Hekate Rose's Personal Name List

Feminine form of Aali. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the singer Aaliyah Haughton (1979-2001), who was known simply as Aaliyah. This name received a boost in popularity after she released her debut album in 1994, and also in 2001 after her untimely death in an airplane crash.

In reference to 1 Corinthians 9:18, "What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my right in the gospel."

Variant of Adelia.

This is the Hebrew word for "man". It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew אדם (ʾaḏam) meaning "to be red", referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Akkadian adamu meaning "to make".

According to Genesis in the Old Testament Adam was created from the earth by God (there is a word play on Hebrew אֲדָמָה (ʾaḏama) meaning "earth"). He and Eve were supposedly the first humans, living happily in the Garden of Eden until they ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result they were expelled from Eden to the lands to the east, where they gave birth to the second generation, including Cain, Abel and Seth.

As an English Christian name, Adam has been common since the Middle Ages, and it received a boost after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).

Means "noble" in Hebrew.

Means "love" in Hebrew.

From Sino-Vietnamese 愛 (ái) meaning "love, affection".

Means "radiance, brilliance" in Irish. This was the name of a goddess of love and fertility in Irish legend, thought to dwell at the hill of Cnoc Áine in Limerick. It has sometimes been Anglicized as Anne.

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.

From Japanese 亜 (a) meaning "second, Asia", 伊 (i) meaning "Iraq, Iran" combined with 羅 (ra) meaning "lightweight fabric". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" combined with 星 (sha) meaning "star". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Usage of this name is, most likely, influenced by the name Aisha.

Variant of Alana, probably influenced by Elaine.

The meaning of this name is not known for certain. It was used in Brittany at least as early as the 6th century, and it possibly means either "little rock" or "handsome" in Breton. Alternatively, it may derive from the tribal name of the Alans, an Iranian people who migrated into Europe in the 4th and 5th centuries.

This was the name of several dukes of Brittany, and Breton settlers introduced it to England after the Norman Conquest. Famous modern bearers include Alan Shepard (1923-1998), the first American in space and the fifth man to walk on the moon, and Alan Turing (1912-1954), a British mathematician and computer scientist.

Feminine form of Alan. Canadian musician Alanis Morissette (1974-) was named after her father Alan. Her parents apparently decided to use this particular spelling after seeing this word in a Greek newspaper.

Spanish form of Alexandra.

From the Greek name Ἄλεξις (Alexis) meaning "helper" or "defender", derived from Greek ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, to help". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek comic poet, and also of several saints. It is used somewhat interchangeably with the related name Ἀλέξιος or Alexius, borne by five Byzantine emperors.

In the English-speaking world this name is more commonly given to girls. This is due to the American actress Alexis Smith (1921-1993), who began appearing in movies in the early 1940s. It got a boost in popularity in the 1980s from a character on the soap opera Dynasty.

Variant of Alyona or Eliana 1 or possibly a combination of Ali 2 and Ana.

Possibly a variant of Alethea.

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.

Variant of Ally 1.

Means "grace" in Igbo.

From Japanese 亜 (a) meaning "second, Asia" and 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Derived from Arabic أمين (ʾamīn) meaning "truthful". This was the name of the sixth Abbasid caliph.

From Ἄμμων (Ammon), the Greek form of Egyptian jmn (reconstructed as Yamanu) meaning "the hidden one". In early Egyptian mythology he was a god of the air, creativity and fertility, who was particularly revered in Thebes. Later, during the Middle Kingdom, his attributes were combined with those of the god Ra and he was worshipped as the supreme solar deity Amon-Ra.

Meaning unknown. This is the name of a character (also known as Darth Vader) in the Star Wars movie saga, created by George Lucas. Lucas may have based it on the surname of his friend and fellow director Ken Annakin.

Form of Hannah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the Hannah spelling instead of Anna. The name appears briefly in the New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin Mary.

In England, this Latin form has been used alongside the vernacular forms Ann and Anne since the late Middle Ages. Anna is currently the most common of these spellings in all English-speaking countries (since the 1970s), however the biblical form Hannah is presently more popular than all three.

The name was borne by several Russian royals, including an 18th-century empress of Russia. It is also the name of the main character in Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina (1877), about a married aristocrat who begins an ultimately tragic relationship with Count Vronsky.

Spanish and Italian form of Antonius (see Anthony). This has been a common name in Italy since the 14th century. In Spain it was the most popular name for boys in the 1950s and 60s.

Famous bearers include the Renaissance painter Antonio Pisanello (c. 1395-1455) and the Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). It is also the name of the main character in The Merchant of Venice (1596) by William Shakespeare.

From Old Irish Oébfinn or Aíbinn, derived from oíb meaning "beauty, appearance, form" and finn meaning "white, blessed". This was the name of the mother of Saint Énna of Aran. It was also borne by the daughter of the 10th-century Irish high king Donnchad Donn.

Means "song" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.

Feminine form of Arcadius. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.

Short form of Ariadne, Ariadna and Arianna.

Spanish, Catalan, Russian and Polish form of Ariadne.

Means "most holy", composed of the Greek prefix ἀρι (ari) meaning "most" combined with Cretan Greek ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". In Greek mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos. She fell in love with Theseus and helped him to escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, but was later abandoned by him. Eventually she married the god Dionysus.

