Bertie2's Personal Name List

Means "love" in Igbo (literally "to see in one's eye").

Russian form of Thekla.

Means "joy, happiness" in Swahili, borrowed from Arabic فرح (fariḥa).

Means "give me joy" in Yoruba, also a short form of Olufunmilayo or Oluwafunmilayo.

Means "love me" in Igbo.

From Japanese 文 (fumi) meaning "writing" and 仁 (hito) meaning "compassionate". A notable bearer is the Japanese crown prince Fumihito (1965-), the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito. This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji.

Latin form of Fulvio.

Feminine form of Fulvius (see Fulvio).

Old German form of Fulk.

From the Old German elements folk "people" and beraht "bright". Saint Fulbert was an 11th-century bishop of Chartres.

From Japanese 風 (fū) meaning "wind" and 神 (jin) meaning "god, spirit". This is the name of the Japanese wind god, who carries the wind in a bag over his shoulders.

Old English form of Frideswide.

Refers to a member of the ethnic group, the Frisians, a Germanic tribe of northwestern Europe. Friesland in the Netherlands is named for them.

Old High German form of Frigg.

Old German form of Frederick.

Latvian form of Frederick.

Means "lord" in Old Norse, derived from the Germanic root *fraujô. This is the name of a Norse god. He may have originally been called Yngvi, with the name Freyr being his title. Freyr is associated with fertility, sunlight and rain, and is the husband of the giantess Gerd. With his twin sister Freya and father Njord he is one of the group of deities called the Vanir.

Icelandic and Old Norse form of Freya.

From Old Norse Freyja meaning "lady". This is the name of a goddess associated with love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology. She claims half of the heroes who are slain in battle and brings them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother Freyr and father Njord, she is one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess Frigg.

This is not the usual spelling in any of the Scandinavian languages (in Sweden and Denmark it is Freja and in Norway it is Frøja) but it is the common spelling of the goddess's name in English. In the 2000s it became popular in Britain.

French form of Frederica.

Portuguese form of Frederick.

Feminine form of Frederico or Frederick.

Variant of Freya.

Czech and Slovak form of Franciscus (see Francis).

Latin form of Francis. This is also the official Dutch form, used on birth certificates but typically rendered Frans in daily life.

Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Franciscus (see Francis).

Italian and Catalan feminine form of Franciscus (see Francis).

Feminine form of Francis. The distinction between Francis as a masculine name and Frances as a feminine name did not arise until the 17th century [1]. A notable bearer was Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), a social worker and the first American to be canonized.

Means "butterfly" in Albanian.

Roman cognomen that was derived from Latin flos meaning "flower" (genitive case floris). It was borne by a 2nd-century saint who was martyred with Laurus in Illyricum.

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Florus.

Dutch form of Florentius (see Florence).

Latin name that was a derivative of Florus. This was the name of a 9th-century Swiss saint.

French feminine form of Florinus.

Elaborated form of Spanish or Portuguese flor meaning "flower".

Feminine form of Florinus.

Possibly from Latin florens meaning "prosperous, flourishing" combined with the Old German element munt meaning "protection". This is the name of the prince in some versions of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty.

From the Roman cognomen Florianus, a derivative of Florus. This was the name of a short-lived Roman emperor of the 3rd century, Marcus Annius Florianus. It was also borne by Saint Florian, a martyr of the 3rd century, the patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria.

French feminine form of Florestan. This was borne by Princess Florestine of Monaco (1833-1897), daughter of the Monegasque prince Florestan I.

Original masculine form of Florence.

French form of Florentina.

Feminine form of Florentinus.

Original feminine form of Florence.

From the Latin name Florentius or the feminine form Florentia, which were derived from florens "prosperous, flourishing". Florentius was borne by many early Christian saints, and it was occasionally used in their honour through the Middle Ages. In modern times it is mostly feminine.

This name can also be given in reference to the city in Italy, as in the case of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), who was born there to British parents. She was a nurse in military hospitals during the Crimean War and is usually considered the founder of modern nursing.

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.

Diminutive of Fleur.

From the Roman family name Flavianus, which was derived from Flavius. This was the name of several early saints including a 5th-century patriarch of Constantinople who was beaten to death.

Feminine form of Flavius.

Alternate transcription of Persian فیروزه (see Firouzeh).

Italian feminine form of Florentius (see Florence).

From Italian fiore "flower" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Combination of Italian fiore "flower" (Latin flos) and alba "dawn".

Means "white shoulder" from Old Irish finn "white, blessed" and gúala "shoulder". In Irish legend Fionnuala was one of the four children of Lir who were transformed into swans for a period of 900 years.

Anglicized form of Fionnuala.

Icelandic form of Finn 2.

From the Old Norse name Finnr, which meant "Sámi, person from Finland".

Variant of Fenella.

