್ರಿಯಾ(Kannada) প্রিয়া(Bengali)
Means
"beloved" in Sanskrit. It appears briefly in the
Puranas belonging to a daughter of King
Daksha.
Praise
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: PRAYZ
From the English word praise, which is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Late Latin preciare, a derivative of Latin pretium "price, worth". This name is most common in English-speaking Africa.
Power
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
From the English word
power meaning "a source or means of supplying energy" or transferred use of the surname
Power 1 or
Power 2.
Potsʉnakwahipʉ
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Comanche
Means
"male bison back" in Comanche, derived from
potsʉ "male bison" and
kwahi "back (body part)"
[1]. This name was borne by a 19th-century war chief of the Penateka Comanche, also called Buffalo Hump.
Poppy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHP-ee
From the word for the red flower, derived from Old English popæg.
Pop
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: POP
Diminutive of
Poppy and nickname derived from
pop, shortened variation of papa "father," in use in American English as early as 1838.
Polly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHL-ee
Medieval variant of
Molly. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is unknown.
Piper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PIE-pər
From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series
Charmed, which debuted in 1998
[1].
Pink
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PEENGK, PINGK
A nickname from the color pink, or a diminutive of names such as
Patrick or
Patricia.
Pina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: PEE-na
Short form of names ending in pina.
Phoenix
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: FEE-niks
From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek
mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek
φοῖνιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".
Philadelphia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: fil-ə-DEHL-fee-ə
From the name of a city in Asia Minor mentioned in Revelation in the
New Testament. The name of the city meant "brotherly love" from Greek
φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love" and
ἀδελφός (adelphos) meaning "brother". It is also the name of a city in the United States.
Phila
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Southern African, Xhosa, Zulu
Pronounced: pea-la
Means "to live" or "get well, be healthy" in Nguni languages.
Petunia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: pə-TOON-yə
From the name of the flower, derived ultimately from a Tupi (South American) word.
Petal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PEHT-əl
From the English word for the flower part, derived from Greek
πέταλον (petalon) meaning "leaf".
Periwinkle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
From the English word for the color "periwinkle", from Middle English parwynke, referring to a "light blue and purple shade". It's also the name of a flower.
Peony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PEE-ə-nee
From the English word for the type of flower. It was originally believed to have healing qualities, so it was named after the Greek medical god Pæon.
Peng
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 鹏, 蓬, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: PUNG
From Chinese 鹏 (péng) referring to a large, legendary bird in Chinese mythology or 蓬 (péng) meaning "flourishing, prospering, vigorous", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Pearl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PURL
From the English word pearl for the concretions formed in the shells of some mollusks, ultimately from Late Latin perla. Like other gemstone names, it has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. The pearl is the traditional birthstone for June, and it supposedly imparts health and wealth.
Pear
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Thai
Pax
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: PAKS(Latin, English)
Means
"peace" in Latin. In Roman
mythology this was the name of the goddess of peace.
Paula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Croatian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: POW-la(German, Spanish, Polish, Dutch, Croatian) PAWL-ə(English) POW-lah(Finnish) POW-lu(Portuguese) PAW-oo-law(Hungarian)
Feminine form of
Paulus (see
Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman
saint who was a companion of Saint
Jerome.
Patty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAT-ee
Originally a variant of
Matty, a 17th-century
diminutive of
Martha. It is now commonly used as a diminutive of
Patricia.
Patroclus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Πάτροκλος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: pə-TRO-kləs(English)
Latinized form of the Greek
Πάτροκλος (Patroklos) meaning
"glory of the father", derived from
πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" (genitive
πατρός) and
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". In Greek legend he was one of the heroes who fought against the Trojans. His death at the hands of
Hector drew his friend
Achilles back into the war.
Passion
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
First recorded as a given name in the 16th century, the name Passion was originally used by Christian parents in reference to the "Passion of Christ", a term denoting the suffering of Jesus. The word itself is derived from Latin passio "suffering", ultimately from Latin patior "to suffer; to endure" and was originally used to describe any suffering or pain concerning the body. Its meaning of sexual desire dates to the 17th century. The name had gone extinct and was revived in the 20th century, no doubt for its current English meaning.
Pâra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greenlandic
Meaning unknown.
Papa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polynesian Mythology
Means
"earth" in Maori. In Maori and other Polynesian
mythology Papa or Papatuanuku was the goddess of the earth and the mother of many of the other gods. She and her husband
Rangi, the god of the sky, were locked in a tight embrace. Their children decided to separate them, a feat of strength accomplished by the god
Tāne.
Panda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Rare)
Pronounced: PAN-də
The origin of the word panda is the Nepalese word nigalya ponya, which means 'eater of bamboo'.
Pam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAM
Owl
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
From Middle English owle, from Old English ūle, from Proto-Germanic *uwwalǭ (compare West Frisian ûle, Dutch uil, Danish and Norwegian ugle, German Eule). Most notable namesake is the Native American horror writer Owl Goingback.
Opalina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: Oh-puh-lee-nuh or Oh-poal-een
Opal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: O-pəl
From the English word
opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit
उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".
Olivette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: ahl-i-VEHT(English)
Feminine form of
Oliver. This was the name of the title character in the French opera
Les noces d'Olivette (1879) by Edmond Audran.
Oliver
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Catalan, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Carolingian Cycle
Other Scripts: Оливер(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: AHL-i-vər(English) O-lee-vu(German) O-lee-vehr(Finnish) oo-lee-BEH(Catalan) O-li-vehr(Czech) AW-lee-vehr(Slovak)
From Old French
Olivier, which was possibly derived from Latin
oliva "olive tree" [1]. Alternatively there could be an underlying Germanic name, such as Old Norse
Áleifr (see
Olaf) or Frankish
Alawar (see
Álvaro), with the spelling altered by association with the Latin word. In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic
La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier is a friend and advisor to the hero
Roland.
In England Oliver was a common medieval name, however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due in part to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1838), about a poor orphan living on the streets of London. It became very popular at the beginning of the 21st century, reaching the top rank for boys in England and Wales in 2009 and entering the top ten in the United States in 2017.
Olive
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AHL-iv(English) AW-LEEV(French)
From the English and French word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva.
October
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ahk-TO-bər
From the name of the tenth month. It is derived from Latin octo meaning "eight", because it was originally the eighth month of the Roman year.
Octavius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ok-TA-wee-oos(Latin) ahk-TAY-vee-əs(English)
Roman family name derived from Latin
octavus meaning
"eighth". This was the original family name of the emperor Augustus (born Gaius Octavius). It was also rarely used as a Roman
praenomen, or given name.
Ocean
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: O-shən
Simply from the English word
ocean for a large body of water. It is ultimately derived from Greek
Ὠκεανός (Okeanos), the name of the body of water thought to surround the Earth.
Nyssa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
From the name of an ancient town of Asia Minor where
Saint Gregory was bishop in the 4th century. Nyssa is also the genus name of a type of tree, also called the Tupelo.
Nymphodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Νυμφοδώρα(Ancient Greek)
Nutella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: nu-TEL-ə, noo-TEL-ə
Nora 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: NAWR-ə(English) NO-ra(German, Dutch, Spanish)
Short form of
Honora or
Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen used it for a character in his play
A Doll's House (1879).
Nolene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Afrikaans
Elaborated form of
Nola, most commonly found in South Africa.
Nine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Frisian
Pronounced: NEE-nə
Nina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Italian, English, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Lithuanian, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Нина(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian) Ніна(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: NYEE-nə(Russian) NEE-na(Italian, German, Slovak) NEE-nə(English) NEE-NA(French) NEE-nah(Finnish) nyi-NU(Lithuanian) NYEE-na(Polish) NI-na(Czech)
Short form of names that end in
nina, such as
Antonina or
Giannina. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word
niña meaning
"little girl" (the word is pronounced differently than the name).
A famous bearer was the American jazz musician Nina Simone (1933-2003).
Nightingale
Nickname for someone with a good voice from Middle English nightegale "nightingale" (Old English nihtegale, ultimately from niht "night" and galan "to sing").
Niara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Eastern African, Swahili
Pronounced: NEE-ah-rah
Means of high purpose
Nella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: NEHL-la
Nell
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NEHL
Medieval
diminutive of names beginning with
El, such as
Eleanor,
Ellen 1 or
Helen. It may have arisen from the medieval affectionate phrase
mine El, which was later reinterpreted as
my Nel.
Naia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: NIE-a
Means "wave, sea foam" in Basque.
Na
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 娜, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: NA
From Chinese
娜 (nà) meaning "elegant, graceful, delicate" or other characters pronounced similarly.
