hesione's Personal Name List

Means "noble" in Hebrew.

Means "bird" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.

Probably a Latinized form of a Germanic name of unknown meaning. This was the name of the mother of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

From Basque agur meaning "greeting, salutation".

From Basque agurtza meaning "worship, reverence" and "rosary". It was proposed by Sabino Arana in 1910 as an equivalent of the Spanish name Rosario.

Means "love" in Hebrew.

Greek form of Aegle.

Basque form of Angelus (see Angel).

Means "glory" in Basque.

Possibly means "good fathers" from Basque aita "father" and on "good". This was the name of a legendary ancestor of the Basques.

Means "joyful, happy" from Basque alai.

Feminine form of Alastar.

Medieval Slavic form of Alexander.

Finnish form of Alexander.

Short form of Magdalena or Helena. This was the name of a saint, possibly legendary, who was martyred near Brussels in the 7th century.

Slovene diminutive of Alena 1.

Belarusian form of Alexius.

French form of Eleanor.

Means "the end" in Basque. This is the name of a character in the historical novel Amaya, or the Basques in the 8th century (1879) by Francisco Navarro-Villoslada (Amaya in the Spanish original; Amaia in the Basque translation).

Means "Yahweh has answered" in Hebrew, from עָנָה (ʿana) meaning "to answer" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of a minor character in the Old Testament.

Latinate diminutive of Anna.

Medieval English variant of Honora.

Derived from Basque argi "light" and eder "beautiful".

Means "song, melody" in Italian (literally means "air"). An aria is an elaborate vocal solo, the type usually performed in operas. As an English name, it has only been in use since the 20th century, its rise in popularity accelerating after the 2010 premier of the television drama Pretty Little Liars, featuring a character by this name. It is not traditionally used in Italy.

Derived from Hebrew אֲרִי (ʾari) meaning "lion", an animal particularly associated with the tribe of Judah (see Genesis 49:9). This is the name of an officer of King Pekahiah in the Old Testament.

Turkish variant and Turkmen form of Aslan.

Means "belonging to the goddess Neith" in Ancient Egyptian. In the Old Testament this is the name of Joseph's Egyptian wife. She was the mother of Manasseh and Ephraim.

From עַשְׁתֹרֶת (ʿAshṯoreṯ), the Hebrew form of the name of a Phoenician goddess of love, war and fertility. Her name is cognate to that of the East Semitic goddess Ishtar.

Means "the beginning", from Basque hasi.

Means "travel at night" in Arabic.

Means "taken up, received, assumed" in Italian, referring to the assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven.

Means "peace, tranquility" in Kurdish.

Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Athanasius.

Means "crown" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Atarah is a minor character, the wife of Jerahmeel.

Possibly means "Yahweh is exalted" in Hebrew, from עֲתַל (ʿaṯal) possibly meaning "exalted" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is both a feminine and masculine name. It was borne by the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, who later came to rule Judah as a queen.

From the word aura (derived from Latin, ultimately from Greek αὔρα meaning "breeze") for a distinctive atmosphere or illumination.

Feminine form of Aurelius.

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].

Means "doe, female deer, gazelle". It is taken from the Hebrew phrase אַיֶלֶת הַשַׁחַר (ʾayeleṯ hashaḥar), literally "gazelle of dawn", which is a name of the morning star.

Derived from the Turkic element ay meaning "moon" combined with Persian گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose". In some languages this is also a name for a variety of flowering plant that grows in central Asia (species Fritillaria eduardii).

Derived from the Turkic elements ay "moon" and gün "sun".

Means "of the moon" in Turkish and Azerbaijani, from Turkic ay "moon".

Means "moonlight" in Turkish, Azerbaijani and Uyghur, ultimately from Turkic ay meaning "moon" and Arabic نور (nūr) meaning "light".

Means "moon flood" in Turkish and Azerbaijani, derived from ay "moon" and sel "flood, stream" (of Arabic origin).

Means "my help is God" in Hebrew, derived from עֶזְרָה (ʿezra) meaning "help" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is the name of three minor characters in the Old Testament.

