Anna the singer's Personal Name List

Short form of Adriana.

Diminutive of Agnes or Agatha.

Feminine derivative of Agrippa. This name was borne by the scheming mother of the Roman emperor Nero, who eventually had her killed. This was also the name of a 3rd-century Roman saint who is venerated in Sicily.

From the Chinese character 阿 (ā), which has no distinct meaning. It is not normally given as a name, but it can be prefixed to another name to make it a diminutive.

Finnish and Estonian form of Áile.

Variant of Aintza.

From Japanese 明 (aka) meaning "bright" or 朱 (aka) meaning "vermilion red" combined with 里 (ri) meaning "village" or 莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.

Diminutive of Aleksandra.

French diminutive of Alexandra. This was the name of a Danish queen, the wife of King Christian X.

Greek form of Alcestis.

From the Greek name Ἀλθαία (Althaia), perhaps related to Greek ἄλθος (althos) meaning "healing". In Greek myth she was the mother of Meleager. Soon after her son was born she was told that he would die as soon as a piece of wood that was burning on her fire was fully consumed. She immediately extinguished the piece of wood and sealed it in a chest, but in a fit of rage many years later she took it out and set it alight, thereby killing her son.

Norwegian form of Alfhild.

Variant of Amalaswinþa.

Alternate transcription of Arabic أميرة (see Amira 1), as well as the usual Malay form.

From Chinese 安 (ān) meaning "peace, quiet" or other characters with a similar pronunciation. As a Vietnamese name, it is derived from Sino-Vietnamese 安 meaning "safe, secure".

Latinate form of Annabel. It can also be interpreted as a combination of Anna and Latin/Italian bella "beautiful".

Combination of Anne 1 and Mieke.

Greek form of Anthea.

Means "very beautiful" in Welsh, from the intensive prefix an- combined with gwen "white, blessed".

Portuguese form of Ariadne. This name steadily grew in popularity in America in the last few decades of the 20th century. A famous bearer is the American pop singer Ariana Grande (1993-).

Feminine variant of Ashley.

Feminine form of Athanasios (see Athanasius).

Feminine variant of Aubrey.

Feminine form of Aurelius.

From an English surname that was originally derived from the feminine given name Eoforhild.

Hebrew form of Abital, sometimes used as a masculine name in modern times.

Means "from the moon", from Turkish and Azerbaijani ay "moon" combined with an ablative suffix.

Alternate transcription of Arabic عائشة, Urdu عائشہ or Kazakh Айша (see Aisha).

From a nickname meaning "baby", also a slang term meaning "attractive person". As a feminine name, in some cases it is a diminutive of Barbara.

Latinized form of Βερενίκη (Berenike), the Macedonian form of the Greek name Φερενίκη (Pherenike), which meant "bringing victory" from φέρω (phero) meaning "to bring" and νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". This name was common among the Ptolemy ruling family of Egypt, a dynasty that was originally from Macedon. It occurs briefly in Acts in the New Testament (in most English Bibles it is spelled Bernice) belonging to a sister of King Herod Agrippa II. As an English name, Berenice came into use after the Protestant Reformation.

From the English word for the clear or pale green precious stone, ultimately deriving from Sanskrit. As a given name, it first came into use in the 19th century.

Variant of Bethany.

From the name of the minty medicinal herb.

Variant of Betty.

Feminine form of Blerim.

From the English word for the colour, derived via Norman French from a Frankish word (replacing the native Old English cognate blaw). Despite the fact that this name was used by the American musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z in 2012 for their first daughter, it has not come into general use in the United States.

Feminine form of Brian.

From an English surname that denoted one who lived near a brook.

Variant of Brook. The name came into use in the 1950s, probably influenced by American socialite Brooke Astor (1902-2007). It was further popularized by actress Brooke Shields (1965-).

From the name of a borough of New York City, originally named after the Dutch town of Breukelen, itself meaning either "broken land" (from Dutch breuk) or "marsh land" (from Dutch broek). It can also be viewed as a combination of Brook and the popular name suffix lyn. It is considered a feminine name in the United States, but is more common as a masculine name in the United Kingdom.

Variant of Brooklyn.

From an English surname, a variant of Brook.

From the name of the city in Egypt, called القاهرة (al-Qāhira) in Arabic, meaning "the victorious" [1].

