Abc123Def's Personal Name List
Zephyr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Ζέφυρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZEHF-ər(American English) ZEHF-ə(British English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Greek
Ζέφυρος (Zephyros) meaning
"west wind". Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind.
Zella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Meaning unknown, possibly an invented name. It arose in the 19th century.
Zahia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: زاهية(Arabic)
Pronounced: ZA-hee-ya
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Yurena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Canarian)
Pronounced: gyoo-REH-na
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Canarian Spanish name of recent origin, derived from the Guanche word
yruene meaning
"demon, evil spirit". This word was first recorded incorrectly as
yurena by the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Bory de
Saint-Vincent in 1803.
Yesenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: gyeh-SEH-nya
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
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].
Yasmine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, French (Modern), English (Modern)
Other Scripts: ياسمين(Arabic)
Pronounced: yas-MEEN(Arabic) YAS-MEEN(French) YAZ-min(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Yardena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יַרְדֵנָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Hebrew feminine form of
Jordan.
Yaen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יָעֵן(Hebrew)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "ostrich" in Hebrew.
Yadira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American), American (Hispanic)
Pronounced: gya-DHEE-ra(Spanish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Meaning unknown, possibly derived from an Arabic name. It has been used in Mexico since at least the 1940s
[1], perhaps inspired by the Colombian actress Yadira Jiménez (1928-?), who performed in Mexican films beginning in 1946.
Xeyal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kurdish
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "daydream, illusion" in Kurdish.
Wren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: REHN
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.
Wisteria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: wis-TEHR-ee-ə, wis-TEER-ee-ə
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the name of the flowering plant, which was named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar.
Viviane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Portuguese
Pronounced: VEE-VYAN(French)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
French form of
Viviana, as well as a Portuguese variant. It is also the French form of
Vivien 2.
Vienna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: vee-EHN-ə
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the name of the capital city of Austria,
Vienna.
Vesper
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: WEHS-pehr(Latin) VEHS-pər(American English, Dutch) VEHS-pə(British English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latin
cognate of
Hesperos. This name was used by the British author Ian Fleming for a female character, a love interest of James Bond, in his novel
Casino Royale (1953). She also appears in the film adaptations of 1967 and 2006.
Venera 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian, Albanian
Other Scripts: Венера(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: vyi-NYEH-rə(Russian)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Form of
Venus, from the genitive form
Veneris.
Velia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: VEH-lya
From the Roman family name Velius, which possibly means "concealed" in Latin.
Vardan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Վարդան(Armenian)
Pronounced: vahr-DAHN(Eastern Armenian) vahr-TAHN(Western Armenian)
Derived from Armenian
վարդ (vard) meaning
"rose", ultimately from an Iranian language.
Valya
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Валя(Russian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: VA-lyə(Russian)
Valora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Esperanto
Pronounced: va-LO-ra
Means "valuable" in Esperanto.
Valdís
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse [1], Icelandic
Derived from Old Norse
valr meaning "the dead, the slain" and
dís meaning "goddess".
Tristan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: TRIS-tən(English) TREES-TAHN(French)
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Probably from the Celtic name
Drustan, a
diminutive of
Drust, which occurs as
Drystan in a few Welsh sources. As
Tristan, it first appears in 12th-century French tales, probably altered by association with Old French
triste "sad". According to the tales Tristan was sent to Ireland by his uncle King Mark of Cornwall in order to fetch
Iseult, who was to be the king's bride. On the way back, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a potion that makes them fall in love. Later versions of the tale make Tristan one of King
Arthur's knights. His tragic story was very popular in the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since then.
Thea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, English
Pronounced: TEH-a(German) THEE-ə(English)
Terra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEHR-ə
Variant of
Tara 1, perhaps influenced by the Latin word
terra meaning
"land, earth".
Teodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Swedish
Other Scripts: Теодора(Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian)
Pronounced: teh-o-DAW-ra(Italian) teh-o-DHO-ra(Spanish) teh-o-DO-ra(Romanian) teh-aw-DAW-ra(Polish)
Feminine form of
Theodoros (see
Theodore).
Sylvan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Either a variant of
Silvanus or directly from the Latin word
silva meaning
"wood, forest".
Soraya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Spanish, French, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Other Scripts: ثریا(Persian)
Pronounced: so-ra-YAW(Persian) so-RA-ya(Spanish)
Persian form of
Thurayya. It became popular in some parts of Europe because of the fame of Princess Soraya (1932-2001), wife of the last Shah of Iran, who became a European socialite.
Sora
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 空, 昊, etc.(Japanese Kanji) そら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SO-RA
From Japanese
空 (sora) or
昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.
Sona 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: सोना(Hindi)
Means
"gold" in Hindi, derived from Sanskrit
सुवर्ण (suvarṇa) meaning literally "good colour".
Soledad
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: so-leh-DHADH
Means
"solitude" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
María de la Soledad, meaning "Mary of Solitude".
Silvan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Swiss)
Shai
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: שַׁי(Hebrew)
Séverine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SEH-VREEN
Setareh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: ستاره(Persian)
Pronounced: seh-taw-REH
Means "star" in Persian.
Serina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: sə-REEN-ə
Seren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: SEH-rehn
Means "star" in Welsh. This is a recently created Welsh name.
Seraphina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Late Roman
Pronounced: sehr-ə-FEEN-ə(English) zeh-ra-FEE-na(German)
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word
seraphim, which was Hebrew in origin and meant
"fiery ones". The seraphim were an order of angels, described by Isaiah in the Bible as having six wings each.
This was the name of a 13th-century Italian saint who made clothes for the poor. As an English name, it has never been common.
Serafina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Pronounced: seh-ra-FEE-na(Italian, Spanish)
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Seraphina.
Scarlett
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SKAHR-lit(American English) SKAH-lit(British English)
From an English surname that denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet (a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian
سقرلاط (saqrelāṭ)). Margaret Mitchell used it for the main character, Scarlett O'Hara, in her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936). Her name is explained as having come from her grandmother. Despite the fact that the book was adapted into a popular movie in 1939, the name was not common until the 21st century. It started rising around 2003, about the time that the career of American actress Scarlett Johansson (1984-) started taking off.
Sarai
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Hebrew [1], Spanish
Other Scripts: שָׂרָי(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: SEHR-ie(English) sə-RIE(English)
Sapphira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: Σαπφείρη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: sə-FIE-rə(English)
From the Greek name
Σαπφείρη (Sappheire), which was from Greek
σάπφειρος (sappheiros) meaning
"sapphire" or
"lapis lazuli" (ultimately derived from the Hebrew word
סַפִּיר (sappir)). Sapphira is a character in Acts in the
New Testament who is killed by God for lying.
Sanda 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian, Croatian, Latvian
Romanian, Croatian and Latvian short form of
Alexandra.
Sabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: sə-BEHL-ə
Rune
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: ROO-nə(Norwegian) ROO-neh(Danish, Swedish)
Derived from Old Norse
rún meaning
"secret lore, rune".
Runa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: ROO-nah(Norwegian) ROO-na(Danish, Swedish)
Rowena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ro-EEN-ə
Meaning uncertain. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a daughter of the Saxon chief Hengist. It is possible (but unsupported) that Geoffrey based it on the Old English elements
hroð "fame" and
wynn "joy", or alternatively on the Old Welsh elements
ron "spear" and
gwen "white". It was popularized by Walter Scott, who used it for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819).
Rosaire
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: RO-ZEHR
Means "rosary" in French.
Ronan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton, Irish, French, English (Modern)
Pronounced: RO-nahn(Breton) RAW-NAHN(French) RO-nən(English)
Breton and Anglicized form of
Rónán.
Rika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Dutch
Pronounced: REE-ka(Dutch)
Rigel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: RIE-jəl(English)
Derived from Arabic
الرجل (al-Rijl) meaning
"foot". This is the name of the star that forms the left foot of the constellation Orion.
Rein
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian, Dutch, Estonian
Pronounced: RAYN(Frisian, Dutch)
Originally a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
regin meaning
"advice, counsel, decision" (Proto-Germanic *
raginą).
