Destry's Personal Name List
Zenon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Polish
Other Scripts: Ζήνων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZDEH-NAWN(Classical Greek) ZEH-nawn(Polish)
Rating: 40% based on 9 votes
Ancient Greek form of
Zeno, as well as the modern Polish form.
Yara 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tupi
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Willow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIL-o
Rating: 68% based on 4 votes
From the name of the tree, which is ultimately derived from Old English welig.
Willoughby
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: WIL-ə-bee
Rating: 54% based on 7 votes
From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "willow town" in Old English.
Waverly
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WAY-vər-lee(American English) WAY-və-lee(British English)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
From the rare English surname
Waverley, derived from the name of a place in Surrey, itself possibly from Old English
wæfre "flickering, wavering" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
The surname was borne by the title character in the novel Waverley (1814) by Walter Scott. Streets in New York and San Francisco have been named Waverly after the novel, and a female character in Amy Tan's novel The Joy Luck Club (1989) is named after the San Francisco street. The name received a small boost in popularity for girls after the 1993 release of the novel's movie adaptation, and it rose further after the debut of the television series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012).
Verity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VEHR-i-tee
Rating: 90% based on 8 votes
From the English word meaning
"verity, truth", from Latin
verus "true, real". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Valentine 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: VA-LAHN-TEEN
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Usagi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: OO-SA-GYEE(Japanese)
Rating: 73% based on 4 votes
Means "rabbit" in Japanese. This name was used on the Japanese television show Sailor Moon, which first aired in the 1990s.
Twyla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TWIE-lə
Rating: 61% based on 23 votes
Tsukiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 月子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) つきこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TSOO-KYEE-KO
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
月 (tsuki) meaning "moon" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji are possible.
Thomasin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare, Archaic), Cornish (Archaic)
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
English vernacular form of
Thomasina. This was one of the most popular English girls' names in the 16th century. It was used by Thomas Hardy for a character in his novel
The Return of the Native (1878).
Teddy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TEHD-ee
Rating: 84% based on 5 votes
Taran
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology, Pictish
Rating: 70% based on 6 votes
Means
"thunder" in Welsh, from the old Celtic root *
toranos. It appears briefly in the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi [1]. The name is
cognate to that of the Gaulish god
Taranis. It was also borne by the 7th-century Pictish king Taran mac Ainftech.
Taika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish (Rare)
Pronounced: TAH-ee-kah
Rating: 35% based on 13 votes
Means "magic, spell" in Finnish.
Tabitha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ταβιθά(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TAB-i-thə(English)
Rating: 69% based on 7 votes
Means
"gazelle" in Aramaic. Tabitha in the
New Testament was a woman restored to life by
Saint Peter. Her name is translated into Greek as
Dorcas (see
Acts 9:36). As an English name,
Tabitha became common after the
Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the television show
Bewitched, in which Tabitha (sometimes spelled Tabatha) is the daughter of the main character.
Suzanne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: SUY-ZAN(French) soo-ZAN(English) suy-ZAH-nə(Dutch)
Rating: 89% based on 8 votes
Susannah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: שׁוֹשַׁנָּה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: soo-ZAN-ə(English)
Rating: 90% based on 8 votes
Sunniva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian
Rating: 67% based on 9 votes
Scandinavian form of the Old English name
Sunngifu, which meant
"sun gift" from the Old English elements
sunne "sun" and
giefu "gift". This was the name of a legendary English
saint who was shipwrecked in Norway and killed by the inhabitants.
Summer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUM-ər(American English) SUM-ə(British English)
Rating: 87% based on 7 votes
From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.
Stormy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: STAWR-mee(American English) STAW-mee(British English)
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
From the English word meaning "stormy, wild, turbulent", ultimately from Old English stormig.
Skye
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKIE
Rating: 81% based on 7 votes
From the name of the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. It is sometimes considered a variant of
Sky.
Sky
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKIE
Rating: 52% based on 6 votes
Simply from the English word sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse ský "cloud".
Sienna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: see-EHN-ə
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
From the English word meaning "orange-red". It is ultimately from the name of the city of Siena in Italy, because of the colour of the clay there.
Siena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: see-EHN-ə
Rating: 17% based on 6 votes
Variant of
Sienna, with the spelling perhaps influenced by that of the Italian city.
Sidney
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SID-nee
Rating: 58% based on 5 votes
From the English surname
Sidney. It was first used as a given name in honour of executed politician Algernon Sidney (1622-1683). Another notable bearer of the surname was the poet and statesman Philip Sidney (1554-1586).
As a given name, it has traditionally been more masculine than feminine. In America however, after the variant Sydney became popular for girls, Sidney was used more for girls than boys between 1993 and 2019.
Sibyl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SIB-əl
Rating: 83% based on 4 votes
From Greek
Σίβυλλα (Sibylla), meaning
"prophetess, sibyl". In Greek and Roman legend the sibyls were female prophets who practiced at different holy sites in the ancient world. In later Christian theology, the sibyls were thought to have divine knowledge and were revered in much the same way as the
Old Testament prophets. Because of this, the name came into general use in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The
Normans imported it to England, where it was spelled both
Sibyl and
Sybil. It became rare after the
Protestant Reformation, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps helped by Benjamin Disraeli's novel
Sybil (1845).
Shirley
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHUR-lee(American English) SHU-lee(British English)
Rating: 65% based on 4 votes
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" in Old English. This is the name of a main character in Charlotte Brontë's semi-autobiographical novel Shirley (1849). Though the name was already popular in the United States, the child actress Shirley Temple (1928-2014) gave it a further boost. By 1935 it was the second most common name for girls.
Shiori
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 詩織, 栞, 撓, etc.(Japanese Kanji) しおり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SHEE-O-REE
Rating: 50% based on 4 votes
As a feminine name it can be from Japanese
詩 (shi) meaning "poem" combined with
織 (ori) meaning "weave". It can also be from
栞 (shiori) meaning "bookmark" (usually feminine) or
撓 (shiori) meaning "lithe, bending" (usually masculine), as well as other kanji or kanji combinations.
Shea
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHAY(English)
Rating: 58% based on 6 votes
Anglicized form of
Séaghdha, sometimes used as a feminine name.
Selena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Σελήνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: seh-LEH-na(Spanish) sə-LEEN-ə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 6 votes
Latinized form of
Selene. This name was borne by popular Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla (1971-1995), who was known simply as Selena. Another famous bearer is the American actress and singer Selena Gomez (1992-).
Scott
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: SKAHT(American English) SKAWT(British English)
Rating: 72% based on 6 votes
From an English and Scottish surname that referred to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic. It is derived from Latin Scoti meaning "Gael, Gaelic speaker", with the ultimate origin uncertain.
Savannah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: sə-VAN-ə
Rating: 59% based on 9 votes
From the English word for the large grassy plain, ultimately deriving from the Taino (Native American) word zabana. It came into use as a given name in America in the 19th century. It was revived in the 1980s by the movie Savannah Smiles (1982).
Sarah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical
Other Scripts: שָׂרָה(Hebrew) سارة(Arabic)
Pronounced: SEHR-ə(English) SAR-ə(English) SA-RA(French) ZA-ra(German) SA-ra(Danish, Dutch, Arabic)
Rating: 63% based on 31 votes
From the Hebrew name
שָׂרָה (Sara) meaning
"lady, princess, noblewoman". In the
Old Testament this is the name of
Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with
Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally
Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see
Genesis 17:15).
