Bertie2's Personal Name List

Latinized form of the Greek Δαίδαλος (Daidalos), which was derived from δαιδάλλω (daidallo) meaning "to work cunningly". In Greek myth Daedalus was an Athenian inventor who was banished to Crete. There he designed the Labyrinth for King Minos, but he and his son Icarus were eventually imprisoned inside it because he had aided Theseus in his quest against the Minotaur. Daedalus and Icarus escaped using wings fashioned from wax, but Icarus fell from the sky to his death.

From the name of the flower, ultimately derived from Dutch de affodil meaning "the asphodel".

Means "laurel" in Albanian, Bulgarian and Macedonian, of Greek origin.

From the Old Norse name Dagmær, derived from the elements dagr "day" and mær "maid". This was the name adopted by the popular Bohemian wife of the Danish king Valdemar II when they married in 1205. Her birth name was Markéta.

Latvian form of Dagny.

Old Norse and Icelandic form of Dagrun.

From Japanese 大 (dai) meaning "big, great" combined with 悟 (go) meaning "enlightenment" or 吾 (go) meaning "I, me". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

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

From Japanese 大 (dai) meaning "big, great" and 輔 (suke) meaning "help". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Simply from the English word for the white flower, ultimately derived from Old English dægeseage meaning "day eye". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.

This name was fairly popular at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. The American author F. Scott Fitzgerald used it for the character of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby (1925). The Walt Disney cartoon character Daisy Duck was created in 1940 as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. It was at a low in popularity in the United States in the 1970s when it got a small boost from a character on the television series The Dukes of Hazzard in 1979.

Means "rejoice" in Shona.

Derived from the Slavic elements dalĭ "distance" and borti "to fight".

Derived from the Slavic elements dalĭ "distance" and milŭ "gracious, dear".

Means "pure" in Tagalog.

Possibly derived from the Slavic elements danŭ "given" and mirŭ "peace, world". Otherwise, it might be of Turkic or Russian origin (see Damir 2). It was popularized by a character from Marija Jurić Zagorka's novel Gordana (1935).

Derived from Greek δαμάζω (damazo) meaning "to tame". According to Greek legend, Damon and Pythias were friends who lived on Syracuse in the 4th century BC. When Pythias was sentenced to death, he was allowed to temporarily go free on the condition that Damon take his place in prison. Pythias returned just before Damon was to be executed in his place, and the king was so impressed with their loyalty to one another that he pardoned Pythias. As an English given name, it has only been regularly used since the 20th century.

From a Slavic word meaning "morning star, Venus". This name occurs in Slavic folklore as a personification of the morning star. It has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world since the 1970s.

From the Hebrew name דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge", from the roots דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.

Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).

Feminine form of Daniël.

Old Norse form of Dan 3.

Ukrainian form of Daniel.

From an English surname that was derived from Norman French d'Arcy, originally denoting one who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. This is the surname of a character, Fitzwilliam Darcy, in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).

Greek form of Daria.

From the second part of Nestan-Darejan.

Feminine form of Darius. Saint Daria was a 3rd-century woman who was martyred with her husband Chrysanthus under the Roman emperor Numerian. It has never been a particularly common English given name. As a Russian name, it is more commonly transcribed Darya.

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

Variant of Darina 2.

Means "he just sits there" in Apache. This was the name of a 19th-century chief of the Tchihende Apache, also known by the Spanish nickname Mangas Coloradas meaning "red sleeves".

From the Hebrew name דָּוִד (Dawiḏ), which was derived from דּוֹד (doḏ) meaning "beloved" or "uncle". David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of Goliath, a giant Philistine. According to the New Testament, Jesus was descended from him.

This name has been used in Britain since the Middle Ages. It has been especially popular in Wales, where it is used in honour of the 5th-century patron saint of Wales (also called Dewi), as well as in Scotland, where it was borne by two kings. Over the last century it has been one of the English-speaking world's most consistently popular names, never leaving the top 30 names for boys in the United States, and reaching the top rank in England and Wales during the 1950s and 60s. In Spain it was the most popular name for boys during the 1970s and 80s.

Famous bearers include empiricist philosopher David Hume (1711-1776), explorer David Livingstone (1813-1873), musician David Bowie (1947-2016), and soccer player David Beckham (1975-). This is also the name of the hero of Charles Dickens' semi-autobiographical novel David Copperfield (1850).

Probably an elaboration of Davina. About 1980 this name jumped in popularity in Spain, possibly due to the main character on the British television series The Foundation (1977-1979), which was broadcast in Spain as La Fundación.

Means "government, state" in Tajik and Uzbek.

Meaning uncertain, possibly from an old Slavic exclamation expressing joy or sorrow. This was the name of a supposed Slavic war god. His name was the basis for the word davorije, a type of patriotic war song popular in the 19th century [1].

Feminine form of Davor.

Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali दीपक, Bengali দীপক, Gujarati દીપક, Gurmukhi ਦੀਪਕ, Malayalam ദീപക്, Kannada ದೀಪಕ್, Tamil தீபக் or Telugu దీపక్ (see Dipak).