Myrtle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-təl
Simply from the English word
myrtle for the evergreen shrub, ultimately from Greek
μύρτος (myrtos). It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
My
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: MUY
Musica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of
Mousika. In Greek mythology, this is the name of one of the Horae.
Mulan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese Mythology
Other Scripts: 木兰(Chinese) 木蘭(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: MOO-LAN(Chinese)
From Chinese
木兰 (mùlán) meaning
"magnolia". This is the name of a legendary female warrior who disguises herself as a man to take her ailing father's place when he is conscripted into the army.
Moune
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Haitian Creole (Rare), Literature (Rare)
Ti Moune is the protagonist in the musical ONCE ON THIS ISLAND.
Monica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Late Roman
Pronounced: MAHN-i-kə(English) MAW-nee-ka(Italian) mo-NEE-ka(Romanian) MO-nee-ka(Dutch)
Meaning unknown, most likely of Berber or Phoenician origin. In the 4th century this name was borne by a North African
saint, the mother of Saint
Augustine of Hippo, whom she converted to Christianity. Since the Middle Ages it has been associated with Latin
moneo "advisor" and Greek
μονός (monos) "one, single".
As an English name, Monica has been in general use since the 18th century. In America it reached the height of its popularity in the 1970s, declining since then. A famous bearer was the Yugoslavian tennis player Monica Seles (1973-).
Monday
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (African)
Pronounced: MUN-day
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.
Misty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MIS-tee
From the English word misty, ultimately derived from Old English. The jazz song Misty (1954) by Erroll Garner may have helped popularize the name.
Mira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada
Other Scripts: मीरा(Hindi, Marathi) മീര(Malayalam) மீரா(Tamil) ಮೀರಾ(Kannada)
From Sanskrit
मीर (mīra) meaning
"sea, ocean". This was the name of a 16th-century Indian princess who devoted her life to the god
Krishna.
Minerva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, English, Spanish
Pronounced: mee-NEHR-wa(Latin) mi-NUR-və(English) mee-NEHR-ba(Spanish)
Possibly derived from Latin
mens meaning
"intellect", but more likely of Etruscan origin. Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, approximately equivalent to the Greek goddess
Athena. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since after the Renaissance.
Mimmi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Finnish
Pronounced: MEEM-mee
Mika 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美香, 美加, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みか(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-KA
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" combined with
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance" or
加 (ka) meaning "increase". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Midnight
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Obscure (Modern)
From Middle English midnight (also as middelniȝte), from Old English midniht, middeniht, middeneaht, (also as midderneaht and middelniht), from Proto-Germanic *midjanahts, equivalent to mid- + night.
Mi
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 蜜(Chinese)
Pronounced: MEE
Means "honey" in Mandarin.
Mercury
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology (Anglicized)
Pronounced: MURK-yə-ree(English)
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.
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
From the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Melanie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-nee(English) MEH-la-nee(German) meh-la-NEE(German)
From
Mélanie, the French form of the Latin name
Melania, derived from Greek
μέλαινα (melaina) meaning
"black, dark". This was the name of a Roman
saint who gave all her wealth to charity in the 5th century. Her grandmother was also a saint with the same name.
The name was common in France during the Middle Ages, and was introduced from there to England, though it eventually became rare. Interest in it was revived by the character Melanie Wilkes from the novel Gone with the Wind (1936) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1939).
Me
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hmong
Means "small, petite" in Hmong.
Mazikeen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
From Hebrew
מַזִּיקִין (mazziqin) meaning
"damagers, harmful spirits", derived from
מַזִּיק (mazziq) meaning "damaging". As a given name it is borne by a companion of
Lucifer in the comic book series
Lucifer, as well as on the 2016-2021 television adaptation.
May
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY
Derived from the name of the month of May, which derives from
Maia, the name of a Roman goddess. May is also another name of the hawthorn flower. It is also used as a
diminutive of
Mary,
Margaret or
Mabel.
Mattea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: mat-TEH-a
Mary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: MEHR-ee(English) MAR-ee(English)
Usual English form of
Maria, the Latin form of the
New Testament Greek names
Μαριάμ (Mariam) and
Μαρία (Maria) — the spellings are interchangeable — which were from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (Miryam), a name borne by the sister of
Moses in the
Old Testament. The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including
"sea of bitterness",
"rebelliousness", and
"wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from
mry "beloved" or
mr "love".
This is the name of several New Testament characters, most importantly Mary the mother of Jesus. According to the gospels, Jesus was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit while she remained a virgin. This name was also borne by Mary Magdalene, a woman cured of demons by Jesus. She became one of his followers and later witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection.
Due to the Virgin Mary this name has been very popular in the Christian world, though at certain times in some cultures it has been considered too holy for everyday use. In England it has been used since the 12th century, and it has been among the most common feminine names since the 16th century. In the United States in 1880 it was given more than twice as often as the next most popular name for girls (Anna). It remained in the top rank in America until 1946 when it was bumped to second (by Linda). Although it regained the top spot for a few more years in the 1950s it was already falling in usage, and has since dropped out of the top 100 names.
This name has been borne by two queens of England, as well as a queen of Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots. Another notable bearer was Mary Shelley (1797-1851), the author of Frankenstein. A famous fictional character by this name is Mary Poppins from the children's books by P. L. Travers, first published in 1934.
The Latinized form of this name, Maria, is also used in English as well as in several other languages.
Markia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American
Pronounced: mahr-KEE-ə
Perhaps intended to be a feminine form of
Marquis, probably modelled on the sounds found in other names such as
Nakia,
Shakia and
Takia.
Marinette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MA-REE-NEHT
Marilynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAR-ə-lin, MAR-lin
Marigold
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAR-i-gold, MEHR-i-gold
From the name of the flower, which comes from a combination of
Mary and the English word
gold.
Mariana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Мариана, Марияна(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: mu-RYU-nu(European Portuguese) ma-RYU-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) ma-RYA-na(Spanish)
Roman feminine form of
Marianus. After the classical era it was sometimes interpreted as a combination of
Maria and
Ana. In Portuguese it is further used as a form of
Mariamne.
Margot
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAR-GO
Margaux
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAR-GO
Variant of
Margot influenced by the name of the wine-producing French town. It was borne by Margaux Hemingway (1954-1996), granddaughter of author Ernest Hemingway, who had it changed from
Margot.
Malala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Pashto
Other Scripts: ملاله(Pashto)
Pronounced: mə-LA-lə
Variant of
Malalai. A notable bearer is Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai (1997-).
Mako
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 真子, 眞子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) まこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MA-KO
From Japanese 真 or 眞
(ma) meaning "real, genuine" combined with 子
(ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Maja 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Hungarian
Other Scripts: Маја(Serbian)
Pronounced: MA-ya(German, Polish)
Form of
Maia 1 in various languages.
Maja 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Slovene, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian
Other Scripts: Маја(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: MA-ya(German, Polish)
Mai 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 舞, 麻衣, 真愛, etc.(Japanese Kanji) まい(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MA-EE
From Japanese
舞 (mai) meaning "dance" or
麻衣 (mai) meaning "linen robe". It can also come from
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" combined with
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection". Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
Mahaya
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Sanskrit
Pronounced: Muh-hi-uh
Means "illusionist" in Sanskrit.
Mags
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAGZ
Magnolia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mag-NO-lee-ə
From the English word magnolia for the flower, which was named for the French botanist Pierre Magnol.
Magie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: Mag-ee
Maggie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAG-ee
Maggi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Mafalda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: mu-FAL-du(European Portuguese) ma-FOW-du(Brazilian Portuguese) ma-FAL-da(Italian, Spanish)
Originally a medieval Portuguese form of
Matilda. This name was borne by the wife of Afonso, the first king of Portugal. In modern times it was the name of the titular character in a popular Argentine comic strip (published from 1964 to 1973) by Quino.
Madog
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Madelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Madalee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American
Pronounced: mad-ə-lee
Macintosh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: Mak-in-tosh
Macarena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ma-ka-REH-na
From the name of a barrio (district) in Seville, which got its name from a temple that may have been named for a person named
Macarius (see
Macario). The Virgin of Macarena, that is
Mary, is widely venerated in Seville.
Lynn
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIN
From an English surname that was derived from Welsh
llyn meaning
"lake". Before the start of the 20th century it was primarily used for boys, but it has since come to be more common for girls. In some cases it may be thought of as a short form of
Linda or names that end in
lyn or
line.