Dutch form of Ariella.

Strictly feminine form of Ariel.

Variant of Erin or Aaron.

Diminutive of Arina.

Variant of Aria 1 or Arya 2.

Meaning unknown, possibly related either to Greek ἀρτεμής (artemes) meaning "safe" or ἄρταμος (artamos) meaning "a butcher". Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon and hunting, the twin of Apollo and the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was known as Diana to the Romans.

Means "I will sing", directly from the Hebrew word in the Old Testament.
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Means "rich" in Hebrew.

Means "without sorrow" in Sanskrit, from अ (a) meaning "not" and शोका (śokā) meaning "sorrow, grief". This name was borne by Ashoka (or Aśoka) the Great, a 3rd-century BC emperor of the Maurya Empire in northern India.

In Turkish means "rebellious, wild"

From Turkic arslan meaning "lion". This was a byname or title borne by several medieval Turkic rulers, including the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan (a byname meaning "brave lion") who drove the Byzantines from Anatolia in the 11th century. The author C. S. Lewis later used the name Aslan for the main protagonist (a lion) in his Chronicles of Narnia series of books, first appearing in 1950.

Hebrew form of Atarah.

From an English surname that was itself derived from the Norman French form of the given names Alberich or Alfred.

As a given name, it was used on the American sitcom Murphy Brown (1988-1998) for both the mother and son of the main character. By 1998 it was more popular as a name for girls in the United States, perhaps further inspired by a character from the movie Jerry Maguire (1996).

Feminine form of Avianus.

This name first occurred in the United States Social Security Administration's public name dataset in 1990, when it was given to 18 girls born in the U.S., following the widespread media coverage of the Avianca Flight 203 bombing on November 27, 1989. The name of the Colombian airline Avianca is said to be an acronym of Spanish Aerovías del Continente Americano meaning "Airways of the American Continent". Its use as a given name is probably due to its similarity to other names like Bianca and Aviana.

A known bearer is South African-born former beauty pageant titleholder Avianca Böhm (1990-), who was crowned Miss Universe New Zealand 2012 but was stripped of her crown because she did not hold New Zealand citizenship.

Variant of Aviana.

Hebrew form of Abraham.

French form of April. A famous bearer is the Canadian musician Avril Lavigne (1984-).

From Japanese 彩 (aya) meaning "colour" or 綾 (aya) meaning "design" combined with 乃 (no), a possessive particle. Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew אֵלָה (see Ela 3).

Modern Turkish name taking the common name element ay, meaning "moon" and the element ün, meaning "fame".

From the name of the flower (shrubs of the genus Rhododendron), ultimately derived from Greek ἀζαλέος (azaleos) meaning "dry".

English form of Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaios), which was the Greek form of an Aramaic name meaning "son of Talmai". In the New Testament Bartholomew is the byname of an apostle, possibly the same person as the apostle Nathanael. According to tradition he was a missionary to India before returning westward to Armenia, where he was martyred by flaying. Due to the popularity of this saint the name became common in England during the Middle Ages.

Means "beautiful, handsome" in French. It has been used as a given name since the middle of the 20th century. In Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind (1936) this is the name of Ashley and Melanie's son.

Although this is a grammatically masculine adjective in French, it is given to girls as well as boys in Britain and the Netherlands. In America it is more exclusively masculine. It is not commonly used as a name in France itself.

Combination of Belle and Anna.
B’Elanna Torres is a main character in “Star Trek: Voyager”, an American science fiction television series. She is portrayed as half-human and half-Klingon.

Means "female warrior" in Latin. This is the name of the star that marks the left shoulder of the constellation Orion.

Diminutive of Benjamin.

Diminutive of Rebecca, Beckett, Beatrix and other names containing the beck sound.

Popularized by the American singer Beyoncé Knowles (1981-) whose given name came from her mother's maiden name (which was originally Beyincé, of Louisiana Creole origin). This name appeared on the United States top 1000 list in 2001, around the time her group Destiny's Child was at the height of their popularity.

Italian cognate of Blanche. Shakespeare had characters named Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew (1593) and Othello (1603).

Diminutive of Bill. It is also used as a feminine form of William.

Diminutive of Elizabeth, from a child's pronunciation of the final syllable. It is now associated with the main character from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).

From an English word meaning "rhythm, flow". It has been in use only since the 20th century.

Short form of Caroline or other names that begin with caro, commonly used in Great Britain (England).

German feminine form of Carolus.

Feminine form of Caelinus. This name can also function as a short form of Marcelina.

English short form of Michaela, or a variant of Kayla.

Means "man who walks the Earth but who only sees the sky" in the language of the fictional Anurabi tribe. Chakotay was the name of the first officer in 'Star Trek: Voyager'.

From a French surname that was derived from a place name meaning "stony". It was originally given in honour of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, the founder of the Visitation Order in the 17th century. It has become associated with French chant "song".

Variant of Chantal.

Means "happiness, joy" in Greek.

Variant of Charlie, typically feminine.

Diminutive or feminine form of Charles. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). It is also borne by Charlie Brown, the main character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz.