Short form of Serafina. Saint Fina, also known as Saint Serafina, was a 13th-century girl from the town of San Gimignano in Italy.

Means "much brightness" from the Old German elements filu "much" and beraht "bright". This was the name of a 7th-century Frankish saint, commonly called Philibert.

Created by playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais for the central character in his plays The Barber of Seville (1775), The Marriage of Figaro (1784) and The Guilty Mother (1792). Beaumarchais may have based the character's name on the French phrase fils Caron meaning "son of Caron", which was his own nickname and would have been pronounced in a similar way. In modern French the word figaro has acquired the meaning "barber", reflecting the character's profession.

Means "proud" in Esperanto.

Latinized form of Fedelm.

Original form of Fidel.

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

Diminutive of Fiamma. This is the name of a character appearing in several works by the 14th-century Italian author Boccaccio. She was probably based on the Neapolitan noblewoman Maria d'Aquino.

Spanish, Portuguese and Italian feminine form of Ferdinand.

Bosnian form of Farid.

Alternate transcription of Persian فریدون (see Fereydoun).

Modern Persian form of Old Iranian *Thraitauna meaning "the third". In the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh this is the name of a virtuous king who ruled for 500 years. The Avestan form of the name 𐬚𐬭𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬀𐬊𐬥𐬀 (Thraētaona) appears in the earlier texts of the Avesta.

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

Bengali feminine form of Firdaus.

Italian feminine form of Ferdinand.

From Fredenandus, the Latinized form of a Gothic name composed of the elements friþus "peace" (or perhaps farþa "journey" [1]) and nanþa "boldness, daring". The Visigoths brought the name to the Iberian Peninsula, where it entered into the royal families of Spain and Portugal. From there it became common among the Habsburg royal family of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria, starting with the Spanish-born Ferdinand I in the 16th century. A notable bearer was Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), called Fernão de Magalhães in Portuguese, who was the leader of the first expedition to sail around the earth.

Russian form of Theodosia.

Russian and Ukrainian form of Theodosius.

Russian form of Theodora.

From Old Norse fen meaning "marsh, fen". In Norse mythology Fenrir was a ferocious wolf, one of the offspring of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. Because it was foretold he would bring about disaster, the gods bound him with a magical fetter, though in the process Tyr's hand was bitten off. At the time of Ragnarök, the end of the world, it is told that he will break free and kill Odin.

Feminine form of Fen 2.

Form of Fionnuala used by Walter Scott for a character in his novel Peveril of the Peak (1823).

Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese form of Philip.

Late Latin name meaning "cat-like". This was the name of a possibly legendary saint who was martyred with Gratian in the 3rd century.

Feminine form of Felinus.

Masculine form of Felicia. This was the name of a 4th-century saint, a companion of Saint Castor of Karden.

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.

Latin name meaning "good luck, fortune". In Roman mythology the goddess Felicitas was the personification of good luck. It was borne by a 3rd-century saint, a slave martyred with her master Perpetua in Carthage.

Romanian form of Felicianus (see Feliciano), as well as the usual English spelling of the saints' names.

Feminine form of the Latin name Felicius, a derivative of Felix. As an English name, it has occasionally been used since the Middle Ages.

Traditionally said to mean "ever good", it might be related to Old Irish feidil "enduring, constant". This was the name of three early kings of Munster. It was also borne by a 6th-century saint, typically called Saint Felim. In Irish legend, it was the name of the father of Deirdre.

Ukrainian form of Theodore.

Variant of Fidelma.

Possibly from Februa, a Roman purification festival that was held during the month of February (and which gave the month its name). The festival was derived from Latin februum meaning "purging, purification". This name was borne by Saint Febronia of Nisibis, a 4th-century martyr.

Irish and Scottish Gaelic form of Fergus.

Means "a judge, arbiter" in Arabic.

In part from the English word fay meaning "fairy", derived from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles in the name of Morgan le Fay. In some cases it may be used as a short form of Faith. It has been used as a feminine given name since the 19th century.

As a rarer (but older) masculine name it is probably derived from a surname: see Fay 1 or Fay 2.

From the English word fawn for a young deer.

Feminine form of Faustinus (see Faustino).

Possibly means "to befriend" from Latin. Faunus was a Roman god of fertility, forests, and agriculture.

Feminine form of Faunus. Fauna was a Roman goddess of fertility, women and healing, a daughter and companion of Faunus.

Means "wise, intelligent" in Persian.

Means "happy, auspicious" in Persian. This was the birth name of the musician Freddie Mercury (1946-1991), who was born on Zanzibar to Parsi parents.

Variant of Pharaildis.

Originally a short form of Germanic names containing the element fara meaning "journey" (Proto-Germanic *farō). This was the name of a 7th-century Burgundian bishop of Meaux, France.

Means "horseman, knight" in Arabic.

Means "happy" in Arabic, from the root فرح (fariḥa) meaning "to be happy".