Probably invented by the 16th-century Spanish writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, who likely based it on califa, the Spanish form of Arabic خليفة (khalīfa), an Islamic title meaning "successor" (see Khalifa). In Montalvo's novel The Adventures of Esplandián it is borne by the queen of the island of California (the inspiration for the name of the American and Mexican states).

Elaborated form of Calanthe.

From Sino-Vietnamese 柑 (cam) meaning "orange (fruit)".

Variant of Candace.

Variant of Charissa.

Combination of Carla and Lisa.

From a surname that was derived from the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.

Italian, Spanish and Galician form of Carmel.

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).

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Cathasaigh, a patronymic derived from the given name Cathassach. This name can be given in honour of Casey Jones (1863-1900), a train engineer who sacrificed his life to save his passengers. In his case, Casey was a nickname acquired because he was raised in the town of Cayce, Kentucky.

From the English word, a type of fabric, ultimately borrowed from the Hindi कश्मीर (kaśmīr) (See Kashmir).

Variant of cattleya, a genus of orchids native to Central and South America, which were named for the British horticulturist William Cattley. This name was popularized by the main character from the movie Colombiana (2011).

Variant of Katherine.

From the brand of perfume called Cerissa, which was introduced by Charles Revson in 1974. The name itself might possibly be a variant of Cerise. It was also used by Barbara Cartland for the heroine of her historical romance novel The Heart Triumphant (1976).

Means simply "chalice, goblet" from the English word, derived from Latin calix.

From Greek χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness" and κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This is the name of the heroine of the 3rd-century novel Aethiopica, about the love between Charikleia and Theagenes, written by Heliodorus of Emesa.

Ancient Greek feminine form of Chares. This was the word (in the singular) for one of the three Graces (plural Χάριτες).

This is also a Modern Greek transcription of the masculine form Chares.

Meaning unknown, perhaps a combination of Charmian or the English word charm with the aine suffix from Lorraine. It was (first?) used for a character in the play What Price Glory (1924), which was made into a popular movie in 1926.

Short form of Cheryl. In the case of the American musician Cher (1946-), it is short for her real name Cherilyn.

Diminutive of Cherie.

Derived from French chérie meaning "darling". In America, Cherie came into use shortly after the variant Sherry, and has not been as common.

Variant of Cheryl.

Feminine form of Chetan.

From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" combined with 枝 (e) meaning "branch", 恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit" or 絵 (e) meaning "picture, painting". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Means "memory" in Chewa.

From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and 夏 (natsu) meaning "summer", as well as other kanji combinations.

Means "God is giving" in Igbo.

Variant of Chinyere.

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 蝶 (see Chō).

Variant transliteration of Χρύσα (see Chryssa).

Alternate transcription of Greek Χρύσα (see Chrysa).

Means "sky, heaven" in Spanish. In Mexico this name was popularized by a character named María del Cielo, called Cielo, on the telenovela Por tu amor (1999).

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.

French masculine and feminine form of Claudius. In France the masculine name has been common since the Middle Ages due to the 7th-century Saint Claude of Besançon. It was imported to Britain in the 16th century by the aristocratic Hamilton family, who had French connections. A famous bearer of this name was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).

Variant of Corrie.

Latinized form of the Greek name Κόριννα (Korinna), which was derived from κόρη (kore) meaning "maiden". This was the name of a Greek lyric poet of the 5th century BC. The Roman poet Ovid used it for the main female character in his book Amores [1]. In the modern era it has been in use since the 17th century, when Robert Herrick used it in his poem Corinna's going a-Maying [2].

Spanish form of Crescentia.

From an English surname that originally belonged to a person who lived near a dale or valley.

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.

Feminine form of Daniel.

French variant form of Daphne.

Derived from the Slavic word darŭ meaning "gift". It is sometimes used as a diminutive of names beginning with Dar.

Variant of Darlene.

Feminine form of Decimus.

Form of Dinah used in some versions of the Greek Old Testament.

From a Cornish place name meaning "fort of Maeldaf". It has been used as a given name since the middle of the 20th century. It was popularized in the 1970s by a character from the British television series Poldark, which was set in Cornwall.

Variant of Dionne.

Means "mistress, lady" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon. She was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites practiced at Eleusis near Athens.

