lunarssong's Personal Name List
Adalwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Adelaide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: A-də-layd(English) a-deh-LIE-deh(Italian) a-di-LIE-di(European Portuguese) a-di-LIED(European Portuguese) a-deh-LIE-jee(Brazilian Portuguese)
Means
"nobleness, nobility", from the French form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis, which was composed of
adal "noble" and the suffix
heit "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by
Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great.
In Britain the parallel form Alice, derived via Old French, has historically been more common than Adelaide, though this form did gain some currency in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.
Adelais
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic (Latinized) [1]
Adelis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Germanic
From the Old Germanic name
Adalheidis (See
Adelaide). It means "noble", "noble kind", "nobility", etc.
Adrasteia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀδράστεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-DRAS-TEH-A(Classical Greek)
Feminine form of
Adrastos. In Greek
mythology this name was borne by a nymph who fostered the infant
Zeus. This was also another name of the goddess
Nemesis.
Afërdita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Pronounced: ah-fər-DEET-ah
Means
"daybreak, morning" in Albanian, from
afër "nearby, close" and
ditë "day". It is also used as an Albanian form of
Aphrodite.
Afërditë
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Kosovar (Rare)
Aigle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Αἴγλη(Ancient Greek)
Aimée
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-MEH
Áine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: A-nyə(Irish)
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.
Aisling
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: ASH-lyən
Means "dream" or "vision" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.
Aithalos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Αἴθαλος(Ancient Greek)
Derived from either the Greek noun αἴθαλος (aithalos) meaning "thick smoke, smoky flame" or the Greek noun αἰθάλη (aithale) meaning "soot". Also compare the Greek adjective αἰθαλέος (aithaleos) meaning "smoky". All of the aforementioned words are ultimately derived from the Greek noun αἰθος (aithos) meaning "fire, burning heat", which itself is derived from the Greek verb αἴθω (aitho) meaning "to ignite, to light (up), to kindle, to burn".
Aither
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Αἰθήρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: IE-TEHR(Classical Greek)
Aithon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Αἴθων(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek αἴθων
(aithon), which can be an adjective meaning "fiery, burning" as well as be a noun meaning "fire, burning heat".
Also compare the closely related noun αἰθος (aithos) meaning "fire, burning heat" and the name Aither.
All are ultimately derived from the Greek verb αἴθω (aitho) meaning "to ignite, to light (up), to kindle, to burn".
Akuma
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: Uh-ku-mah
Means "devil" or "demon" in Japanese This is the name of one of the antagonists in the fighting-game series 'Street Fighter'. In the original Japanese game his name is
Gouki.
Alderliesten
From Dutch allerliefste meaning "most dearest". This name could have referred to the nature of the person or perhaps a phrase the person commonly used.
Alfwin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Alkyone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀλκυόνη(Ancient Greek)
Almas
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: ألماس(Arabic)
Pronounced: al-MAS
Means
"diamond" in Arabic, ultimately from Persian
الماس (almās).
Alvar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Estonian
From the Old Norse name
Alfarr, formed of the elements
alfr "elf" and
herr "army, warrior".
Amaryllis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: am-ə-RIL-is(English)
Derived from Greek
ἀμαρύσσω (amarysso) meaning
"to sparkle". This is the name of a character appearing in
Virgil's pastoral poems
Eclogues [1]. The amaryllis flower is named for her.
Ámgerðr
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Derived from Old Norse ámr "black, loathsome, dark" and garðr "enclosure, protection". This is the name of a giantess in Norse mythology.
Amyntas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀμύντας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-MUYN-TAS
Derived from Greek
ἀμύντωρ (amyntor) meaning
"defender". This was the name of several kings of Macedon.
Ansgar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Norwegian, Swedish, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: ANS-gar(German)
Derived from the Old German elements
ansi "god" and
ger "spear".
Saint Ansgar was a 9th-century Frankish missionary who tried to convert the Danes and Norwegians.
Arabella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ar-ə-BEHL-ə
Medieval Scottish name, probably a variant of
Annabel. It has long been associated with Latin
orabilis meaning "invokable, yielding to prayer", and the name was often recorded in forms resembling this.
Unrelated, this was an older name of the city of Irbid in Jordan, from Greek Ἄρβηλα (Arbela).
Aranka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: AW-rawng-kaw
Derived from Hungarian
arany meaning
"gold". It is used as a vernacular form of
Aurélia.
Arendje
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Dutch
When borne by a female person, this name is a good example of how one can turn a very masculine name (
Arend) into a feminine name by simply adding the diminutive suffix
-je to the original name. But when borne by a male person, this name is simply a pet form
because of the diminutive suffix. Also compare
Arentjen, which is the medieval form of this name.
Arenda is also worth a look, since it is also a feminine form of
Arend (though a much less common one at that).
Lastly, it might be interesting to know that arendje is also an independent word in the Dutch language and means "little eagle" in English. However, cases where Arendje as a given name was inspired by this word are likely to be few to none, due to the prevalence of Arendje as a proper given name that - via Arend - is ultimately derived from the Germanic given name Arnold.
Argjend
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Albanian
Derived from Albanian argjend "silver; silver thread".
Arne 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: AHR-neh(Swedish) AH-nə(Danish)
Originally an Old Norse short form of names beginning with the element
ǫrn meaning
"eagle".
Arvid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: AR-vid(Swedish)
From the Old Norse name
Arnviðr, derived from the elements
ǫrn "eagle" and
viðr "tree".
Asterope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀστεροπή(Ancient Greek)
Means
"lightning, flash of light" in Greek. This is the name of several characters from Greek
mythology, including a naiad who died fleeing Aesacus.
Astraia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀστραία(Ancient Greek)
Astrée
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French (Rare)
Attik
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Аттик(Russian) Аттік(Ukrainian)
Russian and Ukrainian form of
Atticus.
Audra 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Pronounced: OW-dru
Means "storm" in Lithuanian.
