DianUK's Personal Name List
Abelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Rare), Catalan (Rare)
Feminine form of
Abel. Abelia is also a type of flowering shrub in the honeysuckle family, named after British surgeon and naturalist Clarke Abel (1780-1826).
Abundantia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Late Roman, Italian
Feminine form of
Abundantius. She was the Roman personification of abundance, prosperity and good fortune, portrayed as distributing grain and money from a cornucopia. (The mythological character has survived in French folklore as Lady Hobunde.) The name was also borne by an Italian saint martyred during the persecutions of emperor
Diocletian.
Abundius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
From Latin
abundus meaning
"abundant, plentiful". This was the name of several early
saints, including a 5th-century bishop of Como.
Acacia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-KAY-shə
From the name of a type of tree, ultimately derived from Greek
ἀκή (ake) meaning "thorn, point".
Acerbus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (American, Rare)
Means "Sarcastic, sardonic" in Latin.
Adrestia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Variant form of
Adrastia, which is one of the various latinized forms of
Adrasteia. In Greek mythology, this was the name of a war figure and goddess of revenge and balance, who often battled in war. She was a daughter of
Ares and
Aphrodite. This was also the name of a nymph who fed an infant
Zeus goat's milk.
Agur
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Means "stranger" or "gathered together" in Hebrew. In the Bible, he is a son of Jakeh and a contributor to Proverbs.
Aimara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque, Medieval Basque, Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: ie-MAH-rah(Basque)
Alaric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gothic (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃(Gothic)
Pronounced: AL-ə-rik(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Gothic name *
Alareiks meaning
"ruler of all", derived from the element
alls "all" combined with
reiks "ruler, king". This was the name of a king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in the 5th century.
Alarie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Most likely a transferred use of the Québecois surname
Alarie which is derived from the Visigothic personal name
Alaric.
Aldus
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Alodia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gothic (Latinized)
Possibly from a Visigothic name, maybe from Gothic elements such as
alls "all" or
aljis "other" combined with
auds "riches, wealth".
Saint Alodia was a 9th-century Spanish martyr with her sister Nunilo.
Aneirin
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Old Welsh, Welsh
Pronounced: a-NAY-rin(Welsh)
Personal remark: F: Aneira
Old Welsh name, possibly from the Latin name
Honorius [1]. This was the name of a 6th-century Brythonic poet, also known as Neirin or Aneurin
[2], who is said to be the author of the poem
Y Gododdin.
Annora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Medieval English variant of
Honora.
Aristoxenos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek
Other Scripts: Ἀριστόξενος(Ancient Greek)
Derived from the Greek adjective ἄριστος
(aristos) meaning "best" combined with Greek ξένος
(xenos) meaning "foreign, strange" as well as "foreigner, guest".
Arius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἄρειος(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of
Areios. Arius (AD 250 or 256–336) was an ascetic Christian presbyter of Libyan birth, possibly of Berber extraction, and priest in Alexandria, Egypt, of the church of the Baucalis.
Artemisia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀρτεμισία(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Artemisios. This was the name of the 4th-century BC builder of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. She built it in memory of her husband, the Carian prince Mausolus.
Asherah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Pronounced: ə-SHEER-ə(English)
Perhaps derived from Semitic roots meaning "she who walks in the sea". This was the name of a Semitic mother goddess. She was worshipped by the Israelites before the advent of monotheism.
Athanaric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gothic (Anglicized) [1]
Other Scripts: 𐌰𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃(Gothic)
From the Gothic name *
Aþanareiks, derived from the element
aþn meaning "year" combined with
reiks meaning "ruler, king". Athanaric was a 4th-century ruler of the Visigoths.
Athanasia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Αθανασία(Greek) Ἀθανασία(Ancient Greek)
Athel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (British, Rare)
Athela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Pronounced: ATH-ə-la(Middle English)
Medieval English form of
Adela.
Athelstan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Modern form of
Æðelstan. This name was revived in Britain the latter half of the 19th century.
Atossa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Persian (Hellenized)
Other Scripts: 𐎢𐎫𐎢𐎰(Old Persian) Ἄτοσσα(Ancient Greek)
Hellenized form of Old Persian *
𐎢𐎫𐎢𐎰 (Utautha) meaning
"well granting" [1]. It was notably borne by the eldest daughter of
Cyrus the Great, who married
Darius the Great in the 6th century BC.
