Hekate Rose's Personal Name List

Serbian and Slovene form of Zvjezdana.

Polish form of Sophia.

Dutch form and English variant of Zoe.

From the Hebrew name צִפּוֹרָה (Tsippora), derived from צִפּוֹר (tsippor) meaning "bird" [1]. In the Old Testament this is the name of the Midianite wife of Moses. She was the daughter of the priest Jethro.

Borne by the American actress Zendaya Coleman (1996-), known simply as Zendaya. Her name was apparently inspired by the Shona name Tendai.

Apparently a Greek derivative of Ζηναΐς (Zenais), which was derived from the name of the Greek god Zeus. This was the name of a 1st-century saint who was a doctor with her sister Philonella.

Variant transcription of Zaida.

Feminine form of Zayd. This was the name of a Muslim princess who took refuge at the court of (and perhaps married) Alfonso VI of León and Castile in the 11th century.

Feminine form of Zahi.

Means "beautiful, brilliant" in Arabic.

French feminine form of Yvon. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.

Variant of Yvonne.

English Latinate form of Yvette, Czech variant of Iveta and Anglo-Norman and Judeo-Anglo-Norman variant of Ivetta.

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 優 or 悠 or 勇 (see Yū).

From Japanese 結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" and 愛 (a) meaning "love, affection". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 瑶 (you) meaning "precious jade" combined with 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Jessenia, the genus name of a variety of palm trees found in South America. As a given name, it was popularized by the writer Yolanda Vargas Dulché in the 1970 Mexican telenovela Yesenia and the 1971 film adaptation [1].

Russian form of Elizabeth. This was the name of an 18th-century Russian empress.

Russian form of Katherine. This name was adopted by the German princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst in 1744 shortly before she married the future Russian emperor Peter III. She later overthrew her husband and ruled as empress, known as Catherine the Great in English.

Ewe form of Yaw.

Combination of Ya and Jiang meaning elegant river

Feminine form of Yaakov.

Means "flower" in Nahuatl [1].

Possibly a Spanish form of Guiomar.

From Chinese 晓 (xiǎo) meaning "dawn, daybreak, know, understand", 小 (xiǎo) meaning "small" or 肖 (xiào) meaning "resemble, imitate" combined with 霞 (xiá) meaning "rosy clouds, mist" or 夏 (xià) meaning "summer, great, grand". Other character combinations can form this name as well.

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

Alternate transcription of Burmese ဝတ်ရည် (see Wutyi).

Dutch and German feminine form of Wilhelm. This name was borne by a queen of the Netherlands (1880-1962).

From Sino-Vietnamese 薇 (vi) meaning "fern".

Feminine form of Vivianus (see Vivian). Saint Viviana (also known as Bibiana) was a Roman saint and martyr of the 4th century.

From the Latin name Vivianus, which was derived from Latin vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of Bébinn or a variant of Vivien 2.

Form of Victoria in several languages.

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.

Short form of Violet.

Russian, Greek, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Barbara.

Invented by author Jonathan Swift for his 1726 poem Cadenus and Vanessa [1]. He arrived at it by rearranging the initial syllables of the first name and surname of Esther Vanhomrigh, his close friend. Vanessa was later used as the name of a genus of butterfly. It was a rare given name until the mid-20th century, at which point it became fairly popular.

Means "chooser of the slain", derived from Old Norse valr "the slain" and kyrja "chooser". In Norse myth the Valkyries were maidens who led heroes killed in battle to Valhalla.

English and German form of Valeria, as well as a Czech variant of Valérie.

From the name of cities in Spain and Venezuela, both derived from Latin valentia meaning "strength, vigour".

Short form of Valentine 1, Valerie and other names beginning with Val.

Possibly means "widely spreading", derived from Sanskrit उरु (uru) meaning "wide" and अश् (aś) meaning "to prevade". According to Hindu scripture this was the name of an apsara (a type of female spirit) who was the wife of Pururavas.

Means "little bear", derived from a diminutive form of the Latin word ursa "she-bear". Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.

Feminine form of Ulysses.

From Japanese 愛 (u) meaning "love, affection" combined with 衣 (i) meaning "clothes". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Derived from Swahili uhuru meaning "freedom". Gene Roddenberry coined this name for the Star Trek character, Nyota Uhura.

Hebrew form of Zipporah.

Hebrew form of Tobiah, also used as a feminine form.

This is the name of a character in the RPG Undertale. Her name is a pun off of "tutorial" as she guides you through the ruins and shows you how the game works.

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

Croatian short form of Martin, Valentin and other names ending in tin.

Means "hope" in Hebrew.