In England, Sarah came into use after the Protestant Reformation. It was consistently popular in the 20th century throughout the English-speaking world, reaching the top of the charts for England and Wales in the 1970s and 80s.
Notable bearers include Sarah Churchill (1660-1744), an influential British duchess and a close friend of Queen Anne, and the French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923).
Saori
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 沙織, 早織, 佐織, 沙緒里, etc.(Japanese Kanji) さおり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SA-O-REE
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
沙 (sa) meaning "sand" or
早 (sa) meaning "already, now" combined with
織 (ori) meaning "weaving". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Sansa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 39% based on 8 votes
Invented by the author George R. R. Martin for the character of Sansa Stark in his series A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019).
Samantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Dutch
Pronounced: sə-MAN-thə(English) sa-MAN-ta(Italian) sa-MAHN-ta(Dutch)
Rating: 91% based on 8 votes
Perhaps intended to be a feminine form of
Samuel, using the name suffix
antha (possibly inspired by Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). It originated in America in the 18th century but was fairly uncommon until 1964, when it was popularized by the main character on the television show
Bewitched.
Sakura
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 桜, 咲良, etc.(Japanese Kanji) さくら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SA-KOO-RA
Rating: 90% based on 6 votes
From Japanese
桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom", though it is often written using the hiragana writing system. It can also come from
咲 (saku) meaning "blossom" and
良 (ra) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable" as well as other kanji combinations.
Saga
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Swedish, Icelandic
Pronounced: SAH-gah(Swedish) SA-gha(Icelandic)
Rating: 83% based on 4 votes
From Old Norse
Sága, possibly meaning
"seeing one", derived from
sjá "to see". This is the name of a Norse goddess, possibly connected to
Frigg. As a Swedish and Icelandic name, it is also derived from the unrelated word
saga "story, fairy tale, saga".
Sabrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: sə-BREEN-ə(English) sa-BREE-na(Italian, Spanish) za-BREE-na(German) SA-BREE-NA(French) su-BREE-nu(European Portuguese) sa-BREE-nu(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 86% based on 8 votes
Latinized form of
Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque
Comus (1634).
The name was brought to public attention by Samuel A. Taylor's play Sabrina Fair (1953) and the movie adaptation Sabrina that followed it the next year. This is also the name of a comic book character, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, first introduced 1962 and with television adaptations in 1970-1974 and 1996-2003, both causing minor jumps in popularity. Another jump occurred in 1976, when it was used for a main character on the television series Charlie's Angels.
Ruby
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROO-bee
Rating: 90% based on 8 votes
Simply from the name of the precious stone (which ultimately derives from Latin
ruber "red"), which is the traditional birthstone of July. It came into use as a given name in the 16th century
[1].
Ruadhán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: RWU-an
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
From Old Irish
Rúadán, derived from
rúad "red" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of the founder of the monastery of Lorrha in the 6th century.
Rowan
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: RO-ən(English)
Rating: 80% based on 7 votes
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).
Rosalind
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHZ-ə-lind(American English) RAWZ-ə-lind(British English)
Rating: 70% based on 32 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
hros meaning "horse" and
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The
Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase
rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy
As You Like It (1599).
Ronja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Finnish
Pronounced: RON-yah(Swedish)
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
Invented by Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren, who based it on the middle portion of Juronjaure, the name of a lake in Sweden. Lindgren used it in her 1981 book Ronia the Robber's Daughter (Ronia is the English translation).
Rónán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: RO-nan(Irish)
Rating: 86% based on 7 votes
Means
"little seal", derived from Old Irish
rón "seal" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early Irish
saints, including a pilgrim to Brittany who founded the hermitage at Locronan in the 6th century.
Riordan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Ríoghbhárdáin), which was derived from the given name
Rígbarddán.
Rhys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: REES
Rating: 72% based on 5 votes
From Old Welsh
Ris, probably meaning
"ardour, enthusiasm". Several Welsh rulers have borne this name, including the 12th-century Rhys ap Gruffydd who fought against the invading
Normans.
Rhidian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: HRID-yan
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
Possibly a derivative of Old Welsh
rudd "red", in which case it is a cognate of
Ruadhán. This was the name of an early Welsh saint, remembered in the parish and village of Llanrhidian on Gower.
Renesmee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: rə-NEHZ-may(English)
Rating: 35% based on 4 votes
Invented by the American author Stephenie Meyer for a character in her novel
Breaking Dawn (2008), the fourth book of her
Twilight series. The character is the baby daughter of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, with her name combining the names of her grandmothers:
Renée and
Esme.
Raya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Russian
Other Scripts: Рая(Bulgarian, Russian)
Rating: 85% based on 4 votes
Posy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PO-zee
Rating: 60% based on 5 votes
Diminutive of
Josephine. It can also be inspired by the English word
posy for a bunch of flowers.
Poppy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHP-ee(American English) PAWP-ee(British English)
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
From the word for the red flower, derived from Old English popæg.
Oriana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: o-RYA-na
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Possibly derived from Latin
aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish
oro or French
or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight
Amadis.
Ophelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Literature, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ὠφελία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: o-FEEL-ee-ə(English) o-FEEL-yə(English)
Rating: 73% based on 7 votes
Derived from Greek
ὠφέλεια (opheleia) meaning
"help, advantage". This was a rare ancient Greek name, which was either rediscovered or recreated by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro for a character in his poem
Arcadia (1480). It was borrowed by Shakespeare for his play
Hamlet (1600), in which it belongs to the daughter of
Polonius and the potential love interest of
Hamlet. She eventually goes insane and drowns herself after Hamlet kills her father. In spite of this negative association, the name has been in use since the 19th century.
Olive
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AHL-iv(American English) AWL-iv(British English) AW-LEEV(French)
Rating: 74% based on 5 votes
From the English and French word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva.
Oenone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Οἰνώνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ee-NO-nee(English)
Rating: 31% based on 11 votes
Latinized form of the Greek
Οἰνώνη (Oinone), derived from
οἶνος (oinos) meaning
"wine". In Greek
mythology Oenone was a mountain nymph who was married to Paris before he went after Helen.
Noëlle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Dutch
Pronounced: NAW-EHL(French)
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
Niobe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Νιόβη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: NEE-O-BEH(Classical Greek) NIE-o-bee(English)
Rating: 38% based on 5 votes
Meaning unknown. In Greek
mythology Niobe was the daughter of Tantalos, a king of Asia Minor. Because she boasted that she was superior to
Leto, Leto's children
Apollo and
Artemis killed her 14 children with poison arrows. In grief, Niobe was turned to stone by
Zeus.
Nina 3
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Нина(Russian)
Pronounced: NYEE-nə
Rating: 73% based on 12 votes
Nimue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: NIM-ə-way(English)
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Meaning unknown. In Arthurian legends this is the name of a sorceress, also known as the Lady of the Lake, Vivien, or Niniane. Various versions of the tales have
Merlin falling in love with her and becoming imprisoned by her magic. She first appears in the medieval French
Lancelot-Grail Cycle.