Auðun
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norse [1]
Derived from Old Norse
auðr "wealth, fortune" and
vinr "friend".
Avelina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Betire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque (Modern, Rare)
Derived from Basque
beti "always", this name is now generally understood as a Basque equivalent of
Perpetua.
Betony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BEHT-nee, BEHT-ə-nee
From the name of the minty medicinal herb.
Bezaleel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hebrew (Anglicized), English (Puritan)
Anglicized form of Hebrew Betsalel, meaning "in the shadow." In the bible, this is the name of a son of Uri who was one of the architects of the tabernacle, and the name of an Israelite.
Bile
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Possibly an Irish form of
Belenus, though it may derive from an Irish word meaning
"sacred tree, scion, hero". In Irish
mythology this was the name of one of the Milesians who was drowned while invading Ireland.
Biliram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic
Derived from the Germanic element bili "gentleness" combined with hraban or hramn "raven."
Bonamy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Judeo-Anglo-Norman, Judeo-French
Derived from Middle French
bon "good (virtuous, having positive qualities)" and
ami "friend". This name was also used as a secular form of
Benjamin,
Boniface
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, English (Rare)
Pronounced: BAW-NEE-FAS(French) BAHN-ə-fəs(English) BAHN-ə-fays(English)
Personal remark: Bonnie Fass
From the Late Latin name
Bonifatius, which meant
"good fate" from
bonum "good" and
fatum "fate, destiny". This was the name of nine popes and also several
saints, including an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon missionary to Germany (originally named
Winfrið) who is now regarded as the patron saint of that country. It came into use in England during the Middle Ages, but became rare after the
Protestant Reformation.
Bramble
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BRAM-bool
Transferred use of the surname
Bramble.
Brosi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Faroese
From Old Norse brosa meaning "to smile".
Cadok
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Cornish, History
According to William of Worcester, writing in the fifteenth century, Cadoc of Cornwall was a survivor of the Cornish royal line at the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and was appointed as the first Earl of Cornwall by William the Conqueror. The name itself is a cognate of Welsh
Cadog.
Caelifer
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: KIE-lee-fehr(Classical Latin)
From a poetic Latin epithet of the Greek god
Atlas which meant "supporting the heavens", from
caelum "heaven" and
ferre "to bear, to carry, to bring". In Greek mythology Atlas was a Titan punished by Zeus by being forced to support the heavens on his shoulders.
Caelius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: KIE-lee-oos
Roman family name that was derived from Latin caelum meaning "heaven".
Caelus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: KIE-luws(Classical Latin)
Means "sky" or "the heavens" in Latin (related to the word
caelum). Caelus is the Roman god of the sky, the equivalent of the Greek god
Uranus.
Caiside
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Irish
Irish byname meaning "curly haired", from Irish cas "twisted, curly".
Calanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LAN-thee
From the name of a type of orchid, ultimately meaning "beautiful flower", derived from Greek
καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful" and
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower".
Cambria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Pronounced: KAM-bree-ə(English)
Latin form of the Welsh Cymru, the Welsh name for the country of Wales, derived from cymry meaning "the people". It is occasionally used as a given name in modern times.
Candea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Galician (Rare)
Pronounced: kan-DEH-a
Derived from Galician
candea "candle", this name is occasionally given in honor of
Candlemas (
Festum Candelorium in Latin, which translates to
festa das candeas in Galician; compare
Candelaria).
Cardea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: KAR-deh-a(Latin)
Derived from Latin cardo meaning "hinge, axis". This was the name of the Roman goddess of thresholds, door pivots, and change.
Carme 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κάρμη(Ancient Greek)
Latinized form of Greek
Κάρμη (Karme), which was derived from
κείρω (keiro) meaning
"to shear". This was the name of a Cretan goddess of the harvest.
Cassandane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Persian (Hellenized), Ancient Greek (Latinized), History
Other Scripts: Κασσανδάνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kas-san-da-neh(Attic Greek) kas-san-DA-nee(Kione Greek)
Latinized form of Κασσανδάνη
(Kassandanē), the Hellenized form of an uncertain Old Persian name. Cassandane was an Achaemenian Persian noblewoman and the "dearly loved" wife of
Cyrus the Great.