French feminine diminutive of Charles. It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. It was the name of a German-born 18th-century queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Another notable bearer was Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), the eldest of the three Brontë sisters and the author of Jane Eyre and Villette. A famous fictional bearer is the spider in the children's novel Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.

This name was fairly common in France, England and the United States in the early 20th century. It became quite popular in France and England at the end of the 20th century, just when it was at a low point in the United States. It quickly climbed the American charts and entered the top ten in 2014.

Derived from Hebrew חָיָה (ḥaya) meaning "living", considered a feminine form of Chaim.

Short form of Chester.

Italian form of Clara. Saint Chiara (commonly called Clare in English) was a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi.

From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and 尋 (hiro) meaning "fathom, armspan", as well as other kanji combinations. This is the name of the main character in the Japanese animated movie Spirited Away (2001).

Means "little ashes", in part from the French name Cendrillon. This is the main character in the folktale Cinderella about a maltreated young woman who eventually marries a prince. This old story is best known in the English-speaking world from the French author Charles Perrault's 1697 version. She has other names in other languages, usually with the meaning "ashes", such as German Aschenputtel and Italian Cenerentola.

Feminine form of the Late Latin name Clarus, which meant "clear, bright, famous". The name Clarus was borne by a few early saints. The feminine form was popularized by the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi (called Chiara in Italian), a friend and follower of Saint Francis, who left her wealthy family to found the order of nuns known as the Poor Clares.

As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages, originally in the form Clare, though the Latinate spelling Clara overtook it in the 19th century and became very popular. It declined through most of the 20th century (being eclipsed by the French form Claire in English-speaking countries), though it has since recovered somewhat.

Latinate form of Clarice. This is the name of the title character in a 1748 novel by Samuel Richardson. In the novel Clarissa Harlowe is a virtuous woman who is tragically exploited by her family and her lover. Another literary character by this name is Clarissa Dalloway from the novel Mrs. Dalloway (1925) by Virginia Woolf.

Portuguese form and French variant of Chloe.

Derived from the Irish word cailín meaning "girl". It is not commonly used in Ireland itself, but has been used in America since the early 20th century.

Latinized form of Kore. It was not used as a given name in the English-speaking world until after it was employed by James Fenimore Cooper for a character in his novel The Last of the Mohicans (1826). In some cases it may be a short form of Cordula, Corinna and other names beginning with a similar sound.

From an aristocratic English surname that was derived either from the French place name Courtenay (originally a derivative of the personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short") or else from a Norman nickname meaning "short nose".

Originally more common as a name for boys in America, it became more popular for girls in the 1960s. It began rapidly increasing after 1973, possibly due to a character (played by Natalie Wood) in the television movie The Affair. It reached an apex in the United States ranked 17th in 1990, though it has quickly fallen away since then.

Variant of Deidra.

From the name of the flower, which was named for the Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.

From Δαναοί (Danaoi), a word used by Homer to designate the Greeks. In Greek mythology Danaë was the daughter of the Argive king Acrisius. It had been prophesied to her father that he would one day be killed by Danaë's son, so he attempted to keep his daughter childless. However, Zeus came to her in the form of a shower of gold, and she became the mother of Perseus. Eventually the prophecy was fulfilled and Perseus killed Acrisius, albeit accidentally.

From Greek δηιόω (deioo) meaning "to slay" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man". In Greek mythology this was the name of the wife of Herakles. She unwittingly poisoned her husband by giving him the Shirt of Nessus.

Variant of Deianira.

Variant of Deirdre.

Hebrew form of Deborah.

Short form of Diana.

Means "divine, goddesslike", a derivative of Latin dia or diva meaning "goddess". It is ultimately related to the same Indo-European root *dyew- found in Zeus. Diana was a Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests and childbirth, often identified with the Greek goddess Artemis.

As a given name, Diana has been regularly used since the Renaissance. It became more common in the English-speaking world following Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy (1817), which featured a character named Diana Vernon. It also appeared in George Meredith's novel Diana of the Crossways (1885). A notable bearer was the British royal Diana Spencer (1961-1997), the Princess of Wales.

Meaning unknown, probably of Phoenician origin. Dido, also called Elissa, was the queen of Carthage in Virgil's Aeneid. She threw herself upon a funeral pyre after Aeneas left her. Virgil based the story on earlier Greco-Roman accounts.

Means "judged" in Hebrew, derived from דִּין (din) meaning "to judge". According to the Old Testament, Dinah was a daughter of Jacob and Leah who was abducted by Shechem. It has been used as an English given name since after the Protestant Reformation.

Usual English form of Dorothea. It has been in use since the 16th century. The author L. Frank Baum used it for the central character, Dorothy Gale, in his fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and several of its sequels.

Irish form of Eve.

Modern Irish form of Étaín.

Anglicized form of Aoibheann.

Anglicized form of Eilís.

Modern Irish form of Emer.

Alternate transcription of Burmese အိန္ဒြာ (see Eaindra).

Possibly from Old Irish etne meaning "kernel, grain". In Irish mythology Eithne or Ethniu was a Fomorian and the mother of Lugh Lámfada. It was borne by several other legendary and historical figures, including a few early saints.

Hebrew form of Elah. In modern Hebrew it is usually a feminine name.

