lunarssong's Personal Name List
Ailbhe
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: AL-vyə(Irish)
From Old Irish
Ailbe, possibly derived from the old Celtic root *
albiyo- "world, light, white" or Old Irish
ail "rock". In Irish legend this was the name of a female warrior of the Fianna. It was also the name of a 6th-century masculine
saint, the founder of a monastery at Emly.
Akane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 茜, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あかね(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KA-NEH
From Japanese
茜 (akane) meaning "deep red, dye from the rubia plant". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
Alba 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Aliki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Αλίκη(Greek)
Greek form of
Alice. It also corresponds with the Greek word
άλικη meaning "scarlet".
Amber
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: AM-bər(English) AHM-bər(Dutch)
From the English word
amber that denotes either the gemstone, which is formed from fossil resin, or the orange-yellow colour. The word ultimately derives from Arabic
عنبر (ʿanbar) meaning "ambergris". It began to be used as a given name in the late 19th century, but it only became popular after the release of Kathleen Winsor's novel
Forever Amber (1944).
Amethyst
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AM-ə-thist
From the name of the purple semi-precious stone, which is derived from the Greek negative prefix
ἀ (a) and
μέθυστος (methystos) meaning "intoxicated, drunk", as it was believed to be a remedy against drunkenness. It is the traditional birthstone of February.
Aranka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: AW-rawng-kaw
Derived from Hungarian
arany meaning
"gold". It is used as a vernacular form of
Aurélia.
Ardit
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Albanian
Means "golden day" in Albanian, from ar "gold" and ditë "day".
Argyros
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἄργυρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AR-GUY-ROS
Means "silver" in Greek.
Ash
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ASH
Short form of
Ashley. It can also come directly from the English word denoting either the tree or the residue of fire.
Aurea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman
Late Latin name that was derived from
aureus "golden". This was the name of a 3rd-century
saint from Ostia (near Rome), as well as an 11th-century Spanish saint.
Aya 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 彩, 綾, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あや(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-YA
From Japanese
彩 (aya) meaning "colour",
綾 (aya) meaning "design", or other kanji characters with the same pronunciation.
Azure
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AZH-ər
From the English word that means "sky blue". It is ultimately (via Old French, Latin and Arabic) from Persian
لاجورد (lājvard) meaning "azure, lapis lazuli".
Běla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: BYEH-la
Derived from the Old Slavic word *
bělŭ meaning
"white".
Belobog
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Slavic Mythology
Means
"the white god" from Old Slavic
bělŭ "white" and
bogŭ "god". This was the name of a poorly attested (possibly spurious) Slavic god of good fortune.
Bianca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Romanian
Pronounced: BYANG-ka
Italian
cognate of
Blanche. Shakespeare had characters named Bianca in
The Taming of the Shrew (1593) and
Othello (1603).
Blaine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BLAYN
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the Old Irish given name
Bláán.
Bora 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Derived from Albanian borë meaning "snow".
Cam 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Vietnamese
Pronounced: KAM
From Sino-Vietnamese
柑 (cam) meaning
"orange (fruit)".
Carmen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, French, Romanian, German
Pronounced: KAR-mehn(Spanish, Italian) KAHR-mən(English)
Medieval Spanish form of
Carmel, appearing in the devotional title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora del Carmen meaning "Our Lady of Mount Carmel". The spelling has been altered through association with the Latin word
carmen meaning
"song". This was the name of the main character in George Bizet's opera
Carmen (1875).
Cerise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SU-REEZ
Means "cherry" in French.
Charna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish (Rare)
Other Scripts: טשאַרנאַ(Yiddish)
From a Slavic word meaning "black".
Chloe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1], Ancient Greek [2], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Χλόη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KLO-ee(English)
Means
"green shoot" in Greek, referring to new plant growth in the spring. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Demeter. The name is also mentioned by
Paul in one of his epistles in the
New Testament.