Cassarah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-SEHR-ə, kə-SAR-ə, KAS-ə-rə
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Recently created name intended to mean "what will be, will be". It is from the title of the 1956 song Que Sera, Sera, which was taken from the Italian phrase che sarà sarà. The phrase que sera, sera is not grammatically correct in any Romance language.
Cenric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1]
Derived from Old English
cene "bold" and
ric "ruler, king".
Cephas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: Κηφᾶς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SEE-fəs(English)
Means
"rock" in Aramaic. The apostle
Simon was called Cephas by
Jesus because he was to be the rock upon which the Christian church was to be built. In most versions of the
New Testament Cephas is translated into Greek
Πέτρος (Petros) (in English
Peter).
Charon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Χάρων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KEHR-ən(English)
Possibly means
"fierce brightness" in Greek. In Greek
mythology Charon was the operator of the ferry that brought the newly dead over the River Acheron into Hades.
Chrotilda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic, History
Variant of
Chrothild. Chrotilda was the daughter of Clovis I (a Frankish king) and wife of Amalaric, a 6th-century king of the Visigoths.
Cimarron
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Cindra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SIN-drə
Cleïs
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κλεϊς, Κλεις(Ancient Greek)
From the Greek name Κλεις
(Kleis), perhaps a derivative of
Kleio. This was the name of
Sappho's mother and daughter.
Cloelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Feminine form of
Cloelius. In Roman legend Cloelia was a maiden who was given to an Etruscan invader as a hostage. She managed to escape by swimming across the Tiber, at the same time helping some of the other captives to safety.
Coeus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κοῖος(Ancient Greek)
Conrí
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Irish
Means "king of hounds" in Irish.
Crescens
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman, Biblical Latin
Latin name that was derived from
crescere "to grow". This name is mentioned briefly in one of
Paul's epistles in the
New Testament.
Cura
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Cura or Aera Cura is the name of a Roman goddess who created the first human. In Latin. Hyginus seems to have created both the personification and story for his Fabulae, poem 220. The name itself is derived from Latin cura "care, concern, thought".
Curallina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Corsican (Archaic)
Cuthbert
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KUTH-bərt
Derived from the Old English elements
cuþ "known, familiar" and
beorht "bright".
Saint Cuthbert was a 6th-century hermit who became the bishop of Lindisfarne, an island off the coast of England. He was known as performer of healing miracles. Because of the saint, this name remained in use in England even after the
Norman Conquest. It became rare after the
Protestant Reformation, but it was (briefly) revived in the 19th century.
Cyneric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1][2]
Derived from Old English
cyne "royal" and
ric "ruler, king".
Cypher
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Cyra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical)
Meaning unknown.
Saint Cyra was a 5th-century Syrian hermit who was martyred with her companion Marana.
Dhana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Arabic (Moorish)
Meaning "smallness".
Docia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Dreda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Archaic)
Mærwynn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements
mære "famous" and
wynn "joy, bliss". This was borne by a 10th-century Christian saint, also known as Merewenna, who was the founding abbess of Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, England.
Magnulf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian (Rare)
Derived from the Old Norse elements
magn "mighty, strong, power" and
ulfr "wolf", making it a cognate of the Germanic name
Maganulf. Magnulf was first used in 1901.
Marvely
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American), American (Hispanic), Filipino, English (Rare)
Pronounced: mar-BEH-lee(Latin American Spanish)
Variant of
Marbely in Latin American countries.
In other cases, it may possibly be a derivation of
Marvel.
Melantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: mə-LAN-thə
Personal remark: dark flower
Probably a combination of
Mel (from names such as
Melanie or
Melissa) with the suffix
antha (from Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). John Dryden used this name in his play
Marriage a la Mode (1672).
Menestheus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μενεσθεύς(Ancient Greek)
Derived from μένω (ménō) meaning “to stay” and θεός (theós) meaning "divine".
Methodius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Μεθόδιος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: meh-THO-dee-əs(English)
Latinized form of the Greek name
Μεθόδιος (Methodios), derived from Greek
μέθοδος (methodos) meaning
"pursuit" or
"method", ultimately from
μετά (meta) meaning "with" and
ὁδός (hodos) meaning "road, way, journey".