Aurel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, German (Rare)
Pronounced: ow-REHL(German)
Aurelius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ow-REH-lee-oos(Latin) aw-REEL-ee-əs(English)
Roman family name that was derived from Latin
aureus meaning
"golden, gilded". Marcus Aurelius was a 2nd-century Roman emperor and philosophical writer. This was also the name of several early
saints.
Aurora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Romanian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: ow-RAW-ra(Italian) ow-RO-ra(Spanish, Latin) ə-RAWR-ə(English) OW-ro-rah(Finnish)
Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.
Aznar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Basque
Pronounced: AZ-nar
From old Basque azenar(i), azenari ("fox", modern azeri).
Ąžuolas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Lithuanian
Means "oak tree" in Lithuanian.
Badr
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: بدر(Arabic)
Pronounced: BADR
Means "full moon" in Arabic.
Berlewen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish (Modern, Rare)
Derived from Cornish Borlowen "morning star, Venus".
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).
Bijou
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French (African)
Means "jewel" in French. It is mostly used in French-speaking Africa.
Bisera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Бисера(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Derived from the South Slavic word
бисер (biser) meaning
"pearl" (ultimately of Arabic origin).
Blažena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: BLA-zheh-na
Derived from Czech and Slovak
blažený meaning
"blissful, happy, blessed", ultimately from Old Slavic *
bolgŭ "good, pleasant".
Blerta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Pronounced: BLEHR-tah
Derived from Albanian blertë meaning "green".
Bore
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: BOO-reh
Derived from Greek βορέας (boreas) "north wind". Kung Bore (King Bore) is a Swedish personification of winter.
Borlewen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish (Modern, Rare)
Derived from Cornish Borlowen "morning star".
Briar
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIE-ər
From the English word for the thorny plant.
Brígh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
From Old Irish
bríg meaning
"might, power". This was the name of a daughter of the Irish god
Dagda.
Bronagh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Brynja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic, Old Norse
Pronounced: PRIN-ya(Icelandic)
Means "armour" in Old Norse.
Cadeyrn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
From Old Welsh
Catigirn meaning
"battle king", derived from
cat "battle" and
tigirn "king, monarch". This was the name of a 5th-century king of Powys in Wales, the son of
Vortigern.
Caelestis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Late Latin name meaning "of the sky, heavenly", a derivative of Latin caelum "heaven, sky".
Caligula
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: kə-LIG-yuw-lə(English)
Means "little boot" in Latin. This was a nickname for the 1st-century Roman emperor Gaius Caesar Germanicus given to him in his youth by his father's soldiers.
Cariad
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: KHA-ryad, KA-ree-ad
Directly taken from Welsh cariad "love, affection; darling, sweetheart". This name is borne by British comedian Cariad Lloyd.
Caron
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh
From the name of places near the town of Tregaron in Ceredigion, Wales.
Carwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Derived from Welsh
caru "to love" and
gwyn "white, blessed". This name was created in the 20th century
[1].
Carys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: KA-ris
Derived from Welsh caru meaning "love". This is a relatively modern Welsh name, in common use only since the middle of the 20th century.
Cassian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman (Anglicized)
Pronounced: KASH-ən(English) KAS-ee-ən(English)
From the Roman family name
Cassianus, which was derived from
Cassius. This was the name of several
saints, including a 3rd-century martyr from Tangier who is the patron saint of stenographers and a 5th-century mystic who founded a monastery in Marseille.
Cassius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: KAS-see-oos(Latin) KASH-əs(English) KAS-ee-əs(English)
Roman family name that was possibly derived from Latin
cassus meaning
"empty, vain". This name was borne by several early
saints. In modern times, it was the original first name of boxer Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), who was named after his father Cassius Clay, who was himself named after the American abolitionist Cassius Clay (1810-1903).
Ceridwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: keh-RID-wehn
Possibly from
cyrrid "bent, crooked" (a derivative of Old Welsh
cwrr "corner") combined with
ben "woman" or
gwen "white, blessed". According to the medieval Welsh legend the
Tale of Taliesin (recorded by Elis Gruffyd in the 16th century) this was the name of a sorceress who created a potion that would grant wisdom to her son Morfan. The potion was instead consumed by her servant Gwion Bach, who was subsequently reborn as the renowned bard
Taliesin.
This name appears briefly in a poem in the Black Book of Carmarthen in the form Kyrridven [1] and in a poem in the Book of Taliesin in the form Kerrituen [2]. Some theories connect her to an otherwise unattested Celtic goddess of inspiration, and suppose her name is related to Welsh cerdd "poetry".
Chiffon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: shi-FAHN
Borrowing from French chiffon, from Middle French chiffe "cloth, old rag" from Old French chipe "rag", from Middle English chip, chippe "chip, shard, fragment" from Old English ċipp "chip, splinter, beam" from Proto-Germanic kippaz, kipaz (“log, beam”). Akin to Old Saxon kip "beam, post", Old High German kipfa "axle-rod, stave".
Circe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κίρκη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SUR-see(English)
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.
Cosmas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κοσμᾶς(Ancient Greek)
From the Greek name
Κοσμᾶς (Kosmas), which was derived from
κόσμος (kosmos) meaning
"order, decency".
Saint Cosmas was martyred with his twin brother
Damian in the 4th century. They are the patron saints of physicians.
Cosmina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: kos-MEE-na
Cúchulainn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Means
"hound of Culann" in Irish. This was the usual name of the warrior hero who was named Sétanta at birth, given to him because he took the place of one of Culann's hounds after he accidentally killed it. The Ulster Cycle of Irish
mythology tells of Cúchulainn's many adventures, including his single-handed defence of Ulster against the army of Queen
Medb.
Dafina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Дафина(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Means "laurel" in Albanian, Bulgarian and Macedonian, of Greek origin.
Dagfinn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
From the Old Norse name
Dagfinnr, which was composed of the elements
dagr "day" and
finnr "Sámi, person from Finland".
Dagny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: DAHNG-nuy(Swedish)
From the Old Norse name
Dagný, which was derived from the elements
dagr "day" and
nýr "new".