Short form of Diana.

Means "love" in Turkish.

Form of Dinah in several languages, as well as the form in the Hebrew, Greek and Latin Old Testament.

From the Greek name Δωρίς (Doris), which meant "Dorian woman". The Dorians were a Greek tribe who occupied the Peloponnese starting in the 12th century BC. In Greek mythology Doris was a sea nymph, one of the many children of Oceanus and Tethys. It began to be used as an English name in the 19th century. A famous bearer is the American actress Doris Day (1924-2019).

German variant of Dorothea.

Derived from the Slavic element dorgŭ (South Slavic drag) meaning "precious" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Feminine form of Duane.

Means "two" in Korean (Gyeongsang dialect).

Medieval diminutive of Edith.

Feminine variant of Eder 2.

Finnish form of Erica.

From Welsh eilon meaning "deer, stag" or "song, melody". This name was used by Lloyd Alexander in his book series The Chronicles of Prydain (1964-1968) as well as the Disney film adaptation The Black Cauldron (1985).

Diminutive of names beginning with El such as Elizabeta or Elżbieta.

Short form of Eliezer or Elijah. A famous bearer is Elie Wiesel, Jewish rights activist.

Form of Elizabeth used in many versions of the Old Testament, where it belongs to the wife of Aaron.

Variant form of Elizabeth.

Variant of Eliana 1.

Variant of Eloise.

Diminutive of Elizabeth. It was popularized in the early 1980s by a character from the television comedy Family Ties.

Variant of Esmeralda.

Feminine form of Esmé.

Latinate form of Estelle. This is the name of the heroine, Estella Havisham, in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations (1860).

Diminutive of Ethel.

Greek form of Evadne.

Derived from Greek εὐανθής (euanthes) meaning "blooming, flowery", a derivative of εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". According to some sources, this was the name of the mother of the three Graces or Χάριτες (Charites) in Greek mythology.

Means "good gift" in Greek, from the elements εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a nymph, one of the Hyades, in Greek mythology.

From Sino-Korean 恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" and 英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.

Modern Greek form of Eugenia. It is also an alternate transcription of Russian Евгения (see Yevgeniya) or Bulgarian Евгения (see Evgeniya).

Variant of Fayruz.

From Chinese 芳 (fāng) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.

From the English word favour, ultimately from Latin faveo "to favour". This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

Russian form of Theodora. This was the name of an 1898 opera by the Italian composer Umberto Giordano (who based it on an 1882 French play).

Short form of Josefien and other names ending with a similar sound.

Feminine form of Fikri.

Alternate transcription of Persian فیروزه (see Firouzeh).

Feminine form of Florius.

Known bearers of this name include the Italian-born Canadian filmmaker Floria Sigismondi (b. 1965), the Venezuelan singer and actress Floria Márquez (b. 1950) and the Argentine actress Floria Bloise (1929-2012).

Floria Tosca is also the name of the main character in Puccini's opera 'Tosca' (1900).

Feminine form of Fulvius (see Fulvio).

From Japanese 文 (fumi) meaning "writing", 史 (fumi) meaning "history", or other kanji or combinations of kanji that are read the same way. It is often written in hiragana or katakana.

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.

Variant of Georgiana.

Swedish and Dutch form of Gilles.

German short form of Brigitta and a Hungarian short form of Margit.

French form of Gloriana.

Possibly a variant of the name Gloriana, an elaboration of Gloria or a combination of Gloria and Anna.

Variant of Gloriane.

Feminine form of Goran.

Feminine form of Goran.

From the Old Norse name Gunnvǫr meaning "cautious in war", derived from gunnr "war" and vǫr "vigilant, cautious".

From Chinese 国 (guó) meaning "country" or other Chinese characters pronounced in a similar way.

From Hungarian gyöngy meaning "pearl", of Turkic origin.

Feminine form of Hadrianus.

Variant of Harley.

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.

From Chinese 河 (hé) meaning "river, stream", 和 (hé) meaning "harmony, peace", or 荷 (hé) meaning "lotus, water lily" (which is usually only feminine). Other characters can form this name as well. A famous bearer was the Ming dynasty explorer Zheng He (1371-1433).

From Tahitian here "loved, dear" and nui "big".