Luz
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: LOOTH(European Spanish) LOOS(Latin American Spanish)
Means
"light" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de la Luz, meaning "Our Lady of Light".
Luna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English
Pronounced: LOO-na(Latin, Spanish, Italian) LOO-nə(English)
Means "the moon" in Latin (as well as Italian, Spanish and other Romance languages). Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.
Lulu 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: لؤلؤ(Arabic)
Pronounced: LOO-loo
Means "pearls" in Arabic.
Ludmila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Latvian, Russian
Other Scripts: Людмила(Russian)
Pronounced: LOOD-mi-la(Czech) lyuwd-MYEE-lə(Russian)
Means
"favour of the people" from the Slavic elements
ľudŭ "people" and
milŭ "gracious, dear".
Saint Ludmila was a 10th-century duchess of Bohemia, the grandmother of Saint Václav. She was murdered on the orders of her daughter-in-law Drahomíra.
As a Russian name, this is an alternate transcription of Людмила (usually rendered Lyudmila).
Lucy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LOO-see
English form of
Lucia, in use since the Middle Ages.
Lucifer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Pronounced: LOO-si-fər(English)
Means
"bringing light", derived from Latin
lux "light" and
ferre "to bring". In Latin this name originally referred to the morning star, Venus, but later became associated with the chief angel who rebelled against God's rule in heaven (see
Isaiah 14:12). In later literature, such as the
Divine Comedy (1321) by Dante and
Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton, Lucifer became associated with Satan himself.
Lucette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Lucetta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: loo-CHEHT-ta
Diminutive of
Luce. Shakespeare used this name for a character in his play
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
Love 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LUV
Simply from the English word love, derived from Old English lufu.
Lourdes
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: LOOR-dhehs(Spanish) LOR-dhehs(Spanish) LOORD(French) LOORDZ(English)
From the name of a French town. It became a popular center of pilgrimage after a young girl from the town had visions of the Virgin
Mary in a nearby grotto.
Lotus
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LO-təs
From the name of the lotus flower (species Nelumbo nucifera) or the mythological lotus tree. They are ultimately derived from Greek
λωτός (lotos). In Greek and Roman
mythology the lotus tree was said to produce a fruit causing sleepiness and forgetfulness.
Liv 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIV
Lister
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Transferred use of the surname
Lister.
List
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic (Rare)
From Old Norse list meaning "art, craft" as well as "skill, adroitness, dexterity". This is also the Icelandic word for "art".
Lisabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Modern)
Lilly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: LIL-ee(English)
Lilliona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: Lil-ee-on-uh
Lilith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Other Scripts: לילית(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: LIL-ith(English)
Derived from Akkadian
lilitu meaning
"of the night". This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish tradition she was
Adam's first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by
Eve because she would not submit to him. The offspring of Adam (or
Samael) and Lilith were the evil spirits of the world.
Lightning
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: LIET-ning
From lightning (n.) visible discharge of energy between cloud and cloud or cloud and ground, late Old English, "lightning, flash of lightning," verbal noun from lightnen "make bright," or else an extended form of Old English lihting, from leht.
Light
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIET
Nickname for a happy, cheerful person, from Middle English lyght, Old English lēoht "light (not dark), bright, cheerful".
Liesl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: LEE-zəl
Liberty
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIB-ər-tee
Simply from the English word
liberty, derived from Latin
libertas, a derivative of
liber "free". Interestingly, since 1880 this name has charted on the American popularity lists in three different periods: in 1918 (at the end of World War I), in 1976 (the American bicentennial), and after 2001 (during the War on Terrorism)
[1].
Libby
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIB-ee
Liam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, French (Modern), Dutch (Modern), German (Modern), Swedish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern)
Pronounced: LYEEM(Irish) LEE-əm(English) LYAM(French) LEE-yahm(Dutch)
Irish short form of
William. It became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, and elsewhere in Europe and the Americas after that. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States beginning in 2017. Famous bearers include British actor Liam Neeson (1952-), British musician Liam Gallagher (1972-), and Australian actor Liam Hemsworth (1990-).
Leilani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: lay-LA-nee
Means "heavenly flowers" or "royal child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Leif
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: LAYF
From the Old Norse name Leifr meaning "descendant, heir". Leif Eriksson was a Norse explorer who reached North America in the early 11th century. He was the son of Erik the Red.
Lee
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEE
From a surname that was derived from Old English
leah meaning
"clearing". The surname belonged to Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), commander of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In his honour, it has been used as a given name in the American South. It is common as a middle name.
Leah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: לֵאָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: LEE-ə(English)
From the Hebrew name
לֵאָה (Leʾa), which was probably derived from the Hebrew word
לָאָה (laʾa) meaning
"weary, grieved" [1]. Alternatively it might be related to Akkadian
littu meaning
"cow". In the
Old Testament Leah is the first wife of
Jacob and the mother of seven of his children. Jacob's other wife was Leah's younger sister
Rachel, whom he preferred. Leah later offered Jacob her handmaid
Zilpah in order for him to conceive more children.
Although this name was used by Jews in the Middle Ages, it was not typical as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation, being common among the Puritans.
Leafie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: lee-fee
Layla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, English
Other Scripts: ليلى(Arabic)
Pronounced: LIE-la(Arabic) LAY-lə(English)
Means
"night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet
Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem
Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song
Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.
Lava
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: LAH-vah
Laurel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-əl
From the name of the laurel tree, ultimately from Latin laurus.
Lark
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LAHRK
From the English word for the type of songbird.
Lana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Russian, Croatian, Slovene, Georgian
Other Scripts: Лана(Russian) ლანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: LAHN-ə(English)
Short form of
Alana (English) or
Svetlana (Russian). In the English-speaking world it was popularized by actress Lana Turner (1921-1995), who was born Julia Jean Turner.
Lan 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese, Vietnamese
Other Scripts: 兰, 岚, etc.(Chinese) 蘭, 嵐, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: LAN(Chinese, Vietnamese) LANG(Vietnamese)
From Chinese
兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant" (which is usually only feminine) or
岚 (lán) meaning "mountain mist". Other Chinese characters can form this name as well. As a Vietnamese name, it is derived from Sino-Vietnamese
蘭 meaning "orchid".
Lala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Лала(Bulgarian)
From Bulgarian
лале (lale) meaning
"tulip" (of Persian origin).
Lal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Nepali
Other Scripts: लाल(Hindi, Nepali)
Means
"boy" in Hindi, derived from Sanskrit
लल (lala) meaning "playing, caressing".
Lake
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LAYK
From the English word lake, for the inland body of water. It is ultimately derived from Latin lacus.
Lai
Lai is an Estonian surname meaning "wide", "vast" and "spacious".
Lahja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: LAHH-yah
Means "gift" in Finnish.
Lah
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ogoni
Means "second son" in Khana.
Ladybug
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Archaic)
Derived from the species of beetle of the same name.
Laava
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Rare)
Combination of the popular prefix
La combined with the name
Ava 1.
Korea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
From the name of the Asian country.
Koko
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
A Japanese name that can have different meanings depending on the kanji used to write it.
Noted bearers include Emperor Kōkō (830 - 887), the 58th emperor of Japan, and Koko Tsurumi (b.1992), a Japanese Olympic medalist for the women's gymnastics team.
Klara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian
Other Scripts: Клара(Russian, Ukrainian)
Pronounced: KLA-ra(German, Polish) KLA-rə(Russian)
Form of
Clara in various languages.
Kitten
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare), English (Rare)
Pronounced: KIT-TEN(Irish)
Derived from the name Katherine, or Katrina, meaning a small Cat, like the small meaning of it's longer names
Kit
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIT
King
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KING
From the English vocabulary word king, ultimately derived from Old English cyning. This was also a surname, derived from the same source, a famous bearer being the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).
Kina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 黄菜, 岐奈, 希那, 季夏, 稀那, 貴奈, 姫菜, 姫奈, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: KEE-NAH
From Japanese 黄 (ki) meaning "yellow" combined with 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Kiara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: kee-AHR-ə
Variant of
Ciara 1 or
Chiara. This name was brought to public attention in 1988 after the singing duo Kiara released their song
This Time. It was further popularized by a character in the animated movie
The Lion King II (1998).
Kia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: KEE-ah
Keitli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: Kayt-lee or Kite-lee
Kayleb
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Kayla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY-lə
Combination of the popular phonetic elements
kay and
la. Use of the name greatly increased after 1982 when the character Kayla Brady began appearing on the American soap opera
Days of Our Lives [1].