Niamh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: NYEEYW(Irish) NYEEYV(Irish) NYEEV(Irish)
Rating: 83% based on 9 votes
Means
"bright" in Irish. She was the daughter of the sea god
Manannán mac Lir in Irish legends. She fell in love with the poet
Oisín, the son of
Fionn mac Cumhaill. It has been used as a given name for people only since the early 20th century.
Naja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greenlandic, Danish
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
From Greenlandic
najaa meaning
"his younger sister" [1]. It was popularized in Denmark by the writer B. S. Ingemann, who used it in his novel
Kunnuk and Naja, or the Greenlanders (1842).
Myrna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare), English
Pronounced: MUR-nə(American English) MU-nə(British English)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Anglicized form of
Muirne. The popularity of this name spiked in the United States in the 1930s due to the fame of the actress Myrna Loy (1905-1993).
Mylène
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MEE-LEHN
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
Morwenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish, Welsh
Rating: 74% based on 5 votes
From Old Cornish
moroin meaning
"maiden, girl" (related to the Welsh word
morwyn [1]). This was the name of a 6th-century Cornish
saint, said to be one of the daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Morwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish, Welsh
Rating: 58% based on 5 votes
Morvoren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: mor-VOR-ən
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
Derived from Cornish morvoren "mermaid" (ultimately from Cornish mor "sea" and moren "maiden"). This was the bardic name or pseudonym of a member of the Gorsedh Kernow (Katherine Lee Jenner, 1904). It is also associated with the mermaid of Zennor, which is the subject of Cornish folklore (perhaps due to its use by Cornishman Philip Cannon, 1929-, in his two-act opera 'Morvoren', 1964). In Britain, this has been used as a given name at least 11 times.
Mòrag
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic
Pronounced: MO-rag
Rating: 62% based on 5 votes
Moa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: MOO-ah
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Possibly derived from Swedish
moder meaning
"mother". This was the
pen name of the Swedish author Moa Martinson (real name Helga Maria Martinson).
Miyu
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美優, 美結, 実優, 美夕, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みゆ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-YOO
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or
実 (mi) meaning "fruit, good result, truth" combined with
優 (yu) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or
結 (yu) meaning "tie, bind" or
夕 (yu) meaning "evening". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Mirabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), English (Rare)
Rating: 68% based on 5 votes
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.
Minnie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MIN-ee
Rating: 71% based on 7 votes
Diminutive of
Wilhelmina. This name was used by Walt Disney for the cartoon character Minnie Mouse, introduced 1928.
Merope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μερόπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: MEH-RO-PEH(Classical Greek) MEHR-ə-pee(English)
Rating: 36% based on 21 votes
From Greek
μέρος (meros) meaning "share, part" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". This was the name of several characters in Greek
mythology, including the seventh of the Pleiades and the foster mother of
Oedipus.
Merlin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle, English
Pronounced: MUR-lin(American English) MU-lin(British English)
Rating: 73% based on 3 votes
Form of the Welsh name
Myrddin used by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 12th-century chronicle. Writing in Latin, he likely chose the form
Merlinus over
Merdinus in order to prevent associations with French
merde "excrement".
Geoffrey based parts of Merlin's character on Myrddin Wyllt, a legendary madman and prophet who lived in the Caledonian Forest. Other parts of his life were based on that of the historical 5th-century Romano-British military leader Ambrosius Aurelianus (also known as Emrys Wledig). In Geoffrey's version of the tales and later embellishments Merlin is a magician and counselor for King Arthur.
Melody
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-dee
Rating: 64% based on 9 votes
From the English word
melody, which is derived (via Old French and Late Latin) from Greek
μέλος (melos) meaning "song" combined with
ἀείδω (aeido) meaning "to sing".
Melinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hungarian
Pronounced: mə-LIN-də(English) MEH-leen-daw(Hungarian)
Rating: 55% based on 10 votes
Combination of
Mel (from names such as
Melanie or
Melissa) with the popular name suffix
inda [1]. It was created in the 18th century, and may have been inspired by the similar name
Belinda. In Hungary, the name was popularized by the 1819 play
Bánk Bán by József Katona.
Melanie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch
Pronounced: MEHL-ə-nee(English) MEH-la-nee(German) meh-la-NEE(German)
Rating: 59% based on 12 votes
From
Mélanie, the French form of the Latin name
Melania, derived from Greek
μέλαινα (melaina) meaning
"black, dark". This was the name of a Roman
saint who gave all her wealth to charity in the 5th century. Her grandmother was also a saint with the same name.
The name was common in France during the Middle Ages, and was introduced from there to England, though it eventually became rare. Interest in it was revived by the character Melanie Wilkes from the novel Gone with the Wind (1936) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1939).
Meja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish (Modern)
Pronounced: MAY-ah
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Possibly from a Low German
diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element
megin meaning
"power, strength". It was popularized by the Swedish singer Meja (1969-), born Anna Pernilla Torndahl.
Megan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: MEHG-ən(English)
Rating: 68% based on 9 votes
Welsh
diminutive of
Margaret. In the English-speaking world outside of Wales it has only been regularly used since the middle of the 20th century.
McKenzie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: mə-KEHN-zee
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
Mazikeen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Rating: 13% based on 4 votes
From Hebrew
מַזִּיקִין (mazziqin) meaning
"damagers, harmful spirits", derived from
מַזִּיק (mazziq) meaning "damaging". As a given name it is borne by a companion of
Lucifer in the comic book series
Lucifer, as well as on the 2016-2021 television adaptation.
Maylea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: my-LEH-ah(German) may-LEE-ah(English)
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Most likely a newly invented name, combining
May with
Lea.
Maximilian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian (Rare), Danish (Rare)
Pronounced: mak-see-MEE-lee-an(German) mak-sə-MIL-yən(English)
Rating: 76% based on 7 votes
From the Roman name
Maximilianus, which was derived from
Maximus. It was borne by a 3rd-century
saint and martyr. In the 15th century the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III gave this name to his son and eventual heir. In this case it was a blend of the names of the Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus (see
Emiliano), whom Frederick admired. It was subsequently borne by a second Holy Roman emperor, two kings of Bavaria, and a short-lived Habsburg emperor of Mexico.
Masha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Маша(Russian)
Pronounced: MA-shə
Rating: 47% based on 10 votes
Malyen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: MAHL-yen
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
Invented by author Leigh Bardugo for her "Shadow and Bone" book series, first released in 2012. It is the Ravkan version of
Malcolm.
Malyen Oretsev, nickname Mal, is one of the main characters of the book which is set in the fictional Russia-inspired country of Ravka.
Maj 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: MIE(Swedish)
Rating: 27% based on 3 votes
Short form of
Maja 1 or
Maja 2. This is also the Swedish and Danish name for the month of May.
Maia 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: MIE-ya(Latin) MAY-ə(English) MIE-ə(English)
Rating: 61% based on 33 votes
Probably from Latin
maior meaning
"greater". This was the name of a Roman goddess of spring, a companion (sometimes wife) of
Vulcan. She was later conflated with the Greek goddess
Maia. The month of May is named for her.
Mai 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 舞, 麻衣, 真愛, etc.(Japanese Kanji) まい(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MA-EE
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
舞 (mai) meaning "dance" or
麻衣 (mai) meaning "linen robe". It can also come from
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" combined with
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection". Other kanji or kanji combinations can also form this name.