From a name, also spelled as Dickewamis or Dehhewämis, which was given to the young British settler Mary Jemison (1743-1833) after she was captured and assimilated into the Seneca. Much later she claimed the name meant "pretty girl, pleasant thing", though this interpretation does not seem to be valid.

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

Means "adorning the heart", from Persian دل (del) meaning "heart" and آرا (ārā) meaning "decorate, adorn".

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Delphina.

Means "delicate, weak, languishing" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament she is the lover of Samson, whom she betrays to the Philistines by cutting his hair, which is the source of his power. Despite her character flaws, the name began to be used by the Puritans in the 17th century. It has been used occasionally in the English-speaking world since that time.

Altered form of Dolores.

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

French form of Delphina.

Masculine form of Delphina. Saint Delphinus was a 4th-century bishop of Bordeaux.

Means "happy heart, cheerful" in Persian, from دل (del) meaning "heart" and شاد (shād) meaning "happy".

From an elaboration of Welsh del "pretty". This is a recently created name.

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.

Feminine form of Demetrius.

Latinized form of the Greek name Δημήτριος (Demetrios), which was derived from the name of the Greek goddess Demeter 1. Kings of Macedon and the Seleucid kingdom have had this name. This was also the name of several early saints including Demetrius of Thessalonica, a martyr of the 4th century who is regarded as a warrior.

Means "iron" in Turkish.

Russian and Ukrainian form of Damian.

Derived from Arabic ذنب (dhanab) meaning "tail" [1]. This is the name of a star in the constellation Cygnus.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew דְּרוֹרִית (see Drorit).

Modern form of Devaraja.

Means "king of gods" from Sanskrit देव (deva) meaning "god" and राज (rāja) meaning "king". This is another name of the Hindu god Indra.

Means "little goddess" from Sanskrit देवी (devī) meaning "goddess" and क (ka) meaning "little".

Alternate transcription of Hebrew דְּבוֹרָה (see Devora).

Modern form of Devaraja.

Old Welsh form of David.

From Sanskrit धनंजय (dhanaṃjaya) meaning "winning wealth".

From the Roman cognomen Diadumenianus, which was derived from the Greek name Diadumenus. This was the name of a Roman Emperor who reigned briefly in the 3rd century.

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

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

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

Means "blue jay" in Ojibwe.

Means "tears" in Tswana.

Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi दिलीप, Malayalam ദിലീപ്, Kannada ದಿಲೀಪ್, Tamil திலீப் or Telugu దిలీప్ (see Dilip).

Means "beloved" in Italian, from Latin dilectus.

Modern form of Dilipa.

Means "brave" in Tajik.

Urdu form of Delshad.

Means "genuine" in Welsh. It has been used since the late 19th century.

French form of Diodorus.

Portuguese form of Diego. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão (1452-1486).

Feminine form of Dionysius.

Latin form of Dionysios. Dionysius the Areopagite, who is mentioned in the New Testament, was a judge converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. This was also the name of many other early saints, including a 3rd-century pope.

From Greek Διός (Dios) meaning "of Zeus" combined with Nysa, the name of the region where young Dionysos was said to have been raised. In Greek mythology Dionysos was the god of wine, revelry, fertility and dance. He was the son of Zeus and Semele.

Latin form of Dionysos.

From Sanskrit दिपाली (dipālī) meaning "row of lamps".

Derived from Greek δυσμή (dysme) meaning "sunset". This is the name traditionally assigned to the repentant thief who was crucified beside Jesus.

Means "folk song", from Romanian doină.

From the Late Latin name Dominicus meaning "of the Lord". This name was traditionally given to a child born on Sunday. Several saints have borne this name, including the 13th-century founder of the Dominican order of friars. It was in this saint's honour that the name was first used in England, starting around the 13th century. It has historically seen more use among Catholics.

Feminine form of Dominic.

Feminine form of Dominic.

French feminine and masculine form of Dominicus (see Dominic).

Feminine form of Domitius.

Roman family name that was probably derived from Latin domitus meaning "having been tamed".

Feminine form of Domnus. Saint Domna of Nicomedia was martyred during the persecutions of the early 4th century. However, in the case of Julia Domna, the Syrian wife of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, it seems her name was actually of Semitic origin.

Feminine form of Domninus. This was the name of a few early saints and martyrs.

From Vulgar Latin domnus, from Latin dominus meaning "lord, master". This name was borne by the 6th-century saint Domnus of Vienne (also called Domninus).

Old High German form of *Þunraz (see Thor).

Short form of Dorottya and names that end in dóra, such as Teodóra or Halldóra.

Diminutive of Dorin.

Portuguese form of Dorothea.

Feminine form of the Greek name Δωρόθεος (Dorotheos), which meant "gift of god" from Greek δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift" and θεός (theos) meaning "god". The name Theodore is composed of the same elements in reverse order. Dorothea was the name of two early saints, notably the 4th-century martyr Dorothea of Caesarea. It was also borne by the 14th-century Saint Dorothea of Montau, who was the patron saint of Prussia.