Gallicized form of Thymian. This name was coined for the protagonist in the French translation - Journal d'une fille perdue - of Margarete Böhme's 1905 novel Tagebuch einer Verlorenen.

Means "radiance, splendour, beauty" in Burmese, ultimately from Sanskrit श्री (śrī).

From Sino-Vietnamese 詩 (thi) meaning "poetry, poem, verse".

Means "loved" in Zulu and Ndebele.

Means "darling" in Welsh, derived from a diminutive of Welsh teg "beautiful, pretty". It was somewhat common in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada in the 1980s and 90s. It was borne by an Australian character on the television series Doctor Who from 1981 to 1984.

Feminine form of the Roman name Tatianus, a derivative of the Roman name Tatius. This was the name of a 3rd-century saint who was martyred in Rome under the emperor Alexander Severus. She was especially venerated in Orthodox Christianity, and the name has been common in Russia (as Татьяна) and Eastern Europe. It was not regularly used in the English-speaking world until the 1980s.

Russian form of Tamar. Russian performers such as Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978), Tamara Drasin (1905-1943), Tamara Geva (1907-1997) and Tamara Toumanova (1919-1996) introduced it to the English-speaking world. It rapidly grew in popularity in the United States starting in 1957. Another famous bearer was the Polish cubist painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980).

Means "dew from God" in Hebrew, from טַל (ṭal) meaning "dew" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.

Means "my dew" in Hebrew.

From the Indian name of the fourth brightest star in the night sky, called Arcturus in the western world.

Variant of Susanna.

From Σουσάννα (Sousanna), the Greek form of the Hebrew name שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshanna). This was derived from the Hebrew word שׁוֹשָׁן (shoshan) meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose"), perhaps ultimately from Egyptian sšn "lotus". In the Old Testament Apocrypha this is the name of a woman falsely accused of adultery. The prophet Daniel clears her name by tricking her accusers, who end up being condemned themselves. It also occurs in the New Testament belonging to a woman who ministers to Jesus.

As an English name, it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Old Testament heroine. It did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation, at which time it was often spelled Susan.

English variant of Susanna. This has been most common spelling since the 18th century. It was especially popular both in the United States and the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1960s. A notable bearer was the American feminist Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906).

Turkmen form of Süleyman.

Italian, Polish and Greek feminine form of Stephen.

Means "joy" in Luganda.

Feminine form of Sophronius. Torquato Tasso used it in his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1580), in which it is borne by the lover of Olindo.

Danish modern form of Suni.

From the Hebrew name שְׁלֹמֹה (Shelomo), which was derived from שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". As told in the Old Testament, Solomon was a king of Israel, the son of David and Bathsheba. He was renowned for his wisdom and wealth. Towards the end of his reign he angered God by turning to idolatry. Supposedly, he was the author of the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon.

This name has never been overly common in the Christian world, and it is considered typically Jewish. It was however borne by an 11th-century Hungarian king.

Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of Sophia.

Form of Sophie in several languages.

Form of Sophia used in various languages.

Short form of Sigrid.

Irish form of Jehanne, a Norman French variant of Jeanne.

Means "face, visage" in Persian.

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

Modern Hebrew form of Susanna.

From Yiddish שיין (shein) meaning "beautiful".

In the case of singer Shania Twain (1965-), who chose it as her stage name, it was apparently based on an Ojibwe phrase meaning "on my way".

Alternate transcription of Yiddish שיינאַ (see Shayna).

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.

French form of Zipporah.

Meaning unknown, possibly of Phrygian origin. In Greek mythology she was one of the many lovers of Zeus. Hera, being jealous, tricked Semele into asking Zeus to display himself in all his splendour as the god of thunder. When he did, Semele was struck by lightning and died, but not before giving birth to Dionysos.

Means "God loves me" or "divine love" in Ewe.

From a Dutch surname meaning "scholar". Dutch settlers brought the surname to America, where it was subsequently adopted as a given name in honour of the American general and senator Philip Schuyler (1733-1804) [1].

Hungarian diminutive of Sarah.

Turkish form of Sarah.

Apparently means "bright star" in Swahili. The name might be best known from the South African musical "Sarafina!" Also, the name is often easily confused with the Hebrew name Seraphina, but despite looking similar in appearance, both names clearly have completely different etymologies.

Short form of Alessandra. It was introduced to the English-speaking world (where it is usually used independently of Alexandra) by author George Meredith, who used it for the heroine in his novel Emilia in England (1864) and the reissued version Sandra Belloni (1887). A famous bearer is the American actress Sandra Bullock (1964-).

From the Hebrew name שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemuʾel) meaning "name of God", from the roots שֵׁם (shem) meaning "name" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Other interpretations have the first root being שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear" leading to a meaning of "God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor David.