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

Short form of Elixabete first recorded in the 16th century.

Variant of Elise.

From an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning "Ella's town". A famous bearer of this name is British musician Elton John (1947-), born Reginald Dwight, who adopted his stage name in honour of his former bandmate Elton Dean (1945-2006).

Meaning uncertain, perhaps related to Old Norse almr "elm". In Norse mythology Embla and her husband Ask were the first humans. They were created by three of the gods from two trees.

Latvian feminine form of Aemilius (see Emily).

Means "dawn" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the dawn.

Anglicized form of Éireann. It was initially used by people of Irish heritage in America, Canada and Australia. It was rare until the mid-1950s.

From the Hebrew name אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah.

This name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. In America it received a boost in popularity after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893-1980), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland [1].

Anglicized form of Iomhar.

Means "good news" from Greek εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἄγγελμα (angelma) meaning "news, message". It was (first?) used by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1847 epic poem Evangeline [1][2]. It also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) as the full name of the character Eva.

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

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

Icelandic and Old Norse form of Freya.

Norwegian form of Freya.

Means "wave" in Hebrew.

Medieval Italian name derived from Latin galilaeus meaning "Galilean, from Galilee". Galilee is a region in northern Israel, mentioned in the New Testament as the site of several of Jesus's miracles. It is derived from the Hebrew root גָּלִיל (galil) meaning "district, roll".

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was an important Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer. Both his name and surname were from an earlier 15th-century ancestor (a doctor).

Means "birth, origin" in Greek. This is the name of the first book of the Old Testament in the Bible. It tells of the creation of the world, the expulsion of Adam and Eve, Noah and the great flood, and the three patriarchs.

Possibly a shortened form of Genevieve. It could also be inspired by the name of the city in Switzerland. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century.

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 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.

From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "heather field" in Old English.

From an English surname that meant "son of Harry". This was the surname of two American presidents, William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) and his grandson Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901). As a given name it reached a low point in America in 1977 before it was revived by the career of actor Harrison Ford (1942-), who starred in such movies as Star Wars in 1977 and Indiana Jones in 1984.

From an English surname that was originally derived from the name of an English town (meaning "hay clearing" from Old English heg "hay" and leah "clearing"). It was brought to public attention as a given name, especially in the United Kingdom, by the British child actress Hayley Mills (1946-) [1].

This is the most common spelling of this name in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand; in the United States the spellings Haley and Hailey are more popular.

Greek form of Hecate.

Short form of Helena as well as a derivation from Estonian hele ''bright, clear, light''.

Latinized form of Herakles. However, the spelling used by the Romans was Hercules.

Old German form of Hugh. As a surname it has belonged to the French author Victor Hugo (1802-1885), the writer of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables.

From an English occupational surname for a hunter, derived from Old English hunta. A famous bearer was the eccentric American journalist Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005).

Possibly means "interpreter, teacher" in Arabic, related to the root درس (darasa) meaning "to study, to learn". According to the Quran this was the name of an ancient prophet. He is traditionally equated with the Hebrew prophet Enoch.

Means "beauty" in Sanskrit. This is another name of Lakshmi, the wife of the Hindu god Vishnu. A notable bearer was India's first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi (1917-1984).

English form of Inés.

Short form of Irina.

Short form of Ivana.

Diminutive of Ivana.

Feminine form of Ivaylo.

From the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers. It is ultimately derived from Old English ifig.

Diminutive of Jadwiga.

Form of Jacob (or James) used in several languages.

From the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian یاسمین (yāsamīn), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans [1]. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.

Short form of Jesse or Jessica.

This name was first used in this form by William Shakespeare in his play The Merchant of Venice (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name Iscah, which would have been spelled Jescha in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century. It reached its peak of popularity in the United States in 1987, and was the top ranked name for girls between 1985 and 1995, excepting 1991 and 1992 (when it was unseated by Ashley). Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) and Jessica Lange (1949-).

German, Swedish and English variant of Jessica.

English form of Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name Ἰωάννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yoḥanan). It means "Yahweh is gracious", from the roots יוֹ (yo) referring to the Hebrew God and חָנַן (ḥanan) meaning "to be gracious". The Hebrew form occurs in the Old Testament (spelled Johanan or Jehohanan in the English version), but this name owes its popularity to two New Testament characters, both highly revered saints. The first is John the Baptist, a Jewish ascetic who is considered the forerunner of Jesus. He baptized Jesus and was later executed by Herod Antipas. The second is the apostle John, who is traditionally regarded as the author of the fourth gospel and Revelation. With the apostles Peter and James (John's brother), he was part of the inner circle of Jesus.

This name was initially more common among Eastern Christians in the Byzantine Empire, but it flourished in Western Europe after the First Crusade. In England it became extremely popular, typically being the most common male name from the 13th to the 20th century (but sometimes outpaced by William). During the later Middle Ages it was given to approximately a fifth of all English boys. In the United States it was the most common name for boys until 1923.

The name (in various spellings) has been borne by 21 popes and eight Byzantine emperors, as well as rulers of England, France, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Russia and Hungary. It was also borne by the poet John Milton (1608-1674), philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), American founding father and president John Adams (1735-1826), and poet John Keats (1795-1821). Famous bearers of the 20th century include author John Steinbeck (1902-1968), assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), and musician John Lennon (1940-1980).