Madison
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAD-i-sən
Rating: 28% based on 6 votes
From an English surname meaning
"son of Maud". It was not commonly used as a feminine name until after the movie
Splash (1984), in which the main character adopted it as her name after seeing a street sign for Madison Avenue in New York City. It was ranked second for girls in the United States by 2001. This rise from obscurity to prominence in only 18 years represents an unprecedented 550,000 percent increase in usage.
A famous bearer of the surname was James Madison (1751-1836), one of the authors of the American constitution who later served as president (and after whom Madison Avenue was named).
Madeleine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Swedish
Pronounced: MAD-LEHN(French) MAD-ə-lin(English) MAD-ə-lien(English) MAD-lin(English) mahd-eh-LEHN(Swedish)
Rating: 72% based on 6 votes
Lyra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: LIE-rə(English)
Rating: 90% based on 6 votes
The name of the constellation in the northern sky containing the star Vega. It is said to be shaped after the lyre of Orpheus. This is the name of the main character in the His Dark Materials series of books by Philip Pullman (beginning 1995).
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)
Rating: 72% based on 25 votes
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.
Lula 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LOO-lə
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
Lucina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: loo-KEE-na(Latin) loo-SIE-nə(English) loo-SEE-nə(English)
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
Derived from Latin lucus meaning "grove", but later associated with lux meaning "light". This was the name of a Roman goddess of childbirth.
Luana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: loo-AN-ə(English) LWA-na(Italian)
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
From the movie
Bird of Paradise (1932), in which it was borne by the main character, a Polynesian girl
[1]. The movie was based on a 1912 play of the same name set in Hawaii.
Lorelei
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: LAWR-ə-lie(English)
Rating: 65% based on 11 votes
From German
Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German
ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.
In the English-speaking world this name has been occasionally given since the early 20th century. It started rising in America after the variant Lorelai was used for the main character (and her daughter, nicknamed Rory) on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007).
Lorelai
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LAWR-ə-lie
Rating: 64% based on 5 votes
Variant of
Lorelei. This name featured on the television series
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) where it was borne by the two main characters (the younger one went by the nickname
Rory).
Lisha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LISH-ə
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
Short form of
Alicia,
Felicia and other names ending with the same sound.
Lindsay
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIN-zee
Rating: 53% based on 9 votes
From an English and Scottish surname that was originally derived from the name of the eastern English region of Lindsey, which means "
Lincoln island" in Old English. As a given name it was typically masculine until the 1960s (in Britain) and 70s (in America) when it became popular for girls, probably due to its similarity to
Linda and because of American actress Lindsay Wagner (1949-)
[1].
Lindley
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: lind-lee
Rating: 48% based on 8 votes
Transferred use of the English surname
Lindley (see also
Linley).
Lilac
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LIE-lək
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
From the English word for the shrub with purple or white flowers (genus Syringa). It is derived via Arabic from Persian.
Lettie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHT-ee
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Lettice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
Leo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, English, Croatian, Armenian, Late Roman
Other Scripts: Լեո(Armenian)
Pronounced: LEH-o(German, Dutch, Danish, Finnish) LEE-o(English)
Rating: 77% based on 6 votes
Derived from Latin
leo meaning
"lion", a
cognate of
Leon. It was popular among early Christians and was the name of 13 popes, including
Saint Leo the Great who asserted the dominance of the Roman bishops (the popes) over all others in the 5th century. It was also borne by six Byzantine emperors and five Armenian kings. Another famous bearer was the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), name spelled
Лев in Russian, whose works include
War and Peace and
Anna Karenina. Leo is also a constellation and the fifth sign of the zodiac.
In some cases this name can be a short form of longer names that start with Leo, such as Leonard.
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)
Rating: 57% based on 24 votes
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.
Lehua
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: leh-HOO-a
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
Means "ohia flower" in Hawaiian.
Lani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: LA-nee
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Means "sky, heaven, royal, majesty" in Hawaiian.
Lane
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAYN
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
From an English surname, meaning "lane, path", which originally belonged to a person who lived near a lane.
Lake
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LAYK
Rating: 60% based on 7 votes
From the English word lake, for the inland body of water. It is ultimately derived from Latin lacus.
Lais
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Λαΐς(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 44% based on 8 votes
Meaning unknown, perhaps related to the Greek name
Laios (see
Laius) or the element λαος
(laos) "people". It was borne by two ancient Greek hetairai, or courtesans: Laïs of Corinth (5th century BC), known as the most beautiful woman of her time; and Laïs of Hyccara (4th century BC), a rival of
Phryne, said to have been stoned to death by the jealous women of Thessaly.
Kokona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 琴々奈, 琴々南, 湖々菜(Japanese Kanji) ここな(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KO-KO-NA
Rating: 50% based on 4 votes
From Japanese 琴 (ko) meaning "harp" or 湖 (ko) meaning "lake" combined with 々, which duplicates the first syllable and Japanese 奈 (na) a phonetic character, 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" or 南 (na) meaning "south". Other kanji combinations are possible. It is often spelled in hiragana.
Kleio
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Greek
Other Scripts: Κλειώ(Greek)
Pronounced: KLEH-AW(Classical Greek)
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Derived from Greek
κλέος (kleos) meaning
"glory". In Greek
mythology she was the goddess of history and heroic poetry, one of the nine Muses. She was said to have introduced the alphabet to Greece.
Kimber
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KIM-bər(American English) KIM-bə(British English)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Kerry
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEHR-ee
Rating: 36% based on 5 votes
From the name of the Irish county, called
Ciarraí in Irish Gaelic, which means "
Ciar's people".
Kayleigh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAY-lee
Rating: 24% based on 7 votes
Variant of
Kaylee. This particular spelling was popularized by a 1985 song by the British band Marillion.
Katie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY-tee
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
Katherina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German
Pronounced: kath-ə-REE-nə(English) kə-THREE-nə(English) ka-teh-REE-na(German)
Rating: 72% based on 6 votes
Latinate form of
Katherine. This is the name of the woman whom
Petruchio marries and tries to tame in Shakespeare's comedy
The Taming of the Shrew (1593).
Kate
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Croatian
Pronounced: KAYT(English)
Rating: 79% based on 7 votes
Short form of
Katherine, often used independently. It is short for
Katherina in Shakespeare's play
The Taming of the Shrew (1593). It has been used in England since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer is the British actress Kate Winslet (1975-).
Kasumi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 霞, 花澄, etc.(Japanese Kanji) かすみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KA-SOO-MEE
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
霞 (kasumi) meaning "mist". It can also come from
花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" combined with
澄 (sumi) meaning "clear, pure". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Karly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAHR-lee(American English) KAH-lee(British English)
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
Kaori
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 香, 香織, etc.(Japanese Kanji) かおり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KA-O-REE
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
From Japanese
香 (kaori) meaning "fragrance". It can also come from an alternate reading of
香 (ka) combined with
織 (ori) meaning "weaving". Other kanji combinations are possible. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.
Jessamine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: JEHS-ə-min
Rating: 57% based on 25 votes
From a variant spelling of the English word
jasmine (see
Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.