As a Christian name, Samuel came into common use after the Protestant Reformation. It has been consistently popular in the English-speaking world, ranking yearly in the top 100 names in the United States (as recorded since 1880) and performing similarly well in the United Kingdom.

Famous bearers include English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), American inventor Samuel Morse (1791-1872), Irish writer Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), and American actor Samuel L. Jackson (1948-). This was also the real name, Samuel Clemens, of the American author Mark Twain (1835-1910).

Feminine form of Samir 1.

Perhaps an invented name based on similar-sounding names such as Selina.

Possibly means "traveller" in Arabic.

From the English word sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.

Hausa and Kazakh form of Safiyya. It is also an alternate transcription of the Arabic name.

Feminine form of Ryan.

Form of Rosalia in several languages.

Variant of Rosemarie.

Variant of Rosaline. It can also be considered an elaboration of Rose with the common name suffix lyn.

Means either "movement, stream" or "brass" in Sanskrit.

Alternate transcription of Arabic ريحانة (see Rayhana). This name is borne by the Barbadian singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty (1988-), known simply as Rihanna. In the United States it jumped in popularity between the years 2005 and 2008, when Rihanna was releasing her first albums. It quickly declined over the next few years.

Meaning unknown, perhaps related to ῥέω (rheo) meaning "to flow" or ἔρα (era) meaning "ground". In Greek mythology Rhea was a Titan, the wife of Cronus, and the mother of the Olympian gods Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. Also, in Roman mythology a woman named Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.

From Japanese 鈴 (rei) meaning "bell", 麗 (rei) meaning "beautiful, lovely" or 玲 (rei) meaning "the tinkling of jade". This name can also be formed by other kanji with the same pronunciation.

Form of Rebecca used in various languages.

Form of Rebecca used in some versions of the Bible.

From the Hebrew name רָחֵל (Raḥel) meaning "ewe". In the Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of Jacob. Her father Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.

The name was common among Jews in the Middle Ages, but it was not generally used as a Christian name in the English-speaking world until after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately popular in the first half of the 20th century, but starting in the 1960s it steadily rose, reaching highs in the 1980s and 90s. The character Rachel Green on the American sitcom Friends (1994-2004) may have only helped delay its downswing.

Notable bearers include American conservationist Rachel Carson (1907-1964), British actress Rachel Weisz (1970-), and Canadian actress Rachel McAdams (1978-).

From Sanskrit रचन (racana) meaning "creation, preparation".

Means "fourth" in Arabic, a derivative of أربعة (ʾarbaʿa) meaning "four". This name was borne by an 8th-century Sufi mystic from Basra in Iraq.

Quechua feminine name derived from the words qori meaning "gold" and anka which means "eagle".

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).

From Sanskrit प्रियंकर (priyaṃkara) meaning "agreeable, amiable".

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

Latinized form of Greek Πολυξένη (Polyxene), which was from the word πολύξενος (polyxenos) meaning "entertaining many guests, very hospitable", itself derived from πολύς (polys) meaning "many" and ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreigner, guest". In Greek legend she was a daughter of Priam and Hecuba, beloved by Achilles. After the Trojan War, Achilles' son Neoptolemus sacrificed her.

Means "little playful one" in Powhatan, an Algonquian language. This was the nickname of a 17th-century Powhatan woman, a daughter of the powerful chief Wahunsenacawh. She married the white colonist John Rolfe and travelled with him to England, but died of illness before returning.

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].

From the Greek Φαίδρα (Phaidra), derived from φαιδρός (phaidros) meaning "bright". Phaedra was the daughter of Minos and the wife of Theseus in Greek mythology. Aphrodite caused her to fall in love with her stepson Hippolytos, and after she was rejected by him she killed herself.

Feminine form of Petronius.

Feminine form of Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.

Means "of the mountains", derived from Sanskrit पर्वत (parvata) meaning "mountain". Parvati is a Hindu goddess of love and power, the benign form of the wife of Shiva. A daughter of the mountain god Himavat, she was a reincarnation of Shiva's first wife Sati. She is the mother of Ganesha and Skanda.

Derived from Greek παρθένος (parthenos) meaning "maiden, virgin". This was the name of one of the mares of Marmax in Greek mythology.

From the Old Norse name Eyvindr, which was derived from ey meaning "island" or "good fortune" and vindr possibly meaning "victor".

Means "god" in Esan. This is also the short form of names that begin in this element.

Italian form of Aurea.

Means "light" in Hebrew.

From the English and French word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva.

Late Latin name meaning "olive". This was the name of a 2nd-century saint from Brescia.

Short form of Oliver.