The forms Ian (Scottish), Sean (Irish) and Evan (Welsh) have also been frequently used in the English-speaking world, as has the medieval diminutive Jack.

Means "pretty" in French. This name was popularized by American actress Angelina Jolie (1975-), whose surname was originally her middle name. It is not used as a given name in France.

From the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is יַרְדֵן (Yarḏen), and it is derived from יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend, flow down". In the New Testament John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Latin name Jordanes, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.

This name died out after the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. In America and other countries it became fairly popular in the second half of the 20th century. A famous bearer of the surname is former basketball star Michael Jordan (1963-).

From Japanese 珠 (ju) meaning "pearl" combined with 亜 (a) meaning "second, Asia" or 杏 (a) meaning "apricot". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Feminine form of the Roman family name Julius. Among the notable women from this family were Julia Augusta (also known as Livia Drusilla), the wife of Emperor Augustus, and Julia the Elder, the daughter of Augustus and the wife of Tiberius. A person by this name has a brief mention in the New Testament. It was also borne by a few early saints and martyrs, including the patron saint of Corsica. Additionally, Shakespeare used it in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).

It has been common as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the 18th century. A famous modern bearer is American actress Julia Roberts (1967-).

From Chinese 君 (jūn) meaning "king, ruler", 俊 (jùn) meaning "talented, handsome" (which is usually only masculine) or 军 (jūn) meaning "army" (also usually only masculine) [1]. This is also a single-character Korean name, often from the hanja 俊 meaning "talented, handsome". This name can be formed by other characters besides those shown here.

From the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.

Means "sea" in Hawaiian.

Danish short form of Katherine. It became common in the English-speaking world after the 1930s.

Variant of Cassidy.

Recent usage, a Lithuanian form of Cataleya

Form of Katherine in several languages.

Italian form of Katyusha.

Diminutive of Yekaterina. This is the name of a 1938 Soviet song, which became popular during World War II.

Variant of Kailani or Kalani. This spelling was popularized by the American singer Kehlani Parrish (1995-), who is known simply as Kehlani.

From an English surname that comes from the name of the city of Kendale in northwestern England meaning "valley on the river Kent". Originally mostly masculine, the name received a boost in popularity for girls in 1993 when the devious character Kendall Hart began appearing on the American soap opera All My Children.

Chechen and Ingush form of Eve.

Variant of Chloe. This particular variant was popularized by the television personality Khloé Kardashian (1984-) after she began appearing with her family on the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2007.

From the name of the city of Kimberley in South Africa, which was named after Lord Kimberley (1826-1902). The city came to prominence in the late 19th century during the Boer War. Kimberly has been used as a given name since the mid-20th century, eventually becoming very popular as a feminine name.

From an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning "church settlement" in Old Norse. This name briefly spiked in popularity for American girls in 1982 after the character Kirby Anders Colby was introduced to the soap opera Dynasty.

From an English and Scottish surname meaning "church" from Old Norse kirkja, ultimately from Greek κυριακόν (kyriakon). A famous bearer was American actor Kirk Douglas (1916-2020), whose birth name was Issur Danielovitch.

Norwegian and Swedish form of Christina.

Means "maiden" in Greek. This was another name for the Greek goddess Persephone.

Alternate transcription of Ancient Greek Κόρη (see Kore).

Short form of Kristian, Kristoffer and other names beginning with Kris.

Derived from Sanskrit कृष्ण (kṛṣṇa) meaning "black, dark". This is the name of a Hindu deity believed to be an incarnation of the god Vishnu. According to the Mahabharata and the Puranas he was the youngest of King Vasudeva's eight sons by Devaki, six of whom were killed by King Kamsa because of a prophecy that a child of Vasudeva would kill Kamsa. However, Krishna and his brother Balarama were saved and he eventually fulfilled the prophecy by slaying the evil king. He then helped the Pandavas defeat the Kauravas in the Mahabharata War. His philosophical conversation with the Pandava leader Arjuna forms the text of the important Hindu scripture the Bhagavad Gita.

In some Hindu traditions, Krishna is regarded as the supreme deity. He is usually depicted with blue skin. He is also known by many epithets, such as Govinda, Gopala, and the patronymic Vasūdeva.

Czech form of Christopher.

Feminine form of Kyle, or a combination of the popular phonetic elements ky and la.

Variant of Layla.

Possibly a newer form of Luigsech, or from the name of the county of Laois in central Ireland. It is also used as an Irish form of Lucy or Louise.

Combination of the popular prefix la with the name Rae, possibly influenced by Lorraine.

From the name of the laurel tree, ultimately from Latin laurus.

Variant or feminine form of Laurence 1. Originally a masculine name, it was first popularized as a feminine name by actress Betty Jean Perske (1924-2014), who used Lauren Bacall as her stage name.

From a French surname that was derived from a place name, ultimately from the Gaulish word vern "alder". It is sometimes associated with the Roman goddess Laverna or the Latin word vernus "of spring".

Meaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.

Form of Leah used in several languages.