Means "azure, sky blue" in Italian.

Short form of Catrin.

Means "light" in Malay and Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit छाया (chāyā).

Possibly a form of Caitríona.

Variant of Kaja 1.

Late Latin name derived from cara meaning "dear, beloved". This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr. It is also the name of a constellation in the southern sky, though in this case it means "keel" in Latin, referring to a part of Jason's ship the Argo.

From the title of the Virgin Mary Our Lady of Mount Carmel. כַּרְמֶל (Karmel) (meaning "garden" in Hebrew) is a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the site of several early Christian monasteries. As an English given name, it has mainly been used by Catholics. As a Jewish name it is unisex.

Means "black hoof" in Shawnee. This was the name of an 18th-century Shawnee warrior and chief.

Spanish and Corsican form of Katherine.

Medieval French form of Katherine.

Contracted form of Cătălina.

Welsh form of Katherine, as well as a German short form of Katharina.

Anglicized form of Caitríona (Irish) or Caitrìona (Scottish Gaelic).

From the name of the flower, which is derived from Greek χελιδών (chelidon) meaning "swallow (bird)".

Feminine form of the Roman family name Caelius. Shakespeare used it in his play As You Like It (1599), which introduced the name to the English-speaking public at large. It is sometimes used as a short form of Cecilia.

From a Slavic word meaning "black".

Modern Hebrew form of Eve.

Means "kindness, goodness" in Hebrew.

Irish byname derived from ciar meaning "black".

Possibly from Old Irish cin "respect, esteem, affection" or cinid "be born, come into being" combined with áed "fire", though it might actually be of Pictish origin. This was the name of the first king of the Scots and Picts (9th century). It is often Anglicized as Kenneth. The originally unrelated name Coinneach is sometimes used as the modern Scottish Gaelic form.

Italian form of Cynthia.

Latinized form of Greek Κίρκη (Kirke), possibly from κίρκος (kirkos) meaning "hawk". In Greek mythology Circe was a sorceress who changed Odysseus's crew into hogs, as told in Homer's Odyssey. Odysseus forced her to change them back, then stayed with her for a year before continuing his voyage.

Late Latin name meaning "dove". The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Christianity. This was the name of several early saints both masculine and feminine, most notably the 6th-century Irish monk Saint Columba (or Colum) who established a monastery on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. He is credited with the conversion of Scotland to Christianity.

Means "conceived" in Italian, referring to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

Anglicized form of the Old Irish name Conláed, possibly meaning "constant fire" from cunnail "prudent, constant" and áed "fire". Saint Conláed was a 5th-century bishop of Kildare.

Means "consoled" in Italian. It is taken from the title of the Virgin Mary, Maria Consolata.

Means "crucifix" in Italian, derived from Latin crucifixus "fixed to a cross", from crux "cross" and fixus "fixed, fastened".

Possibly derived from Dáire. This was the name of the daughter of the legendary Irish king Túathal Techtmar.

Bulgarian variant form of Daniel.

Italian diminutive of Daniela.

From the Hebrew name דְּבוֹרָה (Devora) meaning "bee". In the Old Testament Book of Judges, Deborah is a heroine and prophetess who leads the Israelites when they are threatened by the Canaanites. She forms an army under the command of Barak, and together they destroy the army of the Canaanite commander Sisera. Also in the Old Testament, this is the name of the nurse of Rebecca.

Long a common Jewish name, Deborah was first used by English Christians after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the Puritans.

Feminine form of the Latin name Delphinus, which meant "of Delphi". Delphi was a city in ancient Greece, the name of which is possibly related to Greek δελφύς (delphys) meaning "womb". The Blessed Delphina was a 14th-century Provençal nun.

Possibly from the Welsh word deryn, a variant of aderyn meaning "bird".

Feminine form of Desiderio. This was the Latin name of a 19th-century queen of Sweden, the wife of Karl XIV. She was born in France with the name Désirée.

Latinized form of Étaín. This was the name of an early Irish saint.

Diminutive of Eilionoir, also taken to be a Gaelic form of Helen.

Scottish Gaelic form of Eleanor.