Variant of Otto. This form is typically Frankish, and used when referring to historical bearers from medieval France. It was the name of a 9th-century king of the West Franks. Another notable bearer was Saint Odo, a 10th-century abbot of Cluny.

From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of Odysseus.

Means "night" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the night, the daughter of Khaos and the wife of Erebos.

Feminine form of Nymphodoros. This was the name of a 4th-century saint who was martyred with her sisters Menodora and Metrodora.

From the name of a type of African antelope, ultimately derived from the Bantu word nyálà.

Means "light" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition النور (al-Nūr) is one of the 99 names of Allah.

From the Xhosa feminine prefix no- combined with isizwe "nation".

Alternate transcription of Arabic/Urdu نور (see Nur).

Modern Hebrew form of Noah 2, the daughter of Zelophehad in the Bible. It is also the form used in several other languages, as well as the spelling used in some English versions of the Old Testament.

German, Polish, Czech and Slovak feminine form of Nicholas. Note, in Czech this is also a masculine name (see Nikola 1).

Romanian feminine form of Nicholas.

From the name of the American state, which means "snow-capped" in Spanish.

Possibly from Slavic ne maniti meaning "not deceiving, not luring, not attracting" [1]. Another theory states that it means "without possessions", derived from Serbo-Croatian nemati meaning "have not". This was the name of a 12th-century Serbian king, and the name of the dynasty he began.

Means "Yahweh comforts" in Hebrew, derived from נָחַם (naḥam) meaning "to comfort" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. According to the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament he was a leader of the Jews who was responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Naiara.

Short form of Natalia, Nataliya or Natalya.

Rare diminutive of Natalija.

Variant of Nathanael. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. This has been the most popular spelling, even though the spelling Nathanael is found in most versions of the New Testament. The American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of The Scarlet Letter, was a famous bearer of this name.

Russian diminutive of Natalya. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace (1865). It has been used in the English-speaking world only since the 20th century.

Form of Natalia (see Natalie) in several languages.

Latinate form of Natalia (see Natalie).

Naria was a Gallo-Roman goddess worshiped in western Switzerland. While her functions have been lost to time, it can be deduced from the sole image of her that she may have been a goddess of good luck and blessings, as her image was done in the generic style of Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck. The origin and meaning of her name are unknown.

From the Hebrew name נָעֳמִי (Naʿomi) meaning "my pleasantness", a derivative of נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be Mara because of her misfortune (see Ruth 1:20).

Though long common as a Jewish name, Naomi was not typically used as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer is the British model Naomi Campbell (1970-).

From the Basque name of the Spanish city of Nájera, which is Arabic in origin. In the 12th century there was a reported apparition of the Virgin Mary in a nearby cave.

Means "wave, sea foam" in Basque.

Means "announcement, call" in Arabic, derived from نادى (nādā) meaning "to call, to announce, to invite".

Feminine form of Nadir.

Alternate transcription of Arabic ناديّة (see Nadiyya), as well as the usual form in several other languages.

Means "pleasant" in Hebrew. This name is borne in the Old Testament by both a daughter of Lamech and a wife of Solomon. Some later Jewish texts give Naamah as the name of Noah's wife, even though she is not named in the Old Testament.

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.

From Sino-Korean 明 (myeong) meaning "bright, light, clear" combined with 淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming". Other hanja combinations are possible.

Swedish diminutive of Maria.

From Hebrew מֹרִיָה (Moriya) possibly meaning "seen by Yahweh". This is a place name in the Old Testament, both the land where Abraham is to sacrifice Isaac and the mountain upon which Solomon builds the temple. They may be the same place. Since the 1980s it has occasionally been used as a feminine given name in America.

Modern form of Morgen, which was used by Geoffrey of Monmouth [1] in the 12th century for the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, who was unnamed in earlier stories. Geoffrey probably did not derive it from the Welsh masculine name Morgan, which would have been spelled Morcant in his time. It is likely from Old Welsh mor "sea" and the suffix gen "born of" [2].

French form of Monica.

Form of Monica used in various languages.

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

From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "Shinto shrine, constellations, palace, princess", 京 (miya) meaning "capital", 実 (mi) meaning "to bear fruit", 都 (miya) meaning "metropolis, capital, all, everything" or 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful", 弥 (ya) meaning "all the more, increasingly", 也 (ya) meaning "also", 夜 (ya) meaning "night", 矢 (ya) meaning "dart, arrow" or 耶 (ya), an interjection combined with 野 (no) meaning "area, field" or 乃 (no), a possessive particle. Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.

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

Derived from Latin mirabilis meaning "wonderful". This name was coined during the Middle Ages, though it eventually died out. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.