Dagný
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse [1], Icelandic
Old Norse and Icelandic form of
Dagny.
Daidalos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Δαίδαλος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DIE-DA-LOS(Classical Greek)
Delia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Δηλία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DEE-lee-ə(English) DEH-lya(Italian, Spanish) DEH-lee-a(Romanian)
Means
"of Delos" in Greek. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Artemis, given because she and her twin brother
Apollo were born on the island of Delos. The name appeared in several poems of the 16th and 17th centuries, and it has occasionally been used as a given name since that time.
Derbforgaill
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Irish, Irish Mythology
From Gaelic
Der bForgaill, which apparently meant "daughter of
Forgall". It may be an earlier form of
Dearbháil or
Deirbhile. This was the name of a legendary princess of Lochlann (Norway) who had been left for the Fomorii in lieu of tribute on a deserted beach.
Cúchulainn happened by and slew the Fomorii and she fell in love with him. She turned herself into a swan, with a handmaiden, and followed Cúchulainn back to Ireland. Cúchulainn was hunting with a companion,
Lóegaire, and he cast a stone with his slingshot bringing down one of the swans that flew over. It was Derbhorgill. He sucked out the slingshot and healed her but, being now united to him by blood, Derbhorgill was forbidden to wed him. Cúchulainn gave her to Lóegaire to wed (Peter Berresford Ellis, 1987). This was also borne by a 12th-century princess of Meath who was abducted by the king of Leinster in 1152.
Derwa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish, History (Ecclesiastical)
Likely derived from Cornish
derow "oak trees" (ultimately from Proto-Celtic
*daru "tree"). Saint Derwa is the patron saint of
Menadarva (
Merther Derwa in Cornish, translating to
grave of St Derwa in English) in the parish of Camborne, Cornwall. Nothing is now known about this saint, not even their gender. There have been speculations that Saint Derwa might have been and a man and in fact none other than Saint
Dyfan. In modern times, however, this name has been resurrected as a feminine name.
Derya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: dehr-YA
Means "sea, ocean" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
Diana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Armenian, Georgian, Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Диана(Russian, Bulgarian) Діана(Ukrainian) Դիանա(Armenian) დიანა(Georgian)
Pronounced: die-AN-ə(English) DYA-na(Spanish, Italian, Polish) dee-U-nu(European Portuguese) jee-U-nu(Brazilian Portuguese) dee-A-nə(Catalan) dee-A-na(German, Dutch, Latin) dyee-A-nu(Ukrainian) DI-ya-na(Czech) DEE-a-na(Slovak)
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.
Djellza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian, Kosovar
Drakon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Δράκων(Ancient Greek)
Ealdwine
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon [1][2]
Eirian
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Means
"bright, beautiful" in Welsh
[1].
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.
Eithne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: EH-nyə(Irish)
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.
Elian
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: EH-lee-yahn
Elisedd
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Welsh
Derived from Welsh elus meaning "kind, benevolent". This was the name of two kings of Powys in Wales.
Elmede
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Livonian (Rare), Medieval Baltic (Rare)
Derived from Livonian elmed, the plural form of elm "pearl".
Elowen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.
Enid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: EH-nid(Welsh) EE-nid(English)
Probably derived from Welsh
enaid meaning
"soul, spirit, life". In Arthurian tales she first appears in the 12th-century French poem
Erec and Enide by Chrétien de Troyes, where she is the wife of Erec. In later adaptations she is typically the wife of
Geraint. The name became more commonly used after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian poem
Enid in 1859, and it was fairly popular in Britain in the first half of the 20th century.
Eric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Swedish, German, Spanish
Pronounced: EHR-ik(English) EH-rik(Swedish, German) EH-reek(Spanish)
Means
"ever ruler", from the Old Norse name
Eiríkr, derived from the elements
ei "ever, always" and
ríkr "ruler, king". A notable bearer was Eiríkr inn Rauda (Eric the Red in English), a 10th-century navigator and explorer who discovered Greenland. This was also the name of several early kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
This common Norse name was first brought to England by Danish settlers during the Anglo-Saxon period. It was not popular in England in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, in part due to the children's novel Eric, or Little by Little (1858) by Frederic William Farrar.
Eridan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Portuguese (Brazilian)
Erland
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: A-land(Swedish)
From the Old Norse byname Erlendr, which was derived from ørlendr meaning "foreigner".
Erna 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology [1], Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Pronounced: EH-nah(Swedish)
Means
"brisk, vigorous, hale" in Old Norse. This was the name of the wife of
Jarl in Norse legend.
Esmeree
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Perhaps derived from Old French esmer meaning "to like, love, respect". This was the name of an enchanted queen of Wales in Le Bel Inconnu (ca. 1185-90), an Old French Arthurian poem by Renaut de Bâgé. In the poem, Blonde Esmeree is transformed from a serpent back into a maiden by the hero Guinglain, also known as the Fair Unknown.
Euphemia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], English (Archaic)
Other Scripts: Εὐφημία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: yoo-FEE-mee-ə(English) yoo-FEH-mee-ə(English)
Means
"to use words of good omen" from Greek
εὐφημέω (euphemeo), a derivative of
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
φημί (phemi) meaning "to speak, to declare".
Saint Euphemia was an early martyr from Chalcedon.
Eutychia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Εὐτυχία(Ancient Greek)
Fauve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Modern, Rare), French (Belgian, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: FOV(French, Belgian French)
Derived from French fauve. As a noun, fauve means "tawny-coloured animal" and, by extension, " big cat (such as a lion or lynx); beast, wild animal (especially fierce, aggressive, or predatory)". As an adjective, fauve means "tawny" and, by extension, "savage, fierce (having the ferocity of a wild animal); dangerous, wild". The name first appeared in the 1980s and was brought to public attention by Fauve Hautot (born 3 March 1986), a French dancer and choreographer.