Modern Hebrew form of Ethan.

Means "terebinth tree" in Hebrew. This was the name of the fourth king of Israel, as told in the Old Testament. He was murdered by Zimri, who succeeded him.

From an Old French form of Helen. It appears in Arthurian legend; in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation Le Morte d'Arthur Elaine was the daughter of Pelles, the lover of Lancelot, and the mother of Galahad. It was not commonly used as an English given name until after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian epic Idylls of the King (1859).

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

Form of Helen used in various languages, as well as an alternate transcription of Russian Елена (see Yelena).

Modern Greek form of Helen.

Italian form of Electra.

Means "my God has answered" in Hebrew.

Probably from Aeliana, the feminine form of the Roman name Aelianus, which was derived from the Roman family name Aelius. This was the name of an obscure early saint and martyr from Amasea.

Scandinavian and Welsh form of Helen.

Means "my God is deliverance" in Hebrew, from the roots אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God" and פָּלַט (palaṭ) meaning "to deliver, to rescue". This is the name of several people in the Old Testament including a son of David.

Hebrew form of Elizabeth.

Contracted form of Eleanora.

Possibly from a Breton word meaning "light". This name was borne by an obscure 6th-century saint who is now venerated mainly in Brittany and Cornwall.

Spanish form of a Visigothic name, recorded from the 10th century in forms such as Geloyra or Giluira. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly composed of the Gothic element gails "happy" or gails "spear" combined with wers "friendly, agreeable, true". The name was borne by members of the royal families of León and Castille. This is also the name of a character in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni (1787).

Possibly from Old Irish én meaning "bird". This was the name of several Irish kings and heroes. It was also borne by a 6th-century saint who built the monastery of Killeany on Aran.

Means "the wind" in Turkish.

Persian form of Alexander.

Form of Eter with the nominative suffix, used when the name is written stand-alone.

Means "help" in Hebrew. Ezra is a prophet of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a famous bearer.

From Yiddish פֿויגל (foigl) meaning "bird", a vernacular form of Zipporah.

Means "dark man" from Old Irish fer "man" and dorchae "dark".

Diminutive of Fiamma. This is the name of a character appearing in several works by the 14th-century Italian author Boccaccio. She was probably based on the Neapolitan noblewoman Maria d'Aquino.

Means "sapling" in Turkish and Azerbaijani.

Possibly means either "white fire" or "white ancient" in Irish. According to legend this was the name of the only Irish person to survive the great flood. This name was also borne by many Irish saints.

From the English word garnet for the precious stone, the birthstone of January. The word is derived from Middle English gernet meaning "dark red".

Bulgarian form of Gabriel.

Italian form of Geneviève.

Means "dark-skinned, swarthy" in Welsh.

Italian form of Guinevere. This is also the Italian name for the city of Geneva, Switzerland. It is also sometimes associated with the Italian word ginepro meaning "juniper".

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

Means "wind" in Basque.

Means "freedom" in Hebrew.

Hebrew form of Abel.

Means "cloud" in Basque.

From the Roman family name Egnatius, meaning unknown, of Etruscan origin. The spelling was later altered to resemble Latin ignis "fire". This was the name of several saints, including the third bishop of Antioch who was thrown to wild beasts by Emperor Trajan, and by Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits, whose real birth name was in fact Íñigo.

Feminine form of Ilan.

Italian feminine form of Hilarius.

Georgian form of Elijah. It is also an alternate transcription of Russian Илья or Belarusian Ілья (see Ilya) or Bulgarian Илия (see Iliya).

Feminine form of Ilias (Greek) or Iliya (Bulgarian).

Feminine form of Ilija.

Means "first light", from Turkish ilk meaning "first" combined with Arabic نور (nūr) meaning "light".

Derived from Finnish ilma meaning "air". Ilmarinen is an immortal smith in Finnish mythology, the creator of the sky and the magic mill known as the Sampo. He is one of the main characters in the Finnish epic the Kalevala.

Derived from Finnish ilma "air" combined with a feminine suffix. In Finnish mythology Ilmatar was a semi-androgynous goddess of the heavens. She was the mother of Ilmarinen, Väinämöinen and Lemminkäinen.