Jennifer
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish
Pronounced: JEHN-i-fər(American English) JEHN-i-fə(British English) JEH-ni-fu(German) GYEH-nee-fehr(Spanish)
Rating: 81% based on 8 votes
From a Cornish form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar (see
Guinevere). This name has only been common outside of Cornwall since the beginning of the 20th century, after it was featured in George Bernard Shaw's play
The Doctor's Dilemma (1906). It barely ranked in the United until the late 1930s, when it began steadily growing in popularity, accelerating into the early 1970s. It was the most popular name for girls in America between 1970 and 1984, though it was not as common in the United Kingdom.
Famous bearers include the American actresses Jennifer Aniston (1969-), Jennifer Garner (1972-) and Jennifer Lawrence (1990-), as well as the singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (1969-).
Jared
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Other Scripts: יָרֶד, יֶרֶד(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JAR-əd(English)
Rating: 48% based on 6 votes
From the Hebrew name
יָרֶד (Yareḏ) or
יֶרֶד (Yereḏ) meaning
"descent". This is the name of a close descendant of
Adam in the
Old Testament. It has been used as an English name since the
Protestant Reformation, and it was popularized in the 1960s by the character Jarrod Barkley on the television series
The Big Valley [1].
Isabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish
Pronounced: EE-ZA-BEHL(French) IZ-ə-behl(English) ee-za-BEH-lə(German, Dutch)
Rating: 68% based on 8 votes
Isabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, German, Dutch
Pronounced: ee-sa-BEHL(Spanish) ee-zu-BEHL(European Portuguese) ee-za-BEW(Brazilian Portuguese) IZ-ə-behl(English) EE-ZA-BEHL(French) ee-za-BEHL(German, Dutch)
Rating: 67% based on 6 votes
Medieval Occitan form of
Elizabeth. It spread throughout Spain, Portugal and France, becoming common among the royalty by the 12th century. It grew popular in England in the 13th century after Isabella of Angoulême married the English king John, and it was subsequently bolstered when Isabella of France married Edward II the following century.
This is the usual form of the name Elizabeth in Spain and Portugal, though elsewhere it is considered a parallel name, such as in France where it is used alongside Élisabeth. The name was borne by two Spanish ruling queens, including Isabel of Castile, who sponsored the explorations of Christopher Columbus.
Ione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Ἰόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-O-nee(English)
Rating: 56% based on 5 votes
From Ancient Greek
ἴον (ion) meaning
"violet flower". This was the name of a sea nymph in Greek
mythology. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, though perhaps based on the Greek place name
Ionia, a region on the west coast of Asia Minor.
Iona 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: ie-O-nə(English)
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
From the name of the island off Scotland where
Saint Columba founded a monastery. The name of the island is Old Norse in origin, and apparently derives simply from
ey meaning "island".
Inigo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: IN-i-go
Rating: 70% based on 7 votes
English form of
Íñigo. It became well-known in Britain due to the English architect Inigo Jones (1573-1652). He was named after his father, a Catholic who was named for
Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
Imogen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: IM-ə-jehn
Rating: 80% based on 6 votes
The name of the daughter of King
Cymbeline in the play
Cymbeline (1609) by William Shakespeare. He based her on a legendary character named
Innogen, but it was printed incorrectly and never emended.
Innogen is probably derived from Gaelic
inghean meaning
"maiden". As a given name it is chiefly British and Australian.
Idril
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Means
"sparkle brilliance" in the fictional language Sindarin. In the
Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Idril was the daughter of Turgon, the king of Gondolin. She escaped the destruction of that place with her husband
Tuor and sailed with him into the west.
Idony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Rating: 50% based on 9 votes
Medieval English vernacular form of
Idonea.
Hope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HOP
Rating: 67% based on 6 votes
From the English word
hope, ultimately from Old English
hopian. This name was first used by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Holden
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HOL-dən
Rating: 58% based on 6 votes
From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "deep valley" in Old English. This is the name of the main character in J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), Holden Caulfield.
Hermione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἑρμιόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHR-MEE-O-NEH(Classical Greek) hər-MIE-ə-nee(American English) hə-MIE-ə-nee(British English)
Rating: 70% based on 6 votes
Derived from the name of the Greek messenger god
Hermes. In Greek
myth Hermione was the daughter of
Menelaus and
Helen. This is also the name of the wife of
Leontes in Shakespeare's play
The Winter's Tale (1610). It is now closely associated with the character Hermione Granger from the
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Heather
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HEDH-ər(American English) HEDH-ə(British English)
Rating: 70% based on 8 votes
From the English word heather for the variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers, which commonly grow in rocky areas. It is derived from Middle English hather. It was first used as a given name in the late 19th century, though it did not become popular until the last half of the 20th century.
Hattie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAT-ee
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Harriet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAR-ee-it, HEHR-ee-it
Rating: 91% based on 7 votes
English form of
Henriette, and thus a feminine form of
Harry. It was first used in the 17th century, becoming very common in the English-speaking world by the 18th century. Famous bearers include the Americans Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), the author of
Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1820-1913).
Haley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HAY-lee
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
Variant of
Hayley. This spelling gained some popularity in the United States in 1977, possibly due to the author Alex Haley, whose book
Roots was adapted into a popular miniseries that year. This was the most common American spelling from then to 2001, when it was eclipsed by
Hailey.
Gwendolyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GWEHN-də-lin
Rating: 68% based on 6 votes
Variant of
Gwendolen. This is the usual spelling in the United States.
Gwendoline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English (British), French
Pronounced: GWEHN-də-lin(British English) GWEHN-DAW-LEEN(French)
Rating: 53% based on 12 votes
Guinevere
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GWIN-ə-vir(American English) GWIN-ə-veey(British English)
Rating: 85% based on 10 votes
From the Norman French form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar meaning
"white phantom", ultimately from the old Celtic roots *
windos meaning "white" (modern Welsh
gwen) and *
sēbros meaning "phantom, magical being"
[1]. In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King
Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by
Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir
Lancelot.
The Cornish form of this name, Jennifer, has become popular in the English-speaking world.
Galatea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Γαλάτεια(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 61% based on 9 votes
Latinized form of Greek
Γαλάτεια (Galateia), probably derived from
γάλα (gala) meaning
"milk". This was the name of several characters in Greek
mythology including a sea nymph who was the daughter of
Doris and
Nereus and the lover of Acis. According to some sources, this was also the name of the ivory statue carved by
Pygmalion that came to life.
Galadriel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: gə-LAD-ree-əl(English)
Rating: 88% based on 5 votes
Means "maiden crowned with a radiant garland" in the fictional language Sindarin. Galadriel was a Noldorin elf princess renowned for her beauty and wisdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The elements are galad "radiant" and riel "garlanded maiden". Alatáriel is the Quenya form of her name.
Findlay
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 62% based on 5 votes
Ffion
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: FEE-awn, FI-awn
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
Means "foxglove" in Welsh (species Digitalis purpurea). This is a recently created Welsh name.
Fern
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FURN(American English) FUN(British English)
Rating: 68% based on 4 votes
From the English word for the plant, ultimately from Old English fearn. It has been used as a given name since the late 19th century.
Felicia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Late Roman
Pronounced: fə-LEE-shə(English) feh-LEE-cha(Italian) feh-LEE-thya(European Spanish) feh-LEE-sya(Latin American Spanish) feh-LEE-chee-a(Romanian) feh-LEE-see-a(Dutch) feh-LEE-see-ah(Swedish)
Rating: 70% based on 4 votes
Feminine form of the Latin name
Felicius, a derivative of
Felix. As an English name, it has occasionally been used since the Middle Ages.
