kahn's Personal Name List

From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.

Feminine form of William.

Means "faith" in Russian, though it is sometimes associated with the Latin word verus "true". It has been in general use in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.

Spanish feminine form of Thomas.

Means "star" in Latin. This name was created by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney for the subject of his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella. It was a nickname of a lover of Jonathan Swift, real name Esther Johnson (1681-1728), though it was not commonly used as a given name until the 19th century. It appears in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), belonging to the sister of Blanche DuBois and the wife of Stanley Kowalski.

From a Hebrew musical term that occurs many times in the Old Testament Psalms. It was probably meant to indicate a musical pause.

Meaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of Mapuche ayün "love".

Italian feminine form of Xavier.

Feminine form of Sancho.

Feminine form of Samir 2.

Variant of Sage.

Form of Sa'ida used in Northern Africa and other French-influenced regions of the continent.

Means "dawn" in Arabic.

Portuguese form of Sapphira. It coincides with the Portuguese word for "sapphire".

Short form of Folasade. It was popularized in the mid-80s due to the Nigerian-born British singer Sade Adu (born Helen Folasade Adu, 1959-) and her eponymous smooth jazz band Sade.

From the English word meaning "black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.

Italian name meaning "white rose", derived from Latin rosa "rose" and alba "white". A famous bearer was the Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757).

Possibly a variant of Romana.

Means "one that moves" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess Rati.

Feminine form of Renatus.

Latinate feminine form of René.

Means "petal" in Quechua.

Means "to gaze, to look intently" in Arabic.

Feminine form of Rama.

Portuguese form of Herais, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Раиса, Ukrainian Раїса or Belarusian Раіса (see Raisa 1).

Feminine form of Rahim.

Feminine form of Paulus (see Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman saint who was a companion of Saint Jerome.

Feminine form of Palmiro.

Spanish, Catalan, Italian and Croatian word for "palm". This name typically referred to Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, and was historically given to girls born on this day.

Alternate transcription of Arabic نور (see Nur).

Short form of Honora or Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen used it for a character in his play A Doll's House (1879).

From Persian نازی (nāzī) meaning "sweet, coy".

Latinate form of Natalia (see Natalie).

Derived from Sanskrit नलिनी (nalini) meaning "lotus". It is a masculine name in Sri Lanka and India while it is unisex in Thailand.

Feminine form of Nail. This was the name of the wife of Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. She tried in vain to prevent a mob from murdering her husband, and had several fingers cut off in the process.

Alternate transcription of Arabic ناديّة (see Nadiyya).

Feminine form of Nabil.

Romanian, Croatian and Albanian form of Mireille.

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.

From Sanskrit मीन (mīna) meaning "fish", which in Hindu astrology is the name of a sign of the zodiac.

Feminine form of Milan. It began to be used in Italy in honour of Milena Vukotić (1847-1923), mother of Helen of Montenegro, the wife of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III. In Italy it can also be considered a combination of Maria and Elena.

Diminutive of Maria. It coincides with the Italian word mia meaning "mine".

This name was common in Sweden and Denmark in the 1970s [1]. It rose in popularity in the English-speaking world in the 1990s, entering the top ten for girls in the United States in 2009. It was also popular in many other countries at that time. Famous bearers include American actress Mia Farrow (1945-) and American soccer player Mia Hamm (1972-), birth names Maria and Mariel respectively.

Variant of Maia 1. This name can also be given in reference to the Maya, an indigenous people of southern Mexico and parts of Central America whose civilization flourished between the 3rd and 8th centuries. A famous bearer was the American poet and author Maya Angelou (1928-2014).

Slovene, Croatian and Serbian form of Matthias, used to refer to the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. It is occasionally used as a feminine name.

Derived from Arabic مرضيّ (marḍīy) meaning "satisfactory, pleasing", a derivative of رضي (raḍiya) meaning "to be satisfied".

French diminutive of Marie.

Clearly feminine form of Martel/Martell.

Feminine form of Marek as well as a diminutive of Margorzata.

Diminutive of Marina.

Means "bitter" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is a name that Naomi calls herself after the death of her husband and sons (see Ruth 1:20).

Feminine form of Manuel.

Variant of Malve.

Short form of Marie-Louise.

Feminine form of Malcolm.

Means "salmon going fast up a rippling stream" in the Miwok language

Means "jasmine" in Thai.

Swedish and Spanish contracted form of Magdalena. In Spanish it can also be a contracted form of María Elena.

Variant of Malia.

From Tupi maya arya meaning "great-grandmother".

Originally a medieval Portuguese form of Matilda. This name was borne by the wife of Afonso, the first king of Portugal. In modern times it was the name of the titular character in a popular Argentine comic strip (published from 1964 to 1973) by Quino.

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

Feminine form of Maël.

French form of Magdalene.

Italian form of Magdalene.

From the name of a French town. It became a popular center of pilgrimage after a young girl from the town had visions of the Virgin Mary in a nearby grotto.

Diminutive of Charlotte or Liselotte.

Italian and Spanish feminine form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).

Short form of names ending in lina.

Diminutive of Alexandra or Alexis.

Portuguese form of Leocadia.

Alternate transcription of Lila 1.

From the Hebrew name קְצִיעָה (Qetsiʿa) meaning "cassia, cinnamon", from the name of the spice tree. In the Old Testament she is a daughter of Job.

From an English surname that is derived from town names in Lincolnshire. It may mean "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce" in combination with eg "island".

Means "love" in Malay and Indonesian.

Means "joy, happiness" in Hawaiian.

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

Diminutive of Josephine.

Means "melody" in Tamazight.

From the English word for the hard, creamy-white substance that comes from elephant tusks and was formerly used to produce piano keys.

Possibly from the name of the city of Ivah in the Old Testament.