Katie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY-tee
Kaðlín
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Scandinavian, Icelandic (Rare)
Possibly an Old Norse form of
Caitlín, or an Old Norse form of a Celtic name, perhaps containing Old Irish
cath "battle". This occurs in
Landnámabók belonging to a daughter of Göngu-Hrólfr (
Rollo the Ganger).
Kathani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Sanskrit
Other Scripts: कथनी(Sanskrit)
Kat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAT
Kassidy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAS-i-dee
Kara 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHR-ə, KEHR-ə, KAR-ə
Kana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 香菜, 香奈, 佳奈, 加奈, 夏菜, 花奈(Japanese Kanji) かな(Japanese Hiragana) カナ(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: KA-NA
From Japanese 香 (ka) meaning "incense, perfume", 佳 (ka) meaning "excellent, beautiful", 加 (ka) meaning "increase", 花 (ka) meaning "flower", or 夏 (ka) meaning "summer" combined with Japanese 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, green" or 奈 (na), a phonetic character. It is often written in hiragana. Other kanji combinations are possible.
Kalliope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Καλλιόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KAL-LEE-O-PEH(Classical Greek)
Means
"beautiful voice" from Greek
κάλλος (kallos) meaning "beauty" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". In Greek
mythology she was a goddess of epic poetry and eloquence, one of the nine Muses.
Kaira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Latvian
Derived from Latvian
kairs, a poetic word meaning "alluring, charming, attractive, delightful". In some cases, it might also be a borrowing of Estonian
Kaira.
Juniper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JOON-i-pər
From the English word for the type of tree, derived ultimately from Latin iuniperus.
June
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOON
From the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess
Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Julia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Ancient Roman, Biblical
Other Scripts: Юлия(Russian) Юлія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: JOO-lee-ə(English) YOO-lya(German, Danish, Polish) YOO-lee-ah(Swedish, Finnish) YUY-lee-a(Dutch) KHOO-lya(Spanish) YOO-lyi-yə(Russian) YOO-lee-a(Latin)
Feminine form of the Roman family name
Julius. Among the notable women from this family were Julia Augusta (also known as Livia Drusilla), the wife of Emperor
Augustus, and Julia the Elder, the daughter of Augustus and the wife of
Tiberius. A person by this name has a brief mention in the
New Testament. It was also borne by a few early
saints and martyrs, including the patron saint of Corsica. Additionally, Shakespeare used it in his comedy
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
It has been common as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the 18th century. A famous modern bearer is American actress Julia Roberts (1967-).
Journey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JUR-nee
From the English word, derived via Old French from Latin diurnus "of the day".
Joshuette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: JAWSH-oo-wet(American English)
Joke
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Dutch, German (Rare), Limburgish
Pronounced: YO-kə(Dutch, Limburgish)
Diminutive of
Jo, as it contains the diminutive suffix
-ke. It is also possible that there are cases where the name is a contraction of
Johanneke.
Joetta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Jia
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 佳, 家, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: CHYA
From Chinese
佳 (jiā) meaning "good, auspicious, beautiful",
家 (jiā) meaning "home, family", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Jewel
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOO-əl, JOOL
In part from the English word
jewel, a precious stone, derived from Old French
jouel, which was possibly related to
jeu "game". It is also in part from the surname
Jewel or
Jewell (a derivative of the Breton name
Judicaël), which was sometimes used in honour of the 16th-century bishop of Salisbury John Jewel. It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.
Jesus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Theology, Biblical, Portuguese
Pronounced: JEE-zəs(English) zhi-ZOOSH(European Portuguese) zheh-ZOOS(Brazilian Portuguese)
English form of
Ἰησοῦς (Iesous), which was the Greek form of the Aramaic name
יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshuaʿ).
Yeshuaʿ is itself a contracted form of
Yehoshuaʿ (see
Joshua). Yeshua ben Yoseph, better known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of the
New Testament and the source of the Christian religion. The four gospels state that he was the son of God and the Virgin
Mary who fulfilled the
Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. He preached for three years before being crucified in Jerusalem.
Jesse
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Finnish, Biblical
Other Scripts: יִשַׁי(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JEHS-ee(English) YEH-sə(Dutch) YEHS-seh(Finnish)
From
Ἰεσσαί (Iessai), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
יִשַׁי (Yishai). This could be a derivative of the word
שַׁי (shai) meaning
"gift" or
יֵשׁ (yesh) meaning
"existence". In the
Old Testament Jesse is the father of King
David. It began to be used as an English given name after the
Protestant Reformation.
A famous bearer was Jesse James (1847-1882), an American outlaw who held up banks and stagecoaches. He was eventually shot by a fellow gang member for a reward. Another famous bearer was the American athlete Jesse Owens (1913-1980), whose real name was James Cleveland (or J. C.) Owens.
Jenny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, German, Dutch, French, Spanish
Pronounced: JEHN-ee(English) YEH-nuy(Swedish) YEH-nee(German, Dutch) JEH-nee(German, Dutch) GYEH-nee(Spanish)
Originally a medieval English
diminutive of
Jane. Since the middle of the 20th century it has been primarily considered a diminutive of
Jennifer.
Jennifer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish
Pronounced: JEHN-i-fər(English) JEH-ni-fu(German) GYEH-nee-fehr(Spanish)
From a Cornish form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar (see
Guinevere). This name has only been common outside of Cornwall since the beginning of the 20th century, after it was featured in George Bernard Shaw's play
The Doctor's Dilemma (1906). It barely ranked in the United until the late 1930s, when it began steadily growing in popularity, accelerating into the early 1970s. It was the most popular name for girls in America between 1970 and 1984, though it was not as common in the United Kingdom.
Famous bearers include the American actresses Jennifer Aniston (1969-), Jennifer Garner (1972-) and Jennifer Lawrence (1990-), as well as the singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (1969-).
Jenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Finnish, French
Pronounced: JEHN-ə(English) YEHN-nah(Finnish)
Variant of
Jenny. Use of the name was popularized in the 1980s by the character Jenna Wade on the television series
Dallas [1].
Jeannette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: ZHA-NEHT(French) jə-NEHT(English)
Jean 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: JEEN
Medieval English variant of
Jehanne (see
Jane). It was common in England and Scotland during the Middle Ages, but eventually became rare in England. It was reintroduced to the English-speaking world from Scotland in the 19th century.
Jazz
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Diminutive of
Jazmine/
Jasmine or
Jazper/
Jasper, or possibly given in reference to "jazz", the genre of music, or the English word
jazz meaning "energy, excitement, excitability; very lively; of excellent quality, the genuine article".
Jasmine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAZ-min(English) ZHAS-MEEN(French)
From the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian
یاسمین (yāsamīn), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans
[1]. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie
Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.
Jasmina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Јасмина(Serbian, Macedonian)
Form of
Jasmine in several languages.
Janie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAY-nee
James
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JAYMZ(English)
English form of the Late Latin name
Iacomus, a variant of the Biblical Latin form
Iacobus, from the Hebrew name
Yaʿaqov (see
Jacob). This was the name of two apostles in the
New Testament. The first was
Saint James the Greater, the apostle
John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of
Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of
Jesus.
This name has been used in England since the 13th century, though it became more common in Scotland where it was borne by several kings. In the 17th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. In American name statistics (recorded since 1880) this name has never been out of the top 20, making it arguably the era's most consistently popular name. It was the top ranked name for boys in the United States from 1940 to 1952.
Famous bearers include the English explorer James Cook (1728-1779), the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819), and the Irish novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming in 1953.
Jade
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAYD(English) ZHAD(French)
From the name of the precious stone that is often used in carvings. It is derived from Spanish (piedra de la) ijada meaning "(stone of the) flank", relating to the belief that jade could cure renal colic. As a given name, it came into general use during the 1970s. It was initially unisex, though it is now mostly feminine.
Jacqueline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: ZHAK-LEEN(French) JAK-ə-lin(English) JAK-wə-lin(English) JAK-ə-leen(English)
French feminine form of
Jacques, also commonly used in the English-speaking world.
Jacklyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAK-lin
Ivy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: IE-vee
From the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English ifig.
Italy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: I-tə-lee(American English)
From the country of
Italy in Europe.
Iris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, French, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἶρις(Ancient Greek) Ίρις(Greek)
Pronounced: IE-ris(English) EE-ris(German, Dutch) EE-rees(Finnish, Spanish, Catalan, Italian) EE-REES(French)
Means "rainbow" in Greek. Iris was the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow, also serving as a messenger to the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek source) for the iris flower or the coloured part of the eye.
Iridessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: eer-ə-DES-ə
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".