Fiachra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: FYEEKH-rə(Irish)
From Old Irish
Fiachrae, possibly from
fiach "raven" or
fích "battle" combined with
rí "king". This was the name of several legendary figures, including one of the four children of
Lir transformed into swans for a period of 900 years. This is also the name of the patron
saint of gardeners: a 7th-century Irish abbot who settled in France, usually called Saint Fiacre.
Fiadh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Modern)
Pronounced: FYEE
Means "wild, wild animal, deer" (modern Irish fia) or "respect" in Irish.
Fianna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Modern)
Pronounced: FYEE-nə
From Irish fiann meaning "band of warriors".
Fjolla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
From Albanian fjollë meaning "fine snow".
Flaka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
From Albanian flakë meaning "flame".
Fleurien
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Pronounced: FLUU-REE-YEN(French) fluu-REEN(Dutch)
French variant of
Florien (strictly masculine) and Dutch variant of
Fleurine (strictly feminine).
Fraoch
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Means "wrath" or "fury" in Irish. Fraoch is a Connacht hero in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, the hero of the 'Táin Bó Fraoch', Cattle Raid of Fraoch (which has been claimed to be the main source of the English saga of 'Beowulf'). He is the nephew of
Boann, goddess of the river Boyne, and is renowned for his handsomeness.
Gentian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Albanian
From the name of the flowering plant called the gentian, the roots of which are used to create a tonic. It is derived from the name of the Illyrian king
Gentius, who supposedly discovered its medicinal properties.
Gintarė
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Giselheid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old High German
Derived from the Germanic name elements gisel "shaft (of an arrow)" and heit "kind, sort, appearance".
Goldie 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GOL-dee
From a nickname for a person with blond hair, from the English word gold.
Goldie 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish
Goryan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Горян(Bulgarian)
From Bulgarian горя (gorya) meaning "to burn".
Greta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Italian, Swedish, Lithuanian, Polish, English
Pronounced: GREH-ta(German, Italian, Swedish, Polish) GREHT-ə(English)
Short form of
Margareta. A famous bearer of this name was the Swedish actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990).
Gyöngyi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: GYUUN-gyee
From Hungarian gyöngy meaning "pearl", of Turkic origin.
Hekate
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἑκάτη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEH-KA-TEH(Classical Greek)
Helmi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish, Swedish
Pronounced: HEHL-mee(Finnish)
Horatius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ho-RA-tee-oos
Roman family name that was possibly derived from Latin hora meaning "hour, time, season", though the name may actually be of Etruscan origin. A famous bearer was Quintus Horatius Flaccus, a Roman lyric poet of the 1st century BC who is better known as Horace in the English-speaking world.
Hotaru
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 蛍(Japanese Kanji) ほたる(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: HO-TA-ROO
From Japanese
蛍 (hotaru) meaning "firefly".
Hrafn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Icelandic, Old Norse [1]
Pronounced: RAPN(Icelandic)
Means "raven" in Old Norse.
Hrist
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Old Norse
Means "the shaker" from Old Norse hrista "shake, quake". In Norse poetry the name was frequently used as a kenning for "woman"; in mythology it belonged to a Valkyrie.
Hrodohaidis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Hyakinthos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ὑάκινθος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HUY-A-KEEN-TOS(Classical Greek)
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.
Ignacja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish (Rare)
Ilma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Coined by Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty for a character in his pantomime 'Csongor és Tünde' (1831). The origin and meaning of this name are uncertain, however theories include a truncated form of
Vilma and a contraction of
Ilona and
Vilma.
Ilma 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish (Rare)
Pronounced: EEL-mah
Means "air" in Finnish.
Ingvar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Danish
From the Old Norse name
Yngvarr, which was derived from the name of the Germanic god
Yngvi combined with
herr meaning "army, warrior".
Iskra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian
Other Scripts: Искра(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: EES-kru(Bulgarian) EES-kra(Macedonian, Croatian)
Means "spark" in South Slavic.
Iulia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: YOO-lee-a
Latin and Romanian form of
Julia.
Jas
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAZ
Short form of
Jasper,
Jasmine and other names beginning with
jas-.
Juno
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: YOO-no(Latin) JOO-no(English)
Meaning unknown, possibly related to an Indo-European root meaning
"young", or possibly of Etruscan origin. In Roman
mythology Juno was the wife of
Jupiter and the queen of the heavens. She was the protectress of marriage and women, and was also the goddess of finance.
Kaltrina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Possibly from Albanian kaltër meaning "blue, azure".
Kamen
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Камен(Bulgarian)
Means
"stone" in Bulgarian. This is a translation of the Greek name
Πέτρος (Petros).
Keir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
From a surname that was a variant of
Kerr.
Ketil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Ketill meaning "kettle, cauldron" (later also acquiring the meaning "helmet"). In old Scandinavian rituals the ketill was used to catch the blood of sacrificed animals.
Kol
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Danish, Old Swedish, Swedish (Rare)
Form of
Kolr found in Old Danish and Old Swedish, as well as the modern Swedish form.
Koldís
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic (Rare)
Composed of Old Norse
kol meaning "coals, black as coal" and
dís meaning "goddess".
Kolfreyja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic (Rare)
Composed of Old Norse kol meaning "coals, black as coal" and Old Norse freyja meaning "lady".
Kolka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse, Icelandic
Old Norse byname, from Old Norse kolka meaning "stain", "spot".
Kolr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norse [1]
Byname derived from Old Norse kol meaning "coal".
Kolþerna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse
Derived from the Germanic name elements kolr "coal" and þerna "maid-servant".
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.
Kuno
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: KOO-no(German)
Short form of names beginning with the Old German element
kunni meaning
"clan, family". It can also be a short form of
Konrad.
Lapis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ˈlapis
a bright blue metamorphic rock consisting largely of lazurite, used for decoration and in jewelry.
Larisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovene, Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Лариса(Russian, Ukrainian) Λάρισα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: lu-RYEE-sə(Russian) lu-ryi-SU(Lithuanian)
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.