French feminine form of Michel. It has been common in the English-speaking world since the middle of the 20th century. A famous bearer is the former American first lady Michelle Obama (1964-).

From the Hebrew name מִיכָאֵל (Miḵaʾel) meaning "who is like God?", derived from the interrogative pronoun מִי (mi) combined with ךְּ (ke) meaning "like" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is a rhetorical question, implying no person is like God. Michael is one of the archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament he is named as a protector of Israel (see Daniel 12:1). In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven's armies in the war against Satan, and is thus considered the patron saint of soldiers in Christianity.

The popularity of the saint led to the name being used by nine Byzantine emperors, including Michael VIII Palaeologus who restored the empire in the 13th century. It has been common in Western Europe since the Middle Ages, and in England since the 12th century. It has been borne (in various spellings) by rulers of Russia (spelled Михаил), Romania (Mihai), Poland (Michał), and Portugal (Miguel).

In the United States, this name rapidly gained popularity beginning in the 1930s, eventually becoming the most popular male name from 1954 to 1998. However, it was not as overwhelmingly common in the United Kingdom, where it never reached the top spot.

Famous bearers of this name include the British chemist/physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867), musician Michael Jackson (1958-2009), and basketball player Michael Jordan (1963-).

Diminutive of Maria.

In Portuguese often used to form diminutives of composed names, as in Milú or Mitó.

Means "sea" in Finnish.

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).

Short form of Melvin, Melanie, Melissa and other names beginning with Mel.

Welsh diminutive of Margaret. In the English-speaking world outside of Wales it has only been regularly used since the middle of the 20th century.

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.

Anglicized form of Máirín.

Belarusian form of Maria.

Swedish phonetic spelling of Mary.

Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of Maria, as well as an alternate transcription of Belarusian Марыя (see Maryia).

Form of Maria in several languages.

Combination of Marie and Christine.

Derived from Latin Margarita, which was from Greek μαργαρίτης (margarites) meaning "pearl", a word that was probably ultimately a borrowing from an Indo-Iranian language. Saint Margaret, the patron of expectant mothers, was martyred at Antioch in the 4th century. Later legends told of her escape from a dragon, with which she was often depicted in medieval art. The saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and her name has been widely used in the Christian world.

As an English name it has been very popular since the Middle Ages. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, but it declined in the latter half of the 20th century.

Other saints by this name include a queen of Scotland and a princess of Hungary. It was also borne by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, who united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in the 14th century. Famous literary bearers include American writer Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949), the author of Gone with the Wind, and Canadian writer Margaret Atwood (1939-). Others include American anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).

Combination of the names Mary and Elizabeth

From the word referring to a supernatural, religious or divine power.

From Japanese 真 (ma) "true", 舞 (ma) "dance", 麻 (ma) "flax" or 満 (ma) "full" combined with 菜 (na) "vegetables, greens" or 奈 (na), a phonetic character.

Polish form of Margaret.

From Greek μαῖα (maia) meaning "good mother, dame, foster mother", perhaps in origin a nursery form of μήτηρ (meter). In Greek and Roman mythology she was the eldest of the Pleiades, a group of stars in the constellation Taurus, who were the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Her son by Zeus was Hermes.

Late Latin name meaning "great". It was borne by a 7th-century saint who was a missionary in Germany. It became popular in Scandinavia after the time of the 11th-century Norwegian king Magnus I, who was said to have been named after Charlemagne, or Carolus Magnus in Latin (however there was also a Norse name Magni). The name was borne by six subsequent kings of Norway as well as three kings of Sweden. It was imported to Scotland and Ireland during the Middle Ages.

From a title meaning "of Magdala". Mary Magdalene, a character in the New Testament, was named thus because she was from Magdala — a village on the Sea of Galilee whose name meant "tower" in Hebrew. She was cleaned of evil spirits by Jesus and then remained with him during his ministry, witnessing the crucifixion and the resurrection. She was a popular saint in the Middle Ages, and the name became common then. In England it is traditionally rendered Madeline, while Magdalene or Magdalen is the learned form.

Latinate form of Magdalene.

Anglicized form of the Irish name Medb meaning "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. She and her husband Ailill fought against the Ulster king Conchobar and the hero Cúchulainn, as told in the Irish epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley.

Means "welcome" in Tahitian. It gained popularity in France during the 1980s.

Variant of Madeline.

Diminutive of Madeline or Madison.

Medieval feminine form of Amabilis. This spelling and Amabel were common during the Middle Ages, though they became rare after the 15th century. It was revived in the 19th century after the publication of C. M. Yonge's 1854 novel The Heir of Redclyffe [1], which featured a character named Mabel (as well as one named Amabel).

Diminutive of Maarja (Estonian) or Maaria (Finnish).