Iria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Galician
Pronounced: EE-ryu(Galician)
Possibly a Portuguese and Galician form of
Irene. This was the name of a 7th-century
saint (also known as Irene) from Tomar in Portugal. This is also the name of an ancient town in Galicia (now a district of Padrón).
Irene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Dutch, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εἰρήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-REEN(English) ie-REE-nee(English) ee-REH-neh(Italian, Spanish) EE-reh-neh(Finnish) ee-REH-nə(German, Dutch)
From Greek
Εἰρήνη (Eirene), derived from a word meaning
"peace". This was the name of the Greek goddess who personified peace, one of the
Ὥραι (Horai). It was also borne by several early Christian
saints. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, notably being borne by an 8th-century empress, who was the first woman to lead the empire. She originally served as regent for her son, but later had him killed and ruled alone.
This name has traditionally been more popular among Eastern Christians. In the English-speaking world it was not regularly used until the 19th century.
Ilia
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Georgian, Russian, Bulgarian, Belarusian, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: ილია(Georgian) Илья(Russian) Илия(Bulgarian) Ілья(Belarusian) Илїа(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: EE-LEE-AH(Georgian) i-LYA(Russian)
Georgian form of
Elijah. It is also an alternate transcription of Russian
Илья or Belarusian
Ілья (see
Ilya) or Bulgarian
Илия (see
Iliya).
Ilene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ie-LEEN, IE-leen
Variant of
Eileen, probably inspired by the spelling of
Irene.
Ikram
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: إكرام(Arabic) اکرام(Urdu)
Pronounced: eek-RAM(Arabic)
Means
"honour" in Arabic, from the root
كرم (karuma) meaning "to be generous".
Ice
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture, African American (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: IES(English)
From the English word that denotes water frozen to a solid state. In the case of American rapper Ice Spice (2000-) it is a short form of
Isis, her real name. A fictional bearer is Ice, a DC comic book superheroine. This name was also used by American rapper Gucci Mane for his son, Ice Davis (2020-).
Hope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HOP
From the English word
hope, ultimately from Old English
hopian. This name was first used by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Honour
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AHN-ər
From the English word
honour, which is of Latin origin. This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century. It can also be viewed as a form of
Honoria or
Honorata, which are ultimately derived from the same source.
Honey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: HUN-ee
Simply from the English word honey, ultimately from Old English hunig. This was originally a nickname for a sweet person.
Honesty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Puritan)
Pronounced: AH-nes-tee
From the English word "honesty" referring to "fairness and truthfulness". Also the name of a plant with purple flowers, Lunaria annua, also known as 'money plant'. Ultimately from Latin honōrāre 'honor, repute'.
Holly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHL-ee
From the English word for the holly tree, ultimately derived from Old English holen. Holly Golightly is the main character in the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) by Truman Capote.
Holiday
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: HAHL-i-day
Transferred use of the surname
Holiday.
Hermione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἑρμιόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHR-MEE-O-NEH(Classical Greek) hər-MIE-ə-nee(English)
Derived from the name of the Greek messenger god
Hermes. In Greek
myth Hermione was the daughter of
Menelaus and
Helen. This is also the name of the wife of
Leontes in Shakespeare's play
The Winter's Tale (1610). It is now closely associated with the character Hermione Granger from the
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Heidi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, English
Pronounced: HIE-dee(German, English) HAY-dee(Finnish)
German
diminutive of
Adelheid. This is the name of the title character in the children's novel
Heidi (1880) by the Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The name began to be used in the English-speaking world shortly after the 1937 release of the movie adaptation, which starred Shirley Temple.
Hazey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: Hay-zee
Hazel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAY-zəl
From the English word hazel for the tree or the light brown colour, derived ultimately from Old English hæsel. It was coined as a given name in the 19th century and quickly became popular, reaching the 18th place for girls in the United States by 1897. It fell out of fashion in the second half of the 20th century, but has since recovered.
Hawaii
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
From the name of the US state, of uncertain origin.
Theories from Proto-Polynesian hawaiki which possibly means place of the gods" or from Proto-Polynesian sawaiki "homeland", or possibly named for Hawaiʻiloa, legendary discoverer of the Hawaiian islands.
Hattie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAT-ee
Harry
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAR-ee, HEHR-ee
Medieval English form of
Henry. In modern times it is used as a
diminutive of both
Henry and names beginning with
Har. Famous bearers include the American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), who was named after his uncle Harrison, and the British royal Prince Harry (1984-), who is actually named Henry. It is also the name of the boy wizard in J. K. Rowling's
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Harriet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAR-ee-it, HEHR-ee-it
English form of
Henriette, and thus a feminine form of
Harry. It was first used in the 17th century, becoming very common in the English-speaking world by the 18th century. Famous bearers include the Americans Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), the author of
Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913).
Hara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Χαρά(Greek)
Pronounced: kha-RA
Alternate transcription of Greek Χαρα (see
Chara).
Happy
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: HAP-ee
From the English word happy, derived from Middle English hap "chance, luck", of Old Norse origin.
Happie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: Hap-ee
Happi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: Hap-ee
Gwenny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: Gwen-ee
Gus 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GUS
Gretchen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English
Pronounced: GREHT-khən(German) GRECH-ən(English)
Grant
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: GRANT(English)
From an English and Scottish surname that was derived from Norman French grand meaning "great, large". A famous bearer of the surname was Ulysses Grant (1822-1885), the commander of the Union forces during the American Civil War who later served as president. In America the name has often been given in his honour.
Glory
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: GLAWR-ee
Simply from the English word glory, ultimately from Latin gloria.
Gloria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, German
Pronounced: GLAWR-ee-ə(English) GLO-rya(Spanish) GLAW-rya(Italian)
Means
"glory", from the Portuguese and Spanish titles of the Virgin
Mary Maria da Glória and
María de Gloria. Maria da Glória (1819-1853) was the daughter of the Brazilian emperor Pedro I, eventually becoming queen of Portugal as Maria II.
The name was introduced to the English-speaking world by E. D. E. N. Southworth's novel Gloria (1891) and George Bernard Shaw's play You Never Can Tell (1898), which both feature characters with a Portuguese background [1]. It was popularized in the early 20th century by American actress Gloria Swanson (1899-1983). Another famous bearer is feminist Gloria Steinem (1934-).
Glædwine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1]
Old English name derived from the elements
glæd "bright, cheerful, glad" and
wine "friend". This name was not actually recorded in the Old English era, though it is attested starting in the 11th century
[2].
Glad
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: American (Rare)
Pronounced: GLAD
The word meaning "happy" or a diminutive of
Gladys or
Gladwin or other names containing
glad.
Giovanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jo-VAN-na
Italian form of
Iohanna (see
Joanna), making it the feminine form of
Giovanni.
Ginger
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIN-jər
From the English word
ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a
diminutive of
Virginia, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.
Gideon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, English, Dutch
Other Scripts: גִּדְעוֹן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: GID-ee-ən(English) GHEE-deh-awn(Dutch)
From the Hebrew name
גִּדְעוֹן (Giḏʿon) meaning
"feller, hewer", derived from
גָּדַע (gaḏaʿ) meaning "to cut, to hew"
[1]. Gideon is a hero and judge of the
Old Testament. He led the vastly outnumbered Israelites against the Midianites, defeated them, and killed their two kings. In the English-speaking world,
Gideon has been used as a given name since the
Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the
Puritans.
Gessica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: JEHS-see-ka
Georgie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAWR-jee
Georgia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek
Other Scripts: Γεωργία(Greek)
Pronounced: JAWR-jə(English) yeh-or-YEE-a(Greek)
Latinate feminine form of
George. This is the name of an American state, which was named after the British king George II. The country of Georgia has an unrelated etymology. A famous bearer was the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).
Georgette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHAWR-ZHEHT
French feminine form of
George.
Gennesis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: JEN-ə-sis
Genesis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JEHN-ə-sis
Means
"birth, origin" in Greek. This is the name of the first book of the
Old Testament in the Bible. It tells of the creation of the world, the expulsion of
Adam and
Eve,
Noah and the great flood, and the three patriarchs.
Gem
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEM
Short form of
Gemma or directly from the English word
gem, "precious stone" from Latin
gemma "precious stone, jewel".
Ganzorig
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Ганзориг(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Pronounced: GANG-tsaw-ryəg
Means
"steel courage" in Mongolian, from
ган (gan) meaning "steel" and
зориг (zorig) meaning "courage".
Gabby
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAB-ee
Fun
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Apache
Friend
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
From the English word friend meaning "a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection".
