arizona_cactus's Personal Name List

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: 67% based on 14 votes
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.

Alexandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Catalan, Russian, Ukrainian, Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Αλεξάνδρα(Greek) Александра(Russian, Ukrainian) Ἀλεξάνδρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: al-ig-ZAN-drə(American English) al-ig-ZAHN-drə(British English) a-leh-KSAN-dra(German, Romanian) a-lehk-SAHN-dra(Dutch) A-LEHK-ZAHN-DRA(French) a-leh-KSAN-dhra(Greek) u-li-SHUN-dru(European Portuguese) a-leh-SHUN-dru(Brazilian Portuguese) A-lehk-san-dra(Czech, Slovak) AW-lehk-sawn-draw(Hungarian) A-LEH-KSAN-DRA(Classical Greek)
Rating: 72% based on 15 votes
Feminine form of Alexander. In Greek mythology this was a Mycenaean epithet of the goddess Hera, and an alternate name of Cassandra. It was borne by several early Christian saints, and also by the wife of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia. She was from Germany and had the birth name Alix, but was renamed Александра (Aleksandra) upon joining the Russian Church.
Bailey
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BAY-lee
Rating: 12% based on 9 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.

Caroline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: KA-RAW-LEEN(French) KAR-ə-lien(English) KAR-ə-lin(English) ka-ro-LEE-nə(German, Dutch) ka-ro-LEEN(Dutch)
Rating: 65% based on 11 votes
French feminine form of Carolus.
Cindy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SIN-dee
Rating: 31% based on 9 votes
Diminutive of Cynthia or Lucinda. Like Cynthia, it peaked in popularity in the United States in 1957.
Cleo
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEE-o
Rating: 52% based on 10 votes
Short form of Cleopatra, Cleon or Cleopas.
Coco
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: KO-ko(English)
Rating: 31% based on 11 votes
Diminutive of names beginning with Co, influenced by the word cocoa. However, this was not the case for French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971; real name Gabrielle), whose nickname came from the name of a song she performed while working as a cabaret singer.
Conrad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: KAHN-rad(American English) KAWN-rad(British English) KAWN-rat(German)
Rating: 35% based on 10 votes
Means "brave counsel", derived from the Old German elements kuoni "brave" and rat "counsel, advice". This was the name of a 10th-century saint and bishop of Konstanz, in southern Germany. It was also borne by several medieval German kings and dukes, notably Conrad II, the first of the Holy Roman Emperors from the Salic dynasty. In England it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, but has only been common since the 19th century when it was reintroduced from Germany.
Constance
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: KAHN-stəns(American English) KAWN-stəns(British English) KAWNS-TAHNS(French)
Rating: 58% based on 12 votes
Medieval form of Constantia. The Normans introduced this name to England (it was the name of a daughter of William the Conqueror).
Damon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Δάμων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAY-mən(English)
Rating: 44% based on 14 votes
Derived from Greek δαμάζω (damazo) meaning "to tame". According to Greek legend, Damon and Pythias were friends who lived on Syracuse in the 4th century BC. When Pythias was sentenced to death, he was allowed to temporarily go free on the condition that Damon take his place in prison. Pythias returned just before Damon was to be executed in his place, and the king was so impressed with their loyalty to one another that he pardoned Pythias. As an English given name, it has only been regularly used since the 20th century.
Dawson
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAW-sən
Rating: 34% based on 11 votes
From an English surname meaning "son of David". As a given name, it was popularized in the late 1990s by the central character on the television drama Dawson's Creek (1998-2003). In the United States the number of boys receiving the name increased tenfold between 1997 and 1999. It got another boost in 2014 after it was used for a main character in the movie The Best of Me.
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)
Rating: 60% based on 9 votes
Form of Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek New Testament, as well as some English translations.
Elizabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ə-bəth(English)
Rating: 71% based on 13 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).