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

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.

Variant of Linda.

Variant of Leila.

One of Princess Kaiulani's (the people's princess) names.

From German Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.

In the English-speaking world this name has been occasionally given since the early 20th century. It started rising in America after the variant Lorelai was used for the main character (and her daughter, nicknamed Rory) on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007).

From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Ayrshire meaning "little hollow" (from Gaelic lag "hollow, pit" combined with a diminutive suffix). This name started slowly rising on the American popularity charts in the mid-1970s, perhaps partly inspired by the movie Logan's Run (1976). The comic book character Wolverine, alias Logan, was also introduced around the same time.

The name has been very common throughout the English-speaking world since end of the 20th century. In the United States it reached a high point in 2017, when it ranked as the fifth most popular name for boys.

Swedish and Danish form of Lissa and English variant of Lizzie.

Short form of Elizabeth (English), Yelizaveta (Russian), Elisavet (Greek) or Elisabed (Georgian).

Short form of Olivia.

Short form of Olivia.

Lithuanian feminine form of Ludwig.

Strictly feminine form of Lior.

Old German form of Linda.

From Sino-Vietnamese 靈 (linh) meaning "spirit, soul".

Short form of Liselotte.

Dutch form of Elizabeth.

From Chinese 理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic", 立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish", 黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn", 力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or 丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.

A Hebrew name meaning incense. Form of Levana 1.

Derived from Latin leo meaning "lion", a cognate of Leon. It was popular among early Christians and was the name of 13 popes, including Saint Leo the Great who asserted the dominance of the Roman bishops (the popes) over all others in the 5th century. It was also borne by six Byzantine emperors and five Armenian kings. Another famous bearer was the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), name spelled Лев in Russian, whose works include War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Leo is also a constellation and the fifth sign of the zodiac.

Variant of Lavinia.

From the English word for the aromatic flower or the pale purple colour.

Variant or feminine form of Laurence 1. Originally a masculine name, it was first popularized as a feminine name by actress Betty Jean Perske (1924-2014), who used Lauren Bacall as her stage name.

Combination of the popular prefix la with the name Rae, possibly influenced by Lorraine.

Means "sign, mark" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of prosperity, good luck, and beauty. She is the wife of Vishnu and her symbol is the lotus flower, with which she is often depicted.

Variant of Layla.

Lai is an Estonian surname meaning "wide", "vast" and "spacious".

Variant of Kira 2, sometimes considered a feminine form of Cyrus.

From Japanese 協 (kyou) meaning "unite, cooperate", 京 (kyou) meaning "capital city", 郷 (kyou) meaning "village", 杏 (kyou) meaning "apricot" combined with 香 (ka) meaning "fragrance" or 加 (ka) meaning "increase". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Variant of Kim 1.

Form of Christina in several languages. It is also an English variant of Christina and a Bulgarian variant of Hristina.

Derived from Sanskrit कृष्ण (kṛṣṇa) meaning "black, dark". This is the name of a Hindu deity believed to be an incarnation of the god Vishnu. According to the Mahabharata and the Puranas he was the youngest of King Vasudeva's eight sons by Devaki, six of whom were killed by King Kamsa because of a prophecy that a child of Vasudeva would kill Kamsa. However, Krishna and his brother Balarama were saved and he eventually fulfilled the prophecy by slaying the evil king. He then helped the Pandavas defeat the Kauravas in the Mahabharata War. His philosophical conversation with the Pandava leader Arjuna forms the text of the important Hindu scripture the Bhagavad Gita.

In some Hindu traditions, Krishna is regarded as the supreme deity. He is usually depicted with blue skin. He is also known by many epithets, such as Govinda, Gopala, and the patronymic Vasūdeva.

Short form of Kristian, Kristoffer and other names beginning with Kris.

Alternate transcription of Ancient Greek Κόρη (see Kore).

Danish and Norwegian form of Christina.

Obsolete Swedish dialectal variant form of Kätilög and female form of Kjell.

Variant of Chloe. This particular variant was popularized by the television personality Khloé Kardashian (1984-) after she began appearing with her family on the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2007.

Feminine variant of Kerry.

Derived from Arabic كَنْز (kanz) meaning "treasure".

Feminine form of Ken 1 or Kendrick.

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].

Short form of Katherine and other names beginning with K.

Belarusian form of Katherine.

Form of Katya in various languages.

Finnish and Estonian form of Katherine.

Variant of Cara.

Russian and Hungarian form of Camilla, as well as a Polish and Scandinavian variant. This is also the Hungarian word for the chamomile flower (species Matricaria chamomilla).