Old Hungarian form of Helen, possibly via a Slavic form. In Finland it is associated with the word ilona, a derivative of ilo "joy".

Italian cognate of Inmaculada.

Latinized form of the Greek name Εἰρηναῖος (Eirenaios), which meant "peaceful". Saint Irenaeus was an early bishop of Lyons for whom the Greek island of Santorini is named.

Means "asphodel (flower)" in Hebrew.

From the Hebrew name יִסְכָּה (Yiska) meaning "to behold". In the Old Testament this is the name of Abraham's niece, mentioned only briefly. This is the basis of the English name Jessica.

From the Hebrew name יִשְׁמָעֵאל (Yishmaʿel) meaning "God will hear", from the roots שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Abraham. He is the traditional ancestor of the Arab people. Also in the Old Testament, it is borne by a man who assassinates Gedaliah the governor of Judah. The author Herman Melville later used this name for the narrator in his novel Moby-Dick (1851).

Means "he guards me" in Hebrew, derived from שָׁמַר (shamar) meaning "to guard". This name is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.

Arabic, Indonesian and Malay form of Alexander.

Turkish form of Alexander.

Means "spark" in South Slavic.

Italian form of Iseult.

Means "nocturnal journey" in Arabic, derived from سرى (sarā) meaning "to travel by night". According to Islamic tradition, the Isra was a miraculous journey undertaken by the Prophet Muhammad.

Meaning unknown. In Islamic tradition this is the name of the angel who will blow the trumpet that signals the coming of Judgement Day. He is sometimes equated with the angels Raphael or Uriel from Judeo-Christian tradition.

Modern Hebrew form of Ittai.

From the Hebrew name אִיתָמָר (ʾIṯamar) meaning "date palm island", derived from אִי (ʾi) meaning "island" and תָּמָר (tamar) meaning "date palm". This is the name of a son of Aaron in the Old Testament.

Short form of Ivana.

Means "daisy" in Croatian.

Form of Yvonne in several languages.

Estonian form of Katherine.

Finnish and Estonian diminutive of Katherine.

Hawaiian form of Karen 1.

Hebrew form of Caleb.

Means "viburnum tree" in Bulgarian, Macedonian and Polish.

French form of Carina 1. It can also function as a short form of Catherine, via Swedish Karin.

Diminutive of Katarzyna.

Hungarian and Basque form of Katherine.

Breton form of Katherine.

From the Mohawk pronunciation of Katherine. This was the name adopted by the 17th-century Mohawk saint Tekakwitha upon her baptism.

Croatian, Slovene and Hungarian diminutive of Katherine.

Greek contracted form of Katerina. This name had a spike in popularity in America in 1972 when it was used for a newborn baby on the soap opera Where the Heart Is.

Dutch (especially Flemish) form of Katherine.

Variant of Catriona.

Basque form of Katherine.

From Hebrew ךְּלִיל (kelil) meaning "crown, wreath, garland" or "complete, perfect".

Means "horn" or "ray of light" in Hebrew.

Variant of Karena.

Means "rainbow" in Hebrew.

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

Alternate transcription of Hebrew כִּנֶּרֶת (see Kineret).

Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Cyril.

Means "wave" in Estonian.

Possibly derived from the name of the ancient city of Larisa in Thessaly, which meant "citadel". In Greek legends, the nymph Larisa was either a daughter or mother of Pelasgus, the ancestor of the mythical Pelasgians. This name was later borne by a 4th-century Greek martyr who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Church. The name (of the city, nymph and saint) is commonly Latinized as Larissa, with a double s. As a Ukrainian name, it is more commonly transcribed Larysa.

Feminine form of Leander.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Eleanor. It was brought to Spain in the 12th-century by Eleanor of England, who married King Alfonso VIII of Castile.

Italian short form of Eleanor.

Feminine form of Leontius.

Means "light" in Tswana.

Diminutive of Oleksandra.

Italian form of Letitia. It was borne by Napoleon Bonaparte's mother.