Faye
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAY
Rating: 66% based on 7 votes
Fay
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAY
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
In part from the English word
fay meaning
"fairy", derived from Middle English
faie meaning "magical, enchanted", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin
fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles in the name of
Morgan le Fay. In some cases it may be used as a short form of
Faith. It has been used as a feminine given name since the 19th century.
As a rarer (but older) masculine name it is probably derived from a surname: see Fay 1 or Fay 2.
Ever
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHV-ər(American English) EHV-ə(British English)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Simply from the English word ever, derived from Old English æfre.
Esmeree
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Rating: 60% based on 8 votes
Perhaps derived from Old French esmer meaning "to like, love, respect". This was the name of an enchanted queen of Wales in Le Bel Inconnu (ca. 1185-90), an Old French Arthurian poem by Renaut de Bâgé. In the poem, Blonde Esmeree is transformed from a serpent back into a maiden by the hero Guinglain, also known as the Fair Unknown.
Éowyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: AY-ə-win(English)
Rating: 65% based on 4 votes
Means "horse joy" in Old English. This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel The Lord of the Rings (1954) Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden of Rohan. She slays the Lord of the Nazgul in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Endellion
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Pronounced: ehn-DEHL-ee-ən(English)
Rating: 83% based on 6 votes
Anglicized form of
Endelienta, the Latin form of a Welsh or Cornish name. It was borne by a 5th or 6th-century Cornish
saint whose birth name is lost. According to some traditions she was a daughter of
Brychan Brycheiniog (identifying her with Cynheiddon).
Emily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-lee
Rating: 84% based on 7 votes
English feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emil). In the English-speaking world it was not common until after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century; the princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was commonly known as
Emily in English, even though
Amelia is an unrelated name.
This name was moderately popular through most of the 20th century, and became very popular around the turn of the 21st century. It was the highest ranked name for girls in the United States from 1996 to 2007, attaining similar levels in other English-speaking countries around the same time.
Famous bearers include the British author Emily Brontë (1818-1848), known for the novel Wuthering Heights, and the American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886).
Else
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: EHL-seh(Danish, Norwegian) EHL-zə(German) EHL-sə(Dutch)
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Elora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture, English (Modern)
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Probably an invented name. This is the name of an infant girl in the fantasy movie Willow (1988). Since the release of the movie the name has been steadily used, finally breaking into the top 1000 in the United States in 2015.
Eloise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-o-eez, ehl-o-EEZ
Rating: 80% based on 8 votes
From the Old French name
Héloïse, which was probably from the Germanic name
Helewidis, composed of the elements
heil meaning "healthy, whole" and
wit meaning "wide". It is sometimes associated with the Greek word
ἥλιος (helios) meaning "sun" or the name
Louise, though there is no etymological connection. This name was borne by the 12th-century French scholar and philosopher Héloïse. Secretly marrying the theologian Peter Abelard at a young age, she became a nun (and eventually an abbess) after Abelard was violently castrated by order of her uncle Fulbert.
There was a medieval English form of this name, Helewis, though it died out after the 13th century. In the 19th century it was revived in the English-speaking world in the form Eloise.
Elizabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ə-bəth(English)
Rating: 79% based on 10 votes
From
Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾElishevaʿ) meaning
"my God is an oath", derived from the roots
אֵל (ʾel) referring to the Hebrew God and
שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the
Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of
Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the
New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of
John the Baptist.
Among Christians, this name was originally more common in Eastern Europe. It was borne in the 12th century by Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a daughter of King Andrew II who used her wealth to help the poor. In medieval England it was occasionally used in honour of the saint, though the form Isabel (from Occitan and Spanish) was more common. It has been very popular in England since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. In American name statistics (as recorded since 1880) it has never ranked lower than 30, making it the most consistently popular name for girls in the United States.
Besides Elizabeth I, this name has been borne (in various spellings) by many other European royals, including a ruling empress of Russia in the 18th century. Famous modern bearers include the British queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).
Elinor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ə-nawr(American English) EHL-ə-naw(British English)
Rating: 87% based on 6 votes
Elina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian, Swedish
Pronounced: EH-lee-nah(Finnish) eh-LEE-nah(Swedish)
Rating: 60% based on 3 votes
Finnish, Estonian and Swedish form of
Helen.
Elfrun
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: ELF-roon
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
From ælf meaning "elf" combined with rún meaning "secret lore".
Eleanor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-ə-nawr(American English) EHL-ə-naw(British English)
Rating: 93% based on 6 votes
From the Old French form of the Occitan name
Alienòr. Among the name's earliest bearers was the influential Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century), who was the queen of Louis VII, the king of France, and later Henry II, the king of England. She was named
Aenor after her mother, and was called by the Occitan phrase
alia Aenor "the other Aenor" in order to distinguish her from her mother. However, there appear to be examples of bearers prior to Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is not clear whether they were in fact Aenors who were retroactively recorded as having the name Eleanor, or whether there is an alternative explanation for the name's origin.
The popularity of the name Eleanor in England during the Middle Ages was due to the fame of Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as two queens of the following century: Eleanor of Provence, the wife of Henry III, and Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I. More recently, it was borne by first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), the wife of American president Franklin Roosevelt.
Elanor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 70% based on 5 votes
Means "star sun" in the fictional language Sindarin. In The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien this is Sam's eldest daughter, named after a type of flower.
Eilonwy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 85% based on 6 votes
From Welsh eilon meaning "deer, stag" or "song, melody". This name was used by Lloyd Alexander in his book series The Chronicles of Prydain (1964-1968) as well as the Disney film adaptation The Black Cauldron (1985).
Eilidh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish Gaelic [1]
Pronounced: EH-li
Rating: 52% based on 6 votes
Eileen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: ie-LEEN(English) IE-leen(English)
Rating: 68% based on 5 votes
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.
Eifion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: AY-vyawn
Rating: 58% based on 4 votes
From an Old Welsh given name of unknown meaning, the source of the place name Eifionydd (also called Eifion) in northwestern Wales. This name was revived in the 19th century, probably via the place name.
Dylan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: DUL-an(Welsh) DIL-ən(English)
Rating: 53% based on 28 votes
From the Welsh prefix
dy meaning "to, toward" and
llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], Dylan was a son of
Arianrhod and the twin brother of
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Immediately after he was baptized he took to the sea, where he could swim as well as a fish. He was slain accidentally by his uncle
Gofannon. According to some theories the character might be rooted in an earlier and otherwise unattested Celtic god of the sea.
Famous bearers include the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and the American musician Bob Dylan (1941-), real name Robert Zimmerman, who took his stage surname from the poet's given name. Due to those two bearers, use of the name has spread outside of Wales in the last half of the 20th century. It received a further boost in popularity in the 1990s due to a character on the television series Beverly Hills 90210.
Delphine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: DEHL-FEEN
Rating: 58% based on 25 votes
Cordelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: kawr-DEEL-ee-ə(American English) kaw-DEE-lee-ə(British English)
Rating: 95% based on 8 votes
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).