Latinized form of Dorotheos.

Danish and Norwegian form of Dorothy.

Possibly means "something at the campire already cooked" in Apache [1]. This was the name of the wife of the Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise.

Variant of Dragoș.

Feminine diminutive of the Roman family name Drusus. In Acts in the New Testament Drusilla is the wife of Felix.

Latin form of Duilio.

From Latin dulcis meaning "sweet". It was used in the Middle Ages in the spellings Dowse and Duce, and was recoined in the 19th century.

Derived from Spanish dulce meaning "sweet". This name was (first?) used by Miguel de Cervantes in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it belongs to the love interest of the main character, though she never actually appears in the story.

Means "chief, leader" in Tamil.

Feminine diminutive of Dušan.

From the Welsh prefix dy meaning "to, toward" and llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi [1], Dylan was a son of Arianrhod and the twin brother of Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Immediately after he was baptized he took to the sea, where he could swim as well as a fish. He was slain accidentally by his uncle Gofannon. According to some theories the character might be rooted in an earlier and otherwise unattested Celtic god of the sea.

Famous bearers include the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and the American musician Bob Dylan (1941-), real name Robert Zimmerman, who took his stage surname from the poet's given name. Due to those two bearers, use of the name has spread outside of Wales in the last half of the 20th century. It received a further boost in popularity in the 1990s due to a character on the television series Beverly Hills 90210.

Derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and beorht "bright". This was the name of an 8th-century king of Northumbria and three kings of Kent.

Old English form of Edgar.

Derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and giefu "gift".

Scottish Gaelic form of Elizabeth.

Derived from the Old English elements eald "old" and helm "helmet, protection". This was the name of a 7th-century English saint (commonly called Aldhelm).

Derived from the Old English element ealh "temple" combined with stan "stone".

Manx form of Elizabeth.

Variant of Ebere.

Means "mercy, kindness" in Igbo.

Old German name meaning "brave boar", derived from the elements ebur "wild boar" and hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This name was borne by an influential 9th-century Duke of Friuli. It was also the name of a 12th-century German saint, an archbishop of Salzburg.

Derived from the Old German elements ebur "boar" and wini "friend".

Persian form of Ibrahim, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription.

Romanian form of Katherine.

Means "viper, snake" in Greek, a variant of ἔχις (echis). In Greek mythology this was the name of a monster who was half woman and half snake. By Typhon she was the mother of Cerberus, the Hydra, the Chimera, and other monsters.

From the Greek word ἠχώ (echo) meaning "echo, reflected sound", related to ἠχή (eche) meaning "sound". In Greek mythology Echo was a nymph given a speech impediment by Hera, so that she could only repeat what others said. She fell in love with Narcissus, but her love was not returned, and she pined away until nothing remained of her except her voice.

Medieval diminutive of Edith.

From an Old German name, which was derived from the elements adal "noble" and gart "enclosure, yard".

From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew עֵדֶן (ʿeḏen) meaning "pleasure, delight" [1], or perhaps derived from Sumerian 𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people, Adam and Eve, lived before they were expelled.

French variant of Edgar.

Possibly a diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element adal meaning "noble".

From an English surname that meant either "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam". A famous bearer of the surname was the American inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).

From the Old English name Eadgyð, derived from the elements ead "wealth, fortune" and guð "battle". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. It was also borne by the Anglo-Saxon wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. The name remained common after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.

Short form of Edmond, used independently.

Feminine form of Edmé.

Means "pleasure" in Hebrew, a derivative of עָדַן (ʿaḏan) meaning "to delight". This name appears in the Old Testament Apocrypha, for instance in the Book of Tobit belonging to the wife of Raguel. It was borne by the American poet Edna Dean Proctor (1829-1923). It did not become popular until the second half of the 19th century, after it was used for the heroine in the successful 1866 novel St. Elmo by Augusta Jane Evans [1]. It peaked around the turn of the century and has declined steadily since then, falling off the American top 1000 list in 1992.

From the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and ric "ruler, king". After the Norman Conquest this Old English name was not commonly used. It has occasionally been revived in modern times.

Welsh form of Eva.

From the English word for the flower also known as sweetbrier. It is derived via Old French from Vulgar Latin *aquilentum meaning "prickly". It was early used as a given name (in the form Eglentyne) in Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century story The Prioress's Tale (one of The Canterbury Tales).

Earlier form of Ignatius.

Means "wind" in Nahuatl [1]. This was the name of the Aztec wind god.

Uyghur form of Ahmad.

Persian form of Ihsan, as well as an alternate Urdu transcription.

Welsh form of Igraine.

From Japanese 英 (ei) meaning "excellent, fine" or 栄 (ei) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper" combined with 二 (ji) meaning "two" or 治 (ji) meaning "govern, administer". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

From Japanese 栄 (ei) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper" or 英 (ei) meaning "excellent, fine" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.

Old Norse form of Elof.

Greek form of Ilithyia.

From the Old Norse name Einarr, derived from the elements einn "one, alone" and herr "army, warrior". This name shares the same roots as einherjar, the word for the slain warriors in Valhalla.