Short form of Juliana, Liliana and other names that end in liana. This is also the word for a type of vine that grows in jungles.

Means "lilac" in Hebrew.

Scottish Gaelic of Lillian [1].

Means "my light" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and אוֹר (ʾor) "light".

Means "my song, my joy" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and רֹן (ron) "joy, song".

Means "my dew" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and טַל (ṭal) "dew".

Means "little blackbird", derived from Old Irish lon "blackbird" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by several early saints.

Estonian feminine form of Louis.

This name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called Lucasta (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, whom he called lux casta "pure light".

Italian and French variant of Lucia. This also means "light" in Italian.

Feminine form of Lucien.

Derived from Latin lucus meaning "grove", but later associated with lux meaning "light". This was the name of a Roman goddess of childbirth.

Diminutive of Luisa.

Means "little light", derived from Romanian lumina "light" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Italian form of Magdalene.

French diminutive of Madeleine, now more common as a Dutch name.

Feminine form of Maël.

Short form of Magdalena.

Basque form of Magdalene.

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

Swedish and Norwegian short form of Magdalene.

Feminine form of Malcolm.

From the Hebrew name םְנַשֶּׁה (Menashshe) meaning "causing to forget", a derivative of נָשָׁה (nasha) meaning "to forget" [1]. In the Old Testament this is the name of the oldest son of Joseph and Asenath and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. It was also borne by a 7th-century BC king of Judah, condemned in the Bible for allowing the worship of other gods.

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

Estonian form of Margaret.

Diminutive of Marija (Croatian, Serbian and Slovene) or Mária (Hungarian).

Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian and French form of Marinus.

From the title of the Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea" in Latin. It can also be a combination of Maria and Estela.

Italian form of Maristela.

Means "gift" in Hebrew. This is the name of the father of Shephatiah in the Old Testament.

From Old Irish Mellán, derived from mell meaning either "pleasant, delightful" or "lump, ball" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a few early saints.

Means "giving light" in Hebrew.

Means "dew drop" in Hebrew.

Derived from Greek μέλαινα (melaina) meaning "black, dark". This was the name of a nymph in Greek mythology.

Hebrew form of Merab 1.

From the English word merle or the French surname Merle, which both mean "blackbird" (from Latin merula). It was borne by the devious character Madame Merle (in fact her surname) in Henry James' novel The Portrait of a Lady (1880).

This name is also common for girls in Estonia, though a connection to the English-language name is uncertain.

Possibly means "brook" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a daughter of Saul. She was married to David, but after David fled from Saul he remarried her to someone else. Later, when David became king, he ordered her returned to him.

Feminine form of Milan.

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

From the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear", originally a diminutive of names containing that element.

From the Slavic element milŭ meaning "gracious, dear" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by the wife of the 14th-century Serbian ruler Lazar.

Derived from the Slavic elements milŭ "gracious, dear" and radŭ "happy, willing".

Catalan form of Mirèio (see Mireille).

Romanian, Croatian and Albanian form of Mireille.

From the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace, world" combined with a diminutive suffix.

From the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace, world", originally a diminutive of names containing that element.

Means "viburnum shrub" in Hebrew.

From Old Slavic morŭ meaning "death, plague" [1]. In Slavic mythology this was the name of a goddess associated with winter and death.

Derived from Greek μύρον (myron) meaning "sweet oil, perfume". Myron was the name of a 5th-century BC Greek sculptor. Saints bearing this name include a 3rd-century bishop of Crete and a 4th-century martyr from Cyzicus who was killed by a mob. These saints are more widely revered in the Eastern Church, and the name has generally been more common among Eastern Christians. As an English name, it has been used since the 19th century.

Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from Greek Ναϊάς (Naias), a type of water nymph in Greek mythology (plural Ναϊάδες). Alternatively it might be related to Persian Nahid.

Means "sun light" in Mongolian, from наран (naran) meaning "sun" and гэрэл (gerel) meaning "light".

Derived from Georgian ნათელი (nateli) meaning "light, bright".

French form of Nazarius.