Lavinia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Romanian, Italian
Pronounced: la-WEE-nee-a(Latin) lə-VIN-ee-ə(English) la-VEE-nya(Italian)
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.
Lindholm
From Swedish
lind meaning "linden tree" and
holme (Old Norse
holmr) meaning "small island".
Llyr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Unaccented variant of
Llŷr.
Lorraine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: lə-RAYN
From the name of a region in eastern France, originally meaning "kingdom of
Lothar". Lothar was a Frankish king, the great-grandson of
Charlemagne, whose realm was in the part of France that is now called
Lorraine, or in German
Lothringen (from Latin
Lothari regnum). As a given name, it has been used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century, perhaps due to its similar sound with
Laura. It became popular after World War I when the region was in the news, as it was contested between Germany and France.
Lowena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish (Modern, Rare)
Derived from Cornish lowena "happiness, bliss, joy". This is a modern Cornish name.
Lubitiata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gaulish
Derived from Gaulish lubitiata, itself the past participle of lubi- "to love".
Lucrezia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: loo-KREHT-tsya
Luljeta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Means "flower of life" in Albanian, from lule "flower" and jetë "life".
Luminița
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: loo-mee-NEE-tsa
Means
"little light", derived from Romanian
lumina "light" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Mabena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish, English (British)
Pronounced: ma-BEH-na(Cornish, British English)
Madalhaid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic
Derived from Gothic
mathl "meeting place" combined with
haidu "figure, person" (see
Adelaide).
Makvala
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Georgian
Other Scripts: მაყვალა(Georgian)
Derived from Georgian
მაყვალი (maqvali) meaning
"blackberry".
Mara 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Hebrew [1], Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Other Scripts: מָרָא(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: MAHR-ə(English) MAR-ə(English) MEHR-ə(English) MA-ra(Spanish)
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).
Marigold
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAR-i-gold, MEHR-i-gold
From the name of the flower, which comes from a combination of
Mary and the English word
gold.
Marzana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Slavic Mythology, Baltic Mythology
Baltic and Slavic goddess associated with seasonal agrarian rites based on the idea of death and rebirth of nature, Marzana is often referred to as a goddess of death.
In medieval (Christian) written sources, she is mentioned as early as the 9th century, although her exact function seems to be somewhat disputed. The medieval encyclopedical dictionary Mater Verborum (also called Glosa Salomonis), written around 1240, compares her to the Greek goddess Hecate, associating her with sorcery, while 15th-century Polish chronicler Jan Długosz likened her to Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture.
Either way, to this day in some regions of Poland, there is a festival held where an effigy of Marzanna is made in the month of March, and is burned to symbolize the triumph of springtime over winter. This is known as The Burning and Drowning Ritual of Marzanna.
The origin and meaning of her name is also a source of dispute.
Some scholars derive her name from the same Indo-European root word that gave us Latin mors "death" and Russian mor "pestilence", emphasizing the death aspect of the goddess.
Others argue that her name might be related to a Slavic root word meaning "to freeze" or "frozen", in accordance with her function as a goddess of winter, while some scholars point out that mara is a Russian dialect word meaning "phantom; vision; hallucination", linking her to mare, an evil spirit in Germanic and Slavic folklore, associated with nightmares and sleep paralysis.
Vyacheslav Vsevolodovich Ivanov and Vladimir Toporov, however, supposed that her name was derived from the same root as the name of the Roman god of war Mars, who was originally an agricultural deity (a theory that some academics like to back up by the fact that the Polish word for "(the month of) March" is marzec).
Melinoe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Μηλινόη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: mi-LIN-o-ee(English)
Possibly from Greek
μήλινος (melinos) meaning "quince-coloured, yellow", a derivative of
μῆλον (melon) meaning "fruit, apple". According to Greek
mythology she was a chthonic nymph or goddess, often described as a daughter of
Persephone and
Zeus.
Miklós
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: MEEK-losh
Miku
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美空, 美久, 未来, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みく(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-KOO
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" combined with
空 (ku) meaning "sky" or
久 (ku) meaning "long time". It can also come from a
nanori reading of
未来 (mirai) meaning "future". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.
Minke
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Frisian, Dutch
Pronounced: MIN-kə(Frisian) MING-kə(Dutch)
Minodora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Mirela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian, Croatian, Albanian
Romanian, Croatian and Albanian form of
Mireille.
Miruna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Possibly derived from the Slavic word mir meaning "peace" or Romanian mira meaning "to wonder, to astound".
Modron
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Later Welsh form of
Matrona 2 [1][2][3]. In the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen she is the mother of
Mabon, who was taken from her as a baby.
Moira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, English
Pronounced: MOI-rə(English)
Anglicized form of
Máire. It also coincides with Greek
Μοῖρα (Moira) meaning "fate, destiny", the singular of
Μοῖραι, the Greek name for the Fates. They were the three female personifications of destiny in Greek
mythology.
Morana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Slavic Mythology, Croatian
From Old Slavic
morŭ meaning
"death, plague" [1]. In Slavic
mythology this was the name of a goddess associated with winter and death.
Morcant
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Welsh [1]
Morlais
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
From the name of a river in Wales, derived from Welsh môr "sea" and llais "voice". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Mór-Ríoghain
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Morvoren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: mor-VOR-ən
Derived from Cornish morvoren "mermaid" (ultimately from Cornish mor "sea" and moren "maiden"). This was the bardic name or pseudonym of a member of the Gorsedh Kernow (Katherine Lee Jenner, 1904). It is also associated with the mermaid of Zennor, which is the subject of Cornish folklore (perhaps due to its use by Cornishman Philip Cannon, 1929-, in his two-act opera 'Morvoren', 1964). In Britain, this has been used as a given name at least 11 times.
Muir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
From a Scottish surname, derived from Scots muir meaning "moor, fen". This name could also be inspired by Scottish Gaelic muir meaning "sea".