From a Scottish surname that was derived from the name of a district in Scotland. The district, called Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly means "place of elms". This name steadily rose in popularity in the 2000s, at the same time as the similar-sounding (but unrelated) names Lennon and Knox.

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.

Feminine form of Leon.

Possibly means "joined, attached" in Hebrew. As told in the Old Testament, Levi was the third son of Jacob and Leah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, known as the Levites. This was the tribe that formed the priestly class of the Israelites. The brothers Moses and Aaron were members. This name also occurs in the New Testament, where it is borne by a son of Alphaeus. He might be the same person as the apostle Matthew.

As an English Christian name, Levi came into use after the Protestant Reformation.

From Chinese 理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic", 立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish", 黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn", 力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or 丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.

Short form of Carolien and other names ending in lien.

German diminutive of Elisabeth.

From a German and Dutch surname that was derived from Old High German linta meaning "linden tree".

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain. As a surname it was borne by the American author Jack London (1876-1916).

Short form of Charlotte or Liselotte.

Short form of Lovisa.

Variant of Léa.

Irish form of Magdalene.

English form of Madeleine. This is the name of the heroine in a series of children's books by the Austrian-American author Ludwig Bemelmans, first published 1939.

Variant of May. A famous bearer was the American actress Mae West (1893-1980), whose birth name was Mary.

Feminine form of Maël.

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

Anglicized form of the Irish name Medb meaning "intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. She and her husband Ailill fought against the Ulster king Conchobar and the hero Cúchulainn, as told in the Irish epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley.

Late Latin name meaning "great". It was borne by a 7th-century saint who was a missionary in Germany. It became popular in Scandinavia after the time of the 11th-century Norwegian king Magnus I, who was said to have been named after Charlemagne, or Carolus Magnus in Latin (however there was also a Norse name Magni). The name was borne by six subsequent kings of Norway as well as three kings of Sweden. It was imported to Scotland and Ireland during the Middle Ages.

This name became popular after the Battle of Maida (1806), which took place near the Italian town of Maida and ended in a victory for Britain. In 18th- and 19th-century America it was used as a diminutive of both Madeline and Magdalena. It is also associated with the English word maid meaning "maiden, virgin, girl".

This was the name of Sir Walter Scott's favorite dog, a male deerhound named after the Battle of Maida. It was also borne by the heroine of Inez Haynes Irwin's 19th-century Maida Westabrook series of children's books (now obscure).

Hawaiian form of Maria. This name experienced a spike in popularity in 2009, due to the eldest daughter (born 1998) of the new American president Barack Obama.

Maliya is the Hittite goddess of gardens, often associated with the horse-god Pirwa and the goddess Kamrušepa. All three gods are connected to horses. She was originally worshipped in southeastern Anatolia at Kaniš and Kizzuwatna. She was later incorporated into the Luwian pantheon.

From an English surname that meant "unfortunate" in Norman French. It first became common in the 1980s due to the American sitcom Family Ties (1982-1989), which featured a character by this name.

Variant of Margot.

French short form of Margaret.

Italian diminutive of Maria.

Dutch diminutive of Maria.

Medieval French diminutive of Marie.

Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of Maria, as well as an alternate transcription of Belarusian Марыя (see Maryia).

Meaning unknown. This name was popularized by the American actor Marlon Brando (1924-2004), who was named after his father.

From the English word, ultimately derived from Latin malva "mallow", which has a purple color. Its use as a name is probably inspired by the similar name Maeve.

Means "illusion, magic" in Sanskrit. In Buddhist tradition this is the name of the mother of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). This is also another name of the Hindu goddess Durga.

From the Greek Μέδουσα (Medousa), which was derived from μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek myth this was the name of one of the three Gorgons, ugly women who had snakes for hair. She was so hideous that anyone who gazed upon her was turned to stone, so the hero Perseus had to look using the reflection in his shield in order to slay her.

From Persian مهر (mehr) meaning "sun" or "friendship" and ناز (nāz) meaning "delight, comfort". This is the name of a character in the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh.

The name of the main character in the Disney/Pixar movie Brave (2012) about a medieval Scottish princess. The meaning of her name is unexplained, though it could be based on the Spanish city of Mérida, derived from Latin Emerita Augusta meaning "veterans of Augustus", so named because it was founded by the emperor Augustus as a colony for his veterans.

Old German form of Miles, as well as the Latinized form. This form was revived as an English name in the 19th century [2].

Diminutive of Wilhelmina. This name was used by Walt Disney for the cartoon character Minnie Mouse, introduced 1928.

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.

Yiddish diminutive of Miriam.

Derived from Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace", or a combination of 美 (mi) meaning "beauty", 実 (mi) meaning "berry, fruit, nut, real", 看 (mi) meaning "to watch, to care for", or 見 (mi) meaning "to see" and 夜 (ya) meaning "night" or 屋 (ya) meaning "shop".

Other kanji combinations are also possible.

From a French surname that was derived from either Hamon or Edmond. This was the surname of the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).

From the Old Welsh masculine name Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh mor "sea" and cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).

Yiddish diminutive of Mordecai. This is the name of a character in the musical Fiddler on the Roof (1964).

Means "wishes, desires", from the plural form of Munya.