Coraline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, French
Pronounced: KAWR-ə-lien(English) KAW-RA-LEEN(French)
Rating: 67% based on 6 votes
Created by the French composer Adolphe Adam for one of the main characters in his opera
Le Toréador (1849). He probably based it on the name
Coralie. It was also used by the author Neil Gaiman for the young heroine in his novel
Coraline (2002). Gaiman has stated that in this case the name began as a typo of
Caroline.
Clio
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Italian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Κλειώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KLEE-o(English, Italian) KLIE-o(English)
Rating: 53% based on 3 votes
Claribel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHR-ə-behl, KLAR-ə-behl
Rating: 80% based on 8 votes
Combination of
Clara and the common name suffix
bel, from Latin
bella "beautiful". This name was used by Edmund Spenser in his poem
The Faerie Queene (1590; in the form
Claribell) and by Shakespeare in his play
The Tempest (1611). Alfred Tennyson also wrote a poem entitled
Claribel (1830).
Christina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Greek
Other Scripts: Χριστίνα(Greek)
Pronounced: kris-TEE-nə(English) kris-TEE-na(German, Swedish, Dutch)
Rating: 54% based on 7 votes
From
Christiana, the Latin feminine form of
Christian. This was the name of an early, possibly legendary,
saint who was tormented by her pagan father. It was also borne by a 17th-century Swedish queen and patron the arts who gave up her crown in order to become a Roman Catholic.
In the English-speaking world the form Christine was more popular for most of the 20th century, though Christina eventually overtook it. Famous bearers include actress Christina Ricci (1980-) and singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).
Cho
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese (Rare)
Other Scripts: 蝶(Japanese Kanji) ちょう(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: CHO
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
蝶 (see
Chō).
Chō
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese (Rare)
Other Scripts: 蝶(Japanese Kanji) ちょう(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: CHO
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
From Japanese
蝶 (chō) meaning "butterfly".
Chiara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: KYA-ra
Rating: 53% based on 25 votes
Italian form of
Clara.
Saint Chiara (commonly called
Clare in English) was a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Cheyenne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: shie-AN
Rating: 50% based on 6 votes
Derived from the Lakota word šahiyena meaning "red speakers". This is the name of a Native American people of the Great Plains. The name was supposedly given to the Cheyenne by the Lakota because their language was unrelated to their own. As a given name, it has been in use since the 1950s.
Charlene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: shahr-LEEN(American English) chahr-LEEN(American English) shah-LEEN(British English) chah-LEEN(British English)
Rating: 43% based on 6 votes
Cayetana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ka-yeh-TA-na
Rating: 57% based on 3 votes
Spanish feminine form of
Caietanus (see
Gaetano).
Casper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: KAHS-pər(Dutch) KAHS-pehr(Swedish) KAS-bu(Danish)
Rating: 50% based on 6 votes
Dutch and Scandinavian form of
Jasper. This is the name of a friendly ghost in an American series of cartoons and comic books (beginning 1945).
Caspar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Cara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHR-ə, KAR-ə, KEHR-ə
Rating: 75% based on 6 votes
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.
Caitlin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: KAYT-lin(English)
Rating: 51% based on 28 votes
Caio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese, Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: KIE-oo(Portuguese) KA-yo(Italian)
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
Portuguese and Italian form of
Gaius.
Cadeyrn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
From Old Welsh
Catigirn meaning
"battle king", derived from
cat "battle" and
tigirn "king, monarch". This was the name of a 5th-century king of Powys in Wales, the son of
Vortigern.
Cadence
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAY-dəns
Rating: 66% based on 5 votes
From an English word meaning "rhythm, flow". It has been in use only since the 20th century.
Bryony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BRIE-ə-nee
Rating: 66% based on 7 votes
From the name of a type of Eurasian vine, formerly used as medicine. It ultimately derives from Greek
βρύω (bryo) meaning "to swell".
Bridget
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: BRIJ-it(English)
Rating: 91% based on 8 votes
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Brighid, Old Irish
Brigit, from old Celtic *
Brigantī meaning
"the exalted one". In Irish
mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom, the daughter of the god
Dagda. In the 5th century it was borne by
Saint Brigid, the founder of a monastery at Kildare and a patron saint of Ireland. Because of the saint, the name was considered sacred in Ireland, and it did not come into general use there until the 17th century. In the form
Birgitta this name has been common in Scandinavia, made popular by the 14th-century Saint Birgitta of Sweden, patron saint of Europe.
Brandy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRAN-dee
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
From the English word brandy for the alcoholic drink. It is ultimately from Dutch brandewijn "burnt wine". It has been in use as a given name since the 1960s.
Bowie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: BO-ee(English) BOO-ee(English)
Rating: 23% based on 3 votes
From a Scottish surname, derived from Gaelic
buidhe meaning
"yellow". It has been used as a given name in honour of the British musician David Bowie (1947-2016), born David Robert Jones, who took his
stage name from the American pioneer James Bowie (1796-1836), though with a different pronunciation.
Blue
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BLOO
Rating: 43% based on 3 votes
From the English word for the colour, derived via Norman French from a Frankish word (replacing the native Old English
cognate blaw). Despite the fact that this name was used by the American musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z in 2012 for their first daughter, it has not come into general use in the United States.
Bianca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Romanian
Pronounced: BYANG-ka(Italian, Romanian) bee-AHNG-kə(English) bee-ANG-kə(English)
Rating: 75% based on 8 votes
Italian
cognate of
Blanche. Shakespeare had characters named Bianca in
The Taming of the Shrew (1593) and
Othello (1603). The German singer Freddy Breck's 1973 song
Bianca boosted the name's popularity elsewhere in Europe.
Betty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHT-ee
Rating: 56% based on 5 votes
Berenice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Βερενίκη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: bər-NEES(American English) bə-NEES(British English) behr-ə-NIE-see(English) behr-ə-NEE-see(English) beh-reh-NEE-cheh(Italian)
Rating: 84% based on 5 votes
Latinized form of
Βερενίκη (Berenike), the Macedonian form of the Greek name
Φερενίκη (Pherenike), which meant
"bringing victory" from
φέρω (phero) meaning "to bring" and
νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". This name was common among the Ptolemy ruling family of Egypt, a dynasty that was originally from Macedon. It occurs briefly in Acts in the
New Testament (in most English Bibles it is spelled
Bernice) belonging to a sister of King Herod Agrippa II. As an English name,
Berenice came into use after the
Protestant Reformation.
Belle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHL
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Short form of
Isabella or names ending in
belle. It is also associated with the French word
belle meaning "beautiful". A famous bearer was Belle Starr (1848-1889), an outlaw of the American west, whose real given name was Maybelle.
Bellatrix
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: bə-LAY-triks(English) BEHL-ə-triks(English)
Rating: 75% based on 4 votes
Means "female warrior" in Latin. This is the name of the star that marks the left shoulder of the constellation Orion.
Beatrix
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Hungarian, Dutch, English, Late Roman
Pronounced: beh-A-triks(German) BEH-a-triks(German, Dutch) BEH-aw-treeks(Hungarian) BEE-ə-triks(English) BEE-triks(English)
Rating: 79% based on 8 votes
Probably from
Viatrix, a feminine form of the Late Latin name
Viator meaning
"voyager, traveller". It was a common name amongst early Christians, and the spelling was altered by association with Latin
beatus "blessed, happy". Viatrix or Beatrix was a 4th-century
saint who was strangled to death during the persecutions of Diocletian.