Derived from the Old Norse name Eindriði, possibly from the elements einn "one, alone" and ríða "to ride".

Means "mercy" in Old Norse. This was the name of a Norse goddess of healing and medicine.

Means "snow" in Welsh. This is a recently created name.

Modern form of Eir.

Ancient Greek form of Irene.

Norwegian form of Eiríkr (see Eric).

Old Norse form of Eric.

Icelandic form of Eiríkr (see Eric).

Alternate transcription of Greek Ειρήνη (see Irini).

Means "snowdrop (flower)" in Welsh, a compound of eira "snow" and llys "plant".

Variant of Øyvind.

Means "one having strength" in Igbo.

Means "praise God" in Urhobo.

Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Katherine, and an alternate transcription of Russian Екатерина (see Yekaterina).

Georgian form of Katherine.

Means "thanks, gratitude" in Igbo.

Means "gratitude belongs to God" in Igbo.

Variant of Akua.

Means "tears become joy" in Yoruba.

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

Means "goddess" in Persian.

Variant of Elaine.

Possibly derived from Greek ἄλαρα (alara) meaning "hazelnut, spear-shaft". In Greek mythology Elara was one of Zeus's mortal lovers and by him the mother of the giant Tityos. A moon of Jupiter bears this name in her honour.

From the Old Norse elements eldr "fire" and bjǫrg "help, save, rescue".

From the Old French form of the Occitan name Alienòr. Among the name's earliest bearers was the influential Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century), who was the queen of Louis VII, the king of France, and later Henry II, the king of England. She was named Aenor after her mother, and was called by the Occitan phrase alia Aenor "the other Aenor" in order to distinguish her from her mother. However, there appear to be examples of bearers prior to Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is not clear whether they were in fact Aenors who were retroactively recorded as having the name Eleanor, or whether there is an alternative explanation for the name's origin.

The popularity of the name Eleanor in England during the Middle Ages was due to the fame of Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as two queens of the following century: Eleanor of Provence, the wife of Henry III, and Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I. More recently, it was borne by first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), the wife of American president Franklin Roosevelt.

Latinate form of Eleanor.

From the Hebrew name אֶלְעָזָר (ʾElʿazar) meaning "God has helped", derived from אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God" and עָזַר (ʿazar) meaning "to help". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the sons of Aaron. The name also appears in the New Testament belonging to one of the ancestors of Jesus in the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew.

Hungarian form of Alexius.

Old Hungarian name of unknown meaning.

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

Georgian, Sardinian and Basque form of Helen.

Modern Greek form of Helen.

From the name of a Welsh river, also called the Leri, of unknown meaning. This was also the name of a 7th-century Welsh saint (masculine).

Persian form of Ilham.

Hungarian form of Elijah.

Spanish and Icelandic form of Elijah.

Form of Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek New Testament, as well as some English translations.

Meaning unknown, possibly of Greek or Welsh origin. It may have been inspired by the name of the Ήλιδα (Ilida) valley and ancient city in western Greece (Elis in English).

Means "my God is God" in Hebrew. This name is borne by a number of characters in the Old Testament.

Feminine form of Eligius.

Late Latin name derived from Latin eligere "to choose". The 7th-century Saint Eligius is the patron saint of metalworkers.

From the Hebrew name אֱלִיָּהוּ (ʾEliyyahu) meaning "my God is Yahweh", derived from the roots אֵל (ʾel) and יָהּ (yah), both referring to the Hebrew God. Elijah was a Hebrew prophet and miracle worker, as told in the two Books of Kings in the Old Testament. He was active in the 9th century BC during the reign of King Ahab of Israel and his Phoenician-born queen Jezebel. Elijah confronted the king and queen over their idolatry of the Canaanite god Ba'al and other wicked deeds. At the end of his life he was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and was succeeded by Elisha. In the New Testament, Elijah and Moses appear next to Jesus when he is transfigured.

Because Elijah was a popular figure in medieval tales, and because his name was borne by a few early saints (who are usually known by the Latin form Elias), the name came into general use during the Middle Ages. In medieval England it was usually spelled Elis. It died out there by the 16th century, but it was revived by the Puritans in the form Elijah after the Protestant Reformation. The name became popular during the 1990s and 2000s, especially in America where it broke into the top ten in 2016.

Hawaiian form of Elizabeth.

Finnish, Estonian and Swedish form of Helen.

Norwegian and Dutch variant form of Helen. This is the name of the title character in the novel Eline Vere (1889) by the Dutch writer Louis Couperus.

Means "my God is my light" in Hebrew.

Feminine form of Elior.

Icelandic form of Elizabeth.

French form of Elizabeth.

Old Church Slavic form of Elizabeth.

Italian form of Elizabeth.

French short form of Élisabeth.

Short form of Elizabeth.

Derived from Welsh elus meaning "kind, benevolent". This was the name of two kings of Powys in Wales.

Georgian short form of Elizabeth.

Meaning unknown, possibly Phoenician in origin. This is another name of Dido, the legendary queen of Carthage.