As an English name, Chloe has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. It started getting more popular in the 1980s in the United Kingdom and then the United States. It was the most popular name for girls in England and Wales from 1997 to 2002. This is one of the few English-language names that is often written with a diaeresis, as Chloë.
Chrysanta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kri-SAN-tə
Shortened form of the word chrysanthemum, the name of a flowering plant, which means "golden flower" in Greek.
Chrysanthi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Χρυσάνθη(Greek)
Ciara 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: KEE-rə
Feminine form of
Ciar. This is another name for
Saint Ciar.
Ciardha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Irish
Irish byname derived from ciar meaning "black".
Clancy
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KLAN-see
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Mac Fhlannchaidh), derived from the given name Flannchadh meaning "red warrior".
Colby
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KOL-bee
From an English surname, originally from various place names, derived from the Old Norse byname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "farm, settlement". As a given name, its popularity spiked in the United States and Canada in 2001 when Colby Donaldson (1974-) appeared on the reality television show Survivor.
Corbin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAWR-bin
From a French surname that was derived from
corbeau "raven", originally denoting a person who had dark hair. The name was probably popularized in America by actor Corbin Bernsen (1954-)
[1].
Cyan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SIE-an
From the English word meaning
"greenish blue, cyan", ultimately derived from Greek
κύανος (kyanos).
Eirwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Means
"white snow" from the Welsh elements
eira "snow" and
gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the early 20th century.
Elva 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Enfys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EHN-vis
Means "rainbow" in Welsh. This name was first used in the 19th century.
Flavius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Romanian
Pronounced: FLA-wee-oos(Latin)
Roman family name meaning
"golden" or
"yellow-haired" from Latin
flavus "yellow, golden". Flavius was the family name of the 1st-century Roman emperors Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. It was used as a personal name by several later emperors, notably by
Constantine.
Garnet 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAHR-nət
From the English word garnet for the precious stone, the birthstone of January. The word is derived from Middle English gernet meaning "dark red".
Ginger
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIN-jər
From the English word
ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a
diminutive of
Virginia, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.
Gláucio
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Portuguese
Portuguese form of the Roman
cognomen Glaucia, which was derived from Latin
glaucus "bluish grey", ultimately from Greek.
Griselda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Literature
Pronounced: gri-ZEHL-də(English) gree-SEHL-da(Spanish)
Possibly derived from the Old German elements
gris "grey" and
hilt "battle". It is not attested as a Germanic name. This was the name of a patient wife in medieval folklore, adapted into tales by Boccaccio (in
The Decameron) and Chaucer (in
The Canterbury Tales).
Haukea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Means "white snow" from Hawaiian hau "snow" and kea "white".
Hazel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAY-zəl
From the English word hazel for the tree or the light brown colour, derived ultimately from Old English hæsel. It was coined as a given name in the 19th century and quickly became popular, reaching the 18th place for girls in the United States by 1897. It fell out of fashion in the second half of the 20th century, but has since recovered.
Hrafn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Icelandic, Old Norse [1]
Pronounced: RAPN(Icelandic)
Means "raven" in Old Norse.
Ianthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἰάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Means
"violet flower", derived from Greek
ἴον (ion) meaning "violet" and
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". This was the name of an ocean nymph in Greek
mythology.
Iole
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἰόλη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EE-O-LEH(Classical Greek) IE-ə-lee(English)
Irida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Ίριδα(Greek)
Greek variant of
Iris, from the genitive form
Ἴριδος (Iridos).
Jade
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAYD(English) ZHAD(French)
From the name of the precious stone that is often used in carvings. It is derived from Spanish (piedra de la) ijada meaning "(stone of the) flank", relating to the belief that jade could cure renal colic. As a given name, it came into general use during the 1970s. It was initially unisex, though it is now mostly feminine.
Jett
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JEHT
From the English word jet, which denotes either a jet aircraft or an intense black colour (the words derive from different sources).
Kaltrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Possibly from Albanian kaltër meaning "blue, azure".