Freyja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic, Norse Mythology
Pronounced: FRAY-ya(Icelandic) FRAY-ə(English)
Icelandic and Old Norse form of
Freya.
Fountain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname
Fountain. This was borne by Fountain E. Pitts (1808-1874), an American Methodist minister and Confederate chaplain, Fountain L. Thompson (1854-1942), an American senator from North Dakota, and Fountain Hughes (ca. 1859-1957), an American former slave interviewed in 1949 by the Library of Congress as part of the Federal Writers' Project.
Forrest
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAWR-ist
From an English surname meaning "forest", originally belonging to a person who lived near a forest. In America it has sometimes been used in honour of the Confederate Civil War general Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877). This name was borne by the title character in the movie Forrest Gump (1994) about a loveable simpleton. Use of the name increased when the movie was released, but has since faded away.
Flower
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: FLOW-ər
Simply from the English word flower for the blossoming plant. It is derived (via Old French) from Latin flos.
Flora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, French, Greek, Albanian, Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Φλώρα(Greek)
Pronounced: FLAWR-ə(English) FLAW-ra(Italian) FLO-ra(Spanish, German, Dutch, Latin) FLAW-ru(Portuguese) FLAW-RA(French)
Derived from Latin
flos meaning
"flower" (genitive case
floris). Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, the wife of Zephyr the west wind. It has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, starting in France. In Scotland it was sometimes used as an Anglicized form of
Fionnghuala.
Felicity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: fə-LIS-i-tee
From the English word
felicity meaning
"happiness", which ultimately derives from Latin
felicitas "good luck". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans around the 17th century. It can sometimes be used as an English form of the Latin name
Felicitas. This name jumped in popularity in the United States after the premiere of the television series
Felicity in 1998. It is more common in the United Kingdom.
Fawn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAWN
From the English word fawn for a young deer.
Farrah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: فرح(Arabic)
Pronounced: FA-rah
Alternate transcription of Arabic
فرح (see
Farah).
Faith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAYTH
Simply from the English word
faith, ultimately from Latin
fidere "to trust". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Fairy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FER-ee
From the English word
fairy, referring to the mythical creature, ultimately derived from the Roman mythological name
Fata, "fate". (Compare:
Fay)
Evelyn
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: EHV-ə-lin(English) EEV-lin(British English) EEV-ə-lin(British English) EH-və-leen(German)
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.
Etta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHT-ə
Short form of
Henrietta and other names that end with
etta. A famous bearer was the American singer Etta James (1938-2012), who took her
stage name from her real given name Jamesetta.
Estrella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ehs-TREH-ya
Spanish form of
Stella 1, coinciding with the Spanish word meaning "star".
Esha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: एषा(Hindi)
Means "desire, wish" in Sanskrit.
Ermajean
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: UR-mə JEEN
Erma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: UR-mə
Variant of
Irma. It began to be used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century, along with
Irma.
Emily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-lee
English feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emil). In the English-speaking world it was not common until after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century; the princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was commonly known as
Emily in English, even though
Amelia is an unrelated name.
This name was moderately popular through most of the 20th century, and became very popular around the turn of the 21st century. It was the highest ranked name for girls in the United States from 1996 to 2007, attaining similar levels in other English-speaking countries around the same time.
Famous bearers include the British author Emily Brontë (1818-1848), known for the novel Wuthering Heights, and the American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886).
Emerald
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHM-ə-rəld
From the word for the green precious stone, which is the traditional birthstone of May. The emerald supposedly imparts love to the bearer. The word is ultimately from Greek
σμάραγδος (smaragdos).
Elsabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Elle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHL
Diminutive of
Eleanor and other names beginning with
El. This name can also be given in reference to the French pronoun
elle meaning "she".
Already growing in popularity due to Australian model Elle Macpherson (1964-), this name received a boost in the United States after the release of the 2001 movie Legally Blonde featuring the main character Elle Woods. In the United Kingdom the name was already fairly common at the time the movie came out, and it actually started declining there shortly afterwards. A famous bearer is American actress Elle Fanning (1998-).
Elizabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ə-bəth(English)
From
Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾElishevaʿ) meaning
"my God is an oath", derived from the roots
אֵל (ʾel) referring to the Hebrew God and
שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the
Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of
Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the
New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of
John the Baptist.
Among Christians, this name was originally more common in Eastern Europe. It was borne in the 12th century by Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a daughter of King Andrew II who used her wealth to help the poor. In medieval England it was occasionally used in honour of the saint, though the form Isabel (from Occitan and Spanish) was more common. It has been very popular in England since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. In American name statistics (as recorded since 1880) it has never ranked lower than 30, making it the most consistently popular name for girls in the United States.
Besides Elizabeth I, this name has been borne (in various spellings) by many other European royals, including a ruling empress of Russia in the 18th century. Famous modern bearers include the British queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).
Eliza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian
Other Scripts: ელიზა(Georgian)
Pronounced: i-LIE-zə(English) eh-LEE-za(Polish) EH-lee-zaw(Hungarian)
Short form of
Elizabeth. It was borne by the character Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's play
Pygmalion (1913) and the subsequent musical adaptation
My Fair Lady (1956).
Elisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Finnish, English
Pronounced: eh-LEE-za(Italian, German) eh-LEE-sa(Spanish) EH-lee-sah(Finnish) ə-LEE-sə(English)
Eh
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Karen
Other Scripts: အဲၣ်(S'gaw Karen)
Pronounced: EH
Means "to love" in S'gaw Karen.
Eden
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, English (Modern), French (Modern)
Other Scripts: עֵדֶן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: EE-dən(English)
From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן (ʿeḏen) meaning "pleasure, delight"
[1], or perhaps derived from Sumerian
𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the
Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
Easter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EE-stər
From the English name of the Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of
Jesus. It was ultimately named for the Germanic spring goddess Eostre. It was traditionally given to children born on Easter, though it is rare in modern times.
Earth
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare), English (Puritan)
Pronounced: URTH(English)
From the English word earth, referring to the planet, the soil, or the alchemical element. Ultimately from Old English eorthe.
Dyhia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Berber
Other Scripts: ⴷⵉⵀⵢⴰ(Berber Tifinagh)
Pronounced: dee-yuh, dee-hee-yuh
Dove
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DUV
From the English word for the variety of bird, seen as a symbol of peace.
Dot
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHT
Dixie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DIK-see
From the term that refers to the southern United States, used by Daniel D. Emmett in his song Dixie in 1859. The term may be derived from French dix "ten", which was printed on ten-dollar bills issued from a New Orleans bank. Alternatively it may come from the term Mason-Dixon Line, the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Ding
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Filipino, Chinese
Dihya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Berber
Other Scripts: ⴷⵉⵀⵢⴰ(Tifinagh)
Meaning unknown. This was the real name of the Berber queen
Kahina.
Diane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: DYAN(French) die-AN(English)
French form of
Diana, also regularly used in the English-speaking world.
Diamond
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), African American (Modern)
Pronounced: DIE-mənd(English)
From the English word diamond for the clear colourless precious stone, the traditional birthstone of April. It is derived from Late Latin diamas, from Latin adamas, which is of Greek origin meaning "unconquerable, unbreakable".
Devi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Hindi, Tamil
Other Scripts: देवी(Sanskrit, Hindi) தேவி(Tamil)
Derived from Sanskrit
देवी (devī) meaning
"goddess". This name can be used to refer to
Mahadevi.
Dette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: DET
Diminutive of names ending in dette. In the book So B. It by Sarah Weeks, Heidi's mother calls Heidi's next door neighbour, Bernadette, "Dette".
Destiny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHS-ti-nee
Means simply "destiny, fate" from the English word, ultimately from Latin destinare "to determine", a derivative of stare "to stand". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the last half of the 20th century.
Destiney
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DES-tə-nee
Deedee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Originally a nickname, typically for names beginning with D. It can be spelled Deedee, DeeDee or Dee Dee.
Dee
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEE
Short form of names beginning with
D. It may also be given in reference to the
Dee River in Scotland.
December
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: dis-EM-bər, DEE-səm-bər
Derived from the Latin word decem, meaning "ten". December is the twelfth month on the Gregorian calendar. This name is used regularly in America, mostly on females.
Day
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
From the Old English dæġ, from the Proto-Germanic dagaz, from the Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- meaning 'to burn'.
Dawn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAWN
From the English word dawn, ultimately derived from Old English dagung.