Regan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: REE-gən(English)
Meaning unknown. In the chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth it is the name of a treacherous daughter of King
Leir. Shakespeare adapted the story for his tragedy
King Lear (1606). In the modern era it has appeared in the horror movie
The Exorcist (1973) belonging to a girl possessed by the devil. This name can also be used as a variant of
Reagan.
Ravenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: rə-VEHN-ə
Either an elaboration of
Raven, or else from the name of the city of Ravenna in Italy.
Raphael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Biblical
Other Scripts: רָפָאֵל, רְפָאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: RA-fa-ehl(German) RAF-ee-əl(English) RAF-ay-ehl(English) rah-fie-EHL(English)
From the Hebrew name
רָפָאֵל (Rafaʾel) meaning
"God heals", from the roots
רָפָא (rafa) meaning "to heal" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In Hebrew tradition Raphael is the name of an archangel. He appears in the Book of Tobit, in which he disguises himself as a man named
Azarias and accompanies
Tobias on his journey to Media, aiding him along the way. In the end he cures Tobias's father
Tobit of his blindness. He is not mentioned in the
New Testament, though tradition identifies him with the angel troubling the water in
John 5:4.
This name has never been common in the English-speaking world, though it has been well-used elsewhere in Europe. A famous bearer was the Italian Renaissance master Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), usually known simply as Raphael in English.
Raine
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RAYN
From a surname derived from the Old French nickname
reine meaning
"queen". A famous bearer was the British socialite Raine Spencer (1929-2016), the stepmother of Princess Diana. In modern times it is also considered a variant of
Rain 1.
Ragnar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Estonian
Pronounced: RAHNG-nahr(Swedish) RAK-nar(Icelandic)
Modern Scandinavian form of
Ragnarr.
Ottar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
Oren
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֹרֶן(Hebrew)
Means "pine tree" in Hebrew.
Orchard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Transferred use of the surname
Orchard.
Odilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic (Latinized) [1][2]
Derived from the Old German element
uodil meaning
"heritage" or
ot meaning
"wealth, fortune".
Saint Odilia (or Odila) was an 8th-century nun who is considered the patron saint of Alsace. She was apparently born blind but gained sight when she was baptized.
Octavian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History, Romanian
Pronounced: ahk-TAY-vee-ən(American English) awk-TAY-vee-ən(British English)
From the Roman name
Octavianus, which was derived from the name
Octavius. After Gaius Octavius (later the Roman emperor
Augustus) was adopted by Julius Caesar he took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus.
Octavia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ahk-TAY-vee-ə(American English) awk-TAY-vee-ə(British English) ok-TA-bya(Spanish) ok-TA-wee-a(Latin)
Feminine form of
Octavius. Octavia was the wife of Mark Antony and the sister of the Roman emperor Augustus. In 19th-century England it was sometimes given to the eighth-born child.
Notus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Νότος(Ancient Greek)
From the Greek
Νότος (Notos) meaning
"south wind". This was the name of the god of the south wind in Greek
mythology.
Nissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indonesian
Nikanor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Biblical Greek [2], Russian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Νικάνωρ(Ancient Greek) Никанор(Russian)
Nestor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Russian, Portuguese, French
Other Scripts: Νέστωρ(Ancient Greek) Нестор(Russian)
Pronounced: NEHS-TAWR(Classical Greek, French) NEHS-tər(American English) NEHS-tə(British English) NYEHS-tər(Russian)
Means
"returner, homecomer" in Greek, from
νέομαι (neomai) meaning "to return". In
Homer's
Iliad this was the name of the king of Pylos, famous for his great wisdom and longevity, who acted as a counselor to the Greek allies.
Nerissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: nə-RIS-ə(English)
Created by Shakespeare for a character in his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596). He possibly took it from Greek
Νηρηΐς (Nereis) meaning "nymph, sea sprite", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god
Nereus, who supposedly fathered them.
Nereus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1], Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [2]
Other Scripts: Νηρεύς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NEH-REWS(Classical Greek) NIR-ee-əs(English)
Derived from Greek
νηρός (neros) meaning
"water". In Greek
myth this was the name of a god of the sea, the father of the Nereids. It is mentioned briefly in the
New Testament, belonging to a Christian in Rome. This was also the name of a Roman
saint of the 1st century, a member of the army, who was martyred with his companion Achilleus because they refused to execute Christians.
Nena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Variant of
Nina 1, also coinciding with the Spanish word
nena meaning
"baby girl".
Naida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dagestani
Other Scripts: Наида(Russian)
Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from Greek
Ναϊάς (Naias), a type of water nymph in Greek
mythology (plural
Ναϊάδες). Alternatively it might be related to Persian
Nahid.
Naia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: NIE-a
Means "wave, sea foam" in Basque.
Naevia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Naenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Means "incantation, dirge" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of funerals.
Nadire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Albanian
Turkish and Albanian feminine form of
Nadir.
Myrtis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek, English
Other Scripts: Μυρτίς(Ancient Greek)
Ancient Greek name derived from μύρτος
(myrtos) meaning "myrtle". This was borne by Myrtis of Anthedon (fl. 6th century BC), an early lyric poet and teacher, who was celebrated for being 'sweet-sounding' and 'clear-voiced' – but also criticized for being over-competitive with fellow poets. Her students purportedly included
Pindaros of Thebes and
Korinna of Tanagra.
Morrígan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Means either
"demon queen" or
"great queen", derived from Old Irish
mor "demon, evil spirit" or
mór "great, big" combined with
rígain "queen". In Irish
mythology Morrígan (called also The Morrígan) was a goddess of war and death who often took the form of a crow.
Morgan 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: MAWR-gən(American English) MAW-gən(British English)
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
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].
Mirica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian
From the Slavic element
mirŭ meaning
"peace, world" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Miriam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Biblical
Other Scripts: מִרְיָם(Hebrew)
Pronounced: MIR-ee-əm(English) MI-ryam(German) MI-ri-yam(Czech) MEE-ree-am(Slovak)
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.
Miren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: MEE-rehn
Mireia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Catalan, Spanish
Pronounced: mee-REH-yə(Catalan) mee-REH-ya(Spanish)
Mirabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), English (Rare)
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.
Mira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada
Other Scripts: मीरा(Hindi, Marathi) മീര(Malayalam) மீரா(Tamil) ಮೀರಾ(Kannada)
From Sanskrit
मीर (mīra) meaning
"sea, ocean". This was the name of a 16th-century Indian princess who devoted her life to the god
Krishna.
Minthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μινθη(Ancient Greek)
Means "mint" in Greek. In Greek mythology Minthe was a nymph was was transformed into an herb by
Persephone after attempting to seduce
Hades.
Minerva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, English, Spanish
Pronounced: mee-NEHR-wa(Latin) mi-NUR-və(American English) mi-NU-və(British English) mee-NEHR-ba(Spanish)
Possibly derived from Latin
mens meaning
"intellect", but more likely of Etruscan origin. Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, approximately equivalent to the Greek goddess
Athena. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since after the Renaissance.
Mina 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Tamil
Other Scripts: मीना(Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit) மீனா(Tamil)
From Sanskrit
मीन (mīna) meaning
"fish", which in Hindu astrology is the name of a sign of the zodiac.
Michele 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: mee-KEH-leh
Michael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Czech, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: מִיכָאֵל(Hebrew) Μιχαήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: MIE-kəl(English) MI-kha-ehl(German, Czech) MEE-kal(Danish) MEE-ka-ehl(Swedish) MEE-kah-ehl(Norwegian) mee-KA-ehl(Latin)
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-).
Meron
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: めろん(Japanese Hiragana) 奏音, 愛論, 愛音, 芽倫, 芽音, 萌倫, 萌音, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: ME-ṘON
From Japanese 奏 (me) meaning "play music, speak to a ruler, complete", 愛 (me) meaning "love, affection", 芽 (me) meaning "bud, sprout" or 萌 (me) meaning "sprout, bud" combined with 音 (ron) meaning "sound", 論 (ron) meaning "argument, discourse" or 倫 (ron) meaning "ethics, companion". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Usage of this name is, most likely, influenced by the word melon.
Mergen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkmen
Means "sharp-eyed" in Turkmen.
Menodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Μηνοδώρα(Ancient Greek)
Melite
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Μελίτη(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
μέλι (meli) meaning
"honey" (genitive
μέλιτος). This is the name of several figures from Greek
mythology, including a nymph who was the mother of Hyllus by
Herakles.
Melissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch, Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μέλισσα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: mə-LIS-ə(English) MEH-LEES-SA(Classical Greek)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Means
"bee" in Greek. In Greek
mythology this was the name of a daughter of Procles, as well as an epithet of various Greek nymphs and priestesses. According to the early Christian writer Lactantius
[2] this was the name of the sister of the nymph
Amalthea, with whom she cared for the young
Zeus. Later it appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1532 poem
Orlando Furioso [3] belonging to the fairy who helps
Ruggiero escape from the witch
Alcina. As an English given name,
Melissa has been used since the 18th century.
Melia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μελία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: MEH-LEE-A(Classical Greek)
Means
"ash tree" in Greek, a derivative of
μέλι (meli) meaning "honey". This was the name of a nymph in Greek
myth, the daughter of the Greek god Okeanos.
Melaina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μέλαινα(Ancient Greek)
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Meital
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: מֵיטַל(Hebrew)
Means "dew drop" in Hebrew.
Matt
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAT
Short form of
Matthew. Famous bearers include American actors Matt Dillon (1964-) and Matt Damon (1970-).
Maristela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, Spanish (Rare)
Pronounced: mu-reesh-TEH-lu(European Portuguese) ma-rees-TEH-lu(Brazilian Portuguese) ma-rees-TEH-la(Spanish)
From the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Stella Maris, meaning
"star of the sea" in Latin. It can also be a combination of
Maria and
Estela.
Marisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English
Pronounced: ma-REE-za(Italian) ma-REE-sa(Spanish) mə-RIS-ə(English)
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese combination of
Maria and
Luisa.
Marina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Greek, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Georgian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Μαρίνα(Greek) Марина(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) მარინა(Georgian)
Pronounced: ma-REE-na(Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Macedonian) mə-REE-nə(Catalan) mə-REEN-ə(English) mu-RYEE-nə(Russian) MA-ri-na(Czech)
Feminine form of
Marinus. This name was borne by a few early
saints. This is also the name by which Saint
Margaret of Antioch is known in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Marin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, French
Other Scripts: Марин(Serbian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: ma-REEN(Romanian) MA-REHN(French)
Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian and French form of
Marinus.
Maren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: MAH-rehn(Danish)
Maren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 真恋, 万怜, 眞恋, 茉恋, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: MAH-ṘEN
From Japanese 真 (ma) meaning "true, reality" combined with 恋 (ren) meaning "love". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Mairis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Latvian
Maire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: MIE-reh(Finnish)
Derived from Finnish mairea meaning "gushing, sugary".
Maider
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
From the name of the goddess
Mari 3 combined with Basque
eder meaning "beautiful".
Magnus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Late Roman
Pronounced: MANG-nuys(Swedish) MAHNG-noos(Norwegian) MOW-noos(Danish) MAG-nəs(English)
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.
Maeve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: MAYV(English)
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.
Lysander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Λύσανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of the Greek name
Λύσανδρος (Lysandros), derived from Greek
λύσις (lysis) meaning "a release, loosening" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). This was the name of a notable 5th-century BC Spartan general and naval commander.
Lynn
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIN
From an English surname that was derived from Welsh
llyn meaning
"lake". Before the start of the 20th century it was primarily used for boys, but it has since come to be more common for girls. In some cases it may be thought of as a short form of
Linda or names that end in
lyn or
line.
Lydia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Λυδία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LID-ee-ə(English) LUY-dya(German) LEE-dee-a(Dutch)
Means
"from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king
Lydos. In the
New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by
Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the
Protestant Reformation.
Luna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English
Pronounced: LOO-na(Latin, Spanish, Italian) LOO-nə(English)
Means "the moon" in Latin (as well as Italian, Spanish and other Romance languages). Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.
Lucian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, English
Pronounced: LOO-chyan(Romanian) LOO-shən(English)
Romanian and English form of
Lucianus. Lucian is the usual name of Lucianus of Samosata in English.
Lucia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, German, Dutch, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Slovak, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: loo-CHEE-a(Italian) LOO-tsya(German) loo-TSEE-a(German) LUY-see-a(Dutch) LOO-shə(English) loo-SEE-ə(English) luy-SEE-a(Swedish) LOO-chya(Romanian) LOO-kee-a(Latin)
Feminine form of
Lucius.
Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings
Lucy or
Luce.
Lotta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Finnish
Pronounced: LOT-tah(Finnish)
Lora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-ə
Liyana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Zulu, English (Modern, Rare)
Directly taken from Zulu
liyana "it is raining". As an English name, it is a variant of
Liana.
Lisette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: LEE-ZEHT(French)
Lisbeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: LEES-beht(German)
German and Scandinavian short form of
Elisabeth. A notable fictional bearer is Lisbeth Salander from Swedish author Stieg Larsson's novel
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005) as well as its sequels and movie adaptations.
Liora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: לִיאוֹרָה(Hebrew)
Strictly feminine form of
Lior.
Lionel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, English, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: LYAW-NEHL(French) LIE-ə-nəl(English) LIE-nəl(English)
French
diminutive of
Léon. It appears in Arthurian legend in the 13th-century
Lancelot-Grail Cycle, belonging to a knight who was the brother of Sir
Bors. A notable modern bearer is the Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi (1987-).
Liana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, English, Georgian
Other Scripts: ლიანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: LYA-na(Italian)
Short form of
Juliana,
Liliana and other names that end in
liana. This is also the word for a type of vine that grows in jungles.
Leonel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: leh-o-NEHL(Spanish)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Lionel.
Leona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Czech
Pronounced: lee-O-nə(English) LEH-o-na(Czech)
Lenya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Лёня, Леня(Russian)
Diminutive of Leonid
Lenore
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: lə-NAWR(American English) lə-NAW(British English)
Short form of
Eleanor. This is the name of the departed love of the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's poem
The Raven (1845).
Leila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Arabic, Kurdish, English, French, Georgian
Other Scripts: لیلا(Persian) ليلى(Arabic) لەیلا(Kurdish Sorani) ლეილა(Georgian)
Pronounced: lay-LAW(Persian) LIE-la(Arabic) LAY-lə(English) LEE-lə(English) LIE-lə(English) LAY-LA(French)
Variant of
Layla, and the usual Persian transcription.
This spelling was used by Lord Byron for characters in The Giaour (1813) and Don Juan (1819), and it is through him that the name was introduced to the English-speaking world.
Lavinia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Romanian, Italian
Pronounced: la-WEE-nee-a(Latin) lə-VIN-ee-ə(English) la-VEE-nya(Italian)
Meaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of
Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.
Laurence 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-əns(American English, British English)
From the Roman
cognomen Laurentius, which meant
"from Laurentum". Laurentum was a city in ancient Italy, its name probably deriving from Latin
laurus "laurel".
Saint Laurence was a 3rd-century deacon and martyr from Rome. According to tradition he was roasted alive on a gridiron because, when ordered to hand over the church's treasures, he presented the sick and poor. Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in the Christian world (in various spellings).
In the Middle Ages this name was common in England, partly because of a second saint by this name, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury. Likewise it has been common in Ireland due to the 12th-century Saint Laurence O'Toole (whose real name was Lorcán). Since the 19th century the spelling Lawrence has been more common, especially in America. A famous bearer was the British actor Laurence Olivier (1907-1989).
Lauren
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-ən
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.
Larisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovene, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Лариса(Russian, Ukrainian) Λάρισα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: lu-RYEE-sə(Russian) lu-ryi-SU(Lithuanian)
Possibly derived from the name of the ancient city of Larisa in Thessaly, which meant
"citadel". In Greek legends, the nymph Larisa was either a daughter or mother of Pelasgus, the ancestor of the mythical Pelasgians. This name was later borne by a 4th-century Greek martyr who is venerated as a
saint in the Eastern Church. The name (of the city, nymph and saint) is commonly Latinized as
Larissa, with a double
s. As a Ukrainian name, it is more commonly transcribed
Larysa.