Short form of Elizabeth. It was borne by the character Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion (1913) and the subsequent musical adaptation My Fair Lady (1956).

From Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾElishevaʿ) meaning "my God is an oath", derived from the roots אֵל (ʾel) referring to the Hebrew God and שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist.

Among Christians, this name was originally more common in Eastern Europe. It was borne in the 12th century by Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a daughter of King Andrew II who used her wealth to help the poor. In medieval England it was occasionally used in honour of the saint, though the form Isabel (from Occitan and Spanish) was more common. It has been very popular in England since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. In American name statistics (as recorded since 1880) it has never ranked lower than 30, making it the most consistently popular name for girls in the United States.

Besides Elizabeth I, this name has been borne (in various spellings) by many other European royals, including a ruling empress of Russia in the 18th century. Famous modern bearers include the British queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).

Alternate transcription of Russian Елизавета (see Yelizaveta).

Old German name composed of the elements ellan "courage" and heri "army".

Short form of Wilhelmine or names ending in elma, such as Anselma. It has also been recorded as a combination of Elizabeth and Mary, as in the case of the 19th-century daughter of the Earl of Elgin, who was named using her mother's first and middle names [1].

Possibly a shortened form of Edelmira. It appears in the play Tartuffe (1664) by the French playwright Molière (often spelled in the French style Elmire).

Possibly from Turkic el meaning "country, society" combined with Arabic أمير (ʾamīr) meaning "commander".

Contraction of Russian электрификация мира (elektrifikatsiya mira) meaning "electrification of the world". This name was created by communist parents who were eager to reject traditional names.

Scandinavian short form of Helena.

Contracted form of Eleanora.

French form of Alodia.

English form of Élodie.

From the Old Norse name Eileifr, which was derived from the elements ei "ever, always" and leif "inheritance, legacy".

Spanish and Portuguese form of Eloise.

Italian form of Eloise.

From the Old French name Héloïse, which was probably from the Germanic name Helewidis, composed of the elements heil meaning "healthy, whole" and wit meaning "wide". It is sometimes associated with the Greek word ἥλιος (helios) meaning "sun" or the name Louise, though there is no etymological connection. This name was borne by the 12th-century French scholar and philosopher Héloïse. Secretly marrying the theologian Peter Abelard at a young age, she became a nun (and eventually an abbess) after Abelard was violently castrated by order of her uncle Fulbert.

There was a medieval English form of this name, Helewis, though it died out after the 13th century. In the 19th century it was revived in the English-speaking world in the form Eloise.

Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.

Middle English form of either of the Old English names Ælfric or Æðelric. Both were rarely used after the Norman Conquest.

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

Frisian diminutive of Elisabeth.

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

Derived from Welsh eilun meaning "image, likeness, idol". This was the name of a legendary 5th-century Welsh saint, also known as Eiliwedd, one of the supposed daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog.

Derived from Mapuche elun meaning "give".

Feminine form of Alf 1.

Icelandic form of Alvar.

Italian feminine form of Helvius.

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

Swedish short form of Elvira.

From Elysium, the name of the realm of the dead in Greek and Roman mythology.

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

Means "peace" in Ibibio.

From the word for the green precious stone, which is the traditional birthstone of May. The emerald supposedly imparts love to the bearer. The word is ultimately from Greek σμάραγδος (smaragdos).

Dutch form of Emerentius.

Derived from Latin emereo meaning "to fully deserve".

From the Late Latin name Emygdius, which was possibly a Latinized form of a Gaulish name (of unknown meaning). Saint Emygdius was a 3rd-century bishop and martyr, the patron saint against earthquakes.

Dutch form of Aemilius (see Emil).

From the Roman family name Aemilius, which was derived from Latin aemulus meaning "rival".

Icelandic feminine form of Aemilius (see Emily).

Feminine form of Aemilius (see Emily). In Shakespeare's tragedy Othello (1603) this is the name of the wife of Iago.

Romanian and Polish form of Aemilianus (see Emiliano).

Portuguese form of Aemilius (see Emil).

Bosnian form of Amina 2.

Turkish form and Bosnian variant of Amir 1.

Bosnian variant of Amira 1.

From the Hebrew name עִמָּנוּאֵל (ʿImmanuʾel) meaning "God is with us", from the roots עִם (ʿim) meaning "with" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This was the foretold name of the Messiah in the Old Testament. It has been used in England since the 16th century in the spellings Emmanuel and Immanuel, though it has not been widespread [1]. The name has been more common in continental Europe, especially in Spain and Portugal (in the spellings Manuel and Manoel).

From Old French Emeline, a diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element amal meaning "unceasing, vigorous, brave". The Normans introduced this name to England.

Germanic name, in which the second element is rih "ruler, king". The first element may be irmin "whole, great" (making it a relative of Ermenrich), amal "unceasing, vigorous, brave" (making it a relative of Amalric) or heim "home" (making it a relative of Henry). It is likely that several forms merged into a single name.

Means "empress" in Spanish.

Possibly a variant of Emre.