Tajik form of Fereydoun.

Means "unique, precious" in Arabic, derived from فرد (farada) meaning "to be unique, to be alone" [1]. This was the name of a 13th-century Persian poet.

Means "charming, enticing" in Persian.

Means "happy, cheerful" in Arabic, a derivative of فرح (fariḥa) meaning "to be happy".

From Parthian 𐭐𐭓𐭇𐭕 (Frahat) meaning "gained, earned" [1]. This was the name of several rulers of the Parthian Empire. Their names are often spelled Phraates after the Hellenized form Φραάτης.

Derived from the Old German elements fara "journey" and munt "protection". This was the name of a semi-legendary 5th-century king of the Franks.

Variant of Faramund.

From Shona fara meaning "rejoice, be happy" [1].

Old German form of Pharaildis.

Means "joy, happiness" in Arabic, from the root فرح (fariḥa) meaning "to be happy".

Diminutive of Ștefan.

Feminine form of Fakhri.

Means "fiery" in Esperanto, from fajro meaning "fire".

Alternate transcription of Arabic فيصل (see Faysal), as well as the form in several other languages.

Meaning unknown, possibly derived from Phaenna.

Urdu feminine form of Fahim.

Feminine form of Fahim.

Feminine form of Fabianus (see Fabian).

From the Roman cognomen Fabianus, which was derived from Fabius. Saint Fabian was a 3rd-century pope.

Feminine form of Fabius.

Means "beauty" in Tamil.

Icelandic form of Eyvindr (see Øyvind).

Old Norse form of Øyvind.

Derived from the Old Norse elements ey "good fortune" or "island" and dís "goddess".

From an Old German name that was composed of the elements ewa "law, custom" and walt "power, authority". This name was borne by two 7th-century saints from Northumbria who were martyred in Saxony.

Alternate transcription of Russian Евпраксия (see Yevpraksiya).

Hungarian diminutive of Eve.

Diminutive of Eve or Evelyn.

Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Євген (see Yevhen).

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

From Everardus, the Latinized form of Eberhard. The Normans introduced it to England, where it joined the Old English cognate Eoforheard. It has only been rarely used since the Middle Ages. Modern use of the name may be inspired by the surname Everard, itself derived from the medieval name.

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.

Latinate form of Aveline. It was revived by the author Fanny Burney for the heroine of her first novel Evelina (1778). It is often regarded as a variant of the related name Evelyn or an elaboration of Eve.

Elaborated form of Eva.

Bulgarian form of Eudocia, and an alternate transcription of Russian Евдокия (see Yevdokiya).

Latinized form of the Greek name Εὐάριστος (Euaristos) meaning "well pleasing" from the Greek word εὐάρεστος (euarestos), derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good, well" and ἀρεστός (arestos) meaning "pleasing". This was the name of the fifth pope, supposedly martyred under Emperor Hadrian.

French form of Evaristus.

Modern Greek feminine form of Εὐανθία (Euanthia), a variant of Euanthe. This was the name of a 1st-century martyr from Skepsis who is considered a saint in the Orthodox Church.

Latinized form of Euanthe.

Means "evangelist, preacher" in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, derived from Latin, ultimately from Greek εὐάγγελος (euangelos) meaning "bringing good news". It is often used in honour of the Four Evangelists (the authors of the gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). It is traditionally masculine, though occasionally given to girls. A famous bearer was the Italian physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647), who invented the barometer.

Feminine form of Evangelos.

Latin variant of Evander 1.

Variant of Evandrus, the Latin form of the Greek name Εὔανδρος (Euandros) meaning "good of man", derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Roman mythology Evander was an Arcadian hero of the Trojan War who founded the city of Pallantium near the spot where Rome was later built.

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

Form of Eve used in various languages. This form is used in the Latin translation of the New Testament, while Hava is used in the Latin Old Testament. A notable bearer was the Argentine first lady Eva Perón (1919-1952), the subject of the musical Evita. The name also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.

This is also an alternate transcription of Russian Ева (see Yeva).

Portuguese form of Euthymius.

Latinized form of the Greek name Εὐθύμιος (Euthymios) meaning "in good spirits, generous", derived from the word εὔθυμος (euthymos), which was composed of the elements εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and θυμός (thymos) meaning "soul, spirit". This was the name of several early saints.

Feminine form of Euthymius.

Means "flower, bloom" from the Greek word εὐθάλεια (euthaleia), itself derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and θάλλω (thallo) meaning "to blossom". This name was borne by a 3rd-century saint and martyr from Sicily.

Latinized form of Eusebios. This was the name of a 4th-century historian of the Christian church.

From the Greek Εὐρυδίκη (Eurydike) meaning "wide justice", derived from εὐρύς (eurys) meaning "wide" and δίκη (dike) meaning "justice, custom, order". In Greek myth she was the wife of Orpheus. Her husband tried to rescue her from Hades, but he failed when he disobeyed the condition that he not look back upon her on their way out.