Simply from the English word myrtle for the evergreen shrub, ultimately from Greek μύρτος (myrtos). It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.

French diminutive of Nadia 1.

Biblical Hebrew form of Naomi 1.

From the Hebrew name נָעֳמִי (Naʿomi) meaning "my pleasantness", a derivative of נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be Mara because of her misfortune (see Ruth 1:20).

Though long common as a Jewish name, Naomi was not typically used as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer is the British model Naomi Campbell (1970-).

Form of Natalia (see Natalie) in several languages.

Variant of Nathanael. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. This has been the most popular spelling, even though the spelling Nathanael is found in most versions of the New Testament. The American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of The Scarlet Letter, was a famous bearer of this name.

Means "beautiful" in Hebrew.

Navia (also known as Nabia) was the goddess of rivers and water in Gallaecian and Lusitanian mythology. The name is still used in present-day Galicia.

Short form of Geneva.

From the name of the American state, which means "snow-capped" in Spanish.

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.

French feminine form of Nicholas, commonly used in the English-speaking world since the middle of the 20th century. A famous bearer is American-Australian actress Nicole Kidman (1967-).

Modern Hebrew form of Noah 2, the daughter of Zelophehad in the Bible. It is also the form used in several other languages, as well as the spelling used in some English versions of the Old Testament.

Means "heavenly mist" from Hawaiian noe "mist" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".

Feminine form of Noël.

English form of Noëlle.

Means "sixth born child" in Akan.

Used by British author Edward Bulwer-Lytton for a blind flower-seller in his novel The Last Days of Pompeii (1834). He perhaps based it on Latin nidus "nest".

Means "family" in Hawaiian.

From Old French Olivier, which was possibly derived from Latin oliva "olive tree" [1]. Alternatively there could be an underlying Germanic name, such as Old Norse Áleifr (see Olaf) or Frankish Alawar (see Álvaro), with the spelling altered by association with the Latin word. In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier is a friend and advisor to the hero Roland.

In England Oliver was a common medieval name, however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due in part to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1838), about a poor orphan living on the streets of London. It became very popular at the beginning of the 21st century, reaching the top rank for boys in England and Wales in 2009 and entering the top ten in the United States in 2017.

Means "strength" in Hebrew.

From the name of the capital city of France, which got its name from the Gaulish tribe known as the Parisii. In America the popularity of this name spiked up and then down between 2003 and 2006, around the time that the television personality and socialite Paris Hilton (1981-) was at the height of her fame.

Derived from Greek παρθένος (parthenos) meaning "maiden, virgin". This was the name of one of the mares of Marmax in Greek mythology.

Greek name meaning "Persian woman". This is the name of a woman mentioned in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament.

From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek φοῖνιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".

Means "little playful one" in Powhatan, an Algonquian language. This was the nickname of a 17th-century Powhatan woman, a daughter of the powerful chief Wahunsenacawh. She married the white colonist John Rolfe and travelled with him to England, but died of illness before returning.

From the Hebrew name רָחֵל (Raḥel) meaning "ewe". In the Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of Jacob. Her father Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.

The name was common among Jews in the Middle Ages, but it was not generally used as a Christian name in the English-speaking world until after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately popular in the first half of the 20th century, but starting in the 1960s it steadily rose, reaching highs in the 1980s and 90s. The character Rachel Green on the American sitcom Friends (1994-2004) may have only helped delay its downswing.

Notable bearers include American conservationist Rachel Carson (1907-1964), British actress Rachel Weisz (1970-), and Canadian actress Rachel McAdams (1978-).

Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Raphael.

Feminine form of Ramón. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by Helen Hunt Jackson's novel Ramona (1884), as well as several subsequent movies based on the book.

French form of Raphael.

From the name of an edible plant. It is borne by a long-haired young woman locked in a tower in an 1812 German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. An evil sorceress gave her the name after she was taken as a baby from her parents, who had stolen the rapunzel plant from the sorceress's garden. The Grimms adapted the story from earlier tales (which used various names for the heroine).

Spanish and Portuguese form of Rachel.

From the Hebrew name רִבְקָה (Rivqa), probably from a Semitic root meaning "join, tie, snare". This is the name of the wife of Isaac and the mother of Esau and Jacob in the Old Testament. It came into use as an English Christian name after the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular with the Puritans in the 17th century. It has been consistently used since then, becoming especially common in the second half of the 20th century.

This name is borne by a Jewish woman in Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), as well as the title character (who is deceased and unseen) in Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca (1938).

Variant of Rémy.

Combination of Ria and Anne 1. It can also be a short form of names ending in rianne.

From the Late Latin name Romanus meaning "Roman". This name was borne by several early saints including a 7th-century bishop of Rouen, as well as medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia.

Italian form of Roxana.

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).

Variant of Roxana.

Indian from of Rihanna

Finnish form of Sarah.

Latinized form of Sadb.

Means "ray of light" in Finnish.

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.

Feminine form of Sani 1.

Derived from South Slavic sanjati meaning "to dream".

Means "freedom" in Irish Gaelic. It was first used as a given name in the 20th century.

From the name of the gemstone, typically blue, which is the traditional birthstone of September. It is derived from Greek σάπφειρος (sappheiros), ultimately from the Hebrew word סַפִּיר (sappir).