From Old Irish Ness, meaning uncertain. In Irish legend she was the mother of Conchobar. She installed her son as king of Ulster by convincing Fergus mac Róich (her husband and Conchobar's stepfather) to give up his throne to the boy for a year and then helping him rule so astutely that the Ulstermen demanded that he remain as king. According to some versions of the legend she was originally named Assa "gentle", but was renamed Ní-assa "not gentle" after she sought to avenge the murders of her foster fathers.

Means "unexpected" in Serbian and Croatian. In the Serbian folk song Predrag and Nenad this is the name of Predrag's brother.

Means "lamp of Yahweh" in Hebrew, from נֵר (ner) meaning "lamp, light" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of the father of Baruch in the Old Testament.

Probably from Greek Νηρηΐδες (see Nereida). This name was used by Torquato Tasso for a character in his play Aminta (1573), and subsequently by Giacomo Leopardi in his poem Le Ricordanze (1829).

Means "miracle" in Hebrew.

Masculine form of Nevena.

Derived from South Slavic neven meaning "marigold".

Means "snows" in Spanish, derived from the title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de las Nieves meaning "Our Lady of the Snows".

Derived from Greek νικητής (niketes) meaning "winner, victor". Saint Niketas was a 4th-century bishop of Remesiana in Serbia. He is a patron saint of Romania.

From Sanskrit निशान्त (niśānta) meaning "night's end, dawn".

Form of Naomi 1 in several languages.

French form of Naomi 1.

Variant of Noreen.

Italian diminutive of Nora 1.

Frisian diminutive of Katherine.

Means "light of God" in Hebrew.

Means "pine tree" in Hebrew.

Means "my light" in Hebrew.

Means "light" in Hebrew.

Means "light for me" in Hebrew.

Italian form of Hosanna. This was the name of a 15th-century Italian saint and mystic, as well as a 16th-century Montenegrin saint.

Means "butterfly" in Persian.

Croatian diminutive of Paula.

Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian and Georgian form of Paul.

From Old Slavic perunŭ meaning "thunder". In Slavic mythology Perun was the god of lightning and the sky, sometimes considered to be the supreme god. Oak trees were sacred to him.

Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Peter.

From a Latin name, a diminutive of Petronia, the feminine form of Petronius. This was the name of an obscure 1st-century Roman saint, later believed to be a daughter of Saint Peter.

Derived from Greek φῶς (phos) meaning "light" (genitive φωτός (photos)). This is the name traditionally given to the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well (see John 4:7). She is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Church.

Italian feminine form of Peter.

Means "cloud" in Finnish and Estonian.

Means "fresh, invigorating" in Hebrew.

Derived from the Slavic element radŭ meaning "happy, willing", originally a short form of names beginning with that element.

Short form of Milorad and other names containing the Slavic element radŭ meaning "happy, willing". It is often used independently.

Italian feminine form of Raphael.

Variant of Rein.

Either a Bulgarian form of Regina or a feminine form of Rayno.

Feminine form of Raziel.

Derived from Yiddish ריין (rein) meaning "clean, pure".

Variant of Jeremiel appearing in some versions of the Old Testament.

Feminine form of Renatus.

Limburgish form of Rayner.

Short form of Margaretha.

Variant of Rina 2.

Either a variant of Ríoghnach or a short form of Caitríona.

Italian feminine form of Rosario.

From Persian روشن (rōshan) meaning "light" and آرا (ārā) meaning "decorate, adorn". This was the name of the second daughter of the 17th-century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

Italian form of Roxana.

Means "rose" in Breton.

Means "ray of light" in Finnish.

Means "elevated, sublime" in Hebrew.

From Salvatrix, the feminine form of Salvator (see Salvador).

French diminutive of Sandra.

Apparently derived from Latin sana meaning "healthy".

Means "my princess" in Hebrew, a possessive form of שָׂרָה (sara) meaning "lady, princess, noblewoman". In the Old Testament, this was Sarah's name before God changed it (see Genesis 17:15).

From a Sanskrit word referring to a type of thrush (species Turdus salica) or myna bird (species Gracula religiosa).

Variant of Sondra.

Serbian and Bulgarian form of Sabas.