From Greek Εὐρύαλος (Euryalos) meaning "broad". This name was borne by several figures in Greek legend. In Virgil's Aeneid it belongs to the friend of Nisus, with whom he is killed while raiding the Rutuli.

Latinized form of Greek Εὐρώπη (Europe), which meant "wide face" from εὐρύς (eurys) meaning "wide" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". In Greek mythology Europa was a Phoenician princess who was abducted and taken to Crete by Zeus in the guise of a bull. She became the first queen of Crete, and later fathered Minos by Zeus. The continent of Europe said to be named for her, though it is more likely her name is from that of the continent. This is also the name of a moon of Jupiter.

Derived from Greek εὔλαλος (eulalos) meaning "sweetly-speaking", itself from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and λαλέω (laleo) meaning "to talk". This was the name of an early 4th-century saint and martyr from Mérida in Spain. Another martyr by this name, living at the same time, is a patron saint of Barcelona. These two saints might be the same person.

French form of Eugenia. This was the name of the wife of Napoleon III.

Feminine form of Eugenius (see Eugene). It was borne by a semi-legendary 3rd-century saint who escaped persecution by disguising herself as a man. The name was occasionally found in England during the Middle Ages, but it was not regularly used until the 19th century.

Form of Eugenius (see Eugene) in several languages.

Means "good gift" in Greek, from the elements εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a nymph, one of the Hyades, in Greek mythology.

Latinized form of the Greek name Εὐδοκία (Eudokia), derived from the word εὐδοκέω (eudokeo) meaning "to be well pleased, to be satisfied", itself derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and δοκέω (dokeo) meaning "to think, to imagine, to suppose". This name was common among Byzantine royalty. Saint Eudocia was the wife of the 5th-century emperor Theodosius II.

Old French form of Odo.

Derived from Greek εὐανθής (euanthes) meaning "blooming, flowery", a derivative of εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". According to some sources, this was the name of the mother of the three Graces or Χάριτες (Charites) in Greek mythology.

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.

From Japanese 悦 (etsu) meaning "joy, pleased" and 子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.

Short form of names beginning with the Old English element æðele meaning "noble". It was coined in the 19th century, when many Old English names were revived. It was popularized by the novels The Newcomes (1855) by William Makepeace Thackeray and The Daisy Chain (1856) by C. M. Yonge. A famous bearer was American actress and singer Ethel Merman (1908-1984).

Form of Eter with the nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.

Means "you are my sister" in Amharic.

Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Adalwin.

Feminine form of Etele created by the Hungarian writer András Dugonics for the main character in his novel Etelka (1788).

Medieval French form of Stephen.

From the Hebrew name אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah.

This name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. In America it received a boost in popularity after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893-1980), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland [1].

Occitan form of Stephen.

Latvian form of Esther.

Polish, Slovak, Romanian and Lithuanian form of Esther.

From an Old French name meaning "star", ultimately derived from Latin stella. It was rare in the English-speaking world in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due to the character Estella Havisham in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations (1860).

Latinate form of Estelle. This is the name of the heroine, Estella Havisham, in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations (1860).

Possibly a Turkish form of Asra.

Means "emerald" in Spanish and Portuguese. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), in which Esmeralda is the Romani girl who is loved by Quasimodo. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since that time.

Feminine form of Esmé.

Feminine form of Esmé.

Means "esteemed" or "loved" in Old French. It was first recorded in Scotland, being borne by the first Duke of Lennox in the 16th century. It is now more common as a feminine name.

Usual Persian form of Ishmael, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription. This was the name of the founder of the Safavid Empire in Iran in the early 16th century.

Turkish and Bosnian form of Asma.

Amharic form of Alexander.

Means "born on Sunday" in Akan.

Means "desire, wish" in Sanskrit.

Russian form of Esther.

Means "God's gift" in Urhobo.

Cornish form of Iseult.

Means "day woman" in Cheyenne [1].

Means "gift" in Urhobo.

Swedish form of Ásbjǫrn.

Old German form of Ernest.

Feminine form of Ernest.

Derived from Old High German ernust meaning "serious, earnest". It was introduced to England by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century, though it did not become common until the following century. The American author and adventurer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was a famous bearer of the name. It was also used by Oscar Wilde for a character in his comedy The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

Feminine form of Ernest.

Means "brisk, vigorous, hale" in Old Norse. This was the name of the wife of Jarl in Norse legend.

Old German variant of Ermelinde.

Amharic form of Jeremiah.

Latinized form of Ermendrud.

From the Gothic name *Airmanareiks, from the elements airmans "great, immense" and reiks "ruler, king". Ermenrich (also often called Ermanaric) was a 4th-century Gothic king.