Means "friend, brother" in Turkish. This name was borne by the 13th-century Turkish poet Yunus Emre.

Latin form of Emidio.

Short form of Irena.

Means "swallow (bird)" in Basque.

Latin form of Endellion.

Anglicized form of Endelienta, the Latin form of a Welsh or Cornish name. It was borne by a 5th or 6th-century Cornish saint whose birth name is lost. According to some traditions she was a daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog (identifying her with Cynheiddon).

Derived from Greek ἐνδύω (endyo) meaning "to dive into, to enter". In Greek mythology he was an Aeolian mortal loved by the moon goddess Selene, who asked Zeus to grant him eternal life. Zeus complied by putting him into an eternal sleep in a cave on Mount Latmos.

Means "snowdrop (flower)" in Georgian (genus Galanthus).

From the Portuguese and Spanish name of the Aeneid (see Aeneas).

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.

Old French form of Enid.

Means "person of wealth" in Yoruba.

Means "person with a story, storied person" in Yoruba.

From Sumerian 𒂗 (en) meaning "lord" and possibly 𒆤 (lil) meaning "wind". Enlil was the Sumerian god of the wind and storms, the son of An and Ki. He was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and other Mesopotamian peoples [1].

Old Welsh form of Einion.

Original Latin form of Ennio.

From the Hebrew name חֲנוֹך (Ḥanoḵ) meaning "dedicated". In Genesis in the Old Testament this is the name of the son of Cain. It is also the name of a son of Jared and the father of Methuselah, who was the supposed author of the apocryphal Books of Enoch.

Breton form of Honoria, or directly from Breton enor "honour" (a word of Latin origin). This was the name of a 6th-century saint, the wife of Saint Efflamm.

Means "fifth born child" in Akan.

Turkish, Bosnian and Albanian form of Anwar.

Means "his father's friend" in Igbo.

Meaning unknown. She was a bloodthirsty Greek war goddess and a companion of Ares.

Derived from the Old English elements eofor "boar" and heard "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This is a cognate of Eberhard.

Derived from the Old English elements eofor "boar" and hild "battle". This name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.

From the Old English elements eormen "whole, great" and hild "battle". This was the name of a 7th-century saint, a daughter of King Eorcenberht of Kent.

Means "horse joy" in Old English. This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel The Lord of the Rings (1954) Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden of Rohan. She slays the Lord of the Nazgul in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

From the Hebrew name אֶףְרָיִם (ʾEfrayim) meaning "fruitful". In the Old Testament Ephraim is a son of Joseph and Asenath and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This name was also borne by two early saints: Ephraim or Ephrem the Syrian, a 4th-century theologian, and Ephraim of Antioch, a 6th-century patriarch of Antioch.

Derived from Gaulish epos meaning "horse" with the divine or augmentative suffix -on. This was the name of a Gaulish goddess of horses and fertility. She was worshipped not only in Gaul, but elsewhere in the Roman Empire.

Russian and Ukrainian form of Erastus.

Means "noble hero" in Kazakh, from ер (er) meaning "man, hero" and асыл (asyl) meaning "precious, noble".

Means "lovely" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the nine Muses, the muse of lyric poetry.

Old German form of Archibald.

Derived from the Old German element era "honour, respect" combined with hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy" [1][2]. Saint Erhard was a 7th-century bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria.

Feminine form of Eric. It was first used in the 18th century. It also coincides with the Latin word for "heather".

Portuguese form of Eric.

Scandinavian form of Eric. This was the name of kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. King Erik IX of Sweden (12th century) is the patron saint of that country.

From the Old Norse byname Erlendr, which was derived from ørlendr meaning "foreigner".

Old Norse form of Erland.

Icelandic form of Erland.

Means "descendant of the jarl", a derivative of the Old Norse word jarl meaning "chieftain, nobleman, earl".

Derived from the Old German elements irmin "whole, great" and lind "soft, flexible, tender". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish saint from Meldert, Flanders.

Derived from the Old German elements irmin meaning "whole, great" and gart meaning "enclosure, yard". This name was borne by the wife of the Frankish king Louis the Pious (9th century). This was also the name of one of her granddaughters, an abbess of Frauenwörth who is regarded as a saint.

From the Gothic name *Airmanareiks, from the elements airmans "great, immense" and reiks "ruler, king". Ermenrich (also often called Ermanaric) was a 4th-century Gothic king.

Latinized form of Ermendrud.

Amharic form of Jeremiah.

Old German variant of Ermelinde.

Feminine form of Ernest.

Means "brisk, vigorous, hale" in Old Norse. This was the name of the wife of Jarl in Norse legend.

Derived from Old High German ernust meaning "serious, earnest". It was introduced to England by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century, though it did not become common until the following century. The American author and adventurer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was a famous bearer of the name. It was also used by Oscar Wilde for a character in his comedy The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

Feminine form of Ernest.

Old German form of Ernest.

Swedish form of Ásbjǫrn.

Means "gift" in Urhobo.

Means "day woman" in Cheyenne [1].

Cornish form of Iseult.

Means "God's gift" in Urhobo.

Russian form of Esther.