Italian feminine form of Xavier.

Means "wild" in Italian.

Means "Yahweh is ruler" in Hebrew, from שָׂרָה (sara) meaning "to have power" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament, including the father of Ezra.

Feminine form of Severinus.

Means "joy" in Azerbaijani [1].

Means "dawn" in Hebrew.

Means "calm, tranquil" in Hebrew.

Means "guardian, protector" in Hebrew, from the root שָׁמַר (shamar) "to guard, to watch".

Means "red, scarlet" in Hebrew.

Means "I have asked of God" in Hebrew, from the roots שָׁאַל (shaʾal) meaning "to ask" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". According to the Old Testament this was the name of the father of Zerubbabel. It was also borne by a son of King Jeconiah of Judah (he is called Salathiel in some translations).

Means "lion" in Persian. A famous bearer of this name was Sher Shah, a 16th-century Mughal ruler.

Means "light, candle" in Aramaic.

Means "singing" in Hebrew.

Means "my song" in Hebrew.

Persian form of Avestan 𐬯𐬌𐬌𐬁𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬱𐬀𐬥 (Siiāuuarshan) meaning "possessing black stallions". This was the name of a virtuous prince in Iranian mythology. He appears briefly in the Avesta, with a longer account recorded in the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh.

Derived from Serbo-Croatian sin meaning "son".

Derived from Serbian and Croatian sladak meaning "sweet".

Italian form of Thaïs.

Means "furrowed" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name is borne by both a giant and also the father of King David's wife Maacah.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew טַלְיָה or טַלְיָא (see Talia 1).

Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Təranə.

Derived from the old Celtic root *toranos meaning "thunder", cognate with Þórr (see Thor). This was the name of the Gaulish thunder god, who was often identified with the Roman god Jupiter.

Possibly means "station" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament Terah is the father of Abraham. He led his people out of Ur and towards Canaan, but died along the way.

Short form of Terhenetär, which was derived from Finnish terhen meaning "mist". In the Finnish epic the Kalevala Terhenetär is a sprite associated with mist and forests.

From the ancient Greek name Θεόκλεια (Theokleia), which meant "glory of God" from the Greek elements θεός (theos) meaning "god" and κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 1st-century saint, appearing (as Θέκλα) in the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla. The story tells how Thecla listens to Paul speak about the virtues of chastity and decides to remain a virgin, angering both her mother and her suitor.

Derived from the Old Norse elements Þórr (see Thor) and fríðr "beautiful, beloved".

Derived from the Slavic element tixŭ (Serbo-Croatian tih) meaning "quiet".

Created by the Hungarian author Mór Jókai for a character in his novel The Golden Man (1873). The name is apparently based on the Greek word εὐθυμία (euthymia) meaning "good spirits, cheerfulness".

Possibly related to Georgian სინათლე (sinatle) meaning "light". The name was devised by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for his 12th-century epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin, in which Tinatin is the ruler of Arabia and the lover of Avtandil.

Means "good" in Hebrew.

Danish short form of Katrine.

Feminine form of Valerius. This was the name of a 2nd-century Roman saint and martyr.

Russian diminutive of Vasiliy (masculine) or a Macedonian and Bulgarian diminutive of Vasilija (feminine).

Means "clear, cheerful" in Croatian and Serbian.

From the Roman family name Velius, which possibly means "concealed" in Latin.

Derived from the Slavic elements velĭ "great" and mirŭ "peace, world".

Form of Venus, from the genitive form Veneris.

Means "rose" in Hebrew, originally a borrowing from an Iranian language.

Serbian and Croatian diminutive of Vera 1.

Derived from Bulgarian весел (vesel) meaning "cheerful".

Derived from Serbo-Croatian vesel meaning "cheerful".

Means "spring" in many Slavic languages. This was the name of a Slavic spirit associated with the springtime. It has been used as a given name only since the 20th century.

Means "ostrich" in Hebrew.

Feminine form of Zohar.

Alternate transcription of Arabic زهرة (see Zahra 2).

Means "dawning, shining" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of Judah and the twin of Perez in the Old Testament.