Italian form of Iseult.

Late Latin name meaning "from Isauria". Isauria was the name of a region in Asia Minor.

Medieval French variant of Isabel. A famous bearer of this name was Isabeau of Bavaria (1385-1422), wife of the French king Charles VI.

Means "wealth" in Ibibio.

Portuguese form of Agnes.

Feminine form of Husni.

Derived from Sanskrit हीर (hīra) meaning "diamond". It is typically feminine in Pakistan and unisex in India and Nepal.

Uncertain meaning, possibly from Greek ἥρως (heros) meaning "hero, warrior"; ὥρα (hora) meaning "period of time"; or αἱρέω (haireo) meaning "to be chosen". In Greek mythology Hera was the queen of the gods, the sister and wife of Zeus. She presided over marriage and childbirth.

Transferred use of the surname Halston. May also be a variation of Halsten.

Feminine form of Halim. Halima was the name of the foster mother of the Prophet Muhammad.

Alternate transcription of Arabic هيفاء (see Hayfa).

Alternate transcription of Arabic حفصة (see Hafsa).

Means "gathering" in Arabic. This was the name of the daughter of Umar, the second caliph, and a wife of Muhammad. It was also borne by the influential mother of Süleyman the Magnificent.

Alternate transcription of Arabic هديّة (see Hadia 1) or هادية (see Hadia 2).

From Hebrew הֲדַס (haḏas) meaning "myrtle tree". In the Old Testament this is the Hebrew name of Queen Esther.

Italian form of Jade.

Variant of Giovanna mainly used in Brazil.

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).

Variant of Georgiana.

From the Greek word γαῖα (gaia), a parallel form of γῆ (ge) meaning "earth". In Greek mythology Gaia was the mother goddess who presided over the earth. She was the mate of Uranus and the mother of the Titans and the Cyclopes.

Combination of Francesca and Pia.

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

Feminine form of Fabius.

From an English surname that was from a place name, itself derived from Old English eofor "boar" and leah "woodland, clearing". Notable bearers of the surname were the musical duo the Everly Brothers, Don (1937-2021) and Phil (1939-2014).

This name began rising on the American popularity charts in 2008, slowly until 2012 and then rapidly after that. This might have been triggered by the folk band Everly (not associated with the Everly Brothers), which had music featured on the television series One Tree Hill in that period. It also might have simply been inspired by similar-sounding names like Everett, Evelyn and Beverly.

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).

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.

Feminine form of Aemilius (see Emily).

Feminine form of Emiliano.

Short form of Eleanor. This was also the name of an ancient Italian town (modern Velia) that is well known for being the home of the philosopher Parmenides and his student Zeno of Elea, who was famous for his paradoxes.

Means "goddess" in Persian.

Diminutive of Adela or Adelaide. A famous bearer was American actress and singer Della Reese (1931-2017).

Portuguese form and French variant of Chloe.

Means "sky, heaven" in Spanish. In Mexico this name was popularized by a character named María del Cielo, called Cielo, on the telenovela Por tu amor (1999).

Latinate feminine form of Carolus. This is the name of two American states: North and South Carolina. They were named for Charles I, king of England.

Italian form of Charlotte.

Feminine form of Carlo, Carlos or Carl.

From an Italian word meaning "beloved" or an Irish word meaning "friend". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century, though it did not become popular until after the 1950s.

Feminine form of Bruno.

Feminine form of Latin Bricius.

Diminutive of Beatriz.

Portuguese variant form of Bethany.

Danish feminine form of Benedict.

Spanish form of Bethlehem, the name of the town in Judah where King David and Jesus were born. The town's name is from Hebrew בֵּית־לֶחֶם (Beṯ-leḥem) meaning "house of bread".

From Egyptian bꜣstt, which was possibly derived from bꜣs meaning "ointment jar" and a feminine t suffix. In Egyptian mythology Bastet was a goddess of cats, fertility and the sun who was considered a protector of Lower Egypt. In early times she was typically depicted with the head of a lioness. By the New Kingdom period she was more associated with domestic cats, while the similar cat goddess Sekhmet took on the fierce lioness aspect.

Means "virgin, maiden" in Arabic.

Variant of Ayelen.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew אֵלָה (see Ela 3).

French feminine form of Aldo.

Means "honey" in Persian (of Arabic origin).

Feminine form of Antonius (see Anthony).

Portuguese feminine form of Andrew.

Alternate transcription of Arabic Amina 1 or Amina 2, as well as the usual form in Malay and Indonesian.

Variant of Amalia, though it is sometimes confused with Emilia, which has a different origin. The name became popular in England after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century — it was borne by daughters of both George II and George III. The author Henry Fielding used it for the title character in his novel Amelia (1751). Another famous bearer was Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), the first woman to make a solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean.

This name experienced a rise in popularity at the end of the 20th century. It was the most popular name for girls in England and Wales from 2011 to 2015.

Means "the beautiful ones" in Zulu.

Variant of Alice.

Feminine form of Alexis.

Short form of Alessandra.

Dutch and Spanish short form of Adelaide.

Variant of Alicia.

Galician form of the Visigothic name *Hildiwara, which was composed of the Gothic elements hilds "battle" and wars "aware, cautious". This was the name of the 7th-century wife of the Visigothic king Gundemar. It was also borne by the mother of Saint Rosendo (10th century).

Possibly an invented name based on Adelaide or Anaíde.

Indonesian form of Aisha.

Originally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element adal meaning "noble" (Proto-Germanic *aþalaz). Saint Adela was a 7th-century Frankish princess who founded a monastery at Pfazel in France. This name was also borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror.

Means "anklet, bangle" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a daughter of Caleb.

Alternate transcription of Arabic آمنة (see Amina 1), as well as the Somali form.