Lanai
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 兰爱(Chinese)
From the Chinese 兰 (lán) meaning "orchid" and 爱 (ài) meaning "love".
Lan 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese, Vietnamese
Other Scripts: 兰, 岚, etc.(Chinese) 蘭, 嵐, etc.(Traditional Chinese)
Pronounced: LAN(Chinese, Vietnamese) LANG(Vietnamese)
From Chinese
兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant" (which is usually only feminine) or
岚 (lán) meaning "mountain mist". Other Chinese characters can form this name as well. As a Vietnamese name, it is derived from Sino-Vietnamese
蘭 meaning "orchid".
Katharina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: ka-ta-REE-na(German, Swedish)
Karina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Polish, German, Russian, English, Latvian, Spanish
Other Scripts: Карина(Russian)
Pronounced: ka-REE-na(Swedish, Polish, German, Spanish) ku-RYEE-nə(Russian) kə-REE-nə(English)
Elaborated form of
Karin.
Kalei
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: ka-LAY
Means "the flowers" or "the child" from Hawaiian ka "the" and lei "flowers, lei, child".
Kaiea
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: kie-EH-a
Means "rising sea," from kai meaning "sea, sea water" and ea meaning "to rise, go up, raise."
Kai 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English
Pronounced: KIE(German, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English)
Meaning uncertain, possibly a Frisian
diminutive of
Gerhard,
Nicolaas,
Cornelis or
Gaius [1]. It is borne by a boy captured by the Snow Queen in an 1844 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Spreading from Germany and Scandinavia, this name became popular in the English-speaking world and other places in Western Europe around the end of the 20th century.
Julen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: YOO-lehn
Basque form of
Iulianus (see
Julian).
Johan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: YOO-an(Swedish) YUW-hahn(Norwegian) YO-hahn(Dutch)
Scandinavian and Dutch form of
Iohannes (see
John). A famous bearer was the Dutch soccer player Johan Cruyff (1947-2016).
Javier
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: kha-BYEHR
Itona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 愛夏, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: EE-TO-NAH
From Japanese 愛 (ito) meaning "love, affection" combined with 夏 (na) meaning "summer". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Isra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: إسراء(Arabic)
Pronounced: ees-RA
Means
"nocturnal journey" in Arabic, derived from
سرى (sarā) meaning "to travel by night". According to Islamic tradition, the
Isra was a miraculous journey undertaken by the Prophet
Muhammad.
Isolde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: ee-ZAWL-də(German) i-SOL-də(English) i-ZOL-də(English) i-SOLD(English) i-ZOLD(English) EE-ZAWLD(French)
German form of
Iseult, appearing in the 13th-century German poem
Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg. In 1865 the German composer Richard Wagner debuted his popular opera
Tristan und Isolde and also used the name for his first daughter.
Ismene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἰσμήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EEZ-MEH-NEH(Classical Greek) is-MEE-nee(English)
Possibly from Greek
ἰσμή (isme) meaning
"knowledge". This was the name of the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta in Greek legend.
Islay
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: IE-lə
From the name of the island of Islay, which lies off of the west coast of Scotland.
Isha
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Hinduism
Other Scripts: ईशा(Hindi, Marathi) ईश(Sanskrit)
Pronounced: EE-shah(Hindi) EE-shu(Sanskrit)
Means
"master, lord, ruler" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form
ईशा and the masculine form
ईश (an epithet of the Hindu god
Shiva). It is also the name of one of the Upanishads, which are parts of Hindu scripture.
Isa 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: EE-za(German) EE-sa(Dutch, Spanish)
Irina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Romanian, Georgian, Finnish, Estonian
Other Scripts: Ирина(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) ირინა(Georgian)
Pronounced: i-RYEE-nə(Russian) EE-ree-nah(Finnish)
Form of
Irene in several languages.
Irene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Dutch, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εἰρήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-REEN(English) ie-REE-nee(English) ee-REH-neh(Italian, Spanish) EE-reh-neh(Finnish) ee-REH-nə(German, Dutch)
From Greek
Εἰρήνη (Eirene), derived from a word meaning
"peace". This was the name of the Greek goddess who personified peace, one of the
Ὥραι (Horai). It was also borne by several early Christian
saints. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, notably being borne by an 8th-century empress, who was the first woman to lead the empire. She originally served as regent for her son, but later had him killed and ruled alone.
This name has traditionally been more popular among Eastern Christians. In the English-speaking world it was not regularly used until the 19th century.
Intan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indonesian, Malay
Pronounced: EEN-tan
Means "diamond" in Malay and Indonesian.
Ingrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: ING-rid(Swedish) ING-ri(Norwegian) ING-grit(German) ING-greet(German) ING-ghrit(Dutch)
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).
Imelda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: ee-MEHL-da
Italian and Spanish form of
Irmhild. The Blessed Imelda Lambertini was a young 14th-century nun from Bologna.
Imani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Swahili, African American
Means
"faith" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic
إيمان (ʾīmān).
Idris 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Means
"ardent lord" from Old Welsh
iudd "lord" combined with
ris "ardent, enthusiastic". This name was borne by Idris the Giant, a 7th-century king of Meirionnydd.
Idalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic (Latinized) [1], Greek Mythology, Polish (Rare)
Other Scripts: Ἰδαλία(Ancient Greek)
Probably from a Germanic name derived from the element
idal, an extended form of
id possibly meaning
"work, labour" [1]. Unrelated, this was also an epithet of the Greek goddess
Aphrodite, given because the city of Idalion on Cyprus was a center of her cult.
This name was borne by the heroine of the Polish writer Juliusz Słowacki's play Fantazy (1841, published 1866).
Idai
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Shona
Means "love them" in Shona.
Huana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Pronounced: hee-A-na
Derived from Welsh huan "sun".
Hiram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: חִירָם(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: HIE-rəm(English)
From Phoenician
𐤇𐤓𐤌 (Ḥirom) meaning
"exalted brother". This was the name of a king of Tyre according to the
Old Testament. He may have reigned in the 10th century BC. As an English given name,
Hiram came into use after the
Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century the
Puritans brought it to America, where it gained some currency.
Hester
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: HEHS-tər(American English, Dutch) HEHS-tə(British English)
Latin form of
Esther. Like
Esther, it has been used in England since the
Protestant Reformation. Nathaniel Hawthorne used it for the heroine of his novel
The Scarlet Letter (1850), Hester Prynne, a
Puritan woman forced to wear a red letter
A on her chest after giving birth to a child out of wedlock.
Herbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Czech, Swedish, French
Pronounced: HUR-bərt(American English) HU-bət(British English) HEHR-behrt(German) HEHR-bərt(Dutch) HAR-bat(Swedish) EHR-BEHR(French)
Derived from the Old German elements
heri "army" and
beraht "bright". It was borne by two Merovingian Frankish kings, usually called
Charibert. The
Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced an Old English
cognate Herebeorht. In the course of the Middle Ages it became rare, but it was revived in the 19th century.
This name was borne by a few medieval saints, including a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon priest and an 11th-century archbishop of Cologne.
Helena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Finnish, Estonian, Slovene, Croatian, Sorbian, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἑλένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEH-leh-na(German, Czech) heh-LEH-na(German, Dutch) heh-LEH-nah(Swedish, Danish, Norwegian) i-LEH-nu(European Portuguese) eh-LEH-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) ə-LEH-nə(Catalan) kheh-LEH-na(Polish) HEH-leh-nah(Finnish) HEHL-ə-nə(English) hə-LAYN-ə(English) hə-LEEN-ə(English)
Latinate form of
Helen. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's play
All's Well That Ends Well (1603).
Gwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: GWEHN
From Welsh
gwen, the feminine form of
gwyn meaning "white, blessed". It can also be a short form of
Gwendolen,
Gwenllian and other names beginning with
Gwen.
Gretel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Literature
Pronounced: GREH-təl(German) GREHT-əl(English)
Diminutive of
Grete. It is well-known as a character from an 1812 Brothers Grimm fairy tale who is captured, with her brother
Hansel, by a witch. The Grimm's story was based on earlier European folktales.