Means "the sacred sky," "the sacred heaven," "the sacred, heavenly one" or "the royal, sacred one," from definite article ka, ʻiu meaning "lofty, sacred, revered, consecrated" and lani meaning "sky, heaven, heavenly, spiritual, royal, exalted, noble, aristocratic."

One bearer of this name was Victoria Kaʻiulani (1875-1899), Crown Princess of the Hawaiian Islands.

Old Swedish masculine and feminine form of Kætillaug.

Danish and Norwegian form of Käthe.

Meaning unknown, possibly related to an Indo-European root meaning "young", or possibly of Etruscan origin. In Roman mythology Juno was the wife of Jupiter and the queen of the heavens. She was the protectress of marriage and women, and was also the goddess of finance.

French, Danish, Norwegian and Czech form of Julia. It has spread to many other regions as well. It has been common in the English-speaking world since the early 20th century.

Croatian form of Joséphine.

From the Hebrew name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshuaʿ) meaning "Yahweh is salvation", from the roots יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and יָשַׁע (yashaʿ) meaning "to save". As told in the Old Testament, Joshua was a companion of Moses. He went up Mount Sinai with Moses when he received the Ten Commandments from God, and later he was one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan. After Moses died Joshua succeeded him as leader of the Israelites and he led the conquest of Canaan. His original name was Hoshea.

The name Jesus comes from a Greek transcription of the Aramaic short form יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshuaʿ), which was the real name of Jesus. As an English name, Joshua has been in use since the Protestant Reformation.

Feminine variant of Jordan.

From the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is יַרְדֵן (Yarḏen), and it is derived from יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend, flow down". In the New Testament John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Latin name Jordanes, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.

This name died out after the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. In America and other countries it became fairly popular in the second half of the 20th century. A famous bearer of the surname is former basketball star Michael Jordan (1963-).

From the Hebrew name יְהוֹנָתָן (Yehonaṯan), contracted to יוֹנָתָן (Yonaṯan), meaning "Yahweh has given", derived from the roots יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and נָתַן (naṯan) meaning "to give". According to the Old Testament, Jonathan was the eldest son of Saul. His relationship with his father was strained due to his close friendship with his father's rival David. Along with Saul he was killed in battle with the Philistines.

As an English name, Jonathan did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was the Anglo-Irish satirist Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), who wrote Gulliver's Travels and other works.

Latinate form of Greek Ioanna (see Joanna).

From a Frankish masculine name, variously written as Gaudelenus, Gautselin, Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element *gautaz, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats, combined with a Latin diminutive suffix. The Normans brought this name to England in the form Goscelin or Joscelin, and it was common until the 14th century. It was revived in the 20th century primarily as a feminine name, perhaps an adaptation of the surname Jocelyn (a medieval derivative of the given name). In France this is a masculine name only.

Portuguese and Catalan form of Iohanna (see Joanna).

From Chinese 静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle", 精 (jīng) meaning "essence, spirit", 晶 (jīng) meaning "clear, crystal" or 京 (jīng) meaning "capital city". Other characters can also form this name.

Variant of Gillian.

From Chinese 江 (jiāng) meaning "river, Yangtze", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.

Short form of Jesse or Jessica.

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".

Hungarian form of Jasmine.

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.

An invented name, blending the popular phonetic prefix ja with names like Shania and Aaliyah.

Originally a Lowland Scots diminutive of James. Since the late 19th century it has also been used as a feminine form.

Form of Jacob (or James) used in several languages.

From Persian جهان (jahān) meaning "world" and آرا (ārā) meaning "decorate, adorn". This was the name of the eldest daughter of the 17th-century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

Diminutive of Jadwiga.

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.

From the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English ifig.

Feminine form of Ivan.

Means "willow tree" in South Slavic.

Feminine form of Ivo 1.

Variant of Isabella.

Greek form of Egyptian ꜣst (reconstructed as Iset, Aset or Ueset), possibly from st meaning "throne". In Egyptian mythology Isis was the goddess of the sky and nature, the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. She was originally depicted wearing a throne-shaped headdress, but in later times she was conflated with the goddess Hathor and depicted having the horns of a cow on her head. She was also worshipped by people outside of Egypt, such as the Greeks and Romans.

Variant of Isidora. A famous bearer was the American dancer Isadora Duncan (1877-1927).

Latinate form of Isabel.

From the Hebrew name יִץְחָק (Yitsḥaq) meaning "he will laugh, he will rejoice", derived from צָחַק (tsaḥaq) meaning "to laugh". The Old Testament explains this meaning, by recounting that Abraham laughed when God told him that his aged wife Sarah would become pregnant with Isaac (see Genesis 17:17), and later Sarah laughed when overhearing the same prophecy (see Genesis 18:12). When Isaac was a boy, God tested Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, though an angel prevented the act at the last moment. Isaac went on to become the father of Esau and Jacob with his wife Rebecca.