From Japanese 秀 (hide) meaning "excellent, outstanding" or 英 (hide) meaning "excellent, fine" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.

From Japanese 一 (hi) meaning "one", 二 (fu) meaning "two" and 三 (mi) meaning "three".

Medieval English form of Hilarius or Hilaria. During the Middle Ages it was primarily a masculine name. It was revived in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century as a predominantly feminine name. In America, this name and the variant Hillary seemed to drop in popularity after Hillary Clinton (1947-) became the first lady in 1993. Famous bearers include American actresses Hilary Swank (1974-) and Hilary Duff (1987-).

From Japanese 久 (hisa) meaning "long time, long time ago" or 寿 (hisa) meaning "long life, lifespan" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

From Sino-Vietnamese 花 (hoa) meaning "flower".

From Sino-Korean 煥 (hwan) meaning "shining, brilliant, lustrous" or other characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character.

Estonian form of Ilma 1.

Variant of Imogen.

Variant of Isabella.

Polish, Czech, Slovak and Slovene form of Isabella.

Variant of Isabel.

An invented name, using the popular phonetic element jay and the same sound found in names such as Casey and Macy.

Diminutive of Jacqueline.

Elaborated form of Jane, created by Paul Leicester Ford for his novel Janice Meredith (1899).

Danish, Norwegian and Estonian diminutive of Johanne or Johanna.

Derived from South Slavic jasno meaning "clearly, obviously".

Variant of Jenny.

From Sino-Korean 正 (jeong) meaning "right, proper, correct" or 靜 (jeong) meaning "quiet, still, gentle" combined with 姬 (hui) meaning "beauty" or 熙 (hui) meaning "bright, splendid, glorious". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.

From Sino-Korean 貞 (jeong) meaning "virtuous, chaste, loyal" or 正 (jeong) meaning "right, proper, correct" combined with 淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming". Other hanja combinations are possible.

From Sino-Korean 志 (ji) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or 智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" combined with 旼 (min) meaning "gentle, affable", 敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or 珉 (min) meaning "jade, stone resembling jade". Other hanja character combinations are possible.

From Chinese 金 (jīn) meaning "gold, metal, money", 锦 (jǐn) meaning "tapestry, brocade, embroidered" or 津 (jīn) meaning "ferry". Other Chinese characters can form this name as well.

From Chinese 静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle" combined with 怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". Other character combinations are possible as well.

From Sino-Korean 智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or 志 (ji) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" combined with 妍 (yeon) meaning "beautiful". Other combinations of hanja characters can also form this name.

Short form of Joan 1, Joanna, Josephine and other names that begin with Jo. It is primarily masculine in German, Dutch and Norwegian, short for Johannes or Josef.

Feminine variant of Jody.

Feminine variant of Jody.

Elaborated form of Jo.

Diminutive of John, sometimes used as a feminine form.

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 주원 (see Ju-Won).

Feminine form of Joseph.

French feminine form of Joseph.

Latinate variant of Joséphine.

Variant of Jocelyn.

Variant of Joy.

Hungarian and Slovene feminine form of Joseph.

Slovak form of Joséphine.

From the Hebrew name יְהוּדִית (Yehuḏiṯ) meaning "Jewish woman", feminine of יְהוּדִי (yehuḏi), ultimately referring to a person from the tribe of Judah. In the Old Testament Judith is one of the Hittite wives of Esau. This is also the name of the main character of the apocryphal Book of Judith. She killed Holofernes, an invading Assyrian commander, by beheading him in his sleep.

As an English name it did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation, despite a handful of early examples during the Middle Ages. It was however used earlier on the European continent, being borne by several European royals, such as the 9th-century Judith of Bavaria.

From a Roman family name that was possibly derived from Greek ἴουλος (ioulos) meaning "downy-bearded". Alternatively, it could be related to the name of the Roman god Jupiter. This was a prominent patrician family of Rome, who claimed descent from the mythological Julus, son of Aeneas. Its most notable member was Gaius Julius Caesar, who gained renown as a military leader for his clever conquest of Gaul. After a civil war he became the dictator of the Roman Republic, but was eventually stabbed to death in the senate.

Although this name was borne by several early saints, including a pope, it was rare during the Middle Ages. It was revived in Italy and France during the Renaissance, and was subsequently imported to England.