Gordian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
From the Roman
cognomen Gordianus meaning
"from Gordium", Gordium being the capital of Phrygia in Asia Minor. This is the name by which three Roman emperors are known.
Geraint
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GEHR-ient(Welsh) jə-RAYNT(English)
Meaning unknown, possibly a Welsh form of
Gerontius. This was the name of a figure in various Welsh legends. He was also incorporated into Arthurian tales (the romance
Geraint and Enid) as one of the Knights of the Round Table and the husband of
Enid.
Georgia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek
Other Scripts: Γεωργία(Greek)
Pronounced: JAWR-jə(American English) JAW-jə(British English) yeh-or-YEE-a(Greek)
Latinate feminine form of
George. This is the name of an American state, which was named after the British king George II. The country of Georgia has an unrelated etymology. A famous bearer was the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).
Freya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, English (Modern), German
Pronounced: FRAY-ə(English) FRAY-a(German)
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.
Francesca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan
Pronounced: fran-CHEHS-ka(Italian) frən-SEHS-kə(Catalan)
Italian and Catalan feminine form of
Franciscus (see
Francis).
Florian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, French, Romanian, Polish, History
Pronounced: FLO-ree-an(German) FLAW-RYAHN(French) FLAW-ryan(Polish)
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.
Florent
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: FLAW-RAHN
French masculine form of
Florentius (see
Florence).
Flavian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
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.
Fiona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: fee-O-nə(English)
Feminine form of
Fionn. This name was (first?) used by the Scottish poet James Macpherson in his poem
Fingal (1761), in which it is spelled as
Fióna.
Ferran
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: fə-RAN
Fabien
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: FA-BYEHN
French form of
Fabianus (see
Fabian).
Everild
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Latinized form of
Eoforhild. This was the name of a 7th-century English
saint.
Evelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: eh-BEH-lya
Eve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Estonian, Biblical
Other Scripts: חַוָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: EEV(English)
From the Hebrew name
חַוָּה (Ḥawwa), which was derived from the Hebrew word
חָוָה (ḥawa) meaning
"to breathe" or the related word
חָיָה (ḥaya) meaning
"to live". According to the
Old Testament Book of Genesis, Eve and
Adam were the first humans. God created her from one of Adam's ribs to be his companion. At the urging of a serpent she ate the forbidden fruit and shared some with Adam, causing their expulsion from the Garden of
Eden.
Despite this potentially negative association, the name was occasionally used by Christians during the Middle Ages. In the English-speaking world both Eve and the Latin form Eva were revived in the 19th century, with the latter being more common.
Evanthia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ευανθία(Greek)
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.
Euthalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Greek
Other Scripts: Εὐθαλία(Ancient Greek)
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.
Eulalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Polish, English, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Εὐλαλία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ew-LA-lya(Spanish, Italian) yoo-LAY-lee-ə(English)
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.
Eugenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, English, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Εὐγένεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ew-JEH-nya(Italian) ew-KHEH-nya(Spanish) eh-oo-JEH-nee-a(Romanian) ew-GEH-nya(Polish) yoo-JEE-nee-ə(English) yoo-JEEN-yə(English)
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.
Eudora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὐδώρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: yoo-DAWR-ə(English)
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.
Étaín
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: EH-teen(Irish)
Possibly derived from Old Irish
ét meaning
"jealousy, passion". In Irish legend she is the subject of the 9th-century tale
The Wooing of Étaín [2]. She was the wife of Midir, but his jealous first wife Fuamnach transformed her into a fly. She was accidentally swallowed, and then reborn to the woman who swallowed her. After she grew again to adulthood she married the Irish high king Eochaid Airem, having no memory of Midir. Midir and Étaín were eventually reunited after Midir defeated Eochaid in a game of chess.
In modern Irish this name is properly spelled Éadaoin.
Esperia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare), Greek (Rare, ?)
Other Scripts: Εσπερία(Greek)
Pronounced: eh-speh-REE-a(Greek)
Italian form of
Hesperia, as well as the modern Greek transcription. Ἑσπερία
(Hesperia) meaning "land where the sun sets, western land" was an ancient Greek name for Italy.
Esmeralda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, English, Albanian, Literature
Pronounced: ehz-meh-RAL-da(Spanish) izh-mi-RAL-du(European Portuguese) ehz-meh-ROW-du(Brazilian Portuguese) ehz-mə-RAHL-də(English)
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.
Esha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hindi
Other Scripts: एषा(Hindi)
Means "desire, wish" in Sanskrit.
Erlea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque (Rare)
Means "bee" in Basque.
Eria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: えりあ(Japanese Hiragana) 映璃愛, 永里亜, 絵理愛, 絵里亜, 江理亜, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: E-ṘEE-AH
From Japanese 映 (e) meaning "reflect, reflection, projection", 永 (e) meaning "eternity, long, lengthy", 絵 (e) meaning "picture, drawing, painting, sketch" or 江 (e) meaning "creek, inlet, bay", 璃 (ri) meaning "glassy, lapis lazuli", 里 (ri) meaning "village" or 理 (ri) meaning "reason, logic" combined with 愛 (a) meaning "love, affection" or 亜 (a) meaning "second, Asia". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Erena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: えれな(Japanese Hiragana) エレナ(Japanese Katakana) 愛令奈, 愛伶菜, 愛怜菜, 愛玲奈, 英令奈, 英怜奈, 英玲奈, 衛玲奈, 詠麗奈, 鋭令奈, 絵怜菜, 絵怜奈, 絵玲菜, 絵玲奈, 絵礼奈, 絵麗奈, 恵怜菜, 恵玲菜, 恵玲奈, 恵玲那, 恵鈴奈, 恵麗菜, 恵澪奈, 慧怜奈, 江怜奈, 江玲奈, 江礼奈, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: E-ṘE-NAH
From Japanese 愛 (e) meaning "love, affection", 英 (e) meaning "hero, outstanding", 衛 (e) meaning "defense, protection", 詠 (e) meaning "recitation, poem, song, composing", 鋭 (e) meaning "pointed, sharpness, edge, weapon, sharp, violent", 絵 (e) meaning "picture, drawing, painting, sketch", 恵 (e) meaning "favor, blessing, grace, kindness", 慧 (e) meaning "wise" or 江 (e) meaning "creek, inlet, bay", 令 (re) meaning "orders, ancient laws, command, decree", 怜 (re) meaning "wise", 玲 (re) meaning "the tinkling of jade", 麗 (re) meaning "beautiful, lovely", 礼 (re) meaning "salute, bow, ceremony, thanks, remuneration", 鈴 (re) meaning "bell" or 澪 (re) meaning "water route, shipping channel" combined with 奈 (na) meaning "apple tree", 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" or 那 (na) meaning "what". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Usage of this name is, most likely, influenced by the name Elena.
Erdene
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Mongolian
Other Scripts: Эрдэнэ(Mongolian Cyrillic)
Pronounced: EHR-tən
Means "jewel, treasure" in Mongolian.
Enya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: EHN-yə(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Enide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Enid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: EH-nid(Welsh) EE-nid(English)
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.
Enara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: eh-NA-ra
Means "swallow (bird)" in Basque.
Emilian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, Polish
Pronounced: eh-MEE-lyan(Polish)
Romanian and Polish form of
Aemilianus (see
Emiliano).
Emery
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-ree
Norman French form of
Emmerich. The
Normans introduced it to England, and though it was never popular, it survived until the end of the Middle Ages. As a modern given name, now typically feminine, it is likely inspired by the surname
Emery, which was itself derived from the medieval given name. It can also be given in reference to the hard black substance called emery.
Elyan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
In Arthurian romance tales, Sir Elyan the White, also known as Helyan le Blanc, is the son of Sir
Bors and is a Knight of the Round Table. He's sometimes a cousin of
Lancelot, and helps rescue him after his affair with
Guinevere is revealed. His mother is the half-sister of Sir
Sagramore, and their mother is the daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperior, leading Elyan to eventually become Emperor of Constantinople himself in the Lancelot-Grail Cycle. His name is likely a variant of
Eilian.
In the BBC series Merlin, it is said that Sir Elyan is the younger brother of Queen Guinevere.