Daniela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Hebrew, English
Other Scripts: Даниела(Bulgarian, Macedonian) דניאלה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: da-NYEH-la(Italian, Spanish) da-nee-EH-la(German, Romanian) da-NYEH-la(Polish) DA-ni-yeh-la(Czech) DA-nee-eh-la(Slovak) dan-YEHL-ə(English)
Dakota
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: də-KO-tə
From the name of the Native American people of the northern Mississippi Valley, or from the two American states that were named for them: North and South Dakota (until 1889 unified as the Dakota Territory). The tribal name means
"allies, friends" in the Dakota language.
It was rare as an American given name before 1975. In the mid-1980s it began growing in popularity for boys after a character by this name began appearing on the soap opera Ryan's Hope. It is now more common as a feminine name, probably due to the fame of the actress Dakota Fanning (1994-).
Daisy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAY-zee
Simply from the English word for the white flower, ultimately derived from Old English
dægeseage meaning "day eye". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
This name was fairly popular at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. The American author F. Scott Fitzgerald used it for the character of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby (1925). The Walt Disney cartoon character Daisy Duck was created in 1940 as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. It was at a low in popularity in the United States in the 1970s when it got a small boost from a character on the television series The Dukes of Hazzard in 1979.
Cupid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology (Anglicized)
Pronounced: KYOO-pid(English)
From the Latin
Cupido meaning
"desire". This was the name of the Roman god of love, the son of
Venus and
Mars. He was portrayed as a winged, blindfolded boy, armed with a bow and arrows, which caused the victim to fall in love. His Greek equivalent was
Eros.
Cupcake
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Obscure
Pronounced: KUP-kayk(English)
From the English word cupcake "a small cake baked in a paper container shaped like a cup, often with icing on top".
Coral
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish
Pronounced: KAWR-əl(English) ko-RAL(Spanish)
From the English and Spanish word
coral for the underwater skeletal deposits that can form reefs. It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek
κοράλλιον (korallion).
Clover
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KLO-vər
From the English word for the wild flower, ultimately deriving from Old English clafre.
Cloud
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: KLOWD
Derived from the English word cloud. In Popular Culture, this is the name of the main protagonist (Cloud Strife) in "Final Fantasy VII", who also makes an appearance in "Dissidia: Final Fantasy".
Cinderella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: sin-də-REHL-ə(English)
Means "little ashes", in part from the French name Cendrillon. This is the main character in the folktale Cinderella about a maltreated young woman who eventually marries a prince. This old story is best known in the English-speaking world from the French author Charles Perrault's 1697 version. She has other names in other languages, usually with the meaning "ashes", such as German Aschenputtel and Italian Cenerentola.
Christmas
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-məs
From the name of the holiday, which means "Christ festival".
Chloe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1], Ancient Greek [2], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Χλόη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KLO-ee(English)
Means
"green shoot" in Greek, referring to new plant growth in the spring. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Demeter. The name is also mentioned by
Paul in one of his epistles in the
New Testament.
As an English name, Chloe has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. It started getting more popular in the 1980s in the United Kingdom and then the United States. It was the most popular name for girls in England and Wales from 1997 to 2002. This is one of the few English-language names that is often written with a diaeresis, as Chloë.
China
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: CHIE-nə
From the name of the Asian country, ultimately derived from Qin, the name of a dynasty that ruled there in the 3rd century BC.
Cherry
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHEHR-ee
Simply means "cherry" from the name of the fruit. It can also be a
diminutive of
Charity. It has been in use since the late 19th century.
Charlie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHAHR-lee
Diminutive or feminine form of
Charles. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). It is also borne by Charlie Brown, the main character in the comic strip
Peanuts by Charles Schulz.
Charity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHEHR-ə-tee, CHAR-ə-tee
From the English word
charity, ultimately derived from Late Latin
caritas "generous love", from Latin
carus "dear, beloved".
Caritas was in use as a Roman Christian name. The English name
Charity came into use among the
Puritans after the
Protestant Reformation. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Chanel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: shə-NEHL
From a French surname that meant either "channel", indicating a person who lived near a channel of water, or "jug, jar, bottle", indicating a manufacturer of jugs. It has been used as an American given name since 1970s, influenced by the Chanel brand name (a line of women's clothing and perfume), which was named for French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971).
Chance
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: CHANS
Originally a
diminutive of
Chauncey. It is now usually given in reference to the English word
chance meaning "luck, fortune" (ultimately derived from Latin
cadens "falling").
Cerise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SU-REEZ
Means "cherry" in French.
Cassiopeia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κασσιόπεια, Κασσιέπεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kas-ee-ə-PEE-ə(English)
Latinized form of Greek
Κασσιόπεια (Kassiopeia) or
Κασσιέπεια (Kassiepeia), possibly meaning
"cassia juice". In Greek
myth Cassiopeia was the wife of
Cepheus and the mother of
Andromeda. She was changed into a constellation and placed in the northern sky after she died.
Cassi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American, Modern)
Pronounced: KAS-ee(American English)
Carolyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAR-ə-lin
Carly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHR-lee
Feminine form of
Carl. A famous bearer is the American singer Carly Simon (1945-), who inspired a rise in popularity in this name in the 1970s.
Calliope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Καλλιόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-LIE-ə-pee(English)
Callinta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: Kuh-lin-tuh
California
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
From the name of the American state, whose name probably derives from the fictional Island of California ruled by Queen
Calafia in the 16th century novel Las sergas de Esplandián by García Ordóñez de Montalvo.
Caithlyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: cayth-lin
Cadence
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAY-dəns
From an English word meaning "rhythm, flow". It has been in use only since the 20th century.
Bunny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BUN-ee
Bridget
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: BRIJ-it(English)
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Brighid, Old Irish
Brigit, from old Celtic *
Brigantī meaning
"the exalted one". In Irish
mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom, the daughter of the god
Dagda. In the 5th century it was borne by
Saint Brigid, the founder of a monastery at Kildare and a patron saint of Ireland. Because of the saint, the name was considered sacred in Ireland, and it did not come into general use there until the 17th century. In the form
Birgitta this name has been common in Scandinavia, made popular by the 14th-century Saint Birgitta of Sweden, patron saint of Europe.
Bridge
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Briar
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIE-ər
From the English word for the thorny plant.
Brandy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRAN-dee
From the English word brandy for the alcoholic drink. It is ultimately from Dutch brandewijn "burnt wine". It has been in use as a given name since the 1960s.
Bobette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Bobert
Usage: German (Rare), English (American, Rare)
Bob
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: BAHB(American English) BAWB(British English) BAWP(Dutch)
Short form of
Robert. It arose later than
Dob,
Hob and
Nob, which were medieval rhyming nicknames of Robert. It is borne by the character Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens' novel
A Christmas Carol (1843). Other famous bearers include American folk musician Bob Dylan (1941-) and Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
Bluebell
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Popular Culture
Pronounced: BLOO-bel(English)
From the name of the flower, used to some extent as a first name when flower names were in vogue at the end of the 19th century.
Blue
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BLOO
From the English word for the colour, derived via Norman French from a Frankish word (replacing the native Old English
cognate blaw). Despite the fact that this name was used by the American musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z in 2012 for their first daughter, it has not come into general use in the United States.
Blossom
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BLAH-səm
From the English word blossom, ultimately from Old English blóstm. It came into use as a rare given name in the 19th century.
Blanca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Catalan
Pronounced: BLANG-ka(Spanish) BLANG-kə(Catalan)
Bird
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: American (Archaic)
Transferred use of the surname
Bird.
Biển
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: BYUN, BYUNG
Means "sea, ocean" in Vietnamese.
Betty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHT-ee
Bess
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHS
Bellatrix
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: bə-LAY-triks(English) BEHL-ə-triks(English)
Means "female warrior" in Latin. This is the name of the star that marks the left shoulder of the constellation Orion.
Bell
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEL
Transferred use of the surname
Bell 1.
Bekky
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: Bek-ee
Bekka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEK-ə
Bargie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: Bar-jee
Bargaret
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Baoshan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 宝山, 寶珊, 宝善, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: POW-SHAN
From Chinese 宝 or 寶
(bǎo) meaning "treasure, jewel, precious, rare" combined with 山
(shān) meaning "mountain, hill, peak", 珊
(shān) meaning "coral", or 善
(shàn) meaning "good, virtuous, charitable, kind". Other character combinations can form this name as well.
Bai
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 白, 百, 柏, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: PIE
From Chinese
白 (bái) meaning "white, pure",
百 (bǎi) meaning "one hundred, many" or
柏 (bǎi) meaning "cypress tree, cedar" (which is usually only masculine). Other Chinese characters can form this name as well. This name was borne in the 8th century by the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, whose given was
白.