Means "desire, wish" in Sanskrit.

Means "born on Sunday" in Akan.

Amharic form of Alexander.

Turkish and Bosnian form of Asma.

Usual Persian form of Ishmael, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription. This was the name of the founder of the Safavid Empire in Iran in the early 16th century.

Means "esteemed" or "loved" in Old French. It was first recorded in Scotland, being borne by the first Duke of Lennox in the 16th century. It is now more common as a feminine name.

Feminine form of Esmé.

Feminine form of Esmé.

Means "emerald" in Spanish and Portuguese. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), in which Esmeralda is the Romani girl who is loved by Quasimodo. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since that time.

Possibly a Turkish form of Asra.

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

From an Old French name meaning "star", ultimately derived from Latin stella. It was rare in the English-speaking world in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due to the character Estella Havisham in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations (1860).

Polish, Slovak, Romanian and Lithuanian form of Esther.

Latvian form of Esther.

Occitan form of Stephen.

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

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

Medieval French form of Stephen.

Feminine form of Etele created by the Hungarian writer András Dugonics for the main character in his novel Etelka (1788).

Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Adalwin.

Means "you are my sister" in Amharic.

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

Short form of names beginning with the Old English element æðele meaning "noble". It was coined in the 19th century, when many Old English names were revived. It was popularized by the novels The Newcomes (1855) by William Makepeace Thackeray and The Daisy Chain (1856) by C. M. Yonge. A famous bearer was American actress and singer Ethel Merman (1908-1984).

From Japanese 悦 (etsu) meaning "joy, pleased" and 子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.

Short form of Henrietta and other names that end with etta. A famous bearer was the American singer Etta James (1938-2012), who took her stage name from her real given name Jamesetta.

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.

Old French form of Odo.

Latinized form of the Greek name Εὐδοκία (Eudokia), derived from the word εὐδοκέω (eudokeo) meaning "to be well pleased, to be satisfied", itself derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and δοκέω (dokeo) meaning "to think, to imagine, to suppose". This name was common among Byzantine royalty. Saint Eudocia was the wife of the 5th-century emperor Theodosius II.

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.

Form of Eugenius (see Eugene) in several languages.

Feminine form of Eugenius (see Eugene). It was borne by a semi-legendary 3rd-century saint who escaped persecution by disguising herself as a man. The name was occasionally found in England during the Middle Ages, but it was not regularly used until the 19th century.

French form of Eugenia. This was the name of the wife of Napoleon III.

Derived from Greek εὔλαλος (eulalos) meaning "sweetly-speaking", itself from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and λαλέω (laleo) meaning "to talk". This was the name of an early 4th-century saint and martyr from Mérida in Spain. Another martyr by this name, living at the same time, is a patron saint of Barcelona. These two saints might be the same person.

Latinized form of Greek Εὐρώπη (Europe), which meant "wide face" from εὐρύς (eurys) meaning "wide" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". In Greek mythology Europa was a Phoenician princess who was abducted and taken to Crete by Zeus in the guise of a bull. She became the first queen of Crete, and later fathered Minos by Zeus. The continent of Europe said to be named for her, though it is more likely her name is from that of the continent. This is also the name of a moon of Jupiter.

From Greek Εὐρύαλος (Euryalos) meaning "broad". This name was borne by several figures in Greek legend. In Virgil's Aeneid it belongs to the friend of Nisus, with whom he is killed while raiding the Rutuli.

From the Greek Εὐρυδίκη (Eurydike) meaning "wide justice", derived from εὐρύς (eurys) meaning "wide" and δίκη (dike) meaning "justice, custom, order". In Greek myth she was the wife of Orpheus. Her husband tried to rescue her from Hades, but he failed when he disobeyed the condition that he not look back upon her on their way out.

Latinized form of Eusebios. This was the name of a 4th-century historian of the Christian church.

Means "flower, bloom" from the Greek word εὐθάλεια (euthaleia), itself derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and θάλλω (thallo) meaning "to blossom". This name was borne by a 3rd-century saint and martyr from Sicily.

Feminine form of Euthymius.

Latinized form of the Greek name Εὐθύμιος (Euthymios) meaning "in good spirits, generous", derived from the word εὔθυμος (euthymos), which was composed of the elements εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and θυμός (thymos) meaning "soul, spirit". This was the name of several early saints.

Portuguese form of Euthymius.

Form of Eve used in various languages. This form is used in the Latin translation of the New Testament, while Hava is used in the Latin Old Testament. A notable bearer was the Argentine first lady Eva Perón (1919-1952), the subject of the musical Evita. The name also appears in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) belonging to the character Little Eva, whose real name is in fact Evangeline.

This is also an alternate transcription of Russian Ева (see Yeva).

From Greek Εὐάδνη (Euadne), from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" possibly combined with Cretan Greek ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". This name was borne by several characters in Greek legend, including the wife of Capaneus. After Capaneus was killed by a lightning bolt sent from Zeus she committed suicide by throwing herself onto his burning body.