Élodie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-LAW-DEE
Elmira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: ehl-MIE-rə(English) ehl-MIR-ə(English)
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).
Elias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, English, Dutch, Greek, Amharic, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ηλίας(Greek) ኤልያስ(Amharic) Ἠλίας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: i-LEE-ush(European Portuguese) eh-LEE-us(Brazilian Portuguese) eh-LEE-as(German) EH-lee-ahs(Finnish, Dutch) i-LIE-əs(English) ee-LIE-əs(English)
Form of
Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek
New Testament, as well as some English translations.
Eli 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Hebrew [2]
Other Scripts: עֵלִי(Hebrew) Ἠλί, Ἡλί(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EE-lie(English)
Means
"ascension" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָלָה (ʿala) meaning "to ascend". In the Books of Samuel in the
Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young
Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.
Eli has been used as an English Christian given name since the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer was the American inventor of the cotton gin Eli Whitney (1765-1825).
Elen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Armenian, Czech
Other Scripts: Էլեն(Armenian)
Pronounced: EHL-ehn(Welsh) eh-LEHN(Armenian)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Welsh and modern Armenian form of
Helen, as well as a Czech variant form. This was the name of a 4th-century Welsh
saint, traditionally said to be the wife of the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus. According to the Welsh legend
The Dream of Macsen Wledig (
Macsen Wledig being the Welsh form of
Magnus Maximus), she convinced her husband to build the roads in Wales.
Einar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish, Danish, Estonian
Pronounced: IE-nahr(Norwegian) AY-nar(Icelandic, Swedish)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
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.
Eileen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: ie-LEEN(English) IE-leen(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Anglicized form of
Eibhlín. It is also sometimes considered an Irish form of
Helen. It first became popular in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland near the end of the 19th century.
Ehana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 愛花, etc.(Japanese Kanji)
Pronounced: e-hah-nah
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Japanese 愛 (e) meaning "love, affection" combined with 花 (hana) meaning "flower". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Edina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: EH-dee-naw
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Possibly a
diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element
adal meaning
"noble".
Duncan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: DUNG-kən(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic name
Donnchadh, derived from Old Irish
donn "brown" and
cath "battle". This was the name of two kings of Scotland, including the one who was featured in Shakespeare's play
Macbeth (1606).
Dover
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, Yiddish
Other Scripts: דובער(Hebrew, Yiddish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Combination of the Hebrew name Dov (דוב) and the Yiddish name Ber (בער).
Dorian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Romanian, Polish
Pronounced: DAWR-ee-ən(English) DAW-RYAHN(French)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
The name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians.
Dion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], English
Other Scripts: Δίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DEE-ahn(American English) DEE-awn(British English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from the Greek element
Διός (Dios) meaning "of
Zeus". This was the name of a 4th-century BC tyrant of Syracuse. It has been used as an American given name since the middle of the 20th century.
Diana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Armenian, Georgian, Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Диана(Russian, Bulgarian) Діана(Ukrainian) Դիանա(Armenian) დიანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: die-AN-ə(English) DYA-na(Spanish, Italian, Polish) dee-U-nu(European Portuguese) jee-U-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) dee-A-na(Romanian, German, Dutch, Latin) dee-A-nə(Catalan) dyee-A-nu(Ukrainian) DI-ya-na(Czech) DEE-a-na(Slovak)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"divine, goddesslike", a derivative of Latin
dia or
diva meaning
"goddess". It is ultimately related to the same Indo-European root *
dyew- found in
Zeus. Diana was a Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests and childbirth, often identified with the Greek goddess
Artemis.
As a given name, Diana has been regularly used since the Renaissance. It became more common in the English-speaking world following Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy (1817), which featured a character named Diana Vernon. It also appeared in George Meredith's novel Diana of the Crossways (1885). A notable bearer was the British royal Diana Spencer (1961-1997), the Princess of Wales.
Devin
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHV-in
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From a surname, either the Irish surname
Devin 1 or the English surname
Devin 2.
Delara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: دلآرا(Persian)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"adorning the heart", from Persian
دل (del) meaning "heart" and
آرا (ārā) meaning "decorate, adorn".
Deianeira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Δηϊάνειρα, Δῃάνειρα(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Greek
δηιόω (deioo) meaning "to slay" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man". In Greek
mythology this was the name of the wife of
Herakles. She unwittingly poisoned her husband by giving him the Shirt of Nessus.
Darin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Thai
Other Scripts: ดาริน(Thai)
Pronounced: da-REEN
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Derived from Thai ดารา (dara) meaning "star".
Daniela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Hebrew, English
Other Scripts: Даниела(Bulgarian, Macedonian) דניאלה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: da-NYEH-la(Italian, Spanish) da-nee-EH-la(German, Romanian) da-NYEH-la(Polish) DA-ni-yeh-la(Czech) DA-nee-eh-la(Slovak) dan-YEHL-ə(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Daniel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Finnish, Estonian, Armenian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: דָּנִיֵּאל(Hebrew) Даниел(Bulgarian, Macedonian) Դանիէլ(Armenian) დანიელ(Georgian) Δανιήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAN-yəl(English) DA-NYEHL(French) DA-nyehl(German) DA-nee-ehl(German, Slovak) DAH-ni-yəl(Norwegian) DA-nyəl(Danish) DA-nyehl(Polish) DA-ni-yehl(Czech) da-NYEHL(Spanish) du-nee-EHL(European Portuguese) du-nee-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) də-nee-EHL(Catalan) da-nee-EHL(Romanian)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Hebrew name
דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning
"God is my judge", from the roots
דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the
Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.
Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).
Damaris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Δάμαρις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAM-ə-ris(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Probably means
"calf, heifer, girl" from Greek
δάμαλις (damalis). In the
New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by
Saint Paul.
Dalia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American), Arabic
Other Scripts: داليا(Arabic)
Pronounced: DA-lya(Spanish) DA-lee-ya(Arabic)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Spanish and Arabic form of
Dahlia. The Dahlia is the national flower of Mexico.
Dacian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: da-chee-AN
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from Dacia, the old Roman name for the region that is now Romania and Moldova.
Criseida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Form of
Chryseis used by the Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio in his 14th-century poem
Il Filostrato. In the poem she is a woman of Troy, daughter of Calchas, who leaves her Trojan lover
Troilus for the Greek hero
Diomedes. The story was taken up by Chaucer (using the form
Criseyde) and Shakespeare (using the form
Cressida).
Cornelian
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kor-NEE-li-ən, CAWR-NEEL-ian
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Named for the deep red gemstone which is also known as a carnelian. The word comes from the Latin
cornum, meaning "cornel cherry" - a flowering dogwood tree with small, dark red fruit.
-------------------------------------
English form of the Latin name
Cornelianus.
Cordelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: kawr-DEEL-ee-ə(American English) kaw-DEE-lee-ə(British English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From
Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles
[1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King
Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of
Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.
The spelling was later altered to Cordelia when Geoffrey's story was adapted by others, including Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590) and Shakespeare in his tragedy King Lear (1606).
Chrysalis
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Filipino (Rare)
Pronounced: KRIS-ə-lis(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the word referring to the pupa of a butterfly or moth or the cocoon where the pupa is enclosed inside, derived via Latin from Ancient Greek χρυσαλλίς
(khrusallís), from χρυσός
(khrusós) meaning "gold."
A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic villain bears this name.
Chetan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada
Other Scripts: चेतन(Hindi, Marathi) ચેતન(Gujarati) ಚೇತನ್(Kannada)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Sanskrit
चेतन (cetana) meaning
"visible, conscious, soul".
Cerise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SU-REEZ
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "cherry" in French.
Celia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish
Pronounced: SEEL-yə(English) SEE-lee-ə(English) THEHL-ya(European Spanish) SEHL-ya(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of the Roman family name
Caelius. Shakespeare used it in his play
As You Like It (1599), which introduced the name to the English-speaking public at large. It is sometimes used as a short form of
Cecilia.
Celeste
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, English
Pronounced: cheh-LEH-steh(Italian) theh-LEHS-teh(European Spanish) seh-LEHS-teh(Latin American Spanish) sə-LEST(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Italian feminine and masculine form of
Caelestis. It is also the Portuguese, Spanish and English feminine form.