French form of Iuno (see Juno).

Variant of Kaylyn.

Variant of Kaylee.

Variant of Kaylyn.

From Hawaiian kai "ocean, sea" and mana "power". It is also Hawaiian meaning "diamond", derived from the English word diamond.

Variant of Kayleigh or Callie.

Variant of Kaylee.

From Japanese 加 (ka) meaning "increase" or 香 (ka) meaning "fragrance" combined with 奈 (na), a phonetic character, or 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" and finished with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.

From Japanese 奏 (kana) meaning "play music, complete" and 多 (ta) meaning "many", as well as other combinations of kanji that have the same pronunciation.

From Japanese 花 (ka) meaning "flower, blossom" and 音 (non) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations are possible as well.

From Japanese 香 (kaori) meaning "fragrance". It can also come from an alternate reading of 香 (ka) combined with 織 (ori) meaning "weaving". Other kanji combinations are possible. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.

German and Scandinavian form of Charles. This was the name of seven rulers of the Franks and the Holy Roman Empire. It was also borne by a beatified emperor of Austria (1887-1922), as well as ten kings of Sweden. Other famous bearers include the German philosophers Karl Marx (1818-1883), one of the developers of communism, and Karl Jaspers (1883-1969), an existentialist and psychiatrist.

Variant of Catalina.

Meaning unknown. This is the name of the wife of King Goshtasb in the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh.

Danish and Norwegian contracted form of Katherine.

Variant of Catriona.

Feminine form of Kazimierz (Polish) or Kazimieras (Lithuanian).

Feminine form of Keith.

Variant of Kelly.

Feminine form of Kenneth.

Variant of Kenny.

Variant of Kiara.

Variant of Keisha.

German and Polish form of Cornelia.

Variant of Kristin.

From Japanese 久 (ku) meaning "long time", 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Chinese 坤 (kūn) meaning "earth, female", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.

Polish form of Kunigunde. The 13th-century Saint Kunegunda was the daughter of Bela IV, king of Hungary. She married Boleslaus V of Poland, but after his death refused to assume power and instead became a nun.

Means "third child" in Akan.

Variant of Kylie.

Derived from Finnish kyllä "abundance" or kyllin "enough". This is the name of a character in the Finnish epic the Kalevala.

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 京子 or 恭子 (see Kyōko).

From the name of a Christian prayer, also called the Kyrie eleison meaning "Lord, have mercy". It is ultimately from Greek κύριος (kyrios) meaning "lord".

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 경숙 (see Gyeong-Suk).

Feminine form of Laelius, a Roman family name of unknown meaning. This is also the name of a type of flower, an orchid found in Mexico and Central America.

Possibly a derivative of Lot 2 (or derived from the same place name). It was used by the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes for a character in his romance Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Also called the Lady of the Fountain, Laudine married Yvain after he killed her husband.

Short form of Eleanora.

From Chinese 磊 (lěi) meaning "pile of stones" (which is typically masculine) or 蕾 (lěi) meaning "bud" (typically feminine). Other characters can also form this name.

Variant of Leila.

From an Irish surname, derived from the Irish byname Leannán meaning "lover". The surname was borne by musician and Beatle member John Lennon (1940-1980), and it may be used as a given name in his honour. In America it is now more common as a feminine name, possibly inspired in part by the singer Lennon Stella (1999-), who began appearing on the television series Nashville in 2012 [1].

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

Variant of Leslie.

From Latin levare meaning "to raise, to lift". This was the name of a Roman goddess associated with newborn babies and the rituals of childbirth.

French form of Lillian.

German, Danish and Finnish variant of Lili.

Hokkien Chinese form of Lin.

Dutch variant of Linda.

Combination of the names Lin and Na.

Variant of Liz.

Variant of Lori.

Latin diminutive of Lucia. This was the name of a 3rd-century saint martyred in Rome.

From a nickname given to a lucky person. It is also sometimes used as a diminutive of Luke. A famous bearer was the Italian-American gangster "Lucky" Luciano (1897-1962).

Diminutive of Louise and names that begin with Lu.

Means "good fortune, happiness" in Danish.

Variant of Lina 2.

Variant of Mabel. It also coincides with the French phrase ma belle meaning "my beautiful".