Kara 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ottoman Turkish
Means "black, dark" in Turkish. This was sometimes used as a byname by Ottoman officials, figuratively meaning "courageous".
Koralia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Late Greek
Other Scripts: Κοραλία(Greek)
Derived from Ancient Greek
κοράλλιον (korallion) meaning
"coral" (in Modern Greek
κοράλλι). This was the name of an obscure 4th-century
saint and martyr from Thrace.
Kurō
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 九郎, etc.(Japanese Kanji) くろう(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KOO-RO
From Japanese
九 (ku) meaning "nine" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". This name was traditionally given to the ninth son. Other combinations of kanji characters are also possible.
Líadan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: LYEE-dən
Possibly from Old Irish
líath meaning
"grey". According to an Irish tale this was the name of a poet who became a nun, but then missed her lover Cuirithir so much that she died of grief. The name was also borne by a 5th-century
saint, the mother of Saint Ciarán the Elder.
Lilla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: LEEL-law
Lin
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 林, 琳, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: LEEN
From Chinese
林 (lín) meaning "forest" or
琳 (lín) meaning "fine jade, gem". Other characters can also form this name.
Livia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: LEE-vya(Italian)
Feminine form of
Livius. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus, Livia Drusilla.
Lonán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: LUW-nan(Irish)
Means
"little blackbird", derived from Old Irish
lon "blackbird" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This name was borne by several early
saints.
Mel
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHL
Melaina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μέλαινα(Ancient Greek)
Melinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hungarian
Pronounced: mə-LIN-də(English) MEH-leen-daw(Hungarian)
Combination of
Mel (from names such as
Melanie or
Melissa) with the popular name suffix
inda [1]. It was created in the 18th century, and may have been inspired by the similar name
Belinda. In Hungary, the name was popularized by the 1819 play
Bánk Bán by József Katona.
Melissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch, Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μέλισσα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: mə-LIS-ə(English) MEH-LEES-SA(Classical Greek)
Means
"bee" in Greek. In Greek
mythology this was the name of a daughter of Procles, as well as an epithet of various Greek nymphs and priestesses. According to the early Christian writer Lactantius
[2] this was the name of the sister of the nymph
Amalthea, with whom she cared for the young
Zeus. Later it appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1532 poem
Orlando Furioso [3] belonging to the fairy who helps
Ruggiero escape from the witch
Alcina. As an English given name,
Melissa has been used since the 18th century.
Nigel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: NIE-jəl
From
Nigellus, a medieval Latinized form of
Neil. It was commonly associated with Latin
niger "black". It was revived in the 19th century, perhaps in part due to Walter Scott's novel
The Fortunes of Nigel (1822).
Nila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tamil, Hindi, Indonesian, Burmese
Other Scripts: நீலா(Tamil) नीला(Hindi) နီလာ(Burmese)
Pronounced: NEE-LA(Burmese)
From Sanskrit
नील (nīla) meaning
"dark blue".
Oliva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman, Spanish, Italian
Pronounced: o-LEE-ba(Spanish) o-LEE-va(Italian)
Late Latin name meaning
"olive". This was the name of a 2nd-century
saint from Brescia.
Olive
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: AHL-iv(English) AW-LEEV(French)
From the English and French word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva.
Pearl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PURL
From the English word pearl for the concretions formed in the shells of some mollusks, ultimately from Late Latin perla. Like other gemstone names, it has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. The pearl is the traditional birthstone for June, and it supposedly imparts health and wealth.
Pyrrhus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Πύρρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PIR-əs(English)
From the Greek name
Πύρρος (Pyrrhos) meaning
"flame-coloured, red", related to
πῦρ (pyr) meaning "fire". This was another name of
Neoptolemus the son of
Achilles. This was also the name of a 3rd-century BC king of Epirus who was famed for his victorious yet costly battles against Rome.
Ronne
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Frisian
behindthename.com · Copyright © 1996-2024