In England the name became rare after the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, more commonly in the spelling Beatrice. Famous bearers include the British author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), the creator of Peter Rabbit, and Beatrix of the Netherlands (1938-), the former queen.
Bear
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BEHR(American English) BEH(British English)
Rating: 7% based on 3 votes
From the English word for the animal, derived from Old English bera, probably derived from a root meaning "brown".
Bailey
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BAY-lee
Rating: 36% based on 5 votes
From an English surname derived from Middle English
baili meaning
"bailiff", originally denoting one who was a bailiff.
Already an uncommon masculine name, it slowly grew in popularity for American girls beginning in 1978 after the start of the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, which featured a character with this name. Though it remained more common as a feminine name, it got a boost for boys in 1994 from another television character on the drama Party of Five. In the United Kingdom and Australia it has always been more popular for boys.
Ayla 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Azerbaijani
Rating: 58% based on 12 votes
Means "moonlight, halo" in Turkish.
Aveline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AV-ə-lien, AV-ə-leen
Rating: 53% based on 4 votes
From the Norman French form of the Germanic name
Avelina, a
diminutive of
Avila. The
Normans introduced this name to Britain. After the Middle Ages it became rare as an English name, though it persisted in America until the 19th century
[1].
Aubrey
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AWB-ree
Rating: 52% based on 30 votes
From
Auberi, an Old French form of
Alberich brought to England by the
Normans. It was common in the Middle Ages, and was revived in the 19th century. Since the mid-1970s it has more frequently been given to girls, due to Bread's 1972 song
Aubrey along with its similarity to the established feminine name
Audrey.
Arrietty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: ar-ee-EH-tee
Rating: 83% based on 4 votes
Possibly a variant of
Harriet. This is the name of a character from 'The Borrowers' by Mary Norton.
Ariella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: ar-ee-EHL-ə, ehr-ee-EHL-ə
Rating: 85% based on 4 votes
Strictly feminine form of
Ariel.
Arianell
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Derived from Welsh
arian "silver" and Middle Welsh
gell "yellow" (which apparently also carried the connotations of "shining", ultimately going back to Proto-Celtic
*gelwo- "yellow; white", compare Old Irish
gel(o) white; fair; shining").
According to legend, Arianell was a member of the Welsh royal family who became possessed by an evil spirit and was exorcised by Saint
Dyfrig. Soon after, Arianell became a nun and spiritual student of Dyfrig.
Arethusa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀρέθουσα(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
From Greek
Ἀρέθουσα (Arethousa) meaning
"quick water", which is possibly derived from
ἄρδω (ardo) meaning "water" and
θοός (thoos) meaning "quick, nimble". This was the name of a nymph in Greek
mythology who was transformed into a fountain.
Areida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 55% based on 4 votes
This name was used for a character in Gail Carson Levine's 1997 book "Ella Enchanted". The book won a Newbery Medal and a movie adaptation was released in 2004 starring Anne Hathaway.
Aoife
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: EE-fyə(Irish)
Rating: 61% based on 27 votes
From Old Irish
Aífe, derived from
oíph meaning
"beauty" (modern Irish
aoibh). This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including a woman at war with
Scáthach (her sister in some versions). She was defeated in single combat by the hero
Cúchulainn, who spared her life on the condition that she bear him a child (
Connla). Another legendary figure by this name appears in the
Children of Lir as the jealous third wife of
Lir.
This name is sometimes Anglicized as Eve or Eva.
Anneline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Afrikaans, Dutch, Dutch (Antillean), French (Archaic), Danish, Norwegian
Rating: 58% based on 5 votes
Dutch and Afrikaans variant of
Annelien as well as a Danish and Norwegian combination of
Anne 1 and
Line (and thus a cognate of
Annelien) as well as a Danish, Norwegian and archaic French diminutive of
Anne 1 found up to the 1700s in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
Annabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: AN-ə-behl(English) ah-na-BEHL(Dutch)
Rating: 61% based on 38 votes
Variant of
Amabel, with the spelling altered as if it were a combination of
Anna and French
belle "beautiful". This name appears to have arisen in Scotland in the Middle Ages.
Aneira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: a-NAY-ra
Rating: 48% based on 4 votes
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.
Amira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Bosnian, Malay
Other Scripts: أميرة(Arabic)
Pronounced: a-MEE-ra(Arabic)
Rating: 65% based on 8 votes
Amice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 62% based on 5 votes
Medieval name derived from Latin amicus meaning "friend". This was a popular name in the Middle Ages, though it has since become uncommon.
Alina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Slovene, German, Italian, Spanish
Other Scripts: Алина(Russian) Аліна(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: a-LEE-na(Romanian, Polish, German, Italian, Spanish) u-LYEE-nə(Russian) u-LYEE-nu(Ukrainian) a-LYEE-na(Belarusian)
Rating: 62% based on 34 votes
Alice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Czech, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch
Pronounced: AL-is(English) A-LEES(French) u-LEE-si(European Portuguese) a-LEE-see(Brazilian Portuguese) a-LEE-cheh(Italian) a-LEES(German) A-li-tseh(Czech)
Rating: 70% based on 26 votes
From the Old French name
Aalis, a short form of
Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis (see
Adelaide). This name became popular in France and England in the 12th century. It was among the most common names in England until the 16th century, when it began to decline. It was revived in the 19th century.
This name was borne by the heroine of Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871).
Alia 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 60% based on 4 votes
Alexa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Hungarian
Pronounced: ə-LEHK-sə(English) AW-lehk-saw(Hungarian)
Rating: 70% based on 6 votes
Alaska
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
From Aleut alaxsxaq "object to which the action of the sea is directed" or "mainland". It is the name of a US state.
Aisling
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: ASH-lyən
Rating: 86% based on 5 votes
Means "dream" or "vision" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.
Ainsley
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: AYNZ-lee(English)
Rating: 50% based on 6 votes
From an English surname that was from a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English
anne "alone, solitary" or
ansetl "hermitage" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
In America, this name received a boost of popularity in 2000 when a character bearing it began appearing on the television series The West Wing.
Aibhne
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: EHV-neh
Rating: 50% based on 4 votes
From Irish abhainn meaning "river".
Aelita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Russian, Latvian
Other Scripts: Аэлита(Russian)
Pronounced: ui-LYEE-tə(Russian)
Rating: 40% based on 7 votes
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.
Adwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Cornish
Pronounced: AD-wen
Rating: 38% based on 9 votes
Welsh name, in which the second element is
gwen meaning "white, fair, blessed". It was borne by a Cornish saint, considered to be "the Cornish Saint
Dwynwen" as a patron of sweethearts. The village of Advent near Camelford is named after her.
Adara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אַדָרָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 64% based on 10 votes
Means "noble" in Hebrew.
Ada 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Finnish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AY-də(English) A-dha(Spanish) A-da(Dutch, Polish) AH-dah(Finnish)
Rating: 93% based on 6 votes
Originally a short form of Germanic names such as
Adelaide or
Adelina that begin with the element
adal meaning "noble".
Saint Ada was a 7th-century Frankish abbess at Le Mans. This name was also borne by Augusta Ada King (1815-1852), the Countess of Lovelace (known as Ada Lovelace), a daughter of Lord Byron. She was an assistant to Charles Babbage, the inventor of an early mechanical computer.
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