Variant of Madeline.

From an English surname meaning "son of Maud". It was not commonly used as a feminine name until after the movie Splash (1984), in which the main character adopted it as her name after seeing a street sign for Madison Avenue in New York City. It was ranked second for girls in the United States by 2001. This rise from obscurity to prominence in only 18 years represents an unprecedented 550,000 percent increase in usage.

A famous bearer of the surname was James Madison (1751-1836), one of the authors of the American constitution who later served as president (and after whom Madison Avenue was named).

Variant of Mackenzie.

From Japanese 真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" or 麻 (ma) meaning "flax" combined with 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.

Diminutive of Manuela.

Variant of Marilyn.

Frisian and German diminutive of Maria.

Estonian form of Margaret.

French short form of Margaret.

Combination of Maria and Angela.

Combination of Marie and Louise.

Variant of Marilyn.

Means "of the sea", taken from the Latin title of the Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, meaning "star of the sea".

French diminutive of Marie.

Blend of Maria and Magdalene. It refers, therefore, to Mary Magdalene, a character in the New Testament. The name was popularized by the German actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992), whose real name was Maria Magdalene Dietrich.

Combination of Mary and Ann.

Combination of Mary and Beth.

From Japanese 成 (masa) meaning "become" or 正 (masa) meaning "right, proper" combined with 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji.

Azerbaijani form of Masuma.

From Japanese 真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" combined with 弓 (yumi) meaning "archery bow" or 由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" and 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". This name can also be constructed from other kanji combinations.

Means "tender, soft, modest" in Tagalog.

Variant of Mackenzie.

From Greek Μήδεια (Medeia), derived from μήδεα (medea) meaning "plans, counsel, cunning". In Greek mythology Medea was a sorceress from Colchis (modern Georgia) who helped Jason gain the Golden Fleece. They were married, but eventually Jason left her for another woman. For revenge Medea slew Jason's new lover and also had her own children by Jason killed.

Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi मीरा, Malayalam മീര, Tamil மீரா or Kannada ಮೀರಾ (see Mira 1).

Italian, Spanish, Polish and Romanian form of Melanie.

Means "jasmine flower" in Malay and Indonesian, ultimately from Sanskrit मालती (mālatī).

Meaning unknown. In European folklore Melusine was a water fairy who turned into a serpent from the waist down every Saturday. She made her husband, Raymond of Poitou, promise that he would never see her on that day, and when he broke his word she left him forever.

From Arabic منّة (minna) meaning "favour, grace".

Diminutive of Merle.

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

Derived from Finnish mieli meaning "mind, mood". This was the name of a Finnish goddess of forests and hunting. By some accounts she is the wife of the god Tapio.

Feminine form of Mikel.

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 미경 (see Mi-Gyeong).

Feminine form of Milan.

From 敏 (mǐn) meaning "quick, clever, sharp", 民 (mín) meaning "people, citizens", or other Chinese/Sino-Korean characters that are pronounced similarly.

From Japanese 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful", 奈 (na), a phonetic character, and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 港 (minato) meaning "harbour", as well as other combinations of kanji having the same pronunciation.

From Japanese 実 (minoru) meaning "to bear fruit", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.

Romanian, Croatian and Albanian form of Mireille.

Diminutive of Miroslava and other names containing the Slavic element mirŭ meaning "peace" or "world".

From Japanese 百 (momo) meaning "hundred" or 桃 (momo) meaning "peach" combined with 花 (ka) meaning "flower" or 香 (ka) meaning "fragrance". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Variant of Muirenn.

Variant of Myla.

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 명 (see Myeong).

Alternate transcription of Tamil நீலா or Hindi नीला (see Nila).

Diminutive of Cornelia.

Short form of Giuanna.

Means "miracle" in Hebrew.

Variant of Nicole.

Diminutive of Nicole.

Variant of Nakeisha.

Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian and Slovene feminine form of Nicholas.

Spanish and Italian form of Nympha.

Means "bear" in Choctaw.

Means "father's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's paternal grandmother.

From Japanese 信 (nobu) meaning "trust" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji characters can also form this name.

Italian diminutive of Nora 1.

Means "sweet, pleasant" in Persian.

Elaboration of Nova using the popular name suffix lee. It was used for the central character in the novel Where the Heart Is (1995), as well as the 2000 film adaptation.