Filip
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Romanian, Finnish
Other Scripts: Филип(Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: FEE-lip(Dutch) FI-lip(Czech) FEE-leep(Slovak, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Romanian, Finnish)
Rating: 35% based on 10 votes
Form of Philip in various languages.
Fredrick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FREHD-rik
Rating: 51% based on 10 votes
Variant of Frederick.
Friedrich
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: FREE-drikh
Rating: 32% based on 10 votes
German form of Frederick. This was the name of several rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Austria and Prussia. The philosophers Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) are two other famous bearers of this name.
Hayden
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAY-dən
Rating: 48% based on 10 votes
From an English surname that was derived from place names meaning either "hay valley" or "hay hill", derived from Old English heg "hay" and denu "valley" or dun "hill". Its popularity at the end of the 20th century was due to the sound it shared with other trendy names of the time, such as Braden and Aidan.
Ilya
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Belarusian
Other Scripts: Илья(Russian) Ілья(Belarusian)
Pronounced: i-LYA(Russian)
Rating: 31% based on 8 votes
Russian and Belarusian form of Elijah.
Ivan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, English, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Estonian
Other Scripts: Иван(Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian) Іван(Ukrainian, Belarusian)
Pronounced: i-VAN(Russian) ee-VAN(Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Romanian) yee-VAN(Belarusian) EE-van(Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian, Slovak, Slovene, Italian) I-van(Czech) IE-vən(English) ee-VUN(Portuguese)
Rating: 40% based on 8 votes
Newer form of the Old Church Slavic name Іѡаннъ (Ioannŭ), which was derived from Greek Ioannes (see John). This was the name of six Russian rulers, including the 15th-century Ivan III the Great and 16th-century Ivan IV the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia. It was also borne by nine emperors of Bulgaria. Other notable bearers include the Russian author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), who wrote Fathers and Sons, and the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), who is best known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.
Ivana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Italian
Other Scripts: Ивана(Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: I-va-na(Czech) EE-va-na(Slovak) ee-VA-na(Italian)
Rating: 44% based on 10 votes
Feminine form of Ivan.
Ivanka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Other Scripts: Иванка(Bulgarian, Serbian)
Pronounced: I-vang-ka(Czech)
Rating: 28% based on 10 votes
Diminutive of Ivana.
Jacqueline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: ZHAK-LEEN(French) JAK-ə-lin(English) JAK-wə-lin(English) JAK-ə-leen(English)
Rating: 53% based on 12 votes
French feminine form of Jacques, also commonly used in the English-speaking world.
Jen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEHN
Rating: 31% based on 9 votes
Short form of Jennifer.
Jenn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JEHN
Rating: 30% based on 8 votes
Short form of Jennifer.
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: 61% based on 10 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-).

Joan 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JON
Rating: 53% based on 8 votes
Medieval English form of Johanne, an Old French form of Iohanna (see Joanna). This was the usual English feminine form of John in the Middle Ages, but it was surpassed in popularity by Jane in the 17th century. It again became quite popular in the first half of the 20th century, entering the top ten names for both the United States and the United Kingdom, though it has since faded.

This name (in various spellings) has been common among European royalty, being borne by ruling queens of Naples, Navarre and Castile. Another famous bearer was Joan of Arc, a patron saint of France (where she is known as Jeanne d'Arc). She was a 15th-century peasant girl who, after claiming she heard messages from God, was given leadership of the French army. She defeated the English in the battle of Orléans but was eventually captured and burned at the stake.

Other notable bearers include the actress Joan Crawford (1904-1977) and the comedian Joan Rivers (1933-2014), both Americans.

Kate
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Croatian
Pronounced: KAYT(English)
Rating: 56% based on 13 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-).
Katya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Катя(Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian)
Pronounced: KA-tyə(Russian)
Rating: 48% based on 9 votes
Russian diminutive of Yekaterina.
Keely
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KEE-lee
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Caolaidhe, itself derived from the given name Caoladhe, from Irish caol "slender".
Keith
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish
Pronounced: KEETH(English)
Rating: 34% based on 7 votes
From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from the name of a place in East Lothian, itself possibly derived from the Celtic root *kayto- meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century, becoming fairly common throughout the English-speaking world in the 20th century.
Kennedy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: KEHN-ə-dee(English)
Rating: 61% based on 10 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Cinnéidigh, itself derived from the given name Cennétig. The name has sometimes been given in honour of assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963). It was popularized as a name for girls by Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (1972-), known simply as Kennedy, the host of the television program Alternative Nation on MTV from 1992 to 1997.
Klaus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish
Pronounced: KLOWS(German, Finnish)
Rating: 28% based on 8 votes
German short form of Nicholas, now used independently.
Konrad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Slovene
Pronounced: KAWN-rat(German, Polish)
Rating: 29% based on 7 votes
German, Scandinavian, Polish and Slovene form of Conrad.
Laurent
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LAW-RAHN
Rating: 59% based on 7 votes
French form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).
Liv 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIV
Rating: 44% based on 9 votes
Short form of Olivia.
Lucinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese, Literature
Pronounced: loo-SIN-də(English)
Rating: 41% based on 9 votes
An elaboration of Lucia created by Cervantes for his novel Don Quixote (1605). It was subsequently used by Molière in his play The Doctor in Spite of Himself (1666).
Lynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIN
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
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.
Madison
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAD-i-sən
Rating: 43% based on 8 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).