As an English Christian name, Isaac was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, though it was more common among Jews. It became more widespread after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers include the physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton (1643-1727) and the science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992).

Short form of Isabella.

Short form of Irina.

From the Old Norse name Ingríðr meaning "Ing is beautiful", derived from the name of the Germanic god Ing combined with fríðr "beautiful, beloved". A famous bearer was the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982).

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

From the name of the country, which is itself derived from the name of the Indus River. The river's name is ultimately from Sanskrit सिन्धु (Sindhu) meaning "body of trembling water, river". India Wilkes is a character in the novel Gone with the Wind (1936) by Margaret Mitchell.

Variant of Imogen.

Means "faith" in Arabic, derived from أمن (ʾamuna) meaning "to be faithful". It is typically feminine in Arabic and masculine in Persian.

German and Dutch diminutive of Elisabeth, used independently.

English form of Hyacinthus.

From the name of the flower (or the precious stone that also bears this name), ultimately from Greek hyakinthos (see Hyacinthus).

From Japanese 蛍 (hotaru) meaning "firefly".

Means "pig" in Vietnamese. This name is given in the year of the pig.

Means "pretty, favourable" in Burmese.

Derived from Hebrew הָלַל (halal) meaning "praise". This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament as the father of the judge Abdon. It was also borne by the 1st-century BC Jewish scholar Hillel the Elder.

Means "gift" in Arabic, a derivative of وهب (wahaba) meaning "to give".

Meaning uncertain, of Iroquois origin, possibly meaning "he who combs". This was the name of a Mohawk or Onondaga leader who founded the Iroquois Confederacy around the 15th century. He was later the subject of a fictionalized 1855 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Diminutive of Hentshe.

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.

Latinized form of Herakles. However, the spelling used by the Romans was Hercules.

Yiddish variant of Hannah.

Finnish feminine form of Heinrich (see Henry).

Finnish feminine form of Heinrich (see Henry).

Danish diminutive of names beginning with Hel, such as Helga or Helena.

Means "gentle, tender" in Finnish.

Latinate form of Helen. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's play All's Well That Ends Well (1603).

English form of the Greek Ἑλένη (Helene), probably from Greek ἑλένη (helene) meaning "torch" or "corposant", or possibly related to σελήνη (selene) meaning "moon". In Greek mythology Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose kidnapping by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War. The name was also borne by the 4th-century Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, who supposedly found the True Cross during a trip to Jerusalem.

The name was originally used among early Christians in honour of the saint, as opposed to the classical character. In England it was commonly spelled Ellen during the Middle Ages, and the spelling Helen was not regularly used until after the Renaissance. A famous bearer was Helen Keller (1880-1968), an American author and lecturer who was both blind and deaf.

Short form of Helena as well as a derivation from Estonian hele ''bright, clear, light''.

In Norse mythology this was the name of the daughter of Loki. She got her name from the underworld, also called Hel, where she ruled, which meant "to conceal, to cover" in Old Norse (related to the English word hell).

Diminutive of Hedwig.

From Chinese 河 (hé) meaning "river, stream", 和 (hé) meaning "harmony, peace", or 荷 (hé) meaning "lotus, water lily" (which is usually only feminine). Other characters can form this name as well. A famous bearer was the Ming dynasty explorer Zheng He (1371-1433).

From an English surname that was originally derived from the name of an English town (meaning "hay clearing" from Old English heg "hay" and leah "clearing"). It was brought to public attention as a given name, especially in the United Kingdom, by the British child actress Hayley Mills (1946-) [1].

This is the most common spelling of this name in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand; in the United States the spellings Haley and Hailey are more popular.

Means "beautiful snow" from Hawaiian hau "snow" and nani "beauty, glory".

From an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing". An American name for boys since the 19th century, it began to be used for girls after a character with the name began appearing on the soap opera Guiding Light in 1987.

Finnish diminutive of Johanna or Hannah.

Form of Ḥanna (see Hannah) in several languages.

Means "bliss, happiness" in Arabic, from the root هنأ (hanaʾa) meaning "to gladden, to enjoy".

From Japanese 花 (hana) or 華 (hana) both meaning "flower". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.

From Old English, meaning "from Hal's island". The name is probably given in honour of the American war hero Admiral William "Bull" Halsey, Jr. (1882-1959).

Medieval diminutive of Harry. In Shakespeare's two historical plays about Henry IV, Prince Hal is the name of the future King Henry V.

Variant of Hayley.

Feminine form of Gwenaël.

Feminine form of Giuseppe.