Derived from the Old German elements irmin meaning "whole, great" and gart meaning "enclosure, yard". This name was borne by the wife of the Frankish king Louis the Pious (9th century). This was also the name of one of her granddaughters, an abbess of Frauenwörth who is regarded as a saint.

Derived from the Old German elements irmin "whole, great" and lind "soft, flexible, tender". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish saint from Meldert, Flanders.

Means "descendant of the jarl", a derivative of the Old Norse word jarl meaning "chieftain, nobleman, earl".

Icelandic form of Erland.

Old Norse form of Erland.

From the Old Norse byname Erlendr, which was derived from ørlendr meaning "foreigner".

Scandinavian form of Eric. This was the name of kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. King Erik IX of Sweden (12th century) is the patron saint of that country.

Portuguese form of Eric.

Feminine form of Eric. It was first used in the 18th century. It also coincides with the Latin word for "heather".

Derived from the Old German element era "honour, respect" combined with hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy" [1][2]. Saint Erhard was a 7th-century bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria.

Old German form of Archibald.

Means "lovely" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the nine Muses, the muse of lyric poetry.

Means "noble hero" in Kazakh, from ер (er) meaning "man, hero" and асыл (asyl) meaning "precious, noble".

Russian and Ukrainian form of Erastus.

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

From the Hebrew name אֶףְרָיִם (ʾEfrayim) meaning "fruitful". In the Old Testament Ephraim is a son of Joseph and Asenath and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This name was also borne by two early saints: Ephraim or Ephrem the Syrian, a 4th-century theologian, and Ephraim of Antioch, a 6th-century patriarch of Antioch.

Means "horse joy" in Old English. This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel The Lord of the Rings (1954) Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden of Rohan. She slays the Lord of the Nazgul in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

From the Old English elements eormen "whole, great" and hild "battle". This was the name of a 7th-century saint, a daughter of King Eorcenberht of Kent.

Derived from the Old English elements eofor "boar" and hild "battle". This name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.

Derived from the Old English elements eofor "boar" and heard "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This is a cognate of Eberhard.

Meaning unknown. She was a bloodthirsty Greek war goddess and a companion of Ares.

Means "his father's friend" in Igbo.

Turkish, Bosnian and Albanian form of Anwar.

Means "fifth born child" in Akan.

Breton form of Honoria, or directly from Breton enor "honour" (a word of Latin origin). This was the name of a 6th-century saint, the wife of Saint Efflamm.

From the Hebrew name חֲנוֹך (Ḥanoḵ) meaning "dedicated". In Genesis in the Old Testament this is the name of the son of Cain. It is also the name of a son of Jared and the father of Methuselah, who was the supposed author of the apocryphal Books of Enoch.

Original Latin form of Ennio.

Old Welsh form of Einion.

From Sumerian 𒂗 (en) meaning "lord" and possibly 𒆤 (lil) meaning "wind". Enlil was the Sumerian god of the wind and storms, the son of An and Ki. He was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and other Mesopotamian peoples [1].

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

Means "person of wealth" in Yoruba.

Old French form of Enid.

Probably derived from Welsh enaid meaning "soul, spirit, life". In Arthurian tales she first appears in the 12th-century French poem Erec and Enide by Chrétien de Troyes, where she is the wife of Erec. In later adaptations she is typically the wife of Geraint. The name became more commonly used after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian poem Enid in 1859, and it was fairly popular in Britain in the first half of the 20th century.

From the Portuguese and Spanish name of the Aeneid (see Aeneas).

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

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

Anglicized form of Endelienta, the Latin form of a Welsh or Cornish name. It was borne by a 5th or 6th-century Cornish saint whose birth name is lost. According to some traditions she was a daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog (identifying her with Cynheiddon).

Latin form of Endellion.

Means "swallow (bird)" in Basque.

Short form of Irena.

Latin form of Emidio.

Means "friend, brother" in Turkish. This name was borne by the 13th-century Turkish poet Yunus Emre.

Possibly a variant of Emre.

Means "empress" in Spanish.

Germanic name, in which the second element is rih "ruler, king". The first element may be irmin "whole, great" (making it a relative of Ermenrich), amal "unceasing, vigorous, brave" (making it a relative of Amalric) or heim "home" (making it a relative of Henry). It is likely that several forms merged into a single name.

From Old French Emeline, a diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element amal meaning "unceasing, vigorous, brave". The Normans introduced this name to England.

From the Hebrew name עִמָּנוּאֵל (ʿImmanuʾel) meaning "God is with us", from the roots עִם (ʿim) meaning "with" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This was the foretold name of the Messiah in the Old Testament. It has been used in England since the 16th century in the spellings Emmanuel and Immanuel, though it has not been widespread [1]. The name has been more common in continental Europe, especially in Spain and Portugal (in the spellings Manuel and Manoel).

Bosnian variant of Amira 1.

Turkish form and Bosnian variant of Amir 1.

Bosnian form of Amina 2.