Maggie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAG-ee
Rating: 33% based on 7 votes
Diminutive of Margaret.
Margaret
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAHR-grit(American English) MAHR-gə-rit(American English) MAH-grit(British English) MAH-gə-rit(British English)
Rating: 75% based on 11 votes
Derived from Latin Margarita, which was from Greek μαργαρίτης (margarites) meaning "pearl", a word that was probably ultimately a borrowing from an Indo-Iranian language. Saint Margaret, the patron of expectant mothers, was martyred at Antioch in the 4th century. Later legends told of her escape from a dragon, with which she was often depicted in medieval art. The saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and her name has been widely used in the Christian world.

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

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

Martin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Finnish
Other Scripts: Мартин, Мартын(Russian) Мартин(Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: MAHR-tin(American English) MAH-tin(British English) MAR-TEHN(French) MAR-teen(German, Slovak) MAT-in(Swedish) MAHT-tin(Norwegian) MAH-tseen(Danish) MAR-kyin(Czech) MAWR-teen(Hungarian) mar-TIN(Bulgarian) MAHR-teen(Finnish)
Rating: 57% based on 6 votes
From the Roman name Martinus, which was derived from Martis, the genitive case of the name of the Roman god Mars. Saint Martin of Tours was a 4th-century bishop who is the patron saint of France. According to legend, he came across a cold beggar in the middle of winter so he ripped his cloak in two and gave half of it to the beggar. He was a favourite saint during the Middle Ages, and his name has become common throughout the Christian world.

An influential bearer of the name was Martin Luther (1483-1546), the theologian who began the Protestant Reformation. The name was also borne by five popes (two of them more commonly known as Marinus). Other more recent bearers include the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), and the American filmmaker Martin Scorsese (1942-).

Mattias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Estonian
Pronounced: ma-TEE-as(Swedish)
Rating: 54% based on 5 votes
Swedish and Estonian form of Matthias.
Niklas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, German
Pronounced: NIK-las(Swedish) NEEK-lahs(Finnish) NI-klas(German)
Rating: 15% based on 6 votes
Swedish form of Nicholas.
Nikolas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek, English
Other Scripts: Νικόλας(Greek)
Pronounced: NIK-ə-ləs(English) NIK-ləs(English)
Rating: 43% based on 8 votes
Variant of Nikolaos (Greek) or Nicholas (English).
Nikolaus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German
Pronounced: NI-ko-lows, NEE-ko-lows
Rating: 35% based on 8 votes
German form of Nicholas.
Otto
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: AW-to(German, Dutch) AHT-o(American English) AWT-o(British English) OT-to(Finnish)
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Later German form of Audo, originally a short form of various names beginning with Old Frankish aud or Old High German ot meaning "wealth, fortune". This was the name of a 9th-century king of the West Franks (name usually spelled as Odo). This was also the name of four kings of Germany, starting in the 10th century with Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, known as Otto the Great. Saint Otto of Bamberg was a 12th-century missionary to Pomerania. The name was also borne by a 19th-century king of Greece, originally from Bavaria. Another notable bearer was the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898).
Parker
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAHR-kər(American English) PAH-kə(British English)
Rating: 56% based on 7 votes
From an English occupational surname that meant "keeper of the park".
Patrick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, French, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Pronounced: PAT-rik(English) PA-TREEK(French) PA-trik(German)
Rating: 73% based on 7 votes
From the Latin name Patricius, which meant "nobleman". This name was adopted in the 5th-century by Saint Patrick, whose birth name was Sucat. He was a Romanized Briton who was captured and enslaved in his youth by Irish raiders. After six years of servitude he escaped home, but he eventually became a bishop and went back to Ireland as a missionary. He is traditionally credited with Christianizing the island, and is regarded as Ireland's patron saint. He is called Pádraig in Irish.

In England and elsewhere in Europe during the Middle Ages this name was used in honour of the saint. However, it was not generally given in Ireland before the 17th century because it was considered too sacred for everyday use. It has since become very common there.