Muireann
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Neil
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, English
Pronounced: NEEL(English)
From the Irish name
Niall, which is of disputed origin, possibly connected to the old Celtic root *
nītu- "fury, passion" or the (possibly related) Old Irish word
nia "hero" [1][2]. A derivation from Old Irish
nél "cloud" has also been suggested. This was the name of a few early Irish kings, notably Niall of the Nine Hostages, a semi-legendary high king of the 4th or 5th century.
In the early Middle Ages the name was adopted by Norse raiders and settlers in Ireland in the form Njáll. The Norse transmitted it to England and Scotland, as well as bringing it back to Scandinavia. It was also in use among the Normans, who were of Scandinavian origin. A famous bearer of this name was American astronaut Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), the first person to walk on the moon.
Neptune
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology (Anglicized)
Pronounced: NEHP-toon(English) NEHP-tyoon(English)
From the Latin
Neptunus, which is of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Indo-European root *
nebh- "wet, damp, clouds". Neptune was the god of the sea in Roman
mythology, approximately equivalent to the Greek god
Poseidon. This is also the name of the eighth planet in the solar system.
Ó Ceallacháin
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: O KYA-lə-khan
Ó Ceallaigh
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: O KYA-lee
Oddvarr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norse [1]
Ognjan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian
Other Scripts: Огњан(Serbian, Macedonian)
Croatian and Serbian variant form of
Ognyan.
Ognyan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Огнян(Bulgarian)
Derived from Bulgarian
огнен (ognen) meaning
"fiery".
Opal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: O-pəl
From the English word
opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit
उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".
Ophiuchus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Astronomy
Pronounced: ahf-ee-YOO-kəs(English) o-fee-YOO-kəs(English)
Latinized form of Greek
Ὀφιοῦχος (Ophiouchos) meaning
"serpent bearer". This is the name of an equatorial constellation that depicts the god
Asklepios holding a snake.
Orion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ὠρίων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AW-REE-AWN(Classical Greek) o-RIE-ən(English)
Meaning uncertain, but possibly related to Greek
ὅριον (horion) meaning
"boundary, limit". Alternatively it may be derived from Akkadian
Uru-anna meaning
"light of the heavens". This is the name of a constellation, which gets its name from a legendary Greek hunter who was killed by a scorpion sent by the earth goddess
Gaia.
Pascal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, German, Dutch
Pronounced: PAS-KAL(French) pas-KAL(German) pahs-KAHL(Dutch)
From the Late Latin name
Paschalis, which meant
"relating to Easter" from Latin
Pascha "Easter", which was in turn from Hebrew
פֶּסַח (pesaḥ) meaning "Passover"
[1]. Passover is the ancient Hebrew holiday celebrating the liberation from Egypt. Because it coincided closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the same Latin word was used for both. The name Pascal can also function as a surname, as in the case of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French philosopher, mathematician and inventor.
Perkūnas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Baltic Mythology, Lithuanian (Rare)
Derived from Proto-Indo-European
*perkwunos or
*perkunos, which itself is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European
*perkwus or
*perkṷu meaning "oak tree" or "fir tree". Also compare
Perun.
In Baltic mythology, Perkūnas is the name of the god of thunder, rain, mountains, oak trees and the sky. His name has stayed the same in Lithuanian (where his name has even become synonymous with thunder), but it has changed slightly in the other Baltic languages over time: for example, in Latvian, his name is now Pērkons.
Phaenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Φαέννα(Ancient Greek)
Derived from Greek
φαεινός (phaeinos) meaning
"shining". According to some Greek myths this was the name of one of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites).
Photine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Φωτίνη(Ancient Greek)
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.
Pranvera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Pronounced: prahn-VEHR-ah
Derived from Albanian pranverë meaning "spring", itself from pranë "nearby, close" and verë "summer".
Prometheus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Προμηθεύς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PRO-MEH-TEWS(Classical Greek) pro-MEE-thee-əs(English)
Derived from Greek
προμήθεια (prometheia) meaning
"foresight, forethought". In Greek
myth he was the Titan who gave the knowledge of fire to mankind. For doing this he was punished by
Zeus, who had him chained to a rock and caused an eagle to feast daily on his liver, which regenerated itself each night.
Herakles eventually freed him.
Puck
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Anglo-Saxon Mythology, Dutch
Pronounced: PUK(English) PUYK(Dutch)
Meaning unknown, from Old English puca. It could ultimately be of either Germanic or Celtic origin. In English legend this was the name of a mischievous spirit, also known as Robin Goodfellow. He appears in Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). It is used in the Netherlands as mainly a feminine name.
Raine
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RAYN
From a surname derived from the Old French nickname
reine meaning
"queen". A famous bearer was the British socialite Raine Spencer (1929-2016), the stepmother of Princess Diana. In modern times it is also considered a variant of
Rain 1.
Rhiannon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: ri-AN-awn(Welsh) ree-AN-ən(English)
Probably derived from an unattested Celtic name *
Rīgantonā meaning
"great queen" (Celtic *
rīganī "queen" and the divine or augmentative suffix
-on). It is speculated that Rigantona was an old Celtic goddess, perhaps associated with fertility and horses like the Gaulish
Epona. As
Rhiannon, she appears in Welsh legend in the
Mabinogi [1] as a beautiful magical woman who rides a white horse. She was betrothed against her will to
Gwawl, but cunningly broke off that engagement and married
Pwyll instead. Their son was
Pryderi.
As an English name, it became popular due to the Fleetwood Mac song Rhiannon (1976), especially in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Rhode
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Biblical Greek [2], Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: Ῥόδη(Ancient Greek)
Rhosyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Means "rose" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
Rodosthenis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek (Cypriot)
Other Scripts: Ροδοσθένης(Greek)
Derived from Greek ῥόδον (rhodon) meaning "rose" combined with Greek σθενος (sthenos) meaning "vigour, strength".
Rónán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: RO-nan(Irish)
Means
"little seal", derived from Old Irish
rón "seal" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early Irish
saints, including a pilgrim to Brittany who founded the hermitage at Locronan in the 6th century.