Portuguese form of Aemilius (see Emil).

Romanian and Polish form of Aemilianus (see Emiliano).

Icelandic feminine form of Aemilius (see Emily).

Feminine form of Aemilius (see Emily). In Shakespeare's tragedy Othello (1603) this is the name of the wife of Iago.

From the Roman family name Aemilius, which was derived from Latin aemulus meaning "rival".

Dutch form of Aemilius (see Emil).

From the Late Latin name Emygdius, which was possibly a Latinized form of a Gaulish name (of unknown meaning). Saint Emygdius was a 3rd-century bishop and martyr, the patron saint against earthquakes.

Derived from Latin emereo meaning "to fully deserve".

Dutch form of Emerentius.

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).

Means "peace" in Ibibio.

Meaning uncertain, perhaps related to Old Norse almr "elm". In Norse mythology Embla and her husband Ask were the first humans. They were created by three of the gods from two trees.

From Elysium, the name of the realm of the dead in Greek and Roman mythology.

Swedish short form of Elvira.

Spanish form of a Visigothic name, recorded from the 10th century in forms such as Geloyra or Giluira. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly composed of the Gothic element gails "happy" or gails "spear" combined with wers "friendly, agreeable, true". The name was borne by members of the royal families of León and Castille. This is also the name of a character in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni (1787).

Italian feminine form of Helvius.

Icelandic form of Alvar.

Feminine form of Alf 1.

Derived from Mapuche elun meaning "give".

Derived from Welsh eilun meaning "image, likeness, idol". This was the name of a legendary 5th-century Welsh saint, also known as Eiliwedd, one of the supposed daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog.

From an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning "Ella's town". A famous bearer of this name is British musician Elton John (1947-), born Reginald Dwight, who adopted his stage name in honour of his former bandmate Elton Dean (1945-2006).

Frisian diminutive of Elisabeth.

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

Middle English form of either of the Old English names Ælfric or Æðelric. Both were rarely used after the Norman Conquest.

Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.

From the Old French name Héloïse, which was probably from the Germanic name Helewidis, composed of the elements heil meaning "healthy, whole" and wit meaning "wide". It is sometimes associated with the Greek word ἥλιος (helios) meaning "sun" or the name Louise, though there is no etymological connection. This name was borne by the 12th-century French scholar and philosopher Héloïse. Secretly marrying the theologian Peter Abelard at a young age, she became a nun (and eventually an abbess) after Abelard was violently castrated by order of her uncle Fulbert.

There was a medieval English form of this name, Helewis, though it died out after the 13th century. In the 19th century it was revived in the English-speaking world in the form Eloise.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Eloise.

Italian form of Eloise.

From the Old Norse name Eileifr, which was derived from the elements ei "ever, always" and leif "inheritance, legacy".

French form of Alodia.

English form of Élodie.

Contracted form of Eleanora.

Scandinavian short form of Helena.

Possibly a shortened form of Edelmira. It appears in the play Tartuffe (1664) by the French playwright Molière (often spelled in the French style Elmire).

Possibly from Turkic el meaning "country, society" combined with Arabic أمير (ʾamīr) meaning "commander".

Contraction of Russian электрификация мира (elektrifikatsiya mira) meaning "electrification of the world". This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.

Short form of Wilhelmine or names ending in elma, such as Anselma. It has also been recorded as a combination of Elizabeth and Mary, as in the case of the 19th-century daughter of the Earl of Elgin, who was named using her mother's first and middle names [1].

Old German name composed of the elements ellan "courage" and heri "army".

Alternate transcription of Russian Елизавета (see Yelizaveta).

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).

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).

Meaning unknown, possibly Phoenician in origin. This is another name of Dido, the legendary queen of Carthage.

Georgian short form of Elizabeth.

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

French short form of Élisabeth.

Short form of Elizabeth.

Italian form of Elizabeth.

Old Church Slavic form of Elizabeth.

French form of Elizabeth.

Icelandic form of Elizabeth.

Feminine form of Elior.

Means "my God is my light" in Hebrew.

Norwegian and Dutch variant form of Helen. This is the name of the title character in the novel Eline Vere (1889) by the Dutch writer Louis Couperus.

Finnish, Estonian and Swedish form of Helen.

Hawaiian form of Elizabeth.

From the Hebrew name אֱלִיָּהוּ (ʾEliyyahu) meaning "my God is Yahweh", derived from the roots אֵל (ʾel) and יָהּ (yah), both referring to the Hebrew God. Elijah was a Hebrew prophet and miracle worker, as told in the two Books of Kings in the Old Testament. He was active in the 9th century BC during the reign of King Ahab of Israel and his Phoenician-born queen Jezebel. Elijah confronted the king and queen over their idolatry of the Canaanite god Ba'al and other wicked deeds. At the end of his life he was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and was succeeded by Elisha. In the New Testament, Elijah and Moses appear next to Jesus when he is transfigured.