Azalea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ə-ZAY-lee-ə
From the name of the flower (shrubs of the genus Rhododendron), ultimately derived from Greek
ἀζαλέος (azaleos) meaning "dry".
Ava 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-və
Variant of
Eve. A famous bearer was the American actress Ava Gardner (1922-1990). This name became very popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 21st century, entering the top ten for girls in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It began to rise sharply after 1997, possibly inspired by the actress Heather Locklear and musician Richie Sambora when they used it for their baby daughter that year.
Autumn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AW-təm
From the name of the season, ultimately from Latin autumnus. This name has been in general use since the 1960s.
Autodice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Αὐτοδίκη(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek αὐτός
(autos) meaning "self" combined with δίκη
(dike) meaning "justice, custom, order". Compare the Greek adjective αὐτόδικος
(autodikos) meaning "with independent jurisdiction, with one's own law-courts".
Aurora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Romanian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: ow-RAW-ra(Italian) ow-RO-ra(Spanish, Latin) ə-RAWR-ə(English) OW-ro-rah(Finnish)
Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.
August
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English
Pronounced: OW-guwst(German) OW-goost(Polish, Norwegian) OW-guyst(Swedish) AW-gəst(English)
German, Polish, Scandinavian and Catalan form of
Augustus. This was the name of three Polish kings.
As an English name it can also derive from the month of August, which was named for the Roman emperor Augustus.
Auggie
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: Aw-gee
Audrey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AWD-ree(English) O-DREH(French)
Medieval
diminutive of
Æðelþryð. This was the name of a 7th-century
saint, a princess of East Anglia who founded a monastery at Ely. It was also used by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
As You Like It (1599). At the end of the Middle Ages the name became rare due to association with the word
tawdry (which was derived from
St. Audrey, the name of a fair where cheap lace was sold), but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
Astrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, French, English
Pronounced: AS-strid(Swedish) AHS-tri(Norwegian) AS-trit(German) AS-TREED(French) AS-trid(English)
Modern Scandinavian form of
Ástríðr. This name was borne by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), the author of
Pippi Longstocking. It was also borne by a Swedish princess (1905-1935) who became the queen of Belgium as the wife of Leopold III.
Astoria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: as-TAWR-ee-ə
Feminine form of
Astor. This is also the name of several American towns, after the businessman John Jacob Astor.
Asia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Italian (Modern)
Pronounced: AY-zhə(English) A-zya(Italian)
From the name of the continent, which is perhaps derived from Akkadian asu, meaning "east".
Ashley
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ASH-lee
From an English surname that was originally derived from place names meaning
"ash tree clearing", from a combination of Old English
æsc and
leah. Until the 1960s it was more commonly given to boys in the United States, but it is now most often used on girls. It reached its height of popularity in America in 1987, but it did not become the highest ranked name until 1991, being overshadowed by the likewise-popular
Jessica until then. In the United Kingdom it is still more common as a masculine name.
Ash
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ASH
Short form of
Ashley. It can also come directly from the English word denoting either the tree or the residue of fire.
Art
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AHRT
Ariana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, English (Modern)
Pronounced: ar-ee-AN-ə(English) ar-ee-AHN-ə(English)
Portuguese form of
Ariadne. This name steadily grew in popularity in America in the last few decades of the 20th century. A famous bearer is the American pop singer Ariana Grande (1993-).
April
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-prəl
From the name of the month, probably originally derived from Latin aperire "to open", referring to the opening of flowers. It has only been commonly used as a given name since the 1940s.
Ans
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: AHNS
Annie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Dutch
Pronounced: AN-ee(English) A-NEE(French) AH-nee(Dutch)
Annabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AN-ə-beth
Annabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AN-ə-behl(English)
Variant of
Annabel. It can also be interpreted as a combination of
Anna and French
belle "beautiful".
Angie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AN-jee
Diminutive of
Angela. The 1973 Rolling Stones song
Angie caused this name to jump in popularity.
Angelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Armenian
Other Scripts: Ангелина(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian) Αγγελίνα(Greek) Անգելինա(Armenian)
Pronounced: ang-jeh-LEE-na(Italian) an-jə-LEE-nə(English) un-gyi-LYEE-nə(Russian) ang-kheh-LEE-na(Spanish)
Latinate
diminutive of
Angela. A famous bearer is American actress Angelina Jolie (1975-).
Angela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Slovak, Russian, Macedonian, Greek, Late Roman
Other Scripts: Ангела(Russian, Macedonian) Άντζελα(Greek)
Pronounced: AN-jəl-ə(English) AN-jeh-la(Italian) ANG-geh-la(German) ANG-gə-la(German) AN-gyi-lə(Russian)
Feminine form of
Angelus (see
Angel). As an English name, it came into use in the 18th century. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).
Angel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Ангел(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: AYN-jəl(English)
From the medieval Latin masculine name
Angelus, which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word
ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger"). It has never been very common in the English-speaking world, where it is sometimes used as a feminine name in modern times.
Andromeda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀνδρομέδα, Ἀνδρομέδη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-DRO-MEH-DA(Classical Greek) an-DRAH-mi-də(English)
Derived from Greek
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός) combined with one of the related words
μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of, to provide for, to think on" or
μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek
mythology Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess rescued from sacrifice by the hero
Perseus. A constellation in the northern sky is named for her. This is also the name of a nearby galaxy, given because it resides (from our point of view) within the constellation.
Anakin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: AN-ə-kin(English)
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a character (also known as Darth Vader) in the Star Wars movie saga, created by George Lucas. Lucas may have based it on the surname of his friend and fellow director Ken Annakin.
Amity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: A-mi-tee
From the English word meaning "friendship", ultimately deriving from Latin amicitia.
Amethyst
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AM-ə-thist
From the name of the purple semi-precious stone, which is derived from the Greek negative prefix
ἀ (a) and
μέθυστος (methystos) meaning "intoxicated, drunk", as it was believed to be a remedy against drunkenness. It is the traditional birthstone of February.
America
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ə-MEHR-i-kə
In the English-speaking world, this name is usually given in reference to the United States of America (see
Amerigo). It came into use as an American name in the 19th century.
Ameerah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Malay, Arabic
Other Scripts: اميايراه(Malay Jawi) أميرة(Arabic)
Variant transcription of
Amirah.
Amber
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: AM-bər(English) AHM-bər(Dutch)
From the English word
amber that denotes either the gemstone, which is formed from fossil resin, or the orange-yellow colour. The word ultimately derives from Arabic
عنبر (ʿanbar) meaning "ambergris". It began to be used as a given name in the late 19th century, but it only became popular after the release of Kathleen Winsor's novel
Forever Amber (1944).
Amaryllis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: am-ə-RIL-is(English)
Derived from Greek
ἀμαρύσσω (amarysso) meaning
"to sparkle". This is the name of a character appearing in
Virgil's pastoral poems
Eclogues [1]. The amaryllis flower is named for her.
Aliyah 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: عالية, عليّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ‘A-lee-ya, ‘a-LEE-ya
Ali 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AL-ee
Alex
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch, German, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Czech, Russian
Other Scripts: Άλεξ(Greek) Алекс(Russian)
Pronounced: AL-iks(English) A-lehks(Dutch, German, Romanian, Czech) A-LEHKS(French) A-lekhs(Icelandic) AW-lehks(Hungarian)
Alethea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: al-ə-THEE-ə, ə-LEE-thee-ə
Derived from Greek
ἀλήθεια (aletheia) meaning
"truth". This name was coined in the 16th century.
Africa 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: African American (Rare)
Pronounced: AF-ri-kə(English)
From the name of the continent, which is of Latin origin, possibly from the Afri people who lived near Carthage in North Africa. This rare name is used most often by African-American parents.
Æðelþryð
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1][2]
Derived from the Old English elements
æðele "noble" and
þryþ "strength".
Adrien
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-DREE-YEHN
Abigail
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical German, Biblical Italian, Biblical Portuguese, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: אֲבִיגַיִל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AB-i-gayl(English)
From the Hebrew name
אֲבִיגָיִל (ʾAviḡayil) meaning
"my father is joy", derived from the roots
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and
גִּיל (gil) meaning "joy". In the
Old Testament this is the name of Nabal's wife. After Nabal's death she became the third wife of King
David.
As an English name, Abigail first became common after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the Puritans. The biblical Abigail refers to herself as a servant, and beginning in the 17th century the name became a slang term for a servant, especially after the release of the play The Scornful Lady (1616), which featured a character named Abigail. The name went out of fashion at that point, but it was revived in the 20th century.
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