From the Old German element sahso meaning "a Saxon". The Saxons were a Germanic tribe, their name ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife". Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642) was the wife of the Dutch painter Rembrandt.

Anglicized form of Shahrazad.

From a Late Latin name that was derived from scholasticus meaning "rhetorician, orator". Saint Scholastica was a 6th-century Benedictine abbess, the sister of Saint Benedict of Nursia.

From Japanese 精 (sei) meaning "refined".

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

Means "moon" in Greek. This was the name of a Greek goddess of the moon, a Titan. She was sometimes identified with the goddess Artemis.

Means "God loves me" or "divine love" in Ewe.

French form of Zipporah.

From the English word for the number, derived from Old English seofon (from an Indo-European root shared by Latin septem and Greek ἑπτά (hepta)).

Alternate transcription of Yiddish שיינאַ (see Shayna).

Anglicized form of Siobhán. In some cases it might be considered a combination of the phonetic element sha and Yvonne.

Combination of the phonetic prefix sha and the name Lena.

Means "charming, eloquent" in Persian.

Irish form of Jeannette.

Means "elf, sprite" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.

Croatian and Georgian form of Zipporah.

Variant of Skyler. Originally more common for boys during the 1980s, it was popularized as a name for girls after it was used on the American soap opera The Young and the Restless in 1989 and the movie Good Will Hunting in 1997 [1]. Its sharp rise in the United States in 2011 might be attributed to the character Skyler White from the television series Breaking Bad (2008-2013) or the singer Skylar Grey (1986-), who adopted this name in 2010 after previously going by Holly Brook.

From the Hebrew name שְׁלֹמֹה (Shelomo), which was derived from שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". As told in the Old Testament, Solomon was a king of Israel, the son of David and Bathsheba. He was renowned for his wisdom and wealth. Towards the end of his reign he angered God by turning to idolatry. Supposedly, he was the author of the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon.

This name has never been overly common in the Christian world, and it is considered typically Jewish. It was however borne by an 11th-century Hungarian king.

Diminutive of Stephen or Stephanie. A famous bearer is the American musician Stevie Wonder (1950-).

Alternate transcription of Arabic ثريّا or ثريّة (see Thurayya), as well as the usual Malay form.

From Japanese 達 (tatsu) meaning "achieve" combined with 夫 (o) meaning "man, husband". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.

Short form of Theresa. This is the name of the main character in Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891).

Contracted form of Theresa.

Short form of Theodore, Theobald and other names that begin with Theo.

Short form of names ending with tia. It has been suggested that its use since the 1950s is the result of the brand name for the coffee liqueur Tia Maria [1]. In the brand name, Tia is not a given name; rather, it means "aunt" in Spanish or Portuguese.

Anglicized form of Tighearnach.

From Sino-Vietnamese 信 (tín) meaning "trust, believe".

From the English word for the yellow precious stone, the traditional birthstone of November, ultimately derived from Greek τόπαζος (topazos).

From the English word Trinity, given in honour of the Christian belief that God has one essence, but three distinct expressions of being: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It has only been in use as a given name since the 20th century.

Short form of Valentine 1, Valerie and other names beginning with Val.

Invented by author Jonathan Swift for his 1726 poem Cadenus and Vanessa [1]. He arrived at it by rearranging the initial syllables of the first name and surname of Esther Vanhomrigh, his close friend. Vanessa was later used as the name of a genus of butterfly. It was a rare given name until the mid-20th century, at which point it became fairly popular.

Means "love, sexual desire" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of love and sex. Her character was assimilated with that of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. As the mother of Aeneas she was considered an ancestor of the Roman people. The second planet from the sun is named after her.

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.

Means "of the evening", derived from Esperanto vespero "evening", ultimately from Latin vesper.

Short form of names ending in -via. In the USA the popularity of this name was triggered by the movie Wonder (2017) where the main character Olivia goes by Via.

From the name of the capital city of Austria, Vienna.

Variant of Viviane.

Albanian form of Jessica.

From Yamato, an ancient name for Japan. It can also refer to the Yamato period in Japanese history, which lasted into the 8th century. The individual kanji are 大 meaning "great" and 和 meaning "harmony".

Alternate transcription of Arabic ياسمين or Urdu یاسمین (see Yasmin).

From French gentille meaning "noble, aristocratic". This is the name of a gossipy matchmaker in the musical Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on late 19th-century stories by Sholem Aleichem. Due to the character, this name has also acquired the meaning "gossiper".

Spanish form of Jessica.

Short form of Zachary.

Possibly based on Zahra 2 or the Nigerian city of Zaria.

Transferred use of the surname Zeppelin; from the surname of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917), a German aeronautical pioneer, designer and manufacturer of airships. The feminine variant Zeppelina was 'given to one or two English girls during the First World War when Zeppelins arrived over England. The airships took their name from Count von Zeppelin, whose family name according to German scholars was of Slavic origin, but of unknown meaning' (Dunkling & Gosling, 1986).

Modern usage of the name may also be inspired by the English rock band Led Zeppelin (formed 1968).

Feminine form of Ziv.

Dutch form and English variant of Zoe.

Feminine form of Zosimos (see Zosimus).