Because Elijah was a popular figure in medieval tales, and because his name was borne by a few early saints (who are usually known by the Latin form Elias), the name came into general use during the Middle Ages. In medieval England it was usually spelled Elis. It died out there by the 16th century, but it was revived by the Puritans in the form Elijah after the Protestant Reformation. The name became popular during the 1990s and 2000s, especially in America where it broke into the top ten in 2016.

Late Latin name derived from Latin eligere "to choose". The 7th-century Saint Eligius is the patron saint of metalworkers.

Feminine form of Eligius.

Means "my God is God" in Hebrew. This name is borne by a number of characters in the Old Testament.

Meaning unknown, possibly of Greek or Welsh origin. It may have been inspired by the name of the Ήλιδα (Ilida) valley and ancient city in western Greece (Elis in English).

Hungarian form of Elijah.

Spanish and Icelandic form of Elijah.

Form of Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek New Testament, as well as some English translations.

Persian form of Ilham.

From the name of a Welsh river, also called the Leri, of unknown meaning. This was also the name of a 7th-century Welsh saint (masculine).

Modern Greek form of Helen.

Georgian, Sardinian and Basque form of Helen.

Form of Helen used in various languages, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Елена (see Yelena).

Old Hungarian name of unknown meaning.

Hungarian form of Alexius.

From the Hebrew name אֶלְעָזָר (ʾElʿazar) meaning "God has helped", derived from אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God" and עָזַר (ʿazar) meaning "to help". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the sons of Aaron. The name also appears in the New Testament belonging to one of the ancestors of Jesus in the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew.

Latinate form of Eleanor.

From the Old French form of the Occitan name Alienòr. Among the name's earliest bearers was the influential Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century), who was the queen of Louis VII, the king of France, and later Henry II, the king of England. She was named Aenor after her mother, and was called by the Occitan phrase alia Aenor "the other Aenor" in order to distinguish her from her mother. However, there appear to be examples of bearers prior to Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is not clear whether they were in fact Aenors who were retroactively recorded as having the name Eleanor, or whether there is an alternative explanation for the name's origin.

The popularity of the name Eleanor in England during the Middle Ages was due to the fame of Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as two queens of the following century: Eleanor of Provence, the wife of Henry III, and Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I. More recently, it was borne by first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), the wife of American president Franklin Roosevelt.

From the Old Norse elements eldr "fire" and bjǫrg "help, save, rescue".

Possibly derived from Greek ἄλαρα (alara) meaning "hazelnut, spear-shaft". In Greek mythology Elara was one of Zeus's mortal lovers and by him the mother of the giant Tityos. A moon of Jupiter bears this name in her honour.

Variant of Elaine.

Means "goddess" in Persian.

Diminutive of names beginning with El such as Elizabeta or Elżbieta.

Means "tears become joy" in Yoruba.

Variant of Akua.

Means "gratitude belongs to God" in Igbo.

Means "thanks, gratitude" in Igbo.

Georgian form of Katherine.

Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Katherine, and an alternate transcription of Russian Екатерина (see Yekaterina).

Means "praise God" in Urhobo.

Means "one having strength" in Igbo.

Variant of Øyvind.

Means "snowdrop (flower)" in Welsh, a compound of eira "snow" and llys "plant".

Alternate transcription of Greek Ειρήνη (see Irini).

Icelandic form of Eiríkr (see Eric).

Old Norse form of Eric.

Norwegian form of Eiríkr (see Eric).

Ancient Greek form of Irene.

Means "snow" in Welsh. This is a recently created name.

Modern form of Eir.

Means "mercy" in Old Norse. This was the name of a Norse goddess of healing and medicine.

Derived from the Old Norse name Eindriði, possibly from the elements einn "one, alone" and ríða "to ride".

From the Old Norse name Einarr, derived from the elements einn "one, alone" and herr "army, warrior". This name shares the same roots as einherjar, the word for the slain warriors in Valhalla.

Greek form of Ilithyia.

Old Norse form of Elof.

From Japanese 栄 (ei) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper" or 英 (ei) meaning "excellent, fine" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

From Japanese 英 (ei) meaning "excellent, fine" or 栄 (ei) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper" combined with 二 (ji) meaning "two" or 治 (ji) meaning "govern, administer". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Welsh form of Igraine.

Persian form of Ihsan, as well as an alternate Urdu transcription.

Uyghur form of Ahmad.

Means "wind" in Nahuatl [1]. This was the name of the Aztec wind god.

Earlier form of Ignatius.

From the English word for the flower also known as sweetbrier. It is derived via Old French from Vulgar Latin *aquilentum meaning "prickly". It was early used as a given name (in the form Eglentyne) in Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century story The Prioress's Tale (one of The Canterbury Tales).

Welsh form of Eva.