Saint Methodius was a Greek missionary to the Slavs who developed the Cyrillic alphabet (with his brother Cyril) in order to translate the Bible into Slavic.
Middy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: MID-dee
Personal remark: Middray
Midian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: מִדְיָן(Hebrew) مدين(Arabic)
Pronounced: Mid-ee-in(Biblical English)
Means "strife" or "judgment" in Hebrew. In the Hebrew Bible, Midian was a son of
Abraham and
Keturah.
Petal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PEHT-əl
Personal remark: Petaline
From the English word for the flower part, derived from Greek
πέταλον (petalon) meaning "leaf".
Pexine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Rare, Archaic), History (Ecclesiastical)
Variant of
Pazanne. The name of an obscure French saint whose life and work are somewhat of a mystery. Nonetheless, she left her name in several place names throughout France.
Ursa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Feminine form of
Ursus. This is the name of two constellations in the northern sky: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
Vanora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish (Archaic), English (British, Archaic)
Variant of
Wannour or
Wannore, an old Scottish form of
Guenore (see
Guinevere). Vanora’s Grave in Meigle, Scotland is a grass-covered mound in front of which two Pictish carved stones of Christian date are known to have once stood, though as a given name Vanora isn't found before the 19th century.
Varinia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Spanish (Rare)
Pronounced: ba-REE-nya(Spanish)
Vauquelin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval French
Old French form of the Norman name
Walchelin, derived from Old Frankish
walh or Old High German
walah meaning
"foreigner, Celt, Roman" (Proto-Germanic *
walhaz).
Vercingetorix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Gaulish
Pronounced: wehr-king-GEH-taw-riks(Latin) vər-sin-JEHT-ə-riks(English)
Means "king over warriors" from Gaulish wer "on, over" combined with kingeto "marching men, warriors" and rix "king". This name was borne by a 1st-century BC chieftain of the Gaulish tribe the Arverni. He led the resistance against Julius Caesar's attempts to conquer Gaul, but he was eventually defeated, brought to Rome, and executed.
Vidalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Rare), Spanish (Latin American)
Vitalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Walaram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic
Derived from Old High German walah "wanderer, traveller, foreigner" combined with hraban or hramn "raven."
Waltram
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German (Rare, Archaic), Medieval German
Pronounced: VALT-ram
A dithematic name formed from the Germanic name elements
walt "to rule" and
hraban raven.
Wilkin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval English
Willibrord
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon, History (Ecclesiastical), Dutch, German (Rare)
Pronounced: VIL-lee-brawrt(Dutch)
Derived from the Old English elements
willa meaning "will, desire" and
brord meaning "prick, point" as well as "spearhead" and "blade, lance, javelin".
This name was most notably borne by the Anglo-Saxon saint Willibrord (c. 658-739). He is ultimately the reason behind the introduction of the name to the Low Countries.
A notable Dutch bearer of the name was the journalist and television presenter Willibrord Frequin (1941-2022).
Wina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Germanic name derived from the element
wini meaning
"friend" (Proto-Germanic *
weniz).
Winsom
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Winulf
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic
Derived from Old High German wini "friend" combined with Gothic vulfs "wolf."
Wisteria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: wis-TEHR-ee-ə, wis-TEER-ee-ə
Personal remark: Wistar
From the name of the flowering plant, which was named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar.
Wynnstan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1][2]
Derived from the Old English elements
wynn "joy" and
stan "stone".
Wystan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Personal remark: Wysley
From the Old English name
Wigstan, composed of the elements
wig "battle" and
stan "stone". This was the name of a 9th-century Anglo-Saxon
saint. It became rare after the
Norman Conquest, and in modern times it is chiefly known as the first name of the British poet W. H. Auden (1907-1973).
Yarikh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Near Eastern Mythology, Semitic Mythology
Other Scripts: 𐎊𐎗𐎃(Ugaritic)
Derives from the Ugaritic
yariḫ ("moon"). Name borne by a moon god worshipped in the Amorite and Ugaritic pantheons, and later as part of the Phoenician and Punic pantheons following the collapse of Ugarit. He was regarded as the husband of
Nikkal, as attested in the myth "The Marriage of Nikkhal and Yarikh". His Mesopotamian equivalent was
Sin.
Zosime
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ζωσίμη(Ancient Greek)
Feminine form of
Zosimos (see
Zosimus).
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