Variant of Evandrus, the Latin form of the Greek name Εὔανδρος (Euandros) meaning "good of man", derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Roman mythology Evander was an Arcadian hero of the Trojan War who founded the city of Pallantium near the spot where Rome was later built.

Latin variant of Evander 1.

Feminine form of Evangelos.

Means "evangelist, preacher" in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, derived from Latin, ultimately from Greek εὐάγγελος (euangelos) meaning "bringing good news". It is often used in honour of the Four Evangelists (the authors of the gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). It is traditionally masculine, though occasionally given to girls. A famous bearer was the Italian physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647), who invented the barometer.

Latinized form of Euanthe.

Modern Greek feminine form of Εὐανθία (Euanthia), a variant of Euanthe. This was the name of a 1st-century martyr from Skepsis who is considered a saint in the Orthodox Church.

French form of Evaristus.

Latinized form of the Greek name Εὐάριστος (Euaristos) meaning "well pleasing" from the Greek word εὐάρεστος (euarestos), derived from εὖ (eu) meaning "good, well" and ἀρεστός (arestos) meaning "pleasing". This was the name of the fifth pope, supposedly martyred under Emperor Hadrian.

Bulgarian form of Eudocia, and an alternate transcription of Russian Евдокия (see Yevdokiya).

Elaborated form of Eva.

Latinate form of Aveline. It was revived by the author Fanny Burney for the heroine of her first novel Evelina (1778). It is often regarded as a variant of the related name Evelyn or an elaboration of Eve.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Aveline. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as almost entirely feminine, probably in part because of its similarity to Eve and Evelina.

This name was popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 20th century. It staged a comeback in the early 21st century, returning to the American top ten in 2017.

From Everardus, the Latinized form of Eberhard. The Normans introduced it to England, where it joined the Old English cognate Eoforheard. It has only been rarely used since the Middle Ages. Modern use of the name may be inspired by the surname Everard, itself derived from the medieval name.

Latinized form of Eoforhild. This was the name of a 7th-century English saint.

Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Євген (see Yevhen).

Diminutive of Eve or Evelyn.

Hungarian diminutive of Eve.

Alternate transcription of Russian Евпраксия (see Yevpraksiya).

From an Old German name that was composed of the elements ewa "law, custom" and walt "power, authority". This name was borne by two 7th-century saints from Northumbria who were martyred in Saxony.

Derived from the Old Norse elements ey "good fortune" or "island" and dís "goddess".

Old Norse form of Øyvind.

Icelandic form of Eyvindr (see Øyvind).

Means "beauty" in Tamil.

Feminine form of Fabius.

From the Roman cognomen Fabianus, which was derived from Fabius. Saint Fabian was a 3rd-century pope.

Feminine form of Fabianus (see Fabian).

Feminine form of Fahim.

Urdu feminine form of Fahim.

Meaning unknown, possibly derived from Phaenna.

Alternate transcription of Arabic فيصل (see Faysal), as well as the form in several other languages.

Means "fiery" in Esperanto, from fajro meaning "fire".

Feminine form of Fakhri.

Diminutive of Ștefan.

Means "joy, happiness" in Arabic, from the root فرح (fariḥa) meaning "to be happy".

Old German form of Pharaildis.

From Shona fara meaning "rejoice, be happy" [1].

Variant of Faramund.

Derived from the Old German elements fara "journey" and munt "protection". This was the name of a semi-legendary 5th-century king of the Franks.

From Parthian 𐭐𐭓𐭇𐭕 (Frahat) meaning "gained, earned" [1]. This was the name of several rulers of the Parthian Empire. Their names are often spelled Phraates after the Hellenized form Φραάτης.

Means "happy, cheerful" in Arabic, a derivative of فرح (fariḥa) meaning "to be happy".

Means "charming, enticing" in Persian.

Means "unique, precious" in Arabic, derived from فرد (farada) meaning "to be unique, to be alone" [1]. This was the name of a 13th-century Persian poet.

Tajik form of Fereydoun.

Means "happy" in Arabic, from the root فرح (fariḥa) meaning "to be happy".

Means "horseman, knight" in Arabic.

Originally a short form of Germanic names containing the element fara meaning "journey" (Proto-Germanic *farō). This was the name of a 7th-century Burgundian bishop of Meaux, France.

Variant of Pharaildis.

Means "happy, auspicious" in Persian. This was the birth name of the musician Freddie Mercury (1946-1991), who was born on Zanzibar to Parsi parents.

Means "wise, intelligent" in Persian.

Feminine form of Faunus. Fauna was a Roman goddess of fertility, women and healing, a daughter and companion of Faunus.

Possibly means "to befriend" from Latin. Faunus was a Roman god of fertility, forests, and agriculture.

Feminine form of Faustinus (see Faustino).

From the English word fawn for a young deer.

In part from the English word fay meaning "fairy", derived from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles in the name of Morgan le Fay. In some cases it may be used as a short form of Faith. It has been used as a feminine given name since the 19th century.

As a rarer (but older) masculine name it is probably derived from a surname: see Fay 1 or Fay 2.

Means "a judge, arbiter" in Arabic.