From the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and ric "ruler, king". After the Norman Conquest this Old English name was not commonly used. It has occasionally been revived in modern times.

Means "pleasure" in Hebrew, a derivative of עָדַן (ʿaḏan) meaning "to delight". This name appears in the Old Testament Apocrypha, for instance in the Book of Tobit belonging to the wife of Raguel. It was borne by the American poet Edna Dean Proctor (1829-1923). It did not become popular until the second half of the 19th century, after it was used for the heroine in the successful 1866 novel St. Elmo by Augusta Jane Evans [1]. It peaked around the turn of the century and has declined steadily since then, falling off the American top 1000 list in 1992.

Feminine form of Edmé.

Short form of Edmond, used independently.

From the Old English name Eadgyð, derived from the elements ead "wealth, fortune" and guð "battle". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. It was also borne by the Anglo-Saxon wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. The name remained common after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.

From an English surname that meant either "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam". A famous bearer of the surname was the American inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).

Possibly a diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element adal meaning "noble".

French variant of Edgar.

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.

From an Old German name, which was derived from the elements adal "noble" and gart "enclosure, yard".

Medieval diminutive of Edith.

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

Means "viper, snake" in Greek, a variant of ἔχις (echis). In Greek mythology this was the name of a monster who was half woman and half snake. By Typhon she was the mother of Cerberus, the Hydra, the Chimera, and other monsters.

Romanian form of Katherine.

Persian form of Ibrahim, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription.

Derived from the Old German elements ebur "boar" and wini "friend".

Old German name meaning "brave boar", derived from the elements ebur "wild boar" and hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This name was borne by an influential 9th-century Duke of Friuli. It was also the name of a 12th-century German saint, an archbishop of Salzburg.

Means "mercy, kindness" in Igbo.

Variant of Ebere.

Manx form of Elizabeth.

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

Derived from the Old English elements eald "old" and helm "helmet, protection". This was the name of a 7th-century English saint (commonly called Aldhelm).

Scottish Gaelic form of Elizabeth.

Derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and giefu "gift".

Old English form of Edgar.

Derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and beorht "bright". This was the name of an 8th-century king of Northumbria and three kings of Kent.

From the Welsh prefix dy meaning "to, toward" and llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi [1], Dylan was a son of Arianrhod and the twin brother of Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Immediately after he was baptized he took to the sea, where he could swim as well as a fish. He was slain accidentally by his uncle Gofannon. According to some theories the character might be rooted in an earlier and otherwise unattested Celtic god of the sea.

Famous bearers include the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and the American musician Bob Dylan (1941-), real name Robert Zimmerman, who took his stage surname from the poet's given name. Due to those two bearers, use of the name has spread outside of Wales in the last half of the 20th century. It received a further boost in popularity in the 1990s due to a character on the television series Beverly Hills 90210.

Feminine diminutive of Dušan.

Means "chief, leader" in Tamil.

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

From Latin dulcis meaning "sweet". It was used in the Middle Ages in the spellings Dowse and Duce, and was recoined in the 19th century.

Latin form of Duilio.

Feminine diminutive of the Roman family name Drusus. In Acts in the New Testament Drusilla is the wife of Felix.

Variant of Dragoș.

Possibly means "something at the campire already cooked" in Apache [1]. This was the name of the wife of the Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise.

Danish and Norwegian form of Dorothy.

Latinized form of Dorotheos.

Feminine form of the Greek name Δωρόθεος (Dorotheos), which meant "gift of god" from Greek δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift" and θεός (theos) meaning "god". The name Theodore is composed of the same elements in reverse order. Dorothea was the name of two early saints, notably the 4th-century martyr Dorothea of Caesarea. It was also borne by the 14th-century Saint Dorothea of Montau, who was the patron saint of Prussia.

Portuguese form of Dorothea.

Diminutive of Dorin.

Short form of Dorottya and names that end in dóra, such as Teodóra or Halldóra.

Old High German form of *Þunraz (see Thor).

From Vulgar Latin domnus, from Latin dominus meaning "lord, master". This name was borne by the 6th-century saint Domnus of Vienne (also called Domninus).

Feminine form of Domninus. This was the name of a few early saints and martyrs.

Feminine form of Domnus. Saint Domna of Nicomedia was martyred during the persecutions of the early 4th century. However, in the case of Julia Domna, the Syrian wife of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, it seems her name was actually of Semitic origin.

Roman family name that was probably derived from Latin domitus meaning "having been tamed".

Feminine form of Domitius.

French feminine and masculine form of Dominicus (see Dominic).

Feminine form of Dominic.

Feminine form of Dominic.

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

Means "folk song", from Romanian doină.

Derived from Greek δυσμή (dysme) meaning "sunset". This is the name traditionally assigned to the repentant thief who was crucified beside Jesus.

From Sanskrit दिपाली (dipālī) meaning "row of lamps".

Latin form of Dionysos.