Castor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κάστωρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KAS-tər(American English) KAS-tə(British English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Greek name
Κάστωρ (Kastor), possibly related to
κέκασμαι (kekasmai) meaning
"to excel, to shine" (pluperfect
κέκαστο). Alternatively it could be derived from the Greek word
κάστωρ (kastor) meaning
"beaver", though the legends about Castor do not mention beavers, which were foreign animals to the Greeks. In Greek
myth Castor was a son of
Zeus and the twin brother of
Pollux. The constellation Gemini, which represents the two brothers, contains a star by this name.
Cassian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman (Anglicized)
Pronounced: KASH-ən(English) KAS-ee-ən(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Roman family name
Cassianus, which was derived from
Cassius. This was the name of several
saints, including a 3rd-century martyr from Tangier who is the patron saint of stenographers and a 5th-century mystic who founded a monastery in Marseille.
Cassander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κάσσανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Κάσσανδρος (Kassandros), the masculine form of
Cassandra. This was the name of a 3rd-century BC king of Macedon.
Caspian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: KAS-pee-ən(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Used by author C. S. Lewis for a character in his Chronicles of Narnia series, first appearing in 1950. Prince Caspian first appears in the fourth book, where he is the rightful king of Narnia driven into exile by his evil uncle Miraz. Lewis probably based the name on the Caspian Sea, which was named for the city of Qazvin, which was itself named for the ancient Cas tribe.
Carina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Late Roman
Pronounced: kə-REE-nə(English) ka-REE-na(Spanish, German)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Late Latin name derived from
cara meaning
"dear, beloved". This was the name of a 4th-century
saint and martyr. It is also the name of a constellation in the southern sky, though in this case it means "keel" in Latin, referring to a part of
Jason's ship the Argo.
Cameron
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAM-rən
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
From a Scottish surname meaning
"crooked nose" from Gaelic
cam "crooked" and
sròn "nose". As a given name it is mainly used for boys. It got a little bump in popularity for girls in the second half of the 1990s, likely because of the fame of actress Cameron Diaz (1972-). In the United States, the forms
Camryn and
Kamryn are now more popular than
Cameron for girls.
Calanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LAN-thee
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the name of a type of orchid, ultimately meaning "beautiful flower", derived from Greek
καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful" and
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower".
Calais
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κάλαϊς(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek Κάλαϊς
(Kalais), which meant "turquoise" or "chrysolite" (being the name of "a precious stone of a greenish blue"). In Greek myth Calais and his twin brother
Zetes, together known as the Boreads (being sons of
Boreas, god of the north wind), were Argonauts.
Caelian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
English form of
Caelianus. The name has also been used in The Netherlands just a handful of times; the variant form
Celian has been used a little bit more often there.
Blythe
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BLIEDH
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From a surname meaning "cheerful" in Old English.
Belinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: bə-LIN-də
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
The meaning of this name is not known for certain. The first element could be related to Italian
bella meaning "beautiful". The second element could be Old German
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender" (and by extension "snake, serpent"). This name first arose in the 17th century, and was subsequently used by Alexander Pope in his poem
The Rape of the Lock (1712).
Batari
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indonesian
Pronounced: ba-TA-ree
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"goddess" in Indonesian, derived from the Sanskrit noble title
भट्टारी (bhaṭṭārī) meaning "noble lady".
Avalon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AV-ə-lahn(American English) AV-ə-lawn(British English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the name of the island paradise to which King
Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh
afal meaning "apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.
Aurelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Polish
Pronounced: ow-REH-lee-a(Latin) ow-REH-lya(Italian, Spanish, Polish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Aurel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, German (Rare)
Pronounced: ow-REHL(German)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Aurea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Late Latin name that was derived from
aureus "golden". This was the name of a 3rd-century
saint from Ostia (near Rome), as well as an 11th-century Spanish saint.
Augustus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: ow-GOOS-toos(Latin) aw-GUS-təs(English) ow-GHUYS-tuys(Dutch)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"exalted, venerable", derived from Latin
augere meaning "to increase". Augustus was the title given to
Octavian, the first Roman emperor. He was an adopted son of Julius Caesar who rose to power through a combination of military skill and political prowess. In 26 BC the senate officially gave him the name
Augustus, and after his death it was used as a title for subsequent emperors. This was also the name of three kings of Poland (called
August in Polish).
Augustine 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AW-gə-steen, aw-GUS-tin
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Roman name
Augustinus, itself derived from the Roman name
Augustus.
Saint Augustine of Hippo was a 5th-century Christian theologian and author from North Africa. For his contributions to Christian philosophy he is known as a Doctor of the Church. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world. It became popular in England in the Middle Ages partly because of a second saint by this name, Augustine of Canterbury, a 6th-century Italian monk sent to England to convert the Anglo-Saxons.
Atarah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: עֲטָרָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: AT-ə-rə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Atalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: עֲתַלְיָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Modern Hebrew transcription of
Athaliah.
Astrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, French, English
Pronounced: AS-strid(Swedish) AHS-tri(Norwegian) AS-trit(German) AS-TREED(French) AS-trid(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Modern Scandinavian form of
Ástríðr. This name was borne by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), the author of
Pippi Longstocking. It was also borne by a Swedish princess (1905-1935) who became the queen of Belgium as the wife of Leopold III.
Astor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AS-tər(American English) AS-tə(British English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From a German and French surname derived from Occitan astur meaning "hawk". The wealthy and influential Astor family, prominent in British and American society, originated in the Italian Alps.
Asterius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀστέριος(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Ἀστέριος (Asterios) meaning
"starry", a derivative of
ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star". This is the name of several figures from Greek
mythology. It was also borne by a few early
saints.
Asteria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀστερία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Aster
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AS-tər(American English) AS-tə(British English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the name of the flower, which is derived via Latin from Greek
ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star".
Asra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: أسرى(Arabic)
Pronounced: AS-ra
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means "travel at night" in Arabic.
Asherah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Pronounced: ə-SHEER-ə(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Perhaps derived from Semitic roots meaning "she who walks in the sea". This was the name of a Semitic mother goddess. She was worshipped by the Israelites before the advent of monotheism.
Ascelin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Derived from a
diminutive of the Old German element
asc meaning
"ash tree" (Proto-Germanic *
askaz).
Aruna
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi
Other Scripts: अरुण, अरुणा(Sanskrit) అరుణ(Telugu) அருணா(Tamil) ಅರುಣ(Kannada) അരുണ(Malayalam) अरुणा(Hindi)
Pronounced: U-roo-nu(Sanskrit) U-roo-nah(Sanskrit) U-ruw-na(Tamil)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"reddish brown, dawn" in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Aruna (
अरुण) is the charioteer who drives the sun god
Surya across the sky. The modern feminine form
अरुणा (spelled with a final long vowel) is also transcribed as
Aruna, however the modern masculine form is
Arun.
Arun
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Khmer
Pronounced: ah-ROON
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "morning sun" in Khmer.
Aroa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque, Spanish
Pronounced: a-RO-a(Spanish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Derived from Basque aro meaning "era, age, time".
Armida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: ar-MEE-da(Italian) ar-MEE-dha(Spanish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Probably created by the 16th-century Italian poet Torquato Tasso for his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1580). In the poem Armida is a beautiful enchantress who bewitches many of the crusaders.
Arista
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: ə-RIS-tə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "ear of grain" in Latin. This is the name of a star, also known as Spica, in the constellation Virgo.
Arin
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Ariel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Polish, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֲרִיאֵל(Hebrew) Ἀριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: a-ree-EHL(Hebrew) EHR-ee-əl(English) AR-ee-əl(English) A-RYEHL(French) a-RYEHL(Spanish) A-ryehl(Polish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"lion of God" in Hebrew, from
אֲרִי (ʾari) meaning "lion" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the
Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare utilized it for a spirit in his play
The Tempest (1611) and Alexander Pope utilized it for a sylph in his poem
The Rape of the Lock (1712), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Disney film
The Little Mermaid (1989).