Quinn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KWIN
Rating: 63% based on 6 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Cuinn, itself derived from the given name Conn. In the United States it was more common as a name for boys until 2010, the year after the female character Quinn Fabray began appearing on the television series Glee.
Ralph
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Swedish
Pronounced: RALF(English, German) RAYF(British English)
Rating: 38% based on 6 votes
Contracted form of the Old Norse name Ráðúlfr (or its Norman form Radulf). Scandinavian settlers introduced it to England before the Norman Conquest, though afterwards it was bolstered by Norman influence. In the Middle Ages it was variously spelled Rauf, Rafe or Ralf reflecting the usual pronunciation. The Ralph spelling became more common in the 18th century. A famous bearer of the name was Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American poet and author who wrote on transcendentalism.
Reid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: REED
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
From a surname, a Scots variant of Reed.
Rhys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: REES
Rating: 47% based on 7 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.
Sebastian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Romanian, Czech
Pronounced: zeh-BAS-tee-an(German) sə-BAS-chən(American English) sə-BAS-tee-ən(British English) seh-BAS-dyan(Danish) seh-BAS-tyan(Polish) SEH-bahs-tee-ahn(Finnish) seh-bas-tee-AN(Romanian) SEH-bas-ti-yan(Czech)
Rating: 64% based on 10 votes
From the Latin name Sebastianus, which meant "from Sebaste". Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, its name deriving from Greek σεβαστός (sebastos) meaning "venerable" (a translation of Latin Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors). According to Christian tradition, Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Roman soldier martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian. After he was discovered to be a Christian, he was tied to a stake and shot with arrows. This however did not kill him. Saint Irene of Rome healed him and he returned to personally admonish Diocletian, whereupon the emperor had him beaten to death.

Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in medieval Europe, especially in Spain and France. It was also borne by a 16th-century king of Portugal who died in a crusade against Morocco.

Stacy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: STAY-see
Rating: 38% based on 6 votes
As a feminine name it is commonly considered a diminutive of Anastasia, though it was originally used independently of that name, which was rare in America in the 1950s when Stacy began becoming popular. It had earlier been in use as an uncommon masculine name, borrowed from the surname Stacy or Stacey (derived from Stace, a medieval form of Eustace).
Stella 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Dutch, German
Pronounced: STEHL-ə(English) STEHL-la(Italian) STEH-la(Dutch)
Rating: 57% based on 7 votes
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.
Ursula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Late Roman
Pronounced: UR-sə-lə(American English) U-syuw-lə(British English) U-sə-lə(British English) UWR-zoo-la(German) OOR-soo-lah(Finnish)
Rating: 31% based on 8 votes
Means "little bear", derived from a diminutive form of the Latin word ursa "she-bear". Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.
Valentina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Валентина(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) Βαλεντίνα(Greek)
Pronounced: va-lehn-TEE-na(Italian) və-lyin-TYEE-nə(Russian) vu-lyehn-tyi-NU(Lithuanian) ba-lehn-TEE-na(Spanish)
Rating: 60% based on 9 votes
Feminine form of Valentinus (see Valentine 1). A famous bearer is the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (1937-), who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space.
Valeria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Romanian, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Валерия(Russian) Валерія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: va-LEH-rya(Italian) ba-LEH-rya(Spanish) vu-LYEH-ryi-yə(Russian) wa-LEH-ree-a(Latin) və-LEHR-ee-ə(English) və-LIR-ee-ə(English)
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
Feminine form of Valerius. This was the name of a 2nd-century Roman saint and martyr.
Vivian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: VIV-ee-ən(English)
Rating: 54% based on 7 votes
From the Latin name Vivianus, which was derived from Latin vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of Bébinn or a variant of Vivien 2.
Vivien 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Hungarian
Pronounced: VEE-vee-ehn(Hungarian)
Rating: 45% based on 6 votes
Used by Alfred Tennyson as the name of the Lady of the Lake in his Arthurian epic Idylls of the King (1859). Tennyson may have based it on Vivienne, but it possibly arose as a misreading of Ninian [1]. A famous bearer was British actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967), who played Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.
Winoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
Variant of Gwenneg.
Yannick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Breton, French
Pronounced: YA-NEEK(French)
Rating: 45% based on 6 votes
Diminutive of Yann or Yanna 2.
Yves
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EEV
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
Medieval French form of Ivo 1. This was the name of two French saints: an 11th-century bishop of Chartres and a 13th-century parish priest and lawyer, also known as Ivo of Kermartin, the patron saint of Brittany.
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