From Chinese 暖 (nuǎn) meaning "warm, genial" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.

Anglicized form of Ngaire. It was borne by New Zealand actress Nyree Dawn Porter (1936-2001).

Latinate form of Odette.

Variant of Olwen.

From the name of a Native American tribe, perhaps meaning "standing rock".

Elaborated form of Opal. This is also an English and French word meaning "resembling an opal".

Derived from Greek ὠφέλεια (opheleia) meaning "help, advantage". This was a rare ancient Greek name, which was either rediscovered or recreated by the poet Jacopo Sannazaro for a character in his poem Arcadia (1480). It was borrowed by Shakespeare for his play Hamlet (1600), in which it belongs to the daughter of Polonius and the potential love interest of Hamlet. She eventually goes insane and drowns herself after Hamlet kills her father. In spite of this negative association, the name has been in use since the 19th century.

Diminutive of Paraskevi.

Means "maiden's voice", derived from Greek παρθένος (parthenos) meaning "maiden, virgin" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". In Greek legend this is the name of one of the Sirens who enticed Odysseus.

Feminine form of Paulinus (see Paulino).

Diminutive of Penelope. It can also be given in reference to the copper coin (a British pound or an American dollar are worth 100 of them), derived from Old English penning.

Meaning unknown, probably of Pre-Greek origin, but perhaps related to Greek πέρθω (pertho) meaning "to destroy" and φόνος (phonos) meaning "murder". In Greek myth she was the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. She was abducted to the underworld by Hades, but was eventually allowed to return to the surface for part of the year. The result of her comings and goings is the changing of the seasons. With her mother she was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites practiced at the city of Eleusis near Athens.

Feminine form of Philon (see Philo).

Greek form of Philomela.

Diminutive of Philippa.

Diminutive of Apollonius, now commonly used as a feminine name.

From the word for the red flower, derived from Old English popæg.

From the word for the silk-like material, introduced by DuPont in 1968 and popular in the fashions of the 1970s [1].

From Chinese 青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green, young", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Feminine form of Quintus.

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.

Means "young gazelle" in Arabic.

Southern Indian variant of Ratna.

German and Norwegian form of Regina.

From Japanese 怜 (rei) meaning "wise" and 奈 (na), a phonetic character. This name can also be formed by other combinations of kanji.

English variant of Renée.

Feminine form of Richard.

From Japanese 理 (ri) meaning "reason, logic" or 里 (ri) meaning "village" combined with 恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Alternate transcription of Arabic ريحانة (see Rayhana). This name is borne by the Barbadian singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty (1988-), known simply as Rihanna. In the United States it jumped in popularity between the years 2005 and 2008, when Rihanna was releasing her first albums. It quickly declined over the next few years.

Possibly a variant of Romana.

Variant of Rhonda.

From Chinese 荣 (róng) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper", 融 (róng) meaning "fuse, harmonize" or 容 (róng) meaning "appearance, form" (which is usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters can form this name as well.

Variant of Rosamund, in use since the Middle Ages.

Means "rosary", and is taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora del Rosario meaning "Our Lady of the Rosary". This name is feminine in Spanish and masculine in Italian.

Means "red" in Italian.

Variant of Rowena.

French and English form of Roxana. This is the name of Cyrano's love interest in the play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897).

Diminutive of Roxana.

Feminine form of Rufinus. Rufina and Secunda were sister saints who were martyred in Rome in the 3rd century.

Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Румяна (see Rumyana).

From Japanese 幸 (sachi) meaning "happiness, good luck" and 枝 (e) meaning "branch" or 恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

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

Alternate transcription of Telugu సమీరా or Marathi/Hindi समीरा (see Samira 2).

From Sino-Korean 常 (sang) meaning "common, frequent, regular" or other characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character.

From Latvian sarma meaning "frost".

From Japanese 里 (sato) meaning "village" or 聡 (sato) meaning "intelligent, clever, bright" combined with 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Feminine form of Saturninus. This was the name of a legendary saint who was supposedly martyred in northern France.

From Japanese 聖 (sei) meaning "holy, sacred" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Turkish form of Samra.

Means "shadow, shade" in Serbian and Croatian. It can also be a diminutive of Ksenija.