Aria 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: AHR-ee-ə
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means "song, melody" in Italian (literally means "air"). An aria is an elaborate vocal solo, the type usually performed in operas. As an English name, it has only been in use since the 20th century, its rise in popularity accelerating after the 2010 premier of the television drama Pretty Little Liars, featuring a character by this name. It is not traditionally used in Italy.
Arcadia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: ar-KA-dhya
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Arcadius. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.
Anthea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἄνθεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-thee-ə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Greek
Ἄνθεια (Antheia), derived from
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning
"flower, blossom". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Hera.
Antares
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: an-TEHR-eez(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Greek
Ἀντάρης (Antares), traditionally said to mean
"opposing Ares". This is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius.
Annora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Medieval English variant of
Honora.
Anna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Armenian, Icelandic, Faroese, Catalan, Occitan, Breton, Scottish Gaelic, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Άννα(Greek) Анна(Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Church Slavic) Աննա(Armenian) Ἄννα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-ə(English) AN-na(Italian, Polish, Icelandic) A-na(German, Swedish, Danish, Greek, Czech) AH-na(Dutch) AHN-nah(Norwegian, Finnish, Armenian) AWN-naw(Hungarian) AN-nə(Russian, Catalan) ahn-NAH(Armenian)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Form of
Hannah used in the Greek and Latin
Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the
Hannah spelling instead of
Anna. The name appears briefly in the
New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized
Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of
Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin
Mary.
In England, this Latin form has been used alongside the vernacular forms Ann and Anne since the late Middle Ages. Anna is currently the most common of these spellings in all English-speaking countries (since the 1970s), however the biblical form Hannah is presently more popular than all three.
The name was borne by several Russian royals, including an 18th-century empress of Russia. It is also the name of the main character in Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina (1877), about a married aristocrat who begins an ultimately tragic relationship with Count Vronsky.
Aneira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: a-NAY-ra
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Aneirin, also considered a combination of Welsh
an, an intensifying prefix, and
eira "snow" (see
Eira 1), with the intended meaning of "much snow" or "very snowy". It was first used in the late 19th century.
Andra 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Latvian, Estonian
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Anders
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: AN-desh(Swedish) AHN-nəsh(Norwegian) AHN-us(Danish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Scandinavian form of
Andreas (see
Andrew). A famous bearer was the Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström (1814-1874).
Anatolia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀνατολία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Anatolius. This was the name of a 3rd-century Italian
saint and martyr. This is also a place name (from the same Greek origin) referring to the large peninsula that makes up the majority of Turkey.
Amira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Bosnian, Malay
Other Scripts: أميرة(Arabic)
Pronounced: a-MEE-ra(Arabic)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Amedea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: a-meh-DEH-a
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Ambrose
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AM-broz
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Late Latin name
Ambrosius, which was derived from the Greek name
Ἀμβρόσιος (Ambrosios) meaning
"immortal".
Saint Ambrose was a 4th-century theologian and bishop of Milan, who is considered a Doctor of the Church. Due to the saint, the name came into general use in Christian Europe, though it was never particularly common in England.
Amalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Greek, Finnish, Swedish, Dutch, German, Germanic (Latinized) [1]
Other Scripts: Αμαλία(Greek)
Pronounced: a-MA-lya(Spanish, Italian, German) a-MA-lee-a(Dutch)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
amal. This element means
"unceasing, vigorous, brave", or it can refer to the Gothic dynasty of the Amali (derived from the same root).
This was another name for the 7th-century saint Amalberga of Maubeuge.
Altan 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "red dawn" in Turkish.
Altair
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Pronounced: al-TEHR(American English) al-TEH(British English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means "the flyer" in Arabic. This is the name of a star in the constellation Aquila.
Alodia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gothic (Latinized)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Possibly from a Visigothic name, maybe from Gothic elements such as
alls "all" or
aljis "other" combined with
auds "riches, wealth".
Saint Alodia was a 9th-century Spanish martyr with her sister Nunilo.
Aline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Portuguese (Brazilian), English
Pronounced: A-LEEN(French) a-LEE-nee(Portuguese) ə-LEEN(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Medieval short form of
Adeline. As an English name, in modern times it has sometimes been regarded as a variant of
Eileen. This was the name of a popular 1965 song by the French singer Christophe.
Alida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, German, Hungarian
Pronounced: a-LEE-da(Dutch, German) AW-lee-daw(Hungarian)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Aletris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: Ah-leh-tris
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the genus name of a bell-shaped flower also known as colic root, blazing star, unicorn root, or stargrass. Its roots have medicinal properties and are used to aid digestive and muscle problems. Its name derives from Greek ἀλετρίς (aletris) meaning "corn grinder, female slave who grinds corn" (a derivative of ἀλέω (aleo) "to grind, to pound") because of the mealy texture of the flowers.
Alastor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀλάστωρ(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means
"avenger" in Greek. This was an epithet of
Zeus, as well as the name of several other characters from Greek
mythology.
Alastair
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: AL-i-stər(American English) AL-i-stə(British English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Akira
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 昭, 明, 亮, 晶, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あきら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KYEE-RA
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Japanese
昭 (akira) meaning "bright",
明 (akira) meaning "bright" or
亮 (akira) meaning "clear". Other kanji with the same pronunciation can also form this name. A famous bearer was the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), given name written
明.
Akai
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 愛海, 朱衣(Japanese Kanji) あかい(Japanese Hiragana)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Japanese kanji 愛 (
a) meaning "love, affection" and 海 (
kai) meaning "sea; ocean". It can also derive from 朱 (
aka) meaning "crimson red" and 衣 (
i) meaning "clothing".
Other kanji combinations are possible.
Aina 3
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 愛菜, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あいな(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-EE-NA
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens", as well as other character combinations.
Aidana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kazakh
Other Scripts: Айдана(Kazakh)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means
"wise moon" in Kazakh, from
ай (ay) meaning "moon" and
дана (dana) meaning "wise".
Aidan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: AY-dən(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Anglicized form of
Aodhán. In the latter part of the 20th century it became popular in America due to its sound, since it shares a sound with such names as
Braden and
Hayden. It peaked ranked 39th for boys in 2003.
Aether
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Αἰθήρ(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Αἰθήρ (Aither) meaning
"ether, heaven", derived from
αἴθω (aitho) meaning "to burn, to ignite". In Greek
mythology this was the name of the god of light and the upper sky.
Aeron
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the name of the Welsh river Aeron, itself probably derived from the hypothetical Celtic goddess
Agrona. Alternatively, the name could be taken from Welsh
aeron meaning
"berries".
Aeneas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: ie-NEH-as(Latin) i-NEE-əs(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latin form of the Greek name
Αἰνείας (Aineias), derived from Greek
αἴνη (aine) meaning
"praise". In Greek legend he was a son of
Aphrodite and was one of the chief heroes who defended Troy from the Greeks. The Roman poet
Virgil continued his story in the
Aeneid, in which Aeneas travels to Italy and founds the Roman state.
Aella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἄελλα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-EHL-LA(Classical Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"whirlwind" in Greek. In Greek
myth this was the name of an Amazon warrior killed by
Herakles during his quest for Hippolyta's girdle.
Aelita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Russian, Latvian
Other Scripts: Аэлита(Russian)
Pronounced: ui-LYEE-tə(Russian)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Created by Russian author Aleksey Tolstoy for his science fiction novel Aelita (1923), where it belongs to a Martian princess. In the book, the name is said to mean "starlight seen for the last time" in the Martian language.
Aelian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, History
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
English form of
Aelianus. A bearer of this name was Claudius Aelianus - often called Aelian in English - a Roman author and philosopher from the 3rd century AD.
Adisa
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Yoruba
Pronounced: A-DEE-SA
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "bundled up and set to dry" in Yoruba.
Aderyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "bird" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
Adelaide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: A-də-layd(English) a-deh-LIE-deh(Italian) a-di-LIE-di(European Portuguese) a-di-LIED(European Portuguese) a-deh-LIE-jee(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means
"nobleness, nobility", from the French form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis, which was composed of
adal "noble" and the suffix
heit "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by
Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great.
In Britain the parallel form Alice, derived via Old French, has historically been more common than Adelaide, though this form did gain some currency in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.
Adara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַדָרָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "noble" in Hebrew.
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