Rosaspina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Folklore (Italianized)
From Italian
rosa meaning "rose" and
spina "thorn, spine", used as a translation of German
Dornröschen, the title character of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale (known as Briar Rose in English).
Ruqayyah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: رقيّة(Arabic)
Pronounced: roo-KIE-ya
Sabina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Swedish, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Сабина(Russian)
Pronounced: sa-BEE-na(Italian, Spanish, Polish) SA-bi-na(Czech)
Feminine form of
Sabinus, a Roman
cognomen meaning
"a Sabine" in Latin. The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy, their lands eventually taken over by the Romans after several wars. According to legend, the Romans abducted several Sabine women during a raid, and when the men came to rescue them, the women were able to make peace between the two groups. This name was borne by several early
saints.
Sayuri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 小百合, etc.(Japanese Kanji) さゆり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SA-YOO-REE
From Japanese
小 (sa) meaning "small" and
百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". This name can also be composed of other kanji combinations.
Sétanta
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
“Given name of the folk hero,
Cúchulainn”. This birth name was imparted by the deity, Lug, prior to the conception of the demigod child by the mortal mother, Deichtine.
Shahrazad
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian (Rare), Arabic
Other Scripts: شهرزاد(Persian, Arabic)
Pronounced: shahr-ZAWD(Persian) shah-ra-ZAD(Arabic)
Possibly means
"noble lineage" from Persian
چهر (chehr) meaning "lineage, origin" and
آزاد (āzād) meaning "free, noble"
[1]. Alternatively, it might mean
"child of the city" from
شهر (shahr) meaning "city, land" combined with the suffix
زاد (zād) meaning "child of". This is the name of the fictional storyteller in
The 1001 Nights. She tells a story to her husband the king every night for 1001 nights in order to delay her execution.
Shixian
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 适娴, 世贤, 石仙, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: SHUZH-SHYEHN
From Chinese 适 (shì) meaning "to fit, to suit", 世 (shì) meaning "generation, era", or 石 (shí) meaning "stone, rock" combined with 娴 (xián) "elegant, refined", 贤 (xián) "virtuous, good", or 仙 (xiān) "fairy, celestial being", as well as other character combinations that can form this name.
Shpresa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
From Albanian shpresë meaning "hope".
Síofra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHEE-frə
Means "elf, sprite" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.
Sítheach
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Irish
Means
"peaceful" or
"fairy-like" in Irish, from Old Irish
síd. Alternatively, it could be from
sídach "wolf".
Sonja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Соња(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: ZAWN-ya(German) SAWN-ya(Dutch) SON-yah(Finnish)
Form of
Sonya in various languages.
Sorcha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Scottish Gaelic [1]
Pronounced: SAWR-ə-khə(Irish) SUR-kə(English) SAWR-aw-khə(Scottish Gaelic)
Means
"radiant, bright" in Irish. It has been in use since late medieval times
[2]. It is sometimes Anglicized as
Sarah (in Ireland) and
Clara (in Scotland).
Steliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Straub
From Old High German strub meaning "rough, unkempt".
Svafa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Old Norse, Norse Mythology
Meaning uncertain, possibly "Swabian woman" or "woman from Schwaben" from Old Norse
svabar "Swabians", from the name of a Germanic (Suebic) tribe which allegedly derived from Old German
swēba "free, independent". In the Eddic poem 'Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar', this was the name of a Valkyrie who would be reborn as
Sigrún.
Sverrir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norse [1], Icelandic
Old Norse form of
Sverre, as well as the modern Icelandic form.
Taina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: TIE-nah
Talvi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Estonian
Derived from Estonian talv meaning "winter".
Talvikki
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish (Rare)
Pronounced: TAHL-veek-kee
Derived from Finnish talvi meaning "winter". This is also the Finnish word for the wintergreen plant (genus Pyrola).
Tamara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish, Celtic Mythology
In Cornish folklore, Tamara is a nymph who lived in the underworld and wanted to wander freely in the mortal world, against the advice of her parents. When she falls in love with the giant Tawradge, she refuses to return to the underworld with her father. He becomes enraged and casts a spell on Tamara, turning her into a bubbling spring, which produced the Tamar river (Dowr Tamar in Cornish), that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall.
Þyrnirós
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Folklore
Means "burnet rose" (literally "thorn-rose") in Icelandic. This is used as the Icelandic name for the fairy tale character Sleeping Beauty, being the Icelandic translation of German
Dornröschen, the title character of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale (known as
Briar Rose in English).
Timaeus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized), Biblical Latin, Biblical
Other Scripts: Τίμαιος, Τιμαῖος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: tie-MEE-əs(English)
Latinized form of the Greek name
Τίμαιος (Timaios), derived from
τιμάω (timao) meaning
"to honour". This is the name of one of
Plato's dialogues, featuring Timaeus and
Socrates. Timaeus is also the name of a person mentioned briefly in the
New Testament (
Mark 10:46).
Timon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Biblical, Biblical Greek [2], Biblical Latin, Dutch
Other Scripts: Τίμων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TEE-MAWN(Classical Greek) TIE-mən(English) TEE-mawn(Dutch)
Derived from Greek
τιμάω (timao) meaning
"to honour, to esteem". According to ancient writers, this was the name of a wealthy man of Athens who grew to hate humanity after he lost his riches and his friends deserted him. His story is related in Shakespeare's tragedy
Timon of Athens (1607). This name is also mentioned in the
New Testament as belonging to one of the original seven deacons of the church, considered a
saint.
Torleif
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
From the Old Norse name
Þórleifr, derived from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
Thor) combined with
leif "inheritance, legacy".
Tsukiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 月子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) つきこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TSOO-KYEE-KO
From Japanese
月 (tsuki) meaning "moon" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji are possible.
Tyche
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Τύχη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TUY-KEH(Classical Greek) TIE-kee(English)
Means "chance, luck, fortune" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of fortune, luck and fate.