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 서현 (see Seo-Hyeon).

From Sino-Korean 成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" combined with 鉉 (hyeon), which refers to a device used to lift a tripod cauldron. Other hanja character combinations are possible.

From Sino-Korean 成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or 性 (seong) meaning "nature, character, sex" combined with 敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or 旻 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp". Many other hanja character combinations are possible.

Elaboration of Shae using the popular name suffix lyn.

Variant of Charmaine.

Elaborated form of Sharon.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew שַׁי (see Shai).

From the Hebrew word שׁכִינה (sheḵina) meaning "God's manifested glory" or "God's presence". This word does not appear in the Bible, but later Jewish scholars used it to refer to the dwelling place of God, especially the Temple in Jerusalem.

From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Sirideáin), which was derived from the given name Sirideán possibly meaning "searcher".

Variant of Sherry or Cherie.

Variant of Cheryl.

Variant of Cheryl.

From Japanese 繁 (shige) meaning "flourishing, luxuriant" or 成 (shige) meaning "become" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

From Japanese 静 (shizu) meaning "quiet" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Invented name, probably based on the sounds found in Shawna and Rhonda.

From Chinese 淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming", besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.

From Chinese 淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming" combined with 芬 (fēn) meaning "fragrance, aroma, perfume". Other character combinations are possible as well.

From Chinese 水 (shuǐ) meaning "water", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

In Irish legend this was the name of a granddaughter of the sea god Lir who went to Connla's Well, which was forbidden. The well burst and drowned her, leaving her body in the river thereafter known as the Sionainn (see Shannon).

Short form of Sigrid.

Russian and Bulgarian form of Snježana, as well as an alternate transcription of Macedonian Снежана (see Snežana).

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 수현 (see Su-Hyeon).

Diminutive of Susanna or Susan.

Short form of Stephanie or Stephen.

From Chinese 素 (sù) meaning "plain, simple" or 肃 (sù) meaning "respectful", besides other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Means "patience" in Swahili, from Arabic صبر (ṣabara).

From Sino-Korean 秀 (su) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" and 賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able". Other combinations of hanja characters can also form this name.

From Sino-Korean 收 (su) meaning "gather, harvest" or 壽 (su) meaning "long life, lifespan" combined with 眞 (jin) meaning "real, genuine" or 珍 (jin) meaning "precious, rare". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.

Diminutive of Susanna or Susan.

Diminutive of Susanna or Susan.

Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 성민 (see Seong-Min).

English variant of Susanna. This has been most common spelling since the 18th century. It was especially popular both in the United States and the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1960s. A notable bearer was the American feminist Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906).

German and Scandinavian form of Susanna.

Alternate transcription of Hindi सुशीला (see Sushila).

Diminutive of Susan.

Variant of Susan.

Dutch diminutive of Suzanne.

Diminutive of Susan.

Diminutive of Susan.

Diminutive of Susan or Suzanne.

Derived from Latin tace meaning "be silent". It was in use from the 16th century, though it died out two centuries later.

From Chinese 太 (tài) meaning "very, extreme" or other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Finnish short form of Tatiana.

Combination of the popular name prefix ta and Lisha.

This is the name of waterfalls in Georgia. Popularly claimed to mean "leaping waters" in the Choctaw language, it may actually mean "town" in the Creek language. It was borne by American actress Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968), who was named after her grandmother, who may have been named after the waterfalls.

Variant of Tammy.

Short form of Tamara and other names beginning with Tam.

From Lakota Tȟašína meaning "her blanket", derived from šiná "blanket, shawl". This is the first part of the name of historic figures such as Tȟašína Lúta, called Red Blanket, or Tȟašína Máni, called Moving Robe Woman.

Latinized form of Thekla.

Modern Greek form of Theophania.

Modern form of Þóra.

Variant of Tiffany.

Feminine form of Timon.

Variant of Torhild.

From Japanese 豊 (toyo) meaning "luxuriant, lush, bountiful" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji characters can also form this name.

Feminine variant of Tracy.

Variant of Tricia.

Short form of Patricia.

From Japanese 月 (tsuki) meaning "moon" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji are possible.

Old Irish form of Talulla.

From Japanese 梅 (ume) meaning "apricot, plum" (referring to the species Prunus mume) and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.