Tyrian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TIE-ree-ən
Derived from Latin
Tyrianus "of Tyre", an ancient city which is located in modern-day Lebanon. The name of the city itself is said to be derived from a Semitic word meaning "rock".
In ancient times, the city was famous for the purple-red dye named Tyrian purple (also known as "royal purple", "imperial purple" or "imperial dye").
Václav
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: VATS-laf(Czech) VATS-low(Slovak)
Contracted form of an older Czech name
Veceslav, derived from the Slavic elements
vęťĭjĭ "more, greater" and
slava "glory".
Saint Václav (known as
Wenceslas or
Wenceslaus in English) was a 10th-century Duke of Bohemia murdered by his brother. He is the patron saint of the Czech Republic. This was also the name of several Bohemian kings.
Vaidilas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Lithuanian
Derived from the Lithuanian noun vaidila meaning "priest" (as in, a pagan one) as well as "bard". In turn, the word is ultimately derived from the old Lithuanian verb vaidyti meaning "to visit, to appear", which is related to the modern Lithuanian verb vaidentis meaning "to haunt" as well as "to appear, to see". Also compare modern Lithuanian vaiduoklis meaning "ghost, apparition" and vaidytis meaning "to quarrel, to wrangle".
Vaivora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Baltic Mythology
Pronounced: vie-VOR-ah
The Lithuanian goddess of the planet Mercury, one of the daughters of the sun goddess
Saulė.
Legend has it that Perkūnas, the god of thunder and lightning, was supposed to marry the goddess Vaivora (or Vaiva) on a Thursday. The bride was, however, abducted by the evil Velnias and Perkunas has hunted down Velnias ever since.
Vaivora's name is derived from Lithuanian vaivorykštė "rainbow".
Vaivorykštė
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: vie-VO-ryeeksh-tyeh
Derived from the Lithuanian noun vaivorykštė meaning "rainbow".
Vaivydas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Lithuanian (Rare)
The meaning of the first element of this name is uncertain, as there are three possibilities for its etymology. The first possibility is that it is derived from the old Lithuanian noun
vaiva meaning "light" (also see
Vaiva). The other possibilities are a derivation from the old Lithuanian verb
vajoti meaning "to chase, to pursue" and a derivation from the old Lithuanian noun
vajys meaning "messenger, courier".
With that said, the second element of this name is derived from Baltic vyd meaning "to see" (see Vytautas). Also compare other names that end in -vydas, such as Alvydas and Tautvydas.
Valerianus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Vasara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian (Rare)
Pronounced: VAH-sah-ruh
Derived from the Lithuanian noun vasara meaning "summer".
Veiksma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Latvian (Rare)
Derived from Latvian veiksme "luck; good fortune; success".
Vetle
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian
Norwegian form of the Old Norse name Vetrliði meaning "winter traveller", and by extension "bear cub".
Vetr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Norse
From Old Norse vetr meaning "winter".
Vetrarrós
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Icelandic (Modern, Rare)
Means "winter rose", derived from Old Norse
vetr meaning "winter" and
rós meaning "rose" (also see
Rós). This is a recently created name.
Vilnis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Latvian
Directly taken from Latvian vilnis "wave, surge".
Viorica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: vee-o-REE-ka
Derived from Romanian
viorea (see
Viorel).
Viridian
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Various (Modern, Rare)
From the name of the blue-green pigment, which is derived from Latin viridis, meaning "green".
Vytė
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Pronounced: VYEE-tyeh
Winifrid
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Ylber
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Albanian, Kosovar
From Albanian ylber meaning ''rainbow''.
Ylljeta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian (Rare)
Derived from Albanian yll "star" and, figuratively, "fate, luck" and jetë "life".
Ymaut
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Livonian, Medieval Baltic
Possibly derived from Livonian im "miracle" and and "gift".
Yulianna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian
Other Scripts: Юлианна(Russian)
Žadgailas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Lithuanian
Derived from the Lithuanian verb žadėti meaning "to promise" combined with old Lithuanian gailas, which usually means "strong, potent" but has also been found to mean "sharp, jagged" as well as "angry, fierce, violent" and "miserable, sorrowful, remorseful". Also compare the modern Lithuanian noun galia meaning "power, might, force".
Zahrah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: زهرة(Arabic)
Pronounced: ZAH-ra
Žaibas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Lithuanian (Rare)
Derived from the Lithuanian noun žaibas meaning "lightning".
Zaiga
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Latvian
Derived from Latvian zaigot "to glisten, to glimmer".
Zennor
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Cornish (Rare)
Name of a Cornish village derived from the local saint, St Senara. In current use.
Zenobia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ζηνοβία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZDEH-NO-BEE-A(Classical Greek) zə-NO-bee-ə(English)
Means
"life of Zeus", derived from Greek
Ζηνός (Zenos) meaning "of
Zeus" and
βίος (bios) meaning "life". This was the name of the queen of the Palmyrene Empire, which broke away from Rome in the 3rd-century and began expanding into Roman territory. She was eventually defeated by the emperor
Aurelian. Her Greek name was used as an approximation of her native Aramaic name.
Žiezdrė
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Baltic Mythology
Pronounced: ZHEEZ-dray
Derived from Lithuanian
žiezdrà "sand; earth; spark". In Lithuanian mythology, this was the name of the personification of the planet
Mars, one of the daughters of
Saulė.
Zimana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Serbian
Other Scripts: Зимана(Serbian)
Pronounced: ZEE-mana
From the Serbian зима (zima) meaning "winter".
Zintis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Latvian
Zlata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Злата(Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian)
Pronounced: ZLA-ta(Czech) ZLA-tə(Russian)
Zopyros
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ζώπυρος(Ancient Greek)
Means "glowing" in Greek. This was the name of a Persian nobleman who aided his king Darius in the capture of Babylon. He did this by mutilating himself and then going to the Babylonians claiming that it had been Darius who did it to him. After gaining their trust he betrayed them.
Žydrė
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
From Lithuanian žydra meaning "light blue".
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